Valentine's Day Shopping Ideas

Valentine's Day is only 2 weeks away, which means you need to set up your plan and shop now!
Whether you are shopping for something special for your Valentine's date night, buying a V-Day gift for a BFF, or spoiling yourself (because you DO deserve it!!), here are some ideas to get you started.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillowtalk.

This is the perfect pinky-nude shade. Not only is the color gorgeous, but Charlotte's Matte Revolution lipsticks are really lovely to wear. (which is why I talk about them a lot!). They don't dry your lips out like most matte lipsticks, instead they keep them hydrated and beautiful.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in The Queen.

I love this shade for spring! This one is a cerise shade that will really fire up blue and green eyes. My absolute favorite lip shades at the moment are all red-crimsons, cerises and raspberries. I wear them everyday.

A Berry toned lace bra from Undies.com

Don't you love this color??? I would wear it under pretty much anything. You can always channel your inner french girl and wear it under a white blouse for maximum effect!
Undies.com has a Valentine's sale going on right now, with 30% savings.

AUrate is a company on all the fashionistas lists at the moment.
(In fact that's how I found them). Pronounced OR-rate, as in to speak, this super chic brand is a breath of fresh air to the gold industry. They make quality, chic products at an affordable price. Not your grandma's gold, but still, pieces that are timeless.

I love their Asymetric Pearl Cuff for it's simplicity and it's beauty.


I found this limited edition Rosa Mundi Diptyque candle on 
Space NK.com. 

It has Damascena, the damask rose and Centifolia, the May rose, as well as notes of currant and bergamot. 
It's beautiful.

Love Relentlessly. Isn't that just the perfect mantra for Valentine's Day?? I was given this new Tory Burch fragrance just before Christmas, and I love it.

Let's face it, who among us doesn't want to Love Relentlessly??
You can find it online at Bloomingdales.

The LOVE T-Shirt from Kule. Nikki Kule's eponymous line of super cool striped T-shirts are famous for their french girl chic. I've written about Kule before (read here).

In light of everything that just happened, Kule is donating 30% from every sale of a LOVE T-shirt to the ACLU, an organization committed to defending the rights of all people, regardless of the color of their skin, their nation of origin, the way they pray or who they love.

The Foreo Luna is a revolutionary T-sonic face brush and anti aging system. 

The Luna gently exfoliates dead skin cells, unclogs the pores, clears away any makeup residue, and improves the absorption of your skin care products. 

Nicole Kidman's Makeup Golden Globes 2017

Nicole Kidman is guaranteed red carpet gold.
She understands the medium, has the panache to pull off any look she wants, whether she is going classic old Hollywood or avant garde nouveau.

I was really disappointed with many of the red carpet makeup looks this golden globes. The looks I liked from a distance looked like un-powdered drag up close. But Nicole's makeup was on point. Probably because of her collaboration with one of my favorite makeup artists, Charlotte Tilbury.

I found the breakdown of Nicole's makeup on People.com

Here is an exerpt from the original article, written by Juliann Ruffo

Nicole Kidman's Glam Squad Takes Us Inside Her Globes Prep

At Sunday night’s Golden Globe awards, Nicole Kidman continued her reign as a red carpet queen, opting for a metallic, sequin encrusted Alexander McQueen gown with statement sleeves and equally dazzling hair and makeup. And because we needed to know exactly how to re-create her look, we tapped her pros — who shared their secrets.

Makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury tells PeopleStyle of the inspiration behind her makeup look, “Her look is dreamy, ethereal, and has a little bit of a rock chick kind of edge to it. She’s wearing a beautiful Alexander McQueen dress that’s tulle and silver, its dreamy.”

Image via People.com

To prep Kidman’s skin, Tilbury applied her new sheet mask, which launches next month, and she describes as an “instant celebrity facial.” Then, she applied her world famous Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, followed by her Magic Foundation.

Next, the pro filled in Kidman’s eyebrows with a brow gel, before moving onto her eye shadow. First up? The champagne shade from her Uptown Girl eye shadow palette, followed by the minky grey shade all over her lids and underneath her lower lash lines.

image via People.com and Charlotte Tilbury

Then, in order to create the metallic sheen on Kidman’s lids, Tilbury used the glittery silver shade from her  Rock Chick palette, applying it all over the lid using her fingers. “It really plays with the light and picks up the light really beautifully,” she says, adding that she then added a wing with a charcoal grey eye liner, and lined her waterlines with a shimmery brown pencil.

