When M.I.S.S. was introduced to Vera Wang Princess and had an opportunity to test the scent, I jumped at the chance to try it. I have been on the search for a regular perfume, so I was especially excited when I received the free bottle to test drive. I had seen the perfume promoted in advertisements and window displays, and toting the phrase “Born to Rule” intrigued me. The Princess scent is described as:

Rule your scent and channel royalty with the new Vera Wang Princess. Radiant and whimsical, this sheer, fruity floral scent embodies the modern day princess. Vera Wang teamed up with Zoe Kravitz to create this edgy delicate fragrance, which perfectly embodies Zoe’s individuality and one of a kind spirit.

If you are looking for a sweet, floral scent to wear, try Princess. Pricing is good (you can snag a 0.2 oz Eau de Toilette Rollerball to start with for $18) and you get a cute bottle to boot. The perfume comes in a heart-shaped amulet with jeweled crown top, perfect for daydreaming of your life as a princess, or complementing your actual life as a modern-day one.

Vera Wang Princess is available in Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, and Sephora stores nationwide. An 1.7 oz. Eau de Toilette Spray retails for a resonable $57. Besides the perfume, check out the Princess scented collection of Velvety Body Butter, Satiny Body Lotion, and Foamy Body Polish. And remember: recycle your perfume bottles!

Oatmeal: good for the heart and for the skin!

It’s the morning after that crazy heart-filled holiday, and if you spent it with your special someone, whether it’s someone else or yourself, continue on with a healthy heart diet by eating some good old oatmeal.  Oatmeal can help reduce cholesterol and since it is a whole grain, you can except to have a good dose of digestive-cleaning fiber as well.  But, check this: oatmeal is good for so much more!  Not only does it taste deliciously comforting morning ritual for your diet, it is a great element to add to your morning skincare routine.

M.I.S.S. Michelle’s clay mask uses oatmeal to help rejuvenate the skin, and now, First Aid Beauty uses oatmeal as a key ingredient in their Intense Therapy Ultra Repair Cream.  Just how eating oatmeal can help to repair the body internally, using oatmeal externally can have ultra effects on the skin.

I received a jar of the cream and from just reading the label, I could tell that this was the right stuff for me.  It claims to relieve minor irritation and itching from eczema, harsh weather, cosmetic treatments, and other conditions and although I don’t have eczema, I do have the dreaded keratosis pilaris, a hereditary skin condition that causes dry bumps on the upper arms.  My skin feels like it has goosebumps all the time!  Not so cute for the sleeveless looks that I love to rock.  I’ve tried so many products and I can say that from trying this one it does help.  It is  cool cream that goes on smoothly and doesn’t have a sticky residue.  After putting it on my upper arm, I noticed that it feels soft to the touch, and although it doesn’t have any exfoliating properties to it, if I were to use actual oatmeal to exfoliate prior to application, I’m sure my skin would have felt as soft as a baby’s!

I also have used this cream for more than just my affected areas.  I like to use it in place of my typical lotion for my legs and feet because I know that it has more beneficial properties than regular lotion.  Aside from oatmeal, the Ultra Repair Cream also contains Allantoin and eucalyptus oil to help heal and soothe skin, and even shea butter to moisturize and protect the skin’s barrier.  This product also contains the company’s Antioxidant Booster to combat free radicals, something that we need not only in our diet but also in our skincare.

What’s great about the company is that they believe in the healthy stuff.  It’s allergy-tested, fragrance free, and contains no harsh chemicals.  You want to eat healthy, so make sure you treat your skin healthy too!

A 6oz. jar of cream retails for $28 and can be purchased exclusively at the Sephora website.  Definitely worth checking out!

Being healthy is not only about what you eat, but also how you take care of your body.  Take care of yourself and you’ll be looking and feeling good for years to come!

