Welcome to the first installment of Beauty Battle, where we’ll pit two similar products — one from an upscale brand, the other from a drugstore — against each other to see which one reigns supreme. This week, we’re testing two of the suddenly ubiquitous marker-style lip and cheek stains: Josie Maran’s Magic Marker and Maybelline’s Colorsational.
Josie Maran Magic Marker
 Price: $19, available at Sephora
The hype: The press release promises a “perfectly portable infusion of rich, rosy color” and also contains hyaluronic acid and sugar extracts, which have exfoliating properties. This brand is big into natural ingredients, so it’s free of parabens, phthalates, pork rinds (just making sure you’re paying attention), and synthetic fragrances. READ MORE
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 After this winter season’s slew of storms, my skin was dry, dull, and begging for something special to make it soft and healthy-looking again. My budget unfortunately doesn’t include a weekly spa visit , so I went to the next best place for my face: my kitchen. After a little bit of research I developed a list of foods that I was okay with slathering on my face: chocolate, yogurt or sour cream, oatmeal, various fruits, and honey. Kitty litter, though recommended by several websites as an exfoliant, did not make the cut.
First I wanted to cleanse and exfoliate, so I sent four strawberries for a ride in the blender until they formed small chunks, then mixed them with a couple of spoonfuls of plain organic Greek yogurt. I went into this thinking this mask would be brilliant and that I would love every minute of it. Instead it felt funky and slimy. This concoction was more of a creamy scrub (the strawberry seeds act as an exfoliant), so I gently massaged the mixture over my skin for a minute before washing it off with warm water. After about five minutes I realized that my face felt firm but not dry, and very smooth. Delish — and worth the ew factor.
Next it was time to glow with a chocolate-oatmeal mask. First I processed two tablespoons of oatmeal (I used Quaker old-fashioned oats) in the blender until coarsely ground. Then I put it in a bowl along with a quarter cup of cocoa powder, a tablespoon of honey, and two tablespoons of Greek yogurt and mixed it until combined. The results were great: The caffeine in the chocolate perks up your skin, the oatmeal sloughs off dead cells, and the dairy acts as a deep cleanser. I left this one on for 15 to 20 minutes; it hardened slightly without feeling like it was sucking the life out of my face, and it made my skin tingle. After washing it off with a dish towel that is now my designated chocolate-mask towel, my skin felt bright and smooth and smelled like hot chocolate.
Homemade face masks are an awesome way to treat yourself to an improved complexion without breaking the bank — and a nice break from your normal skincare routine, which probably involves some kind of chemical solution. Playing with your food? That’s fun. But beautiful skin is even better.
Strawberry Face Scrub:
3-4 fresh strawberries
2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
Blend strawberries into small chunks with yogurt. Massage gently over skin for 1 to 3 minutes; rinse with warm water.
Oatmeal Chocolate Mask:
2 tbsp oatmeal
2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
¼ c. cocoa powder
1 tbsp honey
Blend oatmeal until coarsely ground. Add to bowl with yogurt, cocoa, and honey and mix until combined. Leave on for 15 to 20 minutes; rinse with warm water.
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By: Tanya Pai
I am completely addicted to waterproof mascara. Not only is it the only way I can get my stick-straight lashes to hold a curl, it also frees me from worrying about turning into the Joker while walking to work on one of our fair city’s many rainy days. The downside to this budgeproof stuff? Getting it to come off before bed.
I’ve tried makeup remover after makeup remover, all of them promising that waterproof makeup will slide right off – but I always ended up having to scrub, resulting in irritated eyes. That is, until I discovered the magic that is pure jojoba oil. The golden liquid can be used as a moisturizer for hair, scalp, and skin, and it’s awesome for removing even Tammy-Faye-esque coats of mascara.
Just lightly moisten a cotton pad with water, add a couple of drops of the oil, and apply to closed eyelids. (I’ve found it works best if you hold the pad in place on your eyelid for a few seconds first.) Once you’re done, tissue off the residue; your eyelids will be makeup-free and ungreasy yet moisturized enough that you can even consider skipping the eye cream. It’s all-natural, fairly cheap, and a bottle lasts forever. I may never buy regular makeup remover again.
Available at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, or at desertessence.com.
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By: Ally Betker
Since its first occurrence on April 22, 1970, Earth Day has reminded us to take care of the planet we call home. This year, the Earth Day Network is campaigning to complete one billion acts of environmental service and advocacy before the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June of 2012. The effort, dubbed “A Billion Acts of Green,” is the largest environmental-service campaign in the world, and is meant to inspire individuals and larger organizational initiatives to further the goal of measurably reducing carbon emissions and supporting sustainability. One easy way you can get involved is to focus your sartorial efforts on the many sustainable or organic products out there. We’ve picked a few good ones to help kickstart the process.
