10 Tips To Avoid Holiday Makeup Mistakes

We all want our party makeup to look flawless and fabulous all night long, and to be chic and current without leaving us looking like a fashion victim, so here's a little guide to avoiding Holiday Party Makeup Mistakes.

1.) Exfoliate.
Makeup will never look gorgeous when the skin underneath is dry and flaky. Cold weather dries skin out, so at this time of the year it is more important than ever to stay exfoliated.
Use an enzyme mask before applying your makeup. Remove with a warm wash cloth and follow with an intense moisturizer, or a serum and moisturizer.

2.) Avoid The Oilslick!
Just as a dry, flaky complexion is a beauty buzz-kill, so is the super slick, super shiny, oily T Zone.
Use a pH balanced cleanser such as Pamela Springer's Natural Radiance Bar with a Clarisonic for a deeper, exfoliating cleanse that will remove excess oil and congestion. The only shine we want to see on the face is that which we have strategically placed ourselves!

Clarisonic Mia Limited Edition.

3.)Prime your skin.
You'll get more mileage out of your foundation if you are well primed beneath it. Give your moisturizer 15 minutes to really settle in to the skin, make sure there is no film left on the surface, (lift of with a single ply tissue if there is) and then apply a good primer, such as Makeup Forever HD Primer.

4.)Use An Eye Shadow Primer

An eye shadow primer will help your shadow to hold better and look fresh even at the end of the night. Try Nars Smudge Proof Eye Shadow Base
Make sure the entire eye area, including the lower lash line is well powdered and set so that makeup doesn't move








5.) Keep Glitter Under Control

Jennifer Lopez always works a dewy sheen without glitter

Avoid large fleck glitter - it looks infantile. Instead opt for luminizer, such as h.wood.beauty Illuminate in Sunshine (on my "can't live without" list). Apply lightly to the upper cheekbones and bridge of the nose to give the skin a healthy, dewy glow. If you're looking tired pat a tiny amount under the eyes for an instant revitalizing boost!

6.) Don't Mix Metals
Metallics are huge this season, but need to be worn alone. Silver and gold really don't mix well on your face - if you have a fairer complexion silvers and grays will look good, if you are medium through warm complected golds will look gorgeous. Avoid looking like the Tin Man by choosing one area of the face, such as the eyes, and keep your metallics there.

7.)Avoid Mascara Flakes and Smudges
There's no time like now to invest in a new mascara! If your current mascara is dry and flaky, its time to toss it and get a new one. Try a water resistant formula like MAC Pro Lash. Waterproof is great if you're planning on swimming or sobbing, but otherwise avoid their tar like formulas. Water resistant mascaras wont smudge and will hold beautifully all night long.

8.) Go Easy On Lipliner
As the evening progresses your lipstick will wear down. Overstated lip liner looks plain silly, and as the rest of your lip color wears down it looks plain awful. Line/shape your lips with a liner that matches your lipstick, then pat your lipstick on with your finger, blot, and reapply, creating a deep stain rather than a surface slick.
It will last longer, wear more beautifully and need fewer touch ups.

9.) Don't Forget Your Nails!
Choose a fun, bold, bright color for your nails, such as OPI I'm Not A Waitress red. It can be the detail that brings your look together, whereas bare nails can be the detail that leaves you looking incomplete. Its all in the details...

10.) Bring Blotting Papers.
Instead of dulling down your look by caking on extra layers of powder, use blotting papers to lift away any surface oil. This will help you to look fresh faced without excess shine.

Lulu Powers From Food To Flowers

If you're like most people, you probably love the idea of entertaining. Your friends bathed in candlelight, laughing and clinking martini glasses while they marvel at your impeccable taste, divine table settings, your exquisite canapes, perfect playlist and uber-cool ambience... Right up to the part where you actually have to pull it all off. Suddenly it can seem overwhelming and super expensive.

And that's exactly where Lulu Powers From Food To Flowers steps in.

Lulu Powers is a private chef and premier party planner and caterer to the creme of the Hollywood A-List. Celebrities from Madonna to Will Smith, from Leonardo di Caprio to President Bill Clinton all call on Lulu to bring her brand of entertaining to their parties and events, investing every detail from food to decor with her distinctive personality and sparkle.

Now Lulu has released her book Lulu Powers From Food To Flowers - literally encompassing everything you need, from food to flowers, to pull off the perfect party, soiree, picnic, lunch fete, making party planning (not just party going) fun and exciting.

