Sophia Loren Still Dazzling At 2009 Academy Awards

Today, we are paying homage to the legend herself, Sophia Loren.

At Sunday evening's 2009 Academy Awards Show, the still sexy and beguiling beauty graced audiences worldwide at the presentation of the Best Actress award.

At age 74, we must say, Sophia Loren is still quite beautiful and curvaceous in her flowing, frilly gold gown. Her posture, still regal. And her trademark cat eyes and strong mouth continue to dazzle us all.


What's the beauty tip today, you ask?

If you look at our website header above (where you see website title/graphics), you see an earlier photo of the legendary screen actress herself. We chose Academy Award winner Sophia Loren as our permanent 'cover girl' because she epitomizes elegance and beauty, but in such an individual way.

She does not resemble everyone else. And often times, young girls growing up, are forced to look at a limited number of beautiful people. Models selling an image of fair skin, light eyes, light hair, small nose, very skinny, and 5'10". In other words, women are told to look like this or like that. Everything else is wrong, or not considered beautiful.


We like to believe that there are all kinds of beauty in this world. There is not just one type for all people.

In other words:

"There is certainly no absolute standard of beauty. That precisely is what makes its pursuit so interesting." ----John Kenneth Galbraith..."



We are fascinated by Sophia Loren's exquisite bone structure. She is someone you must look at. And yet, her nose is more generous than most. Her eyes are quite stunning. Her eyebrow bone is very high. Her mouth is large. She is a beauty who breaks the mold. And that is precisely why we love the image of Sophia Loren.

We salute you, Sophia Loren. A true legend in all respects.

Kohl's Big Flirt Mascara One Of Our Fav Makeup Products

It's alright. We don't mind if you're laughing. We happen to adore Big Flirt Thickening Mascara. And yeah, it's from Kohl's.

Snicker-snicker. We know what you're thinking.....that if anyone dares to write a beauty, makeup, and skin care blog, you'd think they would be a 'labels snob.'

In some ways, and on some days, yes, we are a snob for certain beauty, makeup, and skin care products. Only the best will do.

And we would agree, that Dior and Lancome offer some of the best mascaras out there at a pricier tag. But then again, Maybelline's Great Lash Mascara is just that----great lash!!! And you can scoop that right up for under $6.00 a tube.

Our new favorite mascara of the moment is by Flirt! in Black Wink. And you can only buy it at Kohl's dept. stores or at kohls.com.

It's even pricier than most drugstore mascaras...Big Flirt Thickening Mascara by Flirt! costs $12 a tube.

Why do we love this stuff?

It's rather simple. Flirt! probably best describes their own product:

"A gentle fiber-enriched formula that fans out lashes, adding length and volume for a false eyelash effect."

We stumbled upon Flirt! Mascara. A friend who was shopping at Kohl's, found the mascara on sale and picked us up one. We have been wearing mascara since we were about 13 years old, so we know what we like.

The Big Flirt Thickening Mascara delivers. But you must be careful. Too much, and your lashes get over-loaded. It really features a thick consistency so you can build lots of volume, layer upon layer. And you can achieve a false eyelash effect if done properly.

We have always admired eyes with long, dark lashes. We love the fringe. Honestly, we would be lost without mascara. How about you?!

How To Get Angelina's 2009 Oscar Red Carpet Dewy Look

Angelina Jolie glowed beautifully on the red carpet at last evening's 2009 Oscar Awards show, in a black, strapless Elie Saab gown.

Of course, those huge and striking emerald earrings and emerald cocktail ring didn't hurt, either. Check out those rocks!!! 115 karats just in the earrings alone!!

Angelina Jolie looked simply elegant. And her makeup was as pretty. Everyone was talking about the dewy look to her makeup. And Angie can thank her super celebrity makeup artist Mary Burton.

We love major red carpet events, because the makeup pros are more than happy to share their excellent makeup tips with the rest of us. So if you are looking to duplicate that natural, dewy look, here are the details:

Mary Burton's Makeup Palette for Angelina Jolie at the 2009 Academy Awards Show

1. Lancome Le Crayon Kohl in Black Ebony (for lining eyes with definition and creating sexy cat-eyes)

2. Lancome Oscillation Mascara (for long, lush black lashes)

3. Shu Uemura Blush in M Pink 31 (for softness, a warm pink color)

4. Lancome Juicy Tubes in Spring Fling (for beautifully shiny lips with a hint of color)

Halle Berry's Makeup Tips For Fab Over 40

At age 42, actress Halle Berry, never seems to have an off-day.

The timeless beauty and new mom has never looked better.

Halle Berry always hits the right notes when it comes to fashion, and of course, hair and makeup.

Although the Academy award winner isn't nominated for another Oscar this evening, Halle Berry should be nominated for her latest look:

natural, thicker eyebrows and nude lipstick.

