Come get glammed up, choose a fabulous outfit from Rent the Runway, then walk the Venus Blue Carpet while a fashion photographer captures the moment. The best part? For every woman who takes part, Gillette Venus will donate to Step Up Women’s Network. Can’t make the tour? Join the Twitter #StepUp conversation and we’ll donate in your honor.

TOUR DATES:
NYC – JUNE 4, 2013, TIMES SQUARE, 11 AM-5PM
ATLANTA – JUNE 8, 2013, ATLANTIC STATION, 11AM-5PM
MIAMI – JUNE 11, 2013, LINCOLN ROAD, 1PM-7PM
LA – JUNE 20, 2013, THE GROVE, 11AM-5PM


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By Summar Ghias

Let’s be real: the luscious locks you often see in hair commercials can seem a little unfair. To bridge reality and our greatest fantasy, Aussie took to the streets this weekend to give local Chicagoans the opportunity to shine. That meant handing out a whole range of unfair advantages courtesy of the handiwork of celeb stylist Sarah Potempa and Aussie styling products. Aussie set up shop at Pioneer Court on Michigan Avenue, where a number of stylists (and if you were lucky, the woman that does Jake Gyllenhaal’s hair on the regular) gave locals the latest in hair trends ranging from beach waves to top knots to fishtail or milkmaid braids.

Also on hand: assistance from the Aussie Lifeguard Concierge, personal shopping assistance to help carry your bags and lunch reservations at hotspots along Michigan Avenue. While Sarah tended to my own ‘do, we spoke about the most popular summer hairstyle trends, quick ways to eliminate frizz, and her new line of hair tools.

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I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Elizabeth Arden has gotten somewhat of a face-lift. Seems about right — the company has been around for over 100 years afterall. They are staying true to their great formulations and popular products, but they’re getting in with the times (hello, they’re on Twitter and Instagram now!). Which is great, because with their expanded presence and appearance at events got me more acquainted with some of their products which I’m absolutely loving right now. Plus, I got the low down on some great travel tips from their global makeup artist, Rebecca Restrepo:

CERMAIDE CAPSULES DAILY YOUTH RESTORING SERUM

These golden beads are little drops of moisturizing heaven. Seriously. They are made with a Ceramide Lipid Complex, which is a combination of hydration an ceramide benefits (ceramides are made of 50% of the essential lipids in the skin that in protecting it from any signs of aging). These single dose capsules help keep each potent dose pure, and eliminates the need to use preservatives that most other moisturizers use. Each capsule also contains a healthy dose of vitamin E and retinyls that protect against environmental stress and improve skin’s clarity respectively. After just a week of use, I myself noticed softer, more supple skin. (90 capsules, $92; 60 capsules, $72).

Travel Tip: Restrepo says she loves these to pack on her carry on (an added benefit of carrying your mosturizer in tiny capsules!). These deliver so much moisture, she applies her mid-flight or as a makeup primer.

EIGHT HOUR CREAM SKIN PROTECTANT

There’s a reason this is a cult classic. The Eight Hour Cream was created by Ms. Arden in 1930 and has remained true to its original formula. This is an award-winning all purpose beauty balm that helps protect dry, rough skin and even soothes minor irritations. Not to mention, it helps give cheeks and leg a healthy glow. ($19.50)

Travel Tip: To keep lips from getting dehydrated, Restrepo uses the Eight Hour Cream on her lips before every flight, and on her hands and elbows throughout the flight. She says she likes to warm up the product in the palms of her hands before applying to skin to help activate it and absorb quickly.

BEAUTIFUL COLOR LUMINOUS LIP GLOSS

This is a brand new product from Elizabeth Arden, that not only keeps lips shiny but also provides increased moisture with mango and shea butter and a delicious vanilla scent. In fact, their key ingredient, “Maxi Lip,” is clinically proven to increase lip volume by 40%. It comes in 14 shades, and I now keep their Royal Plum in my bag, always.


