STILA SUMMER GIVEAWAY! Over $400 worth of product.

When the rain finally stopped here in New York, I had a sudden sunstruck flashback! About 12 years ago, my BFF (I won’t name any names, you know who you are!) and I were on a beachy vacation in Miami, Florida, celebrating her graduating college. Once we hit the sand, my friend decided to go sans sunblock to speed up her tanning process. Although I was young and did love the look of tanned skin, I knew my pale complexion needed to be protected. The result? My BFF got a major burn. Sadly, the humiliation didn’t end there. As we walked along the strip, random people barked comments at her like: “Hey, Red Lobster” and “Mrs. Tomato Head”. Poor girl! Not only did she wind up getting a fever that night and couldn’t party, but unwanted sun spots also showed up just weeks later.

When the girls at Stila heard that story, they said, “You must share this story with your readers, and warn them of sun damage. We can give away a bunch of sun protecting products and save someone else’s BFF—before it’s too late!” Thank you, Stila, for coming to the rescue with a summer protection basket filled with over $400 of Stila products.

How can you win? Share your most horrifying sun mishap (not that we wish this on anyone) from your past, and let us know why you should score this basket full of beauty booty.

Don’t forget to include your e-mail address.


Basket includes:
Stila Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15, $34
Stila Sheer Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 Oil Free, $36
Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15, $32
Stila Bronzing Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15, $32
Stila Illuminating Powder Foundation, $28
Stila Stila Sun SPF 15 Bronzing Powder, $26
Stila Lip Glaze, $22 (in 5 shades)
Stila SPF 20 Shine Lip Color, $22 each (in 5 shades)

Score This! For Beauty Insiders With 500 Points

Girl, How Do You Stay So Dang Gorgeous?

Ever wonder how the glam slam founders of your favorite beauty brands keep it pretty? We did too - so we asked:

What's the best beauty advice you've ever received?

"My grandmother swore that olive oil is the secret to beauty and good health. She instructed me to use it in my hair and on my skin, as well as in my foods. I use it daily as a skin prep and overall moisturizer. Even when I'm cooking, I'll rub a little bit on the ends of my hair and under my eyes before I pour it on a salad."

-Anastasia Soare, celebrity brow guru and found of Anastasia Beverly Hills

"Always apply 25% more color to your face than what you think is appropriate. More than

likely by the time you get to your designated appointment, job, grocery store, date, or dinner, that 25% will naturally be absorbed or blown off by Mother Nature - resulting in just the right amount of makeup."

-Jane Ford, co-founder of Benefit Cosmetics

"A fellow Miss Texas contestant taught me two things: First, to keep lipstick and lip gloss off your teeth, stick your index finger all the way in your mouth after applying color and slowly pull it out. Second, lining the upper inner lid of your eyes with black pencil defines your eyes without closing them in."

-Wende Zomnir, co-founder of Urban Decay

"A makeup artist in LA told me that even if you think you have great brows, get them shaped by a pro and you'll be amazed

at the difference."

-Leslie Blodgett, president and CEO of Bare Escentuals

"My sister taught me to keep my makeup bag clean by sticking two or three cotton balls in it. The cotton balls attract eyeshadow and loose powder spills, lip gloss smears, and other debris. The result is a much cleaner makeup bag - and cleaner hands when you reach in to pull something out!"

-Maureen Kelly, creator of Tarte Cosmetics

Now it's your turn: What's the best beauty advice you've ever received?

Save $30 On A ghd Styler

Not that a girl ever needs an excuse to pick up pretty treats, but all ghd stylers are all $30 off. Need a flatiron that can both curl and straighten? Or a mini straightener you can tote around for emergency frizz fixing? Get your tress tools, and save a little moolah while you're at it.

Scoring The Perfect(ly Fast) Tan

It's 4th of July weekend here in the states, and you've got a BBQ to attend/pool to lay by/beach to hang out on, plus the perfect sundress/cover-up/bikini to wear to it. Surely you're not accessorizing that perfect outfit with perfectly pasty "I missed the solstice" skin, are you?

If you need to glow gold in a hurry, we've got your fix: Makeup artist to the Hollywood stars and their red carpet events, Carol Shaw of Lorac cosmetics, shows you how to muster up a little bronze ambition in time for the weekend.

^ Use this, get gold!

Try Bare Escentuals Not-Yet-Released Foundation Now (FREE!)

Raise your favorite tap, swirl, buff brush if you're a Bare Escentuals' fanatic.

Bare Escentuals - fans, you know this story - is the mineral makeup company that started the craze. They're doing it again with the first-ever matte version of their best-selling bareMinerals foundation.

This matte version is everything you love about the skin-lovin' pure crushed original formula, only it controls and absorbs oil, minimizes pores, and promotes cell turnover for smoother skin. Love!

It's launching later this summer (and only Sephora will have it!), but you can try it before it comes to shelves, FREE. Get a 10-day sample in the shade of your choice, plus a baby kabuki brush, by entering BEMATTE at checkout on sephora.com.

