This is the season where it’s more important than ever to achieve a sun-kissed look - even if it’s entirely fabricated!

We checked with one of our favorite beauty experts, Mally Roncal of Mally Beauty, who gave us some fabulous pointers on how to achieve that look before we even get to the beach.

You have to have that all-important bronzer!

The most natural looking way to apply is to actually begin on the jaw line, just behind your ear. Gently smooth and swirl the product all the way across your jaw line and all around the perimeter of the face. Don’t forget your hairline, your temples and even the hallow of your cheeks. Then you can do a light dusting across the forehead, nose, and chin. This will give you a natural glow.
To balance out the bronze, apply a pinky-peach blush to the apples of the cheeks.

• The rosiness gives it a more realistic finish.
• Add a little shimmer powder to the tops of cheekbones and inner corners of the eyes.

Don’t forget the lip!

To top it off, swipe a beautiful sheer pink lipgloss all over your pout. It will tie the whole look together.

Image: Sxc.hu

Ever been about to buy glasses online, and then be halted by sheer, unadulterated fear that they will be ALL wrong for you?

Silhouette, known for their rimless styles, now lets you “try” glasses on before buying them - through the web! Their site has something they are calling a Virtual Mirror, a interactive tool allowing readers to upload images of their face and tailor the ideal pair of glasses. There’s over 400 options, including:
· Base model

· Accent colors

· Lens shape

Sunglasses are extra important this time of year as the sun is more and more in our eyes - but is actually important year round! Sunglasses with UV and blue light filters – such as those from Silhouette – protect the eyes from powerful sun rays. The effects from glare can be eliminated through polarized sun protection lenses such as those using IQ POL technology. Wrap-around sunwear gives protection against sun rays coming from the sides, too, which a lot of other glasses don’t do.

To that end, we are awarding one winner Silhouettes’ Harmonia Sun Shield Model 8100, shown at left. To have your chance to win, go to the site, play around, and tell me what you think is the coolest aspect of having a virtual mirror! Deadline is April 1!

Image: Silhouette

Miley Cyrus, nominee and performer at last week’s 2009 Grammy Awards made her mark on the red carpet in a quite literal way - she was styled by mark celebrity makeup artist Mai Quynh.

Here’s a how-to of Miley’s look, thanks to Mai herself:

“The inspiration for Miley’s look was rocker chic. We wanted to have her makeup soft to play against her edgy dress. On her inner eyelids, I applied mark I-Sheer Hook Up Creamy Eye Shadow in Glacee. I then smudged a thin line of mark On the Edge Hook Up Liquid Eyeliner in Cleo with mark I-Mark Custom Pick Eyeshadow in Corset along the lashline. To finish, I coated her eyelashes with two coats of mark Make It Big Lash Plumping Mascara in Raven.”

As a rocker-chic heiress, Miley wears the look well - and now maybe we can too!

Image: PacificCoastNews.com

The 2009 NFL Superbowl on Sunday, February 1 marked Jennifer Hudson’s comeback as she sang the “Star Spangled Banner”.

Our good friend makeup artist Sam Fine details below how to get a look:

“Jennifer is very trusting with her team and really allowed us to collaborate to bring a look that is fresh and new to her,” says Sam. “She was performing a classic song, so I gave her a classic look that would speak to the song she was performing.”

Get that Confident Glow
“On a field seen by millions of people, it’s important to have beautiful skin,” advises Sam. “I like to start with a perfect canvas - that is a priority.”
How to: Start by layering bronzer onto the cheek bones using Mac Mineralized Skin Finish in Brunette. Then, apply a vibrant blush on top to add a pop of color.

Create a Classic Eye
“I wanted to play up the gold buttons on her jacket,” says Sam. “So I used a golden brown eye shadow on the eyelid.”
How To: Apply a light brown eye shadow across the lid. Then use Avon’s Ultra Luxury Eye Liner in Black on the inside rim of the eye to add depth and definition.

Lash Them Out

“You can’t do a performance without false lashes,” states Sam. “They give the eyes sparkle in a naturally glamorous way.”
How To: Apply the false lashes and then fuse them with your own lashes using a great mascara like Avon’s SuperSHOCK Mascara.

