Urban Decay Summer 2016 Collection.

The Urban Decay Summer 2016 Makeup Collection is here and it's all about flawless, radiant, bronzed skin. With new products like bronzers and highlighters and shade extensions to their Naked Skin line up (more Foundation and Concealer) along with a Color-Correcting Fluid to conceal flaws perfectly, these are products you want in your summer makeup bag.

A must-have for warm-weather months is the new NAKED Skin One & Done. This is a hybrid complexion perfector that comes in six shades. This very lightly tinted complexion perfector feels like a primer on the skin but has some tint to it, just not as much as a tinted moisturizer. It smoothed and blurred away my imperfections, giving my skin an airbrushed, perfected look, without looking made up. It's a true no-makeup look. It offers very little to no coverage - just perfecting.

I suggest using NAKED Skin One & Done after color-correcting and perfecting the skin with the new Color-Correcting Fluid. The Color-Correcting Fluid comes in five shades to neutralize different skin flaws. If you have redness or blemishes, pick green; if your skin is dull, pick yellow; if your skin is really sallow or has yellow undertones that need cancelling out, pick lavender; if your skin has blue undereye circles pick pink; if your skin had sunspots and really dark undereye circles, pick peach.

I use the green Color-Correcting Fluid under my eyes as my undereye area gets very red and irritated this time of year because of allergies and the shade targets and corrects the redness with ease. I've also tested the peach on sunspots and it works like a charm.

No summer look is ever complete without a bronzer and this collection offers two new shades in Beached Bronzer. I love how this silky powder bronzer warms up the skin in either Sun-Kissed for more fair skin or Bronzed for medium or darker skin tones. It leaves such a perfect bronzed glow that radiates the look of the real sun.

To finish the face, you will want to add this seasons must have gorgeous glow with Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Highlighter. With three gorgeous shades to choose from, skin is glowing and radiant in a flash. I love how soft yet creamy the texture is, it really is hard to choose just one - that's why I have two of the three. I have Fireball (peach with pink shift) and Sin (champagne), there is also Aura (iridescent light pink) available.

Eyes are not left out of the collection with two 24/7 Pencils. There is a 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Heartless and 24/7 Waterline Eye Pencil in Walk of Shame. Heartless is a perfect light frosted pink that is great for highlighting the inner corner of the eye and brow bone. And Walk of Shame is a brand new water liner that is the perfect nude shade to brighten the eyes by lining the inner rim. This is a waterproof, all-day wear pencil.

Shop for the Urban Decay Summer 2016 Collection now at urbandecay.com, Sephora, Ulta Beauty, select Macy's stores, beauty.com and Nordstrom.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua XL Eye Pencils.

I love a good eyeliner, but I have specific requirements of my eyeliner. My eyeliner needs to apply easily (not drag), not fade or rub off throughout the day, be true to color and just pretty much be beautiful all day long. I have a short list of eyeliners and honestly, I turn to my favorite eye shadows more often than not because many liners smudge on my eyes and fail me. I gave the new MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua XL Eye Pencils a try and I think I have found my holy grail eyeliners. Not only do these new eye pencils outperform any others that I have tried, these are some of the most beautiful eyeliner shades that I have ever seen.

You will notice in the Aqua XL name the XL. Well, that means extra-long - as in extra-long lasting formula. The formula uses a revolutionary dry oil that locks in the amazing color to create their waterproof, smudge-proof, transfer-proof and sweat-proof results. They seriously look freshly applied at the end of the day! The colors are intense.

They are super comfortable to apply and wear too. The MUFE AQUA XL Eye Pencils are made with emollient oil and microspherical silica which aids in the easy, creamy and smooth application. Mango butter is included which prevents dryness through wear.

The new Aqua XL Eye Pencils are truly artistic. There are twenty shades in all with five different finishes, so there is something here for everyone. There are matte finishes, iridescent finishes, diamond finishes, satin finishes and metallic finishes. While I most often wear matte and satin finishes, I am also really into the metallic finish for night.

The shade line up:

• M-10 - Matte Black
• D-12 - Diamond Black
• M-14 - Matte Charcoal Grey
• M-16 - Matte White
• S-20 - Satiny Navy Blue
• M-22 - Matte Majorelle Blue
• I-24 - Iridescent Blue with Green Sparkles
• M-26 - Matte Pastel Blue
• I-32 - Iridescent Lagoon Green
• M-30 - Matte Pastel Green
• I-34 - Iridescent Pop Green
• I- 36 - Iridescent Khaki
• M-40 - Matte Pastel Yellow
• ME-42 - Metallic Bronze
• S-50 - Satiny Taupe
• M-60 - Matte Dark Brown
• D-62 - Diamond Brown
• M-80 - Matte Plum
• I-90 - Iridescent Pop Purple
• M-92 - Matte Pastel Purple

Your staples are going to be Matte Black, Matte White (for your waterline to brighten the eyes), Matte Charcoal Grey, and Matte Dark Brown. I would also highly recommend Matte Plum, Satiny Navy Blue and Satiny Taupe because those are going to be used often. For summer, I really like Metallic Bronze and Matte Pastel Blue as an accent shade.

