Fall Color Preview - NAILS!

Ok, so, a little later than previously promised, but my little cherubs have been extra needy lately.  For one, I now have a potty-trained 3 year old and this requires a lot more bathroom cleaning (ew!) and then the little lady is going through her own thing...Not sure what it is or if maybe it's Irene-related, but she's a little crankster lately.  Talk about crying!  My ears are still ringing and they've been sleeping for about 10 mins!  Anyway, let's get to the fun stuff and the reason you're here (it's certainly not to read about my kiddos!)...

FALL COLOR!  Yep, I can already feel the change in the air and when you walk into Macy's all of the fall stuff is out!  Think:  rain coats and clogs and jeans!  It's almost that time!  Here're the colors we're expecting to see a lot of this season!

Nail Colors:
It's gonna be a "nude" Autumn.  Skin-toned nail colors are all the buzz on the runways around the world.  With Chanel launching it's line with graphite, quartz, and peridot inspired hues and Jenna Hipp with her "nude" line, muted colors seem to be in.

But for you color-loving ladies out there- have no fear, I did find another set of trends that defy the muted palettes above- DENIM and Crackle nails!  Chanel, Dior, Zoya, and a few other brands have there own "denim" hues and Avon & OPI are both setting the stage with "crackle" nail laquer.  Very cool stuff!  See below:

One thing I have learned from researching these nail trends is that longer nails are not as popular as shorter, nicely shaped nails like the ones above!

Hope you enjoy!:)

Baby Toes

Tonight, I painted my little girls toenails for the first time ever.  Okay, she's only 15 months old, but still!  I have to say that words cannot even describe the giddiness I felt as I watched her touch her toes in awe!  It was pure sweetness!  :o)

On another note, how's everybody doing with this humidity and rain all across the country?  This is a great time for face powder, dry shampoo, and up-do's!  And don't forget the sunscreen!

I'll be publishing a new post this weekend about all of the new Fall 2011 Color Trends!  Keep your eyes peeled- it's going to be interesting!

In the meantime, take a look at these little piggies and smile- even though they are not my baby's, they are too cute not to post! :)

My heart smiles!  Adorable!

:)

my makeup lineup

So, I am sure many people wonder what I use from day to day considering I sell an awesome line and have worked with many high end lines over the years.  If your curiosity was killing you, then today you will find peace!  I am baring it all...well, the contents of my makeup bag anyway!

I must put out a disclaimer, however because not all of these items are in my makeup bag.  But, they are in my lineup on a daily basis.  These are my "can't live without" products and if any are missing, it throws off my whole routine.

First up: Skincare!  I preach it and I practice it!

• Cellular Laboratories De-Aging Facial Cleanser - lightly foaming, fresh, light scent with all kinds of scientific-but-natural de-aging ingredients.  Buy here!
• Skintelligence Daily Moisture Enhancer- very basic, but wonderful moisturizer that is great for my skin that is prone to dryness.  Scented with Chamomile and Lavender...Who couldn't love that? Shop it here...
• La Roche Posay Anthelios Ultra Light Face SPF 60- its so silky and smooth and provides amazing sun protection without making your foundation go on cakey.  I LOVE this product and have yet to find one that out-performs it.  Buy here ...

• Motives Fillable Mineral Brush with Custom Blended Mineral Powder Foundation- I am in love with this power duo this summer!  It's so quick and easy and beats the shine while giving nice, natural coverage.  Easy to just throw in the Louie (ok, diaper bag- a girl can dream, right?!) and go!
• Custom Blush- I like a color that's in between a coral and a bubble gum pink- I could make up a name but it would probably sound like a crayola color and wouldn't give the right image...Blush...covered!  We do have a new creme blush that I cannot wait to try!  It's going to be great for the winter when I have dry cheeks- will instantly give a dewy glow!  
• Lip gloss- I have to say, I am not all that brand-loyal when it comes to this.  Lip gloss is fun and I love trying new products.  I do like the Neutrogena one pictured- it's actually a treatment and gloss in one and has SPF 20 which I like.  I love my Motives lip shine in Candlelight and Sugar & Spice.  I also use a Burts Bees stained Lip-Balm, too!

