Inspiration...

I haven't updated my blog in a long time, mainly because I haven't been too motivated to do anything that resembles work while I'm at home.

Ahhh... the great outdoors

When I was a kid, there was always something to look forward to- summer vacation, birthdays, Christmas morning, dance recitals, but now as an adult, there's not much excitement in my life. (Sad to say). Nowadays, I get excited when I can plan a trip somewhere, however, I'm totally broke and can't really go anywhere. Even if I would go somewhere, I would want my long distance love to come with me, and since that's not happening anythime soon, I'm bummed.

The family cabin on Blackberry Lane, Roxbury, NY

There is one glimmer of hope in the near future- a trip up to my family's cabin in October. This is a "yay!" moment for many reasons... 5 days of quiet, technology-free time away from the tv biz, hanging out with my parents (which I do enjoy), getting to enjoy autumn in the Catskill mountains of my glorious home state of New York.

Plus, I've already started a rather large project for myself on my trip to the mountains (seems a little anti-vacation, but hear me out :) When my family built our chalet, it was the mid-1980's. I have a small, but cute bedroom there, and it's full of my childhood, including my white formerly sticker-covered furniture, and it's in dire need of a makeover! Now, I'm not going to get rid of anything major, but the seafoam green comforter and peach cafe curtains HAVE TO GO!!! Even if I have to do all the shopping at the local Wal-Mart... it's going to get done. A fresh coat paint for the walls, new table lamp, maybe a bed in a bag, it's going to be fun! I love decorating. And why should I stop at my bedroom? I think the bathroom's going to need a facelift as well :)

Bronzer Fail!!

So my all-time favorite facial bronzer is Tarte's Mineral Powder Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess. It gives my fair skin a nice glow with a subtle shimmer and goes on with an even, velvety finish.

It comes in a faux crocodile compact with a nice sized mirror. When I recently started running out of some of the bronzer, I started playing with the compact and discovered that the pans pop out. I thought, "Hey, great! I can refill this cute compact to reuse it!" However, when I checked Tarte's website, they apparantly don't sell refills for any similarly shaped products. What a let down!

It's nice that the thought is there to reuse the compact, but woudn't it be convenient to offer the actual product in a refill? What a shame.

Getting Boho for Spring

The bohemian look is very hot for Spring 2011, a look I like to embrace from time to time. You don't have to look like a hippie to give this style a try!

Silk sheer top: Gibson (Nordstrom)

Flare Leg Jeans: True Religion, Joey Flare (Nordstrom Rack)

Cognac leather and cork wedges: Nine West (Piperlime)

Olive hobo bag: Banana Republic

Silver Bracelet: Gorjana 

I'm Glowing!

Testing out a new liquid foundation... Teint Miracle Lit-From-Within Natural Skin Perfection with SPF 15 by Lancome.

Always in search of the best skin beautifiers, I decided to try out this foundation while exploring the aisles of Sephora last weekend. I'm a fan of Lancome's Genifique serum and Definicils High Definition Mascara, so I thought this would be a good brand to try.

Anytime I can find a realistic looking color to compliment my fair skin, I'm already happier. The formula is light, yet creamy, and blends in well over my gel moisturizer (I use Garnier Moisture Rescue, LOVE IT)... it covers flaws well, but still looks natural and dewy, not greasy or heavy feeling. I little seems to go a long way- it takes only 3 pumps to cover my whole face.




Lancome's Teint Miracle in Buff 2W

 
Lancome calls the technology used in this foundation "Aura-Inside", to help recreate and boost skin's natural light. With that type of claim, you'd think this would be shimmering or even sparkly, but instead, my face has a healthy glow.

Teint Miracle is said to work well for all skin types, and for my combination skin, I would agree- It stays looking fresh during my 8 hour shift.

Overall, I'm happy with this makeup- I'd say it's worth the $37 I paid for it at Sephora. It seems to live up to Lancome's description, plus the color is very close to my own wonky skin tone. Plus, this is one of the only foundation with SPF that doesn't smell funny or feel instantly greasy. Win!

Well, excuse ME... !

It has recently come to my attention that there's a whole brand of fashion bloggers out there whose sole purpose is poking fun at newbies like me! Sweet! Have fun! I gotta start writing blogs somewhere...

Last time I checked, a person didn't have to be an expert in order to talk about something they enjoy, no?

I'm a fashion/beauty blogger newbie, but hey, at least I DO have a journalism degree!!

My All-Time Love: FRAGRANCE

Do you understand the POWER of the perfect signature scent? The scent that truly defines your personal essence, when people catch a sniff, they immediately know it's you- I have found this... But my LOVE for perfume doesn't allow me to just wear one signature scent, I have several.




My personal fragrance collection (part1), showcased on my dresse

When you love something as much as I love perfume, it needs to be showcased in a loving way. I've chosen to feature my favorite scents on mirrored trays in order to highlight the beauty of each bottle.

I normally gravitate toward soft oriental scents, like Aquolina Pink Sugar Sensual. It's a more mature twist to the sweet Pink Sugar. This version has top notes of black currant, tangerine, & bergamot lead with a heart of orange flower, light pink jasmine, and tiare flower. Vanilla, black sugar, and sandalwood make up the trail note.

