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The Sweetest Thing: Miles Ehan & Three Custom Color Team Up For a Tweet Up

Lara with Miles Ehan and his Inspiration Board for Three Custom Color

You may have noticed that I (and some fellow beauty bloggers) were tweeting up a storm recently at a tweet up hosted by one of my favorite bloggers, Felicia Walker Benson of ThisThatBeaty.com. We were celebrating the launch of the Sweetest Thing collection by Three Custom Color Specialists, inspired by up-and-coming fashion designer Miles Ehan, who designs gowns using unconventional materials. And in this case appropriately yummy ones like cotton candy and cupcake wrappers!

Some of you may be familiar with Three Custom Color for their unique ability to offer customers custom colors –or to re-create discontinued beauty product from any brand on the market. You just have to provide them with a sample! In addition to that ridiculously practical and helpful service, they also have a color line, which now includes the Sweetest Thing collection, just

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Dry Skin? Tips to Stay Hydrated This Winter

Brutal winters, like the one we’re currently experiencing with harsh winds can affect and damage our skin.  You may have noticed your skin is increasingly more dry, dull, or flaky this season. Here are some tips on how to get your skin back on track and prepared for the winter months ahead.

Water temperature: Be sure your water is lukewarm when taking a shower or bath–hot water is very. Pat skin dry instead of harshly rubbing with a towel.

Choose a Hydrating Cleanser to help deep condition and rebalance dry skin. Ideal for normal/dry skin, I like ARBONNE Hydrating Cleanser + Freshener ($25) when my skin gets ultra dry–it’s very rich and creamy. I’m also a fan of Mario Badescu Orange Cleansing Soap ($20), which is a light, non-drying gentle cleanser which works for all skin types, and serves as a makeup remover as well. Same rule with washing your face as with showering, use warm (not hot) water.

Exfoliate 1-2/week: Exfoliants help remove dead skin cells and restore a healthy complexion. Plus, it makes moisturizing more effective when applied to exfoliated skin. Just be sure to do so at night when you’re skin is not exposed to the sun –you don’t need that added risk of UV exposure. Apply in a circular, upward motion to get your circulation going. I recommend Mario Badescu Almond & Honey Non-Abrasive Face Scrub ($15), it gently buffs away dead skin cells. If you’re skin type is oily and you prefer a stronger exfoliant, try Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash ($22), although I recommend following up with a rich moisturizer after.

Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize: Especially right after showering for a more hydrating effect. I swear by Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream ($24.50), it’s lightweight with a great cooling effect and just glides right into my skin upon application. For very dry skin try Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief ($34). It’s an amazing gel moisturizer that feels like a tall glass of water going directly into your skin and offers immediate moisture. If you’re skin type is oily, try Clinique Different Moisturizing Gel with Pump ($24.50) as an alternative. If you prefer a heavyweight, rich cream, Dermalogica Super Rich Repair ($77), with Shea Butter and Oil of Evening Primose is ultra hydrating.

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Stay Hydrated, Drink Safe

What product can give you beautiful glowing skin, diminish fine lines and wrinkles, increases your energy level, and helps your overall health?

ANSWER: Water

So drink it, and lots of it! This winter has been brutal and oh so drying on the skin, that alongside a hydrating beauty regimen it’s essential to drink a lot of water. Filtered is ideal, but if your tap is safe then fill those water bottles up keep some on you at all time.

For bottled water, I’m currently all about Icelandic Glacial water. It’s sourced from a 4,500 year old volcanic spring and untouched by humans until you open the bottle. The water is so pure that Parfums Christian Dior has recently partnered with Icelandic Glacial to include the water in specific products that will launch next year. While I’m excited for the unveiling of this product, what I like about Icelandic Glacial is it’s crisp, clean, taste. It’s very refreshing!

Also, invest in a good water bottle. It’s a great way to save money, protect the environment and keep you drinking all day. When choosing one, I prefer not to use plastic and ideally go with glass or aluminum/stainless steel containers.  Here are some of my favorites, but depending on if you carry it in your purse, car, when you’re off to the gym or otherwise, it’s important to pay attention to design, weight and size when picking the one that’s right for you!

Love Bottle ($12-$18) – Environmentally sound, dishwasher safe and comes in a variety of whimsical labels, I love my Love Bottle! It has an old-school-milk-bottle type lid, which adds to its charm, but takes some getting used to –especially if you’re used to a twist off cap. The only downfall is it’s heavy, especially

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Holiday Gift Ideas: $10 & Up

1. NARS Orgasm Lust Set – $30
2. Harajuku Lovers Wicked Style 0.33 oz Eau de Toilette. Available in scents: Baby, “G”, Angel, Love and Music – $30.00/each  or $100 for the Wicked Style Gift Set (which includes all five fragrances).
3. Hourglass Extreme Sheen Set – $45
4. Victoria’s Secret Beauty Ornaments (choose from VS fragrances, lip gloss and eyeliner sets) – $10/each
5. REN Mini Body Gift Set & Mini Rose Trio Gift Set – $25/each
6. Dermalogica AGE Smart Starter Kit – $50
7. Pevonia Myoxy-Caviar To Go Timeless Renewal Set – $79
8. Michael Aram Twig Snowflake Ornament – $29
9. Tanqueray Gin – $13.99 (375mL/half bottle), $19.99 (750mL)

Okay it’s getting down to the wire. Have you bought all your holiday gifts? Lets talk through a few ideas to help you figure out what to get those remaining on your list.

