purple polish

I'll never forget my first bottle of nail polish. It was a creamy lavender made by Hard Candy and I was so excited about it because it came with a ring. I bought it because I read that Alicia Silverstone wore it and she was, at the time, my idol (Clueless = love). It was the only nail polish I ever used until the bottle was empty.

Anyway, purple nail polish has come a long way since then. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know dark nails are everywhere. First we spotted jet black on celebrity fingertips, then we saw the rise of almost-black colors then came navy blue for about 10 seconds. For Spring 09, Chanel has created this GORGEOUS dark plum called Vendetta that has a slight sheen to it in the sunlight. I personally can't wait to try it because I'm getting sick of my rotation of the same 3 nail polishes (Essie Sugar Daddy, OPI Lincoln Park After Dark, Essie A-List. Repeat...). I'd like to keep wearing dark nails throughout the spring but I want to add a pop of color for fun. Sure, it's over $20, but I always thought that nail polish is something to invest in. A quality one will last long, won't chip or fade or get dull, and the bottle lasts a really long time. And when it comes to unique colors like this, it's hard to find one that's totally identical.

So what do you think of Vendetta? Which nail polish shades you're currently loving? I'm stuck in a nail rut =)

xoxo

WHOA, legs

I was watching the Grammy awards with my dear boyfriend when Carrie Underwood took the stage. A few minutes into her performance, he asked if she was wearing stockings. I thought it was funny that he said the word "stockings" in the first place, but then I really wondered - IS she wearing any? Doubtful. Her legs looked like they'd been airbrushed to perfection. They were shimmering and glimmering and very tan - everything my legs are NOT during this time of year. Now, Carrie's got some nice legs to begin with...it's obvious the girl has been doing her lunges and squats and whathaveyou. But there was clearly a lot of help from leg makeup here, and to be honest I can't wait for that first warm day where I can show off my leg makeup skills as well.

I first became obsessed with the concept of leg makeup when I found out that they stockpiled the stuff backstage at the Victoria's Secret fashion show. And here I am, thinking these models have naturally tan, contoured, perfect legs. Not so! When I was a beauty editor at CosmoGirl, Linda Hay, makeup artist for VS, came to visit and brought a model along with her. She demonstrated how to make over one's legs so that they look picture-perfect:

1. Exfoliate and shave. St. Ives Apricot Scrub (yes, the face one) is my favorite exfoliator to use on my body. It's cheap and smells good!

2. Start with self tanner. You already know I'm a big fan of Dove Energy Glow. It will camouflage veins, cellulite, and anything else going on that you don't care to put on display. Here's how:

- Tan your lower legs (back and front, obviously) first, then your thighs (back and front) using circular motions with your hands. If you use an up-and-down motion, you'll streak. Use the excess lotion leftover on your palms to tan your ankles and top of your feet. My own personal tip: lightly rub a tissue over your kness to absorb any excess tanner. Knees tend to have creases and are drier than the rest of your legs, resulting in more color deposit, i.e. blotchiness. Too-dark knees are a dead giveaway that you self-tanned.

3. Add pale pink or gold shimmer straight up your shins and straight down the middle of your thigh. This adds a slimming and elongating effect to the legs and makes the unhighlighted, darker areas - your inner and outer thighs - seem smaller. You must try Tarte Celebutante Dry Oil Shimmer Spray it's the best ever. I also LOVE NARS Body Glow but at $60 it almost exceeds my monthly Sephora expenditure budget. I treat myself to that in the summer when my legs are on display every day.

I must say, doing this leg makeup routine is so entertaining. It's like my legs go from horrific to hotness in 10 minutes. The epitome of instant gratification.

xoxo

mmmm....moisture

Between the cold, dry weather, indoor heat, and frequent hand-washing, you can just imagine how disgustingly dry and cracked my hands and cuticles are. The thing is, I'm way too lazy to not only carry around hand lotion with me but to put it on religiously.

Enter the BEST hand lotion ever - Olay Body Quench Therapy Hand Cream. I'm a big fan of the whole Olay Quench line, but this lotion is particularly good for hands because it somehow lasts through hand washings. I slather this on only twice per day and my hands are smooth, soft, and, uh... quenched... for a really long time. A little goes a long way - it heals dry skin and prevents it from getting dry in the future. A little two-for-one deal. Nice.

