Romy Raves

Happy Valentine’s Day GORGEOUS! Just in time for the holiday of love, red, hearts, romance and sexy, I give you my favorite curated product picks of this amorous season. Whether you are attached or not, I think this assortment of goodies is swoon worthy, so share the list with your lover or treat yourself to a little indulgence. Hugs & Kisses, Romy

MOR Cosmetics The Vow Gift Set ($17)

As many of you know, I am a huge fan of the products from MOR Cosmetics because they are beautifully made and come in the most gorgeous packaging. I am loving this Limited Edition Vow Gift Set, inspired by the new Sony Pictures’ V-day film The Vow (in theaters February 10th.)  This precious set comes with a Lychee Flower Soapette and Hand Cream presented in classy heart shaped tin. Lychee Flower is a sparkling sweet scent with ripe berries, soft powdery florals and the slightest hint of green forest woods. I love this fresh feminine scent and the affordable price of this great set.

Stella & Dot Ever After Necklace ($49)

I was recently invited to preview the new Stella & Dot Spring Collection and was pleasantly surprised by the fantastic, hip, modern statement making pieces of beautifully made, affordable jewelry. There were many pieces that caught my eye, but I thought this lovely delicate Ever After Heart Necklace was a perfect fit for this gift guide. This dainty heart comes in silver or gold and is pierced by the chain. This necklace is a Maya Brenner Collaboration Style (Maya Brenner is a twelve year jewelry industry veteran with a strong celeb following) and it showcases her simple, classic, bold and modern style. I love the look of this sweet necklace layered with other complimentary necklaces. Very chic and understated.

Rodial Glam Balm Lip ($25)

Rodial makes fabulous, active anti-aging products that really work, and their new Glam Blam Lip is no exception. This new luxurious moisture-rich balm plumps lips, fills in fine lines and smooths imperfections with filling spheres, nourishes with rose wax and protects against environmental damage with pomegranate extract. This potent balm volumizes your lips and also does a great job of soothing dry, chapped lips. I love the rose flavor (totally makes me think Vday!) and the way my lips instantly feel hydrated and nourished. Love it!

Stephanie Johnson Ibiza Alex Sparkle Clutch in Berry ($45)

Confession: I am addicted to Stephanie Johnson travel and makeup bags! Truth be told, I am stock piling quite a collection of these statement making versatile bags because the designs are so fab and collectible worthy. How could you not love this Berry Sparkle Clutch? Perfect for your Valentine’s Day evening on the town, right? It’s super cute, sparkly and fun, just love it! And it’s the perfect size to fit all your makeup essentials. Get one now before they are sold out!

Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment ($25)

Every beauty junkie has a Fresh Original Sugar Lip Treatment in her product arsenal, and now this cult fav product has upped it’s game by adding fab anti-aging ingredients to make it even better. The Sugar Advanced is fortified with a high concentration of ultra-nourishing, age-delaying ingredients, including Hyaluronic Spheres, that penetrate the skin to fill in wrinkles and plump the lips, and sea fennel extract, to help smooth fine lines and define the lip area. This exciting new line extension repairs, nourishes, plumps, and smooths your lips and I love how supple and moist it makes my lips feel and adore the Fresh signature sugary lemon scent.

Havaianas Love Sandal ($28)

I live in my Havaianas, seriously they are the most comfortable flip flop ever! I cannot resist these super adorable Valentine’s Day worthy limited edition Love Sandal that come in a cute special edition red velvet shoe bag. This sandal is the slim style with a metallic silver strap and a colorful hearts graphic print. LOVE LOVE them! They will sell out fast!

Antica Farmacista Champagne Fragrance & Candle Gift Set ($88)

Anyone care for a little bubbly this Valentine’s Day? Me please! Especially when it’s in the exquisite luxurious home fragrance products from Antica Farmacista. The Champagne Fragrance and Candle Gift set consists of a home ambiance fragrance diffuser (with sticks) and a long-burning candle elegantly packaged in a gift box. The champagne fragrance is vibrant and fresh with a sparkly citrus floral top note, a sensuous and sweet fruity middle note and a subtle vanilla base note. I am so impressed with the complexity of the Antica scents and I think these products look gorgeous on display and smell amazing.

Too Faced Natural Kiss Neutral Lip Color Collection ($24)

Too Faced does it again with another fabulous must-have lip palette collection! The Natural Kiss Collection features four gorgeous warm-toned lip glosses in cream, gloss, and shimmer finishes that compliment all skintones. The colors include a Gold Shimmer gloss and Shell, Totally Nude, and Maple. This is my new go-to palette for that perfect nude lip and I think it will look good on almost everyone.

