The perfect tint is hard to find

What’s Cracking Good — Lip and cheek stain

Vincent Longo’s Cupid’s Breath lip and cheek tint was my desert island beauty product.

With a swipe of the sponge-y tip, a natural-looking shade of color appeared on my lips and cheeks like magic, waking me from the dead in under 15 seconds.

Now, however, Cupid’s Breath is nowhere to be found. Amazon lists it, but claims it’s out of stock. I had a brief moment of hope when I saw it listed in In Style Magazine — but still, my favorite color is elusive.

I’m now scraping the contents out of my current tube. I’m going to have to come up with an alternative.

Here are a few I’m looking at:

1.) Sephora Lush Flush Lip & Cheek Stain , $12 in Red Wine and Rose

2.) Vincent Longo’s My Sunshine Lip & Cheek Stain, $22.50
It’s the same formula in a different, more orange-y tint. This is the one I actually purchased. It’s okay, but I kind of look like I got into some Kool-Aid.

3.) Mark Gloss Gorgeous Stay On Lip Stain, $9
You can afford to try several of the stay-on shades.

4.) Jemma Kidd Rosy Glow Lip & Cheek Tint, $28
Super-sheer color

5.) Marry Me Lip & Cheek Stain, $22.50

Any suggestions?

Pretty feet

My heels are disgusting.

Now that it’s officially hot, my shoes of choice are my island sandals. Unfortunately, the open shoe has meant dry heels that no amount of soaking will soften.

A pedicure might help, but who has the time or money to do that every week?

I searched the Internet for some help:

1.) Zim’s Crack Creme, $23.50
The name is kind of funny, but the product has a 5 star customer review on Amazon.

2.) Foot Works Therapeutic Cracked Heel Relief Cream, $4.99
Several blogs cited Avon products as the best for soft feet

3.) Diamancel Tough Buffer, $48.75
The Rolls Royce of foot buffers

4.) Softening Socks, $48
Sleep your way to soft heels.

5.) Flexitol Heel Balm, $6.99
Results in one day

Pretty, pretty prom hair

Oh how prom hair has changed.

According to Teen Vogue, this is the new trend in prom hair…

…which pretty much matches my image of mother nature.

Back in my prom day, a few prom-obsessed girls might have gone to get an updo, some turned to their trusty crimping irons, and the rest of us just took a little more time than usual doing the same old thing (see my teased bangs at right).

Anyone remember their prom hair?

Spring trends: Coral

Something about this spring is making want a slightly more orange-y version of pink. I’ve already purchased some Revlon Colorstay lip color in “Constantly Coral.”

Here’s some other accents I’m perusing:

1.) Super Shimmer Lip Gloss in Summer Crush, $10
2.) Coralista Blush, $28
3.) Stila SPF 20 Shine Lip Color in Sheer Coral, $18
4.) Contour Posts, $24

It’s Spaaaaah time!

The Arizona Spa Girls are  kicking off another Summer Spaaah Series of fabulous rubs and relaxation at Sanctuary, Revive, Joya and more. This summer, however, they are doing it a little differently.
The Girls are doing away with the mini-treatments of the past and are offering 30-day certificates for full-length treatments. Get a a goodie bag, an evening of drinks and snacks, a treatment certificate to use at your leisure with complete use of the spa facilities AND donate to Fresh Start, for $125.

Tickets move FAST, so get yours now!

Haircut 100

Giving these to the girl who cuts my hair.

Going pixie

It seems like the majority of boys like their girls with long hair.

Long locks are considered sexy and womanly — probably because our caveman ancestors liked to drag their women around with it.

One friend has voiced fears her husband might actually leave her if she cut her long hair short….and by short, she means slightly above her shoulders.

I must admit, I like a short haircut. I generally feel funkier and freer with short hair than I do with long…and for me, long means to my chin.

While I’m not sure I’ll ever do a pixie cut again — the ingenues I’ve seen of late who are sporting cropped ‘dos have gotten me thinking…about going back to shorter hair.

Some inspirational hairdos:

Ginnifer Goodwin, Carey Mulligan, Jena Malone, Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland)

Good Egg Award: Best brow-tamer

Best brow-tamer: Koltton Fox @ Stephen Paul Salon

I like Koltton Fox, brow shaper extraordinaire, and not just because he tamed my rough eyebrows.

I visited Fox at his studio in the Stephen Paul Salon in downtown Scottsdale. As I situated myself on his plush table, sounds of ocean waves crashed in the background. “When did you last pluck? When were you last waxed?” he asked as he sized them up.

“It’s been awhile,” I said, an understatement.

With that, he started applying wax.

I jumped right in asking him how he got into the brow biz. Fox is a pretty strapping, young-ish dude. I might be guilty of stereotyping, but he’s not really the kind of guy I’d take for a talented aesthetician.

“I started out in aviation — and did some stupid things as a kid — and couldn’t go back.”

Okay…there’s some unexpected candor.

As he considers my brow follicles, I pepper him with more questions about his work. Fox is also a facialist, and has his own product line of face and body products coming out soon.

He volunteers at the Children’s hospital, where he noticed that many patients have skin problems — to the point of not wanting to be touched. This spurred him to add Nicitinic Acid, a B vitamin, to his body products, making them good for extremely sensitive skin.

He has an interest in Chinese herbology, which explains the addition of Fo Ti, a common herb used in Chinese healing, to his body products.

The body line will be mostly vegan.

I’m liking him more and more.

He continues painstakingly plucking, intermittantly asking if I’m okay. (I was. I didn’t feel a thing).

When he’s done with the shaping, he offers some suggestions about putting my best brows forward: Maybe a little powder here and here will fill out the sparse spots.

So I won’t look like you took a face-first trip across a long carpet, he pats a little SPF concealer over the area to tone the redness down.

He’d like to see me with slightly thinner brows…but will wait until he’s seen how they grow — until he knows them better.

He will get to know them better.

Koltton Fox at Stephen Paul Salon
7045 E. 3rd Ave.
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 603-1002

Good egg award: Best nail spot

Best nail spot: Elle’s Nails
I’ve paid a lot for a manicure and pedicure, but even the swankier spots don’t compare to my nearby fave,  Elle’s Nails.

“They really pay attention to you,” says my sister after a holiday trip for pretty fingers and toes.

Indeed they do. They don’t skimp on the rubs, sometimes going on for like 10-15 minutes, they do a bang-up job with polish, and for $12 for a manicure and $20 for a pedicure, you don’t feel guilty about routine maintenance.

Another bonus, walk-ins are welcome.

Suggestion: Spend the extra $5 for the sugar scrub. It will leave your feet softer and guarantee an extra few minutes of massage.

Elle’s Nails
7808 N. 12th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85020
(602) 678-1405

An ass you can bounce a quarter off of

“Feel right there, ” my sister said to me as she stuck her butt and thigh in my direction and  pressed her muscle repeatedly.

My sister is a new convert to Valslide, which she had been using for lunges the past month.

“Try them,” she demanded and handed over what appeared to be 2 sponges backed in plastic. “You have to work harder so you achieve more results in a smaller amount of time.”

How hard could it be?

As it turns out, quite a bit more difficult than regular lunges.

Get a pair and you’ll be asking people to press your bum in no time.