Case of the Mondays - 5 Beauty Products To Help Start The Week

Hello friends! It's a winter wonderland outside but even Storm Jonas can’t stop Monday from coming! We have a cold week ahead, so let's start it right with this week's Case of the Mondays.

Kiss Gel Fantasy Nails, $7.99

Need a quick mani on-the-go? With Kiss Gel Fantasy, I can have a fabulous manicure in only 20 minutes. With many different cute options to choose from, this product gives a whole new reputation to press-on nails. Say goodbye to damaging nail glue and start your Monday off with a fancy at home manicure.

WHEN Glamour Mask, $35

Have you ever heard of a sheet mask that gives your face a healthy glow, revives your skin, and also primes skin for makeup? WHEN Glamour Mask is a soft jelly mask made up of coconut juice, comforting serum collagen, etc. These properties are used to improve skin elasticity, keep skin healthy, and prime skin for makeup application. The best part about this mask is that it doesn't contain parabens or sulfates. Plus, you can see a difference in your skin just in time to tackle a wintry Monday.

Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Deep Moisture Balm, $56

This weather has been making my skin pretty dry and the only thing keeping my face hydrated and moisturized is this moisture balm. It's formulated with Edelweiss flower to lock in hydration, antarcticin to replenish skin with moisture, and glycerine to help draw moisture into skin for lasting hydration.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Misery Lip Tar, $15

The liquid lipstick trend is still at an all time high. OCC’s newest shade Misery screams determination with its shockingly red shade. For a pop of color in a city covered in white, try this shade this Monday! Leave it matte or add a layer of gloss for a truly beautiful finish.

Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser, $18

A face wash is not only the first thing used in every skincare routine, but it can be the most essential. With Glossier’s Milky Jelly cleanser, you not only get an amazing cleanse but it also works as a makeup remover. If you would like to use as a makeup remover, apply 2-3 pumps of the cleanser on dry skin and massage into face. Try this product in the morning to refresh or in the evening to deep cleanse.

This is a guest post written by Imani Wood-Rodriguez.

Case of the Mondays - 6 Products To Cure Those End of Weekend Blues

Image Via Pinterest

Another Summer weekend gone... Is it just me or do you feel like this summer flew by? I looked at the calendar this morning and couldn't believe there is only one more weekend of August left. Can we please have more summer weekends? Pretty please?

Here's my top Monday picks to cure those end of weekend (and summer) blues!

bareMinerals bareSkin® Complete Coverage Serum Concealer, $20

This new serum concealer from bareMinerals instantly covers the appearance of dark circles, discoloration and other imperfections for an even-toned complexion. Skin appears brighter and smoother - here's to looking rested after a long weekend!

SEPHORA introduces PLAY! by SEPHORA, monthly subscription box, $10 per month

SEPHORA made an exciting announcement with their launch of PLAY! by SEPHORA. PLAY! is an innovative new monthly subscription box that takes product discovery to a new level. Beauty lovers can receive the latest in prestige beauty available at SEPHORA sent monthly to their home for only $10. Each box will be curated around a specific theme, and contain five popular, high-performance, deluxe-size, prestige products. A limited amount of PLAY! by SEPHORA subscriptions will be available in select markets beginning September 2015, with a full national launch in early 2016. You can sign up for early access at www.sephora.com/play.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Launches Pro's Picks Portables – 12 Lip Tar Set For Holiday

Add this to your Holiday wish-list ASAP! Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics is launching a portable Lip Tar 12 piece set for the Holidays. The set presents pro's picks: portables featuring all-new test tube sizes in 12 shades.

The shades come in both Matte and Metallic textures. If you haven't tried OCC's best-selling Lip Tars, you are definitely missing out. The tars are extremely pigmented and deliver intense color payoff for long-wear. It's a hybrid product that eases on like a gloss, but has the lasting power of a lipstick. The Pro's Picks: Portables Set ($59) is expertly crafted by the artists at OCC.

Shades include Interlace: Matte (palest peach cream), Zhora: Metallic (peach/pink shimmer), Annika: Matte (pale neutral peach), Cha Cha: Matte (pale tangerine), Grandma: Matte (clean, classic coral), Vintage: Matte (deep burgundy), Harlot: Matte (neon popsicle red), Nylon: Matte (neon bubblegum pink), Digitalis: Matte (pink-tinged lavender), Sebastian: Matte (plum-toned taupe), Iced: Metallic (pure white frost), and #010 Precision Lip Brush.

