Getting In Touch With My Inner Sexy: Burlesque Dancing With PurpleLab, Gorgeous Bloggers, And The Fabulous Veronica Varlow

I am not ashamed to say that the thought of getting a lesson in Burlesque dancing (with one of the greatest teachers, no less!) was quite intimidating. I am not always comfortable with my body and with the idea of allowing myself to feel sexy in my own skin. Eager to meet some fabulous fellow beauty bloggers and the brains behind PurpleLab and her team of sassy gals, I set my insecurities aside last Thursday and joined in on a few hours of meeting, greeting, and yes, learning some Burlesque moves! Assembling at the Gates in NYC, the great Veronica Varlow was our guide to getting in touch with our inner beautiful selves, and she was all about spreading the message of female empowerment. Before we got into the dancing, we got together as a group to listen to Veronica tell the inspirational story of how she ended up getting into the world of Burlesque and what led her to achieving her dreams. She then got us all sharing something about ourselves - what accomplishments of which we were proud in the last month, what we would love to be doing with our lives in an ideal world, what qualities we like in ourselves, and what we find sexy in others.

Introductions made, everyone feeling a bit more comfortable, we all donned our feather boas and long gloves (both purple, of course!) and got ready to learn some moves, guaranteed to make the boys go wild.

Some things that I took away from my lesson in Burlesque:

1. Carry your purse in the crook of your arm, you'll instantly look sexier and more appealing.

2. Don't rush into a room to find your friends, rather stop at the doorway and take time to scan your surroundings. As people's eyes naturally look towards the door, you need to make an entrance. Walk in with a confident swagger, and you will be sure to be noticed.

3. Perfect the sexy walk; walk "slow and steady" and after each step, pop your hip!

4. Slowly pulling down your glove to expose your elbow will make the boys freak! Just a little bit of skin is all it takes!

I learned a lot about myself from being able to let go and allow myself to be sassy. It was truly a lesson in self-confidence! I would totally do it again ;-)

Here are some pictures of me with the rest of the Burlesque dancing crew!

L-R: Sharon, Karen (PurpleLab creatrix), me, Aly (of eBeautyDaily), Shoshi (of http://www.lusciouslifestylediva.com/) , Dee (of The Candid Commentary)

L-R: Adina (the lovely Krasey Beauty), Sharon, Karen, me, Aly, Shoshi, Dee, Morgan

Everyone wearing the purple boas and gloves! How hot are we??

L-R: Me, Evie (Product Pasha), Adina, Aly, Veronica Varlow, Karen, Sharon, Shoshi, Elizbeth, Dee, Morgan

And for a shot of me and Veronica:

If you haven't yet checked out PurpleLab's Huge Lips Skinny Hips lip glosses, you must!! Once again, you can find some info on them at the PurpleLab website, including where to purchase.

Special shout outs to Veronica Varlow, Karen Robinovitz and her girls Dee, Sharon, Morgan, and Elizbeth (who is Miss Baker Extraordinaire!), and the fabulous bloggers Krasey Beauty, Aly Walansky, Product Pasha, and Shoshi! You ladies, rock!

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics - Snag Loose Colour Concentrates For A Steal!

From now until July 13th, OCC is offering 30% off on its Loose Colour Concentrates, a range of highly pigmented loose powders. These products can be used on the eyes, the face, and the body - so versatile! With the sale, you can snatch up these pigments for $7 each. This is a great deal, especially considering that since a small amount of these intense colors will give you a beautiful result, each container is bound to last quite awhile!

Check out the range of OCC Loose Colour Concentrates at http://www.occmakeup.com/. There are so many gorgeous shades to choose from! Remember to enter the code LSC07 under the "special instructions" section when submitting your orders.

**Note that the discount will not be reflected in your total upon placing your order. Don't worry, though! Discounts will be taken into account before your credit card is charged.

Illamasqua Set To Arrive On US Soil This Month!

Finally the answer to my prayers! UK-based Illamasqua will be arriving in America later this month (for some background on the brand, check out Illamasqua: Unleash Your "Alter-Ego")! On July 31st, Illamasqua will launch at the new Sephora location opening in NYC at 5 Times Square. By the end of October, you will be able to find their products in 26 Sephora stores across the country. Two hundred products will be available, each sure to captivate Illamasqua's overseas audience.