Dome Euphoric Body Perfume ($34.95)

The DOME Euphoric Body Line is imported from Italy, made of high quality natural ingredients and designed  to tap into your senses and evoke feelings of happiness and pleasure. I like the sexy smell that makes me smile when I use this cream and how it instantly penetrates into your skin. Wanna get your sexy on this Valentine’s Day? Take this body perfume for a spin and see what happens

Tea Thes Des Amants for Valentine’s Day ($44)

The Parisian tea brand Le Palais des Thés is offering a new limited edition tea set this Valentine’s Day, Thé des Amants (Lovers’ Tea), a sensual and spicy elixir made with fruits, flowers, and spices flavored with apple, almond, cinnamon, vanilla and a hint of ginger. The Tea comes cleverly packaged as a his and hers duo: For Her, in a pink and red box, a China green tea version of Thé des Amants which highlights the brightness of the citrus and fruity notes of this blend. For Him, in a dark blue and turquoise box, is the black tea version of Thé des Amants, which showcases depth and spice of this blend. This is a yummy elegant tea and ideal for foodies who appreciate complexity and depth of flavor in their tea.

Meow! by Katy Perry

Meow! is the sister parfum to Katy’s first fragrance, Purr. Purr was created while Katy was on the California Dreams world tour and this scent is Katy’s interpretation of the fun, sensual spirit of the tour (so fun, in fact, Perry felt the name of the fragrance needed an exclamation point at the end of it.) Meow! is a soft sensual scent combining the notes of honeysuckle and pear with the backdrop of creamy vanilla, musk and amber. This is the purrr-fect sexy scent to wear for Valentine’s Day and I just adore the pink kitty bottle, definitely collectible worthy!

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, and on the heels of a fabulous overnight staycation this past weekend with my hubby, I’ve got love on my mind. You know how it is, like a magnet or energetic force, you are instantly drawn to someone or something without explanation, it just ‘happens’. Well I know it is a bit of a stretch, but for a life long beauty junkie like me, this energetic pull happens to me with beauty products, and every once in a while I try a product that just instantly knocks my socks off! Kinda like being hit with cupid’s arrow, but towards a product, not a person. Strange, I know, but it’s honestly how I feel. Well, lately I have come across some fabulous new products that I was instantly smitten with and now I am dying to share them with you. Hope you love them as much as I do!

Four Truffles Argan Moisturizing Balm ($26)

OMG this magnificent balm is truly “The Balm”! I literally got this product a few days ago and I am obsessed with it and can’t stop using it! This is a luxurious multi-purpose ultra hydrating balm packed with argan oil and all it’s nutrients and antioxidants that soften, hydrate, and repair your skin. It also contains a lovely Bulgarian Lavender Oil, an ancient herb that has been used for ages to relax the body and heal skin. And there’s more goodness: this product is organic, made in the USA with indigenous ingredients, its eco-centric, made by women4women and comes in a hand carved wooden jar. It smells divine, feels yummy on my dry skin, instantly moisturizes and heals like a champ. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

Kate Somerville DermalQuench Liquid Lift ($95) will be available March 2012 www.skinhealthexperts.com

This is a ground breaking new product that brings Kate Somerville’s most sought after celeb skin transforming treatment  into your home! Liquid Lift has a unique foam dispensed delivery system that instantly infuses your skin with three powerful ingredients KS calls advanced HydraFill™ Complex which work together to increase volume, significantly smooth skin, boost radiance and dramatically reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Liquid Lift infuses your skin with a much-needed boost of oxygen to increase volume and deliver a plumping effect that dramatically diminishes the look of expression lines and furrows. I actually have had the FAB professional DermalQuench treatment at the KS Clinic in LA, and I am equally as ‘wowed’ by the similar, and much more affordable results of this at home oxygen treatment. I adore how it instantly plumps, hydrates and makes my skin look more radiant, and after just a couple of weeks of use, my skin feels more supple, moist and it looks smoother.

3LAB Perfect BB SPF 40/PA+++ ($95)

I just adore BB creams because they deliver instant results and are super easy to use, and 3LAB’s version is luxurious and FAB! This BB Cream is infused with 3LAB’s signature bio-engineered growth hormone and apple stem cell technology, which noticeably firms and lifts the skin, regenerates new skin cells, brightens, moisturizes, and protects your skin with a potent SPF.  It also contains a wonderful combination of anti-oxidants, vitamins and botanicals that help improve your skin tone and alleviate irritation. My skin just drinks this cream up, I love that it comes in three shades (I’m medium), and it instantly hides imperfections and makes my skin look smooth and flawless.

