This Week's Giveaway: Estee Lauder Limited Edition Sensuous Gold Collection

Aaand, we're back!


So, remember I was telling you about the AH-MAZ-ING Estee Lauder limited edition Sensuous Gold Collection, a feminine, luxurious and decidedly glam new color collection for fall 2009. Love it? Of course you do. Wanna win it? Um, YEAH you do! It's time for you to feel "Golden."



I'm not talking about a lipstick or a nail polish. Oh no, folks: I'm talking about the ENTIRE COLLECTION of products: lipsticks, eyeshadows, pencils, nail polishes, shimmer powder. Because it's about time for you to feel golden, gorgeous and fabulous about yourself.

How do you enter? Leave a comment below and let me know what fabulous night out you would plan for yourself if you won this glamorous prize. I will select one winner at random this Friday and will announce the lucky one on Monday morning. Subscribers of FSB count at double entries so if you're not a subscriber, you might want to get on top of that. :)

No P.O. Boxes and you must live in the US. Good luck and enjoy a little music to get you inspired for this contest, Jill Scott's "Golden."

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.

The Breakover Diaries: The Beginning of Feeling Beautiful

For those of you know know me personally (and for those who don't), I'm currently going through a break-up. As in, the end of a relationship. It sucks, it hurts and everyone who's ever endured such a thing knows exactly where I am.

You're thinking, what does this have to do with fashion, style or beauty? Plenty. How many of us have ever gone through a breakup to look at ourselves in the mirror and see someone staring back at us that we don't really recognize? When you spend time invested so deeply in the happiness of another person, you can begin to neglect your own needs. Some people call them "happy pounds" where you gain weight, others sort of fall apart on grooming when the breakup happens. If you could walk around all day in oversize dark sunglasses and Chapstick until you feel like you could put yourself back together there wouldn't be a need for a series of posts like this, but unfortunately most of us who've been through a breakup know that this doesn't necessarily fly in staff meetings...or out at night...or anywhere else outside of a paparazzi shot heading to your car in LA.

This is why I decided to document my own personal recovery from what I thought would be the most significant, forever-and-ever relationship of my life as a journey to the most fabulous, beautiful version of myself. I've got some added pressure for this endeavor because not only am I surviving the end of the "I-really-thought-this-was-going-somewhere" relationship, but I have to prepare to hit Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in less than six weeks. They say that when you're healing a broken heart it helps to have a goal. Folks, arriving at the tents as the EIC of this publication looking nothing less than drop dead glamorous is one Hell of a motivator.

My friend Ted Gibson, the amazing hairstylist, calls this a "breakover." It's where you want a fresh new start; a newer, hotter version of yourself that not only in theory should cause whoever broke your heart to regret ever letting you go, but a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis of pain that truly astonishes with new, vibrant color.

I'm going to chronicle all of the fashion advice, style tips, workout advice and beauty tricks that I'm using to come out of my own breakup looking brilliant and I hope they inspire you to make any necessary changes in your own lives. It doesn't matter if you're going through a breakup, or you NEED to shake things up in your life. Inspire yourself to be the best you can be. Be your own hero.

These diaries will never delve into the details of who I was dating or what happened. This isn't about him. This is about ME and what I need to be runway ready for the catwalk that will be the rest of my life.

My time is now. This is the beginning of feeling truly beautiful. It's time for the outside to match the inside. Watch out, world: I'm coming through.

Loeffler Randall Launches E-Commerce Site, I Cry With Happiness

My friend Dina, the editrix for Eye4Style (an amazing site, please do check it out when you get a moment) is always wearing the sickest shoes. Our friend Felicia "shoe-jacked" her an an event recently because they were truly awe-inspiring. When she told us the label, I have to say I wasn't surprised: Loeffler Randall.

For those of you not deeply familiar with Loeffler Randall, the line is a fan of celebrities, stylists, fashion editors and the truly shoe obsessed everywhere. The brainchild of Jessie Randall, the line was created out of her desire to have what she couldn't find: well-crafted shoes that were feminine, finely crafted and virtually indescructible. Launched in the fall of 2005, the now legendary Matilde flat boot quickly became the most desired accessory in Hollywood and in the offices of the most well-respected fashion editors. The line won the CFDA Swarovski Award for Accessory Design. With an equally successful clothing launch in 2007, Loeffler Randall isn't just a must-have for those of us who appreciate quality and good design: it's a wardrobe staple.

As the company launches their e-commerce site today, I thought I'd give you my must-have list from their new collection:


This Loop Tank ($295) in Charcoal Twill is going to be all over the place for fall. Ladies, the ruffles down the side can hide a multitude of sins per the cascading illusion and the color is dead on for the grey trend that is fast arriving.


Need, want, gotta have this Shoulder Dress ($375) in nude silk with pale gold sequins. Where would I wear it? Cocktails, the grocery store - don't care. It's just that simple and elegant.


The Draped Leather Jacket ($795) is an ultra feminine take on the continuing love affair we're all having with the tough-but-sweet leather jacket. This is such an amazing, versatile piece and it's so well-crafted.


As for the shoes, glorious shoes, it's impossible for me to pick just a few but if I must, I'm going with the Ramona Snap Pump in natural cobra embossed leather ($475), the Wendy Knit Slouch Bootie in grey leather with ribbed merino ($650) and my must-have for fall, the Matilde flat boot in cuoio vachetta leather ($695).

