I saw a lot of really beautiful dresses on the red(ish) carpet today and here are a few of my favorites!

Cameron Diaz in John Galliano - the pale peach/pink suits her well

Ellen Page really seems to love wearing black to these events.

Heidi Klum wears a smashing red dress by John Galliano.  You can win the dress courtesy of Diet Coke and The Heart Truth by entering HERE.

Hilary Swank in Atelier Versace is one of my favorites.  She always looks so flawless!

Jennifer Garner in Oscar de la Renta.  I love her hair and makeup, but the dress would have been better in a different color, I think.

Jennifer Hudson rocks it in a white Roberto Cavalli.

Jessica Alba picks a gorgeous purple Marchesa gown.

Katherine Heigl’s makeup looks tragic - the lips are too matchy matchy and the bronzer is dreadful.  Love the Escada dress though!

Marion Cotillard’s Jean Paul Gaultier gown looked really gorgeous on TV when she walked up to receive her Best Actress award.  The photos don’t do it justice.

Miley Cyrus looks about 30 in this Valentino red gown.  I think it would look more appropriate on me - HINT, Valentino!

Penelope Cruz was my hands-down favorite of the evening.  The Chanel Haute Couture in navy with the feathers is to die for and she always looks flawless with her half up-do and perfect makeup.  GORGEOUS!

Which were your favorite looks from the Oscar’s red carpet?

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Celebrity makeup artist, Jenna Busch for Bésame, gives some us some tips to get Oscar-ready, just like the celebrities.

Busch tells us that color is a huge trend this season - we’ll see it on the gowns and in beauty looks. Just choose one area on your face and play it up with color.

For standout lips, try Bésame’s Exotic Pink or Bésame Red and pair it with a beige eyeshadow and some mascara to create a classic look.

Or rock a jewel-tone and play up your eyes with Pistachio Shadow and Emerald Liner. Finish off the look with a nude lip and natural cheek color, like Champagne Lipstick and Sunkissed Rouge.

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Canadian Beauty tells you about Stila Cherry Crush Lip and Cheek Stain.

Angie Vargas, founder of EyeshadowCult.com tells you about her battle & road to recovery from severe cystic acne.

StyleBell uncovers The 411 on Brazilian Keratin Treatments!

Beautynomics covers the Sunsilk’s Life Can’t Wait Press Launch in Manila.

Bionic Beauty reviews the luxury Noevir Skin Care lineup!

Kyle reviews billybBEAUTY Brushes at Face Candy.

Find out A Touch of Blusher’s current favorite toner.

Beauty and Personal Grooming tells you the benefits of using French clay as a spa product

SugarShock is coveting Rachel Bilson’s Jumper premiere beauty look and tells you how to recreate Rachel’s stunning makeup.

Makeup Moxie’s lusting for the new Andy Warhol Union Square Perfume by Bond No. 9

Beauty Blogging Junkie discusses her favorite purple and purple-packaged products.

Discover a Mystery Beauty Powder at Musings of a Muse from the MAC Fafi Collection that you may have missed out on!

Beauty Anonymous loves ” Lunch at the Delhi ” from OPI India Collection.

Girl Gloss explain why Stila Lip Glaze is an all time favorite.

Manhattan’s favorite socialite, Tinsley Mortimer, dishes exclusively to Beauty Banter on her must have products… and on being Dior’s Beauty Ambassador!

Raging Rouge discovers a way for Aurophobics to embrace the Spring 2008 gold shadow trend.

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic washes her face with oil, and she likes it!

Temptalia has a tutorial using the Fafi Eyes Quad #1!

Spoiled Pretty is convinced that Urban Decay’s main ingredient must be crack. Find out which product she finds most addictive.

Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog crawls into a scent chamber to sniff Frederic Malle perfumes at Barneys New York and lives to tell the tale!

The Beauty of Life stumbles upon fantastic all-natural brand Chloe & Jane — and has a couple products she’s just dying for you to try!

All Lacquered Up gives you an exclusive preview of Zoya’s summer collections: Gossip and Chit Chat

I’m so happy to say that I’ve recently joined a wonderful group of beauty bloggers at The Beauty Blog Network!

I’ll be in good company with other new members - Eco*Pretty, Eyeshadow Cult, Raging Rouge, and StyleBell, as well as veteran members in The Makeup Girl, Musings of a Muse, and Makeup and Beauty Blog!!

Come check us out, you know we’ve got ALL the scoop on the latest and greatest on beauty!

Happy Friday y’all!

