ESSIE INTRODUCES SPECIALIZED BASE AND TOP COATS
Customization is the name of the game for beauty this year and nail care is no different. Whether you have fragile, split, short, or strong nails, Essie has a top coat, base coat, and treatment plan that targets your specific need.
Pick and choose from the Essie Everyday, Anti-Aging, Strong and Grow ranges to create a personalized nail regimen.
Essie Specialized Base and Top Coats
The Everyday collection is suitable for all nail types and includes All in One Topcoat, Apricot Cuticle Oil, First Base Base Coat and Good to Go topcoat. Personally, I love All in One, a combo base coat, top coat, and nail strengthener. I keep it on my bathroom shelf as a handy nail fix when I’m on the go and need a speedy touch up. When I use it, my manicure does indeed last for at least a good week without chipping. For the complete treatment, apply Apricot Cuticle Oil first for soft and nourished cuticles. First Base Base Coat contains rubberized adhesives to make your nail polish stick, and Good to Go top coat dries like a breeze to give you a finishedlook touch.
The Anti-Aging category is highly specialized, and yes there’s a way to fight aging of your nails. Fill the Gap is formulated to visibly sculpt and plump nails for younger looking hands, and contains nutra-keratin and bamboo extracts. Follow it with Ridge Filling Base Coat, which will smooth out ridges and discoloration and create a perfect canvas for nail lacquer.
The Strong lineup works to nourish nails and prevent them from chipping and breaking. The collection comprises Grow Stronger and my personal favorite Millionails, which basically gives you “bullet proof” nails. Formulated with iron, amino acids and kevlar, each bottle contains 1 million fast acting molecules to help resist peeling and splitting for visibly stronger nails.
The Grow category aims to help nails grow stronger and more beautiful thanks to two product stars: Grow Faster protects and prevents breakage, and No Chips Ahead promotes long lasting color with an extended wear color shield that prevents fading and chipping.
It’s time to put the spotlight on primers and nourishment for nails. With all these base and top coats retailing for $8-$10 a piece, you’ll never have a bad nail day again.
AMOREPACIFIC PUTS THE CC IN COMPACT
BB, CC, and DD, what’s your letter combo? To break it down, BB creams provide treatment benefits, usually anti-acne, are oil free, and offer medium coverage. CC creams are color correctors, and generally formulated with moisturizing and antioxidant ingredients. As for DD, well, that perplexes even beauty editors—reports indicate they will be daily defense body or foot creams, but we need to wait and see because they haven’t hit the market yet.
What is available though is the fabulous AmorePacific Color Control (CC) Cushion Compact ($60). Applied with a sponge puff, this lightweight fluid evens out skin tone with a very natural looking finish and color. It feels great to apply, very cooling, and coverage is buildable and long lasting. I like to put on two layers to camouflage sun spots and then go without a foundation. If I’m in a hurry, one application will do.
To make life even easier, the CC compact contains SPF 50+ broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection. It builds on the sun screen in my moisturizer, but in a completely undetectable way. “Protection, hydration, coverage, CC Cushion Compact has everything under one roof,” says Natalie Paiva, AmorePacific marketing manager.
For example, AmorePacific really has its color-correcting technology perfected. Available in four shades, the CC compact range initially seems limited. But the shades are truly forgiving and work on many different skin tones. My skin fell somewhere between Tan Blush and Tan Gold. I chose Tan Blush, but honestly, I think Tan Gold would work too.
AmorePacific’s heritage lies in skincare with a blend of Asian botanical ingredients. The CC compact’s benefits start with a bamboo sap base (rather than traditional water-in-oil), which moisturizes, fights free radical damage, and boosts the skin’s resistance to environmental aggressors with amino acids. AmorePacific was one of the first, if not the first, to use green tea in skincare. Rich in polyphenols and antioxidants, green tea powder fills in fine lines to achieve a smooth finish.
Obviously, I’m an AmorePacific fan, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary in the U.S. this year.
Other news from the Korean-based line is the introduction of Line Revolution Neck Cream ($185), perhaps a little steeply priced, but oh so worth it. Again, the proprietary blend of Asian botanicals is at work here, plus collagen stimulation technology. Apply in the front—and the back of the neck—for enhanced collagen production, reduced appearance of wrinkles, and skin cell regeneration, all in a cream formulated for the delicate skin on the neck.
A BEAUTY GIFT GUIDE FOR MOTHER’S DAY
Mom. Maman. Mum. ‘Ma.
No matter which part of the world you come from, chances are that your word for your mother is something heartfelt and meaningful. Mothers deserve respect everyday (take it from a new mom) but especially on Mother’s Day. Luckily, the beauty sphere is filled with precious items to show mom a truly great time. Here are a few gems sure to make mom smile and possibly even forget all the late nights, temper tantrums, soccer games, school plays, science projects, wedding jitters, late night calls, term papers………….
