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If you have oily skin, read this!

I have always had skin that was on the oilier side (especially in my T-zone) and am constantly on the hunt for the best products to keep my skin feeling clean and my make up in place.  There is nothing worse than checking yourself out in the mirror halfway through the day to see most of your make up has slid off, especially in the warmer weather.  Here are some of current go tos!

Shape Beauty Awards 2016

shape-beauty-awards-2016-lara-eurdolinaI made it guys! Last night I was running around, my phone died, my hair was array but somehow I still made it to the 2016 Shape Beauty Awards and was able to celebrate so many of my favorite brands! This year marks the publications 14th Annual Beauty Awards, and their editors teamed up with legendary makeup artist Matin, dermatologist David E. Bank, hairstylist Paul Labrecque, and fragrance developer Ruth Sutcliffe to test hundreds of new products and assemble a lineup of the year’s ultimate beauty buys in every category.

shape-2016-beauty-awardsI’m barely scratching the surface of the 87 top picks selected from hair, skin, makeup and more in my above photo. But I would say between the gift bag and my mega beauty stash I’ve tried more than half the winners. In fact everything to the left are products that have been on my radar that I haven’t had a chance to try including the Peter Thomas Roth 24K Gold Cream, Biore Baking Soda Cleansing Scrub, and L’Oreal La Palette Lip that I’ve been DYING to! And everything to the right I have tried and are complete winners in my book! Mega thumbs up and congratulations on choosing the Clarisonic Mia Fit, Laura Geller Filter Finish Setting Powder, Clarins Booster Detox, Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, Olay Eyes Ultimate Eye Cream and new Shiseido Rouge Rouse lipsticks which are beautiful (the whole range is filled with a 16 piece red lipstick collection that are creamy and full of pigment). Most all of these you’ve seen me post about but it always makes me excited when products I love win.

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The winning brands got to pick up the physical award at last nights ceremony. How cute is it? My photo doesn’t do it justice. The awards are split up into 5 different categories: The Best Fragrances For Every Personality, Drugstore Products Every Girl Should Own, The Best Hair Products On The Market, The Best Skin-Care Products, The Best Makeup Of The Year and The Best Workout-Friendly Beauty Products For Your Body. You can check out the complete list at shape.com/topics/beauty-awards or pick up the October 2016 issue now on stands featuring all the winners.

Also speaking of beauty awards, Glamour Magazine is also debuting their Beauty Awards this month in their October issue now on stands. I actually helped judge the Best New Beauty Products of 2016 category (If you click “read more” you see my name!). Even though there were other categories I’ll go ahead and share the winners in mine since I’m so proud: The Best Creative Face Mask (GlamGlow GravityMud Firming Treatment), The Best Micellar Water (Neogen Real Flower Cleansing Water in Rose),  The Best Color Corrector (It Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness Correcting Cream), The Best Contouring Product (Nudestix Sculpting Pencil), The Best Strobing Product (Glossier Haloscope), The Best Co-Wash (R+Co Analog Cleansing Foam Conditioner), and The Best Breakthrough Lipstick (The Estee Edit Lip Flip Shade Transformer). For the complete list of winners visit glamour.com/gallery/best-new-beauty-products-2016#8 or pick up the October issue of Glamour!

If you’re overwhelmed with products and need me to talk through anything shoot me a snapchat or instagram/tweet/comment me @prettyconnected and we can chat it through. xoLara

At Home Devices Worth Investing In: NuFACE, Dermaflash and Nailbliss

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It’s not every day that an at home devices make us go WOW! In fact before this year most of the ones I used were just okay at best. While I’m still on the hunt for an at home laser hair remover that actually works, I’m no longer as concerned about it thanks to Dermaflash! Here are three devices that conquer everything from at home gel manicure, anti-aging, and hair removal that I’ve been highly impressed with!

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Dermaflash – Inspired by dermaplaning, a procedure available only in medical spas or doctor’s offices that exfoliates your skin to remove the dead skin cells and gets rid of the peach fuzz at the same time comes an at-home version. Dermaflash Facial Exfoliating Device is a first in class, patented, safe, hygienic, exfoliating device for at-home use. The easy-to-use device refinishes skin by removing dead skin cells and built up debris, while also gently removing facial hair (aka peach fuzz) for smooth, luminous, and youthful-looking skin. Use weekly and watch your skin be noticeably softer and glow after treatment. Follow the instructions and use it at an angle to shave all unwanted hair off your face and get ready to be shocked by how much facial hair you never knew your always had comes off your face. Note: You can only charge the device without a blade, so don’t immediately snap it in when receiving. You’ll know the device is charged when the light goes off. Each blade should only be used once (for whole face) before being disposed of.

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NuFACE Mini – The portable mini facial toning device version of NuFace’s original Trinity Facial Trainer, utilizes soft wave microcurrent technology to provide a five-minute facial-lift by gently stimulating the underlying structure of the skin tone facial muscles.  As we age, our body’s natural current begins to slow down leading to sagging skin loss of contour and wrinkles. This device mimics this natural current and goes beyond skin deep to tone facial muscles and reduce fine lines and wrinkles. And yes, you can feel the current (it’s super gentle though) as you use it on the contours of your face. Great for travel, it’s pocket size! Although I have to disclaim if you’re ready to invest consider going for original NuFace Trinity which is larger but compatible with two attachments that aren’t available for the mini. The NuFace Trinity Wrinkle Reducer which uses red, amber and infrared light to combat fine lines an wrinkles and the Ele attachment which targets the eye and lip area to attack eyebrow furrows, crow’s feet and fine lines around the mouth. I’m waiting patiently for them to come out a mini version since I’m dying to try both!

