Allure Beauty Product Finder

Allure magazine announced in their April issue that they are solving the problems of any woman who has ever tried to pick out a new eye shadow or lipstick, only to have the mission go terribly awry. They are in the process of creating a beauty product finder, guided by user inputs. It is coming soon on their website, but they have a link to beauty product award winners here to keep you busy in the meantime.

I, like most women, have my standby weekday beauty routine: apply compact, dot on a little cream blush, brown eye liner, shimmery taupe shadow, curl eyelashes, two coats of mascara finish with some raspberry lemonade chapstick. On a fancy night out I bust out my smoky eye palette, and liquid black liner for a cat eye effect. For standard weekends, I tend to coordinate my eye shadow with the color palette of my outfit. There are several routes I can go down with my makeup, but when I want to go outside my normal box, I tend to draw a blank when product shopping.

I wander the aisles of CVS looking a little lost trying to find products I read about in magazines. Or I rub endless blushes and lip tints onto the inside of my palms in Sephora with no idea what I’m really looking for. The makeup counter people in Macy’s intimidate me, and tend to be less than friendly. I want to wear lipstick, but somehow always end up with a garish looking shade. I’d like to start wearing “big girl” makeup (read: more expensive, and not bought in a drug store), but I don’t want to lay out the moolah without knowing it’s going to look good.

Enter the Allure beauty product finder. You input what type of product you are looking for (hair, skin, makeup), and choose from a selection of product options. Then you input things about yourself, your skin type, price range, and the flaws you’re trying to mask with your purchase. Then with a click of a button, Voila! Personalized beauty recommendations from Allure’s trove of editor tested products. I can’t wait for it to be ready. Happy shopping!

Words of Wisdom for the Day

Ferrari for your Hair

Ever since a friend took me to a Ferrari dealership, I have known that if I ever strike it rich, that's the car for me. I learned to drive on a sports car. My mom has a thing for BMW's. I've grown accustomed to the luxury of a powerful engine, and the punch of tapping down on the accelerator and going FAST instantaneously. And Ferrari's are known as the ultimate high performance vechicle. I took one look at the sexy exterior, and buttery embossed leather interior and it was love.

Sadly, I will probably never own one of these beautiful machines. But ladies, don't despair. Even if you are not a car fan, now you can enjoy a piece of the Ferrari lifestyle in your everyday beauty routine. Ferrari has paired with BaByliss, applying their ultimate Ferrari engine to hair care to produce what is probably the best blow dryer EVER.

The blow dryer boasts up to 2,000 hours of drying time (where the typical dryer lasts only 200) with a Turbo option to increase air flow by 15%. There are six heat and speed options, with 2 nozzles and 2000 watts of power. Testers for Allure magazine's April 2011 issue said it straightened thick curls, gave hair a glossy sheen, and cut hair drying time in half.

So how does it work? The engine is sealed with lubricated ball bearings (the first time this technology has been used in blow dryers) for smoother operation, and boasts Ferrari's signatureV12 engine with a 12 bar rotor system offering high torque and best performance. Buy yours on Amazon for $194. A bargain if you ask me.

Showing Some Leg

In NYC, it's officially spring. The trees are blossoming, and the daffodils are out. Its finally the season, after an incredibly snowy, cold winter to ditch the tights and start showing a little leg-I'm talking real skin. The micro mini look is over this year, in favor of hemlines dropping to the ankle and below. And the side slit is officially back in, popping up on runways all over the place.Go pick one out and flash the world some knees and thighs that have been covered up for far too long. Find this one on Asos.

Lifesta

So you got a little over enthusiastic when you joined Groupon, and bought EVERY single thing that was A. 50% off, or B. sounded remotely interesting. I know I did! Nothing like the high of getting something for an extremely discounted price.

Or maybe that pole dancing class just didn't seem like a good idea anymore after your martini buzz from happy hour wore off, and you had a little drunk online shopper's regret. We've all been there. Word to the wise: Keep your laptop closed, and your credit cards safely in their wallet when having a couple glasses of wine on the couch after work.

Well, there's a website for those predicaments. It's called Lifesta, and it's a handy dandy market place to buy daily deals, and sell off the junk you thought you wanted from sites including Groupon, Living Social, Buy With Me, and Life Booker Loot. Problem solved. OR problem magnified, since I didn't even know about Buy With Me, or Life Booker Loot until visiting Lifesta. Just another sale waiting to happen in my email inbox!

Gimmies

Every now and again, I’m struck with a bad case of the gimmes (people who read the Bearenstein Bears books know what I’m talking about). It usually happens around my birthday, while coming up with ideas of gifts people could give me, and day dreaming of how to spend the $50 bills appearing in my mailbox from relatives. It taps into all the things I want, but that on a normal day I understand, I probably shouldn't run out and buy it all at once. Then the flood gates open, and I’m overwhelmed with all the stuff I want. Annddd I have to remind myself that I’m a big girl, I don’t have to have everything, but maybe buying myself a few special birthday gifts would do the trick to satisfy the sudden little kid-esque greed. Here's a list of some of the things I’m lusting after.

Container Store CD boxes and organizers: Get in my life. My closets are beyond messy.

Michael Kors watch: Why are you tempting me by being on sale?

Benetint Stain: I should have this because it is multipurpose

Beige Nine West Wedges. You would go perfectly with all my dresses for my Hawaiian Vacation

iPod arm band: How did I ever run without you?

Friends Complete Series, you would bring me so much joy.

 

I believe