Hardy Candy World Balmination

I’m currently obsessing over Hard Candy World Balmination Glossy Lip Balm. I’ve been using it for the past week and am addicted! I have the color Starfish, which is a sheer coral color. This balm is jammed pack with moisture, which is the #1 reason I’m obsessed. I don’t feel like I need to apply my petroleum lip balm for moisture when I’m wearing this balm.

The container is fun too. The tube casing is Ed Hardy-esque, and when removed, the balm is encased in a black tube with silver swirls. You have to be careful when taking the top off though, since the balm doesn’t retract all the way down into the tube, and comes sticking up a half inch.

You can find Hard Candy products at Walmart stores and Walmart.com. This balm is only $3! I know it's kinda early, but it screams stocking stuffer!!!!

7 Hot Hairstyles from NY Fashion Week

7 Hottest Hairstyles from New York Fashion Week

Wear the best updos from Fashion Week without professional help -- we'll show you how

This is a TotalBeauty.com hairstyles article We're always looking for inspiration when it comes to new ways to wear our hair, and inspiration was not in short supply at this season's Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week. We gathered the seven best hairstyles from the runways and got step-by-step how-tos so that you can copy them at home. See hairstyles

Beauty Sales this Week

HauteLook
Pop Beauty & Pixi Sale - I can't speak highly enough of the Pixi Week of Makeup set and their blushes in general. Amazing!

Tweezerman - The $25 tweezer and mirror sets would make great stocking stuffers (never too early to start holiday shopping!)

NYX Cosmetics - Sale starts today!

Borghese
Borghese.com - 4 hour friends and family sale today! From 12-4pm EST enter 20Sept11 code at checkout and get 20% off your order!

Ulta
Lots on sale at Ulta.com and in store...but beware...I bought Big Lash Mascara on sale over the weekend. $2.99, I couldn't pass it up, but I should have known...seemed maybe a little old and dried up inside. I'll be lucky to get a week worth of mascara out of it. Make sure to look at expiration dates on sale items!

John Frieda Makeover in NYC

This week I traveled to NYC for the experience of a lifetime. Thursday I was on set all day for a John Frieda makeover video shoot. And not only was I on set, I was participating! I was one of the five bloggers selected for a personalized beauty and style makeover by John Frieda and Glam Stylists.

I got to meet and receive a hair color and cut consultation (behind the scenes and on camera) with the amazingly talented Mr. Harry Josh, John Frieda Celebrity Stylist. I also got styled by Nola, Fashion Editor at Glam.com and India, Beauty Editor at Glam.com. Here is how the past few days played out…

Photo by Stef from WeHeartThis.com

Wednesday was filled with shopping, manicures and finally our initial hair consultation with Harry. Elisa from NYSpender.com, Heather from BehindtheLashes.com, Stef & Tyna from WeHeartThis.com and I all met with Harry individually. First, I have to say, Harry’s enthusiasm and energy is so contagious. He asked us if we had any limitations to what we would do with our hair and I was so mesmerized by him I just said ‘I’ll do anything!’

Photo by Stef from WeHeartThis.com

He talked to the other girls about the John Frieda Precision Foam Colour they should use and how he wanted his team to cut their hair. When he got to me, he decided he wanted to keep my highlights the same, and wanted to focus on adding some shine back to my hair along with a new cut.

Thursday morning we all met at the salon at 7am to start production. After the camera crew set up and a lot of coffee, we started filming our before shots and consultations with Harry. The other girls also filmed themselves applying the Precision Foam Color to their hair, to demonstrate how easy the application process is.

My segment focused on fixing my dull hair. Having highlights, styling every day and well water has really taken a toll on my hair. Harry decided to use John Frieda Clear Shine on me, which is a glazing treatment that adds shine and smoothness to hair. As for the cut…he was thinking Edie Sedgwick inspired…and the stylists got to work!

After washing my hair with the Full Repair line to help with dryness, Blake, Harry’s assistant, applied Clear Shine from roots to ends and let it sit for 5 minutes. After rinsing Clear Shine out Blake started cutting. I made sure to pay good attention to how he dried my hair so I could easily do it again myself. He explained how to get a dramatic side part (new to me) and how to use a smaller round brush to get ends straighter, avoiding a flat iron.


