Dior Addict Lip Maximizer

I am here to shout my praises for the Dior Addict Lip Maximizer! When I first heard I would be trying it out, I thought I wouldn't really benefit from it much as I already have pretty full lips! However, I thought I would try it out anyway if only to see how it felt and what the color looked like. Well, much to my surprise, the first day I tried it my husband of 12 years came home from work and complimented my lips! He said they looked soft and their natural color was a little different. I began noticing myself that the tone of my lips had darkened just slightly and within a few days my lips felt softer. I'm noticing now too that my lips are more hydrated and smooth, I don't need to use my trusty lip balm as much! The product has a great minty scent and doesn't tingle nearly as much as other lip enhancers I have tried in the past. The color is a gorgeous natural pink that I'm enjoying pairing with a nude or soft pinkish-brown liner for a natural glossy pout. Check it out at Dior.com and use coupon code GLAM1 for free shipping!

More Dior!

Thanks to my awesome role as a Glambassador for Glamour Magazine, I was recently able to try out Dior Capture Totale One Essential Skin Boosting Super Serum and the verdict is in! I love it! I wanted to give it at least a week to truly evaluate it's effects on my skin, but within days I noticed a reduction in my laugh lines and increased brightness! I'm now starting to notice a slight shrinking in my pores as well. It's unbelievable seeing what difference the product has made after only one week, I'm excited to see what it does in the long term! According to the Dior website, "By eliminating the toxins, One Essential achieves to exceptionally revitalize skin to heighten the youthful appearance of the skin. All the visible signs of aging (wrinkles, loss of firmness, uneven skin tone) are intensively corrected."

***Just a reminder that you can get complimentary shipping on this product or any other Dior.com purchase with coupon code GLAM1

Simon G!

Simon G combines the art of passion and tradition. Each piece is specially crafted with versatility and beauty in mind, while also maintaining an unmatchable quality that will last generations. Log on to simongjewelry.com to view the collection.

I am in love with...Pilates!

As many of you know, I embarked on a new fitness regimen a month ago and joined a local Pilates Studio. I had previously been doing slow motion strength training and LOVED it, but my trainers closed their location by my house! After a month of slacking off, I looked into joining a gym (one visit to LA Fitness quickly changed my mind!) So, I decided to give Reformer Pilates a try having had pretty good results from doing a Mat Pilates DVD at home in the past. I'm hooked!!

I've been going twice a week and am about to wrap up my 4th week after today's class. On Wednesday, we do traditional Reformer Pilates and on Fridays it's Jumpboard Pilates (look it up on YouTube!) I have SO much fun in class, it's completely addicting! This may be the best thing I've ever been addicted to =) Don't get me wrong, it completely kicks my butt and in a couple of hours I'll be groaning and complaining about how tired and sore I am, but it's a good thing! Being sore means it's working! For us ladies, it focuses in all the right places too...abs, thighs, booty and those jiggly arms. In just under one month, I'm already noticing major results (I've also been following a restricted calorie eating plan, but not too restricted). My abs are firmer and the baby belly is shrinking right before my eyes, my legs and arms are looking more toned and I'm just feeling great overall! So, for those of you looking for motivation to get exercise, I would try Reformer Pilates out and I bet you'll be hooked like me!

These are a few of my favorite things...

I'm often asked opinions on what my favorite beauty products are so I thought I would compile a little list! Granted, I haven't tried every little thing out there...but I've tried a lot! Thanks to my Glambassador role with Glamour Magazine, I've been trying tons of stuff I may not have tried on my own, and I'm loving a lot of it! As you'll see, there's a good mix of department store and drugstore pricepoints. Here are some of my all-time faves:

Facial Cleanser - Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel is an awesome sulfate-free cleansing gel! I have tried A LOT of cleansers, I'm really particular about getting a good clean feeling without leaving my skin greasy or too dried out. Boscia does the job!

Shampoo/Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair (Salon) - Pureology Hydrate is sulfate-free, hydrating, AND smells great, need I say more? Okay, but at $20+ for each bottle, it's a bit of an indulgence!

Shampoo/Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair (Drugstore) - L'Oreal Paris EverPure is a new line of sulfate-free hair products that so far I am loving! They smell great and leave my hair feeling soft and wonderful!

Hair Straightening System - Japanese Straightening! I've been doing it for probably 6 or 7 years and I get a good 10 months of lovely straight manageable hair out of it! I've tried the Brazilian Blowout too and although great for a couple of weeks, it faded out much quicker. If you're in the San Diego area and want a free consultation and estimate, call my awesome miracle-worker hairdresser Carole at 619-295-5796 and tell her I sent you! She's located in Mission Valley and is awesome!

Body Wash - Body Shop Satsuma Shower Gel, it just smells SO DARN GOOD! =)

Anti-Aging Serum - Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum, I was able to try this out thanks to Glamour and immediately noticed a decrease in fine lines around my eyes and mouth. Compared to higher-end serums, the $24 price tag isn't too shabby!

Eye Cream - StriVectin SD Eye Concentrate for Wrinkles combats wrinkles, puffiness AND dark circles. I've searched far and wide for an eye cream that actually works and I love this stuff. Thank goodness a little goes a long way, it makes the $59 cost not seem so bad. Amazon sometimes carries it for a lot less!

Facial Moisturizer - Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti-Aging Moisturizer with Cooling Hydration is lightweight, moisturizes well, has a clean fresh smell AND provides 7 anti-aging benefits! I look forward to trying their other moisturizers that contain sunscreen though, because this one doesn't so I'll only wear it when I'll be indoors or at nighttime =)

Body Lotion - Bath & Body Works Tahiti, Sweetie Body Lotion...OMG this stuff smells so good, it takes me away to a tropical place every time I put it on!

