A Beauty Lover's Comfort Guide To Thanksgiving

 

On this day, one of the busiest travel days of the year, we are going to talk about the one thing that everyone (including you, beauty lovers) want for their holiday: comfort.

I don't know about you, but I have never eaten a Thanksgiving dinner in a dress and heels.  Knowing I will be gorging myself on turkey stuffing the inevitable food coma that will follow, I always opt for some of the most comfortable clothing pieces and makeup products I own.

 
Madewell Aya City Cotton-Jersey Sweatshirt

Soft and stylish, but loose enough to hide my bloated after-dinner food baby.  This charcoal and white cotton-jersey is going to be perfect for when my over-stuffed American arse hits the couch for a nap, but will still look great during dinner.

Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation

 This foundation is guaranteed to last you throughout Thanksgiving day and well into a night of Black Friday shopping.  This full coverage foundation has long been one of my favorites and keeps my skin smooth and matte.

Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask

  Holidays, as wonderful as they can be, can also be stressful.  I notice my face breaking out in my T-zone even more during the holidays, which is probably due to a combination of poor food choices along with stress.  Use this at least once per week or whenever you want a nice skin refresher.

Soap and Glory The Righteous Butter Body Butter

 This body butter makes my skin feeling amazingly hydrated and moisturized, and I absolutely love the scent.  I usually keep this body butter handy for special occasions when I want my skin to remain smooth and soft for long periods of time.  While I'm standing out in the freezing cold in a Black Friday line at Target, my skin won't be cracked or dried out by the time I make it inside.

Zella Live-In Slim Fit High Waisted Leggings

  High wasted yoga pants on Thanksgiving.  Need I honestly say more?  I have basically been living in yoga pants for the past year.  Pair this with the cotton-jersey sweatshirt and you can go right from the dinner table to the couch after your Thanksgiving buffet meal.

Beauty Blender

 I cannot live without my Beauty Blender on a daily basis, and Thanksgiving is no exception.  Even when applying a small amount of makeup (which is my usual for Thanksgiving) it will evenly blend and cover your entire face.

Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash

So, you've just woken up from your food coma and it's time to get ready for some shopping.  If I have absolutely no time to get ready, I am reaching for this bad girl.  This mascara is lengthening and curling, allowing you to appear wide awake and refreshed (even if that could be further from the truth).

UGG Australia Ansley Knit-Bow Suede Slipper

I don't know about everyone else, but I wear my slippers to the dinner table on Thanksgiving.  Again, the goal here is ultimate comfort.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream

While wearing stylish and classic red lipstick is what we would all like to wear on this American holiday, it's not realistic.  I do not need red lipstick smeared across the side of my face while I'm shoveling food down my throat.  This lip cream adds the perfect touch of color while being able to easily remove and reapply after dinner.

Too Faced Primed and Poreless Face Primer

Apply this primer before your foundation and you will have no trouble taking your makeup into Black Friday shopping.  It will keep your face smooth, oil-free, and long lasting, so that instead of worrying about your makeup sliding down your face, you can instead worry about those fantastic deals.

 

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Smokey Cranberry Gold Makeup Tutorial

This smokey cranberry gold makeup look will inspire you not just for Thanksgiving, but throughout the holiday season.  This warm tone look has just enough shimmer and just enough smokiness that will make getting ready for an early dinner (and the inevitable food coma to follow) something to feel good about.

Need more holiday beauty inspiration?  Check out my Holiday Vintage Glam Makeup Tutorial, which is my favorite go-to holiday makeup look!

My itinerary for this Thanksgiving is going to be quite different.  Brandon and I will be taking his mom down to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC!  Stay on the lookout for a possible future post detailing this amazing experience.

Let's Get Started!

The Face

 Prime, Foundation and Conceal

1. I moisturize my face with Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Cream and my under eye area with Clinique Moisture Surge.

2, I prime my skin with Bare Minerals Prime Time Foundation Primer and prime my under eye area with ELF Studio Hydrating Under Eye Primer.

3. Using a Beauty Blender, I apply Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation Light Medium in Sand to my entire face.

4. To highlight and conceal I use Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Concealer in Light Warm in a V-shape beneath my eyes, in the middle of my forehead, down the bridge of my nose, on my chin, and on my eye lids.

Highlight, Contour and Blush

1. To set everything I take the Real Techniques Setting Brush and place a mixture of the highlight shades Lucid and Lyric from the Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette and place a generous amount over the areas that I highlighted with concealer.

2, I also add a generous amount to my jaw directly below my contour line.

