Giveaway: Olay Professional Pro-X Clear Line

It's one of the cruelest facts of life that you can have wrinkles AND acne at the same time.  Take solace in knowing that you're not alone: turns out more than half the women in the U.S. who are 25 to 58(!!!) have some form of acne. But because we're not teenagers, we can't get away with many of the things we did as teens—eating French fries daily without gaining weight, micro minis and blasting a pimple with a heavy concentration of benzoyl peroxide.

Fortunately, companies are starting to take note of this trend and are offering new products specifically for treating acne in the 25+ set. One of the ones we can't wait to try is the new Olay Professional Pro-X Clear line. It's a three-step regimen, including:

• Pore Clarifying Cleanser with salicylic acid to gently remove dead skin and prevent clogged pores
• Skin Clearing Treatment also with salicylic acid to continue the process of clearing skin
• Complexion Renewing Lotion a sheer moisturizer that hydrates skin and helps fade spots and redness.

Itching to try it? Here are two ways:

1. Buy the Olay Pro-X Clear Acne Protocol at presale on Tuesday at noon EST when limited qualities will be available along with exclusive savings at Olay.com.
2. Enter to be one of the five lucky JSG readers to win a free Olay Pro-X Clear Acne Protocol. Email us at JSGgiveaway before Friday, June 17 at 11:59 p.m.

Review: Pond's Wet Cleansing Towelettes

Pond's Evening Soothe Wet Cleansing Towelettes may have won Allure's Best of Beauty pick 2010; but we prefer the Morning Refresh. Its citrus and cucumber scent is more appealing and the micro beads give us a super clean finish. They're perfect for an aprés flight pick-me-up. Both versions are available at drugstores nationwide.

This review was based on a press sample.

Fashion Fair's "Jumping The Broom" Collection

Fashion Fair launched the Jumping the Broom Beauty Collection as the official cosmetics partner of the movie with the same name. The collection is packed with fun and easy colors to take you from day to summer nights. Glosses and shadows are reasonably priced at $14 to $17 and are available at Macy's.

Review: LaLicious Sugar Reef Souffle Scrub

Whether you're gearing up for a pre-vacation spray tan or looking for a simple stay-cation treat, the LaLicious Sugar Reef Soufflé Scrub gives you what you need. The new Sugar Reef scent contains casaba melon, white tea and ginger, to "encapsulate the clean and fresh aroma of an ocean breeze." We love that it's a soufflé and a little goes a long way, so even though it costs $34 for 16 oz. it feels like a better value than other scrubs on the market. Plus it doesn't contain salt so you can use it post-shave and it won't sting.

Available on LaLicious.com.

Kate Walsh's Boyfriend Perfume

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Kate Walsh in person at an event for her Boyfriend fragrance. Kate was inspired to create the scent after a break up five years ago. "I thought, 'I really miss his scent,' so I went to a fragrance counter and bought a men's fragrance," she said. But the scent wasn't quite right on her and Kate realized she wanted something that was more of a balance between the masculine and the feminine and Boyfriend, a mix of amber and woods with vibrant florals, including dark plum and night blooming jasmine, was born.

The bottle is imprinted with boyfriends' names as a reminder of the ghosts of boyfriends past. Showing Kate's playful side, she included her lawyer's name and her cat's on the bottle.

Keeping in our own tradition (and being virtually goaded by our friend, Paula) we asked Kate to describe co-star Taye Digg's abs in one word. Kate's reply: Abtastic! Gotta love the woman for knowing how good she has it!

Boyfriend is available at Sephora and on HSN.

An Easy Trick to Brighten Your Smile from e.l.f.

Who knew that burnt toast was worth anything? According to the E.L.F. website, charcoal in burnt toast is an effective tooth whitener. Just pound a few slices into powder and add a few drops of peppermint oil. Brush with that mixer and you'll have some pearly whites! 

