MUM'S THE WORD

Morgan is a talented filmmaker who writes about life in the City of Angels at her site, The 818 (the area code for the San Fernando Valley where we grew up). She’s always had great style, as a kid she’d wear jelly sandals when we all wore Keds, donned baby blue Converse with her Vera Wang wedding gown and has the rare ability to pull off just about any hair color. After living in the 212, she returned to her old neck of the woods, married her high school sweetheart and is expecting her own Valley Girl in just a few weeks.

At The 818, she muses on everything from pop culture to politics to prenatal facts of life, including waxing woes, designing her crib (it’s amazing), and remaining stretch mark free into her third trimester. That’s right, no stretch marks. Though she's busy writing, blogging and preparing for baby, she took the time to share her must have products with Beauty Banter. Whether you’re expecting, know someone who is, or just want to file this info away for future reference, readers take note. Thanks, Morgan.


What are your top 5, can't-live-without products right now?
1. Mama Mio Boob Tube (because the girls are precious to me)
2. L'Occitane Almond Belly Oil
3. Bliss Minty Moisture milk (yes, I'm basted up like a thanksgiving turkey)
4. Chantecaille Aquablush in "Brilliance" (is) an all-in-one makeup bag. It's eyeshadow, it's blush, it's cleavage enhancer - it's really amazing stuff.
5. I'm going to say my Snoogle, because sleep is just as important to beauty as any product you can buy off the shelves as far as I'm concerned.

What's the one product you don't leave the house without? Perfumeria GAL Lavender Lip Balm. My lips have been crazy dry in pregnancy.

What product do you buy in bulk? L'Occitane Almond Belly Oil. I'm going through that stuff like it's my job.

You moisturize your face with: Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti Aging Moisturizer

Favorite beauty secret you've picked up along the way? Tinting your eyelashes. I'm blonde under all the haircolor, so without mascara, my eyes tend to blend in with my face - Tinting saves me the hassle. One step better? Eyelash extensions. I'm dying to get them.

Beauty icon you admire? Liv Tyler always makes it look effortless.


Not only is Morgan using some fabulous products, most are made with incredibly eco-friendly ingredients. For instance, Mamma Mio maintains a “No Nasties” policy, which means all products are free of parabens, phalates, petro-chemicals, Sodium Laurel Sulfates and synthetic fragrance. L’Occitane offers natural products and environmentally sound packaging, and Chantecaille is deeply committed to eco-philanthropic efforts. Making these products beautiful inside and out. xo a.

Photography by Sara Moe.

Bliss Newest Fall Scent

We mentioned Philosophy's newest Fall scent - sweet Caramel Apple (click HERE for recap), and now we've discovered Bliss' new Fall scent in the beauty of a scrub:

Bliss Blood Orange + White Pepper!

At times sweet (like that of an orange - or to us, a grapefruit), and yet within the very next whiff, somehow spicy (thanks to the white pepper), Bliss' newest scent is both vibrant and relaxing: it was inspired by a cocktail the Bliss scent specialist sipped! The scent was chosen as the winning fragrance in the Bliss 2008 ‘eau’-lection - by Bliss customers (40,000 in total).

The sugar scrub is gentle enough for everyday use, but special enough for a calming soak in the tub. It foams (yay - that's our favorite part) while tiny sugar granules offer a deeper cleanse - exfoliating dry, dead skin. It's a two-for-one, really - a wash and polish in one massive jug! The consistency is that of battered cake mix - thick and soft!

Why is this a great Fall scrub, you ask? Well, it's not tropical like many of the summer scents, but it's not musky like too many winter fragrances, either. It's the perfect combination of summer and winter - it's Fall in a jar!

The Blood Orange + White Pepper also comes in a bath and shower gel, a body butter (our next must-try) and a foot scrub!

Sugar Scrub PRICE TAG: $36.00 for 11.6 oz.

The Secret to Keeping Cool During Summer

I've found the secret to keeping cool during this terrible, sweltering heat - peppermint!!! I know it sounds strange, but hear me out. Minty products have long been used to awaken, energize and invigorate - they use some form of mint in many aromatherapy bath products because the "cooling" sensation is said to awaken the senses (think Aveda's Rosemary MINT shampoo...).

Anyway, I've had Bliss's Super Minty Soap N Scrub in my shower for years now. It's funny, I can never use this product during the winter. It leaves me too cold. But this summer has been extremely hot and, once again, I've found refuge in the scrub. Only this time around, the scrubs cooling abilities are my favorite part! I exit the shower feeling energized and... cooled off (dare I say, even cold)! The best part, the scrub is actually good! It exfoliates leaving you super clean, dry skin banished - - and it has a flip-top for convenient shower use! $30.00



Bliss also makes the matching lotion: Minty Moisture Milk. It's very light, milky, fluid, super minty. Again, it cools the body so I like it in the sense that it's great to use when I'm sweating my thighs off in my apartment... but to be honest, the milky aspect is a little too light for my liking. It doesn't moisturize enough for me to DIE over the product. Although, if you prefer less moisture, you'll probably love this - I love butters and balms. But it definitely works to cool down your body temp during the icky hot and humid months of summer! $30.00


Something a tad thicker, just as minty and cooling and ALL organic, is Avalon Organics Hand & Body Lotion in Peppermint. I literally sleep with a bottle next to my bed... and I apply several times throughout the night - hands, feet (tons between the toes - somehow this really does cool me off), arms, legs, stomach, back. I'm not a huge fan of the peppermint smell but I am a huge fan of no sweat in my bed so I deal with the smell to lessen the perspiration. Avalon Organics doesn't use any synthetic fragrances and all of their products are paraben free. At $6.47, you really can't beat the price!



Splurge on the Bliss minty scrub, then act a bit more frugal and purchase the Avalon Organics lotion instead (we like it better, anyway!).

So, that's my tip for staying cool in these record-breaking temperatures.... you have a tip? We'd love to know!