I Bought These, Informational Links, Affiliate Links Sorry, I disappeared for a couple of days. Luckily, I had a lot of fun things going on for my birthday, and I literally didn’t have time. Bar25 Newburyport MA Jeff and I went to a new to us restaurant in seaside Newburyport MA called Bar25. The restaurant offered drinks, of course, since it’s called Bar25. And they specialized in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food. I skipped the cocktails and ordered a glass of Malbec, but Jeff had a perfectly prepared, very smooth Old-Fashioned. We ordered Fried Artichoke Hearts with Meyer Lemon Aioli. I ..read more

Gift, Affiliate Links Jeff’s older daughter sent me an early birthday gift last weekend. It’s the perfect gift for me, and I thought you might like to hear about it as a possible gift idea or for yourself! Bonne Maman is the brand known for French jam, jellies, marmalade and other spreads as well as for its well-known red gingham jar covers and handwritten-style name. It was founded by the Gervoson family in 1971 in Biars-sur-Cère, a small town in southwest France. The privately held company, Andros, is still owned by members of the family, and Bonne Maman is their largest brand. The French ..read more

Actually, I couldn’t think of another name for this weekend’s BST other than Income Tax Day, lol, so hopefully this will do. Fortunately for me this year, two of my very good friends are taking me out to celebrate on Monday, and Jeff is taking me out on Tuesday night. I am very lucky! <3 Beauty Spotlight Team Weekly Roundup CHANEL Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner in Noir Intense is just what you are looking for, if you need transfer-proof liner. Lola’s Secret Beauty Blog is a big fan of this formula, and it is available in many gorgeous shades. Looking for sk ..read more

I Bought This, Informational Links If you’ve been consumed by the cosmetic world for as long as I have then it’s very possible that your Facebook feed is filled with posts and ads about that world. At least mine is. I’ve been seeing ads about Perbelle for a long time and even went as far as looking it up and considering buying it. A few months ago a good friend of mine gave me her almost empty tube of Perbelle and told me how much she likes it. I took it home and wondered how this product could work for both of us considering I’m super fair and she tans and has always had a darker skin tone ..read more

The big day was supposed to be today that Marcia Friedman’s review was going to be live. But I had to make a change in the “author” so it be me instead of Marcia, and I forgot to schedule it. My bad. So please check in and say hello to Marcia on Friday, April 12! She is reviewing a product that’s often online as a miracle makeup product. Marcia will share her reactions and experiences with it. (I want to keep you guessing till tomorrow!). I am hoping I can talk Marcia into coming back from time to time, basically whenever she feels like it ..read more

PR Samples, Affiliate Links Elina Organics is a new-to-me brand. Here’s a brief history on the founder and information about the products. In 1998, Elina Fedotova founded Elina Organics, a holistic and clinical skincare spa in West Michigan that offers award-winning organic formulations and treatments sold on the Elina Organics website as well as through dermatologists. The natural, organic and handmade products are formulated to safely deliver visible results. In addition, the products are fresh and seasonal, and each product comes with an expiration date. Interestingly, Elina Or ..read more

I Bought This, Affiliate Links milk_shake is a natural/clean beauty, cruelty-free haircare brand that is sold online and in salons. Plus, their products smell divine, with natural food and fruit scents. After reading a review on Lola’s Secret Beauty Blog on milk_shake insta.lotion liquid mask “for instant glossy, silky hair”, I was more than intrigued. I bought some. Here’s how milk_shake describes insta.lotion: milk_shake insta lotion is a rinse-out liquid mask with hyaluronic acid that’s as light as water. In just a few seconds gives manageability, shine, hydration and smoothness. It ..read more

Informational Links The other day, I came across a short podcast on the people, places, advertising, and business of the fragrance industry. The interviewer, Elizabeth Hobson of BBC Business Daily, even talked to a fragrance historian, and the role that Revlon’s “Charlie” and then “Opium” played in the evolution of contemporary scents. photo credit: Revlon In addition, the interviewer talked to the famed niche perfumer, Sarah McCartney, whose lab I had hoped to visit to learn about 4160 Tuesdays when I was in London last October. Sadly, we had too many things on our agenda, and her location ..read more

On Thursday, we got 3 inches of snow. In April! I actually had to go out and shovel my front steps and walkway. But fortunately, the temperature got to 45 on Friday, and as the day went on and the sun tried to come out, most of it melted. Hooray. I hate snow in April. What do you have going on this weekend? Hope you have some fun activities or time to chill if you’ve had a busy week. Whatever you are up to, I hope you’ll take a peek at this week’s BST weekly roundup: a mix of fashion and beauty tools. Beauty Spotlight Team Weekly Roundup Looking for a little portable glam? If so, Lola’s ..read more

Informational Links Today, I came across a wonderful Earth Month offer on Facebook from the beauty brand, Paula’s Choice, which has teamed up with TerraCycle, the recycling company. The TerraCycle/Paula’s Choice program offers to recycle all or at least most of your beauty empties, whether they are from Paula’s Choice or from other brands, for FREE during the months of April and May! photo credit: Paula’s Choice (Screenshot Facebook) As you probably have noticed, so many beauty empties that have a recyclable icon have parts that are not recyclable in many of our cities and towns recycling cen ..read more