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Get free shipping on the SEPHORA COLLECTION Ultimate Blockbuster 2009!

Enter promo code BLOCKBUSTER at checkout.

Why do you want it?
-You can create over 60,000 looks.
-It's bigger and better than last year's edition.
-It won Allure's 2009 Best of Beauty Editor's Choice Award.
-It's already one of our most popular gifts of the season.

Free shipping ends 11:59 PST Sunday, November 22, so get yours ASAP!

Would you pay a "Botax"?

Here's a tidbit sure to raise some eyebrows (if your face allows): A provision in the proposed healthcare reform bill wants to tax elective cosmetic surgeries like Botox, tummy tucks, nose jobs and lifts. 5%, to be exact, which would earn Uncle Sam about 5.8 billion smackeroos over the next decade. Any reconstructive surgeries deemed truly "necessary" for medical reasons would remain untaxed, of course. So what do you say? Should the only things certain in life be death and ... Botaxes?

--photo courtesy of biojobblog.com

Beauty in the News: Scents are DOA

Anyone who hasn’t been living without television, radio and the Internet knows that tonight is about the undead (and hot-guy warewolves). So it stands to reason that a fragrance that gives new meaning to the statement, “I die,” has been getting a ton of buzz lately.

The new line of bespoke scents is fashioned by using the DNA of dead celebrities. Yes, you read that right: Dead people. According to a recent piece in the New York Daily News, a Beverly Hills-based company analyzes the genetic makeup of the deceased by examining strands of hair. (In case you are wondering where it comes from, there is a well-know collector of dead people’s hair and he lends it to the project. Aside: Really, I can’t make this stuff up!) A fragrance is then developed to reflect the aura of the personality utilizing some scientific properties extracted from the DNA. (Anti-Clone worriers: Don’t. There is no way to reverse the genetic codes to create a being.) The personality choices are varied and retail for about $60. There are ultimate divas, infamous pop stars, US presidents and even a scratch-your-head category that includes geniuses and murders. I don’t know about you, but this is a big pass in my beauty book. Oh, and another thing: It’s official the eau du celebre is dead. --Jenna Mahoney

Leslie Blodgett in Times Square

Leslie Blodgett lit up Times Square on Wednesday night. The lovely CEO of Bare Escentuals was at the Sephora Times Square store to celebrate the launch of her new fragrance line, Perfume Diaries, and first-ever perfume, Bare Skin. Inspired by Leslie's trips to sunny beach locations, Bare Skin is a very personal note for all of her loyal devotees.

While taking photos and autographing Bare Skin products for fans, Leslie shared little tips about Bare Skin (the key is layering) and talked about the one essential beauty item she always travels with (“Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Foundation – there’s no way I would actually leave the house without my foundation!”) About creating her first fragrance, Leslie said, “I've always wanted to do this my whole life. It has woody notes and dries down to a beautiful sweet vanilla – you can wear it day or night,” she said.

Leslie also divulged a bit about her upcoming second fragrance, Santa Barbara. “I spent my childhood visiting Santa Barbara in the summers. The scent is a gorgeous beautiful floral that reminds me of the breeze with the flowers all mingled together.”

I know, we can't wait either – thank goodness Bare Skin is available now!

Bare Skin Eau de Parfum, $55
Bare Skin Solid Perfume (in pocket-watch case), $35
Bare Skin Perfumed Body Cream, $30

Rx for Brown Skin in Puerto Rico

Attention Puerto Rico! Get the skinny on achieving a beautiful complexion with Rx for Brown Skin. Hear expert advice from Annika Garcia, Lead Educator and Esthetician, and sit for a complimentary skin consultation with a beauty pro.

Saturday
Plaza Las Américas
(787) 771-0240

High Art: Getting Nailed

Molly Surno is a Brooklyn-based photographer who just happens to love nail polish. She also really admires graffiti art. And what do you get when you blend the two: Why nail art of course, the inspiration for her photography project The Smallest Canvas.

Since we are always interested in learning more about beauty-loving cool girls, we caught up with Molly and asked her a few questions about her show, her love of nail polish and—of course—her favorite products.

B&TB: What inspired you to create this show:
Molly: The week I moved to Brooklyn, I noticed that almost every woman had nail art. I was living in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood and was shocked how many salons there were—more than my obsessively look conscious home city of Los Angeles. The things I have seen on people’s tiny fingernails are so expressive: Their national flag, loved-ones names, sunsets, skylines, colors that match their sneakers, whatever.
B&TB: How did you translate this into an art project?
Molly: Brooklyn is so culturally rich and I think this artistic expression among women tends to get overlooked. I see nail art as this feminist form of public art. The body becomes a platform of self-expression, which is why I call the project The Smallest Canvas.
B&TB: Can you tell me more about public art?
Molly: Since the 1970s, the art world has considered murals and graffiti as public art pieces, all of which are primarily dominated by male artists. While there are many female graffiti artists, a more common art form in the projects of New York City is highly decorated, long, intricately designed nails. In a lot of ways nail art is like graffiti. It blends personal expression in an open area. In my show, I’ve melded this form of personal street art and art that is in a gallery. It’s my way of showing that these women who work in salons are artists. It’s such a creative process and the women who get their nails done so intricately are so expressive. My images celebrate this vibrant and alive culture.

