Lancome's Newest Collection: Roseraie de Delices

Lancome's latest Spring 2012 collection by Aaron De May, their artistic director who is known in the industry as somewhat of a beauty genius (although he somewhat resembles the crypt keeper, see below for reference images), is an absolute beauty to behold. I want every single item they have put out for the collection and I'll show them to you so you can 'oooh' and 'aaaah' yourself.

Crypt Keeper

Aaron De May - Artistic Director of Lancome

As if Lady Gaga hadn't already told us in her latest music video for 'Marry the Night', mint is definitely going to be the huge color trend for Spring 2012 (she had insider information from Calvin Klein, Chanel and the likes) and that's okay with me because it is a delicate, feminine and fresh color. Without further adieu, I present to you the fabulous 5 color all-in-one shadow and liner compacts in Vert Tendresse and Rose Romance!

There's so many options with these! There's lid, crease, shadow, highlighter and liner in each of these, you can mix and match the colors for many different looks and combinations. The rose palette consists of peach and rose tones with a burgundy liner, while the green palette containing mint and forest greens with a darker grayish green liner. I love all of the colors because they have a shimmery iridescence to them that feels youthful and joyous. However, the cost of these is a little steep (as to be expected with Lancome products) at $48 each.

Now, I present to you what *really* caught my attention in this collection, the illuminating smooth powder which is a mixture of rosy pink and pastel shimmers. It's an all-in-one product for the cheeks and face, so you can use it as your face powder and blush, as well as highlighter (the parts that are more shimmery). The cost is, again, steep at $42, but it is such a beautiful item that appears to look like a bed of roses that it almost makes it worth the price.

My least favorite items in this collection are their waterproof eyeliner pens in green and white, I'm not a huge fan of their formulation, it's a little greasy for my taste,  but some people like that. Also, they're expensive at $25.50 each and you can probably find something similar in a drugstore.

The lipstick in this line is kind of adorable because the limited-edition packaging for the cotton candy shade and the color itself are the cutest. However, the 'Le French Touch Absolu Nu' lipstick costs $35 because of the packaging, while the rest are $29, $6 for packaging, Lancome?? Really??? I know that packaging didn't set them back anything so why are they overpricing? 'L'Absolu Rouge Nu' comes in the colors 'Sweet Marmalade' and 'Rose Petal'.

L'Absolu Rouge Nu in Sweet Marmalade

L'Absolute Roughe Nu in Rose Petal

Limited Edition - Le French Touch Absolu Nu in Cotton Candy

Surviving painful neck spasms

I don't know if any of you have gone through this but I recently have been experiencing an onset of horrible neck spasms that include my trapezius, sternocleidomastroid and scalene muscles. It's a horrible experience to have to go through and I'm pretty convinced it's from a pulled tendon/ligament because it has taken me through the Christmas break and refuses to let up even a little bit. I've been using muscular rub, two different kinds of cervical collars, taking cyclobenzaprine as a muscle relaxant and diclofenac to reduce swelling. I've been to the doctor and she has advised me not to massage the area or see a massage therapist because rubbing the strained muscle will only cause it to spasm harder. So seeing as nothing is helping, I decided I would cover the ways to prevent muscle strains from happening, specifically in your neck because they take up to 6 months to get rid of and are extremely debilitating.

People who sleep on their stomachs, including myself, are very prone to this kind of a strain because in order to lay that way you must turn your head an extreme amount, this is also an injury common to those who have been in a car wreck. However, it can just happen on its own, during a workout, afterwards, or maybe during a brisk turn of the head because something caught your attention. Using a pillow that's too flat or thick can cause this type of strain but so can being around an air conditioner or an open window (in my case, I was outside on the rooftop patio on a chilly day after a work out when I felt the pull). If this happens to you, you can expect pain, stiffness, loss of range of motion, feeling like there is a hard bulge in your neck and numbness (because the sprain and spasms can pull on your blood vessels and nerves). My doctor suggested not working out again until the spasm is gone completely because you can end up tearing ligaments. Alternating ice or moist heat is said to make the pain go away, but it really only relieves the outside layers (such as your skin) and the pain will quickly return. Even taking oral medication hasn't proven too successful, aside from making me drowsy and forcing me to fall asleep and forget about the pain. The most practical improvement has been while wearing my neck collar because it supports my head and the muscles in my neck and back don't have to work to hold it up (they do this without you willing them to).

It's important to do a series of neck stretches whether you're sitting at a computer all day hunched over or going to the gym.

