One of Jolie’s favorite travel experiences remains the week in her early twenties when she gallivanted around Italy by herself, visiting Venice, Florence and Rome, and having dinner with a new stranger every night (culminating in a wine-soaked dinner, conducted entirely in French, with seven Italian Carabinieri.)  When I look back on the trip, two things immediately spring to mind: huffing and puffing as I climbed the Duomo in Florence, and the glamour I felt nightly while using a newly purchased Clarins regimen.  I was only 20, and didn’t have very much money for luxuries like expensive beauty products, but there was something about how Clarins made my skin look and feel that convinced me it was worth it.  In Paris a few weeks back, I fell in love with Clarins products all over again, and have a new beauty obsession in the form of the Pure Melt Cleansing Gel, a soft, velvety cleanser applied to dry skin that completely rinses away all dirt, oil and makeup.  I’ve loved many cleansers in my day, but Pure Melt really takes the cake and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Congratulations to Dena, the winner of yesterday’s Suave giveaway!  I have boatloads of cool new giveaways in the works, so check back regularly for your own chance to win!

For the past few months, I’ve been in love with this “Electoral College Dropout” t-shirt from Clothing of the American Mind, a “grassroots apparel company dedicated to stylishly promoting, supporting and articulating progressive values through fashion.”  (Hey, that’s what their website says!)  I kept meaning to take a photo of myself wearing the shirt, since I don’t necessarily think the model below is the best advertisement, but I lost my camera battery charger…eh, you know how it goes.  Regardless, their shirts are great: check out the website here.

Giveaway alert!  Hot on the heels of my sojourn with Suave in LA two weeks ago, they’ve generously agreed to give one Jolie reader a year’s supply of Suave products!  You’ll win:

- Vibrant Shine Shampoo
- Vibrant Shine Conditioner
- Professional Sleek Styling Crème
- Professional Volume Root Lifter Spray Gel
- Healthy Curls Mousse
- Freeze Hold Aerosol Hairspray
- Skin Therapy Advanced Therapy Lotion
- Daily Exfoliating Body Wash
- 24 Hour Protection Deodorant

The contest is open to North American residents in the US, Canada and Mexico (apologies, international lovelies!).  Enjoy, and good luck! 

I said it in Beauty Confidential, and today’s New York Times backs it up: the idea that drinking a ton of water is extra healthy for your skin is, quite simply, a myth.  It won’t result in fewer wrinkles…simply more trips to the bathroom.  Your body regulates its hydration levels carefully, so anything beyond what you need gets, well, tinkled out.  Better advice, says Dr. Margaret E. Parsons from the American Academy of Dermatology?  “Always wear sunscreen, avoid cigarettes and eat well.”  Et voila.

M. writes:

“As a lifelong beauty junkie (passed down from my mother at a very young age) I am a long-time reader of your blog and I enjoy it very much. I am writing in regards to your fragrance post from yesterday. It sounds as though we have similar taste and I felt compelled to share with you my signature scent - my favorite ever! Drumroll… Nuits de Noho, by Bond No. 9 Pricey, but worth it. I discovered it at Saks a couple of years ago and have loved it ever since. I am complimented on it every single day (by both men and women). I also wear So New York (also by Bond) in the evening, if I want to change it up.”

So, ladies, I’m curious…what’s your signature scent?

I’m doing backflips for Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream 1950s Vintage Set, a limited-edition pairing of the legendary Eight Hour Cream (in a pot!), plus the equally fabulous Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant Stick SPF 15.  The duo costs $50 (not exactly a steal in this economy, but hardly a splurge considering the amazing multi-uses of the products) and arrives in the most delectable retro packaging.  (Please, who says marketing isn’t important?) 

If you’re not familiar with Eight Hour Cream, you should be.  It’s one of those can’t-miss products that’s endlessly namechecked by glamorous celebs who travel by PJ–that’s private jet, darlings–and have matchy matchy Louis Vuitton luggage.  Its jet-setting connection isn’t surprising, since the supermoisturizer (containing a hell of a lot of petroleum mixed with salicylic acid) is impertative on drying flights, and can be used pretty damn much everywhere: face, lips, hands, body, elbows, feet and even (sparingly) on hair.  The product is something of an acquired taste, as it has an odd, almost medicinal smell and is incredibly thick–I slather it on my hands and cuticles and then use a cloth or tissue to wipe it off; the residue that remains keeps you moisturized for hours–but, trust me, it’s easy to get hooked.

While waiting for a showing of High School Musical 3 this weekend (seriously, people, no judging!), D. and I went to Sephora at the Westfield Mall in Century City.  There, like an angel sent from the heavens, my Fragrance Fairy Godmother, Loretta Owens, appeared.  Hands down the most knowledgable perfume salesperson I have ever encountered, Loretta took me on a twenty minute scent journey, quizzing me about my likes and past choices, then setting up a fragrance testing for me.  I sampled eight different juices, and came away from the experience with three new favorites:

John Varvatos

Ralph Lauren Notorious

and Valentino Gold

For me, winning juices are anchored by a musky base and usually combine fruity or softly floral top notes with hints of amber or sandalwood.  (Not for nothing am I besotted with Narciso Rodriguez for Her, quite possibly my favorite scent of all time.)  Since all you non-Angelenos of course can’t get to the Sephora at Century City to visit Loretta, I encourage you to visit your local branch to ask for fragrance guidance.  While scent is a deeply personal thing (as I have discovered trying to gift it over the years, to polite-yet-nose-wrinkling friends), your own personal bottle of Nirvana is just a few questions and samples away!