For these and other amazing, well-crafted items, do not hesitate to check out the brand-new Loeffler Randall e-commerce site and start shopping for these and other fall basics. If the site delays at all, that would be me, trying to take one of everything before anyone else gets there. :)

Hair Products That Can Help Cure Acne? Yes: Kairos Hair Care

Acne is a huge struggle and those who have it in the most severe cases will tell you how debilitating it can be to deal with it. Even adults can get it in the most random of places: chest, back and shoulders. What if I told you that there was a line of hair care products out there that could help you get rid of and, with regular use, stave off your acne at any age? There is such a thing: Kairos Acne Care.

The creation of Catherine Parker and Doreen Campbell, two former nurses who have worked with the most severe acne patients for over twenty years, this hair care line combats their main discovery: that the products in normal hair care products can exacerbate and spread oil from the scalp to the rest of the body. Women with long hair: ever gotten acne on your chest or your back? Because your hair oils are coming from your scalp and onto your body, where it clogs pores and turns into acne. The rationale is simple, really: the top of your head is still part of your skin. Treat this area with similar anti-acne products and your BODY becomes acne-treated. I'll let you marinate in that for a moment.

The products all contain percentages of salicylic acid, the main component in acne care, which is an anti-inflammatory. Combine this with essential oils and some amazing hair care formulations and you've got yourself not only some results-oriented acne products but brilliant hair care products that left my tester with gorgeous, frizz-free (yes, you read that right) hair. The main three products in the line, the Anti-Acne Hair Care Trio, contains the following:

Clarifying Complexion Clearing Shampoo ($24): contains 0.5% salicylic acid along with essential oils like tea tree, lavender and chamomile to clarify the scalp and provide balance to the skin and hair.

Balancing Breakout Controlling Conditioner ($28): contains 1% salicylic acid that reduces inflammation and promotes rapid cell turnover.

Oil Reducing Pore Perfecting Treatment ($28): Formulated with 1% salicylic acid, leave this on for 3-5 minutes and rinse between shampooing and conditioning for added value. You can also apply it directly to breakouts all over your face and body.

The line also contains styling products, such as Flex Hold Clear Finish Hair Spray ($26)and Hair Protectant Clear Style Thermal Spray ($26). Those with shorter hairstyles might enjoy the Soft Control Clear Style Hair Gel ($18) and Spiking Clear Style Hair Glue ($24).

Seeing is believing and after I reviewed the results AND had someone test the product, I'm a believer. Kairos Hair Care is truly double-duty beauty, a hair care line that gives you gorgeous hair AND clearer skin. As with starting any addition to a severe acne medication regimen, I recommend you talk to a doctor first, but you definitely need to head over to their website and get the line today!

Sexy, Stylish and Comfortable: Meet 925 Technology From Kenneth Cole

As I make my list to prepare to cover Fashion Week, one of the items at the top of the list is footwear. Not only is the competition high to have the most fabulous shoe in the tents but it's also the race to the finish to see who will last in their gorgeous shoes by the end of the day. With fashionistas crying on the cobblestones or ready to rip their shoes off and throw them into trash bins provided, we represent a microcosm of the female dilemma at large: can you get a fashionable shoe that won't kill your feet by the end of the day?

Legendary Kenneth Cole has taken the Obama "Yes, we can!" to a whole new level with the announcement of his 925 Technology and its premiere in his brand-new, limited edition Silver Collection. These shoes are the result of four years of research and development to keep women from having to wear one pair of shoes to commute then another for short stints in the office and/or out on the town. Ladies, look at the photos and try to deny me: these shoes are HOT!


How does it work? Each foot bed has two layers of PORON® foam: while one acts as a shock absorber, the other is memory foam that molds to the shape of your foot. A unique flaxseed pillow in the arch cradles and supports your foot, while a soft rubber sole enhances flexibility. Every shoe has a beautiful sheepskin lining that allows your feet to breathe and best of all, all high heel styles have an impact resistant nylon heel lift. This means you can run down the street, chase your kids or sprint for that meeting and not end up in a heap crying later. It's genius, really.


The premiere of this amazing new 925 Technology launches TODAY with the Silver Edition, which ranges from stilettos (read: 4 inch heels for you Carrie Bradshaw types) to flats and will feature sexy, silver heels (le mew, le purrrr..) These fashion-forward but technologically-advanced are available starting today in limited supply at Kenneth Cole stores only. Look at the photos, folks. Yeah, they're going to go fast, so head to your local Kenneth Cole store or call your nearest location and have them hold a pair for you.

Moving forward, Cole's 925 Technology will be designed into the entire Kenneth Cole New York women's footwear collection, so everything from flats and motorcycle boots to strappy stilettos and evening styles will bear this new, signature technology. I'm personally heading out right this minute to get some for Fashion Week so look for photos of me testing the shoes out in the marathon of all high heel marathons. Wearing is believing, ladies, so head to your local store right this minute.

Kenneth, we blow you a kiss for doing this and we pledge our undying love for you and this amazing new technology (as if we could love you more.)

FSB Is Out and About

Hey there! Didn't want you to think I went anywhere. I'm working behind the scenes getting some pretty incredible scoop so I'm not posting a lot right now. I'm back tomorrow so enjoy your day and get ready for some pretty fabulous stuff to come starting tomorrow!