The ONLY downside to this stuff is that it's a little big to carry around in my purse (the 4.5 oz tube is about 6 inches high and 4 inches wide). But then again, I never understood teeny tiny hand lotions, either. I'd go through those in, like, a day! No thank you. The tube is a pretty shade of purple, which I also love. Ok, and one more thing I love about this is the scent. It's light, fresh, almost baby powdery. I don't feel bad about putting this on in public. Don't you just hate when someone whips out their berry melon coconut vanilla blueberry hand lotion on the subway? I do not want to be one of those people.

Try this stuff - your hands will love you!!!

red for v-day!

I'm not one to wear red clothing a lot - I just don't think it looks good on me at all. But I do love me some red lipstick once in a while. I particularly loved wearing it when my hair was jet black because the contrast between the dark hair, pale skin, and cherry red lips was just very Snow White to me. Super pretty.

Now, my hair is more of a medium golden brown and I haven't reached for red in a LONG time. I just felt like it wouldn't work that well - that is, until, I saw this picture of Jessica Alba on InStyle.com. The pic is about a year old, but you have to admit, she looks timeless and beautiful with her red lips and golden brown waves. Needless to say, I'm inspired to try this look for Valentine's Day, since I'll probably be wearing my "uniform" of black clothes. Hey, when you wear as much black, white, brown, and gray as I do, you are forced to experiment with hair color and daring makeup!

If you wanna go the red route too, use this simple "rule" for finding your skintone's perfect shade. If you're olive-skinned or tan (like Alba) go for warm, orange-y, brick reds. If you're pale, burn in the sun, and have pink undertones, go for blue-based reds. Every skintone can pull off a true red (MAC Russian Red is the only true red I've ever tried - this is the one I'll be wearing on V-Day). Oh, and if you're sitting there thinking that red is scary and grandma-like, go for a red stain instead of lipstick. I have to give props to Benefit Benetint here (my all-time favorite stain that EVERYONE and their MOM should own), but I've also tried Stila Cherry Crush Lip & Cheek Stain and that's becoming another fave as well. Both make me look as if I just ate a cherry popsicle and the color lasts for hours. Tip: always add some ChapStick over these to keep your lips hydrated. Stains tend to make lips look dry.

all-day makeup

As I was getting ready this morning, Good Morning America ran a segment called Beauty Behavior Lab about long-lasting makeup. The tester, GMA's Taryn Winter Brill, put on an entire face of makeup that claimed to last 16 hours. It was like the soup to nuts of makeup - she started with foundation and concealer and finished with eye shadow, liner, and mascara (her total look cost $88). Her mission? To find out if the makeup lived up to its claims. To my surprise, it did! As she made her way through snow and rain (the WORST days for makeup, by the way. It's like you walk out of your house and you get a face washing in 2 seconds), the makeup stayed put, didn't get runny, and looked pretty fresh by the end of the day.

I found all of this very intriguing because I haven't been wearing much makeup lately (mascara and a dab of Benefit Benetint on the apples of my cheeks), due to the wet, cold NYC weather. My eyes tear when it's cold out so my liner is messed up before I even get to work. Not a pretty sight.

I broke out my never-been-used stash of long-wear makeup, put it on, and prayed it stays the day:

1. Cover Girl Outlast Smoothwear All-Day Eyeliner in Espresso
2. Clinique Work Out Makeup All Day Wear
3. Revlon Colorstay Overtime Sheer Lipcolor in Sheer Petal
4. Maybelline Expert Wear Bronzer in Sun Light
5. MAC Pro Lash Mascara (MAC says this is hard-wearing and non-smudging. We'll see!)

I'm going on two and a half hours so far, and it seems as though my lips have faded a bit through breakfast. The rest looks GREAT - but then again it is still pretty early in the day. I'll be back at 10pm for the final update :)

xoxoxo

myTunes =)

I'm sitting here redeeming the last of my iTunes holiday gift cards, and I'm reminded of my other obsession (aside from beauty) - working out. Some things to know about me: I have to go to the gym almost every day or I go a little crazy. I get sad, I feel lazy... I'm not happy when I don't move enough.

