Tag Archives: bobbi brown

editor’s picks: 2015 nordstrom anniversary sale

Psst…Looking for details on the 2017 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale? I’ve got the scoop right here. |


Editor’s Note: If you’re new to this scene, the Anniversary Sale is Nordstrom’s biggest sale of the year. They cut deals with nearly every designer they stock to get an early shipment of Fall 2015 merchandise 6 weeks before any other retailer. Then, they mark the whole lot down 33-40%! That means you can score everything you need for fall without waiting for those October markdowns, but prices go back up on August 3, and the good stuff sells out fast. So, if you see something you love, nab it early! Remember, Nordstrom has the best return policy in the biz, and items sell out fast during the Sale. My Sale mantra: Buy now, edit later!

actual coats

IRO Ajuma jacket, $399 | Barbour Cavalry jacket, $185 | Treasure&Bond leather jacket, $198 |
Vince hooded coat, $464 | DVF Mackenzie coat, $398 | Ted Baker London Nevia coat, $349 |

Break out your Nordstrom cards, friends – Early Access to the 2015 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is finally here!! Read on

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last call: 4 things to nab before the nordstrom anniversary sale ends!

Psst…Looking for details on the 2017 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale? I’ve got the scoop right here. |


 

nordstrom-anniversary-sale-best-buys, nordstrom anniversary sale, nordstrom anniversary sale picks

Clockwise from top left: Hanky Panky | Kate Somerville | Nike | Vince | Nadri | Paul Green | Rebecca Minkoff

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editor’s picks: nordstrom anniversary sale 2014

Psst…Looking for details on the 2017 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale? I’ve got the scoop right here. |

It’s here, friends: Early Access for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale starts now! As always, I’m sharing my picks of the best (and the worst) from the Sale – time to start shopping!

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beauty buzz: all about beauty oils

When the rabid trend for beauty oils began, I donned my usual skeptical expression (one eyebrow cocked in a way that I like to think makes me look both shrewd and brilliant, but will probably just result in uneven wrinkles when I’m 40 80). Oil? On my face? On purpose? But little by little, I’ve weakened, and they’ve started creeping into my daily beauty routine. Finally, I looked around my bathroom yesterday and realized I’ve become an oil addict.

Why, you ask? The beauty of beauty oils is a multi-faceted thing. They feel luxurious to use, like I’m Elizabeth Taylor or something. On a practical note, they seem more soothing to my skin, more natural than applying creams and gels and tonics. It feels closer to what my skin would actually want, if it could ask. Also, they’re a relative bargain – a very little bit of oil goes a very long way.

With that, a few of the oils I can’t get enough of these days: Read on

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be mine: a valentine’s gift guide for everyone

Every year, I start out all “Bah, humbug” about Valentine’s Day. And in the end, I’m seduced by the pretty pink and red hearts scattered everywhere you look. This year is no different…except that it was a box of heart-shaped jellybeans that got me. (Darn you and your adorably delicious treats, Sugarfina!).

I’m a big believer in Valentine-ing all the people you love, not just the one you share a bed with. This year’s Valentine’s gift guide is stocked with my favorite budget-friendly Valentines, so you can afford to send some sexy new Underoos to your single BFF, a trio of treats to Mom and that crazy cool enamel pendant to your little sis. It’s the perfect excuse to wear your heart on your sleeve this Valentine’s Day.

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get gifting: at the spa

Welcome to Gift Guide Season at SMC! For the next week (or so), we’ll have dozens of ideas for every last impossible-to-buy-for person on your holiday list. By the time we’re done, you’ll have made that list, checked it twice, and settled in for a long winter’s nap. Enjoy!

For most of the girls who’ll lust after this list, their holiday fantasy is a Sephora shopping spree. To make sure you deliver the perfect find, I’ve done months of exhaustive testing and culled the best of the best from the legion of holiday gift sets you’ll see this season. The result? My favorite beauty gift guide yet. Those Stila lip glazes are just the thing for your gloss-addicted friend, the Origins set is perfect for the boho glam girl on your list, and really, does Bobbi Brown ever get it wrong?

As for me, I’d be happy to curl up in those unbelievably soft Eberjey pajamas, snuggle into those limited-edition leopard UGG slippers and call it a night.

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beauty buzz: everything you ever wanted to know about serums

First, let me confess a bias: I love serums. Love them. I think they’re the secret to amazing skin. (Well, that and strategic exfoliation, but that’s another story for another time.) But whenever I start exclaiming to one woman or another about the wonders of a great serum, they look at me blankly. “Serum?”, they say. “What’s the point?”

The point, friends, is this: Serums are a magic potion of super-potent, maximum-strength ingredients that are delivered to your skin in their purest form. No moisturizers, SPFs or tint to muck up the medicine. It goes on when your face is its cleanest state – post-wash at night, post-shower in the morning – so your skin is ready and able to drink up every last drop of goodness your serum has to offer. Though it can be an investment (some are upwards of $200), you only use 3-5 drops at a time, so a bottle lasts a long time.

