Face Oils Revealed

The history of the face oil trend comes from the French spa lines, which have always used specific targeted oil blends to treat skin concerns. For example, Darphin's Niaouli Aromatic Care has been around for over 10 years and is used to treat oily and acneic skin with a blend of lemon, rosemary, eucalyptus and lavender. The recent acceleration of the face oil trend comes from a few forces blending together:

1. Globalization of Skincare Knowledge. Due to social media and worldwide networks, global skincare products and trends can quickly become local. Facial oils started in France, moved to London and, in my opinion, because London is the current global financial hub of Europe (check the real estate prices in Belgravia), have moved rapidly to the US.

2. The "Clean Skincare" Trend. To make a skincare cream, you start with oils and treatment and then add fillers (waxes, waters and often silicone or dimethicone) to whip it up into a desirable luxurious cream. With a face oil, the ingredients lists are short and easily understood - no fillers. Those who adore green products from brands like M-61 & REN can be confident and comfortable that the ingredients are pure. The other night, my 10 year old daughter came to me with cracked, dry hands. I dug in the cabinets for a pure face oil and ended up rubbing her hands with Fresh Elixir Anciene. Many celebrities are using face oils because of their inclination towards "clean" diets.

3. A Need to Escape. Great estheticians will spend time during a facial massaging the skin with oil to stimulate the facial muscles and boost hydration. Applying additional facial oil at home gives clients a quick, 1 minute spa pick-me-up and a break from the daily grind!

 4. Simple Science. The top layer of the skin is held together by lipids, which form a protective barrier against the environment. As we age, this lipid barrier deteriorates. Essential fatty acids in face oils help maintain this barrier protecting skin from environmental damage while also reducing the appearance of wrinkles.

We are seeing a proliferation of amazing products at all price points targeting specific skincare concerns. From Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate to Darphin's 8 Flower Nectar to Fresh's Seaberry Moisturizing Face Oil (coming soon!). If you're vegan, vegetarian, live an active lifestyle, or are interested in paraben- and synthetic-free products, this trend might be just the perfect fit for you!

Current Addiction: Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour

My Laura sticks clearly get a lot of use!

I must admit, I have a strange relationship with eyeshadow. I get stuck in a rut with the same color. Let’s face it, eyeshadow is hard to apply, takes a lot of time and sometimes is messy. For a busy mom, eyeshadow can be daunting.

Leave it to Laura Mercier to solve this problem. I am completely addicted to these handy dandy eye shadow sticks. Swipe on one lid, swipe on the other lid, and out the door.

There are a ton of colors, but here are my go to choices:

1. Neutral weekend day: Rosegold (gold/pink) all over lid, black eyeliner, mascara and done.

2. Festive work day (yes, I am feeling that way this December!): Sandglow (light bronze) all over lid, black eyeliner, mascara and done.

3. Creative day: Amethyst (browny/purple) all over lid, then sandglow all over lid, black eyeliner, mascara and done.

4. Party: Sandglow all over lid, popped up with Cocoa (topaz brown) in crease and outside corners, black eyeliner mascara and done.

Four handy sticks, a couple of swipes, many looks. We all need simplicity sometimes!

Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks come in 19 colors, are $26 each and are available in store and online.

The Teenage Acne Cure

A call I receive a lot from friends is the call for help with their teenager's acne issues.

I have a simple, straightforward cocktail that I always recommend. My friend stopped me the other day and said it cleared up her daughter’s skin right away—and nothing else had worked!

1.  Wash your face with M-61 Power Cleanse at night.

2.  Spread Dermalogica Breakout Clearing Overnight Treatment over problem areas before bed.
3.  If you need to wash your face again in the morning, use a gentle gel cleanser, like M-61 Perfect Cleanse.
4.  Do not pick at or touch your face at all, ever.  No exceptions.

Simple, straightforward and it works!

What's On My Desk...

Besides stacks upon stacks of presentations previewing beautiful products for next spring? Here are a few products that I'm excited about right now – some in store, some coming very soon!

1. Shampoo for Beautiful Color by Oribe. This is their most popular shampoo and is great for maintaining color. I need to hide it in the shower from my husband and kids.

2. Bumble & Bumble's new Pret-A-Powder Dry Style Extender. I continue to wash my hair less and less – helps me maintain color and reduce split end damage to my hair. This is perfect when applied to the roots to give a little extra lift and to dry up extra oil.

3. SkinCeuticals' new Antioxidant Lip Repair. Hyaluronic acid plumps and silymarin (milk thistle extract) and Vitamin E provide antioxidant protection. The creamy non-oily format makes it perfect under lipstick.

4. Seaberry Oil by Fresh. Seaberry, cranberry seed and sweet almond hydrate and soothe during the winter.

5. Laura Mercier’s Enlightenment Eye and Cheek Palette. We're definitely going on our holiday vacation to the Caribbean this year, and this is the perfect resort palette – arriving soon to our stores. I love the blushes and the Pure Glow eyeshadow (the coppery one, bottom left).

And, of course my UC Berkeley mug – it’s my 20th reunion this year, yes, I am that old. Go Bears!

