Mother's Day Preview at the Plaza Beauty

Mother's Day is coming up.... just a few more days! On my way to the Mother's Day preview event at the Plaza Beauty last week on my chariot (Just kidding!) I learned about some new brands that I have to share, including TOCCA & Jemma Kidd and learned more about a current favorite, JUARA Skincare.

I took a picture of this horse/carriage right outside of Central Park which is next to the Plaza Beauty. ;)


Here is a delicious sampling of JUARA Skincare products, including their Candlenut body cream, which smells delicious, Turmeric Tamarind mask, Candlenut Body Polish, and more! I'm a fan of their Sweet Black Tea & Rice moisturizer (Thanks to @MegsMakeup) and got samples of their new mattefying moisturizer! Can't wait to try this! See more at http://www.juaraskincare.com

What else can you gift your Mom this Mother's Day?
TOCCA Beauty has amazing fragrances, inspired by famous icons such as Cleopatra, Brigitte and Stella! Each have unique scents and notes but all smell really good! I can imagine myself wearing them all- depending on my mood of course. In addition to their Eau de Parfums, they boast solid perfumes, lip glosses, bath & body products, as well as Suncare towelettes! Learn more at: http://www.tocca.com/

If you've seen Jemma Kidd at Target, may I introduce to you Jemma Kidd Makeup School products. These are for professional makeup artists or if you're looking for products that have a teaching manual behind it. Each product has a quick guide so you're equipped with using their tools correctly! Look at all the fun products they have!
Learn more at: http://www.jemmakidd.com/

At the Plaza Beauty, I met the designer and her sister who design & sell these beautiful, Italian leather/suede handbags called Torregrossa. All made in the USA (NY, actually) but use hardwear and materials from Italy, since they're from Sicily! The design on the right is one I was eyeing... simply gorgeous! (and lightweight too!)
Learn more at: http://www.Torregrossafashions.com

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Beautylish NYC Spring Trends event

Earlier in April, right after IMATS (International Makeup Artist Trade Show) in NYC, I attended the NYC Beautylish Spring Trends event. If you haven't heard of or (gasp) checked out Beautylish.com yet, click here now! This site offers beauty-everything- tips, tricks, reviews and videos! Plus, they also have Ning Chao as their new beauty director whose magazine experience includes Marie Claire, Glamour, In Style, Vogue, etc.

At the event, I got to chat w/ my blogger pals & meet new ones too (I met MissGlamorazzi from YouTube there- super nice!!), while sipping drinks & snacking on desserts and learning about new products!


They offered makeovers using Bare Escentuals products and I got a mini lip makeover with Tarte's LipSurgence- moisturizing lipstick pencil.

Check out the rest of the photos of the Beautylish event...

	An upclose picture of the Tarte LipSurgence's! Gorgeous colors- super moisturizing and love that you don't need to sharpen.. just twist! Sorry for the blurry pic!
	Bare Escentual's Flawless Definition mascara- this was ok for me- had a few flakes but I'll keep using it to see if I still like it.
	The display of products (including Tarte and others..) :)

Thank to Beautylish.com and their team for hosting such a fun event!


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Belli Skincare Products for Moms & Babies - as featured at the NYC Getting Gorgeous event

Belli Skincare products were featured at the NYC Getting Gorgeous event earlier in April. At the event, bloggers were able to take home samples of their Eye Brightening Cream, Acne Cleansing Facial Wash, & Diaper Rash cream- safe skincare products for mothers, pregnant women and babies! This line uses ingredients that are safe to use around babies, so basically anyone can use them, except for the diaper-rash unless you're a baby!

Thinking of Mother's Day gifts? Check out the rest of the Belli Skincare products...

	This basket full of samples includes their baby diaper rash cream and Acne facial cleansing wash. Some women may get acne flareups while pregnant, so this exfoliating wash is meant to help clear out your pores without using harsh chemicals. Instead, they use lemon peel oil, green tea extracts and cucumber. I liked the fresh scent to this.
	The Eye Brightening Cream contains Vitamin K that is supposed to help revive tired eyes. I haven't been using this that long so my dark circles are not completely gone. But my eyes look a bit brighter when I use this and the area feels more moisturized and cooling.

