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Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream Wins Good Housekeeping Seal!

You know the age-old notion that expensive skin care is the only way to achieve impeccable skin? Which by the way, I’ve always found completely annoying. In my 9 years of beauty blogging and 12 years in the beauty industry, I’ve tried a lot of expensive skincare products that were duds and inexpensive ones that we’re amazing, and vice versa. A lot of people look at marketing and packaging when it’s really the formulas and clinical testing that should drive our purchasing decisions. Olay for me is the leading example of this. Their Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream is legendary. And while I love a lot of drugstore products, Olay is the only brand and specifically this product that I can guarantee works.

This is what clinical testing looks like!
This is what clinical testing looks like!

Now that may sound presumptuous but last year my mom and I went on a journey with Olay testing out an unmarked moisturizer and had our skin measured weekly to monitor any changes. (You can read all about it HERE). Spoiler alert, my mom showed crazy improvements – and she’s a woman that has access to my endless beauty closet, and no stranger to good skincare. It didn’t compare. Her improvements in both lifting and hydration were drastic and it wasn’t until the end of our clinical study when we told that she was using the re-engineered Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream!  

Full disclosure, in the campaign above my mom was actually the one that tested Olay Regenerist last year, so I included the video campaign so you can see her reaction. For the clinicals it was unbeknownst to us at the time that we were trying different products. And I was actually using Olay Total Effects, which is another major award winner from the line. That said I’ve burned through bottles of the original Regenerist over the years and have backups for my backups on hand in my beauty closet. I don’t actually think this product has ever not been in my medicine cabinet since even before I turned 30.

So it is with great joy, and no surprise when I found out that Olay just won the ‘Good Housekeeping Seal’ for the Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream! Now that’s a huge deal. Any brand that wins that award is one that people should take notice of because the testing they do is thorough and intense. I’ve visited the Good Housekeeping office and seen the labs and work they do and they don’t hand out that seal without a lot of hurdles. Which is why it’s my opinion that this is one of the most prestigious beauty awards a brand can receive. And when they dove into this Olay product, their findings were awesome.

An independent test conducted by the Good Housekeeping Institute revealed that Olay’s new Regenerist formula outperformed the top 10 prestige creams, including one with a whopping $440 price tag! At the Good Housekeeping Institute, engineers, scientists and other experts extensively test and evaluate products based on performance, safety, durability and design. Over 10,000 skin hydration measurements were collected and Olay rose to the top. THE FINDINGS:

NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment featuring Bella Hadid and Justin Gossman

Bella Hadid and Justin Gossman lead the NARS 2017 campaignOMG I’m getting some serious feels for NARS‘ latest campaign featuring Bella Hadid and Justin Gossman. Her makeup, his jewelry and overall vibes are goals — I literally want bangs and I am totally feeling her Joan Jett vibe. And totally into Justin Gossman channeling his inner Jim Morrison. Shot by NARS Founder & Creative Director, François Nars, the campaign was inspired by 1970’s rock and roll. The duo are the campaign models for NARS Cosmetics’ Fall 2017 collection and the imagery was all over the launch party for NARS new POWERMATTE Lip Pigments. These lippies don’t launch until July so here’s a sneak peek!

These are NARS’ first true liquid matte, and features full coverage, high-impact lipcolor in a range of 20 shades. I love the wand, it’s not too fluffy or cushiony so I feel like I have control over it since you want precision when it comes to this formula. It’s long lasting and flexible to apply and then dries but is still comfortable to wear.

New Elizabeth Arden Gelato Crush Color Collection

What’s better on a hot summer day than indulging in ice cream and playing with makeup? We joined the Elizabeth Arden team at Cool Mess NYC to celebrate the launch of their new Gelato Crush Color Collection, which included 22 new plumping lipsticks, 10 lip liners and 4 cheek tints. The collection launches next week so here’s a sneak peek!

Elizabeth Arden Plump Up Lip Liner, $21

Definitely the rockstar of the group, these super pigmented lipliners and boosted with peptides to plump! And they actually do! The smooth and creamy formula is great to shape and defines lips or use all over lips as a base to lock in color for long-wear. Seriously, this liner stays on so well and I definitely felt the plumping effect!

Throwing Shade with Sophia Bush in Times Square


I had an absolute blast on Tuesday co-hosting Sunglass Hut’s Facebook live with actress, activist and fellow dog lover, Sophia Bush. We were live from the Made for Summer event in Times Square where Sophia shared her current top 3 picks for summer. Somehow the genius’ behind the event were able to live stream the chat and some photos above the store which was pretty epic since I can’t believe my face was on a billboard in prime Times Square! Sophia was amazing, such a warm and charitable — not to mention stunning person. You can watch our Facebook live here and head to the bottom of this post for Sophia’s picks.

