I’ve added a few new pieces to my closet for spring that I thought I’d share with you all! My favorite thing about the season is that I get to be more creative than, say, in the winter or the summer. It’s such a transition season and it’s not all about the pastels and florals; there’s so much more room to play! So I’ve been picking out pieces that I’ll be using to jazz up my spring wardrobe.

The first addition are these incredibly non-Forever-21-looking loafers from Forever 21!! I was on the Forever 21 website and these loafers really caught my eye, specifically that faux zipper trim. Without the trim, which is actually a pretty minor detail, I don’t think I’d be quite as interested in these. I’ve been looking for good menswear pieces for my wardrobe and these loafers are just perfect. The best part? They’re just 30 bucks. And they’re actually really well made… You would never guess they’re from Forever 21!

Next up is a bag I spotted at Bloomingdale’s while I was shopping around for a wallet. I don’t have very many crossbody bags, so it was a combination of necessity and pure aesthetic perfection that drew me to this beautiful Rebecca Minkoff bag. It’s got the perfect amount of detail in the fringe and the studs to make it fun and interesting without being overwhelming. The fact that it’s a flat bag, too, makes it great for concerts, festivals, or just a casual day out where you might be walking a lot.

The loafers weren’t the only shoes I picked up from Forever 21! For Valentine’s Day I always get together with my college roommates for a little party, and one of the girls, Lauren, was wearing these super cute booties. When I asked her where they were from, she said Forever 21, and I immediately got my phone to start shopping, ha! Now these are the perfect booties for the spring: I can see them with a boho type dress, denim cut offs, jeans, skirts… There’s so much you can do with these. It’s an extremely comfortable shoe, and also rings up at about 30 dollars!

Finally, there’s an entirely new outfit from Zara in my closet! This is where spring style can get interesting, because I was able to throw in a scarf and a deep color like olive in the mix and still keep the entire look season appropriate. I love everything about this look; it’s slouchy and cozy but still gives off a strong, solid vibe. The skirt, especially, is one of my favorite elements in this look because it’s got two additional panels on the sides over the actual skirt. In fact, I tailored this skirt quite a bit… It used to be about 4-5 inches longer! But since the top is oversized I wanted to keep the bottom as mini as possible. And those gladiator sandals! I’ve always had a hard time with these, but I feel like I finally found a pair I could make work with different looks. Given that they’re a taupe/nude shade, it’s less overwhelming than a darker gladiator sandal might be. The brick scarf, olive/khaki skirt, and taupe/nude sandals make this outfit earth-tone perfection!

Just uploaded a new video to my channel! A lot of you loved that I listed affordable alternatives in my last video, so I’m going to continue doing that for every video where I use more prestige products! See below for drugstore/affordable alternatives:

Murad Invisiblur Perfection Shield (NYX Pore Filler)
Elcie Cosmetics foundation in Natural (L’Oreal True Match Foundation)
Beauty Blender (FantaSea Cosmetic Blending Sponge)
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger (Maybelline Fit Me Concealer)
Laura Mercier Powder (NYX Studio Finishing Powder Translucent Finish)
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer (elf Studio Pressed Mineral Bronzer)
Sephora blush in Rose Glow (Rimmel London Lasting Finish blush in Live Pink)
Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Duo (elf Baked Highlighter in Moonlight Pearls)
Smashbox 24hr primer (Wet n Wild Take On The Day eyeshadow primer)
LORAC MegaPRO palette (LA Colors 16 Color Eyeshadow Palette in Sweet)
Makeup Geek Eyeshadow, In The Spotlight (NYX Prismatic Shadow, Golden Peach)
Make Up For Ever Ink Liner in Black (Revlon ColorStay Liquid Eye Makeup)
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara (L’Oreal Miss Manga Voluminous Mascara)
Eyelure false eyelashes in #117 (this is a drugstore item)
NYX Brow Gel in Chocolate (this is a drugstore item)
Girlactik Star Gloss in Just Nude (L’Oreal lip gloss in Nude Ballet)

Just wanted to pop in and say Happy International Women’s Day! We live our day to day sometimes overlooking the fact that we take on so much in this life; so many sacrifices, so many challenges, and each time we come out stronger than before. To my readers, I wish you all the success you work so hard for. Being a woman isn’t easy, especially if you’re one who dreams big. (I hope that’s each and every one of you!) But for all that we endure, we also get to experience some of life’s most beautiful gifts.