Summer's a perfect time to pick up this uber affordable Essential Hypershine Gloss Box from e.l.f. which is only $5 for five great colors in a twist up applicator that won't melt in your beach bag like lipstick. We chose the Summer Ready collection with pinks ranging from Bubblegum to Strawberry. 

Endless Summer with Fekkai

It was somewhere in the middle of last week that I went to sleep on a gray rainy night and woke up the next day to find it was full-fledged summer! When the seasons change so quickly, it can be hard to figure out what to wear and how to style your hair. You suddenly have to remember all those styling tricks from last August.  

Here are three cute hairstyles I'll be trying this summer from Fekkai--inspired by the 50s, 60s and 70s.Saks.com asked a couple of bloggers to model the looks created by Farbice Gili, Creative Director of Frederic Fekkai. I was so excited to join Kaitlyn from BeautyBlitz and Amber from BeautyBloggingJunkie on the shoot. I was the model for the 1970s—the photo at the top was our inspiration! I love that the hairstyle is so easy to create and done without being fussy. Check out the Sak's POV blog for instructions on how to create the look and the styles from the 50s and 60s.

My favorite trick I learned from Gili is to mist on Fekkai Beach Waves, a salt spray, like a hair spray. Meaning apply it from far away all over the hair so it creates soft beach waves—you don't need to scrunch it in, which is what I always used to do.

Check out this video for a behind-the-scenes look at our shoot:

Review and Giveaway: Wella Professional Care and Styling

Wella Professional's new line of care and styling products make choosing the best products for your hair simple and easy. I had the chance to spend an afternoon with James Cornwell, Celebrity Stylist and Fashion Director at PR at Partners in D.C. who took my hair from flat to fab with Wella's new products and color treatment.

Wella Professional Care
The shampoos and conditioners come in four categories: Brilliance, designed for color treated hair; Enrich, designed for dry and damaged hair; Balance for scalp care, and Age Restore for mature hair. (Note: Age Restore is perfect for those with long locks. The ends of your hair are much older than the roots!)  I used the Brilliance shampoo and the Enrich conditioning mask. First, the shampoo has the best scent bar none of any shampoo I've tested in years. It left my bathroom, heck the whole upstairs of the house smelling divine. More importantly, my hair was shiny and clean and not stripped or dry afterwards. The Enrich hair mask is thick and creamy. On sunny days, I leave this in my ends and twist my hair in a bun for a super conditioning treatment. The Wella hair care products are available in salons and are super reasonably priced for salon-quality (under $20 for a large bottle).

Wella Professional Styling
Since I'm concerned about damage from hair dryers and flat irons, I asked to try a protection spray. The Thermal Heat Protection Spray is the first thing I put on my hair after the shower. Not only does it make for an easy comb out, it protects my hair from heat styling. With summer fast approaching I also wanted to address frizz, so I'm using the Mirror Polish, which is a shine spray that holds down my crazy frizz too. Both are a good fit for summer, and make summer styling a cinch. James recommends the Thermal Heat Protection Spray first, then a rough dry, followed by the Mirror Polish and a round brush finish.

James used the revamped Koleston Perfect permanent color and the ammonia-free Demi-Permanent for my low lights. Both have worn well over the last month and I've only recently started to see the Demi color fade. I was especially impressed with shine and richness in my color. For those redheads out there: Koleston's reds last 15% longer than before.

We have a week's worth of Wella shampoos and conditioners to giveaway. If you'd like to try Wella, leave us a comment below and send your address to jsggiveaway@gmail.com. We'll pick two winners this week.

This review was based on a complimentary service.

Review: Sheer Cover Duo Concealer

Anyone who travels a lot know that a good concealer is a must. It covers up dark circles when you're tired and hides those pimples that inevitably seem to crop up when you're on the road. But since you need a different hue for under your eyes and a breakout on your cheek, it's a challenge to bring only one concealer for both areas. That's why the new Sheer Cover Duo Concealer is a must-have for our carry on bag. It's two colors in one compact that you blend together to get the perfect color for you. The concealer is creamy, so it goes on easy, but it doesn't budge--even on a hot day by the pool. Try it!

