Beautiful Things My Mother Taught Me


Mom and me, circa 1979 Disclosure: This post is sponsored by CoverGirl. Mother’s Day is this Sunday and I’m so excited. Not just because Mr. Spoiled Pretty and my son, Westley, are treating me to a decadent brunch. But because it’s an opportunity to celebrate my hero, Andrea Stamps. I must admit that until two years ago, Mother’s Day was just another CONTINUE READING

Bath & Body Works 3-Wick Candles: 2 for $22


At Christmastime, I agonized over what to get my son's daycare teachers. There are 12 of them - and even though he has his two main teachers, they all have interaction with him and take excellent care of him. So I needed to buy 12 gifts to show my appreciation, without breaking the bank. $10 each seemed doable, except CONTINUE READING

IMAN Skin Tone Evener BB Creme SPF 15


As a beauty expert, I’m embarrassed by how late I am to the BB Cream party. In the past year, so many friends and colleagues have asked me about BB Creams—what’s the buzz, which brands are the best, etc. —and they would look at me funny when I admitted to not having tried BB Creams yet. I mean, they CONTINUE READING

CoverGirl Outlast Brilliant Shine Nail Gloss in Vio-last


I’m very fickle about my fingernails. Before I paint my nails or get them professionally did, I spend a inordinate amount of time pondering my polish options. I consider the season, recent trends, my wardrobe that week and anywhere special I might go. But despite all of this planning, I’m usually over my polish choice before it even dries. Not CONTINUE READING

My New Arm Candy: Rebecca Minkoff Swing Bag


After beauty products, handbags are my secondary addiction. But when it comes to arm candy, I have discriminating taste. For me, the perfect handbag seamlessly marries fashion with function, is handcrafted from high-quality materials, has really unique hardware and is classic but edgy - all at the same time. I don't like to carry the of-the-moment "it" bag. I CONTINUE READING

Bust a Move On Over to Saturday.com


Earlier this month, Kate Spade (aka creator of cuteness and the reason why I can't seem to keep money in my wallet), launched a brand new line called Kate Spade Saturday. Kate Spade Saturday is a new global lifestyle brand created to channel the spirit of Saturday seven days a week. This younger, more accessible sister to kate spade new CONTINUE READING

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Polished

Polished: Best of MAKE UP FOR EVER Kit

Posted on December 15, 2011 by daneen in Eye Liner, Eye Shadow, Featured, Lipgloss, Mascara, Polished, Powder, Primer | Leave a comment
best+of+make+up+for+ever+kit Polished: Best of MAKE UP FOR EVER Kit
As a fan of long-wear makeup, I was ecstatic to receive the Wild and Chic Best of MAKE UP FOR EVER Kit.

It includes:

  • HD Microfinish Powder
  • Aqua Cream in 13 Warm Beige (champagne shimmer)
  • Travel Aqua Eyes in Mat Black 0L (black)
  • Lab Shine in Star Collection – S4 (pearly pink beige)
  • HD Microperfecting Primer
  • Smoky Lash Extra Black Mascara
I usually spend about five minutes on my makeup every morning. Before leaving the house (yes, I’m one of those girls) I apply foundation, pressed powder, eyeliner, mascara, and lip stain – at minimum. I recently tested all of the products in this kit, minus the lipgloss. No offense to MAKE UP FOR EVER, but I’m not a gloss girl.
 
none Polished: Best of MAKE UP FOR EVER KitFirst, here is a photo of me with no makeup on. This is what I start with.

I first applied the HD Microperfecting Primer, which made my skin feel smooth and wasn’t too heavy. I then applied my regular foundation. Next up was the Aqua Eyes eyeliner (inside upper lid, and on upper lid), which was precise but had smude-ability. I added Aqua Cream in 13 from the liner to my brow bone, and it gave the perfect amount of color and highlight. Then two coats of Smoky Lash Mascara, which I was probably the most curious about. My lashes are long, and hit my brow bone, so at the end of every day I have to make sure I haven’t turned into a raccoon. Finally, I dusted the HD Microfinish Powder over my entire face.

This whole process took about 10 minutes. I was eager to see if my extra time in the morning would hold up by the end of the day. This is what I looked like at 8 a.m., post makeup application. 
during Polished: Best of MAKE UP FOR EVER Kit
I then walked eight blocks to work on a foggy and humid day, had a typical seven hour day at work, and walked home the eight blocks in the humidity. This was unintentionally the perfect day to test these products!

Here is a photo of what I looked like when I got home. 
after Polished: Best of MAKE UP FOR EVER Kit
Everything had held up really well! The eyeliner, Aqua Cream, and mascara looked as good as they had 10 hours earlier. My foundation had melted a little, mostly in the T-zone area, which was to be expected after a humid day.

Overall, I adore this product set, and it was absolutely worth doubling the amount of time I spend applying makeup in the morning. I would suggest this most to ladies who have a long day ahead of them, and no time for a mirror check. Trust me, all MAKE UP FOR EVER products will stay exactly where you applied them, and you will look fresh and lovely (not made-up and cakey).
The Wild and Chic Best of Make Up For Ever Kit ($55) is available exclusively at Sephora and Sephora.com.

-Alyssa

Polished: A Note On Nail Art

Posted on November 1, 2011 by daneen in Celebrities, Featured, Manicure, Nail Polish, Nails, Polished | Leave a comment
dita von teese nails Polished: A Note On Nail Art

Hello, spoiled pretty readers!

I adore good nail art. The Internet is full of great examples – chevron stripes, zombie faces, manicures in Tiffany blue with white detail to look like gift boxes – the examples are endless.

Personally, I always wanted to achieve half-moon nails at home. A beauty idol of mine, Dita Von Teese, often rocks a perfect half-moon manicure with ruby red and bare nail.

