I have hot feet. They don’t stink; they just get really, really hot. (Full disclosure: Sometimes, they get so hot that it wakes me up in the middle of the night and I have to run them under ice-cold bathtub water. So silly, I know.)
So when I heard that Earth Therapeutics was releasing these Clean + Cool Foot Wipes, I had to give them a try. And cool they are. Like little baby-butt wipes for your feet, these soft cotton towelettes are soaked in tea tree oil and smell of mint, making them not only core-temperature cooling, but also energizing and sweet smelling. Plus, they come in this cute reseal-able package small enough to fit in my purse so I can whip them out for insta-foot relief, instead of rolling my feet on just-bought ice-cold water bottles. Which yes, I used to do.
I’ve never once seen a salon staff so smitten with a product. The crew at Vanity wasn’t pushing me to buy it — they honestly just love it (for themselves and their clients). Moroccanoil is a multi-purpose product that uses oils from the Argan tree, which only grows in Morocco.
On Thursday, while I was getting a blow-out for a big NYC event I was off to, Edmondo and Melissa decided to condition my ends after my shampoo and then lather my hair in this miracle product. So what exactly does it do? It’s more like, what doesn’t it do: It sops up the extra oil if you have oily hair; it conditions and glosses if you have dry hair; it’s light and doesn’t weigh locks down; it cures scalp dryness and dandruff; it gives body and softness. Try it when your hair is wet before styling or leave it in overnight to get more out of its miracle powers. It’s safe for color-treated hair, reduces style time and is a UV protector. I know I sound like an infomercial right now, but after just one use, I can see why Vanity is in love. I am too.
High in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, 2,000 women have formed the Targanine Co-operative. They exclusively deal with the Argan Forest — planting new trees and harvesting the Argan almonds. The oil from these nuts is so multipurpose you can eat it — or, as Kiehl’s has discovered, smooth it all over your hair and body.
The skin and hair care mainstay (including ours on Walnut Street!) is launching their newest products this month, all using the oil from the nut, as provided (through fair-trade, of course — the company’s first tread into the world of fair-trade) through the co-op. The Superbly Restorative Body Lotion is really lightweight, helps with elasticity, and improves overall tone and texture. The Superbly Restorative Dry Oil can basically be smeared anywhere that needs hydration and protection—hair (it smoothes split ends and adds a healthy sheen) or skin (on your face and body).
I gave the dry oil a whirl on my gross-from-the-winter skin, and I have to say, it’s almost fascinating how quickly it gets absorbed. Of course, it could be because my skin is like a dry sponge right now, but the formula is certainly very light, yet very moisturizing. I can feel it later in the day in a not-greasy way, and my shoulders don’t look like an ashtray by the end of the day, either.
Just in case it does decide to act like spring around here, it’s nice to know I’m ready.
When I hear that a new product is multipurpose, I usually think of some chemical, irritating cleaner that I use to scrub down my apartment (Cleans your toilet and sink!). But when I tried Philly native Kristin Moses Murray’s Bordeaux Balm, multipurpose never felt so good. This tiny tub is filled with subtle-smelling skin soothing essential oils like grape seed—a salute to her family’s Charlottesville VA winery — cotton seed, soybean and coconut oils, that literally fix any dermis drama: On a recent sojourn to the cooler climate of the Pocono Mountains, it kept my cuticles and nails shiny, my dry elbows smooth, my lips hydrated and my razor burn at bay. Now only if it could clean my apartment. — Andrea Carayiannas
Spring is coming. I’m sure of it. The sun is getting stronger every day, and one of these mornings we are all going to wake up and find that we can, at long last, reach for that darling little sundress we bought when it first hit the racks in February, and has been taunting us from our closet ever since.
While spending Easter in Florida, I noticed one other thing, apart from my wildly untoned arms and winter-pale skin that was somewhat hampering my enjoyment of wearing such dresses: those blemishes that pop up on our shoulders and backs, after months of super dry skin being cooped up under heavy body creams and heavy fabrics. Good thing Clinique recently sent me their Acne Solutions Cleansing Body Bar, which has nicely promised to rid me of these particular troubles, that I may enjoy the clothes I blew my spring budget on that much more.
So far, I’ve only tried it a few times — but it’s got a surprising lather, and I must say, my skin feels literally squeaky clean after using it — it’s almost strange. And the results look promising: as I put on my daily white tank top this morning (sadly, the first of what would be many layers, now that I’m back in Philly), the coast was happily clear.
Every woman has that one item of makeup that she simply won’t leave the house without. For me, and my blond eyelashes, it’s mascara. I look naked and weird and well, about four, without it.
So I was delighted to find, after opening my mail yesterday, that Prescriptives makes about a billion different kinds of mascara, all of which purport to do different things. There are base coats and plumpers and lengtheners and volumizers and ones with staying power — and I’m going to give them a whirl, then report back in a week or two with my findings, so that you may go and simply buy the one that sounds right for you.
It is my happy duty to perform as makeup lab rat.
So let me get back to you on this one.
Prescriptives cosmetics, Bloomingdale’s, King of Prussia, bloomingdales.com.
I spend a lot of time in Bluemercury. You probably do, too.
Meandering (how I most often end up there) is dangerous, as wandering aimlessly among shelves of beauty’s finest products often leads to multiple fabulous — albeit unnecessary (I have 387,462,538,670,431,875 lip glosses) purchases. So, if you’re like me, rejoice: these next two March weekends, our local Bluemercurys are offering us a game plan.
Pop in on the 7th and 8th at Suburban Square, or on the 14th and 15th on Walnut St. for their big beauty event with Laura Mercier. To celebrate the new spring “Just Dreamy” Collection (filled with angelic-hued creamy shadows, sheer lipsticks and a new slew of Shimmer Bloc shades, pictured, which I am particularly a sucker for), six LM makeup artists will be on hand — including director Jarvis Johnson — to give you a complimentary makeup consultation — which is, let’s face it, exactly what we need this time of year when spring is teasing us, and winter is holding on for dear life.
