luster 1 hour white tooth whitening makes me smile.

apparently, today is tooth tuesday at mLm.


confession: i've had the luster 1 hour white tooth whitening kit sitting in my bathroom for over a year before opening it this past sunday. it just seemed like a lot of work (3 steps?!) compared to the strips you just slap on your teeth.

in fact, the kit recommends you repeat a rather tedious rinse, brush and apply 2-minute whitening light for up to an hour! all this active beautifying seems like a real pain, but i did the 3 steps just 3 times (totaling about 12 minutes), and am shocked with how much whiter my teeth look.

sorry to have ignored you so long, luster white, but really it was my loss! the system is available through the target site for $39.99.


editor's note: in accordance with the ftc regulations, please be advised that a sample of the products mentioned was provided to MakeupLovesMe.com.

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reach by design toothbrush.

beauty is in the details.


i have nothing but love for mundane things made special by their extra details, but i can't stand when that makes these things cost 3X more than they would ordinarily. sometimes i just want to get an extra cute toothbrush, only to discover that it costs over $10 -- uh, why?

reach by design toothbrushes have pastel and floral spring patterns with their same drugstore price tag - $2.99 - 3.99.

mine has bright pink and orange flowers all over, and makes me smile every time i use it.

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my spray tan at eve salon.

me - in the middle with my golden glow

this past weekend i had a best friends weekend with my two closest friends from college. since i knew there would be a lot of photos for facebook around i decided this would be a perfect time for me to visit eve salon to try out their new spray tan. eve recently started offering full body spray tans using st tropez.

after going over my full body 3 times, eileen left me with very subtle tan - more of a hint of glow than an all-out tan look. no one asked me if i'd been on vacation, but a couple people commented that i looked "healthy". which, after some internal philosophical debate, i believe is what i want from a spray tan.

plus, to promote their new system eve salon is only changing for $40 for a full body (including face) spray tan - so depending on your tan needs, this could be the deal of the century. i'm already thinking of booking for the weddings i have coming up.


editor's note: in accordance with the ftc regulations, please be advised that the service mentioned was comped for review on MakeupLovesMe.com.

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maybelline sweet thing collection for spring 2010.

maybelline's sweet thing collection for spring 2010 is pastel perfection. the polishes and cream shadow sticks are perfect for brightening and updating your look for spring.

collection includes:

• color sensational lip gloss: sweet caramel, sweet & sassy, sweet tooth, triple yum, strawberry glaze; $6.49

• express finish nail color: sweetie pie, minty, bubble pink, pink sophistication, candy coated, sweet clementine, pie in the sky, goody plum drop; $4.25

• eye express cream shadow stick: oh my meringue, touch of toffee, a la mauve, lovely lilac, frosted, minty; $6.95
  

• expert wear duo eye shadow: pie in the sky, goody plum drop, excite-mint, just peachy; $4.50

the minty cream shadow stick is makes for a striking, pistachio shadow. i've been wearing it for the last 3 days. but be sure to rush to your local drug store - this collection is limited edition.

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kiehl's midnight recovery concentrate.

kiehl's has me burning the midnite oil (i'm pretty sure this product was designed for that joke).


midnight recovery concentrate is a cobalt blue glass vial filled with essential oils (including evening primrose, geranium, and lavender) that one applies before bed to wake up "restored".

now, the past 6 months the market has been flooded with oil-based skincare products, and i was pretty late in getting on the bandwagon - why? because of my acne prone skin i wasn't sure putting oil all over my face was a good idea -- but midnight recovery concentrate smelled so good that i couldn't stop myself. and it turned out remarkably well - a couple of drops leaves my face glowing and super-soft in the am - and i have yet to attribute a breakout to it.

$42 at kiehls.com.

editor's note: in accordance with the ftc regulations, please be advised that a sample of the products mentioned was provided to MakeupLovesMe.com.

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news flash: people prefer suave to bath & body works.

what i learned this week: in a consumer test, people preferred the scents of suave naturals body washes to that of bath & body works scents.


and, since suave naturals have a suggested retail price of $1.99-2.50, i suggest you get your suave on, beauties. and what a variety of suave naturals options you have to choose from:

• wild cherry blossom
• lavender vanilla
• ocean breeze
• sweet pea and violet (i want to try this one!!!)
• cucumber melon
• apricot exfoliating
• cocoa butter
• tropical coconut
• fresh berry smoothie
• and most recently, mango mandarin

enjoy your savings, beauties!