Being right smack in the middle of winter, I was really excited to have an opportunity from Total Beauty to sample Pure Cloud Cream from Skyn Iceland.

Skyn Iceland is a brand which formulates their products to treat stressed skin - from irritable, dull, clogged, prematurely wrinkled, prone to breakouts, to itchy and flaky.

With these claims, I looked forward to relieving my skin from the cold and fickle San Francisco weather. But to my disappointment, Pure Cloud Cream didn’t live up to the hype it promised - or that Vogue article, for that matter.

The sample of cream I received smelled a bit citrusy, it reminded me of Bliss Thinny Thin Chin. The texture was also lovely, not too thick, but luxurious enough to feel good applying it onto my skin. All Skyn Iceland products contain the Biospheric Complex - a proprietary blend of mineral-rich Icelandic glacial water, indigenous artic berries, and oxygenated liposomes, butterfly bush and thyme extracts.

I used Pure Cloud Cream everyday during my morning skin regimen for five days. It called for usage in the morning and evening, but since I don’t normally remoisturize at night (lazy, I know), I wanted to give it a true test of how I regularly use my moisturizers.

When applying, the cream sank right into my face, which I love because I hate when creams and moisturizers just sit on top of your skin. By the end of Day 1, I had some dry patches on my forehead and on one cheek that became noticeably irritable to me although I fought the urge to scratch. I thought that maybe since my skin was dry, it was just drinking up every bit of cream to nourish my face and that I just needed to apply more.

So on Day 2 - 4, I applied a little bit more of the cream before putting on my makeup, and still by the end of the day, my skin had dried out again leaving me with a flaky forehead - not cute.

By Day 5, I applied more on my forehead than other places and I didn’t see any changes in my skin, or improvements in the performance of Pure Cloud Cream for me. This might be a good everyday moisturizer, but it definitely didn’t heal me of dry skin.

At $75 US for a 1.7 oz jar, I wouldn’t splurge on this to save my face from winter. I’d probably use this in the summer or in milder climates where it’s not so cold.

Have you tried Pure Cloud Cream? What do you think? Check out some other user reviews here.

Tell me what are your favorite wintertime moisturizers are, I’m always looking for a great find!

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Okay, I know I parked myself at the MAC counter 10 minutes (literally) after my local Nordie’s opened on Fafi’s release date, Feb. 13th because I was super excited to see everything, yet it took me a million years to actually break into my Fafi haul.

I spent WAYYY too much that morning so I just wanted to admire my new MAC goodies in their packages before I de-virginized them - strange, I know. Hey, at least I used one of my Nordstrom gift cards from holiday to feed my MAC desire and I didn’t blow all of my future children’s college funds

And finally, here are my initial thoughts regarding the collection as well as swatches of everything I purchased.

Let’s start with my biggest gripe about the collection - yep, the packaging. I was so disappointed to open up the beautiful boxes to find stickers - on everything. The quads I could forgive because the stickers are applied on better than the lippies. And because most people don’t normally carry eyeshadows in their purses so the stickers won’t peel off.

But the lippies. Oh the lippies. The stickers on these are applied on poorly and I just know that I’m going to eventually peel these off when they get dirty or rip in my purse when I’m carrying them around.

If you can get past the cheap packaging - which I did because I’m freakish and normally keep all my lippies in their original boxes anyway - the colors are AMAZING! They look so bold in the tubes but when applied, they are subtle, fun, and suitable for anyone at any age. Kudos to MAC for making such a versatile collection.

Read on for my full review and more product swatches.

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My beloved Pixel Pink just arrived in my mailbox over the weekend and I couldn’t wait to break my baby in! My favorite thing about Pixel Pink is the pop of color I get with just a couple of swipes on my lips. I just read over on Yummy 411 that she didn’t dig it as much because the formula was a little thin and sheer, but that’s exactly what I love about it. It wears almost like a gloss so I can apply and go without any hassle.

I also took this opportunity to get one of their creme blushes that I had read so much about at the tail end of last year and choose Model Mocha Color Design Blush to add to my collection. I like the color for everyday; it’s nice and sheer with a great amount of shimmer that leaves me looking nice and glowy - definitely brightens my mood during this rain we’re having in SF right now.

Inspired by my new purchase, I decide to create my look for today with all Lancôme colors to create a subtle look for the office. Here’s what I used (all Lancôme except where noted):

Eyes:
- MAC Beige-ing Shadestick (base)
- Mochaccino (crease)
- Backstage Pass (upper lid and lower lashline)
- Nutmeg (inner 3rd lid)
- Creme Lustre (brow highlight)
- Definicils mascara

Cheeks:
- Model Mocha Color Design Blush

Lips:
- Pixel Pink Color Fever Shine

Have you picked up your Pixel Pink yet? What do you think about the limited edition Pout-à-Porter lip color?

