Beauty of a Site Blog

New for Fall 2009, Beauty of a Site announced our more recent product addition: IKove by Florestas.  This range of haircare, skincare and bath & body products is completely organic and natural, using a botanical base full of oils and extracts from the forests of the Amazon. We have to label IKove products as some of the most guilt free beauty products we've ever seen.  A socially responsible company, IKove is dedicated to growing the economy of the Amazon, allowing local villages to stop cutting down trees and protect the region's beautiful and rare rainforests.  The company uses certified organic ingredients, avoids synthetics and potentially harmful chemicals, while also avoiding any animal ingredients. IKove also strives to use as many certified fair trade ingredients as possible. The lush and luxurious ingredients in the IKove products are what truly set them apart as unique- as must-haves!  Acai Berry is one of IKove's favorite ingredients, an Amazonian palm berry harvested from the forests of Brazil.  Totally PACKED with antioxidants, fatty acids & omegas, Acai Berry is truly a miracle fruit, fighting premature aging and encouraging healthy skin. We're totally excited about these new products and hope that you are too!  If you've tried, please let us know what you think!  You can see all of the IKove products here.

Let's start by letting you all know- The OPI Suede Collection is in stock and available.  We have it right here in our hands and have shipped out our first couple of orders today.  And let me tell you: it's getting mixed reviews. Six stunning shades have been selected (familiar shades!) for OPI's newest Matte-ish collection.  Called "Suede," we're pretty sure that the finish on these polishes is as close as you can get to suede.  You could probably call the finish similar to velvet, also, which would explain the collections eerie similarities to Zoya's recent MatteVelvet collection. Check out OPI's Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees Suede color (above right).  Originally a smoky blue from the Spain collection, Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees ends up a glistening charcoal color which we consider super similar to Zoya's Loredana from the MatteVelvet collection.  But with a slightly different finish!  OPI's glitter ends up a little more coarse, as well as their finish just slightly more matte. As far as the rest of the Suede collection goes, our very favorite is the OPI Suede We'll Always Have Paris color (left).  Because of the glitter addition to the color, it actually ends up being a way different color than the original from the muted & dark France collection.  The Suede version is extremely pink-y, almost a muted fucsia.  But it's totally our favorite; the girl-y pink color along with the cool matted glitter finish are totally a great combination.  A winner! Click here to check out all of the Suede colors & order today!

As we approach Breast Cancer Awareness month, we wanted to make you aware of some of the great ways you can raise awareness just by sporting some of your favorite Beauty of a Site products in October! Order in the next week to have your products in time! 1. Use your favorite styling products with a for-the-cure twist! At Beauty of a Site, we're offering limited quantities of two favorite styling products in special edition pink ribbon packaging to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Select 10 oz Kenra Volume Sprays will come in pink bottles and select 1.7 oz will feature a "Pink for the Cure" pink ribbon on the bottle. Both companies use proceeds to support breast cancer research, early detection & support services. 2. Rock some perfect pink polish & support your favorite cause: Essie's Yes We Can, Pink! is a beautiful light, warm shade of pink that not only works perfectly with any wardrobe, but shows support for Living Beyond Breast Cancer, an organization dedicated to ensuring the best quality of life for woman affected by breast cancer. OPI Pink of Hearts 2009 (available soon!) is a gorgeous and empowering light pink cream polish. OPI will donate portions of its sales to both Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Rethink Breast Cancer in honor of October's Breast Cancer Awareness month. 3. Try out classic lotion in a special edition- with a pink pump for the cure!: For a limited time only, all of our Hempz Herbal Moisturizers & Hempz Age Defying Moisturizers are featuring a pink pump to show some support! These limited time only "Because We Care" editions help support breast cancer research by donating part of Hempz' proceeds. It's the perfect time to purchase these products that you already love, for the same low price, and help support a greater cause!