Benefit Watt’s Up ($30)

IMO Benefit is the Queen of fab, fun, kitschy, inspired makeup products that really work (like my beloved Erase Paste.) Well, Watt’s Up is my latest  addiction, it’s a great soft focus highlighter that instantly brightens and lightens your face and gives you the perfect luminous glow. It is a stick cream-to–powder champagne sheer highlighter on one side and a blending sponge on the other,and together this gives your skin a velvety glow. I am having such fun manipulating the light on my face with this product and really like how it adds the perfect instant sheen to my skin, which makes it look fresher and younger. Fab!

Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray ($39)

I have to admit, I have not been thrilled with my hair lately, it’s been dry, flat and lifeless, so I decided to cut like 5-6 inches off, much better and healthier. In light of this change, I am trying  new products to add volume and texture, and I am having alot of fun with Oribe’s Texturizing Spray. It’s a wonderful alternative to dry shampoo and it’s giving my hair fullness, movement and a sexy glam look. Basically, this is an invisible dry hair spray that offers incredible volume and a sexy texture. It contains patented polymers that absorb oil at the roots which allows you to milk that fab blowdry for days. It’s easy to use and it gives the perfect amount of va-va-voom to your hair.

Dr Dennis Gross Active Vitamin D Serum Oil ($65)

Leave it to the pioneering Dr. Dennis Gross to notice that his patients were experiencing Vitamin D deficiencies because they were being hyper-diligent about protecting their skin from the sun, so Dr. Gross set out to develop the first skincare serum-oil that would provide sufficient levels of Vitamin D to skin through topical application.  Traditionally, Vitamin D needs sun exposure to activate it, but this innovative new formulation contains an already active form of Vitamin D that does not require sunlight to work. This serum-oil replenishes hydration, boosts elasticity, smooths fine lines and wrinkles, enhances radiance and luminosity, and corrects the appearance of hyperpigmentation. I just love the idea of giving our skin it’s much needed Vitamin D, and I love how this product nourishes my dry skin and how it has added noticeable suppleness in such a short time.

Yesterday, I featured the fabulous Gigi Hill Zipped Brigitte Tote Bag as one of my favs in my purse Holiday Gift Guide and guess what? Today, I am giving away one of these stylish, functional & fashionable bags to you! Cool right? This fabulous multi-purpose high quality bag is perfect for women on the go and features the Gigi Hill Signature Pocket Design which has many compartments for all of your essentials. These beautiful, customizable, handcrafted bags have stunning yet durable hardware and cleanable (wipeable) complimentary interior and exterior fabrics. Gigi Hill Bags and accessories are available online at www.gigihillbags.com, or you can find a Gigi Hill Stylist near you and host a party to earn perks, or if you love the bags you can even become a Gigi Hill Stylist and sell these wonderful bags to your friends and family.

Today, I am delighted to be giving away the Zipped Brigitte in the Dusk/Bordeaux fabric combination. The outside is laminated and has a gorgeous black and white fleur de lis pattern and the interior is oilcloth with a multi-color pink stripe patterrn. So cute and such attention to the finishing details, you will LOVE this bag!

Contest Details 

-How to Enter: All that you need to do to enter this FREE giveaway is use the Rafflecopter Widget Below and click “I DID THIS” in the various boxes below for each way you choose to enter
-Options for Entering: There are (2) choices for daily entries, and (5) choices for one-time only entries and three of them are mandatory for entry.
-Prize: One (1) Gigi Hill Zipped Brigitte Tote Bag in Dusk/Bordeaux (Valued at $168) 
-Contest Dates: 12/16/11 to 12/30/11 at 12:01 am EST
-Please make sure to click on the “DO IT” to do each task and once you have completed the task click the “ENTER” button to confirm your entry. Make sure to enter your name and email for each selection, so your entries will be counted. Good Luck!

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As promised, I am sharing some of my favorite new product and brand discoveries this season, up next: Purses and Bags! I admit, I definitely have a thing for purses and bags because they really show off your personality, make a statement, and can really make an outfit. I enjoy carrying unique, different statement making accessories and I love when people stop me, compliment my accessories and ask whose bag I am carrying and where they can get one, there is no greater compliment than that! It gives me such joy to share my finds and turn people on to indie designers and lesser know brands. Behold my latest and greatest accessory discoveries-all from Los Angeles or California based companies (I LOVE supporting local brands!)-for your gift giving pleasure. . . .

