Let PARIS Put a SPRING in Your Step

“I love Paris in the spring time, I love Paris in the fall, I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles, I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles!” – Ella Fitzgerald


No one said it better than the legendary Ella Fitzgerald in I Love Paris, and for as long as I can remember I too have had a long love affair with Paris and everything French. There’s something so magical in the air – the beautiful architecture, the world famous cuisine, the fine wine, the glorious landscapes, the perfumes, and let’s not forget French haute couture.

Paris can be enjoyed year round, but my favorite time to visit the City of Light is in the spring. Is there anything more lovely than springtime in Paris? Spring is when outdoor life resumes and a feeling of rebirth can be felt throughout. Sidewalk cafés fill up with chic Parisians and sunshine, flowers begin to bloom, and a sense of romance fills the air.

Her seductive charms are legendary and in spring Paris’s charms are as potent as ever. There’s no better time of year to stroll through the streets and visit gleaming boutiques, world-class museums, terrace-cafés and renowned restaurants.

If you’ve never visited Paris, I suggest you book a ticket and go. Whether you choose to stay in the dazzling Marais District or the luxurious Saint-Germain-des-Prés, a fabulous hotel or a chic B&B, you’ll love Paris!   

Cutting-Edge Design & Old-World Charm in Lisbon

After spending time in Portugal’s capital – LISBOA - I can only describe it as a provocative mix of cutting-edge design and ancient bairros (neighborhoods). The city’s humble charm is perhaps best found in its fading beauty; a reminder of the devastations of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and tsunami that laid much of the city to waste.  

Underneath its weather beaten exterior, you will discover that Lisbon’s dynamic neighbourhoods have it all! From Baixa to Chiado, Bairro Alto to Alfama, Lisbon is beaming with possibility and as a wave of hot new designers and chefs continue to explode onto the scene, remarkably, Lisbon has managed to retain its old-world appeal.

So on your next visit to Europe, make a stopover to Portugal’s charming capital and take the time to explore Lisbon’s historical beauty while enjoying great sightseeing, food, wine, shopping, bars and nightlife.

WHAT TO SEE OR DO WHEN VISITING LISBON:

Take a ride on the legendary century-old TRAM 28 and bear witness to the city’s oldest and most beautiful sites: São Jorge castle, the famous viewpoint (miradouro) Portas do Sol (Gates to the sun), the legendary flea market ‘Feira da Ladra’, the narrow streets of Alfama, the old Azulejo tiled buildings of Graça, the history of Chiado, and the bohemian haunt of Bairro Alto.

The TOWER OF BELÉM is a lovely tower built to commemorate the great exploits of Vasco da Gama. It is a reminder of the great maritime discoveries that laid the foundations of the modern world.

No visit to Lisbon is complete without trying natas from the 175 year old PASTÉIS DE BELÉM. Only one word describes this experience… DELICIOUS!

High above the clouds, at the top of a hill, in the small city of Sintra resides the stunning PALACE OF PENA! It is one of the most famous castles in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site on account of its 19th century Romantic architecture and landscapes. Pena Palace is a beautiful work of art and worth visiting on your next trip to Lisbon.

When 16th century Portuguese poet Luís de Camões spoke of CABO DA ROCA, he described it as the place "where the land ends and the sea begins." No truer words were ever spoken; the view took my breath away! It was one of those moments that reminded me what a small space we truly occupy in this big, bold, beautiful world of ours. A breathtaking natural wonder that one must experience to truly grasp its infinite beauty!

 

CASCAIS is a coastal town and cosmopolitan suburb of Lisbon. It is one of the richest municipalities in Portugal and the place where jetsetters and celebrities spend their summers. We enjoyed walking around this pretty coastal town and taking pictures. Afterwards, we had a delicious seafood meal, where a little girl came running up to me to ask me if I was Princess Belle. I have to say, that moment alone made it worth the visit!

On our last night in Lisbon we enjoyed a wonderful evening at the ROOFTOP BAR on the 9^th floor of Hotel Mundial located in the heart of the city. The panoramic views over Lisbon at night are a must see! The city glows from above and the relaxed ambiance, lounge music and great drinks only heightened the experience. The bar also provides guests with big, warm blue blankets. It was the perfect place to sit back and relax on our final evening while taking in the beauty of Lisbon.

Bye Lisbon, thank you for the memories! 

Haute Product to Defy The Aging Process

Let’s face it—we’re all aging! But we don’t want to look like it. And that’s why I’m loving Priori Age Defying Body Cream because it repairs, rebuilds and smooths the appearance of visible signs of aging. It’s formulated with antioxidants to protect and prevent future damage to the skin. It also protects the cell from oxidative stress, provides the environment for cells to repair themselves while leaving the skin firm and toned. But the best part, it offers amazing moisture for the skin. I think that I’ll add my complimentary sample to my travel tote!

