Lazy gals like me appreciate one-stop shopping when it comes to beauty, which is why my latest skincare love is Cor, a natural soap with nano-silver that penetrates skin for maximum results, and which acts not just as a cleanser, but as a moisturizer, too.

Silver has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and has been used in hospitals to speed cellular repair. Since Cor’s products also contain a bevy of collagen, silk proteins and fibers, the cumulative effect is a protective shield for the skin that locks in natural moisture.

Plus, the sericin silk proteins provide an SPF 15 UVA/UVB barrier, so in the unlikely event that you forget your sunscreen (which you never do, right? Right?!), at least you’re covered.

The soap effectively removes dirt, oil, makeup, blah blah blah, and so rocks my world, but I also love the Silver Anytime Moisturizer, which contains all of the goodness above, plus pentapeptides to stimulate exfoliation and skin renewal.  When I apply it, my skin feels softer, treated, happy.  Jolie likey.

Marilyn Monroe would have been 84 years old this week, though it’s hard to imagine her (like the equally iconic Princess Diana and Grace Kelly) as being anything but eternally young.

To celebrate Marilyn’s birthday, legendary skincare brand Erno Laszlo is honoring her memory by throwing a public birthday party–today, Friday, 6pm–in New York City’s Madison Square Park.  Erno Laszlo invites all fans, look-alikes, and beauty insiders to attend!

Back in the day, Erno Laszlo was the skincare brand for celebrities, and Marilyn was its biggest, most devoted fan (not to mention personal friends with Dr. Laszlo himself.)  I’ve loved the line it was introduced to me at Lucky magazine, when I became aware that it was the first brand to revolve around the concept of working with your skin’s pH and the first brand to debut water-based products for oily skin.

Want to try Erno Laszlo for yourself?  5 lucky North American winners will get a deep cleansing Sea Mud Soap facial bar of your own!  Simply comment below with the name of your favorite classic, old-time Hollywood film.  We’ll pick 5 winners at random next Wednesday, June 9th. Good luck–and happy birthday, Marilyn!

Find out more about Marilyn’s birthday party at www.facebook.com/ernolaszlo.

Even an environmental dunce like me knows that right now is a terrible time for our oceans and marine life.  When I heard that La Mer was partners with Oceana, the world’s largest international ocean advocacy group, I was intrigued.

To celebrate the 5th anniversary of their partnership (and in support of World Oceans Day, on June 8th!), La Mer has created a limited-edition 2 oz World Oceans Day jar of Crème de la Mer for $230–which is, of course, the anti-aging cream that started the too expensive for you trend.  In this era of $1000 baby placenta serums, it’s almost quaint to look back and remember the hysteria that surrounded La Mer’s initial press push.  Hey, it was expensive at the time–and still is, for some gals (like me!).

La Mer will also make a $200,000 donation to Oceana.  Well-done!

I know some people–beauty editors and beauty civilians, alike–who are obsessed with La Mer and absolutely swear by it (as much for wrinkles as to heal scars and burns). I’ve never found myself in that category.  Sure, it’s glamorous as hell, but I generally feel that effective skincare is effective skincare is effective skincare–no need to spend $100 if you can spend $25, you know?

Still, if you’re already a La Mer fan–or have been wanting to try it–might as well stock up now and support a good cause!

In cool skincare news, Clarisonic and Murad have partnered to introduce a limited-edition skincare kit including the Clarisonic Mia Sonic Skin Cleansing System–featuring that super-effective, deep-cleaning electric brush–and Murad Active Radiance® Serum with Resilient-C Complex™.  It launched exclusively at Sephora.com today.

I’ve already succumbed to the Clarisonic’s awesome powers: it removes six times more makeup than traditional cleansing and actually increases product absorption—making skin more receptive to skincare ingredients (up to 61% of Vitamin C in a recent clinical study). Meanwhile,Murad’s products have proven to be highly effective over the years–filled to the brim as they are with actives and complexes–so I’m sure Murad Active Radiance Serum featuring Resilient-C Complex is, ta-da!, equally skin-fab.

