StyleWhipped

Beauty Spotlight: beecause Lip Balm

Admittedly, I am not such a beauty product junkie. I am not the girl who will try every new color trend (neon green eyelids? no thanks...), and I have a minor heart attack if the drugstore is out of the same Mabelline Great Lash Mascara I've used for the past eight years (saying that I am a creature of habit is an understatement). But therefore, when I find a product I like, I stick with it. Forever. (Or until it is discontinued...at which point I have a major heart attack.)

One product I can't live without is good lip balm. I'm not such a lipstick person (I wear a ton of eye make-up and need to keep my lips pretty simple), but all year-round, I am always on the hunt for the perfect lip balm for a little protection (from the cold in the winter and the sun in the summer) and a little kissable shine. I prefer a tube (I'm not such a fan of those messy pots), and am very picky about flavor (anything chemical-ly or overly sweet is out immediately). So when the brand-new beecause lip balm arrived at the Stylewhipped offices, I was instantly in love...

Not only does this one come in a perfectly sized little tube with pretty packaging, but it is 100% natural, made from a beeswax base (get it? "beecause"...), and has a certified organic status. It contains zero parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals or phthalates, and is "CCIC Leaping Bunny Certified," meaning none of our beloved little animals are used in testing it. Even that pretty packaging is recyclable and completely earth-friendly. But the even more important thing here (c'mon, we love the do-good-er stuff, but we really also want a quality product!) is that this is some seriously amazing lip balm! It is peppermint flavored (with a subtle hint of honey from the actual beeswax it's made from), it goes on super easily, doesn't leave that icky film, and makes your lips soft, smooth and make-up (or kissing) ready.

Your lips (and maybe someone else's) will thank you for this one. I know mine are.

~ Alison.

Rebecca Gordon - For the Love of a View

As I may have mentioned before, I have lived in the same apartment for the past 7 years and, if you are paying attention, you will recall I have a roommate and I am in my 30s.  You may have even seen the picture of the spectacular view from my apartment.* Seeing this view may have helped you understand why a single woman in her 30s would choose to have a roommate.  What you don’t know is that the roommate scene is not actually something I put up with for the sake of the view, the roommate scene is actually a positive, if unusual, aspect of my life**. The dog that comes with the apartment doesn’t hurt either. There are, however, a series of things I have tolerated in order to remain in my apartment.  In no particular order, here they are:

1. My next door neighbor can see into my bedroom from his terrace.  Even for the five years when my next door neighbor was male-model handsome and was the kind of guy to read The Economist in the gym, this was not great.  The only way I made up for this was the day I got off the elevator at the exact time he was opening his apartment door for his girlfriend and he was wearing only his underwear. I ruined that romantic moment for them, but at least I got to see him in his underwear.
2. If I sleep with my bedroom window open and my next door neighbor has a cigarette on his terrace at 3am, the smoke comes into my apartment and wakes me up and I am unable to fall back asleep. There is no making up for this.
3. Two years ago, during a terrible rain storm that also involved a lot of wind, my apartment flooded in the living room and my roommate’s bedroom. The flooding caused a temporary smell of moldy cheese in my apartment and ruined the floors.  The only way the building made up for this was redoing the floors and telling us they fixed the source of the leak (the terrace).
4. In August, during what was supposed to be a hurricane but what was really just a terrible rain storm that also involved a lot of wind (and required the evacuation of my building), my apartment flooded in the living room, dining room and my roommate’s bedroom. The flooding caused a temporary smell of moldy cheese, ruined the floors, and permanently damaged some personal property. The only way the building made up for this was redoing the floors and reimbursing us for a few nights in a hotel.  I am not superstitious, but I am not unconvinced that I did not bring this on myself by saying to a handsome fireman 12 hours before I discovered the flood that he should take my number “in case things get serious and I need his help.”
5. In September, during a terrible rain storm that also involved a lot of wind, my apartment flooded in the living room and my roommate’s bedroom. The flooding caused a temporary smell of moldy cheese in my apartment and ruined the floors.  The only way the building made up for this was redoing the floors and telling us they fixed the source of the leak (the terrace). I may have just cut and paste #3, but these were two different events. I promise.
6. Two weeks ago, during a terrible rain storm that also involved a lot of wind, my apartment flooded in the living room and my roommate’s bedroom. The flooding caused a temporary smell of moldy cheese in my apartment and ruined the floors.   Are you noticing a trend? The only way the building made up for this was redoing the floors and telling us they fixed the source of the leak (the terrace door). This time I believe them.
7. Last week, I started noticing the smell of gas every time I came home and sometimes when I awoke in the middle of the night.  One maintenance guy sort of smelled it as well and he suggested the oven needed a new tube connecting to the gas source.  So he replaced this tube and I slept with my window open just in case the oven wasn’t the source. And then I came home the next night and the apartment still smelled of gas, so the super turned off the gas supply and I went to bed with my window open just in case the gas supply wasn’t the source (he did insist it could not possibly be anything else).  But then the next day I could still smell the gas. I was starting to think maybe I was crazy because other people could not really smell it and the super thought maybe it was just from the floors (see #6).  In what I assume was an effort to reduce the amount of time they were spending in my apartment, the super and the maintenance guy checked my neighbor’s apartment. Turns out my neighbor*** had accidentally left one of the knobs on his stove turned on so that gas was leaking into his apartment and through the vent that connects our bathrooms. And then my neighbor went out of town. The building made up for this by turning off the gas in my neighbor’s apartment and confirming I am not crazy.
8. On Friday morning, I waited until the last possible moment to take a shower and then realized there was not enough pressure to keep the shower on. By the time the super fixed the issue (just ten minutes later), I could not wash my hair and still get to work on time.  So I used some dry shampoo and headed to work. The building made up for this by having the doorman tell me my hair looked clean.

