Saturday, April 12, 2008

Drive-by Beauty

Yesterday, Ms. New Beauty had the longest day of her life. She left the house at 8 am and didn't make it back until 4 o' clock the next morning. MNB put in a full day at work and then had a full evening scheduled after. The plan was to meet her boyfriend for a quick drink and then head over to Radio City to see the Katt Williams comedy tour. After the drinks and jokes, next up was dinner and then a cab ride downtown to celebrate a friend's birthday at a club. Add in the fact that yesterday in New York was cold, cloudy, rainy day. Obviously, it took a herculean effort for Ms. New Beauty to find the right outfit that would work in the office and then carry her through her whirlwind night all the while keeping her looking chic despite the weather. MNB put together just the right look for the day but as she was leaving work and heading uptown for her cocktails and comedy, she realized that her makeup was badly in need of a refresh. Unfortunately, Ms. New Beauty had left her emergency cosmetics bag at home. So she did what any woman in her situation would do - she headed right to her nearby Sephora to touch up her look and to try some new products. And, she found some new favorites in the process.

Phyto Phyto 9 Daily Ultra Nourishing Botanical Cream

As any woman who straightens her hair will tell you, the weather is not your friend. Even the threat of rain can take you from smooth and silky to frizzy in an instant. Yesterday was no different for me. The rain and the fog undid all of the work that I put in with my curling iron as soon as I stepped out of the front door. The worst offender of all was the constant mist floating down from the sky all day. It's so fine that an umbrella is just no protection at all. Needless to say, my hair was at the top of the my to-do list when I walked into Sephora.

I was looking for a product that smooth and moisturize without drying up and leaving my hair hard and crunchy. This balm perfectly fit the bill. It delivered a power punch of moisture to my edges and roots, also known as the new growth. It left my hair softened without the slightest bit of greasiness and smoothed everything down without being too watery. My only regret is that I did not buy it right then and there because I was in such a rush. But this is definitely coming home with me the next time I step into Sephora.

$26, available at Sephora

Carol's Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey

Here's another hair product I needed yesterday. You thought I was joking, huh? I said that the weather completely did number on my hair and I was serious. My ends were so parched that every time I ran my finger through my hair I heard "me want agua" whispered in my ear. Clearly this got annoying after the third or fourth time. I knew after I got my front laid down, I had to find something to handle the back

At first I hesitated about using this kind of product on my hair. I have a lot of hair, but it's really fine. Anything with too much oil will weigh my strands down in a nanosecond and a lot of natural hair products, especially those marketed to women of color, can be too much for my hair. But I was pleasantly surprised by this pomade. It emulsified in my hands almost immediately and left a light citrus scent on my hair. Even more important, my ends drank it up! I swear I almost heard my hair belch afterwards. All the moisture I needed with no heaviness or greasiness. But be forewarned, less is definitely more. Just a dab'll do ya.

$9.50, available at Sephora

NARS Blush in Taos

The last thing I needed to ready myself for my whirlwind night was a boost to my complexion. In the morning, I typically use a quick dab of cheek stain to give a little color to my face because I can do it almost without looking. Just a few quicks dabs of product and then a quick blend with my fingers and I'm ready to go. It takes less than 30 seconds. But when I have more time, I love my powder blush and NARS Taos has been my go to color since I first discovered it four years ago. If you read magazines and beauty blogs a lot, you've probably heard of NARS Orgasm already. It's a pinky peach blush and while it's perfectly nice, it is not, and I repeat not, universally flattering as it has often been called. While I'm sure it works on plenty of women and changed lives around the globe, Orgasm does not look good on everyone, particularly me. For complexions on the deeper end of the color spectrum, Orgasm can be too shimmery and border on looking ashy.

This is where Taos steps in to fill the void. Taos is a rosy shade with just enough coral and peach to bring out of the warmth of a darker skin tone. And, it has a very fine milled hint of golden shimmer that just makes my skin glow. NARS blushes are very, very pigment rich so a big fluffy brush is a must to keep the look natural, which is why I normally skip it in the morning. But for evening, it always brings my look together. The challenge yesterday was applying it in Sephora without the aid of my favorite Kevin Aucoin brush. Ever the resourceful one, I found a way to use those cotton rounds to buff and blend the color to perfection.

$25, available at Sephora


Take yourself from early morning through late night, and make a quick stop to refresh the sexy if you need to, but just don't forget that Ms. New Beauty told you!

3 Comments:

beautylogicblog said...

This is hysterical. I thought i was the only person that ran to Sephora to touch up my look if I forgot the beauty bag at home. I agree on that Nars blush, that and Outlaw are my two faves.

LeAnne@Hairs My Story Team said...

The Mimosa hair honey is not as good as the Healthy Hair Butter. The best moisturizers IMO is from Qhemet Biologics and Shescentit.com. If you must buy a moisturizing product from sephora for your hair, I would go with Phytospecifc Intense Nutrition Mask. Phytospecific products are great!
hairsmystory.com

Glossy said...

Yeah, Orgasm is pretty but overrated at this point. Taos really gets skin glowing. I think it's time for Taos to take the spotlight!

Your blog is one of my favorite reads! I've tagged you on my blog :)

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