I salute you, ladies!

Mmmm, mm! I sit here entirely too excited to write up this post. But who wouldn’t be when the topic is chocolate?!

If you’ve been following my YouTube channel, you likely know that the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer is my absolute favorite. I’ve been using it for a very long time and haven’t strayed from it simply because it’s the perfect matte bronzer. It has just the right tone and it’s velvety soft to blend. But, of course, we come in all different shades, and though the Chocolate Soleil is a nice color for most complexions, it’s definitely not 100% suitable for all.

Enter Milk Chocolate Soleil and Dark Chocolate Soleil! Too Faced now has two more versions of the Chocolate Soleil Bronzer, one lighter and one deeper. I’m not only excited that there’s now a wider range of shades to satisfy practically every complexion, but this gives us more to play with!! I’m a big fan of using a lighter bronzer as a transition color, then going in and adding more definition with a darker shade, so I would use something like the Milk Chocolate and then go over it with the classic Chocolate Soleil. This will create a more seamless contour and allow the darker shade to blend more easily. It’s the same idea as when you apply eyeshadow: First you apply the transition color to the crease, then build on it with darker colors to make it easier to blend.

Look forward to seeing these in my videos very soon!

I’ve had my eye on so many different fringe pieces lately… Bags, jackets, and even shoes. And it’s no wonder I’ve got fringe on the brain: It was very popular on the spring 2015 runway! So as a recent fringe magnet, I’ve been collecting a few fringe pieces for my closet.

Last  year I shared a pair of fringe booties from Carmen Steffens, and just last week I showed you some new pieces I’d recently acquired including a fringe cross body bag by Rebecca Minkoff, but this next fringe piece tops them all: The Exclusive for Intermix Fringe Leather Skirt. The minute I laid eyes on this skirt I just could not look away! It’s about as unique a design as I’ve seen in pretty much any skirt, and the way the fringe moves when you walk is just stunning. That’s when it looks its best is when I’m walking and you see the fringe swinging about… It’s definitely something to see! I don’t believe I’ve ever been so enamored with a clothing item and it’s all due to the movement.

I’m looking forward to wearing this skirt possibly next weekend for a dinner celebrating the Create + Cultivate event in Los Angeles, (I’ll be speaking at the summit on Saturday, see more information here!) and I will likely layer a top over the skirt for a very different vibe than I have in these photos. Here I went for a more conservative look with a tucked in white blouse and a lightweight dusty blush trench coat from Mickey’s Girl. (If it were possible, I’d design my entire life in a black, white, and blush motif.)

I finished off the look with my Carolinna Espinosa sandals, which I’m currently obsessed with! For a look that’s otherwise simple with the blouse and the coat, I liked the fringe and cage style combined. For a really chic look, I pulled my hair back into a low chignon, and threw on my Dita Paradis sunglasses.

Let me know what you think of the look!

Contouring has become one of the biggest trends in beauty, taking sculpting and refining our facial features to a whole new advanced level! Thanks to Sephora, there are now tons of contouring products all in one place for us to choose from and, what’s more, they’ve got an entire contouring guide to help those of us who haven’t quite jumped on the contour wagon yet!

I get it— if you’ve never tried to contour your face, it can seem a little daunting. But even I sharpened my contour skills when I took a look at Sephora’s easy-to-follow contouring guide and was inspired to update you guys with a pictorial guide that I hope will help you. The first thing to keep in mind is that every face shape is different, therefore the contouring on each face will be different. I have a heart shaped face, with most of the width around my cheekbones and the top half of my face, and then a nice taper at my chin and jawline. My face is naturally pretty sculpted and, personally, I tend to like to elongate my face just a bit, so I most of the contouring at the outer edges of my face. Always keep that in mind: If you have a thinner, more sculpted face, take it easy on the contouring, and if you have a fuller face… Go to town!

For this pictorial, I used the Cover FX Contour Kit, which I’m so excited about! Cover FX is one of my absolute favorites in makeup, and I was thrilled to see they’d released a contour kit. I used the G Light-Medium, mostly because it has the golden undertones. The range of colors would work for the lightest light to a nice, solid medium complexion, which I’m closer to. To apply the colors, I used the SEPHORA COLLECTION PRO Contour Highlight #80 brush for both the highlight shade as well as the contour shade.