Travel Tip: Before she lands after a long flight, Restrepo says, the perfect pick-me-up is a touch blush to brighten the cheeks, a swipe of brightening shadow to open the eye and a dab of rosy lip gloss. For her, her go-to products are the Ceramide Cream Blush in Nectar, Beautiful Color Eye Shadow in Innocence and Beautiful Color Luminous Lip Gloss in Sweet Pink.

Check out Elizabeth Arden on Twitter (@ElizbaethArden) , Facebook , Pinterest, and Instagram!

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By Sadia Khawaja

They say blondes have all the fun. So, I’ve been thinking for a while about joining in by going blonde myself. A dramatic platinum blonde. Pretty bold for a brown girl. But this is the baby steps edition — for now, I’m opting for highlights. So when Schwarzkopf Professional was hosting a BlondMe breakfast in TriBeCa, I was all over that.

Did they just entice me with food AND beauty products? Why, yes. They did. And they did it well.

As I indulged on the-three course breakfast at Robert De Niro’s Locanda Verde, Celebrity Stylist Kim Vo continued to gush about how great Anne Hathaway’s new platinum bob looked at the Met Gala. His golden hair looked pretty perfect as well. My urge to go lighter heightened.

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Here’s a refreshing scrub you can make using ingredients you probably already have at home. It’s an excellent exfoliator and the ingredients have amazing skin benefits. Lemon is a natural source of vitamin C that brightens, evens out the skin tone and is a natural astringent to tighten pores. Sugar is a natural exfoliator and source of glycolic acid to also help even out skin tone. It improves skin texture by removing impurities and dead skin cells as well. Olive oil is rich in vitamin E, a natural healing agent and moisturizer. Finally, honey is a great antioxidant and natural humectant so it keeps skin hydrated and soft. It also is a natural antibacterial to help reduce breakouts when used on the face!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 fresh lemon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp organic honey

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix lemon juice and olive oil thoroughly. Add the honey and whisk or stir quickly until the ingredients bind together and create a medium thick consistency. Add in sugar and mix.

Apply to body, paying extra attention to elbows, knees, feet and hands. Rub in large, circular motions for 3-5 minutes and rinse. You’ll feel so smooth and refreshed! This is enough for one use on the entire body, but if you want to make more (and maybe store it for later in a tupperware), just remember to use 1/2 a lemon for every 1/2 cup of sugar. This is great to use in between shaves as well.

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“I’m sorry, I think I just grabbed your ass.” This is the first thing model Chrissy Teigen says to me after we hug at our one-year reunion.

Our “reunion” was really her bridal shower which Gillette Venus hosted for her at the rooftop of The Strand Hotel at NYC to celebrate her upcoming nuptials to singer John Legend. And what better way to celebrate the beautiful and hilarious spokesperson for the brand? She was visibly touched by the gesture (“I’ve never even been to a bridal shower before!” she told us), and equally down to answer most questions about her upcoming wedding. “John never does this, but he had to take me aside and say, ‘Chrissy, you need to just say no to some questions’…but you know what, f*ck it.” Besides revealing that she will have a destination wedding, FOUR outfit changes, a crepe-ey Lady M style cake that’s “a couple hundred layers,” Teigen sat with me to give me a couple more extra details about the big day:

Beauty and the Feast: What are you most excited about for your upcoming wedding to your fiancé, John Legend?
Chrissy Teigen: I’m going to treat this wedding as a family reunion of sorts. I’m most excited about seeing my dad’s face when he gets to see all his kids and everyone together.

BATF: Do you have anything left that has to be planned?
Teigen: Yes. Everything. We’ve done the guest list, but we haven’t sent any invites…

BATF: Oh yeah, I’m still waiting for mine…
Teigen: I know! That’s the reason you haven’t gotten yours! [laughs] We’re taking our sweet ass time.

