I made it through day 5 of my clean program & I am feeling great! The first few days were rough to say the least. I had a monster headache on day 1 and horrible, horrible body aches & pains on day and 2 & 3. I treated myself to the most amazing (and definitely most intense) massage at Remedy Clinic. I think it sped up the detoxification process so I was hurting some kind of bad that night but I really think that it helped me turn the corner to feeling better.

I have been doing lots of “dry brushing” which helps to stimulate the detoxification process. Its not the most pleasant ritual so I would suggest using a really coarse body scrub like Juara’s coffee scrub. Use the scrub on dry skin then jump in the shower to rinse off.

My skin is already showing improvement so I am encouraged!

Correction….I realized that my last post says that my dad & sister lost their weight in the first week….they did the program for 21 days  that was total weight loss.

The nice folks at Vivace have been really great about making me special salads that are modified to fit my diet. Today I had one with arugula, chicken, portabello mushrooms & turnip chips….AMAZING! I think this is my new favorite lunch!

This is day one of my detox. I recently read the book “Clean” by Dr. Alejandro Junger & have decided to embark  This should be challenging. The short of it is….no refined sugar, caffeine (sigh), alcohol, gluten or dairy.The plan also calls for a liquid meal (smoothie) in the morning, one solid meal for lunch & a liquid meal (soup or smoothie) for dinner. e nothing more than coffee, cream & pastries. This is going to be interesting! I have been plagued by stomach issues most of my life. I have also developed allergies to many additives found in commercial food & my once perfect skin turned into a nightmare when I turned 27. I am hoping that this detox will reset things & cure many of these issues.

My dad & sister recently did the “Clean” detox & had amazing results. My dad lost 18 lbs the first week & my sister lost 10! Neither were overweight to begin with & both lead what most would consider very healthy, active lifestyles.

I have suckered Jessica (full time employee at Luxe Apothecary) into doing the first week with me so I apologize in advance if “Team Luxe isn’t the happiest of crews this week !

I had to skip my beloved coffee this morning & am getting ready to make my breakfast smoothie. Will keep you posted. Wish me luck!

xo,

Fiquet

Let me start by telling you that I am French at heart. I lov

I am officially ready for spring. Okay, that is an understatement. I am obsessed with spring makeup & can’t wait to shed some of these layers & enjoy some warm weather! I had a pedicure tonight after work & my toes are now a lovely, VERY spring-ish, shade of lavender. BRING IT!

Been super busy lately. Lots of new work to share!

2 photo shoots with my oh so talented friend & favorite photographer, Lynn Furge. Lynn flew in from Chicago & we shot for two amazing designers.

First, a very cool, eco-friendly line of knit wear by a label called Makepiece. Trust me, these aren’t your mama’s knits! I fell in love with these ultra-feminine, delicate pieces. We shot on location at my Aunt’s farm so it was a really fun day….makeup & animals, that is my idea of heaven! We tried to work the mini-mule into things but that didnt go so well. Trust me, it was better to leave him out of things. We DID however, get a mini horse involved! The look was very English Rose. I wanted to play up our model’s (Lisa Williams; Directions, US) amazing features without making her look too “done”. I skipped blush & instead, contoured her cheek bones with bronzer. I washed lids with Baroque Eye Tint & defined her lashline with cake liner &

lips were kept natural with Vendela sheer lip colour.

The following day we shot for a line of jewelry, Orly Genger by Jaclyn Mayer. When Lynn tried to describe the jewelry I must admit, I didn’t get it at all. Why was she so darn in love with woven rope jewelry? I TOTALLY GET IT NOW! Amazing. Truly! The model, Nicole Freudig (Directions US) & I spent most of the day coveting each piece & agonizing over what we couldn’t live without. I love the way these shots turned out. I used Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl to create that just from the gym sheen on Nicole’s skin & kept eyes clean & simple with Doeskin shadow. Nicole has fabulous eyes but they can get a little heavy if you don’t watch it so I applied a few individual flare lashes along the inner corners to open them up a bit. Her lip”custom blend” by yours truly - stop by the store or email me & I can tell you my secret! Visit Nolcha’s site to read more about the designer!

