I will admit that I'm a sucker for concealer, but at least my obsession has enabled me to become wise to both false promises and miracle cures alike!  Benefit Erase Paste ($26) is definitely in the latter category--a great beauty find for all of us who suffer from the drudgery of battling undereye circles and other shadowy facial peeves.  Says the "fake-it" pioneers:

Signs of stress & fatigue are a thing of the past with this innovative formula. This concentrated, creamy, blendable concealer instantly brightens & camouflages all-in-one. The three brightening neutral shades give every gal correction perfection."

The great thing about this "paste" is that you get three products in one: a concealer that hides imperfections, a brightener that makes you glow, and a camouflager that diminishes shadowy areas around your face.   I tried the product in Medium (also available in Fair and Dark), and it delivers on its brightening promise--I'm not sure how, but the skin around my eyes was lighter and luminous.  
Benefit includes a handy guide to help you get started--"glowingly" good customer service!:

(Guide courtesy of vivawoman.net)

People Magazine's Associate Julie Jordan stopped by the Today show to share tidbits on People's 50 Most Beautiful People issue, set to hit the newsstands this Friday.  I really like the following sections!:
"Not a Drop of Make-Up!":  Ah, the tribute to natural beauty!  We all know that celebrities are paid to look flawless and fabulous, but we also know that many of them rely on make-up and air-brushing to do so.  In that regard, this category rocks because it highlights those stars whose beauty (outward, at least!) is not contingent upon Chanel, Laura Mercier, or their plastic surgeon (a surprising rarity in Hollywood!!).  I'm glad to see that People has acknowledged (once again!) the fact that only some of Hollywood can be put into this category--they don't all look that way all the time!!  Make-up-less pics are also featured in the mag!
Pictured below, from top left to bottom right:  Brooke Shields, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Vanessa Hudgens, Taylor Swift, Zoe Saldana, Rebecca Romijn
 

"Beautiful At Any Age":  Who needs Botox??!!  Some interesting snippets of what these ageless beauties had to say:
Raquel Welch:  She focuses on taking care of her body and feeling good rather than on her age.  And what about plastic surgery??  Says the 67-year-old beauty: "Less is always more."
Angie Harmon:  "Don't talk to her about SPF because she loves having a tan."  Okay, I know that wearing sunscreen is important too, but the sun also does so much for my state of mind!  Maybe that is what Angie is trying to advocate here??
(Pictures courtesy of Bauer-Griffin, Glamour Magazine,  and People Magazine)

Mena Suvari spent the afternoon shopping yesterday for summer clothes and accessories at Rumor boutique and here is what she picked up:
Juul – Bamboo white wrap dress
Karin J. – turquoise drop earrings
Karin J. – crystal drop earrings
Natalie B – cuff
Voom – Crochet lace trapeze dress
Teong K – flower ring
Teong K – gem short necklace
Rumor Exclusive – patent leather clutch in blue & yellow
Rumor Exclusive – small clutch in gold & silver

Love the style of the Balenciaga totes, but don't want to carry a large bag? Try a clutch...
LuLu's Chic Clutch in Black is made of real leather, with the same studs & front zipper detail as a Balenciaga bag, & at 11" x 7.5" it can still carry more than the typical clutch. Best part? It's only $26!

ScarJo was spotted wearing TOMS shoes - a company with a cause. Click here to see their line and learn about their initiative.

I can't post the three pictures because they are exclusive to In Touch Weekly. BUT CLICK HERE TO SEE THEM! John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston? Wow - would have never paired the two. When asked, John said his weekend "was good". I think that's what he told In Touch to warrant the cover story. But we will have to wait until the magazine comes out to know for sure. How exciting!And in completely unrelated news, how cute is this picture!

