December | 2011 | mystylelixir

NYE Nails

Happy New Years Eve!!! And happy birthday to my baby brother who is visiting me in L.A. for the big celebration. He turns 24 today!

We got a crew together to go out to Beso in Hollywood tonight. Since my friend bartends there we get a little bit of the VIP treatment, yay! I usually don’t do NYE in Hollywood but I gotta show the bro a good time!

I just finished my nails for the night. I used 3 coats of this shimmery black polish because it was kind of watery. Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend it, but it was $1.99 and I’m saving my money for birthday shots. For a little NYE sparkle, I put 1 coat of silver glitter on just the tips of my nails.

Have a safe and amazing New Years!!

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December 27, 2011

Sparkling Snow Polish

I wanted to be festive with my nails during the holiday season so I brainstormed some options. I almost went with a red polish and green glitter tips but then I thought I’d be really annoyed by them after a couple days. Inspired by sparkling snow, I set off on a drug store journey to get some white polish and chunky silver glitter polish.

I was at Target with my Mom and I found this ‘Lavender Cloud’ color that was white with just a tint of lavender, very pretty. I was torn between that and just plain white but my Mom said that this color was more unique so I should get it instead. DONE.

Unfortunately, there weren’t ANY chunky glitter polishes at Target. They had plenty of regular glitter colors but not what I wanted. The wild goose hunt was about to begin.

The next day I went with my Dad to run some errands and I had him stop at CVS. No. Frickin. Glitter.

Honestly, I was shocked. It’s the holidays for christ sake. They should be all about glitter polishes, right? I thought maybe since I was in suburbia Massachusetts the variety wasn’t as ‘on-trend’ or something. Either way, I was losing hope.

The next day was Christmas Eve, my last day to find this polish. My ‘Ah-ha’ moment came when I remembered that there was a Sally Beauty Supply up in New Hampshire next to Walmart and they opened at 9am. I was there at 9:15am. I was certain that they would have plenty of options. WRONG! I began to feel a headache coming on so I turned to the lady that worked there and asked her “Do you have any of that chunky glitter nail polish?” She went around to the side of the register and pulled out this mini-bottle of chunky silver glitter polish! THANK YOU GOD!

Two coats of Lavender Cloud and two coats of glitter, finished with Seche Vite dry fast top coat (the best top coat ever). The results were exactly what I wanted. Pretty, sparkling and perfect for the winter.

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December 26, 2011

Great Gifts

I woke up at 7:00am to my niece cooing in her cradle…which happened to be in the room I slept in. I tried to snooze through it until the coo became a cry and then I had to succumb to the little booger and get up! (P.S. I’m staying at my parents house in Massachusetts for the holidays and we’re babysitting for my sister today).

To my great surprise, with a late night and plenty of booze, I’m not hungover! Just a very large cup of coffee away from feeling normal.

I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas (or holiday). I know I did. There was a moment where I thought I was going to get a White Christmas, but then the flurries disappeared…boo!

Anyways, I got a lot of great gifts this year and I just wanted to share a few, why not? Here’s my list:

GREAT GIFT: JEWELRY BY GORJANA

I absolutely LOVE Gorjana jewelry! I would buy every single piece if I could. The style is chic, modern and effortless. The thing I love the most about this brand is that they strongly believe in giving back to the community as well as donating and sponsoring charitable foundations globally. Gorjana.com

1. Reversible Alphabet Necklace

2. Cancer Research Institute Necklace

3. Lace Hoops

GREAT GIFT: SUPER LUSH LIPS

I’m pretty sure I’ve tried over a hundred different lip balms in my lifetime. The reason for this is probably because I’ve never been 100% satisfied with the results. Since I have switched over to natural products, my options became limited.

While Christmas shopping with my dad, I got dehydrated and told him I needed to go into Sephora to put on some lip balm and spritz my face with some hydrating mist. (He didn’t understand why a bottle of water wouldn’t do the trick…I guess it makes sense in the long run but I needed instant hydro…ok fine…and a little fix for my beauty product addiction).

My original plan was to find some balm and hydro mist, apply, spray and get outta there before I spent any money. Operation:FAILED. As I was applying some balm by Korres, a lovely lady approached and asked me if I needed help. I instantly felt guilty and figured I would test her knowledge.

“Um, yeah I’m looking for an all-natural lip balm that will make me forget about all other lip balms. What’s the best you got?”

Long story short, my dad ended up in line at Sephora and I ended up with this amazing product in my Christmas stocking. So far, this stuff is doing the trick. The whole Super line by Dr. Perricone is worth checking out!

Super Lush Lips by Dr. Perricone

GREAT GIFT: SWEATPANTS

I desperately needed sweatpants. I only have 1 pair and they’re mens and they’re falling apart. I was so excited to get 2 pairs, yay!

The first pair are from a California-based company called Aviator Nation. They make vintagey, surfer-cool sweats and t’s. I got the Bolt sweatpants and they’re super cute! If you order them online just make note that they have a slim fit and you should probably order a size up.

The second pair are from The Gap and they are great. I wore them yesterday and I’m wearing them now. My sister got a pair for her birthday this year, fell in love, decided to pay it forward with me, and now I am sharing with all of you. GET. A. PAIR.