3. I allow the extra powder to sit on my skin for a few minutes to "bake" before brushing off with a Morphe Brushes G23 Soft Fan Brush.

4. With the Real Techniques Sculpting Brush I take the contour shade Sombre from the Kat Von D palette and contour beneath my cheekbones, underneath my jaw bone, along the hairline on my forehead, down my temples, and alone the parallel sides of the bridge of my nose.

5. After blending I apply Sephora Colorful Blush No. 5 Sweet On You using a BH Cosmetics blush brush.

 Highlight and Brows

1. Using the same fan brush as earlier, I then apply Jaclyn Hill and Becca Highlight in Champagne Pop highlight to the tops of my cheekbones, my forehead just above my brows, and the bridge of my nose.

2. I highlight over this with the first highlight color from the Carli Bybel Palette by BH Cosmetics, a shimmery frosted pink.

3. I shape my brows with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Ebony.

4. I fill it in with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo Dark Brown.

5. I set it into place with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel.



The Eyes

 Primer and Transition Shade

1. I prime my eyes with the Urban Decay 24 Hour Eyeshadow Primer Potion Eden

2. I take the shade Peach Smoothie by Makeup Geek, a soft matte peach beige, with a fluffy blending brush into the crease of my eye and start blending upward.  This is going to be our transition shade.

 Lid

1. Staring in my inner corner and using a flat shadow brush I take the shade Pearl by Morphe Brushes, a frosted off white, and press it onto the center of my eye lid. I take this shade about 1/3 of the way across my eye lid.

2. I then go back in with a flat shadow brush and apply the first highlight shade from the Carli Bybel by BH Cosmetics palette over top of Pearl to increase the bright shimmer.

3. Staring in the middle of my eye lid and using a flat shadow brush I take the shade Marbleized by Morphe Brushes, an intense frosted brown gold with shimmer, and place this on the inner 1/3 of my lid.

4. I carefully make sure that Marbelized is evenly blended into Pearl and creates a nice gradient of color.

5. Staring in my outer corner and using a tapered crease brush, I apply the shade Bitten by Makeup Geek,  a matte deep maroon red, to the outer 1/3 of my lid.

6. I make sure that Bitten is evenly blended into Marbelized to create a nice gradient effect from one shade to the other.

7. I also take Bitten outward slightly to where I will be drawing my wing line, and then very carefully into my crease about 2/3 across my lid.

8. With the tapered pencil brush I take the shade Black from the Lorac Pro Palette and apply a small amount of product to the outer 1/3 of my lash line across the bottom of the shade Bitten and outward to where I will be drawing my wing line.

9. Using small swiping motions I make sure the Black is evenly blended into Bitten to give the gradient effect of the two colors fading into each other.

Wing and Highlight

1. I take a small angled brush to draw on my eye liner using the NYX Gel Liner in Jet Black .  I get as close to the lash line as possible and press down on the lid to create a black line.

2. I wing this out when I reach the outer corner of my eye and continue it until I reach the end of where I have place the black eyeshadow.

3. I then use the shade Shimma Shimma by Makeup Geek, a metallic champagne, to highlight the inner tear duct with a fluffy blending brush, and a small flat shadow brush to highlight my brow bone just below my eyebrow.

Lower Lash Line, Mascara and Falsies

1. I take the original transition color, Peach Smoothie, and place this along my lower lash line with a slim tapered pencil brush.

2. Over top of this, and as close to the lash line as possible, I take the shade Black again and blend this into Peach Smoothie, ending at about the halfway point of my lower lash line.

3. I take the ColourPop Creme Gel in Get Paid , a metallic rose gold, and place this on my lower lash line from the inner corner to the halfway point, making sure to blend where Get Paid and Black meet.

4. I apply Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash mascara to my upper and lower lashes.

5. For my falsies I choose Ardell Double-Up No. 206 and apply them using the Vegas Nay by Eylure London Lash Glue.

The Lips

For this look I wanted a bold, statement lip, but not one that would overpower the smokey eye.

1. I line and fill in my lip with the Kat Von D Everlasting Lipstick in Bow 'N Arrow , a fawn nude.

2. I set the entire makeup look with Mario Badescu Facial Spray.

Let Me Know!

Tell me your plans for Thanksgiving!  Or, if you aren't celebrating Thanksgiving, let me know what you are doing this weekend to kick off the holiday shopping season!

