’tis the season for fashionable gift giving! This year, I decided to skip the grouch factor and get in the mood. So as a friend, I’m here to help you find the best gifts to give. Welcome to the 2012 Miss Whoever You Are Holiday Gift Guide.
As your resident beauty girl, I LOVE giving beauty tips, advice, and gift ideas. I can browse for hours finding the perfect beauty item to give a friend, coworker, or family member. Since I know how arduous it can be, I’ve selected a few great items to make you look stylish (1, 4); protects and repairs (2); leaves you looking and feeling beautiful (3, 5, 6).
1. Bauble Bar x Essie // 2. Shu Uemura Art of Hair Essence Absolue Oil-in-Pearls (debuts in January!!) // 3. Laura Mercier Crème de Pistache Honey Bath // 4. “LoveBrownSugar” Nail Lacquer by LiSi Cosmetics // 5. Davines Authentic Moisturising Balm // 6. Shiseido Lacquer Rouge // 7. Clarisonic Aria™ Sonic Skin Cleansing System With Lancôme Set
A few weeks back (-er months, where did the time go?!), I was gifted Clarisonic’s new Acne Clarifying Cleansing Set (valued at $47).
The set includes the Acne Clarifying Brush Head and Acne Daily Clarifying Cleanser, both extremely gentle and perfect for sensitive skin. I told you that I rediscovered my Clarisonic and this is why! I rarely use the cleanser that comes with the Clarisonic but decided to give this a go - boy am I glad I did! My skin has cleared up and remained clear over the past eight weeks (extensive testing people!). The cleanser is SUPER light and is formulated with salicylic acid to help in clearing and preventing acne. The bristles of the clarifying brush head are super plush and exfoliates like a dream. The great thing is that the brush head fits on any Clarisonic system so my little Mia got an (affordable) upgrade!
The Acne Clarifying Cleansing Set ($47) is available now.
to say I’ve been bad when it comes to skincare lately would be the understatement of the century. laziness took over me and I’ve been sleeping with makeup on, using soap (yes, body bar soap) instead of my usual cleansers and when I DO make an effort, it’s a half-assed attempt with a swipe of a makeup wipe. random breakouts all along my cheeks, a dull look, dark circles and puffy eyes — it’s not fun! I’ve gotten the picture and below are what I’m using to turn it around:
it’s no secret I love my Clarisonic Mia. rather than replace my brush head, I spent the last few months convinced I could maintain great skin without it. I was mainly being cheap (c’mon Eileen, it’s $25!) and yes, I’ve paid for it with a ruddy complexion. the clarisonic mia gently massages away impurities - dirt, makeup, etc. - trapped within pores. I’m quite sure I heard my skin sigh “AHHH!!!” when I finally bought new brush heads and used it recently.
dr. jart+ is a korean beauty brand that recently made its way stateside with their uber popular BB cream. while I may be too dark to use the bb cream, I am certainly benefiting from their skincare. since they’re a client at my agency, I got a sneak peek at the full product line - and quick pinched a tube for myself. shhhh!! the v7 cleansing foam contains seven vitamins to neutralize free radicals and thoroughly removes all stubborn makeup (even my liquid liner) without irritating or drying out my face. I’ve fallen in love and can’t wait until this (eventually) makes its way into sephora.
lately, I’ve been on an argan oil kick and after receiving sephora’s VIB discount a few weeks back, I dove right in and bought Josie Maran’s Organic Argan Oil. I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews about this 100% pure argan oil and I can’t wait to see how my skin improves. I’ve been using it for about a week now and have only noticed how soft my skin feels. at night, I use it alone since it’s super lightweight and doesn’t feel like my skin is suffocating. during the day, I layer it underneath my moisturizer (currently sebamed moisturizing day cream but I may switch to something heavier due to the cold).
