Holiday Gift Guide - Beauty Gifts

Let's face it, we all need a little bit of help from beauty products in our life. I do not know a single woman who doesn't at least wear lip gloss {this one is my favorite combined with thisin "nude beach" as the base color} or use some sort of tinted moisturizer to help brighten their skin. Even men have become a significant market in the beauty industry with launches of new shaving products and skin care regimens. I personally can find myself playing for hours in Sephora and have a very long beauty wish list that I may have sent to Santa. So I pulled together a few of my favorites for gifting to your beauty obsessed people. Everything from getting the perfect beach wavy hair to a bright white smile {even something for the fellas} is in a little gift guide below. Happy Shopping!

one // two {perfect for New Years day hangover} // three // four // five // six {guys version} // seven {my husbands favorite} // eight // nine // ten // eleven {own & LOVE} // twelve 

Holiday Gift Guide - For the Ladies & Stylish Sales - Cyber Monday

Morning friends! I don't know about you but we got a ton of shopping done on Friday with all the amazing sales available. Today's goal is to finish that up with the cyber Monday deals & steals that are too good to miss. The best part is you can do it all from the comfort of your computer. So below I put together a little round up gifts for the ladies as well as everything you need to know about the best sales on the web that are for TODAY only!



one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight // nine // ten // eleven // twelve // thirteen // fourteen // fifteen // sixteen // seventeen // eighteen

I always turn to Alice & Olivia for their amazing dresses & when there is a 25% off sitewide sale.

Ann Taylor is great for work wear & preppy attire, especially at 50% off with code CYBER50!

Anthropolgie is offering Free Shipping & extra 20% off sale with code EXTRAJOLLY, great time to pick up this skirt. 

ASOS is offering 30% off with code ILOVEMONDAYS. The perfect time to pick up midi skirt that I wore this past weekend & loved. .

After all the calories consumed today, Athleta clothing is a must have to get my butt to the gym with 20% off with code FIT20. 

Banana Republic is offering 40% off sitewide with code CYBER.

Bloomingdales is offering 25% off tons of treats site wide.

My former employer Club Monaco is offering up to 30% off with a tiered discount and an extra 20% off sale with code CYBERSALE.

An all time favorite DVF is giving 15% off site wide with code CYBER15.

Gap has 40% off everything with code CYBER.

Furbish is offering 20% off $75 or more with code HOLLADAY.

J.Crew has 30% off with code MONDAY, a great spot for everyone in your family.

Joie has 25% off stewed with code THANKS.

Kate Spade Saturday is giving 30% off everything with code OHWOW.

Lord & Taylor is giving 25% off with code MONDAY.

Give the gift of glam with 20% off with code THANKFULLY at Loren Hope.

The queen of statement jewelry Lulu Frost is offering 25% off with code LULU25.

Loeffler Randall is offering 15% off already reduced styles with code BLKFRIDAY.

Madewell is giving 25% off with code GIFTON.

Mark & Graham is offering FREE PERSONALIZATION & 20% off with code SAVE20FS.

Net-A-Porter has marked down tons of designer duds with 50% off.

Neiman Marcus is offering up to a $500 gift card with purchase with code GC4YOU.

Love when shops like Piperlime offer a slew of designer brands offer deals like 30% off sitewide with code CYBERSALE. 

Rebecca Taylor is giving 30% off a ton of very stylish sale items with code CYBER30.

Serena & Lily is offering 25% off with code HAPPYMONDAY.

Shopbop is offering up to 25% off with a tiered promotion with code GOBIG14.

Sole Society is giving 30% off select shoes.

Theory is offering 40% off.

Tory Burch is offering up to 30% off with code LUCKY.

Trina Turk is offering 30% off everything.

Victorias Secret is offering $20 off orders of $125 or more & free shipping on orders over $50 with codes 200FF125 & SHIP50FREE.

All my other gift guides can be seen here!

Holiday Gift Guide - Under $50

Let's face it the holidays can be stressful. I personally get overwhelmed thinking of the perfect gift to give to all my loved ones and putting together these gift guides definitely helps me narrow it down. When you are buying for a lot of people it's important to not break the bank so I put together a little round up fabulous gifts that are well under $50. They are perfect for stockings, friends and family or just a little treat for yourself. Happy Shopping!



one - This geometric black & white frame would look so cute filled with a black and white photo.
two - SO in love with this chic compact mirror, who wouldn't want to do touch ups with that.
three - This spike & stud ring is perfect for the gal who wants to add a subtle edge to her look.
four - Darling Magazine is not only beautiful to browse but the message of empowering woman as they are is an added bonus.
five - These crystal earrings are the perfect accessory for the holiday & beyond.
six - It's all about me me me me - love this "me" trinket box to hold your little treasures.
seven - I love playing cards with friends, especially when wine is involved.
eight - This beautiful mercury glass candle has been burning in our living room in the "volcano" scent and I can't get enough.
nine - I love everything wishbone & this jewelry holder is no exception.
ten & eleven - I love having a set of gift cards for personal notes to friends & family. I also adore the special added touch of closing them with a monogrammed wax seal.
twelve - Bring on the confetti & decorate your phone for the holidays with this cute tech case.
thirteen - These suede pouches are perfect for use as a clutch or throwing in your purse to keep things organized. I am especially loving the monogram option too!
fourteen - Sometimes the little decor items can be the finishing touch on a space & these little spikey urchins are a perfect pair for a shelf, desk or coffee table.
fifteen - My husband insists on a key chain that doesn't make noise next to the keys & this leather tassel key chain fits the bill perfectly & available in a slew of colors.
sixteen - This striped wine bag is too cute for use over & over again. I would fill it with a nice bottle of vino & you have a great gift under $50. Really excellent for a host or hostess too!
seventeen - The prettiest calendar in all the land.
eighteen - Perfect for the artsy type, this painters palette is fun for serving cheese.
nineteen - These gold cheese knives get a ton of use in my house & are the perfect accompaniment to the above cheese board.