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By: Ally Betker
It’s that time of year again: time to show some love for Mother Earth. And no one knows it better than ethical-fashion company Proxy Apparel, which is taking Earth Day to heart and throwing a fair-trade birthday party for the planet.
The 2011 Earth Day Gala will kick off with a sustainable marketplace featuring 15 local vendors who are driving sustainable consumerism, including Aveda, Stonyfield Yogurt, Boston Organics, and Proxy’s own pop-up retail space, from 5 to 7 p.m. Proxy’s Spring Collection will be unveiled with an ethical-fashion show at 7, followed by fair-trade birthday cake and organic wine at 8, giving you a tasty way to network with your fellow conscious shoppers.
Proxy founder Heatherjean MacNeil says she’s looking forward to educating consumers to be more socially responsible by supporting local agriculture and fashion. “I’m really excited about bringing together the different [businesses] that will be there,” she says. “It will be interesting for attendees to see how they can shop and support local companies.”
For more information and to RSVP to this free event, visit proxyapparel.com/pages/earthday.
April 21, 5–9 P.M., Mass Challenge, 55 Northern Ave., 14th Fl., Boston, proxyapparel.com.
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Over the years we’ve learned to take beauty-product claims with a grain of salt. Whether it’s leave-in conditioner that’s supposed to transform our hair into Botticelli curls, or liquid eyeliner that promises Angelina-esque eyelashes, we never expect the stuff to work quite as well as advertised. That is, until we discovered Tarte’s Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush. It contains no petrochemicals or synthetic fragrances and comes in a host of bright shades that flatter any skin tone. Word to the wise: A little goes a long way.
While we’re not exactly sure about claims that it’s stuffed with skin-improving antioxidants and vitamins, we can say with certainty that it has some serious staying power. We brushed it on in the morning, and by the end of a particularly long and stressful work day our cheeks were just as gorgeously flushed as they were more than a dozen hours earlier, outlasting even our go-to “long-wearing” liquid cheek tint. Bonus: The mirrored compact makes reapplying (if you ever need to) a cinch.
$25, available exclusively at Sephora until May, Prudential Center, Boston, 617-262-4200, sephora.com.
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The more we learn about what goes into skin-care products that are mass-produced (think: formaldehyde and chemicals that mess with your hormones), the more dedicated we become to hunting down safer, simpler products. Violet Skin Boutique makes the hunt unnecessary. READ MORE
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By: Sarah Burns 
With the winter trifecta ― freezing temperatures, biting winds, and dry air ― in full effect, chances are your skin is screaming for a little TLC. Luckily for your pores, this Thursday, March 3, you can catch celebrity facialist Molly Walsh dispensing skincare secrets at the Body Shop’s Prudential and CambridgeSide locations. Schedule a private consultation with Walsh (whose clients include Brooke Shields and Amanda Peet) to learn which products are best suited to your skin type, as well as how to reverse fine lines and sun damage. While you’re there, browse the Body Shop’s newest collection of fair-trade, naturally purifying cleansers, and enter the raffle to win two tickets to L.A. for a weekend of pampering at Molly’s Skin Care Boutique in Hermosa Beach.
Prudential Center, 2–4 p.m., 800 Boylston St., Boston, 617-375-0070; CambridgeSide Galleria, 5–7 p.m., 100 CambridgeSide Place, Cambridge, 617-621-0046, thebodyshop-usa.com.
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By: Anne Vickman
With winter snow storms comes bitter hatred for the heat-leaking windows in our apartment, and pure love for our tub, which provides respite in the form of hot, soothing baths. And we all know the pièce de résistance for a good bath are the bubbles ― preferably ones that smell divine. Hence our newfound devotion to Space NK’s Florabelle bath and shower gel ($20), a flowery but not overpowering concoction with hearts of rose and jasmine.
We were especially impressed that it’s also free from chemicals with potential health hazards, such as sulfates, parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, and synthetic colors ― a feat that is, despite the wealth of products dubbed “natural” and “organic” filling shelves these days, actually quite rare.
Available at the Space NK Apothecary Shop inside Bloomingdale’s, 225 Boylston St., Newton, 617-630-6000, spacenk.com.
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By: Anne Vickman
 Jewelry junkies rejoice: Boutique jewelry designer Alex and Ani has just set up shop on Newbury Street between Pierre Deux and Kate Spade. Rhode Island–based designer Carolyn Rafaelian — who named the company after her two daughters — is the force behind the brand, which is known for its adjustable gold, silver, and beaded bangles. We’re fans because the company uses recycled materials and makes all its products to order in Cranston, Rhode Island.
READ MORE
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