The Red Girls.

Classic. Sexy. Adventurous. Modern. Dressy.

Just paint it red, and you can call it a special occasion.

Trust me. Color on my lips used to scare me a year ago. Change is nice.

There's a shade of red for every girl.

Try it out. Once you're comfortable, just rock it!

NYE KISS READY: RED!

YSL Rouge Couture #8

Ellis Faas #202 (deep, killer red)

Ellis Faas #203 (safer for the more shy)

You have to do something daring for New Year's Eve. Don't be boring with your neutrals, go bold! I love my faithful nudes, but I'm going to choose between these three. So far, I am really leaning toward my YSL Rouge Couture #8, it's not too red, but it has a fun, vivid mix of blue undertones like a deep fuschia-red. 

Don't forget to apply concealer over your lips to let the color come out accurate and to prevent bleeding. Then, line those lush lips with a similar color to your lip color of your choice! You can dot a shimmery lip gloss in the middle to add a glow or just translucent gloss to make your lips look even more plump.

When it's 12am, please let go of keeping it looking "good". ;)

**The Red Girls Post will be next-- photos of beautiful, confident girls who can rock that color like none other basically. Also, I'll post pics of my NYE look if I get a chance tomorrow. Cheers to 2011! It's going to be amazing!

How to get a Perfect Complexion

Everyone wants their skin to look even and radiant. I'm going to share one new discovery of mine and two that I have BEEN loving.

I wash my face day and night and literally right after, I apply the First Care Serum ($80) from Sulwhasoo. This product eliminates one of my skincare peeves which is the feeling of the products just SITTING on your face. Say good bye to this! First Care Serum is essentially a treatment booster that enhances the results of anything you put on whether it be La Mer or Aveeno. Yes, this is true.

It also boosts your skin's blood circulation (Milkvetch Extract) and neutralizes free radicals which will give you a nice canvas ie. your skin. I swear by this. I will use it for the rest of my life. Make sure you follow up with a toner. (I use Sulwhasoo's Balancing Water which pH balances your skin and is a nice gel texture that is very refreshing.) Sulwhasoo is always applied by hand, no cotton pads please!

Sulwhasoo

Then, I highly recommend the Revitalizing Serum ($120) day and night. This product purges toxins whilst boosting your collagen renewal. It has a smooth texture that feels great on the skin. You will find that if you wear any facial make-up, it will go on beautifully and make your skin look radiant.

Erno Laszlo

As for the make-up for the ladies on the go(and even men-- and yes, it will be our secret because it's THAT discrete on, really!), I highly recommend my new godsend hot ticket item: Erno Laszlo's Regular Normalizer Shake-It! You can apply it over your foundation (for a more finished, photo-op look) or wear it alone for a pore-perfect finish. It controls shine and conceals imperfections in a light manner. It feels like a toner. Dab it on with a cotton ball and then buff. You're ready for anything after.

Kick back

I wanna kick back and say hey, I did okay.

I wanna laugh out loud in a quiet, grumpy train.

I wanna say we all don't need to prove anything.

I wanna take that stick out of so-and-so's suited-up gait.

I wanna drop everything sometimes and dance in the rain.

I wanna say a clock doesn't rule my day.

I wanna go somewhere where the sun chases away dismay.

I wanna kick back after all is said and done and say

Hey, I did okay!

Slow down

We all have things to do. We have plans to make. We are all in a hurry. There are things we would like to change. There are things we would never exchange. There are times we either rejoice, complain, or comply.

Days go by so quickly as we chase our goals and dreams. There are many people I know whom want a fulfilling, successful, and meaningful life. Who doesn't? We all do. People have varying challenges in life, but these are happenings that mold a person. I know that it took again a slight accident to slow me down and smell my iced coffee.

It is a gift to chase your dreams. I should remember that the chase is the fun part. The capability to dream is the sustenance and fire to be alive. Each new day is appropriately a present to you to open with opportunity for a meaningful life. Love deeply. Live fully. Dream endlessly. Run far and wide.

The conundrum of life should never be taken on half-heartedly. I strive to constantly awaken my sometimes lethargic soul to never be too busy or jaded for a taste of inspiration, intrigue, and my intuition. Intuition tells me to be true to myself.

Do you strive to be true to yourself?

Dresses: Cheap Find

  Who doesn't like to shop smart? I love shopping, but it doesn't mean that I have to spend huge portions of my paycheck or credit card line(s) to get the looks I want all the time. Featured above are two different dresses from two different places. The picture on the left is a DVF dress that retails for $345 (also comes in a lovely, basic black), and the dress featured on the right is my pick, the Forever21 boutique mesh overlay dress in olive that retails for about $24. Now, you tell me which is better?

Although, I do have to say the materials are different, but I tried on the Forever21 find, and I am absolutely impressed. It looks well over a dress that costs $24, and it fits adorably. You can pair it with your favorite boots or pumps, and the color is great to layer with fall colors. You can easily put that extra money saved towards a staple must-have piece, or just save it, ladies. We all should know fashion should never compromise your financial stability. Right? If you absolutely love something though, I say you will find a way to make it work.

I will not attest that I have always followed those guidelines though. We live and we learn. *wink*


photo credits: Bloomingdales.com for picture on left. Forever21.com for picture featured on right.

Girls: A quick, natural look with PAUL & JOE and Ellis Faas

My current make-up loves are Paul & Joe and Ellis Faas (as previously mentioned in earlier blog post). Ellis Faas has unbelievable eye colors that DON'T budge. This is great for those ladies who are always on the go. Paul and Joe has a soft, ethereal look to their packaging and their colors. I love how natural the selection of colors are at Paul & Joe. It looks effortless. I'll show you a quick photo of me after I used some of the items from the two brands.

I can't go without my peachy blush from Paul & Joe. It is a perfect peach face color with a highlighter included as well. It is excellent for all skin colors, especially warm. (#17 Paul and Joe Face color)

Paul & Joe has amazingly flattering lip glosses and lipsticks galore! I personally love #17 lipstick (soft, very natural heather pink) and #2 lipliner.

Hmm, 17 must be my lucky number at Paul & Joe.

The Ellis Faas eye color I like to use for definition is E106 which I've seen Lucy Liu purchase before. (She's very cute, by the way.) It's a soft gray/heather color. I apply it in a horizontal V shape (like a sideways peace sign) at the end of my eye without going too high. The reason I stress on not putting eye shadow too high is because I have almond, Asian eyes, and my bone structure around my eye is not deep set. In contrast, I find if you are deep set, then it is very flattering to go above and beyond.  For the base color, it's nice to choose a neutral color to blend the darker, more dramatic color with. Highlighting the inner corner of your eyes with a warm, iridescent color is ideal to really give your eyes an awake and bright look.

My make-up monster says you can never have enough lip colors. As a friend of mine says, you have so many shades of the same. (Nude is my kryptonite.) My rebuttal? For all you Dexter watchers, remember when Camilla was in search of the perfect key lime pie? Uh, it's safe to say that I'm still looking for that perfect nude shade for my lips. Not too pink, not too brown, not too "I'm gonna wash you out in pictures"...

I have no shame. A search for something better always makes life a little more spicy-- even if it is as minute as a color. 

Left to Right: #17 P&J lipstick (I put Nars Lip Lacquer "Chelsea Girls" on top),  the two shades of #2 lipliner , and Ellis Faas E106