Step-by-step guide:

1. First, I applied my Urban Decay Naked Skin foundation in 4.0 to my moisturized skin. It’s a nice lightweight foundation so the finished look won’t end up looking too heavy!

2. Of course, you want to start with the highlight first, so I applied the highlight shade (#1) under my eyes, under my cheekbones alone my jaw, at the center of my forehead, and a bit around my mouth. These are the spots I want to stand out and catch the light.

3. To narrow down the sides of my forehead and the widest part of my face, I contoured along my hairline and my cheekbones just by my ear with shade #4. Remember: Contouring recedes, highlighting projects!

4. Once I had the highlight and contour in place, I went in and blended out starting with the highlight, then carefully blending with the contour lines to create a nice, seamless look.

5. Finally, I set the makeup with my Laura Mercier Loose Transclucent Powder and applied my SEPHORA COLLECTION Colorful Blush in Rose Glow.

That’s really it! The one tip that I think is really important is to start with very little product first, because you can always build. And if you’re stuck on what areas of your face to contour, head over to Sephora’s site and check out the easy-to-follow guide! You can also walk into your nearest Sephora store and their skilled staff will give you a FREE Contour Mini Makeover to breakdown of how to contour your face and which products to use. No appointment necessary, just walk right in!

This post was sponsored by Sephora and Style Coalition.

Just uploaded to my channel is a 20’s inspired makeup look! I don’t typically do themed makeup, mostly because I’m afraid it’ll turn out too costume-y. But in this case it was fun challenging myself to create a wearable look incorporating a soft smokey eye and a deep red lip.

Here’s everything I used to create the look along with more affordable dupes:

Elcie Cosmetics Foundation in Natural (L’Oreal True Match Foundation)
Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer in Medium & NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard (Maybelline Fit Me Concealer)
Laura Mercier Powder (NYX Studio Finishing Powder Translucent Finish)
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer (elf Studio Pressed Mineral Bronzer)
NARS Blush in Outlaw (Sonia Kashuk Beautifying Blush in Melon)
Motives Eyeshadow in Vanilla (NYX Nude Matte Eyeshadow in I Have A Headache)
Motives Eyeshadow in Cappuccino (NYX Nude Matte Eyeshadow in Maybe Later)
Motives Eyeshadow in Chocolight (NYX Nude Matte Eyeshadow in Betrayal)
Motives Eyeshadow in Sweet Plum (NYX Hot Single Eyeshadow in Fetish)
Motives Eyeshadow in Tahitian Red Earth (NYX Hot Single Eyeshadow in Heat)
Motives Eyeshadow in Whipped Cream (NYX Hot Single Eyeshadow in Pixie)
Urban Decay Perversion Pencil (Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner Pencil)
House of Lashes Pixie Luxe false lashes (Ardell Demi Wispies)
Eyeko Black Magic Mascara (L’Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara)
Dose of Colors matte lip color in Merlot (Revlon Matte Lipstick in Really Red)

All UD: I’m wearing the Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup in 5.0, Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer in Medium, Ultra Definition Loose Finishing Powder in Medium, Ultra Definition Powder Foundation in Dark for my contour, and the Ultra Nourishing Lip Gloss in Lovechild. (The gold freckles are from Mr. Kate.)

For me, the second most important element to my beauty routine (after stellar skincare, of course) is my base. My foundation, concealer, powder, highlight… All the things that create the flawless face. Not surprisingly, I’ve searched high and low in search of the best of the best! In the last few months I’ve been on a new routine that leaves my skin feeling exactly how it should: Naked.

One of the most brilliant moves Urban Decay has ever made was developing their Naked Skin collection. For a product line that’s very much known for being bold and edgy, they’ve really demonstrated their versatility in creating skin products that produce a natural and weightless look and feel. The first product I tried that blew me away was the Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup: I wasn’t quite prepared for how truly thin the consistency was and how much coverage I got out of it. It feels like basically nothing on my skin, yet all of a sudden my complexion is even and free of flaws. I find this foundation to be medium coverage with a buildable quality to it that still doesn’t compromise its weightlessness. As a first ever, I give this foundation a 10 out of 10. Why the perfect score? The range of colors caters nicely to olive skin, which is rare!