Sophia Bush With Sunglass Hut | Made For Summer

Did you miss Sophia Bush on Facebook Live yesterday? We’ve got you covered. Check out all the best moments and Sophia’s favorite summer styles. #MadeForSummer #ShadesOfYouShop Sophia's picks: sgls.ht/SophiaBush

Publicado por Sunglass Hut em Quarta, 21 de junho de 2017

It was a perfect night and I’m so grateful to all my friends and readers who came out to the event and watched us live on Facebook! My outfit details (thank you Eliza J and Swarovski for outfitting me!):

Lara Eurdolian and Sophia Bush live from Times Square sharing Sophia's top 3 sunglasses picks with Sunglass Hut
Look Mom, I’m on a billboard in Times Square!

SOPHIA’S SUNGLASS PICKS:

These Facial Cleansing Cloths are Next Level!

olay daily facialIf there’s one thing you’ve probably gathered about me over the years it’s that I love a robust skincare routine but I’m always on the go. Marrying the two doesn’t always leave me the amount of time I want to get ready in the morning or the amount of time I would like to get ready for bed. As is the case with many of you, and several members of my family, going beyond washing their face and maybe a moisturizer is a struggle, which is why the new Olay Daily Facials Daily Clean 4-in-1 Water Activated Cleansing Cloths is a hit all in one product that could change your life. Or at least the way you view skincare.

olay daily facial daily clean reviewSetting a higher standard in facial cleansing, these textured wipes nourish skin and are designed to be a cleanser (removing all dirt, oil and makeup), toner, mask and exfoliating scrub all in one. Unlike standard face wipes, you add water to these which I prefer since a lot of my face wipes that come pre-moistened dry out over time once opened. These come dry so you don’t have that issue.

Algae, Silica, Lava and our tour of the Blue Lagoon in Iceland

For those who missed it, I recently went on an incredible trip to Iceland (which I highly recommend if you love to travel) and one of the top spots on my must-see list was the legendary Blue Lagoon. It is after all one of the Wonders of the World! And while most of you are familiar with the pool — the Blue Lagoon draws in thousands of visitors annually, all seeking to reap the benefits of it’s healing geothermal seawater — they also have an incredible skincare line that’s a wonder all on it’s own.

So what makes this water and skincare line so incredible for your skin? The secret is in it’s amazing natural active ingredients: silica, algae, and a unique blend of pure minerals. All of these ingredients are incredible for your body, and while in Iceland I was treated to a private tour with my friend and fellow blogger, Danielle Gray to see how the product line is made and learn more about these powerful ingredients. Algae, many of you are familiar with for its anti-aging properties, silica on the other hand was all new to me and a special ingredient native to Iceland you should have on your radar. It is notorious for strengthening and rebuilding the skin’s properties. Powerful natural minerals contain powerful revitalizing effects. It’s important to note that all of these products are harvested utilizing a zero waste process, so Blue Lagoon skin care adheres to eco-friendly sustainability. (So freakin’ cool!)

As we toured the facility we saw how the silica is harvested and the lava is made from the area. I broke down the iconic masks from the Blue Lagoon Shop (which you can check out for yourself here) and why the active ingredients are so beneficial for your skin. As well as the lip balm because it’s epic! If you’re into triple masking like me, the order is Lava Scrub, Silica Mud Mask and then Algae Mask. The first product launched in 1995 and now they have an extensive product line, but these masks are the heroes of the line.

Your Signature Can Help End Animal Testing!

There seems to be a lot of bad in the world right now that there isn’t much we can do about but one thing I would LOVE to see an end to is animal testing. All animal cruelty in fact. Charlie was hugely abused when I rescued him and granted he wasn’t tested on but we’re so far beyond a point of needing to test on our animal friends. I really applaud The Body Shop and all they have done to bring awareness and make a difference. Lets help them put an end to animal testing around the world as they launch of the largest international campaign of its kind! All they need is your signature!
This month, The Body Shop, along with partner, Cruelty Free International, which is the leading non-profit organization dedicated to this cause, has announced a goal of collecting 8 million signatures from around the world by 2020.  If they reach this goal, they can take their petition to the UN and request an international convention that bans animal testing globally, forever. So lets do this!
You can sign the petition here: Thebodyshop.com/ban-animal-testing, or go into any of The Body Shop’s 3,000 stores to sign. Help spread the word and end animal testing once and for all!! Join the conversation on social and use the handle @TheBodyShop #ForeverAgainstAnimalTesting.

Judging the Belmont Longines Fashion Contest

It was back to the races with me this weekend, only this time to judge the Longines Fashion Contest during at the 149th Belmont Stakes for the Racing Festival. Presented by NYRA Bets and Longines, contestants put their best foot and hat forward on the ‘Most Elegant Woman’ catwalk for a chance to win the Longines Prize of Elegance and their DolveVita timepiece. And these ladies brought it! 149th Belmont Stakes Longines Competation from prettyconnected on Vimeo. Here’s a quick look at the event and our top 10 finalists!  Such diverse style and so many incredible hats, it wasn’t an easy choice. I joined fellow judges, Tom Murro, Entertainment TV Host and Huffington post columnist and New York Jets, Brent Qvale, and style writer, Laura Brookins as we narrowed down our top 10 and ultimately giving first place to Leckie Roberts — I mean she had a clock as her hat — it was pretty impressive. She wore Ted Baker with a Chanel bag and custom hat from East Village Hats. 

