Oh hi rosacea!
I totally haven’t missed you…
October 26th, 2011 By

Somehow, I breezed through high school with nary a break-out, but now that I’m all grown up, I occasionally get taken down by rosacea, one of those really annoying skin afflictions that seemingly has no cause (spicy food, red wine, sleep deprivation, who knows). Christine Chin—an 11-fingered miracle worker (true, on both accounts) who has a namesake spa on Orchard Street in New York—managed to get my rosacea to clear out years ago, but with the stress of the move, it’s sneaking back onto my face. And alas, I’m no longer in New York and can’t deposit myself on her table, which breaks my heart (she’s also hilarious and gives fascinating accounts of dealing with various skin afflictions). I’m not at risk for developing a bulbous, red nose anytime soon, but it is irritating enough that I find myself leaning pretty heavily on Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer (she also suffers from rosacae) to cover up the redness in my cheeks. Left to my own devices, I can only rely on Christine’s advice, which I thought I’d share with any other rosacea sufferers out there.

Contrary to what every dermatologist might tell you (they’ll tell you to leave your skin alone), you have to exfoliate like crazy. (Apparently our skin is baby-like, and easy to suffocate with dry skin on top.) Christine used seemingly-severe microdermabrasion on me, and it worked, quickly. Since I don’t have one of those machines lurking in my closet, I’m using a scrub twice a week (or every time I feel “plaque” under my fingertips), toner from her line, plus her hydrating cream. (Her product line rocks.) Fingers crossed that I can banish the tinted moisturizer by December. Do any of you have any other tricks?

clockwise, l-r: CHANEL PRECISION GOMMAGE MICROPERLE POLISHING GEL, $40.00, BEAUTYENCOUNTER.COM; LAURA MERCIER TINTED MOISTURIZER, $42.00, SAKS FIFTH AVENUE; CHRISTINE CHIN HYDRATING TONER, $28.00, CHRISTINE CHIN; CHRISTINE CHIN PERFECT HYDRATING CREME, $39.00, CHRISTINE CHIN.

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Fresh Summer Makeup May 25th, 2010 By

I have one giant pet peeve: women sporting a melting mask of makeup in the summer!  Just like your closet, and even your perfume, it’s important to wardrobe your summer makeup look. It’s easy to look fresh during the hot summer months without using a whole lot of product.  The idea is to look like a more-perfect you, highlighting your natural beauty. So, please do me (and your skin) a favor, and check out my 3 favorite barely-there products:

1. Tinted Moisturizer
Switch out your powder and liquid foundation for a tinted moisturizer, as less is always more when trying to combat the heat.  This wonderfully light and oil-free tinted moisturizer from Laura Mercier spreads like a lotion and stays put, so it’s easy to use clean hands to blend.  It’s great for all skin types, but especially acne prone or oily skin.

Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer

2. Highlighter
This glowy NARS Multiple Stick is my favorite.  The convenient cream stick can be used to give you a bronzed, glowy look.   Apply to cheeks, brow bones or any area you want to look sunkissed.  You’ll never feel sticky because the formula goes on creamy and dries powdery to the touch.

NARS Multiple=

3. Makeup Sealers
Finally, I ALWAYS had smudged eyeliner in the outer bottom-corners of my eyes until a fellow makeup artist recommend She Laq by Benefit.  A thin coat of this after applying my eyeliner seals it and keeps in from traveling down my face.  It’s also good for eyeshadow, brow makeup and  lipstick (hello, red lips that don’t smudge!), and comes with all of the application tools in a handy pouch.

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Trend Alert: Precious Metals Makeup for S/S ’10 April 8th, 2010 By

metallic make-up trend, ladylux

Precious Metals for S/S 2010

Artists of all kinds went mad over shimmer last fall while showing the Spring/Summer 2010 runway collections.  We love the varying luminous effects of this this heavy metal trend in makeup.  Here are some of our favorite products to help you achieve these gorgeous accent trends to enhance your already flawless face.

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Flawless Faces S/S 2010

Warm Face:
To add warmth to any face, a healthy glow of golden was blended across cheeks.  Accents of bronze tones invokes the presence of sunny springtime.

Laura Mercier Bronzing Duo

 

Trish McEvoy All Over Face Color Quad

 

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Piercing Eyes

Piercing Eyes:
For instant drama, silvery hues were used on and under eyelids, creating lustrous high-wattage and vibrant vibes that come with the thaw of winter’s chill.