Namaste Cali Collection Red Laguna Bag ($85)

This great LA based company makes a fabulous assortment of eco chic bags that are all animal friendly and PVC-free. I am totally digging this holiday worthy Red Laguna bag! It’s that perfect warm cherry red color (perfect for the season), it’s roomy, has lots of pockets, a zippered interior divider, a detachable shoulder strap, metal feet on the bottom and a strong magnetic closures at the top. Namaste bags are affordable, eco friendly, functional, and fashionable. Def a new fav bag of mine!

Stephanie Johnson Make Up Bags in Rodeo Drive Pewter ($30-35)

Stephanie Johnson is a Venice, CA based company that makes the most gorgeous sophisticated chic make up bags. Stephanie launched her namesake line of accessories after traveling extensively and noticing that stylish make up bags were sorely lacking in the marketplace. If you peruse the Stephanie Johnson site, you will notice a plethora of luxurious eye catching bags in a wide variety of great fabrics and textures. My current favorite for the season is the Rodeo Drive Pewter Collection, it’s the perfect luminous shade of pewter and I adore the Mini Pouch with a wrislet added, super cute as a festive make up bag or a small evening bag.

Jagger Edge iPhone Word Collection L.O.V.E in Emerald Green with 14K Gold Plating ($99)

These are the most amazing, show stopping hip and chic iPhone covers that I have ever seen! Every time I am carrying my iPhone in a JE case, I ALWAYS get stopped because they are so unique and different. I am absolutely in love with my new JE Emerald case with the gold plated L.O.V.E (FYI it was featured in People Style Watch this month), so fun and festive, and you can pick any color and plate combo you like. This fabulous case will make a very memorable gift for that special fashionista techie in your life.

Gigi Hill Zipped Brigitte in Tahiti Chocolate ($168)

These are fabulous, fashionable, sturdy, functional bags designed by two entrepreneurial SoCal moms. This line has a wide variety of bag styles in modern textures and designs and all of the Gigi Hill bags are made with an exclusive Signature Pocket Design, which ensures there is a pocket for everything in your bag from cell phone to water bottles. Each bag also has an inside secured zipper pocket, a key fob so you can find your keys instantly and feet on the bottom. The Brigitte is the ultimate fashion forward overnight bag with its zip-top closure, extra-wide straps, and side snaps to allow for extra space. I love taking this hip high quality bag on weekend getaways because it looks good and holds up really well.

Thale Blanc Lizzy Metallic La Pochette ($250)

This is a one of the most stylish brilliant little bags that I have seen in a long time. La Pochette is an inspired unique accessory designed by fashion designer and gemologist Deborah Sawaf (a fabulous fashionista herself!) who designed these lovely little bags especially to hold cell phones and other essentials close at hand. La Pochette is made from high quality leather and comes with a sleek chain and other chains and charms can be added on and are purchased separately. The Pochette can be worn a multitude of ways and can even be attached to your handbag as an elegant and functional accent. I adore the festive gold Lizzy Metallic La Pochette which is available at Fred Segal in LA and you can find many other wonderful styles on the Thale Blanc website.

Leoluca Winter Clutch ($229)

I recently had the opportunity to meet the founders and creative duo behind Leoluca bags and I instantly fell in love with them, their story and their gorgeous leather bags. Leoluca was created by 2 best friends and fashionistas from Ohio who moved to San Diego for a more urban lifestyle. These adorable fashionistas both design and sketch each contemporary bag together and make them using only the highest quality materials and labor sourced in the USA. The name Leoluca comes from the Italian Saint Leoluca as well as an Italian Mobster Leoluca Bagarella, and the duality of the brand name is meant to embody the essence of the line which is both edgy and classy. I really like the Winter white  envelope clutch with ostrich embossed leather and love the girlie pink liner inside. I also got a sneak peak of their spring collection and there are some lovely designs in fabulous bold colors (like a sunflower yellow) and super soft leathers, I was particularly fond of the yummy champagne gold leather

Happy Shopping!

Happy Holidays My Beauties! I have been very busy vetting and discovering some fabulous, fun and inspired gifts for you to give this holiday season. First up, of course, are my favorite beauty product gift sets this season.There are so many fabulous beauty gifting goodies available this season, and that made it very hard to narrow down my choices, but alas, that is a beauty editors job So without further ado, I present you with my top nine favorite beauty booty gift worthy sets of the Holiday Season 2011, Enjoy!

