Estee Lauder Introduces the Blacker Than Black Collection

For a limited time this December, Estee Lauder is taking all their mascaras and offering them in the deepest jet black available.

To get this blackest of the black, Estee Lauder's scientists maximized color intensity and opacity by using  select Carbon Black and Black Iron Oxides and placing the pigment through an ultrasonic process. Because the mascara is so concentrated, it creates a contrast that defines and frames the eyes with a dramatic end result.

Here is the breakdown on all the mascaras in the collection:

• Double Wear Zero-Smudge Lengthening Mascara in Blacker Black offers dramatic length, and sensationally long wear in one effortless stroke and won't budge, smudge, smear, or flake for upu to 15 hours.
• MagnaScopic Maximum Volume Mascara in Black transforms lashes with dramatic volume, making them appear extravagantly full for a powerfully eye-opening effect.
• More Than Mascara Moisture Binding Formula in More Black features a moisture-binding formula that conditions lashes as it defines and seperates them for a look that's smoother, fuller, and longer.
• Projectionist High Definition Volume Mascara in Jet Black envelops each individual lash with high volume and exceptionally sharp definition for a sleek, striking look.
• Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting Mascara in Bold Black turns even your sparsest lashes into daringly full, lavishly lifted lashes without the clumping, spiking or weight normally associated with volumizing mascaras.
• TurboLash All Effects Motion Mascara in Turbo Black combines an innovative formula and brush design to penetrate deep into the lash bed and comb through lashes more quickly and effectively, delivering all effects - volume, length, definition, seperation, and curl - in one tube.

And if you needed another reason to visit your Estee Lauder counter, check out this Signature Eyeshadow Quad in Black Smoke, with four shades to help you create that perfect smoky eye for the holidays.

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Holiday Hair Look: Side Knot

Need inspiration for a holiday look this year? How about the side knot as seen here on Diane Kruger? Stylist Richard Marin has some tips:

• Dry hair with head tilted forward using an ionic dryer for maximum shine and volume (try the Remington Professional Dryer).
• Part hair to side. Using a one inch barrel curling iron, section hair in pieces that are 1½ inches by 3 inches wide. Curl in one direction for a uniform wave pattern, and let curls cool to set.
• Brush hair out in a downward motion. Keep brush close to scalp, and finger waves will form. Brush waves to one side, and secure in side ponytail.
• Roll hair into smooth bun with the ends poking out, and pin into place. Finish with a touch of hairspray and bit of shine spray. To glam it up like Diane, add a sparkly hair accessory

The Remington Professional line includes a dryer, one-inch flat iron and two-inch flat iron, and is avaiable exclusively at Walmart for $50 each.

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Pink Fridays: NARS Schaip Nail Polish

This is not your girly pink. Leave it to NARS to create a deep pink that is sophisticated and sensual. NARS Nail Polish is well worth the price tag - they don't need more than two coats for a gorgeous color payoff, and has excellent wear with hardly any chipping after a week.

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Breaking News! YSL Offers a Friends and Family Discount!

This is exciting stuff: for the first time EVER, YSL is offering a 20% Friends and Family discount (online only), good from Monday, December 14th through December 20th. Just enter code FF2009 at checkout.

The discount isn't good for eGift Certificates or Gift Cards, but is good on everything else at YSLBeautyus.com.

And did you know that if you sign up for the YSL newsletters, you'll get advance notice of sales like this as well as exclusive promotions? I'm just saying.

Now go forth and shop for luxury cosmetics. And don't say I never gave you anything.

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Product Review: Sustainable Youth Skin Care

Anti-aging is all the rage right now, and rightly so. After all, 40 is the new 20, right? Okay, I'm almost 40, and I'm far too tired to be 20 again, but come on - I will fight aging every step of the way.

And that's where Sustainable Youth comes in. They have developed an exclusive ingredient complex called Alasta that not only is completely sustainable (no part of the plant is wasted), but a key factor in reducing the inflammation in the body that is responsible for the aging process. (Dr. Andrew Weil is an excellent resource for finding out more regarding the link between inflammation and aging, as well as disease.) Less inflammation results in less oxidative stress, fewer free radical reactions, and less collagen cross-linking, resulting in increased skin elasticity and firmness.

So how did it work? I used the products for 30 days, and while I didn't notice anything drastic, I think that they did a wonderful job keeping firmness in my skin. I found the Elasticity Cream to be very moisturizing, and loved the way it applied easily and didn't end up creating an oil slick on my already-oily skin. The serum is practically weightless and feels wonderful on my skin.

Sustainable Youth stands behind their products and offers a money back guarantee if you're not happy with the performance of the products over a 12 week period, which makes the whole thing almost risk-free! The natural and organic ingredients reduce the likelihood of allergic reaction, and the sustainable nature of the products makes even the greenest beauty junkie happy. Check out some before and after pictures at the Sustainable Youth website.

