Recessionista’s Fabuless Pick of the Week: Nivea A Kiss Of Shine Glossy Lip Care

Nivea A Kiss Of Shine Glossy Lip Care is available at drugstore.com and Amazon.com.

For more video product reviews and tips, click here for Spoiled Pretty TV.

What’s New Pussycat? POP Beauty Cat Eyes!

I’m no pro makeup artist. But there’s one beauty technique that I’ve got down pat - the elusive cat eye. It requires patience and a steady paw…but once you put in a little practice, a fierce fe-lined eye isn’t far off.

But what if practice doesn’t make perfect? What if your finished product is more Amy (Winehouse) than Angelina (Jolie)? Don’t claw your eyes out just yet. POP Beauty has just the product to produce a purr-fect cat eye.

POP Beauty Cat Eyes is a uniquely slanted eye crayon. Simply press it into the skin and follow the lash line - and it makes the perfect flick at the end, which is key to perfecting the look.
Go from "I don’t know how" to MEOW!

I was particularly impressed by how effortless it was to create a cat eye with this liner. The creamy texture of the crayon simply glides across the skin. And no more worrying about the uniformity of the wings at the outer corner of the eyes...with Cat Eyes, they're a perfect match - every time.


Cat Eyes isn’t deeply pigmented, so if you're looking to create a Nicole Ritchie-esque eye (I‘m obsessed), here's what I recommend:

* prep the lid with a primer
* Line the eye with Cat Eyes
* Trace over the line with a liquid liner
* Apply two coats of your favorite volumizing mascara

POP Beauty Cat Eyes comes in three colors (Black Onyx, Black Dahlia, and Black Olive) and is available at Sephora, amazon.com, dermstore.com, and popbeauty.co.uk.

Got Cracked Lips? Yu-Be Happy With This Product...

It’s getting downright chilly in Philly. In a matter of days, my lips started cracking up - like they’d been watching a Chris Rock comedy special. Luckily, I discovered Yu-Be, the #1 selling medicated, vitamin-enriched skin care cream in Japan.

Yu-Be is a Glycerin-based moisturizing cream enriched with Vitamin E, Vitamin B2 and Camphor. The uniquely high Glycerin content, achieved through a special manufacturing process in Japan, makes Yu-Be very effective on severely dry skin.

What sets Yu-Be apart from other lip treatments is the highly absorptive formula. Your thirsty lips will drink it in, and it will hydrate, heal and lock in moisture for hours. Yu-Be leaves behind soft, supple lips – without the greasy, balmy finish. Which means that, when your lips are especially jacked up, you needn’t choose between a cushy restorative treatment and a cute lip color. Just dab Yu-Be on and wait a minute…then swipe on your favorite lipstick or gloss, and you’re good to go.

In addition to curing cracked lips, Yu-Be also heals and prevents split cuticles and smoothes rough skin. Use it to soften calluses and hard, cracked heels. It replenishes lost moisture from frequent hand washing and minimizes scarring from burns. Even world-class mountain climbers from Japan use it to protect their skin from the harsh cold, wind, water and sun on expeditions to the top of Mt. Everest!

Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream To Go (1.25 oz tube) is the perfect size for tossing into your purse or taking on trips.

Shop Yu-Be at Amazon.com, Beauty.com, Sephora and yu-be.com.

80s Ladies Week: Oh, Cargo...You're So Fine!

If you caught yesterday’s installment of 80s Ladies Week, you know that I’m pretty handy with the pom-poms. So it should come as no surprise that one of my childhood idols was singer/choreographer/fellow Philadelphian, Toni Basil.

For today’s 80s-inspired product review, I’m going to steal a line from Toni’s pop music classic…

Oh, Cargo you’re so fine,
You’re so fine you blow my mind.
Hey Cargo!
Hey Cargo!

On the 4th of July, I was invited to a late-evening barbecue not too far from my own apartment. I had to hoof it because there was no chance of finding parking anywhere in the vicinity of the art museum, which serves as backdrop for the city’s Independence Day festivities. The weather was pretty typical for July - hot and humid – with a light drizzle.


So before heading out the door, I finger painted with Cargo’s Melt-proof 3 in 1 Eye-Cheek-Lip Palette and swiped on some Better-than-waterproof Mascara. Eight city blocks later, I showed up at the party looking perfectly polished - and you know how shiny I can get. And when I returned home late that night, my makeup still looked freshly applied!!!

The Cargo Melt-proof Make-up Collection, which also includes a Melt-proof Bronzer, is limited-edition and costs $39 (retail value is $90). Pick this up immediately, you'll thank me later. You will be absolutely amazed at the staying power – it’ll blow your mind!

Cargo products are available at Sephora, Amazon.com, and cargocosmetics.com.

Isn't 80s Ladies Week totally rad? Be sure to check out Amber’s 80s inspired product review over at Beauty Blogging Junkie.

Holy Grail Hair Product Alert: Moroccanoil

I’m bossy. You probably didn’t know that about me.

For the past ten months, I’ve done a pretty damn good job of hiding my dictatorial demeanor. But sometimes, I feel so strongly about a product that a gentle suggestion just won’t suffice. So, at the risk of sounding like a despot, here goes my review of Moroccanoil.

