Product of the week- October 16th, 2008

Well BGND readers...I have a confession. In general, I do not like foundation. I find nine times out of ten it is too dark or too light or too cakey or too thin...and in a lot of cases, I find that the person wearing the foundation does not need the layers of make-up they have on.

However, I do see the merits of a good foundation and what it can do for an uneven skin tone and for someone who is needing a boost of confidence. Well, today's product of choice is a foundation and a fantastic one at that.

L'Oreal True Match Foundation - $10.95 (Drugstores nationwide)

This foundation is FANTASTIC. As I explained above, it is hard to impress me with foundation. However, I recently had an occasion for which I HAD to wear foundation so because of the Allure endorsement I decided to give it a try. I was blown away. This foundation goes on smoothly, covers without being too thick or streaky and really does blend into your skin better than some counter foundations I have tried. Oh and by the way - it only costs $10!!!

This is now a permanent member of my make-up bag - a foundation- who knew?!

Keep looking fabulous!

BGND

Tubs of creamy goodness....

I don't know if all of you out there in BGND land have hopped on the smudge pot aka cream liner movement, but I am ALL on board. I have experimented many times with these pots of eyeliner fabulousness and I am always happy and willing to drop another chunk of change on the latest color or brand that I have found, tried and loved.

These smudge pots are a good bang for the buck, totally versatile and a fun mix up tool when it comes to the smokey eye. This fall, the smokey eye has veered more towards grey than black and a smudgeable line is really the only way to go to get this look the way it should be.

There are many of these eyeliner creams on the market but today I am going to simply list the ones I prefer that come in "tub" version. The following is a list of the best of the best, all of which come in a variety of colors and textures and any of them will do a good job for any BGND reader out there.

So have fun, mix and match these colors/pots and you will never go back to a pencil eyeliner whether you are looking for a deep line or a perfect smudge.

1 - Stila Smudge Pots - $18 (Sephora and department stores nationwide)
2 - Smashbox Cream Eyeliner - $22 (Sephora nationwide)
3 - Makeup ForEver Cream Liner - $20 (Sephora nationwide)

4 - Clinique Brush On Cream Liner - $14.50 (Sephora and Clinique counters nationwide)

A side note on the cream tubs....you will need a small liner brush to pull of this look the way it should be....any eyeliner brush should do the trick but my personal pick?

Stila's #28 Smudge and Line brush - $32 (Sephora and Stila nationwide)

Pricey for sure, but this brush has a flexible tip for applying the smudge liner as well as a fatter "brush" like tip to smudge - SO GREAT!

Keep looking fabulous - smokey eyes and all!

BGND

Love, Angel, Music, Baby...hurry up and come and save me....

Saving me money and smelling good at the same time- LOVE IT.

As we all know, Gwen Stefani is taking over the world. Most of her creations are fabulous in the opinion of BGND (I especially love the Harajuku Lovers bags!!) and her latest outing is fab for a new reason- it is BGND related.

Introducing....

The Harajuku Lovers Fragrance Collection - $25 - $45 (Fine department stores nationwide)

I am completely in love with this fragrance collection right now. There are so many reasons that this is the next thing I will be spending BGND money on...

1 - How cute is that packaging?

2 - With 5 different fragrances there truly is something for everyone.

3 - The price cannot be beat for a quality perfume.

4 - Gwen Stefani is awesome with two kids, a killer career and a gorgeous husband (okay perhaps this last one is a bit biased and not having much to do with the fragrance but still true!)

Anyhoo, I of course noticed this collection because of it's catchy ad campaign and clever bottles....then when I sniffed I was blown away by the fact that these perfumes actually smell great. Now granted, I do not love all 5 of the scents for me personally but I can appreciate that they will appeal to all kinds of BGND readers. My personal favorite scent is in the pic above- Music.

I beg you to run over to your local Macy's and either sample all five or ask for the small promotional booklet that has all five fragrances for you to sample.

I think you will love it as I do.....

Keep looking fabulous (and smelling great!)

BGND

Cheap Trick...

As all of you BGND readers know...I LOVE a good bargain.

Well my fave new bargain?

