Like Shopping in Heaven ~ Illuminate Inside & Out with b-glowing

So where do you go when you want to pick up a little something special for yourself, a friend or a loved one? Somewhere brimming with luxurious treasures where each item comes to you beautifully packaged in scarlet red tissue and is meticulously created to rejuvenate, renew, revive? There's no question, really.  It's online niche boutique b-glowing.

adara Organic Virgin Coconut Oil - 2 oz travel size $12 each
Nature's Multi-Tasker! Skin: Gently soothe onto skin daily or as needed when skin feels thirsty and needs comfort. Rough Patches: Helps to lock in moisture which is essential to keep skin soft and smooth. Ideal relief for dry rough patches. Aids in the removal of dead skin cells to promote growth of smooth and supple skin. Pimple Healer: Apply adara as a pimple treatment overnight. The cleansing properities of the lauric acid will help remove bacteria so that redness will fade and inflamation will subside. Hair Treatment: Massage into hair and cover with shower cap for 30 minutes prior to normal wash for a intensive deep conditioning treatment. Apply on dry split ends for smooth flowing locks. Coating hair with a thin layer prior to going for a swim protects hair from damages caused by chlorine or salty seawater. Scents: green tea, lavender, peach, unscented, rose, jasmine.

b.e. becker.eshaya - Eau De Parfum Fragrance Pen - .28 oz $45
This is truly one of my favorite fragrances as so light, fresh, clean, shlightly floral and not at all overpowering! Italian Mandarin, Pink Peony, Lily of the Valley, and Rose Damascena. A classic fragrance for the ages! Celebrity fans include Julia Roberts, Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, Cameron Diaz and many other women with fabulous taste, just like you!

butter LONDON Nail Lacquers - $14 each
butter LONDON is a 3 Free company. No Formaldehyde, No Toluene, and No DBP. As well as providing the safest nail products on the market, butter LONDON is devoted to bringing high fashion to your nails. We boast a unique and fashion-forward colour palette created by our Creative Director, Nonie Creme, backstage at the world’s top catwalk shows.

• Chimney Sweep: Smudgy, sexy, and just a little dirty. A proper charcoal grey with a touch of a metallic finish.
• Cream Tea: Barely there and ever so sweet. Pale and creamy, an alternative to your standard clear or sheer pink.
• Fash Pack: One of the hottest shades of the season with its "greige" coloring! An edgy and unusual colour. Putty meets mushroom. Sounds strange and wrong, but somehow it works, like deep fried Mars bars. (an actual English delicacy).
• HRH ("Her Royal Highness"): A proper purple. Even the Queen would agree, and she never agrees.
• Yummy Mummy: Their magic lacquer. This medium beige colour is simply stunning on EVERY skin colour. If you can’t decide on a lacquer, then we will for you. It’s this.
• Chuffed-Jelly: Juicy, sheer colour that looks and feels like slick, wet “lipgloss” for your nails. These are designed to be layered, so you can wear just one coat for a hint/blush of colour and healthy glow, or two for better coverage of little nail problems and more colour, or three for juicy, barely sheer summer colours that are good enough to eat.

foreverlily eau de parfum - 3.4 oz bottle $125
For those who seek what is good, true and beautiful comes a fragrance that calls you to your higher self. The result is an enveloping Oriental blend with a top note dominated by clove and sweet accents of lemon and fresh lychee. The fresh green crispness of fig and the feminine presence of stargazer lily are equally balanced in the middle note. The base note is comprised of cedarwood, vanilla, amber and sandalwood. An fragrance that evokes a deeper experience of life and a profound feeling of hope. Protective and meditative, foreverlily is an olfactory bridge to another world, one in which eternal love and beauty surround you.

Infusion Organique Sands of Morocco - 1.7 oz bottle $35
Close your eyes, and wander through the fresh flower and food stalls of the local Moroccan Souk. Inhale the spices drifting on the desert winds of North Africa. Ride the train from Marrakech to Casablanca to Tangier. Smell the fresh vanilla first brought to Morocco by tne French in the time of the Berber Kings. Add a touch of aromatic sandalwood and warm oak moss to a blend of certified organic lemongrass oil and ylang-ylang for a scent as warm as the Mediterranean sun.

Lisa Hoffman Japanese Argarwood - Limited Edition 2 vial set $43
TOP FIVE FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR!!! During the Fragrance of the Year Awards, this fragrance was selected as one of the Top Five Fragrances in 2009. Inspired by the lush, natural oils from the rainforest with subtle hints of Italian Bergamot, Spiced Ginger Accord, and Warm Amber. Within this complex, one also discovers mysterious earth nuances that are a delight to explore.

Love & Toast Gin Blossom Handcreme - 1.2 oz tube $9
Happy hydration. Natural super-softeners Shea Butter, Macadamia Nut & Olive Fruits team up with pore pleasing Avocado & Sunflower Oils. Add to the mix a botanical perfume blend and now you've got your perfect dream cream: a lightweight & luxurious lotion.

PurepleLab Huge Lips Skinny Hips - $25 each
Yes, no secret I adore these plumping glosses! Wildly popular (This is the product that started the whole PurpleLab phenomenon with Karen Robinovitz, Creatrix Extraordinaire, at the helm)! The answer to every girl's beauty dream - sophisticated lip color, plumping performance and a natural way to curb those cravings with the infusion of Hoodia, extract from a cactus-like plant that has been used in South Africa for centuries for its appetite suppressing qualities. Sheer, soft colors that flatter any skintone ...

