Pomegranate Noir is one of my VERY favorite perfumes – definitely top 3.  I first experienced it earlier in the year, in Austin at South by Southwest.  We were at a bar, watching a karaoke geek fest (yeah – HA HA HA), and I was walking to the bar, and someone’s fragrance stopped me in my tracks.  I hunted down the girl who was wearing it (honestly, I thought it was going to be a hot guy), and she told me it was Jo Malone’s Pomegranate Noir.  I went straight to the computer and ordered it up.  It is a luscious scent, and perfect for fall.

According to Jo Malone (since all this fragrance note business is way over my head – I just know I totally love the scent), Pomegranate Noir has notes of patchouli, frankincense and spicy woods with raspberry, plum, pink pepper and (of course) pomegranate. 

This fragrance reminds me of the Burberry fragrance that my dear friend Darren wears and smells so darn tootin’ good in.  I am just thrilled it is a woman’s scent!

Right now, through October 4th, enter the offer code JMFALL2 at checkout and you will get a Deluxe sample (9ml) of Pomegranate Noir, free standard shipping plus 2 more fragrance samples of your choice.  My daughter wears and loves Red Roses from Jo Malone – it smells just like the most beautiful rose you have ever smelled.  Mmm.  Check out the sample size when you order…

Pamela Anderson says she uses nothing to accentuate her skin – no dermatologists, no lotions and potions – no regime at all:

What does it take to look like me? Not much. I don’t wear sunscreen. I don’t have a skincare programme[sic].  I have no dermatologist and no cosmetic surgeon. Nothing’s been shot into this face.

I don’t think I’m going to tweak anything. I’m kind of done with it all. I want to see what I look like when I’m old - I’m curious where that’s going to take me.

Pamela is 42, and while I don’t see many signs of going under the knife IN HER FACE, I’d be real damn surprised if she hasn’t had a few injections here and there.  I mean, we all know she’s not THAT into being au naturale. 

All that said, I love Pam – didn’t want you to think I didn’t. 

Source:  Stuff.co.nz

I am not a huge drug store beauty shopper (yeah, I’m a bit of a beauty snob… betcha didn’t know that – ha!), but when I do it, it’s almost always at CVS.  Especially since Target disappointed me so badly a few months back.  CVS has an amazing selection of beauty products, all the way from your typical choices up to some higher end, more exclusive lines. 

For four weeks, beginning August 15 (which is this coming Saturday) and ending September 11th, CVS.com is having a huge beauty sale - 20% off of almost every beauty item, from CVS brand products all the way up.  In addition, on August 13 and 14th (Thursday and Friday), there is a 2 day only 40% off online sale on all CVS branded products.  This is beauty and everything else CVS/pharmacy branded in the store.  There are tons of savings here – I would head towards the first aid section iff’n it were me.  We spend an ungodly amount of money on BandAids and Neosporin around here. 

To reiterate, this is an online sale, so be sure and check out CVS.com starting on Thursday for all the goodies!

This came via email this morning – and really spoke to me:

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her–she didn’t know how she  was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a  new one arose..
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to  boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans . She let them sit and boil without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl.  She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the  coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the  carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.  Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee.  The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.  The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The  ground coffee beans were unique, however.  After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?  Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes  with the heat?  Did I have a fluid spirit,  but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial,  have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff  spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot  water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor.  If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.  When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle  adversity?

Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can’t go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

Woohoo!  We have officially launched the Summer 2009 Beautyfix collection as of midnight last night.  You can visit the site to learn lots more about each product included, but here they are in a list:

• pur~lisse pur~lip comfort
• Cures by Avance Age Defyer Eye
• Degree Women Body Mist
• Decleor Instant Radiance Moisturizer
• Spa Ritual Nail Laquer (one of two colors)
• Spa Ritual Instinctual Moisturizing Lotion
• me! Bath Shower Sherbet
• Juara Tamarand Tea Toner
• Bliss The Youth As We Know It Concentrate
• Skindinavia Makeup Finishing Spray
• me! Bath Ice Cream
• iQ Derma Firmaceuticals Firming Body Gel

We are doing things a little different this time in that the kit you receive will vary.  You will receive 9 of these 12 products in your kit.  Each and every product is a fantastic product, and most are full size.  What I can tell you is that my personal favorite products in the bunch are going out now, so if you are thinking about joining – now is the time.   Stay tuned for lots of product reviews.  This is the best kit we have offered to date, in my opinion, so I hope you love it!

If you need some extra inspiration to join, follow this link and you can get your first kit for $19.99 (which is a $30 discount!)!

Moisturizers:  Humectants

Derived from Latin humectus (moist)

Humectants are a class of conditioners for hair and skin that work by absorbing water from the environment and promoting water retention.

A humectant is a hygroscopic substance. It is often a molecule with several hydrophilic groups, most often hydroxyl groups, but amines and carboxyl groups, sometimes esterified, can be encountered as well; the affinity to form hydrogen bonds with molecules of water is crucial here.  (Wikipedia)

Humectants are also used in cosmetic preparations for the purposes of avoiding water loss and forming “skins” on the products themselves.

