Spa Night

Well it's that time of year, hibernation time.  The weather is turning crappy and that means staying in doors a lot.  Might as well make our cooped up time in doors useful and step up our beauty game!

The cold weather has horrible effects on your skin and can just make you feel a little glum.  So every couple of weeks, I have an at home spa night.  It's definitely necessary to stay looking fresh and youthful during the winter months.

Here is my routine:

1. FACEMASK. Masks are of dire importance in the winter time. I am totally obsessed with this one from Origins. I have kind of oily skin and this one is perfect for my skin type. You wear it for 10 mins and when you take it off, you have a new face!! No Joke. It shrinks your pores and makes your skin soo soft and dries up little blemishes. It's a miracle worker.

Another mask that is great is Origins Drink Up.  It's a moisturizing mask and it smells soooo good. I use it around my eyes.  Sometimes I have combination skin so I use Out of Trouble on the oily areas and Drink Up on the dry areas, both at the same time. Genius, I know.

2. TEETH WHITENER. No brainer here. Everybody needs whiter teeth, they can never be too white. A white smile can make all the difference in the world!! Makes your skin glow and eyes sparkle. WHITEN YOUR TEETH!!  I use these from Crest. They are kind of expensive, but worth the money.  They get your teeth whiter than generic brands and you only have to use them about 3 times to start and then just maintain by using them like once a month after that.  So they last quite a while.

3. HAIR MASK. Everybody needs shiny hair. Makes you look healthy helllloooo. This is a great hair mask. It is kind of hard to find at retail stores so ordering on the Internet might be the best option.  Use this mask before shampooing and end up with soft, shiny hair!



4. NAILS. Last, but certainly not least.  To me, perfect nails are the number one most important.  Whether you realize it or not, you use your hands a lot and people notice them a lot.  Having a perfect manicure makes you look put together and uber feminine.  For a quick at home mani, use this cuticle treatment from Sally Hansen and these base and top coats.  I have tried a lot of nail polishes in my day, and these 2 polishes are the KEY to a great paint job. 

Orly Rubberized Base Coat



Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat



Most of these products you can get at drug stores, but I attached the links for purchase.  Enjoy!

Fall Nails

Guessssss what!?! Fall is here and that means we can wear goth nail polish again!! I am ecstatic.  You might find my excitement about nail polish a bit odd, but you know what? I don't really care. I love nail polish and I am not afraid to show it.  Nail polish is truly one of my greatest loves in life. Sigh.

I am bored with the pinks of summer and am ready to opt for some darker shades, I've just been patiently waiting for the weather to cooperate.  Don't get me wrong, I do love to paint a hot pink or orange, but I think darks are more fun and I keep my nails short, so darker shades look better on me.

OPI just came out with a new fall line that I am obsessing over.  The line is called "touring america" and has 12 shades for fall! If you've never been to the OPI website, you are seriously missing out.  They have a try it on feature where you can see what the nail polish color looks like on, add shatter, and you can even change the length of the nail and the skin color!  Genius, right?  Here is one of the shades I picked up, Suzi Takes the Wheel. 

I also got Uh-oh Roll Down the Window (is that gross btw?), which is a camouflage green color which I LOVE!! It is so cute and fall-y.

I am looking to pick up a few more new colors for fall, one will most likely be a red like Fishnet Stockings made by Essie.  It's a great color for the Holidays because it is classic and chic!

Here's a color palette to give you some nail polish ideas for fall and winter.

Classic Red  Nudes  Metallics  Army Green Mauve



Whatever color you choose, just make sure its painted perfectly and NO CHIPS! Chips are the devil.

Kitten Eyes

An ode to the dramatic 60's style cat eyeliner, kitten eyes are popping up everywhere.  I am not a huge fan of tons of eye make up, as I like more natural looks, so I think this is the perfect way to wear eyeliner.

Here is a pic of Nicole Richie sporting the more dramatic version. I think it looks good, but it's not so much an every day look.  She is at the Oscars in this pic.  Obviously a dramatic look like this would be a bit over the top for most situations.