Retail price $120.00

Which products are you using to defy the aging process

Play Pretty Beauty is Haute Stuff!

Four years ago Danielle Knox and her sister turned their skin care issues into a business. As little girls, they battled eczema, dry itchy patches and blotchiness. To make matters worse there was nothing on the market that helped. As adults, the ladies tried a lot of different products, but still no solution in sight until one day fate intervened. One of the sisters received a natural remedy book containing recipes for homemade hair and body care products. The pair spent hours in the kitchen creating recipes for creams, lotions and potions that they tested on family and friends. In the process, they cooked up a recipe for relief for their troubled skin. After testing their nature-inspired remedies their skin cleared up. They soon realized their creams worked because they were free of harsh, irritating, synthetic ingredients and artificial colors common in commercially made body care products.

The sisters decided to market their products to others who sought similar relief for irritating skin. In 2006, they launched Play Pretty Beauty. The name came from something they remembered their grandmother saying to them as little girls who played like tomboys in her backyard. “When we were thinking of a name for our company, we wanted something that was feminine, yet headstrong, joyful and unforgettable. All the things our grandmother embodied… Play Pretty was perfect,” says Danielle Knox, Co-Owner of Play Pretty Beauty.

To learn more visit http://www.playprettybeauty.com/about

Will you try Play Pretty Beauty?

Haute Stuff for Your Travel Bag!

June Jacobs Face and Body Travel Kits

I love June Jacobs spa inspired face and body products in travel friendly sizes. It’s perfect for travelistas who love fashionable cases for their must-have beauty and spa products on the go!

All of the products included in these beautiful kits are paraben and preservative free and packaged within a deluxe, zip around leather pouch that’s convenient for storing all of your travel essentials. The luxurious, travel-sized products included in the Face Travel Kit and Body Travel Kit cover everything you need to cleanse, exfoliate, treat and moisture your face, body and hair while you’re away.

Price: Face Travel Kit ($100), Body Travel Kit ($95), Available at www.junejacobs.com and luxury spas worldwide.

Biolage Spring Renewal Gift Sets

You can never go wrong with Biolage’s limited-edition spring gift sets for your hair. Available in hydrathérapie, colorcarethérapie, rejuvathérapie, fortethérapie or colorcarethérapie, the sets include limited-edition size shampoo (10 oz.), conditioner (5 oz.) and free travel size Biolage Body Care products including hand cream and body wash (1 oz. each). And there’s more… the Body Care gift set is also available with a body balm, body wash and hand cream.

Price: $20, Available in fine salons only; for a salon locator please visit www.matrix.com

Concentrated Lash Boosting Serum and Double Extend Lash Boosting Mascara

I love great looking lashes that are all mine. So I started testing the Concentrated Lash Boosting Serum and Double Extend Lash Boosting Mascara to boost the appearance of my lashes. The formula is designed to condition and protect lashes to make them look thicker. I particularly like the idea that it also helps to keep lashes from falling out. Stay tuned for my results!

What do you think about these products?

Haute Hydration!

June Jacobs offer’s the Vanda Orchid Body Balm as part of her spa collection. The balm is rich and creamy, but not oily offering an intense hydration saturating the skin with a delicate bouquet of orchid extracts, Shea butter, jojoba and sunflower seed oils to soften and protect the skin. A powerful anti-oxidant blend of white, red and green tea extracts combined with Gobi berry, pomegranate and grape seed extracts help to combat free radicals and environmental toxins designed rejuvenate the skin.

Retails for $60... To learn more visit http://www.junejacobs.com/

Haute Tip! The June Jacobs' Vanda Orchid Mist leaves the skin refreshed and energized! Retails $48

Will you try this new body balm or mist?

Haute Off the Press!

French skincare line Darphin introduces Hydraskin Essential, the company’s first-ever $50 face cream, formulated with organic shea butter and butterfly lavender. In celebration of the launch, Darphin wants to know how you indulge with just $50.

On April 21st, the 50 most creative entries will win a preview of Darphin’s favorite $50 luxury- a full-size Hydraskin Essential. And a grand prize winner will be treated to a New York City Spa Getaway for two with transportation, 2 nights at the Surrey Hotel, Darphin treatments and more.

For each submission, Darphin will donate $2 to the IDEAL Providence Farms to buy school supplies for children in Ghana, where the product’s organic shea butter is harvested and used in Hydraskin Essential by women in Ghana via a fair trade initiative to support their community.