Potential negatives:  Too much can cause hair or skin to feel sticky.  In low environmental humidity situations, humectants can actually pull moisture from deep within the skin and release it into the environment.

Humectants you might find in your cosmetics:

• Glycerin
• Sorbitol
• Glycol
• Dipropylene glycol
• Ammonium lactate
• Propylene glycerol
• Polyethylene glycols
• Glyceryl Triacetate
• Sodium Pyrollidone Carboxylic Acid (Sodium PCA)
• Butylene Glycol
• Honey
• Sorbitol
• Hyaluronic Acid
• Urea

My favorite photo of my father is packed away in storage right now while we are having our house rebuilt – but it is circa 1978, at the beach, and he is wearing his Farrah t-shirt (same as above photo) and wearing a Speedo.  So funny – I would give anything to be able to dig it out right now, now that Farrah has passed and my father is on about day 63 in the hospital.  So sad.  I am glad she is out of pain and not suffering anymore and in a much better place.  May she rest in peace.

So, yeah, I’m not independently wealthy.   I’m not busted, but it always takes a good bit of talking to my hubby for him to see the light on buying a new bag.  I hate carrying a cheap bag – my friends at BagSnob have seen to that.  Thanks a lot, Tina. 

I have lusted over a Chloe Paddington bag for a looooooong time now, never thinking that one would adorn my arm.  But lucky me, who stumbled into a Chloe store that was having a SALE at the same time my hubby was not feeling like a bag was the *worst* possible investment on the planet – I left with this little beauty.  This was exactly what I was looking for – a smaller bag (I have been carrying giant bags the last few seasons), and a bag with an actual shoulder strap (I have been battling a shorter strap for the same last few seasons). 

So, if this happens to be your thing – you can get one on sale for yourself over at Shirise.com, if you don’t happen to have a Chloe store near you.  This bag is a nice ranchy brown (perfect for me), but if that color isn’t perfect for you, I also saw it in white and in black.  I wish I could have gotten it in all three colors.  Look around, I bet you can find one.

Now, my only problem is that I need to get a little control of my swinging shoulder bag – I have slammed that big heavy lock into a couple of cars in tight parking lots.  Oops.

I honestly can’t remember where I got a hold of my first product from the iQ Derma Clear Remedy Acne Treatment System – in fact, when I started using the Acne Treatment Lotion, I had no idea it was part of a “system.”  This has been in my cabinet steadily for at least a year.  Maybe it was at the Beauty Blog Summit I attended last year…

As I have mentioned ad infinitum in the past (or ad nauseum, as the case may be), I really battle with adult acne.  I had a gorgeous complexion during my teenage years, but after my 2nd child was born, my skin went wacko.  Every month (e.v.e.r.y. month) I have blemishes to contend with – if I am lucky, my skin is clear for maybe a week before it starts all over again.  While I contribute most of my ongoing success in battling my skin problems to the Clarisonic brush (my Lord, that is a miracle for me), there are certain products in my cabinet that I turn to for some extra help when I need it.  I have used many, many acne treatment products and systems, but this one particular product from iQ Derma out performs even the cream that I am prescribed from my dermatologist. 

So I was thrilled recently to learn that the Acne Treatment Lotion was part of a “system.”  I now am using the Purifying Cleanser, a foamy cleanser that works PERFECTLY with the Clarisonic (and equally as well with a sponge or washcloth or just my bare hands when I’m feeling exceptionally lazy), and the Hydrating Lotion.  I particularly like the Hydrating Lotion in the daytime, under my makeup.  It absorbs incredibly quickly and while it doesn’t claim to fight “the oilies” during the day, it really seems to.  I have been incorporating these last two products into my daily routine for about the last month or so, and dead honest – I did not have a breakout this last month.   I can’t guarantee it will do the same for you, and I can’t guarantee it will do the same for me next month, but by George, I’m going to keep trying and see what happens.

You can get the Clear Remedy set at iQDerma.com, with the promotion code GETCLEAR30 for 30% off of your order and free ground shipping.  The regular price is $135, and with the discount you will pay $94.50 for all three products.  Also, I wish to disclose that iQ Derma is a branch of the fabulous Intelligent Beauty, a company with which I have an ongoing business relationship.

Avon has a collection of some innovative new lipsticks out this season, my favorite being SpectraColor Lipstick.  This lipstick has a “dial a color” concept created by two different colors in a tube, one at the light/sheer end of the spectrum and one at the dark/opaque – and you create the depth of color that you desire using a dial which blends the colors.  Very interesting and very pretty! 

The lipstick itself I wish would last longer (I am a huge fan of the long lasting lipsticks and don’t understand why ALL lipstick isn’t made like this!), but for a regular lipstick, it stays on pretty well and feels nice and moisturizing (a downside to the long lasters).  I have The Wines, and they truly are gorgeous, I am going to get The Berries and and The Lilacs as well.

They come in 10 different shades from cool pinks to warm browns and are currently available from Avon for $7.99 but $9.50 will be the price once the sale is over.  Buy it from your favorite Avon rep, Avon.com or from Amazon.