Refreshed Beauty Looks for 2010

It is easy to feel depleted, drab, and overwhelmed by the new year after the holiday season ends. Start off 2010 with a refreshed look, by incorporating new beauty items, tips, and products into your daily regimen.

Sabon Body Scrub, $30 at sabonnyc.com

Massage into wet skin for a therapeutic and relaxing experience. The Dead Sea salt crystals slough away dead skin while the oils moisturize, leaving skin smooth and radiant. Lavender Apple helps ease the mind and body.

Smashbox Photo Op Under Eye Brightener, $18*

Awaken and brighten your skin. Vitamin E, peptides, marine collagen, and red wine extract all help boost the skin, repair, and prevent damage. Dabbed under the eye, this instantly helps to cancel out darkness and smooth fine lines. This can also be used on the eyelid or cheeks for a healthy glow. Concealer glides beautifully on top of this must-have product.

Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes in Champagne or Pearly Brown, $17*

These pencils double as both liner and eyeshadow. They are long-wearing, and the texture makes for a gentle application without compromising dense pigmentation wherever it is placed. Champagne is versatile either as a layering tool to brighten any eyeshadow or alone for radiance around the eye. Pearly Brown is a great alternative to darker liners and gives a softer spin on the smoky eye.

Nars Velvet Matte lip pencil in Toundra or Damned, $24*

A matte finish leaves your lips color-kissed but natural. These non-drying long-wear pencils are a fun break away from lipstick and gloss. They are enriched with Vitamin E, easy to apply and go on silky-smooth. Toundra is perfect for a rich, full lip, while Damned playfully brightens up the whole face.

*For one-stop shopping of any of the listed products, visit your local Sephora store. Sign up to become a beauty insider and receive special discounts and promotions.

Keeping Your Brush Clean!

One of the most frequently asked questions regards brush hygiene. Keeping your brushes clean does not mean having to spend $15-$20 on the brush cleaner that is pushed on customers at almost every beauty counter in the country. In all honesty, brush cleaners aren’t even all that wonderful. For all-natural hair brushes, baby shampoo is incredibly gentle, keeping the hair on the brush soft while effectively cleansing it of bacteria and built-up product. For synthetic brushes, any anti-bacterial soap will do the job. Besides being more effective and cost-friendly, an added bonus to these alternatives is that your brushes aren’t left with a chemical residue smell.

Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, $4.99 and Dial Liquid Soap, $3.99 both at CVS