Let’s be honest – I’ve been obsessed with skin for a while, but I’ve noticed that as my age advanced…so has my obsession. 

Here are my latest tricks of the trade:

I have to thank Jenn Falik for recommending the first two.  Are you guys following her?  She’s amazing.) 

1. iT Cosmetics “No-Tug™” Heavenly Luxe Dual Eyeshadow Brush 

Ok so here’s the Q+DD: this is the “first ever” anti-aging and age preventative shadow brush that won’t pull on your delicate eye skin while applying your shadow.  Am I 100% convinced?  No.  Will I try absolutely everything?  You betcha.

It’s actually a pretty great brush, too.  It’s dual-sided for contouring.  For $24 – I’d say give it a go. 

2. Vichy 3-in-1 Cleanser

It’s a cleanser, toning lotion, and an eye makeup remover all in one.  You can actually wipe it off with a cloth once you’ve cleansed or rinse with water.  My skin has been AMAZING with this.  So super soft and fantastic. 

3. Natura Bisse “The Cure” Cleanser

So, at $57 a bottle (to Vichy’s $20) this cleanser is definitely less economical, but it’s great also.  Its a little less “milky” and I still feel like I need to use a separate eye makeup remover when I use it.  But, not only does it clean, but it detoxifies skin and is extremely gentle as well.  PLUS: when I use it with my Clairsonic Mia – there’s virtually NO residue left over when I’m done and I feel squeaky clean.  (Without the squeak, of course.)

It also has Green Tea Extract, which is lovely and supposedly neutralizes the effects of free radicals, “diminishing irritation and dryness.”

4.  Trish McEvoy Beauty Booster Cream with SPF

I’ve blogged about it before and I’ll probably blog about it again.  I absolutely love this stuff.  It’s a foundation.  It’s a moisturizer.  It’s a SPF.  It’s a firming treatment. It’s amazing.  Get it today.  You will thank me.  (many of you already have!)

5. Water.

Yep.  Good old H-Two-Oh.  I’ve been drinking it like a fiend.  Just like they always tell you to and I can tell a huge difference in my skin! (somewhere in Birmingham my mom is saying “I told you so.”) 

There you have it.  My new plan for reverse aging.  Who knows.  Next year I might just turn 29 again!  (nah, 31 has been pretty awesome so far)

La and me at my 31st birthday last Saturday

Enjoy, lovelies!

xx, L

I’m pretty sure if you ask Greg, he’d suggest a lovely Orange Savings Account or a Roth IRA but if I were you, I might opt for the following: 

1. Oribe Royal Blowout

I am pretty much obsessed with Oribe.  It all started with the Anti-Humidity spray (blogged about here) and then the “Beautiful Color” shampoo and conditioner.  But I was recently introduced to Royal Blowout and I’m never turning back.  You just spritz a little of this weightless-greaseless product into damp hair and bampf! – perfectly straight, glossy-yet-somewhat-voluminous hair.  And of course it has the signature Oribe scent which is AMAZING.  I love this stuff.

2. Trish McEvoy Beta Hydroxy Pads  

These are the most amazing exfoliating pads…ever.  I used them forever ago, but I quit because at $65 for 40 pads…they’re pretty pricey.  But I’m back on the bandwagon now.  My skin looks absolutely amazing and I feel like these babies take care of those hard-to-exfoliate places like around your nose and such.  Basically, they dissolve dead skin cells to make your face glowy and help to prevent breakouts.  So worth it.  

3. Hammitt Viper Holiday Clutch  

You guys – I had never even HEARD of Hammitt before I fell in love with this clutch and now I’m planning nights out just so I can carry it.  The leather is DELICIOUS, it’s SO spacious (I love the new “oversized clutch” trend.) and it’s the perfect amount of glam and rock and roll.  The entire line is to die for – but this clutch made me really happy.  (I got mine at Gus Mayer in Birmingham– but you can find them on Facebook or search for them on your Google Machine)

4. Alora Reed Diffuser in Due 

G got me one of these as part of my Hanukkah gift and I LOVE IT.  First of all, it’s gorgeous.  Secondly, it smells absolutely AMAZING – jasmine, cucumber, basil and ylang ylang.  (What is a ylang ylang, you ask?  I have no idea.  But it smells good.)  The best part is how the scent fills my whole room without overpowering it.  I recommend.