Check out the rest of the Belli Skincare products at http://www.belliskincare.com/


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Go Green for Mother's Day with Wembe & Yes to Blueberries

Mother's Day is a week away and in case you haven't thought of gifts yet here are a few more ideas. (See my purple-themed gift ideas here.) These are a few natural- green- products that your mom can enjoy. Can't choose among these suggestions? Put all these items in a cute tote bag or basket for MOM!

1) Wembe Amazonian Soul soaps- They sell 100% natural & organic soaps and every whiff of each soap makes you feel like you're in the Amazon! The scents are amazingly raw- and their latest Assai Berry Antioxidant soap is no different. It's light berry scent and moisturizing formula with jojoba oil makes your skin feel incredibly moisturized and natural. The antioxidants in this fruit is great for mature skin but anyone can reap its benefits. Treat your mom to an eco-lux soap this Mother's Day!

See my past review of their Yerba Mate exfoliating soap at PrettyCity.com's Green & Gorgeous event.

2) Yes to Blueberries Age Refresh Overnight Hydrating Cream- Blueberries is another powerful antioxidant and this facial cream will help your mom look younger. How so? This light cream is extremely hydrating, formulated with shea butter, blueberries' rich antioxidants, noni fruit and sunflower seed oil. These ingredients combined have made my skin feel supple and even a bit oilier than normal. For those with dryer skin, this would work much better. For me, I will have to wait until the winter months again and just use this sparingly during this time of the year. And did I mention how smooth my skin looked after just one application? :) Get them here at yestocarrots.com

You can win this on FreeBeautyEvents.com April's monthly contest- see details here.

(Disclaimer: I received this soap from this company & the cream from freebeautyevents.com to test, try and share my thoughts with my readers.)

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Fabulous Spring Haircuts You Should Try

Fabulous Spring Haircuts You Should Try

Temperatures are rising and trends are shifting, which means it's time for a hair change. See what cuts are hot right now

This is a TotalBeauty.com haircut article Here to give us the 411 on the hottest haircuts from the runway and red carpet is celebrity hairstylist and trend-spotter Abby Schlenger. She shares what cuts are "in" and which will look best on you. See haircuts

Promise Me fragrance to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation

This month I attended the launch of the fragrance, Promise Me, which is the first fragrance to benefit breast cancer research with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. TPR Holdings who has worked with the foundation to launch Promise Me, will be donating a million this year to Komen.

Not only is this scent cause-worthy, the combined floral & citrus scents make Promise Me an unforgettable gift for your mum this year. Each purchase will help raise money for this foundation and you'll also receive, for a limited-time only, the book Promise Me, a personal memoir about the founder of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation and her sister, Suzy.

Promise Me comes in an Eau de Parfum for $59 (available at large department stores such as Lord & Taylor, Dillard's, Sephora at JC Penney, etc.) and an Eau de Toilette for $20. Both fragrances comes in beautiful packaging- decorative box and glass (I believe) bottle. For more information, go to: www.promisemefragrance.com

What's in Promise Me?


Here are the notes such as mandarin & blood orange that are used to create the scent of Promise Me.


A delicious cupcake tree!

(Disclaimer: I received this product from this company's PR agency to test, try and share my thoughts with my readers.)

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Get Purple for Mother's Day!

May 8 is Mother's Day! It's two weeks away and I wanted to do a quick gift guide of some items that your mom may like, esp. if you're having trouble thinking of gift ideas. To kick it off, here are two items I've been using this month- the Alicia Silverstone by EcoTools train case and the Soap & Paper Factory hand cream.

	This month, the EcoTools by alicia silverstone collection launched and one of the products I got to preview was the train case. In the gorgeous purple floral pattern, the train case made of natural hemp & cotton, is the perfect sized makeup case to carry your essentials and more! Your mum will love this for travel and/or storage.
	Keep your hands moisturized and soft with the Soap & Paper Factory Hand Cream in Lavender as a gift for your mum, grandma, sis, friend or even yourself. The lavender scent is extremely calming and I love how this is natural lotion is free of parabens so you get nothing but the best for your skin.

Try these green, I mean purple-themed gifts for your mom today!

(Disclaimer: I received this product from this company's PR agency to test, try and share my thoughts with my readers.)

