Beauty Blog Network Weekend Read

happy saturday beauties! hope your week went well and you're treating yourself to an enjoyable weekend. today my daughter's bff is coming to spend the night-- she is beyond excited!

one thing i love about the two of them is that they are almost complete opposites-- both 10, my daughter is a nail polish-wearing, dress-loving, "mom, does this purse go with this outfit?"-girl while her bff is a baseball-loving tomboy who would only wear a dress for a special occasion (she does like nail polish, though!). they love each other so much and seeing them grow up has been such a treat (they have known each other since they were 2).

in any case, the night should be interesting-- full of giggles, games and maybe some nail polish... :)

for now, i'm reading some posts from the past week from some fabulous Beauty Blog Network bloggers-- join me!



Beauty Girl Musings is inspired by a new hair product from BE Beverly Hills-- it adds shine, conditions, and protects tresses from harmful heat styling. Read about it here!

A Touch of Blusher reviews Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Body Lotion SPF 15.

*The Makeup Divas is giving away 5 TUBES of Kymaro Fix My Roots to 5 lucky winners! Giveaway ends July 13th so hurry and enter today.

*Raging Rouge and Cosmetique have teamed up for a Jean-Michelle beauty giveaway.

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic checked out Completely Bare, a do it yourself facial scrub and finally found the 4th scrub she likes!

Sheila from Painted Ladies breaks down a basic lip color application.

Elke shares how to create the 'minx' effect with your eye shadow, thanks to a little help from Courtney of Phyrra.

Beauty Anonymous is looking forward to Jill Stuart's fall 2010 makeup collection.

The Makeup Blogger is grateful for the amazing new HD primer Nurturing Force Blot Out Offensive Shine and Oil Control Cream


xo
*giveaway!

CoverGirl Beauty Lounge with Molly R. Stern

last weekend (june 6, 2010, to be exact) i was privileged enough to attend a pre-MTV Movie Awards fete sponsored by CoverGirl at the Byron and Tracey Salon in Beverly Hills. unlike last year's event, this was much more intimate and we were able to watch the fabulous Molly R. Stern create a gorgeous look for Parks and Recreation star Rashida Jones.

i also got to catch up with blogger pals i haven't seen in awhile-- Amber, Nadine, Charli and Kristen and Sarah-- as well as meet new ones i "know" via the web-- Sydne, Jamie and Tara.



shortly after arriving, we all sat down to watch as Molly effortlessly applied product after product, creating a flawless look for Rashida. the key to the look was building it rather than just applying it heavy all on at once. i loved being able to sit and observe the playful banter between Molly and Rashida, longtime friends.



here's how to get Rashida's look:

since Rashida's dress was simple and black, Molly wanted to play up her makeup with a bit of color.

she began prepping Rashida's skin with a light moisturizer followed by the soon-to-be-released Simply Ageless Primer to prep her skin for foundation. after a touch of Simply Ageless Corrector under the eyes to conceal darkness, Molly used Simply Ageless Foundation in Classic Tan and Simply Ageless Sculpting Blush in Lush Berry to the apples of her cheeks, creating a most gorgeous look on an already gorgeous face.




so, at this point Rashida looked beyond amazing, but then came the eye makeup...

to create a colorful smoky eye, Smoky ShadowBlast in Citrus Flair was applied first followed by Exact Eyelights Eyeshadow palette for brown eyes to add more dramatic definition. new LiquiLine Blast in Violet Voltage to line the eyes was followed by the same liner in Green Glow (just added to the inner corners of the eyes). the shocking green added a fabulous and unexpected pop of color. a few coats of LashBlast Fusion in Black on the top lashes and Brown on the bottom lashes gave the eyes the finishing touch.

a shiny pout with a hint of color completed the look as Molly used Outlast Lipstain in Flirty Nude followed by ShineBlast Lip Gloss in Smolder on Rashida's lips.



once Rashida's look was complete, we blogging babes were treated to hair, makeup and yummy food. i myself tried the Green Glow LiquiLine Blast and must tell you, it is my new summer liner fave (stay tuned for review and pics)! the color is shocking to look at as is, but when it's on looks amazing.

btw, Rashida's fabulous braided updo was created by Byron Williams-- love it!

xo
images featuring Rashida Jones and Molly R Stern: S. Keenen/WireImage; all other images are my own.

