Watered down...

Have you seen all the water-related beauty products out there? I am all about hydration so I am super curious if any of these work...Anything to get all my BGNDers drinking more water.

The two "beauty drinks" most intriguing are:

1 - Glowelle (by Nestle)


Glowelle is touting itself as your skin's needed dietary supplement to help nourish and moisturize from the inside out. It contains Vitamins A, C and E plus some other proven anti-agers. It comes in pre-packaged beverages or in the those handy little packets you add to your own bottle of water and in Natural Raspberry Jasmine or Natural Pomegranate Lychee flavors. All in all seems like a pretty good product. However, I can only find it on ebay or at Neiman Marcus. And yes I love water and I love the idea of a new product to make my skin glow but only available at limited places and for more than I would like to pay...hmmm...

2 - Crystal Light Skin Essentials (by Kraft)



This is the more accessible of the "beauty drinks" out there. Sold wherever Crystal Light is, this product has very similar ingredients to Glowelle (vitamins A, C and E etc...) but only comes in the powder to add to your own water. The flavors here are a bit more exciting as well - Pomegranate Lemonade and White Peach Tea. Not backed up by the fancy marketing of Glowelle, this product seems just as good just for less coin.

All in all I am intrigued but not sold on these beauty drinks. Do they work because of the ingredients or just because you are drinking more water? Do they work at all? And is it worth the investment?

My vote is to buy these if you need inspiration or a real helping hand in getting your water intake to where it should be on a daily basis. For me, I will wait till I get a coupon and then report back. But for now, I will be sticking with basic H2O.

Keep looking fabulous,
BGND

A friendly reminder for your Friday...

I know that I am like a broken record with the sunscreen talk here at BGND. But what can I say? Not only did I have one too many burns on my fair, freckled skin as a child...I want to get as few wrinkles as possible!!

But of course the number one reason to use sunscreen is not for vanity but for health. While many dismiss skin cancer as an easy cancer, it still is the big C and should not be taken lightly. However, if caught early skin cancer is 99% curable.

So this is my gentle reminder to go get a body check by your dermatologist if you haven't been in a while. (Ideally you should be doing this at a minimum of once a year while checking your own skin on a monthly basis.) Now, perhaps you do not have insurance (46 million Americans do not) but just because you don't have insurance doesn't mean you have to skip your yearly dermatologist visit.

Neutrogena and The American Academy of Dermatology are providing free skin cancer screenings during the months of May, June and July. Simply visit aad.org or neutrogenaskinhealth.com to find a screening in your area.

Now you have no excuses.

Have a fab weekend!
BGND

Hairspray Hoopla...

YAY!
My current container of hairspray has officially run out which means I now have a legitimate reason to go out and get this uber-trendy spray I have had my eye on... (yes sadly, I have been waiting to purchase hairspray - but hey- waste not want not right?)...Anyway, I digress.

Elnett Hairspray by L'oreal is THE hairspray to have. For years this gleaming gold spray can was only available outside the US for purchase (boo). But that didn't stop it from being the go-to hair hold product for every fashion show, hair stylist and beauty junkie the world over. For a little while now it has been available at Target for the low price of $14.99 (hooray!) and I have been waiting to buy it.

I will definitely keep you all posted on this baby and let you know if the hype is true and if this Rolls Royce of hairsprays really is the best of the best.

Happy Wednesday and keep looking fab!
BGND

Facial Freebie!!!

In this lovely economic climate- everybody wants something for nothing. Problem is, most of what is out there for free- isn't really worth the time/effort for what you get. That is SO not the case with today's free find - for a limited time Origins is offering not one but two fabulous freebies!!

A FREE sample of their breakthrough exfoliator - Modern Friction and...
A FREE mini-facial.
Yes......love it!

Modern Friction is a new product from Origins meant to replace the ever effective, ever popular and ever harsh microdermabrasion.


It uses all natural rice (yup rice) to effectively, naturally and gently reveal the youthful skin hiding under your current skin. Sounds intriguing no? And oh by the way, the cost difference is huge (as you can imagine) as a full size Modern Friction only goes for $37. ( Compare that to hundreds and even thousands of dollars for dermatologist administered microdermabrasion.)

So of course you are wondering- how do I get my hands on this free sample and free mini-facial? There are two very easy options...

1 - Through the Origins website you can get a free sample and free shipping through 5/31/09 simply by entering the code - REAL SIMPLE in at checkout (thank you Real Simple mag!!)

2 - To get your free mini-facial, call or visit your local Origins counter or store and set up an appointment. To find a location near you, call 1-800-ORIGINS (and select #2). I am not sure if you get a free sample this way or if they just use the product on you during the free facial...

Whichever option you go for - enjoy your new glowing skin courtesy of Origins and Real Simple magazine.

Keep looking fabulous,
BGND

Safety First!

Today I present you with the perfect kit for anyone who either needs sunscreen, loves sunscreen, hates sunscreen or is afraid of sunscreen...so yup- this baby is perfect for everyone.Introducing the Sephora Sun Safety Kit - ONLY $22.50!!

This product smorgasbord is amazing. It comes chock full of 13 different kinds of sun protection for you to try, love, hate or pass along to friends. This is perfect if....

1 - You are someone who knows you need sunscreen but you don't have a go-to favorite.

2 - You love to try new things out and have expensive taste for brands like Murad, Peter Thomas Roth and Clarins - but you don't have the deep pockets to match.

3 - You want to be prepared with a ton of mini sized bottles to throw in your purse, your car, in your airline carry-on...basically wherever the wind takes you.