There are a lot of great holiday sets available right now in the wonderful world of makeup so if the person you’re shopping for has a favorite brand, visit their website and check out their gift sets. Otherwise I recommend #1 & #3 for any picky beauty queens on your list who appreciate quality makeup. #2 is great for anyone from teenagers to your coworker looking for a little friend for their desk. Their scents tend to be on the sweeter/fruitier side. However owning a Harajuku Lover may

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Whole Foods Helps You Find the Perfect Gift

Whole Foods Bowery Location in NYC

For many of us when we think Whole Foods, we think food. Although some of us do shop their Whole Body section as well. What can you find in Whole Body?  Vitamins and supplements, bath and body care, hair and beauty products, yoga items, cards, magazines and gifts.

Whole Body Personal Shoppers

This holiday season Whole Foods is offering personal shoppers at all of their northeast locations. No appointment needed, just visit the Whole Body section and look for a team member wearing a recycled apron and gift tag. They are available everyday from 10am-8pm through January 1st. Members of the team are on hand for all of your gift needs, whether it be to introduce you to a variety of pre-selected gift sets (all under $20) or to help you select those perfect custom gifts. They also offer complimentary gift-wrapping for your convenience.

An assortment of Blessing Baskets

Featuring everything from holiday scented candles to lotion gift sets. Whole Foods adheres to strict level of quality standards (read more about that HERE) coinciding with their belief with what you put in your body is as important as what you put in your body. So whether you’re shopping popular brands like Burt’s Bees, Kiss My Face, Dr. Haushka,  ShiKai, or local products such as LUX Naturals handcrafted soaps (which smell phenomenal) or their philanthropic offerings including Blessing Basket (where your purchase plants crops, improved nutrition, buys livestock, educated children, protects forests and most importantly reduces poverty), you feel good about your selection.

For NYC, the Whole Body I’m partial to their Bowery location. It takes up the whole 2nd floor of Whole

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Kiehl’s Donates $225,000 to The Koons Family Institute

The check presentation! In this picture: Justine Koons, Jeff Koons, Cheryl Vitali (General Manager, Kiehl's Worldwide), Chris Salgardo (President, Kiehl's USA)

Earlier this week I joined Kiehl’s for their holiday party and benefit, hosted by contemporary artist, Jeff Koons. Back in October (you may remember me posting about this), Kiehl’s and Koons had launched a limited edition Creme de Corps collection with all the net proceeds benefiting The Koons Family Institute, an initiative of the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC). The theme of the collection and party was a Wonderland of Merry. And the evening was just that, complete with a special check presentation by Kiehl’s President, Chris Salgardo to Mr. Koons for the amount of $225,000 for his charity.

Kiehl's + Jeff Koons Limited Edition Creme de Crops Collection

With ribbon surrounding the store, treats provided by Momofuku, music by DJ Paul Sevigny (yes, Chloe’s brother), a room filled with artists, models, designers and celebrities all celebrating a great accomplishment by Mr. Koons  and Kiehl’s –it was

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Holiday Gift Guide: Something for Everyone

Okay so it’s the final weeks before Christmas, Hanukkah ends tomorrow so if you’re looking for some gift inspiration, here are some great gifts for everyone on your list.

1. Tocca Gift Sets – Eau de Parfum Viaggio ($45) gift set includes three of their signature fragrances Stella, Florence and Cleopatra in miniature size, and Candele Da Viaggio ($42) box set includes an assortment of four travel size candles including Cleopatra, Grave, Havana and Kyoto.

2. MAKE UP FOR EVER Rock For Ever Aqua Eyes – $36 ($49.50 Value). Set includes five travel size Aqua Eyes pencils in shades Gold, Bronze, Dark Grey, Mat Black  and Silver.

3. NARS Cosmetics – Follow the Boys Lip Gloss Coffret – $40 ($48 Value). Set includes four medium size glosses in shades Turkish Delight (Pink Sorbet), Moon Fleet (Sparkling Platinum Gold), Easy Lover (Ultra Sheer Hot Pink) and Sweet Revenge (Sheer Pink Grapefruit).

4. Tarte The Jewelry Box $52 ($637 Value). This combination set includes 32 eye shadows, 8 lip glosses, 5 eyeliners, a mineral powder bronzer and highlight powder in soft pink all, which opens and folds to condense into a compact jewelry box.