Also part of the oriental family is Kenzo KenzoAmour... a feminine and sensual combination of Frangipani Blossoms, Cherry Blossoms, Tanakha Wood, Incense, Thai Rice Steam, Vanilla of La Réunion, White Tea.

Each fragrance I have almost gives me a different persona for the day... whether it's exotic, girly, fresh, it's all amazing... My favorite perfume-persona has to be Woodland Fairy Princess, courtesy of the one and only Lolita Lempicka. From the beautiful bottles, to the feminine woody-oriental scents, Lempicka's scents define who I am and who I want to be. Silly, to think that a perfume can do all that.



La creme de la creme of my collection

 This antique butterfly shaped porcelain tray holds my favorite bottles of perfume. There's Juicy Couture, Couture Couture by Juicy Couture Hanae Mori Butterfly and Dear To Me, in the tiny gold bottle. Dear To Me was created by my great aunt Cecile Gagnon-Voigts and sold at high-end department stores in the 60's.

The green bottle on the far left is L de Lolita Lempicka, a scent that evokes an image of the sexy mermaid. The bottle looks just like a weathered sea stone, collected from the bottom of the ocean, with netting and smaller stones attached to the the nozzle. Guys have told me this scent reminds them of being at the beach. When I wear it, I feel sexy, natural, exotic... notes include Bitter Orange, Cinnamon, Immortal, Vanilla, Precious Woods, Solar Notes, and Musk.

The latest addition to my collection is Lempicka's Forbidden Flower Eau de Parfum, a special edition fragrance. Housed in the signature apple-shaped bottle, the acid green color of this fragrance makes you think this fragrance is for a woman who's slightly dangerous, mysterious, alluring... You can imagine seeing the bottle perched atop a tree in the Garden of Eden, Eve is coveting the bottle for herself. This sexy scent feautures Absinth Flower, Strawberry Leaf, Mimosa Stem, Peony, Violet, Aniseed Flower, Almond Musk, and Morello Cherry Musk.

And my all-time favorite, beloved signature scent is the original Lolita Lempicka Eau de Parfum. This perfume truly makes me feel like my best self. The woody oriental combines ivy leaves, aniseed, violet and iris root as top notes, warmed with musk and vanilla for a sweet, yet earthy sensation. The apple shaped bottle, adorned with golden ivy leaves and a true love's heart etched into the neck complete the ultimate, girly, fairy princess fantasy for me. I can imagine my wedding day would be full of colors and motifs inspired by this perfume.

I invite you to take a look at Lolita's Boutique, the french designer's online store, to get a feel of her magical world. I only wish they would ship to the US, but it's fun to browse anyway. Most of the varieties of Lolita Lempicka's fragrances are available on the Sephora website or even in store.

Let's "Face" It

Truth be told: I was not blessed with perfect skin. I wasn't even blessed with even kinda good skin. From the time I was an awkward teenager to now, in my early 30's I have had to deal with a lot of issues.

When I was a teenager, I had pretty bad acne. The products that I used back in the 90's left my face dry and red, with patches of eczema on my cheeks. Needless to say, I had very low self-esteem and was scared to look anyone, especially guys, in the eye. It was a lonely time of my life, but my skin began to improve, if only slightly, by the time college started. Through the years, through trial and error, through loads of $$, I've found ways to deal with my acne and dry skin, but it's not not perfect, and I've pretty much learned to accept that.... but it doesn't mean I'm going to stop looking for the best skin solutions!

Back in November, I bought a Groupon deal for an hour long microdermabrasion treatment at Skin of Dreams in Chandler, AZ (normally $85). I've been taking my time to use the deal, mainly because my acne's been under control, but since I took a few days off, and I have a few flare ups, I figured it was time.

So this morning I woke up at 8:30am to get ready for my appointment (that's the crack of dawn for me! I work nights at the TV stations and rarely get to bed before 1am). Skin of Dreams is located inside A New U Day Spa, and while the building may be rather ordinary looking from the outside, once you step inside, you're immediately welcomed into a very pretty salon.

From the cute black & white toile upholstered seating to the crystal chandelier, the Parisian-influenced decor had me at hello. The staff is very friendly, and after filling out a little paperwork, aesthetician Tiffany brought me back to the cozy and relaxing treatment room. The microdermabrasion treatment didn't vary too much from the regular facials I've received, but that great for me. I was afraid it would be painful or uncomfortable. After cleansing my face, Tiffany applied masks, exfoliators, steam, toners and then brought out the microdermasion tools, which just felt like a tiny little vacuum sucking all the yuck out of my congested pores.

Finally, I added a collagen mask to my treatment for only $15 extra. As the mask soaked in, I received a a lovely arm/shoulder/scalp massage with what smelled like raspberry lotion (awesome).

I had a fantastic morning at Skin of Dreams! It was a comparable experience to any of the other high-end day spas in the area, but much more affordable for me. Tiffany was a pleasure- personable, professional and helpful with my questions. Definitely a must for anyone who wants to be pampered!

Skin of Dreams

590 N. Alma School Rd.

Suite #17

Chandler, AZ 85224

(480) 326-4144