Beauty Obsession: My Brand New Summer Look, Courtesy of Lancome and Sandy Linter

A little while ago, I had the pleasure of attending a product demo at the Lancome store on Manhattan's Upper East Side, where I was treated to a first-hand experience with their new gorgeous summer products from the new Bronze Riviera collection. That would have been quite enough because my love of Lancome is lifelong (it's the first makeup line I ever purchased with my own money), but then I was treated to the ultimate surprise: legendary makeup artist Sandy Linter would be doing my makeup.

For those of you who don't know why this is such a big deal, Sandy Linter is a beauty industry icon. I've followed this tiny makeup powerhouse's work since I was a young girl and I can name almost every celebrity she's ever done: Elizabeth Hurley, Christie Brinkley, Sigourney Weaver, Patti Hansen, Jessica Lange, and Queen Noor of Jordan are just a few of the hundreds of women she's worked on over the years. She had her first Vogue cover in 1974, which led to many other covers of such magazines as Cosmopolitan, Harper's Bazaar and Glamour. She's now Lancome's Beauty At Any Age Expert and a total delight. I'm not kidding: it's one of the rare times in this industry I've been completely starstruck. It was truly an honor. She's a tiny little thing but she's hilarious and sweet and I've sworn my eternal gratitude.

I digress. Sandy went to work using Lancome's amazing new summer products on my face, which included the following (in no particular order):

Effacernes Medium Bisque ($28.50) - a gorgeous concealer that smooths undereye circles and skin, leaving behind a soft, matte complexion.

Maquicomplet in Correcteur ($28.50) - a great concealer that works on blemishes and other imperfections, it also contains antioxidants, a hydrating botanical complex and light-diverting agents.

Le Crayon Khol (summer) in Sultry in Sunset ($28) - a fabulous dual-ended waterproof eye pencil that has a sooty black on one end and a warm carmel brown on the other. Great for us brown-eyed girls.

Definicils ($24.50) - Gave me some of the longest, best-defined lashes I've ever had. I love this mascara. It's a Hall of Fame winner of most beauty awards for a reason.

Le Crayon Poudre Brow Pencil in Taupe ($24) - I am constantly forgetting to use brow pencil to define my brows but every time someone does it, it opens my eyes and instantly makes my entire face look better. Do this, ladies.

Tropiques Minerale Bamboo Bronzer ($45) - I admit to being new to the bronzer game, but now that I've experienced it, this product is sincerely my new best friend. The packaging is glamorous and the bronzer delivers instant sun-kissed skin and a healthy glow. I adore it so much I went out and bought one for my mom.

Ageless Minerale Blush in Brilliant Berry ($29.50) - I'm obsessed with this blush. It's finally the perfect tint that makes me look perfectly flushed without looking too made up. It's finally gotten me away from my beloved NARS Orgasm blush and that's really hard to do.

Sensational Effects Eyeshadow Palette in Haute Sunset ($42) - A gorgeous set of browns which are great for day and then layer them up for a smoky eye effect for evening. Brown-eyed girls, this is a must.

L'Absolu Rouge in Beige Chestnut ($29) - Obviously, the image is red but just trust me on this - it's a sexy brown nude that has enough pink in it to look like wet lips in the summer. I can't even get into it. I wear it EVERYWHERE now.

Lancome has so many amazing things happening for summer, including their newly-reformulated Flash Bronzer ($36), which is oil free and will give you a nice healthy glow in mere minutes with SPF 15 for daily commuting coverage.

This summer, it's all about Lancome and their spectacular makeup. If you need proof, check out my new Sandy Linter-created look: it's soft, it's alluring and it's all Lancome.

Cheap Thrill of the Day: Essence Cosmetics

It's beyond fun to discover new cosmetics lines, especially those that combine great quality and extremely low prices. German engineering has now entered the world of beauty with the cost-effective, good quality cosmetics line, Essence Cosmetics. After previewing the line at Magnolia Bakery a couple of weeks ago (eyeshadow and cupcakes, could there be a better day? I think not), I feel you need to head to your neighborhood Ulta right now and check out this impossibly fun makeup line. Why? Here are the top five reasons:

1) They have everything in this line, from fabulous nail polish colors to eye makeup with really good pigmentation (and buildable formula). Lip glosses, mousse foundation, bronzer, all sorts of different mascaras: the collection is just amazing. They have makeup tools as well, from nail files to brushes, even nail applique tools. Whatever you need, they've probably got it.

2) This is makeup that works as well on the vanity as it does on the go. Everything is makeup bag and purse-sized so it's easy to carry, won't accidentally open, and it's easy to maneuver if you're on the move.