Be sure to pick up a copy of the latest Midtown Magazine! My regular column is all about spring must haves & you can see the makeup I did for the fashion shoot! I will post pics from that soon but go ahead & grab a copy the next time you are in North Hills!

Katy Perry and her amazing pink lips!

Can I just say how much I loved, loved, loved all of the pink lips seen at the Grammys? I was totally inspired by Katy Perry’s look. I am a huge fan of retro, pin-up inspired beauty (I collect Vargas girls) so it is no surprise that I loved Katy Perry’s Betty Page bangs & ultra glam makeup. The pink lip, gold shadow & black liner were amazing. I woke up the next day & created my own version. Turns out, Armour Beauty “Cat Club” is the perfect gloss! It is truly the perfect pink. While Katy’s lips were more of a stain, I opted for a gloss.

So here is what I went with:

Becca Shadow in Venise & Damask

Susan Posnick Jet/Moonstone Eyeliner (this is the deepest black & it’s ultra pigmented)

Becca Duende Bronzer: I used this to sculpt cheeks rather than use blush

Armour Beauty Cat Club Lip gloss

If you live in town, swing by Luxe Apothecary to try this out!

XO,

Fiquet

As most of you know, I have been writing for Midtown Magazine. This past week, as I hurried around finishing up my next article I found myself at Target looking for inexpensive products to plug. While scanning the aisles for the perfect red lip gloss (which, as it turns out is still Becca “Cherry Bomb” which they don’t sell at Target) & lavender shadow I noticed this woman who was also walking back & forth- looking rather confused. Finally, our eyes met & she said with a laugh, “I just keep staring at all of this stuff wondering if any of it even works”.

Being the beauty geek that I am, I immediately suspended what I was doing & offered my assistance. I helped her find mascara & blush. I told her not to feel bad, that this is what I do for a living and half of the products there didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me either. The swatches on the packages are horrible representations of the actual colors & without feeling the actual product how is anyone supposed to know if they really like it?

After helping the confused lady make her selection (and explaining to her why the original Loreal Voluminous Mascara is far superior to some of their newer formulas…I told you am a geek) I grabbed my products & checked out.

Sure, I found a few decent items but as always, half of what I brought home didn’t make the cut. So, as it turns out, the one shadow (that’s really just okay) and lip gloss (that I do actually love)  ended up costing me over $40…roughly what I would have paid for lip gloss & shadow at a counter…or better yet, a beauty boutique.

Not to sound self promoting or overly pleased with myself but the whole experience served as a reminder of why I like my job. I like helping women find the perfect product & knowing that they will love it. I still get excited when someone walks into Luxe with a cream blush that looks as if it has been licked clean. I NEVER used an entire product pre-Luxe.

This gloss is not this pink. In reality, it looks nothing like this

Anyway, you get what you pay for & there is nothing like expert advice. I will admit, once in a while you stumble upon a treasure at the drugstore but it is always a gamble.

My treasure from my last Target trip is my new “Shiny-Licious” lip gloss by Maybelline. “Strawberry Tart” is a really amazing peachy-pink (note that it in no way resembles a strawberry tart…case in point). I was looking for a gloss that was neither too glittery or overly shiny & this fits the bill….despite the fact that it’s called “Shiny-Licious”.

So moral of the story is that you are not alone. I pride myself on having a keen sense of color & I find mass marketed drugstore products totally confusing….or rather, misleading. So happy hunting…let me know if you stumble upon any drugstore finds worth knowing about…a true beauty addict will shop for products anywhere she finds herself from Walgreens to Bergdorfs; however the experience will be vastly different.

