My hair usually stays in a perpetual state of middle-part-beachy-waves. Part of it is that I’m so used to the style, but I also feel really comfortable in my casual loose waves! But lately I’ve been feeling a little more adventurous with my hairstyles, so I’ve got a lot of new hair guides and tutorials coming your way soon, beginning with a new partnership with Garnier Fructis!

I flew to New York City to shoot a quick and easy video tutorial with the Garnier Fructis team featuring a sleek, high ponytail. You won’t see me in ponytails much, and much of the reason is because I have so many little flyaways and baby hairs, and they’re so hard to tame! But with the right combo of products I was able to snatch back that ponytail for a super sleek look.

Here are the tools and products I used to achieve the look:

1. Fructis Sleek & Shine Flat Iron Perfector
2. Fructis Sheer Set Hairspray
3. A flat iron
4. A flat brush
5. Hair elastic

Starting with clean, dry hair, I sprayed the Fructis Flat Iron Perfector all over my hair to protect from the heat while I styled. Then, I began flat ironing my hair until it was sleek and smooth.

Next, I sprayed Fructis Sheer Set Hairspray onto my brush and started brushing my hair up into a tight ponytail, being sure to brush out any bumps. And here’s a tip: When you’re brushing up the back of your hair, tilt your head back instead of forward as you brush. That way when you return your head to upright position the hair in the back will be nice and taught! Spraying the brush with the Sheer Set Hairspray will eliminate any static as well.

Finally, with a hair elastic, I secured the ponytail high up on my head. Taking a piece of the ponytail, I wrapped it around the hair elastic and secured it with a pin behind the ponytail so it was hidden. I sprayed my hair once more with the Sheer Set Hairspray to lock in the style, and that’s it!

Don’t forget to check out the full video on the Garnier YouTube channel, and be sure to follow @GarnierUSA for more style ideas.

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A couple of weeks ago I started packing up and getting ready to head out to New York Fashion Week once again! I made my rounds to some of my favorite showrooms and visited some of my favorite brands, and of course I had to hit up one of my tried and true favorites: bebe. Ever since my first partnership with bebe for Valentine’s Day 2015, I’ve consistently found stellar pieces for different occasions. So, naturally, it made sense to partner up with bebe once again for NYFW!

I visited their Los Angeles showroom and tried on different combinations of two piece outfits, dresses, and some outerwear. Like always, there were the clear favorites that stood out. Among them was a two-piece trouser and crop top set which oozed modern sophistication.I ended up wearing this to the Daily Front Row Fashion Media Awards with sleek, straight hair and a gold statement choker. This actually might be my favorite outfit of this bunch from bebe; it’s classic, current, and sexy all at the same time! And the little details like the lace at the sides of the top and the double straps at the shoulders just added a little more flavor to this all-black look.

I also picked up a gorgeous camel coat at bebe. Even though it wasn’t quite coat weather in New York City, I was dying to wear it! I paired it with a simple button down short sleeve top and a pair of bebe denim. A top knot, aviator sunglasses, and some casual heels made this the perfect “street style” look. It’s the kind of coat that’ll pair well with a work dress just as well as it would with jeans.

The faux leather dress was another favorite for me! The material was nice and lightweight, and the cut was perfection. It hugged and contoured at just the right places, giving my body sort of an enhanced shape. It’s simple and still edgy; perfect for NYC.

And, finally, I picked up a dress that was very different from the others! The magenta and purple print is an absolute eye-catcher, but the plunging neckline and the opening in the center to reveal tight black shorts just under the skirt make this the most unique piece. I added a belt that I got from bebe early this year; it added nice separation between the low V neckline and the peek-a-boo shorts under the sheer, flowy skirt. This dress is anything but basic, and while I tend to stick to more understated style, it was a tough one to pass up!

That wraps up the recap of my bebe style at New York Fashion Week. I’m eager to see what bebe comes up with next!

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If you love having soft skin and being wrapped up in a delicious, irresistible scent, keep reading! I had the unique opportunity to travel to Paris and Grasse with Caress Body Wash to learn all about the making of perfumes and the fragrances that go into their body washes. Caress is a brand that I’ve used on and off for years, and after discovering more from their range of fragrances, I’m hooked!

