I started using Latisse! Here are my results after one week.

If you follow me on Twitter, you already know that I started using Latisse one week ago. It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing, really. My mom told me that a few of her friends use Latisse and have the most amazing eyelashes. Being the beauty-obsessed person I am, I had to try it.

If you're not familiar with Latisse, it's a prescription cosmetic treatment used to grow lashes fuller, longer and darker. Before I get into all the nitty gritty details about the product, let's get right to the good stuff. Here are my results after one week of using Latisse:

As you can see, there hasn't been much of a change at all. It's only been one week though, and my eye doctor said I probably won't start to see results until after two.

Essential info

If you're interested in using Latisse you'll need to obtain a prescription from a doctor. The prescription is quite pricey -- it cost me about $125 to get it filled.

The solution comes in a tiny eyedropper bottle, and is applied with a small brush along the upper lashline. One bottle of Latisse is packaged with 60 brush applicators, and you're supposed to apply the solution before bed, using one applicator per eye.

To give you a little history lesson, Litisse actually started out as a medicine called Lumigan used to treat the eye condition glaucoma. As a glaucoma medicine, Lumigan is applied directly into the eye like an eyedrop. Patients using Lumigan noticed that their eyelashes grew super long. The company that manufactures the drug simply re-packaged the same solution under a new name and billed it as a "treatment" for inadequate lashes.

Possible side effects

It should be noted that Latisse has some possible side effects, including a darkening around the eye area where the solution is applied, irritation, redness and itching. The worst potential side effect, though, is that Latisse may cause increased brown pigmentation in the colored part of the eye and essentially permanently turn blue or light colored eyes brown. According to the company that makes Latisse, this has only happened when the solution was applied directly into the eye.

Since I have brown eyes anyway, that's not much of a concern for me. Also, I have not experienced any itching, darkening of the skin or any other negative side effects from using Latisse.

Of course, those considering Latisse should certainly consider the possible side effects and speak to a doctor about the risks.

Anyway, I'm super excited to be using it and hoping to see some dramatic differences soon. Every morning I run to the mirror hoping for a miracle! Keep your fingers crossed and I'll keep you posted.

Spring into this season with pink nail polish

Now that it's getting a tad bit warmer here in New York, I've been testing the waters with some springier nail polish shades. During the winter, I was hooked on painting my nails dark reds and purples. I am so over those shades now! I feel like it's time for some really fun pinks. I'm also determined to try light blue and pastel purple shades this season. For now, though, I have two pretty pink colors to share.

First up, OPI's My Chihuahua Bites!

A few weeks ago, I was hanging out with some girlfriends and they all had on such cute springy nail polish colors. One friend wore a peachy pink shade and another had on bright yellow. I just had to copy. So I got My Chihuahua Bites! and I love it. It's absolutely perfect for spring and summer.

Next up, I tried a slightly darker shade from OPI called Houston We Have A Purple.

The name isn't really that fitting because as you can tell, this is totally a pink. It's actually a dark beet shade. A very nice color, and perfect for this in-between time of year, when one day it feels like fall and the next it's spring again. 

What do you think of these shades? Have you transitioned to wearing springy nail polish colors yet, or are you still wearing your dark, wintery hues?

Two dry shampoos I'm not loving right now

So I recently tried dry shampoo for the first time. I know, I know, what took me so long? Better late than never, I guess. Anyway, it basically revolutionized my life. With dry shampoo, I can go several days without washing my hair, and that's a huge time saver! Turns out, though, not all dry shampoos are created equal...

You may remember that I previously tried Batiste colored dry shampoo and loved it. After my can of Batiste ran out, I wanted to play he field a little and test out some other brands. I got this:

Got 2b Fat-tastic Fresh & Full Dry Shampoo - $7.99

My first impression - it smells good! Like a tropical drink. My second impression - OMG, it looks like I have white roots!

After I brushed out the white residue, I realized that this product actually works pretty well. That is, until it stopped being a dry shampoo. After using it for a few days, the product no longer sprayed out as a dry powder, but as a liquid that dried powdery. I am not a fan of that.

Moving on....

Next, I tried:

Pssssst Professional Instant Dry Shampoo 7 oz. - $8.99

I'm not sure if the can I bought was defective, but nothing came out except for air! I literally had to hold the can upside down for any of the actual product to come out. Annoying! Has anyone else experienced that problem?

Regardless of the faulty sprayer, out of all three dry shampoos I tried, I liked the consistency of this one least. It was very heavy and honestly kind of made my hair feel dirty. Plus, like the previous Got 2b dry shampoo, it began to turn watery. What's up with that?