Moving on: The Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer. Before I got my hands on this, I was quite obsessed with the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, and I was pretty sure that was going to stay my favorite because it was as close to the perfect concealer as I had discovered. The outcome? I haven’t touched my NARS concealer in weeks. The two are neck and neck for the #1 spot, but I just can’t get myself to stop using the Naked Skin concealer! Perfect coverage, lightweight, blendable, and just the right shade. (I use the Medium.) To put it simply, it’s everything I’ve ever looked for in a concealer.

Which brings me to the Naked Skin Ultra Definition Loose Finishing Powder. If you know me, you know I am not a fan of powder. But when I find one I like, I’m all but shouting from every rooftop about it! There’s something revolutionary about this super micro fine powder, as it’s completely different from any other powder I’ve tried. It seems to disappear into my skin as soon as I apply it, leaving it looking filtered. It doesn’t mattify, it just perfects. Often times adding a powder over makeup all of a sudden makes the whole thing look heavy and obviously powdered, even working with a light hand. But this stuff, I have to say, is primo!

There’s plenty more to explore in the Naked Skin collection, these are just my favorites. Check out more of these awesome products here and get naked!!

Ahhh, it’s springtime. In LA the weather is warming up and I’m starting to notice people everywhere are spending more time outside! As we get closer to sunset I’m seeing my neighbors are out taking a stroll, walking their dogs, and I can smell that some are already firing up the barbecue. This is the life.

This is the time of year when being outdoors becomes the norm once again, which makes me exceptionally happy! I personally love taking my beach cruiser out for a ride, and just today I learned how to successfully ride on a longboard. (Not the one in the ocean— the skateboard!) This being my choice in lifestyle, it comes as no surprise that my personal style is quite simple and focused on comfort. More and more during the warmer months you’ll see me putting my sexy heels away and opting for more functional footwear, swapping my chic designer sunglasses for my classic wayfarers.

This is a prime example of my style during my outdoor ventures whether I’m out to lunch or walking my pups: A simple, soft tee, a pair of relaxed fit shorts, and comfortable sneaks! Here I’m wearing the new Double Up Keds in a fresh and spring-appropriate Pomegranate Raspberry color. When I think of Keds, it takes me back to my Drill Team days in middle school where my team was required to wear those classic, crisp white Keds to every competition and parade… The memory truly makes my heart smile! All these years later, to be walking Keiko around my neighborhood wearing a fun new style from Keds, it brings me to a good place where simplicity is once again all that matters.

And speaking of simplicity, Keds has partnered up with eos to create a bundle called the Keds Double Up EOS, where you get an eos lip balm (I have one in every bag, as I suspect many of you probably do, too!) color coordinated with your choice of Keds. In fact, these three new designs are actually inspired by the flavors of the eos Smooth Sphere Lip Balm Collection! You have your choice of the Pomegranate Raspberry, Blueberry Acai, and the Passionfruit. You can shop the limited edition Keds x eos Collection exclusively at ShoeCarnival.com… Happy Shopping!

Tee: Splendid  |  Shorts: The Gap  |  Shoes: Keds  |  Sunglasses: RayBan

FTC: In partnership with Keds x eos.

“The glow” is something we’re all after when it comes to our skin. Those of us who are more fair with cool undertones go for that hint of pearly goodness, and us deeper skinned gals usually aim for that golden glow. But no matter what your complexion, we all want that lit-from-within look!

A glowing appearance comes in two forms: The first is from leading a healthy, active lifestyle and really taking care of your body, and the second is with a set of killer products! Personally, I’ve made some lifestyle changes recently, including making nutrition a priority. One big change I’ve also made is hitting the gym again; I got myself a trainer and I’m back at it! In just two weeks, I’m already noticing such a change in how I feel and how I look. I haven’t worked out in a few years, and in such a short time I’m already feeling so much stronger and seeing that lively glow come back to my skin. I’m feeling re-energized and my skin is reflecting the positive change!

Just in time for this awesome lifestyle change, (and for the spring and summer) I got my hands on a set of products from Guerlain to try out. I’ve always known Guerlain for their selection of brilliant bronzers. (They launched the first bronzer more than 30 years ago, so they know a thing or two about the glow!) In fact, recently I watched Scott Barnes do a makeup demo and someone asked what his favorite bronzer was, and it was no surprise to me that he answered, “Terracotta”. So I was thrilled to receive a selection of bronzers as well as some other goodies from Guerlain, which I’m currently swooning over! Not surprisingly, all of their products are just as spectacular as the bronzers. But what I really appreciate about the collection is that they incorporate several types of bronzers to really get that multi-dimensional glow. Below you’ll see a photo of me with just a clean makeup look, then you’ll see another photo of me with my Guerlain bronzers in action! Marcus Monson, National Makeup Artist for Guerlain, created a face chart for me to guide me to a perfectly bronzed, glam look. I followed his steps to achieve what I’m calling my current favorite look!