Our journey began in Paris, where we enjoyed a leisurely evening before heading out to the Givaudan fragrance house the following day. We got a crash course on all things fragrance, from the different fragrance families to which base, mid, and top notes combine well together. Walking through Givaudan, we got to see all of the most popular fragrances they’ve created from brands all over the world, (there’s a good chance your favorite perfume was made there!) and we also had a chance to observe two perfumers in the making as they worked. The best part of the visit was when we got to play perfumer ourselves! Caress gave each of us a bottle of their Sheer Twilight fragrance, an enchanting, warm scent that’s available in body wash form, and asked us to play with base, mid, and top notes to try to create a close match. I’ll tell you this: Perfuming is no easy task! You need just the right balance of the different notes to create a well rounded fragrance. But after playing perfumer for the day, it was time to pack up and head to the fragrance capital of the world: Grasse.

It was in Grasse that we visited a fragrance museum and learned all about the history of perfumes as well as explored some of the most famous fragrances in the world. Once we wrapped up walking through the museum and checking out the exhibits, we reconvened for more fun activities with Caress! It was then that we learned about some of the new fragrances that Caress just released, including my current favorite: Enchant Forever. It’s the single most delicious scent! From the minute I squeeze it out onto my pouf in the shower, you can just tell how rich and decadent it is, not just in fragrance but in formula. The in-shower experience itself is so luxurious but once I step out of the shower, that’s when I really notice the body wash at work. My skin is instantly super soft, and the fragrance is embedded in my skin and I get pleasant whiffs of it throughout the day! But Enchant Forever is just one of 13 thoughtfully made body washes with fragrances made by the world’s premiere perfume experts.

Considering how Caress body washes are crafted and their 50 year history in fine fragrances, what makes them even more unique is the price point: The body washes and bars retail for under $7 and as low as $2.67! It’s the most accessible luxury experience you can find for a memorable shower and beautifully scented soft skin.

To learn more about Caress, visit HouseofCaress.com and explore more of their irresistible fragrances. And see more of my adventure through France with Caress in my travel diary below!

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Your first time visiting a new country is always memorable, but my first trip to France was one for the books! I had an opportunity to attend the Cannes Film Festival and visit Paris with Dessange and learn more about their products. Admittedly, I had only used a few products in the prior months, so I was eager to find out more about the brand and visit their iconic salon in Paris.

Our first stop in France was in the coastal town of Cannes, where they were holding the annual Cannes Film Festival. We had a chance to see one of the films starring Kristen Stewart and witnessed the madness surrounding the festival. We also visited the Dessange suite at our hotel to learn about their new launches, and this was where I got really excited! Their product range is so different from what I typically see, most especially from mass market products, and there were several that I had my eye on. One product they’re going to be releasing in early 2017 is a green colored treatment for brunettes. Yes, green! For those of us who have dark hair, it’s hard to lighten without getting brassy tones, so the green is excellent for canceling out any brassiness in darker hair. Hopefully I can get my hands on it soon and show you how it works!

Another product that I personally loved was the Dessange Purifying Clay Pre-Shampoo Mask. Unfortunately, prior to my trip, I got a Brazilian blowout that left my scalp peeling off, (new person, don’t ask! It looks like I had dandruff for days. Ugh.) so when we arrived at the Dessange Salon in Paris, they had just the remedy for me. They applied the Purifying Clay Pre-Shampoo Mask all over my scalp and that in itself was such a nice experience because it cooled and soothed my scalp. When they rinsed that out, shampooed and conditioned, and blow dried my hair, there wasn’t a trace of peeling scalp left! I wasn’t expecting to get instant relief like that but they knew exactly what to do to fix me up. After my treatment the staff at the Dessange Salon proceeded to style my hair, giving me big, bouncy waves, and that completed my experience at Paris’ most well-known salon!

Since I’m learning more about the Dessange product line, I also want to give you guys a chance to try them out and learn more about them, too! You’re going to be seeing a lot more of Dessange in the US very soon, so I’m doing a giveaway to give 5 winners a chance to win their entire line! Head over to my Instagram (@tenipanosian) to see how you can enter to win!

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For the ultimate natural, flawless look, luxury makeup is where it’s at! Thoughtfully formulated and artfully arranged, Givenchy Beauty has always been one of my top favorites in high end makeup. (My love affair with their Teint Couture foundation continues to this day.) To my delight, Givenchy Beauty just sent me a couple of products I haven’t tried yet!