Have I mentioned the amazing view and the dog?

~Rebecca

*If you missed the view, just check the site from two weeks ago. You won’t regret it. Or you will, because you might be jealous of me.

**Wait for that story, it is worth the wait.

***Not the handsome neighbor. He moved out and a new guy moved in. No sightings yet.

 

Happy New Year!

To all of our amazing readers...Happy New Year!

Thank you for coming back for our relaunch in 2011, and we promise that 2012 holds lots of fabulous new fashion, places, people and ideas to make your life even more full of style! We'll be back on Monday with a brand-new column from our 'girl-about-town' writer Rebecca Gordon (you don't want to miss it!), as well as more from editor-in-chief Alison Stewart, Bridal & Party Planning expert Danielle Aspromatis, Interior Designer Sherin Botros, and resident Music writer Jennifer Corcione. 

In the meantime, celebrate the new year in a way that would make us here at Stylewhipped proud...beautifully, safely, and full of hope.

~ The Stylewhipped Team

Danielle Rodman: All That Glitters

This post started out as a tip for brides and bridesmaids that are part of a wedding that reads opulance and sparkle. Then I got to thinking, this would be a fun thing for anyone going to a wedding to try...or for a New Year's Eve party this weekend....or if you are me, and you love all glitter and glitz...ANYTIME! 

A French manicure is classic and always looks polished. It's wonderful for everyday, a special event, or like most brides opt for, their wedding day. But what if you want something a little off-the-beaten-path? Whether your nails are long or short, many salons can give your nails this look with a special glitter gel. It's fun, different, and the best part is, it lasts for weeks! I did this for my own wedding and it even lasted through my Hawaiian honeymoon and after we were home (which is good, because I wasn't ready to give up all that sparkle quite yet!). 

-Danielle

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

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~ The Stylewhipped Team

Great Grey

I am fascinated by women who go to the nail salon and actually choose a new color everytime they get their nails done. I, instead, find a color I love and can really live with (on my nails and my toes - they ALWAYS match), and use it for...well, sometimes for years! First it was Essie's Wicked, after that it was OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark. Then it was Essie's Velvet Voyeur. In-between I experimented with a hunter green shade from MAC and a navy blue from Essie. But I always go back to some shade of the darkest purple/almost black. I like the edginess of it, the goes-with-anything-I-wear factor, and just don't feel right if I wear some pale, wimpy shade.

So when I spontaneously bought a bottle of NARS' new "Galion" polish at Sephora, I didn't expect to stick with it. A dark, rich shade of charcoal grey, I thought I'd for sure miss my dark purple. But after using it only once, I was seriously hooked. It's been on my nails (and my toes, of course) for about two months straight now, and I get one compliment after another on it. It is really a very true grey...not too much blue, not too much green, and I feel like while it looks good on my pretty-much-always-tan skin, it would work on the palest porcelain skin equally well (I am always telling clients that grey is one of those universally-flattering colors...you just need to find the right shade).

So while I usually like to keep some style secrets just for me, this one I felt like I needed to share. At $17 a bottle, it feels special and also keeps its shine for an entire week without extra layers of topcoat. So while most of us (especially me!) hate the overall grey-ness of the impending winter, this is one seriously great type of grey...