The Pro's Picks: Portables - Lip Tar: Test Tube x 12 Set is available now on Sephora.com.

Adventure Time With The 2014 Kia Soul in Bright Solar Yellow

Photos by James Ayala

Some days you need a little adventure, so when I was asked to take the 2014 Kia Soul for a test drive I knew adventure was near. When I first laid eyes on the car, I immediately thought of dancing hamsters (good marketing, yes?). Like that fun commercial, the Kia Soul is kind of a party in itself. It drives like a dream, is incredible on gas, and is a show-stopper in the streets – perfect for any beauty or fashion maven. I can’t tell you how many people stopped to stare. Its bright yellow exterior caught the eyes of many, and my family quickly named the car Aretha… after the queen of soul herself.

Needless to say, we fell in love with the Kia Soul and are now strongly considering purchasing one. It was one of the best cars to drive and comes recommended highly to anyone looking for a great, affordable compact vehicle.

The Kia Soul 6-speed Manual starts at $14,900.

• Car Type: Wagon
• Transmission: 6-speed Manual
• Total Seating: 5
• Cylinders: Inline 4
• Colors: Various shades
• Favorite Interior Features: Heated mirrors, dual illuminating vanity mirrors (perfect for quick touch-ups!), USB connection, 6 speakers, & Bluetooth wireless technology.

See below for my favorite gold/yellow beauty products inspired by the Kia’s bright hue.

Case Of The Mondays - 5 Products To Start Your Week Off Right

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Another case of the Mondays. The weekend, of course, went far too fast for my liking and I'm still dreaming of longer days. Spring is here and I couldn't be more excited. Saturday was a gorgeous day and it left just a taste of what's to come. I spent the weekend with my 2 month old nephew (cue cuteness overload here), updated my manicure with Dior's Poreclaine 204, a stunning baby blue shade that had everyone in the salon obsessing, and did a little vacation shopping. I'm currently in the midst of finalizing my trip to Vegas in April. Any tips on where to visit, what to eat and do are welcomed! Now, onto the beauty products that are helping me survive Monday...

Luxe Beauty Gift Guide {For Her} + A Naked3 Giveaway!

Christmas is right around the corner and many are flocking to stores to pick up last minute gifts. Most online boutiques are offering rush shipping, so don't worry! Consider these luxe gifts for the women on your list. What woman doesn't love a little luxury?

1. Limited Edition Minnie Mouse Makeup Kit - Romantic Serenade 02 by Anna Sui, $50
2. Bobbi Brown Old Hollywood Eye Palette, $75
3. Ciate Mini Mani Month, $41
4. Frends Taylor/Rebecca Minkoff Headphones, $250
5. NARS One Night Stand Palette, $65 (Sold out online but still available in many Sephora boutiques!)
6. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar All-Star Mini x 12 Set, $58
7. Lush Cosmetics Christmas Candy Box, $48
8. Urban Decay Naked3 Palette, $52 (Sold out online but still available in many Sephora boutiques!)
9. Moroccanoil Repair Essentials Collection, $69
10. Limited Edition Tom Ford Beauty 12-Piece Lipstick Set, $588

One of my favorite luxe gifts on this list is Urban Decays new Naked3 Palette. It's a stunning palette with rose gold eyeshadow tones & sleek packaging. I knew I needed to have it and didn't want you to miss out as well, so I picked up a second for a giveaway. See more details on how to enter below. Best of luck & happy shopping!

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OCC Lip Tar Stained Gloss Review & Giveaway

These new glossy lip tars from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics are amazing. I'm a huge fan of their regular lip tars, but these are a whole different ball game. They're high-impact stains that leave lips super glossy. You can wear them alone or even over existing original-formula lip tars for added shine. The collection features six new vibrant shades:

Voyeur ($18) a transparent yellow glaze shade // Androgyne ($18) an orange gel // Meta ($18) a red orange shellac // Jealous ($18) a glassy pinkish red // New Wave ($18) a neon pink // Rhythm Box ($18) a translucent purpled burgundy

TIP: Voyeur may seem intimidating at first, but you can actually use it to neutralize other vibrant lip tar shades.

