We fell hard for Natalie Alcala last fall, when the LA-based writer and blogger spent a week guest blogging for us. In fact, we loved her posts so much that we asked her to be a contributing editor. In addition to blogging for us once a week, she’ll also be writing for the Birchbox Magazine and keeping us up to speed on all things fashion, beauty, and fun.
Happy Almost Oscars Day! In honor of the looming 85th Annual Academy Awards, Hollywood has morphed into one big primping party, offering a host of pop-up beauty havens at a bevy of top-notch hotels. Yesterday I swung by the Brit Beauty Suite at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills, where gratis St. Tropez tanning treatments and custom Sanctuary Spa facials were being doled out.
Facials were being given by London-based renowned skincare and beauty specialist, Nichola Joss, who helps maintain the glowing skin of Kate Moss, Elle Macpherson, Heidi Klum, Charlize Theron, Keira Knightley and Cate Blanchett. I sat down with her to chat skincare routines, beauty myths and the proper way to apply eye cream.
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I’m a big fan of facials, but unlike some members of our team, I’m not yet the connoisseur I’d like to be (hint hint wink wink Candice). I’m working hard to remedy that though and last week, I got one step closer to my goal by getting a facial from the Austrian skincare company, Neydharting Moor. The company hosted a breakfast Wednesday morning for their US launch and I got the chance to learn all about the products before experiencing their facial.
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A word to the wise and well-groomed: in New York City, the spas and salons where you get the most bang for your proverbial buck don’t necessarily have sleek storefronts or vocal celebrity followings. In fact, Birchbox staffers like to frequent tucked-away places guarded by insiders as well-kept secrets. Since we love to share, we put together a list of our favorite not-so-famous spots to get pampered without breaking the bank (by NYC standards, of course!):
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Photo: fashionloving.co/uk
I’m a big believer in experimentation and giving all products a fair shake, but when I found out about Hollywood’s new go-to facial, I was floored (and maybe a little grossed out). What’s the latest trend in sunny SoCal? LED light therapy facials using sheep’s placenta gel that’s infused with gold flakes, courtesy of Dr. Harold Lancer.
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TheGloss is one daily must-reads (right up there with the NY Times). We love the site’s witty approach to style and its smart and irreverent voice. We like the writing so much, in fact, that we’ll be featuring one of their posts each week here on the Birchbox blog.
You know how celebrities love to spill their beauty secrets, even when they have no idea what they’re talking about? Scarlett Johansson is the latest famous to engage in this particular kind of PR, telling Style.com that one of her favorite things to do for her skin is an all-natural honey facial.
“I use Manuka honey,” she said. “You just warm your face so that your pores are open (you can steam your face right after getting out of the shower), and then you just take a spoon and apply the honey directly to your face and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes. It really adds an amazing glow and your skin is so soft afterwards. It pulls out the impurities.”
Well – if it’s good enough for Scarlett, it’s good enough for me.
Read the rest of the article here.
Some other links from TheGloss you might like:
Mix Up Your Makeup With Monthly Beauty Sample Deliveries From Birchbox
Beauty Treatments For Hippies: Oatmeal Facial Scrub
Snooki’s New Tattoo is Horrible
Photo: Elle
Every time we think we’ve seen it all, a new beauty treatment takes us by surprise. A new cosmetic procedure dubbed the “vampire facial” involves harvesting plasma from your own blood and injecting it into your face. It’s being touted as a natural way to fill in wrinkles and restore lost volume. We’re a little wary of having our blood drawn, but you should definitely read about the experience of an Elle writer who had the procedure done. You may not be able to become an eternally youthful vampire like Bella in Breaking Dawn Part 1, but this might be the next best thing. Would you try it?
—Mai
In case you’re not willing to go quite this far, get a gorgeous face the old fashioned way, with red lips.
