Viva Woman

From the Splendicity community comes this week’s best reads in beauty, fashion and shopping:

BEAUTY

• Beautiful Makeup Search picks some great makeup for the multi-tasking Mom.
• NY Spender loves her new T3 Tourmaline wet-to-dry flat iron!
• ParisB of My Women Stuff shares some thought on the new Origins Organics face lotion.
• Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog interviews MAC Cosmetics Senior Makeup Artist Jennifer Karsten and gets the skinny on how it’s like to work with Kanye West.
• Beauty Bento Box learns a thing or two about eye makeup via a MAC fafi eye makeover.
• Beauty Secrets Revealed shares a Tropical Hair Conditioner Recipe for Silky and Shiny Hair
• Beauty and Fashion Tech tries out a number of products from the new Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Line and posts a picture of the completed look.
• Beauty Match discovers Cossidia Rejuvenating Capsules: Nanotechnology skincare!

FASHION

• Style…a work in progress ponders whether jewelry can have the evil eye when she says ” Wish me luck!“
• Petite Fashionista got an email from Hayden’s Panettiere’s mom and she’s got some exciting news to share Once you read this, you better hurry and grab a ticket to this petite friendly event!
• Sasha of Style Manila discovers a way to wear her vintage silk sari as a dress.
• Tops 2 Bottoms offers the Bandeau One-Piece Swimsuit as a stylish reason to get wet this summer.
• Indie Style File take a long lustful look at Vancouver Fashion Week.
• Shoe Blitz features this chunky heel sandal, which is a great alternative to flats.
• The Space Between My Peers recommends Making Peace With Your Body Image.

SHOPPING

• ShopDiary says Gossip Girl Serena Van der Woodsen’s Burberry Prorsum The Mason Warrior Bag will come in handy when she eventually goes to battle with her arch-nemesis, Georgina Sparks.
• Shopalicious shows you how to impress your Mom on Mother’s Day with this charming Ava Rose wicker handbag — and get 15% off too!
• Her Accessories has been blogging about her favorite picks for Mother’s Day and has posted her favorite picks - sure to win you Mom points!
• All that & a found a gorgeous knife pleat dress that will take you through summer.

Enjoy the reads and have a great weekend!

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From the Splendicity community comes this week’s best reads in fashion, shopping and beauty:

FASHION

• The Space Between My Peers attempts to make some sense out of creams, beiges, and off-whites in Coffee with Cream.
• Style Manila kicks off beach season in ROXY style.
• Tops 2 Bottoms is keeping an eye on a fabulous trend, Dégradé Print.
• Style…a work in progress asks, “Could anything be sweeter than the combination of cupcakes, Hermes, and Chanel?”.

SHOPPING

• Her Accessories is loving these boots from Duo - perfect if you don’t have stick-thin legs!
• ShopDiary reveals her source for wholesale priced Kerastase hair products.
• Shopalicious is upping your beach style ante by giving away this shimmery, Lands’ End woven metallic tote!
• Laya’s EYE is drawn to some very glamorous enamel bangles in pretty colors.

BEAUTY

• Have you ever been to a Spa in a cave? Spa Beautifully shares Spas of America 600th Spa Listing Spa Terra at The Meritage.
• Beauty and Fashion Tech reviews Smashbox Eye Shadow Trios.
• Canadian Beauty found the best mascara ever!
• Beauty Match found Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Nail Color free beauty samples 
• NY Spender finally tries mineral makeup and tests it on her poor colleagues as well!
• Beauty Bento Box experiments and gives a low-down on Beauty Formulas’ Mini Cold Wax Strips.
• Beauty Secrets Revealed shares some Natural Skin Tightening Recipes.
• Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog checks out Dior’s newest summer collection, Goldrush, and gives you pictures and swatches.

Enjoy the reads and have a wonderful weekend!

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Shimmer is in and shimmer is hot.  In fact, the translucent light-reflective colours of shimmering eyeshadows can make you look younger by adding brightness and sparkle into the eyes, which has a flattering anti-ageing effect.  So it’s no wonder that even Benefit Cosmetics is offering mineral loose powder in 10 shimmering shades.  They’re called Lust Dusters and they can be applied on the cheeks and eyes for that irresistible touch of glimmer.  The colors are not only pretty, but they have interesting names to boot. 