To top it all off, Tilbury added a few swipes of Full Fat Lashes mascara, a bit of contour on her cheeks and temples, and blush on the apples of her cheeks. On her lips? “Kidman’s Kiss — a color that I specifically mixed for her. It’s her favorite lipstick,” Tilbury says.

How To Transition Your Look From Work To Cocktails

I was asked this week about transitioning from work to cocktails.
Of course this is super pertinent right now with all the Christmas/Holiday parties and events that we have to run to straight from work, with no time to go home and get changed.
In fact I had to do it myself today.

I'm a big believer that you need to plan it out beforehand, and you need to keep it super simple, very chic, and always make it look effortless.

A key piece in every closet is a killer pair of black pants. 
Find a pair that is the perfect cut for your shape, in the best fabric you can afford. Take them to a tailor and get them altered to fit you exactly. There are a million ways to style a great black pant.

While writing this I am feeding my Revolve.com addiction, so here are 2 great pairs of black pants that I just clicked the heart on.

This first pair is a new arrival, the Lurelly Flared Pant. It's perfect if you need a little swish to your step. You can see it here

The second pair is a Biker Leather Pant from Anine Bing. 

Isn't this leather pant just killer??? See it here

With your black pants as your base, start your day with a simple, clean makeup, wear your hair loose and free, and throw on a simple but cool t-shirt or top.

For the flared pant try a slim fitting t-shirt like this white Ramones Seal T. Simple, cool, chic. See it here

For the biker leather pant try something flowy like this LA Made Portabella Turtleneck T. See more here.

Seal the deal with a cool boot like this Magdalena Ankle Zip Boot from Doc Martens. See more here.

So now that your day look is easy chic lets look at a super quick transition to cocktails.

Using your black pants as a base choose either a body suit like this Rachel Pally Coty body suit

Or try a blouse with some drapey movement that looks both effortless and incredibly chic, like the Sophie blouse

Keep your jewelry simple and understated with this wickedly sleek and sophisticated Gold Bar Necklace from Rachel Zoe fave, AUrate.

You need to change into an evening shoe, so choose something sky high like this "So Kate" Pointy toe heel from Christian Louboutin. 

I found this shoe on Nordstrom.com

Sweep your hair up into a high pony, bun, twist - any easy updo that takes about 2 minutes to do.

After a long day at work one of the best ways to revitalize your look is to add a glow to your complexion. Juice up your cheekbones with Smashbox Halo Highlighting Wand. 

Once you have your glow on add some color with a cream blush such as Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick in Formentera 

and then set the night on fire with a bold lip. Try Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips in Hel's Bells

The Most Searched Lipstick Shade Of 2016

Do you follow The Zoe Report?
I get it in my inbox every day, I follow The Zoe Report on Instagram, and at the beginning of each season I receive the Rachel Zoe Box Of Style.

I recently read this article written by Andrea Navarro on The Zoe Report, and thought it was fabulous.

Red has long been the reigning lipstick color in the beauty world—it has the uncanny ability to take nearly any makeup look from plain Jane to bombshell status in an instant. However this year, a new shade has given the classic rouge a run for its money. According to an annual report conducted by Polyvore, searches for nude lipstick skyrocketed by 553%, making it the most searched color this year. This trend could mean that consumers are opting for more toned-down beauty looks, as nude hues are meant to resemble one’s natural lip color. To honor the newly crowned lipstick shade, we’ve compiled some of our favorite nudes for you to shop now.

image via @bitebeauty

Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Hineycomb $32

Liquid Lipstick In Ashton, Anastasia Beverly Hills, $20

Yves Saint Laurent Pur Couture Lipstick In Beige Ingenue, $37

Be Legendary Lipstick in Famous, $21

Giorgio Armani Lipstick in 202, $37

Stay All Day Matte'ificent Lipstick in Palais, $22

Sinner Lipstick in Bare Nude, Lipstick Queen $24

Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Lipstick in Hepburn Honey, $32

The Coveted List December 2016

How is your end of year wish list looking?
I love making Christmas lists. actually I love making lists of things I want all year long!
This month we are channeling our inner french girl, drinking great tea and airbrushing our complexions to perfection.
Enjoy!


Eberjey Gisele PJs in red.

I found these on Revolve.com, a totally fabulous fashion website that has everything you can imagine from intimates to shoes to clothes to accessories. The Revolve store in Los Angeles counts many celebrities as regular clients, and one of my personal favorite fashion it girls, Chiara Ferragni.