BATF: What’s the cuisine going to be like?
Teigen: The cuisine will be very hearty without letting people fall asleep. It’s my favorite type of cuisine, but I feel like if I give it away then you’ll know where we’re getting married!


BATF: I love your hair today! Are you going to do something similar for your wedding?
Teigen: Thank you! It IS going to be something very similar. We’re going to do a messy updo. Maybe some flowers. But for the most part, very natural, messy, not too much thought – I mean it will take hours. You know when “natural looks” take hours? That’s how it will be like.


BATF: I was looking at the new Venus & Olay razors and noticed their new Sugarberry scent bars. If you could scent your own razor, what would it be? I have a feeling you’re going to say bacon…
Teigen: Oh man! See, I love bacon but everyone sends me like bacon toothpaste and all these things with crazy bacon shit. I don’t want bacon flavored shit, I just love bacon! If I was going to scent my own Venus bar, it would be like chocolate pudding. Something very sweet. What they’ve already done is amazing but chocolate pudding would be delicious. OH man! I would love chocolate pudding!


BATF: You’ve been a Venus spokesperson for over a year now. What has been your favorite part about representing such a great brand?
Teigen: I get emotional thinking about things like this. It takes a lot to be a brand ambassador. You have to have the perfect personality, you have to be mindful of what you say, and I think it’s very cool they took me on because I’m very outspoken. I’m nuts. I’m sure there have been times where they’ve been like, Oh my God! Why did you say that?! But they are wonderful and I’m happy to represent them. We’re doing one of our last events soon and I think I’m really going to cry! I’m going to be really sad because they’ve been so awesome to me.


BATF: We’re kinda obsessed with your captions and hashtags at my apartment. Your #mymomisgrindingpeppercornsbecauseidontknowwhy was one of our favorites. You’re so great on Instagram!
Teigen: But sometimes I’m so boring! You never know what’s going to do well.

BATF: Are you more careful about what you post?
Teigen: I am more careful. Not because of that little Instagram snafu of the spray tan thing. But I’m more careful just because I represent an amazing brand and I don’t want them to look bad. But I would tweet a lot more things if I could.

BATF: Are you going to be Instagramming on your wedding day?
Teigen: I’m sure I’ll get drunk and Instagram a lot. I’m actually positive of it. I mean like, we’ll be very hush hush, and then I’m sure at like midnight I’ll be like, “WE GOT MARRIED B*TCHES!!!!”

Oh, Chrissy. This is why we love you.

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It’s always easier to prevent than treat when it comes to your skin. Wondering how much SPF is enough for maximum protection from the sun’s harmful rays? DDF founder and leading dermatologist, Dr. Howard Sobel, answered some really great questions about SPF below — take a look:

Is SPF found within makeup sufficient protection for an average day?
No, SPF within makeup is not sufficient protection for an average day. It would require 7 times the normal amount of foundation to provide enough coverage, so it’s important to wear a separate moisturizer with that offers SPF protection.

What level of SPF should I use?
Sunscreens with SPF 15 or greater should always be applied to the skin daily. Be sure to pick a sunscreen that provides broad-spectrum protection against harmful both UVB rays that contribute to damaging outer skin layers, or receiving a sunburn, and UVA rays that damage deeper layers of the skin contributing to fine lines and wrinkles. If you’re hitting the beach, I recommend increasing your protection to an SPF of at least 30 and be sure to reapply every two hours.

How effective is sunscreen with SPF 50+?
The SPF rating measures the time it would take you to sunburn if you were not wearing sunscreen as opposed to the time it would take with sunscreen on. SPF 15 blocks about 93% of the sun’s rays, while SPF 30 blocks 97% and SPF 45 blocks 98%, so doubling the number and applying SPF 50 or higher doesn’t double your skin’s protection and none offer 100% protection.