Bobbi Brown Silver Moon Sparkle Eye Shadow

Dior Couleurs Extreme Eyeshadow in Argentic

Laura Mercier Foiled Eye Colour

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Colorful Eyes

Colorful Eyes:
Brightly hued colors of reds and yellows were artistically placed into the inner apex of the eyes.  Earth tones of greens and browns were swathed across the tops of lids to create a radiant glow of full-coverage.

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NARS Single Eyeshadow in Night Sun

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Medusa's Make-Up Electro Red Eye Shadow

YSL New Ombres Eyeshadow Duo

Bobbi Brown Beige Shimmer Brick Compact

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Metal Mouth

Metal Mouth:
Taking shine beyond the eyes, the trend heads south to the powerful pout.  Lip colors infused with shades of gold or silver will brighten your face and make your beautiful mouth smile.

Yves Saint Laurent Golden Shimmering Lip Gloss

Jane Iredale Puregloss in Gold Fling

- LadyLUX; Beauty.Trends.LUX.

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3 Ways to Fight Aging Right Now March 13th, 2010 By

Sunscreen – We all know that prolonged sun exposure can rapidly accelerate the skin’s aging process. One of the best means of defense is a skin system with products that offer great SPF protection. Many sunscreen products now come with the added benefits of anti-aging ingredients or additional coverage.

Anti-Aging products with sunscreen

Anti-Aging Products with Sunscreen

1. Neutrogena Age Shield Face Sunblock SPF 90, $10.99 at Target
Boasts an amazing price tag and a sheer (read: no icky white streaks), fragrance-free moisturizing formula that combats skin-aging free radicals.

2. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20,$42 at Nordstrom
Your makeup can now do double duty! This tinted moisturizer shields skin from harmful UVB and UVA rays and hides flaws with lightweight, natural coverage all in one shot.

3. Shiseido Daytime Protective Cream SPF15, $221.95 at Cosmetic America
If you’ve got a little more change to spare, then try this luxe solution that promises to accentuate the positive (resilience and radiance) while reducing the negative (wrinkles, sagging, cellular damage and dryness).

Eye Cream - Don’t let pesky crows feet, dark circles, or wrinkles add years to your appearance. Fight back with a few key products specially formulated for this delicate area.

Anti-aging Eye Creams

Anti-Aging Eye Creams

1. Burt’s Bees Naturally Ageless Eye Cream, $24.97 at Overstock.com
This emulsion is packed with natural ingredients like pomegranate and magnolia extract to aid in de-stressing tired looking eyes.

2. Olay Professional Pro-X Eye Restoration Complex, $41.99 at Dermadoctor.com
The OlayPro-X line has won rave reviews and been proven to soften the skin, diminish the look of fine lines and lighten dark circles.

3. Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lifting Eye Cream, $99 at BeautyEncounter.com
Your “no surgery required” eye lift solution helps strengthen the skin for a more firm appearance.

Face SerumA little face firming serum now may be the way to prevent a nip/tuck situation later. Preserve your skin’s elasticity and suppleness with potent serums that lift, firm and hydrate.

Face saving anti-aging serums

Anti-Aging Serums

1. Avon Liiv Botanicals Vitalizing Face Serum, $17 at Avon
A budget friendly serum that guarantees visible improvements after just one application!

2. Sea Chi Organics Re-Hydrating Facial Serum, $69 at Nimli.com
Offers an organic solution to combat dryness and wrinkling around the neck, eyes and mouth.

3. La Mer Lifting Face Serum, $440 at Nordstrom
Restore and renew while you sleep! The La Mer brand has been a favorite among the celebrity set for years.

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Monthly Inspiration: December 2009 December 1st, 2009 By

Let the holiday shopping season begin!  This December, I know all of you are planning to beso giving — and to beso getting!  That’s why we’ve drawn up our Holiday Gift Guides for all of you shopaholics out there.  Check out our Stocking Stuffers, Gifts under $50, Gifts under $100, and Luxury Gift Guides.  We’ve compiled our top picks for 2009 and you won’t be left disappointed.