As you can see below, the played down version is so pretty! Still defines your eyes and gives them a little pop but looks much more natural!

To get this look, you need a liquid liner (or fine tipped liner pencil).  Paint it close to your lash line and flick it up at the corners.  Careful not to go back and forth too many times because it will get messed up.  You can use a Q tip and some eye make up remover to perfect the shape.  At the end it should look something like this:

Here are some other celebs sporting the look!

Alicia Keys

Probably the biggest connoisseur of winged eye liner, Kate Moss

Jessica Alba



My personal favorite, Gwen Stefani

Practice makes perfect!!

On the Fence

About peplum dresses. They kind of remind of horrific 80's fashion, but then on the other hand they are kind of classically chic.

I just don't know. They seem to be trending right now, but I am not sure if I can adopt this one. I can almost guarantee they're not here to stay.

I am sure you have all seen this famous peplum dress worn by MANY celebs from Victoria Beckham's line.

I think it depends on the size of the actual peplum and the structure of the dress. The look is best with a smaller peplum with a dress that mimics a lady-like business suit, like Posh's design above.

This one I think is totally cute and wearable. To work or a nice dinner or something. It is conservative but has an element of sexiness to it.

Alice + Olivia $264.00



And then there's other looks like this one that are just, well, barf.

Looks like she's half woman, half UFO.

All in all, some are cute, some are ugly. If you're gonna go for this trend, make sure you find the perfect peplum or else you might end up looking like a fool. If I happen to stumble across a good one, I will snag it up but otherwise I am going to pass on this trend.

J Simps HAS TO be Preggo

I know these rumors have been going around for like 3 years. Mostly having to do with her yo-yo weight. But this time, I am pretty sure she is pregnant. She postponed her wedding date, sign #1, and she only wears loose fitting clothes, sign #2, and she is getting errr rapidly fatter as the days go by, sign #3.

Look at these pics!! Here is her at LAX this morning. Do you see that bump?!

And her in Dallas a couple days ago...



My guess is she got preggo and didn't want to get married fat so she is waiting til after the baby comes to get married. I mean she's been engaged for almost a year now. In celebrity relationships that's the equivalent of like 10 years. I would think they would've tied the knot by now!

Either way, good luck to J Simps! Maybe MTV will give her another newlyweds reality show. That was a pretty funny show. Even though she probably wouldn't do it because she is ridiculously loaded already. Her empire generated over $1 billion (yes I said billion) in sales in 2010 and her net worth is said to be over $100 million. All I can say is go gurl!

What the...

Uhh guys, what happened to Fergie? I saw this pic of her at an event in Paris from June 23rd. Is it me or does she look like a completely different person?



She is only 36 years old!! She looks atleast 50 in this pic. Look at her neck wrinkles. I don't really get it, she is obsessed with health and fitness, it baffles me how she can look so old.

She is kind of like a chameloen though. Sometimes I see pics of her where she looks young and fresh and then others like the one above. I think when she wears her hair down, she can hide her face a little and it makes her look younger.



I don't wanna be mean. I actually like Fergie. But she should wear her hair down all the time.

Someone Looks Chic

Gwen Stefani running errands in London on her 42nd birthday. Slim chance, but I hope I look half as good as her when I am 42. LOVING the outfit.

Cropped Trousers

Love love love! I think these pants are a must for any professional girl.

They are great because you can wear them to work with heels or even flats for a more casual look. You can even wear them on the weekends with a little spiced up top and accessories for a more fun look.

Great addition for the fall wardrobe. I got a pair from forever 21 for only $20! These aren't the ones I got, but they are really similar.

The only thing to be careful of with these pants is the pleats. I personally like pleats, but you have to be careful that they're not to baloon-y or else you'll look like a heifer, and no one wants that! You have to make sure the pleats are small and the pants are fitted through the waist and hips.

Here are some other cute pairs I found. Click on pic to follow.

Michael Kors $35.49 overstock.com

Lulu's.com $85.00

You get the idea. Does anyone else think the word "Trousers" is off-putting? Sounds like something a grandpa would wear. Actually a great grandpa.