All stained glosses are $18 and availiable at Sephora or OCC Makeup. My favorite is New Wave - the most gorgeous neon pink. I didn't want you to miss out on all the fun, so see below on how you can add these six shades to your lip tar collection.

Products Of Interest: May 2013

1. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Sci Fi Lullabie Lip Tar in Pris ($18): Pris is described as a "palest champagne metallic." Part of the sci-fi inspired collection, this lip tar is sure to impress as all lip tars do. I'm curious to try the metallic versions to see what kind of finish they give.

2. Ciate Chalkboard Manicure ($25): I've had my eye on this for some time. Something about the kit makes me want to bite the bullet and order one. I love the idea of releasing your inner child and doodling on your nails. The kit features black matte polish and chalk pens that can be used to draw on top.

3. Laura Mercier Baked Blush Bronzer in Ritual ($36): I'm obsessed with bronzer and I love that this product is a blush and a bronzer. Five complementary shades work together to create a perfect, natural color for cheeks and face. I can't wait to get my hands on this.

4. Guerlain 'Terra Ora' Powder Compact ($72): Guerlain summer bronzers are always gorgeous and so pretty that swatching them seems like a crime. I have yet to take the dive into a limited edition one (the price is a bit too steep for me) but this beauty may change my mind. 

5. NARS ♥ New York Set ($75): The title of this palette drew me in (of course) and the shades are great for everyday. Laguna is one of my favorite bronzers and I can easily see myself using this palette over and over again.

6. ALTERNA Caviar CC Cream 10-in-1 Complete Correction ($25): The idea of a CC cream for hair is most intriguing and being that Alterna is one of my favorite hair brands, I know eventually I will have to try it. It's described as a miracle cream that perfects hair in 10 different and unbelievable ways. It provides moisture, shine, smoothness, softness, anti-breakage, heat protection, light hold, UV protection, manageability, and strength (woo). Gimme Gimme.

Any of these on your wish list?

Nylon Magazine + Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Create A Limited Edition Lip Tar

 

Get your hands on the newest lip tar from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. Nylon Magazine + OCC teamed up to create this limited edition pink shade availiable exclusively at Sephora. The color is described as "classic bubblegum pink with a neon twist." Order yours now for only $16 at Sephora.

The Makeup Show Holiday Pop-Up Shop on December 2nd, 2011 Photos

The Makeup Show Holiday Pop-Up Show took place this past December at the Metropolitan Pavilion. I attended the evening on Friday the 2nd. It was a smaller version of the regular makeup show with brands like Kevyn Aucoin, Stila Cosmetics, Crown Brush, Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics, Dermalogica, OCC, and many others. Brands were priced from 20% to 40% off. I hauled a bunch of goodies. Onto the photos.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Opens First Store In New York's Lower East Side

I had the fabulous opportunity to attend the press party for new Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics store in New York's LES (174 Ludlow St) on September 22nd. This is the first ever OCC store and let me tell you, it will not be the last. OCC is a cult favorite and an absolute must for makeup artists. Your beauty kit is not complete without their one-and-only lip tars. The brand 100% vegan & cruelty free. The store was packed with the people from all over including the creator, David Klasfeld. I got to chatting with him about the brand and he told me the reason he chose New York is because this is where he is from, so it's fitting that the first one should be here. He also intends to open more stores in the future: locations mentioned were LA and San Francisco (look out west coast!)

I met the fabulous, Queen of Blending, who might I add is an absolute sweetheart and a fellow blogger, Sooz from Solifestyle. The artists from OCC were the sweetest people and so passionate about their brand. It's wonderful to see a team take such pride in their product.

The creator himself, David Klasfeld

Lauren (Queen of Blending) & I

If you're ever in the NYC area, you must check out their store. If you can't make it to NYC just yet--you can always purchase the entire line at OCC.

The Makeup Show NYC Haul

My first time at The Makeup Show proved to be a success. I was able to pick up a few things that I been wanting for a while. Here's what I ended up coming home with:

Woo hoo. I was super excited about my new inglot palette. I like LOVE their shadows. I've been wanting one of their palettes for a long time, so I was ecstatic to finally get home. I love the freedom system and how it allows you to make your own palette.