3) The formulas are competitive with other drugstore brands, in my opinion. The liners stay put, the mascara wands are well-engineered, the products go on smoothly.

4) It's a fun crossover brand that is as teen and tween-friendly as it is adult fashion savvy. There's something in the collection for everyone!

5) Best of all? NOTHING in the makeup line is over $10! NOTHING. The most expensive thing is the mousse foundation, which I believe retails for around $8. The nail polish is .99!

Cheap thrill indeed! Head to Ulta and get in on this amazing makeup launch, available NOW!

FTC full disclosure: samples received for review

Obsession of The Day: Cover Girl LashBlast Fusion Mascara

I'm a big believer in mascara as a makeup secret weapon. On days where you have zero time to live but you're expected to look semi-decent leaving the house, it's up there in the High Trinity of Makeup next to concealer and lip gloss. I've been an addict of Cover Girl LashBlast mascaras in all their incarnations for years, which is why I'm understandably obsessed with the new version, Cover Girl LashBlast Fusion.

Yes, people, magic time is finally here: volume AND length in one mascara. The fabulous oversized brush ensures maximum delivery of the fiberstretch formula to make every little lash thicker and longer-looking, which creates a lash line that looks fuller and more dramatic. The formula is also buildable, so one swipe creates fabulous definition in a flash or feel free to layer it on for a night on the town. I've been using it for a couple of months now and I cannot deny the difference. I even had to finally break down and get contacts because my lovely new lashes kept hitting my eyeglass frames.

Throw one in every bag and use often. Then sing along when people start to comment: "Jeepers peeers, where did you get those eyes?"

Cover Girl LashBlast Fusion Mascara ($8.99), available at Ulta or a drugstore near you

Beauty Maven Spotlight: An Interview with Karen Robinovitz of Purple Lab NYC

Many of you know that I'm obsessed with the beauty brand Purple Lab NYC. What many of you don't know is that the brains behind the operation, Creatrix Karen Robinovitz, is also a personal friend. Writer, fashionista, beauty maven, social media maverick, television personality: whatever you want to call her, anyone in her presence can feel her creative energy and powerhouse personality. I figured it was time for all of you to know a little bit more about the tiny creative power plant we all know and love, so when Karen agreed to let you in on the woman we all know and love, I jumped at the chance. Here is the fabulous, amazing braintrust behind the Next Big Thing In Beauty in all her glory:

FSB: So, we all know how Purple Lab was created but what were your inspirations for the new products? Do you actually have a mood board? If so, what's on it?
Karen Robinovitz: My mood board is full of chic, glamour and fun. A little Jeff Koons, Marilyn Minter, Anselm Reyle, some Dita and Kate and Cowboy Kate; images that conjure style, succulence, deliciousness and fabulous which really represents the DNA of Purple Lab as a whole. I attached an image of it! 

FSB: Who is the Purple Lab customer?
Karen: Purple Lab has a psychographic, not a demographic. It's any woman who wants effective, science-forward products with a pop of cheeky fun and glam. There is no age - it can be a 14 year-old girl who responds to color and personality or a 65 year-old woman thinking of anti-aging makeup. The kind of girl who likes products that multitask to save time, energy, and money and wants to feel empowered, fun, and fierce.

FSB: You are a self-described fashionista and one of my own personal fashion inspirations. Describe a day in your life and how your cosmetics work with your busy schedule and fabulous wardrobe.
Karen: There is no one typical day because every day is different, as I'm "balancing" (in quotes because I have no real balance) Purple Lab with a day job as a social media consultant. Because I'm always running around, I love having products that are double duty beauty because I can get my skin care and my color at once.

I'm up by 7a.m. and probably online before I even use the loo.

My day typically starts at 8:30a.m. with a breakfast meeting at Pastis. I never leave home without Huge Lips Skinny Hips lip gloss in Worship Kate and Goji Berry Smoothie (a new shade, due end of April) and Luvah lip stain and gloss in Mama's Boy (the most perfect nude).

Horrible dark circles under my eyes are taken care of, thanks to Luxury Squared which has beta glucan, a good anti-inflammatory. It helps me look way more fresh than I feel!

I usually have about 3-5 back-to-back client meetings, peppered in with desk side meetings with magazine editors.

More often than not, I'll have a lunch meeting and if I'm lucky, it's at Fred's at Barneys, which is good because it's always nice to do a quick spin on the 4th floor shoe department. Too bad I have no product to help curb my sartorial cravings!

By the end of the day, I'm back in the home office to go over things on the Purple Lab front, look at new products and components, and blog.