This launch is going to be huge! I have been intrigued and fascinated by the line ever since I was introduced to it, and the artistic images are a sight to behold. I have come so close on many different ocassions to ordering through the website, but I kept putting it off because I just didn't know what to purchase! The one frustrating element of the Illamasqua site is that their swatches are not very descriptive. It is difficult to get a real feeling for the colors. In general, unless I have seen a product in person and know what to expect, I refrain from ordering it online. It will be quite satisfying to finally be able to test out the different products and colors in my quest to determine exactly which ones might unleash my "alter-ego." I am anticipating a very large turnout for this launch. I might just have to camp out to make sure I can get a peek at the goods!

*Image credited to the Illamasqua blog

Kick Cellulite in the Butt! Special Offer on Tarte's celluFIGHT During the Month of July!

Do you have cellulite to fight? For many of us (including me!), unsightly pitting in our thighs and rear ends has us running for the hills at the mere thought of having to don bathing suits. Lucky for us, Tarte is offering 20% off on its new celluFight Anti-Cellulite Self Tanner online at http://www.tartecosmetics.com/ during the entire month of July! This double-duty product will work to give your skin a beautiful natural tan glow, while also helping you smooth out some of your Cellulite-prone problem spots.

Enter the code CELL709 to redeem this offer.

MAC Colour Craft - A Look At The Lipsticks And Lip Glosses

MAC's Colour Craft was officially launched today at all freestanding locations and counters. I was pretty excited to see what this collection had in store. Many different products are featured in this collection, including mineralized blushes, mineralized skinfinishes, new mineralized eyeshadow quads, lip products, and a new brush (along with some re-promoted brushes)! I was able to check out the goods at the MAC Pro store in NYC today. Pro stores have had this collection for a week already! I wanted to share some swatches with you, as well as some initial thoughts on the items. In this edition, I'll discuss the lip product selection.

Colour Craft presented us with six shades each of lipstick and a new formula of gloss, the marbleized lipglass. Among the lipsticks, there were five new limited-edition shades and one re-promote, Most Popular, from the Hello Kitty collection. Unfortunately, one of the lipsticks was missing from the display at the store I visited, so I was not able to get a swatch of it.

L-R, top row: Trimming Talk (frost), Made With Love (lustre), Madly Creative (frost), and Ever Embellish lipsticks (lustre)

L-R, middle row: Most Popular lipstick (lustre), Eclectic Edge, Nice Mix Up, Crazy Haute, Miss Marble marbelized lipglasses

L-R, bottom row: Funky Fusion and Pretty Pattern marbelized lipglasses

A closer look at the lipsticks:

L-R: Trimming Talk, Made With Love, Madly Creative, Ever Embellish

Most Popular

*ignore the swatch partially visible at the bottom!

And the glosses....!

L-R, T-B: Eclectic Edge, Nice Mix Up, Crazy Haute, Miss Marble, Funky Fusion, Pretty Pattern

This is a look at the packaging (same as the Tri-Color glosses) and the marbled appearance of the new lipglasses.

In general, I was pretty underwhelmed with the lipstick offerings. While they are pretty colors, nothing really stood out to me as a must-have. I had already picked up Most Popular with the Hello Kitty collection back in February, and I have to say that the special packaging that was available with HK was the only thing that really excited me about this shade. The color is a nice pinky berry, but definitely not one that is particularly remarkable. The only other colors that I might have revisited were Trimming Talk and Made With Love (I'm a sucker for pinks and corals!), but even these didn't excite me enough to warrant a purchase. The other lipstick that was not on the display is Color Crafted, a milky pink with a frost finish. The lipsticks retail for $14.