I also picked up their concealer. It's extremely creamy and has great wear.You can purchase all inglot cosmetics at: http://www.inglotusa.com/

Here's a close up of the other items I picked up:

A few Crown Brushes!! You can buy these at http://www.crownbrush.com/.

I picked up the face 955, face 953, and eyes 780 from bdellium tools. I had never heard of this brand prior to the makeup show. I love these brushes. These brushes are professional antibacterial brushes. I been using them for about a month and they're really great. Easy to wash and no fall out so far. You can purchase them at http://bdelliumtools.com/ or www.amazon.com

I thought this was super adorable for blending purposes.

I love this eyeliner from Stila. I've used it in the past and it's been my favorite black eyeliner forever. This color is called carbon black and you can purchase it at www.sephora.com or http://www.stilacosmetics.com/.

I love this Make Up Forever Uplight for the warmer months. This is #12 and gives the perfect highlight. Purchase at www..sephora.com.

I adore this eyelashes. I can't wait to use them!

I got this orgasm multiple for free for the Nars booth when I signed up for the pro card. Woo hoo. Who doesn't love free? You can purchase this at www.sephora.com.

On the left is twirl and on the right is clove. Twirl is described as pale pink shimmer and clove is a pale champagne shimmer. I love shimmer and these are definitely my new favorites. You can purchase at http://www.occmakeup.com/lcc.html.

Thanks for looking :-)

The Makeup Show NYC May 15, 2011

After attending The Makeup Show at the Metropolitan Pavilion this May, I was inspired to start my own beauty blog. Over the past few years I've become beauty obsessed and needed a place to share my beauty rants and raves. What's a better way to start a blog then with an event? That brings me to the makeup show.

This was my first time attending the makeup show and I was super excited. The Makeup Show is a pro-only event that features two fun filled days of anything and everything makeup. It also features education seminars, new product launches, and special two day only discounts (Who doesn't love discounts?!) It's a definite must to attend if you love beauty.

If you like more info visit http://www.themakeupshow.com/.

As of right now, the makeup show takes place once a year and goes to L.A., NYC, Chicago, and Europe. The Chicago event is this upcoming weekend and the one in Europe is in September.

This year was packed with over 3,000 people by lunch time.

I caught this workshop as I was walking in:

I was excited to see what the MAC Pro booth would have:

The Temptu Pro booth was amazing. I was excited to see what they had to offer since I already have their Temptu airbrush machine.

I was thrilled when I heard NARS was going to attend. Unfortunately since it was their first year attending, they had nothing for sale. They were, however, previewing their Fall 2012 collection and signing up attendees for their pro card. Their pro card is still in the process of being created, and they weren't sure when it would be finished. I can't wait to receive that one.

I LOVE Make Up Forever and obviously I am not alone. The MUFE booth was PACKED. At 40%, I could definitely understand why. I wanted to pick up a few items, but I could barely get in. I think maybe next year their area should be much bigger.

A makeup artist from MUFE was doing some amazing artistry on this model:

Found another model along the way...

Who doesn't love Crown brushes?

I was happy to get to play with makeup from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. I initially wanted to pick up a few lip tars, but got easily distracted by their gorgeous loose colors.

Anastasia in action:

Inglot & Youngblood:

On the second floor of the makeup show, I found a brand I'd never heard of Xotic Eyes. I was intrigued by all the glitter (sparkles are so pretty) and I had to check it out.

I wanted #2 and #7:

If you love glitter and body art, this is definitely for you.

After hours of shopping, I was super tired.

Here's what I came home with. Not bad for my first makeup show.

Tips if you're heading off to a makeup show:

1. Save up some $$$! Most booths are extremely discounted and this the perfect opportunity to pick up all your beauty supplies. If you are working on a kit or just looking for some makeup for yourself, make sure to bring enough cash. Many brands do take credit credits :-)

2. Dress Light: It was extremely crowded and hot, so be prepared to get overheated and wait on long lines. Get your game face on.

3. Bring a snack: There wasn't much food choices and I got hungry half way through the day. Bring a few snacks, water, and even a sandwich for when you feel hungry.

4. Print out a map: It's important to know where everything is and who you don't wanna miss.

5. Make a shopping list: I made a list before I got there, so I'd know ahead of time what I needed.

6. Have fun: This is a great time to meet people and network with others in the beauty world. If you are a makeup artist, bring extra business cards.