attention chocoholics: estee lauder chocolate decadence has arrived

How gorgeous is this? I could stare at this compact for hours, beholden by its mesmerizing, Twilight Zone-ish swirls. No, this isn't some newfangled hypnotherapy treatment, but the sweet goodness of the Creme Caramel Shimmer Powder from Estee Lauder's new fall '08 collection, Chocolate Decadence. (Yes, it's a sad wake-up call, but the fall collections are now hitting the stores; I've even caught glimpses of Back to School stuff already – the horror!). As for the powder: While I was a bit put off by the darkness of the browny-gold shade at first, (thinking it would deliver a too-dark bronze), you can swirl the light and dark shades together to get a pretty, sheer sheen that's not glimmery, but more glowy. And this limited-edition compact is a mere taste of the Chocolate Decadence collection; the Chocolate Box eyeshadow palettes, with their neutral shades with gold swaths cut through, along with chocolatey-scented lipstick and glosses, are to die for. And it all comes in chic chocolate-brown lacquered packaging. Well done, Lauder.

fixation: la bella donna vision of mineral lights, blushing

All-in-one, multi-tasking products get me all a-tingle (whatever floats your boat, right?), and one of my absolute favorite products ever is Vision in Mineral Lights by luxe mineral makeup brand La Bella Donna – a palette of four glimmering shades you can use on your cheeks and eyes for a candlelit glow. So when I found out they launched a Blush version, I just knew I had to try it. And this one doesn't disappoint. With four luminous, light-refracting shades from rose to peach, you can customize to create your very own perfect blush shade. I like to swirl my brush over all of them to get a lovely pinky-peach hue. And like its predecessor, you can use the Blushing palette on eyes too, to get a modern, Calvin Klein-esque, monochromatic effect. Of course, the gorgeously sleek, silver packaging doesn't hurt either.

a little bit of glitter'll do you good

It's still up for debate as to whether adult women should wear glitter; some are vehemently opposed to anyone wearing the shiny stuff past the age of 15. And usually, I'd count myself in that category. Truthfully, this gorgeous little pot of MAC's "Solar Bits" in Scatterrays was sitting on my countertop for a good month, and while I'd open it to marvel at its sparkly, golden loveliness once in a while, I hadn't mustered the courage to wear it. But. It's summer, it's dang hot, and I want to go with my glow and not fight it. Luckily, Solar Bits isn't all-out Mariah Carey Glitter (so we're not talking disco-ball-sized particles of shiny stuff, even though it may look that way in the pot) but more of a "glimmer": more gleamy than shimmer, but it's easily controlled. You can wear a thin veil and get a lovely, sheer iridescence or go for the gold with the crushed-up clusters to rev up the shine. Granted, it's not really an office, daytime look, but on balmy nights out, it can look quite fetching. One hint: use sparingly so as not to blind others with your glare-of-a-thousand-suns gaze.

duwop doubleglow7: positively balmy

I love any product that helps me get my glow on. But since many luminizers are liquid-y or lotion-y, it can make them hard to control, so it's easy to overdo that coveted glowy effect (laserbeam-face, anyone?). So leave it to Duwop, the brand that creates "what's missing from your makeup bag," to create a face glowifier with a creamy-balm texture. Doubleglow7's balm-like consistency makes it easy to get just the right amount of radiance to look all ethereal and otherworldly, in a natural, yet-still-of-this-earth kind of way. In turn, I also love that this stuff doesn't have a ton of shimmer, so you can wear it even on hot summer days when you may already be a tad reflective and gleamy under the hot n' humid weather. Worn under makeup, it acts as a primer or you can wear it over foundation to create highlights just where you want them. What's more to love: Doubleglow7 is packed with seven skin-friendly ingredients (jojoba, aloe vera, lily extract, illuminating pearls and vitamins A, E, and F) to nourish while it imparts a heavenly glow. All told, that's one hard-working balm.

summer must-have: nars orgasm laguna blush bronzer duo

Hello, lover... Yes, it's been around for a while, but this was my very first brush with the famed Nars Orgasm blush, paired with the also buzzed-about Laguna bronzer in this dynamic duo. How did it measure up? Quite beautifully, in fact (as if there was any doubt!): Orgasm's peachy-pink, lightly shimmery hue is a bit brighter than I expected, (so I'm more apt to use a light hand with it than with my usual blush) but the color is, as they say, very flattering and an instant wake-up call for your complexion. It's really the perfect summer blush. And the Laguna bronzer is one trusty glow-getter: it's sheer and totally buildable so you can look like you just got back from St. Barts, even if all the light you've been getting is the perennial glow from the computer screen or your daily sojourn for lunch. Linger in the afterglow.

