Blame It On Brazil

Ms. New Beauty isn't necessarily what most people consider an adventurous kind of chick. She pretty much sticks to the basics of life, except of course when she's traveling. Once that passport gets stamped, MNB is willing to try almost anything. This explains why she decided to have all the hair below her eyelashes removed on whim at a cute little spa in Tunisia. She could do without the little old woman who spoke only Arabic and bathed her head to toe after the waxing, but my oh my was she in love with the results. She was head over heels with the smoothness until the first of those nasty little hair bumps popped up. Since then, she's been on a crusade to rid the word "ingrown" from her vocabulary. Well guess who just hit delete in the MNB personal lexicon?

Bliss Ingrown Hair Eliminating Pads

To combat the ingrowns, I typically armed myself with surgical tip tweezers and an alcohol soaked cotton ball and headed into the bathroom daily to perform my own little mini surgery to extract the ingrowns. Despite the huge sense of accomplishment whenever I actually got one out, that routine was tiring and probably really unsafe. But, no more self-operating for me.

These little ingenious pads work wonders. My partner in crime (and by crime I mean shopping, clubbing, and all around fabulous living) has been using these since her first waxing and convinced me that they work. Ever the skeptic, I finally tried them last month and I have not had one ingrown, that's right not-a-tender-ugly-painful-damned-one hair bump. The combination of hydroxy acids and green tea extracts must be some magical potion because I have had a smooth and simple regrowth period. Use everyday after your shower to keep those nasty little bumps away because honestly, is the waxing worth the $75 you spend when the very hairs you snatch out revolt and ruin your Brazilian after only a few days? I didn't think so. And, unless you're in the mood to waste money, skip these and stick with the Bliss pads.

Try it, use it, stay smooth, and don't forget Ms. New Beauty told you!

Reading Material

Ms. New Beauty has the week off of school right now and she has been surprisingly productive. Rather than jaunt off to some oh so fabulous and warm locale for vacay, MNB has stayed put and decided to get her life together and do the things she's been meaning to do for months, like really doing the laundry. MNB has been looking for a shirt for the past year and just found it today at the bottom of the laundry along with a few other items she forgot tha she owned. She now hangs her head in shame. But, she actually washed everything and is ridiculously proud of herself for life's small victories.

In the midst of all the productivity, I ventured to the mall yesterday to return a suit and picked up the very BR tall motorcycle boots that I fell in love with in this month's issue of Bazaar. And, since I was already there, I went right into Borders to buy the most anticipated book of my fabulous fall - Confessions of a Beauty Editor by Linda Wells and the staff of Allure.


Now, we all know that Allure is the beauty bible. That fact is never up for debate. But, naming Linda Wells the Beauty God, or goddess as it were, is a little too much for me. I have plenty of other things to repent for on Sundays, don't need to add blasphemy to that list. But, if I could name her the Beauty Goddess, I would. This woman has been the Editor-in-Chief of the world's leading beauty magazine for the past 11 years and has seen every beauty trend come and go. And, she's finally capsulizing all those years of knowledge into a book so that beauty product experts, addicts and novices alike can soak it up like sponges.

I promised myself that I wouldn't start reading it until I actually made a dent in all of the assigned reading I have to catch up on for school. But come on now, yall knew MNB was going to break that promise as soon as she made it.

I also picked up a cute little book called How to Walk in High Heels. I've been walking in high heels since I was six, and actually have a better sense of balance when I'm four inches off the ground, but I'm a sucker for a girly how-to book with a cute name. Sue me.

Buy it, read it, and don't forget that Ms. New Beauty told you!

Come Grasshoppas

and watch the master work. Pat McGrath takes us behind the scenes of the Oscar de la Renta fashion show and walks us mere mortals through the process of doing runway ready makeup. What fun! And, Ms. New Beauty just love, love, loves Pat McGrath. She is one of the few black women to really make her mark on the beauty industry and is truly one of the best to ever do it. And, who doesn't love that British accent?!? It just makes regular English sound so much more elegant. If only we could trade places with the model in the film. Well, here's to having dreams.



Watch, learn, enjoy, and don't forget that Ms. New Beauty told you!

Subscriber Services

Ms. New Beauty has so many magazine subscriptions that she has lost count. Last time, the number hovered around 12, but she honestly can't remember how many monthly publications come to her mailbox. Now, she knows that not everyone has the time or money to have so many magazines coming into the house. So, she's going to give you lovelies the best of the month, the highlights from all the magazines she reads.