I could go on and on with all the reasons that this kit is a winner but I will stop at three. Seriously though, you get an array of choices from full body sun care, to eye care to facial care and these are from some amazing brands. And it all comes in a very Eco-friendly brightly colored back-pack for the summer season. This baby is available online and in stores so it is an easy buy for those who love the brick and mortar shopping experience and those who prefer the web.

Sunscreen at your local drugstore can be $8 and up and here you get 13 small bottles for less than $23! Perhaps you will find your new summer love here instead of on the beach...

Happy Monday and keep looking fabulous!
BGND

Friday Fun!!!

So today's blog post comes from my good friend and loyal reader Beth....

As you know Clinique has been having their usual "Gift with Purchase" the past few months. But as we all also know, sometimes you just can't get to the store and do we all really use the same color lipstick?

Well Clinique has finally caught on to the fact that they should do "GWP" in a more up-to-date way - ONLINE of course! On Clinique's website you not only get a GWP - you can customize it!! And for Mother's Day (you folks didn't forget that it is this Sunday did you?), they are throwing in FREE shipping with any Mother's Day gift purchase or any purchase over $40.

Sounds like the perfect excuse to either shop for yourself (yay treat!) or make that last minute Mom's day buy....

Thanks for the 411 Beth! (A fab Mom herself!)

Have a great weekend and keep looking fabulous,
BGND

Product of the week - May 7th, 2009

Man is it HOT in LA right now. I am all for nice weather but 99 degrees?! Seriously?!!

Anyhoo, all this heat and sunshine has got me thinking of one of my most trusted beauty weapons- SUNSCREEN of course! Now I know you are all sick to death of hearing it from me and every other beauty type out there but sunscreen really is the #1 thing you can do for your skin. It prevents fine lines and wrinkles and of yeah- skin cancer. It should be your best friend. So today I bring you a sunscreen related POTW.



Lubriderm Daily Moisture with SPF 15 Lotion - $8.29 (Drugstores nationwide and online at Drugstore.com)I gotta tell you BGND-ers...This lotion should be your "it" product of the summer (or if you live in a sunny state- all year long.) This lotion is not only hydrating and moisturizing, it comes with an SPF 15 and miraculously it is NON-GREASY. That's right, with this miracle worker you can get your daily skin smoothness and the protection you need without feeling like you are covered in butter. Plus, when the weather gets really warm no one wants to slather on hot and greasy sunscreen on top of their lotion (ironically of course this happens when we need SPF the most).

So here is the time-saver that does it all- gets you what you need for moisture, protects you and does so in an affordable way. It really is the best of the the lotion/SPF combos out there.

I LOVE this stuff!!

Keep looking fabulous,
BGND

P.S. If you do live somewhere with lots of sunny days- you may want to consider this a winter weapon and just suck it up in the summer with a higher SPF...just a word to the wise.

Daily BGND

I know that all you BGND folks are super tech savvy Internet kids....and as a result I assume a good many of you are hooked up with the awesome folks over at Daily Candy. As you know, Daily Candy is a fab free email service keeping you up to date on all things stylish, trendy and of the moment.

Well, imagine my surprise when in today's Daily Candy Deals there was something that totally applied to BGND?
The folks at Daily Candy have partnered with Being TRUE (a great cosmetics and skincare company) to give their readers one killer Tuesday morning. Being TRUE is giving away 1500 (!!!) FULL SIZE bottles (!!!) of their Youth Recovery Complex Serum (worth $110)!!!




So clearly this is a no-brainer! If you get Daily Candy- check your inbox. And if you don't and want one of those bottles of youth juice (and btw - who doesn't?)- simply go to the Daily Candy website and click on DEALS (bottom right hand corner of the page). From there, you will be directed to the DEALS section and the link for the Being True giveaway is at the bottom.

LOVE FREE STUFF!!!

Keep looking fabulous,
BGND

April Showers Bring May Flowers...

Spring is officially here folks! The birds are starting to chirp, the sky is blue and (hopefully) the sun is shining!! What does this mean for all you fantastic BGNDers? Easy...It is time to mix things up.

Now, there is no hard and fast skincare rule that says you MUST change your routine when the weather changes. In fact, some of you won't have to (lucky!) But for most of us, I think it is a good idea. Keep using a night cream, but perhaps lay off the super rich options and go for something equally hydrating and age-defying - like a cooling gel. And shame on you- if you haven't been using a moisturizer with SPF or a daily sunscreen you better start NOW!!!

My major switch up? My eye cream. In the winter, my lids and the delicate under-eye area get so sensitive and dry that I have to bring in this heavy hitter. My winter eye cream is one of my absolute favorite products and they do actually make it in a lighter version that is wonderful for the warmer months.

However, in a constant effort to save a few greenbacks I am trying something new this year.

Garnier Nutritioniste Skin-Renew Anti Sun-Damage Daily Eye Cream SPF 15


So the name of this new eye cream is ridiculously long but I am so excited to try it. I have always been a fan of the Garnier eye creams in the past and I am sure that this new one will not disappoint. The biggest selling point for me is that it is equipped with a lovely SPF 15. I don't know about you but I have a hard time with sensitivity and regular sunscreen on my eye area. And we all know that our stylish sunglasses help a bit with protection for the most delicate part of the face but they don't offer as much protection as they should. So here is a great alternative- a lightweight, effective eye cream with the added bonus of SPF- yay!

I picked this up at Wal-mart yesterday and I am totally excited to try it. I will keep you posted!

Have a great Monday and keep looking fabulous,
BGND