At least we can control the sunny-ness in our makeup.
Laura Mercier event at Bluemercury; call to book a half-hour appointment, Ardmore (610-642-5400) and Philadelphia (215-569-3100), bluemercury.com.
I have a love-hate relationship with waterproof mascara. Who doesn’t? Spending a Saturday night scrubbing it away with industrial-strength eye makeup remover is not my idea of fun. Yet, neither is the alternative: mid day raccoon-eyes.
But my pursuit to find the greatest mascara ended when I tried Clinique’s new Lash Power mascara released last week. The makeup-counter lady suggested it, and my impulse buy paid off. It does everything that great mascara should, yet stayed glued to my eyes while I watched Atonement and through the rainstorm that I had to endure on my way home. And it washes off with warm water and a gentle rub.
The company claims it’s some thermal-sensitive technology that does the trick. Whatever. I call it magic and an answer to my prayers. — Andrea Carayiannas
$14, Available at Clinique, King of Prussia Mall, clinique.com
Chanel Blue Satin nail polish is all the rage these days. The color for spring. The thing among celebs, etc., etc. But there’s a wait list to buy it, it’s so popular. People are selling it on eBay for a gazillion times the normal retail price, it’s in such high demand. And don’t get me wrong, it’s awesome. Like, seriously awesome. But a wait list? For nail polish? You gotta be friggin’ kidding me.
Here’s a tip: just go to your nail salon and get a mani this week with OPI’s Russian Navy. You’ll be a bit nervous as your manicurist applies the first coat, because it looks blue — like, Smurf mixed in with some acid blue. But once the second coat goes on, it’s a deep purplish navy, with a hint of sparkle, but not glittery or iridescent or anything like that. Just a really cool, dark, fashionable color that’s a nice change up from the deep plums and burgundies we’ve had going on for a while.
Then watch as people ask you what your connection is, and how you got on “the list.”
OPI Russian Navy, available at Beans Beauty Supply, Wayne and Manayunk, beansbeauty.com.
I am one of those girls who has a purse full of lip glosses — wands, pots, tubes, and even a few sticks of legitimate chapstick. If you must know, I actually carry around a purse-within-a-purse of all these treasures, for easy transferring during bag changes.
So basically, I get around when it comes to lip products. I don’t discriminate — finds from CVS and Target get me just as pumped as ones in high-end department stores, and I think I may have just found one of my top three glosses ever (like, in life, I mean), at Center City’s Sephora, the greatest thing to happen to the lunch hours of ladies working downtown since that second H&M opened up.
It’s Diorshow Gloss Show, and it’s so fun, so light, and so shimmery, you’ll want to wear it to drive the kids to school, even though it’ll work perfectly for that posh cocktail party you’ve got coming up. I love Alessandra Mauve, I bought Lindsay Pink for one of my girlfriends — and in a few more lunch hours, my guess is I’ll have gone through them all.
Diorshow Gloss Show pots, $27, Sephora, various locations including Center City and King of Prussia, sephora.com.
I have hot feet. They don’t stink; they just get really, really hot. (Full disclosure: Sometimes, they get so hot that it wakes me up in the middle of the night and I have to run them under ice-cold bathtub water. So silly, I know.) 
I’ve never once seen a salon staff so smitten with a product. The crew at Vanity wasn’t pushing me to buy it — they honestly just love it (for themselves and their clients). 
High in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, 2,000 women have formed the Targanine Co-operative. They exclusively deal with the Argan Forest — planting new trees and harvesting the Argan almonds. The oil from these nuts is so multipurpose you can eat it — or, as 
When I hear that a new product is multipurpose, I usually think of some chemical, irritating cleaner that I use to scrub down my apartment (Cleans your toilet and sink!). But when I tried Philly native Kristin Moses Murray’s Bordeaux Balm, multipurpose never felt so good. This tiny tub is filled with subtle-smelling skin soothing essential oils like grape seed—a salute to her family’s Charlottesville VA winery — cotton seed, soybean and coconut oils, that literally fix any dermis drama: On a recent sojourn to the cooler climate of the Pocono Mountains, it kept my cuticles and nails shiny, my dry elbows smooth, my lips hydrated and my razor burn at bay. Now only if it could clean my apartment. — Andrea Carayiannas
Spring is coming. I’m sure of it. The sun is getting stronger every day, and one of these mornings we are all going to wake up and find that we can, at long last, reach for that darling little sundress we bought when it first hit the racks in February, and has been taunting us from our closet ever since. 
Every woman has that one item of makeup that she simply won’t leave the house without. For me, and my blond eyelashes, it’s mascara. I look naked and weird and well, about four, without it. 
I spend a lot of time in Bluemercury. You probably do, too. 
I have a love-hate relationship with waterproof mascara. Who doesn’t? Spending a Saturday night scrubbing it away with industrial-strength eye makeup remover is not my idea of fun. Yet, neither is the alternative: mid day raccoon-eyes. 
Chanel Blue Satin nail polish is all the rage these days. The color for spring. The thing among celebs, etc., etc. But there’s a wait list to buy it, it’s so popular. People are selling it on eBay for a gazillion times the normal retail price, it’s in such high demand. And don’t get me wrong, it’s awesome. Like, seriously awesome. But a wait list? For nail polish? You gotta be friggin’ kidding me. 
I am one of those girls who has a purse full of lip glosses — wands, pots, tubes, and even a few sticks of legitimate chapstick. If you must know, I actually carry around a purse-within-a-purse of all these treasures, for easy transferring during bag changes.