Lulu's theory is that a hostess should enjoy her party every bit as much as her guests do. And Lulu's parties can be anything from a Coffee and Newspaper get together on a Sunday morning, to a Winter Picnic on a Saturday afternoon, a Big City Cocktail Party on a Friday night to a Dinner Party On The Fly for any night of the week.
For Lulu its all about living in the moment. In Lulu Powers From Food To Flowers she shares simple yet divine recipes, checklists to keep it all flowing smoothly, fabulous drinks and chic and stylish decor ideas that let you turn any moment into a fun celebration.

The book is organized into morning, afternoon and evening sections, as well as sections packed with her entertaining secrets such as a Pre Party Timeline, The Complete Party Pantry List(with everything you need for last minute entertaining), A guide To Stocking Your Bar, Cocktail Hour Music, and Party 911 (to prevent party disasters!). There's even a Guide to Manly Drinks to lead you through the intricacies of Cognacs and Whiskeys and other manly man drinks!           

Lulu Powers From Food To Flowers is beautifully laid out, easy to follow and reference back to, and deliciously photographed.
Whether you are like me and love to entertain, so use this book for fun and fabulous ideas to make yourself look completely fantastic, or whether you are new to entertaining and use it as a guide to pull you through any event from a brunch to a rehearsal dinner with panache and aplomb, this book is a must.

It makes a gorgeous holiday gift, hostess gift, anything gift. Its also lovely to buy for yourself and browse through while savoring your morning coffee!



This weekend for brunch I'll be serving up Lulu's Wild Mushroom Risotto Cakes, Grilled Sweet & Spicy Shrimp with Mint Cilantro Dipping Sauce, and Lahmajoons paired with her Bloody Marys...





Meet Lulu:
Lulu Powers Food to Flowers from Lulu Powers on Vimeo.

Find Lulu Powers From Food To Flowers here

Baby Its Cold Outside!

Du Juan, Vogue China

Heading to the snow this winter?
Here are five quick tips to keep your look loving you.











1.) Prep your skin. The cold weather wrecks havoc on your complexion. Pack intense serums, bold moisturizers and moisture masks, eye cream and strong facial SPFs to protect you from the sun's harsh glare.
Elizabth Arden's Eight Hour Cream is a girl's best friend when traveling to colder climes.

2.) Use a silicone based foundation. If you're wearing foundation the silicones will keep your skin looking luminous, even when the elements are working against you. Crushed mineral foundations and matte foundations can make your skin look extra dry and flaky.

Top up your SPF with a powdered product such as ColoreScience

3.) Invest in a strong lip balm. Chapped, dry lips are both painful and unattractive. (Eight Hour Cream doubles up as an amazing lip balm!)

4.) Keep it simple. Moody, smoky eyes look silly when you're in the great outdoors

5.) Use a bold lipstick/lip gloss. Let you lips be your one strong statement!

How To Buy Fragrance For Your Man

Buying fragrance for your man can be tricky, but here are a few tips to set you off in the right direction.

image MarieClaire.com

1.) Dudes typically fall into one of two categories when it comes to fragrance. They tend to either like something more woody & spicy ( with notes like cedar, oak, cardamom or pepper) or they prefer a smell that is more clean & light. (light scents smell more crisp,  and fresh from the shower)

completely gratuitous...

2.) If you're not sure which of the two camps he falls into, google his current colognes and see if the notes are more deep or more citrus.
Alternatively ask a fragrance specialist. Describe how he dresses, (is he a crisp suit type, a laid back surfer dude, a rugged jock?) and tell her what fragrances he already wears, so that she doesn't duplicate his current colognes or choose something too far out of his comfort zone. Most men don't want to stray too far from what they already use.

3.) Look at the biggest sellers at the top retailers.
 In general those that sell the most do so for a reason. Have the sales associate show you the top sellers in his category, and whittle it sown from there.
The best sellers at Sephora for 2010 (courtesy of Allure.com) are as follows:

1. Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio Pour Homme (shown here), a blend of neroli, patchouli, and marine notes
2. John Varvatos Artisan, a citrusy clementine-and-ginger combo
3. Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Pour Homme, a fresh blend of bergamot, pepper, and mandarin
4. & 5. Carolina Herrera 212 Men, which combines sandalwood, guaiac wood, and musk, and its spicy spinoff, 212 Sexy Men, a mix of amber, cardamom, and vanilla

  4.) If you're really stuck, marine tones tend to be universally loved, or if he has a giant ego or sees himself as a "scented salamander" look for something along the lines of Sean John I Am King















5.) If you are introducing him to the concept of smelling fragrant, a full blown cologne maybe too much for him. Look instead at lightly fragranced aftershaves, or fragranced soaps and shower gels.

image from MarieClaire.com

 6.) Avoid anything promoted by an athlete. In all likelihood they wouldn't be caught dead wearing it themselves, and it probably smells overwhelming and borderline toxic.

