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it's the final countdown. there is exactly one week until mother's day (mark your calendars, it's may 11th).
know what that means? you need to go shopping. below, makeup loves me's top 5 mother's day gift ideas.
1. thierry mugler's angel fragrance heavenly collection - my mom wore ""as her signature scent from the time i was in middle school (when it first came out) up until a few years ago. so this smell definitely says "mom"to me. but beyond that it is a delicious, comforting and empowering fragrance, which makes it perfect for (most) mothers. $85 at department stores.
2. red door spa's mandarin honey manicure/pedicure - this treatment left my feet a bit raw from some overzealous exfoliation, but there are red door spas nationwide and they tend to be a luxurious setting where mom will be treated like a queen. this seasonal mani/pedi is a fun treat to help ease mom into the spa lifestyle. manicure - $42, pedicure - $80.
3. the sephora sun safety kit - will keep momma safe from those uv rays. this kit contains 11 travel-sized sunscreens from a variety of brands, so she's sure to find a match. major plus: 100% of the net proceeds go to the skin cancer foundation. $25 at sephora and sephora.com.
4. kai body butter - oprah (it was listed as one of her "favorite things") loves it, so you know mom's gonna be all over it. it has a rich texture and a sweet, lily of the valley scent. $55 at bendel's or online at eluxury.com.
5. noodle & boo glowology - noodle & boo started out as a natural product line for babies, but it turned out the mommies were loving these gentle products too! so, the founder then created the glowology line for the baby mommas, including pregnancy and sensitive skin treatments. prices vary by product.
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adultery is a slippery slope.
once i started cheating on my signature scent, i couldn't stop! the latest in my infidelities involves the cali-based, custom scent blender, melange apothecary. in addition to being able to create the scent of your dreams (be your description "roses and sandalwood" or something less tangible, like "make me smell like a mermaid") they also have a wide array of pre-made fragrance selections.
i am quite partial to their concrete parfums - a solid, concentrated fragrance that you can rub on your pulse points. my spring picks are grenade (pomegranate) and cielo (a feminine floral blend). best yet? these pure little pots are only $10! visit them online at melangeapothecary.com.
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i discovered these crazy frenchies at the bendel's breakfast and they have been on my mind ever since. it takes a lot to make me stray from my beloved stella mccartney fragrance, but i want almost every single etat libre d'orange scent. they are certainly a bit unorthodox, with names that translate to things like "incense and bubblegum", "jasmine and cigarettes", and "true blonde" (there are also some much more risque ones, which i would love to share with you but i'm having trouble determining an exact translation). but, as a charming frenchman from their company explained to me at the breakfast, when you are so playful with the concepts behind your fragrance you better have the quality ingredients and blending where-with-all to back it up. and they so do.
one of their special fragrances, rossy di palma eau de protection is intoxication maximus. i have worn it a few days a week since the breakfast, when i want a little pick-me-up. the charismatic ms. di palma herself was on hand at the breakfast and told me, in her charming and somewhat unusual english, this scent was not for "seduction", it is a talisman, meant to protect the wearer. i like that idea. and i love it's potent feminine rose heavy smell. this and many other etat libre d'orange perfumes are available at henri bendel's and online at etatlibredorange.com
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i hope you like superlatives, because this post is gonna be full of them.
i had the most amazing morning at henri bendel's beauty breakfast. ted gibson was there (in. the. flesh.), and one of his assistants, devin gave me the most fantastic blow-out of my life (and yes, it was just as sexy as that sentence makes it sound). my hair is huge, which i love.
by this point, i think we all know how picky i am about fragrance, but i tried two. one by etat libre d'orange, which happens to be the most fascinating french perfumerie. another by isabela capeto, the chicest brazilian designer. both stole my heart, so i'm sure you will be hearing more about them in the near future.
i also finally met amber from beauty blogging junkie - and seriously, she looks like serena van der woodsen from gossip girl. would i lie about something like this? i also got to quickly catch up with two of my favorites, erika from makeup bag and julia from all about the pretty. i wish i could show you just how beautiful everyone looked. why don't i ever remember to take pictures?!
and if you can believe it, i have another product release/breakfast event to attend tomorrow morning! so stay tuned for more, hopefully superlative, tales.
image: henribendel.com
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step aside, philosophy. philip b takes unusual, senual body wash fragrances to the next level.
if you are a regular reader, you know a scent has to wow me for me to use it, let alone write about it. well, philip b's thai tea body wash has done just that. it smells remarkably like the spiced/milky thai iced tea available at my fav little thai hole-in-the-wall. the scent is a fusion of coconut, lemon grass, ginger root, citronella, peppermint, and lime. breathing it in somehow both calming and energizing at once, like doing yoga.
helpful hint: the instructions recommend leaving it on for 3-5 minutes so that you can maximize it's cleansing and calming benefits. i agree.
for some (frustrating) reason the philip b. website doesn't have the thai tea body wash listed. it does, however, list two other beverage inspired washes: chai tea and chocolate milk. after my sublime experience with thai tea, i would be very open to trying the chai tea. my beloved thai tea is available at the formidable space.NK apothocary website and boutique for $40.
