60-Second Beauty Tip: Kill Undereye Bags and Circles with Tarte Dark Circle Defense

I will vouch for the fact that my life is really hectic. I look at my schedule on a daily basis and, like most women, I have no idea how I get it all done. This lack of sleep and constant on-the-go schedule can make even those of us with the best skin into a bit of a bag lady. No, I don't mean the fabulous handbags like those you see on our arms. I mean undereye bags and dark circles, the kind that make you look haggard and like you want to pull a Sean Penn on anyone who tries to take your photograph. There are all sorts of little tricks you can pull to get rid of them (cold green teabags on your eyes for 15 min) but if you've got 60 seconds, there's a better way: Tarte Dark Circle Defense Natural Under Eye Corrector ($32).

Available in two shades to match a good number of skin tones, this little pot of goodness comes with its own concealer brush and with a couple of dabs under the eyes over moisturizer but under foundation or, in my case, tinted moisturizer, dark circles and undereye bags disappear. The product by its definition is said to contain "finely milled light refracting minerals actually brighten skin to help camouflage dark circles, puffiness, redness, fine lines and wrinkles." The package says that it reduces undereye puffiness in four weeks and after 3 weeks of using it consistently, I will vouch that the claims are true: continued use of the product under my eyes has made the area noticeably less raised and the fine lines are much less noticeable without makeup.

I've always been a big fan of Tarte but this product has put them on a whole new level for me. Too busy to take a breather to get rid of dark circles? Order this product from their website or hit Sephora right this minute and keep one in your purse at all times. Better yet, keep one in your purse and another at home on your makeup table. After all, it's lovely to be seen with great bags, just make sure they're of the designer variety.

FSB Has Breakfast at Saks Fifth Avenue: The Shoe Edition

Last week, I told you about the fabulous Saks Fifth Avenue Accessories breakfast that I attended. Well, there were so many fabulous accessories I couldn't fit them all into one post. Last week's coverage was on the glorious handbags but today's post is on my personal obsession: the shoes. Without further ado, let's get to the fantastic footwear of Saks.

See that photo at the top? It's a whole table of BCBGMaxAzria shoes and boots and I was madly in love. How do you pick just one? A woman needs to decide for herself.



Frye Boots. There aren't enough words to explain how much I love Frye boots. I have no other words for these amazing boots than to say that I need them.



Could you die for these Dolce Vita Trinity Studded Pumps ($210)? I know I almost did. So amazing with so many items in your wardrobe and the studding is so right now.



I am completely obsessed with this pair of Elizabeth and James Zipper Pumps ($325). I love punk-but-pretty details on anything. It's edgy without veering into rough and I love that about a shoe. Mary-Kate and Ashley are killing it right now.



This is an entire table full of nothing but Stuart Weitzman shoes. The fact that I remained conscious enough to take this photo after spotting it is a testament to my intestinal fortitude. I especially love this pair of Studded Platform Sandals ($395)



Last but not least (and this is in no way representative of the entire offerings of this floor, this is just what I could fit into one post), these gorgeous Belle by Sigerson Morrison boots are just gorgeous and a celebrity favorite. They're evidently nicknamed "The Reese Boot" because Reese Witherspoon is such a fan of her own pair of these gorgeous suede boots.

I'm making my holiday list and checking it twice from this little breakfast accessories viewing. Head to your local Saks or their website soon and check out the gorgeous accessories as well as their killer clothes, genius jewelry and amazing beauty picks. Even if you're not here in Manhattan, Saks Fifth Avenue is the place to shop.

Beautiful Causes: Purple Lab NYC's Tea Party for Sealed With a Cure

Me with author Geralyn Lucas at The Norwood Club, NYC

Friday night, FSB was invited to attend a gathering of online media in support of Purple Lab NYC's fabulous lip gloss created for Breast Cancer Awareness, Sealed With a Cure (SWAC). The event was held at the swank private Norwood Club in the West Village. Once inside the gorgeous, exclusive venue, we were treated to a tea party and some socializing before a truly memorable experience: a reading from Why I Wore Lipstick To My Mastectomy by the author herself, Geralyn Lucas.


Author Geralyn Lucas speaking to the group.

I should tell you why this reading was so powerful. If you have some of this amazing gloss, you see the name "Nancy" at the bottom of the tube. This is because the gloss was named for the cause behind the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation, a woman whose friends and family wanted to see her disease eradicated so much they started a foundation in her name. The event was held in her name and as we truly enjoyed the gloss named for this brave woman, the reading by the author was dedicated to the daughter and mother of Nancy, who were present for the event. It was truly an honor to meet everyone there and it bolstered my resolve to continue to get the word out there for this amazing cause. Not only is Purple Lab an intelligent beauty brand, it's one with heart.



I've already told you how much I love this lovely SWAC gloss so I'll take it one further and have you join the challenge given to all of us. You need to feel beautiful in all situations so when you purchase the gloss, wear it someplace unexpected, take a picture and send it to me to be featured on FSB. Because if Geralyn can wear lipstick to her mastectomy, we can all bring beauty to even the most unusual of situations.

Fashionable Cause: Hey Guys, Throw Away the Razor and Sign Up For MOVEMBER!