Do you really believe Giselle lets him even bring this shiz inside the house???

Gaga For MAC

As a rule I don't follow anything that Lady Gaga does, but when she wears a meat dress or hooks up with MAC, it invariably crosses my desk.

And I really love the new campaign she shot for MAC's Viva Glam.

Gaga previously joined forces with Cyndi Lauper for the 2010 Mac Viva Glam campaign, which went on to become the company's most successful ever. For 2011 she will go it alone, and no doubt bring in huge revenue for the cosmetics giant.
The 2011 ads were shot by Nick Knight and styled by Thierry Mugler creative director (and Gaga stylist) Nicola Formichetti.
All profits from Viva Glam go to the MAC AIDS Fund.

Backless And Beautiful

Now that party season is not only here, but is in full swing, its time to check out exactly what it is that you're flaunting in your sexy, fun party dresses. Typically you're going to be showing  a little more skin, with bare arms and varying degrees of backless staking their claim to fame.

Everyone remembers to get a facial, or to do facial treatments at home, but many forget to work with the skin on their upper arms and back. After weeks of wearing long sleeves, backs and arms start to look lackluster, dry and lifeless.






Just as the skin on our face needs a little pre party sprucing up, backs and arms do too.

One of the lovliest treats you can pamper yourself with is a back facial.

For those with blemishes or back acne it is a must, for those with clear skin on their back it is a party dress essential.

An in-spa or salon service can be a decadent treat.
As with a facial, your skin will be cleansed, steamed, exfoliated and massaged.

A mask will be applied, giving you a deep cleanse and detox.

 followed by a relaxing rubdown

giving you skin that is soft, smooth, glowing party perfection

Kim Kardashian backless dress

(If you are in the greater Phoenix area, 

The Skin & Makeup Institute's Violet Clay back treatment is to die for).

If you don't have the time or the budget for an in salon service, do a quick 4 step at home back facial.

1.) Dry brush your skin

2.) Soak in a warm (not too  hot!) bubble bath

3.) Use a salt or sugar scrub

4.) Moisturize with a dense, heavy body cream

Halle Berry, backless at the Golden Globes

3 Quick Ways to Get Party Perfect Skin

So the festive season is here, and a girl's dance card is looking pretty full. Her party clothes are lined up, she's shopped for naughty undies, new lipstick and heels, now she has to make sure her skin is party-ready, glowing and gorgeous.

Here are  3 quick options to last minute party perfect skin.

1.) Glycolic Peel
Sounds scary! In fact I only started having them myself a few months ago, as I was sure I'd have red, crusty, chemically blasted skin. Not so! This is an amazing high speed skin rejuvenation. I recommend having it done at a reputable salon, with a facialist you know and trust, but thats just me.
The Glycolic Peel's job is to improve, renew and smooth the texture of facial skin by using a chemical solution that causes dead skin to slough off and peel off. The peeling is minimal and you are left with fresh glowing skin.
It also gets rid of blemishes, brightens, and is the fast track to gorgeous skin.

2.) Microdermabrasion

This is another high speed, instant result remedy for dull, lifeless looking skin. It falls under the category of mechanical exfoliation, and in 2010 has been one of the top 5 non surgical procedures.
This one is performed in a salon(spa/dermatologists/plastics office) by a trained specialist who uses a microdermabrasion machine to mechanically remove the outermost layer of dead skin cells, with adjusted vacuum pressure to lift away the debris.
This is a good one to have done 2 or 3 days before the party, as sometimes you may have a little residual flaking.
If your salon uses DermaSweep you can have the treatment same day, and your skin will look divine.

3.) Enzyme Mask
This one you can either have your facialist do in salon, or do yourself at home. An enzyme mask uses fruit enzymes to eat away the top icky layer of dead, lifeless looking skin, pac-man style,  leaving you with a fresh, healthy, glowing complexion.
Celebrity favorite Kate Sommerville's ExfoliKate is an excellent, high speed option.