Smile Self-Esteem

It's time to get real for a second and talk about some issues that are pressing and prevalent in our society. I read this article in the Daily Mail (from the UK) and it said that 75% of all British women avoid having their picture taken because they have a negative self-image. I realize this may not be where you or I live but the point is that this is a global trend, women everywhere are more and more self-conscious by the second. If we're not striving to lose 50 lbs, we're obsessed with our makeup, the way we dress, our hair, our nails, the list goes on and on. The problem begins and ends with society, what do I mean by this? I mean that I can't walk out of the house without makeup on (and I've learned this since I was in high school) without people telling me that I look sickly and pale, or asking me what's wrong. That's just my face, guys, I wasn't born clowned-up, stuffed into tights, and pushed up by a bra (and neither was Kim Kardashian, for example).

Facebook photos are so pathetic now, too. I look at my friends posted pictures and they're all posing like some hypersexed faux-supermodels, nobody is real anymore, everyone tries to be staged and perfect. In all honesty, I can't harp on others without admitting my own faults, I've done this plenty of times, I used to think that smiling made me look too young and imperfect so I would pout in every picture for years, what a goon. 36% of brides are anxious about their wedding day not because of the colossal decision they're making but because they will be the focus of attention and photographed extensively.

Despite the fact that a whopping 52% of women are scared to death of smiling in a photograph for fear of showing their yellowish or wonky teeth and smile lines, men appear to firstly be attracted by a woman's smile rather than her cleavage or legs. The article suggests that instead of saying 'cheese', women should be saying 'oats' to create a perfectly plump pouty smile, but I think this is absolutely ridiculous. If you can't even smile without faking it, whose to say you aren't faking your entire life away? I'm going to say that this issue runs so deep that it permeates every facet of our social interactions and it has got to stop with you. If we continue this deification of what a woman is supposed to be (and it's happening to men, too) we'll fall down a slippery slope where not only our mental image is warped but that of our children and their children's are going to be more disturbed than even ours.

There's no reason in the world you should try to control the way you smile, just brush your teeth regularly and see a dentist once every 6-9 months for a cleaning and you should be fine. Stay away from unhealthy things that stain your teeth such as caffeine and sodas, and bare your chicklets to the world without a care of what others will think about you. I'm going to let you in on a little secret, the most attractive thing about a person is their confidence, so if you can muster that you can pull anything else off. How could you even have time to have fun if you're always worrying about how yellow your teeth are, sucking in your stomach and hiding any sign of a blemish? God forbid we should just be who we are, right?

Style trend alert: The Neckalina

I came across this new accessory that I just have to share with you all by KaVatee called 'The Neckalina' and it combines my two loves of necklaces and scarves in one! This way you don't have to choose whether you'll wear a necklace or scarf or worry about them tangling if you pair them together. It's basically the marriage of a pashmina-looking scarf and a big, bold statement necklace. What an awesome concept. You get three looks for the price of one, it's one-size fits all and can be worn alone as a necklace, a scarf, or together as a necklace paired over a circle scarf. 

My only qualm with this accessory is that I think H&M or a less-expensive brand should remake it for a lower price because the price tag on this look is $88, which is entirely too much for my what the product is. If this was in the $30-$40 range, I would gladly spend the money on it, but for $88 I can think of many other things I would rather buy first. You can check out the different colors and styles here. 

These are the current existing looks that you can purchase online (my favorite one being the black):

Hangover cures

Did you accidentally or intentionally drink too much and get a hangover the next day? Well, here are some easy tips and tricks to get you feeling right as rain the next day so that you can go out and do it all over again. Sometimes you won't have an entire weekend with the blinds shut as if you're hiding out from the zombie apocalypse to get over what ails you. Don't let yourself feel miserable and hang out in bed all day with a scrunched-up looking face and the physique of a troll. Empower yourself and get yourself feeling fabulous as soon as possible with these easy methods.

First and most importantly, make sure you're drinking plenty of water, and I know you hear this everywhere, but it is the most important thing to drink it as you are consuming alcohol and afterwards. You should be hydrating your body even 24 hours after you finished drinking alcohol to replenish the water supply in your cells and to flush the alcohol from your body. This will allow you to avoid crashing and keep you hydrated. 

Taking a few advils with water after you've eaten a meal will reduce the inflammation and bloating that you'll feel from the alcohol. It will also help with hangover headaches and migraines, also with sensitivity to sunlight so that you may escape from your room without having to shield your bloodshot eyes as if you've emerged from living in a cave your whole life. You may also want to use a cold compress over your eyes or ice wrapped in a paper towel to reduce any swelling and puffiness you may be experiencing, it will also help to invigorate and wake you up.

