A Body Moisturizer for Every Moment

Recently I was playing double with my close friends and one of them pulled Molton Brown Rok Mint Moisturizer out of her bag and put it on her legs between sets. It was so funny to see the full bottle with a pump on the bench! The things we will do for hydrated and smooth legs! Here are some other favorites:

1. Hydraboost Body Butter. Coming soon! I designed this with our client-loved core Hydraboost formula of Vitamin B5 and peptides for firming, and then added coconut oil for an extra boost of natural hydration!

2. Kiehl's Creme de Corps Light-Weight Body Lotion. An absolute Bluemercury client favorite post-pool or beach. It is the lighter version of the cult classic Creme de Corps. 

3. La Mer After Sun Enhancer. Has a hint of glow and glimmer that makes it perfect for daytime events – barbecues, weddings, anywhere!

4. Caudalie Divine Oil. I use this on my legs and feet after I am dressed, before I go out for shiny, healthy, sleek looking legs. Also perfect for arms, shoulders and dry elbows! It has a delicious scent, too.

Quick Tip: I love using a PowerGlow Peel on my legs before moisturizing to quickly exfoliate for  smooth, glowing skin!

A New Love: Outdoor Wedding Sunscreen

Those of you that know me know I am a sunscreen diehard. If you show up at our office Monday with a sunburn, you are sure to get a lecture from me. But I get it. Sunscreens feel like extra work and they sometimes feel so heavy. I had an outdoor wedding to go to last Saturday afternoon when it was 90 degrees outside. Allie, one of our beauty experts from Bethesda did my makeup.   When she asked me if I wanted a sunscreen under my makeup, I almost hesitated. Imagine that? I asked, "What is your favorite sunscreen to wear under makeup on a boiling hot day?" She told me, hands down, her favorite is ReVive’s new Soleil Superior Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen. She was right. It absorbed right into my skin and had a luminous finish. We used an M-61 Skincare PowerGlow Peel first to create a canvas of smooth, exfoliated skin.  Then, we used Chanel’s Les Beiges Healthy Flow Foundation (in select stores!) over it. My makeup was absolutely perfect all day and night. Thank you Allie and ReVive!

Genuine Glow – Exclusive to Bluemercury!

When the Estée Lauder team asked me if we wanted to do something unique and exclusive with them I jumped at the chance. The Genuine Glow line is perfect for all of us – time-starved, on-the-go professionals who want that healthy glow during the summer. I am in love with the products as many of them include new packaging technology inspired by some of the Korean innovations we are seeing.  Here is the lineup:

Reviving Oil Lip Tint:
To die for! Packaged in an easy-to-use twist stick for a quick, neutral, glistening lip. 

Eyelighting Creme for Eyes and Face:

This new “cushion” technology packaging makes these cremes easy and quick to apply. I love all three shades! Bare Blush is a soft, milky shimmer for eyelids and above the cheekbones. Gleam Glow is a fun highlighter for a hint of sun on the cheeks. Sweetest Thing gives a perfect bronzer glow.

Priming Moisture Balms – one for face and one for eyes:
Soft, blur primers that even out and prep the skin for your favorite tinted moisturizer or CC cream!

Blushing Creme for Lips and Cheeks:

Two colors – a sheer coral (my favorite) called Peachy Keen and a sheer pink called Sweet Cheeks. They come in a stick so they are perfect for throwing in your bag and using on the run.

You can find them at EVERY Bluemercury and not anywhere else! So fun!

7 Things I Love Right Now

The Family Sunscreen

I just restocked our SkinCeuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50. I make my kids carry it in their soccer bags and I use it pre-tennis. None of us will step foot at the pool or the beach without it slathered on our skin.

Spring Cheeks

Hourglass Illume Sheer Color Trio – it’s the  perfect highlighting kit for a bronzed, sunkissed glow. I also love the fun new Laura Mercier Colour Dots Lip & Cheek Sheers. My favorite color is Fruit Punch – a sheer pop of pink happiness.

Cake for Breakfast

We are cake junkies in our family. Our all-time family favorite is an apple spice cake from Moosewood’s Low Fat Favorites book. It’s the most natural we can find, and sometimes we make it gluten free with King Arthur’s Gluten Free Flour Blend. You can find the recipe here.

Time Out

Loving Yogi’s Relaxed Mind Tea (a new discovery) and This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray. My kids keep stealing mine to use on their pillows!

Tina Seelig, What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20

My favorite graduation gift and the author of my favorite saying of all time: “Never miss an opportunity to be fabulous.” Our whole family talks about this - when you are doing anything, big or small, you should step up and do great work.  

