Posts from — April 2008

Mother’s Day is coming up on May 11th. Since I’ve been shopping around the web, I thought I’d share some of the bargains that are ongoing in honor of Mom’s across the world.

And yes, that is my mom and me in the photograph. One of the few photographs of her on horseback. The pony was the mother to my first horse.

From Drugstore.com:

• Food, Gift Baskets & Flowers for Mom. Expires 05.11.2008
• Buy $30 of philosophy and get a fresh cream shower gel ($12 value)! Expires 05.09.2008

Pur Minerals:

• FREE Beauty in Numbers eye palette with purchases over $35. This palette has 16 colors! Enter PALETTE at checkout.

e.l.f. Cosmetics:

• FREE Sterling Silver Heart pendant necklace with purchases over $20! Enter code EGMOMDF (expires June 1, 2008).

Loose Lips NY:

• Free shipping has been extended for Mother’s Day shopping. Use code springfs for orders over $10 through May 5th, 2008.

Boots:

• Just launched in Target stores, the famous Boots No7 Restore & Renew Beauty Serum is now available for body: No7 Protect & Perfect Body Serum. Now you can pamper your Mom’s full body! And at $24.99, it’s pretty darn affordable.

philosophy:

• “Mom’s philosophy” (www.yourmomsphilosophy.com), an interactive website launched by philosophy just in time for mother’s day, is a natural extension of the brand and gives customers a meaningful way to celebrate their mothers’ wisdom while also creating a unique gift for Mom that will touch people everywhere.

As an added bonus, anyone who creates a page will have the chance to win the ultimate gift for mom, a $1,200 shopping spree on philosophy.com. each visitor to yourmomsphilosophy.com will be able to rate every page they read, and on mother’s day, philosophy will reveal the top 20 rated pages and everyone who visits the site that day will be able to vote for their favorite page to receive the grand prize. all 20 finalists will receive a philosophy gift basket, valued at $250 each.

Murad:

• Spend $100 or more at Murad.com and get a free Anti-Aging trio of products (includes: Intensive Wrinkle Reducer, AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser, and Essential C Daily Renewal Complex). Simply enter mom408 at checkout time.

From JoyceyCouture, guest blogger on Bionic Beauty:

I am a creature of habit and when I like something, I stick with it (especially when it smells like yummy coconut). So when Bionic Beauty asked me to test out Malibu Secret, I hesitated, yet finally agreed.

I’d rather opt for my trademark Hawaiian Tropic Lime Coolada Moisturizer any day than venture onto something new and… floral scented. You see, I am a Florida girl at heart. I thrive on fruity, tropical scents like cocoa butter and coconut.

After several sleepless nights, and nightmares of the Lubriderm alligators under my bed, I pushed my Hawaiian Tropic staple to the back of the cabinet (out of sight, out of mind- right?) and flipped open the Malibu Secret cap.

Promptly thereafter, closing it due to floral scent overload; jasmine, old rose, and gardenia.. oh my!

I jump online to revisit the website MalibuSecret.com, needing a refresher on why I’m trying out this product again.
The “secret” ingredient is the breakthrough THYMULEN 4™. A highly purified, biomimetic peptide that stimulates the skin’s immune defenses and regenerates the epidermal profile while helping the skin regain its youthful appearance.

In a world of 904 diet pills that hit the market daily, promising a 25 pound weight loss in a day, I decide to continue reading.

The lotion is formulated with shea, cocoa, and macadamia butters, green tea, aloe vera, phospholipids, soy, sodium hyaluronate and brown algae.
Brown algae?!

After I shower and relax a bit with a much needed glass of wine, I decide to bite the Bionic bullet and open the tube again to actually use the product.

I fall asleep and then, I again apply it in the morning to put the lotion to the ultimate test: Malibu Secret versus South Florida Humidity. I must say, the Malibu Secret lotion won! I never once felt greasy; just softer and smoother.

Looking back- the night of lotion mayhem was two months ago and I’ve been using the product ever since! What changed? I eventually overlooked the fact that the product didn’t smell as beachy as the tube looks and realized how great the product simply was. (Perhaps I should also use this new insight to look back at my past relationships?)

I have seen a noticeable change in how my skin feels and looks, just as creators Katie and Erik Anderson promised. A facial quality, anti-aging lotion designed for the body. And one that is green! The packaging is recyclable and the lotion is non-animal tested.

The chemistry of ingredients will truly hook you. The 7.25oz tube of skin delight runs you $25, but worth every hard earned penny and can easily be bought online. In your pjs! More info: Order 3 or more tubes and it’s free shipping!

And here is a link for the Lubriderm commercial if you need a refresher: http://www.retrojunk.com/details_commercial/1178/

On a trip to Target (yes, I’m there weekly), I made an impromptu purchase of nail polish. I grabbed the Nicole by OPI’s new nail polish pens, called Nic’s Sticks. I figured, what the hay, right?

I love dark polish colors, even though it is spring and things are lightening up, so I chose Indigo-Go-Go! which is a deep metallic blue. The polish pen is easy enough to use. Just shake, pump it a few times, and paint your nails. I had no trouble getting the polish on neatly and it dried SUPER QUICK! I did need two coats for even coverage.

The staying power leaves quite a bit to be desired. I had chips by the next morning (without a base or top coat). But I still like using this polish pen when I want colored nails quickly (for a quick event or night out- in my test case, I wanted blue nails for the last Blues Hockey game of the season). Since my polishes hardly last longer than two days, I don’t think it’s a waste of money, but it certainly is not for people who want a long wearing nail color.

