holiday

3 Day to Night Holiday Party Makeup Tips

Tis' the season to party hop!  What's a girl to do when she goes from a casual family gathering to a celebrating the holidays with her besties at a chic cocktail lounge? She must be prepared to turn it up like Miss Selena Gomez and Miss Taylor Swift!  I'm obsessed with these two looks for holiday party inspiration.  Here are three easy ways to take your makeup from day to night.

  1. Amp up your eyes.  Typically, I wear mascara and call it a day, but when it's time to party, defining your lids and adding a little bit of sparkle to the inner corners and center are absolute musts.  If you’re not into sparkle, a nice metallic silver or gold shade will do.  To take the guesswork out, use an eye shadow palette with a few complimentary colors in different textures.
  2. Add highlighter.  Let's face it, everyone looks better in a candlelit glow.  A few strokes of highlighter on the top of your cheekbones, center of your forehead and chin will make your skin gleam and help accentuate all the right places.  Oh, and don’t forget your décolletage!
  3. Play up your pout.  Simply add color.  Whether you’re a gloss girl or like to wear full on matte lipstick, opt for a statement lip in the texture of your choice.

 

Celeb Stylist, Mark Townsend on Achieving Sexy Hair

Last month I posted about an exciting project I was working on with celebrity stylist, Mark Townsend for Dove®.  To put things into perspective, sitting in his chair is as exciting as a fashion enthusiast shopping in your fave celeb stylist’s closet.  In the video above, Mark gives me tips on how to go about growing my hair out for my wedding and shows me how to create sexy bends.

Throughout my time with him filming, there was a lot of laughs, but even more gossip!  Of course, we'll save that for another time, but what you should know is that I realized that whenever I style my hair or even go for a blowout I know now that I want "bends" and not loose waves, which is something I was always able to visualize, but never knew how to describe.  If you're seeking a more edgy style, then this is for you, too.

Also, like I mentioned in my previous post, I'm really into the Dove® Style+Care Nourishing Amplifier Mousse. My hair is really fine so it's difficult to find products that don't weigh it down.  Mousse is a must-have foundation product for me whether I'm leaving my hair straight or bending it.  This one is lightweight and gives it playful bounce.

*This is a sponsored post by Dove® and the Style Coalition, but all of my thoughts and actions are true.

Holiday Gift Guide: Stocking Stuffers

Opening stockings is one of my favorite things to do on Christmas morning!  Filled with tiny treasures of 'just because' loot, I love how they're full of surprises.  Here, I rounded up some of the coolest beauty miniatures that are clearly, this years stocking essentials. Deborah Lippmann 'R&B' Mini Nail Lacquer Duet, $19, includes two hot colors, "Between the Sheets" (fuschia) and "Birthday Party" (glitter),  in a cute little sparkly pouch.  Wear the polishes alone or layer them for a fun, festive look.

Lather Daily Brew Lip Balms, $16.50, for a pack of three cafe-inspired balms. Break them up amongst three different stockings or gift them together.  Flavors include Fresh Coffee, Vanilla Latte and Green Tea.

Nordstrom Ombre Travel Brush Set, $29, includes four synthetic, must-have makeup brushes – a powder brush, an allover eyeshadow brush, contour eyeshadow brush and a flat eyeliner brush.  Plus, there's a cute texturized pouch to store them in.

Bliss Mistletoe Must-Haves, $12, consists of two date night essentials: Fabulips Softening Lip Balm and a mini High Intensity Hand Cream.

Bite Beauty The Lip Kit, $38, includes four double ended lipsticks in punchy shades.

Demeter Humongous Miniatures, $6 ea., come in a set of four mini (1/2 oz.) single note fragrances in Sugar Plum, Snow, Gingerbread and Mistletoe.  Purchase one kit and toss them into four different stockings.

Holiday Gift Guide: Stocking Stuffers from Mark

Have you even thought about shopping for the holidays this year?  Thanks to beauty holiday previews, I've already gotten some ladies on my list checked off.  I'm excited to share this video showcasing some of my favorite holiday offerings from mark, because it officially launches the BeautySweetSpot 2013 Holiday Gift Guide! I know you'll find at least a few stocking stuffers here, but keep checking in as I have a ton more goods to share!

