Michelle Obama Rocking Her Mizrahi

Not that there's any more room on this bandwagon, but how hot did Mrs. O look at the State of the Union tonight? The eggplant Isaac Mizrahi dress was fresh and flattering, and the haircut took her previous newscast look down a solid notch, now verging on Posh Spice territory. Love.

Review: Clinique High Lengths Mascara

So far, my quest for the best mascara in the world has led me to a lot of crumbly smeary raccoon-eyed days of test-run misery. As I've said a million times before, my miracle lash product thus far is Clinique Lash Power Mascara - waterproof, small precision applicator brush and all-around kickass formula that lasts through sweat, tears and Miami Beach in July.

Recently the fine folks at Clinique dropped me a sample of the NEW Clinique High Lengths Mascara. I didn't expect much since the other (non-Lash Power) Clinique mascaras out there rate a solid "meh" from me - they're nothing to write home about. High Lengths surprised me by being FREAKIN KILLER. KILL-ER.

Cost: $14
Details: The brush is this crazy skinny one-sided comb that looks like a praying mantis' leg or something. But it WORKS. Not only does it deliver enough product to give a glam lash look immediately (not a wussy wispy one) but it does so while enabling you to banish clumps and define each lash with a few swipes. NEVER in my life have I been able to get my lower lashes to look this long and separated.
Verdict: Get your ass to the Clinique counter STAT. I predict a sell-out in the near future!
Side Note: So far it's not on the Clinique site, but Neiman's, Bloomie's and Sephora have

Bad Ads: McQueen Snake Orgy

So I guess the crab shoes and a life of starvation weren't torture enough for this model so British goth god Alexander McQueen made her lie in a pile of man-eating snakes for his Spring 2010 ad campaign. At least there's no risk of this bitch getting swallowed - the only meat on her entire body is brain matter which essentially makes her a lollipop and I don't think snakes eat those?

Check it Out: Ulta Beauty

If you're anything like the majority of my lady friends, then you may not have ever gone to Ulta. I've known about Ulta for years, but being the Sephora junkie that I am, I sort of turned my nose up at Ulta. I thought they sold off-brand cosmetics and I referred to it (in my head) as the poor girl's Sephora. I'm not sure when or why I decided to give Ulta a chance, but I called up my BFF one day and told her we were going to check it out.

I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong and I will tell you right now that I was so wrong about Ulta. It's like Sephora and CVS had a baby. Ulta has a lot of the same make-up brands as Sephora, but they also carry your favorite drugstore brands. Additionally, Ulta carries just about every hair care product you can imagine AND they have a salon in the store! Now, I trust my hair to the one and only Maggie K. at Rapier Hair Design in North Palm Beach, but I will say that I've seen some good hair in the Ulta salon.

I like Ulta and Sephora equally in terms of product availability, but I do favor Sephora's rewards program. Ulta gives out quarterly rewards based on your point totals, whereas Sephora lets you cash in your points for gifts as soon as you reach the right amount of points. On the other hand, I see tons of coupons around for 20% off a purchase at Ulta and they have some killer sales and discounted products in the store.

I definitely recommend checking out your local Ulta if you have a chance. Not one in your area? No worries. Their website is full of goodies too and if you use promo code 22049 this week you can save 20% off your order!

Let me know what you ladies think and definitely tell me about your most recent Ulta purchase in the comments.

Urban Decay Releases "Alice in Wonderland" Set

Super-psyched about the Tim Burton-ified "Alice in Wonderland" coming out this March? Here's something to play with while you wait. Urban Decay cosmetics is about to release a cute-as-hell movie tie-in palette that's kind of like a pop-up book.

The products aren't new, but the shadows all got new "Underland" inspired names. The set contains one Eyeshadow Primer Potion, two travel size 24/7 Eye Pencils and 16 shades of eyeshadow. Just for fun here are the eyeshadow names: Underland, Alice, Oraculum, Queen, Chessur, White Rabbit, Wonderland, Curiouser, Muchness, Mushroom, Midnight Tea Party, Vorpal, Absolem, Drink Me, Eat Me, Mad Hatter and Jabberwocky.

The palette will be available on UrbanDecay.com on January 15th, Sephora.com on January 22nd and Sephora stores on February 1st.

If you haven't seen the "Alice in Wonderland" trailer yet, it looks magical.

