Bewitched by Japanese Agarwood

If Samantha Stevens on Bewitched had a signature fragrance it would definitely be Lisa Hoffman's Japanese Agarwood. This scent comes in 4 different variations to wear for different occasions and at different times of day, perfect for the busy modern woman/witch. There is something comforting and infinitely wearable about the underlying scent (perfect for Samantha's PTA meetings at Tabitha's school) and general suburban housewifery, yet there is also an intriguing mysterious side to Agarwood that lends the wearer an enigmatic quality that can't quite be pinned down. Though the scent is described as a mixture of "Italian Bergamot, Spiced Ginger Accord, and Warm Amber," an underlying hint of exoticism really makes this fragrance unique and intoxicating. I can just imagine Samantha enjoying a prim and proper dinner with the Tates, and then at a moment's notice (or the wiggle of a nose) sitting down at a table in Morocco for cocktails with the eccentric Endora.

photo credit dvd: http://www.amazon.com

photo credit scent: http://www.lisahoffmanskincare.com

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day readers! I've missed you! Valentine's Day is all about celebrating love, so regardless of whether or not you are in a relationship, buy atleast one bunch of fluffy pink carnations today and enjoy a box of expensive chocolates.

Below is a list of my favorite Valentine's-Day-beauty items to ensure that you look beautiful this evening.

1.) Organix Passionfruit Guava Shampoo: This sulfate and paraben free formula (that includes orange blossom honey for shine) actually smells amazingly like fresh guava and leaves your tresses luminous. Plus, the bottle is the most gorgeous shade of raspberry and is entirely eco-friendly. Because of how delicious this shampoo smells, I've actually been on the hunt for fresh guava juice for two days now (a seemingly impossible task in the dead of winter).

2.) Pom Nectarine Juice: Since I couldn't find the guava juice, I've settled on a midday addiction to this incredibly delicious and healthful juice with a taste reminiscent of of farm-stand nectarines in summer. Not only does it give me a much needed energy boost in the afternoon, but it also makes my skin look brighter and clearer (it must be all those anti-oxidants). Pick up a bottle at Gardener's Eden in Chelsea.

3.) Bulgari Emulsion De Lumiere: Everyone looks their best by candlelight, but if you really want that healthy rested glow to last all evening, then apply this silky cream to your face before applying makeup (be sure to forego powder that can cancel out the luminous effect). The texture is fabulous (in-between a moisturizer and a serum), and it gives your skin a just-got-in-out-of-the-cold glow (completely beautiful and natural).*

4.) Lipstick Queen Butterfly Ball Shimmer Treatment Lipstick in Trance: The perfect alternative to the over-done red-lip, this subtle and iridescent shade of "raspberry" flatters every skin tone in a natural way. The formula contains vitamins and aloe for healing as well.

*This product was a free sample provided by Bergdorf Goodman. All other items listed were purchased in-store.

Photo credit shampoo: http://www.organixhair.com

Photo credit lipstick: http://www.barneys.com

Photo credit emulsion: http://www.neimanmarcus.com

Pineapple Polish for Spring

I'm kind of convinced that the only color that I'm going to want to wear on my nails this spring will be a pale yellow with plenty of white in it to render it wearable and chic. There's something so delicate and subtle about the Rescue shade "Square Pants" that reminds me of whipped lemon-chiffon pie. It will look perfect with all the diaphanous fabrics of the season.

photo credit: http://www.rescuebeauty.com

World's Worst Housewife

I can't cook (though I do love watching Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network), I hate to clean, and I don't own an ironing board. I think that it's safe to assume that I will never even approximate Donna Reed or Carol Brady. However, I absolutely despise wrinkled clothing, so when I saw an infomercial for the "Mister Steamy" today during a commercial break from Jersey Shore, I realized that I've found the perfect present to give myself on Valentine's Day. Mister Steamy is a bright yellow spiky ball that resembles a Medieval torture device, and when you put it in the dryer it supposedly fluffs and de-wrinkles your garments. Maybe people will even think that I actually own an iron!!

photo credit: http://www.asseenontvsites.com

Nineteenth-Century Flower Girl

I went to the American Lives exhibition at the Met today, which included one of my favorite nineteenth-century genre paintings entitled The Flower Girl by Charles Cromwell Ingham. The flowers that spills out of the girl's basket are rendered with such intense and vibrant hues and delicate brushwork that they appear nearly life-like, as though one could bend down and smell the cheerful bouquet. On a related note, I decided after the exhibition that I needed to fulfill my unrequited floral olfactory need with a stop at the new Madison Avenue boutique of renowned French parfumer Frederic Malle. The shop is refined (60's modern) in an elegant Parisian manner that manages to remain entirely unpretentious, and the staff is gracious, knowledgeable, and has a playful attitude towards scent that is quite inspiring. After smelling glass bell jars perfumed with a variety of luxurious florals, I settled on the 1er Mai candle (housed in fire-engine-red glass) that smells exactly like lily of the valley. There is something about the scent of fresh flowers that is so appealing and really changes one's whole mood, and there's honestly nothing more romantic.

photo credit: http://www.metmuseum.org. Charles Cromwell Ingham, The Flower Girl, 1846. oil on canvas.

A Conditioner Fit For Rapunzel

When I was 5 years old I had the most beautiful ringlets that my mother would adorn with large silk bows. Years of damage and heat-styling have taken a toll on the texture of my hair to the point that it became straight and kind of limp. Since I now have very long hair for the first time since I was five years old, I'm beginning to realize that I need to resort to drastic measures if I want my hair to bear any kind of resemblance to its former glory. Santa Maria Novella's Honey Intensive Cream is the only conditioner that gives me beautiful youthful hair without split ends. I haven't even had to trim my hair in 6 months (it's that good). My mother tried it, and it changed the texture of her hair as well (from coarse and frizzy to smooth and sleek). If you really want your hair to feel like velvety Rapunzel locks, shampoo with Vanilla Silk Shampoo from Organix (get it at your local drugstore), then leave in the Honey Cream for twenty minutes before rinsing (doing the final rinse under cold water), and be the heroine in your very own beauty fairytale.

photo credit: http://lafcony.com

Indulgent Beauty: Before Those Resolutions Kick-In

Before you begin all the requisite self-assesment, gym-membership-purchases, calorie restrictions, and spending freezes that the new year entails, allow yourself one last "hurrah" of self-indulgence. Below is a list of my top four ways to indulge before reality sets in (pick your poison):

1.) Eat: Barefoot Contessa's Panettone Bread Pudding. (Because you thought panettone could never be delicious, and Ina proved you wrong! This is the perfect midnight snack.

2.) Lounge: Pom Pom Slippers in Baby Blue from Aspinal of London. (You will feel as if you are walking on a cloud, and they keep your feet cozy).

3.) Drink: Egg Nog from the grocery store warmed up on the stove with vanilla bean (scraped from the pod) and a candy cane to stir it. Make sure that you add a generous splash of amaretto after heating.

4.) Beautify: Chanel Precision Sublimage Essential Regenerating Eye Cream. (It's the only one that really works, and the eyes are the first thing that reveal your age).

Happy New Year!!

xo beauty

photo credit slippers: http://www.aspinaloflondon.com

photo credit eye cream: http://www.amazon.com