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

OPI Holland Collection: Dutch ‘Ya Just Love OPI?

Posted on by daneen in Featured, Holy Grail, Nail Polish, Nails | Leave a comment

opi holland collection nail polish OPI Holland Collection: Dutch Ya Just Love OPI?One of my New Years resolutions is to step up my manicure game. Last year, taking care of nails took a back seat to taking care of Westley. But now that my son is 18 months old and a little more equipped at occupying himself with the tons of toys I lavish upon him (he is truly a spoiled pretty baby), I have more opportunities to stick to the game plan.

Last month, OPI was nice enough to feed my polish addiction by sending me all twelve shades from their new Holland Collection. I was excited by the press release and images OPI sent me in advance of the actual samples, but seeing the colors in person gave me a newfound respect for the genius of Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. If ever there was a polish collection to purchase in its entirety, it’s this one. STUNNING – every single shade! CONTINUE READING

Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Collection

Posted on by daneen in Conditioner, Featured, Hair, Hair Styling, Shampoo | Leave a comment
organix+argan+oil+hair+collection Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Collection

I have a confession to make. I have been using the same brand of hair products since I was in the 6th grade and (name of then-cute boy redacted) told me that my hair smelled nice. Herbal Essences was always readily available, affordable, good to my hair, and it does smell good!

Now 25, I figured that it was time to take a little better care of my hair. Enter the Organix line of products, which is available at drug stores. I picked up the shampoo, conditioner, and the light oil from the Moroccan Argan Oil collection. My hair is thick, coarse, and gets frizzy when not tamed properly – so I knew to stick to a moisturizing line of products. CONTINUE READING

2012 Oscar Hair Predictions From The Pros

Posted on by daneen in Beauty Tips, Celebrities, Featured, Hair, Hair Styling | Leave a comment

Hollywood’s “Night of Nights” is right around the corner, and while we don’t know who will take home the oh-so-coveted Oscar Awards, we do know that all you beauty junkies out there will be mentally casting your vote for Oscar superlatives – who has the best dress, the best accessories and of course… who has the best hair?

Michelle+Williams 2012 Oscar Hair Predictions From The Pros
Michelle Williams wears color that compliments her skin tone.

We spoke with the pros at Wella Professionals, the hair brand who has a very impressive roster of red carpet hair under their belt already from this season, including Madonna, Michelle Williams, Claire Danes, Emma Stone, Zoe Saldana, Emily Blunt and Shailene Woodley, to get the inside scoop on what hair looks will heat up the red carpet this Sunday.

Graceful Sheen

“We will see a peak in fluid textures and warm tones that suggest effortless elegance and healthy, shiny hair that shows a lot of movement and bounce,” states Wella Professionals Color Ambassador Aura Friedman. “Expensive and Luxurious are words you could use to explain this look – maximize this effect by asking your colorist to use Wella Professionals Haircolor to give you a soft shade with warm undertones that will best complement your skin tone.”

Charlize+Theron 2012 Oscar Hair Predictions From The Pros
Jason Merrit/Getty Images

Aura recommends her A-list clientele use Wella Professionals Brilliance Shampoo and Conditioner, which is designed to seal in color while leaving locks irresistibly smooth to the touch.

“Wella Professionals Velvet Amplifier is a red-carpet favorite,” adds Celebrity Stylist Andy LeCompte, “that smoothes the hair surface so it can better prepare the hair for styling.” Andy also uses Wella Professionals Shimmer Delight Shine Spray on his clientele to create the most sheen and expensive looking finish to any end look. CONTINUE READING

Makeup Mondays With Mario: Making a Big Nose Look Smaller

Posted on by daneen in Beauty Tips, Featured, Makeup Mondays with Mario, Mario Dedivanovic | Leave a comment
mmwmd Makeup Mondays With Mario: Making a Big Nose Look Smaller
Celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic is answering your burning beauty questions!!! Every Monday, he will answer a beauty/skin care question as part of a weekly column on Spoiled Pretty, Makeup Mondays with Mario.

makeup+big+nose Makeup Mondays With Mario: Making a Big Nose Look Smaller

Hey Mario,

I know you must get a lot of questions about how to make a big nose appear smaller using makeup. I am aware of highlighting the nose and shading the sides darker if you have a wide nose. But my nose isn’t wide – it’s just slightly bulbous and by shading and highlighting the bridge of the nose it only makes the end of my nose appear bigger.

I was wondering if you could help me by giving me a few pointers on how or where would be best to shade the end of the nose.

Thank you,
Jennan

Hi Jennan,

If your nose is already thin, you can skip highlighting the bridge as that will make your nose appear thinner and longer. Instead, apply the contour color to the bottom of the nose along the nostrils and blend a bit upward towards the tip. This should make the end of your nose appear shorter and thinner. The key really is to blend it well so there are no harsh lines.

Thanks for visiting Makeup Mondays with Mario!

xo,

Mario

Got a question for Mario? Email your makeup and skin care queries to spoiledprettyquestions@gmail.com, and check back next Monday to read Mario’s expert advice!

Mario Dedivanovic NYC Workshop Video

Posted on by daneen in Event, Featured, Mario Dedivanovic | Leave a comment

Remember the Mario Dedivanovic workshop I sponsored last month in NYC? Well, Mario just posted a video recap – and I make a cameo. Can you spot me?