* Looking for the 2010 Halloween nail polish?  Click here. OPI's Tattoo Ta-Boo Mini Halloween Nail Lacquers are quite possibly the cutest thing around our office right now.  Nothing's more fun than letting loose with nail polish a little bit, and with these bright colors- even a glow in the dark one!- this is our perfect opportunity. And let's be honest- what's more fun than glow in the dark? Oh- glow in the dark nail art- that's what. Check out OPI's suggestions for some super-fun Halloween manicures: And for those of us are beginners (come on... can YOU do that!?), here's some step by step instructions for simpler designs from OPI, right off the back of the box:

Eyes On You Design 1. Start with two coats of Glow-ink the Dark polish. 2.  Use OPI I Love Mummy to make different sized white circles all over the nail. 3.  Carefully dot each white circle with OPI Witch Arm? to make the pupils. (Or cheat, and use a sharpie!)

Tip or Treat 1. Start with two coats of Tattoo You Want Candy polish. 2. Use Witch Arm? to french tip your nails.  (Need some French Tip help? Use these nail guides.) 3. Make three small circles near the nail bed using Witch Arm?.  (Again, we might use a Sharpie).

Be Mine, Frankenstein 1. Start with two coats of Glow-ink the Dark polish. 2. Use I Love Mummy to make the stitches. Luckly, the design totally doesn't require straight lines. 3. Make a bunch of small dots using Tattoo You Want Candy? Fun!

Give them a shot and let us know what you think!

[caption id="attachment_474" align="alignleft" width="107" caption="DermOrganic Oil Treatment"][/caption] As September starts us thinking about Fall, we have some brand new specials for our Beauty of a Site Shoppers. This month, we're offering six new promotions on some of our favorite stuff! Time to try DermOrganic! This incredible hair oil treatment, which also comes in a shampoo & conditioner form, uses organic Argan Oil from Morocco, which infuses hair with incredible managability, shine and a silky texture.  Similar to Moroccan Oil hair products, DermOrganic products are as instantly effective for your hair as they are safe for your body!  This month only, we'll include  a free trial size DermOrganic Argan Oil Treatment with any DermOrganic purchase! And because we loves these products so much we can't STAND it, we're offering $5 off selected colors of Blinc (Kiss Me) Mascara & Eyeliners!  These never-budge, never-run, wash-off eye makeup products are staff favorites.  We can't get enough of them! [caption id="attachment_475" align="alignright" width="112" caption="Blinc Mascara"][/caption] Our favorite cuticle oil to date- Creative Nail Solar Oil- comes in a super handy throw-in-your-purse balm style product that we never leave home without.  This month, we'll toss in this miracle worker ($10 value!) for free with any $40 CND purchase.  Now how about that!  Really... you can't pass this up. Get more information about these and our other monthly specials here!  For the month of September, you can find the following specials at Beauty of a Site:

• Selected Get Fresh Products 50% off
• Free Solar Balm with any $40 CND purchase
• Selected Urban Apothecary Cosmetics 50% off!
• Selected Qtica Gift Bags 20% off
• Free Oil Treatment with any DermOrganic Purchase

Click here to visit our monthly specials page!

You should be. Our Beauty of a Site facebook page keeps you up to date on our favorite products, popular celebrities, new tips & tricks as well as the day to day thoughts of the Beauty of a Site staffers! We often offer special promotions and discounts through Facebook, so make sure you don't miss out!  Become a fan today, and use the discount code "FACEBOOK" at checkout to receive 20% off your next order! Click here to join today!

We were super excited when we discovered Pure Invention's tasty drink mixes & recipes!  These antioxidant shots make any glass of water a health drink with their super concentrated drops of good-for-you ingredients, but when we found out we could make mixed drinks out of them, we couldn't help but get pretty excited! Here's one of the staff's favorites: Malibu Bay Breeze

• Begin with a shaker filled with ice
• Add 3 full droppers of  Cranberry with Elderberry Pure Inventions Green Tea Extracts
• Add 1 ½ droppers of Pineapple Coconut Pure Inventions Green Tea Extract to 8 oz. water
• Add 2 oz. of rum and shake
• Pour into glasses and garnish with a wedge of pineapple & a cherry

Delicious!  There are so many more options! Check out all of the recipes here! Click here to browse all of our Pure Inventions antioxidant drops. Nothing like an instant, tasty health drink!