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Last Friday, I was fortunate to attend the Cosmetic Executive Women Insiders’ Beauty Awards ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC. The awards show sheds light on some of the most popular and up-and-coming beauty brands and products, awarding 36 products across 30 product categories. This year, there were more than 650 entries, and below are the products that came up on top!

The 2013 CEW Beauty Awards winners are:
BATH AND BODY
Bath and Body Mass
Eucerin – Professional Repair Lotion Extremely Dry Skin Lotion

Bath and Body Prestige
Bliss – Fatgirlsixpack

SKINCARE
Acne Treatment
GLAMGLOW, Inc. – Super-mud Clearing Treatment

Anti-Aging Mass
Avon – Anew Clinical Pro Line Eraser Treatment A-F33

Anti-Aging Prestige
Philosophy – Full of Promise Treatment Duo for Uplifting Days and Volumizing Nights

Cleanser & Scrub
Fresh, Inc. – Rose Cleansing Foam

Eye Treatment Mass
L’Oréal Paris – Revitalift Triple Power Eye Treatment

Eye Treatment Prestige
Lancôme – Génifique Eye Light-Pearl

Lip Treatment
Fresh, Inc. – Sugar Lip Treatment Advanced Therapy

Moisturizer Mass
Neutrogena Corporation – Naturals Multi-vitamin Nourishing Moisturizer

Moisturizer Prestige
Clinique – Moisture Surge Intense Skin Fortifying Hydrator

Skincare Tools
NuFACE – Trinity Skin Boosting System with Microcurrent and Red LED

Sun Product
Elizabeth Arden – Prevage Triple Defense Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 50+++

HAIR
Hair Care Product
Ojon- Rare Blend Oil Total Hair Therapy

Hair Coloring Product
Rita Hazan New York – Foaming Color Gloss in Tones Down Brassiness

Hair Styling Product
Ojon – Super Sleek Restorative Blowout Perfector

MAKEUP
Eye Product Mass
Maybelline New York – The Mega Plush Mascara by Volum’ Express Mascara

Eye Product Prestige
Dior Beauty – Diorshow New Look Mascara

Face Product Mass
Sonia Kashuk for Target – Chic Luminosity Bronzer in Goddess

Face Product Prestige
Smashbox Cosmetics – Photo Finish More Than Primer Dark Spot Correcting

Lip Product Mass
Sonia Kashuk for Target – Satin Luxe Lip Color with SPF 16

Lip Product Prestige
Dior Beauty – Addict Extreme Lipstick

MEN’S GROOMING
Jack Black – Dry Erase Ultra-calming Face Cream

NAIL PRODUCT
Sally Hansen – Salon Insta-gel Strips

SCENT
Men’s Scent
Viktor & Rolf – Spicebomb
Perfumer- IFF

Women’s Scent Mass
Coty – Closer by Halle Berry
Perfumer- Firmenich

Women’s Scent Prestige
Coty Inc. – Dot Marc Jacobs Perfumer- Firmenich

INDIE BEAUTY AWARD
Julep

ECO BEAUTY AWARD*
* Sponsored by Givaudan and vetted by The Natural Step
Nourish | Organic Food For Healthy Skin

QVC BEAUTY QUEST AWARD
Neydharting Moor

BEST SELLER MASS
L’Orèal Paris Colour Riche Nail

BEST SELLER PRESTIGE
Estée Lauder Perfectionist [CP+R] Wrinkle Lifting/Firming Serum

BEST SELLER FRAGRANCE
Lancôme La Vie est Belle

Congratulations to all the winners!

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Shy
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Yesterday was one of those days — the Bulls lost (good run though, guys…you were quite the injured team and you still made it farther than most people expected you all too! Also I dunno why I’m writing to you guys here as if you all would ever read a makeup/food blog…sigh). Anyway, the PMS didn’t help. My email was compromised. My room needed serious organizing. After walking around in a few circles, I decided there’s nothing I wanted to do more at 1AM than paint my nails with Jin Soon’s new Spring line, which I’ve been crushing on since FOREVER. Or, at least last winter when I began seeing the most stylish editors sporting them on their nails.

