Biking Silver Lake and the L.A. River

This is a little off-topic for this blog, but I am a cyclist, and I love to cycle in my magical little neighborhood of Silver Lake, and the surprising wetlands that is the L.A. River Path. Check it out. Maybe it will inspire you to get out there and cycle, or run. Which, by the way, will make you feel and look a little more pretty.


Love, BeautyJones!

Local Spot: Le Pink & Co.

I love my Sephora, my Ulta, and let's face it, I haunt my local CVS, especially on Fridays, when the new product launches go out.

But I am a huge fan of the small unique beauty shop, where walking through the door is like starting a treasure hunt, where, if you find something you like, you better pick it up, because you may not see it again.

So, although my head is just full of what I need to pack for London and Rome, I'm sharing a few pictures of my latest trip to Le Pink & Co., the charming apothecary shop in the heart of Silver Lake's Sunset Junction.

Side by side with cult coffee shops, diners, vegan places, a new hot currywurst joint, the premier comic book shop in L.A., and the best gelato place in town, is Le Pink & Co. If you are looking for a nice hostess gift, they've got your gorgeous candles with exotic scents, and your lovely European bath products. They even have a few men-only skin care lines. It's all beautifully displayed, and above the shelves and in the window you'll see sweet tableaus using vintage beauty and apothecary products. Their skincare lines include the likes of Dr. Hauscha, but seek out their more unusual choices like Éminence Organic Skin Care.

The pretty sales girl gave me 4 generous samples of Éminence's Rosehip Whip Moisturizer, Stone Crop Whip Moisturizer, Wild Plum Eye Cream, and Yam & Pumpkin Enzyme Peel. She was smart to give me these, because they all smell so lovely and feel like they are really working. They are by no means cheap, but not overly pricey for fancy skin care lines. I'll be picking me up some of these when the samples run out.

In terms of cosmetics, you'll find Lipstick Queen, Nouba, and more. And, again, it's the independent lines, the hard-to-find stuff, and you can swatch and try it all from the cute displays on the center table.

There are adorable makeup cases and bags, too, shaving lines for men, Marvis toothpaste in lots and lots of flavors, and the kind of perfume selection you just can't find in American department stores and chains. 

The perfume selection here is the jewel in the crown of this little indie shop. Come here just to try a few. Only in France, and, OK, in the French Pavilion at EPCOT, truth be told, have I seen some of these brands. These days it's so easy to find yourself wearing what everyone else has. Issey Miyake? The gal on the next floor is sporting it. Miss Dior? Your yoga teacher wears it out on a Saturday night. But how about something called Bois Farine, or something from Artisan Parfumeur or Mistral? These are more unusual, and so will you be when you wear them.

I also appreciate the sense of fun in Le Pink & Co. They carry a full line of old time candy! You could come here and put together the ultimate gift basket of beauty, skin care and bath products for your mom or your best friend or your boss, and top it all off with a sleeve of Necco wafers!

Recently Le Pink & Co. has tricked out a back room and added a suite of salon services including facials and waxing.

So come check them out. Let's keep places like this going, people! They make shopping much more interesting and take us outside the big box store and the chain. They show us fresh new ideas in beauty. And what could be wrong with that?

Le Pink & Co.
3820 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
 




Coming Soon....

I'm working on photos and videos of my makeup bag for London and Rome. I want to show you my whole wardrobe. I've had to add one pair of heels, even though I really hate heels, but I needed a pair of closed-toe shoes for rainy old London. I picked up a pair of black Danskos. I'm going to need waterproof options for makeup because I'll be at the beach, and I'll be going from cool and rainy to hot and sweltering. Hopefully I can some swimming in at the shore in Cerveteri, Italy, in the Mediterranean. I know those of you not looking forward to a vacation as special as this must be hating me right now, but it's been 3 years now since I've been to Europe, which is way too long! I love Italy so much it hurts, and I just can't wait!

I'll be looking for unusual cosmetics and new-to-me products wherever I go, so I will be sharing some terrific stuff with you here on this blog in the coming weeks! I'm only bringing the iPad with me—no laptop, so I can travel light—and I'll be using iMovie for iPad to edit videos, and upload blog content.

If you want the download on my European vacation, be sure to follow me in all the places I can be found:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/beautyjonestoo
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/BeautyJonesToo
Twitter: twitter.com/BeautyJonesToo
Tumblr:http://www.tumblr.com/blog/beautyjones

Have an awesome Monday, Everybody!

Love, BeautyJones!

Why I style my hair

Skin79 Super+ Beblesh Balm Triple Functions

This look is done with my usual Skin79 BB Cream, but with no moisturizer underneath—putting all of those BB claims to the test.

But please take note, these photos illustrate why I blow dry and iron my hair. I love my husband for saying my hair looked cute here--unconditional love!  But da'amn, those tresses coulda used some heat manipulation.

Anyway, it's good enough for an afternoon bopping around my beloved Silver Lake, grabbing some Berlin Currywurst, a glass of wine and maybe some Pazzo Gelato.

Results:

Had a great day, but turns out I need that moisturizer under the BB cream--didn't take long to feel a bit dried out and cakey around my mouth in those lovely laugh lines. And I still say a bright lip works better on me than a nude one. Otherwise I have the Incredible Tiny Mouth.

NYX Face with NYX Lipstick in Iced Honey 556

See the cakiness around the laugh lines? I need a creamy moisturizer base for that BB Cream

This lip was done with a quick swab on of NYX  Lipstick in Iced Honey 556.

Bought this handy nude collection from Hautelook during the NYX sale.
Don't they look a lot like those super-pricey Burberry rose lipsticks?
NYX, how I continue to love thee!

Happy Earth Day, People! Go take a walk, ride a bike, eat locally sourced ingredients or plant a tree! Or have a cocktail based on organic spirits and juices. Or something like that.

By the way, NYX has been having this really awesome Vlogger Contest on their page. I am a big fan of Josh Collier MUA, and his 80s tutorial there, although I think, unwearable, is really cool and creative and well done. Go there, view some videos, find some new favorite beauty vloggers, and vote!

Cheers!

--BeautyJones :)