Link Love!

Make-up for Your Alter Ego – Sephora

Missing dog – Twitter

Rachel McAdams’ Fresh Make-up for Comic-Con 2009 – Troy Jensen Blog

24 Best Beauty Buys Now – Glamour

A Spray Tan That Comes to You – Allure

How John Hughes Made Quirky Girls the Most Beautiful – Bella Sugar

Splurge or Save/Winter 2009 Beauty Guide – Style.com

Tags: Allure, Bella Sugar, Glamour, Sephora, Style.com, Troy Jensen, Twitter

Shhh!

I’ve been keeping this one to myself for a while.  As a makeup artist, and a blogger I do feel a certain responsibility to let my clients and readers in on the latest and greatest in all things beauty.  Then, sometimes I stumble upon something that is such a find, that I just want to keep it to myself.

I am totally the product of my mother in that way.  For example:  I once had this AMAZING colorist.  I mean…AMAZING.  He moved to another country, so now no one in the U.S can have him.  But before he moved, he made me all sorts of shades of blonde that were all equally fabulous.  My hair was so perfectly colored that women would stop me on the street daily, desperate to know the genius behind my luscious locks.  Whenever they would ask, I would respond with ‘Oh this, this is just some box color.  My friend did it for me.’

LIES.  And all of the curious women who asked totally knew that I was lying.  But, my mother always said ‘DON’T GO TELLING TOO MANY PEOPLE ABOUT AMAZING THINGS JILLIAN, BECAUSE THEN EVERYONE WILL HAVE IT AND THEN IT WON’T BE AMAZING ANYMORE.’

I sort of agree.  I also feel kind of guilty for holding out on all of you.

It’s just that now I’m torn.  I WANT to tell you about this amazing beauty find, because it’s what girlfriends do – They share information on beauty and other girly stuff.  Then there is a part of me that wants to keep this to myself, so as not to ruin it.  Once this catches on it’s going to be huge…Like…Sephora…Only, NEXT LEVEL.

Ugh.  Ok. (Let me catch my breath).  Here it is. (I can’t believe I’m sharing this – God, I am SO GOOD TO YOU ALL).  It’s called…

SASA.

Sasa is kind of like Sephora, but they only have standing locations throughout Asia.  Thankfully, they have a website, and they do ship internationally.  The thing that makes Sasa the next level Sephora is that they have things you have never heard of in the U.S.  Products that are rare and amazing…

Looking for Bird’s Nest Eye Mask?  Yeah.  They’ve got it. (P.S.: It’s edible.  Not sure why you’d want to eat it, but just in case you feel compelled to do so – It’s safe).

Or, maybe you’d like to try hairspray for your EYELASHES.

Dying to try Bai Cheong Lung pills?  They have them!  Don’t know what Bai Cheong Lung pills are?  No problem!  Apparently they moisturize the body, give you energy, help with absent mindedness, and post-partum!  Seriously, why isn’t everyone taking this???

Desperate for that wide eye’d doll look?  Try Sasa’s Super Dolly Powerful Mascara guaranteed to give you dolly eyes that will be the center of attention everywhere you go!

I could go on and on…But I think you get the idea.  Basically Sasa has EVERYTHING.  Things that you can’t even imagine.  Things that you would never know that you needed or even wanted until you realized they were realistic options.  Sasa is all the brands that you already know (Olay, Loreal, Dior etc.), PLUS hundreds of foreign brands that you never even knew existed.

The best part is that they always have sales! I’ve even found products that are carried at Sephora on the Sasa website – FOR A DISCOUNTED PRICE! Before you let international shipping turn you off from trying them out, you should know that you get free shipping on orders over $75.00.

What are you waiting for?  Explore Sasa today!

Tags: Discounts, Mascara, Sasa, Sephora

Beauty That Gives Back: Trees for The Future

I know there are lots of people out there who think the beauty industry is shallow and meaningless and only for those that embrace their narcissistic side.

