the glossarie

philosophy eye hope0

POSTED ON Posted on June 4, 2009 by lara ramos BY lara ramos

while i may be a fresh 27 in years, grad school is aging me quickly and my eyes are starting to show it. mostly attributed to bleary-eyed textbook studying and not enough sleep, the uninvited side effects are bags, puffiness, teensy fine lines, and dark circles. all whining aside, i believe i’ve found the secret weapon to counteract the troublemakers, and here it is:

wishin' & hopin'

philosophy’s latest and greatest creation is a miracle worker! this advanced anti-aging cream is packed full of goodness designed to vanish dark circles, shrink puffiness, and vanish fine lines and wrinkles. it is luxuriously rich and soothing (much more than any other eye cream i’ve tried) when i apply it before bedtime and the stats on this stuff are unbelievable! here’s a taste:

83% of participants showed improvement in fine lines within six weeks
95% of participants showed improvement in dark circles in six weeks
85% of participants showed improvement in puffiness in six weeks
98% of participants showed improvement in smoothness in six weeks.

wowee! i plan to give an update six weeks from today (july 16th, hold me to it!) to share my personal results.

Posted in eyes, skin | Leave a comment

oscar blandi pronto dry shampoo to go1

POSTED ON Posted on June 3, 2009 by lara ramos BY lara ramos

second-day hair saver!

it’s been a big week for dry shampoo after heidi montag’s meltdown on this reality television disaster (someone – gasp! – “stole” hers). oscar blandi saved me this past weekend as well. i was child wrangling x5 at a wedding and not quite able to get any private time to wash & straighten my hair. alas, i turned to my trusty pronto powder, rubbing a quarter-sized amount between my hands and fluffing into my part. the result? any excess oil was absorbed without over-drying & i had instant volume boost all day long! (which was great since i was still expected to dress for and attend all wedding events)

tip: if you can plan ahead, i recommend putting pronto in right before bed. this avoids the martha washington-esque look that us gals with chocolatey brown locks might be prone to.

so whilst i hate to put myself in the same camp as heidi, i guess it just goes to show what a valuable travel tool this stuff can truly be!

Posted in hair | 1 Comment

benefit beauty blowout!0

POSTED ON Posted on June 3, 2009 by lara ramos BY lara ramos

benefittingly beautiful

where do i begin?! glossarie fave benefit cosmetics is giving away everything but the kitchen sink! not only can you score my absolute favorite shadow brush with any $50 order (code: beauty09), you can also get 20 issues of my very guiltiest pleasure with any $19 order that includes any badgal product (code: usweekly). whew! the fun continues below…

free us shipping on any $50 order (code: pretty50)
every $35 order gets a free color plump in yoo hoo (no code necessary!)
2 free samples with every order (no code necessary!)

for inspiration on what to purchase, swing by benefit’s newly revamped beauty school for tips, tricks, lessons, and how tos using the best of benefit.

Posted in tools | Leave a comment

natural woman0

POSTED ON Posted on June 2, 2009 by lara ramos BY lara ramos

natural beauty from sonia kashuk & tar-jay

How to Look Organically Natural

my webgirls at kaboodle.com have gone gaga for this palette from sonia kashuk. sonia makes it easy to look fresh faced, yet still polished and “made up” with her multitasker chock full of earth tone shades and organic formulas for eyes, lips, and cheeks. taking the cake are the super-handy cards tucked behind the mirror with detailed application tips straight from the makeup guru herself! kashuk is a longstanding glossarie fave bringing clever and convenient beauty solutions such as this and this. other how to palettes include “create a smoky eye” and “create the freshness of spring.” check them out and send us your looks!

Posted in blush, bronzer, cheeks, lids, lips, palettes | Leave a comment

stila convertible mascara0

POSTED ON Posted on June 1, 2009 by lara ramos BY lara ramos

i’ve always been a two mascara kind of girl needing one that’s all length, giving me fluttery nearly-natural looking lashes for the work day, and a second that gives voluminous barbarella fierceness for nights out on the town. in my mission to simplify, simplify, simplify i have found the mascara holy grail! stila’s convertible mascara solves both my lash dilemmas bringing two full-size formulas together to define, lengthen, curl, and strengthen. the brush on the left brings length and volume leaving you with gorgeous lashes for daytime and the one on the right packs a definitive punch that separates, thickens & curls causing peepers to POP! since it’s a tube formula, it doesnt flake, smudge or melt down after cocktail-inspired dance offs and it comes off in a cinch with warm water. amazing! at $22, convertible is worth every penny, especially since $11 is about what you pay for one drugstore mascara these days.

out of stock on stila’s website (new shipment coming soon!), you can still snag convertible at sephora!

