According to this article from Oprah.com, I don’t have to wash my face in the morning! Woo hoo!

Ok, there’s more to the article than that. But it is nice to hear someone tell me that it’s ok to take a break once in a while.

My updates have been woeful, I admit. In fact, they’ve been so woeful that even my spam commenters are giving up on me. (FYI - I’m usually bombarded by hundreds of spam comments a day, which I weed out behind the scenes so that they don’t mar up the site.) You know it’s bad when spam commenters are giving up.

Anyway, seeing as it’s Valentine’s Day just around the corner, my thoughts have turned to all things romantic. And by romantic, I’m thinking big blooming flowers. Which is coincidental because Clinique’s Spring 2007 makeup collection is called Fresh Bloom.

The collection is a beauty indeed. Just check out the Fresh Bloom Allover Color for the face, which is a work of art in itself. It’s very reminiscent of the Yves Saint Laurent Opium Makeup Palette from this past Fall, but I prefer the Clinique version for its softness and femininity. This is neat as you can either select one color to use, or just swirl your brush through all of them for a blend.

The Color Surge Eyeshadow Trio is a limited edition palette (tell me, who isn’t doing limited edition these days?). But I love it because of the purple - my favorite color! By the way, Spring is all about the new smoky eye which you can achieve with these soft blush-based colors, deep black mascara and a stroke of black eyeliner on the top and bottom lash lines.

Finally, check out the Color Surge Butter Shine Lipstick, which is a blend between a lipstick and a gloss. As you can see, Clinique is offering lots of pretty pink shades for the upcoming season. Remember fall’s red lips? Well, pink is Spring’s take on it, and I’m breathing a sigh of relief. Pink feels tons more doable to me than those deep reds. I’ll leave that to the experts.

Ah winter. Plenty of things to love about the season: holiday parties, cute snow bunny outfits and Christmas cookies. And plenty of reasons to dread it, including Santa sweaters and, you guessed it, dry skin.

Thankfully, I don’t suffer from terribly dry skin, but I have my moments in the dead of winter. And I know for some people, it’s the bane of their existence.

Which is why I put together my tips for beating dry skin. So get your notepads out!

1. Drink lots of fluids. This is a good piece of advice all year round, but especially in the drier months to keep your skin hydrated.

2. Limit the length of your shower, and use warm - not hot - water. I know, I know. That sounds absolutely wretched, doesn’t it? No hot showers? Yes, no hot showers because they can dehydrate your skin. So keep it short and snappy.

3. Add a little oil to your bath. See? I’m not trying to kill you. A short bath is good, but add some oils - try a tablespoon of bath oil (my pick: elizabethW) after you’ve soaked for about five minutes. Soaking first plumps up your skin. Adding the oil second seals in the absorbed moisture.

4. Apply moisturizer to damp skin. Again, it’s the same idea as above where you want to allow your moisturizer or lotion to trap a little water in your skin. So pat your skin almost dry. Then apply moisturizer while your skin is still slightly damp.

5. Use humidifiers. Not only do humidifiers keep your skin from drying out, they’re also great for preventing illness in the winter as they keep the mucous membranes moist. But be sure to clean your humidifier often and change the filter, though, otherwise bacteria and fungi will start growing in your tank.

That’s it! Not too hard or complicated, but these tips should put you on the road to very pretty and very hydrated skin.

And for additional tips, and to supplement your reading, head over to Faking Good Breeding. She wrote a great post not too long ago on the same topic!

I found this interesting book while surfing around on iVillage: Passport to Beauty by Shalini Vadhera. Shalini, who also writes for iVillage, shares in an article on the site specifically about the beauty secrets of European women.

I’m Asian myself, and as such, I have my own arsenal of beauty tips and tricks (many of them, I admit, a bit dubious, except that I grew up with them, so they’re pretty much as good as gospel to me).

But there is something about European women which I find fascinating. They seem to do beauty so effortlessly, almost as an afterthought, and yet it comes off as really hip because “they didn’t mean to.” You know what I mean?

Anyway, for some reason, reading this article reminded me of the book, Naomi, which I read in a Japanese Lit class in college. (I think this was the same book.) There’s this one part that I’ll never forget. The main character, a Japanese man, is completely obsessed with the West. He signs up for these dancing lessons from a Russian lady who has this terrible B.O., and yet he’s completely intoxicated with her. As they’re dancing, he would lean in and secretly smell her B.O.

Okay, totally gross, I know!! But for some reason, I thought of the book, okay?

So here are some of the tips from the article that I found especially interesting:

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I don’t know about you, but I’m totally feeling this look on Gwyneth Paltrow (photo courtesy of JustJared.com):

Love the simple, sleek hair. The eyes defined only by a touch of mascara. Clean skin. And that beautiful red smacker.

You probably know already that red lips are very very in this season. And I for one am terrified of this trend. Like, knees-knocking-scared.