See pictures and hear our reviews about Essie's newest nail polish collection for 2009! We're really interested how you all like these, because there are some really great colors in here!

Just for you, our loyal blog readers, we're offering a discount until midnight on Thursday!

Use the discount code "BLOG15" at checkout to receive an automatic 15% off your ENTIRE order.

Don't pass it up!  You'll be sorry...

Start shopping here.

[caption id="attachment_450" align="alignright" width="170" caption="Free gift with purchase! "][/caption] At Beauty of a Site, we're featuring Cutler Haircare in our brand spotlight section for the month of August.  Created by Rodney Cutler, this awesome product line based out of Cutler Salon in New York, is all about getting the right product to help you achieve the runway style of your dreams.  From deep conditioning treatment sprays to daily shampoos, Cutler's versatile but specialized range offers a little something for everyone! As a treat for you this month, we're offering a FREE travel sized Daily Shampoo & Conditioner with any $30 Cutler purchase (see picture at right)!  Pick up a couple of products that you think you'll like, and we'll toss in a free gift so that you can enjoy the full Cutler experience! Click here to browse all of Cutler's products. Click here to read more about Cutler's philosophy and our favorites!

Totally pure and strictly "au natural," Orglamix is a brand new mineral makeup line that Beauty of a Site loves! We started carrying these incredible products this week, and after trying them, can't get enough! Not only are they so healthy for your body, but their superior quality and staying power have made them some of our new makeup bag necessities. Our favorite feature: these products including no nasties, parabens, synthetics dyes or nan-particles are totally affordable! The Mineral Shadows have been our favorite product so far.  This shadow nearly glistens with application, applying in an almost silk-like fashion and wearing all day without creasing.  We've really enjoyed mixing and matching these shades for really unique looks.  Can't get enough! Click here to start shopping for Orglamix!

Bold, dark, mysterious, beautiful.  Can't think of too much to say about OPI's new Spain Collection (the Coleccion de Espana), other than its everything we expected it to be.  I personally have to admit that OPI's fall collections are always my favorite, because they bring out so many of the deep, vampy, classic colors that OPI is famous for.  Indian summer or no, the BOAS staff is considering shifting our wardrobes to deeper fall colors just to accommodate some of these beautiful nail polish colors! Our suspicions were correct:  Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees and Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow are truly unique and beautiful shades.  Our pre-orders already tell us that these are going to be the hot sellers.  They are definitely slightly darker than they show up in the promotional pictures and the product images on our website, but the shade shown is pretty true to form.  Just slightly deeper and darker. A surprising LOVE from the collection: Barefoot in Barcelona. This creamy neutral shade is extremely close to CND's Cocoa, which is an awesome seller and super popular right now.  Lucky Magazine said that "bisque nail polish" that uses "the perfect blend of the most recent color trends: pink, gray & beige" is hot for the season, and that's just what this is. A tad beige-ier than the France collection's "Tickle My France-y," and the perfect everyday neutral. The promo pics didn't do Can You Tapas This? any justice; this raisin-y deep reddish brownish color is GORGEOUS.  We were expecting something browner and cooler, but this shade features a deep, warm red that we didn't see coming. Several of the shades, including Ate Berries In The Canaries, Pink Flamenco and Pamplona Purple are shades we would categorize as "surprisingly bright and colorful for fall."  Don't misunderstand- we love them and they are beautiful!- but bright, to be sure.  Interesting choice, OPI. All in all, the colors are lovely and definitely shades that we're expecting OPI to keep in their classic line for awhile.  We're accepting pre-orders for them now, and will be shipping them next Wednesday, on the official release day.  Buy OPI Coleccion de Espana here!