Thoughts

OKokok. I like George Clooney for obvious reasons. The same reason all women love him. He is extremely hot. But his bachelorish ways kind of disgust me to be honest.

So he was with Elisabetta Canalis, an Italian model and TV personality, for 2 years. Incase you've been living under a rock, here is a picture of them.



There would always be pics of them in the tabloids on vacation or at his villa on Lake Como, or at family functions, etc. It seemed pretty serious. And then all of the sudden they break up and literally 2 days later, he is with Stacy Keibler. See below.



I am sorry, but I just don't think it's normal to move on that quickly from a 2 year relationship. It makes me think George might have some issues. Like he CANNOT be alone. I mean, when has he ever been single? He just jumps from woman to woman to woman. I just find it kind of disturbing. He is definitely hot and sexy, but his dating habits are a big red flag. Good luck Stacy!

By the way

I cannot believe Brody Jenner and Avril Lavigne are still a couple. Why? How?



That's all.

New Eyeliner

I am such a sucker for cosmetic ads on TV and in magazines. They always make the products look like such miracle workers and I fall for it every time! Argh!

About 95% of the time the products suck and don't do what they say they do, but once in a while you find a good one. And guess what, I found one! Maybelline Master Drama Eyeliner.




See, how can you say no to an ad like that!? Other than great target marketing, it is just an all around great eyeliner. It is reallllly easy to apply (applying eyeliner definitely is NOT my strongsuit), goes on so smooth and doesn't run or smudge at all. You can create a dramatic look or a daytime look but just applying above the top lash.

I think it's the best drug store eyeliner I have used, and I have tried a lot. Seal of approval! Click on pic to buy.

Trend Spotting

Well, it's the first day of fall already and that means time to change up the wardrobe. I feel like I didn't even get to wear any of my summer stuff yet, but oh well! Fall clothes are more fun anyway.

So here are my predictions for the big fall trends:

1. TRIBAL. We've seen a little bit of it in the summer trends, but I think it's going to be huge for winter and fall. I think a tribal print mini dress with black tights and boots would be SUPER cute for day or night.









2. SPARKLY. No surprise here, always in style in the fall and winter and make great holiday outfits! I am a BIG fan of a sparkly dress. Here is Beyonce sporting a sequined dress at her recent fragrance launch. So cute!



3. HIKER BOOTIES. Look at the pics. Beyond cute. Nuff said.








4. TIE NECK BLOUSES. My personal favorite! I effing love these tops. They are uber feminine, and you can wear them with pretty much anything. The tie neck blouse is truly the perfect piece of clothing. Sigh.






5. FUR. We're not fans of killing animals for their fur so make it FAUX fur please! We saw a lot of fur last winter and it's going to be a big trend again this winter. Especially the fur vest. It's a must this year!



Hit up www.piperlime.com to see an array of these styles at different prices!

Current Obsession: Ombre Hair

The "e" in ombre is supposed to have a little accent mark over it, but I don't know how to do that on a keyboard (and I don't feel like googling it) so just bear with me here.

Is ombre hair not the cutest, smartest hairstyle ever invented?? I am pretty sure it's one of those hairstyles where in 20 years we will look and be like WTF were we thinking! But for now, I think it's sooo cute. For starters, it adds an element of style to otherwise boring haircuts. It also allows us to get our hair colored way less often which is a huge plus! Cuts down on cost and helps your hair's health because of less processing.

I am in the beginning stages of my ombre (only like a year too late). I am just growing out my blonde for a few months and then I will have to get the root colored blended to the outgrown blonde. The key to the ombre is to not look like its grown out roots, hence the term "ombre" which refers to the graduated or shaded effect of color. Think of it like a rainbow, all the colors blend together, you can't really see where one starts and ends.

Another cool thing about this hair style is that you can vary the versions of it. It can be subtle like Jessica Biel's above, or more drastic like Guliana Rancic below.


Cute, right!

My goal hairstyle is below. Here's to hoping!