NYC #PolarVortex Essentials | Battle The Cold With These Top Skin Products

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Hello lovelies. I hope you're somewhere warm and toasty on this frigid day in NYC. I've been daydreaming about a tropical vacation all morning. Speaking of, I just booked a vacation to Vegas in April and it'll be my first time visiting. The weather will be around 80 degrees and gorgeous. Until then I'm stuck battling the snow in New York. To help, here are my favorite #PolarVortex skin essentials.

1. A Killer Exfoliator: Your skin is taking a beating during this cold weather and it's important to exfoliate once a week to rid your face (and body) of dry skin. My current favorite facial exfoliator is First Aid Beauty's Facial Radiance Polish. For body, use DERMAdoctor's KP Duty Body Scrub. It gets rid of everything, including "chicken skin." 

2. Heavy Moisturizer: I keep telling my friends you must moisturize, moisturize, and moisturize. Skin is naturally much drier in the winter then in the summer, so you must up the power on your cream this season. I switch up my moisturizers daily, but this week I'm using Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Cream and Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour® Cream Skin Protectant.

Holiday Stocking Stuffers {For Her}

I'm a big believer in waking up on Christmas morning to an amazing holiday stocking. The Mrs. and I go all out complete with luxury items, gift cards and trinkets that make us both smile. Here are my top picks for stocking stuffers in 2013.

1. L'OCCITANE Shea Butter Travel Treats, $18

2. Fresh Sugar Keepsakes, $25

3. Benefit Groovy Kind-of-Love Kit, $36

4. Tweezerman Ultra Precision Slant Tweezer, $35

5. butter LONDON Scrubbers 2-in-1 Nail Prep & Remover Pads, $10

6. Ciate Tree Trinkets, $21

7. LORAC - Rockin' Red Hot Mini Glosses To Go, $20

8. Bare Minerals READY Face & Body Luminizer, $45

9. Do You Speak Shoe Lover: Style and Stories from Inside DSW Book, $16.95

10. Napoleon Perdis Lip Gloss Collection, $39

CEW Names 2013 Beauty Award Winners

Last Friday, I celebrated this year's CEW Beauty Insiders' Choice Awards at the beautiful Waldorf Astoria. 36 products across 30 product categories were awarded. The CEW Beauty Awards is the only awards program in which the winners are determined exclusively by beauty industry professionals, CEW's 5,500 + members who know the best in beauty. The CEW Beauty Award is a high honor and sets the stage for consumers to know what products to buy next. See below the winners for each category:

$25 & Under Gift Guide

See my list of the best gifts under $25 - Whether you have to fill a stocking or grab a late Christmas gift, these products work well at making a statement without breaking the bank.

Long & Forgotten August & September 2011 Favorites

I've been so insanely busy lately with work, finishing up my BA and events that I completely forgot to post my monthly favorites. Shame on me! I apologize. In August, I kept in pretty simple with a little perfekt primer/foundation, a quick eye and some nude lips. In September, I went a little more heavier. I wanted really bold lashes with a frosty eye.

Clinique Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Pressed Power ($32.50): I initially purchased this powder to help with some of the redness in my face. I tend to get super flushed and have been looking for a product to calm that down throughout the day. I do find that this does eliminate the redness, however, it can be a bit heavy and not good for dry skin types. If you use too much of the product, you can easily see it. I also think it's a bit too yellow. I imagine it would work best for someone with oily skin who is on the fairer side and more of a yellow undertone.

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Satin Nude #22 ($19): I'm crazy about this lipstick and with good reason. It's extremely hydrating, long-wearing and gorgeous. It's described as a "satin nude." but it swatches as more a pink nude.  I tend to describe it as a "white nude." It really depends on the look you're going for. Either way I'm obsessed will definitely repurchase.

Perfekt Beauty Skin Perfection Gel in Radiant ($57.50): I love this product in the summer time. It's more a "your skin but better" kind of a foundation. It's multipurpose that offers a primer, foundation and setting powder all in one. What I love about it is it has Smart Color Technology that matches your skin perfectly every time. This is the smaller size they sell at Sephora, but the large size is a much better value.

Fresh Supernova Mascara ($25): This mascara is meant to give you dramatic lashes and in that sense, it delivers. I tend to partner this along with a length/separation mascara. When I was younger, I had long, full lashes, but after using so many cheap drug-store mascaras my lashes aren't the same. I love the formula for this mascara and recommend to anyone who wants dramatic volume.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! Natural Mascara ($19): This mascara is a 4-1 threat: curling, lengthening, volumizing AND conditioning. Oh yes. I love love love this mascara. I had it for a while and just never seemed to grab it. I discovered it again over the summer and needless to say, it's been used ever since.

Josie Maran Argan Illuminizer ($28): This is just gorgeous for that shimmery, dewy look. You can see my   previous review here.

Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner #13 Matte Black ($23): Easy to use, water-resistant and long-lasting. What's not to like?

NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Egea ($33): Another eyeshadow duo at the bottom of the stash. I can't believe I forgot about this beauty. It comes with two shades that are described as "frosted sage" and "smokey lilac." This a great duo for that awesome frosty eye. They're extremely pigmented and smooth. Definitely one to check out.

Tarte Eye Couture, Day-to-Night Shadow Palette ($44): This palette is perfect for someone who wants that signature bronze or smokey eye look. It has 5 shadows in the bronze family and 5 shadows in the charcoal family. Easy to go from day to night.

Have you made any purchases that you love lately?

Summer Make Up - What You Need To Have

New York has had some crazy weather this year. From extreme cold to extreme hot, your face has been through it all. Summer is finally here and now is the time that new precautions are needed to ensure your makeup stays fresh all day long. Here are some tips for keeping your makeup fresh through these upcoming warm months:

Water Resistant Primer: 

I've always been one to sweat on my face a lot in the summer and I never knew what I could do to keep the makeup from melting away. Then I found Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. It's the first primer I've used that's water-resistant. If you use this before your foundation, it literally won't move. It also has SPF 15 and the formula minimizes shine and helps for a smooth application.

Retail: $52 at Sephora

Tinted Moisturizer: I LOVE tinted moisturizers in the Summer. They're lightweight and give enough coverage  for a natural glow. My favorite is from Laura Mercier. Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizers have SPF 20 and were featured in INSTYLE magazine May 2011 edition of "Best Beauty Buys."

Retail: $42 at Laura Mercier

Waterproof Eye Liner: Eyeliners that are also waterproof keep products from giving you the dreaded "raccoon eyes" and they wear much longer. My favorite this summer are Stila's Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner.

Retail: $23 at Sephora & Stila

Cheek/Lip Stains: Cheek stains are always a hot summer product. Using them creates that perfect, subtle glow that lasts all day. Another plus is that cheek stains can normally also be used on your lips. My favorites this summer are Hourglass Aura Sheer Cheek Stain in Petal and Tarte Cheek Stain in Tipsy.

Retail: $45 for Hourglass at Sephora/$30 for Tarte at Sephora

Good Lip Balm/Treatment: I always suffer from dry lips in the winter and then I discovered Fresh's Sugar Lip Treatment. I always had the clear version and just recently they launched the Honey version. I'm loving the nude lip balm. It's come in a brown case and stills has that SPF 15. A definite must for your makeup bag.

Retail: $22.50 at Sephora

What are your doing to keep your makeup fresh this Summer?