beauty

New Years Eve: Style and Beauty

December 31, 2012

What better way to kick off a brand new year than with a fab outfit and the make up to go with it? For weeks, I’ve been obsessing over finding the “perfect” look to showcase, and the make up to compliment it. Any excuse to dress up and go over the top is fine by me, which is why New Years Eve has always been one of my favorite days of the year.

Regardless of your plans for this party night, aint nothin’ wrong with some sequin! I am wearing this top, found recently at Express (on sale!), black jeans, black suede wedges, and a black clutch. I love the simplicity (and slim–plicity!) of all black, with the intense pop of sparkle and shine in the top!

As far as beauty products, I plan to be sporting a smokey eye. I’ve recently purchased this Rimmel gem, which makes it possible for anyone to easily create the perfect smokey eye with just one (inexpensive) palette. I’m also applying fake eyelashes (c’mon, it’s New Years Eve!), and finishing up my lashes with Chanel’s Le Volume Mascara. My beauty routine for tonight will be wrapped up with my personal favorite, Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Lipstick in #2, Sensual Silk.

Screen shot 2012-12-30 at 9.52.30 PM

What look are you going for this New Years Eve? Stay Safe!

Review: Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Mascara

December 17, 2012

Mascara will always be my #1, can’t live without, desert-island pick, in my bag at all times necessity. With a swipe of mascara on the eyes, I instantly look more awake and my eyes are open. My lashes look longer, darker, thicker and actually have a shape to them. I am always anxious to try the latest mascaras that debut, whether it be a more expensive luxury brand, or a drug store special.

This month, I have treated myself to Chanel’s latest mascara (Merry Christmas to me!) and I have never been more excited about a mascara before. It’s called Le Volume de Chanel, and doesn’t disappoint! The mascara comes in one shade only, Nior, and appears jet, carbon black on the lashes. The product is said to lengthen, thicken, separate and coat each lash with a perfect black pigment.

Chanel claims the brush design to be called a Snowflake brush, “combined with both long and short bristles to deliver an extreme, eye opening effect.” With just one stroke, my eyelashes were blacker, thicker, and instantly plumped up! No clumping, no smudging, no flaking.. and my lashes stayed perfect for hours. I received so many compliments the first time I wore it, and I can’t wait tell everyone my secret!

So thank you, Chanel, for my latest obsession. Now my go-to mascara, I hope I’ve inspired you to make the purchase so you can have sky-high full black lashes like me!

Will you be trying this mascara?

Holiday Shopping: Sephora Value gift sets!

November 25, 2012

If you’re anything like me, you wait until the last possible second for holiday shopping. Every year right after Thanksgiving, I promise myself I will not let the time get the best of me, and I will really get my shopping done before Christmas. This is it, this will be the year. The year I will not be racing to the mall, trying to put together gift bags, rushing to get the perfect gifts together. I will not lose sleep, I will get it all done before Christmas morning.

Lip Glosses, Perfumes, Blush sets, Oh My!

Nars Kiss Mini Larger Than Life, $55 ($94 value)

Fragrance Sampler for Her, $50 ($105 value)

The Finest Shave: Deluxe Sampler for Him, $25 ($65 value)

This year, my closest girlfriends and family members will all be recieving value sets from Sephora. Sephora puts together these amazing gift sets, at reasonable prices, making them impossible to resist. Brands such as Tarte, Lorac, Nars and Korres put out best-selling beauty gift sets around this time of year. Even brands such as Philosophy and Soap and Glory put out skin care and shower sets. Also, Sephora releases perfume/cologne sampler sets which makes a great gift as well, for men and women!

I think these sets make the perfect gift for friends and family, and all are sold at reasonable prices. Each value set has nice packaging, so all that you’d need is a cute gift bag or bow on top!

What do you think of these Sephora holiday gift sets?

Looking Polished: Essie Luxeffects Holiday manicure

December 15, 2011

This week I was invited to an event by Glamour Magazine to preview Essie’s new Luxeffects Holiday 2011 collection and to enjoy to mani’s and mimosas with my fellow beauty bloggers and celebrity manicurist, Elle Gerstein. We gathered at Tenoverten Nail Salon in TriBeCa, to talk celebrity mani’s, nail polish layering and all of the wonderful color combinations that you can create with polish.

Yes, I know, my life doesn’t suck.

Since I was in the presence of the woman that maintains Jennifer Lopez’ lovely digits I took the opportunity to ask Elle a little bit about her layering tips for manicures. She said that she likes to use complimentary colors but sometimes she will use a bright color and layer it with a glitter polish on top. She suggested a few pink shades for me to layer underneath a glittery nail polish and I decided to take her advice. I went with a bright pink Essie polish, Forget Me Nots and layer it underneath a new glitter polish from the Luxeffects Holiday Collection, A Cut Above.

The Essie Luxeffects Holiday 2011 polishes is a five-piece collection of shimmers and glitter nail polish topcoats, would you expect anything less for the holidays? These glamorous polishes are intended for layering but you can wear them alone for a more subtle look. I’m a pink girl, I absolutely adore the color so I was immediately drawn to Forget Me Not, I thought that it would really pop underneath the Essie Luxeffect color, A Cut Above. Here is the final look:

I must say that this is one of my favorite manicures, I love the layering effect of the glitter nail polish under a bold pink! What do you think about this look?