Primer - Benefit Cosmetics "That Gal" Brightening Face Primer is lightweight and has a pink tint to help even out skintone, making skin appear brighter and smoother. It's pricey considering the quantity you're getting ($28 for 0.37oz), so I'm currently on a mission to try out some other products that may be more cost effective! Stay tuned!

Concealer Estee Lauder Double Wear!! I've long battled with under eye circles and struggled with finding a concealer that provided good coverage but didn't feel or look cakey. This stuff feels light, goes on very easily and provides great coverage!

Foundation/Powder - MAC Studio Fix has been a fave of mine for years. I just can't do the foundation thing, but don't want bare skin, so this is a nice compromise for me. It has decent coverage but feels weightless on the skin!

Lash Enhancer - L'Oreal Paris Lash Boosting Serum, you don't need to spend a million dollars on Latisse (or risk turning your green eyes brown!), just spend $15 at Target and get a great product that really delivers! I noticed an increase in the length, quantity and thickness of my lashes within weeks of twice-daily use. I'm now using once a day and still loving the results!

Mascara - Maybelline Great Lash After not using this stuff since probably like 7th grade, I was sent a tube by Glamour and realized sometimes expensive doesn't mean better! Great Lash adds volume, separates the lashes and is glob-free! No tarantulas! It's my new-old fave!

Lip Gloss - MAC LipGlass is a hands down winner here, I own 40 tubes at the moment and am loving Pink Poodle as well as several of the Dazzleglass colors. This stuff has serious staying power allowing for long-lasting wear! It's a little sticky for some, but I dig it nonetheless =)

Nail Polish - SEPHORA by OPI in Metro Chic. It's just awesome. I've never gotten so many compliments on a nail color, EVER! Pretty much every single day someone tells me how much they love my nail color...and it might be the first time in history that I use up a whole bottle of nail polish!

There you have it! Any suggestions anyone would like to add to the list?

All things DIOR!

I was lucky enough to be invited to join a few of my fellow Glambassadors in a campaign for Dior where we get to test drive several Dior beauty products and report the results back to Glamour and our circle of friends. In January I was able to try DiorShow Mascara for the first time and I must say I really like it! It has a big fat brush that coats the upper lashes so well! Not to mention the tube is gorgeous in and of itself! I do have small-ish eyes, so it's a little tougher to use on the bottom lashes and corners, but I'm learning to work with it!

Next on tap, we will be trying out Dior Capture Totale One Essential SKin Boosting Super Serum...can you say AWESOME?!! I've heard rave reviews about this product and am SO excited to be able to try it out! Stay tuned for a review, I should be receiving it by Friday! 

Remember to use coupon code GLAM1 for free shipping from Dior.com! =)

How to paint your nails yourself, and make it last 10+ days!

I love all things spa, including mani-pedis, but in this tight economy, not all of us can afford to keep up with regular nail appointments. I've painted my nails myself off and on but always did it the lazy way with just one or two coats of polish and no base or top coat. Without fail, I have chips within days (thanks to doing the dishes!), but I finally tried things the right way, and it worked!

I'm going to skip over all of the cutting, filing, cuticle oil, buffing stuff because it's nice to do but some of us just don't have tons of time to spare. Here's what I've been doing that has gotten me nearly 2 weeks of chipless nails without the cost of a manicure:

• Start out with a clear base coat (I use Sally Hansen Maximum Growth as base & top coat for good shine AND nail strengthening qualities), apply one coat to nails and also lightly cover tip of nails (do this with every coat, it helps prevent those tip chips!) Let dry completely. At this point I'll catch up on some e-mails  or something, it'll dry fast.
• Using a fairly NEW nail color (I'm in love with Sephora by OPI in Metro Chic!), apply one coat to nails again also covering the tips. Let dry completely. I sometimes will do these 2 steps in the AM then finish up at lunch or the end of the day, just to make absolutely sure the first 2 coats are dry and because I don't have time to sit around and watch my nails dry! =)
• Apply a second coat of nail color, again covering tips, and allow to dry.
• Apply a clear top coat (I will again use Sally Hansen Maximum Growth), cover tips once more. Once dry, voila! You have a pretty new manicure that will last! Clean up any goofs with a q-tip dipped in acetone.

Let me know if these tips work for you!

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Another Note on Olay Products...

I've had the pleasure of testing out two different Olay Products recently (a moisturizer & a serum), as you can read below in my blog. I submitted my feedback to Glamour for both products after using them for a week or so and had definitely noticed results in both cases. We were given full-size products to test, so I've continued to use them both in conjunction for probably about a month now and I'm IN LOVE! I can't tell you how many people have told me recently that I look different! A lot of people can't peg quite what it is that's different, but a few have said my skin looks radiant, that I look younger, someone asked if I had botox even (which I haven't and may not need to now)! I can see and feel the difference even more so than I could at the 1-week point and I am now going to be an Olay addict for life! I have spent countless amounts of money on high end skincare products, many of which I have liked and bought repeatedly, but I have never had results close to this, especially for so little money! My next mission is to try out one of their facial cleansers and eye creams once my current products run out. I'll keep you all posted! Have a glamorous Halloween! ~J

I'm a new fan of Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum!

Get results in just 5 days! Check out Glamalert.com to see what myself and my fellow Glambassadors had to say about Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum. Great results at a great price! After my 2 recent Olay test drives, I must say I'm an Olay convert, no more expensive skin care products for me! Click the picture below to see more!

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