Being a "Haus frau" is a very good thing. Just ask Leighton Meester and Molly Sims, who showed up for Julie Haus's first-ever New York runway show. The intimate affair featured bright colors, bold prints, and a few cute dresses that I wouldn't mind wearing in the hot sun right now. The hair and makeup were fresh and fun, with a hint of rebellious streak thrown in for good measure. "It's a little Read more

Greetings from New York, my friends. (Does that make me sound like John McCain?) While packing for the trip yesterday morning, I decided to pare down to only the essentials. Keeping two weeks of travel down to one carry-on suitcase made Fab's jaw drop, but here's my secret: Wear black dresses with different accessories, bring flat sandals that take up very little room, and think small when it Read more

Over the past year, I've talked in great detail about many different types of volumizing, lengthening, curling, separating, and glossing mascaras. There's even a new one from Besame that smells just like gingerbread. I've tried them all, and while most of them are great at the beginning, I find that they generally don't live up to the hype about remaining clump and flake-free for more than a Read more

Extra, extra! The Balm is full of news. Not only have they just launched a set of six new lipsticks called Read My Lips ($16), but I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate Marissa, the matriarch of The Balm, on the birth of her baby! These media-inspired lipstick shades have cute names such as Letter to the Editor, Gossip, and Classified. The texture is sheer and shiny, and since the Read more

The Balm is getting ready to launch a new matte bronzer called Bahama Mama ($18) in May. I've got pretty pale skin naturally, so this bronzer is great. It's sheer and it has a soft, gentle bronzing effect, which makes for a fabulous, natural-looking transition product before I have any trace of a summertime (real or fake) tan. I love that there is no shimmer to it and it doesn't make my face Read more

Madonna's skin looks insanely smooth for someone her age in her new "4 Minutes" music video. We've all heard gossip about her supposed plastic surgery, but I think it's pretty obvious that she's gotten some type of lifting and toning treatments at the very least. Her face is extraordinarily smooth with minimal lines around her eyes and lips. Of course, this definitely has something to do with a Read more

March 10th marks National Multiple Sclerosis Education and Awareness Week, and makeup maven Marissa Shipman has created yet another charitable beauty product for the occasion. Kiss MS Goodbye Lip Gloss is her best-selling shimmery, sheer peach Balm Shelter Lip Gloss called Girly Girl, but throughout the month of March it has new packaging and 20% of sales will go to the New York City chapter of Read more

Nothing gets my beauty-loving heart aflutter more than products that support a good cause. That's why I was so excited to find that TheBalm To The Rescue Lip Treatment ($14) is donating all net proceeds to Pug Rescue, an organization that rescues pugs from euthanasia and helps find loving homes for them. As if that wasn't enough to tug at your heartstrings, the product is also certified vegan, so Read more

Yay, The Balm has just launched a mascara called Two-Timer ($19). I'm so happy to finally share this with you because I've been harboring this dirty little secret since my interview with CEO Marissa Shipman in May. And lucky for me, during a recent visit to The Balm offices, I was given the chance to test it out. Here's the scoop: What makes this mascara stand apart from the crowd is that Read more

Part of the fun of shopping for makeup is checking out some of the creative, sexy and funny names that companies come up with for new products. While something like Thrrrob is outwardly sexy, some names are more discreetly suggestive. These in particular made me laugh, so I thought you might enjoy them too. The Balm Plum Your Pucker Lip Gloss in Squeeze My Lemons ($14) is a translucent and Read more