Beauty411

Target beauty aisle goes upscale

Have you steered your red cart through the Target beauty aisles lately?  If not, you might be surprised at what you see.  Last weekend, while doing a mad pre-vacation blitz through Target (See?  And you thought I was being lazy not posting every day this week!) I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw names like Kiehl's.  Origins.  And what is this....Kerastase and Bumble and bumble in the hair products aisle?  I have, on occasion, also seen Philosophy, M.D. Skincare, Lumene and other upscale beauty and skincare brands.  Bare Escentuals kits were on an endcap.  What is going on? 

Women's Wear Daily reports that this initiative may signal a further move by Target to showcase luxury brands.  By all accounts, on the fashion side, the GO International program has been very successful with names such as Jovovich-Hawk, Luella Bartley, Alice Temperley and Proenza Schouler, among others.  Adding prestige beauty brands alongside Sonia Kashuk and Boots would be the next logical extension.  Executives from Bare Escentuals, Origins and other beauty brands, have denied a business relationship with Target, suggesting that these goods may have been diverted.  In addition, there seems to be no consistency as to what brands or products are found in individual stores.

Personally, I love the "one stop shopping" concept; hey, if I could pick up Band-Aids, cleaning supplies and a bottle of Kerastase Chroma Reflect shampoo on my weekly Target run, it's all good.  But only to a point.  I don't necessarily want to buy all my beauty products there.  I like the picking and choosing, the tester units, the advice of a trained beauty advisor that I find at my local department store.  But the convenience of finding some of my favorite beauty products at Target is a powerful pull.  Have you seen any of these beauty finds at your local Target? 

Photo credit WWD

Seven Deadly Beauty Sins

The Seven Deadly Beauty Sins sounds ominous, doesn't it?  The following list was compiled by Hannah Davies of the Journal (a British newspaper), along with my recommendations for redemption:

1.  Untamed brows:  Eyebrows frame the face, so you should be performing regular brow maintenance.  Regular plucking or waxing is needed and if brows are sparce or unruly, MAC Eyebrows may be the solution.

2.  Forgetting to moisturize:  Winter or summer, dry or oily, you should be incorporating a moisturizer into your skin care regimen daily.  Boots No.7 Advanced Hydration Day Fluid is a good choice.

3.  Heat damage: If you are using a blow dryer, flatiron, curling iron--whatever--you need to be protecting your hair from heat damage.  Sedu Smoothing Heat Protecting Boost or the Chi Iron Guard Thermal Protection Spray are good choices.

4.  Foundation issues:  Streaking/blotchy foundation can be solved with one product--primer. If you want your foundation to look flawless, you must use a primer.  My go-to primer is the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer.  I also like (and own) the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer. 

5.  Neglected feet:  I just talked about the importance of taking care of your feet this week.  If you missed it, check this article out.

6.  Dehydration:  Nothing is as essential to good skin as staying hydrated.  Listen to your mother--drink your water!

7.  Nails:  Having well groomed nails is important.  For cuticles, read my review of Solar Oil; if nail biting is a problem, try Mavala Stop, which is nail biting deterrent.

And, of course, I have to add one more to the list, making it the Eight Deadly Beauty Sins.  You must wear sunscreen daily.  Not only for it's anti-aging benefits, but to protect against skin cancer.  Find one you like (here are a few of my recs) and in 2008 make sunscreen part of your daily beauty routine.

(Photo credit: News.com.au)

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

Boots No.7 Quick Thinking: Take it Off!

It's late.  You're tired.  Somehow tonight the process of cotton ball, q-tips, makeup remover, cleanser, toner and moisturizer just seems so tedious.  Don't despair. There's a better way!  Brought to you by the British Boots No. 7 brand and carried in your local Target.  The Quick Thinking 4 in 1 Wipes are so easy and convenient, you'll be impressed.  They come in a cute, little blue pouch, which also makes them easy to travel with.  No airline restrictions!  The wipes are large enough to adequately remove both eye and face makeup, and leave your skin feeling clean and refreshed.  At $ 6.99, they're definitely something to toss into your cart the next time you're at Target!