Loving - Beauty Blender Sponge

I absolutely adore my Beauty Blender sponges. I waited a while before purchasing one, didn't want to be so quick to drink the Kool-Aid, if you know what I mean. Then I ended up going back to buy two more. I'm drinking & serving up the Kool Aid now - trust me it's magical! I love how easily it smooths and blends different textures. Just dampen the sponge with a bit of water and you're ready to blend away. It works its magic on everything from primers to liquid foundations and creamy concealers - a flawless finish every time. It's different from ordinary makeup sponges for several reasons, starting with that bright pink color. Since most cosmetic sponges are just plain white, this one makes a bold statement. Then there is the texture, it's super soft to the touch yet still firm enough to get the job done. Another aspect that makes this sponge so revolutionary is its shape, it fits comfortably in your hand and the pointed tip maneuvers in between all the crevices of the face effortlessly. This product makes you think, "what did we do before the Beauty Blender?" Kinda like the question, "what did we do before the Internet." It's just that innovative!

Does the Beauty Blender have you under it's spell? Is it really fabulous or am I, as June Ambrose has been know to say, just drinking my own Kool Aid? Please let me know what you think!

Makeup Inspiration - Drugstore Favorites

Don't drink the Kool-Aid, it's not necessary to go to a  high-end cosmetic counter in a swanky department store to find good quality beauty products. To prove it, I've compiled a list of some of my favorite beauty goodies that are available right at your local drugstore. And the best part is you'll find them at a bargain price!

1.      Burt’s Bees - lip balm, $3

2.      L’oreal - Elnett satin hair spray, $15

3.      Revlon - Colorburst lipstick in fuchsia, $8

4.      T. N. Dickinson's Witch Hazel, $6

5.      Duo - lash adhesive, $8

6.      Essie - nail polish, $8

7.      Revlon – Moon Drops lipstick creme in orange flip, $9

8.      L’oreal – Lineur Intense felt tip liquid eyeliner, $9

9.      Cetaphil – daily facial cleanser, $8

10.   Revlon - Photo Ready foundation, $10.50

11.   Ardell - Accents (love Demi Wispies) false lashes, $4

12.   L’oreal -  Voluminous mascara in carbon black, $6

13.   Palmer’s - Cocoa Butter Formula w/ Vitamin E lotion, $6

Style Social - A Fashion & Lifestyle Blogger Series [Part 2]

After having a blast at the first event in the Style Social Series the second couldn't come fast enough. This time around we met up at Urban Outfitters. We were hosted by bloggers Lauren Kolodny and Erica Chan Coffman of Honestly WTF along with jewelry designer Amanda Spencer of LUV AJ. On the agenda were two DIY projects - a market bag and one of two jewelry projects.

Urban Outfitters window, Americana fountain & U. O. sunnies

The Honestly girls led the way in showing us how to make a market bag out of a T-shirt. Like most of the DIYs that appear on their blog this project was simple, chic and fashionable. Plus, the only materials we needed were a T-shirt, scissors and a safety pin. I adore the Honestly WTF blog because it's filled with gorgeous images of on trend fashion, dreamy architecture, stylish DIY's and tons more - highly recommend it! After meeting the friendly and charming girls behind the blog I can't help but love it even more.

Lauren, me & Erica with my DIY market bag

Over at the LUV AJ table we were lucky enough to choose from one of the two generous kits - a handpiece or a bodychain. The handpiece is a bracelet with chains attached that wrap around your middle finger and the bodychain is a long necklace with chains that drape across the upper body from front to back. The jewelry project was not as easy as the market bag but Amanda and her staff were eagerly available to offer a hand where needed. I love the way my handpiece turned out – can’t wait to wear it! LUV AJ designs mixes tough and chunky metals with clean lines creating just the right blend of hard and soft with a modern influence. It’s no wonder her pieces are worn by so many celebrities, trendsetters and appear in top magazines.

 LUV AJ table & my DIY handpiece

As always I would love to hear from you! Are you planning to go to the next event? I’m looking forward to the last installment hosted by the author of Oh Joy!

Style Social - A Fashion & Lifestyle Blogger Series [Part 1]

image via designlovefest

Blog enthusiast? DIY obsessed? Creativity junky? If any of these apply to you then The Style Social Series is the place for you. The geniuses over at The Americana at Brand have put together a series of events to fulfill your thirst for style and design inspiration. The first event in the series was a DIY event held at Anthropologie. It was hosted by graphic designer Bri Emery of DesignLoveFest and Jen Gotch photographer and co-owner of Bando. My friend Josefa and I were among the guests excitedly making inspiration strings at tables loaded up with glitter, markers, stamps, stickers, neon string and more.

  

An inspiration string is what you get when you combine an inspiration board with a garland. Instead of pinning your collage of inspirations to a board you attach them to a string that can be hung anywhere - what a fun idea! One of the many bits of creative inspiration I took away was the idea of adding gold confetti inside balloons before blowing them up. I just love how it sprinkles around inside and adds an extra playfulness.

If you don’t already know about the blog DesignLoveFest,it’s one of my favorite places for a creative high, and certainly lives up to its name. As there mantra reads, it’s a place “where type and images totally make out.” And “totally make out”they do - in the most imaginative way possible. I told Bri she has my dream job and her response, “Which one, I have so many?” says it all. “I can’t decide so I do them all”, she added. If that doesn’t prove how she’s just gushing with creative talent then her blog sure does. Everyday I'm rushing over to see her latest masterpiece - make sure to check out her blog!

Jen's company Bando took the handmade accessory world by storm with their gorgeous flower pins, sequined hearts, and encrusted headbands - just to name a few. Since debuting in 2008 their whimsical and girly take on accessories has been popping up everywhere – from celebrities, to brides and babies. Bando designs jazz up any look - check 'em out!

image via The Americana at Brand

I would love to hear your thoughts on this event if you were able the attend or would’ve liked to. I’m so excited about the next events in series and can’t wait to share about the second event as well –stay tuned for Part 2! Are you looking forward to attending the next two events in the series? Let me know!

Holiday Sets Part 1 - Sephora Exclusives

I don't know about you but I am looking forward to the holidays! I absolutely love this time of year and all the festive cheer in the air. Not only is this a special time to spend with family and friends the holidays also ring in some of the best buys in beauty. I'm getting so excited as there will be tons of exclusive sets released from now through the new year. I have put together a collage of some of my favorite holiday sets sold exclusively at Sephora.

1. Nars - Danmari All About Cheeks Palette, $65
2. Makeup Forever - Wild & Chic Collector Case, $330
3. L'Occitane - The Best of L'Occitane, $75
4. Laura Mercier - The Book of Nudes, $48
5. Make Up Forever- Wild & Chic Make Up Forever Kit, $55
6. Make Up Forever - Wild & Chic Aqua Cream Collection, $175
7. YSL - Sephora Holiday Glamour Set, $65
8. Sephora - Four Piece Full Size Nail Colour Set, $28
9. Buxom - Armed & Gorgeous, $29
10. Lorac - Bejeweled Day & Night Jewelry Box, $56
11. Kat Von D - Painted Love & Folled Lipstick Set, $28 
12. Clarasonic Mia - Cleansing System with Boscia, Dr. Brandt, Dr. Dennis Gross & Peter Thomas Roth, $119

Please let me know what your favorites are - Part 2 coming soon! I can't wait to get my hands on the Nars Cheeks Palette & the Lorac Jewelry Box!