Paris Vogue Chic for the Holidays

I am mesmerized by all of the Vogue Paris fashion editors that carry absolutely nothing except for their phones.  I'm not sure how they do it, but I am inspired. After all, who really wants to carry a big purse full of stuff?

Trish McEvoy’s new Portable Beauty Rose Collection just hit my desk and it is the perfect compromise.  The chic quilted silver case has everything you need right inside: a well-edited collection of 4 brushes and every necessity for touch-ups, or even to complete a workday-to-cocktail, plain-face-to-smokey-eye transition.

Brushes, eyeshadows, blushes and lips, plus room for a credit card and some cash. Oh to be free of the big mom bag. This, your phone and you're out the door. Just like Emmanuelle Alt, Geraldine Seraglio and Capucine Safyurtlu.

 photo via QuiteContinental.net

5 Things I Love Right Now

Just Hit My Desk: Delicious Molton Brown Holiday

The best ever holiday hand wash - frankincense and allspice. More sweet and spicy than frankincense. Love the hand lotion and candle too.

Going in my bag to go home with me ASAP! Coming soon to bluemercury stores!

A Day In The Life

* Read "The Most Lucrative Form of Flattery" by Alix Strauss

Bumble Hair Party!

I gave the kids the new Bumble and bumble spraychalks on a lazy sunny Saturday afternoon. They sprayed, played and did each other’s hair. With fun results!

Cobalt (blue) was the favorite, mint (green) the coolest and blush (red) was the most fun. Lavender was best on the blonder hair.

Much better than sitting on the iPad ... and more creative, too!

Darphin Miracle Eye Creams: The Story Continues

Darphin, one of my favorite Paris-based brands, has ALWAYS been known for their eye creams. We have carried Darphin at bluemercury for 14 years now.


I will always remember their first eye cream: Arovita Eye and Lip Contour Gel, which was glorious for my early thirties fine lines (back in 2000). Then came Stimulskin Plus Eye Contour Cream, one of the top selling eye creams of all time at bluemercury. Like a suction cup for the under-eye area, it instantly firms and hydrates.


Now, two more great eye products come to us from Paris. First, Darphin’s Eye Sorbet Mask is instantly moisturizing, with Japanese green tea and natural cucumber. I love slathering this mask on first thing in the morning when I get up, before I go check email and start to think about getting out the door.

Darphin’s Stimulskin Plus Divine Eye Cream also just hit my desk. A deeply hydrating treatment for fine lines and circles, this is pure luxury in a pump. Definitely for those nights when you need heavy-duty overnight reconstructive treatment for fine lines and dark circles (for me that seems to be more frequent than it used to be!).

The Darphin legacy continues...

Back To School Time-Saving Beauty To-Do List

1. Convince your kids to wear sunscreen to school and on the weekends during September. My kids love the texture of SkinCeuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50 ($34 SHOP NOW) and will put it on their faces by themselves. It is really thin, so it’s easy for them to do, but has superior protection because the micronized titanium dioxide makes it a sun block rather than a sunscreen.

2. Quickly fix dull skin. I hate the way my skin feels in the fall. As the weather changes I immediately go pale, which only emphasizes my sun spots. I keep m-61 Power Cleanse ($34 SHOP NOW), a glycolic facial cleanser, in the shower and wash my face while I condition my hair. It exfoliates dry patches, revealing new skin. When I get out of the shower – after I’m dry – I quickly apply m-61 Vitablast C ($92 SHOP NOW), which contains brightening vitamin c and gallic acid (found in blueberries). I finish with a hydrating cream, like La Mer's The Moisturizing Soft Cream ($155 SHOP NOW). My skin glows after.

3. Run to a weeknight event without redoing your makeup. September seems to be full of weeknight events and I do not have time to reapply makeup. I use NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base ($24 SHOP NOW) on my eyelids under shadow to keep my makeup looking fresh until I get home at 10pm.

4. Speed up an at-home blow dry. I am in love with Oribe's Smooth Style Serum ($49 SHOP NOW). A small, pea-size dab on wet hair before blow drying saves me about 10 minutes of drying time and my hair looks straight and hydrated.

5. Get out the door on a Saturday morning in 5 minutes flat. SkinCeuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50 ($34 SHOP NOW) quickly evens out my skin tone. I follow with Trish McEvoy’s High Volume Mascara ($31 SHOP NOW) and NARS The Multiple ($39 SHOP NOW) in Orgasm or South Beach applied with fingertips on my cheeks and lips, and I am done and presentable (sort of)!

6. Look like you got sleep. I always find the first weeks of school to be exhausting. Use bronzer and blush to transition to more pale skin without looking ghostly. Swipe bronzer over a warm peach blush to warm up pale skin. I love Bobbi Brown's Bronzing Powder ($38 SHOP NOW) in Medium over Laura Mercier's Second Skin Cheek Colour ($25 SHOP NOW) in Orange Blossom.

