THE DECEMBER TAG! [Tagged by DustyOHunter]

So Dusty tagged me to do NikkiTutorials' December tag and being that I was in a car accident a week ago and fractured my nose, I'm not going to do this on camera - but I wanted to do it, hence why I'm doing it here!

1.  What do you love most about December?
  Probably snow.  I do live in New England and there is just something about a true white christmas that is etched into my being.  I also love the smell of balsam fir trees and it's really only sold in mass quantities during Christmas time.

2.  What is your favorite perfume to wear with the holidays?
   If I had to pick my signature scent for the rest of the year it's Calvin Klein Beauty.  But during the winter holiday months I adore spritzing on just a bit of Paco Rabanne's Lady Million.  It dries down to an inviting warm honey and patchouli scent that just reminds me of an oversize snuggly sweater, a fireplace, and reading a book.

3.  Which 3 products can't you live without this December?
   First would be moisturizer.  Any and all moisturizer.  I have notoriously dry skin so I try to keep it as hydrated as possible so that I don't get flakies!  Then after that probably my iPod because I love Christmas music!  (or just music in general!!)  And lastly...glitter...because 'tis the season!

4.  What is your go-to look this month?
   Well, I was in a car accident about a week ago, so currently a bruised everything is my look ;)  I'm fine don't worry!   Before that though it was probably something golden and glittery and glowy with lots of lash.

5.  What is your most favorite glittery product?
   Collection 2000 Glam Crystals Glitter Liner.  End of story :)

6.   Show us your favorite ornament from your Christmas Tree.
   My mom just has a "christmas table" with a replica Charlie Brown tree on it and Nana didn't do a tree this year so unfortunately (to my chagrin) I can't take pictures of any of my favorites because there's no tree to put them on :(

7.   Which candy are you going to eat too much of this month?
   Since I don't really enjoy candy all that much -- I'll go out on a limb and say anything peppermint flavored but again -- I think the only thing I've had has been a peppermint hershey's kiss on a cookie at work...soooo yeah.

8.   What is your favorite December/Holiday related movie or TV show to watch?
   I enjoy so many of them that I can't choose just one!  Elf, Grinch (animated), Jetson's Christmas Carol, A Christmas Carol (Patrick Stewart or George C Scott)...love them all!

9.   What do you really hope Santa has wrapped in a present for you this year?
   An iPad mini but I know I'm not getting it so I'll say my Clarisonic Aria that I know is under the tree!

10.   The Holidays are all about sharing the love, who do you want to give a shout-out and why?
   As cheesy as it is, everyone who reads my blog, watches my videos, talks to me on the phone...basically everyone who has an active participation in my life.  I'm so grateful for all of my friends and family and I wouldn't want it any other way <3 p="p">

Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone and wishing you a happy new year as well!!

Glamcor Hygienic Hand Palette

Every once in a while something comes along, and you think to yourself: "WHY did NOONE come up with this idea earlier?"

The Glamcor Hygienic Hand Palette is one of those little things!

Now I have to take a moment to tell you that I had a first impressions blogpost on my blog before as I had been asked by Erik (Glamcor founder) if I would be interested in testing the prototype...but when my blog went screwy...I lost every. single. post. and. photo.  Can you say angry?  Because I sure can.   Thankfully I have emails with my first impressions!  Thank goodness for archiving!

So a few months ago (meaning like...4 or so)...Erik was kind enough to send me a box of the final product to test out!  I am not being paid to write this blogpost nor do I have to say anything other than my own opinions so head past the jump for photos and what I think!

Holiday Looks (guest blog by Elizabeth)

I love the holidays.  That's an understatement - I LOVE the holidays.  The music, the decorations, the food (mmmm cookies, candy canes and hot cocoa!),  and I love dressing up.  That's why my dear friend Ashleigh and I talked about me writing this.  I want to be festive in my holiday looks all day everyday, sometimes a full on smokey eye or red lip is just too intense, though; I am going to share some everyday holiday looks.

