May 2011 Favorites

Even though May had 31 days in it, it did seem to go by rather quickly. Here are the products (some I have talked about before, some I have not) that I got a lot of use out of and helped keep me purdy throughout the month: 

• Le Metier de Beaute eye lash curler is in a class of it's own. This replaced my Shu-Umera curler the instant I tried it. Ever since, I have been giving Shu the cold shoulder. Retails for $18.00 and is worth every penny.

• Butter London's nail lacquer in 'Snog' looks great to use in a summer pedicure or for those more daring, just as great on the fingers. It is as hot-pink as you get without venturing into neon territory. Retails for $14.00

• Chanel's Base Lumiere is a fantastic illuminating makeup base that gives you that "glow from within" look, perfect for layering under your foundation. Retails for $42.00 

• Edward Bess' Ultra Luminous Shadow in 'Storm' is my holy grail shadow to date. I love how buttery soft the texture is and the color is gorgeous! I have a weakness for silvery/mauvey taupes (and yes that is a color! ;) ). Retails for  $30.00 

• Le Metier De Beaute's Crease Brush is a recent acquisition of mine. From the day I received it, I wondered how I got by without it. The capability to make my makeup look blended is awesome with this brush. Retails for $45.00 

• Chantecaille's Brillant Gloss in 'Love', with one swipe my lips look perfectly kissable. *mwaaa* It is also such a delicate pink -- perfect for running my errands in. Retails for $28.00

• Another one of my favorites is Le Metier De Beaute's Dualistic Eye Pencil in 'Tamarack' which can serve as both an eye shadow base or as a liner. The color depth of this gorgeous brown is something that one can only be appreciated in person. Retails for $36.00

What were your May favorites? Please share, I love finding new product discoveries.

La Mer's The Eye Concentrate

The cream, the myth, the legend...La Mer

So I want to mix things up a bit on my blog and talk to you about skincare. I know that 99% of my posts have focused on cosmetics but I am also very passionate about skin care. I feel that unless you invest time and money into skincare and really take care of your skin, then the world's priciest makeup is pretty useless and will only make you look so good. You really do want to focus on the literal foundation of our face, which is our skin. I am not going to lecture you on the importance of eating fruits and vegetables and drinking enough water, we all know that by now (goes to heed her own advice and consumes some leafy greens).........

One area of the face, I would really pay attention to is your eye area. This is especially important given the fact that the skin surrounding your eye is not only more delicate, but thinner than any other area on your face (so are your lips, but I will talk about that in a later post). For those two reasons alone, it helps to explain why many women, myself included, suffer from product allergies.

The cream I use and have been a loyal devotee to is La Mer. As I approached 30 I really started to take good care of my skin. I've never been the type to sleep in my makeup, but I really stepped up my game and got regular facials and really started using great products - enter La Mer.

The Eye Concentrate is a high-end, luxury eye cream that retails for $165.00 for 0.5 oz., but before you completely discredit it on price alone, know that it lasts me on average 9 months - no kidding - using it once daily at night! For daytime, I like to use an eye cream that contains SPF in it. It is full of active ingredients and a little really does go a long way. It disappears into my skin, is non-greasy, and does not irritate my eye area, while at the same time moisturizing it. It comes with a silver-tipped applicator to dab the product on with, but I have an allergy to metals (I have sensitive skin, I'm telling you) so I just use my ring finger. Before discovering that I had that metal allergy, I remember using the applicator to apply the cream and feeling how cool it felt to my eye area which help accelerates in reducing puffiness. *Remember to always dab creams/gels onto your surrounding eye socket in a clockwise motion and never tugging at the eye area.*    

I will just say that even if I could not "afford" this eye cream I would find a way to buy it (kidneys fetch a high price on the black market, right?) I kid, but honestly, I do think this eye cream is that good. I've been using this particular eye cream for about 3 years now and have really noticed a difference. I notice it helping diminish my fine lines and wrinkles. It may not all be the eye creams credit (thanks mom and dad), but I am not willing to take that gamble to find out. It also helps fight puffiness and dark circles. This little gem has been my secret weapon for years; that and YSL's Touche Eclat into tricking people that I am well-rested! Ha, I am a mom after all! 

Here is some more information about the Eye Concentrate per La Mer's website:

"A deeply conditioning cream formulated with hematite, a magnetically-charged mineral, to help dramatically dissolve the appearance of dark circles, surface discolorations and unevenness. The look of lines and wrinkles is softened. Over time, a visibly healthier, smoother and more luminous look is revealed." 

Bottom line: You get what you pay for! A terrific product that really does deliver results! 

What eye cream do you use?