Tartans and Tidings

Girleens, can you believe tomorrow is December 1st!? You know that means holiday festivities will soon be underway! La Papillon is a proud sponsor of Tartans & Tidings this December 11th in Baltimore. Besides the fact that it's going to be a fabulous shindig with open bar, heavily butlered hor d'oeuvres & the amazing Burnt Sienna playing- a portion of the proceeds with be benefiting Baltimore tutoring programs. It's a win win! Did I mention the VIP gift bags, however? I'll let you in on a little secret, just La Papillon Spa alone will be having over $150 worth of loot in those puppies- score! Sky Blue Events is giving away a pair of 2 VIP tickets($250 value!), with its Preppy Plaid Photo Contest! Just email a photo of you wearing something fabulous & plaid- shoes, accessories, whatever! Plaid not really your style, but you want to do an awesome inspiration board? Perfect, just make sure to credit the source & photographer. All entries will be posted on Sky Blue Events blog on December 2nd & readers will vote on who's the best! Winner will be picked Friday December 3rd. Good Luck Beauties!

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Make-Up Must Have Monday

For Make-Up Must Have Monday, I have a new tool rather than an actual beauty product. I discovered the Z Palette in new york while I was at the Make Up Show & fell in love. As an artist I have tons of single pan shadows & blushes from all different lines. What happens is that each line comes out with a compact that houses THEIR product, since of course they want you to support their brand. The Z Palette lets you consolidate all your loose pans in one large case! It's brilliant & one of those "Why didn't I think of that?!" things.

As you can see above I scooped up the Zebra color choice. You can see it houses some of my Being True, Prescriptives, MAC & Trish McEvoy shadows- all varying in size. The simple black shade is your classic "little black dress" option or the go to for any professional's kit.

It also comes in this adorable leopard print. I am such a fan, that we just brought this product in the spa & online boutique. At $20, this is such a great gift to put under the tree for any make-up lover! Hope all my beauties had a great holiday weekend!

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Apeele Peel System

We are huge fans of resurfacing peels at La Papillon. In fact this week, our entire staff is in the peeling process. Often the trickiest thing about a medical peel is actually finding the days where you're ok with having a peeling face. Having a long holiday weekend where you'll be comfortable peeling around love ones is the perfect time to resurface your skin! While my staff is using our beloved Skin Medica Peels, I am evaluating the Apeele System. This peel uses a "synergistic combination of alpha hydroxy acids(mandelic, lactic), beta hydroxy acid(salicylic acid), other exfoliating agents(tricholoracetic acid, phenol, retinoic acid) in combination with hydroquinone and built in anesthetics to acheive a superficial to medium depth peel." I know it sounds a bit scary, but the entire process takes under 20 minutes & is relatively painless.

Who is a candidate? Anyone who is frustrated with lackluster skin, fine lines & wrinkles, hyperpigmentation(excessive freckling), problematic or acneic skin- basically everyone. I take very good care of my skin, but I still struggle with breakouts or an occasional cyst. From those I can have a red spot or even a small scar from the cyst. Hyperpigmentation is also a constant struggle for me. The peel is a 3 step system that is applied by a skincare professional. The first vial contains a degreasing agent to remove any oils from the skin, which ensures even distribution of the actual peel. The second vial is the main peel, which is applied after waiting a few minutes for the first vial to dry. Here I am applying the third step of the peel which is retinoic acid & has a yellow color to it- you can see both a little scar & redness on my skin remaining from a past blemish.
The following day, my skin felt tight & smooth. It was a little pink, but that was easily covered with make-up. Usually it takes about 36-48 hours for the skin to begin sloughing or shedding post peel.

Two days after application my skin began to peel around my mouth, this is a common area for the process to begin due to excessive mouth motion from speaking, chewing, yawning, etc- what can I say, I'm a talker! The peeling process isn't painful, more like a bit annoying. At times the skin can feel a bit itchy, but it is extremely important to never pull at the peeling skin! Stay tuned to see my post peel results! Have any of my beauties ever tried a medical peel? How was your experience? I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Peace. Love. Peels. M

Make-up Must Have Monday

It's the most wonderful time of the year....yes when beauty coupon codes are here! It's Smashbox's Friends & Family Event beauties- 20% off your heart's desire. Cue Beyonce's song "Halo" 'cause here are my pics! Whenever I'm giving make-up lessons & a client has redness in their skin, I say yellow is your friend my friend. This revolutionary HALO powder hydrates & conceals redness around the nose & cheeks.
Love this product for it's ease of use! Smashbox's Brow Tech To Go is pretty much goof proof. Just this weekend I used it on 3 different clients with different ages, skin tones, etc. Perfection- grab it in the "taupe" shade.

Ever since my beloved Joey Antioxidant Lip Pencil was retired *sigh* I've been searching for that perfect nude lip liner. The Nude Lip Pencil in "Light" brings a smile back to my face.

What else can I say other than this collection makes my heart go pitter patter. It had me at hello with just the mention of its 10 cream eyeliners & 6 brow powders. Without being monstrous in size this collections truly represents! What are your Smashbox tried & true faves girleens? Scoop them up with coupon code: FFSB20 at checkout. Happy Shopping!
Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Trish McEvoy

This week I had the opportunity to take an advanced artistry class from none other than Trish McEvoy! The petite make-up maven spoke for two hours about how shes creates the perfect face using concealing, highlighting & contouring techniques. Though I live & breathe beauty as a professional make-up artist, I think it's always important to keep learning!

