I am not really a mask person. I don’t have the patience. And I’ve never really been a believer that mask-ing is a necessary boost to an otherwise thorough skincare routine. So it is not a small deal that I am pronouncing Biologique Recherche Masque Vivant a total game changer.

Last week I contacted my friends over at RescueSpa because I was out of my beloved P50 toner. I asked the ever-knowledgeable Kim what I should try that I haven’t already tried and this was her “it” product. Here’s what RescueSpa’s founder, Danuta Mieloch, has to say about this mask:

“If you do Masque Vivant at least twice a week you’ll never age. This unique mask contains live yeast extracts which are packed with amino acids and famously nourishing Vitamin B. There is no product like it to keep your skin purified, revitalized and bright. In my 20 years of experience with it, I have seen it drastically improve many peoples complexions.”

Pretty convincing, right?

As someone who doesn’t believe in skin-miracles, I will tell you this is as close as I have ever come to using a product and seeing immediate, transformative results. My skin was clear, redness calmed, pores tight, complexion glowing after my first application. I’ve been using it for a week and I’m amazed. I can’t wait to see the effects of this magical mask over time.

Warning: the formula smells extremely unpleasant. It’s must be the yeast. I can’t even really describe the scent without using expletives. But it’s worth it, I swear.

P.S. The one other mask I swear by before a night out.

I love this lip kit as much as I love actual chocolate. I want to make sure you understand what this means.

Not to be competitive, but to know me at all is to know that I can crush you in any chocolate challenge. I have what I consider the ultimate trifecta of chocolate skills:

Capacity: I can bake the chunkiest chocolate chip cookies and eat you under the table.

Skill: I can ID grades of dark chocolate through scent alone. I can pluck chocolate morsels seamlessly out of any pastry or ice cream tub.

Speed: I can “sample” and categorize a large box of bonbons standing at my kitchen counter in under two minutes.

My addiction attachment to chocolate is like a gift or a curse, depending on the day.

So when I say I like Jane Iredale’s lip glosses as much as chocolate, we’re talking about a category all-star: color, consistency, and quality. Not to mention scent and packaging. The warm, wearable brown shades can take you from day to night. A light dab of any color reads like a nude on the lip. Layer it on and you’ve got a gorgeous bold lip that’s less shocking but just as statement-making as a bright red or orange. I like to call it a neutral-bold. As someone who really doesn’t do a bold lip, this is my go-to. I’ve been wearing the colors non-stop for weeks.

Beautiful bonus: Jane Iredale is a very special brand that has partnered with the amazing Living Beyond Breast Cancer organization for the past six years. It is also dedicated to animals and the environment. Read about what they thoughtfully call their inner makeup here.

Meet Donna Noce Colaco, President of White House Black Market. Through her leadership, the retail giant has become the largest corporate sponsor of Living Beyond Breast Cancer, a nonprofit foundation very close to my heart. LBBC supports more than 500,000 people each year impacted by the disease. Thanks to its trusted information and compassionate care, LBBC provided tremendous resources to a dear friend of mine who, today, I’m proud to also call a survivor.  It’s a very special organization that truly changes lives.

Donna Noce Colaco has used her brand’s success to help spread the word about LBBC. She has featured real women who’ve benefitted from LBBC services in national marketing campaigns and spotlighted LBBC staff in store catalogues. She brings an elevated sense of giving to her philanthropy that I hope will serve as a model for other corporations.

“I told myself that if I were ever in a position to make a difference in the lives of women affected by breast cancer, I was going to do it. By sharing LBBC’s mission with our customers, we are able to extend their reach, in hopes that their valuable services and compassion touch even more people who have been affected by breast cancer.”

Isn’t it inspiring to see what rewarding corporate partnership can look like?

This weekend Donna is being celebrated at the LBBC’s Butterfly Ball in Philadephia, receiving its highest honor, The Founder’s Award. White House Black Market is also donating proceeds of it’s limited edition Give Hope Collection, to LBBC. I love the umbrella!

Learn more about Living Beyond Breast Cancer.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) released an alarming new study today showing that Triphenyl phosphate, or TPHP, a suspected endocrine-disrupting chemical, was found in the urine of women who had just polished their nails with polishes containing the common chemical.

OPI, Essie and Sally Hansen are among the list of brands containing TPHP. For the full list, click here.

Among the safe-set, this kids polish.

It’s so true that parents tend to be more relaxed with their second child. For example, when I dash out with my two year old, I stash a single diaper in my purse and go. My husband lets her jump from heights that scare even me. But ok. Tummy ache? Fever? I don’t even have the pediatrician on my iPhone favorites list.

But sometimes my laissez-faire attitude fails us.

The first offense was a few weeks ago with chewing gum. My little one, sitting in the shopping cart at the grocery store, all cherub cheeks and doll eyes, wanted a piece of the bubble gum I grabbed at checkout. I should have known better, entertaining her with my epic bubble blowing skills. Of course she’d want in on that action. So I tried to explain that she couldn’t swallow it. It’s not food, I spoke slowly, wondering if a: she could grasp the concept of putting something delicious in her mouth without the purpose of ingesting it, and b: could she actually *just* chew it.

I’ll bet you know how that story ended.

That’s why when said toddler wanted nail polish, I hesitated. No way could she keep those pudgy little fingers out of her mouth. So we negotiated one tiny sky blue pinky nail. If she ate it, I reasoned, it wasn’t a lot of surface area, and at least it was non-toxic kid polish.

But I cringed when I couldn’t pronounce the ingredients listed on the bottle.

Enter Kid Licks, the utterly genius nail polish made from organic food. Totally edible. Nothing you can’t pronounce. For example, here’s the ingredients in their red polish: water, organic beets, organic acacia, organic corn starch, citric acid. That is all.

Plus, the polishes are vegan, non-GMO and cruelty free.

It’s like a new beauty frontier!