Ghetto Fix: Make Your Own Dry Shampoo

In an effort to make my color last longer, I've been trying to shampoo my hair less frequently. Unfortunately, with baby-fine hair, dirtiness = stringiness. Unacceptable. Time to try a dry shampoo.

The cheapest one I found was at Sally Beauty for $7.49 called Batiste - I spritzed a little and it smelled like a toilet cleaner (not to mention the bottle looks like it's a scented vagina spray from the 1940s.) I checked Sephora next and everything was about $15-$40 for either a tiny spray can or a bottle that looked 15% full of baby powder. I looked at the ingredients on all of them - cornstarch was the key. I decided to make my own and total shocker - it worked.

What you need:
- A hair color applicator bottle with a narrow tip ($1.79 at Sally Beauty or any beauty supply store)
- Baby powder ($6ish at any drugstore. I HATE the smell of baby ass so I got the cucumber melon kind - very light and fresh)
- A funnel or a plastic bag

To use: Open the top of the applicator bottle and pour in the baby powder using either a funnel or a plastic bag with the corner cut off. Put the lid back on and apply the powder by gently squeezing the bottle and running the point of the applicator bottle along the hairline and part. It will require a little bit of rubbing in - but so do the pricy brands.

Bonus effect: If you're a bottle blonde it can help mask the appearance of dark roots.

MAC's Latest Multi-Culti Color Collection

Totally feeling the array of "nude" shades MAC just came out with in their All Ages, All Races, All Sexes collection. A few shades are re-runs of older shades, but the majority are limited edition and the loose pigment powders have gotten a packaging makeover that's going to stick. I'm dying to get my hands on the goldish "Universal Mix" pigment ($19.50) and the eyeshadow in "All Races" ($14.50)

5N, Empowered, Equality, Myself

Universal Mix, Rich Life

Personal Style, Alls Good

Cross Cultural, Banshee, Showstopper, All Races

Review: Clinique Youth Surge Night

Clinique just came out with the evening companion to their Youth Surge SPF 15 moisturizer - Youth Surge Night (1.7 oz. for $48.50)

I've been using Youth Surge SPF 15 for about a year now. While I could do with 15 extra notches of SPF thrown in (hello! 30 is the minimum), I appreciate how rich it is without making me feel like I rubbed a hamburger patty on my face. The new night version has a similar appeal. It goes on like a balm, which I deeply appreciate this time of year while the heat is blasting and parching the shit out of my skin. It absorbs fairly quickly and leaves your skin looking young and plump and taut and all that good stuff. I find that the next morning, I don't have to heap the moisturizer on as heavily, which is also great. I can add that thus far I have no zit evidence against Youth Surge Night. It comes in 2 versions - dry combination (2) and very dry to dry (1).

Price: $48.50 - Holy shit that's kind of expensive, right? But the jar is huge and if you don't have a freakishly large face this should last you a LONG time. I expect to get about a year out of mine.

Verdict: LOVE this. But get yourself to a Clinique counter and try before you buy - it's an investment.

Do Your Bras Die Young?

I always thought bras were supposed to last you at least a year. According to the Lady Grace website (famed experts in the science of bra fitting) they're only built to last 3-6 months. Um... three sounds like you're either wearing them in heavy combat or your cans are each the size of a small child. Judging by the condition of some of my best-loved bras I'd say six-ish is more like it.

Want to keep your bras alive longer? 3 tips:

1.) Don't wear the same bra more than 2x in a row.

2.) Hand wash your bras. If you're lazy like me, make sure you hook them and use the cold gentle cycle and a lingerie bag when you machine wash.

3.) Make sure the bra FITS in the first place. Not sure? Measure around your body right under your boobs, then measure again over the fullest part of your boobs. Subtract "underboob" from "overboob" - each inch you wind up with counts as a cup size. The underboob measurement is your band size. And no excuses, you can buy a measuring tape for $2.

My favorite bra (pictured above) for both shape (literally no lumpiness) and comfort is the Maidenform Sleek Fit Moulded Demi Bra - available in black, white, beige or brown and on sale for $15 at Amazon.com. The old standby for normally overpriced bras (VS) is having their winter Semi-Annual sale right now too - some of their bras are pretty decent. I'm curious - what's your favorite bra?