Parfum | Sexy Little Noir

I am in love with the ultra sexy and provocative scent and packaging of Victoria's Secret Sexy Little Things Noir.

 

The collection includes:


Eau de parfum
The best part of this parfum is the vintage pump. Just spraying it makes you feel like a Hollywood starlett. 

Body powder:

Body lotion: I keep a small one in my purse (purchased in a set) to freshen up throughout the day. The large one is perfect to apply right after your shower when your skin is most receptive to moisture.

Body mist or all-over deodorant spray: The body mist is a great refresher or fragrance layer - start with a shower cream, layer with a lotion, spritz some spray and finalize with the parfum.

Shimmering moisture mist: Just the hint of a sparkle is very mature but it is very light on scent so if you are looking for more fragrance  choose the parfum.

Mini parfum stick or mini parfum: These are both the perfect travel size (especially to fall within carryon air travel regulations). 

Scented bath and shower cream:

According to Victoria'sSecret.com the fragrance notes include:
Top notes: nectarine, juicy apple, sparkling citrus, pineapple, guanabana, mouthwatering pear, red fruit, bergamot


Middle notes: cattelaya orchid, muget, cyclamen, jasmine petals, plum, vanilla, dewberry, cassis

Low notes: golden amber, velvet musk, sultry woods, tonka bean


What's your favorite parfum of the moment?
-XOXO, kande

Tease Me | Big Hollywood Hair

Big, fabulous, buoffant style hair played a big part on 2010 catwalks and being Southern I love big, fabulous, teased hair! Check out some of the best rendentions from these Hollywood and music starletts.

Scarlett Johansson: The headband with flower turns this do from over the top to completely gorgeous.

Drew Barrymore: Drew looks stunning at the '09 Golden Globes with big hair that still looked soft and moveable. This hairdo was so popular that it is now the seventh highest Drew topic on Google.

Eva Mendez: This lady is already impossibly sexy but this structured tease heightens her drama.

Christina Hendrikcs: She may have the highest hair when she is Joan but this do is just perfect on her.

Jenny Mcarthy: I love this throwback Marilyn Monroe look Jenny rocked. Beautiful.

Jennifer Lopez: Jennifer loves an updo with some serious height. She has the face structure that can pull off this sleeked back look and hairdo.

Heidi Klum: Heidi's been known to go even bigger but this updo is  real classic on her. Her makeup is beyond beautiful as well.  

Kate Beckinsale: This isn't my favorite look on Kate but somehow she pulls it off at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

Gwen Stefani: Gwen's platinum blonde, voluminous locks are styled beautifully.

Jessica Simpson: A Southern girl after my own hear that loves some height in her locks.

Beyonce Knowles: Beyonce usually goes voluminous on the bottom but this look gives her tons of volume on top.

Lady Gaga: This could be the most toned-down lock look I could have found of Gaga but it one look that is edgy but still beautiful.

Jennifer Love Hewitt: Jennifer loves to try out different dos and looks stunning in this voluminous, messy yet soft do.

Tip: After you checkout these hairdos you are sure to want to try this trend - the best tip is to go understated on your makeup - think smoky eyes, defined highlighted cheek bones and a nude lip.

“I would rather have had one breath of her hair, one kiss from her mouth, one touch of her hand, than eternity without it.”-Nicholas Cage in City of Angels

What's your favorite do?

hair kande | the clip-on bangs trend

Bangs seem to make there way in and out quicker than most any other style. So, how do you try out the trend and not go in hiding for 6 months if you hate? The answer is clip-on bangs or fringe. 

So, let's take a look at the celebs who have been know to try the trend, chat about the tips and find out how you too can get bangs without the commitment.

The latest celeb to try clip-on bangs (just a few nights ago) is Kim Kardashian:

Other celebs known to try the trend include Reese Witherspoon:

Jennifer Love Hewitt:

Kate Hudson:

Rachel Bilson:

and Zooey Deschanel:

Tips to choosing and applying the perfect bang:
1. To gauge the width of your bangs so they’re not too wide and not too narrow, brush your hair forward and then push up on both sides above the temples, where recession typically occurs in men and where your hair naturally splits.

2. As far as length goes, that decision is left to you but to avoid bang remorse start longer and then choose a pair of small scissors to trim.

3. Whether you do the clip on yourself or someone else does it for you, make sure the clips are attached at the roots and disguised with your own hair or hair accessories.

4. For a heart-shaped face try side-swept or off-center long bangs. For a wide face steer clear of blunt bangs – it will only make your face look longer.

