Oscars 2012 Best Dressed on the Red Carpet

Though I’m a little bitter that The Artist stole so many awards at the Oscars, I was absolutely thrilled with what the red carpet had to offer.  Below are some of our favorites for “best dressed,” including a couple of products we thought might help you achieve a similar look!

Jessica Chastain: Twitter lit up with “oohs” and “ahs” when Jessica Chastain graced the red carpet. Donning a stunning black Alexander McQueen gown detailed with gold embroidery, Jessica’s look was dazzling, elegant and classic. She accented her bold colors with simple makeup and stunning eyes, using thick black eyeliner. We suggest Tigi’s Precision Black Eye Liner Pin to achieve a similar look.

Michelle Williams: Michelle Williams was stunning in a coral-y red tiered Louis Vuitton. With creative accents, beautiful lines and attention-grabbing details, Williams was an instant favorite. Her crimson gown was accented by cool pink makeup. Her rosy lips can be achieved with a lipstick like Tigi’s Decadent Lipstick in Finesse.

Stacy Keibler: Even more than her handsome date, Stacy Keibler drew attention for her gorgeous gold frock. Oscar-like in its style, her shimmering gold Marchesa gown was classic, sexy and perfect for her form. Her side-swept hair accented the neckline beautifully, especially with its creative twist at the back of her neck. Set a style like Stacy’s with a hairspray likeKenra’s Design Spray for hold, flexibility and styling.

Zoya True Collection, New for Spring 2012!

Check out the new True Collection by Zoya! This collection showcases 3 creamy and 3 Soft and metallic spring shades! We are excited to introduce the following 6 colors:

Cho – Opaque yellow with a hint of soft peachy beige silver shimmer
Farah – An opaque light khaki-beige
Bevin – A sage green with teal tones and a creamy finish
Skylar – A soft steel-blue with speckled gold and silver shimmer
Lotus – A very soft blue toned grape purple
Tru – A saturated red-tone purple with speckled shimmer

These look a bit different on the nail than in the bottle, so here are some color samples for comparison:

Fashion thought! It can be somewhat time-consuming to have to change your nail color with each outfit! However, these neutral creamy shades can go with almost any Spring wardrobe! Less hassle, more fashion please!

Click here to start shopping!

Buy One Get One Crackle Glaze Polishes!

For the month of February,
buy one China Glaze Crackle Glaze polish, GET ONE FREE!

(Check out our original swatches here, where we tested different layers and colors).

These colors are *especially* awesome over black.  I suggest a matte black base coat under Broken Hearted, Fault Line and Crushed Candy, and a plain white base coat under Black Mesh.  The contrast is incredible.  Though all of the colors in this collection are amazing, my personal favorites are the following:

Click here to claim your BOGO deal today!  To check out this deal and all of the other February specials, click here!

Skin Care 101 with Alchimie Forever

This week, Ada Polla, the owner of Alchimie Forever skincare, is our guest blogger! Read below for her expert tips to keeping your skin bright and nourished year-round!

While it is 60 degrees in Washington, DC today, it was in the 20s last week, and my skin is feeling it. While I love winter, my skin doesn’t. If you are like me, you might be experience excessive dryness, flakiness, discomfort, roughness, itchiness, and redness. Over the years, I have learned some useful tips to help my skin remain calm, bright, and nourished, regardless of the outdoor temperatures. I hope these help your skin too!

1. Switch to a cream-based cleanser. Every step in your skin care routine should be about moisture and nourishment, including your cleansing step. Switch away from your gel cleansers, to a nice milky, creamy cleanser (like our Alchimie Forever Excimer gentle cream cleanser, my personal favorite).
2. No matter the cold outside, avoid showers or baths that are very hot. Hot water will break down the skin’s natural lipids and leave it even dryer. Limit your bath or shower to 5 minutes, and never leave the house with wet hair (your scalp will thank you!).
3. Switch to a heavier moisturizer. Even if you are combination or oilier in the summertime, your skin needs extra nourishment during the colder months. The best-selling of our three moisturizers between November and March is always our Kantic+ intensely nourishing cream.
   
4. If even with a cream cleanser and a more hydrating cream your skin is still uncomfortable, dull, and dry, add in a cream moisture mask, and leave it on for as long as you can. I am applying our Kantic brightening moisture mask almost on a daily basis these days…
5. Combat the air’s dryness with a good humidifier. A low-cost alternative is to place a bowl of water in the rooms you spend most time in. As the water slowly evaporates, it will add moisture to the air.
6. Give your hands a hand! Never go out in to the cold without gloves. (And avoid wool as it is so rough or cotton, which traps moisture; my favorite gloves are in cashmere). Apply your favorite hand cream frequently, at least following every time your hands are in water. (In case you are wondering, I keep my 532nm antioxidant relief for hands and feet everywhere at home and in the office, even in my car).
7. Watch for over-exfoliation. In particular if you are experience flakiness, do not pick. Avoid strong grainy scrubs, look for nourishing, gentle, exfoliators, such as our Excimer+ gentle antioxidant refining scrub.
8. Take care of your lips. Don’t lick them, and don’t pick at them if they are chapped. Keep soothing lip balms in your purse, car, and desk drawer, and reapply as necessary (I don’t believe reapplying makes your lips get addicted to your lip balm…)
9. Don’t forget sunscreen. Even if the sun is not shining, and you are not in a bathing suit, those pesky UV rays are still attacking your skin. Remember also that sun is double strong when reflected on snow, so up your SPF before hitting the slopes.
10. Last but not least, remember beauty is internal too. Hydrate with calming teas, and eat “clean and green.” This is true year round of course, but somehow I always have an easier time drinking water and eating salads when my closet is full of dresses and short skirts…

Essie Spring 2012: Navigate Her!

Check out the new Spring collection from Essie! We’re pleased to introduce the following six new colors:

Each hue is utterly unique and perfect for Spring 2012:

Tour de Finance: Incandescent fuchsia futures
Orange, It’s Obvious: Incredibly outspoken orange
To Buy or Not to Buy: Beautiful, limitless lilac shimmer
A Crewed Interest: A pretty pursue-able peach
Ole Caliente: Super spicy scarlet fever
Navigate Her: A brand-new growth green for Spring

These look a bit different on the nail than in the bottle, so here are some swatches for comparison:

Click here to start shopping!

Alchimie Forever: As Seen in Shape Magazine!

We absolutely love when our products are featured in magazines — to let the world know about the beauty tools we love best! This month, our recently added line Alchimie Forever was featured in Shape Magazine.

Alchimie Forever Q-Switch Optimizing Body Contour Gel is a toning and slimming gel for your hips, thighs and buttocks. As Shape brags:

…To send the puckers [of your skin] packing (at least temporarily), start by applying [this] lotion that contains a diuretic agent such as theophylline or caffeine; it acts like shrink-wrap to tighten skin for a few hours.

To get your own skin-tightening body gel, Click Here! The only thing to lose is that dimpled mattress look on your skin!

Coupon: 10% off this Weekend!

Start shopping for Valentine’s day! Use this coupon – this weekend only! – to save 10% on anything from Beauty of a Site.  Order by the 8th to get your order by Valentine’s day!