The Holiday Face

With your schedule quickly filling up with holiday parties, soirees, and get-togethers, it’s all too important to have a go-to holiday look that is simple yet stunning. To help achieve that look I have tested and approved a few great products that will us all look our best this season.

Start with Sultra’s Bombshell 1” curling iron. If you haven’t tried a clamp-less curling iron yet, you are in for a treat. Curls set in half the time, that crunchy flip at the end of the hair is no where to be seen, and the curl actually holds throughout the day. And this is coming from a girl who has to use a bottle of Elnett just to get through one day with an updo.

Now that your holiday hair is set, establish a flawless canvass for your makeup with a full-coverage concealer. Makeup For Ever provides a wide selection of colors to match an skin tone. Once the blemishes, undereye circles, and any splotchy red spots are covered, it’s one to the eyes.

A bright and bushy-tailed look is just what you need to kick off a party. But after a long day in the office (or on the couch catching up on a Real Housewives marathon) you need something more than Starbucks to wake you up. Benefit’s Eye Bright always does the trick. Just dot along the inside and outside corners of your eyes and smooth across the brow bone. This pencil also works great as a highlighter when contouring your cheeks, nose, chin, etc.

Open up those peepers even more with a coat or two of L’Oreal’s Volumnious Million Lashes. This drugstore find promises just what it is says. Lashes are full and long in just a few strokes to help create that dramatic look.

Eyes are almost done after filling in any sparse brows with Benefit’s Instant Eye Brow pencil. Don’t try to create extra brows with the pencil. Just fill in what you have. You want your eyes to look intriguing, but not like they belong to someone else entirely.

Don’t forget to bring a little attention to the ol’ kisser with red lipstick. I always go for a cooler color, but find a red that works for you and stick with it. I’m partial to Urban Decay’s lipstick in Revolution. This bright red has really staying power, goes on smooth, and comes in the ever adorable UD packaging.



And last, but not least, a little glitz and glam. No holiday look is complete without some sparkle. This entry’s featured products are shown along with some of my favorite jewelry, but you can dress up your look with all of your treasured diamonds and pearls. Dressing up is all about having enjoying yourself, so don’t take it too seriously, and have fun! And have a Happy Holidays :)

Fall Season= Red Luscious Lips!

The best part of the Fall season are the beautiful deep colors that we get to wear:) I have always been hesitant to wear a deep red color on my lips because I felt it would make me look way older or tacky with my tan skintone. BUT! after hearing about this MAC Ruby Woo lip color from many girls with my skintone as well as lighter and darker than me, I had to give it a try!

Dun Dun Dun, I LOVE IT! MAC's Ruby Woo is the color to get for any girl with any skin tone if you want to sport the beautiful red luscious lips this fall season!! Add a little gloss after applying Ruby Woo and everyone around you will be "red" with envy of your beautiful pout:)

My Favorite Fall Exfoliator!

I've tried MANY MANY exfoliator scrubs and am usually satisfied by them but not blown away at how amazing it is...till I started using the Clinique Super Exfoliant Scrub! The grains are alittle bigger than average size grains you find in regular exfoliators and works amazing on my skin ( I have normal skin). I've been using every other day for about 2 weeks now and I can see a gentle glow to my skin now. After using this scrub, my face feels VERY squeaky clean! I definitely take my time to rub it all over my face in circular motions for about two minutes (given how sensitive your skin is you might do less) and then wash and moisturize. I feel it is best to use at night so you can lather on alittle extra facial mositurizer into your skin so over night the skin can do its "repair" work so you wake up to soft beautiful skin:)Give this product a try and let me know how you like it!

To BB or Not To BB

I promise I'm not normally one to use puns, but this one just popped into my head so I couldn't resist. :)



One of the newer products to the beauty scene is BB cream. If you haven't heard of it, it is a foundation/moisturizer/treatment concoction that is wildly popular in South Korea. This HG (Holy Grail) beauty product has now made it's way to the states via Clinique, Boscia, and Dr. Jart's. Every summer I've searched for a tinted moisturizer-like product that won't leave skin oily and provides medium coverage. The usual tinted moisturizer is almost always neither of the aforementioned characteristics.

Back in early July, while perusing the aisles of Sephora (as you will often find me doing) I noticed the BB creams so I took a sample of Boscia's version. Excited to see what all the fuss was about, I tried it within minutes of getting home. The consistency appears similar to a tinted moisturizer, but it doesn't go on as smoothly. You really have to work to blend it in. Once it sets in, the color starts to change to match your skin tone. The coverage was so much better than I expected, and it was the closest my skin had ever looked to being airbrushed.