Just so you know, we're not all about the ladies here on FSB. We love the guys as well so when we got an invitation to attend the kick-off party for MOVEMBER at the Openhouse Gallery in NoLita, we jumped at the chance. Tons of cute guys, cocktails and a silent art auction for a great cause? Sign us up!

What is MOVEMBER? Ok, a little backstory here. Once upon a time (2003 to be exact), some guys were hanging around a bar in Australia talking about how it was time to bring the moustache back. Looking for a reason to explain the facial hair revolution, this lovely group of gents decided to grow their mos (Australian for "moustache") as part of a fundraiser to raise money and awareness for prostate cancer. What started as a little initiative between friends has now turned into a worldwide movement to raise money for all cancers affecting men.

How does it work? Well, first of all your favorite man (and that could be you, dude) should register on their website. Then it's really simple: you start the month of November off completely clean-shaven and work on your masterful facial hair all through the month as part of a fundraiser. At the end of the month, there's always a huge gala and all of the Tom Selleck/Joaquin Phoenix look-alikes posture in a costume that best suits his moustache style for the ultimate prize, Man of Movember. The money raised as part of the initiative is split between the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.



So, gents, sign up to raise money (and finally cultivate that fine Tom Selleck moustache you've been wanting all this time) and ladies, you can participate by sending this post along to your guy friends and recruiting participants. It's for a great cause, folks. Sign up to participate in MOVEMBER and let's kick prostate cancer where it really hurts.

Morning Beauty Quickie: Sarah Jessica Parker to Release New Scent, SJP NYC

Are you a fan of Sex and the City? How about Sarah Jessica Parker's perfumes? Well, according to WWD, the star and the folks at Coty Prestige are betting the two things you love will go great together: it's been reported that the star will release her newest fragrance, SJP NYC, in conjunction with the sequel to the blockbuster SATC movie next May.

Interestingly enough,after years of trying to convince the world that she and Carrie Bradshaw are not the same person, the actress has decided to let her legendary character become the inspiration for the fragrance as well as the city for which it's named. SJP told WWD:

“A large part of the inspiration was what I now understand to be people’s impressions of seeing Carrie Bradshaw walk down the street and what feelings that evokes for her and for them — a real sense of freedom and possibilities, a love for the city around her and, of course, fashion,” Parker told WWD. “We started with this idea that we wanted to create something fun. We wanted to create a party in a bottle and reflect that in the packaging with a real sense of whimsy, fun and joie de vivre. And then we took it from there. Portability and fashion played key roles in the development of the packaging and overall concept.” - WWD, October 16



The bottle is designed to be quite fashion-forward, as a glass cylinder with multiple prints meant to evoke the feeling of Carrie Bradshaw's legendary (and much envied) closet, while the scent inside reportedly has effervescent notes that evoke the optimism of the character, described by WWD as "top notes of Italian mandarin, white osmanthus and wild red strawberries; a heart of gardenia, honeysuckle, mimosa and red rose damascenia, and a drydown of sandalwood, vanilla absolute, rum flavor and creamy musks." It sounds quite heavenly to me but I'm also a long-time fan of SJP's Lovely, released in 2005 and still one of the top 50 perfumes sold (NPD).

The bottles will no doubt come with packaging and promotional details that will promote the movie due to the timing of their release. They will retail for 15 ml. for $25, 30 ml. for $35 and 60 ml. for $49. A 200-ml. body lotion will retail for $25 and a cuff bracelet with solid perfume will sell for $35.

You've got to hand it to Sarah Jessica and her marketing savvy. After all, it's been proven that Sex sells and with a perfume inspired by her beloved character, looks like Carrie Bradshaw will be selling more than movie tickets come spring 2010.

Celebrity Style Moment: Halle Berry in Kaufmanfranco

UPI /Laura Cavanaugh Photo via Newscom

Le sigh. How I love Halle Berry.

The woman is just perfection, may I just say this? I mean, not everyone could pull off this sleek black sequined Kaufmanfranco black dress or such a closely-cropped signature hair style? I wouldn't love this dress on everyone but of course Halle makes it work.

If you do try such a design, make sure that the cutouts are on the most slender part of your body. If you're not rocking a figure such as hers, I suggest cutouts down a dramatic long sleeve, one-shoulder pieces or even strategic cuts on the legs. You can do daring geometric shapes, just be strategic as to where the cutouts go.

Halle, the red clutch, oversized black cuff and black patent Christian Louboutin pumps just add punctuation to the end of the statement. The statement this is making? "Damn, that's hot."

Living With Style: How to Make Mulled Wine

Not sure what's happening in your area but here in NYC, it's officially cold. Looks like Mother Nature decided to skip the ceremony of fall and jump right into winter (NJ had SNOW yesterday, people). I don't know about you but cold weather immediately makes me want to hibernate but I suggest you do it in style: make a batch of mulled wine and have some friends over!

This recipe is from Fine Living and it's called My Mama's Marvelous Mulled Wine. Have some friends over for some fun mulled wine, a cheese and charcuterie platter and some great chocolates (or, you know, just your favorite special someone):

Ingredients:

• 2 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 12 whole cloves
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 2 cups port (a sweet Portuguese wine)
• 2 cups brandy

Combine all the ingredients, except the port and brandy, into a large copper or cast-iron pot (not aluminum). Simmer while stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add port and brandy. Heat for 30 seconds. Pour all into a large heat-resistant bowl or leave it in the pot.

Have a great weekend, everyone!