Thursday, March 29, 2012

*Friday Favorites* - March 30, 2012

Sorry there was no post last week! Let's finish off this week with some great favorites!

1. Keratin Complex Shampoo & Conditioner



This shampoo is perfect for maintaining your Keratin Treatment, however it is also great for hair that may not be keratin-treated. This shampoo and conditioner has some keratin in it, as well as it's sulfide and sulfate-free. It makes hair shiny, smooth and definitely helps with maintaining frizz.
Comes in regular, and color-protect!
$18each Drugstore.com

2. Shiseido Mascara Base


Sick of curling your eyelashes then applying mascara, only to notice a few hours later, they are uncurled already?! I can't stand that! This is the mascara base you need! Right after curling your lashes, apply this base all over lashes, as if it's mascara - it's white though, so you have to apply mascara over it. It will keep your lashes curled all day long! It's perfect to use before any mascara brand you use on a daily basis!
$24 shiseido.com

3. Smith's Rosebud Salve


Got dry lips? Buy Smith's Rosebud Salve, or Smith's Minted Rose Lip Balm - those are my two favorites - but any of them are good! Whenever you feel chapped lips coming on, or just when you don't want to wear lipstick or lip gloss, they keep your lips hydrated, and taste good also! Some of the flavors are available in tubes as well - which are better in the summer because you don't want the pots to melt in your purse.
Under $5 RosebudSalve.com

4. A Foundation Brush


Above are the MAC #190 Foundation Brush and the Shiseido Foundation Brush - both phenomenal! However, I am saying that a foundation brush, in general, is a favorite of mine (these are two that I use often). When you apply your foundation with a brush, instead of your fingers or a sponge, you use less product and you'll notice the coverage is much better. Apply a powder over to set it, and you're done!
$33 maccosmetics.com & $30 shiseido.com

5. Giada's Smoked Salmon BLT


Ok, so this is not beauty-related, or DIY-related - but food is a big part of my life - I love it! This sandwich is not only amazingly good, but it's on the healthier side too! Multi-Grain bread toasted with tomato, a strip of bacon, arugula, smoked salmon and a lemon-dill mayo, is so delicious you'll want to have these ingredients on hand at all times. It is also SO EASY to make!
*Don't like salmon? Make the sandwich without it, and you'll have a healtheir version of a BLT =)

Enjoy!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Cakey Concealer? No Way!

You want to cover those dark circles, but you don't want to look like you have pounds of makeup on either? Ever have that problem? Most people do. Below is an easy way to apply concealer so you won't feel cakey any more!



1. Start out with a clean face. I apply eye makeup first, then clean under the eye (from all the makeup that fell) with a makeup wipe - then blot dry. Apply your primer of choice to your whole face.





2. Your concealer should be at least one shade lighter than your skin tone. If it's the same color as your skin, it's not going to brighten up the eye area, it's just going to blend with your skin. Take your concealer, and disregarding what consistency it is and if it has a applicator included or not, apply it with a brush, not a sponge or your fingers. Use a thin, small brush that you can bring up right under your lower lashes (like the Bobbi Brown one above).
Make sure to fan the concealer out to the top of your cheekbone and up the side of your nose (near the inner portion of your eye). You want to lighten up your entire eye from all angles.




 
3. Make sure the concealer is nice and smooth and has filled in the fine lines. If you feel like your fine lines aren't filled in, then you aren't using the correct concealer. I personally love stick concealers, they aren't as heavy as the ones in the pots, but they offer more coverage than liquid/tube concealers.
Once that is all set, apply the rest of your foundation to your face. When applying foundation make sure to blend where it meets the concealer, but don't go over it completely because that would be defeating the purpose of concealer all together!
Last step for concealer application is brushing a light powder over the concealer to set it. Make sure you cover all the places where you applied the concealer, as close to the lash line that you can get without poking yourself in the eye! That is where your concealer moves the most due to eye movements, so setting it there is super important!

Now you will look bright-eyed all day long!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

*Friday Favorites* - March 16, 2012

Latest trends and favorite things comin right up!

