Lipstick: Check.
Face Powder: Check.
VIBRATOR: CHECK ?!?

The latest must-have for every woman’s make-up kit is yep, you read that right you virginal southern belle, a vibrator. Unlike that pink rubber one in your dresser drawer though, you won’t mind whipping this out in public. This is because vibrators are now incorporated into the wands of mascaras, to mimic professional make-up artist application.

photos from lancome.com & sephora.com

Luxury brand Lancome recently packed a pulsating one-two punch with their new ÔSCILLATION series of lash products. The ÔSCILLATION Powerbooster is the first vibrating lash primer and conditioner in the market. It primes by smoothing and separating each lash to prevent clumping while the patented Crescilla complex strengthen and revitalize thin & brittle lash hairs. Complementing the Powerbooster is the ÔSCILLATION - Vibrating Infinite Powermascara, which vibrates and spins at a mind blowing rate of 7000 oscillations per minute, allow full 360 degree coating of lashes. I was amazed at its effect, because even my lash-challenged friend Daria looked lush with lash foliage after applying both products. (more…)

Angelina Jolie… EAT your heart out! Now everyone can be the face that launched a thousand fund raising campaigns, just by patronizing brands who donate a percentage or all profits from the sale of specific products. Just late last year, Miz Jolie’s nanny Brad Pitt partnered with luxury beauty brand Kiehl’s to produce the Aloe Vera Biodegradable Liquid Body Cleanser, all proceeds of which go to the eco-foundation, JPF Eco-systems a beneficiary of which is Pitt’s Make It Right foundation which rebuilds eco-friendly “green houses” for Katrina victims. The product is also as good as the cause it benefits, packed with all skin and earth friendly ingredients such as nourishing coconut oil and aloe vera, sans artificial dyes and parabens of course.

Another celebrity jumping on the socially-responsible skincare bandwagon is tennis superstar (bodybuilder) Serena Williams, who co founded Mission Skincare, a line of beauty products made especially for athletic men and women. The line boasts of a wide range of products, most of which are fortified with sweat-proof sunscreen, from lip balm to moisturizers and an interesting product called “High-Performance Anti Friction Cream”- which begs the question “Are porn stars athletes too?” We kid! We kid! Mission Skincare also helps a great number of charities, most of which are pet projects or namesake foundations of the companies athletic co-founders such as soccer legend Mia Hamm and pro-basketball player Carmelo Anthony, among a long list of other revered sportsmen and women.

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First off, let me just say that I am not a makeup kind of girl. If I ever need to slap on some colour on my fair face, it’s usually just eyeliner, a dab of blush, and — my only weakness — lipstick. No foundation, no finishing powder, natch. I don’t like the cake-y look, nor do I like looking like a Geisha-apprentice as I used to in my earlier youth, when I failed to find the right foundation.

But a little fairy dropped a pot of Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Mineral Makeup Foundation SPF20 into my hands some time ago and I’ve been using it religiously, causing my colleagues to ask when I became so vain. Am not!

Well, there are a few good reasons why I am so pleased with this product.

1. It’s hygienic. I am one of those who regularly throw out makeup products (sometimes only half-used :\) because I think they are too dirty. And why would I put dirty stuff on my face, right? Not to worry with this because, the ingenious people behind EA included a metal place above press powder! Which means I can get just a teeny weeny bit of powder if I gently run my brush over the surface, or, I could twist the compact slightly and the plate scrapes up more powder for me!  This means that the powder I get is always fresh and uncontaminated! Amazing.
2. It saves me money! Cause I only need to grind out whatever I need, which is usually very little, so I can use this for a very long time! My wallet says thanks!
3. It’s light. I barely feel like I’m wearing anything. Really. It’s like wearing seamless, well-fitting underwear. It totally blends into my skin but makes it look even better. I take it as a compliment when my aforementioned colleagues go, “I thought you were putting on foundation? How come I can’t see anything on you?” I love it.
4. It lasts. Awesome. Cause I find touch-ups in public toilets really a waste of my time since I’m always late/rushing/running.
5. Minerals. I love mineral makeup cause it’s less gunk-y, and more natural/organic and I’m such a sucker for those. Also contains vitamins A, C and E, to protect against the evils in our environment, like you know, the incessant construction in Orchard Road.
6. SPF20. Because sometimes I am so lazy to apply sunscreen.
7. The Kabuki brush. It is so easy to use, and so soft on the skin. It also comes in a mini foldable version to — ta-dah! — fit in your compact, so you can bring it out with you! Talk about convenience. The compact doesn’t come with the brush (it comes with a powder puff), but this is definitely a worthwhile investment at $41. And here’s a tip for you: Wash the brush with warm water as you usually would every week (if you suffer from slight OCD like me), and then wash it again with your normal hair conditioner! Keeps the bristles soft and just-like-new

