Holiday Gift Guide 2015: Makeup Gifts.

Holiday Gift Guide 2015: The best makeup gifts to give this year include something for every beauty girl on your list. It includes everything from the simple and subtle eyeshadow palette to the most sought after one on the market; pair that with one of the super hot glosses from one of the best gloss sets, a great blush and put it on with one of the must have limited edition holiday brush sets that are always a popular gift.

MAC Enchanted Eve Lip Bag
This limited edition lip bag comes complete with a MAC lipstick, lipglass and lip pencil. Choose from Pink, Red or Nude. Buy it for $39.50 at Nordstrom.

Stila Trust in Love Gift Set
This palette has 12 beautiful shades that range from soft to sultry in really great pigmented shadows that last the day. The palette also comes with a deluxe size Lip Glaze and Extreme Lash Mascara to complete the set. Buy it for $40 at Ulta.

Jane Iredale In the Blink of a Smoky Eye
This sleek palette has eight shades to create your favorite smoky eye, from simple to sophisticated. The shadows are super pigmented and blend with ease. It includes a handy guide with five step-by-step looks that are easy to re-create. Buy it for $50 at Nordstrom and janeiredale.com.

Lancôme My French Noel Palette
This all-in-one holiday palette is inspired by Parisian Elegance is filled with shades to create a gorgeous party look in minutes. I'm impressed with everything about it — from the shade selection to the looks I can create. I love the lippie colors too. Buy it for $65 at Sephora.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist Plexi-Gloss Collection
The MAKE UP FOR EVER Plexi Gloss is a super shiny lip gloss that lasts! This is a collection of 12 of the hottest shades to suit everyone. From the super soft and neutral to the super sophisticated and bold, there is something to capture every mood. Buy it for $150 at Sephora and MUFE boutiques.

MAC Enchanted Eve Eyes X 6
This limited edition eyeshadow palette is filled with six highly pigmented shades to create a gorgeous smoky look. Choose from Warm (neutrals), Navy or Mauve. Buy it for $39.50 at Nordstrom, Dillard's or MAC Cosmetics.

Tarte Holidaze at First Blush deluxe Amazonian Clay Blush Set
Four Amazonian Clay Blushes fill this boxed set that will have your cheeks glowing all year long. These blushes last all day and this set contains two matte and two shimmer shades in limited holiday editions. Buy it for $35 at Ulta and tartecosmetics.com.

Sephora Stand Up & Shine Prestige Pro Brush Set
This 12 piece brush set is super impressive with its high performance PRO brushes that will have anyone applying their makeup beautifully and flawlessly. It comes with a unique stand-up pouch that doubles as an easel so tools are readily at hand. Buy it for $130 at Sephora.

bareMinerals The Royal Court
This trio of face shades will have give her an all-over glow in a flash. It's super smart containing READY products! This compact has the perfect shade of blush, luminizer and all-over face powder. Buy it for $29 at Sephora.

BUXOM Leave Your Mark Full-On Lip Polish & Lip Cream Set
The ultimate gloss set, this one contains a massive 15 shades of BUXOM Lip Polish or Lip Cream in really amazing shades. They are all full-on pigmented colors that fit perfectly in your makeup bag, purse or pocket. Buy it for $59 at Sephora.

MAC Enchanted Eve Brush Kit
This MAC brush kit contains all of the essentials that you need when traveling. This kit contains a brush for foundation, powder and everything she needs for her eyes. It comes with a handy cosmetic case too. Buy it for $52.50 at Nordstrom or maccosmetics.com.

bareMinerals Love at First Kiss
With 10 pieces of Marvelous Moxie lipstick in shades that range from soft to sultry, she will never be without what she craves. These are full coverage lipsticks that feel super creamy and offer a beautiful satin finish. Buy it for $36 at Ulta, Macy's or bareminerals.com.

Urban Decay Vice 4
The ultimate eyeshadow palette for any makeup lover, this one has 20 beautiful shades of super pigmented eyeshadow. Inspired by an oil slick (and a shade of that very name) the shades feature jewel tones and run the spectrum. Buy it for $60 at urbandecay.com or Sephora.
 

Staying Calm, Cool and Beautiful this Holiday Season with Dove Dry Spray.

Introduced by Simply Stylist, I've partnered with Dove to bring you today's post.

