Rebecca Black Performs "Friday" in Sydney

Diposkan oleh Pengetahuan dan Pengalaman on Wednesday, September 28, 2011

More aboutRebecca Black Performs "Friday" in Sydney

New NARS Concealer Giveaway Contest

Diposkan oleh Pengetahuan dan Pengalaman on Sunday, September 18, 2011

You've seen the new NARS Concealer on all the blogs. Now you can enter to win one here! This lightweight, creamy, long-wearing concealer is the latest innovation from NARS. Many of the makeup artists I know want one.

NARS Concealer brilliantly obscures imperfections and dark spots with a creamy, vitamin-rich formula that nourishes the skin. Its long-wearing, crease-resistant, and ultra-light yet opaque formula ensures a flawless finish. Use it alone or over foundation, and it will give you that flawless look we all desire.

Here's what the NARS test participants reported.
  • 97% agree that the concealer has a smooth texture and felt soft on the skin.
  • 93% agree that the concealer stays in place all day.
  • 90% agree that the concealer blends easily.
On top of superb test results, it's formulated without parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, phthalates, GMOs, and triclosan. It does have the moisturizing and nourishing vitamin E. Who could resist?

I have one to give away, and the winner will be able to select the shade of her choice. There are 10 shades, from Chantilly (my shade) to the dark Cacao, so there's bound to be a perfect shade for your skin tone. Just visit NARS or Sephora to select your shade.

There are a few simple steps to enter this contest. First, all you really have to do is leave a comment on this feature telling us what shade you prefer. After you comment here, feel free to send me an e-mail at bestthingsinbeautycontests@gmail.com and identify your comment. You can never be too careful about sharing an e-mail address you care about on a blog, so feel free to follow this step (an alternative is to code your e-mail, e.g., myname at gmail dot com, in your comment).

You can earn extra entries. Follow this blog (through an e-mail subscription or though one of the many Google readers - see sidebar at right) to earn a second entry. You don't have to follow to enter. I want everyone to have a chance, but I also want to reward my followers. I must be able to track this entry. One easy way is to follow by e-mail subscription or to ensure that Best Things in Beauty is on your blog list if you have a Google account.

You can earn a third entry by tweeting this contest. Just make sure to include "@BTiBeauty" (without the quotes) and the contest title in your tweet and mention the giveaway title. I will tweet the contest this evening, and you can simply retweet it to earn that second entry. Only one tweet will be counted as an entry. I appreciate multiple tweets, but it's not necessary.

The deadline for entries will be Saturday, September 24, at midnight. The next day, I will use a random number generator (random.org) to select the winner. I will e-mail the winner on Sunday. The winner will have 48 hours to reply to my message and provide a shipping address. After 48 hours, the prize will be forfeited, and another winner will be selected. Make sure to check your e-mail - and look in your spam folder - when the contest ends.

This contest is open to anyone anywhere. Here are the terms. I will carefully pack and ship the prize (as I always do). I cannot insure the prize for overseas shipment - it's amazingly expensive to do so because of the way I have to send insured mail. If it's lost or stolen in transit, I won't be able to replace it with another. I'll do my best on this end; let's see if your mail service does right by you on the other end if we have an overseas winner. Lately, my shipping luck has improved significantly.

Good luck!

Photo courtesy of Sephora
More aboutNew NARS Concealer Giveaway Contest

NEST Fragrances - Tahiti Vanille and Pumpkin Chai Candles for Fall

Diposkan oleh Pengetahuan dan Pengalaman

I can't remember when I became a fragranced candle fanatic. It was a long time ago when I discovered the mood-altering properties of a great candle. Unlike air sprays or diffusers, candles bring the warmth of a flame that's comforting (as long as I'm in the same room). When I plan to park myself to read, watch television, write, or relax - stay in one spot - I love to burn a fragranced candle.

I have to admit that I collect them. Yes, I use them entirely, but I always keep a choice of fragranced candles at the ready - for myself and for gifts. I think they are lovely gifts and wonder why no one ever gives me candles. Maybe it's the cats. We do have to be careful that curious or frolicking kitties don't knock them over when they are burning.

NEST Fragrances, a leading luxury home fragrance company has added a new, fine vanilla fragrance, Tahiti Vanille ($32), to its FiFi Award-winning NEST Fragrances Collection. Debuting this fall, Tahiti Vanille joins other favorites Black Fig & Honey, Moroccan Amber, and Wild Oats & Bourbon in the company's sophisticated gourmand fragrance category. Gourmand fragrances are especially popular during the cooler fall and winter months because of their warm, reassuring, and comforting qualities. You can bring the kitchen to your bedroom without the crumbs!