Now, I have to admit: I’ve never been a fan of powder. The primary reason being that there aren’t powders out there that have the right texture to give me a natural, non-two-dimensional look. So when I received Givenchy’s  Le Prisme Visage Silky Face Powder Quartet, I had my reservations. Short lived, of course, because as soon as I tested it out I remembered why Givenchy is one of my favorites! The formula includes a silk extract that makes it so velvety soft it almost makes you wonder how it actually stays in pressed form. You can immediately feel it the instant you swirl your brush in the powder how exceptionally soft and smooth it is. The powder comes in a quad, combining four colors that, when swirled together, make the perfect shade to liven up my complexion. I also like to use them individually sometimes, dabbing a bit more of the peach shade around my cheeks and using a little more of the darker brown color in my contour spots. My aversion to powder comes from the fact that most powders simply end up looking like powder; but the Givenchy Le Prisme Visage highlights, contours, and brings life to my face and still keeps it looking natural and subtly flawless with a soft, satin matte finish.

On to the lips! This was another unique experience for me because I hadn’t tried the Rouge Interdit Vinyl in Noir Révélateur, and I hadn’t actually seen a color like this before. I pulled the tube out of the futuristic packaging and twisted up what looked like a dusty mauve/purple shade. I applied the lipstick to find that it was a sheer, shiny berry shade with just a subtle hint of color. Not only is the formula that includes black rose oil super moisturizing for my lips, making them look full and supple, but the color is so unique.

One light coat gives me a sheer shine, and when I apply a little heavier, that berry shade begins to develop. I find it very hard to wear a sheer berry tone on my lips given my coloring and my strong features; it just never looks right on me. (It’s the kind of color and finish I’ve only ever seen fair blondes with blue eyes pull off well.) But in this case, Noir Révélateur looks like it was made to match me! It was a pleasant surprise to finally find a sheer berry lip color that I can wear with very minimal makeup or pair with a strong eye makeup look if I wanted to.

Overall, I’m thrilled with the Givenchy Le Prisme Visage and the Rouge Interdit Vinyl in Noir Révélateur; combining the two, I created the perfect minimalist makeup look. And the fact that I used so few products really speaks to how well each of these does its job!

FTC: I wrote this review in partnership with Givenchy. All opinions are my own!

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Ah, the holidays. We’re in the thick of the most festive, fun, and arguably most busy time of year! Company parties, family gatherings, in-laws, friends, events… And the holidays naturally tend to be a time when we step outside the ‘everyday’ box and venture out into more bold makeup looks to keep with the festive vibe. Luckily, Clinique’s newest eyeshadow palettes is all about options: The Unwrapped Indulge in Color Eye Palette is one way you can create different looks for different events this holiday season from just one palette.

When I opened the palette I was immediately drawn to the harmony of the colors; the deep shimmering aubergine, bold matte charcoal, and rich bronze/copper blend, among others, immediately got my mind thinking up different eye makeup looks. Each color is so pigmented that you can use just one shade over your lids for a pop of color, or blend a few together for a softer result.

I came up with two of my own looks with the Unwrapped Indulge in Color Eye Palette that could work for the most minimalist gal to the most glam babe. Each is still soft and wearable but still provide two distinct looks.

Look 1

Winged liner using eyeshadow

I love creating a winged liner shape using eyeshadow because it’s not as bold as using something like a liquid eyeliner, but still gives that beautiful shape.

Step 1. Begin by applying the pale pink eyeshadow in the palette all over your lids to give it a uniform matte color.

Step 2. Taking the shimmery gray/purple shade, start right at your lash line and map out the shape of a winged liner. This softer color will provide the blue print for the darker color I apply next.

Step 3: Taking that deep charcoal shadow, go over the wing and just intensify the color. Cover less are with this darker shade to maintain that soft almost ‘faded’ look.

Step 4: To clean up the edges and create a nice sharp wing, take a pointed cotton swab and clean up the outer edge of the liner.

Look 2

Soft smoky eye

A romantic smoky eye look is classic and perfect for the holidays. A look like this will kick up the drama for any holiday party!

Step 1. Begin by applying the shimmery pewter shade all over your lids up to your crease.

Step 2. Taking the deep purple shade, apply it only to your crease, from inner corner to outer corner.

Step 3. To add extra definition, take the matte charcoal shadow and concentrate this color just at the outer corners of your lids.

Step 4. Take the shimmery copper eyeshadow and apply this just to the center of your lids.

Step 5. Finally, apply the shimmery pewter shade to your bottom lash line as well for an extra smoky look.

FTC: This review and demo was made in partnership with Clinique and Byrdie.com

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