Tag: NYC

BENEFIT COSMETICS Watt’s Up! Cream-to-Powder Highlighter


I had a whirlwind trip to NYC this past week. Always such a pleasure to be in the city for many reasons – inspiring, great food, full of energy. But one of my favorite things about a visit to NYC is a spin through giant Sephoras full of brands I love. I was doing a late night run after dinner (that city truly never sleeps, Sephora closes at midnight), and my beauty-guru friend, Pamela, asked me to pick up of her favorites for her. Naturally, I had to have one myself.

Benefit Cosmetics Watt’s Up! Cream-to-Powder Highlighter has always tempted me as I love a luminous finish and I have a long term love affair with this Benefit bronzer. Watt’s Up is a cream to powder with a champagne finish. It is definitely “high wattage” but the sophisticated hue makes it okay for daytime or work as well. Applied on the cheeks and brow bones, it adds a luminous sheen. I also like to use it down the bridge of my nose and cupid’s bow. The sponge on the other end of the stick is great for blending but I like to use my fingers. I’ve found it works best applied above tinted moisturizer/foundation but before brush/bronzer. But I also like it alone on skin for weekend days to add just a fresh and natural glow. No wonder this is a celebrity makeup artist favorite.

Baci Di Sole at NYC’s De Berardinis Salon

 Baci Di Sole at NYC's De Berardinis Salon // Belle Belle Beauty

Is there anything more glamorous than visiting a salon in NYC? I think not. Especially for this Oklahoma girl. So, while I was up in the big city for NYFW, I swung by De Berardinis Salon in Chelsea for one of their signature services, Baci Di Sole. Side note, I was also in serious need for a trim and they were kind enough to put their scissors to use.

I met with Adrian, the owner of De Berardinis Salon, to chat about the hair coloring service. Now, keep in mind I have never colored my hair. For some reason, being in NYC makes me braver. And I knew I was seeing more and more greys so I was going to have to bite the bullet at some point.

Adrian explained Baci Di Sole would be subtle highlights with a ombre effect. To learn the process, Adrian (who is quite the handsome fellow, ladies) visited a salon in Milan where the service was developed. Hair is teased and then color is painted on, so the effect is an imperfect, highly natural look. Perfect for a first-timer, no? The process never touched the scalp, which I appreciated  since I suffer from sensitive skin. Adrian used both Goldwell and Wella hair color.

For me, he chose a warm dark blond/light brown. I love the way it brightens my complexion. And it is truly subtle, but I can feel the way the texture and look of my hair has more depth. Color changes the way hair behaves and my fine hair loves the increased hold of color-treated hair.

I’ve been growing my hair out for years so I surprised myself when I let Adrian cut as he saw fit before the color treatment (he cut it dry since we were doing color processing). But it is a good thing. He cut about four inches of dead hair. Now my ends are healthy (and sun-kissed blond). Bottom line, I am tempted to fly back to NYC for my next cut and color. This guy is truly talented. My blowout was the perfect beachy wave. He used Kérastase’s newest styling line, Couture Styling – more on those products soon to come on Belle Belle. Oh, and De Berardinis Salon also had a great Blow Dry Bar!

Check out my instagrams here, here and here for the final result. I’m hooked and love to natural, sun-kissed look.

AN EDITORIAL SAMPLE MAY HAVE BEEN PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY AND EVALUATED TO DETERMINE OUR OPINION OF THE PRODUCT IN THIS POST. PLEASE SEE THE DISCLOSURES PAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING OUR POLICIES FOR USING EDITORIAL SAMPLES.

Divine Caudalie and NYC Vinexpert Celebration Event

Divine Caudalie and NYC Vinexpert Celebration Event // Belle Belle Beauty

I wasn’t sure Caudalie could impress me more after I fell hard for their Divine Oil. But they recently blew me away with a whole collection of goodies based on the Divine Oil. First up, a little recap on the body oil I continue to reach for after all these months:

Caudalie Divine Oil:

This stuff smells most like my beloved Tocca and its spray dispenser makes it easy to measure out reasonable doses. The vegetable oil blend is quite the multi-tasker, perfect for in the bath, right out of the shower, on hair or even nails. The fragrance Moroccan rose, Bulgarian rose, grapefruit, pink pepper, cedar, vanilla and white musk can also be a treat during a massage.