Become A Fan On Facebook (We're Making It Worth Your While)

Are you a fan of Sephora on Facebook? If not, you might wanna consider it, and here's why: this week, we're offering a new deal every day. Woot Woot! In case you missed, it here were the deals of the weekend:

Summer Saturday alert! Go bronze and get your oil controlled in one spot - try Cosmedicine's new mattifying bronzer FREE when you spend at least $25 at Sephora.com, enter COSMEDLAB at checkout for a generous sample.

Sunday's Fresh squeezed deal! Get a Juice Beauty Moisturizer sample FREE with any order - enter JUICE during checkout @www.sephora.com

Bridal Beauty: Traditional Look

Any traditional bridal beauties walking down the aisle soon? This look is for you! I already covered general bridal beauty tips from Sara and how to achieve a perfect complexion for those wedding photos. Now it’s on to the first look! Of course, what defines a traditional look for a bride is to each her own. For me, Sara created defined yet subtle eyes, perfected brows and a darker lip.

Sara began with the eyes, applying MAKE UP FOR EVER Shadow in Espresso 17 ($19), a neutral base color, from the lower lid to right up under the brows. She next used MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Eyes in Black Purple 6L ($17) just along the lash line, blending it out to the lid with a brush. She chose liner over shadow for a longer hold and picked a plum shade because she said it’s “a big color that people use in a traditional bridal look. You can mix it with browns or neutral tones, and it will still make the look very enhanced.” Sara then added a little bit of MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Eyes in Matte Black OL ($17), close to the lashes for an extra pop. (Waterproof makeup, of course, is staying-power insurance for those poignant toasts or teary vows!)

Next was a little MAKE UP FOR EVER Star Powder in Iridescent Beige 926 ($19) right in the center. According to Sara, for women who aren’t totally comfortable with doing their own makeup (this is where I say “I do”), loose shimmer is a great way to cover up any potential messes. It reflects light, concealing mistakes and perfecting the look. She finished with Dior DiorShow Black Out Waterproof Mascara ($24) on the lashes.

If you’re unsure whether you’ve applied enough eye makeup, have someone take a picture of you rather than just looking in a mirror. The look in photos is the one you’re going for!

On cheeks, Sara suggested a cream blush for a dewy look. She used NARS The Multiple in Orgasm ($37) just on the apples, cautioning against overapplying. For my oh-so-pale complexion, Sara brushed on Stila Sun Bronzing Powder with SPF 15 in Shade 2 ($28). She stressed, “Don’t overdo your bronzer. Put it only on the spots where the sun would naturally hit your face – a little bit on the forehead, cheeks, bridge of the nose, and chin.” If you don’t use bronzer, you can extend your blush out more.

Brows were next, a necessity for the traditional look, according to Sara. “The brows frame the face and eyes, really bringing out your gorgeous makeup," she said. She also advised getting brows professionally shaped a month before the wedding.

For me, Sara used Anastasia Brow Ex-press ($38), a kit that includes stencils, a brush, two colors to blend for a perfect match, a highlighter, and wax to apply on top for a longer hold. She started in the center of the brows, explaining it gives better control to balance the look out. If you start in the front, it’s easy to go heavy in the front and lighter in the back. If you start in the back, you could create an overly high arch.

Finally, lips completed the look. Most traditional bridal looks usually use a pink, a maroon, or a cranberry shade. Sara said, “Lips should look alive when you’re taking pictures or when you’re walking down the aisle. But you also have to be comfortable with your choice of color. If you want neutrals, a good peachy nude shade is good with a neutral gloss. And if you want darker lips, then don’t forget the lip liner to ensure it stays on.”

Sara first primed the lips with a bit of concealer (the wax from it fills in fine lines and keeps lipstick on longer). She then used MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Lip Waterproof Lipliner in Matte Dark Raspberry 11C ($17), followed by Laura Mercier Lip Stain in Mulberry ($20) on top. She applied the stain with a brush, which she stressed was necessary for building better pigment and ensuring a longer-lasting finish.

Tips for lips:
1. If you’re not used to working with darker shades, after lining your lips, dip a Q-tip in makeup remover and outline the outside for a nice defined lip.

2. For women with fuller lips, stay away from liner and focus more on gloss, dabbing it in the center. Brides with thinner lips, on the other hand, should always use liner to create more definition and shape.

Next look coming down the aisle: romantic!

Temptu Is Here: Hollywood's Airbrush Comes To Sephora

For the last 28 years, Temptu has been the we need this on set stat! airbrusher for just about every Hollywood TV show and movie you've seen since 1981 (Gossip Girl, Desperate Housewives, Heroes, SNL...you get the idea). It's got what you could call a cult following, but A-listers and their makeup artists know a flawless face when they see one.

For the first time ever, Temptu is coming to Sephora! This schnazzy machine gently airbrushes makeup evenly over your face with a silicone-based formula that's waterproof (the airbrush applicator is $225; a 2-month supply of foundation is $55). And nope, Hollywood-level application skills aren't needed. Take a peek at our beauty blogger Nicole giving herself a first-ever airbrushed complexion. Yes, it's that easy.

Temptu is a Sephora exclusive that launches online later this month (it comes to stores in September). However, I call dibs on the first one. I can already tell this will be a must-have.

Get The Look: More Mermaids

Did you sea our last mermaid-inspired summer look? If you loved it as much as we did, you'lll be glad we created a second look.



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