For my first attempt, I painted the bottom half of my nails silver, and went for purple on the top portion of the nail. It was so ugly, I destroyed the photographic evidence.

For my second and final attempt, I went for bare nails on the bottom portion, and red on the rest of the nail. I applied stickers meant for french manicures on the bottom of my nail, and painted over them. You are supposed to wait until the polish is completely dry to remove the stickers. I didn’t exactly trust that, so I removed the stickers when the polish was still slightly tacky.

alyssa+nail+art Polished: A Note On Nail Art

Some stickers left a well-defined line behind, some were crooked, and more still looked like I hadn’t even used stickers at all. Ugh.

I came to the conclusion that I am far too much of a perfectionist to ever be happy with do-it-yourself nail art on my own nails. I applaud those of you who have the patience and artistic ability to do it, I am just not one of those people. So, I am going to stick to what I am good at – basic manicures!
 
-Alyssa

Polished: Estee Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer in Enchanted Garnet

Posted on September 20, 2011 by daneen in Nail Polish, Nails, Polished | Leave a comment

estee+lauder+enchanted+garnet+nail+polish Polished: Estee Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer in Enchanted Garnet

I was really excited to get this color from Daneen to try. Estee Lauder is a brand that I don’t often think of, but they have been putting out cosmetics in rich, exciting colors – and this polish is no exception! In the bottle, Enchanted Garnet is a clear, shiny red. My excitement faded as I started to apply the polish. The consistency is just off – it was sticky to apply, and dried in translucent layers that showed any and all flaws in my nails. I really wanted to like this polish, but I was disappointed. My search for the perfect blood red continues!

-Alyssa

estee+lauder+enchanted+garnet Polished: Estee Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer in Enchanted Garnet

Polished: Milani Fresh Teal

Posted on September 6, 2011 by daneen in Nail Polish, Nails, Polished | Leave a comment
Polished: Milani Fresh Teal

Whenever I am in a drug store, I end up wandering down the beauty aisles just in case there is something new that I need. Milani is one of my go-to drug store brands, as they always have a nice range of fun colors. Last week, Fresh Teal jumped out at me.

Pretty much every magazine listed teal as a trend color for the fall, and this is a great one. It is bright and fun without being too neon or obnoxious. I also really like Milani’s brush – it is thin enough to get right into the corners of the nail without running over onto your cuticles. I’m not usually one to attempt any sort of nail art, but I feel like this polish would pair perfectly with polka dots or a stripe of of OPI’s That’s Berry Daring. And at $4.49 a bottle, this is a great way to try out a trend color in an affordable way.

-Alyssa

Milani+Fresh+Teal Polished: Milani Fresh Teal

Polished: How To Remove Glitter Nail Polish

Posted on August 25, 2011 by daneen in Beauty Tips, Nail Polish, Nails, Polished | Leave a comment
Polished: How To Remove Glitter Nail Polish

I love glitter nail polish. It is sparkly and fun and statement-making and just so nice to look at while I type all day. I do not love removing said glitter nail polish. I usually apply 2-3 coats to get maximum sparkle impact, but then am stuck scrubbing and scraping it off when I decide it is time for a new manicure. Personally, I do not think it is right to spend more time removing nail polish than it took to apply it in the first place.

Enter my glitter fairy godmother at a nearby beauty store. I had a bottle of Deborah Lippmann Bad Romance in my hand – it is a gorgeous color, but I was complaining about what a pain it is to remove glitter nail polish.

She suggested placing a nail-polish remover soaked cotton ball on the polished nail, wrapping the tip of your finger and cotton ball in aluminum foil, waiting a few minutes, and the glitter would come right off.

I was skeptical but intrigued. After Google-ing “nail polish remover + aluminum foil interactions” and deciding that this method would not make my fingers fall off, I gave it a try.

alien+fingers Polished: How To Remove Glitter Nail Polish

clean+nail Polished: How To Remove Glitter Nail Polish

glitter+cotton+ball Polished: How To Remove Glitter Nail Polish

HOLY CRAP, did it work. I made myself little alien fingers, waited about 5 minutes, and voila! The nail polish came almost completely off, and the leftover edges came off after another swipe. I am beyond excited to have a foolproof way to remove my most glittery polish!

-Alyssa

Polished: Nails Inc. Fitzroy Square 3D Glitter

Posted on August 25, 2011 by daneen in Nail Polish, Nails, Polished | Leave a comment

Hello, readers!

My name is Alyssa, and I am lucky enough to be one of Daneen’s coworkers. As you may have noticed, I like a good manicure (looky here and here).

Since Daneen literally has her hands full with one-year-old Westley, I get the chance to bring you the latest nail news.

nails+inc+Fitzroy+Square Polished: Nails Inc. Fitzroy Square 3D Glitter

Recently, a batch of nails inc. colors came into the office, and I was immediately taken with nails inc. Fitzroy Square 3D glitter, which is described as clear with green glitter and chunky teal glitter. Swoon. Though I work in a business casual office, envelope-pushing nail polish is acceptable, so I knew this was my next manicure.

I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of glitter that this polish contains. Most glitter nail polish has a few flecks with mostly clear, but this was saturated, which was great. Here is what three coats looks like…

Nails+Inc.+Fitzroy+Square+3D+Glitter Polished: Nails Inc. Fitzroy Square 3D Glitter

This polish is definitely not for the faint of heart, but I got a lot of compliments on it. I absolutely recommend this polish for anyone looking for a little sparkle!

nails inc. is available at Sephora, for $9.50 a bottle.

-Alyssa



pixel Polished: Nails Inc. Fitzroy Square 3D Glitter

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