• Starting with my favorite- the Gel Liner in Little Black Dress!  I LOVE this...it's practically waterproof but doesn't adhere to yours skin forever like some waterproof eye products can- it's fool-proof, doesn't run, easy to apply and comes in a few really nice colors to spice things up.  I mentioned our gel liner before as a must for creating the perfect smokey eye...
• Angled Liner Brush- MUST, MUST, HAVE!
• Creme Shadow in Brown Sugar...I like it because its neutral enough but when the light catches it, WOW!  Lovely flecks of color that look great with any eye color.  Easy to apply- with a concealer  brush or with your finger- can't beat it!
• Motives Lustrafy Mascara- Best Mascara.  period.  And I've tried 'em all.  Lasts forever, thickens and lengthens and defines, and lasts a long time.  Not sure why, but you'll hate it the first week and then it will become a full-blown love affair! :)

And a few other must-haves for me....extra-sharp Tweezerman tweezers, Purell to keep it sanitary, JB Watkins hand creme in Green Tea, a durable nail file, small altoids (I find these keep me from being too rough with my skin....it channels the energy while I am concentrating and I can apply everything a little less rigidly...) and some things I didn't picture- eyelash curler, DKNY Pure perfume, and brow kit to comb & fill in my brows.  

And now, you'll see how these few items can transform a face!

Before (eek!)

AFTER:

Much better :)  That's it folks!  That's all it takes on a daily basis to give you a polished, healthly glow.  I do this routine in about 5 minutes every single day and not only do I look better, but I walk taller, too!  

Be well and be confident!  :)

Have you tried the Bronzey-Smokey Eye?

So, I decided to play today and create a "new" smokey eye.  And, I impressed myself because the end result was pretty awesome...

I did a typical smokey eye (that is tailored to my hooded lid and almond shaped-deep set eyes) and then for a kick, added a light punch of a creme shadow to the inner corners of the eyes in a bronze color.  It was perfect for my brown eyes and the combination of the bronze, black, and gun-metal shades really looked nice together....And the whole look is virtually impossible to do without 5 very important tools: 1) a really good precision shadow brush,  2) a gel pot eyeliner with 3) an angle liner brush and 4) the right eyeshadows and definitely 5) an eyeshadow base!  Keys to success....add color little by little and BLEND, BLEND, BLEND!

And then I worked out for an hour and got all shiny and decided to take another picture because I was still so impressed with the look, haha :)  Ignore the sheen...

The pictures don't do it justice- (sorry, that's my mediocre little point-and-shoot camera and self-photography....)

Give it a try!  You will love it!

Thoughts From a Beach

We recently stayed in Ocean City, New Jersey for a week- our first family vacation since we had our first child nearly 3.5 years ago!  Much overdue!  It was wonderful....

I loved sitting on the beach with my kids totally content just playing with one or two toys in the sand quietly for hours at a time.  My husband was also quiet.  The sound of the waves were serene and people-watching was so....intriguing!  I found myself just watching in awe of the awesome and less-than-awesome style choices I noticed.  I loved taking notice of the perfect bodies and, even better, the less than perfect bodies that many men and women wore with confidence!  The entire beach experience was actually quiet cathartic for me.

As I have said before, after having my babies (which I am so thankful for), my body is not the same as it once was.  Certain parts of my body that once were tanned will probably never see the light of day again!  Or so I thought.....I watched many post-baby bellies in bikinis and while some of them really were not appropriate for the suits they were in, some where refreshingly imperfect and inspiring and beautiful!  Probably not the bellies that a 16 year old girl could appreciate but, as a mother, I actually found it quiet beautiful.

I think maybe next summer I will be ready to bare my post-pregnancy stomach and do it with some sense of pride and accomplishment.  Sure, it's not perfect and will never be the stomach someone aspires to have, but, I earned this!

I love this quote from Jennifer Lopez:

"It's important for all types of women to know that you don't have to fit a prototype of what one person thinks is beautiful in order to be beautiful or feel beautiful.... People think, Sexy, big breasts, curvy body, no cellulite. It's not that. Take the girl at the beach with the cellulite legs, wearing her bathing suit the way she likes it, walking with a certain air, comfortable with herself. That woman is sexy. Then you see the perfect girl who's really thin, tugging at her bathing suit, wondering how her hair looks. That's not sexy."

JENNIFER LOPEZ, Readers Digest, Aug. 2003

And this one, too...which I've only come to appreciate as I have transformed through motherhood and age...

"The absence of flaw in beauty is itself a flaw."

HAVELOCK ELLIS, Impressions and Comments

I hope that you all can relate to this and if not, that you will save it in a corner of your mind where you can come back to it later.  I am pretty certain that everyone needs to hear these types of affirmations from time-to-time.  

Be well and be confident and then, you will be beautiful!  :)