1. Aviator Nation, Bolt Sweatpants

2. The Gap, GapFit Tonal Fleece Pants

GREAT GIFT: ORGANIC BODY CARE

Every year, my brother gets my sisters and I bath & beauty products. Typically, we get the same thing but in different flavors. Well, this year I was the ‘diva’ who requested natural beauty products and my poor lil bro was stumped. I ended up giving him a little list of ingredients that I DIDN’T want on the package:

NO parabens, phthalates, sulfates, synthetic fragrance, petrochemicals, or propylene glycol

He did such an amazing job! My favorite product that he got me is this organic coconut oil. It comes in a hardened form, almost waxy. When you scoop out a little bit and rub it in your hands it just melts into your skin, so yummy! I used it after my shower yesterday and it was lovely and left a lingering tropical scent on my skin that wasn’t overbearing.

The only ingredient is 100% mechanically (expeller) pressed unrefined organic coconut oil. This is definitely my new moisturizer.

Spectrum Organic Unrefined Coconut Oil

GREAT GIFT: THE BEST BRA

The ‘Feathers Underwire Bra’ by Natori is by far one of the best bras ever made. If my word isn’t enough, then check out the reviews. On Nordstom.com it got 5 out of 5 stars from 35 viewers.

I really hate wearing bras. I wish I could wear my cotton bra from American Apparel every day but unfortunately, my bombs aren’t small enough and I’d be bouncing around everywhere.

I went to Nordstrom a couple months ago because I needed a flesh-colored bra for my Halloween costume (I was wearing a nude bodysuit and the bras that I had were more cream than nude, so they stuck out under the bodysuit and I didn’t like that). I also wanted this bra to be cute since it was going to be semi-visible.

I lucked out and got a fabulous little sales girl with Bra knowledge to spare! She grabbed me a dozen bras and put me in the fitting room. After a few failed attempts, she grabbed me the Natori bra in a cream color. I didn’t even want to try it on because of the color, but I did anyway. Yup, I fell in love. Insane comfort and support AND it was pretty. I was about to get depressed because it wasn’t the right color, but then the sales girl knocked on the door and handed me the same bra in the most perfect, fleshy tone. SCORE!

This bra is so amazing that I had to have it in black too. It also comes in Red, as shown in the pic. If you’re looking for the best bra, then go try this one on…seriously.

Natori Feathers Underwire Bra

GREAT GIFT: ELECTRONIC TOOTHBRUSH

I went to the dentist a couple weeks ago so I’ve been on a ‘healthy teeth and gums’ kick. I had an electronic toothbrush before but it was a cheapy one from Target and it ended up dying on me. I’ve been using regular brushes and I don’t feel like they clean my teeth as efficiently as an electric one does. My dentist confirmed this, so on my Christmas List it went. My dentist also told me that when purchasing a toothbrush, you should choose one with a round-shaped head for the best results. I ended up getting the Oral-B Professional Care 3000 which has 3 brushing modes and a pressure sensor that lets you know if you’re brushing too hard.

Oral-B Professional Care 3000 Rechargeable Toothbrush

So there it is, a few of my favorite gifts. If you have any great gifts that you got, please share!

December 20, 2011

Falling Whistles: For Peace in Congo

Last week a woman with long, pink hair came into my store. She was dressed in all black with some bad-ass shoes and a really cool trench coat. When I was ringing her up, I noticed her necklace…it was rugged and urbane and I wanted it. I said “I love your necklace, is that a whistle, where did you get it?” And she told me.

The necklace that she was wearing is from a non-profit organization called Falling Whistles, a campaign for peace in Congo.

‘The Democratic Republic of Congo is home to our world’s deadliest war since WWII. Over the last decade more than 6 million people have died, and nearly 1,500 people continue to lose their lives daily. Sexual violence is more rampant here than anywhere else in the world, and thousands of children are involved in the war. Why?’ Click here to read more…

I’m always an advocate for buying things for a purpose…for a cause. As soon as I got home that night I looked it up. The story is mind-blowing and is told as a journal entry by the author, Sean Carasso, who journeyed into the Democratic Republic of Congo on what was meant to be a short stop. It was there he heard of children too small to carry a gun, who were sent to the front lines of war armed with only a whistle.

The Falling Whistles campaign was born in response to that journal entry.

December 19, 2011

Pastel Beauty Queen

The forecast for Spring 2012 is pale blue sky’s, peachy horizons and minty fresh air…in other words, a sugary-sweet palette of the yummiest pastels for an innocently feminine look. I love, love, love pastels! They conjure up images of Marie Antoinette, Laduree macaroons, rainbow sherbet and cotton candy. What’s not to love?

This color trend (continued from Spring 2011) has already made its way to the hair salons. Celebrities and daring trendsetters have been spotted with everything from pale streaks of lavender to peach tips to a full head of bright blue (a la Katy Perry). I even see the younger teens in the Valley bombing around with pink streaks!

I’ve been contemplating whether or not I want to adopt this trend. I actually tried it out for the first time about 6 years ago. I had a bright pink layer at the back of my neck but you could only see it if I pulled my hair up. I’m definitely digging the peach tips that Lauren Conrad has or the pink wash that Katy Perry just got done.

The rational side of me would get the colored clip-ins that you can find here…and then I don’t have to worry about damaging my fragile ends! We’ll see…if I try it, I’ll post about it in the future.

One trend that I absolutely WILL be trying is pastel make-up. There are some great collections being launched in early 2012 such as ‘Candy Face’ by YSL and the Givenchy Spring 2012 Collection.

What do you think about this trend?

mystylelixir

Month: December, 2011

December 31, 2011