~ Alison

Imju Fiberwig Paint-On False Lashes

I tend to be skeptical when it comes to mascara. All these promises of longer, fuller lashes using xyz technology that add drama and mystery to your look that will be ready for the runway. After a while it all starts sounding like empty promises. That's why I tend to stay loyal with certain mascaras I find to be exceptional like Shu Uemura's Mascara Basic, and that's why it takes a lot for me to give new ones a shot.

Recently I was told about a new Sephora exclusive, Imju Fiberwig Paint-On False Lashes. I knew nothing about the brand (although I was more than a little intrigued by the "High-Tech Cosmetics from Japan" note on the package), and alarm bells always go off whenever mascaras promise to give the look of false eyelashes. That said, I was drawn in by the claims of smudge-proof wear paired with an easy removal with warm water. So I picked one up, brought it home and applied. I was pleasantly surprised with the results. My lashes looked longer and fuller, without the clumpy tarantula effect. It didn't necessarily look like I had false eyelashes on, but that's not really what I was looking for anyway. I tend to like my lashes to look more on the natural side, and the separation and definition from this mascara did the trick. There was not a smudge in sight after an entire day of brutal NYC summer heat and humidity, but the best and most surprising part was the removal. The mascara actually did just come off with warm water. There was no smearing and smudging or racooning of the eyes. I didn't have to scrub or rub or do anything that beauty experts warn you against doing that might pull and prematurely age the skin around your eyes. And for contact wearers or people with sensitive eyes, that means chunky bits of mascara won't be crumbling into your eyes when you wash it off. I was really glad I gave this mascara a chance, and you will be too!

- Cindy

Nars Pure Sheer SPF Lip Treatment

In the summer I tend to wear super sheer lip color. In fact, since it's a given that any makeup will melt off my face on a really hot day, I tend to be fairly minimal with my makeup routine in general. I recently tried Nars' Pure Sheer SPF Lip Treatment and absolutely loved it! The shade Aurore was so lovely and light. Just a sheer kiss of color that kept my lips hydrated and feeling yummy all afternoon. The other thing I really love about this lip product is that it has SPF 15 to keep your lips protected--something so many people forget to consider when they think about protection their skin from the sun. It's not a Nars Multiple, but it is like having a lip color and lip balm with SPF all in one!

- Cindy

Daily Devotion: Tarte Natural Lip Stain

I love the idea of lip stains, but in reality...not so much. In my experience they tend to look harsh and are super drying. But there was something about the crayon-like Tarte Natural Lip Stain with LipSurgence^(TM) Technology that was just too fun and intriguing to pass up!

I was truly surprised by how smoothly this lip stain glided on. There was even a bit of a glossy finish which I loved. My lips felt comfortably hydrated and looked amazing--although not totally sure if I felt like their moisture content was increased by 6000% as claimed! I will admit that my lips actually did feel a little dry after a while. I was able to fix this by dabbing on a little lip balm prior to applying this lip stain. The layer of lip balm shortened the staying power of the stain a bit, but it still lasted way longer than most of my lip glosses.

On top of having terrific wear, this lovely lip product also happens to be free of parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances and dyes, and a bunch of other stuff you really don't want to be ingesting. So if you're like me and have shied away from lip tints in the past, give this one a try. It's available in 6 gorgeous shades, exclusively at Sephora.

- Cindy

Daily Devotion: Josie Maran Natural Wonder Powders Palette

Bold brights are big in Spring beauty, and I'm loving it. While I like to play with bright lip color, blush, and eyeliner, I've always shied away from bright eye shadow. In the fun-house that is my imagination, bright shadow always looks garish, tacky, clown-like...have you seen Johnny Depp in any of the Alice in Wonderland promos? And while I hold strong that this is a very plausible possibility, I'm learning that there's an alternative--a fresh and beautiful eye look that flatters both warm and cool skin tones. The key for me is balancing my eye with the rest of my face, and working with sheer buildable color. 

I love Josie Maran's Natural Wonder Powders Palette. With 5 buildable shadows that include gorgeous brights as well as neutrals, it makes introducing bright shadow into your look easy. Before you know it you'll have a ton of different looks, from subtle to look-at-me vivid, to bring into your Spring beauty repertoire. Also included in the palette is a great bronzer, and 2 blush options- one rosy and one peachy. Along with the fantastic color options, I also love that this makeup is infused with argan oil to help keep your skin hydrated, nourished and toned. So if you're like me and have shied away from bright eye shadows, now's the time to break out and play. I'm glad I did it and you will be too!

- Cindy