I love fragrance. Certain scents can immediately whisk me back to a specific time in my life in a blink of an eye. Another helps create memories. There is such an abundance of great perfumes on the market right now, so I asked my fellow beauty blogger’s which were their must-have fragrance for Fall (and included mine too.)

Patty from Perfume Posse: For fall, I’m hands down in love with L’Artisan Nuit de Tubereuse. It’s rich, little spicy, nutty, the tubereuse isn’t the big white flower one of Fracas, it’s just absolutely stunning, warm and more than slightly addictive to wear. It’s a disturbing comfort. Like that moment when you are doing crow or a handstand in yoga, and it’s not something you feel confident about in the least, but you hit that one sweet moment when you know you’ve lined it up and that’s what it should feel like. Then you realize you are probably going to bang your nose on the floor or your arm might give out, but it’s almost weightless and without effort for a second and you may even look good doing it, but deeply disturbing in feeling right. (Find it at LuckyScent.com.) 

Marta from Talking Makeup: The hottest fragrance for Fall hands down is Womanity by Thierry Mugler!! Why? Wow factor.

Evie from Product Pasha: Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia Cologne: this simple yet intriguing fragrance is perfect for Fall – sweet and warm, fresh and fruity. I love that I can wear it alone or pair it with other fragrances to add more depth on colder days.

Shannon from A Girl’s Gotta Spa!: I am really loving pureDKNY. There is something about the scent of vanilla as the air cools down. But it’s not just a clean vanilla and water fragrance, it has a hint of floral too. So pretty. So simple.

What is your must-have fragrance for Fall?

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*Disclosure

I’m excited to announce that if you will be at the HBA Expo on September 28th, so will I! I’ll be on a panel alongside my fellow beauty bloggers Lianne from The Makeup Girl and Nadine Jolie of Nadine Jolie. We’ll be answering questions about the beauty blogosphere and providing tips on how to approach today’s beauty influencers. Sounds like fun, right? You can register at www.HBAExpo.com (use code GPSZ at check out for 30% off!) If you are a brand, PR firm or marketer, please leave a comment to let us know you are coming. It’ll be great to put faces to names!

Ever since I had long golden blonde hair with banana curls as a little girl (and then proceeded to cut it off much to my mom’s horror when Dorothy Hamil was popular)…I have always been obsessed with hair care products. From hair color (dye, highlights, low lights, etc.) to hair styles and accessories (perms, crimping, hot rollers, flat irons, big hair, long hair, short hair…you name it!)  to hair products (hair masks, hot oil treatments, leave-in conditioners, glossing serums, etc.) I could probably start the Encyclopedia of Hair Care (much like my Encylopedia of Mascaras on A Girl’s Gotta Spa! Facebook fan page!) I asked my fellow beauty blogger’s their must-have hair care product for Fall and here’s what we came up with:

Amber from Beauty Blogging Junkie: I anticipate Living Proof’s Full Root Lift Spray (hitting shelves in September) changing the hair landscape as we know it. Without stickiness, it delivers hair that is heavier, volumized and more ample, somehow. It’s my new go-to item. 

Lianne from The Makeup Girl: Peter Lamas Rice Volumizing Protein shampoo/conditioner. Ever since I have been getting regular keratin treatments to smooth out the frizzies, I have to use sulfate free products when washing my hair. Not only does this give me body without being crazy it’s certified organic and super gentle on my hair.

Cybele from Cybele Says: Hair straightening systems seem to be all the rage and they seem to just get bigger as time goes on. The latest being Global Keratin Hair Taming System and what’s great about this system is that you can choose the level depending on your hair type – Light Wave, Curly or Resistant. Check their site for salons that offer the treatment.

Shannon from A Girl’s Gotta Spa!: Jonathan Product Green Rootine Dry Shampoo.  On days when my mom-on-the-go schedule is super busy and I don’t have time to wash and style my hair, this brush-on powder is perfect. It absorbs excess oil, dirt and product build-up from my hair and scalp, but also increases volume in my hair.

What’s your must-have hair care product for fall?

Don’t forget to Like A Girl’s Gotta Spa! on Facebook, talk to me on Twitter @agirlsgottaspa and subscribe to this beauty blog!