Now that the holiday season has officially begun, I am in full-on holiday prep mode. That means I am busier than ever. Between working, I am busy decorating the house, baking cookies, shopping and attending parties and events. I don't have time to think about the little things like, ahem, antiperspirant. Antiperspirant is actually one of the most important steps of my daily beauty routine. It’s just one of things I’m sure to stay on top of to stay calm, cool and beautiful this holiday season. This year I've become obsessed with Dove Dry Spray.

I like Dove Dry Spray for a few reasons. First, it provides Dove’s signature ¼ moisturizers in a dry spray format. That means, my underarms are treated to real skin care benefits from a deodorant — I don't like to neglect any part of my body, especially in the dry, winter months. That means I have softer, smoother underarms. How great is that? Dove Dry Spray also goes on instantly dry and I never have to worry about visible residue! I’ll never use a messy stick again! The best thing about Dove Dry Spray is that it offers up 48 hours of unprecedented odor and wetness protection. No matter how crazy my day or this holiday season gets, I know I'll be protected day in and day out.

Dove Dry Spray comes in six Dove fragrances.

Nourished Beauty - A floral, powdery fragrance
Beauty Finish - A sophisticated scent with notes of watery florals, sandalwood and amber musk
Cool Essentials - A blend of cucumber and green tea
Revive - A pomegranate and lemon verbena scent
Skin Renew - A mix of light florals notes including violet, lilac and rose mixed with vanilla musk
Sensitive - Unscented

As I really don’t like anything additionally scented, I have been using Dove Dry Spray Sensitive which is unscented.

Look for Dove Dry Spray Antiperspirant at your favorite drugstore or mass retailer for about $5.49.

UD | Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette : Review + Swatches.

I teased you with the news of the Urban Decay X Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette last week and now that I have it, I just had to show it off. This palette is nothing short of spectacular — every detail! From the case that truly represents Gwen's lifestyle to the shadow's themselves, it is a true collaboration between Gwen and the Urban Decay brand.

Gwen and Urban Decay spent hours together at Gwens's hours. They talked makeup and design and the palette is a true representation of Gwen.

The case and box are stunning! I love the gold and white stripes on the box and it makes it giftable for the holiday's. The case is sleek and heavy and it really surprised me. It feels very custom and is quite detailed. It features a black and white graphic dot print and has a antique gold plaque that features the UD | Gwen Stefani logo. It's very rich feeling.

Upon opening, the palette is filled with 15 must-have shades — all made with Urban Decay's great formula that are pigment last and very long-lasting. 12 of the shades are brand new and were created just for Gwen and three are from the UD shadow collection that Gwen handpicked. They are overall pretty neutral. If you look at Gwen, her eye looks are mostly neutral with a bold liner or pop of color, like you you see from the hot pink (Harajuku) or bold blue (Danger) which makes an amazing liner or crease color for a smoky look. I really love the shades and the names are really Gwen!

• Blonde (because Gwen is) - pale beige with pink iridescent shift
• Bathwater (a No Doubt song) - pale beige with gold pearl
• Skimp (a favorite of Gwen's from the UD line up) - pale nude satin
• Steady (after the No Doubt album "Rock Steady" - medium rose with metallic rose gold shift
• Punk (the music genre Gwen got started in) - reddish brown matte
• Baby (an homage to her fashion line L.A.M.B.) - cool metallic rose
• Anaheim (where Gwen grew up) - light taupe-brown matte
• Stark (another of Gwen's favorite shades) - nude-pink matte
• Zone (after the song "Danger Zone") - medium brown matte
• Serious (another of Gwen's songs) - smoky gray with iridescent floating pearl
• Pop (like her current music) - pale coral with iridescent sparkle
• Harajuku (one of her style influences) - metallic blue-pink with iridescent micro-shimmer
• Danger (because we like a little danger) - deep metallic royal blue with blue micro-sparkle
• 1987 (the year No Doubt formed) - bright metallic yellow-gold
• Blackout (Gwen's favorite black shade) - blackest black matte

The UD X Gwen Palette is available now on urbandecay.com and it's at Sephora for Rouge and VIB members. It will be available for all, any day at Sephora, Ulta and Macy's. Buy it for $58.

How To: A Party Perfect Smile.

It's party season! My calendar is filling up with holiday parties and events this season and I love seeing my friends and family that I haven't over the year. One of the first things I notice about people is their smile. A pretty smile is like the perfect accessory to that dress and bag you picked out. Plus, your smile says SO much about you. Make your smile party perfect this season with a just a few quick steps.