First off is a sparkling natural eye that can be worn from the office to holiday shopping, very simple but amped up for this time of year.  It's super chic to wear a neutral colored glitter shadow as a wash over your entire eyes, lash line to brow, after putting on primer (Too Faced shadow insurance is my fave) dust your entire eye in the glittery shadow (I'm using Too Faced Peach Fuzz) then line the eye with either a black liquid liner for a more classic look or take a festive green for a more fun look (for a liquid liner I'm using Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner in #13). You can either just line the lash area following the shape of your eye, or if you want a little more elegance wing it out just slightly for a cat eye suitable for the daytime.   Don't forget to curl your lashes and load on the mascara!  My current obsession is Eyeko London Skinny Brush Mascara.

This time of year is traditionally all about a bold lip, but when it's cold out and my skin and lips are feeling dry I don't always want to have a full on red lip all day.  I still enjoy color, I just decide to go more sheer with it, choosing something ultra glossy and hydrating.  My go-to lip choices are Korres Lip Butter in Rose if I want a red lip, or byTerry gloss in Moka Chili if I'm opting for a slightly more elegant look.  During the holidays a sheer glitter gloss is also a fun, yet subtle, look.

Using a  highlighter and rosy blush is a must!  A more ethereal snow queen look is fitting when the snow is falling (we get snow in L.A., only it comes from machines at the outdoor shopping malls!) so feel free to skip your bronzers and faux tans. A light golden highlight (Candlelight from Too Faced is my choice, or Albatross from Nars) or a slightly pink-silver (Benefit High Beam and Make Up For Ever Uplight #11 are both gorgeous) both can work beautifully.  Dior and Stila make blush that adjust to your perfect shade of pink, or the Tarte Amazonian Clay blushes are fabulous options.  As far as foundation goes, something radiance boosting is definitely the way to go, anything that will leave you glowing!  Using a radiant boosting primer under your foundation of choice is another way to add that magical feel.

To pull the look together a holiday themed manicure is a must!  Red, green or white nails with a glitter top coat and you're ready to go!


Happy Holidays and I hope you all have a fantastic New Year!  Xoxo

YouTube Series: ABC's Once Upon A Time: Rumplestiltskin Look #1 [Robert Carlyle]

Rumplestiltskin kind of reminds me of the Beetlejuice of fairy tales!  And that reminds me of the old Beetlejuice movie and it just makes me giggle.

It's not very often that I pick a character that I'm head over heels about from the beginning of a series (the one exception being Captain Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager...she was always my favorite because she's a coffee loving badass!)  But Robert Carlyle has to be that one for me for this show.  He masterfully plays both sides of Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold to sheer perfection, so how could I not do an inspired look based on his character?

Head past the jump for inspiration photos, look photos, and the tutorial!

Living Proof: Straight

I don't talk too much about hair.  This is for a couple reasons.  One is I don't like my hair feeling like it's been weighted down by excess product, and two is that I don't like the way my hair feels with product in it.

Much like my skin, my hair is very dry...and on top of that it's damaged from years of hair dye (I'm attempting to go September 2012 to September 2013 without putting dye in it (unless required for a show)...whether or not it happens remains to be seen...).

I don't heat style my hair often unless I need it to look a certain way.  But when I do, I make sure it's protected.  If I do heat style, I will blow dry and either flat iron or curl depending on the occasion...and if I flat iron, I need it to stay somewhat straight for the next day as well because I don't wash my hair every day.

Enter: Living Proof Straight Spray.

Using the amazing technology from their wildly successful No Frizz line - the molecule PolyflouroEster (also known as OFPMA) - this weightless spray can be applied to your hair wet or dry, before and after styling - and doesn't weigh the hair down with unnecessary silicones, resins, or chemicals.

For the photos below I applied the spray to my damp hair, applied heat from my blowdryer, finger raked, and achieved a massive mane of hair (that is pretty straight for me...I did not use a brush or a comb either - if you blow dry with a paddle or round brush, you will get a more sleek look than what I achieved here).