Korres Japanese Rose Body Wash and Body Butter ($19/$29 )
Photo Credit: Amazon.com
The Korres Body Wash is silky and sumptuous, and creates s a creamy foam that oozes luxury. Natural antioxidants are an added plus. The Body Butter is on the richer end of the moisturizing spectrum, and is nourishing to the skin, while restoring elasticity with shea butter and quince extracts. Of course, the rose is a symbol of romance, and has been for generations: give mom a modern twist of the classic with the Japanese version.
Sonia Kashuk Beauty Organizers ($24.99)
Lipsticks, gloss, jewelry, makeup palettes. All these add up and the last thing mom wants to see is clutter (didn’t all her years of nagging you to do chores get that point across?). She will be so surprised when you help her on the road to order with a beauty organizer, theoretically speaking. And practically, Sonia Kashuk’s little gems found at Target will do the trick, and they come in beautiful floral and yarn print designs.
ZO® Skin Health Level 11: Anti-Aging Program ($230)
Photo Credit: zoskinhealth.com
Give mom the gift of youthful skin with this anti aging skincare kit from the skin health master Dr. Zein Obagi. The secret weapon behind this program is the high concentrations of active ingredients including growth factors, retinol and enzymes. of retinol. The five-product system includes everything mom will need to fight lines, uneven skin tone, and loss of firmness—day and night. An added bonus: once she tries the Oclipse® Sunscreen + Primer SPF 30, no other makeup prep will do.
NARS Hearts New York City Limited Edition Palette ($75)
Photo Credit: NARS Cosmetics
New York City’s best-selling hues are all packaged in this incredibly detailed, artistic limited edition box. The set contains four eyeshadows as well as NARS’ must have Laguna Bronzing Powder and Amour Blush in a svelte, purse-friendly compact. It also contains lip gloss (Dolce Vita, a sheer dusty rose), and a blood-red nail lacquer (Chinatown) that will make mom’s look complete. It’s classic and thoughtful, and so very elegant for a very deserving woman.
mē Smooth Hair Removal Device ($395)
If you want to give your mom a gift she may not buy herself, try the mē Smooth. This is the first and only at-home hair removal device that has been FDA cleared to use on ALL skin types, a very big deal. It combines Intense Pulse Light with Radiofrequency energy to heat the hair follicle and inhibit hair growth. A full leg treatment takes only 10 minutes. Repeat for seven weeks in a row and then follow up once a month for smooth, silky legs. mē Smooth can be used anywhere below the neck; just adjust the treatment times according to the size of the targeted area.
LUSH Cosmetics Bath Bomb ($6.95)
Mom deserves a (cruelty-free) bath, so run to the store or order Lush Cosmetics’ Bath Bombs online. The Mumkin bubble bar is adorable and available exclusively for Mother’s Day: it features a fruity, raspberry fragrance, which crumbles under running water and is perfect for soothing away the day’s woes. There are also Cream of the Crop reusable bubble bath bar wands for mom, which are easy to swirl around the tub or in running water for scented bubbles. Group together a handful of the floral shaped wands for a lovely bouquet.
Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme Coffret Baguette ($95)
Right in time for Mother’s Day comes an elegant, refined yet edgy coffret from the Atelier. Rose Anonyme is all about being a seductress, with sparkling tones. In this beautiful fragrance, Turkish rose absolute sparkles beneath notes of ginger, velvet oud, Indonesian patchouli, mystic papyrus, and Somalian incense. The result is zesty sensuousness. The coffret comes with a scented soap, as well as liner notes, all packaged in a beautiful giftable box.
Ralph Lauren Big Pink Pony with Essie Set ($45)
Photo Credit: macys.com
This is one of the most fun beauty partnerships we’ve seen this year: a colorful kit by Ralph Lauren Fragrances and Essie means mom can look good and smell heavenly. There are four distinctive and colorful kits, each with its own coordinated drawstring pouch. Each kit has a unique fragrance and personality: Sporty (#1), Sensual (#2), Free-Spirited (#3) and Stylish (#4). The drawstring bags contain a Big Pony EDT (30 ml), a Perfuming Body Mist (50g) and a corresponding Essie polish. In-store nail specialists will be offering manicures with the Big Pony colors at select Macy’s and Belk stores.
Spa Sonic System Face and Body Polisher ($65)
An at-home, affordable spa set that gives mom a polished, exfoliated look? Sign us up! The new Color Collection from Spa Sonic is brand new and makes for a chic gift. The Face and Body Polisher is a waterproof device that is designed to work in the shower. But unlike similar systems, it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. The kit comes with all the attachments you need to get the job done: a small brush for the face, a larger one for the body, pumice head for rough areas like elbows and heels, and a facial sponge for microdermabrasion. I’ve not seen a kit for this price give so much, and work so well. I’ve used both the Clarisonic and Spa Sonic and while the look of both is different, there’s no doubt that the Spa Sonic can perform comparably. The new colors are made for gifting!
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