Romy Raves

Greetings Beauty Mavens! Well, I have finally landed back in LA after scouring many of the beauty industry insider events on the East and West Coast (The LA Make-Up Show, CEW Product Demos, IECSC and IBS), all in pursuit of new trends and undiscovered beauty products. I had an absolute blast walking the floors of these leading trade shows and trying the latest that beauty has to offer. And now I would like to share with you, my lovely reader, some of the exciting and fun products that caught my eye:

Bling Strands
This is the coolest hair accessory on the planet! I discovered Bling Strands at Cosmoprof this past summer and they still rock my world! It is a thin shimmery strip of bling that is tied into your hair and looks like a sparkly highlight. Everyone stops me and asks what I am wearing in my hair because it is so fun, unique and different.

Embryolisse Essential Dry Skin Balm
This is a new product created by the company that makes the cult fav LCC cream that I adore. This is a magaical little healing balm that is perfect for those pesky dry patches you tend to get in the winter months, but what is truly fab about this balm is that it treats your dry spots with a matte finish, brilliant!

I Nuovi Professional
This is a pigment rich, high intensity makeup line that is enriched with innovative skin pampering antioxidants, botanical extracts and vitamins. It is a beautifully made line, with an amazing assortment of products and colors that also treat the skin. This is a fun line that I can’t wait to dig into!

YoYo Lip Gloss Mini’s
This is a fun and inspired girlie little product. It’s a mini flavored lip gloss that is attached to a retractable cord that you clip on so you don’t lose it. This is a playful product that appeals to the girl inside all of us and it makes me smile when I use it–very smart and memorable packaging.

Sprayology
This is another inspired find of mine. These are homeopathic and vitamin oral sprays that are spritzed under your tongue, are rapidly absorbed and deliver a variety of instant symptomatic relief. I was drawn to Party Relief, Woman Power and Brain Power and they can even be combined to treat a multiple issues. Not only is it a fun concept, but they taste good and I did notice that I had more energy and clarity after I got my dose.

Stay tuned for more of my newest beauty discoveries Part Two, coming next week.

Tags: Beauty Trends, Bling Strands, Embryolisse, I Nuovi, Sprayology, YoYo Lipgloss

Greetings LA Beauty Mavens!

There is a great beauty event happening tomorrow, March 11th from 5-8pm at Dermalogica on Montana Avenue. Guests will receive complimentary 20-minute MicroZone skin treatments, Face Mapping skin analysis, Skin Bar skin lessons as well as fun prizes including a free baby Daily Microfoliant (great skin smoothing product!) and a Clarisonic Brush Head with a minimum purchase. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to skincleanup@dermalogica.com

Tags: Dermalogica Event, Santa Monica

Being a Hollywood Gal and all (well I do actually live NEAR Hollywood ), I thought I would write a post in honor of the Academy Awards Ceremony this evening (Anyone have any big plans or fun parties they are attending??) I thought I would post a list of some of my all time favorite movies and if you haven’t seen them they are definitely worth checking out.  And as an added bonus, I am sharing a yummy AA worthy recipe to enjoy while you watch the big event. Have Fun!

Romy’s All Time Favorite Movies

• The Wizard of Oz
• Life is Beautiful
• Breakfast at Tiffany’s
• Cinema Paradisio
• It’s a Wonderful Life
• Pulp Fiction
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Schindler’s List
• Sunset Boulevard
• West Side Story
• The Sound of Music
• Something About Mary
• Babel

Caviar Dip
Barefoot Contessa 2001

This is a yummy, elegant easy dip that seems like a perfect fit with the Academy Awards and a nice glass of bubbly. It’s somewhat light, refreshing, tasty dip and great when served with old fashioned potato chips, Enjoy!

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons freshly minced dill, plus sprigs for garnish
1 scallion, minced (white and green parts)
1 tablespoon milk, half-and-half, or cream
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
100 grams good salmon roe

Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese until smooth. With the mixer on medium speed, add the sour cream, lemon juice, dill, scallion, milk, salt, and pepper. With a rubber spatula, fold in 3/4 of the salmon roe. Spoon the dip into a bowl and garnish with the remaining salmon roe and sprigs of fresh dill.

