Glam Beauty: Whish Body Products

If you're like me, you're always looking for ways to inject a little bit of glamour into your daily life. Even if that means doing something as simple as applying lipstick instead of lipgloss or, of course, there's the more mundane task of shaving. A brand named Whish is helping to make shaving not so much of a chore with their line of glam shaving products that include Shave Crave shaving creams, Body Brushes and Shave Savour (an after shave for the ladies). The luxurious, pre-foamed shaving cream comes in yummy scents (pomegranate, lemongrass and almond) and the brushes are Swarovski crystal bedecked and to-die-for (not to mention they're handmade in England)! Use the brush with the Shave Crave to exfoliate the skin and to transform the cream into a rich texture. After you're done shaving, apply the Shave Savour (it comes in the same scents as the Shave Crave) which contains natural antiseptics to help soothe irritated skin. Of course, glamour doesn't come cheap- these products are definitely a splurge. The brushes alone are $105 or $180 depending on the style.

Nosy Beauty: What's In Your Make-up Bag?

A make-up bag is unique to every individual- that's what makes their contents so intriguing. So here it is: I open up the contents of my Chanel make-up bag to you.

1. MAC Lipstick in Underplay: A delicate peach caramel...the perfect nude.

2. MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack: My latest obsession! A gel eyeliner that's easy to apply, smudge-proof and dramatic.

3. Revlon ColorStay Makeup in Toast: I love this foundation. It's cheap and natural looking plus it lasts all throughout the day.

4. Prescriptives Camouflage Cream Concealer in Yellow/Orange: this is a good make-up line because they'll blend the foundations and concealers to a personalized shade.

5. Bloom Aromatherapy Lip Balm Luscious Lips: I mostly love the luxe glass jar this comes in but the vanilla essential oils are definitely a plus. I dab this on my lips after I line and fill in my lips with lip liner.

6. MAC Eyeshadow in Humid: A pretty, shimmery emerald green that I never use.

7. MAC Eyeshadow in Surreal: A shimmery, seafoam green that I use occasionally.

8. Drugstore Lip Liner and Eye Pencil: I use the black pencil to line my bottom lids (but, now that I've discovered Fluidline, I only line my upper lids) and I line my lips and fill them in with the brown lip pencil. I also use it to fill in my brows.

9. Barbie Loves MAC Beauty Powder in Pearl Sunshine: I apply this on my cheeks for a pretty glow.

10. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Shimpage: I use this on my cheek bones as a highlighter. It's so pretty and it lasts forever. Unfortunately, it's been discontinued.

11. MAC Blush in Dessert Rose: A pretty pink shade. I've had this case forever and it's nowhere near being empty.

12. MAC Eyeshadow in Amber Lights: A gorgeous golden bronze shade that I use often.

13. MAC Eyeshadow in Black Tied: A gorgeous black sparkly shade that I use when I'm going out and I want a dramatic, smokey look.

14. MAC Eyeshadow in Sketch: A pretty brownish, burgundy shade that I use occasionally.

15. L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Carbon Black: This gives me dramatic, plump eyelashes instantly.

16. MAC Eyeshadow in Retrospeck: A very pretty champagne color that I haven't used yet.

17. Revlon Slanted Tweezers: Essential.

18. C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine No. 502: Love this stuff! Gives a nice tingly sensation, freshens breath and provides a glossy look.

19. Makeup brushes: A Sephora eyeliner brush, a really expensive foundation brush (I'm so glad I splurged on this), a Lancome eyeshadow brush and a blush brush and loose powder brush that are of an unknown brand.

• Not pictured: MAC Loose Powder in NC45; MAC Hyper Real Foundation in Gold: It's discontinued which makes me so sad. I use it as a primer under my foundation and it fills in pores and gives me a luminous glow. They have a product now by the same name, but it's NOT the same.

Willing to share the contents of your make-up bag? If so, email me a picture at kmaury7453@hotmail.com with the subject line "Make-up Bag" and tell me why you love your products. I will feature your make-up bag on my blog. Can't wait to hear from you!