MOR Cosmetics Secret Garden Gift Tin ($40)I adore the gorgeous high quality products and packaging from MOR and year after year their products never disappoint. I am totally addicted to The Secret Garden Gift tin which contains a trio of products with the earthy, fresh, clean and peppery Kale and Watercress fragrance =LOVE IT! This classy gifting set includes a full sized Kale & Watercress Soap and Hand Cream along with a Cassis Noir Lip Macaron.

TokyoMilk Femme Fatale Collection in Arsenic ($65)This sexy, sultry, edgy holiday gift set from TokyoMilk is super FAB and statement making! This new gift collection includes an eau de parfum, shea butter handcreme and a lip elixir (and comes in 8 fragrance options) and they all contain unexpected crushed and distilled essences which all come together to create an uncommon sensory experience. The Arsenic is my fav in the bunch with fragrance notes like: Absinthe, vanilla salt, cut greens, and crushed fennel, totally intriguing!

Lather Let It Glow ($36)Lather makes the most gorgeous good for you beauty products, and I am loving this new holiday gift set with four yummy candles that are paraffin-free, 100% soy (burns toxin-free), and carcinogen-free. This festive set has four candles infused with natural essential oils in warming winter aromas: peppermint, cranberry orange, brown sugar, cinnamon orange & clove. I adore the cranberry orange, it smells so good that I wanna eat it!

Birchbox Birchbox ($10 per month) I am loving this burgeoning new beauty product sampling concept and Birchbox does it right: For only $10 per month, Birchbox sends members a monthly curated box of 4-5 luxe beauty samples ranging from skincare to makeup to cult beauty tools and from well-known brands to emerging gems. And after you try and love  a product, you can purchase full-size versions directly from Birchbox, earn points for purchases and referrals and then use them towards other products. Here’s a peek at the fabulous samples I got in my October 2011 Birchbox

Zoya Color Box Spectacular Sparkle ($24)

No holiday beauty gift guide would be complete without some sparkly festive polish, right?! Well, Zoya put together the best trio of nail polish gift sets this season: the Color Box Gift Sets which come in 12 pre-selected three polish color combinations and packaged in a pretty crushed velvet collectors box. My personal fav is the Spectacular Sparkle Set with the fuschia pink Allergra, the sparkling metallic Charla, and the festive mermaid green Ivanka. Can you say par-tay?!

Wild & Chic Best of MAKE UP FOR EVER Kit ($55)

Make Up For Ever opened a flagship store in LA and I am now a huge fan! This limited-edition kit features six of MUFE’s bestselling products and it’s the perfect way to get acquainted with the brand. The kit includes all of the essentials needed to create a flawless face: HD Microperfecting Primer, HD Microfinish Powder, Aqua Cream Champagne Shimmer (LOVE this product! Great pigment and it doesn’t move), Smoky Lash Mascara and Lab Shine in Pearly Pink Beige.

Urban Decay 24/7 Travel Size Set of 5 ($32)

This set contains five great Urban Decay Glide-On Eye Pencils in a nice assortment of colors. These travel size eye pencils are the perfect way to test drive some of UD’s top eye liners and play up the eyes for the holiday season. This set includes: Woodstock (a bright sparkly fuchsia), Radium (a vibrant, shimmery blue), Junkie (a bright sparkly green), Ransom (bright iridescent purple), and Perversion (matte black).

Too Faced Sweet Dreams Makeup Collection ($52)

This is a beautiful ethereal holiday color collection of Too Faced’s most popular shades in one of the most gorgeous decorative packages that I have seen in a long time. This set features 15 pigment-drenched shadows, a full-size Shadow Insurance Primer, two blushes, a sunny bronzer, and a warm, golden highlighter. This will make an impressive gift for that make-up junkie in your life!

Leonor Greyl Luxury Gift Set ($107)

We can’t forget our mane in this gifting round-up, so I am delighted to include this gorgeous trio of Leonor Greyl products in my favs this year. This set includes a full size Shampooing Moelle de Bambou, Masque Fleurs de Jasmin and Serum de Soie Sublimateur, all packaged in a beautiful luxury gift box. These products are hair-loving, hydrating, rejuvenating and so luxurious, I adore them all! I can’t live without Serum de Soie Sublimateur during the dry winter months, it gives my hair the perfect, smooth shiny healthy finish!