Rimmel London Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil - $3.49 (Drugstores nationwide and online at drugstore.com)

This eyeliner is fantastic. It goes on smoothly, deposits deep color and can stay in a strong line or can be easily smudged. There are 10 awesome colors so you can get good basics like black or brown plus fun trendy colors like my current fall fave "Loveable lilac". I was a bit hesitant to try Rimmel (I am a fan of the wonderfully cheap Wet n' Wild and Rimmel scares me a little bit because of Kate Moss). But I am so glad I gave this eyeliner a shot...I am pretty sure that it is going to replace my other drugstore go-to eyeliner. In fact, this liner is similar to what Mac sells for 5 times the cost.

Give it a try and have a great weekend!!

Keep looking fabulous,

BGND

Product of the week- October 9th, 2008

As all of you BGND readers know, there are a few basic beauty necessities that it always feels like you are looking for. Either you have been making do with something that isn't quite up to snuff or you are just itching for a new product or maybe you are just itchy and your skin is dry!

Well today I introduce to you my favorite new daytime face lotion with SPF.

Eucerin Everyday Protection Face Lotion SPF 30 - $7.82 (Drugstores and Target nationwide, online at Drugstore.com)

Finally a day lotion I LOVE. And I honestly mean I love it. It moisturizes, it protects (why are so many face lotions out there only SPF 15- argh!), it is scent-free and it is safe for all skin types. In a word, this lotion is FANTASTIC. It is lightweight but gives you great coverage and it doesn't try to do too much. It simply does what it should. There are no anti-agers or special oxygen additives or miracle elements made to match your skin tone. It keeps your skin supple and wrinkle free. What is not to love?

One word to the wise, I had heard of this miracle lotion but had a bit of a hard time finding it. I went to two stores till I was successful at the third (Target). Also, $8 might seem like a lot for what is a relatively small bottle but to BGND it is a well spent $8. I have a new day lotion that I will be using for years to come. Well moisturized, no wrinkles and clear skin are all I see in my future!

Hooray!

Keep looking fabulous!

BGND

Trying to spread good will not bad...

Hey BGND readers!!

First off, my apologies that it has been nearly a week since I posted. We have had some issues with our Internet lately...mainly that it was out for 5 straight days! All is fixed now and instead of being angry and bitter that our Internet was out for no good reason (argh!) I am going to try to spread some good will.

So with that in mind, I bring you a little charity love.

As most of you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. And each October, most major brands in the country open their arms wide to this very worthy cause and offer products that donate some or all of their proceeds to Breast Cancer research. Now if you are like me, all of that pink can be dizzying and sometimes I do not know where to start. Not this year! I have found my Breast Cancer Research Foundation product of choice...and wouldn't you know it- it is BGND approved.

Too Faced Cosmetics Betsy Baby Duo Eyeshadow - $17 (Sephora nationwide and online at Sephora.com)

$6 of the price of this item will go to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (And it is a limited edition available only at Sephora- so strike while the iron is hot!)

Now I will grant you, here at BGND we are on a bit of a Too Faced Cosmetics kick. But there is another reason that we chose this particular product for your hard earned money. The colors are fantastic and it is an affordable and stylish way to donate to an important cause. These are nice neutrals that will work on most skin tones and the color truly lasts.

Now if this eyeshadow isn't your cup of tea, there are plenty of BCA products being carried by Sephora and there is something for everyone.

http://sephora.com/browse/section.jhtml;jsessionid=AICMZSP3OP1AKCV0KRRQX0Q?categoryId=C15188

So get out there and spend some quality money on a quality product going to a quality cause.

Keep looking fabulous!

BGND

The Limited...

Hey BGND gals!

First off, sorry for my spotting posting the past little while...I am in the middle of opening a new show and my time is not my own. I will try to keep up with everything!

So as you all know, Sephora is every beauty gals go-to store. Well right now in honor of their 10 year anniversary they are bringing back some "Limited Edition" collections...some of the best of the best items they have had over the past 10 years. Here at BGND we are totally excited about this! These are the best products Sephora has had to offer since we all started shopping there and now they are all there at once and in complete collections to boot.

The one I am most excited about?

The Too Faced Quickie Collection - $59.10

(8 vintage lip gloss, shadow and blush colors)

I have used the Quickie Collections over the years and have discovered some of my favorite blush and eye shadows this way...they are a great way to get more bang for your buck.

I am off to Sephora today to pick up this item and some of the other Limited Editions.....check them out!

Keep looking fabulous!

BGND