 

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Holiday Gift Guide: My 10 Favorite Beauty Lovers Gift Sets

The beauty lover.  We all have that person on our holiday gift list.  The one that you always see with a Sephora bag, makeup done to the nines, and raving about the new Urban Decay palette.  She knows her own style and can easily spot a pair of brows done with Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pomade in a crowded hall.

Beauty lovers can sometimes be the most difficult to shop for.  While on the one hand they are always seeking the next great product, each individual has different skin and makeup needs. You aren't going to want to purchase a radiant primer for someone that prefers a completely matte complexion.

Instead of purchasing several individual products, stick to those amazing gift box sets you will be seeing in every store now thru the beginning of next year.  Without a doubt these are the best buys for your money.  It may seem impersonal, or that you just picked up the first thing you saw when you entered the store, but trust me: your beauty lover is going to love it.

Even better: your beauty lover will know that if what you purchase her does not fit her needs, Sephora always accepts returns and exchanges, even if the product has already been opened.  Basically, you have given her a gift card to Sephora to purchase whatever she would like.

Too Faced Le Grand Chateau

This one I wanted to place first because, let's be honest, this thing is so adorable it makes me giddy.  This little chateau opens up to reveal three separate palettes with a total of 18 eye shadows, two blushes, one bronzer, and a mini Better Than Sex mascara.  EVERY beauty lover will find this set irresistible.

Origins Let Us Glow

Origins is, hands down, one of my favorite skincare brands.  This set features all of my favorites, including the GinZing refreshing skin cleanser, Original Skin Renewal Serum with Willowherb, GinZing Energy Boosting Moisturizer, and GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream.

Fresh Skincare Affair

Every products I have tried from Fresh has been more amazing than the last.  I use the Fresh Soy Face Cleaner on a daily basis and it has transformed my skin from dull and acne-prone to bright and healthy.  This set comes with the Soy Face Cleanser, Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask, Seabury Moisturizing Face Oil, Rose Hydrating Eye Gel Cream, and Sugar Avdanced Therapy Lip Treatment.

Clinique Holiday Helpers

Clinique was one of the first beauty brands I ever fully trusted.  I have been using their Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion for a long time and cannot imagine using anything else for my sensitive skin.  This set features the Skinny Stick in Slimming Black, High Impact Mascara in Black, All About Eyes, Turnaround Revitalizing Treatment Oil, Moisture Surge Overnight Mask, Chubby Stick Lip Balm in Heaping Hazelnut, Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, and Take The Day Off Makeup Remover.

Sephora Collection Glitter Happy Brush Set

While the price for this set may be a little high, these elegant brushes in a limited edition rose gold color will be something you show off with pride on your beauty vanity.  This set comes with a  rose gold glitter brush stand and the rose gold metal brushes include a blush brush, pointed foundation brush, blending brush, pointed concealer brush, shadow brush, and lip brush.

Becca Glow On The Go

Becca is known for its beautiful shimmering skin perfectors, and Opal has been one of its bestsellers.  This set comes with a deluxe size Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opral and Shimmering Skin Perfector Opal Spotlight Wand.

 Tory Burch Mini Duo

I have been in love with Tory Burch fragrances for quite some time now.  This set comes with two minis of Tory Burch Eau de Parfum, her signature scent, and Tory Burch Absolu Eau de Parfum, her brand new scent.

Ciate London Mini Mani Month

Sure, this set is "supposed" to be used to count down the holiday season, but the fact that is comes with 24 nail polishes makes it a sweet gift even after the holidays are over.  Includes a nail strengthener treatment, nail illuminator treatment, and an overnight nail mask treatment.

Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix Studded Kiss Lip Set

Kat Von D is one of my favorite makeup brands to date.  Everything product she put out is pefection, from her lipsticks to her contour kits to her eyeshadows.  This set includes seven mini lip colors and a full size limited edition shade called Gold Blodded, a red with gold shimmer.

 Buxom Don't Miss A Beat Full-On Lip Polish Collection


Buxom was one of the first high end lip brands I ever tried at Sephora, and I was instantly hooked.  This set features six lip-plumping polishes in sheer and shimmering shades.

 

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Tiffany & Co. Inspired Holiday Makeup Tutorial

 Next to nothing is more representative of love and the holidays like Tiffany & Co.  Likewise, nothing better represents Tiffany's that it's iconic blue green boxes.  I wanted to create a look that capured that beautful color along with the shimmery Diamond embellishes that the store is so well known for.

Breakfast at Tiffany's has been one of my favorite movies since I was a little girl.  I idolized Audrey Hepburn and her elegant, sophisticated style and beauty.  To this day I watch the movie and still find more to love about the eccentric society girl that Hepburn portrays.

