The Beauty Buyble

The Beauty Buybleby Paula Conway (pictured right) is one of of the greatest books I have encountered in recent memory. This is a wonderfully up to date book, but it is so much more. Here is a synopsis of the book from Powells.com

"

Going to the cosmetic counter can be one of the most abusive experiences in a woman's daily routine. Where else do you pay for the privilege of being told, You need a new look? You're sold $150 worth of makeup and skin care products you don't need or that may irritate your skin, and the salesperson doesn't have a clue about what's right for you. How do you know which mascara truly lengthens, curls, or offers the blackest black? Which lipstick really does stay on all day without drying your lips? The Beauty Buyble gives consumers a one-stop reference to the year's best beauty buys and products. It takes out the guesswork, making it easier for women to find the best hair care, makeup, skin care, and beauty tools available on the market. This helpful, accessible book lists products in the low-, middle-, and high-end ranges so that you can find the product that's right for you and will truly enhance your beauty. The clean, concise format helps women on the go find the products they need, and the authors offer advice from celebrity makeup artists to help readers get the best out of their beauty purchases. Complete with dozens of actual samples and coupons for the products, The Beauty Buyble will be the first book to offer the very best beauty products, describe why they work, quote the experts, and tell the consumer how and where to buy. The book and bag of beauty goodies will come nestled inside a gorgeous box."

Okay, did you read that bit in bold? Bag of beauty goodies? Yes, there is a great bag of goodies - most samples, but, some full size and it all comes in a cute bag inside the nicest box. The box reminds me of an oversize pink cigar box with a ribbon tie and will find some good use. Did I ever tell you all I am nuts about cute boxes? Tis true. And the bag of goodies! Great samples of products you will love trying.

Included are products from MD Skincare, Freeze, Cetaphil, ELF (!!!!) Mentholatum Lip Balm, Biosilk, Nivea, Schwartzkopf, Profoot, Banana Boat, DHC (lots of DHC which has some really great skincare), Borba, Selona, Vitabath, Lipmints, Yu-Be, Jelly Bath, Cat Cosmetics (watch for a separate post on Cat Cosmetics, I love them so much!) NYC, Canyon Ranch, Chupa Chupa and at least one or two other suprises - all names you love or want to know more about. The samples are great, there are pencils and full sized lip products.

This is a great treat, can you imagine, you order it (or you can find it at Target or other fine stores) and you get it home and you can read some really right on reviews of some of the major most talked about companies and products. And you can then play with all your goodies. This just fantastic. I haven't had a pile of samples like this, in, well, maybe never. Go on get one (and this makes a really wonderful gift, especially for teens, but, really for anyone who likes looking great). You deserve it!

http://www.powells.com/partner/31636/biblio/9780060851637

What Price Beauty?

I have had some email from readers (and I love email, or you can comment on the blog and I will respond) curious about if this is all about high end, high priced products. The answer is no, and, yes. I am a beauty junkie. I freely admit that. I use high end products that work and seem worth the price to me. But, I use bargain products as well. I am a big fan of bathing -and, I will also freely confess to being a Lush Lover, I buy all kinds of bath products. I have found some killer bubble baths at the all kinds of places. Including but not limited to Target, Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree. Yes, Dollar Tree -they have all kinds of great beauty stuff - you have to watch what you are buying. Hair thingies and clips, head bands, bath brushes, sponges and stuff as well as some terrific body butter. I am a body lotion/cream/butter fiend. I think the body butter sold at Dollar Tree is good, as good or better than other higher priced products. In fact, I have seen this same body butter (and scrub) sold in a catalogue for 20.00 for 2 scrubs and 2 butters.

The past two years for the holidays, my young daughter has made me "spa baskets" that have a lot of stuff from her favorite store, Dollar Tree. This years included 5 body butters - I really use this stuff folks and will use it all up in a year or less. This years scents included jasmine, passionfruit, aloe vera, tangerine and olive/sage. I was especially happy to get the jasmine as one of my favorite bath ballistics from Lush, which I use mostly as a treat not as a daily thing due to the cost, is the Sex Bomb, which is jasmine/rose/ylang ylang. The one thing about Lush, their stuff smells incredible and is very good, but, they really don't have matching things -ie no body lotion/cream for each ballistic. I took the jasmine body butter, and broke out my essential oil collection, and added some rose and ylang ylang - not exactly the Lush blend, but, it smells pretty close and pretty darn good to me. Also in the basket was some new poofs, (she loves them so much) some bath fizzies, a new headband, some foot buffers, some spa face cloths, a bath brush, some nice fuzzy soft slipper socks and slippers (another thing I love) and then some Lush goodies and a Philosophy 3 in 1 bath gel in Enpowerment. My daughter obviously knows what Mama likes. And she is a bath addict as well.