6 or 7p.m., I'm likely off to an event that I'm planning for a client and if not, I'm working on newsletters for Purple Lab, brainstorming new products, or going over business budgets with Todd (my least favorite thing to do).

9p.m., Try to relax... while blogging!  And my makeup lasts all day! No smudging of mascara, thanks to tubing technology! Love that Lashionista Modelista, I have to say!


FSB: The line is now available on HSN. What's it like being on television? Spill!
Karen: It's amazing and scary at once. So much is going on and the pressure is out of control. While I'm doing my thing, I have to be aware of the flow of it all. There is a very short, designated amount of time per product. So I may have three minutes to get out ten minutes worth of information on one product! I have an earpiece in and the producer gives me cues - when to look at a certain camera, when to go to the before/after shots or an animation, when someone is calling in, etc. And there are three screens on view at all times - one shows what viewers see, another shows what's coming up and a third shows the sales. I try not to look at the sales - too scary and distracting. It's live so I cannot mess up. I have to be aware of the models, when I talk to them to show how products look on their skin and when not to do so. There is so much to think about! My heart is racing and I fear I am going to break out in hives every minute. It's a total rush, though. I love it!

FSB: What has been your greatest moment so far in your career? Describe your greatest accomplishment.
Karen: It is, without a doubt, creating Purple Lab and getting it off the ground in a down economy, when all odds were stacked up against me. I never put the dream aside, not when thirty-thousand components came damaged and I had to start over. Not when I was approaching personal bankruptcy. Not when I was trying to raise money after the stock market crash. Getting to HSN was the culmination of it all, everything I have always dreamed of doing and hoped for. To do it with my husband makes it even better.

FSB: What are five fun things that people don’t know about you?
Karen: I'm dying to have a home in the mountains with a teepee in the backyard and a massive tree house. Todd and I plan to name our future kids Rossi Wolf Jacob and Sivan Alaia. I love being in sweats more than anything else. Young, Fabulous & Broke Wide-Leg Zen pants are my favorite and I wear them every day. I have a weakness for Truffle Tremor cheese. OMG! Beyond. I have been known to bring it to the movies with spelt pretzels. Love a movie picnic. I'm an Aries with a Scorpio moon and an Aquarius rising. Makes total sense when you know me.


FSB: Actually, that explains a lot to me, believe it or not. ;) What’s the next move for the Purple Lab empire?
Karen: The focus is on new products and steadily growing the company. All of our energy is on HSN at the moment and we just want that to be the biggest success we can imagine. And I have a HUGE imagination so there are high standards to live up to.

Be on the look out for Pearlesque Show, a silicone-free primer with crushed pearls, honey, and kiwi at the end of the month along with a new shade of Lashionista Modelista called Modern Classic (navy) and four shades of Huge Lips Skinny Hips. I'm also working on two new eye products for July.

Look for Karen and Purple Lab to go back on HSN live next week on April 29th and 30th, where you can learn all about her and Purple Lab's fabulous products! Be there, people!

Beauty Crush: Lancome Spokemodel Arlenis Sosa Honored At Latin Pride National Awards

As you know, I'm a proponent of beauty in every color of the rainbow, so I would like to extend congratulations to Lancôme spokesmodel Arlenis Sosa, who was honored at The Latin Pride National Awards last Thursday night in Boston. The awards recognize the most successful representatives of the Latin community in sports, film, music, education and, of course, fashion. The Dominican model wore a gorgeous gown by fellow Dominican Oscar de la Renta, an ardent supporter of the model. Arlenis is currently hard at work on a special charity project to benefit underprivileged people in her home country. As I've said before, giving back is ALWAYS in fashion.

As it is important to recognize our own, I tip my laptop in honor of both Arlenis' accomplishments and for Lancôme's decision to show such diversity in its advertising. I've received word that Arlenis just shot a major Lancôme makeup ad in Paris with a well-known photographer whose name cannot be released (don't you love the suspense?) while she's walking the runway in the Spring 2010 collections in Europe.


By the way, if you don't have it already, my newest Lancôme obsession is Hypnôse Drama Instant Full Body Volume Mascara ($24.50) - lush, thick, amazing lashes without clumping and tons of build-up. Wiggle the brush under the lash line and swipe upwards and BOOM! goes the dynamite - HUGE, THICK lashes. Run, do not walk, to purchase it. Moisturizer, concealer, this mascara and a good lipstick is enough to make any woman Arlenis hot when you leave the house.

Congratulations, Arlenis. Keep doing good. It's always makes the world a little better when beautiful people do beautiful things.

The Breakover Diaries: Beauty Tips To Cover Up a Crying Fit

You've been crying and it sucks.