Hello ladies, and welcome to Wednesday!

I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting lately with shampoo and haircare. As you may have heard whispered into your ear from magazines and friends and experts, you’re not supposed to wash your hair daily as you put yourself at risk of overdrying your scalp and overloading on product.

Well, I for one, am all for that. Because deep down, I’m a trashionista at heart. Or wannabe at least. Or maybe I’m just lazy.

Either way, I’ve been attempting in the past half year to cut back on the shampooing. I used to wash every single day because my hair tends towards oily, and washing any less used to make me look like I’d dunked my head into a can of Crisco. Not attractive. Worse yet, my scalp would itch like mad if I left it unwashed for more than a day.

I’ll be honest with you. The transition from washing once a day to once every other day was not easy. The only reason I could take the leap was because during that time, I started working from home.

But if it’s something you want to try, I think a good handband, some cute ponytail styles and a little bit of product can help disguise any grossness during the transition. Here are some style suggestions (photos courtesy of TeenPeople.com):

Having made it to the other side unscathed, I will say that my hair has never felt healthier. Plus, on the second day now, my scalp doesn’t itch at all the way it used to…AND my hair almost looks freshly washed.

I attribute this to the fact that I’ve been experimenting with different shampoos and techniques of conditioning. So far, my research shows that Johnson’s Head-to-Toe Baby Wash is a great (and very cheap!) shampoo option. It keeps my hair clean and fairly oil-free even into the second day. Not only that, it doubles as a body wash as well. Great for keeping it frills-free if you’re showering at the gym or traveling.

However, I’ve been having trouble with my darling MOP Pear Shampoo. I’m absolutely in love with the scent, but I find that it leaves my hair incredibly oily on day two. So if you wash every day, you should run out and buy some. But not if you plan to go every other day like me. Being the thrifty person I am, though, I’ve re-fashioned the shampoo into a nice body wash.

As for conditioning, do yourself a favor and condition ONLY the ends. I start conditioning my hair right where it hits at the neck all the way to the ends, and I find that this helps prevent greasy roots. Because, really, you don’t want to feel like you can fry an egg on your scalp.

I’ll continue to experiment with different products, but for now I’ll turn it over to you guys. How often do you wash your hair? What are your tips to a beautiful mane? Share with us in the comments!

I’ve been meaning to write about the Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadows for a while. After testing them out at Ulta and reading reviews at The Makeup Bag and Product Girl, I finally snatched one up for myself.

So the Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadows are in a word: amazing.

I’ve always been a big believer in color. A splash of hue does wonders for my mood and outlook. Call me easy to please, but anything bright is enough to momentarily distract me from the pain and sorrow of - amongst other tragedies in life - bad hair and a closet full of nothing to wear.

Since I just can’t resist, here they are! Feel free to take a moment to ooh and aah (grin).

Aren’t they absolutely lovely?? (I think someone at Urban Decay Corporate has just rolled over in her grave because I used the word “lovely” to describe an Urban Decay product. Haha.)

I purchased this eyeshadow in Adore, which is the blue pictured at the top left. I’ve been using it to try to replicate this season’s edgy look that Beauty Addict advised us of not too long ago. It’s been doing me right so far (and way better than my previous attempts). The blue adds the perfect zing to my eyes without making me look like a space cadet. It makes my deep brown eyes really pop.

Interestingly enough, I’ve been using the product as an eyeliner rather than an eyeshadow. I take an angled makeup brush and dampen it with water. Then I dab it in the product and carefully draw a line along my upper and lower lash line.

Having done this a few times already, I have officially been converted to using wet eyeshadow to line my eyes rather than an eyeliner pencil. I have yet to find a pencil that doesn’t smear and give me the most horrible raccoon eyes. But wet eyeshadow? Now that goes the distance with no smearing whatsoever by the end of the day. A miracle if ever I saw one!

So please, for your own good, run out and check out these eyeshadows, ok? The pigment is rich and concentrated, and the color is budge-proof. And the packaging is so so so cool. What more can you ask for?

This past weekend I was talking to my friend, Sue, who said to me, “You’re not the kind of girl who wears much makeup, are you?”

In my head I’m thinking, “Are you kidding me? Do you know how much effort it takes to look this good?”

Haha. Just kidding. Sort of.

Another friend of mine once described me as the kind of girl who is high maintenance in order to look low maintenance. Meaning, I’m the kind of girl who wants people to believe that I just threw myself together last minute when in fact, I spent the previous night thinking and plotting to achieve that effortless yet becoming look.

And yes, I admit that is the kind of girl I am. But tell me some of you aren’t like that, too?

So to get that no-makeup makeup look (which I am pictured sporting here), here is what I use, and my step-by-step guide:

1. Bobbi Brown Blemish Cover Stick - You can read my previous review here, but I always start with clean, as-flawless-as-possible skin. I use this product to conceal and heal blemishes at the same time, thanks to ingredients like oil-absorbing kaolin clay and special plant derivatives that reduce redness.