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today may be about the irish, but ever since snooki won our hearts, all my roommates seem to have become obsessed with tanning.

which i don't condone, because i'm offically anti-cancer. but eve salon has the spray tan, which i am in favor of. and i'm extra in favor of their new promotion - from now until the end of march, eve is offering free st. tropez leg spray tans, with the option to upgrade to a whole body spray for only $20 (over 60% off!).


if you wanna get in on this, eve is located at 55 west 8th street nyc. appointments can be made by calling 212-807-8054. visit them online at eveswebsite.com.

get your irish glow on!

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something steamy from biore this way comes...

mara's been using the new biore steam activated cleanser...and here's what she has to say:

new from biore, a cleanser that uses the power of your shower for a deep clean with steam-activated beads. this product gets a mixed review--it smells great and gives an invigorating, post-facial feel... but it's not the deepest clean i've ever experienced, and may or may not be responsible for a recent breakout. next time, i'm going to stick to the deep cleansing pore strips we all know and love.

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stila one step makeup foundation.

now that prescriptives is defunct, i'm looking for a replacement to my much beloved custom blend tinted moisturizer (a product that i loved so much i had my formula refilled 3 times).

i couldn't get enough of it's medium coverage, creamy finish, and staying power. but all good things come to an end.

last week i went to new orleans - and packed stila one step makeup foundation - to see if it could fill the void left by prescriptives. this product promises to be a primer, foundation, concealer, and powder. and i have to say - it does a pretty good job of providing a dewy coverage for hours. i'm rocking it in this picture, while enjoying a beignet from new orleans famous cafe du monde (why don't we have those in nyc?!). i think my custom blend may have met it's match. $44 at sephora.com.


editor's note: in accordance with the ftc regulations, please be advised that a sample of the products mentioned was provided to MakeupLovesMe.com.

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OPI mad as a hatter vs deborah lippmann happy birthday!

glittery nails remain hot, into spring, and two multi-color glitter polishes have caught my eye lately - OPI mad as a hatter and deborah lippmann happy birthday.


in the past couple of weeks i've sported both on my toenails, but assuming no one wants to see that, i've spared you the pics. the verdict? both work well as a layer over a darker polish or on their own with a few coats. even though the OPI picture makes it look purply - both truly have assorted color glimmer. however, the winner for me is deborah lippman's happy birthday - the larger chunks of glitter make it that much more unique.

mad as a hatter is $8.50 and happy birthday retails for $18.

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free manicures this coming weekend in nyc and la!

click on the image to enlarge for details...you're welcome :)

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clinique introduces high lengths mascara.

gone are the days of the traditional mascara wand. now opening a new tube of mascara is like winding up a jack-in-a-box. you wind and wind, never to know what will emerge.


clinique's high lengths mascara is the most unique wand i've seen yet. it's a neon green, curved, fine tooth comb! the job of this little angled comb is to reach all your baby lashes and magnify them. and it works like a charm. if you're looking for a fuller lash look, look no further.

$14 at clinique.com.

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the not-so-new noxzema.

beauties, i wanted to catch you up on the face wash you voted for -- the new noxzema -- that i have been using for the past few weeks (readers favored a review of this over the new proactiv - by 62%). as it turns out there are a few new additions from noxzema, but the one i'm using isn't new! it's the original deep cleansing cream but now in a .

it's been years since i've tried noxzema (i believe the last time was sleep-away camp), so the product felt new to me -- and the things that bothered me about it as a teen - the ultra-creamy formula (i was afraid it would make me break out) and it's eucalyptus tingle (i recall it being a burn) are the two things i'm loving about it this winter. the combined effect seems to be making my dead-looking skin come to life.

the original formula, with it's updated packaging and dispenser, is retailing for under $5 at drugstores nationwide this spring. for more information on some of the updated formulas, including those for intensive acne control and adult acne - visit noxzema.com.


editor's note: in accordance with the ftc regulations, please be advised that a sample of the products mentioned was provided to MakeupLovesMe.com.

image credit: http://farm3.static.flickr.com

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