The Glamtastic

Dear Chanukah Harry...

TheGlamtastic — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 00:00:00 PST

Dear Chanukah Harry,

Just in case you're reading this blog post, below are the candles I am LOVING this season!

I don't have a chimney, but I do have a doorman. Please feel free to stop by tomorrow night, the first night of Chanukah, and leave any and all goodies downstairs with any of our great doormen.

Happy Chanukah!

xoxo
Jessica

Tocca Beauty Candle Collection $36 - Sephora

Tom Ford Tuscan Leather Candle $85 - Neiman Marcus

Set of 3 Candles (Baies, Figuier, Feuille de lavande) by Diptyque $98 - Smallflower

Light It Up For Valentine's Day: Godiva Strawberry Rose Candle, C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint & Calvin Klein Euphoria

TheGlamtastic — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:29:40 PST

Godiva Strawberry Rose Candle $24.95 - http://gifts.redenvelope.com/

Bigelow Chemists: Mentha Lip Tint in Bare Mint $7.50 - http://www.bigelowchemists.com/

Calvin Klein euphoria Eau de Toilette $40 - Sephora

When you think of Valentine's day, images of truffles and cheesy red roses may appear, but I'm hear to change all that! This year, here are some Valentine's Day goodies that may transform your vision of Valentine's Day.

Get It Hot

Close your eyes. All you can smell is the essence of ripened strawberries covered in what your senses have decided is a rich robe of milk chocolate. Open your eyes. What you're really smelling is Godiva Chocolatiers Strawberry Rose Candle, which brings decadent scents of chocolate and fresh strawberries. The scent is strong upon opening the box, but calms once the candle is lit. This candle is sure to inspire some fire in the bedroom...you know what I mean.

Kiss It Better

Mint in my lipgloss, oh how lovey! Experience fresh breath and super soft lips with the help of C.O. Bigolow's Mentha Lip Tint Bare Mint. This lip gloss feels almost electric as peppermint oil hits the lips and adds a layer of sheer, oh-so-sexy gloss. This nudey cutey lip gloss offers a refreshing, cooling sensation. It keeps lips tingling for at least 5 minutes and leaves a minty, kissable smile for a few hours after application.

Gets You Hot or Not?

There is always one fragrance that screms sex! Not in a dirty, slutty way, but in a come hither way. This year, that fragrance is of course Calvin Klein's Europhia. This sensual scent may turn your Valentine's Day from PG to R-rated quite quickly. The scent utilizes a powerful combination of pomegranate, persimmon, black orchid, lotus blossom, champaca flower, liquid amber, mahogany wood, black violet, cream accord, and the list goes. on.

This is one of those fragrances that has women wanting to be around you and men swarming around you. They just can't get enough!

What is your Valentine's Day secret? Dare to share?

P.S. This Valentine's Day Please Get Me...

TheGlamtastic — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 07:01:11 PST

My V-Day Beauty Wish List

Please note: I did receive select editorial samples for review.

Kilian Back To Black Aphrodisiac Travel Spray Refills/.25 oz. $70 - Saks Fifth Avenue

Dolce & Gabbana The One Perfect Pair $90 - Sephora

Bobbi Brown Brightening Lip Gloss $20 - Bergdorf Goodman

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour $23 - Nordstrom

Diptyque - Cannelle (Cinnamon) Candle - 190g $60 - Beauty Habit

This Valentine's Day is my first as a wife. Wow, that makes me sound old and I am so not. Don't get me wrong, I'm no child bride, but after being married for just nine months it all feels so new, so fresh, so surreal...

And like any good wife, I try to help my new hubby out whenever possible. I don't play games or beat around the bush regarding what I may or may not want. If I did, I'd end up with a see-through cashmere turtle neck dress - no, I am not kidding. He almost purchased that as my "special surprise" gift last V-day. Of course, I would have given him a big hug, super smooch and thanked him.

This year, here's my beauty wish list (in case my husband happens to be reading this)...

Bath & Body Works® Signature Collection Body Lotion P.S. I Love You Spring Fling™ $10 - Bath and Body Works

The "Beautiful" Cure for Food Poisoning

TheGlamtastic — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 05:53:17 PST

Please note: I did not receive PR samples for review.

Kiehl's Since 1851 Superbly Restorative Dry Oil, 6.8 ounces $42 - Neiman Marcus

Tokyomilk - Honey and the Moon Travel Candle 10 - 6 oz. $12 - Beauty Habit

Guava Shower Gel by Korres $19 - Smallflower

"There must be quite a few things a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them." - from Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar

My husband and I just returned from a fabulous ten day holiday in Spain!

