Romy Raves

Hey make-up mavens, its time to go shopping and stock up on some fun and fab make-up! 

Urban Decay is having their annual Friends and Family discount event beginning today, April 6th and running through April 19th. They are offering 30% off all the great make-up products on their website www.UrbanDecay.com  Don’t miss out on this special insider offer!!

This weekend, I am heading to ‘Vegas Baby’ to attend Cosmoprof North America and I am very much looking forward to my virginal tour. This conference is the only all encompassing business-to-business beauty trade show in North America and particpants come to see the latest trends and innovations from all segments of the beauty industry.  To me (a self-professed beauty junkie), this sounds like Nirvana, and although I intend to cover every inch of this delicious show on my quest to find the latest beauty innovations, I am especially excited about some of the companies in the coveted Discover Beauty area. This special section of the show features a carefully edited selection of unique beauty brands who will unveil new and innovative products that currently have minimal presence in the US. As a beauty trend maven, this is what I live for!  Below is a glimpse of the some of the brands and products that I am most excited about:

Â

Billion Dollar Brows

This beauty maven is definitely brow challenged, so I am always on the hunt for products that enhance and help my brows come to life. Therefore, I am very intrigued by Billion Dollar Brows and the products that they offer to help me cope with my dilemma. I am especially interested in trying Brow Boost, a conditioning product that they claim can help your brows appear fuller by making your brow hairs look healthier-watch out Brooke Shields! Â

Â
 Hissyfit

RR: Love the brand name, Hissyfit, it totally grabs this Diva’s attention, what’s the story behind it?

Â

HF: Two Aussie girls (one a gold medal Olympian, the other a magazine editor) couldn’t find great wearing daily beauty products that offered the highest possible sun protection with a cosmetic feel so they threw a little ‘Hissyfit’ and created their own. Hissyfit’s motto: if your daily beauty products don’t deliver the 3-in-1 benefits of maximum protection sunscreen, anti-aging skincare and flawless cosmetic finish– then it’s time to throw a Hissyfit! Everything about Hissyfit is bold, bright and sassy, super smart products for super smart women (sounds like me ). As Valentino says: “Don’t trust mother nature darling, she’s way too busy…”

Â

I just love the tone and ‘tude’ of this company and that alone makes me excited to try their products, although I am especially looking forward to trying Handy Work, their anti-aging hand cream with SPF 30, vitamin e, aloe, and orange and mint essential oils–yummy!

Â

 Rodial’s Glam Product Line

 I am intrigued by Rodial’s Glam line of products (again its the product names that really attract me) because it is positioned as offering plastic surgery results without the surgery, quite a claim don’t ya think? I am excited to try Glam Balm because it is a one product does it all—firms and tones the skin, boosts collagen production, restores and repairs the skin, smooths fine lines and wrinkles, restores elasticity and promotes healing of the skin, and fights skin conditions such as acne and eczema. I am skeptical about this kitchen sink approach, and I will have to see for myself if these snazzy claims deliver on their promise, but I am very excited to give it a whirl!

Â

Skin 2 Skin

I am also interested in trying Skin 2 Skin’s Photoaging Repair Creambecause it is an award winning product that has Kinetin-N6, a natural plant extract that is proven to be effective in the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles. This wonder cream is supposed to improve skin tone, texture, diminish the visible signs of freckles, brown spots and even out irregular skin tones. With continued use,  this cream will diminish the visible appearance of hyperpigmentation and skin roughness and you can expect to notice a difference in skin tone, texture and moisture retention in as little as 14 days. Sign me up!

Â

 TouchBack

The last product on my Cosmoprof Discover Beauty hit parade is TouchBack  a real, temporary hair color that you apply to dry hair with a marker-like applicator to cover-up your gray roots instantly. The color actually bonds to your hair so you can brush it without it flaking off, but it does wash out when you shampoo your hair. TouchBack stretches the time between colorings, and anything that saves money these days is music to this recessionista’s ears.

Â

I hope this little teaser has wet your appetite for these innovative products as well as my other beauty discoveries still to come. Stay tuned for my exciting posts following Cosmoprof as I share my giddiness and newest discoveries with you–I can’t wait!

Â

Also stay tuned for some fun summer time FREE beauty product giveaways and contests coming soon. You will have a chance to win some the great products that I review here on my blog–Check back soon!