Another round of Straight spray applied, then flat ironed and here are the results!

I tend to finish off with a gentle mist of the spray after I'm done flat ironing (almost like hairspray but there's no hold to it...again, I hate feeling like I have a ton of product in my hair) and all I have to do the next day is remist and run a flat iron to get any pillow kinks out of my hair!

It sounds like you use a lot of product - and if you were to use it every single day as I use it you would most likely go through the can in a month.  I only straighten my hair around once a month so I've had my can for the better part of a year and it's only 1/3 gone.  If that gives you any kind of reference point.

I have to say I love it though...one of my favorite hair products I've used in a very long time.  Give it a try the next time you're looking for something life changing and you won't be disappointed :)

DEMO!

I did receive this product through my work but this has no bearing on my opinions on how the product functions...I am completely honest in all of my reviews.

Autumn Edit: Current Skincare Routine

I feel like I keep updating my skincare routine.  If I'm completely honest about it though I am a proud product junkie so I love using things up to try more! (and believe me, if you could see my bags of skincare I have waiting to be used, you'd understand why I'm so impatient!)

My big thing right now is minimizing the amount of products I actually have opened at any one given time.  I tend to get super excited about the next thing I want to try and (admittedly) sometimes I'll give in to the temptation and open it while I'm still trying to use up my current products.

All that aside - here's what I'm using currently as we transition into winter!  I've got a photo of the current skin creams and I'll list the rest :)

Cleanser (not pictured):  Still using my ever trusty Boscia Makeup Break-Up oil cleanser

Toner (not pictured):  Sephora Collection Instant Refreshing Toner

Serum:  Rexaline Hydra-Force Concentrated Hyper Hydrating Anti-Wrinkle Serum*

Eye Cream:  Rexaline Hydra EyeZone Hyper Hydrating Anti-Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Contour Cream*

Day Cream:  Beyond Belief Vita-C Nourish & Diminish Day Cream

Night Cream:  Lancome Primordiale Night Skin Recharge Cream*

Exfoliation:  I use multiple types of exfoliation and my skin can handle it.  Know your skin and what it likes when you exfoliate...and please don't over do it!

• Day:  F.A.B. Daily Radiance Pads
• Evening:  Philosophy Miracle Worker Pads
• Manual: Peter Thomas Roth Peel & Reveal Dermal Resurfacer OR Philosophy Microdelivery Peel (2-step)
• Chemical: Dr. Denis Gross Alpha-Beta Daily Peel Pads

* - Product has been discontinued

I'm so sorry to have so many discontinued products in my line up right now - especially for people who come to my blog looking for dry skin fixes (I will be writing a post on some of my favorite *not discontinued* hydrating products soon!)

In regards to the Rexaline products - Sephora manufactured them - and now they have their own collections of skincare dedicated to your specific concerns...which is why you won't find Rexaline on the shelves anymore!  Don't pay exorbitant prices for it online...it was replaced by the Sephora Collection Skincare which has many of the same ingredients and gives many of the same benefits!  Rexaline worked because of high doses of hyaluronic acid to hydrate - and the new Sephora Collection Skincare has Hydrosenn+ (a plant derived version of said acid)

Boscia Makeup Break-Up has been on my favorites list for going on a year.  I was a little wary of oil cleansers at the beginning (yes, even with my dry skin!) because I completely despise any greasy feeling.  However, it goes on creamy when massaged into dry skin (it doesn't feel greasy to me!) and turns into a lovely milk texture once you add water to it.  And it rinses completely clean!  It takes off everything from dry lash glue to waterproof mascara - all around it's a winner!

Sephora Collection Instant Refreshing Toner was a random purchase for me.  I don't think everyone needs a toner, and certainly no one needs an alcohol based toner!  I basically use toner to pick up whatever my cleanser missed - nothing more and nothing less.  I haven't yet joined the ranks of the Clarisonic users so until that happens, I will be happy to use this as a final sweep.