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse

French girls swear by this multi purpose oil that you can use on face, body and hair. 
Skin literally begs for oil during the winter. If your face is feeling dry or your body needs hydration anywhere, this glorious lightweight oil works magic. I love to put on a couple of drops before bed at night and wake up to a smooth, hydrated face that takes makeup beautifully and looks like it's glowing from within.
You can find Nuxe products online at Scarlet and Julia

Breville One Touch Tea Maker  from Teavana.com

Cold winter days (and nights!) call for hot cups of tea. I love buying Teavana teas with all their fantastic flavor combos, and the perfect way to make them or any other tea is with this tea maker. It heats the water to the right temperature, lowers th tea basket into the water, lets it steep, then raises it at the right time so your tea never gets bitter. It then keeps your tea hot for 60 minutes.

Jus By Julie 5 Day Jus Til Dinner Cleanse

Prep for the holidays with a 5 day juice cleanse. This one is great because you get to eat too. 4 juices throughout the day followed by a healthy meal. Jus by Julie juices are all vegan and non GMO. The reviews are fabulous.
Available online at JusByJulie.com

Kule The Modern Long Sleeve T

Nikki Kule's striped T's are the ultimate in french girl chic. Dress them up, dress them down they are always uber chic.

Check the website, Kule.com and get inspired by her story.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Red Carpet Red Lipstick.

Still my favorite red lipstick! December is the perfect month to kill it with an absolutely amazing red lipstick, and this is the one to wear. Matte lips are great in the winter, they look fantastic and are easy to wear, but for many of us mattes just dry the lips out too much, so we avoid them. One of the things I love about the Matte Revolution lipsticks is that they are super hydrating, so your lips look luscious, and of course Charlotte's colors are incredible.

Red Carpet Red is a classic, old Hollywood red. It is the ultimate red lipstick.

Available online at CharlotteTilbury.com

Temptu Holiday Perfection Set

This is super cool. You get the personal airbrush pod system with a bottle of foundation, a blush and a highlighter.

There is a product color selector on the website to help you get your perfect shade as well as the right shade of blush and highlighter for your complexion.

The personal airbrush system gives you instant, effortless skin perfection. You mist on just the right amount of foundation with perfect coverage, getting an even, flawless application that is still sheer enough that your makeup doesn't look caked on.

The holiday set is on sale online at Temptu.com reduced from $325 to $258

Tory Burch Marion Flap Shoulder Bag In River Rock

This suede shoulder bag is perfect.

River rock is a fantastic alternative to standard black or regular browns. The bag is chic, modern, looks equally killer with jeans and a t-shirt or an LBD. The suede finish is cool, the chain strap evokes a little Chanel magic, and the bag itself is a classic.

Find it online at Bloomingdales.com

Let It Glow, Let It Glow, Let It Glow! 3 Products For Luminous And Radiant Winter Skin

image by Kelly Cappelli

During fall and winter your skin tends to look a little flat and dull.
Bronzers typically look orangey and somewhat odd on winter complexions, and most highlighters look shimmery or glittery and make your winter skin look crazy.

On my speaking tour for Luca Magazine I talked about adding glow to your complexion, and I've had so many messages from ladies in my audience asking me to go back over the products I talked about.

I posted last week about the gel bronzer that I use every single day,
read about it here. Today lets look at the three products I swear by and use both myself and in my pro makeup kit to make the complexion glow:

3 Amazing Products For Luminous And Radiant Winter Skin

Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow

I'm crazy about this product! When I want an all over glow to the skin, not as a wet look, but a healthy gleam that looks like sunshine beaming out from within, I use Charlotte Tilbury's Wonderglow. 
It doubles up as a pre-makeup primer, or on days when I don't feel like wearing makeup I wear it alone. 
Available online at CharlotteTilbury.com $55

Marc Jacobs Glow Stick Spotlight 700

I love this one for running highlight along cheekbones, collarbones and shoulders. Highlight shouldn't be sparkly, it should illuminate and radiate, and this product makes the skin luminous and glowy.
The stick form makes it easy to swipe it across the skin, but I prefer to use a duo fiber makeup brush. You can apply the Marc Jacobs Glow Stick Spotlight 700 either before foundation or after, (or both!), and can make it a subtle glow or ramp it up to a super sheen - you're in charge!
Available online at MarcJacobsBeauty.com $42

Radiance Glow Hydrating Starter 

At  half the price of the others the Pony Effect Radiance Glow Hydrating Starter brightens and illuminates the skin, giving it a gorgeous glow while hydrating it and minimizing fine lines and wrinkles. It also acts like a primer, smoothing the skin and readying it for foundation. You can wear it alone or under makeup.
This product sells out quickly. If you like it order a second one sooner rather than later.
Available online at Memebox.com $21