Make sure you keep your newly polished, beautiful skin nourished and moisturized, and balance out all those party drinks with tons of water throughout the day.

12 Days of Christmas

Here's a little slice of holiday shopping fun!
My friends at katie m designs have cooked up 12 fabulous days of designer shopping with their 12 Days of Christmas earring collection.

Here are my favorites

From the 5th day of Christmas Ruby Red Quartz faceted briolette drop earrings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jet Black Czech Glass Chandelier Earrings (8th day)

7th Day of Christmas Swarovski Pearl Chandeliers

So who is Katie m Designs? Hailing from Hollywood, one of the Industry’s Leading Jewelry Designers,
Katie m designs is worn by many celebrities, graced the Hollywood Runways, many Red Carpet events & has appeared in a number of Films & Television Shows. Katie m designs have also been seen on the Oscars Red Carpet as well as the Emmy's.
Her handcrafted beaded jewelry collections feature handmade beaded earrings, bracelets, necklaces and chandelier earrings using Sterling silver, Swarovski Crystals and pearls, fine imported glass as well as semi precious stones.
With meticulous attention to detail and superior craftsmanship, Katie m designs offers quality pieces that you will love & treasure for years to come…

Check out the 12 Days of Christmas here at Katiemdesigns.com

Get Caught Looking Gorgeous

 Want to look extra gorgeous this holiday season? Here are five quick steps to looking super fabulous!

Charlize Theron looking gorgeous

1.) Refresh and revitalize your skin by misting Hylunia's incredible Colloidal Silver with Lavender Water onto your freshly cleansed face before starting your makeup routine.

The time-tested curative powers of colloidal silver and lavender flowers are blended in this sensational tonic and healing floral water. Its antiseptic power may be used to reduce infections caused by acne, cuts or burns. For all skin types, it awakens, enlivens and soothes the skin.

2.)Replace  a dull, lifeless complexion with a healthy glow by giving your winter skin some extra luxe loving via fast absorbing, super moisturizing Zensation Super Hydrating Cream with SPF 15.

3.) Light your skin from within by mixing a drop of Nars Orgasm Illuminator into your foundation to magically transform lackluster winter skin into a lustrous glowing complexion.

If you're looking a little on the tired side and need to boost your makeup for an office to happy hour transition, mix a tiny amount of Nars Orgasm Illuminator, eye cream and concealer together, pat under the eye and be instantly, (orgasmically!) transformed!

4.) Replace your dull powdery blush with a beautiful cream blush from h.wood.beauty.com

Cream blush will softly catch the light and lift and mold your cheeks, keeping you fresh faced and lovely!

5.) Add a little gold to the inner corner of your eye and lower lash line to illuminate and brighten your eyes

Holiday Happy Hour!

Its Friday and we are officially in holiday season, so why not offer up something festive and seasonal at happy hour?

This one is from No.9 Park in Boston, and is quite fabulous!

Dieci E Lode

Ingredients

0.5 oz. Campari
2.5 oz Gin
1.5 oz. Grapefruit Juice
Lime Wedge

Directions

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add Campari and grapefruit juice and shake well. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with lime wedge.

Bottoms up!!

The Naughty List...

Face it - nothing says "dirty Santa" quite like sexy, risque lingerie!
So if you're on the naughty list, here are some fabulous items to ask for...

From Agent Provocateur, The Fifi Collection. Festive!

Very fab Agent Provocateur the Helena Basque.

Who needs to breathe when you can be clinched like this?

 

Agent Provocateur Side Tie Undies.

 From Faire Frou Frou (www.fairefroufrou.com)

I found these Toad Lillie Hot Pink Panties

  

 and this gorgeous What Katie Did Glamour Corselette.

Makes you wonder exactly what it was that Katie did...

These red frilly knickers are from SocksnKnicks

Order them online from the UK in time for Christmas

 Put a bow on it with the Demaris Peach Bow Pantie from Faire Frou Frou

If you're on the naughty list, naughty gets naughtier with a

Love Is Blind mask from Kiki de Montparnasse

Love/Desire bedding from Kiki makes a gorgeous gift too

For those who made the list this year, here is Kylie Minogue's Agent Provocateur commercial,
that not only became a cult classic, but got banned many places too.
Kylie loves great lingerie...