Beauty Bar Sample Society

The first Beauty Bar Sample Society box has shipped! This exciting event marks the first delivery from Sample Society, the exclusive beauty sampling program introduced by the two biggest names in beauty: Beauty Bar, the luxury online beauty boutique, and Allure magazine!

Who has time to sift through and test out the countless beauty products that launch every season? With each Sample Society delivery, you not only get the most coveted new products from Beauty Bar, but you also get an insert featuring original content and expert advice written by Allure’s beauty insiders! Each Sample Society mailing includes a deluxe-sized sample of product from the chicest makeup, fragrance, skincare, and hair care brands. These generously-sized testers are meant for more than just one use, so you can truly experience the products. Fans are already raving about the deluxe sizes of the products in the first delivery!

The first box included:
Fekkai Advanced Glossing Cream (1.6 oz)
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant (.45 oz)
REN Glycolactic Skin Renewal Peel Mask (15 ml)
Skyn Iceland Icelandic Relief Eye Pen (.14 oz)
Oscar de la Renta Espirit D’Oscar Eau de Parfum Rollerball (.1 fl oz).

About Sample Society: In addition to monthly deliveries of carefully-curated, deluxe-sized samples, members also receive a special code for $15 off any $50 purchase on the Beauty Bar website (so long as the purchase includes an item from one of the kit’s featured brands), which means the kit essentially pays for itself! Members also have access to insider information from leading beauty experts, because each monthly delivery includes a mini-magazine compiled by Allure editors as well. As a final bonus, members receive a one-year subscription to Allure.

Posted by theminx on Opalescentminx.com
Because of recent content theft, I am forced to add this new statement to the end of my posts: If you're reading this post anywhere besides the Opalescent blog, OpalescentMinx.com (also http://minxbeads.blogspot.com) then this content has been stolen. Please do not support this thief!

Give a Gift of Beauty for the Holidays

If you're looking for some gift ideas in the beauty/fragrance department, here are some of my recommendations. If I find more, I'll do another post.

L'Eau Ambree Gift Set $76 at Sephora

Includes:
1.7 oz Eau de Parfum Spray
3.4 oz Hydrating Body Lotion
0.2 oz Eau de Parfum

I got this yummy set for Christmas last year! The scent is a rich amber that is a bit on the cool side, with a touch of chypre to my nose. Notes: Mandarin, Lemon, May Rose Absolute, Gardenia, Amber, Patchouli, Vanilla, Opoponax

Philosophy Holiday Parade Set $25, exclusively at Macy's

Includes:
6 oz each Butterscotch Candy, Bubble Gum Blow Out, and I Love Red Licorice shampoo/shower gel/bubble bath

I love Philosophy products because they 1) smell great; 2) are versatile. No need to have multiple products in the shower when one will do. This would make a really cute gift for a Secret Santa or a co-worker.

Nest Holiday Candle $32 at Saks

Created by Laura Slatkin, this candle is the essence of the holiday season with its notes of pomegranate, mandarin orange, pine, cloves, and cinnamon. I got a votive as a freebie at Sniffapalooza last year and loved it so much, I bought the 8oz version to burn this year. It really makes my whole house smell like Christmas.

How about another one of my new favorite scents, Iris Noir?

Iris Noir gift set, $40 at Yves Rocher

Includes:
1.7 oz Iris Noir EDP
6.7 oz Perfumed Shower Gel

Notes: bergamot, coriander, iris, ambrette seed, patchouli, Tonka bean

Beauty Bits 8.19.10

Katy Perry might not be much of a singer, but she almost always looks good. Her face, at least. So what does she carry in her makeup bag? Turns out, she likes a couple of my favorites.

Such a pretty bronzer! A shame the design gets ruined with the first use.

Purple is going to be a trendy nail color come fall, as will metallics and jewel tones.

Nail art - fun, fashionable, or tacky? (I say tacky, but I'm old.)

Looking for a great red lipstick? Sephora's Kat Von D line has tons of great reviews. I like the eye shadows in this line so am tempted to try one of the lip colors as well. Anyone out there try them?

L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara

My lashes are about average. They are neither long nor short, nor are they particularly full. For the longest time I didn't wear mascara because I didn't feel that I needed it, but after several trips to the cosmetics counters in Nordstrom and Bergdorf and Saks, I've been brainwashed into a daily application.

My biggest issue with mascara is that they be smudge-proof. When the label says "water-proof," do not think for a minute that this also indicates a lower probability of smudging. Smudging is caused by facial oils and rubbing, not water-based moisture. With my oily skin and daily application of under-eye cream, I have a serious smudge problem, both with eyeliner and mascara.

But, the other day, I threw caution to the wind and bought a tube of L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion mascara. The name makes me think of projectile vomiting or virulent diarrhea, but that unfortunate detail aside, I was intrigued by the mace-like wand. Dangerous, but possibly beautifying. And no, the label did not indicate that the product was smudge-proof. Like I said, I was throwing caution to the wind. And I'm pleased that I did - not only do I find it much easier to use the spherical brush, but also I found that this mascara does not migrate to any other portion of my face. Yay!

That's not to say that it's perfect; it lengthens my lashes just fine, but does nothing to thicken them. It does not make me look like Penelope Cruz (but I suspect most mascara commercials use some sort of trickery and enhancement) but it doesn't make me look like a sad raccoon, either. And for $10, it pleases me more than the Dior and YSL mascaras that cost 2 and 3x as much.