Lip Exfoliator

You want your lips to be super soft and smooth, so invest in a lip exfoliator to remove dry chapped skin from the lips. I use the e.l.f. Studio Lip Exfoliator a few times a week to get the job done. It is sugary sweet and gritty to get rid of any dry, chapped skin and flakes from lips making them super smooth and soft.

Lip Balm

After using the lip exfoliator and every night before bed, I apply a lip balm on my lips to keep my lips smooth. I like Nivea Lip Butter to lock in natural hydration with Shea Butter and Almond Butter.

Teeth Whitening

Of course one of the most important parts of a great smile is great looking teeth. I've been whitening my teeth and removing years of stains with the new professional strength CVS Health™ Platinum Whitening Kit. In just a quick 20 minutes, my teeth are two shades lighter.

This whitening kit is so easy to use. You see, the Platinum Whitening Kit comes with a super soft, flexible tray that is already filled with the whitening formula. The tray is designed to keep the mixture in place and it really adheres to the teeth — I think it's the secret to it working so well. That, plus the 25% carbamide peroxide, the professional strength whitening agent. It has a nice, peppermint flavor and it didn't irritate my teeth or gums as it includes an ingredient to minimize sensitivity with a bit of a numbing effect.

The CVS Health™ Platinum Whitening Kit sells for just $29.99 and comes with two bonus whitening treatments, so you get a total of three treatments in the kit. Make sure you keep the tray and simply refill with the easy-to-use syringe which makes for a totally mess-free refill process.

Lipstick

The finishing touch to any smile is the perfect lipstick. As it's the holiday season, I have been going for brighter shades and of course, red shades. One of my favorites is L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche La Lacque in the shade Lacquerized. This is a super smooth high-gloss finish lip color that lasts about six hours on my lips. Lacquerized is a pretty bright red shade that is not too shocking.

All of the products mentioned can be found at CVS/pharmacy, where I shop often. I like shopping at CVS because it's not only convenient for me and has a lot of my favorite beauty products in store, but they always have great deals and special perks courtesy of the Beauty Club. Members of the CVS Beauty Club get things like $5 ExtraBucks® Rewards for every $50 spent on qualifying beauty products plus $3 ExtraBucks® Rewards on your birthday. If you haven't signed up, you should; you'll get a 10% off beauty shopping pass upon sign up.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with CVS/pharmacy. All opinions are 100% my own.

Best Black Friday + Cyber Monday Beauty Deals!

It's time to get our holiday shopping on! We all know that this weekend is the official start to the holiday shopping season with Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I've got all the details on the BEST Black Friday + Cyber Monday Beauty Deals.

bliss
Black Friday 11/27 - 11/30
30% OFF all products at blissworld.com with code dazzle30 at checkout
Holiday beauty gift bag free with any purchase of $75 or more. Use brilliant15 at checkout
Cyber Monday 11/30
Save an additional 40% off 10 of bliss’ best-selling bundles. Use the promo code brilliant15 or DELUXE at checkout to get one of their free gifts

Clinique
Black Friday 11/26 - 11/29
Friends and Family Event 20% OFF any $65 purchase at clinique.com. No code needed.
Cyber Monday 11/30
20% OFF any purchase. No code required

First Aid Beauty
Cyber Monday 11/30
30% OFF purchases at firstaidbeauty.com (excludes skincare kits and holiday sets) + FREE shipping on orders over $50

Laura Geller
Black Friday 11/27-11/29
25% OFF all orders at laurageller.com with code FRIDAY25
30% OFF all orders over $100 at laurageller.com with code FRIDAY30
Cyber Monday 11/30
50-75% OFF select products
45% OFF orders $135 or more with code: CYBER45

Nordstrom
Black Friday 11/27
Black Friday Beauty Gifts with Purchase
Choose from 80+ Gifts with your Beauty Purchase at nordstrom.com – while quantities last!