1. How did imnotobsessed.com start? And how did you settle on the name 'imnotobsessed.com'?
I became a stay at home mom and felt that I had a little too much time on my hands. It was also very isolating the first few months. Having the website gave me a way to meet new people while my daughter napped. I wanted to choose a name that was catchy and representative of who I was... someone who was in denial about having a celebrity obsession.
2. In what ways do you think imnotobsessed.com is different to other celebrity gossip websites?
I pride myself in keeping the site clean and work friendly. Celebrity gossip blogs these days are very mean spirited and cruel. I figured there was a market for people who just wanted to know the news without feeling dirty afterwards.
3. What audience is your website aimed at and what features have you included to cater for their needs and interests?
I write for people who only have a few minutes in the day to catch up on celebrity gossip. My stories are short and sweet. I target the woman who has five minutes before her next business meeting or until her kids get up from a nap.
4. Were there any difficulties/challenges in getting to were you are now?
Growing is always difficult because the Internet is so large. You really have to depend on getting press and word of mouth. It's spreading, but slowly. Every few months I see a traffic spike. But the in betweens are discouraging because you feel like you aren't doing something right. Lucky for me, I've recently let that all go and am now just enjoying the moment.
5. Do you use any criteria to help you decide what gossip or info to upload on the site?
Honestly, I write about whoever I am interested in. Since I am a gossip fan, I figured I'd be a great source for what's interesting. I try to stay very A list because those actors get the most excitement from my readers.
6. Have you ever had to retract anything?
I wrote a story about Misca Barton's sister being on drugs and the family lawyer asked me as a personal favor to the family to take it down. There was no legal action behind it and truthfully, I didn't have to take it down. But I did because he said the mother was really broken up about it. I am a mom, so that hit home.
7. What would you put your site's success down to?
Blood, sweat and tears? No honestly - hard work, friendships with other writers, timing and luck.
8. Which celebrities do you enjoy featuring on your site?
Personally, I like to write about Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner, Nicole Richie and Angelina Jolie.
9. Which celebrities have you met in person so far?
Jason Lewis from Sex and the City, Carmen Electra, Mira Sorvino, Elliott Yamin and John Legend. Working on growing this list!! :)
10. Have you ever had any trouble with celebrities and/or their publicists?
no
11. What has been the most exciting thing to happen to you because of the website?
I'm getting flown to Brazil all expenses paid to speak at a convention in a few weeks. That is pretty amazing. And right now, my site is in review to get a press pass for the Sex and the City movie premiere in NYC. If I go to that I will DIE!
12. Do you have any advice for people who wish to start a website or blog? Any lessons learnt?
I have a whole page dedicated to it actually:
http://www.imnotobsessed.com/web-advice/
13. How do you achieve a work/life balance? Especially since you site is updated seven days a week!
It's the most challenging part of running the site. My husband stays with the kids in the morning. And I try to work while they are napping. I also have writers completely run the other sections of my site. Otherwise, I would never be with my children.
14. Are there any future developments imnotobsessed.com fans can look forward to?
Actually over the next month or so, I am going to launch a brand new community aspect for my site. Readers can build fan groups, communicate with one another, share shopping tips and diet advice. I can't wait!
15. How do you feel about people blaming the media for celebrities negative actions? (Such as Britney Spears acting out for attention)
I think there already has to be something within the celebrity that gets triggered by the additional pressure and stress the paparazzi place on one's life. Fame is addicting and if you aren't strong enough to tame it, the need to taste it will ruin your life. Lord of the Rings much? If you aren't addicted and you are truly just in it for the love of the craft, it is possible to lead a normal life. Look at any A lister who hasn't attended rehab or received a DUI. HOW is that possible? Because they choose for it to be.
16. Do you feel that the majority of celebrity bloggers are acting with fair and ethical standards? Or do you feel that some (such as Perez Hilton) are merely trying to see how far they can stretch their freedom of speech to get a reaction?
Depends on who it is. I think it's important to have a good mix. Perez has his place and it brought a lot of press to this new media platform. Sometimes bloggers go too far with what they say. But that's the beauty of the outlet. It's unmonitored, uncensored and raw. If readers don't like that vibe, there are a million other sites that don't write that way. Or better yet, there is always main stream media like your People Magazine and Us Weekly's that are a much safer bet for the weary eye. The benefit a blog has over the standard go-to sources are we really don't have to get legal department's approval for print since we don't have a legal department. We post immediately and retract if necessary. A huge conglomerate like Time could never do such a thing.
17. What are your personal feelings on Perez Hilton? Do you believe he deserves all the attention he gets?
I think he did something that not many people would be able to do. He started with a concept, decided where he wanted to be, and is now living out that dream. Perez is an entrepreneur in every sense of the word. Just because he is earning a living in a way that doesn't sit well with others doesn't discredit the business aspect that exists behind the chicken scratch he draws on his pictures. I absolutely believe he deserves the attention and I wish him success as I would anyone else in the industry.
18. Do you feel the media can be held somewhat responsible for the actions of others? (Celebrities or children)
I do as a mother. Whether or not we like to admit it, celebrities have a big influence on what people do in society. When Lindsay Lohan was getting photographed each day passing out from drug usage, I feared for my daughter and she is only 2 years old! Life imitates art imitates life. If celebs were photographed doing more charity service, maybe the young would step up and do the same. Wishful thinking...
19. To what extent do you believe the media has an influence on the public?
see above -- tied in
20. What made you want to become a "gossip blogger"?
I knew I needed to do something that would keep me engaged and entertained. If I started a site on horses, I can guarantee that it would not be live today. Gossip is a passion of mine and that passion is what drives my site. In any business, I feel you should love what you do. Otherwise, it's just a job and that isn't very fun now is it? I also chose a topic that I knew infiltrated every age group. My grandmother and my 10 year old cousin know who Britney Spears is. That is a big deal when you are trying to reach as many people as you can with what you post every morning. The odds for creating a high traffic site were greater if I started writing about something that the majority of people were interested in. Politics would have done the same thing.
21. Do you feel that in a few years people will view blogging as a lucrative career?
I feel that people today (in the know) already acknowledge that blogging is a lucrative career. I'm not talking about the man who just signed up for DSL or a Gmail account. I'm talking about business people who have their ear to the ground, conference attendees, computer geeks you name it.
22. Do celebrities contact you to remove information from your website? If so, how do you feel about this?
Not typically - one time Mischa Barton's family attorney asked me nicely to remove a story I had about her sister being high on drugs. He had no legal claim behind the request, asked as a favor. I did it because if my daughter or son was in the news, I would feel terrible about it. Made it all very human for me.
23. To what extent do you feel celebrities should watch what they do more instead of blaming the media for catching them?
They should be held accountable for all of their actions as any other human being would. People forget that they are no different than you or me.
* Name- Vera Sweeney
* DOB - 11/10/77
* Family - Husband - Bill, Daughter - Natalie, Son - Liam
* Location - Long Island, New York
* How long site has been up - 2.5 years
* Amount of readers - 6 million hits a month