Depending on your skin type, you might also want to use a tinted moisturizer, but the key is to keep the look natural and not to hide your skin under layers of foundation and makeup.

2. Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat (Radiant Touch) - I purchased this for my wedding and it’s become a beloved staple in my collection. I use it to conceal undereye circles. As another trick for brightening my face, I dab a bit on the corners of my nose by the nostrils and also around the corners of my mouth.

Also, did anyone see this product in this month’s Allure magazine in the article about iconic products? It joins rank with Estee Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair and Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey (one of my favorites as well).

3. Stila Eyeshadow in Kitten - I sweep this shimmery, champagne-colored eyeshadow on my lids to warm up my skin and wake up my eyes with the light-reflecting pigments. Subtle, yet effective. One of their top sellers, and I can see why.

4. Sonia Kashuk Deluxe Travel Brush Set from Target - I use the largest size eyeshadow brush available in the kit to sweep on the Stila eyeshadow. In general, this brush set is a great value at $19.99, and I highly recommend you get yourself a set.

5. Tarte Rest Assured Brightening Wand - I use the pencil end of this to draw a line along my lower lash line. The nude-pink color adds a bit of brightness to the eyes, opens them up and makes you look more awake and fresh.

6. Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler - I remember buying this six years ago as a poor college student, one summer while working in Chicago as an advertising intern. It was a lot of money for me at the time ($18), but boy was it worth it. It’s one of Shu Uemura’s best sellers, and gives my lashes the most perfect curl.

7. Dior DiorShow Mascara - This was a freebie from Sephora that I picked up a month or so ago. I finally started using it after I ran out of my beloved Lancome Definicils, and I must say that I am starting to love it more and more.

The wand is oversized, and I found this difficult to navigate at first, but now I love how it gives me full, long lashes without clumping. It’s a great overall mascara for both length and volume.

8. Tarte Cheekstain in Flush - By now, you all know how much I love this stuff, so I will spare you the soliloquies. Anyway, a dab of this stuff on both cheeks and you have instantly achieved a natural, healthy looking glow.

9. Lancome Juicy Tubes in Berry Bold - My friend, Hannah, introduced this product to me, and it’s fabulous. You think that with a sheer lip gloss it doesn’t matter which shade you buy, but it really does. This shade provides a hint of reddish-pink for a subtle touch of color.

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Voila! With that, you have achieved a fresh, beautiful, breezed-right-out-the-door look. And for you busy women out there (myself included), this is an easy look that takes five minutes to put together, if that.

During the drive back from church on Sunday, I happened to kick off my ballet flats and prop my feet up on the dashboard. When I noticed my YELLOW TOENAILS. It was nastalicious.

I’ll spare you any gross pictures of my feet, but it prompted me to jump on the internet when we got home, and hunt for a remedy.

I know the problem is my nail polish, but I thought I’d been so good this year, going for a couple weeks with the polish on, and a couple weeks off, so my nails could breathe in between. And I don’t even use dark shades, which are usually the cause of the problem.

Anyway, I found some sites which had helpful tricks on getting rid of the yellow, including Marie Claire’s Ask the Beauty Department. They recommend you bleach your nails with a solution of 1 tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide mixed with 2-1/2 tablespoons of baking soda. You end up with a pastelike mixture that you dab onto your nails (including under the tips) with a cotton swab.

Or if you haven’t got time for that (and it does sound labor intensive and better suited for those with very patient dispositions), they recommend soaking your nails in denture cleaner for about five minutes.

Lemon is another way to go. Even better is lemon oil which will condition at the same time.

If you’re wondering how to avoid yellow claws in the first place, supposedly a base coat will help. I have been using one religiously, though I don’t think doing so has helped much. Either that, or my nails could have been in worse shape than they are now. (I shudder to think.)

And if all else fails? Wait four to six months for your nails to grow out. And say that at least you tried. Haha.

That should be the new title to the Fresh series, really. I feel like it’s become a play-by-play on my complexion. LOL.

So the breakouts that I had this past weekend have started to heal and subside thanks to my Azulen Paste. Can I also say that Bobbi Brown Blemish Cover Stick is a lifesaver?

However, I continue to give my skin a hiatus. The situation isn’t dire, but it’s not great.

In the meantime, all of you ladies out there with skin woes, take heart. Over the weekend, my mom - ever the vigilante for clear skin - slipped me this great article from Good Morning America. “Better Skin, Fast and Cheap.” Um yeah, I’ll have me some of that.

In the segment, which you can also watch online, Dr. Loretta Ciraldo, professor of dermatology at the University of Miami and author of the new book, 6 Weeks to Sensational Skin, gives us cheap and simple tips for better looking skin:

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