I scooped up Cream & White Peach small shadows, as well as deluxe sized shadows in Demure & Shell for my kit. They're beautiful soft shadows that will be perfect for bridal make-up.

Of course, I also treated myself to a little something! I picked up her adorable mini voyager. The gold Chanel inspired zippered bag holds a credit card sized compact with four mini shadows- Shell, Cream, Cashmere, Blossom and Easy Going blush, a soft rose.

Also inside are 4 mini brushes- brush 48 blending, brush 23 angled crease contour, brush 50 angled lining & covered lip brush + a mini version of her Sexy Petal lipgloss. This will be perfect to take with me on vacation- only 46 days to go! Until then I have to just settle for weekends- speaking of, what are you beauties up to this weekend?

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Tres Bon Bons

We often have great events at La Papillon- you girls know since I give you recaps all the time. My Bons Bons have become quite the hit at the events, so I decided to launch Tres Bon Bons-because I obviously have too much time on my hands! Our official launch was at the Junior League of Baltimore's Decor Galore Sale over the weekend.

We brought other treats from the spa that pulled in with our confection theme, as well- organic handmade peppermint soap & our best selling cupcake bath bombs. Of course we couldn't leave behind our fan favorite Frasier Fir, too!

Everyone nibbled away at our sampling of strawberry, lemon, autumn spice, vanilla & confetti Bon Bons- they were coming back for second, thirds & fourths!

It was such a fun night & truly a great way to introduce the new business. Speaking of introductions, this is La Papillon's new spa & boutique manager Jodi, who rocked it out during the event!

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Friday's Finds

What are my beauties up to this weekend? If I were a New Yorker, I'd be at Barneys! Gina Brooke, the talented artist behind none other than Madonna's & Anne Hathaway's glam looks will be at Barneys tomorrow from 12-6 working her magic! She will be offering personal consultations using Hourglass Cosmetics.(Run, quick call 212.833.2658 to secure your spot)

But since I am in glorious Baltimore, La Papillon Spa will be one of the many fabulous vendors at the Junior League of Baltimore's Decor Galore Sale! Girleens, if you can make it for the preview Sip & Shop night tonight, do it! Tons of gifts at amazingly discounted prices, you can knock out the majority of your holiday list while giving back to this great organization! Grab a girlfriend & have a glass of wine & nibbles while perusing all the great steals & deals. Did I mention the first 100 shoppers get a Scout goody bag?

My other latest venture, Tres Bon Bons will be making there debut at the event, also! I've been a busy girl whipping up scrumptious cake Bon Bons that are the perfect treat for yourself or gift for everyone else on your list! Make sure to stop by & say hi. Have a great weekend!
Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Files from the Brow Whisperer

I'm sure my clients dread it when I whip out my camera- they know they're going to be in the Brow Whisperer file! This client is a perfect "before" candidate, though. Her brows aren't horrible, they just lack definition & shaping.

Can you believe this is even the same brow? It is! Trimming the hair, waxing below & especially above in this case makes the brow look more pulled together. I've said it before & I'll say it again- brow waxing & regular brow maintenance should be at the top of every woman's list!
Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Tarte Moisturizing Lip Tints

I really need to figure out if I can block beauty shopping channels on my tv girleens...I can't resist! As you'll see over the next couple of weeks, I got sucked into some serious make-up purchases when I stumbled upon a QVC beauty hour. I was intrigued by Tarte's Moisturizing Lip Tints Holiday Trio so I scooped them up. Shown left to right: Enchantment, Hope & Pouty.
I've always been more of a lipgloss girl (hence the name of this blog) but I was attracted to this product's ease of application & sheerness. They feel light & fresh on the lips. However, don't be fooled by how sheer they swatched on my hand. These shades pack a vibrant pop of color.

Here is Enchantment on my pucker. It's a fresh "just had a cherry popsicle" color. Though I liked the concept of this product, I must say the shades weren't for me. they were a little loud. I thought I favored the Hope shade & then when I got in the car I scared myself. Pouty pulled an obnoxious bubble gum pink on me as well *sigh* As most of you know I tend to vamp up my eye make-up on a daily basis, so I go with mostly nude glossy lips. These would be great stocking stuffers for gals who aren't afraid of color. I would definitely pick this product up in a shade that was more me.

Speaking of beauty girleens, I'd like to introduce you to one. Meet my new niece Georgia Grace, born on November 5th. Mama & baby are just perfect.

Peace. Love. Lipgloss.

New Arrivals

Whew! Besides running around at the spa during our laser event today helping our clients get gorgeous skin like a baby's, my new niece will be making her debut into the world as well! I will post pictures next week. Have a good weekend beauties!

Peace. Love. Pink. M

Treating Hyperpigmentation with BBL

Today is the first day of our 2 day Injectable & Laser event at La Papillon! I'm so excited since this is our very first laser event with dermatologist Dr. Noelle Sherber! I of course will be having the BBL(broad band light) performed in my never ending quest to squelch my hyperpigmentation! In preparation I have had (2 mild) Illuminize peels by Skin Medica to prep my skin for optimal results. As Dr. Sherber explained in her post, a "coffee grind" like effect will occur post treatment where my hyperpigmentation will seem darker & then it will flake off. I - being your guinea pig beauties, will be taking before, during & after shots to give you all a behind the scenes peek as to what to expect!

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M