7. Have fun reconnecting with friends you haven't seen all summer at a cocktail party. I love all the fall cocktail parties and always feel better if I pick up a new, deeper-colored lipstick. This fall the berries, plums and scarlets are dramatic and festive. My old stand-by is NARS Sheer Lipstick ($26 SHOP NOW) in Fast Ride, but I am definitely going to Bluemercury Bethesda to pick up a new color for fall. Maybe one of Chanel's new Rouge Allure Lipsticks (* available at select Bluemercury locations).

A Visit to Bobbi's Studio

Stopped by Bobbi's studio in Montclair, New Jersey. It is all Bobbi - old apothecary wood fixtures with white marble. Gorgeous.

One of her lead makeup artists was teaching a group how to choose the best Bobbi bronzer for a client. (I love her Bronzing Powder in Medium).

I must say, I was scoping out her Navy and Nude Eye Palette and Navy Nail Polish.


Everyone knows I am a navy junkie, and not just for eyeliner. (My kids tease me and say I only wear blue and black. After which I remind them that I do wear some white and some grey!).

Labor Day weekend, I am so applying the navy polish to my toes for fall. I love Bobbi!!!

5 Things I Love Right Now For Summer

1. Brandy Melville Boutiques. A Malibu vibe but clothes are so affordable and it is all one size fits all! I picked up a beach-ready dress, a tank top, a skirt, a necklace and 2 bracelets for my daughters for $107. Apparently Italian based!

2. Trish McEvoy Glaze Eye Shadow White Peach ($16)
Summer is the only time I can wear shimmer. This shadow is perfect for those hot summer evenings out when you feel like wearing all white.

3. M-61 Power Glow Peel (10-day $28 | 30-day $62)
My new 1 minute 1 step peel for glowing, radiant skin.

4. NARS The Multiple in South Beach ($39)
I am all about BB cream, eyeliner, and mascara only right now. I use the Multiple for a pop of bronzy-peach color for lips and cheeks.

5. SF Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum
Barry and I went to the Giants/Mets game at AT&T Park – this pitcher exudes calmness and expertise, and has fun at what he does. All things I strive for...

Laura Mercier New Collection Haul

I was stopping by our Corte Madera California store to visit our fabulous team and get input on some new products I am working on. I stopped dead in my tracks at the Laura Mercier fall collection display.

I had seen the collection 6 months ago but it was even better than I remembered! The 60s Brigitte Bardot look combining black eye liner with a nude lip is back in such a big way - this is a look I LOVE.

I picked up Laura's Kohl Liner Extreme with the elegant conical tip - perfect for a strong, stay-put line.

I also love the featured nude lip - a light pinky-nude, creamy matte lipstick, Angelic, paired with a shiny matte, cotton candy pink-peach lip gloss, Charmed.

And then I couldn't resist adding two more lip options in the new Rouge Nouveau Weightless Lip Color. They come in Sheers, Mattes and Crémes. I am partial to the more creamy-matte Crémes and picked up two in Cafe (rose nude) and Coy (pink nude).

I can't wait to get home and experiment!! Even I love shopping for cosmetics at Bluemercury! Thank you, Corte Madera team.

SkinCeuticals: Kid Tested, Mom Approved

"Mom, I LOVE it," said my ten year old daughter. "It goes on so soft and creamy," said my eight year old daughter.

While I know SkinCeuticals makes great sunblocks, I had my daughters put the new Sport UV Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 50 ($40) to the test. They abhor applying sunscreen and I knew they would love it.

This is the "upgrade" to the SPF 45, which is the only sunblock I would ever wear to the beach. The micronized titanium dioxide makes it the best block I have ever used. With more protection and a creamier, easier to apply formula, it is the biggest no-brainer around.

Both girls are getting one for their camp bags!

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Shop SkinCeuticals' full line of protective SPFs on bluemercury.com >

Barry's Father's Day Favorites | Guest Blog from Co-founder Barry Beck

1. Kiehl's Ultimate Brushless Shave Cream - White Eagle (5 oz. Tube $16 / 8 oz. Jar $19) I have used this shaving cream for almost 14 years. Love in both tube and jar.
   
   
2. Molton Brown Re-Charge Black Pepper Bodywash ($30) + Re-Charge Black Pepper Anti-Perspirant Stick ($22) The spicy black pepper is my go to. One of the greatest scents ever created.
   
   
3. Molton Brown Paradisiac Pink Pepperpod Bath & Shower ($30) Who says pink is for girls? I love this bodywash. I keep my shower fully stocked!
   
   
4. Acqua Di Parma Collezione Barbiere Shaving Gel ($43) + Acqua Di Parma Collezione Barbiere Soft Brush Shaving Cream ($62) Acqua Di Parma makes some of the most luxurious products ever. I love the gel shaving cream the most.
   
   
5. M-61 Vitablast C Hand ($19) + Hydraboost Eye ($78) My hands are always so rough and dry, especially around my knuckles. This hand cream is my favorite. I also love the firming I get from Hydraboost Eye.
   
   
6. Darphin Denblan Toothpaste ($22) I am a sucker for the french toothpastes. Denblan is a great teeth whitener.
   
   
7. NEW! SkinCeuticals Sport UV Defense SPF 50 – The SkinCeuticals water resistant SPF 50 is my new go to for golfing and boating.
   * available in all bluemercury stores