Beauty411

Creating Ambience with Home Fragrances

This is the time of year that I love to experiment and use home fragrances to create a warm, inviting ambience.  Whether it's the scent of cranberry or pine boughs, using different forms of home fragrances can really instill a mood to your home. 

Some of my favorites include:

Crabtree & Evelyn Noel Home Fragrance Diffuser ($35):  Whether you keep this diffuser for yourself or give one as a gift, the fragrance says "holidays"!  The frosted glass diffuser is topped with a red velvet ribbon and snowflake charm; it looks so festive sitting atop a table.  You receive 12 reeds and a bottle of Noel fragrance oil.  Available in Crabtree & Evelyn stores and online at Crabtree-Evelyn.com.

Aveda Pink Ribbon Hand Relief Supports Breast Cancer Awareness

Aveda Pink Ribbon Hand Relief is one Breast Cancer Awareness product I always look forward to getting. Not only is Hand Relief one of my favorite hand creams; I often give it as a gift.  It's thick, emollient cream and wonderful herbal fragrance is soothing and nourishing for dry hands.

During the month of October, Aveda donates $4 from the sale of each special edition Pink Ribbon Hand Relief product to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1993 by Evelyn H. Lauder and is dedicated to funding clinical and genetic research on breast cancer at medical institutions across the globe.

The Aveda Pink Ribbon Hand Relief retails at $21.00 for a value-sized 5.0 ounce tube.  You can purchase the Aveda Pink Ribbon Hand Relief at Aveda salons or at www.aveda.com.

Cyber Monday Beauty Offers

It's Cyber Monday; the online version of Black Friday.  Today is said to be the day that more online shopping will be done all year.  While money-saving beauty offers are a little harder to track down, there are some out there.  Take advantage of these:

Amazon.com has links to some great Cyber Monday beauty deals from Sephora, philosophy and more!

Aveda:  Receive a free sample of Be Curly Curl Enhancer, plus free shipping on your Aveda order when you use code MONDAY8 at checkout.

Bath & Body Works:  Take 25% off your order today and tomorrow using code 25PERCENT. 

Clarins:  Take 30% off and receive free shipping 12/1 through 12/31 using code HOLIDAY1.

DuWop: Save 25% off your order today using code HOLIDAY 25 at checkout.

Kiehls:  Last day to get 20% off and free shipping on orders over $30 using code FAMILY.

Lovely Skin:  25% off the entire site using code CYBERMONDAY; excellent store for skincare.

Origins:  Take $10 off your order of $35 or more, plus free shipping, through 12/4/08 using code TENOFF.

Shu Uemura : Last day--20% discount and free shipping when you use code SHUFRIENDS.

Skinstore:  Save 20% through 12/2/08 using code CHEER20; some exclusions apply.  There are tons of great beauty and skincare brands here.

Stila:  Save 20% and get free shipping on orders over $30 through 12/16/08 using code ECYX12.

Check out Cyber Monday.com, Dealio and Dealighted for additional information and Cyber Monday listings. Have fun!

Aveda Dry Remedy Hair Care Collection

Aveda Dry Remedy is a collection of hair care products, shampoo, conditioner and treatment masque,  that improved the moisture level of hair by 63%, when used together. 

Aveda's patent-pending Deep-Moisture Complex, a blend of buriti oil, pomegranate and palm-derived conditioners penetrate hair for deep moisturization without weighing it down.  The three products, Moisturizing Shampoo, Moisturizing Conditioner and Moisturizing Treatment Masque work together improve moisture in dry, brittle hair.

All of the Aveda Dry Remedy products smell amazing.  And I absolutely loved how they improved my color-treated hair, making it shiny and soft.  I've been using all of the products and definitely feel like my hair is in better shape than when I first started using the Dry Remedy system.  I was worried that with all of the oils used in the products, my hair would be greasy or flat.  I am happy to report this wasn't the case at all.  My color-treated, hot tool overworked hair seemed to drink in the moisture these products provide.  I can highly recommend the Dry Remedy Collection.

Aveda Dry Remedy Hair Care Collection is available at Aveda salons or online at www.aveda.com.

Aveda Vintage Clove Shampoo - 30th Anniversary Limited Edition

Aveda has released Vintage Clove Shampoo, 30th Anniversary Limited Edition.  Vintage Clove Shampoo was created to celebrate Aveda's heritage and was inspired by the original Clove Pure Plant Shampoo, the very first product ever developed by Aveda.  This remake of an old favorite celebrates the aging process--since the original Clove Shampoo, significant advances in responsible packaging and recycling have been made.

Vintage Clove Shampoo uses organic clove, coffee and aloe to enhance brown hair with warm honey tones.  The smell is wonderful.  It's a blend of organic lemon, ylang-ylang, black pepper and other Pure Flower and Plant Essences.  I seriously think Aveda owns the market, when it comes to good smelling products!  Used regularly, if you have brown or warm shades of hair, Vintage Clove Shampoo will enhance the shades.  I like it to help extend time-between-colorings and love how soft it leaves your hair.