Posted in eyes, lashes | Leave a comment

coola suncare0

POSTED ON Posted on May 31, 2009 by lara ramos BY lara ramos

organic moisturizing skincare? sounds almost too good to be true! well believe it, baby. this truly is prestige suncare with advanced sun protection at the right price. created by a sibling pair on a mission to bring luxe sun safety to eco-conscious consumers, coola is designed to care for and protect those of us who want to keep our skin healthy without the need to apply harmful ingredients. while i’m not always impressed with the strength of certified organic products, coola has proven its weight in gold! this complete line includes products for lips, face, body, and even an ultra sweat-resistant sport version that’s endorsed by the american lifeguard association. coola products come in yummy scents like mango, plumeria, cucumber, and peppermint-vanilla. (each product also comes in an unscented formula perfect for manfriends.) i’m loving the liplux and total body spf 30. so come on, all the coola kids are doin’ it!

Posted in body, skin | Leave a comment

crazylibellule and the poppies2

POSTED ON Posted on May 29, 2009 by lara ramos BY lara ramos

i’m a sucker for simplicity which may be why i’m head over heels for these too-adorable-for-words solid scents that hail from the uber-luxe par-ee (ok, paris). but don’t let that fool you. no larger than your favorite lipgloss, crazysticks by crazylibellule and the poppies are packaged in ecological cardboard tubes and are also alcohol, paraben & artificial coloring-free! like a little kiss to your skin, each stick boasts its own unique combination of single notes. my two personal favorites are blue orchidee (orange, jasmine, vanilla, tangerine & sandalwood) and in love (berry, black pepper, tea, rose). they travel unbelievably well and are sure to bring endless compliments, especially when dabbed at the nape of the neck.

the best part? they are under $20 and while you could previously only find crazysticks at anthropologie (on occasion) and various online retailers, but they are now sold at sephora!

Posted in fragrance | 2 Comments

the body shop hot brights collection1

POSTED ON Posted on May 27, 2009 by lara ramos BY lara ramos

the body shop brings us dyanic duos for summer 'o9

i have been loving the makeup collections from the body shop as of late! last year i couldn’t get enough of the blushing daisies and now i’m drooling over the hot brights collection for summer 2009! comprised of seven limited edition multitasking duos, hot brights is all about vibrant color in fun graffiti-themed compacts. since each product doubles your money with two-shades-in-one this collections is very moderately priced. i have already scooped up the lip shine/cheek stain in shade 01 (looks amazing on! step 1: stain, step 2: gloss = stunning corally pink lips) and i’m heading out this weekend to pluck up the blush.

for more fun: pop on over to the body shop’s blog for some great photos, genius tips & tricks for this uber fab cosmetic collection

Posted in blush, bronzer, cheeks, eyes, lids, lips | 1 Comment

smashbox single eyeshadow in honey3

POSTED ON Posted on May 26, 2009 by lara ramos BY lara ramos

dean factor, president of smashbox cosmetics, is an alumni of the university where i spend my work-filled days and mba class-filled nights. lucky me, that means i’ve met him & even picked his brain on the secret of success.

grandsons of the max factor, dean & bro davis launched an uber successful photography studio and later the cosmetic line we’ve come to know and love. big supporters of the belief that good ideas can come from anywhere (the name from smashbox studios came from their british chef!), the duo also backed & launched stila (another glossarie fave!) after witnessing the brilliance of one of their makeup artists in mixing her own color and lip polishes.

history aside, my favorite smashbox item to date is the single eye shadow in honey. it’s my go-to shadow for everyday perfectly brightening and enhancing my sleepy peepers. the formula has a gorgeous cashmere texture that’s hypo-allergenic, a big plus for the eye area and to keep things even more simple, i prefer to apply it with my index finger.

do you have a smashbox favorite? if so, tell us!

Posted in eyes, lids | 3 Comments

bliss best of skintentions daily moisturizer spf 150

POSTED ON Posted on May 24, 2009 by lara ramos BY lara ramos

bliss’ latest moisture creation boasts SPF 15 sun protection for all skin types, though i would recommend it most for those who need an oil-free lotion (due to sunscreen’s natural mattifying effects). perfect for everyday, best of skintentions goes on cushiony soft and smells delightful! it’s lightweight, absorbs quickly and the scent of mandarin oranges wakes me up each morning. while $30 may be a bit more than some would like to pay for a daily moisturizer, a little goes alow way, leaving your face blissfully protected, especially from future lines and wrinkles.

tell us! how do you invest in your complexion?

Posted in skin | Leave a comment