Get The Look

First, I applied the Météorites Primer, which gave me a glowing base to begin with, then I followed with Lingerie De Peau foundation in Beige Naturel 03.

To brighten up my under eyes, I used the Precious Light illuminator in 02. This shade has a peachy tone to it so it canceled out any darkness, and then I followed with 01 to add more brightness to my under eyes and the bridge of my nose. To set all of this, I used the Météorites compact in Medium, which illuminated my skin ever so slightly for the most subtle and natural glow!

Next up I took two of the Terracotta 4 Seasons Tailor-Made Bronzing Powder, the first in #03 and the second in a deeper shade #05. You guys know I like to use a transition color even with bronzer, so I started out sweeping the #03 palette over the contour areas of my face, then I went in with the #03 palette bronzer and added more detailed contouring.

Now for the even more fun part! I moved on to the Terracotta Light Sheer Bronzing Powder in #05 and swept this lightly all over my face to give it that bronze glowing veil. That’s what I love about the Guerlain bronzers: You can layer a few different products and still get a very natural and stunning glow. I used the Sheer Bronzing Powder as my blush, too! I’m a big fan of using bronzer as blush just because it keeps it all within that neutral theme.

For my eyes, I kept it very neutral with Guerlain’s eyeshadow quad in #07 Les Cuirs, Khôl Me Kajal liner, (which I smudged out for a more diffused appearance) and Maxi Lash mascara on the top and bottom lashes. And, finally, I lined my lips with The Lip Liner in #42, followed with KissKiss lipstick in #366 Fall In Rose, and topped it all off with the Maxi Shine Lip Gloss in #401 Praline.

You can see the bronzer and the additional products really amped up the glow factor comparing the ‘clean’ makeup photo and the bronzed photo! I’m a sucker for a bronzed goddess look so this, to me, is the perfect look, especially with the warmer months just around the corner. Let me know what you think of this look and if you have any favorite Guerlain products!

Disclosure: The post was sponsored by Guerlain and Style Coalition.

If you follow me on social media you probably saw that I attended the premiere of Avengers: Age of Ultron last week! I’ve been to several smaller premieres and screenings, but this was my first time attending a big premiere and I couldn’t have been more excited.

If you’re familiar with the film or really anything from Marvel, you know I was in for an action packed night. I actually spent extra time trying to figure out what to wear because all I kept thinking was, What would a superhero wear tonight? I tried a few dress options that just turned out to be a little too docile for the occasion, so finally I came up with something a little more fierce. I paired an edgy asymmetrical skirt with silver detailing with a faux leather sleeveless crop top for sort of a ‘tough girl’ kind of look! Of course I had to throw on my favorite cage heels to complete the look, and I just grabbed my little black clutch with studded details. The outfit was at the same time simple and bold!

For my hair and makeup, I opted for something a little glam with a neutral color palette. I went for my usual browns and golds on the eyes, but I added a winged liner and some false lashes to really amp up the drama. A bold contour and some nude lips, and the look was complete! To keep with that edgy theme, I traded my usual soft waves for a sleek low ponytail with my hair parted sharply down the middle.

As for the film, I’m surprised to say that I laughed a lot and actually shed a couple tears! It’s definitely not short on the action (and super cool effects and fight sequences, might I add) but it packs so much more depth than just the suspense of a superhero movie. I watched it with my friends Jessi and Desi, so it’s definitely suitable for a girls’ night out, but it’s really the perfect date movie, too! And can we talked about the stacked cast?! Robert Downey Jr. alone is reason enough to see it, but every single actor on board simply nailed it. (And one of my favorite actors of all time, James Spader, was actually the voice of Ultron so the film gets extra points from me!)

Let me know what you think of my look for the premiere, and be sure to check out Avengers: Age of Ultron in theaters May 1!

In collaboration with Marvel.