Meet My New Beauty Girl...

the other day, my husband came home and said he thought we should get a dog.

my jaw almost fell off. i wasn't sure, but kept an open mind-- one never knows...

so we went to the local shelter with a mental list of what we were looking for:

an older dog, sweet tempered and not too hyper, small, but not too "yappy" (neither of our neighbors to each side of us has a dog-- we don't wasn't to become the annoying neighbors, LOL), and he or she should have hair rather than fur because i have a mild allergy to dogs with fur.

who knew we'd find our dog so soon!

she was in need of a a serious brush when we met her...



so, my beauties, meet Piper, beauty girl #3 in our home! :)

Piper is 5 and a purebred Havanese. when we met her, she had a whole lot of hair, but it was matted terribly, so the groomer had to go short (she's cute both ways, of course, don't you think?).



she is so fun and playful, but knows when to be calm. it's not in her nature to bark, and we have yet to hear her do so. she did whimper after being put back into her kennel when we had to leave her (she had to be spayed and given a rabies shot before we could bring her home) and a little bit on the drive home.

my kids' faces lit up when they came home to find her in our family room! they are beyond excited. :)

xo
pics taken by me :)

Bath & Body Works Summer Vanillas

as the weather heats up, it's time to start thinking about how you want to smell. i like to go the citrus or floral route, but Bath & Body Works caught my attention with their new Summer Vanillas collection.

i'm not usually a vanilla girl, but the idea of creamier versions of smells i already like was very appealing. Coconut, Berry, Lemon and Apricot (which is only online, otherwise i would have bought it in store, too) compliment vanilla to create fabulously cool and refreshing summer scents.



while the collection features, body sprays, candles, etc., i couldn't resist getting a lotion-- the amazing new formula makes my skin so soft-- and Liplicious gloss-- they smell delicious, are glossy without being sticky and have a hint of shimmer-- in each scent (it was buy 2 get 1 and i had a $10 off coupon, too-- yay me!). my daughter went absolutely gaga for the all of them, too, so i will share. :)



for more info, visit bathandbodyworks.com or head to your local Bath & Body Works to smell these new goodies for yourself!

xo
all pics taken by me :)

Rainy, Book-Reading Kind of Day

happy monday beauties! in my neck of the country, the day began very rainy and gloomy (as you can see from the picture above, taken from my patio).

i stayed home from the gym due to the fact that my back was bothering me (a little nuisance that, like my sometimes achy knees, has been passed down by my mother), so it worked out to be a good thing. i spent my morning hanging out with my kids, then browsing the web.



in my perusing, i came across a fab website called goodreads.com, a social-networking site for people who love to read. users can rate and keep track of books read, write and read reviews, join book clubs, and even create a list of want-to-read books-- it's so fun! i think i was on there for over an hour.



i love reading. it's such an escape for me. i'm currently reading two books, My Sister's Keeper and Shopaholic Ties the Knot. i'll be keeping track of my progress and will hopefully adding them to my "read shelf" soon so i can reading books on my "to-read shelf". on the list? The Lovely Bones, Twenties Girl and Something Borrowed, just to name a few.

rainy days aren't so bad, especially when the sun comes out later. :)



how was your monday?

xo

The Makeup Show LA!

hello beauties! tomorrow i'll be spending the whole day in los angeles at The Makeup Show LA. i'm thrilled because i wasn't able to attend last year. while i'm there i expect to learn about brands i'm not familiar with as well as getting the latest scoop on what's new from brands that i am. also, i can't wait to meet some amazing makeup gurus and re-connect with my fellow beauty bloggers. :)

to get up-to-the-minute updates, be sure to follow me on twitter!

xo

moving...

hello beauties!

guess what?? my family has been moving! yes, it just so happened to occur thanksgiving week, but that's just how everything worked out. obviously, i'm thankful and so excited (i have my own walk-in closet! no more sharing one with hubby, woo-hoo!), but that means an interruption in my daily blogging life. no one is more bummed than me, but i expect that everything will get back to normal by next week.