So there you have it.  Nothing you need…but all fun stuff.  Happy December 29^th!

xx, L

Here’s the Q+DD:  Local farmers and purveyors of locally made foods will team up to whip up custom dishes that incorporate their specialties and will be judged by CELEBRITY JUDGES*!  There are 10 competing teams including: Spotted Trotter, Red Queen Tarts and Indian Ridge, Hope’s Gardens, Riverview Farms, H&F Bread, Greenleaf Farms, & Il Bel Cuore!  

Love your logo!

The early bird gets the worm: only 250 tasting tickets are available for sale starting at 9:00AM for a mere $5 a piece!  The tasting will run from 10:00 – 11:00 or until they run out. 

*This year’s celebrity Judges include:

Kim Severson, Atlanta bureau chief of The New York Times and Author of Spoon Fed

Christiane Lauterbach, Dining Critic, Atlanta Magazine & Knife & Fork

Jennifer Zyman, Editor, The Blissful Glutton and Eater Atlanta

Emily Smith, CNN Eatocracy Contributor

The best part: The proceeds from the Market Mash-Up will help fund the Peachtree Road Farmers Market’s 2012 city permit fees and city required police officer.PRFM hopes to raise the $5,750 needed to cover these expenses so we can avoid raising vendor fees.

Guys, PRFM is not only a super cool and awesome way to get fresh, fabulous fare – but I think it’s really important to recognize the importance of supporting our local farmers.   

PRFM strives to support local farmers and provide a welcoming community for them, and believes it is “essential to the health and well being of this community to know the both the farmer and the food they grow.”  Lauren Carey, Peachtree Road Farmers Market Manager adds,“Accessibility to fresh local produce is a gift; it means so much more to shake the hand of the farmer that grew the vegetables on your dinner plate.”  How true!

I’ll be there – I hope to see you guys too!

xx, L

Special thanks to my dear friend Adrienne, Peachtree Road Farmers Market volunteer and all-around awesome person, for bringing this fantastic event to my attention!

Said princess has stick-straight princess hair, but as a long-time admirer of Goldilocks + Snooki, alike, she has always dreamed of having massive New Jersey-ish volume in her long princess tresses.

(Did I mention that she is a PRINCESS??!) 

On a fateful Thursday evening, she visited her fairy godmother beloved hairstylist, Daniel Carter at Mint Salon, who used a MAGICAL potion from a far-away land (Kevin Murphy Powder Puff Volumizing Powder) to help the fair princess achieve the volume she so dearly longed for.

Daniel skillfully applied the mysterious potion to her hair – and just like magic – the princess’s locks grew taller and taller + more voluminous right before her very eyes!! 

Witness:

The result was amazing!  She was thrilled! 

this was NOT a great picture of the princess's face, but it SURE WAS of her hair!!

Not only was the potion incredibly effective on her stubbornly-straight hair, but also the wizard who designed it used super cute pink packaging - the princess’s favorite color.  How convenient!

The princess thoroughly recommends trying Kevin Murphy’s Powder Puff (especially during the upcoming humidity free months) + visiting her fairy godmother fabulous stylist, Daniel Carter, at Mint Salon!

The End.

(Oh yeah, and everyone lived ABSOLUTELY happily ever after!)

xx, L

Mint Salon – Daniel Carter
985 Monroe Drive (Midtown)
Atlanta, GA  30308
404.724.9669
http://www.mintsalon.net/

Enjoy!

I’ll admit it: I suffer from bouts of tan-orexia. I will sometimes sit in the sun or frequent my local tanning salon until I am a bronzed goddess and still look in the mirror and see a pale person.

(Note: this is when things get ugly. Just before my sister’s wedding I was dangerously teetering on the verge of looking like Magda from There’s Something About Mary. True story.)