I’ve already spoken about sk-II skin signature eye cream so I won’t go into much detail (read my review here) but I will say that a) I’m still in love with this cream, and b) it definitely helps in terms of managing dry under eye areas.
lastly comes freeman feeling beautiful facial detoxifying mask, chocolate & strawberry — which I should have listed first since I put on the mask, chill for about ten minutes THEN go into my clarisonic. when I first applied it, my face did itch a bit so I was afraid I might have a reaction (but, thankfully, I didn’t). my favorite part was the gentle chocolate scent, it was so hard keeping the mas on without wanting to run to the store for some chocolate candies! this contains strawberry extract which helps tone skin and shrinks large pores. my face didn’t feel super tight or dry after washing it off which is great since nothing’s worse than that.
game. set. match. bring it on breakouts. Please don’t forget that you can still help the people of Haiti, donate to the Red Cross today. Thank you.
Hard to imagine that as a grown adult, that’s when I learned how to properly take a shower, eh? Before you go dissin’ my mama (I dare you), hear me out. I’ve always been a loofah and body wash kinda gal. How can one go wrong when you have a piece of mesh scratching away on your skin, removing any and all impurities with your epidermis right?
(Actually: Loofahs are not mesh but “dried fibrous part of the fruit of a plant of the genus Luffa”. Mesh just sounded more like English).
Well there’s a better alternative to removing every layer of your skin all for the sake of cleanliness.
I KNOW! This is yet another post in which I extol the virtues of the Clarisonic instead this time this one’s for your BODY. GENIUS!
The Clarisonic® PLUS with Body Brush is everything you need and MORE.
I thought discovering the Mia last year was the closest thing I’ll get to heaven on earth but I was dead wrong. With its new power settings and spot therapy brush head, deep cleansing is not only available for your face but for your rough elbows, knees and everything in betweeen. All by switching out the facial brush head with the new Body Brush. The PLUS then does all the work for you by automatically shifting to the “spot” mode.
It’s the MacGyver of skincare! For serious.
There are three speeds available for facial cleansing - which, at the moment, we don’t care about because those dry spots on your knees and ashy elbows are begging for attention. The larger body brush not only calls upon the angels in heaven to remove dirt but gently massages your body wash of choice into your skin. The result is clean skin so soft it rivals a baby’s ass. Take that Johnson & Johnson.
The Clarisonic PLUS ($225) is available exclusively at Sephora and Clarisonic.com.
Disclosure: A sample was given for editorial consideration. Please don’t forget that you can still help the people of Haiti, donate to the Red Cross today. Thank you.
OH. MY. GOD. The response was overwhelming for the Clarisonic Mia giveaway! Thank you to everyone who entered and making it so difficult to choose a winner. As I read through the entries I was shocked at how many people were more than willing to give up not one- but both- Clarisonic devices to people they loved.
Since I couldn’t make up my mind, I headed to random.org where lucky number 23 was chosen. Congratulations to Emma K!! Emma actually owns the pink Mia so she felt it necessary to spread the love and give the device to someone else. Here’s a bit of what Emma had to say in her entry:
I would give the first Clarisonic Mia to my mom and the second to my boyfriend (instead of myself). I own the mia in pink- it is the BEST little gadget for skin!! It has improved my skin clarity and texture in a big way. I even bought my bf his own brush head to use at times on my mia (which occurs rarely) and I think if he had his own lil device he’d be much happier. My mom turned 60 this year, and doesn’t wear much makeup. What she cares about most is her skin, she is VERY into skin care!! While she buys many lotions and cleansers and the like, I don’t think she’d splurge on herself for a Clarisonic- which is why I would love for her to have a chance to try one out. I think the mia would be the perfect gift for her, she’d be able to give herself little spa days at home.
How sweet! Emma please send me your info so we can get the Mia to your mom and bf. Again thank you to everyone who entered and be sure to come back next Monday for another super awesome holiday giveaway.
Thank you to the folks at Clarisonic for hosting such an amazing giveaway!!
My mom turned 60 this year, and doesn’t wear much makeup. What she cares about most is her skin, she is VERY into skin care!! While she buys many lotions and cleansers and the like, I don’t think she’d splurge on herself for a Clarisonic- which is why I would love for her to have a chance to try one out. I think the mia would be the perfect gift for her, she’d be able to give herself little spa days at home.