“While traveling through the French Polynesian islands in the South Pacific last summer, I had the opportunity to visit a vanilla farm on the island of Tahaa,” said Laura Slatkin, founder and CEO of NEST Fragrances. “As I passed racks and racks of vanilla pods drying in the sun, the aroma was so alluring and intoxicating it inspired me to create a vanilla-scented candle, Tahiti Vanille.”

Slatkin took Tahitian vanilla bean, white chocolate, and cinnamon and blended them with caramel and a touch of white rum. The result is divine, with a scent that's literally scrumptious. With no one ingredient overpowering the others, it's a blend that telegraphs comfort. The candle definitely creates an "island ambiance," perfect for our transition from summer's glory to the autumn "nesting season." NEST sent mine to me, along with Pumpkin Chai (see below), and I've been burning Tahiti Vanille ever since. The Pumpkin Chai is waiting for cooler weather.

NEST's new Tahiti Vanille candle can be purchased exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, and specialty stores nationwide beginning this month. I've seen it online (e.g., Candles off Main), but I haven't seen it on the shelves at Neiman Marcus yet.Pumpkin Chai ($32), with packaging evocative of falling leaves and Halloween, will create a cozy autumn ambience with a blend of wild pumpkin, spicy Masala chai, cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon. This special-edition candle is housed in a sophisticated brown translucent glass with a blush orange wax. Like all NEST candles, it would make a welcome hostess gift, if you could bear to part with it.

As long as you keep the wicks of NEST's candles trimmed to about 1/4 inch, the candles burn evenly and won't leave a grey residue on the glass container. The offer quality outside and in. They will burn for 50 hours, and in small increments, it takes me a long time to go through an entire candle. They are a great value.

Just in case you don't know, NEST Fragrances was founded and is owned by Laura Slatkin. NEST is a specialized home fragrance company that emerged from its parent company, Slatkin & Co., after an acquisition. I can't even count the number of Slatkin-developed candles I've purchased over the years.

Laura Slatkin has a long-standing reputation as a leader in the home fragrance industry and is well-known for her luxurious scented candles, room sprays, diffusers, and other essentials for rooms and environments. NEST’s client list currently includes more than 50 prestige companies in the fashion, beauty, and home fragrance industries - all of whom turned to NEST to develop their exclusive lines of home fragrance products.

In 2008, Laura launched her own home fragrance collection, NEST Fragrances, which won the 2009 FiFi Award for Interior Scent Collection of the Year. In 2010, Laura launched her second and third fragrance collections, Sprig Fragrances and Project Art by NEST Fragrances. NEST draws on decades of experience in the home fragrance industry with a special expertise in designing, developing, producing, distributing, and marketing home fragrance collections that capture each client’s unique brand image and style. For more information, visit NEST's Web site. NEST can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Photos courtesy of NEST Fragrances
More aboutNEST Fragrances - Tahiti Vanille and Pumpkin Chai Candles for Fall

Quick Peek: Clé de Peau Beauté Palette Vintage III for Holiday/Winter 2011

Diposkan oleh Pengetahuan dan Pengalaman on Saturday, September 17, 2011

My photo of Clé de Peau Beauté's Palette Vintage III highlighter ($125) for Holiday/Winter 2011 was taken quickly at Neiman Marcus yesterday. There will be no swatching today because the sky is heavily overcast and it has even drizzled (when we were out in the woods saving wild animals and plants from a developer - more on that later).

Inspired by the timeless allure of vintage jewelry, the face powder in this palette will provide a glow to your skin with its elegant, lustrous colors. The yellow gold, rose gold, pearly white, and golden nude shades combine to make a beautiful, sparkling highlighter for your festive events.

The double-decker palette has the silky cream powder with pearl pigments at the top, a mirror in the cover, and a brush in the lower level. The brush is wide, perfect for sweeping across the powder to pick up all the shades and deposit them where you want to glow.

Last year's Vintage Palette had rays of color. This year we celebrate the holidays with a modernistic color block pattern. As always, Clé de Peau Beauté has introduced a limited-supply collector's piece. It's gorgeous. I purchased mine at Neiman Marcus.

Update 4:50 pm: The sun came out, and I got a swatch photo. As you can see, the powder is very light when all shades are blended together. It's going to be hard for you to see on my arm. The swatch in the middle has a pearly, light pink hue. That's the highlighter.

If you purchase one of these beautiful palettes, do not apply too much pressure to the raised surface. It started to crumble under the sponge-tipped applicator I used to swatch.

Photos by Best Things in Beauty
More aboutQuick Peek: Clé de Peau Beauté Palette Vintage III for Holiday/Winter 2011