Seriously, in all my years, I haven’t seen a line up of gorgeously elegant colors I’ve coveted more. Specifically, her Blue Iris. It amazes me how nail polishes now come in almost every color imaginable, but none have nailed (no pun intended) this specific shade of blue quite as perfectly as Jin Soon. Plus, the color blue itself causes the body to release calming chemicals and give you a sense of peace and tranquility. Needed.

It’s easy to see why it’s their best seller. With just two coats, it dried to a nice, clean, and shiny finish. I wanted to make sure it stays a while though (and I have a basketball game tonight — my nails have yet to last through a game), so I finished with Julep’s new Freedom Polymer Top Coat ($17 at qvc.com).

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Mother’s Day is May 12th. Yes, that’s in two days. Because we’re all procrastinators (just hold my hand, it’s OK), here are some suggestions of gifts you can get your lovely mama:

Sonia Kashuk Native Beauty Brush Set, $17

I always say makeup brushes are the best gifts. It’s one of those things we don’t think to invest in, but trust me, everyone needs a good set. Your brushes make all the difference in how your makeup looks. I love these bright brushes from Sonia Kashuk that come in a chic raffia tribal case. Plus it’s a travel set, that easily fits in a bag or clutch. Perfect for moms who are constantly on-the-go. The set includes a Synthetic Domed Powder Brush, Eye Shadow Brush, Angled Fluffy Eye Shadow Brush and Synthetic Pointed Eyeliner/Lip Brush with full size brush heads.

Lancôme Trésor In Love Hearts Set, $61

A gorgeous scent, Tresor in Love, packaged with a mascara that will give your mama Kim Kardashian-lashes — no really, her makeup artist used Lancome Doll Lashes Mascara on Kardashian for her wedding day.


Vitamix 5200 blender, $450

I know. It’s $450, but it’s the Rolls-Royce of blenders. This blends everything and anything, and has a 7-year warranty. When my mom discovered this, she would call me every single day to tell me to get the same thing just based on how many healthy drinks she can make from this one alone. This 5200 is the standard, but they have a bunch more options on their website. If you guys read my post earlier today, this green smoothie is ONE of them. Bonus: You will easily secure your spot as ‘favorite child’ after this one.

DDF Revolve 400X, $99 for the kit

She probably doesn’t have time to get facials, much less setting up a microderm appointment. Here’s a much less intimidating option: DDF’s Revolve 400X Micro-Polishing System. It’s dubbed to be just as good as professional treatments and at a fraction of the cost. It’s a spa day at home, ya’ll!

Sonia Kashuk Beauty organizers in Floral and Yarn, $25 each

Another great find at Target: these organizers are beautiful on it’s own or filled with Mom’s favorite beauty goodies!

Laura Mercier La Petite Patisserie Eau Gourmande Fragrance Coffret, $45


These gorgeous scents from Laura Mercier are limited edition and includes includes three travel-friendly scents in Vanille, Fresh Fig and Almond Coconut Milk. Scents to compliment any type, and can even be layered for a lovely unique scent that your mother can claim for her own. Gift wrap optional — did you check out the pretty box it comes in??

French’s Flavor Infusers, $1 each

One of the many great things Robert Verdi has taught me is that it’s really the sentiment that matters most in the gift, and it’s also very easy to package affordable, useful items in a pretty way. I’d take items, like these $1 Flavor Infusers from French’s, and package them in a pretty basket along with other items (tissues, scented hand soap, homemade cookies, etc). These are 10-minute flavor marinades that doesn’t require refrigeration, and because it has a pointy tip, you can infuse it right into your meat and let it sit for only 10 minutes before it’s ready to be cooked. Saving mom time? Isn’t that the greatest gift of all?

What gift are you getting your mom this year?

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Shy
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