Visit http://www.50littleluxuries.com/ to share your tips and chance to win your own Hydraskin Essential and trip to New York City!

What's your $50 indulgence?

Haute Travels Tests Kelly Van Gogh’s WonderLust Illuminating Tunic

Renowned hair colorist Kelly Van Gogh, known for her sophisticated hair color techniques generating a cult following of celebrity and VIP clients, creates WonderLust. It’s an Illuminating hair tonic that’s also a mult-tasking product. Key ingredients include caviar proteins, amino acids and strengthening keratins—working together to lower pH levels, correct porosity, condition and strengthen the hair. After washing my hair I applied the tunic to help add shine and protect my hair from the heat of styling tools. I love the way the product smells with notes of Jasmine and rose. This product can also be used as a detangler on wet hair. I love the tiny Mica shine particles floating in the bottle… adding instant sparkle to my dry hair reflecting light perfectly. There’s something about sparkling hair with body that makes me smile. I also like that you can use WonderLust with products that you already have at home. Plus, it appears to be one that can work on a variety of hair types which makes it haute! This is one for my travel bag.

Wonderlust is available at Space NK starting February 2010 for $30.

Watch Kelly Apply WonderLust to Her Hair
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=100629972

Are you thinking about trying WonderLust?

Haute Look From Oscar Blandi

Celebrity stylist Oscar Blandi brought glam to “Modern Family” star Sofia Vergara’s look at the Golden Globes Sunday night. Vergara wore a strapless Carolina Herrera gown in blue with a dash of red. Blandi created her Greek goddess hairstyle with natural waves parting the hair in two sections.

Here’s how Blandi created the look:
He primed wet Vergara’s hair with Oscar Blandi Volumizing Spray then blow-dried it and pined pieces around the crown of her head and the nape of her neck. Designed to target the root area as well as the entire style, this spray adds lift, fullness, and bounce. Blandi applied his volumizing spray before blow-drying and curling  Vergara’s hair. He used a medium barrel curling iron to create soft waves and finished the look with Oscar Blandi Lacca Hairspray.

Will you try this hairstyle with Blandi's products?

Stila Embraces Empowerment and Technology In Beauty Kit

I’m always on the hunt for something new and exciting to add to my travel bag. So when I heard about the Stila Makeup Player, my interest was piqued. It’s a 3-in-1 train case, vanity and media player docking station! The kit comes in a chic patent leather case designed to allow consumers to store Stila products and learn how to the use them by watching FREE makeup lessons downloaded from stilabeautytube.com, iTunes or YouTube. Just download the lessons into your iPhone, iPod or digital device and you can view the lessons on the go!  “I designed and created Beauty 4.0 to celebrate the inner beauty of women. Knowledge is power and beauty 4.0 will teach you how to enhance your appearance,” says Lynn Tilton, CEO, Patriarch Partners, Stila Owner.

In this introductory kit… you’ll get all the products that you need for a variety of looks. The case comes with a one-step makeup foundation that’s a primer, concealer and powder all in one pump-like can. It combines the products along with pigment mineral powder, but the color choices are limited. A trio of eye shadows (rose, gold and bronze) for the base, crease and liner along with a #7 brush are also part of the kit. But one of my faves, the lip glaze in a click pen in grapefruit. It reminds me of the YSL Touché Éclat highlighter pen. You’ll also get a convertible color compact in rose adding color to your cheeks and lips. I really like all in one products because it cuts out spending money on every item… and it saves space in your makeup bag.
Once you’re all made up… you can turn up the music since the case doubles as a portable media player with speakers in the front and groove to your favorite songs like Ledisi’s In The Morning! The Stila Makeup Player is $69.90, but comes stocked with more than $100 in products. Now that’s a tune that I can sing to. The Stila Makeup Player makes my Haute List for 2010!

 Enjoy 20% off your next purchase on stilacosmetics.com. Just enter code BEAUTY40 at checkout for one time use on new purchases!

What do you think about the Stila Makeup Player?

Disclaimer: This was a complimentary sample sent to me for review.

Beauty on the Go is Haute!