After I was cut and styled, it was time to get my make up done. India worked with the makeup artist, Nam Vo, to create a mod Edie Segdwick inspired look for me. Black out eyes, long lashes, shiny nude lips and a beauty mark completed my face.

Next was wardrobe. The fall fashion trend I was chosen to represent was ‘Lace’ – yes please! Nola picked out a black lace dress for me, along with ridiculously high (and sexy) suede turquoise heels for a pop of color. I had to do a couple laps around the salon in the heels just to make sure I could get around okay in them.

Makeover complete! The Clear Shine made a world of difference to my hair. When I returned home I had people ask me if they colored it because the color looked so much healthier and shiny. I want to say thank you to Harry Josh and his team of talented stylists and to the Glam team for making us all look fabulous!

Me and Harry Josh

Precision Foam Colour is the first ever premium permanent home hair colour from the John Frieda® Hair Care Experts that uses foam technology to deliver a luxurious at-home colouring experience. Demand gorgeous, salon-quality results -- 100% grey coverage and vibrant shine. With 20 flattering shades to choose from, achieving natural-looking hair colour perfection is in your hands.

The product reviewed in this post was provided gratis by the John Frieda® Hair Care team. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of the John Frieda® Hair Care team.

DVF DIANE Fragrance

To help launch the new DVF fragrance, women wearing the classic wrap handed out DIANE scented ribbons in SoHo, Union Square, Times Square and the Meatpacking District. Then, the Wrap Rally participants converged on the flagship Bloomingdale’s location just prior to the event and created a wrap flash mob, which generated excitement about the momentous occasion. As they chanted, “DVF! DVF! Be the woman you want to be!” DVF herself joined in and everyone went wild.

DIANE is now available at Bloomingdales. I haven't tried it out yet...anyone get a sniff yet?

New Shellac Fall Colors

Love love love that CND Shellac is keeping up with seasons and coming out with new lines. Their Fall line is small but exciting. Colors are: Zillionaire, Studio White, Moonlight & Roses, Purple Purple, Asphalt, Hotski to Tchotchke. From the picture above it may look like there are 3 basic whites, but they are very different up close. Zillionaire has a ton of sparkle to it, probably meant to lay over other colors, Studio White is more for french manicure tips, and Moonlight & Roses is an iridescent pink (swatch below).

Tina did her nails in Asphalt over the weekend. This is an awesome color for Fall. Apparently CND has a regular nail polish in Asphalt so this was a big ask from fans.


Moonlight & Roses - Pink iridescent/opalescent shine.

göt2b Cupcakes for a Cause

göt2b needs your help to raise awareness for Cupcakes for a Cause! Visit www.Facebook.com/got2b now through September 30, 2011 to bake your own e-cupcake! For every free e-cupcake created, göt2b will donate $1.00 (up to $20,000) to the cause which benefits CancerCare for Kids, a program that provides free support services to children affected by cancer and their families. Plus, you’ll receive a $1.00 off coupon for any göt2b fat-tastic hair styler.

Total Beauty Post - 10 Best Drugstore Products for Fall

10 Best Drugstore Products for Fall

See the 10 budget buys chosen by a celebrity makeup artist that will help you get the hottest looks for fall

This is a TotalBeauty.com budget makeup article We always thought A-list people shopped at A-list stores for their A-list beauty products. But, as it turns out, even celebrities -- and their makeup artists -- get thrifty with it. We took celebrity makeup artist Brett Freedman to our local CVS to pick his brain about the best budget buys for the season. And he walked us around the store, pointing out his current top 10 makeup favorites. See his list

Bloom for Breast Cancer Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and in the spirit of women helping women, Bloom is excited to support this cause while making sure you “Never Buy the Wrong Beauty Products Again!”

Bloom invites you to invite friends! Give the Gift of Beauty to 10 friends, and you'll receive a $20 gift certificate. Bloom will donate 10% of every Share of Beauty purchase to support breast cancer research and awareness. Happy Sharing and Shopping ladies!

CND Shellac Layering - Nude!

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With Shellac being such a hit, CND came up with a layering chart to help create new Shellac colors based on ones that are already out. There was a need for more color options, fans were getting antsy, and the CND came to the creative rescue.

When I first tried layering with my BFF and manicurist extraordinaire, Tina, it looked horrible. I think it had something to do with our Fedora bottle being a little old. I tested Iced Cappuccino and Romantique last night and it came out okay. It created a nude color, which Shellac doesn’t really come in yet so it was fun to create a new, unique color. Plus, I’m traveling to Boston today for a work conference so I needed something neutral to last all week…perfect!