Drinking coconut water or electrolyte-full drinks such as gatorade and powerade will re-energize your metabolism and allow you to ward off that icky-feeling after you're done binge drinking alcohol. Make sure to fill yourself up with plenty of bread and carbohydrates before and after you down a ton of alcoholic beverages because they will absorb the alcohol and stop your stomach from feeling upset (thereby, also reducing the chances that you'll embarrassingly puke all over yourself). Try to avoid eating anything heavy and creamy like cheese and butter or fried foods because they will only contribute to your feeling of nausea.

If you're going out to drink again the next day, make sure you attempt to consume a drink that has a lower alcohol content and not the same thing that you fell ill to the last night because you will likely become even more drunk than you did in the first place. Switch it up, go from Gin and Tonic the first night to a beer the second and don't try to be too macho, I guarantee you'll wish you were dead the next day at work when the sun is beaming in your eyes and your computer screen's radiation is urging you to be productive.

Always make sure you have a plan to get home or a designated driver friend who can take care of you. Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other <3 and I hope you're all enjoying a fresh start to this year! Happy 2012 everyone!

Using lip pencils as eyeliner

If you find that the formulation of a lip pencil is similar to your eyeliner, you can substitute your lipliner (given that it is in a neutral shade and not some bright red or pink unless you're going for a punk look) as an eyeliner. If the chosen color is too red, you will end up looking rather sickly unless you pair it with a brown or black shade closer to the whites of your eyes.

MAC lip pencils, such as Chestnut or Cork, can be very neutral and lend themselves to doing double duty as eye and lip liners quite well. They are creamy but hard enough so that they won't fall off your waterline (just above your lower eyelashes).

I came across this quirky idea when I walked into a MAC store and was looking for a lighter-toned eye pencil that was neutral and not bronze, but was different enough from Teddy and Coffee, which I already own. 'Lo and behold I see Cork and I didn't even realize that it was a lip pencil at first, but I purchased it regardless because it seems to be made of the same minerals and chemicals as their eye pencils and it was such a beautiful color.

MAC's Lip liner in 'Cork'

Normally, I would err on the side of caution when it comes to using products that are intended for one part of your body on another part of your body, specifically the eyes. However, this is a rare exception, because MAC is a well renowned company with amazing quality products and make-up products for your face tend to have the same ingredients in them regardless of whether they are for your cheeks, eyes, lips, or all over your face.

Many makeup companies make all-over color sticks which can be applied anywhere you'd like. If you think you will be irritated by it because your eyes are sensitive, simply apply the color on the area outside of your eyelashes and that should be protective enough so that you won't have any adverse effects.

Try to steer clear of anything that's waterproof or a 'stain' for your lips because these might stain your eyelid and could make it look diseased. If you invest your time and money into good makeup and are careful about what you're doing, this is a substitute that can be made easily using the right products, obviously don't put anything from the dollar-store or unknown brands on your eyes.

Also, make sure that the lip pencil that you are using isn't too pointed and hard because you can harm the sensitive skin of your eyes, go for a creamier, smooth consistency pencil. Always try these out on your hand and other parts of your body before you attempt to put them near the delicate skin around your eyes. Lip pencils are also very good for filling-in your eyebrows, so you really don't have to be limited by specific products in your color selection process.

New Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign

Super heroes have been lending their powers, attributes, and beauty to various products over the years and they have most definitely infiltrated the world of movies and imagination. Now, however, they've found a new cause: breast cancer. In Mozambique, artist Maisa Chaves (in conjunction with the Public Health Office and DDB) created these illustrations that allude to the copyrighted DC and Marvel heroines, being extremely careful to leave their faces out to avoid being sued. The women are portrayed mid breast-exam, checking for lumps over their superhero garb, it includes the infamous Storm, strong She-Hulk, mysterious Wonder Woman, and feline Catwoman.

Some believe that these ads are making light of the serious situation of breast cancer, but I am of the opposite mind. I think the artist knew right off the bat that these are iconic figures and their performing monthly breast exams proves that nobody is 'too super' for cancer and we should all be checked. The ads all have a caption that says "When we talk about breast cancer, there's no women or superwomen. Everybody has to do the self-examination monthly. Fight with us against this enemy and, when in doubt, talk with your doctor". Surely, this makes sense and rather than portraying graphic ads with women's exposed breasts having bugs crawl under them, this is an eye-catching and meaningful way of showing that we all must fight towards a common goal, starting with personal prevention. Kudos to Mozambique for such an original ad display that not only hits home to older women because of its message, but also to those of us who are younger and may be comic book fans. This ad has a target demographic that is larger than previously grotesque and gruesome shock-value ads, it is tastefully done and beautiful to look at, while the message lingers in your mind long afterwards.