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The Glamarazzi's Weekly Reads

Diary Of A Style Addict did a FABULOUS job kicking off the first roundup last week. I feel we
have a great group of blogs involved and are always thrilled to welcome new
members, so if you would like to be a part of "Glamarazzi" you can find all the info needed to join.

Mermaid Nails

*Make-up/Music/Money/Me shares her Beauty Product Wishlist with us...filled with great "must have" beauty goodies.

*FerOHHHSh Gives you Vogue Italia's ultra cool "Twitpic Cover" showing you just how far social networking sites have come.

*Glamour Whore Debates the good and bad points of Sephora's new "Makeup Vending Machines."

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Pantone Names Turquoise 2010 Color of the Year

Pantone is all about color, and they do an excellent job of trendspotting what the up-and-coming colors are going to be. For 2010, we're going old school with turquoise, an uncomplicated and happy color. Think Miami in the summertime, pink flamingos, and tropical beaches, and you're in a turquoise state of mind.

Will you incorporate turquoise into your beauty routine?

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Too Faced Makes it Easy to Create Smoky Eyes

Creating a smoky eye is probably one of the requests I hear most often. Everyone wants to know how to do it well, without being over the top. Creating smoke really isn't that hard, and Too Faced has made it even easier with their Smoky Eye Kit.

Included are printed instructions for three different looks: day smoke, fashion smoke, and classic smoke. Day smoke is made up of neutrals, fashion smoke is bright shades of blue and green with a neutral all over lid color, and cassic smoke is your typical gray background with a matte black and a micro-glitter black shade.

Too Faced makes brilliant shadows - they have always been super easy to use, heavily pigmented, and the colors are bright; this palette is no exception. All the looks are easy to create and turn out wonderfully - I only took this palette with me when I attended New York Fashion Week in September. It was just that versatile!

If you're looking for ways to incorporate more smoky eyes into your daily looks, you will not be disappointed with Too Faced's Smoky Eye Kit. Also makes a great gift for that one girlfriend you have who would look so good with a bit of color on her eyes, but who doesn't have the confidence to pull it off.

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Time to De-stress: Talika Eye Decompress

When you're packing your suitcase to head on to the inlaws for that horrid holiday dinner/vacation/family visit, don't forget to throw in a few Talika Eye Decompress packages, because holidays are stressful.

These things are just amazing. Pop open the part with the white pastille, put it in the blue solution on the other side, and it turns into a fabulous eye mask. Open it up and apply it to your eyes for a few moments of bliss.

I promise it will make that creepy uncle, drunk aunt, and obnoxious mother in law just melt away.

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Stocking Stuffers: chocoholicks by Jane Iredale

Everyone loves lip gloss, and this set combines my love of lip gloss with my love of chocolate - two of the best things in the entire world. Inside the chocoholicks set, you'll find four generously sized pots of lipglosses in four different shades and flavors, including

• Truffle: a rich chocolate brown gloss that smells of heaven
• Chocolate Orange: a copper gloss that reminds me of those chocolate oranges you smack on your table to open
• Strawberry Cream: a pink gloss that is supposed to taste of strawberries dipped in chocolate
• Caramel: a bronze gloss that looks, feels, and smells just like the caramel I put in my coffee, without the sticky mess

Like all of the Jane Iredale products, these are formulated with natural ingredients, including sunflower seed oil for it's antioxidant properties and jojoba seed oil for extra hydration.

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Beauty Fix Offers the Ultimate Fix For Product Junkies

Have you heard of Beauty Fix? It was a new thing for me, but when I finally got my hands on it, I totally understand the appeal! Every quarter (three months) Beauty Fix sends out a great bag just stuffed full of goodies for you to try for the low price of $49.99!

This quarter, the bag includes 3LAB, Canyon Ranch Your Transformation, Chelia, Coola, Frais, Jonathan Product, and RAW Natural Beauty.

Who chooses these products? Beauty Fix has an amazing Advisory Panel, including over 30 makeup and hair professionals, estheticians, medical professionals, select beauty bloggers, infuencers and experts from the beauty industry. Brands submit product to the panel for consideration. Each season, the Beauty Fix Advisory Panel reveals their "fix" - 7 to 10 agreed upon products, and all members receive it sent to their door. All products are full or deluxe travel-sized. Among panelists are Sean James, celebrity hair stylist, Stuart H. Kaplan, MD, dermatologist, Rose Johnston, celebrity makeup artist, Tia Williams, beauty editor and blogger, Dr. Babak Azizzadeh, facial plastic surgeon, Dr. John Diaz, plastic surgeon, and Dr. Jody Levine, dermatologist.

Once you are a member, you are encouraged to post review of the products you've received, and after two reviews, you receive a $25 gift certificate to glow.com.

This is an exclusive beauty club that you will want to be a part of!

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