Hypnôse for Her, Him & the Children

Lancôme is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the launch of Hypnôse, a seductive fragrance based on notes of Passion Flower, Vanilla and Vetiver. I love this fragrance; it's warm and sexy and has great sillage and staying power.

The men's fragrance, Hypnôse Homme, just came out. I don't often go for his and hers, matchy-matchy fragrances, but this smells amazing on my husband. It's a seductive amber aromatic of spicy black cardamom, a heart of lavender and the warmth of amber and musk. It's fresh and sexy at the same time. Plus, who can resist Clive Owen as a spokesmodel?

So, you may ask, is Hypnôse for Kids next? Well, yes, in a way. The company asked the two of the hottest emerging designers in America, Proenza Schouler, to design a dress that evokes the Hypnôse scent, bottle and woman. The dress, a couture creation valued at $20,000 in the fragrance's signature violet, will be auctioned on eBay beginning April 1st. The proceeds will go to benefit Save the Children, an organization that helps children in need. The auction listing will be reachable through the Hypnôse Couture website. Watch a behind-the-scenes video with Daria Werbowy and Proenza’s Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez that celebrates this project.

This is not the only Proenza Schouler partnership with Lancôme this season. You may have read some of the buzz about the Le Rouge Absolu lipstick in "Proenza Pink", a surfer-girl milky pink. Sorry to inform you that it's sold out, but hey - while you're on eBay looking at the Hypnôse dress, you can see if there are any Proenza Pink lipsticks listed!

Guyliner

If you’ve seen Pirates of the Caribbean, you have been exposed to Guyliner. Johnny Depp looked pretty hot with kohl-rimmed eyes, didn’t he? And he’s just the latest bloke pulling off eye makeup.

The angry boys of rock have been sporting guyliner for years. It gave them an angsty, badass look. Take Alice Cooper for example.


For Green Day frontman Billie Joe, eyeliner became his signature look.
If you’ve seen any of the historical, testosterone-filled battle movies (Alexander, Gladiator, Troy and 300 to name a few), you’ve seen how sexy and manly smoky eyes can look on a guy. Of course, the glistening six-packs help too...
Hunks of Hollywood have been experimenting with eyeliner, with mixed results. Jared Leto sports eyeliner even off the set of Alexander. And Ewan McGregor applies it with a light hand, for a come-hither look.

But is this a look that the average guy can pull off? A few bold companies offer cosmetics for men. Jean Paul Gaultier offers a line of men's makeup, Le Beau Male, that includes eyeliner, a concealer and a bronzer. He says, "Every man has the freedom and the right to acknowledge his own personality. To develop his sensitivity. To be different ... to dare to be bold. To end taboos." For the cosmetically challenged man, the website even offers application videos; here's a still. Several other companies offer skincare and makeup - including eyeliner - for men:

• 4VOO


• Studio5ive


• KENMEN


• Male Species

If you’re ready to start the movement, get a set of his and hers “Real Men Wear Eyeliner” tee-shirts!

Guyliner: hot or not?
What do you think? Would you like to see your man bring out his baby blues with a little eyeliner? Are you a man who’s confident enough to try cosmetics? Let us know in the comments.

Weekend Beauty Bites

It's time again to enjoy some enjoy tips and ideas from my fellow members of the Beauty Blog Network. Hey, great minds think alike! :)

• Henna Singh from Canadian Beauty gives us great coverage of L'Oreal Fashion Week.


• Teri at Beautiful Makeup Search wonders about Smashbox's new O-Glow.


• Beth Shea at Ageless in Los Angeles asks Gray Hair- No Longer Something to Hide?.


• At The Beauty Newsletter, Elke attends the Max Factor Fashion Show!


• The Makeup Bag fills us in on Chanel Summer Exclusive Colour Collection


• Let's talk about beauty and health covered weight loss through soup.


• Lipstick Powder 'n Paint explains how to Recapture Youthful Radiance with Olay's Latest Body Wash.


• Pretty by Nature helps you practice a healthy nail ritual.


• At Spa Blah Blah, Lisa put the boys to work with Boy Tested and Spa Girl Approved: LUSH Fresh Face Masks.

Don’t Sweat It

TMI alert! ('too much information' ahead...)

Embarassing but true, I've always had a problem with perspiration. I had the stinkiest feet in middle school gym class. My summer morning subway commute would leave me fearing I'd arrive already damp to work. And sometimes I'd even sweat when I was cold. Now, that's not fair!

I tried all of the anti-perspirants on the market - powders, gels, sticks, crystals and creams. Nothing helped enough. So what's this all about? Diagnosis: hyperhidrosis. That's a fancy way of saying that the sweat glands are hyperactive.