Check out the Shellac layering PDFs.

Tina just placed an order for Asphalt and Moonlight and Roses, both new Shellac colors. I'll be providing swatches soon!

OPI Samoan Sand at BCBG Max Azria

OPI has kicked off the Spring 2012 shows doing the nails for BCBG Max Azria this morning! Samoan Sand was used on models’ nails and toes. The nude look continues for Spring ‘12! Celebrity attendees of the show included: One Tree Hill stars Sophia Bush and Shantel VanSanten, and Happy Endings star Elisha Cuthbert.

Giveaway Break - Minus417 Nail Care Set

Minus417 is the lowest point on Earth and situated at 1,373 ft (-417 meters) below sea level, where time stands still. Minus417 specializes in combining ancient knowledge with high technology. These products present a unique cosmetic development, the Vitamin Mineral Complex, a scientific combination of natural active components, like moisture-balancing select minerals from the Dead Sea, energizing anti oxidant vitamins and unique plant extracts from France, designed to assist in regenerating skin cells and preventing aging signs. All Minus417 products are paraben and mineral oil free.

The -417 Brand offers a wide range of exclusive skincare products of high quality, based on The Vitamin Mineral Complex, a scientific combination of the rich minerals of the Dead Sea and natural active components as anti oxidant energizing vitamins and unique plant extracts, design to assist in regenerating skin cells and preventing aging signs. An example of one of their kits is the Nail Care Set, which includes:
· Nail buffer
· Nail file
· Cuticle oil (30 ml.)
· Hand moisturizer (50 ml.)
· Foot nourishing cream (50 ml.)

**Giveaway***

Enter to win a Minus417 Nail Care Set!

Fill out the form below to win! For extra entries, you can sign up for my mailing list, post a link to this giveaway on your blog, follow my blog, follow me and retweet on Twitter , or become a fan on Facebook; just make sure to list the entries in your comment. Enter up to once a day!

This giveaway is open to US residents only. The contest will end on Saturday , October, 9th. I will randomly select one winner and announce them on Lipgloss Break, so keep checking to see if you're a winner - Good Luck!

Total Beauty Post - Wavy Hair

How to Get the Wavy Hair You've Always Wanted

Perfect the tousled look just in time for the last few weeks of summer

This is a TotalBeauty.com wavy hair article The grass is always greener on the other side of the hair spectrum -- which means those of us with fine, pin-straight hair crave beach-y waves that look effortlessly gorgeous. So we went to the experts to give us a fool-proof tutorial on how to get beach-y waves. Now you don't have a reason not to try the look before summer ends.  See how-tos

Zoya Holiday Winter Collection 2011

Zoya Nail Polish presents 3 new jewel toned metallic shimmer polishes
and 3 glitzy, glitter glazes (featuring unique bar glitter) for an extra special holiday and winter 2011 season!

Zoya Gems and Jewels Collection

Rina (ZP576): Full coverage, rich green metallic shimmer.Holly (ZP577): Gorgeous green glitzy, glitter glaze (with unique bar glitter).Kissy (ZP578): Full coverage, party pink metallic shimmer.Izzy (ZP579): Vivid pink glitzy, glitter glaze (with unique bar glitter).Twila (ZP580): Full coverage, icy blue metallic shimmer.Noel (ZP581): Bold blue glitzy, glitter glaze! (with unique bar glitter).

Violent Lips meets Sugar Factory

These are crazy! Violent Lips meets Sugar Factory - the boldest name in lip wear and the ultimate celebrity treat spot have teamed up to create limited edition Violent Lips temporary lip tattoos?

Would you ever wear these?? I'm thinking maybe for Halloween if I dress up as Lady Gaga!

Mobile Monday - Curls on the Go app

Have curly hair? Download the Curls on the Go app, a free, intuitive and easy to use global app for both the iPhone and Android. Curls on the Go is sponsored by L'Oreal Pairs and features a Frizz Forecast (coolest part!), product and salon finder with review, a hair type finder and hair styles, as well as photos and videos.

