Hey loves!  If any of you know me, you know that I live for warm weather and the sun!  So it’s no wonder that Summer is when Big City Beauty is happiest!  Well not only does the sunshine make me smile, but the colors of Summer do too!  That is why I am so excited for Urban Decay’s new Summer collection that is out now.  From the eyeshadows to the nail colors, the setting sprays to the tinted moisturizers, this collection has what it takes to make us all feel a little closer to Summer.

The following items are what’s in MY shopping bag from the collection:

Summer of Love Eyeshadow Palette

Guardian Angel Spray Moisturizer (with SPF)

Summer of Love Nail Kit

To check out the rest of this fabulous collection, head on over UrbanDecay.com.  Because there’s nothing wrong with pretending Summer is already here!

Until next time loves…  xoxo

A PhotoFacial is an anti-aging treatment that reduces hyperpigmentation, redness, fine lines, and wrinkles through a form of intense pulsed light that safely penetrates all levels of the skin.  It results in a more youthful appearance and normally requires little to no downtime.  Most PhotoFacial treatments start at $1500 for a series and are usually offered at medi-spas.  Now I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t have that much money growing off my money tree.  So when Kinerase came out with PhotoFacials Sun Damage Reversal System Introductory Kit, an at home treatment for $100, I was super excited.

Kinerase PhotoFacials Sun Damage Reversal System Introductory Kit is an at-home system that features three products that reverse the signs of sun damage in as little as four weeks.  The set contains an Exfoliating Cleanser (to be used AM and PM), a Day Moisturizer with SPF 50 (yippee!), and a Night Moisturizer.  Instead of using intense pulsed light, these products are packed with active ingredients that replicate the benefits of an in-office procedure.  This system is truly worth every penny is the perfect way to reverse the damages of summers past.  Just keep in mind that everybody will experience different results.  The more damage you have, the more drastic the results will be.

Until next time guys…  xoxo

Today, however, I MUST take this time you tell you ladies about my new favorite addition to my makeup collection.  And I know it seems like everything is my favorite but I really truly mean it this time!    I haven’t been this excited about getting a product in so long.  And when I received my box from Sephora, I ripped it open right away just to get even more excited by the packaging.

Bare Escentuals Radiance Rocks contains three glimmering rocks that were compressed solely by water to resemble what minerals look like in their most natural state.  It comes with a “Heavenly Kabuki Brush” that is so comfortably soft.  The minerals can be used on your eyes, cheeks, lips, body… shoot… you can pretty much use it anywhere! Just give the little brush a swirl and buff on these gorgeous 100% pure bareMinerals.  You can even pick up the rocks and apply them directly on.  They are the perfect way to keep that summer glow going throughout the fall.  And to make it even better, the rocks come in the most beautiful metallic pink box that it almost upsets me to look at the picture online because it doesn’t nearly do it justice!  Anyway, this product is absolutely fabulous in every way possible and I can’t wait to hear from those of you who try it out.

Oh, and just so you know, this is a limited edition product sold only at Sephora.  So get them fast girls.  I am sure this one is going to be a sell-out!

Until next time ladies…  xoxo

Not only was the restaurant great, but the company we spent it with was just as amazing as well.  I had the pleasure of meeting the wife of one of my boyfriend’s business associates who actually is the heart of this post today.  At the end of our lovely meal, this wonderful woman pulled out two little sachets as a gift to both my boyfriend and myself.  She mentioned that she always makes a little gift for people she knows she is meeting for the first time.  I was so touched by her selfless act that I just had to tell you all about it here on BCB.  Inside our sachets was hand made jewelry that she had created herself and a beautiful piece made of larimar stone.  Larimar is a rare stone found only in the Dominican Republic and represents peace and clarity, emitting an energy of healing and love.  It a beautiful stone and I will always remember this beautiful woman for it.

Now throughout our dinner we carried on many conversations but one that stuck out in particular was what this lovely woman did for her own skin.  I wish I had a picture to show you but this older woman did not have a single wrinkle on her face!  She had gorgeously healthy looking skin.  She told us a story about this 60 year old woman she had met when she was younger who looked no older than 25.  She asked the woman what her secret was and the woman told her olive oil.  From then on, my new friend used olive oil on her face daily!  Little did she know that olive oil truly is a beauty secret that has been around for centuries.

Here are some different ways olive oil (a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory) can give you an all over beauty treatment:

• Mix ¼ cup of virgin olive oil (to hydrate and protect the skin) with 1 egg white (to nourish and tighten the skin) and apply the mixture as a mask to the face and neck to help smooth, tighten, and hydrate.
• Mix 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil (to loosen layers of dead skin) and ¼ cup of sugar to slough away rough spots like the elbows and knees.  Can also be used with a coarse salt all over the body to tone and stimulate the skin, while keeping it hydrated.
• Pure olive oil can be used to keep hair soft and tangle free by applying to the hair and scalp and left overnight.  Follow with a great shampoo the next morning for frizz free locks.
• Take care of neglected tootsies by dipping your feet into warm olive oil for a few minutes and buffing them with coarse salt, and rinse.
• Apply olive oil all over to soften dry, irritated skin and to treat sunburns after spending a day at the beach
• For a quick treatment to tame frizzy hair and fly-aways, apply a few drops to your hands and comb through hair with your fingers.