5. Cellies ($35) – Fashionable stretch cuff bracelet that carries your cell phone so you don’t have to. They have a terry version perfect for working out, and a collection of decorative studded ones in pink and black to wear as a fashion accessory.

6. Pylones Mug Angel Wings – $25.  This mug is available in colors: blue (featured), red, lime, black, pink and orange.

7. ThinkGeek Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt – $29.99. Complete with mini amp this interactive t-shirt has a fully playable guitar built into the t-shit. Available in ADULT

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Beauty Queen Gift Guide

It’s easy to classify someone as a beauty queen (or junkie) –we’re everywhere! However it’s not always easy to find the perfect gift for us, especially since we’re so picky. Here are some recommendations to help you get a little more creative this holiday season.

1. Mixer Kit by Geri G ($39) – The all-star in this 5-piece kit is the Mixer Solo (also sold separately, $29), it’s a very cool multi-functional aloe-based product that can be used as a face or eye shadow primer or base to mix your cosmetics. I use it for all of the above. It has a nice silicone type smoothing feel when applied to skin, so I enjoy it as my base product before putting on my makeup. I’m also someone who’s skin-tone changes by season so I often use it as a buffer to mix my foundations or powders to create my perfect shade. Additionally it’s water-resistant, allergy-tested, irritation-free and formulated with Titanium Dioxide for sun protection, The set also includes the M Brush (regularly $14.95), instruction booklet and DVD (11.5min) and mixing spatula.

2. BeautyBlender Holiday Set ($23.95) – This set contains a BeautyBlender sponge and BlenderCleanser bundled a red pouch, ready for the holidays. I was originally turned onto the BeautyBlender sponge by celebrity makeup artist, Jackie Gomez. She raved about it in a class I attended –how great the shape of the sponge was for applying makeup to the contours of your face, how it could be used wet or dry, and that it is

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Koons + Kiehl’s 1 DAY ONLY Limited Edition Label- SATURDAY

In October I posted about Kiehl’s creating a limited edition Crème de Corps collection featuring the artwork of contemporary artist, Jeff Koons.

Yesterday, Kiehl’s announced that for ONE DAY ONLY, this Saturday (December 4th), they will be releasing an extremely Limited Edition Second Label creation of their bestseller, Creme de Corps (16.9oz, $45). Available at select NY/California Kiehl’s retail store locations, this label features an image of Jeff Koon’s ‘Large Vase of Flower’ installed in the Queen’s bedchamber at Versailles.

Kiehl’s is donating 100% of the net profits of up to $25,000 to The Koons Family Institute, an initiative of the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC).

Kiehl’s FACEBOOK fans have the opportunity to call any of

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Boots: More Trusted Than The Queen

Last week, I had the pleasure of joining Britain’s leading pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer, Boots for an evening of pampering, complete with manicures, skincare consultants and cosmetic advisors.  Hosted at the Norwood Club in NYC, Steve Llyod, (CEO of Boots) and Sandra Gabriele (their VP of Marketing & Communications) introduced myself and fellow beauty bloggers to the UK brand and their No7 collection.

Here’s some fun facts I found out.

  • 1 in 7 UK women owns a Boots No7 product.
  • Boots is the original creator of ibuprofin in 1969.
  • Boots and No7 specifically is Britain’s #1 skincare and cosmetic brand (bigger then L’Oreal, Olay..).
  • The No. 7 Protect & Perfect Serum ($23) is their best seller in the US and abroad! One is sold every 8 seconds at Target.
  • Studies show the No. 7 Protect & Perfect Serum actually visible reduces the appearance of deep lines and wrinkles and as you continue to use it the more effective it becomes. And won the Good Housekeeping Anti-Aging award for Best Anti-Aging Serum .
  • Target carries 6 Boots brands: No7, Botanics, Destination Brand, Boots Original Beauty Formula, Expert, Time Dimensions and Hawaiian Islands/Mediterranean/Amazon Forest Bath & Body.
Lara with Steve Llyod, CEO of Boots

After the speeches, I took some time out with Steve Llyod, CEO of Boots to ask a few more question:

The UK is obviously your largest market. Where does the US rank?

The thing about the US is that it’s a huge market so one of the advantages of being in Target and going national is you can have access to a lot of people. The US is the 3rd biggest in terms of beauty sales.  We’re Thailand’s largest pharmacy chain and they rank just above the US, but we’ve been there for 15 years. Boots has only been national in the US since 2007.  And the US market has nearly caught up to Thailand so it will likely overtake them next year.

Any plans to expand in the US beyond Target?

Yes, in the 1st qtr calendar we will have an additional retail partner. I just can’t tell you which one it is; but it’s a national chain.

Will you be in all of their locations or select ones? Can I guess the retailer?

We will be

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