It's Stock Up at Sephora Time! Living Proof Shampoo & Conditioner

Regardless of how many beauty products you own and test as a Beauty Editor (ie. pretty much every product and brand), the siren call of 20% off at Sephora sings as loudly to me as it does to you. Most beauty, fragrance and skincare products don't have a long shelf life, so haircare is my choice for a Sephora stock up, and in particular, Living Proof. After arriving stateside in 2008, the brand quickly attained cult status for its anti-frizz formulations; their newest products are so simple, they're ingenious: one shampoo, one conditioner - that's all. With thousands of products marketed to specific hair types and conditions - perplexing us with too many choices - Living Proof No Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner cut through the clutter. After testing various shampoos and conditioner, this is my Editor Fave, and not just for my mane, but for all the myriad hair 'types' ranging from fine to coarse, curly to straight.

Prada L'Eau Ambree - From the House that Muiccia Built

Prada.

The brand conjures up a single image: the epitome of Italian chic, and pricey - but not precious.

Miuccia Bianchi Prada started breathing life back into House of Prada when she joined the family business (run by her mother) in 1970. In 1978, she unveiled the classic Prada backpack: simple, sleek, and fabricated from black nylon, and by 1985, it was an overnight sensation. In a decade of excess, the Prada bag was functional, sturdy, practical, and yet still fashionable; unlike the frou frou fantasy collections of the moment, the Prada aesthetic was wearable, yet distinctive.

Rocker Edge with Mad Plaid

Plaid is a really fun way to smarten up a rocker'y edge look, while edgy touches like this fab deconstructed Margiela top layered over shredded skinnies create a crafty balance between naughty and nice.  A smoky eye is, of course, de rigeur, and a field bag in an offbeat but complimentary plaid adds a clever, fun touch.

About the look:

Fight Holiday Weight Gain with Pumpkins & Pushups

During the holiday, food is love, which means it's okay to eat latkes, stuffing, candy canes, and other goodies...which is probably why most Americans gain between 8 to 12 pounds over the holidays (ie. an increase of up to 2 dress sizes).  However, before you despair of choosing between familial love and love of your non-fat pants, follow Mary Fugle's advice and plan ahead.  There's only one way to eat your fruitcake without packing on the pounds advises Fugle, the owner of WiseWomenWorkouts: maintain your fitness level by doing MORE exercise over the holidays. By raising your endorphin levels, you help keep those jeans fitting right instead of tight. 

Turkey Neck, Au Revoir! ORLANE B21 FIRMING SERUM NECK & DECOLLÉTÉ

‘Gobblers’ and ‘wattles’ look enticing on turkeys..not women. Unfortunately, one sure sign of age is the inevitable pull of gravity around the neck; having no bone support, the epidermis of the neck and bust is subjected to constant physical exertion, and firm tissue eventually slackens and loses its elasticity. In addition, exposure to UVA and UVB rays and the environment only speed up the the aging process. The result: time takes its turkey-like toll on the highly vulnerable neck area. To address these specific problems (short of a surgical procedure), ORLANE Paris developed what is now one of my favorite neck treatments: B21 FIRMING SERUM – NECK & DECOLLÉTÉ.

Black Friday & Cyber Monday e-Shopping: Stylish Steals & Fashionable Deals

Don't say we didn't warn you...wireless navigation Networks in Motion (NIM) just released findings surrounding GPS nav usage for Black Friday, and these are the Top 10 destinations you'll want to avoid in person at all costs:

1. Walmart
2. Best Buy
3. Target
4. Starbucks
5. Circuit City
6. Sam's Club
7. The Mall
8. Kohl's
9. Toys R Us
10. Bank of America

While Walmart was the most searched destination by a significant margin, many "seasoned Black Friday shoppers will not spend all their time in one store," NIM warns, "but will instead travel to as many stores as possible to fulfill all their shopping needs." Savvy NYC shoppers will no doubt be downloading the Lustr Fashion App to have at their fingertips up-to-the-minute deals from retailers, including brands carried, prices, promos, and events. (Download it before Dec. 12th & you'll be entered to win the Ultimate Lustrous Goodie Bag: $1500 worth of loot including a $200 voucher for minicentroshoes.com, a Sarar silk scarf, and Clarins Holiday gift Set.)