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this past week lancôme announced that anne hathaway would be their new brand ambassador.
lancôme international president, odile roujol says of the actress, "anne hathaway is a radiant young woman who perfectly embodies modern femininity. we know she will portray all the passion and excitement of our new fragrance, to be launched throughout the world in september 2008." no word yet on what sort of scent the new fragrance will be.
i like anne hathaway for keeping it classy and keeping her crotch to herself, but she's never really struck me as glamorous, or as a beauty icon. what do you think of lancome's choice?
image: eonline.com
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 at first i wasn't totally sure how to use nars monoi body glow II. my first observations were that it looked gorgeous and smelled even better (and from last week's scented lotion reviews i think everyone knows how picky i am about fragrance).
but after playing with it for a week, i've found that it has tons of uses, including:
1. as a body moisturizer. it's an oil, so a little bit goes a long way and has a lot of sheen.
2. as a bathroom decoration. this is one product you will not be ashamed to have splayed on your sink.
3. as a bath oil. (this is my favorite idea).
4. as a fragrance. you can just dab it on your pulse points and smell like a vanilla and gardenia goddess all day long.
5. as a solid version for uses #1 and #4. at 72 degrees this liquid product becomes a solid. you can either re-liquefy it by rubbing with hands or running the bottle under hot water, or just used as a semi-solid!
want one? again, narscosmetics.com and sephora are your best friends on this one.
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bond no. 9's holiday offerings are by far the most decadent luxuries i've seen yet. topping their collection off is the "i love new york double decker gift set". this set includes 12 of their iconic fragrances, including my favorites - chelsea flowers and bryant park. also, its in hat box, which is so retro, elegant and chic. i swoon. all for the cost of a perfect SAT score, $1600.
 
not quite in the budget?
perhaps the limited edition swarovski crystallized bottles of saks fifth avenue for her ($550, shown to the left) or the scent of peace ($470, shown below) can be added your wish list.
of course, you could also just pick your favorite nyc neighborhood or landmark and ask for the bond version of that as a gift, since the bond no. 9 bottles are so beautiful they all look like presents. either way, bond no. 9 brings the holiday elegance.
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 to introduce the final lotion of "lotion week" i bring you a true story: a few months after moving in with the boyfriend my former roommate called to ask me the name of the lotion in the "thing that looked like a coaster". after some discussion i realized she meant benefit's bathina "touch me then try to leave" cream. and i also understood why she was calling. this lotion has that soft floral scent that i love, but it also makes your skin silky in a uniquely feminine way. "touch me then try to leave" really is an apt name.
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i have a little bit of a moksha obsession.
lotus love beauty used to be carried at my yoga studio and i quickly became addicted to the moksha scented lotion. yogaworks has since stopped carrying it and i've been having serious cravings for moksha's soothing sandalwood fragrance. i liked to put on the back of my neck, breathing it in throughout the day keeps me calm and focused. luckily, i've recently learned of another yoga studio downtown that carries the brand, so i'm heading there today to stock up on this heavenly lotion. i'm even considering getting the massage oil (which i never do!).
see all of lotus love beauty's offerings here.
image: www.lotuslovebeauty.com
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 welcome to the 2nd lotion of lotion week!
i am so unbelievably fussy about scented lotion. i have only found three that i will wear. but i loooove these three lotions. red flower's japanese peony is my most recent of such discoveries. i actually bought this lotion while in florida for thanksgiving, all to learn that their boutique is right here in nyc. i will definitely be making a field trip!
how would i describe red flower's japanese peony moisturizing body lotion? girly. refined, yet unbelievably sexy. it's a completely floral sweetness, not at all sugary. best yet the scent lingers for hours. the lotion itself is silky and smooth.
quick hint: it's organic, so store it in the frig.
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 there are so many things i'm excited for happening in the next couple weeks! thanksgiving is just a few days away and the city is getting more and more holiday-festive. while it is unnerving when decorations and special holiday products arrive before halloween, once the season actually sets in (post-turkey) the winter wonderland theme of shop windows feels so magical.
here's my "fav five" things im looking forward to:
 1. buying gifts for everyone on my list. you can bet there will be tons of makeup, fine wine, and delicious treats. i can't say too much more since some people who receive gifts from me are probably reading this!
2. making my wishlist. my list will definitely include some form of my signature scent, stella by stella mccartney.
3. taking a bubble bath. my little nyc apartment doesn't have a full sized bathtub. i've been fantasizing about having a relaxing foamy bath while at my parents house.
4. truffle-making and baking. when im not lusting after beauty products i love to be in the kitchen, especially on a snowy day. last year i made goat cheese truffles, this year im planning to make chili pepper truffles.
5. the release of the film enchanted. fairy tale + nyc? count me in.
images: www.masterpiecepumpkins.com and www.meish.org
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bond no. 9 is introducing a new andy warhol-inspired scent. andy warhol silver factory is one of those fragrances that transforms you (or at least me) to another place and time. i grew up in the same town where the original woodstock festival occurred, and this scent reminds me of august, when the original hippies would return to celebrate the anniversary of the festival. it is very incense-intense. it is unisex scent, which i didn't think worked particularly well with my chemistry. however, i could see it being very sexy on a man, or paradoxically a very feminine woman.
it will be available in december, right in time for the holidays.
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it's not everyday that i review fragrance. in fact, before today there have not been any days that i've reviewed a perfume. bond no. 9, however, is not just any fragrance, it's the height of elegance and new york-centric thinking in scent, which i applaud. they have fragrances named after various neighbors throughout manhattan. their newest fragrance, saks fifth avenue, has a "for him" and a "for her" version.
"for her" is very sweet (not quite how i would describe a saks fifth avenue "her"), probably due to the notes of jasmine in the scent.
"for him" is a aquatic based scent that is clean and not too bold for everyday.
expect to see a review of bond no. 9's andy warhol silver factory fragrance, to be released in december, in the next week!
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