Bye-bye polish removers that are harsh on the nails and harsh on the nose. Hello fresh, healthy nails and an incredibly delicious scent.  LA FRESH Eco-Beauty delivers this revolutionary good-for-nails polish remover that quickly cleans & conditions all 10 nails with just one pad.

LA Fresh eco -beauty

Helps moisturize with Aloe, Glycerin and Vitamin E.  Helps strengthen nails with natural Rosemary and Horsetail Extract.  And best of all, helps deliver an unbelievably fresh experience with natural Tuscan orange aromatherapy.  Free of parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, acetone, acetate, dyes, PEGs, artificial fragrances & animal byproducts.  Try it to believe it.  Gently wipe nails until all color is removed and all cuticles are conditioned. No need to rinse.

Great to carry in your purse for when you need to take off your nail polish in a pinch!

the beauty dept. at bsw

The new Schick Hydro Silk razor delivers an experience far beyond just an incredibly close shave, and actually cares for the skin by replacing moisture shaving can take away.  The razor is a combination of breakthrough technology delivering a proprietary water activated moisturizing serum that hydrates skin with each shaving stroke coupled with patented 5 Curve Sensing Blades and unique Skin Guards that protect and care for sensitive skin.

New Schick Hydro Silk Razor

The Schick Hydro Silk razor features:

1.    Water-activated moisturizing serum hydrates throughout each shave: The act of shaving is known to strip skin of essential moisture and can leave it dry, dull and irritated. The Schick Hydro Silk™ razor has moisturizing serum that activates with water to help replenish skin’s natural moisture throughout each shave. This advanced lubricating reservoir is more than a reinvention of the traditional lubricating strip – it is a totally re-engineered system to be more effective, delivering soothing lubricating ingredients while hydrating the skin.

2.    5 Curve-Sensing Blades deliver an incredibly close shave: this is Schick’s first 5-blade razor for women and it leverages 7 years of blade technology research to bring women Schick’s closest shave yet. Unlike many of their razors, the Schick Hydro Silk™ razor blades are individually mounted to the cartridge which allows the specially designed blade tips to flow smoothly over a woman’s distinctive skin contours.

3.    Unique Skin Guards help protect skin from irritation: the invention of Skin Guards on the top of each blade–to smooth the skin while shaving, which helps reduce irritation–represents both a completely new approach to achieving closeness and an industry advancement in shaving comfort and irritation reduction. The result is a unique shaving experience that no other women’s shaving system offers.

4.    Compact oval cartridge shape for closeness and hydration in all zones: the unique design was developed to answer consumers’ calls for a razor head that easily fit into sensitive and/or hard to reach areas as well as easily maneuvering around curves and contours.

5.    Beautiful, ergonomic and soft aqueous handle: Recognizing that the design aesthetics are as important as the actual functional purpose that the handle serves, Schick spent two years developing the handle. This is Schick’s most beautiful, feminine handle that is as easy to control and maneuver around curves as it is attractive.

Retails for $9.49 at your local drug stores, target, etc.

bsw beauty dept.

Always a constant in a woman’s hair repertoire, it now seems the ponytail is more of a hot trend than staple look.  Curl driven, soft and wavy ponytails were spotted on a plethora of runways at New York Fashion Week over the last few days.  From the looped and tucked tails at Carolina Herrera to the embellished ponytail twists at Derek Lam, locks in favor of ponytails were clearly polished, playful, setting the stage for hair trends in 2012.  Morgan Willhite, Creative Director at Ouidad offers her expertise to replicate these runway inspired ponytails for curly girls nationwide.

Get this look

“The best part about ponytails is that they are low maintenance yet they look high fashion.  Although they are a great option for most hair types, they are especially attractive on curly hair,” says Willhite.  Ponytails can be fun or sophisticated and the only requirement is that your hair is at least medium length.  “All you need is a touch of the Ouidad Clear Control pomade, a few sprays of the new Frizz and Fly Away Fighter and a hair elastic to make this trend work for you,” says Willhite. 

Simple messy ponytail

Morgan’s Tail Tips

• Brush your hair with a comb or the Ouidad Double Detangler ($24 at Ouidad.com) and apply the Ouidad Climate Control Gel ($22 at Ouidad.com) throughout the hair to reduce frizz
• Put an elastic band around your right wrist and hold your hair in your left hand; with your right hand brush the hair back smoothly; curly hair tends to be dry, so spray a bit of water to keep it damp as you work
• Open the hand holding the hair as you brush the hair through; smooth out the front adding Ouidad Climate Control Gel to control curls
• Use your left hand to slide the elastic off your right wrist and onto the base of the ponytail
• Let some curls escape the ponytail for a romantic look
• Try a loose ponytail if you have thick curly hair
• Apply the new Ouidad Frizz and Flyaway Fighter ($22 at Ouidad.com) to the finished look to help reduce frizz and keep the flyaways tamed

Great look for curly hair

bsw beauty dept.

At the ELLE Style Awards in London, Alexa Chung showed off her pitch-perfect, ombre highlights. The color melts seamlessly from her warm brown bangs to her caramel tips. Her strands’ soft, bouncy but still slightly undone texture compliments the look.