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Nailbliss One Step Gel Polish + LED Lamp – If you love the stay power of a gel manicure but are over the price, I have found the at-home device for you. Super compact and powerful, the Nail Bliss LED Lamp is specially designed to cure all types of UV/LED gel polishes in 60 seconds flat.  While the One Step Gel’s say “one step”, they mean one coat for darker colors and 2-3 for lighter shades. Be sure to apply polish in thin layers and do one nail at a time because the polish is extremely thick and will not last as long if applied in thick coats. If you especially like dark shades on your nails, this is easy to use! And the pink, portable LED lamp bed is the cutest! Paint and cure each nail one at a time for added perfection.

New at Target: Pixi by Petra skincare, Marlowe for Him, Sonia Kashuk Spring Collection

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Getting lost in Target is easy, between their endless home goods, fashion and beauty eye-candy. Now, leaving the beauty aisle just got even harder with their latest product offerings for both women and men. Pixi by Petra, Sonia Kashuk and the latest launch, Marlowe are all exclusive brands to Target. Here’s what to have on your radar:

Pixi by Petra launches Skincare
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Before now, Pixi by Petra has dabbled in skincare, mainly less than a handful of mists and toners but is known for their massive beauty offerings. Even still, they have one of the most loyal following for their iconic Glow Tonic, which is a

The Perfect Stocking Stuffers Under $35

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There’s nothing quite like a little beauty surprise in your stocking and this holiday here are some full-proof stocking stuffer ideas all under $30. They also make for a great secret santa gift!

1. Burt’s Bees Fruitmix Beeswax Bounty ($5) – Perfect for that kiss under the mistletoe, Burt’s Bees Fruitmix Beeswax Bounty contains 4 tubes of original Beeswax Lip Balm. Their compact size is the perfect fit for not only stocking stuffing but also holiday clutches.

2. Fresh Lip Treatment (Fig Pictured, $22.50) – The Fresh Lip Treatment does double duty: soothes chapped winter lips while leaving a pearlescent wine tint, offering sheer coverage or buildable color. Holiday parties here you come!

3. Tarte Dressed to the Nines Lipsurgence Lip Creme Gift Set ($34/$126 Value) – This Tarte Dressed to the Nines Lipsurgence Lip Creme Gift Set is a great value containing nine shades of Tarte Lipsurgence Lip Cremes in a variety of shades. Perfectly packed in three sets of three lippies, you can break the gift apart to create three gifts or pucker up and try every shade out.

4. Lorac Matte Pro Mini Palette ($25/$45 value)- Created by celebrity makeup artist Carol Shaw, this PRO artistry palette is packed with 8 shadows in all the Lorac matte shades. The shadows are ultra-pigmented to perform wet or dry so they can be used to shade, shadow, line and definethat holiday sparkle in that woman in your life’s eye.

Ready to Erase Wrinkles? Try Erasa XEP30

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Whenever there’s any type of breakthrough in the skincare industry I get excited. (Like REALLY excited). Especially in the anti-aging world. I take great care of my skin but decades of cringing has finally caught up to me and admittedly seeing wrinkles on my tiny forehead has been the bane of my 30s. While there are great ingredients to plump lines like Hyaluronic Acid, or retinals that help minimize their appearance we don’t really have anything that takes them away, unless you’re looking at the extreme of Botox which is temporary and a whole other road I’m not ready to go down. For a $2 billion industry (that’s actually how much we spend on anti-aging products in the US!), you’d think we could do better by now. And maybe there’s hope…

L’OCCITANE En Provence New Launches!

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Whether you’re a die-hard L’OCCITANE fan or lusting to try the brand, spring is the time to get your hands [face and body] on their latest spring arrivals. There’s something for everyone (Hint: Mother’s Day is coming up!).

Trilogy Skincare Launches in the US!

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The secret is out! Trilogy, one of New Zealand’s top natural skincare brand, has launched in the US. The certified natural skincare company has an international reputation (AKA a cult following) among celebrities, models, and royalty. Originally created for lovers of natural skincare products, the products are effective, ethical, and environmentally responsible.

Murad Launches Youth Builder Body Care line and More!

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Last week, I had so much fun catching up with one of my favorite dermatologists, Dr. Howard Murad. Since our last encounter he’s written another book, as well as launched some new products and a body care line! Here’s what’s new:

Dr. Jart+ NYC Pop-up Shop

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Dr.Jart+ hosted its first US pop-up shop in NYC on Thursday, Nov. 13 to celebrate the brands 10-year anniversary. Industry insiders were invited to shop Dr.Jart+’s bestselling products while receiving free personalized skincare consultations and exploring the brands rich history in an exhibition format.

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Over the past 10 years, Dr.Jart+ has grown from a small, local brand, into an international company with a cult following. The exhibition illuminates the complete story of Dr.Jart+, from the city where it was born and the founders who created it (Dermatologist Dr. SungJae Jung and President JinWook Lee), to the best-selling products and skincare science within the most safe and effective formulas available.

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This exhibit is a testament to Dr.Jart+’s commitment to melding the worlds of science and art, and sharing the results with everyone. Don’t just take our word for it though! Visit the pop-up shop before it’s too late!

When: Tuesday, November 11th, 2014 – Sunday, November 16th, 2014

10:00 AM – 9:00 PM everyday

Where: Openhouse Gallery

201 Mulberry Street

Between Kenmare and Spring

NYC