please stay tuned and thank you so much for understanding! :)

happy thanksgiving!!


xo

Check Me Out On All Lacquered Up!

i'm especially excited to to share that today i have been featured on one of my favorite blogs, All Lacquered Up! Michelle, the fabulous nail polish fanatic and creator of many fabulous nail shades herself (including last week's nail color of the week), has interview moi for her What's On Your Nails? series.

i can't tell you how excited i was when i received her email last month asking me to participate-- beyond thrilled doesn't even begin to describe it!

so, to feed your curiosity about everything from what my favorite nail color is to what nail trend i wish would go away, head over to All Lacquered Up to read my interview right now.

thanks again Michelle!

xo
image: All Lacquered Up

i'm loving: my new statement ring

last weekend i did a little browsing at the mall with my mom and kids. mainly it was her way of getting gift ideas for our family. of course, because my mom is my mom, she ended up buying a few things.




one of those things was this amazing flower ring from a store called Cinderella. if you can believe it, it was my first time in there ever, and i was amazed at all of the fabulous accessories they carried. the ring is metal and has a huge stone in the center. i have no idea who designed this, but i love it. it came in other color combos, but i liked this black one the best.




btw, it just so happens that my hands aren't small and i have long fingers, so wearing larger-sized rings suits them well. this ring is crazy big-- it makes my other "big" rings look small, ha!



thanks mom!

xo
pics taken by me :)

i'm loving: my Vogue Eyewear Sunglasses

after months of practically hunting for a new pair of sunglasses, i finally bought a pair.

seriously.

to be honest, i just couldn't find any i liked (does that ever happen to you?), and i was so sick of what was available at the mall kiosks. when i did finally try on a pair that were fa-bu-lous, they were way more than i wanted to spend (sorry Versace, maybe next time-- ha!).

the other day i went to a local boutique that i thought carried sunglasses. unfortunately, they no longer did, but one of the owners recommended i check out a new place on the mall that recently opened...

inside that shop, Tonalita to be exact, i found a pair of Vogue Eyewear sunglasses that i love! they are perfect for summer-transitioning-into-fall: light and airy looking with a touch of glamour, thanks to the rhinestomes in the sides.

like them? you can find 'em online at sunglasshut.com

xo

Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara

if you're looking for a new mascara, stop what you are doing right now, and go get Lancome's new Hypnose Drama Mascara.

seriously.

this mascara is AMAZING! i even tweeted about it after the first time i used it-- it's that good. it makes my lashes look incredible, every single time i use it.

two weeks ago, i was at Sephora with a friend, and the conversation went like this:

her: "what are some of your favorite mascaras?"

me: "oh, i'm loving Lancome's new mascara. it's called Hypnose Drama..." then i proceeded to tell her about a couple more mascaras i liked from both drug and department stores.

her: "what are you wearing right now?"

me: had to think a second --"Hypnose"

her: "wow! that is good mascara-- i've been looking at your lashes today thinking they look great. they're so full and lush"

me: "thanks!"

another thing that fabulous about this mascara is that it doesn't flake or clump and washes off so easily at the end of the day.


here are the before and after pics:


no mascara


with the Hypnose Drama, just on the top lashes

so if you want full, lush, amazing-looking lashes, get this. like now.

btw, i would have posted a pic of my own personal mascara (as i usually do), but my camera broke at some point between day 1 and 2 in nyc. thankfully, i took pics of my eyes before it kicked the bucket...

find Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara at your local Lancome beauty counter or shop online at sephora.com and lancome-usa.com

xo
pics taken by me :)

Back Home...

hello beauties! i arrived back home last night exhausted, but happy to be home. new york was amazing and definitely worth the 29 years i waited to get there, LOL! hopefully it won't be that long before i return.

i'll be back soon with tidbits from my stay in the big apple, along with coverage from ny fashion week, the VMA's, and as usual, product reviews! :)

stay tuned...

xo

Tonight I'll Be at Fashion's Night Out

tonight is the much-anticipated Fashion's Night Out, and yours truly will be there! seriously, i feel as though it isn't real. i can't believe it. me. actually in nyc when a global event is taking place. bananas.