I completely disagree. Beauty is a powerful thing, and it does have the power to effect change.  Just ask the good people at Smashbox.  To celebrate Earth Day 2009, they’ve come up with a limited edition eco- friendly palette available exclusively at Sephora stores nation wide.  The palette contains 4 shadows and a blush – All of which are certified organic (organic makeup = simple, healthful, and as close to nature as beauty gets). Plus, everything is housed in a recyclable compact and carton made from sustainable materials and printed with eco-friendly ink!

The color ways are suitable for all skin tones, with the neutral tangerine hued blush being a must have for everyone! Additionally, all the shadows are super blend-able so you can mix and match the perfect shades for you.

Bonus: With each purchase, a tree will be planted by Trees for the Future, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating sustainable environments through forestation throughout the world.

This is organic beauty at it’s best – Beauty that gives back!

Get yours for $45.00 just in time for Earth Day on April 22nd at Sephora.

Tags: Earth Day, Eco-friendly, Palette, Sephora, Smashbox

Fun Times at Sephora!

Yesterday I spent almost 2 hours inside a Sephora with my friend Jen.  I’m a makeup artist, she’s a beauty addict and together we’re TROUBLE when surrounded by so many options.  I’m pretty sure the sales people were overwhelmed by our presence as they watched us flutter around the store from one display to the other.  Now, I know what you’re thinking:  Why would I need to go to a Sephora when I get products sent to me all the time?  Well, despite the fact that I get sent tons of cosmetics and products almost daily, I do make the occasional trip to the store to actually make personal purchases.  I’m a real girl too, and sometimes I just need to get my shop on.  Naturally, my favorite place to shop is Sephora, and every time I set foot in one it’s serious, and I never leave empty handed.

This trip resulted in 3 purchases:

Sephora Brand FACE Foaming Cleanser: Tried this last night, and was very good although it did not really foam.  Was more like gentle sudsing gel.  Some of the reviews on Sephora’s site are a little bit ‘angry’ with customers writing all sorts of things about being annoyed by the misleading use of ‘foaming.’  Personally, the lack of foam didn’t bother me much since it still got the job done.

Sephora Brand Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15: Haven’t tried this yet – Still have some of my favorite leftover, so will have to review at a later time.

Sephora by OPI nail Polish in IM Beauty:  A super cute lemon yellow nail polish.  Color is very soft, and not at all offensive like some of the other yellow polish options I have come across. (You need this, it’s adorbs).

I had more in my basket.  Trust.  I just tried to be sensible and remind myself that I have more products in my apartment than most people , and that thought helped me to put several items back on the shelf that I didn’t think were must haves.

What I did not get was the Dior Airflash BRONZER.  That was a tough one to put back.  I mean, the stuff was made for me.  Seriously.  But at $60 a can, I just couldn’t justify the purchase especially when I have THREE airbrush machine’s in my possession which I can use at any time to create the exact same look.

I won’t lie…I’m still considering going back to get it.  I had completely forgotten that I had tested and LOVED it, until my roommate asked me what was on my face because she NEEDED to have it.  *Sigh*  I should have snapped a photo to post here, so you could see how fabulous it looked.  Oh well, next time.

Eventually, I will find a way to justify the purchase, but until then I’ll just break out my trusty airbrush compressor to replicate the look.

I am also considering going back to get this glitter eye gel from Sephora Brand. In the store it didn’t look like anything any more special than the dozens of other glitter type products I have in my arsenal.  Then I got in the car, and I did a quick check in the mirror (couldn’t help it, yo), and it was really subtle and sparkly and feminine and PERFECT FOR SUMMER.  Eh.  Will add it to my wish list and cop it in May just in time for the sunshine.  It was only $10 bucks so it isn’t like it’s terribly expensive, and since I wear glitter all the damn time, I know it will be a useful item.

My friend Jen got a bunch of other stuff – Maybe she will kindly grace the comment section with her product reviews.  Jen, are you out there?  I know you read this site…

Tags: Dior, Glitter Gel, OPI, Sephora