Hope you’re all having a fabulous Hump Day!

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Don’t let all the hoopla from Fafi deter you from MAC’s spring collection of Slimshines! I certainly went crazy for Fafi that I didn’t have enough left in my bank account to even browse the Slimshine collection.

But, if you love lippies as much as I do, you’ll want to pick up a few of these ultra-glossy and slim-enough-to-fit-in-your-pocket lipsticks. They’re silky and creamy, making it a perfect combo of gloss and lipstick for my lipgloss-lovin’ self!

This collection came out last year and has returned again giving us 13 re-promoted shades and 7 brand new ones! This time they’re not limited edition, so I think I can wait until the next payday to visit the MAC counter again. Don’t worry Assertive, Scant, and Prudeaux, I’ll be adopting you soon.

What about you? Which Slimshines are you planning to get?

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Read on for the official MAC Slimshine Color Story and Complete Collection info.

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In case I forgot to mention (which I think I did), February is National Heart Month. In support, Bobbi Brown has teamed up with The Heart Truth campaign to help raise awareness about heart disease in women.

This is the third year that Bobbi Brown Cosmetics has been a part of this initiative and this year they’ve created a limited edition lip palette featuring four universally flattering shades: Mauve Lip Shimmer, Kir Lip Shimmer, Cranberry Lip Sheer and Slopes Lip Color.

Get one of only 500 The Heart Truth lip palettes ($40 US) this month to show your support for National Heart Month and treat yourself to being beautiful inside and out!

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If I had a chance to look like Catherine Zeta Jones, I’d jump at the opportunity in a milli-second. And I did.

When Glam Media asked me to review Elizabeth Arden’s new Intervene liquid makeup, I immediately said YES! All I had to do was post up before and after pictures of myself without and with the makeup on. (Slam on the brakes) Whoa.. what? Post pictures of me sans makeup for the world to see? Eek!

As much as I didn’t want to, the only way I can call myself a legitimate beauty blogger is to give you true reviews of all the products out there. So I decided, “What the heck, bring it on!” And while I was at it, I thought I’d show you how I apply liquid makeup, too.

Intervene Makeup with SPF 15 ($36 US) is a new formula from Elizabeth Arden with Biodormin™ benefits to help pause the signs of aging. I don’t regularly use foundation, but their promises of smoother, brighter skin with their micro-mineral pigment technology definitely got me interested.

Okay kids, don’t laugh now - here’s what I look like without any makeup or skincare products. That’s right, not a lick of cream or anything. You can see that I have a lot of blotchy spots and redness in my cheeks, and the skin tone on my forehead is uneven.

After I prepped my face with toner, skin primer, and Elizabeth Arden’s Pause & Effect Moisture Cream with SPF 15 (included in my sample package - full review to come soon), I squeezed a small amount of the Intervene makeup on my hand.

Using a foundation brush - I’m using one from Sonia Kashuk - pick up a small amount of the foundation with the tip of your brush. This way you don’t glop on too much product in any one spot.

I usually start from the center of my face and work my way down my cheeks and outward. Brush the foundation in one direction - downwards or out, not going back and forth or up and down.

Follow through and repeat with the rest of your face. I don’t use any concealer so when I apply foundation, I pay special attention to any areas blemishes and underneath my eyes patting the area instead of brushing across it. This way, it doesn’t clump on top of pimples, giving me softer and more subtle coverage on my problem areas.

Here I am after I’ve applied the Intervene in Soft Bisque and without any other makeup on. Notice that I no longer have uneven coloring on my face or redness on my cheeks, giving me a nice palette to start putting on color!

To complete my look, I wanted to go as natural as possible so that you can really get a sense of how the foundation looks. I didn’t use any powders over the liquid makeup - it dries to a pretty and soft finish. With a little eyeliner, mascara, bronzer, and a dab of lipstick, I’m all set to head out the door.

Overall, I really enjoyed Intervene. The reason why I don’t wear foundation is because it always feels a little heavy on my skin and I don’t need much coverage anyway. But with this opportunity, I see that using liquid makeup can really enhance my skin - the after photos really amazed me at how flawless my complexion looked. This particular formula isn’t heavy at all and would be great for every day use.

So, what do you think? Are you ready to give Elizabeth Arden’s Intervene Makeup with SPF 15 a try? It comes in 12 different shades so you’re bound to find one that suits you.

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