Today, Harper's Bazaar, MNB's favorite magazine appeared in the mailbox.


Highlights

• Natalie Portman looks great on the cover as Audrey Hepburn
• Vera Wang is joining the ranks of Isaac Mizrahi, Viktor & Rolf and all the other designers who've made low-priced lines for mass retails. Very Vera, a line of separates, will be sold exclusively at Kohl's
• There's a whole section devoted entirely to shoes and bags, two things that always put MNB in a better mood. Currently loving BR's motorcycle boots and the Jimmy Choo Ramona (and secretly wishing this one goes on sale when the new lines hit stores).
• Fall's 7 Key Pieces
  
1. the short jacket,
   
2. the printed blouse,
   
3. the skinny pant,
   
4. the ankle boot,
   
5. the sheath coat,
   
6. the bubble dress, and
   
7. the classic bag.
• Essentials for building a fragrance wardrobe
• A fresh, elegant floral for daytime
  
• Something sexy for a party, like an oriental
• A clean citrus scent for more active days, like when you're doing yoga
• A big, bold floral for the romantic moments in life
• Something comforting for travel or that "you'd wear with jeans and a sweater"
  
• Futuristic Foundation - SK-II's new Air Touch Foundation comes with a battery operated airbrusher that charges the foundation molecules so that they land only on skin and don't settle on top of each other for a perfect finish. However, it only comes in 4 very fair shades, so not all of us will be able to try this one.
• The Best New Buys, the hottest picks from this seasons resort collections. MNB's favorites - Gucci's tan minitrench, Ralph Lauren's orange strappy platform sandals, and Fendi's white puff sleeve dress
  

Read it, love it, and don't forget that Ms. New Beauty told you!

Natural Honeys

Ms. New Beauty is so busy lately, trying to find herself a job in a completely different industry than the one she's studying in school, on top of her classes and extracurricular commitments. And, you know she has to maintain her social schedule. So, the networking, studying, planning, and partying are just wearing her out. The only thing that's kept her sane is her favorite natural bath soak. And since Ms. New Beauty loves everything she's ever tried from this line, and gives them as Christmas gifts, she's dedicating this post to just one company.

In recent years, natural beauty and hair care products have gotten a lot of attention. There's one brand in particular designed for and by black women that's become a mainstream hit and gotten some celebrity backers. I don't have anything against this line, I'm just not that impressed. I have however completely fallen in love with Oyin Handmade. Named for the Yoruba word for honey, Oyin's products are all natural, of superior quality and really nourish hair and skin.

Everything that Oyin makes is completely handmade with only naturaly ingredients. With recent reports that some beauty product additives may be harmful, knowing ever ingredient on the back of a bottle is comforting.


Fizzy Milk Bath

Luscious is the only word to describe this bathing experience. Oyin's Fizzy Milk Bath contains powdered milk to give the whole bath a Cleopatra experience. The lactic acid from milk really helps soften skin. Plus almond oil and cocoa butter beads that melt in the hot water to just soothe your skin. And, the bath powder comes in a mini ice cream carton, so cute.

Oyin take me away!




Whipped Pudding

This is truly the jewel in the Oyin crown. If you only try one product, this should be it. Whipped Pudding is a shea butter cream whipped up to the lightest and most decadent texture. It's so soft and light but moisturizers better than any other product in Ms. New Beauty's cabinet. Not only can you use it on your skin, it also works well on hair. It can give natural curls the moisture they need without weighing them down. And, because each jar of Whipped Pudding is handmade, right when you order it, the scent is ever changing. Sometimes it has more of a cocoa smell, other times, the vanilla scent is stronger. Every time you put it on, the pudding just melts into your skin and gives off the best sensory experience. You can also microwave your whipped pudding jar for a few seconds for a soft heated product, great for massages.


Greg Juice

This is the best leave in conditioner Ms. New Beauty has ever used. She was a faithful Infusium 23 girl for years, but nothing compares to Greg Juice. It's like a salad for your hair, literally. Started with a spring water base, Greg Juice contains vegetable extracts to condition, moisturize and detangle hair. Use it after washing hair and before styling or spray it on whenever curls or braids need a little pick me up. It has a light citrusy scent that drives that "salad" point home.

Now, the same formula is used to make Frank Juice, it's Greg Juice with Frankincense and Myrhh, for a spicier scent.