skin fix: caudalie radiance day fluid

I've long been fascinated by those fancy-schmancy vinotherapy treatments you can get at spas where they slather you in pinot noir and champagne (sounds heavenly, no?). And while I've never experienced one (they're admittedly a bit pricey), I can get the next best thing at home with the super-powered, grape-harnessed antioxidants in French line Caudalie. My current pick is the Radiance Day Fluid, a great little daily moisturizer that covers all the bases: it not only hydrates, but also delivers sun protection, and it's infused with special coppery pearlizers that add the subtlest hint of a glow to skin without being shimmery. Best of all though, it features those amazing, only-in-grapes antioxidants resveratrol and polyphenols (said to be 10,000 times more powerful than vitamin E) that fight off the free radical bad guys to prevent aging. I've been using it for about a week thus far and haven't seen a huge change in my skin, but will report back on my progress. I can say that I love the lotion-y, non-pore-clogging texture and instant glow-getting effect. Caudalie is pricey, I'm not going to lie, but I don't think there's any other skincare product on the market that features these ingredients - it's truly top of the line.

fixation: beauty addicts glimmer sheers

You know that dewy, sheeny look you see so often on runway models' faces that looks oh-so-chic? Outside of using Vaseline on my skin (which clearly does not appeal), I had yet to find a product that delivered this kind of radiance, until now. Created by boutique beauty brand and self-proclaimed product junkies beauty Addicts, GLIMMERsheers has a highlighter cream and gel luminizer in one compact that you can apply anywhere on your face (eyes, cheekbones, lips) that you want a hint of glowy luminescence. I like to layer on the highlighter cream on my eyes from lashline to crease (I'm loving the Express shade, a lovely golden-champagne) and then follow up with the clear gel luminizer over top to really play up the radiance. Or, wear it on the cheekbones to cut a shimmering swath that's entirely runway-ready. Another thing to love: this stuff is packed with all kinds of skin-friendly ingredients such as dermaxyl to stimulate collagen production and antoxidant jojoba oil to nourish and smooth. Plus, it's entirely non-comedogenic (and I'm not sure we can say the same for petroleum jelly.) As if that weren't enough, GLIMMERsheers is nominated for a CEW Beauty Award, which annoints the most innovative beauty products of the year.

get your glow on with mally beauty shape shimmer & glow

I have a new guilty pleasure: watching the beauty segments on The Shopping Channel in Canada (sort of the equivalent of QVC in the U.S.). I just can't help it - they feature so many great brands, such as Smashbox, Duwop, Alison Raffaele – and I love when they have the brands' makeup artists co-hosting and showing off their techniques. It's like live beauty porn! One of my favorite faces to grace the screen is Mally Roncal of Mally Beauty - the personal makeup artist of Beyonce and Mary J. Blige. Mally's got a big, bubbly personality (that I find a little too syrupy at times), but she's immensely enjoyable to watch since she knows her stuff, especially when it comes to looking healthy and glowy. She's known for products that help create a flawless yet breathable "superstar" complexion, and one of her marquee products is the Shape Shimmer & Glow kit. This is THE kit for getting that lovely, sculpted cheek that's so in right now – a glowing contour that makes you look like you've had an instant facelift. It comes with three foolproof powder shades: a highlight, contour and blush shade. You just brush on the highlight beneath the eye on the cheekbone, then swipe on the contour powder into the hollow of the cheek and the blush on the apple of the cheek. I love the end result: a lovely sun-kissed but not glimmery Beyonce glow. And the pink metallic packaging is oh-so chic, too.

TrendShock: light show

While we're all in the midst of swiping on the deep jewelly purples and smokey greys of fall beauty, designers have already presented their looks for spring. And lovelies, one of the trends I'm loving is this ethereally golden glow cutting a swath across the cheekbone, as seen at the Dior ready-to-wear show created by incomparable makeup artist Pat McGrath. While a lit-from-within highlight has certainly been done before, this one has a refracted quality to it - not quite gold, not quite peach, but a myriad of colors combined. For a similarly candlelit effect, dab on some Moonbeam by Benefit, a creamy golden pink highlighter and let your inner radiance shine.
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look of the week: hello heidi klum

What a week lovelies! So much action on the red carpet – from the MTV Movie Awards to the CFDA Awards – and so many fabulous looks to choose from, it almost sent Miss SugarShock into a tailspin. Cameron Diaz wowed yet again at the MTV Awards with her leggy, devil-may-care glam, as did Little Miss Sunshine, Rihanna - I'm just loving her new blunt bangs! But it was the CFDA Awards where things really heated up. There was Uman, Iman and Petra, all looking stunning, but alas, there can only be one look of the week, and for me, it was former model and Project Runway host Heidi Klum, hands-down.