You better believe I went to the Sephora the very next day before work to snatch up a bottle of my own. I've been using every day straight since then I really can't recommend it enough. I've even seen a change in the tone and texture of my skin. This is definitely going to be a permanent staple in my make up bag!

Favorite New Fresh Scent!

Anyone that knows me knows that I am CRAZY about smelling yummy and fresh ALL the time!:) I love light floral scents on most days but also like fresh citrus scents. At Bath and Body Works few weeks ago, I picked up this new scent called "Paris Amour". I bought the shower gel, body lotion, and body spray since it was a buy 2 get 1 free deal at the store. Using all three together definitely gives me this fresh scent all day. You can definitely use these separately as well but I read in a recent Glamour magazine article that companies recommend you to use all three products together so the smell will last longer on your skin (this is definitely also a marketing technique to get you to buy more of their products but hey it's up to you:))

Sue Devitt's Whipped Foundation and Pressed Powder

After about 6 years of using MAC Studio Fix Foundation and Powder (that I still do love), I wanted to see what else was out there for my face especially in this humid hot weather here in Florida. This past weekend I hit up the Orlando mall and went to town in the makeup department at Macys. I went to just about every counter such as Lancome, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Dior.....but even though they looked okay on my skin, it just wasn't the feel and look I wanted.

Then I found this other makeup section called "Sue Devitt" that had alot of fresh looking products so I decided to try it. I LOVED how it made my skin look and feel! It was definitely lighter in texture and gave me full coverage without the heavy, cakey look some other products give you. The makeup lady first put on the whipped foundation on one side of my face and the pressed powder on the other side of my face...they both felt and looked amazing. These products gave me more of a matte finish on my face which is great because I love using blush/bronzer so it is a good balance to have. She then put the foundation on first followed by the pressed powder and it definitely gave me the fresh matte fully covered look I wanted for daily use. You can definitely use these products separately or together, still avoiding the cakey look! The product is VERY LIGHT AND SMOOTH so it's a definite must try the next time you hit up the makeup department!:)

Best Eyeshadow Primer!

Ever had the problem of your eyeshadow creasing after an hour of applying it perfectly to your eyes? I've had this problem for a few years till recently when I finally learned that PRIMER is KEY to making sure your eyeshadow stays perfect all day/night long! After moisturizing your skin, apply just a dab of Urban Decary Primer Potion on each eyelid and smooth all over eye then just go to town with however you want to do your eyes! This primer keeps your eyeshadow fresh looking with no creases all day long! I've used this for a few months now and my eye makeup looks the same from the beginning of the day when I put it on to when I take it off at night! Definitely a must have for all you ladies who love a perfectly shadowed eye:)

Best (Inexpensive) Gel Eyeliner!

Anyone that knows me knows I LOVE black eyeliner (in addition to other colors)! I've tried many pencils and liquids but this Maybelline EyeStudio Gel Liner has given me exactly what I am looking for. This product allows me to apply the liner as thin or thick as I desire. There is a brush that comes with the product that I use for regular application of the eyeliner but I have an angled brush that I use for a more dramatic winged tip look. This liner is easy to apply and easy to take off at the end of the day. I just use regular facial cleanser to wash my face to wash away the liner. This product also comes in brown,purple,and green which pretty much looks amazing on any skin color. Give this product a try and trust me you will love it:)

Life Savers

To start, Mili and I are EXTREMELY excited to start sharing our love of beauty products with the world. After many Twitter conversations about recommended products, I proposed the idea to start a blog. Great idea! Except that I proposed the idea right before the busiest time in my year in my profession. Basically I run out like a mad woman in the Florida heat and humidity, working endless hours. This leaves very little to no time in the morning to prepare for those 15 hour days. During this season every year during I look like a mess because there was no way for me to ward off shine and frizz. Until this year. Meet my saviors:


Organix Ever Straight Brazilian Keratin Therapy Anti-Breakage Serum


Tarte Smooth Operator Micronized Clay Finishing Powder

I have pretty thin hair, but for some reason the humidity makes it run wild. I use about a tsp of Organix's serum on damp hair, blowdry, then straighten. The first time I used this product, I stood in the rain for 5 minutes, allowed my hair to air dry, and it returned back to its original smooth, straight state. Amazing.

I was ready to rave about Tarte's finishing powder the moment I tried at Sephora, It gave me a smooth, airbrushed look. But after using it over BB cream for work, I couldn't believe the results after hours outside. No oil or shine. None. Still smooth and flawless.

I more than highly recommend these products. I encourage you to run to your closest Target/Sephora and snatch them up immediately. I've even started using Organix's keratin shampoo and conditioner with good results. But I'll save that for another blog post.