I have rosacea, which means my cheeks are naturally rosy, red (in an obnoxious way) and when I laugh, get embarrassed, drink too much red wine or eat too much chocolate, my skin can get really irritated. Along with meds to control this, I’ve been using OTC products to cover and manage the redness in my skin and thanks to Nordstrom (the happiest place on earth), I found one product that I really love.

Mario Badescu Azulene Calming Mask

How much it costs: $18 (for a 2 oz. container)

Where you can buy it: MarioBadescu.com, Nordstrom

What I like about it: I love that it has a cooling sensation as soon as it is applied to the skin. Rosacea skin can be a little warmer to the touch than normal because of the irritation, but this feels great and cool when I put it on and it spreads very well. You don’t need a lot to cover your face and it should sit on there for 10-15 minutes. Whenever I take it off, I can see a difference already on my skin, that the redness has relaxed and my skin feels softer too. You can do this daily, every other day or weekly. I do it weekly and find that my skin stays under control for the week without a problem.

What I don’t like about it: Yeah when this is drying, your face feels like it’s pulled tighter than a sheet (think, Joan Rivers). You cannot laugh, cry, blow your nose or talk. Fortunately, it’s not on there for long. And when you wash your face after, the mask can stay on your skin a bit, so wash liberally when it’s time to remove.

Overall though, I really love this product and feel like it does a lot to keep my skin and redness under control. Highly recommend it!

Does anyone else have reddish skin or rosacea? I don’t know many people who do!

Along with being sensitive, my skin is a nice mixture of tones, primarily a strong pink undertone, which means finding the perfect blush to work with it is a little more difficult. I’ve heard very good things about the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks but I’ll be sticking with my favorite thing, Nars’ Orgasm.

Say wha? Orgasm? Heck yes!

After fashion magazines raved about it and Sephora named it “best of” for the last five years, I had to go in and try it. According to Sephora, it has pink and gold undertones and was deemed as “universally flattering” for all skin tones, which made me more curious to check it out. And trust me, once you try Orgasm, you don’t go back :) Pun intended.

Nars Blush: Orgasm

How much it costs: $25

Where you can buy it: NARS counters, Sephora stores and online

What I like about it: The color really is flattering. Trust me, I didn’t want to believe it but it is. You can make it as sun kissed soft or pinched pink as you want and it lasts all day. It spreads evenly and works well with or without foundation on your skin. A Sephora makeup artist also told me you could use this as an eyeshadow if you wanted but I haven’t tried that….yet. It also lasts a really long time. Mine has lasted for over a year and while it’s wearing in parts, I don’t plan to replace it until I’m down to the VERY bottom

What I don’t like about it: It can be very tough to judge when too much is enough. In the beginning, I went out several times looking like a “woman of the night.” Because the color is so soft, it definitely requires some trial and error, but it’s worth it

There are tons of other blush shades to choose from too but I’ll be keeping Orgasm close to my chest…or pants pocket ;) The other colors I recommend checking out if you’re fair skinned like me is Deep Throat and Super Orgasm. Yes, lots of sexual words in this post :)

Yes, genes did not fare well for me in many departments, heigh, hip width and of course eyebrows. My hair is naturally very dark brown but my eyebrows are medium brown and very faint. Like my eyebrow shape is full (thinking Brooke Shields) but very thin.

Then a friend who worked at the Laura Mercier counter introduced me to its brow powder duo and OMG I will NEVER go back to life without it. So let’s take a closer look.

Laura Mercier Brow Powder Duo

How much it costs: $24

Where you can buy it: All Laura Mercier counters (Nordstrom, Macys, Bloomingdales) and online

What I like about it: The duo compact allows you to really mix and find your perfect shade. I use the Auburn duo and I just need a swipe of both colors to get the shade that works for me. And trust me it’s easy to overdue it if you get too aggressive with mixing the colors. But the right amount help it look really natural. And because you don’t use a lot of product each day, it lasts FOREVER. Okay well not forever but for a pretty long time. I’m still using the original duo compact I bought at least six months ago. Color still looks fresh and the compact doesn’t get mushy or look “old.”

What I don’t like about it: Honestly, I’ve been pretty happy with this overall. The only thing is to really practice and get to know what color looks best on you and how much to use each day. In the beginning, I had a few SCARY eyebrow color days. Just ask my friends :)

To help get “styled’ eyebrow look all day, I’ve also used Laura Mercier’s Eye Brown Gel ($19) to keep the eyebrow hair shaped all day and I use a Sephora Professional brush (similar to this one) to apply it. I was happy with the Gel but it’s not really necessary. I’ve had the same results without using it too.

Do you shade in your eyebrows or know anyone else who does? I thought it was crazy at first but I’m a firm believer now!

I used to be a habitual, daily hair washer and dryer. I would wash and dry it every morning (using a rather strong hair dryer) and, well didn’t treat my hair very nicely. This on top of color treating it and my hair was a HOT mess. My friend Liz is blessed to be able to go five days without washing her hair and it looks fab (all the time.) Words CANNOT express the jealously I feel. But she, along with numerous fashion magazines, told me I should really be washing every other day to save my hair from continued damage, but my hair has a chronic “sucky second day ” look.

So I started looking into dry shampoos (thanks fashion magazines!) to see if that could get me over the hump.

I tried Bumble & Bumble but found the aerosal sprays just didn’t work for me. It went everywhere but my hair and I didn’t feel like I got any real results.

Then, the gods at Sephora introduced me to Oscar Blandi and now, I’m a happy girl. So let’s take a closer look.

Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo

How much it costs: $19 (for 2.5 oz.)

Where you can buy it: Sephora in stores and online

What I like about it: The powder makes it easy to apply and doesn’t take a lot to work evenly through the hair. Just a quarter-size amount (depending on your hair length) is enough to work through. The powder also doesn’t leave a residue on the hair and lasts a long time because you don’t need a lot to get results. It makes the hair feel smooth and soft but without a scent.

What I don’t like about it: It might just be my finicky hair but sometimes I’m still not totally thrilled with the results, but again, my oily, color-treated thick hair has a mind of it’s own so nothing may fully get me the results I want unless I do wash and dry it.

And even though we all know Sephora has the best return policy ever, if you still want to try it without the full commitment, Sephora does have a “travel size” of the dry shampoo, which is only $11. Yes, the full size is a better bargain but in case you’re not ready to commit, or have to travel, it’s a good alternative.

Does anyone else use dry shampoo or how long can you go without washing your hair and keep a great look? I wish my hair would cooperate so I could go longer between washings!