You should know the glow I crave is not something that is effortless for me to achieve. My eyes are green, my hair is blonde, my skin is…see-through.

It’s not an exact science. Mistakes are often made. Case in point: once or twice in a summer I will inevitably sport a glorious lobster-colored sunburn which I think we can all agree is Not. Cute.

Before someone alerts my dermy (I love you, Dr. Weisman!) or my mother, please also know I am becoming increasingly fearful of wrinkles. I have become positively m.i.l.i.t.a.n.t. about my skincare routine and tanning unfortunately does not jive with my plan to look like this when I’m 80.

Here’s the answer: St. Tropez Self Tanner!

www.sttropeztan.com

I like the mousse. I had been using the lotion forever, but my mom recently turned me onto this air-whipped version of the same product. It is virtually blonde-proof.

Here’s the Q+DD on how to apply: First, invest in some disposable rubber gloves, this stuff is impossible to get off of your palms, and that is a fake-tan dead giveaway. I literally just slap it on at night, sleep in it, and shower it off in the morning. It doesn’t even have to be even when it goes on. The only tricky parts are your feet, ankles, knees, wrists, and
elbows.Just go lighter on these areas.

If you are lucky enough to live with someone who does not mind helping you with this application, you can enlist them to apply the product to your hard-to-reach areas, but you can also use a product such as this:

www.domyback.com

I know what you’re wondering and here are the answers:

A: It does rub off on your sheets and clothing, but washes right out.

A: As far as self-tanners go, the scent is pretty darn good. I mean, I wouldn’t trade my Jo Malone (Or L’s Brit Scent!) for it, but it’s pleasant enough.

A: It looks natural: bronze not orange! Witness the picture below from a recent “White Party,” a situation in which a tan is definitely mandatory:

Happy (safe) Tanning!

xx, L

I mean, besides chat on the phone, all the girl seemed to do was  shop… and yet she rocked the exact same midriff-bearing pink space suit every. single day.

The bigger mystery for me, however, is how she bleached her hair to ultimate platinum levels and never, ever seemed to have as much as one split end!

I’m not sure… but I’m pretty sure Judy Jetson’s haircare is available today…at Muse Salon in Alpharetta. (BTW – Muse is absolutely gorgeous and full of pretty people.  I like that in a salon.)

I went up to Muse and placed my tired tresses in the hands of salon co-owner Daniel and stylist Megan and I am here to tell you my hair did a 180.  I am talking noticeable, marked difference.

Enter Kérastase Chronologiste  and the Kérastase Diagnostic Camera.

First, Megan analyzed my hair and scalp with the super magnifying camera and it…was scary.   Breakage everywhere.  Witness:

My actual hair. Yikes.

Then they hooked it up to this bigger computer and I answered a few short questions and it was able to make recommendations on products and treatments based on both the health of my hair and my personal beauty priorities.

That’s when the magic began.  First of all, the Chronologiste treatment looks like a little dish of caviar:

Megan mixed all the ingredients into a paste a paste and massaged into my hair (which was heavenly!) After a few minutes under the heat lamps and a fabulous blowdry… my hair was healthy, bouncy, swingy perfection. More than that – my color looks brighter and my blowdry was quicker. Facts, both!  I totally recommend this treatment.

Bonus: they’re also doing that “Featherlocks” thing up there.  Have you seen this?

The first person I saw with a feather was Greg’s brother’s incredibly stylish lady-friend Emma. Check it:

Since then, I have seen no less than a bazillion girls with all kinds of different colored feathers secured to their own hair with silicone beads.  Apparently, the feathers perform just like your own hair for 8 weeks!  “Bundles” go for $35/bundle and the average “Featherlock” is 2 bundles.

They are pretty discreet, but f I can figure out how to completely hide a hot pink feather M through F I am ALL ABOUT IT. Just saying.

Listen, go check out Muse.  They’re incredibly cutting edge, elegant and…high tech.

Just like my girl Judy.

xx, L

Muse Salon

4620 Kimball Bridge Rd # 5
Alpharetta, GA 30005

Shabby chic and super glam featuring celeb sightings, free cocktails and WiFi? Yes, please.