Although these three products are her favorites, Ms. New Beauty also loves the After Bath Oil. She blends in her own natural jasmine oil to customize the scent. She's been having a love affair with jasmine since she lived in North Africa and that sweet sensual scent wafted through her windows every day as she woke up. Her gorgeous and fabulous friend Didi loves to use the Shine & Define Styling Serum for her hair ever since MNB gave it to her as a Christmas present.

Check it out, be a natural honey, and don't forget Ms. New Beauty sent you!

Back to Work

Ms. New Beauty has been so busy for this past week or so, that she hasn't had time to share the love with her readers. Mea culpa ladies. Anyway, because of the break, there are so many things to let you know about.

Favorite Freebies

Now everyone knows that I am a big fan of CoverGirl Lash Exact mascara. So much so that it is one of the products I use literally every day and it's earned itself the coveted position as one of the Everyday All-Stars. (Look to your right and you'll see the permanent position it's earned here). Well, the good people at CoverGirl have created the LashExact Mobile Tour to encourage women to try it. Somewhere along the line, a humble beauty blogger with the initials MNB caught the attention of the tour's publicist. They sent her the below email about the tour.

I wanted to touch base to let you know that CoverGirl has created the LashExact Mobile Tour and Mail-in Promotion in an effort to encourage women to try the new LashExact Mascara (FOR FREE!). As part of the tour, a specially created purple LashExact Mobile Tour Van, will visit participating retail partners, including CVS, Ulta and Kmart, encouraging women to turn in their department store mascara in exchange for a free full-sized LashExact Mascara.

Being that there are only 8 stops on the LashExact Mobile Tour, and the Van itself is so unique (it is purple, with a larger than life size mascara wand on top of it!) I thought more people would be interested in learning more about it and of course how they can get a free mascara (LashExact mascara, with its new breakthrough brush technology, provides a better lash experience than the leading department store mascara, delivering clump-free and beautifully separated lashes!)

The entire tour will run through the end of October, when it makes its final stop in Boston (October 25th-29th.) Other cities on the tour include: Philadelphia, Chicago, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Orlando, New York City and Washington DC. As an added bonus, consumers who will not have the tour stopping near their hometown (or can't make it to the stops) can take advantage of the Mail-in Promotion by sending their old department store mascara to CoverGirl in exchange for a free LashExact Mascara. Consumers can visit www.covergirl.com/freelashexact, to find out when the LashExact Mobile Tour will be near their hometown or how to make a mail in exchange.

Free products are the best. But they're even better when they're products I already know and love. If you haven't had the motivation to try LashExact by now, this should be all you need. Mail your old mascara in and make sure you stop by if you see this van.

Signature Scents

MNB was also contacted by a gentleman named Stephen about his new fragrance oil business, Scent Design. Scent Design offers customers completely custom blended fragrance oils. Now, the best perfumes are pure fragrance oil. Ever wonder why Creed costs so much? It's all fragrance oil. There's no alcohol or water added to dilute it. It's completely the pure fragrance oil.

Scent Design offers you the pure fragrance oil, but unlike ready made perfumes, you decide exactly what oils you want blended, how they are combined, and how strong each scent is. With 40 different fragrances, the combinations are endless. You can equally mix oils and even add just a sublte hint of a specific scent. There's also a suggested "recipe" list for those of us who don't need any more decisions to make. And, Scent Design offers a liberal return policy so if you didn't realize that you're not a patchouli girl, you can send it back and try again. The scent comes in a portable rollerball bottle and you know MNB loves anything that she can fit in her purse. The best part? Your customized fragrance starts out at only $10 a bottle.

Now, MNB has not tried Scent Design yet, but she loves the concept and thinks it's a great idea. Perfume lovers, give it a try.


Get stuff for free, smell sweet, and don't forget that Ms. New Beauty sent you!

New Look for Fall

Ms. New Beauty has a new look for fall and now you can't tell her nothin!!!

I was never a fan of the original template. There's nothing wrong with it, but it was really generic. There were about a million other blogs with the same one, and Ms. New Beauty loves to stand out. She's always an individual, so you know that had to change eventually.

Also, it was brought to my attention that there were some problems viewing it when using Internet Explorer. I use Firefox, so I never noticed it myself. But, I can't have my readers struggling to get the advice that I so lovingly dispense, so I've given myself something of a crash course in HTML (read: a lot of copy and paste mixed with trial and error). The new look handles the problems we were experiencing before and far better suits Ms. New Beauty's attitude.

Enjoy ladies, and thanks to those who stuck with me through the technical difficulties.