Nude Lip is a Must
“I created a nude lip for Jennifer because I knew that a microphone would be in it’s way for the performance,” says Sam. “I didn’t want to call too much attention to the mouth.”
How To: Use a dark brown liner that is two shades darker than your lip color. Then add a nude to the middle of the lip - try Avon’s Ultra Color Rich Lipstick in Rose Mauve. Dab on a bit of gloss in the center to finish.

The overall look was natural, beautiful and confident. “Jennifer was so excited - I think her team was more nervous than she was,” admits Sam. “We knew how important this was to her. But she was so clam and focused, listening to the song throughout the session to perfect the timing.”

Image: Newscom

Gone are the trapeze dresses and flowing blouses.

This fall, it’s all about sleek silhouettes, fitted jackets, and tailored shirts. For most women, that means agony for the next twelve weeks. While diet and exercise is always the optimal solution for toned and slimmed bodies, many women today don’t have the time to eat right and exercise regularly. With hectic schedules, career demands and high cost of living, women need an easier solution. FLABuLESS, the first-ever arm shapewear that slims, conceals and re-shapes, is helping women feel confident in their clothes again.

According to a recent study, 63% of women feel self-conscious about their arms and hide them under baggy blouses and boxy blazers. “I noticed that many shapewear companies have developed products that focus on providing a slimming effect to the lower and mid-region of the body, while not even acknowledging the arms, an area that more than half of women are most self-concious about. How can we ignore this group of women that collectively make up such a large demographic of the shoppers in today’s retail stores?” says Lee Ann Stevenson, Creator and President of FLABuLESS. “FLABuLESS was created to allow women to wear styles and trends that they otherwise would not have considered.”

Looking Fabulous

FLABuLESS arm shapewear instantly lifts sagging skin while slimming and streamlining bulges and ripples. With proper size selection, it will not only provide adequate compression, but also provide a sleek, slender silhouette under tops, dresses and jackets. Available in two styles Pleine (long sleeve), and De Quart (short sleeve), two colors, black and copper nude (chocolate, bone, and navy coming in ’09), and 7 sizes ranging from S-4XL, this product truly targets every woman. Additionally, they offer the Veston, which is our take on the classic “shrug” that has built-in compression sleeves to wear over those sleeveless tops and strapless dresses. The Veston is available in short, three quarter, and long sleeves and range from size Small to 3XL

We have one FLABuLESS product sample to send to one lucky reader…to have your chance to win, share how you best conceal your extra few holiday pounds. Deadline to enter is December 31.

As I’m going to a pretty spectacular Black Friday ball tomorrow night, in-between basting the bird, I’m waxing the (fill in the blank). As I was poetically sugaring my limbs, I realized…it sucks men don’t have to do this.

The truth is, some do!

Shobha, NYC’s hair removal expert, reveals the top three
reasons men go bare down there:

1. To forgo the extra ‘five o’clock shadow’ and opt for a
longer-lasting, smoother solution.
2. To minimize hair and maximize the appearance of other ‘parts.’
3. To enjoy hairless happiness – men can hate body hair as much as
women.

So, I must ask: Do any of you ladies have a man in your life who “manscapes”? How do you feel about that???

Photo credit: Globeandmail.com

I was lucky enough to get to spend the entire first week of November as an invited guest at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena, and passed just about the entirety of my stay being absolutely indulgent and gluttonous.

It was fab.

During my stay, I stopped by Ajne. Created and owned by Jane Hendler, Ajne is a Carmel based company that emphasizes the use of organic, chemical-free products and CUSTOM BLENDS (how cool is that???) perfumes with ingredients that are so rare, they can cost up to $80,000 a kilo.

These perfumes are either sold stand-alone, or expertly blended to create new scents that can provide different benefits based on your personal needs. The personal blend is done by a process that seems half chemistry, half sorcery: Ajne uses a system, based on the ideas of Chakra, to make each scent unique to the wearer. First, you have to answer a questionnaire about yourself that might seem a little off-the-topic for perfume (for example, what colors do you like or what your favorite season is). Then a mélanger trained by Ajne will interpret your answers and decide which areas of your body’s chakra need improving. Since these areas relate to scents, it is then easy to find which oils and perfumes you will like and benefit from the most.

