Best Dressed: Grammys 2013

 1. Carrie Underwood- Although this dress is a bit "safe" in terms of red carpet outfits Carrie doesn't look anything less than stunning. This Roberto Cavalli gown is decorated with $31 million worth of diamonds from Johnathan Arndt that give Carrie's outfit just the right amount of sparkle. 

 2. Rhianna- Honestly, what color does she not look good in? The "see-through" material of this dress caused a bit of an uproar at last nights award show but she nevertheless was able to add a little class while keeping it sexy. This Azzedine Alaia dress paired with Neil Lane Jewelry and Manolo Blahnik shoes proved to be a killer combo and landed Rhianna on the 2013 best dressed list.

 3. Chrissy Teigen- I never thought rocking a two piece to an awards show would be possible. Especially since my sister has a two piece 90's prom dress hanging up in our front hall closet that has permanently scarred me for life. But nevertheless, Chrissy looked tooooooo good in this dress for me to bypass it. The lace detailing and high slit on this Joy Ciocci dress gave a sexy yet sophisticated take on the two piece dress.

Damn it Taylor......

 4. Taylor Swift- Every year no matter what award show I want to not like what she's wearing. But apparently her spot in the limelight still isn't over because the whiny country/pop star churned out a stunning dress at last night's Grammys.  Taylor takes on the look of a Grecian Goddess in this white J.Mendal gown that drapes into an open back and is adorned with silver chain detailing.

5. Kelly Osbourne- Ever since she became a member of the panel on E's 'Fashion Police' I've been a huge fan of Kelly Osbourne. She's come a longggg way from her pink hair and potty mouth that served as my childhood entertainment on her Dad's trash reality TV show on MTV. But a new and improved Kelly played it simple last night with this black sleeveless Paule Ka dress that she decorated with earrings from H.Stern. I just found the cut and fit of this dress to be extremely flattering on her and gave her that "classic Hollywood" look.

 6. Allison Williams- This has to be my favorite dress of the night! I may be slightly bias because my obsession with the show "Girls" is unreal..but whatever. All opinions aside Allison looks gorgeous in this Kaufman Franco gown. She paired it with a pair of Brian Atwood heels in order to complete this classic red carpet look. The beaded detailing on this dress and the form fit of the bodess accentuates Allison's curves and really helps give her that hourglass shape which does wonders for her figure.

Most Underrated Palette of the Century: Lorac Pro Palette

This palette is available at Ulta and Sephora for $42 (to purchase click here). In an effort to find a palette that held more matte shades than the Naked or Naked 2 I stumbled across a review on the Lorac Pro Palette amidst my everyday browsing on Youtube. And even though I whole heartily trust the judgement of "Itsjudytime" one of Youtube's most famous beauty bloggers, I had to go see this product of cosmetic brilliance for myself. Boy oh Boy did Lorac not disappoint. I fell so hard for this palette that I decided to buy it for Mom who was in desperate need of a new color palette (her obsession with pink and purple eyeshadow will forever puzzle me).
 For a neutral palette it has a great variety of shades mixed in with a few colors my mom loves! It is so versatile and can be combined for a number of day and night looks. And if you are anything like me and get a bit overwhelmed with too much shimmer on the eye then have no fear! There is an ENTIRE ROW of matte shades to help tone down any look. I also think this palette is a great buy because it would work well for a variety of different people whether you are a working makeup artist or my mother who is severely set in her ways it has ways to cater to the needs of every owner. 

The 5 Best Lipstick Shades for Fall/Winter

1. MAC Rebel- This dangerously dark hue made a lot of noise when it was introduced by MAC early last year. Commonly referred as the perfect "vampy" shade Rebel is both sophisticated and wild. It is a dark red/purple color that is blue based.  This shade can be found at MAC counters, stores and here at maccosmetics.com.

 

2. Revlon's Wine Not- If splurging on a $15 dollar lipstick is not in your budget then I would suggest looking to the drugstore for cheaper alternatives. Wine Not is a dark brown-red with a matte finish and is a great option for a pin-up look. 

3. Revlon Lipstick in "Black Cherry"- If you have tried a deep red and are looking to be a bit more daring than I would suggest Black Cherry. I find that the matte finish in "Wine Not" is easier to wear and with Black Cherry being a gloss finish you need to be comfortable with a darker shade on your lips before wearing this. Regardless, this shade is a beautiful DARK red color that would look especially flattering on darker skin tones. 

 

4. E.L.F Royal Red Lipstick- ($5 at ELF Cosmetics Website)  In my opinion this is a very underrated lipstick. It may not have the best lasting power but put it on with a red lip liner and it should last you through the night. It is a red color that is slightly on the deeper side without being over powering. The brown in the lipstick really tones down the color and makes it wearable for all skin tones.

MAC "Dark Side"- This shade looks similar to Rebel in the tube but on the lips Dark Side is a more brown/Red whereas Rebel is a purple based red. This color would look great with a pair of whispy lashes and intense brows for a bold yet trendy look. This color can be found on the MAC cosmetics website.