B&TB: What are your favorite nail colors?
Molly: I love blues. They are a great platform for other nail colors. White, bright green, silver, gold, pink—they all look so striking on a blue nail.
B&TB: What are your favorite Sephora by OPI Shades?
Molly: I recently learned about the line, but now I have four colors: Mermaid to Order [shimmering deep green-blue], Brightener [a treatment coat], Blue Grotto [deep ocean] and Lagoon-a Beach [shimmering pale blue].
B&TB: What are you favorite non-nail products?
Molly: Bliss The Youth as We Know It Eye Cream ($75), Mane n’ Tail Shampoo (It’s for horses, but leaves my hair so soft), Clarins Extra Firming Day Cream ($78)The Smallest Canvas can be viewed as part of “Nefer/Nfr” show at Capricious Space in Brooklyn or on Molly’s website.–Jenna Mahoney

Beauty Bargain Roundup: Week of 11/23

Starting Monday 11/23, here are the Weekly Specials and Sweet Steals on Sephora.com we can't wait to get our hands on. Don't know where to go to find these juicy deals? Just check our homepage for Weekly Specials, and you'll see the Sweet Steal of the week when you click into your shopping basket (even if its empty, you'll still be able to see it).

Coming up...

* From 11/23 to 12/1, get 20% off Bare Escentuals BareMinerals Get Started Kits!!

* Get Jurlique's Herbal Recovery Gel free (a $34 value) with any $25 purchase

* Love DDF's Glycolic Face Wash? Get a free travel size version (a 2-3 week supply) with any online order.

* Calling all Harajuku Lovers fans! Buy the adorable Snow Bunnies Baby fragrance and get five Harajuku Lovers Barrettes free.

Can't wait till next week for a deal? Check out the newest Sale Items we're breaking open the piggy bank for - available now!:

Juicy Couture Pave Lip Gloss Heart Ring (50% off)

Laura Mercier Eye Design Kit (the perfect luxury gift for mom, sis or best friend)

Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Solid Perfume Dog Tag (guy gift alert!)

TEMPTU in Puerto Rico!

Beauties in Puerto Rico, are you ready for your close-up? Put flawless pro airbrushing at your fingertips with TEMPTU, the first spray-on tool perfected for easy at-home use. Pop in for a personal demo using this groundbreaking, ultralightweight formula, and prepare to be amazed.

Plaza Las Américas
Thursday, November 19
Friday, November 20
Saturday, November 21
(787) 771-0240

Meet Caudalíe Cofounder in NY, and Score a Mini Spa Treatment!

Come talk skincare with Caudalíe cofounder Mathilde Thomas, and enjoy a mini spa treatment using Premier Cru La Crème, the brand's exceptional new antiaging cream. Stop by this exciting event and be among the first to try—and buy—this luxurious new beauty. I can tell you from personal experience, your skin will thank you!

Tomorrow!
Sephora 86th & Lexington
11 AM-5 PM: Consultations
12 PM - 4 PM: Meet Mathilde

Friday
Sephora Union Square
(212) 995-8833
11 AM-5 PM: Consultations
12 PM-4 PM: Meet Mathilde

Space is limited. Walk-ins welcomed.

Best Bag Bets: Holiday Minis

If I had to choose my favorite part about the holidays, I’d say it’s the getting gussied up for all those Yuletide gatherings. I love donning my long silver gloves, my handsome velvet capelets and my sparkling special occasion costume jewelry. Attending all the holiday parties means I also get to break out my collection of vintage clutches. (Insert a glee-filled dance number here.) Little bags mean my old stand-bys won’t be able to cut it. So I’m making a list (and hope Husband is checking it twice) of some super minis that will get me through the party circuit season.

Laura Mercier Flawless Face Kit ($65) Smooth, luminous skin trumps all beauty needs. The multiple minis prime, perfect, camoflauge and set a pretty, party-ready face. Not all pieces may make the clutch-cut, but it’s nice to have the mix-and-match option.

Benefit Pocket Pal ($20) Double-wanded and from the Ford twins, makes this lip/cheek color a small-bag must-have. One side boasts the company’s calling card product, Benetint check and lip stain. The slick gloss on the other can be used over the rich stain or solo for under-the-mistletoe kissable lips.

Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Collection ($35) This only-at-Sephora set of pigment-rich pencils add a bit of sparkle to eyes. Five different shades translate into a festive new face at each fete. The super emollient formula makes application a chinch (a total bonus for someone who is a bit remedial at the art of eye makeup like me).

Tocca Brigitte Solid Fragrance ($30) Holiday parties call for deeply sexy—and spicy—scents. This spill-proof solid is a medley of ginger, saffron and sandlewood with a musky finish.

Carol Daughter’s Kizzi ($9.50) Tame flyways, infuse shine and reset finger waves with this Naturally-Sephora pomade. The formula is sweetly infused with the scent of apple, peach and pear and blissfully free of parabens, sulfites and other synthetics. --Jenna Mahoney