I, Spoiled Pretty, command you, reader of Spoiled Pretty, to immediately purchase Moroccanoil hair care products. Heed this decree…for the use of Moroccanoil will, henceforth, transform your fried, lifeless locks into a mane of myth.

Moroccanoil Oil Treatment is a versatile hair product, made from the oil of the Argan tree. For centuries, Moroccan women have used this miracle oil to treat hair and nails, and to counteract the effects of the hot climate and aging.

In Philadelphia, we enlightened ladies like to treat our tresses to a little pre-shampoo Moroccanoil. Apply to hair (concentrating on ends) and cover with a shower cap for 30 minutes. If your hair is especially damaged, let hair marinate for a few hours or overnight. What kind of results can you expect? Moroccanoil’s many benefits include:

* Softens thick unmanageable hair
* Restores shine and softness to dull, limp hair
* Strengthens brittle hair
* Promotes healing and provides nourishment to hair damaged by coloring and styling
* Creates an optimal balance for the hair and scalp
* Nourishes the scalp (alleviates itchy, dry scalp)
* Protects against UV damage and other environmental factors
* Reduces drying time and speeds up styling time

Moroccanoil’s weightless non-greasy formula seals in shine, is perfect for all hair types, and won’t cause build-up on the hair. And the product is stored in an amber glass bottle to protect the oil from UV rays that cause oxidation and degradation.

You will notice a dramatic improvement in the feel and look of your hair after just one use. After introducing my mom to the line, she couldn’t stop raving about how Moroccanoil added softness and shine to her overprocessed hair. My mother doesn’t give compliments freely, so this endorsement was majah!


If you really want to go for the gusto, use Moroccanoil in tandem with the line’s other products.

The Masque is a rich, creamy conditioner, designed to hydrate and repair damaged hair. The Hydrating Styling Cream is a leave-in treatment that eliminates frizz, adds definition, and brilliant shine, while the pure argan oil conditions and hydrates the hair. And the Intense Curl Cream is used to enhance and define curly hair; repeated use will result in extraordinary hold, shine and protection.

Click here to find a salon near you that sells Moroccanoil. Or purchase products online at Amazon.com.

I've Got You Babe

While accompanying my mom on a recent trip to the Willow Grove Mall, I found myself drawn - like a moth to a flame - to the NARS counter at Bloomingdale's.

I was beyond thrilled to have finally hunted down the elusive Galapagos Eye Shadow, which was sold out at the first four stores I had visited. Before ringing me up, the saleswoman asked if my order was complete. I said yes, but then my eyes were seduced by the beauty of Babe Lip Gloss. It took me all of 30 seconds to decide that my lips would look delicious drenched in its sheer, fruit-punch red goodness.

I've worn Babe every day since, and I'm enamored. Punch drunk love, I call it.

NARS is available at Amazon.com, Bloomingdale's, Blue Mercury, Lord and Taylor, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Sephora.

I’ve Been Holding Out On Y’all

I’ve been holding out on y’all. Not on purpose, though.

Just now, I was searching around the blog – taking inventory, if you will, of what products I’ve tested thus far. When I went looking for my glowing review of Atopalm’s MLE Cream, it was nowhere to be found.

I must have told so many people about this miraculous moisturizer that I tricked myself into thinking I had reviewed it on Spoiled Pretty. But, alas, I did not – so here’s the 411, without further ado.

There’s nothing special or sexy about the packaging, fragrance (it's unscented), or name of this cream. But what I absolutely adore about this moisturizer is that Atopalm obviously put all of its resources into making a stellar product, rather than clever marketing.

Do you have dry skin? Do you suffer from dry flakes, no matter how much you moisturize? Is your skin extremely sensitive? Is rosacea your skin’s arch nemesis? Got a nasty case of eczema? Then you need to get this wonder cream!

Atopalm MLE Cream has plant-derived ingredients to aid in the replenishment of natural skin lipids to form a protective barrier against the elements. It also helps prevent the over evaporation of the skin's own moisture. And it helps in restoring the skin barrier depleted by microdermabrasion, facial peels, and other harsh treatments. It can be used on both the face and the body, is suitable for adults and children, and is side-effect free!

MLE Cream is the only moisturizer that quenched my perpetually parched face this winter. It fully hydrated my skin without turning greasy, even hours later.

Atopalm products are available at Amazon.com, CVS.com, and SkinStore.com.

I’ve Found Inner Peace – Want Some?

Have you seen those Axe commercials? You know…the ones where the guy mists himself with the aerosol spray, which makes him irresistible to women? Well, I think I’ve found the sophisticated, female equivalent.

Panpuri Inner Peace Body Butter isn’t your average lotion. This exotic moisturizer leaves skin sensually soft and the scent is absolutely intoxicating. Honestly, this product is so sexy that it might as well come packaged with a Barry White CD.

The body butter instantly sinks into and hydrates skin, while the floral-oriental fragrance is simultaneously heady and relaxing.

Additionally, there are no added perfumes or fragrances; only 100% pure essential oils (Ylang Ylang, Turmeric, Moist 24 of India, and Olive) are used to create Inner Peace.

Panpuri products are available on Amazon.com. You can also visit panpuri.com to find a retailer near you.