P.S.  I’m working on my Instagram agility – please follow me! @marla.beck

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother’s Day is one of my favorite days. Not because I have a big brunch celebration or get great gifts. It just reminds me of my mom. And it reminds me of how much I love being a mom. My mom is partially responsible for my love of beauty products. She always hoarded samples from the department store cosmetics counters. I remember the miniature yellow Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotions from Clinique, the glamorous La Prairie samples that I was not allowed to touch, and the Chanel No. 5 vials. After I started Bluemercury, I got her hooked on La Mer and she swore the original Crème de la Mer was a miracle worker, all the way through her last days. 

It is our job to pass our knowledge to our children – beauty and other. I recently had the good fortune to take my oldest daughter, Ariel, to NYC with me to study some of the great beauty entrepreneurs, where we connected with Trish McEvoy and Bobbi Brown. On our way home, Ariel sketched out her plans for her own beauty company. I think entrepreneurship may be hereditary! (Just kidding, I wholly believe it can be learned.) 

I hope all of you spend today thinking of your moms, and if you are a mom, thinking about the magical power you hold to lead your child to the future. 

Lovingly,
Marla

Ingredient Spotlight: I Love Coconut Oil!

Coconut oil is having a moment. We see it everywhere from the grocery store to our smoothies (I cook with Nutiva organic coconut oil), and now, our beauty products. What people don’t know is that coconut oil has been a beauty cure-all long before it became a trend. Tropical regions where coconuts grow natively have used coconut oil as a natural moisturizer and anti-inflammatory for thousands of years.

Aside from its summertime scent, coconut oil is rich with nourishing vitamins E and K. Its make-up of saturated fats leave skin hydrated, soft and supple, and antioxidants calm and soothe the skin, making it an incredible ingredient for skincare, hair care and other beauty needs. It’s even non-comedogenic so it won’t clog your pores! You can apply it directly to your skin, to your hair, on your lips and your nails.

Here are a few of my coconut oil favorites:

1. Kiehl’s Amino Acid Shampoo & Conditioner – One of the best shampoo/conditioner pairs out there for shiny and hydrated hair.

2. RMS The Ultimate Makeup Remover Wipe – Certified organic coconut oil is the only ingredient in these wipes. They melt makeup away without irritating. I throw them in my bag when I travel for makeup removal on-the-go. Many RMS products include coconut oil!

3. RMS Lip & Skin Balm – Hydrates dry lips and smooths fine lines so you can actually apply outside of just the lip area.

4. Bumble and bumble Creme de Coco Shampoo & Conditioner – Has the best scent and helps to hydrate and control frizz. My daughters’ favorites!  

5. REN Tamanu High Glide Shaving Oil – Leaves your skin so soft and hydrated, and makes shaving smooth and easy with the glide factor.

6. Fresh Cocoa Body Exfoliant – Crushed cocoa and coconut shells act as natural exfoliants and coconut oil leaves skin soft and calm.

7. M-61 Hydraboost Body Butter – Coming soon! I’m so excited to introduce Hydraboost Body Butter to you in the coming weeks – the newest addition to the M-61 Hydraboost family. Packed with peptides, vitamin B5, tamarind, aloe and coconut oil, it is super rich, hydrating and non-irritating. I use it as an all-over body moisturizer but particularly love it on my legs to get ready for summer! Plus, it’s gluten free and vegan. Stay tuned!

If you love learning about the ingredients in your beauty products, read my recent post about SkinCeuticals’ serious skincare innovation highlighting cholesterol in its new Triple Lipid Restore cream.

On My Desk Now: Summer Love Preview

Summer is around the corner, and tons of goodies are popping up on my desk to try. It makes me yearn for the beach now!

Bare Legs and Sandaled Feet
I love the Perfect Heels Rescue Balm by This Works for my feet, NARS Monoi Body Glow Bronzing Body Oil for hydrated and temporarily bronzed legs, and Chanel’s metallic nail polish in Canter - a fabulous 70’s gold - for toes (available in select stores only). 

Warm Nights Out

Chanel’s new cream Stylo Eyeshadows in Bleu Nuit and Vert Grisé are to die for, and are perfect for creating a smokey eye (available in select stores only). Bumble and bumble’s new Surf Foam Spray is perfect for that textured, salty hair look.

Weekend Sheer SPF 

I am in love with the new La Roche-Pose Anthelios SPF 60 that is oil-free!!! Light, sheer and heavenly, it’s my new soccer field go-to!