October 21, 2016

The C.O. Bigelow candle you'll love to light, a pro tool that speeds up the highlighting process, the makeup artist tip that makes sheer gloss pop, your off-season self-tanner and more.

Because you can always use another candle...

I have an entire cabinet filled with candles, and I credit Gilt with fueling my addiction. When I come across a great buy (such as a Missoni or Jonathan Adler luminary for $40) I immediately buy two—one for myself and one that I’ll inevitably give as a gift (or not). Breast Cancer Awareness Month gives me another excuse to stock up, and the latest addition to my collection is C.O. Bigelow’s Freesia candle, which contributes 10% of its sales to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

With a lead-free wick, 60 hours of burn time and a heady scent that fills the room within minutes, the donation to further breast cancer research is just the icing on the cake.

Highlights just got a lot easier—and less damaging

When I went platinum (RIP), the best part was how little time I had to spend at the salon for touch-ups. Sure I had to go every four weeks like clockwork, but it took less than 90 minutes to slap some bleach on my roots, get a gloss and be on my way. Before I took the platinum plunge I was there for a full head of highlights every eight weeks or so, but it would take at least two-and-a-half hours to get the job done. I have every intention of going back to blonde (courtesy of highlights) as soon as all my damaged hair grows out, and when the time comes I’m totally asking my colorist to get the Pravana Blonde Wand to speed up the process.

This tool may look like a traditional flat iron—but it’s not. Designed to deliver heat to sections you want to highlight (without causing lightening cream to ooze everywhere), this tool can lift your color by up to seven levels in seconds when run over foils. Pravana has also developed a super-gentle lightening cream to go along with the tool, promising maximum blonde with minimal damage—and who doesn’t want that?

I just got a lot more excited to be blonde again… My stylist says I should be good to go after two more haircuts, which means I will surely be back in business by late spring and I hope my colorist can get her hands on the Pravana Blonde Wand by then. The countdown is on!

The MUA trick that makes sheer gloss pop

Last weekend I did something I’ve never done before… I took a picture with me to the NARS counter and said, “I want to recreate this look.” The thing is, it wasn’t anything particularly complicated. It was a smoky, smudgy eye that didn’t require any purchases, but the pale pink glossy lip (shown above) was eluding me. With all of my lipsticks, lip glosses and lip pencils, I simply didn’t have the products necessary to recreate it—and believe me I tried.

So with my magazine tear-out in hand, the makeup artist made a beeline for a specific lipstick, gloss and liner and went to work. When she finally handed me the mirror, all I said was, “No.” It was too purple, too opaque and too far off from what I wanted. Back to the drawing board…

I emphasized that I was really looking for more gloss than color, and she went back to the lip display as she explained that I have naturally dark lips, so I couldn’t achieve the look in the photo with a swipe of gloss alone. After taking one more look at my picture I practically saw a lightbulb go off… She approached me with a tube of Radiant Creamy Concealer (which I naturally already own) and started dabbing it on my lips with a sponge to neutralize the pigment in my lips. She then applied a thick layer of the Lip Gloss in “Istria” and handed the mirror over again and BOOM—exactly what I was looking for with no lipstick, no lip liner, no brush and practically no effort.

Thrilled with the fact that I was able to get the look with just one product, I bopped home with my trusty photo and got to work on my eyes. See, sometimes less truly is more when it comes to makeup (not counting the 20+ other products it took to get my skin and eyes just right).

The ideal self-tanner for the off-season

I’m pretty particular about my self-tanner any time of year. Spring and summer may be primetime for a gorgeous glow, but I rely on a bottle bronze during fall and winter as well so I can bare my legs (or at least my ankles) without embarrassment. But cooler weather calls for more subtly sun-kissed skin (a too-dark tan screams fake in February, am I wrong?), which is why I usually opt for a gradual tanner so I’m more in control of my color. Well, that predilection went out that window as soon as I tried The Water by Tan-Luxe.

I’ve tried many tanning liquids before, but they tend to be tinted to help ensure even application. Although this fluid is crystal clear, I wasn’t at all nervous simply because it says “Light” right there on the bottle. Delivering perhaps the most effortless self-tanning experience ever, I simply sprayed it on my legs and rubbed it in with a mitt. Come morning, I had just the right amount of color to confidently step out in cropped pants and slides—with zero smell and not a streak in sight.

Self-tanning may not be your biggest beauty concern as Halloween approaches, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a good one to stave off pale, pasty skin (even if it’s covered up). If your summer stash is gone, this is the product to pick up for winter!

Let’s give breast cancer the boot

October is about more than Breast Cancer Awareness Month… In my world, October also kicks off boot season, even if the mercury still reads north of 80 here in South Florida. With more boot time comes a higher likelihood that I’d get off my pedicure schedule—which means my heels can get pretty haggard (and anyone who knows me knows that cracked heels are one of my biggest beauty fears). I have no shortage of products designed to smooth my soles, but I’m totally into Skinn Cosmetics Foot Fetish Heel Balm because every cent from each purchase—not just the profits—goes to Bright Pink, a national non-profit dedicated to the prevention and early detection of breast and ovarian cancers in young women.

Like a body butter in stick form (with an amazing grapefruit scent), this hydrating, exfoliating and easy to apply balm is just what you need to keep your feet in tip-top shape all winter long. The formula contains nourishing shea butter, meadowfoam seed oil, jojoba oil and vitamins A, C and E for instant smoothing—and ultimate cracked-heel prevention. Swipe on a bit before slipping into cotton socks at bedtime, and you’ll wake up to baby-soft feet come morning regardless of whether you lead toward boots, stilettos, loafers, slides or all of the above.