Beauty411

Beauty411 Holiday Gift Guide 2009

How's your holiday shopping coming?  Need some inspiration?  Then pull up close to your monitor and check out the Beauty411 Holiday Gift Guide 2009.  A little eye candy and lot of good suggestions to get you one step closer to finishing your holiday gift shopping.

Who are you shopping for?

For the makeup artist:  I love the idea of giving makeup brushes and I've personally gifted the MAC brush sets on many occasions. This year, three brush sets are available as part of the Magic, Mirth & Mischief Holiday Collection.  Choose from the Do-the-Trick Buff and Line Brushes, Wave Of A Wand Sweep and Define Brushes and Morning, Noon & Knight Everything Eye Brushes.  Each set comes in it's own bag, retails at $49.50 and is available at www.maccosmetics.com.

Creating Ambience with Home Fragrances

This is the time of year that I love to experiment and use home fragrances to create a warm, inviting ambience.  Whether it's the scent of cranberry or pine boughs, using different forms of home fragrances can really instill a mood to your home. 

Some of my favorites include:

Crabtree & Evelyn Noel Home Fragrance Diffuser ($35):  Whether you keep this diffuser for yourself or give one as a gift, the fragrance says "holidays"!  The frosted glass diffuser is topped with a red velvet ribbon and snowflake charm; it looks so festive sitting atop a table.  You receive 12 reeds and a bottle of Noel fragrance oil.  Available in Crabtree & Evelyn stores and online at Crabtree-Evelyn.com.

Crabtree & Evelyn Aromatherapy Distillations Clarifying Body Mud Treatment

I am all about spa treatments.  Whether at home or at a spa, I love the pampering, but mostly I love the way my skin looks and feels after receiving a treatment.  Crabtree & Evelyn Clarifying Body Mud Treatment is every bit as satisfying as a body wrap in a spa. 

The Clarifying Body Mud Treatment Kit comes with 3 body wraps, a jar of Clarifying Body Mud and a wooden applicator.  The Mud is a purifying blend of essential oils, white clay, papaya and bamboo.  All of this works together to cleanse the skin, rid the body of toxins and re-mineralize the skin with trace elements. 

You apply an even layer of the mud to your arms, thighs and torso/decollete with the wooden applicator and then wrap yourself up in the body wrap.  Put on some relaxing music and about 20 minutes later, remove the wrap, jump in the shower to wash the mud off.  It's similar to a clay facial mask, in that it does harden up.  When you scrub it off, your skin is super soft, smooth and glowing.  Divine!

Crabtree & Evelyn Aromatherapy Distillations Clarifying Body Mud Treatment is available online and at Crabtree & Evelyn boutiques.