Last month I was in New York for a national satellite media tour. During the five-hour marathon of interviews, I spoke to about 30 stations (TV and radio), answered all of their beauty and style questions and shared a few tips for staying on track in the New Year. Here they are!
Mark your calendars! A Beauty Girl event you don’t want to miss featured on Refinery 29. (RSVP to rsvp@boldfacechicago.com)
Wondering what to do for your next mani? I reveal the hottest nail trends on Fox’s “Good Day Columbus.”
Thank you to everyone who came to The Beauty Girl’s and The Bump Club and Beyond’s first ever Girl’s Night Out this past Tuesday at Hub 51. We hope you filled up on the food (I’m still dreaming about the mini hamburgers and yummy Crumbs cupcakes) and drinks and felt relaxed and rejuvinated after your hand massages and neck lift treatments courtesy of Clarins and manicures and brow shapings provided by Exhale. Congrats to all the raffle winners! Enjoy your new $600 Bugaboo stroller, $300 Furla bag, $500 worth of Clarins skincare, suite of Phyto products, 1-month membership to Exhale and other prizes. And, we hope the $200+ worth of goodies like the gift certificate for a haircut and blowout at Charles Ifergan, Phyto haircare, Clinique makeup, Clarins skincare, Priti NYC polish, MD Moms treat, free fitness class and more in your gift bag was the perfect end to a great event.
Below are the highlights from my presentation on time-saving beauty secrets and a gallery of photos recapping the night’s festivities. P.S. Hope you can come to Saks on Michigan Ave. Feb. 17th from 6-8pm! I’ll be talking about spring beauty trends and offering one-on-one advice. Plus, there will be music, wine and special gifts with purchase!
The Beauty Girl’s Best Time-Saving Beauty Secrets
No one needs to know you’re tired, have a zit or fine lines. Do what the celeb makeup artists do for their clients: conceal and highlight. Lorac Double Feature is an amazing two-in-one, and I love the blender ball on top.
Hair accesssories beef up a busted ponytail. L. Erickson headbands are especially chic and you can see all the styles on www.franceluxe.com
Screw nail polish remover. Sula polish looks great, saves time and is so fun to peel off, it’s addicting!
Bootie Pies are one of my favorite inventions. They’re so comfy and practical for pedicures because they let you skip the drying time.
I’m a huge fan of Clarins skincare and love that it’s so natural. Some of my must haves are the The Beauty Flash Balm, Body Treatment Oil (the brand’s #1 seller) and Stretch Mark Control, which any pregnant woman will appreciate.
Like Clarins, Phyto haircare is based in naturals and its formulas actually work. Highlights are the Phytovolumactiv volumizing spray, a hairstylist staple backstage at fashion week, Phytocyane treatment, which was developed to help peeps like pregnant women who experience temporary hair loss post delivery, and the Phytodefrisant relaxing balm, which squashes frizz to give you a beautiful blowout
Berry lipstick = facestick. Wear a berry shade on your lips, cheeks and lids. Clinique Butter Shine lipstick in raspberry rush, which was in all of the gift bags, is a pretty example of this hue.
When you’re too tired to wash up, wipe away makeup, oil and the day’s grit with makeup remover wipes. Stash them on your nightstand.
Quick fixes like the Goody Spin Pin and dry shampoo like Suave’s new one, which is only $3, will save you from a bad hair day.
Me with my amazing co-host Lindsay, founder of The Bump Club
Lots of mingling and smiling going on.
Whether you were preggars, single or a mom, there was something to eat and drink for everyone.
Filling up on delicious eats including sushi, grilled cheese, mini gourmet burgers, tacos, and more, thanks to Hub 51.
Guests enjoying manis from Exhale.
Exhale also provided brow shaping services.
Everyone got to unwind with amazing hand massages and neck lifts from Tina, a Clarins skincare specialist.
We had about 100 women come to Sub 51 at Hub 51 for Girl’s Night Out.
