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2010 Holiday Beauty Gifts
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I hope everyone is having a fantastic Thanksgiving! I’m always fascinated by people’s different holiday traditions – mine are as follows: waking up at the crack of dawn to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, helping my mom cook, and guzzling copious amounts of Martenilli’s sparkling cider all day long, embracing the sugar high. Some of my Thanksgiving food favorites, aside from the obvious, include: cranberry sauce (from the can), mashed yellow squash, pumpkin pie, and green been casserole (a new but welcome addition to the holiday spread, thanks to my mom’s boyfriend). What are your traditions?
I know I should be relaxing and enjoying Thanksgiving, but with Christmas only a month away and Hanukkah even sooner, I can’t help but look forward to the holidays that are fast approaching. I love the holiday season for a number of reasons, one of the more shallow being the inevitable exchanging of gifts. More than receiving gifts though, I love giving gifts. Shopping for other people becomes a bit of a game for me – I do my research (both online and off), browse, and try to find the most absolutely perfect gift for the perfect person at the perfect price.
I guess beauty retailers have caught wind of my shopping strategy, because this year they’re offering a plethora of gift bundles made up of their best products, at prices I just can’t say “no” to. I’ve put together a collage of some of my favorites (below) as inspiration for those of you looking for gifts for the product junkies in your lives (or treating yourselves to something beautiful – because you deserve it!). I know we all have different budgets when it comes to buying presents, so I tried to include something for everyone. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I didn’t write any of the descriptions below. I pulled them all from the respective websites where I found the products.
$100 – $200
1. T3 Bespoke Labs ‘SinglePass Shine’ Set – $160
Go glam with sleep, straight locks or wow with sweet, luscious curls. Everything you need in one highly sophisticated styling set by T3.
2. Couture Couture by Juicy Couture Holiday Set – $100 ($193 value)
Juicy girls don’t have to do what they’re told. They break the rules with style. Let succulent pink grape accord, star jasmine, creamy sandalwood and vanilla extract surround your Juicy senses. Gift set includes eau de parfum (3.4 oz.), body creme (3.4 oz.) and shower gel (4.2 oz.).
$50 – $99
3. Kat Von D Tattoo Chronicles Palette – Volume 1 – $55 ($180 value)
What it is:
A set of Kat Von D products that lets you express your defining individuality.
What it does:
Kat’s secret weapons for pulling off a long-lasting, rockin’ look come together in a beauty stash that includes false lashes, eyeshadows, and primers. Plus, a secret compartment reveals a hidden double-ended rollerball fragrance that embodies Kat’s two sides: saint and sinner.
4. Jo Malone Bath Oil Collection – $85.00
The secret to scented pampering is to tailor the experience to your specific needs or mood. Create a perfect balance by adding one of these exquisitely scented oils to bath water. All six bath oils are packaged in miniature glass decanters in a Jo Malone signature gift box.
$40 – $49
5. Sephora Collection Endless Color Blockbuster – $48 ($435 value)
What it is:
A travel-friendly palette with 187 makeup products in a dazzling variety of newly updated colors.
What it does:
This limited-edition palette lets you create virtually any look. Its high-quality formulas are divided into two categories for easy application: warm tones on the right and cool tones on the left. In celebration of the fifth anniversary of Sephora’s Blockbuster launch, 13 new products have been added making this the biggest collection yet.
6. Sephora by OPI Eighteen Piece Mini Nail Colour Set – $48 ($81 value)
What it is:
A collection of 18 mini nail colors.
What it does:
A perfect gift, this Sephora by OPI set includes 18 shades that range from essential to edgy. These longwearing, chip-resistant colors include a versatile spectrum of reds and a sampling of daring colors that can add fabulous fingertips to any look.