*This is a sponsored post by mark, but all of my thoughts and actions are true.

6 Things to Add to Your Holiday Wish List from Celeb Manicurist, Deborah Lippmann

Normally when I see Deborah Lippmann, she's busy supervising her team of manicurists backstage during New York Fashion Week.  I always find her somewhere amongst the chaos to chat with her about the nail look for the show, trends for the upcoming season and pick her brain about what's next.  The celebrity manicurist and founder of her own nail and hand care line talks about not five, but six things you should add to your holiday wish list including jewels, affordable, yet chic clothing that I'm obsessed with and of course, a little pampering.

1. My new holiday shade Cleopatra In New York

I love the contrast of the black base with a pop of gold glitter.  I think that it’s very festive and modern, without being a traditional holiday shade.  Tip: One of the tendencies when using glitter polish is expecting the first coat to look the way that it looks in the bottle.  When seeing it in the bottle, the glitter may appear to be full-coverage, but the formula may go on sparse because it is meant to be layered.  Always apply thin coats because applying too much polish at once will cause it to chip easily.

 

2. Briolette Small Cluster Drop Earrings from Ten Thousand Things

These earrings are sweet and simple, which makes them an easy accessory to go from day to night.  They’re very delicate and feminine, and I love jewelry that’s versatile and can be worn for any occasion because they’re appropriate during the day and at night.  I always have jewelry on my list, and have to tell my husband that I’ll never be disappointed with jewelry because I can never have enough.

3. Trip to Cal-a-Vie Spa

This spa has is fairly easy to get to in the US, and the weather is gorgeous because it is located outside of San Diego, California.  You can work out all morning and have incredible spa treatments all afternoon, which to me is the best of both worlds.  I enjoy the intimate atmosphere – there aren’t too many people, and the last time that I went I came home thinner, relaxed and with a few more friends.  They have couples week, so you can go with the girls or you can also do something special as a couple and go with your significant other.

4. iPhone 5

I always want new gadgets.  As soon as something new comes out I want it, so this is definitely on my list!

5. Maison Martin Margiela for H&M Collection

This collection is so hip, cool and affordable.  I was out of the country when it launched, so I definitely have some pieces from the collection on my wish list.  There is a really cute, big puffy coat that I really want.  Everything in the collection is very trendy as Margiela is, with unexpected shapes.  It’s an affordable way to be super hip.

6. La Prairie Caviar Crystal Limited Edition Set

Sometimes we feel like we can’t spend the money on ourselves to get beautiful skincare products, so getting them as a gift is really great.  It’s the gift that keeps on giving.  The La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream feels incredible, and I love what it does for my skin.  It also looks beautiful in my medicine which is another bonus!

 

 

Holiday Party Must Have: Lancome Christmas Crackers

In my family, with each holiday comes another tradition.  I'm so excited for Thanksgiving, because we have fun traditions that have been going on since I was young and this year I have to introduce the Lancome Christmas Crackers.  

After reading this post you're either going to:

1. think my family is super weird

2. completely relate 

3. not care about my family at all and still want the Lancome Christmas Crackers

Every Thanksgiving my whole family on my dad's side gets together (think 30 loud Italians), watch the Cowboys game (yes, we're all die-hard fans) and eat a ton of food including meatless lasagna for my vegetarian cousin and I who aren't so into the idea of Tofurky.  Seems normal right?  Until Morris family tradition.  

After we eat my aunt hands us these party crackers and we pop them open to find little puzzles and plastic toys in them.  We each get a different prize and trade amongst the table, but one thing we all get in them are paper crowns. Now picture this, we all sit at the table and wear the paper crowns through desert!  Needless to say, it's fun and it's been a family tradition since we were little.  Yes, I'm still doing this now at 28 and my boyfriend, Joe was introduced into it last year.  

This year, I'm dying to bring the Lancome Christmas Crackers, ($38 for a pack of six) at least for the ladies at the table.  Instead of popping open little plastic rings and puzzles we can never figure out, we can each have a mini Lancome giftable!  Of course, a festive hat is included along with a beauty tip!  I think they're so adorable and would be a great additive to a holiday party with your girlfriends.  I'm not so sure about my big Italian family!