Look, we've all been there. You've either raced into the bathroom or you're home, curled up with a stack of fashion magazines and a box of tissues when your best friends bust the door down and insist that you must go out with them right this minute. Whatever the case may be, you need to get hot in a hurry and there are only a few products that will do the trick. Read it and (stop) weep(ing).


Your eyes are red. Drop some Visine Advanced Redness Reliever Eye Drops ($7.99) to clear up the situation.


The best go-to all-purpose tools for covering blotchy eyes are from Benefit Cosmetics. Erase Paste ($26) is a genius concealer that is universally flattering and covers even the most evil of uneven skin issues. Next step is the Benefit Eye Bright Pencil ($20). Two football stripes under your eyes, then blend with your fingers. Also feel free to employ these little tricks if you've been up all night and you have to look fresh as a daisy for an important meeting. Every woman should have these on her at all times.


You need your eyes to pop but in case of another fit (keep it to a two-drink maximum during breakups), you'll need to swipe on waterproof mascara. Still the best bang for your buck, Cover Girl Lash Blast Waterproof Mascara ($7.99) will give you amazing volume and will give you dazzling eyes. Yes, it matters that you look fabulous right now. Don't argue with me.


You're going to need a little double-duty beauty when it comes to your lips. Grab Huge Lips, Skinny Hips Lip Gloss in Worship Your Thighs ($20). Your pucker will plump up, the color is universally flattering and the Hoodia in the formula works to keep you from stress eating. Plus, take that little mantra with you during this time: no better time to learn to love your thighs.

Look, just because you're having a personal tragedy doesn't mean everyone has to know about it. Get these beauty essentials and use them repeatedly until the urge to turn on the waterworks runs its course. Life has to go on and not everyone needs to know that you just threw your ex's stuff into the garbage last night.

60 Second Beauty Tip: A Perfect Face in Five Minutes with Five Products

Most of us are too busy to live so we tend to be a bit slapdash with the makeup when we're running from office to date or from playdate to dinner. As someone who is constantly on the go, I have perfected the "Five Minute Face." Here are my beauty essentials to take you from "meh" to "magnificent" in five minutes flat:


3o seconds: Spray your face with Dermalogica Antioxidant Hydramist ($37.50) (I keep a small spray bottle of it in my purse). A quick mist will soothe, hydrate and tone your skin and prepare your face for makeup.


1 minute: Benefit You Rebel Tinted Moisturizer ($30) gives amazing coverage without looking uneven or cakey. A small amount provides flawless coverage.


30 Seconds: Benefit's Eye Bright Pencil ($20)is my ultimate secret weapon. Two swipes inside the inner rim of your lower lid brightens your eyes, but sweep two football stripes under your eyes and gently blend for a fantastic under-eye concealer. If you have a prominent nose, a blended stripe down the center of your nose refracts light and somehow diminishes the look of your nose. This product is in my Hall of Fame.

1 minute: NARS The Multiple ($37) is the fastest face-enhancing tool known to man. Two swipes on your cheeks and eyes and a swipe across lips makes for eyeshadow, blush and lip gloss. Blend with fingers. Add a dab of cleap lip gloss or petroleum jelly over your lips and you're done.

2 minutes: Mascara is essential and right now I'm still obsessed with Maybelline The Collosal Volum' Express Mascara ($7.49). Huge effect, love the length and volume. Wiggle into lashes and pull up and out. Only repeat once if you need it and only use on upper lash line.

You're done, glam and ready for action in five minutes flat. You can thank me later. I love martinis. :)

A Beauty Must: Maybelline Pulse Perfection Mascara

Those of us around the beauty buzz have heard endless tales of vibrating mascaras, why they work, why they're superior, etc. Most of us (including me) have been slightly reluctant to put these little magic wands near our eyes because, let's face it, how many times do you regularly place things that rapidly vibrate anywhere near your face, much less near your eye? (Don't answer that.) Well, Maybelline has decided to get into the game with Maybelline Pulse Perfection and I have to say, I'm hooked.

With 7,000 vibrations per minute, this is a mascara that gives you showgirl-level lashes with only a few swipes of the wand. You dip the wand in the mascara, place it under the lash line, press the button on the side and pull the wand up slowly. The vibrating isn't uncomfortable and it really does give you amazing long lashes very quickly that stay put for hours.

Here's the scoop, FSB readers: the mascara isn't in stores until July but you can get yours NOW with their exclusive online sale. The mascara retails for $15 and it's worth every dollar of it so click this link and purchase through their participating online retailers.

By the time everyone realizes your little vibrating beauty secret they'll be shaking with envy over your gorgeous lashes since they can't get theirs until July. Such a shame, really. Just bat your fabulous lashes at them.