what is FNO? it's a global initiative to promote retail, restore consumer confidence, and celebrate fashion with the american and international editions of Vogue coordinating evening extravaganzas in their respective world fashion capitals.

i'm not quite sure what stores i'm going to hit, but i'm thinking about it and planning it as i type. :)



visit FashionsNightOut.com for more information

xo

What I Wore: NYC Day 1

yesterday, september 8th, i wore a fun DKNY Jeans dress that i found at Macy's-- 50% off when i found it!-- a comfy New York and Company sweater and some flats (yes, flats!) i found at Ross back home (wow...that's weird to say, LOL!). i love this ensemble...

after exploring the city, i went back to my friend's apartment to give my tired and sore feet a rest. later that evening, i met up with Henna and Cailin for some sushi somewhere in midtown-- wish i could remember the name of the place , but it was really good!

xo

Exploring NYC...

i ventured down to Battery Park today so i could finally see the Statue of Liberty in person. i didn't get on a boat, but rather took pics from where i could, then decided to "explore" downtown.

since i'm staying in midtown, bordering the upper west side of manhattan, i had to take the subway-- yep, that's right! i bought myself a metrocard, and that was it, i was off-- woo-hoo! i was alone, and i'm not from ny, so i was slightly nervous at first-- mostly about getting on the wrong train, LOL! thankfully, my friend told me which train to take and the system is very well organized-- there isn't anything to worry about in terms of getting lost. if you do need help, believe it or not, people are willing to help you find the right trains to get you where you need to go if you ask (i did it, twice!! ). one thing about going on the subway, though, is that it is hot underground. the trains inside themselves are cool-- unless they're seriously crowded-- so that's good.


somewhere downtown



on my adventure, i found my way to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum-- talk about emotional! i couldn't help but start to cry looking at all of the faces and reading the names of those who were lost on that tragic day. there are audio tracks of phone calls made, video showing the search and clean-up, guided tours from people who lived through it and/or lost loved ones, and all of the plans for the memorial park. i highly recommend visiting it!

needless to say, i did a ton of walking today! it isn't over, though, i still have until saturday, and i plan to go out again later meet up with some blogger gal pals who are just getting into town. stay tuned for more from nyc...

xo

I'm off to NYC!

the day has finally arrived my beauties: i'm going to new york! i admit, i'm excited, anxious, hopeful, unsure, and any other emotion that is related to those. i think it's simply because it will be my first time venturing out past nevada to the east. actually, now that i think about it, the only places i've traveled to have only been on this side of the continent...

in any case, i'm planning to see the sites (aka, be a tourist), attend fabulous events (including Total Beauty's second beauty blogger summit, Fashion's Night Out and enjoy a couple of "bites" of NY Fashion Week's backstage goings on), and you're going to come right along with me, of course!

so, just to let you know, i have some posts pre-scheduled for each day, so no need to worry about that, and i'll be adding in little tidbits here and there as my trip unfolds. it may be a bunch all at once, it may be little short bits at a time, just bare with me, please, because i don't even know, LOL! :)

xo

Beauty 101: Back to School Essentials

my kids go back to school tomorrow (i now have a 4th and 1st grader!), and not only am i excited, but so are they. today the school held a "meet your teacher" event in their respected classrooms so the kids could do just that.


these are the books that let me know what my daughter has to look forward to (and i suppose that would go for me, too-- yikes!)

with all of the back-to-school excitement and shopping, i've obviously had school on the brain. i know that when i was in school, it was so fun to get new stuff at the beginning of the year. i also know that no matter what "grade" you're in, pencils, bags and books are essential. here's my list of beauty "school" supplies i think you'll enjoy...




pencils: a new liner i am enjoying is Motives Cosmetics' Kohl Eyeliner in Amethyst. the smooth formula has been amazing for giving my eyes a touch of deep purlpe color when i'm wearing neutral tones and adds that "little something extra" when i wear more bold shades.

also check out: Bobbi Brown's new Ivy League Collection or get the scoop on some new pencils from L'Oreal





bags: Sonia Kashuk's Cosmetic Tote gives a roomy way to travel with your beauty arsenal. carry your must-haves and some extras with room to spare.