NuFACE
Black Friday 11/27
20% OFF any NuFACE holiday gift set at mynuface.com
Cyber Monday 11/30
20% off a NuFACE Trinity or mini Facial Toning Device at mynuface.com

Ralph Lauren Fragrances
Cyber Monday 11/30 at Macys.com only
Receive three travel-size bottles (7ml) of Polo Red, Polo Black, and Polo Blue with any Ralph Lauren Fragrance purchase of 3.4oz or larger

RapidLash
Cyber Monday 11/30
All products are Buy One Get One FREE at rapidlash.com

Saks Fifth Avenue
Black Friday and Cyber Monday 11/27 - 11/30
Save up to 40% OFF on select designer items at saksfifthavenue.com
FREE shipping and returns with code HOLIDAY

Sephora
Black Friday 11/27
$10 Deals in store and online at Sephora.com
See the complete breakdown of the Beauty Deals here: Sephora Black Friday $10 Beauty Deals

Smashbox
Black Friday 11/27 - 11/29
$10 exclusive sets + 25% OFF when you spend $50 or more at smashbox.com. Enter code HOLIDAY15 at checkout.
Cyber Monday 11/30
25% OFF + limited-edition online exclusive makeup bag featuring artwork by Yago Hortal when you spend $50 or more at smashbox.com. Enter code HOLIDAY15 at checkout.

Ulta Beauty
Black Friday 11/27
67 pc. Blockbuster Set for just $19.99, 5 for $5 grab bag items & more

Urban Decay
Black Friday 11/27 - 11/28
20% OFF Site Wide at UrbanDecay.com
Cyber Monday 11/30
Naked Vault Volume II for $165 at at UrbanDecay.com

Victoria's Secret Beauty
Black Friday & Cyber Monday 11/23 - 12/1
25% OFF all Gift Sets at victoriassecret.com

*This list will be constantly updated as I get more info!

Holiday 2015: MAC Enchanted Eve Warm Eyeshadow X 6.

For holiday this year, MAC has an Enchanted Eve gifting collection. Part of the collection are an array of compacts for eyes, lips and face. Knowing me and how much of a neutral girl I am, it should be no surprise that I would be drawn to the Enchanted Eve Warm Eyeshadow X 6 compact.

This eyeshadow compact is filled with six (obviously) shadows in neutral shades from the really light to smokey brown that will easily do an every day that can be smoked up for evening.

The shades include:

Seasonal Spirit - warm yellow-tan (veluxe pearl)
Moodmaker - rich oak-brown (frost)
Sax Appeal - soft taupe-brown (satin)
Bewitchin’ - warm chestnut-brown (vel vet)
Charcoal Brown - muted taupe-brown (matte)
Retrospeck - beached blonde (lustre)

The compact even includes a mini double ended blending brush/small angle brush.

The shades are overall pretty well pigmented and do last all day, but I found them not to be totally up to regular MAC shadow standards when it comes to blending. MAC shadows are normally one of my favorite shadows so I don't know why MAC isn't giving us regular quality here. I still wouldn't hesitate on gifting this or even picking it up for yourself as it is filled with great shadow colors and with a little work, they do blend, just not as easily as with a normal MAC shadow.

Buy the Enchanted Eve Warm Eyeshadow X 6 for $39.50 at all MAC locations in Macy's, Nordstrom, MAC stores and online at maccosmetics.com.

philosophy The Gift of Grace and Love.

Another day, another QVC Today's Special Value — woo! Tis the season to start stocking up on the holiday sets and today philosophy is giving us TWO sets (in your choice of scents) with the philosophy The Gift of Grace and Love Fragrance Collection. It has eight pieces in it!

There are two beautifully packaged gift sets in the collection, one with full size products and one with travel size products. This is perfect for gifting one, keeping one; keeping both; gifting both — you get the idea. With so many scents to choose from it's easy to buy a few and mix and match as well.

First thing is first, here is what you get in the The Gift of Grace and Love Fragrance Collection.

Full Size Gift Boxed Set

Shower Gel - 16 oz
Olive Oil Scrub - 16 oz
Whipped Body Crème - 8 oz
Eau de Toilette Spray - 2 oz

Travel Size Gift Boxed Set

Shower Gel - 2 oz
Olive Oil Scrub - 2 oz
Whipped Body Crème - 1 oz
Spray Fragrance - .5 oz

Now, for the scents. You can choose from the following:

• amazing grace
• pure grace
• living grace
• unconditional love
• falling in love

I love Amazing Grace and it is one of my all time favorite scents. I am not a scent girl but I can wear philosophy scents. They are clean, light scents like nothing you have experienced. They are like a breath of fresh air and don't linger. Amazing Grace is soft and feminine, very clean with a hint of musk.

The Shampoo, Bath & Shower Gel is great for cleansing the skin while starting to add in some fragrance into your bath and body experience. philosophy has taught me about fragrance layering — always soft. I had never used the perfumed olive oil scrub and I am in LOVE with this product. It does a fantastic job at gently exfoliating the body with smoothing the skin and leaving skin hydrated. It feels so nice on the skin!. The whipped body crème is great for locking in moisture. It sinks in fast and really is nice and creamy; I really like the whipped texture. I only need a spritz or two of the EDT to finish off the scent layering.