However, I'm not a fitnessaholic by any means. I don't run marathons and I don't play sports (never have). I don't get on scales or measure body parts or do 1000 crunches every day. I do like getting my sneakers on, hopping on a treadmill, zoning the world out with my iPod, and working up a good sweat most days of the week. It's nearly impossible for me to do this without good music and a few new downloads a week to keep things fresh and new because let's face it, there are only so many times you can listen to Bombs Over Baghdad without getting really bored.

So here's where I share my favorite workout songs with you. Whether you're a treadmill fan, an elliptical girl, or like to bike, these will get you pretty pumped (I also like listening to these upbeat songs while I'm walking to the subway in the morning. Works better than coffee, I'm convinced).

The OLD :

1. Let's Get Loud - Jennifer Lopez

2. Yeah - Usher

3. Crash and Burn Girl - Robyn

4. God is a DJ - Pink

5. Maneater - Nelly Furtado

6. Disturbia - Rihanna

7. Pump It - Black Eyed Peas

8. Til I Collapse - Eminem

9. Cup of Life - Ricky Martin (I hate to say it, but this is an amazing pumper upper for the first few minutes of any workout)

10. 7 Things - Miley Cyrus (see above)

11. World Hold On - Bob Sinclair

The NEW:

1. Disco Heaven - Lady Gaga

2. If U Seek Amy - Britney Spears

3. Human - The Killers

4. Right Round - Flo Rida featuring Katy Perry (I'm fully aware this is a remix of an oldie but this version is better for workouts, in my opinion)

5. Poker Face - Lady Gaga

6. The Fear - Lily Allen

7. Krazy - Lil Jon

Downloads are done and it's bedtime. May all your workouts be fabulous ones :)

xoxo

getting a tan from a can in the dead of winter

Like most people, I think I look better with a tan. Not your crazy, obvious, too-dark, "I've-been-vacationing-in-Miami-for-the-past-2-weeks" sort of tan, but more like a healthy glow. That said, a healthy glow is not something I have naturally (case-in-point: see bangs picture below).

Therefore, I must rely on a slew of tanners and bronzing products to help achieve my desirable color. The questions I get asked a lot are, how do I choose the right one and how the heck do you put it on? I won't lie - it's tricky for first-timers and it's even trickier in the winter when you're white as paper (less room for error). Here are some top tips to guide you to a gorgeous glow:

1. If you're extra pale, don't have expectations of looking like Eva Mendes. It a) won't look natural, b) you may need an entire bottle of self tanner and major skills, and c) probably won't work in the first place. My personal wintertime goal is to not look like I'm Casper's first cousin and quite frankly I think that's reasonable.

2. Gradual tanners are THE way to go, especially in February when your skin hasn't seen ample sunlight for 6 months. I haven't used a regular self-tanner in years. These formulas are not buildable. This means that if you apply at night, you might as well write a note your forehead the next morning that says "HI, I SELF-TANNED IN MY BATHROOM". Streaks and screw-ups are more obvious with full-on self tanners.

3. My all-time favorite gradual self tanners are Victoria's Secret Bare Bronze Gleaming Self-Tan Body Tint and Dove Energy Glow. They smell the best, last the longest, and give the most convincing sunkissed look. I mix equal parts of each in my palm, then apply it in circular motions to my whole body. If I want to be tan for the weekend, I start tanning on Tuesday night. By Friday, my skin tone is perfection :)

4. Use face formula when self-tanning your face and neck. They are less greasy than tanners for the body and produce the most natural color (definitely a plus, since your face is something you can't hide if you mess it up). Jergens Natural Glow for Face is the one that I use. It's cheap and doesn't cause breakouts.

5. Self tan at least one hour before bed and sleep in very loose clothing (or, uh, none at all). You might feel a little sticky when you lie down, but trust me - you aren't messing up your efforts.

6. In the winter, I only self-tan parts of my body that people see -face, arms, hands, chest (my secret's out) Saves a ton of product and a lot of time.

7. Maintain your pretty tan by keeping your skin hydrated (apply lotion after every shower) and using bar soap rather than scrubbing your skin with a loofah or washcloth. Vigorous scrubbing exfoliates the skin and will fade a tan in half the time, obviously.

I know everyone has their own personal methods to their self tanning madness but these are mine. Whether you're a clueless tanner virgin or a seasoned pro, it always helps to have new tips (I like hearing new ones too, so let me know what yours are...)

xoxo