If you have any other olive oil tricks, please comment and share with us your experiences!  And if you’d like to see more useful home remedies, click here and check out this awesome book.

Until next time everyone…  xoxo

Now I have to tell you, I am a total mascara FREAK!  Like a real mascara addict!  It is the one thing I absolutely cannot leave the house without.  If I don’t have mascara on I might as well just walk around with a bag on my head.  Yes, it is THAT bad!  But just like some of you out there who can’t leave the house without a little lip gloss, I can’t leave the house without a little mascara.  Now I have probably tried every single mascara known to man and definitely have my favorites, which I will be sharing with you at some point on Big City Beauty.  So I’d kind of like to think of myself as a mascara expert.  So when Cover Girl came out with a mascara that they claimed would make your eye color appear brighter I just had to try it!  I have brown eyes.  Not green, or hazel, or anything fun like that.  Just brown!  So I’m thinking that if there is a way to make my boring brown eyes stand out, I am going to be the first person in line.

Cover Girl EyeLights Mascara actually comes in four different shades: Brown, Blue, Green, and Hazel eyes.  Each shade contains different light-reflecting metallics that are supposed to make your eyes appear 4x brighter.  Now I have to be honest.  I love love love this mascara, but it definitely didn’t make my eyes look like the girl in the picture.  However, and this is a HUGE however, I still absolutely recommend it!  Now you’re probably thinking that I’m crazy but let me just tell you why this mascara has reached the top of my favorite mascaras list.  First of all, the “Exact brush” is amazing and really lives up to its name.  Sometimes I even reuse the brush with some of my other mascara formulas because it really gets every lash and gives great definition.  Secondly, the metallic shimmer in the mascara is so much fun!  It may not have made my eye color appear brighter, but it definitely made my eyelashes noticeable.  And not in an over-done way, it’s a very subtle shimmer that definitely makes for flirty lashes while watching the sunset.  And third, because I have thinner lashes and love to layer my mascara, the formulation can definitely be used in two to three coats.  Now for drugstore mascara, I’d have to say that it’s absolutely worth the money!

Have any of you tried out this mascara?  If you have, how did it work out for you?  Let me know!  I’d love to hear your feedback.

Until next time ladies…  xoxo

Laura Mercier has been one of my favorite makeup lines for quite some time.  From the first time I tried their Creme Eye Colours, I was hooked.  The most recent addition to my makeup bag is Laura Mercier’s Kohl Eye Pencil in Black Gold.  This ultra-creamy eyeliner is practically fool proof because it’s so simple to blend allowing you to get the perfect smokey eye.  It comes in 7 different shades, my favorite among them being the black gold.  It has just the right amount of gold shimmer that can even make dark brown eyes pop.  It’s definitely been my eyeliner of choice this summer so far.  I have yet to try out some of the other colors offered, so if any of you have tried them, please let me know what you think!  I’d love to hear from you.

Until next time ladies…  xoxo

I’d love to share with you one of my favorite recipes from the book.  I am such a huge fan of coconut and pretty much love anything that has a tropical fragrance.  So if that’s you too, you’ll enjoy this recipe that comes from Thailand:

Tropical Body Polish

½ cup of ground rice

½ cup of coconut milk

1 tablespoon of turmeric

½ cup of fresh grated coconut

Mix ingredients together to form a thick scrub.

Using circular scrubbing motion, apply the mixture all over your body.

Rinse and follow with your favorite moisturizer.

I find this treatment especially helpful during the winter months, as my skin tends to be a little drier.  With the extra need for exfoliation, and a definite desire to want to feel like I’m somewhere other than the freezing streets of New York, I love this home recipe!

Some other great SUMMER tips that come from our South American beauties can also be found in Passport to Beauty: Secrets and Tips from Around the World for Becoming a Global Goddess.  One that I thought was quite interesting was that Brazilian beauties munch on carrots for weeks prior to hitting the beach.  They believe that because carrot juice can cause a slight yellowing of the skin, it can deepen the bronze of their tans.  But like Shalini mentions, “Too much of a good thing is just that – too much.”  Carrots do have a high content of Vitamin A, which in large amounts, can be toxic.  So what I like to do is just have a glass of carrot juice after my beach day to help maintain the color I’ve already gotten.  Its refreshing, totally healthy, and definitely safe – unless you’re allergic to carrots of course!

And I just have to throw this one in there because you know I love you…  If you’re spending a day at the beach don’t forget your SPF!!!

Until next time ladies…  xoxo