Caudalie Divine Scrub:

With the same lovely scent, this scrub uses natural plant oils and brown sugar for a gentle exfoliation. I get a little foaming action – which I love. Not only does it leave a little fragrance, but my skin is insanely soft thanks to the oils. Prefect prep for my Divine Oil addiction.

Caudalie Divine Legs:

And the real gem of the collection. I didn’t think anything could make me drool more than the Divine Oil, but this new cult classic was worth the effort to track down. It has been selling out like crazy. I’m already hooked as my summer glow is fading. This isn’t a self tanner but gives the perfect instant touch of sun. It isn’t terribly tinted, making it almost universal. It also acts as a great lotion. And the bronze finish is instantly slimming. This is definitely a fall must have for me.

Caudalie Vinexpert Celebration NYC // Belle Belle Beauty

And for you lucky little devils that live in New York City… You must know about a celebration at the Caudalie boutiques coming up. The festivities are in honor of the vine harvest and Caudalie’s newly reformulated Vinexpert line with Resveratrol. Enjoy instant-lift mini facials, French cheese and Grand Cru sips. There is a $25 reservation fee that can be used as store credit at the party. May I suggest something from the Divine Collection?! Details:

315 Bleecker St. (@ Grove) September 20-21 (Friday & Saturday)

1031 Lexington Ave. (@74th) September 26-27 (Thursday & Friday)

Please RSVP at www.caudalie.eventbrite.com

AN EDITORIAL SAMPLE MAY HAVE BEEN PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY AND EVALUATED TO DETERMINE OUR OPINION OF THE PRODUCT IN THIS POST. PLEASE SEE THE DISCLOSURES PAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING OUR POLICIES FOR USING EDITORIAL SAMPLES.

The Nexxus Art & Science of Hair Exhibition – Attention NYCers

The Nexxus Art & Science of Hair Exhibition - Attention NYCers // Belle Belle Beauty

Vogue and Nexxus have teamed up for quite the event this week in New York City. The Nexxus Art & Science of Hair Exhibition, celebrating the launch of Nexxus’ Youth Renewal hair care line, is quite timely. The buzz lately seems to be all about the aging of hair. Check out the Wall Street Journal’s article, Are You Having an Old Hair Day?. Women are just now starting to think about how their hair changes and questions abound on how to combat the eight visible signs of aging hair: volume loss, breakage, less shine, roughness, dryness, brittleness, unruliness and loss of color vibrancy.

Yesterday, I had a chance to take a first look at the VIP event to kick off the event. I interviewed Nexxus Creative Director Kevin Mancuso and we chatted all about styling tips for aging hair. Kevin was trained at Vidal Sassoon, followed by nearly thirty years with hair icons including John Dellaria, Oribe (where he held the position of Creative Director) and Pierre Michel. He has worked as contributing editor for Allure, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle and American Salon. Needless to say he’s a classic stylist and a texture wiz.

Kevin point out that the Youth Renewal line is unique in that it solves the problems like dryness and brittleness without weighing down hair, allowing women to manage changing texture. Kevin pointed out that often women with aging hair turn to frizz-fighting formulas when actually texture and flyaways are the problem. The specific holistic approach of Youth Renewal really addresses thickness and the diameter of the strand. The formulas  are infused with Nexxus’ unique VITA-8 COMPLEX™ (containing Omega 3, Vitamin E, Wheat Protein, Benzophenone-4, Keratin, Essence of Pearl, Argan Oil, and CoQ10), which helps to improve color radiance, shine, strength and volume, as well as reduce frizz. The line has five products:

  • Rejuvenating Dry Shampoo
  • Rejuvenating Shampoo
  • Rejuvenating Conditioner
  • Plump & Lift Blow Dry Spray
  • Rejuvenating Elixir

The rockstar, Rejuvenating Elixir provides moisture and support with polymers acting as a detangler and styling aid. And the dry shampoo uses fewer dry particals, preventing stress on the hair. All of these innovative products are thanks to Kevin’s close work with the lab in developing the products and Nexxus’ long-time scientific approach to hair care.

During my interview with Kevin, I got a sneak peek of the venue for the event. Think hi-tech, sleek, interactive and sophisticaed. New York based readers: the event is today and tomorrow Friday 4/26 and Saturday 4/27 and open to the public at 30 Gansevoort Street at Hudson Street. Why stop by? Because you can receive a personal hair consultation from Kevin and styling from Nexxus stylists. Plus there is lots of good exhibits to check out, telling us how and why hair ages. And of course, my favorite, a photo booth.