Rexaline Hydra-Force Serum has been a staple of mine since last winter.  I have really dry skin and for some reason last year it got a little out of hand and all of a sudden I had chapped and cracking skin ON MY FACE.  Painful doesn't even begin to describe it...but this serum helped my skin so much that I bought a bottle of serum, and then a kit that had the serum and a moisturizer when it went on sale (as it was being discontinued for the Sephora Collection Skincare).

Rexaline Hydra-EyeZone Eye Cream again is in my line up because of it's intense hydration.  It's an all around eye cream that packs a punch with hydration.  My skin eats it up!

Beyond Belief Vita-C Day Cream is something of an accidental discovery.  When Em was visiting over the summer we went to Sally Beauty Supply and the deluxe size samples were on 99c. offer at the register.  So being the junkie I am and not being tied to any one brand/company/etc. I decided I wanted to try one.  Am I glad I did!  It's an anti-aging day cream and because of the vitamin C it's a BLT (Brighten, Lighten, Tighten).  It's not too thick and it keeps my skin nicely hydrated throughout the day.   I can't wait to get a full size!!

Lancome Primordiale Night Cream - I can't say it enough...my skin...LOVES Lancome and for the life of me I can't figure out why.  This night cream is supposed to retexturize your skin as well as kick start your cell renewal over night and contains Biotin which is a water-soluble B-vitamin (B7 specifically...which is vitamin H).  My skin never feels greasy and it's so soft every morning when I wake up.  LANCOME WHY YOU DISCONTINUE GOOD STUFF (Collaser-5x?  Remember that? I LOVED THAT!)

My exfoliation is a long list.  Basically my skin is so dry I can exfoliate it to death and it doesn't hurt it.  Granted I still will only exfoliate up to 3 times a week (unless it's the dead of winter and sometimes I'll do 4x)...but in a nutshell here's what I like about these exfoliators:

• F.A.B. Daily Radiance Pads - Lactic and Glycolic acid gently exfoliates chemically.  Safe and gentle enough to use every day and even good for people with "angry" skin (aka skin that gets red very easily)
• Philosophy Miracle Worker Pads - high performance retinoids (HPR) boost surface cell turnover rate (which slows in your 20's from 30 days to 60 days...did you know that?) and the best part is...no irritation like you would get with a traditional retinol!
• PTR Peel & Reveal Dermal Resurfacer is a bead based manual exfoliator.  It peels with alpha hydroxy acids, exfoliates with pumpkin enzyme, and polishes with aluminum oxide crystals.  Leaves skin silky smooth AND it smells like pumpkin pie. 
• Philosophy Dual Phase MicroDelivery Peel - polishes skin with vitamin C/peptide crystals and a lactic/salicylic activating gel that warms on top of the polishing beads.
• Dr. Denis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Pads - this is quite possibly my favorite exfoliator on the face of the planet.  I'll give you a moment to process that.  ................. I LOVE THESE THINGS!  I'll have to owe you a legit post on them...but the short story is:  travel friendly packettes, no irritation, great for all kinds of skin concerns (helps complexion issues, balances oil production, tones skin, boosts radiance!) and just all around amazing.  Non irritating and great for use every day!

What have you been using lately that you are in love with for your skin type?


Some of the products contained in this post were obtained through my job and some were purchased by myself.  Any and all opinions are fairly based on my own experiences with the products and no one else has any bearing on what I say on my blog.

Snacky Cakes: Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

After making them twice in 2 weeks and my dear friend Jess asking me to blog about them...Here's some tasty photos to look at!  I grabbed the recipe online (it's below the pix!) and baked away!

These are always a hit at parties or just for those random surprise treats!  A fair warning, there is real liquor in these cupcakes...and while most of it is cooked out, there is straight up Bailey's binding together the frosting.  FAIR. WARNING!  Haha.

(Side note:  I fill the cupcakes with the ganache using a bismark filling tip...and this time I put two whole nips of Bailey's in the frosting rather than the 4 Tbsp it calls for...it thickened nicely and was not crystalline at all!)

