Temple of Glam

OK, OK. The Sulwhasoo facial I had last week lasted for much longer than seven minutes. And yes, my only experience with the ever-popular "7 minutes in heaven" game was watching, "Highway to Heaven". I'm not being funny; there was an episode where these cruel teenagers tricked the unpopular girl to go into a closet with some cute guy just so he could run out in horror seconds later. Bastards.

Anywhoo...Sulwhasoo time. I did a little research beforehand and was like, "whoa mama...$100 for an eye cream?!".  When I came to, I found myself in the facial room at Bergdorf Goodman getting prepped for my experience. I was pretty impressed by the concept of incorporating traditional Korean medicine to promote skin balance and harmony, as well as within the body.

The facial consisted of seven steps (including cleanser, serum, toner, and customized treatments):

Cleansing foam ($36)

First Care Serum ($80)

Balancing Water ($55)

Overnight Vitalizing Treatment ($50)

After all seven steps were completed, I emerged relaxed, revived and glowy-glowy-glowy. And if you spend $150 at Bergdorf Goodman, you will get a free facial.

Something tells me I've never shared my poor-student-in-Europe stories with you. As you can imagine, they're quite detailed, so for now, I'll tell you about my STA-Travel flight from New York City to London (by way of Iceland).

I hopped aboard Icelandair to Reykjavik. Though it was a lengthy flight, it was wicked cool to land on a sheet of ice. Yes, that pun was intended...sorry. Who'd believe, years later, I'd return to my Icelandic "roots".

Blue Lagoon Silica Mud Mask ($100) is a mud mask enriched with Icelandic sea water, containing lots of minerals, algae, and silica. Its cleansing and exfoliating capabilities appealed to my drab, post-Fashion Week skin. Seriously. My concealer gave up on me just days into Fashion Week. So at its close, I knew I had to take my visage into my own hands and bring out the big guns.

I kept the mask on for as long as I could, rinsed it off, and noticed my skin was refreshed and its texture was noticeably improved. And since that was the only change in my skin care routine, I give complete credit to the mask.

Want a FREE full-size Blue Lagoon Mud Mask? Leave a comment below or Tweet @TempleofGlam something cute about the mask, Iceland, OR how much you love me and/or Temple of Glam using this #beauty hashtag. If you Facebook "like" this article, mention that in your tweet. My favorite Commenter/Tweeter will win the mask!

Image courtesy of austin360.com

A teenager, a dad, and a blogger walk into a bar.

OK fine, there were two teenagers. And... it wasn't a bar. It was a car. I've just always wanted to tell the "A priest, an imam, and a rabbi walk into a bar" kinda' joke. So sue me.

Anyways, I sat in the car listening to two super cute and super smart teenage girls being, well, teenage girls. There was a whole lot of giggling and talking and it was fantastic. The dad jokingly petitioned his daughter to pipe down, but she was totally unaltered (or *ahem* incorrigible). I think many of us older girls can take a note from that play book, verdad?!

All right I'm off my soap box (that reference will be funny in 2.3 seconds): Cor Silver Soap ($15 - $120) didn't impress me when I first saw it. In fact, I was like, "What the hell? Who still uses bar soap on her face?"

But once I read about the glycerin-nano silver soap, I realized I needed to try the minor miracle maker. Work up a lather, apply it, let it sit for a few minutes, and rinse away makeup (even 3 coats of mascara), oil, and whatever else has been on your face all day! After that, I promise your skin will be clean and glowing. I will say that it does clean pretty deeply, so if you have dry skin, you will definitely need intense hydration post-suds.

I've been very impressed with Bare Minerals. I took my first hit last week at a Spa Week kickoff party and have been using it more frequently each day. I'm addicted.

Other than an incredible glow, Bare Minerals is also more makeup than I normally wear. How overjoyed I am that I was introduced to Kimberly Sayer Gentle Face Cleanser $25!

If you have normal, dry, or sensitive skin, you have to give it a go.The soy protein removes built-up oil, and yet leaves the skin re-energized (not tight at all). And the lavender oil balances the skin as it relaxes your spirit. Wow, how hokey did I sound there? Anyway, it's the cleanser I've been using every night to wash off my ever-increasing Bare Minerals applications and it's kinda' incredible.

Guys can be many things: slices of heaven, pains in the ass, handy men, sports slaves. One thing is painfully clear: with very little effort (and money), they look incredible every morning. Hate. Them. All. So I asked myself, "what can we steal from the boys?" And off to his medicine cabinet, we go!

Cop His Cleanser (1)

We've all been hoodwinked by mystical-sounding cleansers that promise the world and deliver a sidewalk. Fragrance-free Cerave Hydrating Cleanser ($10.49) doesn't claim to be the fountain of youth, but it leaves skin feeling clean and hydrated.

Take His Toner (2)

True, splashing cold water on his face doesn't constitute a toner in the beauty section of any department store, but he gets the same effect: refreshed skin. Save your blowout and use Evian Natural Mineral Spray-3 Pack ($17.50).

Loot His Lotion (3)

Let's be real. We use a lot of crap...and everything has a fragrance. Maybe try an unscented lotion that cannot conflict with the bevy of other scents you have going on. One like Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream ($13.29) is great for dry, sensitive skin!

Raid His Razors (4)

Isn't the "pink is for girls" thing almost too annoying for words? Consider using CVS Disposable Twin Blade Razors 3-Pack ($1) as a small act of feminism and to save a couple of bucks. Suck it, girly razors: you won't deight in super-foaming Barbasol shave cream anymore.

Pining the loss of Shu Uemura products in the U.S.? Maybe you are considering moving to Japan in protest of losing your beloved oil cleanser. Well don't pack yet, my lotus flowers.

I haven't mentioned my unwavering love of Michael Jackson. Mainly because I've been more than a bit MJ-obsessed since I was 6 and often when speaking of him, I cry. Surprisingly that can make people kinda' uncomfortable. I was more than prepared to swan dive off the balcony on to the stage, if I ever had the good fortune to see him perform live again. Until that day came, my oh-so-vivid "Victory Tour" memories would feed my soul.

So there was no doubt that I'd be at the very first showing of "This Is It", which happened to be at midnight. Yup, I'm a total freak. All I'm going to say about the film (I use the word "film" when I'm feeling extra snooty) is, if you haven't already, you must see it. Seriously.

OK now some beauty. Winter is on its nasty little way. If you aren't exfoliating, well shame on you, Miss-Missies! Your skin is most likely begging for a little scrubbing and you're being plain ol' selfish right now. I demand that you grab a bottle of Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash ($22) pronto. It cleanses and exfoliates (without stripping the skin's oils) in one fabulously foamy step! Don't believe me? Give me your tired and your poor skin. After the last splash, you'll go en masse to the nearest department store to cop a bottle.

I don't know about you, but yesterday sure felt like hump day to me.  And as much as I love the word "hump", I won't go anywhere with it today. I'm going to keep it classy today if it kills me! The best part of  yesterday was I totally thought my freshly blow dried hair would get "caught up in the rapture" of precipitation and it didn't...Score! Don't get me wrong. Relaxed hair loves moisture, but not in the wet kinda way.

My skin constantly craves moisture and I'm always on the hunt for an even better glow-generating product that will give my skin its much-needed fix. Well last night I tried Darphin Aromatic Cleansing Balm ($95) and it was like this emulsifying balm wash took away the last 15 years of stress. My face was illuminated like if the cool girls actually let me do more than turn (and didn't call me double handed) during double dutch. Or if the boys actually chased me during "catch and kiss". Ah the memories...

Tried it? Wanna try it and have questions? Just holler!