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FlipOut Sandals - Spotted at the Getting Gorgeous event

	Are you a fan of flipflops and charms? Well, let me introduce you to FlipOut Sandals! I first learned about them at the NYC Getting Gorgeous event earlier in April. I saw their booth and thought to myself how pretty these gorgeous bling were on sandals. Basically they sell the charms and the sandals and you can switch out the charms (easy to twist!) so it looks like you're wearing a brand new pair. Their charms from their Crystal Couture Collection contains crystal adorned flowers, butterflies, hearts and more! Their flipflops also come in four basic colors- black, silver, copper, and white.
Follow @FlipOutSandals on Twitter! FlipOut Sandals were giving Getting Gorgeous attendees a free pair of sandals and I lucked out by getting a pair of black ones which comes with a black rose with silver trim and a silver rose with gold trim (as shown below.) They're regular flip flops with comfy straps and fit well. These cost $20 which are a good deal since it is like getting 2 pairs in 1! If you prefer, FlipOut also has jellies! Can't wait to wear these this summer!!

Want to get save 20% on your FlipOut Sandals order?

Simply enter GORG at checkout and save 20%! Expires 12/31/11.

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Zoya Nail Polish Exchange 2011

The 2011 Zoya Nail Polish Exchange is back for one week only! It started April 20 and ends next Wednesday, April 27, 2011. Similar to last year, you get to choose from their wide array of colors (just select a minimum of 6 nail polishes) and pay $4 for shipping & handling for each bottle. Considering each bottle is $8, it's a good deal! In exchange for this offer, they ask that you send your old polish bottles (anything BUT Zoya of course!) back to their warehouse so they can recycle it. Last year, they wanted you to send in the polishes first in order to receive your new Zoya polishes. However, this year they changed the rules a bit and it is not even a requirement for you to exchange, though they highly encourage it. Hmm.. sounds like it may have been a bit of a hassle for them last year.
Anyway, get your Zoya Exchange on before the deal ends!!

For more details, go to: http://www.zoya.com/content/38/category/Nail_Polish_Exchange.html

Use this code to get the deal..
EARTHZOYA

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Tom's of Maine Natural Beauty Bar Soaps

At the EcoStilleto.com's Green Girls Night Out last month, Tom's of Maine was there to showcase some of their new products. (Check out my review on their oral care products, including their new Whitening Toothpaste) They have lots of eco-friendly products, from mouthwash to floss to deodorant!

What caught my eye was their display above of Tom's of Maine new beauty bars, including their Gently Exfoliating soap with exfoliating apricot seeds & Sensitive soap with soothing chamomile. One of the first soaps I tried was their Daily Moisture bar with olive oil & vitamin E (got this in my PrettyCity Green & Gorgeous goodie bag) which I really liked. It smells nice and left my skin smooth and moisturized. :)

Learn more about the other soaps...

Gently Exfoliating Soap- this soap smells exactly like the Daily Moisture bar but has little dots (which are made of apricot seeds) to exfoliate your skin. It contains the benefits of vitamin E and olive oil but also scrubs dead skin cells so you don't have to use an additional loofah if you don't have one. I was hoping this would be a bit more apricot-scented but it still smells really nice. It's not harsh at all so definitely like this!

Sensitive Soap with Soothing Chamomile- this soap is also like the Daily Moisture bar but has an additional ingredient- chamomile! It's soothing properties left my skin feeling really nice and the overall aroma was calming. It's great to use after a long day of work and you want to relax with a (almost) hot shower. I have sensitive skin too but all the other soaps were fine for me too.

(Disclaimer: I received this product from this company's PR agency to test, try and share my thoughts with my readers.)

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Natural Hair and Makeup Looks

11 Copy-Worthy Natural Hair and Makeup Looks

Look like you, but better with these natural hair and makeup looks

This is a TotalBeauty.com natural makeup article While achieving the ever-elusive natural, no-makeup makeup look seen on celebs takes a bit more effort than rolling out of bed, it does take a heck of a lot less time and effort than a smoky eye or perfecting bold red lips when done correctly. See tips

Celebrate Earth Day!

Celebrate Earth Day this Friday, April 22, by being more eco-conscious with everything you do. Take a walk or bike to work, if possible. Save paper by not printing waste. Turn off your lights when you leave the room and don't leave the faucet on when brushing your teeth! Simple, easy things you can do everything to make a difference! If you're in NYC, check out the Earth Day Festival at Grand Central station! There will be lots of great exhibitions and sponsors including Larabar and Wembe Amazonian Soul (incl. their new ecofriendly soap Assai Berry Antioxidant!) :)

Will check it out this weekend and return w/ more pictures!


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