One of my new favorite glow and go travel finds is the Colorescience Travel Puff. The beauty of this little puff—the pigment is inside. That’s right no more packing your bulky compact in those hard to reach places. This little item can fit into your coat or travel tote pocket for easy access when you need a quick touch up! It offers amazing coverage and protects from the sun for about 10 applications. It also comes in four colors… my pick, a taste of honey for darker olive complexions. The powder is also water-resistant. Plus, it’s infused with more than enough mineral powder for long-lasting wear. All that you have to do is gently pat the puff against your face to release the powder, blend for coverage and return to its pouch. The coverage is sheer but you can apply the pigment heavier if you desire. Once the powder is all gone… the puff can be cleaned and used again for other makeup applications. Colorescience has done it again… this is haute!
http://www.colorescience.com/1280x1024/flash/index.html

Yves Saint Laurent has solved my beauty travel problem when it comes to locating my lip gloss in a pinch with the lips luggage tag. Air travel can dehydrate the skin and leave my lips in need of gloss. But now all that I have to do is reach for my travel tote’s handles and violà my lip gloss is attached! The limited-edition collector make up palette is inspired by the luggage tag of YSL handbags. It contains two products for the lips, a lipstick and lip gloss. The palette also contains an applicator tucked inside a gold compact with engraved cover. $75

What's in your travel bag?

Haute Smoky Eyes

Haute smoky eyes are always in season especially around the holidays. Here are my tips in 7 easy steps that take you from the girl next door to a sexy siren with bedroom eyes!

Time: 5 Minutes

What You Need: Eyeliner, Two Eye Shadow Brushes, Dark Eye Shadow, Light Shimmery Eye Shadow, Volumizing Mascara and primer

Instructions:

Start with an eye shadow base or primer… use it to dab the lids

Line eyes with a black, brown or gray eyeliner or dark eye shadow (You can also use vibrant colors like purple, blue or deep green)

Blend Color on bottom lashes… the trick—smudge it

Apply dark shadow (with a brush) below the crease to get the full effect… go from dark shadow to light shadow as you move across the eyes to the brow

Sweep a light, shimmery shadow over the lids to your browbone

Blend with a Q-tip

Finish with several coats of volumizing mascara

What are your haute smoky eye tips?

Haute Stuff! Finding My Soul Purpose

Going green means more than just recycling old newspapers and water bottles to keep our planet clean. It’s also about organic beauty and wellness practices for better health. In my search for eco-friendly products designed to cleanse and nourish my skin, I discovered Soul Purpose, a wonderful line of nature-based body, beauty and lifestyle products created by Nadine Thompson, former co-founder of Warm Spirit.

Thompson has a unique knack for creating product lines that offer amazing health benefits. Her bath gels and body lotions contain a mix of ingredients with cancer-fighting antioxidants found in berries like the Amazon’s Acai, blended with red wine, green tea, and Oregan grape to moisturize and soften the skin. Gospel recording artists Mary Mary and Grammy Award-winner John Legend are also singing the praises of Soul Purpose. So I decided to try the bath and shower gel.

As the seasons begin to change, it always brings about a change in my skincare regimen. This time of year, my skin becomes dry and needs lots of moisture. After a recent trip to Brazil, I became familiar with the healing properties found in plants located in South American rainforests. I’m also inspired by the beauty of people of Portuguese and African decent who have the most amazing skin.

I decided to retreat to my private bathroom one Sunday afternoon for a Brazilian Jackfruit bubble bath to cleanse my mind, body and soul. As I began to massage the Soul Purpose moisturizing gel into my skin, I also embarked on a journey of aromatherapy. The fresh, clean, fruity smell made for a relaxing and therapeutic escape. And I was soon experiencing the benefits of the healing powers of Aloe Vera, Vitamins A&D, Rosemary and Chamomile. Talk about an organic floral and herbal infusion coming to life… Thai water lily was also added to the mix along with polyphenols from red wine said to aid in reducing inflammation also key to anti-aging, and lowering levels of free radicals. My favorite oils like sweet almond and apricot were also listed among the essential oils and plant extracts suddenly being absorbed into my skin. My bathroom was infused with top notes of exotic fruits, mandarin orange, apple and soft floral notes. It was like stepping into the Brazilian Rainforest for the ultimate eco-friendly awakening.

As my hour came to an end, I stepped outside the tub, leaving one foot in just to grab the last drop of this luxurious soak, but it was time to add the final touch. I applied the body lotion to my damp skin using long, circular stokes. It’s non-greasy and absorbs quickly leaving no sign of residue. I absolutely love the fact that this product protects against environmental dangers like pollution and sun exposure. My skin looked healthy and felt incredibly soft and supple… I’m thinking it must be the shea butter from Ghana, I could hear it whispering to me to lather it on generously. Feeling, refreshed and pampered, it was time to open the door and step back into the world around me. Just think… in little more than an hour, my skin took a trip around the world in search of anti-aging products designed to condition, protect and heal. As Thompson would say Soul Purpose is a state of mind that begins deep within your soul. After my hour of bliss, I found my purpose, passion and love in a bottle!

To learn more about Soul Purpose and get free samples click here http://soulpurposelifestyle.webs.com/getfreesamples.htm

Have you found your purpose?