Saks Beauty Week

In fashion, we often hear about someone’s style journey. I’m currently working on a post to share mine (although it’s ruthfully painful to look back!), but there’s one that often gets looked over - one’s beauty routine journey.

Like style, my beauty routine is ever-evolving. I love learning all about how to maximize on taking care of my skin and trying out products that can make that happen. When I first really started caring for my skin, I learned that it’s just as important as taking care of our bodies. Same with makeup - the products we put on our face affect our skin and overall health as well.

When I found out about Saks Beauty Week happening now through February 26, I knew I had to let you in on ALL the juicy details. 

My favorite location - Saks Fifth Avenue Tysons Galleria - will be hosting a ton of great beauty events including free facials, a nail bar from Varnish Lane, hand massages, beauty tips from the pros and makeup application classes! I’ve included the schedule of awesome events for you to check out below. 

Saks carries many of my favorite beauty brands like Chanel, La Mer, Dior, Kiehl’s, YSL, Bobbi Brown, Estee Lauder, Clinique, Lancome, Trish McEvoy, Laura Mercier, Jo Malone, SKII, Cle De Peau, Sisley, Tom Ford and more. 

Be sure to pick up one of their Spring Beauty Books filled with runway trends, gift ideas and more! Plus with every $150 purchase, you can get this gorgeous tote bag, which comes in three colors (perfect for your next vacay!) Saks Fifth Avenue is located in Tysons Galleria at 2051 International Drive, McLean, VA 22102.

Beauty Essentials with Maybelline

Growing up, my younger sister was always ahead of me when it came to beauty products. She was the first to point out, upon my first attempt at makeup in the 4th grade, “blue eye shadow and brown lipstick? REALLY?” Really. She mastered the winged eye-liner at a young age, and taught me how to contour. I never really understood what made it so easy for her, until I was looking at her makeup collection one day. It suddenly became clear to me - she had ALL the right tools.

Thus began my journey to collect ‘the right tools’ too. Truly, it’s been in the past five years that I’ve really honed in on finding the best products for my face, which were worth spending a little extra on, and which ones I could pick up at my grocery store. And since I typically travel with my makeup to work (trying to do my makeup at 5 AM would be a disaster for sure) I try to make the process as seamless as possible.

When Maybelline offered to send me a few of their latest and greatest, I was thrilled to see how they’d fit into my morning routine. 

First up - the Maybelline Colossal Big Shot Mascara. This is probably my favorite of the three products they sent. I had recently run out of mascara, so I was eager to try something new! I love voluminous, wispy eyelashes, and this mascara is all about the WISP. It applies smoothly, and I only really need one coat to get the romantic look I want. At $8.50, it’s a no brainer.

The second product I tried was Maybelline's new “The 24karat Blushed Nudes” eyeshadow palette. I love experimenting with new eyeshadows, and this has just the right amount. I really love the shimmer in the tones. Plus - it’s small enough to fit in my makeup bag, and super travel-friendly. I also like how tight the eyeshadow is packed in - often times, my eyeshadow is so loose that it ends in more places than just my eyes. Thankfully, that’s not the case with this palette.

Lastly, I tried out their Master Precise Liquid Liner. I was using another more expensive brand before, but this works just as well. It’s SO easy to use (my favorite feature, of course) and lasted all day. Not to mention it's 1/3 of the price that I usually pay - hello, new $7.99 obsession.

Have you tried out any of Maybelline's most recent line of products? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

This post was sponsored by Maybelline. All options are my own.

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Dry Skin Solutions: Clarins Hydra-Essentiel Review

SHOP THE POST

You’re walking to your office. Suddenly, a gust of wind blows straight through you. Welcome to winter in DC. As you continue walking, you’re immediately grateful for the fleece-lined leggings you found deep within your drawer and even more so for the hand knit scarf of alpaca wool (God bless that alpaca) wrapped around your neck. What you’re not grateful for? The burning sensation on your face that comes with winter’s worst winds. 

This is basically a daily chronicle of my everyday commute into DC. An hour-long bus ride followed by a brutal, 10-minute walk uphill. While I’ve learned how to find the best trips and tricks for layering in the cold, there’s one part of my body that always seems to be the hardest to keep comfortable - my face.

I don’t know about you, but winter is treacherous on my skin. Between the sudden temperature changes (again, welcome to DC), outdoor pollutants and the stresses of everyday life, our skin gets SO dehydrated. I was shocked to learn that our bodies go through 17 thermal shocks EVERY SINGLE DAY. It’s no wonder we have such a hard time keeping our skin is moisturized. No matter how much moisturizer I use, it never seems to last through the morning commute. But after trying our Clarins’ new Hydra-Essentiel line, I may have found a solution for quenching my skin’s thirst.

This new line is a dry-skin-girl’s dream. With organic leaf of life extract (a highly-resilient succulent plant that boosts skin’s ability to retain precious moisture for all-day hydration) along with tons of other pure plant extracts, it moisturizes in a way that other products haven’t. And something I’ve been missing this time? Adding a serum to the mix (a mistake I surely won’t make again.) This combo together is like the Batman and Robin of skincare. Alone, they're still great. But together, they're best.

After my shower in the morning, I throw on an organic skin oil. Next comes the Hydra-Essentiel Bi-phase serum. This sets a great base for the Hydra-Essentiel moisturizer, making its effects longer lasting and more effective. If you’re still not sold on the product, I encourage you to try it for yourselves. You can order a free sample from the Clarins website or try it out at your local Nordstrom, Bluemercury, Sephora or Marcy’s. And if that doesn’t convince you, Clarins was created by a French family. And we all know the French take the best care of their skin. ;)

This post was done in partnership with Clarins. All opinions are my own.