Worth a shot, especially if you’re really into mineral foundation. Comes in 8 shades, at $56 each, at all Elizabeth Arden counters.

One of the most difficult things to get a man to do (aside from committing to a relationship) is to get him to take better care of himself. I’ve seen such behavior in my father, my uncles, cousins and guy friends. For some strange reason they think maintaining their caveman-like beer belly, ill-fitting clothes and excessive amount of facial fur makes them manlier. Don’t even get me started on the whole body hair issue. Fortunately, all those marketing geniuses in the big beauty corporations have been working overtime to overhaul the image of managing man mangy.

photos courtesy of Kiehls.com

Though the very first male make-up line from Jean Paul Gaultier wasn’t all that successful in its campaign to get guys primping instead of pimping (not everyone can pull off guy-liner), I think Kiehl’s , one of my most favorite skincare brands, has come up with an essentials kit with actual sensible must-haves that could convince even the most soap-averse dude to make the effort to keep himself looking and feeling  fresh & flea-free . (more…)

Backstage @ Jean Paul Gaultier Fall '09 by Luca Cannonieri of gorunway.com

A beauty icon from the 80’s is slowly easing back into the limelight. No I don’t mean Dionne Warwick Whitney Houston; I’m talking about curls, waves and hair with kink. For almost two decades, pin-straight hair has been the hairstyle de rigueur but now along with the revival of 80’s fashion came the return of textured hair. Curls are now looser and more romantic but nonetheless edgy and whether your curls or waves are God-given or done by a salon maven, key to pulling off “The New Wave” are the right tools and products. (more…)

Now I may not agree that Lady Gaga inspired the fall couture shows but I’m fully convinced that another (voice-stealing) drag queen-like songstress, Ursula from “The Little Mermaid”, has inspired several celebrity looks of late. Just look at Beth Ditto, who at the recent launch of her own clothing line, looked like the spitting image of the fabulous cartoon villainess- she even got the girth and menacing attitude right.

Wingtip eyeliner, a hodgepodge of bright eye shadow, statement lips and hell raiser high hair has been seen all over the runway shows of Chanel, Gaultier & Dior and most evidently in Marc Jacobs Fall ‘09, where the team of legendary makeup artiste Francois Nars and hairstylist Guido Palau went all out Ursula. (more…)

I am a firm believer that hot wax should only touch a person’s body if it came from a burning candle and strictly for the purpose of pleasure. This is why I was glad to hear that scientists developed IPL or Intense Pulse Light treatments which permanently spares one from unwelcome & unsightly hair and the drudgery and pain of shaving, threading & waxing. However, IPL treatments can be quite costly  and inconvenient because it requires repeated visits to the doctor for a span of several months and I for one am averse to the idea of parading my “hairy situation” to a doctor and his/her staff on a regular basis .

Now two new gadgets claim to provide permanent hair removal results similar to those achieved with IPL: The Silk’n SensEpil and Tria Laser Hair Removal system, both of which utilize medical-grade laser technology to zap away body hair permanently in the comfort and privacy of one’s home and at a price that is recession appropriate. (more…)

If you’re crazy enough to ever rock a MAN-icure you might as well do it right. Hard and fast rules include saying NO to “natural gloss” and it doesn’t  matter what that obnoxious politically correct friend tells you, PINK is NOT a masculine color for nail varnish. See nail polish isn’t for all guys, heck before it wasn’t for guys AT ALL but everything changed when in June 2, 2007, MAN GLAZE the “original matte- finished nail polish” was born.

Launched just 3 years ago at a hard core punk rock festival in Japan (where else), MAN GLAZE has since gained an impressive roster of male and female fans from the rock and high fashion scene, like Marilyn Manson, the Suicide Girls, Agyness Deyn and even Oprah Winfrey. (more…)