also check out: Sephora Film Noir Lace Bag Collection features bags for every need. a pencil bag for, well...makeup pencils and a large handle bag that unzips to reveal three smaller, removable inner cosmetic bags plus an inner zip compartment for space galore to store eyeshadows, blushes powders and anything else you need to get beautified.




books: Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual by Bobbi Brown

also check out:
The Beauty of Color: The Ultimate Beauty Guide for Skin of Color by Iman and the new book, Who What Wear: Celebrity and Runway Style for Real Life by Katherine Power and Hillary Kerr

here's to a great school year! :)

xo

review: Estee Lauder DayWear Plus

who doesn't love a GWP? they are definitely one of my favorite things, and a true incentive for buying something you may have been putting off. with a little gift with purchase encouragement, i'm typically more likely to buy something i've been eye-balling for awhile. enter Estee Lauder's DayWear Plus, a little gem of a moisturizer plus spf that happened to be in the last two Estee Lauuder GWPs.

DayWear Plus is not only excellent at moisturizing, but it is refreshing with its cucumber scent-- yes, cucumber! it couldn't have come at a better time either. the first time i received it in an itty-bitty jar and the weather was hinting at warming up. from first use, i had to add it to my must-buy-in-full-size list simply because of the smell (not always the best thing, i know-- i didn't even know how my skin would react). needless to say, after a couple of weeks (i only used it once a day), i loved it, and it was gone. ugh, so sad! but, a couple of weeks later, i was in for a surprise...



it just so happened that about a week later i needed to get more foundation. since my fave is from the some brand, and because of the price, i received a new GWP-- a great tote filled with goodies-- including my beloved DayWear Plus, in a bigger size! i could hold off another month or so buying it in the full size. don't you love when that happens?

DayWear Plus comes in two formulas-- dry, and the one i have, normal/combination skin-- they each offer a blend of antioxidant ingredients (grape seed and a combination of vitamins C and E), and both come in the same amazing cucumber scent-- the spf is a bonus!

find Estee Lauder DayWear Plus at your nearest Estee Lauder beauty counter and online at esteelauder.com

xo
pics taken by me :)

hair therapy: my journey back into a stylist's chair

five weeks ago i went to Element Salon in temecula to participate in the Kerastase hair treatment promo. i knew my tresses were starting to look shabby and were dying to get some professional attention.

Nicole, the stylist who i was scheduled with, voiced her concern for my poor ends and promised to only snip a little, if i would let her (i told he my whole hair nightmare, and turns out she had the same thing done to her, so she understood my hesitation). so after a deep conditioning treatment and a little snip-snip, my hair was on the road back to happyville. :)


after my first visit to Element Salon


i went in again today as i am determined to get back into the habit of regular trims regardless of how scared it makes me. Nicole not only teased me about my tension (i'm still a little scarred, can you blame me?), but reminded me, after trimming my ends, that my hair was looking so much better-- yay!


today's blowout. no i didn't color my hair it's just the lighting


back of the hair shot-- thanks hubby :)

so, just to let you know, the back of my hair is almost the same length as it was before last august's fiasco, and all of the layers are a tolerable length (see what the back of my hair looked like before the thinning and extra layers were added). i'm happy my hair grows fast, and hubby is happy he doesn't have to see me sulking around anymore, LOL! i still plan to do a "one year later" post complete with pics of the dreaded cut (i shudder and feel sick just thinking about it), so stay tuned...

xo

I Love My...Lily Halter Maxi Dress

i bought the dress in the above pic a few weeks ago, and it is fabulous. i'm 5'3, so this is not as short on me as it is on this model (well, if i'm being honest, it hits the floor when i'm barefoot, LOL!), but i love my Lily Halter Maxi Dress.

while it's described as being slightly shorter than the average maxi dress, it's perfect on me. as soon as i tried it on, i fell in love with it, and so did hubby (always a good thing). this dress is so comfy, but looks elegant, and the best part is that when i wear it, i'm put together with one piece! i always get compliments when i wear it, so it makes it even more fun to wear. :)

find this Lily Halter Maxi Dress at nordstrom.com

xo