That’s me about to share my time-saving beauty secrets.
Raffle prize winner showing off the hundreds of dollars worth of Phtyo haircare products she’s going home with.
Come to our Girl’s Night Out event and you may leave with a $300 black Furla bag like our winner here.
Yeah for Jaclyn, who won a 1-month membership to Exhale.
We’re all smiles for the winner of $500 worth of Clarins products that includes a full skincare regimen, makeup and body products.
Perfect timing! The winner of the $600 Bugaboo stroller is about to pop.
Congrats to Lauren, who won a basket of treats including dry shampoos, cleansing wipes and a book.
Yes, that’s my hand reaching in for the insanely yummy Crumbs cupcake.
All guests left with $200+ of goodies in reusable gift bags.
HOPE TO SEE YOU AT SAKS ON MICHIGAN AVE! Enjoy wine, music, and, if you spend $100, an easy task when it comes to beauty products, you’ll leave with this hot snakeskin-print tote in turquoise or coral filled with deluxe samples.
I’m on the hunt for a great deal as much as anyone else, which is why my local drugstore has become one of my staples for beauty products, including skincare. I’ve also included some fun behind-the-scenes photos below.
Sam Champion and Al Roker are broadcasting from Chicago. You know what that means. Here comes the snow! We’re expecting to get a history-making amount dumped on us. As the inches pile up, we’re socked with a snow day and a case of cabin fever.
In times like these, boredom can make us do things we wouldn’t normally do. Like, I may take out my crockpot for the first time since receiving it over a year ago for my wedding and cook up some tortilla soup. Or, if the house arrest makes my hubby kooky enough, I may try and convince him to let me wax his back with a new at-home hair removal tool I’ve been wanting to test out. Ah, the perks of marrying a beauty editor!
So you see, the city shutting down can be an incredible window of opportunity. I’ll be honest, my inner Betty Crocker won’t be coming out because I don’t even think she’s in me. But, I can think of a million other things I’ve been meaning to get to (choosing pictures for my wedding album, trying out the new nail colors, spring makeup and hair products waiting for review, cleaning out the guest bedroom, etc., etc., etc.) but never find the time for. So, along with the drama that this blizzard brings is a little gift of sanity. Mother nature has cleared our schedules, and now we can catch up on some extra me time guilt free. Enjoy!
What will you be doing during this white out?
View from my window.
View from my window.
View of my neighborhood.
View of my neighborhood.
Word of the Week: Ombre [Ohm-bre]
A fancy word for a hair coloring technique where the color goes on darker at the root and then fades into lighter and brighter highlights on the mid-shaft and ends. Note: Ombre hair color should NOT leave you looking like your roots have grown out. The key to getting this trend right is making sure the deeper shade at the root is soft and gradually bleeds out.
“The great thing about ombre is, it can be subtle and natural or bold and brazen,” says Marisa Moon of NYC’s Sam Brocato Salon. But let’s be real. Unless you’re like Niki Minaj (right) and performing in front of thousands of fans, if you take this style too far, no one will take you seriously. Instead, follow the lead of stars like Jessica Biel, Drew Barrymore and SJP, who rock gorgeous ombre highlights.
Wondering if you’re a candidate for this popular hair trend?
Aside from our dog, my husband and I don’t have any kids…yet. However, I do wonder, when the time comes and we’ve got little ones running around, will we have a favorite? I’ve never met anyone who has admitted they have one but are they lying?
For pretty much everything else in life, we all have favorites: a favorite food, movie, stuffed animal, song, and of course, beauty product. Granted, these are all material things. But, when it comes to beauty, I take my favorites seriously. So, when I tweeted over the holidays that I was heading to Florida and packing a new skincare line that was just sent to me, I didn’t expect that I’d fall so hard for it. Since that trip last month, I’ve been to St. Barths, Columbus and New York and Tata Harper Skincare products have accompanied me on every leg.