$30 and under
7. Philosophy ‘Candy Cane’ gift set – $22
A cool, crisp season comes to life with this invigorating ‘candy cane’ gift set. philosophy’s foaming bubble bath and shower gel (4 oz.), body lotion (2 oz.) and high-gloss, high-flavor lip shine (0.5 oz.) leave skin feeling super-clean and soft and lips looking glossy and beautiful. Allow the crisp peppermint scent to liven your spirit and add joy to your holiday.
8. e.l.f. Studio Endless Eyes Pro Mini Eyeshadow Palette Limited Edition – $5
All-you’ll-ever-need professional eyeshadow assortments. Create a dark and smoky eye, a fresh and bright aura, or a totally fun and funky look with endless color options and textures to select from. Each palette includes: 32 Eyeshadow colors, 1 Mirror, and 1 Double sided eyeshadow applicator for easy on the go touch-ups.
H&M Opening Red Carpet Event
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On Wednesday November 10th, I had the pleasure of attending an H&M red carpet event the night before the highly-anticipated grand opening of the H&M store in Pioneer Place in Downtown Portland. (H&M will also be opening in Washington Square mall later this year.) My friend Joani Jones is close with one of the ladies who works for TAOW marketing agency, which threw the event, so she was able to get us in.
Joani and I arrived at the H&M store at 7:20 p.m. (a fashionable 20 minutes late) only to find a line stretched around the block waiting to get into the store. Also difficult to ignore were the series of tents and sleeping bags of the people camped out in front of the store waiting for the next day at noon when it was opening to the public. (Which was, in my opinion, a little excessive. But to each his own…)
I was very lucky to be a red carpet event attendee because we got first access to the brand-new store, 25% of all merchandise, and access to an open bar on each level of the store. My friend and I took full advantage, drinking and shopping out hearts out.
The store is three stories tall, beautiful, and full of amazing clothes at fantastic prices. I have a feeling H&M could be very detrimental to my bank account if I’m not careful in the future. I was extremely attracted to all of the festive formal wear that the store has for winter. I walked away from the event with three beautiful dresses, two belts, and a poncho.
These are the three dresses I purchased at the event: The one on the left is for News Years Eve. The one in the middle is for Christmas Eve dinner. And the one on the right is just for fun, but will look adorable paired with some sky high heels and a blazer.
I am especially enthuastic about the cozy poncho I purchased that night and immediately wore to a dinner with my parents, paired with leggings and boots. It was perfect for a cold, rainy Portland night. I’m equally excited about the red dress and black bow belt combo, which I’m looking forward to wearing for Christmas Eve dinner with my boyfriend’s family.
This outfit: Poncho, H&M. Leggings, Forever 21. Boots, Steve Madden. Handbag, Coach.
This outfit: Dress, H&M. Bow belt, H&M. Shoes: Vince Camuto. Watch: Michael Kors.
I love clothes just as much as I love beauty products, so expect some more style posts in the future. I don’t pretend to be an expert, but I do love any excuse to dress up!
CND Shellac Manicure Review – the manicure that “lasts” 14 days
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So I reviewed this manicure in this post about a year ago and didn’t have very positive things to say about it. I’ve gotten a lot of traffic on this post and a lot of feedback, so since then I’ve given this manicure another chance which has given me the opportunity to revise my review. You can choose to read/ watch my old one if you wish (it’s at the bottom of this entry), but here is my new, current review of CND’s Shellac Manicure:
Year-old review:
The Shellac line of “nail polish” from CND (Creative Nail Design) is hardly new anymore. By now, you’ve probably heard about the manicure that supposedly lasts two weeks without chipping, but it’s possible you haven’t tried it yet. Aren’t you curious?
I was a little skeptical – but as a beauty blogger I decided that it was my duty to try this new trend and to blog about it. On Monday November 8th 2010, I decided to branch out from my usual French manicure (as discussed here) and try the new Shellac manicure. I went to my usual nail salon (Uptown Nails in Downtown Portland) and saw my usual nail person (Lee).