Recipe can be found HERE

Fashionista: Christophe Guillarmé S/S 2012 recreation

Just as a little treat I thought I'd recreate an image that I found while browsing through an online magazine called EN VIE Fashion Magazine.  I hope you guys like it :)

Baby Lips and Mascara Madness: Maybelline Great Lash - Lots of Lashes

Ok.  I caved.  I found a pretty good deal at WalMart one day...I was in getting something for my grandmother and happened across this little gem:

It was around $5 and change and you got both a Great Lash and the Baby Lips.  I've been itching to try Great Lash Lots of Lashes - even though I despise the original Great Lash - and everyone has been talking about Baby Lips so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone.

First thing I want to say is that I do like the texture of Baby Lips.  I do not like Pink Punch the color.  At least, not on me.  I'd heard a lot about it from Tanya (pixi2woo on youtube) and it looks fabulous on her but I think I'm a little too olive toned for it...it's just too pepto pink on me for my tastes.  I think that I'd love the clear ones though!  So I'll have to check it out the next time I'm in a drugstore to see if I can nab one because it did make my lips super soft, I just can't get past the color.  To my sister it goes!

Then onto Great Lash Lots of Lashes.

My initial gripe with the original GL is that it's too wet and the brush doesn't do anything...now I'm not expecting any miracles with the second one - but I'm also not jaded enough to go into it hating it!  I was actually very excited because the brush reminded me of the new Lancome Doll Lashes brush (or should I say that in reverse since the Maybelline one came out first? haha)

So I tested this both alone and over my love - the Tarte MultiplEYE primer!

Great Lash Lots of Lashes alone

 Great Lash Lots of Lashes over Tarte MultiplEye primer

So here's my take on it.

Much like the original Great Lash, I find the formula is SO WET.  It can get clumpy if you try to build it...and I found the wand to be almost too flexible so that I felt I wasn't actually getting my lashes....however on the plus side, it didn't run on me throughout the day and it didn't flake onto my skin!  Points there Maybelline!

BUT.

It can be saved!  I feel that I mentioned in my love review for my Tarte primer that I said you can put any mascara over the top of it and it's fabulous!  I still hold this to be true.  Just look at my lashes in the photo!  Not clumped, nicely separated, well coated.  It is almost like it's a completely different mascara!

So I would say that if you're looking for an okay mascara from the drugstore, yeah, it's ok.  I'd still take my CoverGirl LashBlast over this one though (which someday I will repurchase and review for you guys - it's my absolute favorite drugstore mascara since the US discontinued my ULTIMATE favorite drugstore one - which is MaxFactor 2000 Calorie if you were wondering!)

Thoughts: Marcelle BB Cream

The current trend in foundations right now kind of runs the gambit from liquid powder foundations (hello Hourglass Immaculate or Tarte Amazonian Clay) to the glowiest of them all (hello Tarte Miracle Maracuja or Lancome Teint Miracle)...to the hottest buzz right now -- BB Creams.

I know that western BB creams differ quite a bit from the Asian varieties that are quite popular...and I won't start an argument about which is better because I think that when you make a product you have to keep your consumer in mind...What I can tell you, coming from my medium-full coverage foundation loving self, is that I am smitten with our version of BB creams right now.  So many brands from higher end (Smashbox, Dior, Dr. Jart) to drugstore brands (Garnier, Maybelline) have one!  And while there are some differences as they crossed over borders, there is a unifying theme of what they should be.  Skincare PLUS makeup.  Our BB creams here in the west are much more like a tinted moisturizer (texture wise) but will still offer  more coverage than said tint and still quite a bit less than a medium coverage foundation.  Again, you will find that this is going to vary between brands.

I die over foreign drugstore brands because I find them far superior to 90% of American ones...so imagine my sheer delight when Em brought me a tube of the Marcelle BB Cream from Canada on our past vacation :)

Head past the jump for more information and in-depth thoughts!