Sheer Cover Duo Concealer is available by calling 877-489-2035.

Nars Summer Gift Sets

We amp up our Nars usage in the summer with their bronzers, shimmer creams, and orgasm blush. They've got a nack for making up beautiful beachy skin. This summer give your bestie some love Nars-style with two new gift sets available at Sephora.

The "Lose Yourself" set, pictured above for $49, includes Angelika lip gloss and a special duo with Angelika blush and Laguna bronzer.

The "I Will Survive" set, below for $55, comes with a Sex Machine velvet lip pencil, Deep Throat lip gloss and Deep Throat blush. This one would make a good bachelorette gift!

Lancome Juicy Tubes Yayoi Kusama Collection

Juicy Tube lovers—just when you thought your collection was complete, Lancôme partnered with Japanese visual designer Yayoi Kusama for collection of six limited-edition petite glosses. The flavors and pigments are 100% natural origin and preservative free and the packaging is eco-friendly, certified by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), which helps reduce the exploitation of forests.

The six new colors and flavors are: Dot Apricot, Crazy Raspberry, Happy Honey, Rose Blossom, Pop Art Hazelnut and Swing Pink.

Available at Lancome.com

Tracy Anderson's Tips for Sexy Legs

We recently had the opportunity to attend a workout with celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson, courtesy of Venus Razors. Tracy is on speed dial of certain celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez who both worked out with Tracy when they needed to lose their baby weight.

Tracy's philosophy is to target the smaller muscles that are often neglected. And we can vouch--after the 30 minute workout, we were sore in place we didn't even know we had muscles. Here's a sample:

A) Balance on a three pound weight with both hands; the non-working side elbow should be on the ground. Start with your knee bent and pulled in towards your shoulder

B) As you extend the leg behind you, lift your elbow off the floor. The finished position has both hands on head of weight balancing with leg extended behind. Repeat/switch sides

Trust us--it's harder than it looks! But even if you do master Tracy's exercises or even, no woman's leg is sexy if it's stubly. Tracy recommends the Venus ProSkin Moisture Rich Razor. "It has shave gel bars, enhanced with a triple blend of body butters, to create a layer of protection for your skin with every stroke."

OPI and Pirates of the Caribbean 4

Johnny Depp is as oddly charming as ever as Jack Sparrow in his fourth Pirates on the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides opening tomorrow, May 20th. This time Penelope Cruz joins him as pirate Angelica on a search for the Fountain of Youth. We hear the filming was complicated since Penelope found out she was pregnant just a couple of weeks before starting.

OPI launched a series of polishes in conjunction with Pirates which ...“were inspired by a world filled with mythical mermaids, gleaming treasure, and high-seas adventure. With shades ranging from sage and lavender to khaki gray and pastel pink, these colors are evocative of a warm, tropical setting, with a classic nautical influence,” said Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP and Artistic Director. Our favorites are the rosy Sparrow Me The Drama and the lilac hued Planks A Lot. Also new is Silver Shatter which gives a two textured graffiti-inspired finish when worn over any dry polish. Available now at salons and retailers.

Pirates of the Caribbean Colors: Mermaid's Tears, Steady As She Rose, Planks A Lot, Sparrow Me The Drama, and Stranger Tides (missing from picture are Silver Shatter and Skull and Glossbones)

Sponsored Post: Lancome House of Color

Lancome asked 20 of the TOP fashion bloggers to create short films inspired by the new Lancome Color Design Eye Brightening All-in-One 5 Shadow and Liner Palette. Each day you can see a new video on the Style Coalition Channel. Today, mine premiered!