So take our advice: Eat lots, then tune out (the fam), tune in (to your computer...see Chilax-Pandora below), and shop-shop-shop 'til you drop online.  Here are our recommendations for navigating the Black Friday/Cyber Monday SHOP-travaganza:

Jovoy Paris: All in the Olfactive Family

Robert Piguet, Lubin, and Caron are very much ‘au courant’ these days - part of the current craze for resurrecting the legacy of houses of perfumery past. The sleeper in ‘everything old is new again’ perfumery, and my personal favorite, is Jovoy Paris. Created in 1923 and brought back in 2006 by co-founders Blanche Arvoy and members of her family, the brand was so obscure that it was not well known even among collectors.

Packaged in 30s Perlinette-inspired flacons complete with pearl-shaped actuator and presented in Pellaq-leather covered cylindrical cases, there are seven fragrances in the collection, Les 7 Parfums Capitaux; developed by perfumer Amandine Marie, they are based on the main fragrance or olfactive family classifications: Hespéridé, Fougère, Chypre, Marine, Poudré, Oriental and Boisé.

Each of the seven fragrances can be worn alone or mixed with others, creating an experience that goes beyond what the Perfumer created for the Wearer, to how the Wearer interprets the perfume. Each scent evokes a unique perspective and the best way to experience Jovoy is to custom-blend the essential scents to create your signature scent.

Simply the Bess: Edward Bess Cosmetics

When Edward Bess first introduced his must-have Lip Wardrobe, a collection of ten lipsticks and five lip glosses ranging from barely-there nudes to timeless deep reds presented in a sleek black lacquer box, the former model created an almost instant cult following for his eponymous cosmetic line among beauty aficionados and celebs including Salma Hayek, Jennifer Anniston, and Kate Moss. This holiday, his new cult-fave-in-the-making is the “Jet Set” luxury travel bag filled with glamorous and highly wearable first class products that will work as easily from a day shopping in St.Tropez to a night dancing in Ibiza. The curated colors are perfect anytime anywhere, so you might consider picking up an heir and a spare. 

RETURN TO BEAUTY: Old World Wisdom & Recipes for Great Skin

If you can't pronounce the ingredients in your beauty products, does it make you nervous?

"Many women would be shocked to learn about all the toxic chemicals baked into their $60-a-jar skin creams. Currently, cosmetics don't even need FDA approval," confirms Narine Nikogosian, skincare expert and author of RETURN TO BEAUTY: Old-World Recipes for Great Radiant Skin - whose clients include Jessica Alba, Charlize Theron, Alfre Woodard, and Kirk Douglas.

Thanks to a combination of dermatological know-how combined with beauty wisdom passed down from her Armenian grandmother, Nikogosian covers seasonal care for all four skin types - letting you whip up your own beauty lotions and potions at home, using items such as honey, avocados, yoghurt, olive oil, cucumbers, eggs, nuts, milk, rose petals, veggies, and other items found in nature that are all easy to pronounce.

Vapour: 21st Century Beauty From the Cofounder Of Kevyn Aucoin Beauty

 

Not another beauty line...snooze. But it's organic...ho hum.  It was co-founded by the former business partner and dear friend of Kevyn Aucoin who left the company when the legendary makeup artist passed away...yes, please.

Before launching Vapour, his new beauty company, Eric Sakas worked closely with Mr. Aucoin since 1993 in various capacities including managing production, snapping many of the pix for Making Faces and Face Forward, Aucoin's New York Times bestselling beauty books, and generally helping to grow the brand. Most importantly, he learned Mr. Aucoin’s coveted techniques of makeup application. And when he received an unlabeled cosmetic sample and was so blown away by the performance, texture and finish, he was compelled to track down the manufacturer - and thus a new truly 21st century beauty brand was born. Vapour is a range of organic, universally flattering cosmetics that uses a unique, high-performance delivery system – not a powder, liquid or cream - to impart a light-as-air texture while providing skin treatment benefits and rich mineral color.