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Giveaway: 5 Items from the Shiseido Spring 2015 Collection (A $150 Value)!

A couple of months ago, Shiseido invited me to the launch of their Spring 2015 line at the luxurious Aire Ancient Baths in Tribeca. I was naturally excited to go out, sans kids, to what seemed to be a sophisticated, adults-only affair. What I didn't realize was how fish-out-of-water I would feel at this event; I felt severely underdressed, inelegant, and flat-out dumpy in a room full of tall, thin, impeccably-dressed women — most of whom were beauty journalists/bloggers and editors at fashion magazines. But it didn't matter, because I was super stoked to meet Heidi Manheimer (CEO of Shiseido USA), and Tomoko Yamagishi (Senior VP of Marketing of Shiseido USA), who introduced to us the Spring 2015 collection. After the presentation, we got to...

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“Bad Sleeper”

Sleep and I do not have a good relationship. We have never been friends. I am constantly chasing sleep and then pushing it away. A good night's sleep is my white whale. Like Ahab, I am also a total drama queen about it. I love to talk about how little sleep I get. I brag about it, as if it is a true indication of how hard I work. But I truly suffer at night. Bedtime is fraught with fear and disappointment. When it is just me alone with my restless body and mind, I feel like the whole world is asleep and gone. It's very lonely. I am tired of being tired and talking about how tired I am. The...

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Global Luxury Shoe Designers Reimagine Cinderella’s Glass Slipper

In celebration of the release of the live action film Cinderella, Disney has enlisted 9 global luxury shoe designers to create their own interpretation of the iconic glass slipper. Take a look!

Paul Andrew:
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“Cinderella’s glass slipper represents every woman’s dream shoe. The story, being a classic, inspired me to use my iconic pointed toe silhouette, which I embellished with an array of hand encrusted Swarovski crystals to create the ultimate fantasy shoe. I used transparent PVC to create a ‘glass’ effect and ivory suede for luxurious texture and dimension.”

Alexandre Birman:
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“My vision of the glass slipper was inspired by the timeless and feminine beauty that I believe Cinderella and the Alexandre Birman brand both share. I reinterpreted our classic Johanna pump, this time giving it a fashionable and romantic twist with satin and Swarovski crystals. It’s a shoe I imagine a modern princess would wear.”

René Caovilla:
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“‘Works of arts called shoes’ to grant wishes and raise emotions. Passion and never ending research don’t draw the line at fantasy and creativity. This is how dreams come true in our fairy tale.”

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Fluid Foundation Review: My New HG Foundation!!!

Can it be? Have I finally discovered a new foundation to replace my beloved "complexion perfector," the Giorgio Armani Maestro Fusion Foundation?The Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Fluid Foundation was released late last year to rave reviews. It is the latest in the liquid-to-powder foundation trend that began with the launch of GA Maestro two years ago. (You can read my thoughts on some of the other liquid-to-powder foundations here.)So what made me want to try the Sensual Skin Fluid Foundation? It was an article in Refinery29, "Foundation Just Got Way More Amazing" — which talks about the liquid-to-powder foundation trend and reviews 6 of the most popular ones — that first sparked my interest. And the more I researched the Sensual Skin Fluid Foundation, the more I realized...

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Into the Great Unknown

YOU. GUYS.

You’re probably aware of the fact that both the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies were made by the same production company, Lucasfilm.

And you have to know that Han Solo and Indiana Jones were played by the same actor, Harrison Ford. (Right?)

So what if they could meet?!???

“Into the Great Unknown” is a 10-page non-canon comic story that was included in the comic book Star Wars Tales 19 in 2004. It serves more as a fanboy fantasy than a serious addition to either Star Wars or Indiana Jones worlds, but it truly is mind-boggling and leaves one almost wishing it were true.

(Almost. Without giving anything away, something big happens in the storyline with which most Star Wars fans have a big problem.)

Check it out below!

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Where to Buy Korean Skincare & Beauty Products

I've been getting some great feedback on my Korean skincare posts — thank you! But one thing that keeps coming up in my discussions with friends and readers is: where can I get this stuff?!? Admittedly, any idiot knows to Google a particular product, but aside from eBay and third-party Amazon sellers, which are the best online stores to procure these items? Before I start, I should mention that while eBay and Amazon (via third-party sellers) certainly carry the widest selections (at great prices, to boot), you need to be careful when placing your order. Aside from checking the sellers' ratings, you should check to see where they will be shipping the items from — more often than not, they will be shipping from...

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100 Years of “The Perfect Body”

One of my favorite sections from Tina Fey’s 2009 bestseller Bossypants deals with body image:

I think the first real change in women’s body image came when JLo turned it butt-style. That was the first time that having a large-scale situation in the back was part of mainstream American beauty. Girls wanted butts now. Men were free to admit that they had always enjoyed them. And then, what felt like moments later, boom — Beyoncé brought the leg meat. A back porch and thick muscular legs were now widely admired. And from that day forward, women embraced their diversity and realized that all shapes and sizes are beautiful.

Ah ha ha. No. I’m totally messing with you. All Beyoncé and JLo have done is add to the laundry list of attributes women must have to qualify as beautiful. Now every girl is expected to have Caucasian blue eyes, full Spanish lips, a classic button nose, hairless Asian skin with a California tan, a Jamaican dance hall ass, long Swedish legs, small Japanese feet, the abs of a lesbian gym owner, the hips of a nine-year-old boy, the arms of Michelle Obama, and doll tits. The person closest to actually achieving this look is Kim Kardashian, who, as we know, was made by Russian scientists to sabotage our athletes.

I know that in this day and age, we women are taught that true beauty shines from within, that our happiness, health, and confidence are far more important than our physical attributes. But let’s face it — I have not come across a single woman in my life who was 100% satisfied with her body, all the time.

And how can we, when our society’s perception of an ideal body is every-changing as well?

To illustrate this point, The Greatist has put together a series of images that outline just how much the American standard for the “perfect body” has evolved over the past 100 years. Take a look!

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