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.

Image, opi.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.

Our girly office is positively addicted to L’Erbolario’s olive hand cream and butter lip balm — two little parts of a line of products that’s elegant yet wholesome, effective yet ethereal, and, as of yesterday, so affordable yet so even more affordable.

The 100-percent Italian, 100-percent natural body care line, though sold out of a Northern Liberties-based website, feels as if it came straight out of a Tuscan apothecary. And now that the entire fragrant collection is 25 percent off — just enter “SECRET” at the checkout — the products are all the more accessible to those of us whose tootsies are positively crying out for herb-infused lotions, and whose weather-addled cheeks could definitely use time beneath a soothing pollen and honey mask.

L’Erbolario at lerbolariousa.com.

Photo Courtesy of L’Erbolario/ L’Erbolario.com

During the winter, my skin is just lovely. It’s flaky, itchy, tight, chalky, ashy, and all those wonderful things that indicate that it is most definitely not beach weather outside. I have quite the army of products in my bathroom dedicated to fighting this nasty three-month long condition — and I’ve just added another that I think I’ll keep around for quite a while.

Neutrogena has a new line of “comforting butter” body products — including a body wash, body butter, and hand cream. It smells like vanilla and cream, but not too strongly, and it feels like you’re lathering up with really sudsy lotion. Follow it up with the matching body cream, and you can still feel its presence on your skin (in a good way) by the end of the day.

Now, what can we do about it not being beach weather outside?

Neutrogena Comforting Butter Body Products, CVS, various locations

I’ll be the first to admit that it took me a while to jump on the high-end blow-dryer bandwagon. I had a hard time justifying such a pricey purchase and I saw no problem with my 1997 ConAir that has gotten me through high school proms and College formals with style. But on a recent foray into the Sephora that opened on Chestnut Street — (and dangerously close to my office) I knew what I had to do (and was ready to treat myself to a gift). It was time to retire my trusty dryer and step it up.

I am a firm believer in Sephora’s product choices and T3 Bespoke Labs is the only dryer line they carry. I was inspired. I chose the Featherweight (pictured). And it changed my life. There are some fancy-schmancy scientific names for why it does, what it does so well, like ceramic and ionic and something called tourmaline (which I swear is an ingredient in Red Bull) but here is the real deal: It’s fast, it’s light, it makes my hair impossibly soft, frizzless and sleek, but with volume. And people noticed! Plus it comes with a nozzle attachment for straight hair and I purchased the diffuser for my curly days (a hard thing to find these days). So, I’ve, for sure, done my damage at Sephora (at least for a while) and can’t believe it took me so long to make the jump.

T3 Bespoke Labs Featherweight Dryer, $200, Sephora, 1714 Chestnut Street, 215-563-6112, sephora.com

Image, sephora.com

I’m slightly embarrassed to admit this, but I’ve been following the same skincare regime since I was 12 (I know, I know!). While my complexion and I have had a relatively smooth relationship (I don’t bother it too much, and it doesn’t bother me), I figured that the products I once used to prevent pre-prom blemishes probably weren’t the ones I should be using now to keep my skin looking clear, glowing and, ahem, sans wrinkles. Not to mention the fact that my post-engagement glow was getting, well, dull. So I broke up with my old soaps, astringents and moisturizers (sigh), only to find comfort in the creams, masks and serums of superluxe skincare line Biologique Recherche.

The first step of my updated regime is the Lait U face cleanser, a silky cream that manages to remove every last trace of my pesky makeup without leaving my skin tight and dry. Then I use Crème Elastine Marine, a thick, nourishing face cream that goes on without being oily and instantly hydrates thirsty skin. Finally, I dab Biologique’s brand-spanking-new Serum Elastine Pure around my eyes, mouth and décolletage. The cellular extract elastine helps to improve my skin’s elasticity (read: fights wrinkles) and gives my epidermis a huge dose of moisture.

Bottom line? My skin is looking pretty darn good these days. And I’ve officially gotten my glow back.

Biologique Recherche skincare products, starting at $20 at Rescue Rittenhouse Spa, 255 South 17th Street, 215-772-2766, rescuerittenhousespa.com

I’m sorry, I don’t mean to toss that phrase around, but you don’t know my skin. Well, actually — you didn’t know my skin. And you can’t see it now, after it laid under the hands of Danuta Mieloch for over an hour on Sunday.

She’s the owner of Rescue Rittenhouse Spa Lounge, and to say she knows her stuff is a rather silly-sounding understatement. She acknowledged almost immediately that my skin could be oily, and yet very dehydrated all at once. She acknowledged that I do have a (genetically) pink complexion (the bane of my existence — thanks Mom, Grandma, etc., etc.) — but that it could be balanced, and even altered a bit, with the right products. She tailored a facial to my specific needs, and a few days later, I hardly recognize the skin on my breakout-prone face.

The Boyfriend says I look “freshly scrubbed,” and although this is hardly technical boy-speak, he’s right. My skin has a tone and texture to it that I’ve honestly never seen before — and apparently, if I keep up with my Dana-recommended regimen with Biologique Recherche products, this can be a permanent thing, instead of a false-hope, spa-induced glow that lasts a sad two hours.
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Watch out dermatologists, you ain’t got nothing on her.

Rescue Rittenhouse Spa Lounge, 255 S. 17th St., 2nd Fl., 215-772-2766, rescuerittenhousespa.com.

Image, biologique-recherche.com

I began my glow-getting quest with a trip to Pierre & Carlo European Salon & Spa, where I spent an hour on a heated table while oh-so-sweet esthetician Alexis Brown administered DermaLastyl Infusion Therapy.

First, Alexis explained to me the treatment’s surprising origins: DermaLastyl was designed to heal wounds suffered by soldiers in the Iraq war. After seeing its amazing regenerative effects, scientists adapted it for cosmetic purposes. Alexis explained that DermaLastyl works on the molecular, cellular level to replenish skin’s elastin, a protein that helps keep skin flexible and taut. Elastin depletes as we age (hello, wrinkles!), and this infusion contains the amount typically lost in a two-year period, reducing lines and tightening saggy skin. I was a bit skeptical: War wounds to wrinkles?

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