Boy, was getting this manicure an ordeal! First of all, Shellac manicures are expensive and take a long time to do. The company boasts “no drying time” but that’s excluding the hour it takes to do the manicure in the first place. It costs around $30 to get it done, plus tip. But you’re paying $30 for a manicure that looks like any old nail polish.
You can see some pictures of my manicure at the end of this post. But cutting to the chase, I’m not pleased with my Shellac Manicure and I’m not planning on getting it again. To find out why, check out my video review below (sorry about my weird face at the start of the video, YouTube always chooses the most awkward landing images!)
Manicure Day 1:
It didn’t look too bad at this point. My only issue on day one was some inconsistency with the polish on my thumb nails, and the bare spots between my cuticle and the polish. (It looked like it had been a few days since I had gotten the manicure and it was growing out, when I had in fact gotten it done that very day.)
Manicure Day 5:
As you can see, there’s an obvious chip on my thumb nail.
Manicure Day 9:
A few tiny chips at the tips of the nails, but they’re barely noticeable. The manicure still looks decent, aside from the chipped thumb nail.
Fall 2010 Beauty Trends
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Every season unveils new trends that product junkies like myself are eager to try and to write about. The 2010 summer season was all about the sunless tan, dewy skin, light pink nails, and coral lips. We rocked the ballerina buns in our hair with thick headbands and bobby pins. While all of these beauty trends had their moments or glory, I’m excited to say that summer’s oddest color fad is still in style this fall! You guessed it – grey! It was a little weird for summer, but it’s totally appropriate for fall! This means putty colored polish is still popular this season and even grey makeup. Also, expect to see a lot of grey clothing with eye catching colored accents. (But I’m not a fashion blogger, so I won’t talk about that).
But with the changing of the leaves and the start of the rainy season, we’re also welcoming some new beauty trends that weren’t around for the summer. Say hello and give a big welcome to:
1. Nude lips/ natural makeup – Every season it seems that someone says the “natural look” is in. I always have a “duh” moment when I hear this. Who would argue against looking natural? This season beauty experts are suggesting tinted moisturizer, light blush, a few brushes of mascara, and nude lipgloss to create the perfect “natural look.”
2. Long side braid – This look is easiest to pull off if you have long hair (which I don’t). But then again, there’s always hair extensions you can braid into your hair. I love the long side braid because a versatile style that can be worn messy or clean. Here’s a video tutorial on how to do an Alexander Wang inspired side braid.
3. Winged eyeliner – The look is dramatic, but it can still be worn during the day. I know you don’t usually pair dramatic eyes with red lipstick, but winged eyeliner is a look I make an exception for because the two look so glamorous together. Here’s a video on how to do winged eyeliner.
4. Dark sparkly nail polish – This look is a little gothic and a little childish at the same time, but I love the combo! Fall fashion this year is all about matte colors with loud accessories to brighten up the look. Think of your nails as a major accessory and let them sparkle!
5. Red lips – Contrary to my earlier statement about nude lips being the new thing, red lips it appears are here to stay. Check out my tips for How to Wear Red Lipstick.
6. Bold eyebrows – No more overplucked eyebrows! Bold brows draw attention to your beautiful eyes. Allow your eyebrows to be thick and natural-looking (but keep ‘em cleaned up). You can even use a pencil to color in your brows to make them a little darker.
7. Purple – Purple makeup is going to be big this season. It looks best on brown-eyed girls but really anyone can pull it off.
8. Crazy eyeshadow in cool colors – Blue, brown and gunmetal all around the eye. This look works great for the runway, but you might want to tone it down a bit for real life so you don’t look like you’ve been punched in the face. Either way, give your smoky eye a makeover by adding some jewel tones and other bold colors.
9. Casual waves – I think the beauty industry is finally willing to give our hair a much needed break from flat ironing and curling. Most can achieve casual, beach-y waves without harmful hot products. Instead, smooth some anti-frizz cream into your hair when it’s wet and sleep on it. Then in the morning, you can fix kinks with hot tools if you want.
