Belle Belle Beauty

Emmy’s 2013 Makeup MVP – Christina Hendricks in Elizabeth Arden

Okay… so a little bit of a delay there. But after sifting through all the beautiful looks from Sunday night’s 2013 Emmy’s, I have boiled it down to two favorites. First up, Christina Hendricks by artist, Vanessa Scali for Elizabeth Arden (no surprise – she was a favorite of mine last year). I was surprised that Christina’s looks were by a line I don’t turn to often. It made me want to change my tune and stop by a Elizabeth Arden counter, stat!

Vanessa and Christina have been working together for years, so not surprising the end result was effortless beauty. Christina was wearing a black black Christian Siriano gown with newly blond hair. “We could have really gone in any direction with the makeup: bold lips, smoky eyes, fresh and pretty… In the end, we went for a fresh face and a warm, red lip.” Get the Look:

Step 1: On days you need extra staying power, skip the heavy moisturizers and use a serum instead. Prep face with Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Capsules ($72) – they make a great primer. They are packed with treatment and thoroughly penetrate the skin leaving it a clean, even canvas for your foundation.

Step 2: Apply Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish Sponge-On Cream Makeup ($36.50) to give it a soft, luminous glow. Swipe foundation along the bridge of nose, cheeks, chin and forehead and use the sponge to blend the color to the outer edges of the face

Step 3: Dab Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Lift and Firm Concealer ($19.50) under the eyes and on the inner hollow (on the nose) just beside the inner corner of the eyes

Step 4: For a pop of color, use Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Cream Blush in Pink ($24) to flush the cheeks. This makes the skin look fresh and lit from within.

Step 5: Using very little, swipe the darker shade in the Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Eye Shadow Duo in Precious Metals ($28.50) from the lash line of the eyelid to the crease, and under the lower lashes as well. Blend it into the skin so there is no border. The subtle shading gives the eye definition in a soft and sexy way.

Step 6: Apply Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Smoky Eyes Pencil in Smoky Black ($18) on the upper lid, starting with a thin line on the inner corner of the eyes and becoming progressively thicker toward the outer corners of the eyes. Using a small tapered brush, smudge a touch of it into the lower lashes under the eyes.

Step 7: Curl the lashes well and apply a few generous coats of Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Lash Enhancing Mascara in Black ($24) on the top lashes, with one coat on the bottom.

Step 8: Enhance brows with Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Brow Shaper & Eyeliner in Soft Blonde ($22).

Step 9: Apply Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick (12 hour formula) in Power Red ($25). This warm red looks bold and elegant.

New From NEST: Vanilla Orchid & Almond

Reason number one I am excited for this cold to be over? To return to enjoying my newest favorite from NEST: Vanilla Orchid & Almond. Hopefully after a trip to the doctor’s and a steroid shot this morning, I’ll be on the mend after eight days of congestion.

Truly for the gourmand, this new scent has Mediterranean almond, peach, apple, coconut milk and vanilla. All that yummy sweet nuttiness is blended with white orchid, amber, musk and patchouli. I love the way the oriental fragrance infuses my apartment with a sophisticated deliciousness. And it couldn’t be more perfect for our cozy, colder fall days.

Available at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and nestfragrances.com.

AN EDITORIAL SAMPLE MAY HAVE BEEN PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY AND EVALUATED TO DETERMINE OUR OPINION OF THE PRODUCT IN THIS POST. PLEASE SEE THE DISCLOSURES PAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING OUR POLICIES FOR USING EDITORIAL SAMPLES.

Clairol Professional ‘Classic Collection’

Well, you can say I am hooked. After years of being a hair color virgin, I now am sold on using color to change things up in the hair department. Not to mention, those pesky grey hairs were just all too visible now that I have hit the big 3-4. So, when I had a chance to try the revamped Clairol Professional “Classic Collection”, I jumped.

The new formula has the addition of SOY4PLEX, an ingredient that keeps your hair looking healthy. There are 16 shades, and I chose 5GN, a light sun-kissed brown. I guess I wanted one last run at lighter hair before we get into the fall months.