*Sample jar of product was sent and used to write this review

I was lucky enough to receive some new gems from beloved beauty brand, Urban Decay. The latest items to hit shelves this season include: Stardust Eyeshadow in Retrograde (a shimmering eggplant), 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Crash (smoked out, glittering violet) and cult favorite, Eyeshadow Primer Potion in it’s most recent hue, Eden (matte nude). Urban Decay is praised for their amply pigmented colors and innovative packaging. The products I tested simply reconfirmed their reputation and I was more than pleased with each ending result. To start off the look, I dabbed a thin layer of Primer Potion on my entire eyelid (stopping a bit below the brow bone). Formulated to amplify color and eliminate eyeshadow creasing, it truly is miraculous. This version (Eden), offers an even more powdery finish and dries down in seconds, which is PERFECT for my oily skin! Next, I applied Stardust Eyeshadow, which offers 40% more glitter than UD’s most sparkly shadows, so a little goes a LONG way. The product can be used wet or dry depending on your preference of intensity. I applied it dry (with a brush) directly onto the crease, blending up and out. Its shimmery finish intensifies eye color and this particular shade looks absolutely gorgeous on green eyes! Lastly, I lined the upper and lower lash lines with 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil. The creaminess of the formula truly lives up to it’s “Glide On” name; I didn’t end up with any drag marks and the color smudged to perfection. The outcome was a glittering, futuristic rendition of the smokey eye, MINUS any oily creasing. At the end of the night, my makeup (without a single touch up) looked freshly applied and quite flawless. Urban Decay’s newest lineup is now available at Sephora stores or Urban Decay online.

Little M.I.S.S. Frustrated sez: Click THIS!

The internet has made me suspicious of EVERYTHING. Even with the protection of a Mac, I have still fallen victim to spam and unwanted pop-ups that prompt me to “force quit” out of my Firefox session. Now that fake online forms are designed so well, it is increasingly difficult to tell when a request for personal information is from a legitimate source or a from spammer.

Most of the unwanted email I get is from legitimate sources, but alas, they are still not emails that I welcome into my inbox with joy. Most of this junk is a result of hasty online purchases in which I blew through the checkout screen without bothering to uncheck the default “yes, please send me so-and-so offers” radio button that is usually already (cleverly) filled in. Such promotional email blasts, although not technically spam, clog up my email and my beloved BlackBerry to a point where it becomes impossible to weed through/recognize the emails that actually contain valuable information. Thus, last week I embarked on a mission to sit at my computer and unsubscribe to all the commercial drivel that plagues my inbox on a daily basis.

As if sitting there and going through my unimportant emails were not tedious enough, as I started unsubscribing to these annoying emails, NEW EMAILS from the companies I JUST unsubscribed from started popping into my inbox. Really? (channeling Amy Pohler)!! Sending me an email asking me if “I am sure I don’t want emails from you” seems a bit counterintuitive to me. If I am asking to no longer receive updates from you, I mean ALL updates, including the update confirming the receipt of my “un-subscription”. If I want proof that I unsubscribed successfully, then I’ll print out the confirmation page. Plus, there were numerous “one-click unsubscribe” links that led me to another external page where I had to enter my email address into a box and hit either “submit” or “unsubscribe” again. Hey dingbats – THAT’S MORE THAN ONE CLICK. Then there were other unsubscribe pages which thanked me for unsubscribing, but went on to say that the unsubscribe action would not come into effect for a few weeks. And then the very next day, poof, you still get emails from that company like clockwork – and you should continue getting these emails for a few weeks? Why can’t the selection of an unsubscribe button just automatically erase your email address from the master list for good? Is it really THAT complex to do? C’mon Sephora….you are messing up my inbox. By the time I get four more “special offer” emails generated from your company, I would have forgotten whether or not I unsubscribed to emails from your brand in the first place, which will then provoke me to go through the unsubscribe process again just to be sure. If I ever come across any of these “promotional email writers”, they are gonna get it! You mess up my inbox, I mess up your face.

Thinking I would receive fewer advertisement emails after all of this work, I cooperated, painstakingly played by the rules, and opted out of each site. AND THEN I STARTED GETTING SPAM. Real life spam, totally unrelated (seemingly) to the companies I had initially received alerts from. WHY ME???!! After some investigation, I discovered this site, which explained that some opt-out mechanisms are used to create profit. In this case, the unsubscribe mechanisms actually CAUSE e-mail addresses to start receiving spam. Supposedly, sites like these sell the names obtained from opt-out requests to outside parties in order generate revenue. It’s much like selling a list of mailing addresses to catalog companies like the print advertisers did back in the day.

Although you can use a program like Lashback to test and see if a site is practicing legit unsubscribe methods, there will obviously still be times when you accidentally click on something crazy and oops! There goes your email address. No matter what, it seems as if there will always be someone out there wanting to fill you in on the latest herbal enhancements on the market. I might change my email address. Now if only I can figure out how to “unsubscribe” from the physical Colorful Images catalogs I get every few weeks from the mailman. I should have never ordered those Peanuts mailing labels!!!

FAME gloss: brought to you exclusively by Sephora

The revival of FAME hits theaters today (that’s right, Sept. 25th!), and in honor of the movie’s remake hitting the big screen, makeup heavyweight Sephora has gone ahead and released an exclusive collection of lip glosses inspired by the film. For a mere $10 (a steal when it comes to glosses at spots like Sephora), you can scoop up a scene-stealing, nonsticky gloss.