Everything You Need to Know About Microblading

It doesn’t matter if you like them arched, feathered, straight or bold: eyebrows are arguably the most important facial feature and with the semi-permanent eyebrow tattoo process known as microblading dream brows are just scrapes away. While you can work some magic with your favorite brow pencil and a nifty little angled brush, there’s a very natural option that delivers semi-permanent results and substantially less effort. Unlike the sometimes unfortunate Sharpie-esque effects of permanent makeup, microblading is more of an intricate embroidery of trompe l’œil strokes that mimics the look of natural hairs.

**Watch Ashely get her brows microbladed! Sorry about the inconsistent volume guys I had a little difficulty editing out some of the background music so I wouldn’t get any copyright issues.**

Admittedly, I was blessed with very full and defined brows but with so much internet buzz and friends asking me about fuller brows and microblading, I decided to enlist and play spectator to my friend Ashley who allowed me to film and watch process. I also had the perfect place. For eyebrow threading, I’ve been going to Hibba of Hibba Beauty NYC for almost 7 years, since she opened her first location in Soho. Now with two additional locations under her belt (Grand Central and Columbus Circle), there’s no one I trust more in the art of shaping then her. Offering all things brows at her brow bars, I set Ashley up for an appointment and grilled her with every question under the sun. You can watch her her second microblading appointment live in the video above! I also had so much brow envy after the second appointment, that I got into the chair for fill in one sparse area that’s been annoying me for some time.  Just proving that this service is great for all level of brows. Here’s Ashley’s before and after and what we learned:

Before Microblading:

After Microblading:WHAT IS MICROBLADING:

Microblading is a form of tattooing but unlike a regular tattoo, it involves pigment being implanted under the skin with a hand held manual tool (basically a small X-ACTO blade looking tool with ink on it) versus a machine. It’s also a smaller blade, and actually to be more technical it isn’t a blade but actually 11 small sharp needles.

HOW LONG DOES MICROBLADING TAKE AND WHAT TO EXPECT

The whole thing takes about 15 – 30 minutes when all is said and done including, set up/consultation, mixing of the color and application. The actual time cutting on the brow is about 10 minutes for both brows. First, the ink is custom mixed and applied to the device (again think X-ACTO blade), and then scraped into the brow hairs. Then when the cuts are made a healthy amount of ink is applied over the whole brow (this is the funny part where you look like an angry cartoon character). Then comes the clean up. Numbing cream is also often applied in the beginning depending on pain tolerance.

HOW MANY APPOINTMENTS DO YOU NEED

For most cases 2 appointments. The first should include a consultation where the brow specialist fills in your brows with makeup so you both are on the same page. This is also why going to a brow specialist over a tattoo artist is generally more ideal. Make sure you know what you’re getting past just bringing in a picture.

Because I’m already freakin fabulous

On Saturday, the gang and I headed to Greenpoint for the Nylon Magazine Music Issue Celebration, which I’m actually in. Granted it’s a small photo from their Coachella event, but I’ll take it! The event was super cute at House of Vans in Greenpoint and hosted by Tove Lo and Charli XCX and the perfect excuse to wear this freakin fabulous dress from Boohoo.

Also not gonna lie, I had my best shopping day on Friday. I woke up so busy from that week with no idea what I was going to wear and somehow the fairy fashion gods heard me. Besides scoring the Boohoo dress at that morning, my Kendal + Kylie Cassie sunglasses arrived. As much as I want to pretend I’m not that impressed by them, I’d be completely lying, they are amazing! One sunglass style is cooler than the next, I literally want them all! Check them out next time you’re in Nordstrom or online and you’ll see what I mean! Before the Nylon party I also stopped by Six:02 for the launch of artist Sue Tsai collaboration with Reflex, how amazing is this denim jacket? She made some really cool pieces, but this was my favorite. And there you have it, literally wore my usual stash of rings, threw on some black booties and a black cap and was good to go!

 Reflex Love You With All My Art Denim Jacket Susie Tsai

A lot of you ask about my rings and honestly I just collect over time. I love Moonstone Magic, they have a lot of really cool stalking rings in silver and moonstone accents. I also collect dainty evil eye rings, from random boutiques and also wear my Moonstone Magic one all the time. My Boss ring is sold out on Bando but I also found it on Snash Jewelry, I’ve never ordered from them but I’m tempted to get it in silver too!

My cameo in Nylon from their Coachella party with Milk Makeup — do you see me? It’s okay, I’m the tiny one on the right with my hands in the air above the caption. Also shout out to these awesome MilkMakeup products I’ve been wearing on repeat. Links below!