1. boom boom (ocean blue)
2. cloud 9 (pink frosting)
3. go go girl (pink rush)
4. goldilocks (golden buttercup)
5. jelly roll (icy lilac)
6. moon doggie (soft mint)
7. nugget (sparkling sand)
8. punk royalty (sparkling grape)
9. snow bunny (snow shimmer)
10. big daddy (not-yet-available)

Only thing is that I have no idea what these Lust Dusters contain in terms of ingredients.  Plus I find the price a bit unflattering though, at US$18 for 1.8g of loose powder, especially when I compare it to the other brands of mineral eyeshadows.    

But if you’re located in US and you buy them now, you get free US standard shipping with the promo code LUSTDUST.  Offer is good till April 15.

As for international customers, you’ll get free shipping for purchases above US$100 with promo code INTLSHIP, with or without Lust Dusters.

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Eucerin is currently promoting its Hyaluron-Filler Range at both Watson’s and Guardian.  Positioned as the new generation in anti-wrinkle care, this range comprise three products which are said to activate the plumping of wrinkles from the inside out:

• Hyaluron-Filler Wrinkle Filling Day Treatment  at S$53.90
• Hyaluron-Filler Wrinkle Filling Night Treatment at S$53.90
• Hyaluron-Filler Wrinkle Filling Eye Treatment at S$51

Hyaluronic what?
This range caught my attention only because I was reading a bit about hyaluronic acid, which is a jelly-like natural substance that fills the space between collagen and elastin fibres in our body with high concentrations found in our connective tissues such as cartilage and joint fluids, and also in skin tissue.   It is said to play an important role in maintaining volume in our skin by plumping up the skin from the inside out and make it appear smooth with their enormous moisture binding capacitiy.   And you would want to know that hyaluronic acid is actually produced in the dermis layers of our skin but as we age, the amount of hyaluronic acid in our skin decreases considerably, and this condition is a major cause for the appearance of deep wrinkles.   

As such, some women have resorted to getting hyaluronic acid fillers to give them smooth, even and youthful skin almost instantly.  However, it should be noted that the fillers, which do come in different varieties, are actually being injected into the skin to plump their skin up and not applied topically.

Which leads me to wonder about the effectiveness of Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Range since we’re talking about external application.

Hyaluronic + Saponin = No Wrinkles?
According to Eucerin, their products contain pure hyaluronic acid and works immediately upon application, attracting moisture from the surrounding to plump up the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.  The products also contain saponin,  a soy bean extract that will aid in the long-term wrinkle filling as this ingredient has been proven as one of the most effective stimulators of hyaluronic acid production.

Ideal Moisturizer Base?
These are the ingredients for Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Wrinkle Filling Day Treatment :

Aqua, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Butylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Homosalate, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycine Soja, Sodium Hyaluronate, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Mica, Methylparaben, Caprylyl Glycol, Trisodium EDTA, Silica, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Propylparaben, BHT, Parfum. 

While studies have declared injections as the most efficient means to deliver additional hyaluronic acid to connective tissue, information in this article from Science & Key Ingredients suggest that when applied to the skin, “hyaluronic acid forms a viscoelastic film in a manner similar to the way it holds water in an intracellular matrix of dermal connective tissue.  This behavior suggests that hyaluronic acid makes an ideal moisturizer base, allowing for delivery of other agents to the skin.  Its ability to retain water causes immediate smoothness to rough skin surfaces and significantly improves skin appearance.” 

This Stuff Really Works?
I tried to look up reviews on the range but there aren’t many.  The only one I found on the day cream from Makeupalley was positive though, and the user gave it a rating of 4 out of 5 and stated that it really plumped up her skin.

Well, I guess the best way to find out if these products work is to actually test them out for ourselves.  I’m actually thinking about the eye treatment because I do need some help from science there.  And since there is a 15% off Eucerin range from now to 10 April, I may just cave in to the temptation.

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