A Beauty Event

So every once in a while, a store will offer up a measly token of their appreciation when you make a purchase…and generally, it’s nothing to get worked up about or fawn over. However, Neiman Marcus hosts an annual ‘Beauty Event’ where brands they carry offer major gifts for purchases, in addition to a gift from Neiman Marcus. The event runs until March 2nd. I rounded up the best offers so that you can make an informed purchase, and reap extra rewards for something you probably wanted to buy anyways.

 

• Kiehls is giving customers a travel bag loaded with goodies, like that midnight recovery serum I mentioned in an earlier post here .
• Clarisonic is giving you a travel bag to tote your clarisonic brush in, and if you’re finally jumping on the bandwagon and purchasing one of these handy cleansing brushes, you might as well get more bang for your buck!
• Laura Mercier makes excellent makeup and when you make a purchase of $135, she’s adding a makeup bag with her primer, soufflé body lotion, eye basics, eyeliner and eye cream. It’s a great way to add some new favorites to your routine without having to invest in a full sized version!
• Molton Brown’s bath and body products are incredible, and I am obsessed with my ginger lilly shower gel. So much so that I ration it for months. Do yourself a favor and pick up some of their products, and get rewarded with standard size version of the Ylang Ylang body wash.
• NARS is an industry favorite–spotted everywhere at New York Fashion Week–because their long-lasting products come in a wide variety of colors, and look great all day and night. They’re gifting their pro-prime smudge proof eyeshadow base and soft touch shadow pencil.
• Bobbi Brown makes beautiful and natural looking makeup that aims to highlight your features without overdoing it.  One of the very best offers of the Beauty Event, when you make a $150 purchase at Bobbi Brown (which is easy to do considering their extra repair balm is amazing, but pricey) you also get the Bobbi to Go classic eye palette with eight shadows in an array of finishes and textures, plus a miniature brush, mascara, and extra repair eye cream.
• Glamglow (also shown in an earlier post) is giving away the Tinglexfoliate Treatment Mask with any Glamglow purchase. Think of it as a two for one deal!
• A lot of people swear by neuLASH‘s formula for thickening their natural lashes. If you want to try it out, you can get extra serum with any purchase.
• Jo Malone is offering a sleek leather travel case loaded with a duo of her best scents–Nectarine Blossom & Honey, and Wild Bluebell. The Nectarine Blossom alone is worth it, but combined with the Wild Bluebell you’ll be seriously pleased with how wonderful you smell. Her perfumes and colognes are my absolute favorite and now you can take them wherever you go!

Lastly, when you spend $125 on cosmetics or fragrances at Neiman Marcus (online or in stores) they’re giving out a pretty tote loaded with samples like Tory Burch’s perfume, Oribe travel sized shampoo and conditioners (another favorite), Molton Brown body wash, YSL foundation samples, Fresh eye creams, and more. If you’re thinking about stocking up on your favorite products, you might as well do it when there are so many bonuses (ones you’d actually like) to grab! Happy shopping!

Back to basics: Skincare

I am by no means a licensed esthetician, but I do suffer from a mild to moderate case of obsessive compulsive disorder when it comes to skincare. I’ve tried way too many products and the ones listed below are the clear winners when it comes to keeping my skin in check and looking fresh.

Let’s get beautiful 

Some of these products are cult favorites. The Clarisonic brush is the go-to for getting skin extra clean. I use my Clarisonic with two different M-61 cleansers, one that fights break outs and does intensive cleaning, and another that brightens skin and is a gentler formula. Sometimes I mix in Josie Maran’s cleansing oil. Face oils are the trend du jour because they’re versatile and effective. If you have oily or combination skin, using a face oil can actually help regulate your skin’s oil production, which is to say that oily and acne prone skin-types can benefit from cleansing oil because it reduces your skin’s production of oil that causes breakouts. A ‘fight fire with fire’ approach to skincare, if you will. If all else fails, Clinique’s spot treatment is also handy for breakouts and I have been using it for years. Its extra high concentration of salicylic acid effectively delivers a hefty dose to troublesome spots.

Moisturizing is probably the most important part of skincare. It helps skin regenerate and heal from marks, burns and breakouts, fights fine lines and wrinkles, and keeps you looking young and ‘glowy.’ While there are hundreds of option some are standout products. The La Mer line is notoriously pricey but you can believe the hype-it really does work wonders. If you end up like me, with an unexpected rewards gift card to a store that carries La Mer (Bloomingdales for one) and a rapidly approaching expiration date, bite the bullet and do it. Your skin will thank you. I went with the ‘soft cream’ because it absorbs into skin faster and isn’t as thick as the original formula. Having said that, the Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Balm is ridiculously thick but used overnight, it makes all the difference by morning. I layer it under my Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate, which is another extra popular item, with good reason.

Another product I recently became a huge fan of is Estée Lauder’s Idealist even skintone illuminator. Just as the title suggests, it evens out skintone and helps eliminate dark spots and scarring with effects apparent in as little as  two weeks. I use one tiny pump morning and night and I don’t think I can live without it at this point.

Finally, GlamGlow is a relatively new product line but I won’t be surprised if it becomes a staple in most every store. Sephora is a huge retailer, and Neiman Marcus just started carrying it, so you know it’s good stuff. My two favorites are the clearing mask and the hydrating mask. They’re not cheap either, but you don’t need much for each use (1-2 times a week). Plus, they’re highly effective. The clearing mask leaves you with a tingly sensation and it changes color as it clears out your skin, while the hydrating mask smells awesome and leaves your skin feeling amazing.

Better skin means less need for coverup, foundation and makeup in general and makes everyone feel just a tiny bit better. A fun way to get started is to grab a friend, make some drinks, pick a movie or TV show and slap some mudmasks on your faces and feel pretty…or at least a little silly.