Opal

There are certain statements or questions that simply do not warrant an answer under any circumstances. My all-time favorite is when people tell you how tired you look. How do you even respond to that? “Thanks?!” One of the telltale signs of fatigue is under eye bagginess/puffiness. It’s a quick indicator that for some reason or another overstretched with responsibilities and under indexed on tlc. The beauty of beauty? (Catchy, huh?) We always have a fun, techy gadget or product to save the day.

Just off their blockbuster launch of the Sonic Care Cleansing Systems, Clarisonic has introduced a new offering but this time for your eyes. The Opal, cleverly shaped like a luxurious stone begging for you to touch it, is comprised of two parts. The top, if you will, contains their proprietary Anti-Aging Sea Serum and is applied first to the eye area. The bottom contains a small round head that when turned on gently vibrates as you move it around the eye bag area. Helping the serum penetrate into the skin, the sonic massage helps boost circulation to reduce puffiness while giving your eyes a pampering soothing experience. Think of it as a massage for the eye area. Between the serum and the sonic head, the eye area is hydrated, firmer and depuffed. Is it worth the $245 price tag (by the way? I’m not so sure…you can buy one of the many eye rollers on the market for a fraction of the price and get the same benefit. But I will say the micro vibrations were quite a treat for my eyes, it was a calming pre-sleeping treat (and I got the most skeptical person to agree)!

Usage tip: Try on clean eyes before applying your eye cream. Be careful to not use it around the eye socket, a vibrating eye ball is good only for the horror or sci-fi books. Follow with an eye cream. It’s not emollient enough to hydrate the eye area.

The result: Bags be gone! Take that Ms. You Look So Tired!

Beauty Smarts

If you haven't figured it out by now I'm a total beaute nerd, so you can only imagine my excitement when I buy a new cosmetic product...it's a bit like a kid at Christmas sort of thing. The downside? If something happens to product (ie. the pump on the lotion jams, the powder eye shadow drops and breaks into a million pieces, etc) I'm hugely disappointed, and like most people I hate let downs. This morning as I went to moisturize my lips with the Fresh Rose Lip Treatment, similar packaging to a lipstick, the stick actually broke right in half as I was mid-application. And can you imagine that the lip balm was brand new! Twenty some odd dollars and that's it? Thanks for the good times love but we must part ways and throw you in the garbage can? To me that's almost like burning a $20 bill. Why would you throw away good money? Instead it's time to get a bit resourceful and think "outside the box" (yes I guess I've been drinking the marketing Kool Aid).

One of my favorite tricks to salvage broken or almost empty lipsticks is to melt what's left into a empty lipstick palette. This is even great if you want a compact with your top 6 lipsticks in a small sleek, clutch friendly case. You can buy these sort of trays/palettes at beauty supply stores or online. I found the one shown in the picture at Alcone Company for $15. The great thing is these palettes are reusable so as long as it doesn't slip from your hand and shatter you're good to go for quite awhile.

How to Make Your Own Lipstick Palette
1. If your lipstick isn't already broken the cleanest way to cut off a piece is to take dental floss, wrap it around the stick and gently cut.
2. There's two ways to melt the lipstick:
a. Microwave: Put the lipstick piece in a papercup and microwave for 30 seconds. If it isn't
melted continue to microwave in 15-20 second increments until it is completely liquid.
b. Candle: Put the lipstick in a spoon and hold it over a candle flame until it is completely
melted.
3. Pour the melted lipstick which should be in a liquid phase into the palette. Fill it to the top of each well.
4. Cool the lipstick back into solid phase by putting it the tray into the fridge for 30 minutes.

Usage tip: Chose your favorite colors that can easily be layered, mix and matched for the optimal makeup artist palette.

The result: Money saved, a new on the go accessory made all for your lips!