1. L'Oreal Volumnious Mascara


One of my new drugstore favorites! Goes on smoothly and you can layer it as much as you want. Just make sure to wipe the wand so ensure no clumps! $9 drugstores


2. Oribe 24-Karat Gold Pomade

Fun for everyday or for your wedding day, this gold pomade looks stunning on blondes or over highlights. Adds a hint of shimmer that doesn't look tacky. Great for the summer and for any event where you want to shine! $49 bergdorfgoodman.com

3. Hot Rollers for Volume

If you feel like your are curling iron and/or blowdryer-challenged, then hot rollers will be your new best friend! Depending on how much hair you have, I love to place the largest ones that will fit your hair, on the top of your head horizontally, usually 3 or 4 will do just fine for volume. Make sure they are the hottest they can be, then place on dry hair and leave for 15 minutes. When you take them out you will have curls that flow and the volume you can't get with the blowdryer alone. I recomment spraying them slightly once the rollers are in, then spray a little once you take the rollers out, to keep the volume and curls intact. The larger the roller, you will get more of a wave and more volume. If the roller is small, then you will get more curl and less volume. $30 conair.com

4. Layering Necklaces



You can layer necklaces of different lengths, chunky with dainty necklaces, or even if they are all similar! Mix silver with gold, silver and gold with colors - mix and match to give a new look to an old outfit or to enhance a new outfit! Anything goes (almost!)!


5. Keepsakes as Decorations


I love the idea of decorating your home with different keepsake moments in your life. Like above, you can frame the tickets to your first date as a rememberance of where it all began. You can frame photographs with dates below of where you were when the photos were taken. Almost anything important to you can be, somehow, made into a memory that could last a lifetime! Be creative!

Monday, March 12, 2012

How to be BOLD

Bold. One little word. One huge meaning.

If you follow fashion and trends of the season, you must have noticed that when a trend appears in the fashion world, it dips into each aspect of it:
1. makeup
2. clothes
3. shoes
4. accessories

Bold (and bright) colors are all the rage. Incorporating major color-blocking into your style, or a statement bold items, it the way to do it. For example, an all black outfit paired with a cobolt blue blazer, or bright green shoes. If your style is more subtle, you can still work in this trend, try adding the pop of color with a bright green or yellow clutch or bright colored bangle-bracelets.


Photo from fashionbeirut.com
If you are looking for one item to be your "bold" item..let these pieces guide you!


Photo from hammersandhighheels.blogspot.com
Some fun examples of color-blocking


If you are daring, maybe match that pop of color with your makeup. A bold green jacket would stand out even more with a green shadow, mascara or eyeliner. Emphasis in the word "or" - the goal is fashionista, not clown.

Example of a fun, bold - but not clownish - eye makeup


Doing a smokey eye has become more popular over the past few years, use navy blue instead of black or grey to really make those eye stand out!
*Remember - to keep your look classic, pair your bold eyes with a nude lip and a soft, yet strong, cheek.

*Note - just because bold colors and color-blocking is in - doesn't mean you can't go overboard. Look in the mirror before you leave your house - and if you don't own a mirror, but one! =)

If you are nervous about putting colors together but love the trend, try to keep colors that are in the same family. Such as: blues & greens, red, white & pinks, etc. you'll never go wrong. And also, everything looks nice with ivory or cream tones, so use those when you aren't sure.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

*Friday Favorites*

Your *Friday Favorites* are here! Well, my favorites are below – hope they become your favorites too!

**I decided to switch it up a little bit, instead of just makeup and beauty products, I am going to incorporate some other of my favorites things – food, clothes and jewelry – and some other fun DIY crafts too!

Enjoy!


  1. Clinique Repair Wear Intensive Lip Treatment
Great for when those lips are super chapped, or you just want a little hydration and shine! This product is always in my bag! $22 clinique.com

  1. Rusk being sexy hairspray
This hairspray is what you want when you need extra hold but don't want crusty, hard hair! No one should want hard hair - yuck! I also love that this is a buildable hairspray, which means I can re-spray later in the day, and it doesn't feel heavy, sticky or stiff - yay!


 
  1. Colored Bangles

Colored anything is all the rage right now, so throw on a few colored bangles with your outfit - combine them with silver and gold bangles, or leather bracelets for a fun look! They are sold everywhere, so check out Claire's or Icing to see if you can get some cute ones for cheapies! I <3 a good deal!