I don’t know about you, but being a busy mom and career woman, I just don’t get enough sleep these days. What that means to all of you beauty mavens is that most mornings, I wake up looking tired, worn out and half asleep. But all that was before I got my new eyelash extensions, and now that I have these beautiful flirty babies, I wake up in the morning looking refreshed, sexy and put together before I do anything–I am absolutely in LOVE!

Â

I owe my new bright-eyed confidence to Chou Chou Grant, an eyelash extension maven who is one of West Los Angeles’ best kept beauty secrets. She has been applying semi-permanent individual lashes to the eyes of movie and television stars, fashion models, brides and socialites for more than thirty-years. Her mission is to help you enjoy the benefits of looking great with minimal make-up (Gotta love that!). The application takes about an hour and Chou Chou carefully studies the proportions of your facial features to help her achieve the most flattering look before applying the individual lashes, and her extensions typically last ten days to three weeks before you need a fill.

         Â

I think Chou Chou truly is a master, her technique is polished and professional, and her lashes look flawless. I have had extensions in the past, and they cost me more and didn’t look as good or last as long.  I just can’t get over how amazing, sparkly and alert my eyes look all the time and I don’t have to do ANYTHING! I really don’t need to wear any make-up at all and they even camouflage my dark circles which is a huge plus. And when I actually do get around to wearing make-up, the lashes make it look like I have had a professional make-up application and I look like a million bucks.

Â

Chou Chou doesn’t do the individual Korean lashes but tends to use more of the lash clusters to achieve more impact in a shorter amount of time, and they look like the lashes I wish I was born with. After about an hour in her chair (most extensions take at least 2 hours BTW) you won’t believe the difference, and the best part is that she is much less than many other extensions out there.  She charges $95 for a full set of lashes customized to your face and taste (me, I go for the dramatic look) and it costs $45 for a fill which you might need once or twice a month.Â

Â

So do yourself favor and give Chou Chou a call at (310) 559-1710 or check out her site Lashes by Chou Chou Tell her that I sent you, and PLEASE post your pics after your transformation. Your future is looking bright!

Several months ago at the LA Make-Up Show, I got turned on to a wonderful line of professional quality make-up products developed by Alison Raffaele (a celebrity make-up artist who worked and trained under Bobbi Brown.) What I love about her products are that they are environmentally friendly, paraben free, and most exciting to me is that they contain anti aging ingredients (its like getting two products in one!)

Â

My favorite product in her line is the Age Response Primer with SPF 15 which contains Frutta di Vita, a proprietary blend of time released antioxidants that shelters the skin from damaging free radicals, promotes collagen production, increases skin elasticity, visibly reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles AND it also provides both UVA/UVB protection–pretty amazing for a primer, right? Well, I must say that while I am not a cosmetic chemist, whatever additional active ingredients she is putting in her primer seems to make all the difference in the world in terms of how my skin feels and how my make-up wears over time. And for all of you girls that are prone to being shiny, she also has an Acne Response version of this primer that has additional ingredients that controls oil and fights blemishes too.

Â

What I love about this primer is how it feels silky smooth and moisturizing as soon as it touches my skin, my foundation applies beautifully over it and the staying power and look of my make-up throughout the day (or night) is truly amazing. I love the way it warms with my skin and makes my face look even better as time marches forward (could this be the 12+ hour time released antioxidants? Who knows, but I look damn good!).

Â

In all honesty, I have never really been a big fan of primers, often feeling like they are a waste of time and money, but after being ‘wowed’ by Alison Raffaele’s primer I think I am a new convert. What about you?

Â

Why not give it a try because Romy’s Raves readers get 20% off any purchase at http://www.alisonraffaele.com/ when you enter ‘ARC20′ at checkout in the coupon code area (the code is case sensitive and must be in all caps FYI). And let me know what you think and how your skin feels, and post your pics too!

Hey all you Glamour Girls, want to look like a million bucks on your birthday? False eyelashes are one of my favorite beauty secrets! So I thought I would pass along this great freebie to you.

Â

Â

How about a FREE pair of eyelashes and lash application at MAC on your birthday?? Sounds good to me, how about you? All you have to do is visit the Hollywood and Highland center in Hollywood, California on your exact birthday (ID required), go to the Hollywood Visitor Information Center on level 1 and get your free elephant card, then take your Elephant VIP card to the MAC store, tell them its your Birthday and kindly ask those well trained MAC make-up artists for your fun and flirty lashes–and they will usually do complimentary eye make-up too, if you ask nicely

This complimentary set of lashes and lash application is a $12 value–nice perk, right? Aren’t you glad you are a follower of Romy Raves and found out about this awesome freebie?

Â