Aveda Vintage Clove Shampoo in the 30th Anniversary Limited Edition is available in Aveda salons.  The 8 oz. bottle retails for $ 10.

Aveda Breast Cancer Awareness Hand Relief

Aveda Breast Cancer Awareness Hand Relief is a limited edition size and design, released in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It's a thick, rich hand creme that is full of vitamins, exfoliating fruit acids, hydrating plant emollients and humectants and antioxidants to help provide relief from drying and chapping and prevent the look of premature aging.  

During the month of October, Aveda will donate $4 from the sale of each Hand Relief to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

I know from years past that this limited-edition Hand Relief sells out quickly, so don't delay. I love Hand Relief and have purchased it for myself and as gifts, for years.  I can't think of a better hand creme...especially for the upcoming cold weather.

Aveda Breast Cancer Awareness Hand Relief retails at $ 21 and can be purchased at Aveda salons, spas, stores and online at www.aveda.com.

Beauty 411: Best of Beauty 2007

Annie from Blogdorf Goodman is pulling together a bunch of beauty bloggers to discuss their Best of Beauty 2007.  These are the products (some new, some not-so-new) that I discovered in 2007 that changed the way I thought about my beauty routine, simplified my life or just rocked my world.  Here are ten of my highlights:

1. My new favorite mascara is Rimmel Eye Magnifier.  This drugstore find lengthens your lashes out to there!  I love the brush, which separates and most importantly, doesn't cause the mascara to clump.  If you're looking for a volume and thickening mascara, I wouldn't recommend Eye Magnifier, as it is truly a lenghthening formula.
2. Boots No.7 Quick Thinking 4 in 1 Wipes.  Another routine changer. I have given up removing makeup any other way.  My original product review can be found here.
3. Smashbox Creme Eyeliner.  I didn't used to be a huge eyelining fan until I bought this Try Me kit, which is a great deal, BTW.  For $29, you get a credit-card sized sampler of 6 creme eyeliners, the Brow Tech powders & wax, Photo Finish primer, Photo Op Under Eye Brightener, sheer lip gloss, double ended brush and a DVD. 
4. MAC Ablaze blush.  Part of the MAC Smoke Signals collection, I love this blush for it's rich color.  I can wear it with anything.  A light hand is needed for this color, though.
5. Coach lipstick.  With it's fabulous packaging and good coverage, Coach has made it cool to pull a lipstick out of your purse!
6. Fresh Sugar Lemon Parfum.  There is nothing in the Fresh line that I don't love.  Spraying on the Sugar Lemon parfum is an instant mood lifter.  I'm so glad I impulse-bought this.
7. Ojon Revitalizing Mist.  What a great discovery!  Using a flat iron daily and having color-treated hair could spell disaster.  Using the Ojon Revitalizing Mist protects my hair from heat damage, adds crazy shine, controls frizz and doesn't weigh my hair down.  Love this!
8. Aveda Pure Abundance Hair Potion.  Another I-can't-live-without hair product.  A few shakes of the Pure Abundance Hair Potion will transform your flat, mousey hair into hair with volume and loads of texture.  Skip the Pure Abundance Volumizing Hair Spray, however.
9. Staying with a hair theme, props to the Conair Infiniti Nano Silver Hair Straightener.  Before:  I couldn't work a hair straightener to save my life.  After:  Using the Conair Infiniti Nano Silver hair straightener with it's longer blades, I can master the art of the sleek, straight bob.  Check out my previous review here.
10. Whish Shave Crave and Shave Savour.  These products went from the box to the shower to my Holy Grail list! 

Honorable mention goes out to the Bobbi Bown Stonewashed Nudes collection.  I think this was one of Bobbi Brown's most versatile eyeshadow collection building on the Chocolate collection and surpassing all my expectations.  I pull this palette out at least once a week.

That's it!  My Top 10 Best of Beauty 2007 lineup.  What were your best beauty finds?  Make sure to bookmark or subscribe to Beauty411, as I've got a jam-packed January lineup of product reviews and other surprises for you!

Please check out some of the other Beauty Blogger's Beauty Bests of 2007:

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic

Afrobella

All About The Pretty

All Lacquered Up

Beauty 411

Beauty Blogging Junkie

Beauty Talk

Beautiful Makeup Search

Beauty Hatchery

Beauty Jones

Blogdorf Goodman

Canadian Beauty

C'est Chic

Coquette

eBeautyDaily

For The Love of Beauty

Give Me Your Eyes I Need Sunshine

Getting Amped

Grayburn

HauteMommaStuff

Koneko's Beauty Diary

Makeup Bag

The Makeup Girl

Miss Whoever You Are

My Life,My Words,My Mind

Legerdenez

Perfumista

Periodic Style

Platinum Blonde Life

Product Girl

Shop Diary

Slap of the Day

Steeping Beauty

The Beauty Alchemist

The Daily Obsession

The Life Of A Ladybug

The Non-Blonde

Urbane Girl

Victoria's Own

We Love Beauty