The process may be a little confusing for those who don’t understand Chakra, but the result is absolutely delicious - by the end of my experience, I learned that while I as full of love, there was not enough passion in my life - and that was where my chakras were unbalanced. My scent helped to get my insides in order…and also smelled fabulous.

More info on the Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa at pasadena.langhamhotels.com.

Ajne Scent Bar images courtesy of Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa

Ok for us geeky style obsessed – here comes something we can’t pass up!  Yesterday, at the Vivienne Tam show in NYC, this gorgeous creature was revealed:

This is the HP Vivienne Tam Special Edition notebook, set to release early next year, although Gizmodo says October.  No word on pricing, nor is there any word on specs yet.   

“When I was approached by HP to create a special edition notebook, I could see the design in my head instantly,” said Tam. “The notebook is a true reflection of the needs of a modern woman who cares about fashion but is also passionate about her technology. I wanted to create a notebook that would appeal to women of all ages, ethnicities and income levels across the globe.”

I’m watching for the pics from the Vivienne Tam show to show up on the press site, so Ill update this post when I get some, but you can see some of the shots from the show over at Gizmodo.  Looks to be a comparable size to the other ultralight machines that have been released recently – but can’t wait to see what all the specs are!!  Do we dare hope that this machine is priced competitively with the other ultralights?  Can’t wait to find out.  And I would like to beg Heatherette to do something similar, please.

So – are you like me?  Is this going to be a must have for you?

Image: HP

While you are waiting to get your mascara from Lucky Magazine, and pressing F5 over and over again, you might want to check out Glamour TV, which launched yesterday.  I have been trying to get to watch Beauty Wars all morning, but keep getting interrupted/having technical difficulties (my problem, not theirs). 

What I have seen is super slick and super cool, so I hope you will go check it out.  Here is a bit about the shows on Glamour TV:

I WANT MY GLAMOUR TV! Debi Mazur helps makeover real women, Molly Shannon, Jennie Garth, Solange Knowles and Nikki Taylor dish on motherhood, and Giuliana Rancic and Molly Sims count down the seasons hottest trends for Glamour TV Glamour mag’s new television destination site.  The three shows premiere this week, each with four new episodes running over the month of September.  Check it out here: www.glamour.tv

· Beauty Wars features Debi Mazur of Entourage in this competitive makeover show with the world’s top makeup artists vying to create a winning look for an American woman. Presented by Revlon

· Moms Working It is an interview-style show that delves into the lives of hot Hollywood Moms including Molly Shannon, Jennie Garth, Solange Knowles and Nikki Taylor. Presented by Dockers

· The List stars Giuliana Rancic and Molly Simms counting down the hottest trends in entertainment. Presented by Estee Lauder and Burberry.

Let me know what you think!!

Image: Glamour.tv (used with permission)

So, all my beauty buds are at Fashion Week, and I am not.  I started a new full time job today, and ending my last one and starting this one just really meshed badly with the fashion season this time!  But, all  is not lost.  We have Twitter.  Twitter totally saves the day at Fashion Week, I can read all about my friends adventures, real time, almost like I was there, minus the drenching rains. ;)  Hope you gals brought your umbrellas!

Of course I follow most of my beauty buddies on Twitter already, so can watch them on my Twitterfox or Tweet Deck – but they are all mixed in with my geek buddies, which is ok, but sometimes the tweets rush by so fast it is hard to keep up.  Enter Inside The Tents.  This is a great place to watch all of the hottest beauty and fashion bloggers – keep up with their Tweets AND their blog posts.  Awesomeness!

Also of great interest to me is the MAC  Senior Artists Twitter widget at Facebook, that you can watch, embed – whatever you’d like!  And if you’re a great MAC fan like I am, you can follow these folks on Twitter:

MAC_Gordon_E | MAC_Nadine_L | MAC_Gregory_A | MAC_Bianca_A | MAC_Vanessa_R | MAC_Terry_B | MAC_Patrick_E | MAC_Tiffany_J | MAC_Gina_B

And while you’re following, don’t forget to follow me (and say Hi!)!

So enjoy FW, like I am, from the sidelines.  It is nice and dry, I have tea and cheap lunch, and really, am having almost as good a time watching as they are being in the thick of things.  (Yeah right, but Im trying to keep my positive attitude!)

Image: © 2008 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, used with permission