You know I’m all about nudes, so a new set of affordable nude eyeshadow palettes makes me very happy! I get inquiries all the time about featuring more affordable makeup options, so I’ve got two new palettes to share that won’t break the bank: The L’Oreal Paris Colour Riche La Palette 1 and 2.

The range of colors in each of these palettes makes it easy to create everything from the softest and most subtle eye look to the most dramatic of smoky eyes. There’s also a nice combination of warm shades with a few cool shades mixed in as well as matte and shimmer shades to give each option a diverse palette. Nude 1 offers a more classic range of nudes with gold, champagne, and brown tones, and Nude 2 mixes in a few more cool tones like aubergine, a deep mauve, and taupe.

Can’t decide between 1 and 2? The price point of each of these palettes is friendly enough that you can pick up both! I recently teamed up with L’Oreal to create a look with each palette: A daytime look and a date night look, which I’ll share with you very soon, so stay tuned!

For now, head to your nearest drugstore to check out these brand new palettes, each priced at $15.99.

One of the most popular makeup items in the last few years has been the coveted neutral eyeshadow palette. And why? Because you can create so many different looks with just one palette, from soft and natural to dark and dramatic. Of the most popular palettes out there, though, there hasn’t really been a good affordable option… Until now!

I had a chance to shoot a couple quick tutorials using the L’Oreal Paris Colour Riche La Palette Nude 1 and 2, which are L’Oreal’s answers to the popular nude tone palettes out there, but at a fraction of the cost.

I enjoyed playing with each of these palettes, admiring the range of darks and lights, mattes and shimmers, and warm and cool tones. As far as range goes, they hit the nail on the head! I created one daytime look, which was very minimalist and fresh, and one date night look which is perfect for an evening out. I had swatched the shadows before shooting the tutorials, but I only tried them on my eyes for the first time on camera and found them to be nicely blendable with good color payoff.

Have a look and let me know which look you like best! These palettes ring up at just about 15 bucks each, which is a steal for this many eyeshadow options. And to read more about my experience with La Palette Nude, check out the write up on StyleList.com!

All UD: I’m wearing the Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup in 5.0, Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer in Medium, Ultra Definition Loose Finishing Powder in Medium, Ultra Definition Powder Foundation in Dark for my contour, and the Ultra Nourishing Lip Gloss in Lovechild. (The gold freckles are from Mr. Kate.)

For me, the second most important element to my beauty routine (after stellar skincare, of course) is my base. My foundation, concealer, powder, highlight… All the things that create the flawless face. Not surprisingly, I’ve searched high and low in search of the best of the best! In the last few months I’ve been on a new routine that leaves my skin feeling exactly how it should: Naked.

One of the most brilliant moves Urban Decay has ever made was developing their Naked Skin collection. For a product line that’s very much known for being bold and edgy, they’ve really demonstrated their versatility in creating skin products that produce a natural and weightless look and feel. The first product I tried that blew me away was the Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup: I wasn’t quite prepared for how truly thin the consistency was and how much coverage I got out of it. It feels like basically nothing on my skin, yet all of a sudden my complexion is even and free of flaws. I find this foundation to be medium coverage with a buildable quality to it that still doesn’t compromise its weightlessness. As a first ever, I give this foundation a 10 out of 10. Why the perfect score? The range of colors caters nicely to olive skin, which is rare!

Moving on: The Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer. Before I got my hands on this, I was quite obsessed with the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, and I was pretty sure that was going to stay my favorite because it was as close to the perfect concealer as I had discovered. The outcome? I haven’t touched my NARS concealer in weeks. The two are neck and neck for the #1 spot, but I just can’t get myself to stop using the Naked Skin concealer! Perfect coverage, lightweight, blendable, and just the right shade. (I use the Medium.) To put it simply, it’s everything I’ve ever looked for in a concealer.

Which brings me to the Naked Skin Ultra Definition Loose Finishing Powder. If you know me, you know I am not a fan of powder. But when I find one I like, I’m all but shouting from every rooftop about it! There’s something revolutionary about this super micro fine powder, as it’s completely different from any other powder I’ve tried. It seems to disappear into my skin as soon as I apply it, leaving it looking filtered. It doesn’t mattify, it just perfects. Often times adding a powder over makeup all of a sudden makes the whole thing look heavy and obviously powdered, even working with a light hand. But this stuff, I have to say, is primo!

