Cosmetics from Asia win the contest for most creative packaging hands down, especially when it comes to cute, girly packaging. An online ad for Harajuku Lovers Fragrances, starts with “Enter the land of fatal cuteness”. Exactly! Harajuku Lovers Fragrances comes in a range of more than 20 scents, each represented by a different little dolls …
Estee Lauder Gift with Purchase, Lord & Taylor August 2013
I’ve attracted lots of women to Never Say Die Beauty with announcements and descriptions of the Spring and Summer joint promotions between Estée Lauder and Lilly Pulitzer. I’ve been really curious about whether it’s the Estée Lauder products or the Lilly Pulitzer print bags that are the real draw. Hopefully, it was both! This time, …
DIY Foot Soak and Advice on Facial Skincare from My Esthetician
The most successful post by far on Never Say Die Beauty’s Facebook fanpage is a recipe for a DIY foot soak and dead skin/callous remover. (Check out the NSDB FB page if you haven’t already!) I’ve gotten lots and lots of “likes”, and lots of comments from women who’ve tried it. In fact, a number …
Too Faced La Creme Color Drenched Lip Cream: “I Want Candy” Swatch
I fell in love with the way Too Faced La Creme Color Drenched Lip Cream looked when I saw it on the Beautylish website back in April. Like many of the Too Faced products, the packaging is just soooo pretty. I had to have it. The pretty box, the sophisticated slim gold lipstick tube. …
Skincare Products I’ve Used Up: Are They Worth Repurchasing?
I was getting ready to recycle a few products that I used up this week, and I thought “products that I used up” might be an interesting blogpost topic. I admit that I have a difficult time throwing away products that I haven’t finished. Instead, they usually languish on my countertop or in the bin …
Never Say Die Beauty Giveaway News and Tarte Sale Info
Midnight Velvet Gift Certificate Giveaway The first sponsored giveaway on Never Say Die Beauty was launched yesterday and will run till August 15, 2013. The prize is a $50 Gift Certificate for Midnight Velvet, a stylish and contemporary women’s apparel and home decor company. They are sponsoring the giveaway to help announce their new …
Christmas in August: My New Holiday Sweater from Midnight Velvet and a GIVEAWAY!
I remember the first time I saw “It’s a Wonderful Life”. It was during a hot August afternoon back in my graduate student days. The fact that I was watching a Christmas movie on a day that was 95 degrees in my New York living room didn’t stop me from crying through most of the …
Skincare Ingredient Glossary and Ingredient-Based Product Recommendations
Allure is a great source of information for me on all things beauty. I often turn to Allure for new product information, product recommendations, how-to tips, and what’s new in anti-aging. Skincare Glossary Recently at allure.com, I found a terrific glossary of skincare ingredients and terminology, and I had to share it with you. There …
Hair & Humidity: Bed Head Tigi Straighten Out and Chi Air Ceramic Flat Iron
The humidity this summer has been intense. My thick coarse hair looks like a big frizzy bubble. What to do? During the rest of the year, I used John Freida Frizz Ease 3 Day Straight spray ($9.99 at CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Walmart, Target etc.) along with the Conair flat iron that I bought …
Heart Ful Moisture Lipstick from Holika Holika: Super-cute Heart-Shaped Lipstick
Well, the hearts are back again. I can’t seem to avoid them. Or rather, I seek them out. And the likely place to find the cutest makeup with hearts is, of course, South Korea! I discovered Heart Ful Moisture Lipstick from the Korean brand, Holika Holika, online, and I couldn’t resist. The lipstick comes in …
ipsy Beach Beauty Bag July 2013: The Details
Last week, I posted a quick Instagram video that showed what I got in the July 2013 Beach Beauty Bag. Here’s a little more info on ipsy and the items in the bag. Again, ipsy is a monthly subscription service for beauty products. The price is $10/month with free shipping in the U.S. You can …
Five under $5: My Favorite Super-Affordable Beauty Buys
There’s not much you can buy these days for $5 or less. But I’ve come up with five beauty products that I think are really great buys. 1. essence gel-look topcoat You’re probably tired of me singing the praises of this topcoat, but I can’t get over how well it works for me. I …
At-Home Hair Color Gets Closer to Salon?
I’ve been coloring my hair at Vidal Sassoon since, well, forever. I decided way back that I was meant to be a redhead. On a business trip to London, I thought I could either go to sleep after the long flight or get my hair colored red. I chose red hair. Actually, the colorist at …
Estee Lauder Mad Men See-Thru Blush Revisited
Sunday nights are not the same. I have a serious case of Mad Men withdrawal. I was shocked by the final episode. I didn’t see most of what happened coming, though probably I should have. Anyway, I can’t believe we have to wait till next year for the next season to start. Will Don change? …
ipsy Beach Beauty Bag July 2013: Instagram Video Teaser
In this short post, I’d like to highlight two new things for me: Instagram video and the beauty sample box service, ipsy. Instagram makes it possible to upload 15 second videos, and I think I’ve figured out how to get them into my blog (at least it works with Safari and Firefox). Unfortunately, 15 seconds …