    4.    Striped Nautical Blazer


This is my favorites of all my favorites this week. A striped blazer. How perfect. I got mine at Joyce Leslie, it was $24.99 and looks like a million bucks when styled correctly. Most stores have their version of a striped blazer out this season - go grab the one you love!


 
  1. Crayola Chalkboard Paint

This is a fun one! Chalkboard paint - how can it get better than that? Use it in the kitchen to create a space for your shopping list, add it to the kids playroom, but a square in your bedroom to put your reminders for yourself. It's "green" (bc you won't use as much paper), and it's fun! There are many brands that make this now that you can get it at almost any store that sells paint.


Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Trend Alert: *Curls, Curls, Curls*

My friend Alex (@AlexOppRD) asked, now you shall listen!


Soft curls are in - for day and for night (they are great for day/night transitioning). Larger or smaller, it doesn't matter, it's a flawless way to wear your hair that will never go out of style!

There are a few ways to achieve the end results you want, but you want to start with applying a little bit of hair oil and mousse to the hair after you towel dried it. This will help the curls hold better once the hair style is complete.

Rachel Zoe

If you are looking for Rachel Zoe-like hair - I recommend putting your hair in pigtail braids after applying the products. Then loosen the braids by pulling slightly some of the hair from the braid (not completely out, just enough to keep intact), so they aren't so perfect.
If you don't have time for them to air-dry, use the blow dryer to dry the braids. Once they are predominantly dry, take them apart and separate the hair, dry a little more using your fingers to detangle the hair. Then take a 1inch curling iron and make a few curls around the head to give it that messy look.

Christina Applegate

If you are looking for Christina Applegate-like curls - I recommend blow drying the hair almost straight with a round or paddle brush (if your hair is super curly - then completely straighten the hair), then use a 1.5-1.75inch curling iron to curl strands away from the face as well as add curls around the head. If it is easier, section the hair and curl the bottom layer first, while moving up the head.


Tip* Use a light hairspray, Sebastian Shaper Plus is my favorite, to hold curls while styling, then use a stronger hold once your are done to hold it in place - I like using Rusk w8less spray as the finishing spray.


Thursday, March 1, 2012

*Friday Favorites*

Sorry I didn't get to last weeks favorites - hope you didn't cry! It just makes this weeks favorites more exciting! (well I think so anyway)

1. La Mer - Gel de La Mer
I know this is a little pricey, but it is just soooooo friggin good!!! My skin is always dry, so major hydration in my moisturizers is a must! Just because a moisturizer is hydrating doesn't mean I have to slather a whole glob all over my face to make it work. That's why I love this! I just got to try it a few weeks ago and I am still using my sample jar - go me! You need just a dime sized amount for your entire face. Good-Bye Dry Skin! $265 cremedelamer.com

2. Tocca - Graciella
OK, so I think you probably have noticed that I am obsessed with perfumes...definitely an addiction. This is my newest one. Tocca has a bunch of different scents, but I think this once stands above the rest. Perfect for spring, light yet noticeable. Check them all out for your favorite! $60 sephora.com


3. Perfect Nude Lip - MAC's Hug Me and Bare Necessity


I don't even know where to start! For a perfect nude lip - here you go! I use this combination on my brides when I need that perfect nude lip that will still show in photographs. I also wear it whenever I go out - the lipstick has just the right amount of pink and the gloss has the right amount of sparkles - even though there really are never too many sparkles, we all know that! $35/both maccosmetics.com

4. fresh - Sugar Lychee Body Lotion


Purchased this last week too. Great scent. Great amount of hydration. Not too heavy. Buy it! (They have other scents too) $22 sephora.com

5. C. Wonder



Now this..is amazing. It may look like a copy-cat of Tory Burch, BUT the pricing is more reasonable (however sale prices = GREAT), quality is comperable and selection is fantastic. Lot's of colors and patterns, yet there are still staple black and white pieces to choose from. The housewares depeartment is great as well. For a gift, or a gift for yourself - either way you will find something for almost anyone! Located in the Westchester Mall in White Plains, NY ~ SoHo, NY ~ Garden State Plaza Mall in Paramus, NJ