On my personal shopping list so far are Tory Burch cosmetic bags and rosette headbands for my two sisters, a Love Quotes scarf and the Laura Mercier Honey Bath for my mom, a new pair of men’s leather gloves for my dad, and plenty of tubes of Kiehl’s Hand Salve for stocking stuffers (it truly is the best hand cream).

Coming off of a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, I’ve also been thinking a lot about the importance of not only giving gifts to loved ones, but also to those less fortunate. I recently had the opportunity to volunteer at a local animal shelter with a few coworkers.  We showed up at the shelter not knowing what to expect, but soon found ourselves surrounded by the sweetest dogs just begging for attention and a nice long walk outside.  During this time we exercised not just our bodies, but our minds and hearts as well.  I can’t wait to go back and play with all of my newfound furry friends, and plan on bringing in some inexpensive towels and holiday dog toys next time.

This December, I hope all of you feel as inspired as I do to make a difference in someone else’s life.  Even the smallest gift can show you care.

How do you beso lucky?  With beso.com!

Happy shopping,

Mara

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Dark Days Ahead September 16th, 2009 By

dark lipstickAt last!  The moment I’ve been waiting years for has finally arrived!  No, Doritos have not been declared a nutritional supplement. Even better: dark lips are finally in again.

Inspired perhaps by the recent cultural infestation of vampires, New York Fashion Week is teaming with seductive, sultry, heavily-pigmented pouts.  And I couldn’t be more pleased.

In celebration of the return of the femme fatale look, I present to you some of my favorite dark lipcolors for fall:

NARS GothikaNARS Gothika: This one has been around forever, and has become a classic NARS color.  Despite the intense-sounding name, this lip gloss is actually very modest-looking, and tends to flatter almost everyone.  Sheer plum with pink undertones and just the slightest bit of gold shimmer, Gothika is a great way to ease yourself out of the nudes we’ve worn for ages now and dip into darker shades.  This is also a great wear-anytime lip color.

Aveda Hot PepperAveda Hot Pepper: This is another good one for the as-yet uninitiated vixen.  With Hot Pepper, Aveda took the boldness of a true red lipstick, and added gold overtones which somehow makes this color vibrant but utterly wearable.  It’s almost like flying under the radar while still standing out.  OK, that didn’t make a lick of sense.  But it’s a great color and works with most complexions.  I also love the minty taste and feel Aveda adds to their lipsticks.

Benefit Ms. BehavinBenefit Ms. Behavin: This is a recent addition to my dark-color cache, and I love it.  And to add some truly vampish street cred, apparently this is the color that actor Robert Pattinson wore in the film Twilight while playing Edward Cullen.  This lipstick is from Benefit’s Silky Finish Lipstick line, and is a buildable color.  This means that the plum-y, mulberry color goes on fairly sheer to begin with, and you can continue swiping to go as deep as you dare.

Laura Mercier Mulberry Lip StainLaura Mercier Mulberry Lip Stain: This gorgeous color looks like a stain but wears like a gloss.  It’s deep brick-red with a hint of sheen, which looks rich and incredibly sophisticated.  I don’t love that it comes in a pot, because I’m usually too lazy to fiddle with brushes for lip color.  But for this one I’m ready to make an exception.  To wear such a grown-up color, I guess I’ll need to behave like a grown-up… At least in terms of applying my makeup.

nars victoireNARS Victoire: Another knockout from the good folks at NARS.  Surprisingly opaque for a gloss, this color is not for the faint of heart.  A deep, dark mix of brown and brick red, this is a nighttime color – especially if you’re not planning on doing much sleeping.

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The Most Expensive Mascara in the World? September 2nd, 2009 By

At $65 a pop, is it worth it?
At $65 a pop, is it worth it?

I’ll admit it: I’m a mascara junkie.  I buy a new tube about every month, and am guilty of applying it more than once a day.  I’m also a cheater.  I never stay loyal to a brand for more than a few months at a time.  I’ve found that there’s always something newer, darker, and sexier to try out.  Lately, I’ve been obsessed with Laura Mercier’s Thickening Mascara, and love to layer it on for that ultimate wide-eyed effect.  But I got that itch today and decided it was time to move on.  While checking out the latest fall beauty at Nordstrom, I was absolutely amazed to come across Sisley’s Phyto-Mascara.  Sure, the brush looks lush and the tube is pretty standard — but the price!  At $65 a pop I’ve got to know — is it worth it?

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