And the star of TV Guide’s new reality series, The Nail Files!

Produced by The Jersey Shore’s creators, The Nail Files will follow blonde bombshell Katie, Walter Afanasioff, the Grammy®-winning love of her life (Not to be gauche, but You. Should. See. Her. Ring.), her growing business…and everything that comes with the trio.

I was so super psyched to sit down with Katie and discuss some very pressing issues: eco-friendly nail products, Big A$$ rings, “Crusty Troll Feet” and other important things of that nature.

Ok, so first things first: homegirl was in town as the inaugural stop on her country-wide tour…in a big ol’ mobile spa.  Check it:

Katie with her bus... parked in 'phretta!

And let me just tell you - Katie is amazeballs. I loved everything about her.  She’s originally a small-town girl with whose big aspirations and desire to succeed landed her in the major leagues…  and she’s passionate about pretty feet.  She says, “if you sound like you’re tap dancing, and your feet are bare…that’s a problem.”

She let me in on her biggest pet peeve, “Valet Feet.” You know- when you’re waiting for your car at the valet, and you look down and you see a woman in couture and Louboutins… with busted feet.  You know you’ve witnessed it: bird-like feet. Katie says, “Nobody wants to see you perch.  Grody.” I couldn’t agree more.

Ick.

Also on the hit list: Acrylics.  She tells me, “I want to start a group called Acrylics Anonymous – make that available to everyone” to help wean these ladies off their pink and whites to something more modern.

No. Just no.

It was at this point when I realized that Katie and I were kindred spirits. I got the lowdown on her upcoming line of eco-friendly products (including a “shimmer cream” and organic sugar scrub!), and…of course – what she selected for her own nails:

A gel layer (to hold the polish) and Malibu Dreams on her hands

And “Electric Blue” (named for Debbie Gibson!) on her toes.

Katie's actual tootsies.

The Nail Files premieres on the ever-evolving TV Guide channel on Tuesday 06/21 at 10:00PM EST and since I am obviously obsessed with this woman… I can’t WAIT for her show.

In the meantime, you can catch Katie and her mobile spa on tour on the following schedule:

Boston: Wednesday, May 25
Philadelphia: Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29
Cleveland: Saturday, June 4
New York: Monday, June 13, Tuesday, June 14, and Wednesday, June 15
Los Angeles: Tuesday, June 21, Wednesday, June 22, and Thursday, June 23
Las Vegas: Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26
Phoenix: Wednesday, June 29
Houston: Sunday, July 3 and Monday, July 4

I’m looking forward to seeing Katie, her fabulous staff, her high-powered man (who is so involved that he was once mistaken for the janitor!) and celebrity clientele go from manic… to manicured!

Catch ya on Tuesdays at 10!

xx, L

Serena Williams’ OPI line looks awesome under Shatter, too.

And, here’s the effect:

It’s certainly not for everyone, but it’s a-okay by Fergie…

..and of course, Mrs. Perry (Brand?).

LK + I swear by our nail salon, Lily’s Nails, on Piedmont + Monroe in the shopping center with RuSans + they’ve recently started using OPI’s Shatter.  Last week, when I was getting the OPI Axxium gel nails, Lily + another one of the technicians were trying it on themselves over various bold colors.  It looked really cool, I must admit, for the right time + place.  (Concert, Halloween, bachelorette party, etc…) 

Here are some other crackle ideas:

What do y’all think??  It’s not for everyone, but whomever it IS for – I want to be friends with them… 

xx, L

Readers:  Here are three things that I’m seriously loving recently + that you NEED to know about…  No really, you do.

1) Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Primer

While in Ulta the other day, I was on a mission to replace my Smashbox primer.  I love the weightless, silky feel of the Photo Finish clear primer I’ve been using + was planning to just grab another of the same, but was pleasantly surprised to see that Smashbox has pretty extensively extended their primer line to include a whole bunch of options!

