Belle Belle Beauty

Get The Look Video: How To Prep Your Skin

How To Prep Your Face by Sara Jane Mercer // Belle Belle Beauty

So excited to feature the third video from Sara and Rebecca in our “Get The Look” series. (Check out the first one here and second one here) Today, they adress the true foundation of a great look – prepping the skin. Using natural products, the achieve that perfect no-makeup makeup look.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEVBk4jYm-0]

“A little black dress. The perfect bra. Nude platform pumps. Some basics take looks for ok to amazing! Like in fashion, every great makeup look starts with a great base. In this video Rebecca Casciano shows me how to get perfectly prepped skin using some of our favorite clean products from Jane Iredale, Kahina Giving Beauty, Young Blood, Tarte and CV Skinlabs. If you follow these skin prep steps any makeup look you follow with is sure to be flawless!”

How To Prep Your Face by Sara Jane Mercer // Belle Belle Beauty

Brands used:

Editor’s note: This Kahina Eye Serum is one of my all time favorites.

images by Mia MacDonald

Blue Mercury Facial Peel

radiant skin on belle belle beauty

Who doesn’t want glowing skin for the holidays? With all the revelry and cheer, it helps to put your best face forward. With that in mind, I’ve just executed project “radiance” over the past 10 days by using the M-61 Power Peel. While I’m no peel novice (see this post), I’ve never done one over the course of days. But because this package has both a peel AND post-peel with vitamin A & C treatment, I never had any irritation but still had great results.

This peel is an at home version of Blue Mercury’s Power Facial (more on that to come). The dual pack (one per day) has step 1 on one side and step 2 on the other. The first is a deep exfoliating glycolic peel with colloidal oatmeal to soothe and bilberry extract to even skin tone. After leaving this step on for two minutes (no rinsing required), apply step 2. This deactivates the peel while infusing skin with liquid vitamins A, C and E. This firms skin and locks in moisture while lavender and chamomile calm any irritation.

I felt 10 days was enough for significant results. But they also offer a 30-day peel, perhaps for those of you who have a big event or want to be a little more aggressive. The 10-day pack is $28 and the 30-day pack is $74.

Now, for you lucky ducks near a Blue Mercury location, you can pop in for the “You Glow Girl” facial. You can find locations here. This Bluemercury exclusive facial begins with cleansing, followed by the M-61 Fast Blast mask and M-61 Power Pro-Peel for complete exfoliation. The treatment includes serums with loads of vitamins for glowing skin. And the oxygen treatment (one of my favorite parts of a facial) helps with the glow factor as well. These facials are available until December 31st for $85.

Image: Kate Bosworth: In Style, November 2011 found here via here

AN EDITORIAL SAMPLE WAS 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.

Nutrisystem Week 3

The journey continues! Happily might I add. I had a good week, meeting all my goals and requirements. The meals continue to be tastier than I expected and the amount of snacks required per day makes me feel like I’m constantly eating. Not to mention all the water-drinking seems to help keep me full. My favorite snack this week was a mini cup of tuna mixed with garlic chili paste – yummy! It does the trick when I am having a protein craving – in Nutrisystem language, that’s called a Power Fuel.

I have started weighing myself every day. I had a couple mornings this week were there wasn’t a loss. That can be a little discouraging given all the hard work I am putting in. It makes me question if I should weigh daily. Have any of you had a weight loss journey, and if so, did you weigh daily or weekly (or at all)??

I lost 1.8 pounds this week bringing the total to a 9.2 pounds. Slow and steady wins the race, right? I’m pleased with the consistant and healthy rate of weight loss without any sense of depravation – honest, I promise!

Check out last week’s Nutrisystem post here.

Want to lose weight and get healthy on Nutrisystem? Join today by calling 1-888-853-4689 or by visiting http://www.nutrisystem.com/nsblog.

Disclosure: As part of the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger Program, Nutrisystem has provided me with complementary meals in exchange for my honest thoughts on the Nutrisystem plan. The opinions expressed in my posts are strictly my own. No other compensation is being given.

image here

Sophie from Angel Food Style

This past September, I met Sophie of Angle Food Style at New York Fashion Week and have been hooked on her fashion blog ever since. I love her fresh, classic and Southern California looks that always are so polished. I loved visiting Los Angeles when I lived in the Bay Area and her gorgous photos take me right back there. Doesn’t hurt that she is one of the most genuine and nicest women I have met in the blogging world. And loves Maltese puppies as much as I do (that is a saying A LOT).

Besides a perfectly polished outfit, I noticed Sophie’s makeup always looked natural and finished without being overdone…(not to mention her “hard to ignore” natural beauty). With our endless chats on Twitter and Instagram, I knew she was a girl after my own heart – a true beauty junkie. If we meet up again, you will find us in Sephora undoubtedly.

Angel Food Style on Belle Belle Beauty Two

So… I am so excited to have her on Belle Belle today to talk about her day-to-day look with a couple extra touches to make it holiday-ready. This everyday face has a “bit more oomph than the summer-appropriate mascara/bronzer/lip gloss situation”.

Here are the products Sophie is wearing:

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in shade 5.25 (can’t get enough)
Nars Bronzer in Laguna under cheekbones, on temples, chin
Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush in shade 10 “beige” on apples of cheeks
Giorgio Armani Eye Quad in Bourdoir– I mixed the 4 nude shades together and concentrated the darkest shade in the outer corner
Tarte Amazonian Clay Liner in Black on inside bottom waterline, Giorgio Armani Maestro Liquid Liner to line eyelids (I would die without this liquid liner- use it everyday)
Bare Escentuals Buxom Mascara in black
Anastasia Beverly Hills “Brow Wiz” pencil in Ash Blonde
Nars lip gloss in “sweet revenge”– the perfect nude/pink every day shade

Like me, Sophie is a huge Armani fan. Their foundation, we both agree, is a best of breed. Sophie points out their high quality, “especially in the shadows – the pigments are so luxe and last all day”. Anastasia is a great resource for brow tools – I love her clear brow gel. And I have a Sephora package en route with NARS Laguna – can’t wait to try one of her “staples”.

Make sure to follow Sophie on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram!

Get The Look Video: Rich Lips and Winged Eyeliner

So excited to feature the second video from Sara and Rebecca in our “Get The Look” series. (Check out the first one here) Like Holiday Luxe, Sara and Rebecca used natural makeup products to achieve the look, including one of my favorite lines, Youngblood.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrYe-WEPWmo]

“While mixing too many trends can make you look overdone sometimes two looks are better than one! Winged eyeliner paired with a deep red lip creates a slightly retro look that somehow feels perfectly of the moment!”

The final look!

Makeup used:

images by Mia MacDonald

Dear Santa, I am a Have to Have Featured Blogger!

Have to Have, a cool shopping site, is featuring a blogger every day until Christmas and today is my day! Naturally, my “Dear Santa: Daily Holiday Style & Gift Guide” is a little more beauty oriented – shocker. So… inquiring minds want to know what you think of my selections. Which of these goodies are to tempting to pass up? Use the widget below to click through all 12 items and vote.

As an incentive… you might have a chance to win a $500 shopping spree! If my Dear Santa collection features the most popular item and you added from my list, both of us will get $500 to spend! Do I smell a shopping spree?