Informative Beauty: Allure Magazine

Just in case you didn't know, for all things beauty read Allure magazine. I can't tell you how excited I get when a new magazine arrives in the mail- A WHOLE magazine devoted to beauty! No stupid articles with titles like "100 ways to wow a man" or "200 new sex tips" (It should be called "200 recycled and obvious sex tips"). As far as pleasing a man, I mean really, is there anything new under the sun? But when it comes to beauty, there's always something new and that's why I LOVE allure! The June 2007 issue features the Readers' Choice Awards. Among the winners are:

• M.A.C. Lipstick in Viva Glam V


• Nars Blush in Orgasm (I've still got to try this one)


• M.A.C. Fluidline Eyeliner Gel in Blacktrack (see my past entry)


• L'Oreal Paris True Match Super-Blendable Make Up


• Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Foundation


• Bath and Body Works True Blue Spa I'm in the Mood for Scrub

and many, many more...

Summer Beauty II: Bath and Body Works Sparkling Body Mousse

I went to Bath and Body works with my 5-year-old cousin and she wanted to try this product (Bath and Body Works Sparkling Mousse in Sunset Mango from their Temptations line). It wasn't something I would usually be attracted to but I'm so glad she pointed it out. After the first try, we were addicted and we kept going back for more: I thought to myself, 'Wow, I'm acting like a 5-year-old kid...I have to get this stuff.' The appeal of the mousse is that when applied it gives you an incredible icy cool sensation. I must admit, I bought this product more for novelty than for anything else. It's far from perfect: it's a bit sticky, it has glitter in it and the mango scent may be a little too candy-like...But the icy sensation it gives is fabulous and oddly entertaining- perfect for a hot day when you're lounging on the beach and you need to cool down. For $10 I hope it lasts, but knowing me, I'll run through the can in one sitting.

Dramatic Beauty: MAC Fluidline

My friend introduced me to liquid eyeliner several months ago and after my first application I thought 'Wow, I can't believe I haven't been using this stuff the whole time." Black liquid liner is the easiest way to add some drama to your look- it simply does what a pencil can't do. I've been using the cheap $1 versions at the drugstore but I figured I wanted to upgrade so when I went to MAC yesterday I asked for one. Well, the MAC guy enthusiastically introduced me to Fluidline and I'm sooo glad he did. Fluidline is a gel formula that comes in an ultra cute little glass jar. You put it on with a slanted eyeliner brush and- VOILA!- amazing eyes. For people who aren't used to using eyeliner brushes (like myself) it may seem a bit intimidating at first and it may require some practice but it's much easier than applying regular liquid liner plus it's easier to get a more dramatic look. Most importantly it's smudge-proof and long-lasting. It's $14.50 and it comes in 15 colors. I bought Blacktrack but I'll be investing in other shades soon.

Nude Beauty: Underplay Lipstick by MAC

I finally found the perfect nude lipstick: Underplay by MAC. The website decribes it as a "delicate, peach caramel." It's creamy and beautiful and I love it!!!

Drugstore Beauty II: Revlon Colorstay Makeup

Out of all the drugstore foundations I've tried, this one is my favorite by far. It's not exactly cheap ($12.99) but I keep going back to it so I may even prefer it over most of the department store foundations I've tried. Not to mention, Halle Berry endorses it. This foundation comes in two formulas: one for combination/oily skin and one for dry/normal skin. It provides medium to full coverage and it comes in 20 shades (including a range of shades for women of color)- Toast is my perfect match. I suggest using a foundation brush to apply it. Revlon claims that the makeup will stay looking fresh for 16 hours. I'm so thrilled with the look and feel of the makeup that I haven't paid much attention to how long it lasts, but since I just bought a new bottle I'll keep that in mind tomorrow. UPDATE: This really does last for up to 16 hours. I didn't have to do one touch-up...SOOOO much better than MAC.