*Disclosure

I love beauty products, but don’t forget the beauty accessories! I’m talking hair dryers (can’t live without my Conair Infiniti Nano Tourmaline Ceramic hair dryer), skin care accessories, makeup accessories…you name it! Here’s some must-have beauty accessories for Fall from my fellow beauty bloggers (and myself!):

Aly from AlyWalansky.com: For me, it’s Crest 3D White Pro Effects Whitestrips. My income is super limited and yet, I’m expected to constantly smile for pictures and attend events, sometimes with just a few days’ notice! This really truly makes my teeth look whiter in one day – which is great, until I break out the wine!

Adina from Krasey Beauty: My must-have accessory is the Clarisonic, of course. It is a skin game-changer, a face fortifier, and a confidante to complexions everywhere. I use mine nightly for a massage and proper cleansing in one, and my skin glows for it. 

Julie from I Heart Heels: The Zeno is my go-to on the spot “facial.” It really keeps my skin clear (with one ingredient – heat!), and I’m really loving the new Zeno Hot Spot for fall because it’s so portable – and pretty!

Shannon from A Girl’s Gotta Spa!: Renée Rouleau Toning Cloths. I cannot live without these and if you have used them yourself, then you know that once you try them, you will never ever go back to using cotton balls or cotton pads! There is no lint, and these cloths are gentle enough to use on your face to remove makeup and apply toner, yet also strong enough to use when removing your nail polish. They are triple duty beauty!

What is your must-have beauty accessory?

*Disclosure

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Sure I could’ve cleaned up the Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics products in this picture before snapping it. But that would defeat the purpose of this beauty review…because this is must-have makeup, which means I really do use them. What you see here is Youngblood’s Hi-Definition Hydrating Mineral Perfecting Powder in Translucent (bottom), Ultimate Concealer in Medium, and Pressed Individual Eye Shadows in Orca (top) and Jewel (the teal color.)

Eye shadows: The highlighter is “Orca” and the contour “Jewel.” (On the lid you would wear more of a nude/natural color.) I have hazel eyes, so Jewel really makes my eyes pop. It also creates more of a smoky eye look, as well. I can say that at first when I saw Jewel I was nervous because I immediately had a flashback to a bad 80’s blue eye shadow experience.  Thankfully, this teal colored shadow is gorgeous. If Youngblood’s Ultimate Concealer is applied first to your eye area, these shadows won’t crease.  makeup

Ultimate Concealer: This is a staple in my makeup bag. Due to the shadowing in the picture, it appears darker than it really is. It is creamy, yet seems to dry to a powdery feel on the skin. It also has buildable coverage, so whether you need light coverage under your eyes or heavy coverage on a blemish or redness, this concealer will get the job done. The best part is that it has Jojoba esters, which prevents your skin from drying out in the areas that you use it in. (Which is great especially in the winter!)

Hi-Definition Hydrating Mineral Perfecting Powder: No, this white powder won’t make you look like a clown or appear paler than you are. It simply gives you coverage like nothing I’ve seen before. I have combination skin, so shine is always a problem for me. I also have a bit of redness on each side of my nose and some wrinkles (good grief the wrinkles!) under and around my eyes. This powder not only mattifies the shine for a long stretch of time, it also diffuses imperfections so that I can look like I have perfect skin (even though I don’t…AT ALL!)

Not seen here, but deserves an honorable mention (because I carry it in my purse all of the time) is their Pressed Mineral Rice Powder (I have it in Medium). It has a super silky feel on the skin and mattifies wonderfully. I keep it on me to use for touch-ups when I’m out and about.

Do you use any of the products mentioned above (or any other makeup from Youngblood)? Let’s discuss in the comments!

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I don’t know about your beauty regime, but I’ve spent most of the season taking advantage of my summer tan and going the “bronzed goddess” route — chocolate shadow, golden highlighter, bronzer, nude lips — with the occasional monochromatic smokey eye for those more dramatic nights out. As a result, as much as I love amped-up neutrals and sparkly skin tones, my makeup look is starving for some hardcore color. As wild as it looks, I’m totally loving the watercolor inspiration trend for fall — multi-toned and gradient shadow, candy colors that pop despite the impending dreary weather, and rainbow shades that a conservative gal would normally steer clear from!