I was sent Sienna Sultry, a beautiful mix of pinks, beiges and browns. I love that the kit is is goofproof with clear instructions about what color to apply where. I applied it exactly as directed, using an angled brush for the all over base (top) and the lid color (far left). For the crease color (center) I used the oval sponge applicator that came with the palette. I applied the highlighter to the inner corner of my eyes (far right) with the pointed sponge brush  and I used my favorite skinny liner brush for the liner (bottom).

My inspiration for my video was the luxuriousness of nature. My short film includes shots of some of my favorite places in the world, both near and far. That's me in Fort Tyron Park—you'll find me there every morning walking my dog. I'm very lucky to live so close to somewhere so beautiful that inspires me every day!

To see all the video go to: Style Coalition Channel
Follow Lancome:
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This video series was sponsored by Lancome.

Kiehl's to Partner With Share Our Strength

Now you can feel even better about fighting wrinkles thanks to Kiehl's new Erase Lines, Fill Needs, and Ensure That No Kid Goes Hungry in America campaign. For every customer who even steps foot in a Kiehl's store on today, May 14, Kiehl's will donate $1.50 to Share Our Strength, which is enough to by a meal for 15 kids. If that's not enough, there's even a reward in it for you: a 10 day supply of Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate. What are you waiting for?

Suzy Parker for Chanel No 5 - 1961[Vintage Advertise Campaigns]

She was Coco's number one model after the comeback in 1954!

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Rainforest Travel Sweepstakes from Biolage

We love Biolage's Hydrathérapie line and now there's even more reason to pick up a travel set before your next girls' trip:

From now through May 31st, enter to win a trip for two to Costa Rica from Biolage.  Purchase a Rainforest Travel Kit for $9 and you'll receive a unique code for an on-line entry. The travel kit includes two travel-sized Hydrating shampoos and two travel-sized Conditioning balms.

The trip includes accommodations at the 4-star Paradisus Playa Conchal Resort in Guanacaste, Costa Rica for five days and four nights plus roundtrip airfare. It's valued at $5,000! Learn more at www.biolage.com/getaway.

Tika Sumpter Talks About Saving the Planet—and Kissing Nate and Chuck

Last week, we had the chance to talk with new Gossip Girl cast member, Tika Sumpter. She was at a Body Shop event promoting the 3-Minute Shower Challenge. Turns out reducing your shower time from  3 minutes to 10 would save 50 gallons of water per shower! If that's unrealistic for you—and hey, no judgments. Long, hot showers are definitely one of our biggest vices—even just shortening your shower time will help. Or try showering every other day when possible.

Another way to make your shower better for the earth is to use a eco-friendly shower gel. The new Body Shop Shower Gels for Earth Lovers are 100 percent biodegrabable and are sulphate, paraben and colorant free. They also come in a 100 percent recycled plastic bottle. The shower gels are available in six delicious scents, including pear and lemongrass and fig and rosemary.

Watch the video above to see Tika Sumpter talk about her involvement in the campaign. Be sure to watch to the end where she reveals who she like kissing better as Raina Thorpe on Gossip Girl, Chuck Bass or Nate Archibald!

MAC Surf, Baby!

Surf, Baby! from MAC is a beach party in your makeup bag with the new Splashproof Lash Mascara, Skinsheen Bronzer Stick, SPF 20 Liquid Lip Balms and much more. We can't wait to wade through this collection of crushed metallic pigments, hibiscus colored lipsticks and paradise cheek powders. MAC's latest collection is available May 26th at MAC stores, Mac.com, and department stores. Hang Ten!

Kiehls Limited Edition Rare Earth Cleansing Masque

Credit:  Mariano Vivanco

Kiehl's is at it again. For this year's Earth Day, the brand partnered with Chloe Sevigny and Michael C. Hall to design labels for the Limited Edition Rare Earth Cleansing Masque. All of the net proceeds benefit Waterkeeper Allilance,  a grassroots advocacy organization with nearly 200 member organizations. The masque detoxifies skin with fairly traded Amazonian White Clay. Check it out in stores or online today.