I've visited the Tiffany and Co. store on New York City's Fifth Avenue twice, both of which were around the holiday season.  The storefront windows have whimsical holiday features that read like a storybook, and lare diamond-like displays of holiday lights up and down the block.

I will be visiting New York City TWICE within the next month: once for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and once for a shopping day with my mom and sister.  And a stop at Tiffany's is most definitely always in order!

The Face

Prep, Foundation and Concealer

1. I moisturize my face with Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion and my under eye area with  ELF Illuminating Eye Cream.

2. I prime my skin with NYX Angel Veil Skin Perfecting Primer and prime my under eye area with ELF Studio Hydrating Under Eye Primer.

3. Using a Beauty Blender, I apply Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation in Light 49 to my entire face.

4. To highlight and conceal I use Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Concealer in Light Warm in a V-shape beneath my eyes, in the middle of my forehead, down the bridge of my nose, on my chin, and on my eye lids.

 Highlight and Set

1. To set everything I take the Real Techniques Setting Brush and place a mixture of the highlight shades Lucid and Lyric from the Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette and place a generous amount over the areas that I highlighted with concealer.

2. I also add a generous amount to my jaw directly below my contour line.  I allow the extra powder to sit on my skin for a few minutes to "bake" before brushing off with a Morphe Brushes G23 Soft Fan Brush.

Contour

1. With the Real Techniques Sculpting Brush I take the contour shade Sombre from the Kat Von D palette and contour beneath my cheekbones, underneath my jaw bone, along the hairline on my forehead, down my temples, and alone the parallel sides of the bridge of my nose.

2. After blending I apply the first color from the Morphe Brushes 9B Blush Palette, a soft orange-pink, using a BH Cosmetics blushbrush.

Highlight

1. Using the same fan brush as earlier, I then apply the Jaclyn Hill and Becca Highlight in Champagne Pop.

2. I apply the first shade of pale white highlighter from the Carli Bybel Palette by BH Cosmetics to the tops of my cheekbones, my forehead just above my brows, and the bridge of my nose.

Brows

1. I shape my brows with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Ebony.

2. I fill it in with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo Medium Brown.

3. I set it into place with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel.

The Eyes

Transition Shade, Crease and Lid

1. I take the shade Peach Smoothie by Makeup Geek, a matte light peach beige, with a fluffy blending brush into the crease of my eye and start blending upward.  This is going to be our transition shade.

2. I then apply the shade Deep Skin by Morphe Brushes, a satin soft gold peach with pearl, directly into my crease with a small tapered blending brush using windshield wiper motions.

2. I reapply this shade a couple times to build the color, making sure it blends into my transition shade but stays directly within the crease.

3. Using a flat shadow brush I take the shade Breakfast At Tiffaneez by Morphe Brushes, a matte blue green, and press it onto the center of my eye lid.  

4. Once the color is as vibrant as I want it to be, I then go back in with a blending brush to make sure there is a nice even line between the crease color and the lid color.  I do not want these two to be very blended together.

5. I then go back in to the Breakfast at Tiffaneez and add just a touch more color to the center of my lid.

Wing and Liner

1. I take a small angled brush to draw on my eye liner using the ColourPop Creme Gel in Kicker, a bright metallic silver.  I get as close to the lash line as possible and press down on the lid to create a long silver line.

2. I wing this out when I reach the outer corner of my eye.

3. Over top the gel liner I apply Wet 'N Wild Fantasy Makers Liquid Liner in Monster's Disco Ball.  This adds even more to that diamond-like shine that is so representative of classic Tiffany's.

Highlight and Lower Lash Line 

1. I then use the color Shimma Shimma by Makeup Geek, a shimmery pale beige, to highlight the inner tear duct with a fluffy blending brush, and a small flatshadow brush to highlight my brow bone just below my eyebrow.

2. I take Breakfast at Tiffaneez again and glide it below my bottom lash line using a small eye defining brush, making sure to blend into the outer corner of my eye to give it a rounded out look.

Mascara and Falsies

1. I apply Urban Decay Perversion Mascara to my top and bottom lashes.

2. For my falsies I choose Ardell Curvy Black Lashes #410 and apply them using the Vegas Nay by Eylure London Lash Glue.

The Lips

1. For my lips I both line and fill in my lips with ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lip in Donut, a bright pinky peach.

2. I set the entire look with Mario Badescu Facial Spray.

I Want To Know...

What are your favorite inspirations this time of year?  Do you have a similar movie in your life that has inspired your beauty and style choices?

 

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