Total Beauty Post - Self Tanners to Stay Away From

7 Worst Self Tanners

With fall quickly approaching, self tanners are more important now than ever. Make sure to avoid these 7 that'll disappoint you

This is a TotalBeauty.com tanning article These self tanners are so bad you'd be better off staying pasty white. Make sure to avoid a tan faux pas by checking out our readers' reviews. See reviews

No. 7: Banana Boat Everyday Glow Sundial Face Self-Tanning Lotion -- All Skin Tones, $9.99

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 7.1

"This is nasty. It reeks of chemicals, it has no accuracy whatsoever on the dial, and it takes MANY applications to work."

No. 6: L'Oreal Paris Sublime Bronze Luminous Bronzer, $8.97

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 6.9

"This product resulted in a streaky mess in my hands. I rubbed and rubbed and rubbed and still could not get it to look uniform."

No. 5: Jergens Natural Glow Healthy Complexion Daily Facial Moisturizer, $8.99

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 6.9

"It gave my face nice color, but I couldn't get over the sticky feeling and bad smell to use it for more than a couple of days."

Want to see what was the worst? Click here!

OPI Black Shatter

My BFF Tina played with some OPI Shatter over the weekend. Here's a pic of how it turned out. I love it! She used OPI "The Color to Watch" nail polish, with OPI "Black Shatter."

Lancome's Fall 2011, 29 St. Honore Collection

Lancôme’s Fall 2011 Color Collection, 29 St. Honoré—named after their original Parisian boutique—debuts this month. The collection, which was created by Lancôme Artistic Director for Makeup Aaron De Mey, evokes a seductive color statement that captures the essence of 1940’s glamour.  In this collection you will find eye shadow palettes with tender brown and grey shades along with lip and nail shades dressed in red. These colors represent the true Parisian woman, an international model of elegance and sophistication.

Their products include Blush Multilumière in Maison Lancôme a multi-color powder blush embossed with a Parisian city scene, replicating the first “Maison Lancôme.”  For eyes, there are two new sultry Color Design 5 Pan Palettes: Gris Fatale (used at L’Wren Scott’s Fall 2011 show) and Golden Frenzy.  The star of the collection is Le French Touch Absolu Lipstick in Rouge St. Honoré.   This limited-edition creamy red lipstick is packaged in an elegant gold case that merges vintage modern styles. Our mini Le Vernis nail polishes in Bang Bang Red and Noir 29 (both were used at Chris Benz’s Fall 2011 show) complete the collection.

Lancôme’s limited-edition collection—29 St. Honoré—will be available at all Lancôme counters and lancome.com in July 2011.

Autographed Shine Giveaway

Enter to win an autographed bottle of Heidi Klum's new scent, Shine. Check out Rite Aid's Facebook Beauty page and enter your email address. They are giving away 20 bottles and will have coupons posted soon. Enjoy!

Total Beauty Post - What Your Esthetician Won't Tell You

What Your Esthetician Won't Tell You

You'll be surprised to find out what your esthetician was keeping from you the last time you were getting steamed and extracted

This is a TotalBeauty.com facial skin care article Whether you think getting a facial is a big beauty treat or a total waste of your hard-earned cash, one thing is certain: You'll want to make sure the esthetician who's working on you knows what she's doing. Are all facialists as well-trained as they should be? Do they urge you to buy skin care products even they wouldn't use? Check out these eight secrets your esthetician won't tell you. Get secrets

NARS Concealer

NARS is giving a face lift to its Concealer! Along with a new slim packaging, the formula has grown its range from six to ten shades in order to reach a broader scope of skin tones. All shades boast the same lightweight, creamy texture, enriched with Vitamin E for crease-resistant coverage that stays in place all day.

The range of shades now includes (from lightest to darkest):

• Chantilly – for fairest of complexions, true ivory (NEW!)

• Vanilla – for fair complexions, tiny cast of pink tones

• Honey – for light to medium complexion, warm peach tones

• Custard – for light to medium complexions, yellow tones

• Ginger – for medium complexions, golden tones

• Biscuit – for medium to dark complexions, natural balance of pink and yellow tones (NEW!)

• Caramel – for medium to dark complexions, yellow and golden tones (NEW!)

• Amande – for medium to dark complexions, golden olive tones (NEW!)

• Café – for dark complexions, warm red tones (NEW!)

• Cacao – for dark complexions, deep-gold-brown tones (NEW!)

Price: $22

Available: narscosmetics.com, beginning September 1st