While I found myself unimpressed with the lipsticks, I was pleasantly surprised with the glosses. These new marbleized lipglasses feature a mix of color (a "marble" lol) that combines, upon swatching/application to deliver beautiful pigmented, sparkly shine. I thought these were going to disappoint me in the way that the Sugar Sweet collection's very sheer Tri-Colored lipglasses did. The gloss that I definitely have my eye on is Eclectic Edge. It is a gorgeous shimmery lavender, that would complement purple-hued lipsticks like Fashion Mews (from Hello Kitty) and Lavender Whip (from the Cremesheen collection) nicely. It would even look great paired with other lavender glosses - perhaps it might give Ever So Rich cremeglass the pick-me-up it needs! I also enjoyed the other color options. The pinks were, of course, beautiful, but I have too many pink glosses to count! Pretty Pattern would look very pretty over a nude lipstick or by itself for a subdued look. The marbelized lipglasses retail for $18, for .16 US oz. of product (dazzleglasses, for comparison, are the same price for .06 US oz.!)

So, there you have it! My swatches and mini review of the lippies and glosses from the new limited edition Colour Craft collection. Have you checked out the collection yet? Anything screaming to you "come and get me"?

Skin Salve: Salvation in a Tin

Even in the summer, my skin can be dry and irritated. Instead of suffering with cracked lips and patches of unwanted flaky skin, I turn to my trusty friends - my skin salves. These multipurpose products are great because one tin has all of your problem areas covered - you can use a salve as a lip balm, to cure dry elbows, or condition those stubborn dehydrated spots on your arms or legs.

I've previously relied solely on Smith's Rosebud Salve, in its traditional rosy pink goodness. The smell is pleasant and the formula contains "cotton seed oil, aromol and essential oils blended in a special petrolatum base." The greasy and waxy texture works well to heal almost any dry skin ailment - it even acts as a great cuticle ointment. I carry a container of Rosebud Salve with me in my make-up bag in the colder months, but as it's prone to melt easily, I leave it at home in the summer.

You can find Smith's original salve at Sephora (for $6), along with some other similar products from the brand. The Minted Rose, Brambleberry Rose and Strawberry lip balms retail there for $7. Urban Outfitters also carries the Mocha Rose Salve for $8. I'm lemming the latter for sure! Mocha?!? Oh, yes...!

Another great product that I purchased more recently was launched as part of MAC's Naked Honey collection last month. The Naked Honey Skin Salve is a wonderful skin soother that has taken its place bedside. A delicious mix of ingredients like sunflower oil and beeswax, this salve smells (and tastes!) like honey (hence, the name ;-) ). The scent also comes off to me as quite "beachy" - very yummy and enjoyable! Lately, I've been using this on my lips before bed-time, and in the morning I wake up to soft and supple, "no-trace-of-dry-skin-here" lips. As with the Rosebud Salve, this product can be used on any part of the body. You can find this, and other items from the Naked Honey collection for a limited time at MAC stores, MAC counters and online at the MAC website. The salve retails for $18.50, and you get a pretty good amount of a product which should last through many uses.

How do you feel about skin salves? Do you use them?

Nordstrom Beauty Exclusives - I've Got My Eyes On You

By now, most of you are probably aware that Nordstrom is going to have a slew of great beauty exclusives available in stores and online beginning July 17th. There will be some really nice special sets and collections from brands we know and love (and from some we've been meaning to try!) Though these beauty exclusives will not officially launch for about another week and a half, you can pre-order your goodies at the Nordstrom website right now.

Here are a few items that are on my wish-list (emphasis on "wish"):

NARS Modern Love Palette, $55

Bobbi Brown 'Best of Bobbi' Set, $75

Dior 'Jazz Club' Eye Palette, $65

MAC 'Fresh Cut' Eyeshadow Palette, $35

MAC 'Graphic Garden' Eyeshadow Palette, $35

MAC 'Sun Siren' Look in a Box, $59.50

Chanel 'Muscat' Glossimer, $27

Couture Couture by Juicy Couture Rollerball, $16

Mario Badescu Travel Skincare Kit, $28

While my available funds certainly won't allow me to purchase all of the items on my list (vigorous head shaking - the side to side kind, of course!), I'm hoping to take a closer look at these products and the other great beauty exclusives at my local Nordstrom store soon.

What about you, my lovely Beauty Chick readers? Are you going to shop the Nordstrom exclusives? Let me know what tickles your fancy and be sure to comment if you do pick up anything!