Buy The Gift of Grace and Love Fragrance Collection now for just $89.96 (retail value $171). Remember that this value is good TODAY ONLY on QVC and QVC.com.

Holiday 2015: Sephora Black Friday $10 Beauty Deals.

Sephora's 2015 Black Friday $10 Beauty Deals are available while supplies last, in-store and some online only on Black Friday November 27, 2015.

Tarte Easy Glowing Deluxe Cheek Set (online only)

MAKE UP FOR EVER Waterproof Hero Duo Set

First Aid Beauty So Long, Dry!

Nest Eau de Parfum Rollerball Trio

Too Faced Sexy Lids & Lashes Set

Boscia Black Charcoal Pore Perfection Set

Buxom Strut Your Stuff Lip & Eye Trio

Sephora Collection Face Mask Explorer Set

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Trio

Tarte Fanciful Favorites Deluxe Discovery Set

Clarisonic Detoxifying Clay Mask

Urban Decay Triple Threat Pencil Set Smoky Matte (online only)

Clean Rollerball Layering Trio

Sephora Collection Super Glossy Set (online only)

Cover Fx Face and Eye Primer Set (online only)

Josie Maran Argan Pure Cleansing Essentials

Origins Task Maskers

Sephora Collection Precision Makes Perfect: Mini Airbrush Sponge Set

Tocca Beauty Piccolo Tresoro Giulietta

Alterna Haircare Caviar Anti-aging Transformation Trio

Clarisonic Luxe Contour Brush Head - Satin Precision

Sephora Collection It Takes Two Lash Duo

Ole Henriksen Cleanse & Glow On the Go

Blinc Lash Discovery Duo

Smashbox Art.Love.Color Primer Pair

bareMinerals Stay True All Over Face Duo

Ciate London Tree Trinket Nail Duo (online only)

Jack Black Comfort & Joy Duo

Formula X The Two - Nail Polish Set

Caudalie Thé Des Vignes Winter Duo (online only)

Tokyomilk Dark Femme Fatale Duo (online only)

bareMinerals Trio of Kisses MarvelousMoxie Lipgloss (online only)

Butter London Proper Attire Nail Duo Set (online only)

Nails, Inc. Beauty to Go Autumn Winter Mini Gel Effect (online only)

I always log onto Sephora.com right at midnight on Thanksgiving to scoop up what I want. These deals usually sell out fast. I've been lucky enough to scoop up a few things in store in the past, but as the popularity of this sale has risen, people just buy everything and nothing is left.

Urban Decay X Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette.

When I think of a celebrity that has stunning makeup, one that immediately comes to mind is Gwen Stefani. Watching Gwen on The Voice, I am always studying her makeup looks in admiration because, let's admit, her makeup is always on point. Gwen is giving us all what we want: an eyeshadow palette filled with colors picked by Gwen herself and it's from one of my favorite brands, Urban Decay. The collaboration, Urban Decay X Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette was recently revealed and I've got all the details right before the launch later in the week.

Gwen was very much a part of the new 15-pan Urban Decay X Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette sharing that the palette is comprised of only shades she herself would wear, noting “everything in here is real.”.

"Urban Decay has a thing for strong, independent women. And if they dig makeup, even better. So it should come as no surprise that: A) they’re big fans of Gwen Stefani and B) they’ve been dying to collaborate with her for years. And now, Urban Decay announces their first-ever celebrity collaboration, the limited-edition UD | Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette—a true creative partnership and design collaboration. Chief Creative Officer and Founding Partner Wende Zomnir spent countless hours at Gwen’s house, talking makeup and working with her on every detail of this launch—from the packaging to the formulation to the shades. They carefully crafted each product, creating the exact shades Gwen always wished she had in her collection. In the end, they loaded a palette with her 15 must-have shades of eyeshadow (12 new shades, and 3 classic UD shades Gwen can’t live without.) With an insane range of neutrals and a few jewel tones to mix things up, this is Gwen’s go-to kit to achieve her most iconic looks. And with these shades in your arsenal, you’ll have everything you need to recreate those signature looks for yourself."

I'll have more details next week when the palette is here. The Urban Decay X Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette will launch on November 22nd and cost $58.00. Buy it at Sephora, Ulta, select Macy’s, Beauty.com and UrbanDecay.com.