A Beautiful Cure

So it's a double posting day. I'm sick, stuck inside the penthouse with nothing but magazines and the internet to keep me occupied. Well, actually, I should be reading for my tax law class, but this is more fun. Onto the cosmetics!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the beauty and fashion industries have always stepped up to the challenge to find the cure. So many companies have introduced or redesigned products specifically to raise money for breast cancer charities. Here are some of the products that I will be trying and buying to do my part.

Bobbi Brown Pink Bouquet Shimmer Lip Gloss

A new product created just for Breast Cancer Awareness, it's the perfect pink shimmery lip gloss. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.





Philosophy Pink Ribbon Shower Gel

I love Philosophy shower gels. The three-in-one products can be used as shampoo, bath gel, or body wash. And, even though it's not one of the selling points, Philosophy shower gels make great shaving creams. The best part is 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Women's Cancer Research Fund.



Murad Energizing Pomegranate Lip Therapy

You know I barely need an excuse to try a new lip balm. Now, pomegranate is my favorite fall fruit and has so many natural antioxidants that it's basically a given that I'm going to try anything that has it as an ingredient. And, this one has an SPF 15 with 10% of the proceeds going to breast cancer research.






L'Occitane Ultra Rich Body Cream


Again, I don't really need a reason to buy L'Occitane body products. And this body cream is an all time favorite of mine. But, just for October, it's going to come in a pink box and 15% of the proceeds will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.







Stila Breast Cancer Awareness It Gloss Trio

We all love Stila lip glosses, they add just the right hint of color and shine without all of that ridiculous goopiness. This trio comes with three shades, named Courageous, Enticing, and Inspiring, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.






For more products that benefit breast cancer research and charities, visit Sephora, All About the Pretty, and Beautiful Makeup Search.

(Note: the proceeds is the money that the company brings in from a product, not just the profit it makes after its expenses. Seems pretty basic, but I was a little unsure until I looked it up myself. Just passing on the knowledge as always.)

Try, buy, support a great cause, and don't forget that Ms. New Beauty sent you!

Hands Down

Now what kind of FAMU alumna would I be if I hadn't headed down to Atlanta for the Classic this weekend. Me and the girls had all kinds of fun, meaning lots of late nights and early mornings. The only things that kept me from looking like a wretched and ragged lady of the night were my under-eye concealer and white eyeliner on my lower lash line. Of course all that fun and partying came at a price, I now have a nasty little cold and haven't left the house since I got back late Sunday night.

We all know that Rule #1 of cold care is wash your hands often. Washing at least two or three times an hour should be wearing me out but I'm truly loving the experience thanks to my new favorite hand soap and my own little personal hand treatment.


Molton Brown Fine Liquid Hand Wash

This is the gentlest hand soap I've ever used. Actually, I don't think you can even properly call this soap. Hand wash is better, especially since that's what the creators have chosen to call it. I use the White Mulberry formula and it is so lovely. Lifts my spirits every time I lather up. Plus, the white mulberry and essential oils have natural anti-aging benefits to keep hands looking young. We all know that it isn't wrinkles or grey hair that gives away age. It's always the hands and the neck. I'm still at the height of my youth but it's never too early to start protecting yourself against the signs of aging. I plan to have the skin on the back of my hand snapping right back from now until 90.

The best part is I got hooked on this by using the sample I got in my gift bag from the Neiman Marcus Beauty Event. I told you that thing was the greatest. If you didn't heed my advice this time, make sure you're there next year.

Barielle 60 Second Manicure

You would think that my hands and cuticles would be dried out by now, especially since you all know that I'm far too lazy to keep up a regular manicure. I ought to be walking around the Penthouse with gorilla fists by now, but I'm not. These hands are soft and supple and feeling like a newborn's. I've been using my Barielle 60 Second Manicure every morning when I wake up. It's a natural sea salt scrub with essential oils made just for your hands. A vigorous scrub for a minute or two instantly exfoliates hands, removes cuticles, and gives you the softest handshake a grown woman has ever had. I get excited for any new opportunity to exfoliate since dry, dead skin is my nemesis, the Newman in my life. And, this keeps me from cutting my own cuticles, a huge no no when it comes to hand and nail care. Plus, the scrubbing really leaves my hands feeling invigorated, like these are the hands that will rule the world. My delusions of grandeur aside, I am so in love with this product.

Try them, use them, have the softest and youngest looking hands in the world, and remember that Ms. New Beauty sent you!