I've been told that a lady does not sweat, she "glows." Well, whatever you call it, I wanted it to stop! So I saw my dermatologist and she wrote me a prescription for Drysol. This is a high-concentration aluminum chloride solution that you apply nightly to underarms to stop the sweating. After a week, one or two nightly applications per week to maintain the results.

Even though it can sting upon application, it worked and I was so happy! I helped my sister move into her North Carolina college dorm in August and could lift my arms without embarrassment. That’s what I’d call passing the test!

If you’re not ready to see the derm but would like to put a stop to over-sweating, try CertainDri. It has 12% aluminum chloride and is used the same way as Drysol. Since you’ll still want to use a deodorant/anti-perspirant during the day for added protection, CertainDri now has an AM Underarm Refresher with a subtle scent. It does take a little while to dry, so if you’re in a hurry, go for one of the super-strong products out there, like Secret Platinum that promises 24 hour protection or Mitchum for Women, which is "so effective, you could skip a day".

Look forward to sporting spring's sexy styles with confidence!

Weekend Beauty Bites

Birds of a feather flock together. And so, this chick has joined the flock of great beauty bloggers in the Beauty Blog Network. They're a fantastic group and collectively we provide all the beauty news that's fit to print! Check out their fun and informative blogs featuring timely articles with beauty tips that cover you from head to toe!

• Ageless in Los Angeles introduces us to Earthworks products.
• Beautiful Makeup Search tells you about Clinique's newest innovation - the Continous Rescue Antioxidant Moisturizer.
• Beauty and Fashion Tech reviews two Drugstore Mineral Powder Foundations: Neutrogena Mineral Makeup Sheers and L'Oreal Bare Naturale foundation.
• Do you have a problem with eczema? Let's talk about beauty and health has some great advice.
• Lipstick, Powder 'n Paint tells us how to get a "Bathina body" with Benefit's great line.
• Pretty By Nature has great tips for taking the ultimate relaxing bath.
• The Beauty Newsletter reviews Wet & Wild's Spring collection and says it a winner!
• The Life of a Ladybug hits us with detailed reviews of Urban Decay Smoke Out Eye Pencil, Bobbi Brown Eye Brightener, Bobbi Brown Blush in Coral, Milani Crystal Gloss.

Happy reading!

Adaptation

Makeup can be used to perfect, enhance or completely change our appearance. More often than not, we just want to look like ourselves, but better. Hence, the proliferation of beauty-junkie terms like MLBB, which means My Lips But Better. They key to looking like yourself but better is makeup that perfectly matches your coloring. A new crop of makeup has just arrived that promises to do just that.


Face: Almay Smart Shade Makeup
This product claims to magically transform into your ideal shade. The foundation comes out of the tube colorless, and then the shade appears as you rub it into skin. It takes the guesswork out of matching your skin tone.

How does it work? There are microscopic color beads inside that burst as you rub it in. The coverage is sheer, which also makes it easier to get a good match to your own skin tone.

Verdict? First, the product only comes in three shades: Light, Light/Medium and Medium. I’m sure that doesn’t make darker-skinned women too pleased. Also, some gals complained that the product turned a bit orangey on them. So, although it's a big step forward in makeup innovation, I think the quest for complexion perfection is still ongoing.

Cheeks: Smashbox O-Glow
What is the most natural blush shade for you? The color your cheeks become when you exercise or are out in the cold! Now, Shashbox offers a blush that goes on clear and promises to transform your cheeks into your best personal flush.

They tell us that this clear gel reacts with your personal skin chemistry to turn cheeks the exact color you blush, naturally in just seconds! How does it work? It stimulates microcirculation to bring a flush to cheeks and energizes skin for hours. Don’t worry – it goes on silky smooth, like Smashbox’s primers, and doesn’t sting or anything. Initially, the color was quite fuchsia on me (more of a post-marathon look, rather than a healthy glow!), but the hue quickly faded to a natural sweet pink. It’s also part of the "good for you” trend with its unique Goji Berry-C Complex formula that’s full of antioxidants like vitamin C, pomegranate seed oil, and marine plankton for added healthy-skin benefits.


Lips: mark. Glossblossom Ripening Lip Tint
This lipgloss goes from clear to pink in seconds and transforms into a custom-color shade for you. At $6, they’re a steal, but buy ‘em up quick gals, because I think Glossblossom is sadly heading for discontinuation.


I love the idea of makeup that adapts itself to each person's coloring and I'll be sure to report any other finds that help create YLBB (your look, but better!).