Serve with chips, toasts, or crackers.

Tags: Academy Awards, Favorite Movies, recipe

I am smitten with Tom Ford and IMO he is a pure fashion and beauty genius. Everything he touches is modern, innovative and classy. Oh and not to mention he is very easy on the eyes which just adds to his appeal. But I digress, I am here to tell you about a couple of the perfumes in his fab private blend collection that I am loving right now. These are exclusive high end fragrances and they just exude quality and complexity.

White Suede

This is the musk of raw desire and it smells like elegant suede and smooth leather, heightened by velvety rose, warm amber and sensuous musk. I describe this as a sophisticated musk that smells smoky, sexy, earthy, and a tinge floral. This is a multi-layered musk with a lot of dimension and I love wearing this on winter nights when I want to feel warm and sexy. But this is not your run of the mill perfume, it lasts and lingers in a beautiful way and the dry down gets even sexier IMO.

Champaca Absolute

This is a floral oriental composition with a sensuous heart note of Champaca, the magnolia-like flower. This is followed by the notes of Tokajii Wine and Cognac (the oenophile in me totally digs this) as it warms to the skin with Vanilla Bean, Amber and Sandalwood. I describe this as a sultry, sensual, warm, earthy, spicy oriental fragance. It has an alluring quality that makes me feel like snuggling with my man by the fire with a full bodied glasss of red wine (sounds divine right now since I am in NY without my honey and this is his all time favorite city). The dry down on me is a lusty vanilla and just puts me in the mood, if you know what I mean.

Tom Ford Fragrances are powerful, mood enhancing and shifting, and beautifully sexy. When he comes out with a new fragrance, I am the first in line cause they are that good. You can find these wonderful fragrances online at Neiman Marcus. What are your favorite sexy fragrances? What kind of scents put you in the mood?

Tags: Champaca Absolute, Perfume, Tom Ford Fragrances, Tom Ford Private Blend, White Suede

Even though I covet all things beauty, nail polish is one of my favorite passions. I think this is because it offers instant gratification and quick way to shift your mood.  Take today for example, this formerly high maintenance girl who got manicures weekly in a former life, FINALLY had a much overdue mani and pedi and it was divine. My hands and feet had an instant makeover and momma was happy. And as the icing on this relaxing cake, I got to try out an uber cool, futuristic new nail polish product called Np2.

Np2 Nail Perfection ($22.50 US) is an innovative duo of  base coat/top coat conveniently situated atop a nail lacquer in a wide range of very appealing hip and fashion forward colors. Basically, Np2 it is two nail products in one super cool looking package that clicks together for ease and portability. How fun and inspired is that? Your base/top coat is attached to your nail polish, very convenient. I am thinking it looks kinda George Jetson too (for you eighties folks.)

And there is even technology behind it. The unique combination of resin and high molecular weight polymers is designed to help improve the flexibility, durability, wear and gloss properties of nail enamel. And then there is the Mulit-Purpose Quick Dry Clear that was developed to possess the adhesion and nail protection characteristics of both a base coat and a top coat.  Np2 is specially formulated to offer superior extended wear, high gloss, chip resistance, fast drying, UV protection, and is formulated without Toluene, Formaldehyde & DBP.

What do I like about this nail polish? Uber cool high tech looking package, two in one product, long wearing/chip resistant and an awesome range of polish colors.  I lean towards deep dark modern shades these days so my favs in the line are Cosmic Ray (a shimmery metallic peacock greenish black shade that I am wearing right now and is pictured right thank you Vampy Varnish for the perfect shot), Gravity (a deep purple sparkling plum shade) and Theory (a grayish black slate glimmer). 

I am totally digging this nail polish duo and I think you might too. You can find the entire Np2 line of products HERE and right now they are offering free shipping on all purchases.

Tags: Chip Resistant, Modern, Np2 Nail Polish, Two in One Product