Smashbox Primers

I spent a good ten minutes reading the descriptions for each of the new primers + ended up selecting one that could help me cut some of the red out of my skin from years and years of THIS…

What can I say?  As a former Texan whose skin craves those harmful UVs, I’m now trying to correct all of those Saturdays spent at the pool without enough sunblock to protect me from Mr. Sun.  (Please shine down on ME!)  Anyway, I totally appreciate that my primer is dual-functioning + can help keep my makeup from sliding off of my face while also cutting down on the redness in my skin.

It’s also sorta fun that it’s green.  (If you put a bunch on at once, you kind of feel like the Incredible Hulk for a few minutes before it seeps into your pores.  Awesomeness.)  Check it out at Ulta.  Your skin will start to crave it. 

2) David Yurman Eau de Parfum for Women

This little chickadee celebrated her birthday last week.  Happy belated B, Gormsie!

Over the weekend, she had a get together + received a bottle of David Yurman for Women.

Now I know I am no authority on perfume (love you always, BritBrit!), but my taste HAS been evolving with my recent J’adore purchase (look at me in my fancy PANTS!) + I can at least opine on the subject…  DY for Women is abso-freaking-lutely incredible!  It smells like sexy should smell.  I made Slick, who is a bit scent sensitive, smell it + he thought it was very special, too.  Oh Mr. Yurman, I just want everything with your name on it…  Check out David Yurman for Women at Bloomingdales ASAP!

3) Pete Jozwiak

He’s my sister’s dog.  Is he handsome or WHAT?!

I’ve never been a small dog person (although, Olive is an exception), but Sir Pete pretty much stole my heart last week when I was in Houston.  I’m a total Chihuahua lover now!  Oy.  Who knew?

And, you’re welcome. 

xx, L

OK items:

• Po Baby Panda: So, as you may or may not know, the only giant panda cub born in the United States in 2010 was right here at Georgia last November and on Tuesday, the little guy had his 100th day naming ceremony and none other than Jack Black was here to give him his name….Po – after his character in Kung Fu Panda.

Yes, Dreamworks is releasing a sequel on 05/27 to the kid’s movie, but they are also donating to the zoo’s panda conservation program…cross-marketing with a heart.  Loves it.

• Today’s Groupon?   $40 worth of stationery (invitations, etc) from Paper Affair…and few things excite me more than written correspondence, stationery, and fine paper products in general.  It’s a good day.

• Product love: I have been using Naturopathica’s Vitamin K brightening eye serum for about a week or so and let me just tell you…the skin around my eyes feel amaaaaaazing.  Check it out.

• BIG congrats to my friend (and Camp Dance 2011 host!) Ashley Hesseltine….she was just selected as Daily Candy’s new Atlanta Editor! I’m sure we are ALL excited to hear what this girl has to say:
  

  "What...a riot."

• Upcoming EVENTS:

- Next Thursday 02/24: Raw Love at East Andrews. Reminder: East Andrews is teaming up with Raw Denim to put on a fabulous event and fashion show to benefit A Wish for Wendy for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. (Lindsay and I are on the host committee!  It’ll be a blast!)  Please RSVP to events@eastandrews.com

- Shamrock Fest with Yacht Rock: 03/05 at Park Tavern.  $3 off with promo code “Hess” or “Ellen”

- Spiral’s LuckyFest: 03/12 at Park Tavern.  $5 off with promo code “LKFest”

- Atlanta Magazine’s BEST OF ATLANTA Party benefiting Camp Twin Lakes Monday 02/28 – DO NOT MISS THIS.  This always amazing event got EVEN BETTER this year (which I did not think was possible) with lots of surprises.  More on this later…but get your tickets NOW.

Please come by the Camp Dance/Atlanta Chocolate Fountain table and see me…I’ll make you a s’more and probably give you a hug.   Let me ask you: What is better than a s’more and a hug? I can’t think of much.

- CAMP DANCE 04/30 at the World of Coke benefiting Camp Twin Lakes!

Get your tickets HERE.  Please. It’s going to be amazing.  Best year yet!

Happy weekend, everyone!

xx, L