XO,

Fiquet

Trying out a look from the Oscars at last years Red Carpet Review

Like many of you, the new year has me feeling a need to reinvent myself…again. I have been hitting the gym more than usual & trying to keep my house a little cleaner. I recently downloaded a Nike + Original Run by De La Sol which has helped motivate me to drag myself to the gym- now if I could find music that would inspire me to clean I’d be all set. After all of the holiday craziness (thanks to all of you that helped make our holidays at Luxe so amazing!) it feels a little strange to have free time. I have decided to fill some of that time with extra makeup training & volunteering around my community.

On the Luxe front, I am busy planning new workshops & am excited about all of the increddible makeup artists that have signed on to teach some really cool classes. Mark your calendar…our 3rd annual Oscar “Red Carpet Review” is scheduled for Thursday, March 11th! Guest artist, Lynn Furge will be back & this year is going to be better than ever. Stay tuned to www.luxeapothecary.com for details & be sure to sign up for our email list so that we can keep you in the loop!

Another REALLY exciting project for 2010 is my new column in Midtown Magazine. I will be bringing you beauty tips in each issue of Midtown & will be highlighting products from all different price points (drugstore to Luxe). Be sure to pick up a copy around town or swing by Luxe Apothecary for a copy!

If beauty is on your list of resolutions for 2010 come see us, give us a call, drop us a line…..you get the point. January is a great time to pull yourself together after the holidays & to spend a little time focusing on yourself again!

Here’s to a fabulous 2010!

xo,

Fiquet

Had an amazing weekend in NY with my mom & sisters. Flew home early for an interview with Good Morning America….CRAZEEE but true! GMA was doing a piece on our friend Blaire of Pristine Beauty (now available online!) & yours truly was a part of the action.

As it turns out, Sunday mornings are not the time to find yourself in need of pampering- well, at least not by others. I struck out at the nail salon around the corner & after driving around I realized that not a single hair salon (ok, not a single salon that I wanted to go to) was open Sunday morning. NOT that I blame them, trust me, I love my Sundays off. Anyway, faced with the harsh reality that I was going to be on National TV & forced to do my own hair, I headed to Luxe. After all, I do have access to the finest hair products around…now was the time to put them to the test.

OMG. I have to say it again….OMG. The magic of Philip B. has never been more apparent…or more appreciated. Katira Hair mask is a gift from God… or at least the hair God, Philip B.

I am never one to follow directions but this was a desperate situation so I actually read the back of the tube. I washed my hair & then applied (as directed, thank you very much) to my towel dried hair. I left the mask on for about 20 minutes & took Philip’s suggestion of hitting it with a warm dryer allowing this magical potion to penetrate deeper.

Upon rinsing, I could tell that this was going to be good. I have coarse, thick hair that desperately wants to form dreadlocks. I can’t remember the last time brushing my hair after a shower was this easy. The brush just glided through my hair….sign #1 of the miracle to come.

I grabbed Philip B. Anti Frizz Formula 57 & applied a few drops to my damp hair & began to blow dry. Hoping for the best, I sectioned my hair off, continued drying and prayed for a miracle. About 5 minutes later, I was left with super silky, perfectly smooth hair that seemed too good to be true. My hair was voluminous but definitely not in that “poofy” way that those of us with naturally curly, thick hair dread. I added one more drop of Anti Frizz Formula 57 to my now dry hair for good measure.

The only downside….if this is a downside… was that my hair was so silky I had to work a little harder to get my hair to take curl. I was pulling my hair back into a ponytail & wanted to curl the ends. I found my hair so incredibly silky that the hot rollers slipped out of my hair. Nothing that Philip B. Jet Set Hairspray couldn’t cure.

Perfection. I love this man.

Add Philip B. hair products to your list of things you can’t (or rather, shouldn’t) live without.

XO.

Fiquet

Fall is all I can think about. I am telling you now, stock up on purples. Don’t have a fortune to spend on new clothes? Stay current with a purple shadow, liner or gloss.