A great serum might not have overnight-wonder potential. It might work slowly over weeks, or even months. But the net result, without fail, is happier, healthier, prettier, glow-ier skin. If you’re not using one, read on…I’ll convince you. If you are…I’m betting I’ll get you to switch brands.

If you really want to confuse yourself, stop into Sephora sometime and tell them you want a serum. There are literally hundreds of options, and even a serum evangelist like me doesn’t fully understand what they all do. But I’m nothing if not curious. So, I sent out a note to all of my favorite brands – and some brands I knew nothing about – and told them I wanted to test them all. And friends, I’ve been testing more than 40 different serums for the last two months (head over to Instagram @shoppingsmycardio if you want to see my bathroom counter as proof). I tried the good, the bad, and the meh, and was left with the greatest. Let me introduce the SMC Serum Dream Team:

Obviously, you’re not going out and buying all 7 of these. So, how about a handy-dandy serum decoder?

If your skin needs:

  • Moisture: Caudalie Vinosource SOS Thirst Quenching Serum ($48). I’ve been a longtime devotee of Caudalie’s Radiance Serum for so long, I should own stock. Their magic is based on grapeseeds, and you know how healthy those are. This newest version is designed to give your skin a serious does of moisture, which is perfect for this time of year. My parched skin was much happier almost instantly.
  • Fine line reduction: Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Supplement ($67). You know I love Bobbi for cosmetics, but this serum still wowed me with its instant line reduction power. It gives the effect of candlelight, or a soft-focus lens, blurring out those fine lines until they’re barely visible. And it has more of that grape extract I love, so there’s moisture coming your way as well.
  • Redness reduction: Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution ($50). For me, the jury’s still out on whether dark spot reduction is really possible. But redness reduction and a general evening of skin tone definitely is, and this Kiehl’s serum does it…without added brighteners to trick your eye.
  • All of the above: Nude Skincare Cellular Renewal Serum ($82). One of my “wow” tests, Nude’s serum delivered on brightness, moisture, line reduction and skin tone evening. Some of it was smoke-and-mirrors (ie, temporary brighteners and tighteners), since the effect was so immediate, but some mornings, smoke and mirrors are just fine. I’m optimistic that the lasting effects will match up. {Be aware: multi-tasking is great, but the more things a serum can do, the less intense the results will be in any one area. If you have one specific goal, like redness-reducing, you’ll get more bang-for-your-buck by choosing a one-trick serum than a multi-tasker like this.}
  • Prevention/Repair: SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic ($152). One of these days, I want to do an interview with the skin experts at SkinCeuticals. I don’t always understand what everything does (ah, science), but I never, ever doubt that their products mean business. C E Ferulic delivers Vitamins C & E directly to your skin, and essentially works to amp up your skin’s resistance to UV damage (by 8x, they say). It also stimulates collagen production, so your skin will get more supple and toned, and show less fine lines over time. This one’s a slow-actor, but if you’re looking for serious medicine, it’s the one.
  • Healthy glow: Peter Thomas Roth Laser-Free Resurfacer ($75). PTR always delivers great products, but when I pumped this out of the bottle and got a blood-red serum, I was skeptical (and a little weirded out). The red comes from the dragon’s blood complex they use (no, really). Don’t fear, the color dissipates, and you’re left with a fantastically warm, glowy complexion, like you spent a morning out on the plantation sipping sweet tea. {PS: If you’re curious about this one, this set from Nordstrom is an amazing deal – full-size serum, plus their unbelievable gel moisturizer and an exfoliator for the price of the serum. Do it.}
  • Bargain Find: Juice Beauty Antioxidant Serum ($45). Now mind you, that’s $45 for two ounces…most of these brands only give you one. I’ve been a Juice Beauty fan since before I was a blogger – it’s just good, clean stuff that makes your skin happy. This serum feels amazing on your skin, and is so packed with healthy, organic ingredients, you just know it’s doing good things. Try it for a month, and see if your skin isn’t happier. I dare you.

So, tell me…have I made a serum convert out of you? I’m dying to hear! Can I answer any questions?

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one great thing: bobbi brown desert twilight palette

Desert Twilight eye palette, Bobbi Brown, $60

I hardly ever go in for eyeshadow palettes, because inevitably, I use one or two shades, and the rest languish in their case for eons. I refuse to throw them out (can’t just waste them!) and they grow into a collection that could rival some hoarders.

But the one exception I make to my no-palettes rule is for Bobbi Brown. Because every single time I buy one of her palettes, I use that thing until it’s completely gone. Every color is so unbelievably wearable, versatile and flattering that I even end up – gasp – branching out on occasion, and not just reaching for the same boring pale pink shadow day in and day out.

Her latest, Desert Twilight, might just be my favorite yet. I am having way too much fun playing makeup counter with this one – every time I take it out, I come up with a new combination of colors that I love. And because there are a couple of shimmers and a liner shade thrown in for good measure, it’s the ultimate travel palette. Day, night, casual, formal, whatever you’ve got going, Bobbi’s got your back, and I love her for it.

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