An Oldie But Goodie

I am often on the road touring stores, looking at new store sites and meeting with manufacturers. As I move rapidly from place to place, I am limited as to how many beauty products I can stuff in one ziploc. I often forgo body products in exchange for at least four skincare products, tinted moisturizer and my must have--Acqua Di Parma Colonia fragrance.

What a delight it was when I showed up to my hotel tonight and they had Molton Brown products in the bathroom. I embarked on a heavenly shower with Molton Brown Energizing Seamoss shower gel. We have carried this product in our stores since I started bluemercury almost 10 years ago.

This rich, thick moisturizing shower gel has a scent which takes you away to the beach. Fresh, clean and green, I had forgotten how wonderful it is. It is always a treat to rediscover something that was wonderful 10 years ago and is still wonderful today. How often does that happen?

Skin Emergency – A Cold and A Festering Pimple

After picking up my 4th cold this year from one of my germ carrying school children, my skin was a wreck. This, combined with the comfort food required given the never-ending freezing spring we’re having (read: French fries) gave me a big, obvious pimple to the left of my lips on my lower cheek. This was so obvious, my 3 year old daughter said, “What is on your face?” I finally figured out the perfect solution. Two nights ago, I grabbed my Remede Intensive Double Serum - a dual chamber oxygen and vitamin c serum - and used the oxygen side (you can choose or use both together) and put this antibacterial dream serum on my pimple and the vitamin c side all over my face. The pimple was dried up over night and I felt as if I had just infused vitamins back into my sick-with-a-cold looking skin. The next night I used my MD Skincare 2 step peel pads (my go-to at home deep cleansing facial) and rubbed the vitamin c serum on again after. The next morning all was clear. I am way too old to be getting big, giant pimples.

True Religion-My Almost Naked Face

When I wakeup on the weekends I am so tempted to run out the door with nothing on except for a quick moisturizer. Between three kids age 5 and under and having to be “dressed” every day, some days it is gloriously tempting to do absolutely nothing. But alas, I can’t. Guilt overtakes me. I am, of course, in the beauty business. So here is my almost naked, weekend face.

1. Slather a moisturizing, firming, SPF 30 all over my face. My go to these days is Dermalogica’s Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 30. My skin looks fresh, moisturized and all with an SPF 30.
   
   
2. Navy blue eyeliner – Trish McEvoy Arabian Nights eye powder applied with old faithful brush #11.
   
   
3. Volume Mascara. My go to mascara for years. Never smudges, doesn’t wipe off. A tube mascara that washes off with water.
   

Fresh, innocent, free. This is as naked as I can go.

DIY Blowout

I have skipped many of my usual trips for a weekly blowout. Partially due to scheduling and why not save a little money in this recession with a little do-it-yourself (DIY)? Before I had 3 children I had stick straight hair and then something happened. Whether it’s age or hormones or too many highlights, my hair gets these funny kinks in it that cannot be mistaken for body or curl. I went from wash and air dry, to wash and take forever to blow dry. I never seem to be able to get my hair as straight as the salon gets it and I hate standing there and standing there and standing there blowing my own hair dry. I have found the perfect product. Oribe’s Royal Blowout speeds up my blow dry time and helps me get my hair straighter. It is unbelievable. I spray it on my wet hair, comb it through, and start drying. It is amazing. It takes me about 10 minutes less to blow dry my hair and all the kinks are gone. And this is the only product (besides Oribe’s shampoo for beautiful color and Oribe’s conditioner for beautiful color) that I use. Quick, straight, and easy. I will take this any day!

Elbow Grease

My elbows are still so dry and rough from the winter. I never know what to do for them. Body lotions are too basic. So I searched through my stash and found Molton Brown’s new Desert Bloom Ultrabalm Essential Salve. A thick rich, oily balm with a soft, fleeting scent (can’t put my finger on what it is, maybe the honeysuckle?), I am in love. The first ingredient is olive fruit oil and the balm is also loaded with vitamin E. I found myself putting some on my cuticles too. I could also envision this on super dry skin or post sunburn. This balm is the bomb!

Inauguration Soother

As we are headquartered in Washington DC, I decided last minute, to go down to President Obama's inauguration on Tuesday, January 20. I could not miss this fantastic moment in history. And I have to say, it was fabulous. I was 20 feet from the President and the First Lady (who is stunningly tall and elegant). There was only one problem –­ it was 20 degrees and I was outside, chilled to the bone, for 9 hours. I came home, my lips were chapped and my cheeks were windburned. I had completely destroyed my skin.


The cure: Darphin's new lip balm which is unbelievably rich and hydrating and Fresh's Mamaku Serum which was soothing, rich and moisturizing. My inaugural skin was fixed in no time!

Palm Beach 2: New Year’s with Trump

New Year’s at Trump's posh Mar-A-Lago was a treat. It took me hours to get ready, with a trip to the Frederic Fekkai in Salon in Palm Beach for the best blowout (with Zahir) that I have ever had in my life. I perfected my skin with an MD Peel and then applied my absolute newest secret weapon: Bobbi Brown’s Skin Foundation.

While this is not coming out until January, I convinced the Bobbi team to give me a lab sample two months ago. This is to die for. Beautiful coverage, easy to apply (I only used my finger tips) and it feels like you have NOTHING on. Donald Trump even noticed (see photo)!