Beauty (Book) Mark: StyleUnited.com

Posted on by daneen in Beauty Tips, Fashion, Featured | Leave a comment

Style+United Beauty (Book) Mark: StyleUnited.com

I love fashion and beauty magazines.Mr. Spoiled Pretty, not so much. Probably because I subscribe to a gazillionand my magazine library takes up a ridiculous amount of real estate in ourhouse. Every month when my new issues are delivered, I pour over the pages –reading about the latest products and innovations and gleaning genius styletips. But as much as I love my magazines, I’m often frustrated by the broad-spectrumadvice. Like most women, I want advice and recommendations that address myunique beauty and style concerns. Which is why I am so excited to have recentlydiscovered a new website that offers a truly customized, interactiveexperience.

StyleUnited is the first personalizedwebsite that provides women with a one-stop destination for head-to-toe fashionand beauty consultations, recommendations, and news. The site features articles,slideshows, blog posts and how-to videos from P&G and industry expertsincluding: influential stylists, fellow bloggers and online editors.

Style+United+ +Style360 Beauty (Book) Mark: StyleUnited.com

StyleUnited provides customized recommendationsbased on responses to Style360, a one-of-a-kind diagnostic tool that gives youa fresh perspective on your total style. 

Four fun quizzes are designed to understandyour unique skincare, haircare, cosmetics and fashion needs:

Fashion Focus: Fashion goes beyond the season’s hottest trends.Whether you’re Boho Chic or Flirty Romantic, we help you find flatteringsilhouettes and the looks you love.

Mad For Makeup: Your makeup is as individual as you are. We evaluateyour features, coloring and goals to help you turn up your gorgeous.

Hair Affair: All hair is not created equal. From root to tip, weoffer you custom advice on making yours shine, and how to achieve the looks youwant.

Skin Deep: Every woman’s skin has unique characteristics andneeds. We help you create a custom regimen that gets yours glowing.

I had a ball playing around withStyle360 and was impressed by how spot-on the assessments were. For example, theFashion Focus quiz described my look as “edgy bold with a hint of casual cool.”It correctly guessed that I’m drawn to “sexy rock n’ roll pieces” (I am asucker for anything studded), but added that also like “a few soft cozy touches”(I have a closet full of open cardigans and I practically live in Uggs).

The product recommendations werealso dead-on. In fact, some of the items that Style360 suggested are already onheavy rotation in my beauty arsenal.

If you’re looking for an evenmore personalized experience, StyleUnited offers 1:1 eBeauty – a live webcamconsultation with professional beauty consultants. Don’t have a webcam? Noproblem. 1:1 can be done over the phone too. It’s like a department storebeauty counter experience (except you can do it in your pajamas and slipperswhich I’m pretty sure might get you kicked out of Nordstrom). And how much doesthis real time advice session cost? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. 

So if your New Year’s resolutionis to get gorge in 2012, you’d be wise to add StyleUnited.com to your bookmarks. Besides being a great style resource, it’sdownright addictive. But you don’t have to take my word for it…try it for yourself and let me know what you think in the comments. 

This post was sponsored by StyleUnited.com, but all opinions are my own.

Makeup Mondays With Mario: Maximize Your Eyes

Posted on by daneen in Beauty Tips, Eye Liner, Eyes, Featured, Lashes, Makeup Mondays with Mario, Mario Dedivanovic, Mascara | Leave a comment
mmwmd Makeup Mondays With Mario: Maximize Your Eyes
Celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic is answering your burning beauty questions!!! Every Monday, he will answer a beauty/skin care question as part of a weekly column on Spoiled Pretty, Makeup Mondays with Mario.

Heya Mario-

I have dark lashes, but they are barely visible. My lashes are sparse and short, so I’m in the market for a mascara that will maximize my eyes. Can you recommend some of your favorite mascaras to lengthen and volumize my fringe so that they look like false lashes? That’s the look that I want, but I don’t know if it’s even possible. Also, I’ve heard of those products that claim to grow your lashes, but do any actually work? Thanks for your help, Mario. You’re the best!

-Nia

lancome+hypnose+mascara Makeup Mondays With Mario: Maximize Your Eyes

Hey Nia,

Because you have very sparse and short eyelashes, mascara alone will most likely not give you the look of false lashes. A good mascara like Lancome Hynonose formula will add volume and length to your natural lashes, making them more visible but a mascara can only do so much. A good trick for sparse lashes is to line the lids along the roots of the lashes with a black pencil like MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder. This helps the overall effect so that the sparse areas don’t stand out as much. You can consider using a natural strip of false lashes or a few individual lashes applied to the sparse areas as well. As for the products on the market that claim to grow your lashes – I have seen them work on several women but I don’t like to recommend any of these products as I’m unsure of their long term effects, if any.

Thanks for visiting Makeup Mondays with Mario!

xo,

Mario

Got a question for Mario? Email your makeup and skin care queries to spoiledprettyquestions@gmail.com, and check back next Monday to read Mario’s expert advice!



pixel Makeup Mondays With Mario: Maximize Your Eyes

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