Yes, I said gloss. I am not asking you to walk around looking like you just downed a pitcher of grape Kool-Aid. I am talking a grape tinged gloss like Paula Dorf “Smitten”. Becca lotus cream blush works great when patted into lips as a stain.

The key to the trend? Try purple out on one are of the face- don’t over do it. Too conservative to feel ok rockin a purple lid? If purple is too much of a departure from your usual bone or beige shadow try a purple based gray or taupe or stick with your neutral shadow & opt for an eggplant eye liner instead.

Fashion is fun! Don’t sit on the sidelines. Come on in or shoot us an email & we can walk you through fall trends.

Don’t forget tomorrow’s fashion show at Vivace! www.luxepothecary.comfeaturing makeup my Luxe Apothecary!

xo

Fiquet

Okay, so I am carrying a clutch...I still have hiking boots on.

I must admit that spending the weekend amidst Asheville’s natural beauty has me thinking greener than ever. The timing seems perfect. I was interviewed by WRAL last Wednesday, headed to the mountains Friday, spent the weekend soaking in nature & returned to a great story on WRAL news on organic/natural beauty.

There is so much talk about “Green Beauty” these days. Its hard to know how far to take it, what to believe, what to avoid, etc. I can’t remember the last time I made it through a day without someone asking me about “natural” products.  What is “natural” anyway? The definition of “natural” is constantly evolving. What passed for natural a few years ago no longer loves up to the savvy “green” consumer today.

So what’s a product junkie to do? Can a girl wear lipstick while doing her part to save the planet?

 Am I ready to toss my Diamond Extreme Face Cream into the trash…..oops, recycling bin…..simply because it has a few parabens in it? Ummmm, NO. Do I choose the organic, paraben free option when presented with two equally fabulous body washes? Absolutely! To what extent a person goes green is a personal decision. I am not in the business of telling people what to do. I do, however, feel a responsibility to educate our customers, to present them with options and allow them to make an educated, well informed purchase.

My personal goal is to reduce the number of synthetic ingredients that come into contact with my skin and to support ethical, eco-conscious companies. There are so many angles to the whole “green” movement. When shopping for natural beauty products there are personal health concerns & environmental considerations that play into the products one chooses.

It always blows my mind when I see people smoking cigarettes then refusing to use foundation that contains synthetic preservatives….or the other way around. At the end of the day, I doubt the foaming agent in my shampoo will be the thing that puts me in the ground- that being said, I do care about the environment & the impact that I have on it. I want to be a good Earth friendly citizen while I am here & thankfully their are now plenty of product lines that allow you to look good/smell good/feel good while doing just that.

Green meets Glam.Red Flower Lavender Wash.

We stock several organic, certified organic, wild crafted, handmade & paraben free product lines at Luxe Apothecary. (Confused yet? Told you it was overwhelming….come see us, email me, call me, etc. & we can talk more in depth) My favorite is Red Flower. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these products. We have stocked Red Flower from the very first day we opened our doors (almost 7 years go).  Why do I love Red Flower? Because they “walk the walk”. In a world of corporate “green washing”, Red Flower is the real deal. Owner, Yael, adheres to self imposed green standards that far exceed consumer demand. Every angle is thoroughly thought through- its not enough to create a natural product- one must consider the way in which that natural product was produced, the bottle it is put into, the energy used to transport the item, etc. Red Flower does all of these. From the wind driven mill that is used to produce any paper that leaves the Red Flower office to the  bio-dynamic honey based formulas, wild-crafted botanicals, 100% biodegradable packaging. Red Flower manages to create luxurious products that are free of dyes, parabens, sulfates (sls), petrochemicals, and synthetic preservatives. packaged in p.e.t plastic for easy recycling.

Stop by the store today  & mention this blog for a free sample of Red Flower Italian Blood Orange Body Wash.