Check out more gift ideas here!

Travel Essentials

I clearly have travel on the brain this week and can only think about summer rentals or our quick desert getaway. Perhaps its the snow that is falling outside my window along with some single digit frigid temps that is making me want to get out of dodge or perhaps it's just that time of year where your coming down from the busy holiday season and you simply just need plans so you have something to look forward too. So I thought I would refresh my travel essentials with a few of my favorites for in flight comfort as well as refreshing upon landing in your final destination. What are your travel musts?


Beach Bag Set // Canary Scarf // Kate Spade Ear Buds // Kate Spade Tech Cover // Target Make Up Cases // Brush Set // Luggage Tag // Frette Travel Set // Manicure Kit // Tory Burch Weekender

more fab travel goodies below

Beauty Round Up

Morning friends, hope you all had a great weekend! I am sharing a few of my favorite beauty products below. I know I can't live without mascara or lip gloss, I never leave the house without them but I have to say I generally need a lot more then those two products to get me through the day without looking like an old lady. Check out my must haves and do tell me your favorites, I love trying new products!

Lips - I am a full fledged lip gloss addict. I can't get enough of the stuff. I must put it on at lease one thousand times a day and new shades of gloss & lipsticks are my all time favorite to shop for. While my everyday color is a velvety nude shade {aka the color "sex machine"} from Nars topped with a MAC creamy gloss in "Right Image". I love the Trish McEvoy Sweet Berry pencil for going out at night, as seen on my fb cover photo, my nighttime lip care is always with L'Occitane's moisturizing lip balm.

Eyes - I am not huge on wearing a lot of eye make up everyday. I however cannot walk out of the house without my favorite black mascara. I usually save the eyeliner in a dark purple shade and a neutral eyeshadow palette for evenings out or special occasions. 

Skin - Aging is a bitch, these "unwrinkle" pads help me feel better about those pesky lines. I use them every night before bed and moisturize with this afterwards {not shown}. Neutrogena's make up remover pads are seriously the tops. I can't live without them, they remove my make up and give my skin a dewy glow. Before I start any of my make up a good concealer and tinted moisturizer act as my base. For my everyday bronzer, I fell in love with Victoria's Secret baked bronzer, I go with the lightest shade and love the little bit of shimmery gold it has in it. My blush hasn't changed in years, "dame" from MAC is mine forever. 

Tools - The beauty blender is seriously my favorite tool. I use it to blend the tinted moisturizer and avoid any creases or lines along the jaw line. Everyone needs one of these little nuggets. While the blender takes care of the wet make up applications, bronzers and blushes are applied with this little set. I store all my favorite products in a cute pouch for easy packing and throwing in my everyday handbag.

Day to Date

I love Sephora as much as the next girl but I have already confessed that I am not a complete product junkie when I did my five favorites for him & her. However, when I recently emptied out my make up bag on my desk at work to touch up for an impromptu date night with my husband, I noticed I have quite the mini makeup bag filled with my favorite products lip gloss and lots of other touching up goodies. So while I do love when I get these spontaneous surprises, I also usually like to plan ahead. On nights you are going out apres work, you usually can plan an outfit that you actually thought out that morning instead of the mangled mess you  usually throw together. If you are like me you are growling through the crack of dawn and do a   half ass make up job you did with one eye open. I was so thankful that I had created a mini beauty bag after a Sephora Christmas gift card so I could touch up and enjoy the evening without looking like a hot mess. Below is what I keep on me to get ready in a flash {most items are a travel size portion} - what are your beauty essentials that you have to have on you at all times???

perfume // mascara // tinted moisturizer // concealer // bronzer // blush // lip stick // lip gloss // eye shadow

I have to admit these are not the same products I use every morning getting ready for the daily 9-5 routine. I mostly purchased these items because I am sucker for anything miniature and if it came in a stylish small package that fit in the purse sized make up bag and most importantly didn't make me look like a tranny it was meant to be mine. I have however fallen hard for a lot of these products, here are some notes on each that might be helpful.

Erase Paste - BEST INVENTION EVER!!! This product seriously conceals luggage under the eyes like no ones biz, blemishes too.
 Lipstick - I am obsessed with lip products {especially the Sephora brand}, it's my one beauty product obsession. The price is right, and a great selection of colors. I love mixing the shades to get the right color for my skin tone.
Mascara - DO NOT BUY expensive mascara, it's so not worth it! I have been using Voluminous since I was a wee one and it's seriously the best. I will never ever cheat on it. The curved brush helps create a soft bed in my lashes without having to use the treacherous eyelash curler.
Tinted Moisturizer - perfect in a pinch for a touch up going out the door, you need a tiny bit to get a big result, giving your skin a clean healthy glow.
Perfume - I always tend to go to vanilla, coconut, gardenia flavored scents, this new spritz I bought on Shelter Island is my favorite, it's super light and every time I wear someone asks about it.  Comes in a ton of different scents - try it!

Stay tune for part two featuring a day to date look for your wardrobe!!!