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How to Create Beachy Waves with a Straightener

Hair. It’s something we all care about, something we spend countless hours (and dollars on), and for me, something that’s been transformative over the past few years.

In a few weeks, I’ll be sharing about my own hair transformation (thanks to Nadine Matar at the PR at Partners on K Street!) but in the meantime, I’d like to chat about the thing we all struggle with when switching our hair do’s - HOW TO STYLE IT.

Cutting off 10 inches has honestly been one of the most amazing things I’ve done for myself within the past few years. But as I’ve mentioned before, there are far less options for that short hair life. Before, it was “hmmm do I want to wrap my hair in a sock to create a ballerina bun or perhaps a milk braid today?” Today, it’s more like, “hmm should I wear my hair wavy or straight?” 

What I didn’t realize is that there are SO MANY DIFFERENT KINDS of waves. Curling iron waves, wand waves, and flat-iron waves. WHOA - HOLD UP. Flat iron waves? Yes, friends. Meet my favorite tool for traveling, for helping me get the most versatile styles, and definitely voted “most likely to be the best looking tool in my hair tools arsonele,” the T3 Singlepass Luxe.

This is not your high school straightener, babes. Gone are the days of burnt hair smells and tugging at your hair. This 1-inch straightener has flexible, ceramic plates so it glides smoothly, a microchip to maintain even temperature, and technology to seal your cuticles for a smooth, shiny finish. It even comes with sectioning clips, which are a lifesaver when it comes to saving yourself the anxiety and stress of trying to section out your locks with hair ties that eventually crinkle your hair. Plus, it has rose gold detailing, making it extra Instagram worthy.

While I love a great straightened look, my signature look is definitely waves. How does one get those natural, beachy waves? Watch the video from my hairstylist Nadine below or follow these easy instructions:

1. After letting the Singlepass Luxe heat up for a moment, take a one-inch section of your hair and bring the straightener up to your roots at a 45 degree angle.

2. Twist the straightener around the hair closest to your scalp a full 360 degrees, then slowly twist at a downward angle. 

3. After you twist to the bottom, scrunch the curl lightly to set the wave.

4. Switch between inward and outward angled pieces until you’ve covered the outer layer of your hair. 

5. Next, run your fingers through your hair to separate the waves a bit, then spritz lightly with your favorite texturing spray (I love the Oribe spray and this trio from Bumble & Bumble!)

6. Ta-da! You’re done. Now take your best selfie and show the world what a pro you are at using a straightener to curl your hair. *MAGIC*

Special thanks to T3 Micro for sending me their latest straightener for me to try out! You can find this straighter on their site, at Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom and Saks!

Romantic Summer Hairstyle for Short Hair

With warmer temps comes the desire for all things new - new makeup, new clothing, and new hairstyles! While some people go for a drastic change in summer, I have found my hair happy place (thanks, Nadine!) and have shifted my focus to finding out new ways to style it!

But sometimes, I get into a hairstyle rut. So whenever this happens, I find myself popping into Hair Cuttery to have them play with my shorter locks. 

This time, I brought this gorgeous hair chain (yes, it’s a thing and no, I didn’t realize it until recently!) from Headbands of Hope. I talked a little about them in this post, and I love that they have both a beautiful mission and beautiful products. I topped off my look with this intricate, beaded necklace made my Conflicted Pixie, an adorable online boutique that’s local to DC! 

While this piece can be dressed up for a date night, wedding or other special occasion, I styled it with a simple maxi dress I bought from GAP last year. And remember how we talked about fashion math? Because my dress is more on the casual end, I had Hair Cuttery do a more romantic, half-up ‘do this time. To be honest, when I went in, I had no idea how I wanted them to style my hair. All I said was, “I want it to be romantic (per usual), and to use this hair accessory.” Then I let them do their magic.

I’m in love with how it turned out! For my next day at work, all I did was let out the bobby pins, throw on a little dry shampoo and ran my fingers through it. I love getting the most out of a blowout.

If you’re in need of some new hairstyle inspiration, be sure to check out the #MyCHLook feed on social media or visit the Hair Cuttery blog! When I want to try a new blowout style, I always look there first! Then when you visit, be sure to tag your pics with #MyHCLook too and you’ll be featured in their blog gallery! 

Be sure to check out my Before and After pics below. ALL THE ANGLES. ;)

Not sure where your nearest Hair Cuttery is located? No worries - they’ve made it easy here. Be sure to keep up with them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest for more hair inspiration.

On Julien: GAP dress (old), Conflicted Pixie necklace (on sale!) c/o, Headbands of Hope hair chain c/o, James Hock sandals (made in Greece!) c/o, Loeffler Randall clutch, LIPP lipstick in "Cause"

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This post was done in partnership with Hair Cuttery. All opinions are my own.

About Hair Cuttery:  Hair Cuttery is the largest family owned and operated chain of hair salons in the country, with almost 900 (865 to be exact!) company-owned locations on the East Coast, and in New England and the Midwest. A full-service, value-priced salon, Hair Cuttery offers a full complement of cuts and styling, coloring, waxing and texturizing services with no appointment necessary, as well as a full line of professional hair care products. Hair Cuttery is a division of Ratner Companies, based in Vienna, VA.

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