Is a bar of soap the best way to wash your face?   I’ve always heard to never use a bar of soap on your face.  They’re supposedly drying, make your skin easily irritated, strip your skin of the good nutrients.   So to be honest, I was actually hesitant to give this Erno Laszlo Blue Firmarine Treatment Bar a try.  But I did anyway.

And I was pleasantly surprised!  

This bar has the texture of a glycerin bar, creates a lot of lather and it cleans my face exceptionally well.  After washing with this and rinsing I mistakenly took my WHITE towel and dried my face.   As soon as I had done that, I thought – oh no!  There goes my white towel with makeup on it.   But no!   My white towel didn’t have a speck of left over makeup on it, it was actually spotless.   Then I waited several minutes before applying the remainder of my nighttime ritual skin care, I wanted to see if my skin felt dry.   No again.   My skin felt clean, but not dried out, just smooth.   I have been using this treatment bar for several weeks and my skin still doesn’t feel dried out like I had originally expected.   At $39 the bar is not inexpensive, but it lasts FOREVER!   Like I said, I have been using this for several weeks and it doesn’t look like I’ve used any of the bar.

Here’s what the company says about the treatment bar:

It’s unique delivery system releases ingredients gradually over time to ensure activity long after cleansing strengthening skin’s barrier and allowing visibly firmer, smoother skin.  Spirulina Maxima and Algae Extract to firm skin by helping cell renewal and improving skin texture.  Vitamins C & E to provide long lasting anti-oxidant protection.  Glycerin Sorbitol and Palm Kernel to help hydration and retain moisture by binding water to the skin.

I thought Cameron Diaz had one of the most beautiful hairstyles of the evening at the Academy Awards. Gatsby Salon is showing us how to recreate this Veronica Lake look at home. (Gatsby Salon did not create the look for Cameron)

Simple at-home steps to recreate this look:

1.      Start with using a volumizer on damp hair’s roots. (Try Gatsby Salon’s Texture Lift, $12.50 available by calling 732.752.4247)

2.      Use a blow dryer to remove excess moisture from hair.

3.      Section hair into five sections. A right and left section at the nape of the neck, a section on the right and left sides of your head, and the top of your head.

4.      Blowdry each section using a round brush and dry hair in a vertical direction, pulling the hair straight up from your head to create volume and lift at the root. 

5.      After entire head is dried, form the same 5 sections.  Use a 1 ½ inch barrel curling iron to curl sections, beginning at the bottom of hair sections.

6.      To create an arch and bend at the root, place the iron on the root and pull upwards as you move it to the ends of the hair. 

7.      Once the iron has reached the ends, keep the curling iron horizontal as you rotate the iron back towards the root area, creating a curl. Once hair is heated in this position, release the iron from the hair, letting the hair fall.

8.      Follow immediately with a flexible hold hairspray (Try Gatsby Salon’s Structura Shaping Spray, $14.95) and allow hair to cool.

9.      Repeat steps 6 through 8 until your entire head is curled.

10.Allow at least ten minutes for hair to cool entirely before touching it.

11.Turn head upside down and use a paddle brush to brush through your entire head.

12.Create a part that suits your style and use your fingers to tame and place hair to the direction you desire.

13.Complete style by using a holding spray to secure this look.

Eyebrows are so important to give your face that polished look.   The problem can be we either don’t have the shape we like, we’ve neglected them completely, or they’ve been waxed or plucked beyond a normal look.   

Here Sandy Linter, Lancome’s Beauty at Every Age Expert gives us a visual instruction on how to get the perfect brow.

Lancôme abassador Kate Winslet looked resplendent at the Academy Awards yesterday, clad in an Yves Saint Laurent gown and bold jewelry from Tiffany & Co. Kate’s long-time makeup artist, Jillian Dempsey, topped off the look with soft, ethereal makeup. Both the eyes and the lips got equal attention on this Oscar winner. Shimmering, champagne-pewter shades highlighted the eyes, while very saturated mascara delivered that extra definition. A pop of pink blush on her cheeks gave Kate just a hint of a natural flush. Jillian topped off the look with nude-pink lips.

The products used:

 EYES

• Jillian Dempsey for Avon Professional Kohl Eyeliner in Black
• Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Mascara in Excessive Black
• Avon True Color Eyeshadow Quad in Blushing Raisins (using the Raisin shade for definition)
• Lancôme Brow Expert in Naturel

 FACE & CHEEKS

• Avon MagiX Face Perfector SPF 20
• Lancôme Photôgenic Lumessence Foundation
• Lancôme Dual Finish Powder Foundation
• Shu Uemura Blush in Pink 30

LIPS

• Lancôme L’Absolu Rouge in Rich Cashmere
• Lancôme Color Fever Gloss in Hotness

Demi Moore was a complete vision at the Academy Awards, from her dusty rose Versace gown to her easy updo to her softly dramatic makeup. Celebrity makeup artist Jo Strettell did the beauty honors for the always-stunning Demi.

For Demi’s complexion, Jo mixed two Giorgio Armani foundations—Luminous Silk Foundation and Lasting Silk UV SPF 34 Compact Foundation—and swept YSL Touche Éclat under the eyes and around the nose.

Lancôme’s Blush Subtil in Rose Fresque, just on the apples of the cheeks, brightened her complexion.

Jo created the soft, smoky eye with Lancôme Color Design Eye in Ciel du Soir on the lid and Color Design Eye in Honeymoon as a highlight from right above the lid to the brow bone and on the inner corner of the eyes. Lancôme’s Le Crayon Khôl in Gris Noir lined the eyes and Jo softened the look by smudging the line. The lashes were curled with a Shu Uemura lash curler, followed by several coats of Lancôme Hypnôse Drama in Excessive Black on the top lashes and Ôscillation Mascara in Black to the lower lashes.

For Demi’s lips, the combination of Lancôme’s L’Absolu Rouge in Rich Cashmere and Juicy Tubes in Spring Fling created a pretty, nude lip that had just enough pop.

Are you ready to add a touch of beauty to your home?  These flowers are the 3rd of the senses to pique my (our) interests.   Instead of actual touch – it’s the figurative of the word touch this time.   There’s actually nothing more wonderful than to add nature to the inside of your home -especially in the dreary, winter days.

The flowers represent some of the elements in the new Degree Women Natureffects line, with olive leaf, orange flower, honeysuckle and tea tree oil.   The new Natureffects line was designed by world-renowned fragrance expert Ann Gottlieb – “the nose” behind some of the most successful and prestigious fragrances.  I can finally divulge to you what are some of the scent combinations in the products:

• Honeysuckle & Tea Tree Oil
• Olive Leaf & Pink Pepper
• Orange Flower & Cranberry

These lovely 3 scents will have a retail price of only $3.99 for body mist and deoderant. 

A survey by Degree Women found that 88% of those being surveyed agreed that bringing nature into their homes lowers stress and makes them happier.   I’m going to add that I think the same applies for bringing nature into your office too – because isn’t that where we spend most hours of the day anyway?   I know all these elements of the new Degree Women line is really making me anxious to give them a try!  How about you?