5. Check out this tutorial from HairDo:



Ready? Buy here!:
1. HairDo by Jessica Simpson $26.50 on QVC
2. Sultry Hair $46.75
3. easiBangs (made of real hair) $99.95

face kande | avoiding a makeup meltdown

I just got back from vacationing in the (sunny) Grand Caymans,:

(sizzlin') Jamaica:

and (humid) Cozumel:

…where it was HOT. And it has been hovering around 100 degrees every day for weeks where I live.

So, whether you are vacationing or living in a hot climate a major challenge is the infamous summer makeup meltdown. In fact in my blog quiz last month the meltdown was voted as the biggest summer challenge for you beauties.

So, here are a few tips.

All-over: To help control shine and keep your makeup in place choose a primer. Sephora is a great place to find the perfect brand for your skin type but I love Too Faced Primed & Poreless ($30) for a great skin perfector and Dr. Brandt’s Pores No More ($40) for a great oil control.

Foundation/base: Chooses a mineral powder base like Bare Minerals Matte SPF 15 Foundation ($28) or my favorite drugstore brand, Loreal’s True Match Naturale SPF 19 Mineral Makeup ($12).

Eyeliner: Choose a liquid liner to make sure your liner stays put and perfect throughout the day. My favorite brand is Almay Intense I-Color Liquid Eyeliner ($6).

Tip: If you're wearing eyeshadow, first prime the eyelid and then choose a matte shadow. 

Mascara: Only if you’ll be around water choose a waterproof mascara as using a waterproof everyday can be damaging to your lashes.

Rouge: Stay away from cream-based rouge that will get blotchy by the end of the day and choose a matte bronzer like Mac's Bronzing Powder ($22) instead.

Tip: For a great summer cheekbone highlight choose Mac’s Mineralize Skin Finish ($32).

Lipstick: A nude liner like Urban Decay’s Wallflower ($17) and Lipliner and lipgloss is a best summer bet but if you are looking for more color choose a primer like Benefit’s Lip Plump ($22), your lip color and matching liner and top with a gloss for a more summery look.

Tip: If you do choose a color on your lips go light on your eye makeup to avoid looking too garish.

Here's to no more summer meltdowns. xoxo -kande

"Love of beauty is Taste. The creation of beauty is Art.”

 -Ralph Waldo Emerson

eye kande | Hollywood beauty secrets

Enjoy these past and present Hollywood secrets:

“Love of beauty is Taste. The creation of beauty is Art.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Joan Crawford chewed gum to firm up her jawline.

Catherine Zeta-Jones eats strawberries to lighten her teeth (the malic acid lightens surface stains).

Gloria Grahame stuffed tissue under her upper lip to give herself a sensuous pout.

Demi Moore washes her hair with Evian water. She reportedly spends $36,000 a year for this beauty routine. Evian water has calcium, magnesium, bicarbonates, and silica.

Barbara Stanwyck pulled loose skin back using surgical tape hidden under the hairline above the ears.

Angelina Jolie is obsessed with body lotion. "I love to put on a lotion. Sometimes I'll watch TV and go into a lotion trance for an hour. I try to find brands that don't taste bad in case someone wants to tast me."

Angelina's favorite lotions are Shea Terra Nubian Honey Shower Creme ($9) and Shea Butter Body Lotion ($12) which both contact Africa-harvested ingredients. Fifty cents of each bottle sold goes to the Nubian Goat Project which purchases goats for needy Ethiopian families.

Carole Lombard shaded her cleavage lines and lightened the top part of her breasts to make them appear larger.

Marilyn Monroe painted her fingernails with clear polish "to make them whisper hold me, hold me" but painted her toenails bright red saying, "I think feet usually aren't pretty, so I use a vivid polish so that they will look saucy."

 

What beauty secret do you swear by?

eye kande | carrie underwood's wedding day

Carrie Underwood is set to marry today, July 10, 2010!

"Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along."

Makes me flutter with anticipation at the wedding day choices she makes - the makeup, the hair, the dress! Here are a few of my favorite Carrie picts and some details of the wedding day: 

 

Matt Fisher & Carrie Underwood - set to marry July 10, 201 at 

The Ritz-Carlton, Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Georgia. 

Carrie and Mike first met at one of her concerts in 2008

 and became engaged in December 2009.

Carrie's ring is worth a sweet $800,000.

The wedding is reported to cost $500K which isn't too far-fetched considering Mike makes $4mill a year and Carrie makes about $14mill a year.

There has been 250 guests invited including Mike's large family.

 

About her hair and makeup? Carrie says big hair and lots of eyeliner. She is a southern girl after my own heart!

Mike is handling all of the secret honeymoon arrangements but rumors speculate they will go on an 11-day trip to Tahiti and Bora Bora in the South Pacific. 

Congratulations Carrie and Mike!