Mix and match your shadow and liner with a coordinating bright duo, like Sephora Collection’s Colorful Duo Eyeshadow in Tropical Blue, or if full-on neon shadow isn’t your thing, go neutral on your lids while making liner pop with a colorful swipe of one (or two!) of the shades from Illamasqua’s Liquid Metal Palette! Face painting never looked so chic! Make sure not to incorporate a whole art gallery’s worth of color on your face at one time, however; it’s definitely possible to go overboard with this trend! 

Also pictured: Make Up For Ever Flash Color Case (top right) and Josie Maran Natural Wonder Powders Palette (bottom left).

Save on Watercolor-Inspired Palettes at Sephora from TheFind.com’s coupon site.

*Guest beauty post for A Girl’s Gotta Spa! (sm) from my friends at TheFind.com.

You already know to use conditioner as shaving cream and lotion as eye makeup remover; you learned from us yesterday that oils, balms, color sticks, and face wipes are your new dynamic duos. But what about less common multi-tasking products?

Veronica Mayo, a former airline executive and founder of Vemayca, a line of cosmetic bags, offers this pro tip: “Concealer works as a eye lid primer. Apply on the eye lid and smudge darker color into cease of the eye–requires that you bring only one eye shadow.”

You can also buy products that combine things for your convenience. Check the list below for likely pairings like foundation plus concealer and less-expected duos like brow mousse and root-coverup. 

1.) Foundation + Concelear = Luxury Swiss beauty brand La Prairie’s Skin Caviar Concealer, which boasts a bottle of foundation with SPF 15 with a lid that houses a color-coordinated concealer. ($180)

2.) Hand crème + Lip balm = Votre Vu’s Duette (pictured), a summery-scented duo that includes a decadent almond-and-coconut hand lotion on the bottom with a deeply moisturizing coconut-flavored lip balm with UV filters in the cap. ($39)

3.) Hair treatment + Shaving cream = ESPA Pink Hair and Scalp Mud, perhaps the oddest couple of the bunch. The pink-colored mud is an intensive hair and scalp treatment that protects hair from chlorine, sun, and pollutants when applied to wet or dry hair (the pink tint is so faint it’s chic). In the shower, it’s a thick shaving cream. ($65)

4.) Shoes + Tote = CitySlips, foldable ballet flats whose ingenious pouch unfolds to a tote for your high heels—or your souvenirs. In black, gold, and silver, the slippers are hardy enough for site-seeing but small enough to carry as backup. ($24.95)

5.) Exfoliating scrub + Moisturizer = LUSH Buffy Body Butter, a combo that sounds like an oxymoron but is actually a solid body butter bar combing cocoa and shea butters, mixed with ground rice, almonds, and adzuki beans for exfoliation. Since it’s a solid, it’s easy to throw in a carry-on. ($11.95)

6.) Sunscreen + Moisturizer + Anti-Aging = FAB 5-in-1 Face Cream from First Aid Beauty, a science-heavy but lotion-light formula that filters UVA and UVB rays with an SPF 30, moisturizes, prevents and reduces fine lines and wrinkles, corrects uneven skin tone, and combats free radicals. ($38)

7.) Face wash + Toner + Moisturizer + Tin = Dr. Hauschka’s Daily Face Care Kit, which includes six tiny tubes of an entire skin regime. Perfect for gals who don’t want to skip out on an ounce of their daily pampering: Cleansing Cream, Cleansing Milk, Facial Toner, Moisturizing Day Cream, Rose Day Cream, Quince Day Cream. ($24.95)

8.) Undereye night cream + Day cream + Fine-line eraser = The Socializer Pen from Elizabeth Grant. Celebs Blake Lively, Jessica Szohr, Leighton Meester, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Kristin Bell love the dual-sided pen—Bright Lights for the morning, Late Nights for the evening—that hydrates, de-puffs, and erases dark circles. You can also click the pen onto the forehead area, marionette or smile lines, or any unwanted crevices for an illuminated finish that virtually erases their appearance. ($40)

9.) Facial cleanser + Bubble bath = Belletaré Crescendo Cleansing Gel, an eco-friendly cleanser, makeup remover, bubble bath, and shave gel. The healthy, natural gel contains ingredients like acai pulp oil, kokum seed butter, and Monoi de Tahiti butter rolled up into recycled packaging. ($4.50)

10.) Eyebrow mousse + Root cover-up = Blinc’s Fountain of Youthful Color Eyebrow Mousse, a concoction invented to tint, fill in sparse areas, and tame brows like a gel. Because the mousse doesn’t fade, run, or smudge, even if you sweat or wear it in harsh weather conditions, some women use the eyebrow mousse to cover up roots between salon visits. ($25)

Guest post for A Girl’s Gotta Spa! by Lyssa Myska Allen, editorial director at EndlessBeauty.com.