I'M STILL HERE

SO I understand it's a little bit of an issue that I haven't blogged since July...life happened. But I'm back in the saddle now and ready to kick off postings again. I just wanted to post this to let everyone know that I am A. Still currently blogging and B. Need inspiration so please message me with requests! Thanks for all who have stuck with me and not unfollowed this blog!

xoxo
M

Pitkin County Dry Goods Annual July Sale!

Attention all shoppers who live in the Roaring Fork Valley (which I know is a select few)... BUT Pitkin County Dry Goods is having their annual July Sale! The sale started last week with items being 40% off and if that isn't an amazing deal on its own the percent off goes up every week. So (don't quote me) but I believe that this week marks the beginning of the 50% off sale and it will keep rising until the sale eventually ends (with the possibility of designer jeans being 70% off who can top that?) And if you are just wondering how good this sale is...I bought a tortoise and gold MICHAEL KORS watch orig. $275  for $165 plus tax. Try and beat that. To learn more visit Pitkin County Website at http://www.pitkincountydrygoods.com/ or call the store 970-925-1681

Best Bang For Your Buck: Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2012

Sam Edelman short bootie for $119.90 (orig. 189.95). Python is hot right now and although the other shoes featured are cute and extremely discounted they don't hold the same amount of style as the Sam Edelmans. I think that Python pumps can be easily duped out and a high heel tall boot will go out of style before you can get your moneys worth out of them.

Micheal Kors watches $166.90 (orig. $250) You NEVER see these watches on sale. So for all you ladies with naked wrists I suggest you take advantage of this now before its over.

Black and white dot Chelsea boot by Dolce Vita $66.90 (orig. $99.95) I think these boots are cute and fun and will be a great piece to style for the fall and winter. Hinge Chelsea Boot $86.90 (orig. $129.95) These boots look like they are made of good quality leather and the neutral black color allows the boot to be paired with many outfits.

Frye "Melissa" tall boot $239.90 (orig. $357.95)(bottom left)  Out of the 3 pairs of boots that Frye put up for sale I think that the Melissa is the most classic. You will be able to wear these boots for many seasons to come and although $240 bucks is a hard pill to swallow I think that it will be well worth it.

BEBE Asymmetrical color blocked coat $119.90 (orig. $198). I think this coat is so trendy and different. I mean any company can make a decent trench coat but the leather sleeves give this jacket an edgy look all its own.

Michael Kors Tall Black Boot $179.90 ($274.95) If the Frye Brown boots aren't your thing and you are looking for something more sleek then I would go with these black boots from Michael Kors. They are very simple but elegant and like the boots from Frye will be useful for many seasons to come.

Sorry for this being blury! NARS Joie De Vivre Cheek Palette $65 ($107 value) If you are like me and missed out on the similar blush palette that was launched for Christmas then here is the time to redeem yourself. NARS has once again produced a blush palette that is too good to pass up for any makeup junkie. The colors in the palette include Laguna Bronzer, Albatross highlighter, and Blush in Orgasm, Angelika, Gaiety and Luster.

LANCOME SET $80 ($197 value) out of all the makeup sets I found that this one was the best deal. It includes a blending shadow brush, dual-ended liner and shadow brush, shadow palette in Taupe, EyeColour base, Travel Size Bi-Facil, Full size black mascara, full size eye brightening liner and full size le creyon khol liner pencil.

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale begins this Friday July 20,2012. I believe it runs until August 6th, 2012. But all these deals will go fast so if you want to purchase anything from the sale I would do so ASAP!
Hope you enjoy!
xoxo
M

Product Review: Benefit Go TropiCoral Set

 

I have always wanted to try out Benefit products...but I never wanted to pay the Benefit price. I was really drawn to try the TropiCoral set because it included two products that I've had my eye on for years, Benefit High Beam and Coralista Blush. Although these are both sample sizes of the products I have gotten many uses out of them without even remotely hitting pan/running out. 

1.Benefit Cha-Cha Tint- a bright coral cheek and lip stain (swatch seen above). I must say I think this product is beautiful but it doesn't show up on my skin as much as I would have liked. For best results I use this product as a base for my Coralista blush. 

2. Benefit High Beam- A pink toned liquid highlighter (Swatch seen above). I LOVE THIS. The pink tones of the highlighter work so well with warmer complexions. I will definitely be repurchasing the full size once this one runs out.

3. Coralista Blush: A coral powder blush. I love this color, it is such a warm and flattering coral and is perfect on my skin tone. The finish is not quite matte but not overly shimmery...more like a pearl. I love it and will be repurchasing the full size. 

4. The Blush Brush- Is bogus as they usually are and I do not use it. 

5. Coralista Lip Gloss- This gloss is pretty but its nothing special. I would prefer a nice nude or pink over this color. It has decent color pay over for a lipgloss and is not overly sticky.

I hope you guys enjoy this review!

xoxo
M