I couldn’t have been more pleased with the process. I was a little intimidated by doing at-home hair color as such a novice. But once I got going, it was fairly easy. I made four sections of hair and used a ketchup dispenser to apply the color to my strands. I didn’t have a brush, so I used my fingers (wearing vinyl gloves) and worked the shade from root to tip in smaller parts of each of the four sections.

What I was most impressed by was how shiny my hair came out. It was wildly conditioned. But still had that colored hair texture that holds curl so well. The shade turned out to be subtly sun-kissed. Even though it was a single shade, it didn’t look one dimensional – I got lots of depth (all on my own!). Stay tuned on the blog for the full look next Monday!

Classic makes a comeback. Clairol Professional’s new ‘Classic Collection’ offers 16 timeless shades with a modern formula for brilliant shine and deep conditioning.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Clairol Professional via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Clairol Professional.

Fall Nails By Revlon: Moon Candy in Satellite

Sure, fall calls for a classic red nail. But sometimes you need something a little more seductive. I’ve been loving these nail polish duos from Revlon, basically two colors in one. And #230 Satellite Moon Candy Nail Art features that classic autumnal shade, oxblood. I hate that word, but I can’t think of a better way to describe the classic but edgy color. The shade leans slightly more brown than cherry. It is office friendly, but still so much like my beloved black when I am feeling a bit moody. I layered two coats for an inky but still shiny look and finish.

And bonus, on the other side of the bottle you get a little twist. Let’s say you are feeling classic and modern one day. Layer on the opaque cream shade. Which is just so rich looking. But then, got a girls night out? Or… feeling playful? Touch up with golden flakes. It might appear like pink glitter in the bottle, but it actually is flakes of golden foil. I just layered that shade on top of the oxblood for a totally different look. Not to mention that more textured coat will make your mani last for days and days on end!

Revlon believes there is more than one way for women to be seen. Revlon’s heritage as a color authority and its suite of innovative products inspires women around the world to express themselves through beauty each and every day.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Revlon Consumer Products via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Revlon Consumer Products.

Simple Twitter Party and Giveaway

I feel like this birthday celebration just keeps going. Simple Skincare, a favorite brand that I have the pleasure of working with closely, has quite the event this week! They are giving away 100 Simple Gift Bags on Twitter. Today through September 25th, you can have your chance to win. Make sure you follow @SimpleSkincare on Twitter, use #SimpleVIP and #RedCarpet hashtags and tell us how you use Simple^® to get red carpet ready.

And as if that wasn’t enough…. on Wednesday join a Twitter party from 8-9 p.m. EST. Hosts include Simple Advisory Board fitness expert Kacy Duke and makeup expert Gita Bass, giving great tips on how exercise and makeup can effect your skin. To join, follow @SimpleSkincare and can use the tag #FallBeauty to ask these two experts any advice they have about fall skincare, especially as it relates to makeup/fitness. And there will be even more Simple product giveaways, so you really don’t want to miss this fiesta 🙂

This post was created in connection with my appointment as an Influencer in the Simple® Skincare Program. Visit www.facebook.com/SimpleSkincare to share your story on sensitive skin.

Lovely Links – Hello Fall!

Finally, we can say fall is officially here tomorrow. It is by far my favorite season. I love the pace, clothes and football. And while summer was a blast, I am enjoying getting back into a routine. Here are some of my finds from around the web this week:

– excellent tutorial on how to apply concealer.

– loving this new collaboration at gorjana.

– if you need to catch up on NYFW beauty, check out this fashion week beauty recap.

– i basically want everything from meg’s new shop.

– i can’t believe I watched this about a woman who didn’t wash her face for a month – but talk about a motivation to wash every night.

– stock up on fall goodies: J.Crew is offering 25% off your entire order! With code SHOPFALL.

– Theory is having a Friends and Family sale – get 25% off your order with code THEORYFRIENDS.

– i adore this shift dress and now it is 25% off (along with everything else at French Connection with code W13FF).

And if you are in the Tulsa area, mark your calendars for an event I’m hosting next week at Saks Fifth Avenue. Champagne, fashion and beauty…. you can’t resist!

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