I have 4 sons. My oldest is 11 and my youngest is 3. While I may not have any daughters I can dote on when I get a new MAC lip gloss or Zoya Nail Polish, my boys still very much enjoy reaping the benefits of all of my lotions, sugar scrubs, shower gels, soaps, shampoos and conditioners. Right now they are quite fascinated by my LiQWD bottles, however just the other week my son Brody (the 3 year old) used my Renee Rouleau Luxe Mint Cleansing Gel as shampoo and my LiQWD shampoo as handsoap. He liked the minty smell of Renee’s cleanser and told me it made him feel clean. I agreed, it does do that…on your face, not your hair.

We have a routine every night that before our “family time” (ie. watching movies together on Netflix with a snack), the kids get showers. I was cleaning the kitchen when I realized that they all seemed to be taking much longer than usual. Plus there seemed to be an awful lot of giggling going on. Upon the boys exiting the bathroom, I discovered that they simply were doing what mom sometimes takes for granted…enjoying using a variety of beauty products.

This was how I found the bottom of my tub (exactly–I didn’t move a thing): 

What do we have here? Redken Time Reset, Pureology AntiFade Smoothing Shampoo & Conditioner, Lierac Paris Micro-abrasion, Artemis Woman Gem Therapy Body Polish, Organix TeaTree Mint Conditioner, Danielle & Company Aloe & Ivy shower gel, Renee Rouleau Luxe Mint Cleansing Gel, LiQWD Volumizing shampoo & conditioner, Peter Llamas Soy Hydrating shampoo & conditioner, ARROJO Gentle shampoo & conditioner, Wei East China Clay Herbal Purifying Masque, Dove soap and PCASkin Creamy Cleanser.

Despite how many products you see here…and yes I certainly do need that many shampoos and conditioners (can you relate?!)…this was only a small portion of what is in my shower.

How many products have you been known to keep in your shower at once? (And shower…not the bathroom entirely because that is a whole other story here!)

Thanks to everyone who made my birthday giveaway week a fun one. I especially enjoyed the 80’s bad hair pictures on the A Girl’s Gotta Spa! fan page. Hilarious!

Here are the winners for each of the contests:

Redken: Tina Jones

philosophy: Kristin S

Purple Lab: DLori

Exuviance: Lynne Goodwin

Lierac: Deine

Many thanks to the brands who helped me spread the word! If you find your name on this list, please be sure to contact me with your mailing address.

xx

Shannon

The night before my birthday every year my mom calls me and says, “36 years ago today I was jumping off the sidewalk trying to make you come out.” Then like clockwork, around 10am-ish on my birthday my mom will call me and say, “36 years ago today I looked at you and loved you.”

I overheard my sons talking about giving me breakfast in bed…cereal with chocolate chips in it (my staple.) I also heard my 6 year old say, “Yeah, mom’s an old lady.” Oh my.

Birthdays are a big deal to me. I love presents. Which is why I always hold giveaways the week of my birthday. I enjoy the excitement of everyone trying to win, most especially the “OMG YAY!” when I email each person to let them know they’ve won. So be sure to check out and enter to win the 5 giveaways I’m holding. You only have until August 23rd, and they are pretty awesome if I do say so myself. 

• Worst 80’s Hair: Redken Giveaway (picture of my 80’s hair)
• philosophy eternal grace Giveaway (pictures of me as a baby)
• Purple Lab Silk Sheets Giveaway (picture of me and Karen Robinovitz)
• Exuviance Age Reverse Giveaway (picture of me when I was 18)
• Lierac Paris Coherence Giveaway (picture of me in 1991)

Happy (36th) birthday to me. And Cake Boss if you are listening, I would really like one of your cakes.