Any video beauty mavens out there? Here’s a fun contest!

L’Oreal is hosting a contest for one lucky winner: Enter to win a trip for two to New York City, a Project Runway shopping spree, a tour of the Marie Claire office, and a meet & greet with a Project Runway designer! To enter, upload a video sharing your beauty tips for looking runway-chic.

Check it out at their website here!

There’s been quite a to-do lately on some of the blogs I like to read about independent mineral makeup companies purchasing pigments from manufacturers and simply repackaging them to sell to consumers. The problem is that these companies are claiming that these colors are created and/or developed by them, when in fact no creativity was involved at all.

My experience with mineral makeup, specifically eyeshadows, has been limited to companies like Bare Escentuals (who I’m assuming make their colors themselves), and smaller companies like AromaLeigh, Meow Cosmetics, Fyrinnae, and J. Lynne Cosmetics. These companies also create their own colors and formulas. I appreciate their creativity and the unique colors they have to offer. As a former small business owner (making soap and lotions), I especially respect the smaller companies’ dedication to their craft. I know what kind of time and effort and trial and error has to go into developing your own formulas and techniques and product! I also know how awesome it feels to develop a product that is truly all your own creation.

With that said, I want to wholeheartedly support the Mineral Makeup Mutiny.  I pledge to support independent companies that are doing interesting things with color, creating interesting shades, and working hard to make something new and different for their customers. I have no interest in supporting companies that buy pigments wholesale, divvy them up into smaller jars and slap a label on them. If I wanted that kind of product, I could do it myself.

I love makeup. I love fun, interesting colors, both bright and subtle, and so far some of my favorites have come from the aforementioned companies – like Cupcake Sprinkles from Fyrinnae and Strawberry Despair from AromaLeigh. The hard-working entrepreneurs behind these companies have earned our support and respect!

Phyrra shows you how to do a stunning Fall look with a step-by-step video tutorial.

Do you love Nicole Richie’s hippy chic curls? Beauty Banter gives you a step-by-step tutorial – with pics – on how to create these boho flat iron curls!

Enter for a chance to win Aminogenesis DermaScyne² Intense Daily Serum and Ms.Pedicure Foot spahh worth $152 at Beauty and Personal Grooming.

Beauty Anonymous brings you Chanel winter 2009 Noirs Obscurs Collection.

The Makeup Blogger is currently loving Elizabeth Grant Eye Creams that help her win the war against dark circles!

DivaShop gives us The Skinny on Skincare.

Claire’s Beauty really loves the new L’Oreal Infallible Plumping Lip Gloss for its amazing long wear!

Beauty Junkie in SF is fighting the end of summer blues with bright hot nail polish from Rimmel.

Kenzo is having a giveaway on Twitter to celebrate the launch of their newest perfume, FlowerByKenzo Essentielle. If you are on Twitter, just tweet this:

Follow @kenzousa and RT for a chance to win new FlowerbyKenzo Essentielle! Ends 9/21. (US only) http://bit.ly/2fsknZ

FlowerByKenzo Essentielle is a tribute to the original FlowerByKenzo, and features rose damascena and jasmine with musks, vanilla, and black pepper. It sounds delightful!

Speaking of Twitter, I’d love it if you followed me too! I’m @oregonclaire on Twitter.

Dear Readers,

In a few weeks, I will be meeting with the at-home hair color experts at L’Oreal, and so I have a request. If anyone has any questions they would like me to ask regarding coloring you hair at home, please leave a comment with your question and I’ll bring it with me!

Thanks!

So far in the history of Claire’s Beauty, I haven’t mentioned personal grooming “down there.” There isn’t a particular reason for this, I’m not prudish at all, I just haven’t been interested enough in any of the products I’ve come across targeted towards that particular region to write about them. Why? I am, ahem, quite lazy. Yep, I’m one of those scary women who lets it all be natural…

Then along comes a pitch about the Peeka Bu, a new mirror especially designed to help solve your intimate grooming problems. I think this is pretty cool, and not just because of its uses for grooming (I’m still lazy).

The mirror is designed with a flexible gooseneck and a super-suction cup to attach to any bathroom surface – like your shower, wall mirror, or toilet seat – and there is also an available spray to make the mirror surface fog-free. While the possibilities as an “intimate grooming aid” are obvious, I also see some less obvious benefits to this product as well, namely in the area of women’s health.

If you happen to be one of those unfortunate souls who get infected hair follicles “down there” you can instantly see this product’s potential to help treat the nasty suckers. Few things are more embarrassing than having to get someone else to check out the spot near your hooha, lemme tell you. Yeah, you can use a hand mirror, but you really need two hands to deal with these little “issues” so the Peeka Bu would be super-useful. (Neosporin on the spot, btw, takes care of it.)

Then there is also the usefulness of being able to check out the funny moles on your back (or anywhere else, for that matter). I have a few, and it’d be nice to keep an eye on them myself, rather than relying on someone else. Also, how about being able to style the hair on the back of your head? Very handy.

It’s a pretty cool product, whatever you want to use it for. It definitely gets two thumbs up for innovation and design from me! Who knows, it could be just the thing to inspire me towards a more “trimmed” direction!

Occasionally, I get a backlog of stuff I want to write about, especially stuff that doesn’t really need a whole blog post. Instead, we have the blitz blog, where I cover all the tidbits I’ve been wanting to mention.

First, check out the new Ryoko travel fragrances at Kenzo USA. Ryoko means travel in Japanese, and these cute pebble-shaped perfume bottles are meant to be air travel friendly.

Remember when I wrote about how much I love the new Nivea body washes? I discovered that the special no-poof formula also makes them really great when shaving your legs. The super-creamy lather gave a great close shave, and of course, the scents are still great. Touch of Happiness is currently in my shower, and I’m really loving the slightly floral-yet-orangey scent. If you want perfectly soft skin this summer (at a great price!) check them out!

Physicians Formula has new Organic Makeup removers that look nice. I haven’t tried them yet, but I would like to.

Do you use Q-Tips? Chances are you do, because if you’re like me, they are the Unsung Hero Of The Medicine Cabinet. I use them all the time, for fixing makeup, removing makeup, applying makeup… And trust me, you don’t want the generic brand. Get the real deal, because all the fake brands stink – the sticks bend, the cotton falls right off, etc. Q-Tips recently introduced these cute little vanity packs that look good in your bathroom, too. So don’t scrimp, get the real thing!

Fellow Beauty Blogger Clumps of Mascara has this ADORABLE post on the many uses of the Q-Tip that I wanted to share with you, so go check it out!

What other Unsung Heroes Of The Medicine Cabinet can you think of?