• Kitty Poledancer - Nudish Pink Sheer
• Red Sole - Sultra Sexy Fierce Red Very Very Sheer...a bee stung look
• No Panty Lines - Clear as Crystal
• Love Your Thighs - Exotic Coral, but still translucent
• Worship Kate - slightly darker pink with hints of mauve & shimmer

New arrival!  b-glowing now carries Kinerase.  To celebrate, they're offering a complimentary, full-size Kinerase Lotion ($63 value) with your purchase of $100 or more. Enter code: kinerase at checkout to request your free gift. Offer good thru 5/10/10.

All purchases from b-glowing come beautifully packaged and include an array of gorgeous free samples. It's ALWAYS a pleasurable experience shopping with them!  Enjoy free shipping within the contiguous United States with your order of $75 or more.

The Subtle Sanctity of Royal Apothic The Extracts Collection

The story behind the creation of Royal Apothic is as intriguing as the fragrances themselves, and thus I must share it.  As the tale goes, Creative Director Sean O'Mara spent the early part of his career as a beauty insider working with an array of beauty industry giants (Estee Lauder, Murad, et al). But it was while on sabbatical in London that he came upon what would be the impetus for the next course of his life.

Tucked high on a shelf in a forgotten Notting Hill antique stall this hidden treasure revealed itself to be an apothecary manual from the 18th century.  Formulas for concoctions created for many of the great monarchies of Europe were listed within its pages. Knowing he could tie his own expertise into the formulas, O'Mara returned to the U.S. and began duplicating the fragrances listed within the manual - Royal Apothic was born.

Having infused the world with his now famous home fragrances, interior perfumes and candles, O'Mara gives into requests of his devotees with the creation of The Extracts Collection - personal, perfumed fragrance oils infused with natural plant extracts that can be worn individually or blended to create one's own signature scent.

These roll-on bottled fragrances are perfect for summer in that they are light, refreshing and subtle in scent.  The packaging is gift-worthy with each glass fragrance bottle placed in its own colorful, striped box and labeled with old-world themed markings.  That the labels are affixed slightly askew on both the outer box and the roll-on bottles adds to the feeling that these treasures were personally hand-made and formulated just for you.

The Extracts Collections consists of seven one-note elixirs:

Green Tea (fresh)

Violette Pastille (floral)

Fig (fruit)

Orange Blossom (fruit)

Marigold (floral)

Iris (floral)

Hydrangea (floral)

I've experienced two from the collection, Green Tea and Iris, and am hard pressed to say which is my favorite.  Very distinct in character, both evoke happy memories of childhood, when there wasn't a care in the world, and the outdoor summer air was fresh and inviting.  I had my daughter (15 yr old beauty, fashion and fragrance diva in her own right) try them as well to see which she preferred.  She loved them both.  There we sat, two fragrance-obsessed women, atop my overstuffed white duvet covered bed blending and rolling fragrance on our wrists.  One would think I'd have learned my lesson by now about sharing these great little finds with my baby girl, as it ultimately always results in her stealing them away and tucking them in a secret box in her closet or under linen in her drawers (shhhhh ... she thinks I don't  know where she stashes them). Mmmmmm, even as I write this post I'm enjoying the fresh, light scent of Green Tea on my wrists.  You can't roll on too much ... they're that subtle.  Oh my gosh this smells so good!

The convenience of a slim roll-on bottle makes it safe (leakproof) and perfect to throw into your beach bag this summer, your gym bag as extra refreshment from a rigorous workout and warm shower, or your duffle before boarding your next international flight (TSA approved).

Currently, only five of the extracts are available for purchase - Green Tea, Violette Pastille, Orange Blossom, Marigold and Fig - with the others though soon to follow.  Royal Apothic The Extracts Collection is available at Anthropologie and b-glowing, each .33 fl oz roll-on bottle retails for $16, which means you can buy a couple or several to wear each on its own merit or blended for a uniquely created scent. Enjoy!

Valentine's Ideas from My Fave "Scentoriums"

SPIRIT BEAUTY LOUNGE - where gorgeousness with an eco flair reigns in abundance



BEAUTYHABIT - where gifts of luxury are always found in delicious varieties



B-GLOWING - where independent brands reign supreme and little gifts of lusciousness draw a crowd



Shop Spirit Beauty Lounge, Beautyhabit and b-glowing for more fantastic gifting options!

Butter London Nail Polishes Fall 2009 Collection

butter LONDON is a 3 Free company – No Formaldehyde, No Toluene, and No DBP. As well as providing the safest nail products on the market, butter LONDON is devoted to bringing high fashion to your nails. They boast a unique and fashion-forward colour palette created by their Creative Director, Nonie Creme, backstage at the world’s top catwalk shows.

As seen in Vogue, W, Lucky and People Stylewatch magazines. The international motor racing colour of Great Britain. This green used to be the standard paint colour on all Formula One racecars in the days before sponsorship. AND, dark, “hunter green” was the backstage darling when used at this season’s shows.

For more information on butter LONDON, check them out at b-glowing. They have a great little special for you right now:

Purchase $50 at b-glowing.com & receive their Deluxe Fall Fragrance Sampler Set. These fragrances feature notes of Amber, Vanilla, Cocoa, Chocolate, Spicy Carnation & other warm sensual scents ideal to become your Fall Signature Scent!

*Voluspa Cocoa Tamarind
*Sarah Horowitz Perfect Bliss
*Mistral Balinese Vanilla
*Lily Lambert Pavo
*Zorica of Malibu's Gratitude
*Filles des Iles Solaire

Enter promo code: sensual at checkout for the offer. Offer ends 9/21/09.