I tried the pen again with a proper base coat and clear top coat, and got a little better results (i.e. a few extra hours of chip-free-ness).

No muss, no fuss, but not a super-performer either. You will love how quickly it dries though. 24 colors are available so there’s one to suit your taste.

For more information visit the Nic’s Sticks website.

Here’s a roundup of articles from my friends at the Beauty Blog Network. Lots of summer-inspired articles here and even a giveaway. Enjoy your weekend Bionic readers!

Can’t figure out those false lashes? The Daily Cookie gives her step-by-step on how to apply lashes in a breeze!A Touch of Blusher loves the Golden Dior pendant.

StyleBell uncovers the Top 5 Flat Irons that work best with curly hair.

Beauty Anonymous invites you to the springtime nail colors of OPI 2008 Beyond Chic Collection .

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic check out Kiehl’s Vital Sun Sunscreen and decides it has great broad UV spectrum coverage!

Beauty and Fashion Tech creates a great look using items from the new Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Cosmetic Line.

Product Girl asks What’s in Your Bag? Check back daily for a new beauty blogger’s bag each day!

The Muse gives her first impressions of the coveted MAC DressCamp Collection!

Beauty411 shares her review of Klean Bath + Body’s Blue Hawaii Sugar Body Polish, which smells like a tropical island and exfoliates your skin, too!

Forget virgin daiquiris, The Beauty of Life is all about the gorgeous polishes from the new Extra Virgin Collection from Dashing Diva!

[Read more →]

The April issue of Women’s Health reveals 15 of the best international beauty picks that can now be found/ordered in the US! For the international Bionic Beauty readers, let us know if you’ve tried any of these products.

AUSTRALIA
Invisible Zinc face and body sunscreen ($26 for 5.3 oz, adorebeauty.com.au)

• The world’s highest skin cancer rates are found down under; this sunscreen fights the killer sun and deflects UV rays.
• Packed with ultra-fine particles of zinc inside a likely, light-weight lotion.

FRANCE
Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentre ($25 for 2.6 oz, temtu.com)

• One of the secrets to French women’s flawless skin.
• Plant extract preserves skin’s ideal pH, giving your complexion that certain jen ne sais quoi.

ENGLAND
Philip Kingsley Weatherproof Styling Froth ($20 for 5 oz, philipkingsley.com)

• The foam conditions, holds and deflects moisture, and fends off frizz.
• Fights flyaways, even in soggy London

SWEDEN
Sachajuan Hair Repair ($28 for 8.45 oz, ronrobinsoninc.com)

• Contains algae and proteins to protect and restore silky locks
• Sweden is known for those stunning blonde bombshells – now we know their secret!

KOREA
The Face Shop Mung Bean Cleansing Foam ($8 for 6.7 oz, 408-248-3223)

• Exfoliates and dries oil – and Korean researchers say the legume may reduce irritation

ICELAND
Moa: The Green Balm ($38 for 1.69 oz, luckyscent.com)

• When you live on an island near the Arctic Circle, you better know how to revive your skin
• Packed with native herbs like yarrow, combined with Icelandic water to soothe scaly skin, dry cuticles, cuts, rashes and even frizzy hair

JAPAN
Dr. Ci: Labo Basic Black Blemish Control Gel ($36 for 1.75 oz, cilabousa.com)
Chidoriya Oil Blotting Face Paper ($7 for 30 sheets, chidoriyaworld.com)

• Asian women swear by this shine-fighting tag team
• The gel clears skin with gentle botanical extracts
• The face paper sops up grease without smudging makeup

ITALY
Karite Butter Cleo Body Cream ($8 for 8.5 oz, drugstore.com)

• Treat your skin to this whipped-yogurt and shea butter moisturizer smells like dessert and makes your skin more irresistible than gelato

SOUTH AFRICA
Wisdom of Africa Kalahari Melon Body Polish ($43 for 6.7 oz, 978-443-7006)

• With mountains, desert, and ocean in their geography, South Africans face a triple threat when it comes to the elements
• This South African treasure taps the antioxidants in the native fruit’s seeds to moisturize and repair sun-damaged skin

NEW ZEALAND
Antipodes Kiwi Seed Oil Eye Cream ($35 for 1 oz, antipodesnature.com)

• Stimulates collagen production so you look as fresh as this cream smells

We all realize that it takes more than makeup and skincare to Achieve Powerful Beauty- you’ve got to be a beautiful person on the inside as well. Skin is transparent, what is underneath is going to show through.

A Girl’s Gotta Spa is holding a worthwhile fundraiser for a Pennsylvania girl, Meadow Quinn. Meadow’s family cannot afford a necessary and helpful treatment, so A Girl’s Gotta Spa is holding auctions during the next few weeks to raise money. The auctions feature MAC Limited Edition products, high-end skincare and makeup sets- you will be amazed at the brands. Visit A Girl’s Gotta Spa if you would like to bid on some of these collections. Please be generous if you can!

There’s a new poll on Bionic Beauty. I’m asking you “How do you maintain your eyebrows?” Some of us tweeze, thread, pluck, trim, wax. If you have another method, please let us know in the comments below.

Share your brow maintenance secrets by voting in the new poll in the left sidebar of the blog.

Read more for the results of the previous poll…

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