Yes, those are a couple of the beauty trends in 2009.

We've also got the lowdown on Halle Berry's makeup tips for looking fab over 40. These are a few of the beauty goodies the beautiful Revlon spokesperson carries in her makeup bag:

1. Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 ($6.50)

2. Revlon Fabulash Mascara ($9.00)

3. New by Revlon Creme Gloss in 'Wine Anytime' ($9.99)

4. Mixed Chicks Leave-In Conditioner ($16.99, great for curly hair)

5. Kinara Lactic Acid Hydrating Serum ($70.00)

Shoulder Pads, Leggings, Minis Spring Ahead In 2009

We thought it would be fun to take a quick peek at NY Fashion Week!

If you really loved the 80's fashions, with the shoulder pads, leggings, and bold colors, you're in luck. There's a whole lot of glam goin' on.

We actually selected some of the 'tamer' looks ruling the New York City runway at Bryant Park.

We're not even showing you the fall fashions yet. Instead, we want to take you right into Spring 2009.

Our first photo shows a model in a design by Tracey Reese. Check out the semi-strong shoulder pads. We still find this quite chic and very wearable.

Oh, boy! You can't escape the leggings, ladies. Uber designer Karl Lagerfeld was showing off some black leggings and skirted tunic tops with very defined waists with big belts.



We love this cute little lace number by classic designer Diane von Furstenberg. It's simple and gorgeous.

Loving the tailored lines in this jacket/trousers collection by DSquared2. Nothing over the top. Sharp-looking and again, very wearable.

Also adoring this khaki, soft outfit by Donna Karan. Even bolder shoulder pads and stronger belt. But it also looks very comfortable, and Donna Karan believes in wearing clothes that are just that---fashion you can move in with simple lines.

Appetite Suppressing Lip Plumping Gloss Made With Hoodia

Huge lips...Skinny hips?!

Oh, yeah. That is actually the name of a new appetite-suppressing lip plumping gloss made with hoodia.

Purple Lab, based in New York City, has developed the unique, in 6-yummy flavors lipgloss with Karen Robinovitz, the brilliant mind behind the Hoodia-infused beauty product. Karen is a NY journalist.

Huge Lips Skinny Hips--- $20 for a luscious tube. The smart glosses will be launching come March 1st on the Space NK website, a British luxury beauty shop.

We're told the glosses all taste like candy. They range in shade from clear to a strong and daring red, with tongue-in-cheek names:

Red Sole Worship
Kate Kitty
Poledancer
Lychee Martini
Love Your Thighs
No Panty Lines

So do these glosses really stop you from eating? And do they really fatten up your lips?

First of all, hoodia (actually Hoodia gordonii extract), is found in nature from cactus-like plants growing in Nambia and South Africa. The plant extract contains special appetite suppressing elements to it.

This gloss is formulated with 10% hoodia. Hoodia is unique in that it fools the brain into thinking it has already eaten. So all you do when wearing it, is smack your lips, baby:

Once the gloss is applied, you merely run your tongue on the lips whenever you feel hungry. In a few seconds, the feeling of hunger will disappear almost completely. Almost.

Well, we're trying to believe this. As far as the Lisa Rinna lips, okay, that's not the effect you will see, but, there are good ingredients found in this Huge Lips Skinny Hips tube of gloss.

And Purple Lab claims their shiny lip color delivers big in a gentle way:

Because it contains vitamin B3, the gloss “stimulate[s] blood flow to the lip surface, diminish[es] the appearance of unsightly wrinkles around the mouth and create[s] a plumping effect without stinging or burning.” the manufacturers say.

If anything, we believe this is a very clever beauty marketing tool. And Karen Robinovitz is a smart cookie. As women, we are all looking for the beauty quick fix. So, bigger lips and skinnier bodies at the same time, sure sounds ideal.

We'll keep our eyes on this little number.

NARS Gets Naughty With Another Makeup Orgasm

Ladies, this one will curl your toes, giggle-giggle.

We are, of course, talking about the new, limited-edition of NARS Nail Polish in Orgasm!!! For a limited time only, you will be able to buy this fun and pretty shade at Sephora.com for $16 a bottle. And you can get it right now!!

Ever wonder why the NARS Orgasm shade is so-ooooo popular?

It's not rocket-science, people. All the ladies love NARS Orgasm because the color is soft and natural. Just enough to make your features pop!! Makeup artists love it, too. It's a sexy, peachy pink with golden sheen color.

It all began with an innocent NARS Orgasm Blush. The Sex & the City gals were all blushing in it.

It then escalated to a sinful NARS Orgasm Lip Gloss.

Why stop there?!

It has gone, er, multiple, with this gorgeous new NARS Orgasm Nail Polish.

And NARS makeup might cost you a bit more, but the products are very good, and you can see a difference.

Now you can paint yourself pretty in NARS Orgasm from your head to your toes.