Some say that this look has run its course, but we say who cares, and Alexa Chung has never been one to follow a trend anyway.  If you’re considering ombre highlights, take your cue from her, and keep the flow organic: meaning avoid a drastic shift in color halfway down the hair shaft. The great thing about this style is its surprisingly low maintenance—root touch-ups are few and far between.

Before you take the plunge and change your color, talk to your haircare professional first.  Our ‘go-to’ gal for anything hair color is Andi Scarbrough at Byu-ti Salon in Santa Monica, CA.  If you live in the LA area she is your girl.

If you write about beauty almost every day of your life, it’s obvious you must love it, and when something comes along that is truly different in the world of makeup you want to share it with everyone.  So, when MAC makeup artist, Sil Bruinsma showed us the look he created for the models at the Rebecca Taylor show at New YorkFashion Week, we were psyched to give you the deets on how it was done.

This Valentine’s Day get out your red lipstick and start swiping girls…Red is in.  So, why not wear it today!  Depending on your skin tone, there is the perfect shade of red just waiting for you…Check out these celebrity beauties caught wearing red.

Emma Stone

We just love Emma and with her fair complexion, she can pull off a red with a bit of an orange undertone.

Singer Jennifer Hudson

Pop singer Jennifer Hudson’s dark skin looks great in a red shade with purple/mauve undertones.

Taylor Swift

Another cream skinned beauty, Taylor Swift wearing red lipstick like Emma Stone with a deeper orange undertone.

Angelina Jolie

And last but not least, our all time favorite beauty, Angelina Jolie wearing a red lipstick with purple undertones that match her slightly olive skin tone.

You can find the right shade of red at your local drug store, walmart, k-mart, target, or beauty supply store.  If they have samples readily available make sure to test it on your hand to see if it matches your skin tone.  For olive or darker complexions make sure you buy red shades with purple/mauve bases.  Creamy white/fair complexions stick to orange based reds.

Happy V-day from the bsw beauty dept.

At the 47th Golden Camera Awards in Berlin, Scarlett Johansson highlighted her sexy blue eyes with a sweep of pearly white shimmer on the inner corners and underneath.

To round out the look, a few well-placed false lashes kept soft colors from looking washed-out.  “Shimmer is a fresh, bright alternative to the heavier, more ubiquitous smoky eye” says celebrity makeup artist Beth Bender, who counts Scarlett as one of the first celebrities to fall in love with her Get in Line Smoky Eyeliner Stencil Kit.  We just love the way Scarlett paired her eyes with a just-bitten lip stain and flushed cheeks.  Absolute perfection, and red carpet beauty at its best.

On a budget this Valentine’s Day?  No worries boys and girls…There are plenty of options!  One of my favorites is a good clean fragrance.  I have a bathroom just overflowing with delicious scents.  One for every mood!  Can never have enough…So, check these out…Packaging and design makes them more expensive looking yet they’re not!

Tattooed Body Fragrance For Women and Jordin Sparks "Because of You" Fragrance

Tattooed by Inky (A Mi Amor) – Flaunt your love and all its mixed emotions – passion and romance, sometimes tears, then delirious joy.  Love can make you weak in the knees, but somehow makes you stronger.  A Mi Amor vividly captures all that you feel with a complex blend of white florals, vanilla and amber.  $5.99 at Target Stores

Tattooed by Inky (Sudden Freedom) – You’re ready to fly at a moment’s notice, looking for new adventures, without a care in the world.  Confident, vibrant and independent, you reach for the stars and inspire others to do the same.  A fresh and feminine bouquet of aquatic florals, pink jasmine and warm rosewood – innately captures your charismatic spirit and style. $5.99 at Target Stores

Jordin Sparks “Because of You” Fragrance – A sheer, floral – oriented fragrance, it opens with a bright burst of citrus and a dangerous hint of blond woods. The overall effect is young, stylish, and eminently wearable – a daring edge of spunk and sassiness that captures the essence of Jordin Sparks.  $17.95 at K-Mart, Wal-Mart and Sears Stores.

te-see

Adorable packaging aside, Besame Cosmetics NEW Sweetheart Lip Balm is packed with antioxidants to condition and the colors are ripe for spring including Sweet Rose, Cherry, Peach and Tangerine.  (The flavors smell and taste yummy…)

Sweetheart Lip Balm by Besame

The luminous lip moisturizing balm provides an elegant, long lasting finish.  The healthy formula deeply moisturizes and conditions, while fortifying with antioxidant vitamins C and E fight free radical damage.  It’s highly emollient and protective as it drenches the lips with exceptional comfort and hydration in sheer, shiny pops of color.

Also included are beneficial ingredients: aloe leaf extract and shea butter, known for soothing, healing and antiseptic properties, and jojoba, a naturally-derived oil that is easily absorbed into skin.  Rosa canina extract, a fragrant extract with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Retails for $18 at www.besamecosmetics.com and select retailers nationwide and internationally.

bsw beauty dept.

At the Los Angeles premiere of The Vow, Rachel McAdams experimented with a brand new look: Thick, eyelash-grazing bangs. “They were a fun change,” hairstylist Mark Townsend told us. “We were inspired by an old Kate Moss photograph.

Rachel has done wispy bangs and side bangs. We thought a full fringe could make a fresh statement.” Townsend went on to say that because McAdams’s has an oval-shaped face, nearly any style bang would work on her. They’re also a flattering look for someone with a high forehead or a heart-shaped face.