There’s plenty more to explore in the Naked Skin collection, these are just my favorites. Check out more of these awesome products here and get naked!!

There’s nothing I love more than fresh flowers around the house. It’s such a pleasant sight and it brings life to any space! When I have the time, I typically get a fresh set of flowers every two weeks or so either for my desk or the coffee table where the light streams in from the window. But flowers, as we all know, can get pretty pricey! And no matter how good they might look arranged and wrapped in paper, sometimes it gets stale putting them in the same boring vase.

I decided to get a little crafty with this week’s flowers and now I’m hooked! This takes barely any time at all and it costs so little money I almost feel guilty!! If I told you the little bouquet in my photos cost me roughly $13 to make, would you believe me?? Well, believe it. Here’s my secret: The Ralph’s by my house carries possibly the most gorgeous flowers around! The same bouquet on big flower sites or any flower shop in town would cost anywhere from $40-$60… More than I’d like to spend if I’m getting fresh flowers two or three times a month. And on top of that, I love that I can get creative with the subtle decoration around the vase.

So here’s what I did: I headed out to Ralph’s and bought two bouquets, one white and one peach, each with a dozen roses. Each bouquet cost me $9.99. (That wasn’t a typo!) Then I headed to the craft store and got myself two medium size Mason jars and a roll of skinny rope cording. I got home and trimmed up the roses and fit 10 in each jar, then took about a yard and a half of the cording and wrapped it around the mouth of the jar. I finished the look with a simple knot and let the remaining parts of the rope just hang for a nice rustic look.

So the roses rung up at $9.99, the jars at $1.40, and a giant roll of the rope cording that I can use over and over again was $6.99. If you’re doing something like a backyard party and want to create simple centerpieces, these are both gorgeous and very easy on the pocket book!

Makeup and hair is always fun to talk about, but as we all know there are so many other things in life that make us happy, healthy humans. We go about our lives possibly not affected by certain things simply because they don’t exist in our lives, but I see it as my duty to raise awareness about such things as mental health, with which the majority of us has at least some experience with (self, family, friends, acquaintances) but don’t really speak about.

For reasons I can’t possibly understand, mental health in our society carries a stigma of shame and embarrassment. In the year 2015, after all that we’ve gone through as a people, the stigma is still there! But the more we can take it upon ourselves as individuals to educate ourselves (and others) and talk more openly about it, the better off we’ll be in creating a stigma-free society where people who deal with mental health conditions can thrive. We’re talking about something chemical that happens in our bodies that we just can’t help; no one should feel shame for that or feel like that can’t step up and ask for help.

A stunning setup at LA’s The District.

I was delighted to attend a luncheon earlier this week hosted by Philosophy (one of my favorite brands), E!’s Morgan Stewart, who is possibly the most charming and funny woman I’ve heard speak, and NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness. I also had the pleasure of bringing one of my dearest friends, Dr. Narineh Hartoonian, an accomplished psychologist and partner at Rowan Center for Behavioral Medicine. She’s always been such an advocate for helping people with mental illness live stigma-free, so I couldn’t think of a better person to bring as my guest. Among other guests, we heard from Katrina Gray of NAMI, who gave us shocking statistics about people who struggle with mental health issues:

• 1 in 5 Americans are affected by mental illness in a given year.
• Only 41% of adults in the U.S. with mental health condition received mental health services in the      past year.
• 22 veterans die by suicide every day.
• Approx. 26% of homeless adults staying in shelters live with serious mental illness.
• Approx. 50% of students age 14 and older with a mental illness drop out of high school.
• Suicide is the 10^th leading cause of death in the U.S.
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death of our youth – 90% of those who die by suicide had an underlying mental illness.

If you don’t know anything about mental health, these statistics are a great place to start. And you might think you can’t do anything to help people dealing with these types of issues, but what we can do is so simple: First of all, educate yourself; it can affect any one of us or our loved ones. And second, exercise kindness and patience with people you encounter. Katrina said during her speech that the one thing the people she spoke with who were getting treatment had in common was that “someone was nice to them, someone cared,” and that’s why they had the courage to get help. That’s all it takes, my friends! Lets make this an open, honest, and nurturing conversation so that no one feels ashamed to come forward and get the help they need.

Take a moment and visit NAMI.org to learn more about what this grassroots group is doing to help people battling mental conditions.

Natasha Bedingfield; as sweet as she is beautiful and talented.