Begging Jen’s forgiveness, I’m posting a little late this week. Which is pretty much the way I’m doing everything this holiday season. Nobody else out there is late  prepping for the holidays are they? I’m sure you all have everything collected and neatly wrapped, stashed in a closet or under the tree, all ready for giving, right? Well, there’s bound to be a few of you who are like me and haven’t even begun to SHOP yet, much less start the wrapping. For you I have some quick tidbits from the one place you can always shop, the internet!

First, you only have 2 days left to take advantage of  the friends and family deal from tarte. 40% site wide AND a complimentary card case with purchases over $25? Um, heck yeah! Use code: FFDEC at checkout for this hot deal.

Fresh is offering free standard shipping on all orders through Dec 14th with the code HOLIDAY09. If you haven’t checked out their stuff yet you totally should. Who wouldn’t want a bar of Sugar Lychee soap in their stocking this year? Their selection isn’t limited to just soap either, with body and skin care products for any woman (or man) in your life.

Sephora has a whole section of nothing but value sets, including the much beloved Lash Stash. Or check out the Lancome Juicy Tubes set that gives you glosses for 8 of your favorite gal pals (or yourself!), for less than 40 bucks. There’s even a section of gifts that ship free, so you can “make up” for being a little late by having it shipped right to your loved ones door at no additional charge.

Skin Botanica has some really great stuff in their 2010 catalog, and even more on their site. The derma e products are very reasonably priced and I’ve been pleased with what I’ve tried from them so far. But what really caught my eye were the Eminence products right on the cover.  How could I look at something called “Blueberry Soy Sugar Scrub” and not instantly deem it drool worthy?! Their selection of masques is equally enticing and you’re sure to find one perfectly suited for your bestie or favorite beauty blogger (Cranberry Pomegranate or Sugar Plum? Hmmm…)

Finally though, a quick personal note after the jump… (more…)

One of my favorite beauty reviewers “Tashagogo” from Megsmakeup.com wrote a strong testimonial about the powers of coconut oil a few summers ago.  Tasha’s words and Morjorie’s physique encouraged me to try, and have since incorporated the use of coconut oil in my daily beauty routine.

Most recently my daughters and I relied heavily on using coconut oil to soothe and repair the effects of our unfortunate first-of-the-summer sunburns, drat nab!  I observed that by using coconut oil on my sunburn, not only did it heal and moisturize my skin; the peeling seemed less dramatic than in sunburns of the past.  Viva la coconut!

This is an insightful, well-articulated YouTube video of Sean demonstrating the various health and skin benefits from the use of coconut oil.  Really, really love this guy.  Enjoy!

Skin Benefits from Coconut Oil: Underground Wellness

Sean Croxton, owner of UW, is an expert Diet and Lifestyle Coach as well as a Certified Personal Trainer.

When you think about it, combining a lash treatment with color really seems like a no brainer. Most of us would rather cut down on our prep time rather than add to it, and this is a handy liquid liner, disguised as a lash treatment!

I’ve been using DermaLash Color from DermaQuest Skin Therapy for about 2 months with reasonable regularity, almost every day or night. I received it in “Cocoa”, a nice brown that actually goes pretty well with a variety of colors. I’ve worn it with everything from blue to yellow and it impresses me every time. Who cares about that though, you want to know if it works! (more…)

When purchasing cosmetics, you probably have been faced with the claims of a certain product being organic, partially organic, or natural.  A few years back several cosmetic companies were declaring organic standards that were fraudulent, and currently European and North American companies are working to regulate any organic or natural claims.

The big question remains, how do you know what is best for your skin, and are cosmetics containing organic or natural ingredients better than synthetic ones?  (more…)

Have you found any good nail polishes/removers that do not weaken nails? I never use polish because when I remove it my nails break and weaken. They never do that when I don’t use it in the first place. I would like to use polish. Any solutions? Thanks. Claralyn

This is a fabulous question. You may know I am a nail biter, and am a little clueless in the nail care arena, but was able to dig up some good information on this topic. (more…)