In a last-minute turn of events, I’ve found myself in Chicago for the More Magazine Reinvention Convention, sponsored by Eucerin (who was kind enough to fly me out here and put me up at the gorgeous, old, recently-renovated Allerton Hotel on Michigan Avenue). I arrived this evening, went to the highly-recommended Rockit Bar and Grill for a burger and cocktail, and now am back at the Allerton, all tucked in.

Tomorrow’s conference features several inspirational speakers, including author Lee Woodruff, Olympic swimmer Dara Torres, actress Dana Delaney, fashion goddess Mary Alice Stephenson, Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, and More editor-in-cheif Lesley Jane Seymore. I’m excited to see what’s in store, and am honored and thrilled to have been invited!

Obviously, I’ve been traveling like a fiend recently. When I flew through Mexico City on Saturday, on the way back from Acapulco to Los Angeles, I nearly left the terminal, changed my flight and stayed there overnight–but chose sanity, responsibility, and not getting kidnapped in the end.

I haven’t written anything about my mother in ages, but know that I’ve lived these past few months–the traveling, the laughing, the seeking, the pondering–with her weighing firmly on my mind. She was a More magazine fan, and would have loved the theme of Reinvention, filled as she was with such a vibrant, can-do spirit: something I am very grateful she passed onto me. 

Funnily enough, Chicago holds a special place in Jolie history, as it was my 1st choice city for college.  I was desperate to attend Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism when younger, and still remember how utterly crushed I was on December 13, 1997 when that slim, stern letter arrived in the mail.  I had been so certain of my Northwestern-approved future-newspaper-writer path; the reality that I would have to make a new plan stunned me. 

Of course, all’s well that end’s well: I moved to New York, backdoored Columbia University through Barnard College, racked up a slew of magazine internships, and set off on this wonderful path, instead.  I reinvented myself before I’d even begun.

The theme of reinvention and the reminder that every day is a fresh chance is an important sentiment for me to remember now as 30 looms large (only 3 months left on the 20’s clock!) and I take daily stock of where I am, what I want, how I’m going to get there, and–oh, the eternal question!–what it all really means.

I don’t know what it all means, but I do know I’m damned determined to enjoy the ride anew each day!

I sleep alone.

From the time I was 6 years old, I’ve been such a nutty sleeper that my parents eventually acquiesced to my bizarre demands and bought me twin beds–just so I wouldn’t have to share any air molecules, skin contact or precious mattress space with my BFFs when it was my turn for a (way too frequent for my liking) slumber party.

As I’ve gotten older, the sleep issues have only intensified: I require 8.5 hours of slumber…an eye mask…the perfect temperature…as little clothing as possible…Mack’s Pillow Soft wax earplugs (this last part is absolutely non-negotiable).  You can imagine, this makes bedding with me positively delightful!

[Concerned as I am with wrinkles, however, I don't actually sleep with an eye mask anymore--they dig into skin, causing deep grooves on the side of my face.  So now, I sleep with...um...a black sock draped over my eyes.  It's very sexy.]

The only part of my entire bedtime scenario that’s even remotely glamorous is my silk Beautyzzz pillowcase, which has–oh, ho!–actual beauty benefits!  Apparently, amino acids in silk are similar to those in skin, so the pH of a silk pillowcase is perfect for your complexion, particularly for those with sensitive skin, eczema, or rosacea (like me!).  According to the Beautyzzz website, the silk pillowcase also helps enhance the absorption of beauty products, promotes cell renewal, prevents hair breakage, and increases moisture retention.

I don’t know about any of that.  What I do know is that when my friend K.–who is a not-quite-as-insane sleeper, but close enough–was in town from London a couple of weeks ago, she napped on my bed to burn off some jet lag, woke, and said, “I need to get one of these silk pillowcases immediately!”

We crazy sleepers, you know?