FAME lip gloss is available in five hues, each one lustrous and sure to complement any skin tone. Stocked on Sephora shelves you’ll find In the Spotlight (shimmering violet), Raw Talent (shimmering light peach champagne), Rising Star (shimmering vibrant pink), Standing Ovation (shimmering bright red), and Starring Role (shimmering pink with gold sheen). (Psst, be sure to peep the reviews at the bottom of the page also – pretty stellar, and always a good source of raw, honest feedback.)

The movie released today, starring Kelsey Grammer and Megan Mullaly, is a remake of the 1980 film, which follows a group of students at an intensely competitive performing arts school in New York City. Peep the clip to get an idea of what you’re in for, or check out the movie’s official Web site for more info. You can purchase the FAME lip gloss at Sephora’s Web site or exclusively at Sephora stores.

Sephora by OPI Digital Diva Collection

Kiss the winter and recession sadness goodbye, and kick start spring with the OPI for Sephora Digital Diva Collection! I’m not sure how these guys keep coming up with new nail colours – but they’ve pulled it off again with this range of high-voltage pinks, electric oranges and corals. There’s six to choose from with names like Hi Def, I’m Wired and Techno Girl – and the collection is (as always) non-animal tested and environmentally friendly.

If you can’t choose just one, just about any combo of these would make for good two-tone mani. These are making me wish we weren’t heading into winter here in Australia, but if I can get a bit of this nail candy it will make it that little bit more bearable!

Just $9 each, all guaranteed to make your nails pop! Available exclusively at Sephora.

We recently reported on the limited edition Barbie Loves Stila Collection for SS09. This limited edition collection is now available on-line at Sephora. There are four different sets available, 4 paint can sets and a Sephora exclusive Talking Palette eyeshadow set, each set runs $40.

Stila Barbie Loves Stila Talking Palette features four pretty in pink (and purple) wet/dry eyeshadows that create the classic Barbie eye look. The best part? It’s foolproof! It literally talks you through every step of easy application and there’s even an insert card with instructions on step-by-step makeup application, as well as information on Barbie through the decades.

Stila Barbie Loves Stila Paint Can – 1959 #1 Ponytail Doll

Stila Barbie Loves Stila Paint Can – 1959 #1 Ponytail Doll is modeled after the first Barbie doll—with striking red lips and black-rimmed cat eyes, this doll is the epitome of 1950s glamour. The three-pan palette contains eyeshadows, a cheek color, and matte red lipstick so you can create the iconic look with just one kit at your fingertips.

Stila Barbie Loves Stila Paint Can – 1971 Malibu Doll

Read more to view the entire collection!
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Earlier this year I set out to find the perfect FLAT grey nail polish. Was it really that hard? Was I really asking for too much? Apparently, at the time, yes. It was that hard and I was asking too much. It only made perfect sense. Nail polish trends in recent years have gone from black to white…With companies like Chanel causing a wait-list frenzy for their version of black polish. Um, I hear White ‘n Wild makes a black polish, ya’ll! Anyways, I digress, that’s old news. Imagine the killing and frenzy Karl would have made had he introduced grey polish, not that he’s hurting but it’s something I would have expected from the house of Chanel. So I said, “FINE!” to the nail supply industry and decided to make my own. And I did. And the people freaked out.

Learn how to make your own and if your not so D.I.Y. inclined, find where you can FINALLY (it’s taken a couple of months for the nail polish industry to catch-up) get your shade of grey after the jump!

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This week’s picks are part of Sephora’s new Tricks-of-the-Trade line, which are really great since these products work extremely well and are fairly inexpensive. By creating their own products and using simple packaging, the Sephora brand eliminates much of the middleman, and is able to keep production costs relatively low, resulting in a very reasonable price point for us, the consumer; huge factors to take into consideration, especially in our current state of economic strife. The following picks are my favorites from the line, and will help you get the most out of your basic beauty routine, whether it’s on the natural side, or if it’s done with a bit of bling.

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Givenchy introduces a revolutionary new mascara designed to grip at lashes starting at the roots.

The uniquely round brush has a high-tech, patented sphere at the tip of the precision wand that reached every lash and adapts to all eye shapes. The result is a beautifully, fanned out panoramic effect, holding the curve of your lashes perfectly in place.

This brush is so crazy that I definitely want to give this a try. Givenchy’s Phenomen’Eyes Mascara is available exclusively at Sephora.