Is it just me, or does she just keep looking better with each passing baby? She's all about the glowy skin here, with expertly placed bronzer on the forehead, nose and cheeks (try swiping on Hard Candy's So Cal Glow to get the look). Heidi is also sporting the metallic eye look I raved about in my previous post, goldeneye. Here though, it's a yellowy-gold metallic shadow swiped underneath the eyes, which really makes them pop. Try using the yellowy shade in L'Oreal's High Intensity Pigment Bright Shadow Duo in Flare for a similar effect.
Loving the dress too. And she's workin' this lovely, and somewhat unexpected, glimmery chocolate-brown Michael Kors dress. My only gripe? The somewhat darker lipliner surrounding her nude lips. I suspect this is done to make her lips stand out in front of the red-carpet cameras, but it's really not a good look. tisk tisk!
What do you think lovelies? Leave a comment and let me know!
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gold standard: bronzing powders

The heat is on lovelies, so to keep you safe from melanoma and/or looking like a walking carrot, get your bronze on the no-bake way with my round-up of fave brush-on bronzers.
First up: the mulitple shade bronzing powders. I love these, because you can swipe the colors all over your skin or just on your cheekbones to highlight, or even use them as eyeshadow. I'm loving Too Faced Caribbean in a Compact Bronzing Powder, Snow Bunny, which has colors ranging from creamy white to bronze to light pink, to give a really subtle, shimmery glow. It'll give you that fresh-from-the-slopes in St. Moritz radiance.

A couple of other great finds are Clinique Shimmering Tones Powder, a kaleidoscope of shimmery bronzes that help give that incandescent glow, and Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights, which gives a natural-looking, soft bronzed look without a lot of shimmer. Swipe it across the apples of your cheeks, temples and across your nose for a sun-kissed look.
If it's a more uniform glow you're after, then the one-tone bronzers are for you. tarte mineral powder Bronzer, Park Ave Princess is a great one for that summering-at-the-Hamptons sun-burnished look. I'm lovin the golden, handbag-inspired leather compact case with jewelry-like chain - so cute!

Need a body glow? Try the mother of all bronzers, Hard Candy's SoCal Glow. It comes in an extra-large size compact decorated with a map of Southern California in case you decide to road-trip-it down the Cali coast. You can use this stuff on your legs, shoulders, face or anywhere you need a kick of caramelly color. It also smells like yummy cocoa butter and also moisturizes with vitamin E and aloe.

glow-getter: shimmery powders

Lately, I'm loving anything that gives that lit-from-within glow. Lucky for me, there's a ton of shimmery skin products out there to satisfy my love of illumination. So lovelies, here are some of the glowy little gems I'm loving.
Be a vision in lights with La Bella Donna's gorgeously glimmery Vision of Mineral Lights. It's a shimmery illuminating powder that's part bronzer, part highlighter, part little bit of everything (you can use it on cheeks, eyes, anywhere you want!). You get four different shades, from champagne to golden bronze, in the same lovely silver compact. And wherever you swipe this stuff, it'll give you that unmistakable J.Lo glow.
Another multi-tasker is Dianne Brill's Freshwater Pearl Powder Finish. It's a gorgeous subtle-shimmer powder you can use to highlight cheekbones, decollete or anywhere you want to get your glow on. I love the Golden Pearl shade for a bit of a natural, sun-kissed look. Like many products in Dianne Brill's face line, this powder is literally made with crushed freshwater pearls - how deliciously diva is that?

Do your cheeks need a color boost? Try DuWop Blushbooster For Face, Apple. This stuff is wondrous, I have to say. You can use it under your regular blush or alone (as I do) for a gorgeously illuminating flush. And just so you know, it's not overwhelming - only when the light hits your skin a certain way will you see the luminous shimmer. I also love that it's packed with skincare ingredients such as vitamins A and E and pomegranate extract. Brilliant!

fixation: MAC Cream Color Base

I've previously stated a fondness for MAC products, and lovelies, the line never ceases to astound me. Which is why I just had to rave about their Cream Color Base. This is a multi-tasking little gem that you can use on your cheeks, eyes and lips for a hint of color and shimmer. I just love the Shell shade for giving my eyes that dewy, shimmery look. And a swipe on the lips imparts a gorgeous, soft peachy-pink glimmer that's so flattering. You could even use it as a highlighter on the cheekbones for that sought-after glowy effect. A plus? Peach is totally on-trend right now, seen all over the spring-summer runways of Hermes and Vivienne Westwood. Sweet.