I'm going back to my Batiste colored dry shampoo because that one rocked! I know some of you have tried Got 2b and Pssssst dry shampoos - what do you think of them?

Beautylish beauty director, Ning Chao reveals her favorite product of the moment

Last night at the Beautylish 2011 spring trend preview event in New York City, I caught up with beauty director Ning Chao (left) to dish about the hottest beauty trends of the season -- the pastel smoky eye, bright lips and slicked back hair. Unfortunately, most of our interview got cut off, but I did manage to capture one awesome tidbit -- her favorite beauty product of the moment!

Want to know what it is? Check out the video below:

In keeping with the bright lip trend, her favorite product of the moment is Dolce & Gabbana Ultra Shine Lipgloss in #136 Secret, a gorgeous bright orange shade. The color looks super intense in the tube, but actually comes out really wearable, Chao said. I can attest that the color looked fabulous on her!

I'm officially inspired to ditch my neutral lipstick and experiment with some fun, bright lip shades this spring. If you plan on wearing bright lips this season, just remember that the key to pulling off this look is to keep the rest of your makeup neutral.

Have you ever tried Dolce & Gabbana lipgloss? What do you think about this shade? Will you be rocking bright lips this spring?

Beautylish 2011 NYC Spring Trend Preview

The lovely team at Beautylish.com held a spring trend preview event last night in NYC to welcome their new beauty director, Ning Chao. I was so honored to be invited to the event, which was held at the uber swanky Crosby Street Hotel in SoHo and featured makeovers, flowing cocktails, delicious h'ors doeuvres and of course, beauty products galore.

Makeup artists and stylists from Bare Escentuals, Tarte and Wella were on hand to demonstrate the smoky pastel eye, slicked back hair and bright lips -- three beauty trends that are sure to be hot this spring. I attended with a good friend, Melissa, and we had a blast getting our hair and makeup done, meeting other beauty bloggers, vloggers and editors, devouring decadent cupcakes and mini-grilled cheeses with truffle oil and drinking maybe one too many glasses of wine. 

Melissa (right) and I after getting our makeup touched up by Bare Escentuals artists. 

Donna Wagner, a stylist from NYC's Pipino Salon gives my hair a beachy, tousled look using Wella products. 

I left with an heavy goodie bag filled to the brim with new beauty products from Victoria Secret, Borba, E.L.F Cosmetics, Dior, Guess, Too Faced, Urban Decay, StriVectin, Sally Hansen, Talika, Reveal Halle Berry, Guess, the Balm, and much more! I am so excited to try my new products and share my reviews with you.

Thank you so much to Christina, Victoria, Ning and the rest of the Beautylish gang for a fabulous evening!

Review - Almay Bright Eyes eye base + concealer

I got this product the other day because I ran out of both concealers I usually use. I didn't feel like running all the way over to Sephora so I just picked up something at the Rite Aid down the street. After a little hemming a hawing in the makeup aisle, I settled on the Almay Bright Eyes eye base and concealer, which I got for 40 percent off! (For around $7; score!)

As you could probably tell by the name of the product, it is both a concealer especially for the eye area and an eyeshadow base. According to Almay, the product contains a blend of marine extracts and white tea that "helps reduce the appearance of dark circles. Visually depuffs the eye area. Provides a smooth canvas for eye shadow application."

So what do I think of it?

When I first tried this product I really hated the packaging. Note: I typically use Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Concealer, which has a really cool applicator that allows you to put the smallest dot of concealer on a certain spot. This product is totally different. Basically, you have to squeeze the tube and the concealer comes out onto a little brush.

The first time I used this concealer, I found it really hard to control the amount of product coming out onto the brush. I had the same issue the second time I used it... so I really don't like that.

Now you're probably wondering how well the product actually works. My assessment is that it does what it's supposed to do. It does brighten and conceal the eye area very well. Check out my results:

As an eyeshadow base, however, it is just okay. It does not work as well as the Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer, which is what I generally use, but it's better than nothing. While it provides a smooth finish for eyeshadow, it does not help the shadow go on as vibrant as other eyeshadow bases I have tried.

Important Note: This product does not conceal blemishes completely. Even if you have clear skin with just a few discolored spots from past blemishes, this concealer will not fully conceal those areas.

My final assessment? 

This is actually a pretty ingenious product that works well as a concealer around the eye area and alright as an eyeshadow base. It will not fully cover blemishes, and the packaging could be better, but it is a good product for the price.