Beauty411

Anastasia Beverly Hills Supports Women's Cancer Research Fund

Anastasia Beverly Hills is supporting the Women's Cancer Research Fund with a special edition tweezer, set with sparkling pink Swarovski crystals.  This finely crafted tool will allow you to shape and define brows, while helping out a great cause at the same time. 

Fifty percent of the net proceeds from sales of the WCRF Tweezers in October will benefit the Women's Cancer Research Fund.  The WCRF is determined to save lives by raising funds and awareness for the millions of women and their families at risk for or affected by cancer.   

The Anastasia Beverly Hills WCRF Tweezers retail at $33 and are available exclusively at Nordstrom during the month of October.

Anastasia All About Brows Kit

Anastasia All About Brows Kit contains everything you need for creating and grooming the perfect eyebrow.  This brilliant kit contains tweezers, a Brow Powder compact, four Brow Stencils, a Duo Brush (angled cut on one end, a "spooley" on the other), Clear Brow Gel and a Matte Camille Highlighter.  I've been using this eyebrow kit for about 4 weeks now and have really come to love it, especially the Camille Highlighter pencil. 

Anastasia Soare has developed a complete and well-thought out line of eyebrow products, using her Eyebrow Salon in Beverly Hills as a working lab.  To consistently have well-shaped brows, use one of the stencils in the kit that aligns with both the front and tail end of your brow.  You then use the angled brush to apply the Brow Powder, filling in where necessary.  Using the tweezers, pluck hair that falls outside of the line created by the stencil.  Apply Highlighter under brows (I also apply on inner aspect of eye area to brighten). Apply the Brow Gel, then using spooley brush, use upward strokes to hold brow into shape.  Step back and marvel at perfect brows!

The Anastasia All About Brow Kit is available at Sephora and Nordstrom.  Expert services are also available at at Anastasia Brow Studios at Nordstrom locations throughout the U.S.

 Meeting Anastasia and watching her actually demonstrate her technique using the All About Brows Kit was one of the highlights of the Total Beauty Summit that I attended in May.  Check out the video that Laurie from Beauty's Spot shot that day:

Total Beauty Blogger's Summit: The L.A. Beauty Tour

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Total Beauty Blogger's Summit.  This experience was one of a lifetime.  I've loved beauty products and cosmetics since I was old enough to be fascinated by my Mom's Youth Dew perfume, her pots of rouge and her Avon "Very Cherry" lipstick, so to be around people that are as obsessed as I am--and to meet beauty bloggers that I think of as rock stars--well, there are no words.  Except maybe Too Much Fun. 

On our first day of the Summit, a group of about 17 beauty bloggers went on a Beauty Tour of LA:

The first stop was the Kate Somerville Medi-skin Clinic.  We were given a warm welcome and then a tour.  The most popular treatment is the Signature Treatment Facial, which is totally customized to your skins' needs. Another popular treatment is the Dermal Quench, which lasts about 7 days and has no downtime, so it's perfect for pre-awards show preparation or even before a brides' big day.  Kate Somerville Medi-skin Clinic offers more advanced treatments, such as the Titan and "The Pearl" laser therapy.  We were also given some personalized Kate Somerville products based on our skin type.  I received a Gentle Daily Wash Cleanser and the Deep Tissue Repair, which I will feature in an upcoming review.

It was back on the bus and off to the L'Oreal Paris Store at The Beverly Center...what the gals at L'Oreal call "The Living Lab".  And oh, the damage I could have done if I would have had time at The Beverly Center!  But I digress. The products are the stars here; displayed in an open sell environment, where you can try and buy without feeling pressured.  There are L'Oreal experts on hand to assist, should you need it.  We saw all of the complete L'Oreal lines--hair, skin, makeup and even products from Europe!  The philosophy of L'Oreal is making a woman feel good about their own individuality and that is evident by the diverse assortment of products.  We were able to select some products for our own use, and naturally I selected skincare items from the L'Oreal Skin Genesis line.  I'll keep you posted. 

In the middle of all this excitement was a lunch stop at the Total Beauty offices and we even got to check out the beauty closet.  Of course, that's what a group of beauty bloggers would be interested in!

  Next up was the Anastasia Eyebrow Salon. Yes, the Anastasia, that has done the eyebrows of celebrity clientele from Jennifer Lopez to Madonna.  Anastasia shared her inspiring story of passion and perfection.  She stated that "good is not enough for me".  Every product is tested on clients and is created with a specific purpose in mind.  Anastasia works in her salon 4 days a week and did a brow makeover on Annie, from BellaSugar.  The results were striking.  Anastasia and Reed, Director of Global Product Development & Innovation, really support the beauty blogging community and were so generous with their time.  I've already been using some of the brow products she gave us and will be doing a full review.  (Hint: love!)

Our final stop of the day was at the Murad Inclusive Health Center and Medical Spa.  Everything is so well-thought out; you can see Dr. Murad's vision everywhere.  The treatments are designed in a holistic manner. And the facility is amazing.  Dr. Murad believes that the foundation for good health, good skin, is water; maintaining hydration.  We met with Dr. Murad's son, Jeff, who is also involved at the Murad Center.  It was fascinating to learn that at the Murad Inclusive Health Center, before your treatment plan is designed, you are given an extensive questionnaire and then a customized analysis is performed. We received samples of two of Dr. Murad's newest products; I've just started using the Intensive Wrinkle Reducer for Eyes, featuring the new Durian Cell Reform complex.  Can't wait to tell you how it performs.

All in all, it was an incredible day--one I'll never forget.  As if that weren't enough, that evening, we attended a welcome reception at the offices of Intelligent Beauty, our hosts for the Total Beauty Blogging Summit.  It was quite the party--with representatives from many of the top beauty brands attending.  I wish I would have had time to meet them all.  It was at this cocktail party that I met Dusty Simington, award-winning Master Stylist, who told me he would be doing a makeover on me the following day.  Naturally, I thought that was just about the funniest thing ever--until the next day my name was drawn!  Dusty, you are one in a million!  A very special thank you to everyone that I met from Intelligent Beauty.  And the plans that Intelligent Beauty has for future products and ventures?  Will rock the beauty world.  I can't wait!

photo credit:  OC Register