A New York City Health and Beauty Blog

NYC Gals: A deal NOT to be missed!

Hibba Day Spa

Brazilian Bikini Wax & Eyebrow Threading package (56% off regular retail price) from NYC celeb favorite, Hibba Day Spa.

Brazilian waxes are the siren song of summer, and perfect eyebrows are the starting point to a fabulous face.  The star of Hibba Day Spa is Hibba herself, the hair removal expert that you’ll come back to time and time again.  She’s a favorite of the local SoHo celebrity clientele, and known as an expert amongst beauty pros. For $25 Hibba will leave your bikini line smooth and beach-ready, and your eyebrows model-perfect.  This package is $25 through TheLuxurySpot.com Deals (56% off the normal $57 price)

Pretty Woman in the Pretty City

Pretty City in Partnership with Shape Magazine is hosting several Beauty Sample Sales throughout the US.  Join other beauty obsessed ladies for an evening of shopping, mini-facials, make-up applications, hair treatments and cocktails all topped off with a goodie bag of swag. There are vendors on site selling everything from clothing to makeup to spa services. Take a look below at a recent Pretty City event.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q4-HJcKSB4[/youtube]

  • Boston- September 15, 2010: 281 Summer Street Loft 281 Summer St. Boston, MA 02210
  • Chicago- October 6, 2010: Flirty Girl Fitness 1325 W Randolph, Chicago, IL 60607
  • San Francisco- October 20, 2010: 111 Minna Gallery, 111 Minna St., San Francisco, CA 94105
  • Atlanta- November 4, 2010: Tongue & Groove 2420 Piedmont Rd NE Atlanta, GA 30324
  • New York City- November 17, 2010: TBD
  • Dallas- December 8, 2010: TBD

In previous years there have been more than 5000 women in attendance at these events. They have been so popular that the NYC and Chicago events sold our 3 weeks in advance of the date. For $10 admission you receive one drink ticket, a goodie bag and the chance to try out new products and buy beauty items at discount prices. Definitely worth the price of admission, wouldn’t you say?

My thoughts on e.l.f. cosmetics

I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about using e.l.f. (eyes, lips, face) cosmetics because they are quite ahem…cheap. Each piece costs $1 and their studio line costs about $3 per piece but in general each item is a buck. I’m super picky about what I put on my face because my skin is super sensitive and I’m prone to breakouts. Now I’ve tried elf makeup a few years ago (with no reaction) but I just wasn’t impressed, I didn’t like the colors, textures, pigments etc. However lately I’ve been reading some reviews on elf and they have been quite positive so I decided to give it another try. Here are some of the products that I purchased:

I really liked the eye shadow colors, so I picked up two of the creme shadows: Berry Mix (L), Mocha Swirl (R)

elf duo eye shadow cream

elf eyeshadow swatches
Berry Mix (L), Mocha Swirl (R)

 

Natural Lash Kit in Black – Who can resist lush lashes that only cost $1?

elf fake lashes

These Hypershine glosses have a very similar design to Stila glosses…and for the price of $1. The shades are: Flirt (L), Honey (R)

elf hypershine lipgloss

Makeup brushes: Total Face Brush, Bronzing Brush, Eye Shadow Brush, Lip Defining Brush, Eye Liner Brush (L to R)

elf brushes

Complexion Perfection powder (to even skin tone and control shine) from the Studio Collection – this piece was $3

elf complexion perfection

elf complexion perfection

Overall I find the products to be a bit “hit or miss”. I liked the eyeshadows, they were easy to apply and had lots of staying power. The eyelashes were quite good, similar to the ones that you would purchase at the drugstore, more than worth the $1 cost. The glosses were quite sheer – almost too sheer for me to want to buy them again. The glosses just do not give off as much color as I like in my gloss but they do smell and taste great. The complexion perfection powder was too pale for my complexion but I’m not surprised since the main ingredient is Talc. The eyeshadow applicators were just too rough for me to use so I won’t be buying them again. The eyeshadow brushes were quite soft and I will be stocking up on more of these during my next trip to Target.  I would also say the same for the Total Face Brush which was one of my favorite pieces that I purchased so I will also pick up an extra one of these brushes.

What I will say is that for the price of these items you are certainly getting more than your moneys worth, you’ll just need to try out some of the products and see which ones work best for you.