We traveled from Barcelona to San Sebastian. We drove through the stunning French country side into Toulouse, the fourth largest city in France. We ate like kings or like piglets, depending on how you look at it.

While hunting for a late night fine dining establishment day after Christmas, we learned a very valuable lesson - Europeans take Christmas very seriously! Almost everything was closed, Maoz Falafel, Starbucks, McDonald's, you name it! With the Christmas holiday still fresh, my husband and I had very few dining choices. We were starving after a long drive. At that point in the evening, I would have been thrilled to rob a vending machine or dine on Luna Bars. However, my husband wanted a "real meal", so he escorted me into one of the only restaurants open in town a.k.a. RED FLAG #1.

The minute we stepped into this Beauty and the Beast style traditional French bistro, I begged to leave! I could tell that there was something fishy about this dining establishment. Perhaps it was the large nude Romanesque statues hovering over us, or the lack of other patrons, but I new that this dinner wouldn't be the dreamy French dining experience I had envisioned. Needless to say, hours later I had food poisoning.

I spent the night sick (understatement) and when I woke up I went straight for a steamy bath. The beauty products that resurrected me and helped bring me back to life after a gross spat of food poisoning are items I now owe my health and vacation to, including:

Sometimes beauty can be the best medicine!

Burn Baby Burn: The Perfect Holiday Candles

TheGlamtastic — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:18:41 PST

This holiday season, it's all about keeping the candles burning! I have to have fabulous candles at my desk at work, by my bedside, on my living room table, in the kitchen...I'm a fan!

This year, here are my favorite holiday candle must-haves:

NEST Holiday Candle ($30): It may not feel like the holidays are here, but the NEST Holiday Candle can fill any room with heavenly holiday scents. This stunning three wick candle gives off inviting pomegranate, Mandarin orange, pine, cloves and cinnamon and arrives in a red and gold velvet box. It's a sleek gift with long lasting burning power - 150 hours worth. Love that!

Godiva Black Almond Truffle Candle ($22): This is the ultimate gift for chocolate lovers that want to spare themselves the additional calories, while still enjoying the rich aroma of Godiva chocolates.

This scented candle is inspired by the Godiva creamy roasted almond truffle, composed of roasted black almonds, velvet dark chocolate, with a hint of black pepper, golden honey and decedent essences. This is the perfect gift for the chocolate lover in your life! I just can't get enough of it!

Niven Morgan's Marrakesh Orange Blossom Candle ($30): I love transformative fragrances and the Marrakesh Orange Blossom Candle does just that! This scented candle was created to transport you from your cubicle to a lavish beachside vacation, with bazaars, flowers, spices and mystery all around you. Take a mental getaway with this relaxing holiday treat.

All candles are available at http://www.neimanmarcus.com/ if you'd like to try them!

Which candle is your favorite? Tell us about it!

Please note: I did receive PR samples to test.

Just Can't Get Enough...Voluspa Candles

TheGlamtastic — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:20:53 PDT

Large Candle - $22.00: 85 hour burn time, 10 oz.
3-Wick Pedestal Candle - $40.00: 120 hour burn time, 16 oz.
3-Wick Tin - $18.00: 80 hour burn time, 12 oz.
Travel Tin - $9.00: 45 hour burn time, 4.5 oz.
Votive Candle - $7.00 25 hour burn time, 3 oz.
Diffuser - $48.00: 12 oz.
Mini-Diffuser - $20.00: 3.4 oz.

My brother-in-law was over for dinner and accidentally dropped one of my Rodarte candles into the toilet. What would you, I or anyone do at such a moment? Panic perhaps? Yell to his wife for help? Fess up? Nope, he tried flushing my decadent soy candle down the toilet. As you can imagine, large chunks of glass don't flush well!

Needless to say, I no longer keep candles in my bathroom. But lately candles have taken over my fabulous cube at work and helped bring zen and the delicious and slightly fruity scent of huckleberry to my everyday.

My new Voluspa Candle in Santiago Huckleberry is a hand poured, super soothing, slow-to-melt candle that provides a hint of scent without overwhelming the small space. The fragrance is composed of delightful huckleberry, sugar cane and vanilla pods. This is one of those scents that could live in the bedroom on the nightstand, on the coffee table, or in your oh-so-fabulous cubicle at work.

Once you inhale a hint of this Santiago Huckleberry candle, you may just realize that you can't just get enough! And for $18, why not?

What scent do you find the most soothing? Tell us about it!!!