MAKE UP FOR EVER has teamed up with pop star Charli XCX to launch these extra long lasting, waterproof eye pencils. The brand has put out a limited edition collection to celebration the launch that gives you four shades in the Charli XCX Festival Faves 4 Waterproof Eyeliners. Not only great for festival season (whatever that is) these are you mainstays for summer. This set includes the MUFE AQUA XL Eye Pencils in Matte Black, Matte Plum, Iridescent Blue and Matte Pastel Green and it comes at a great deal - just $49 for 4 full size eye pencils. Right now this is limited to Sephora VIB Rouge members, but it will open up to all customers shortly.

Buy the MAKE UP FOR EVER AQUA XL Eye Pencils for $21 each at Sephora, MAKE UP FOR EVER Boutiques and makeupforever.com.

Clinique Chubby in the Nude Foundation Stick.

Clinique is adding to their Chubby Stick franchise with a foundation and I was excited to give it a try! I mean, what's better than a portable foundation stick that can travel easily? I took the new Chubby in the Nude Foundation Stick with me on my recent Florida vacation and I was seriously impressed.

Clinique Chubby in the Nude Foundation Stick was built to be portable and provide on-the-go touch-ups, but honestly, it' so long-wearing that touch-ups are not needed with this. It's not what you'd expect out of a cream stick foundation. What is really great about this, is that it's super buildable - you can build up your coverage from sheer to medium depending on how much you apply. It's really moisturizing but leaves a soft, sheer, natural finish giving me a no-makeup, makeup look.

Chubby in the Nude is made up of a superior blend of gels and waxes that provides the long wear and keeps color true all day long. It even lasted on me through all of the Florida heat and humidity.

There are 10 shades in all, and what I really like about this is that I used 'Bountiful Beige all over as foundation but also have 'Intense Ivory (a much lighter shade) and used that as highlighter. It's super easy to just draw it on across the tops of the cheeks, down the center of the nose and blend out to give skin the perfect highlight with the lighter shade.

Clinique Chubby in the Nude Foundation Stick is available now at Clinique counters nationwide in stores like Macy's, Sephora, Nordstrom and online at clinique.com.

Top 10 Mother's Day Gift Ideas for the Beauty Obsessed.

Mother's Day is right around the corner and whether you celebrate your Mother, Grandmother, Daughter, Sister, Aunt, or friend it is a day to celebrate the Mother-figure who is special to you. If that special person just so happens to be beauty obsessed, you've come to the right place because I've got 10 top Mother's day gift ideas for the beauty obsessed!

1. Marc Jacobs Daisy Gift Set - Perfume is a classic gift and Marc Jacobs Daisy scent is a fresh, feminine yet playful scent that comes in a great set. This set includes the Daisy EDT along with a Body Lotion and Shower Gel for fragrance layering. Buy this set for $82 at Sephora.

2. Clarisonic Mia 2 Garden Party Collection - I told you how much I love the Clarisonic skin cleaning device and this special spring edition a few weeks ago. This beauty tool is a perfect gift for Mom, one she totally deserves and appreciates and the colors are great! Read my complete review here. Buy it for $149 from Clarisonic.com, Sephora, Ulta or Macy's.

 3. BrushPearl™ Ultrasonic Makeup Brush Cleaner - Cleaning makeup brushes is a CHORE so this new automatic brush cleaner makes a phenomenal gift. If you are familiar with an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner, this Ultrasonic Brush Cleaner is similar. Using patent-pending ultrasonic brush-cleaning technology, the BrushPearl delivers sound waves through its cleansing tank. You simply insert brushes into the top of the device and then it does all of the work for you! The technology works to gently and effectively vibrate dirt and grime off of brushes without damaging friction. With a Cleaning Cycle, Rinse Cycle and Drying Cycle, brushes are automatically cleansed in a snap. Buy it for $99 from brushpearl.com or Joyus.

4. Tria Age-Defying Eye Wrinkle Correcting Laser - I'm testing this laser now and I can already say that I highly recommend this device for treating fine lines, crows feet and wrinkles around the eyes. What woman wouldn't want this as a gift? All it takes is two minutes each night and after just a few weeks, I already started seeing results. I've partnered with my friends at Tria to give you a discount! Save 15% off the Tria Eye Wrinkle Correcting Laser Deluxe Kit with CODE beautifulmakeup. Shop here: http://primp.in/triabeautifulmakeupsearch

5. Fresh Sugar On The Go Mini Lip Trio - This set is perfect for keeping lips super soft and lightly tinted. I actually love gifting this one; I always give a Fresh Lip Set to my Mom and she loves them. This On The Go Mini Lip Trio contains the brands iconic Sugar Lip Treatment Advanced Therapy along with two tinted versions in Rosé and Tulip. Buy it for $30 at Sephora.

6. Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette - Now you're thinking I'd probably recommend one of the latest nude or natural palettes for Mom, wouldn't you? Well, I'm going out on a limb and recommending one of my most loved and most used palettes of the year because she is going to swoon over this one! This smoky palette is so versatile and will really really help Mom kick it up a notch and help her smoke out her day or evening looks. It's probably not the palette she'd buy for herself, so why not buy it for her. Buy it for $54 from urbandecay.com, Sephora or Nordstrom.com.

7. beautyblender Two B.B. Clean Set - A Beauty Blender is THE way to apply makeup and Mom will relish in the fact that you thought enough about her to buy this kit for her. Their set not only includes beautyblender sponges, but it also comes with their amazing blender cleanser. Buy it for $40 at Sephora.

8. Makeup Academy Ombre Brush Collection - Makeup brushes are a staple in a woman's makeup routine and let's face it, they can all use replacing every few years. Gift Mom with a set of new basics that has all of the essentials covered. The best part? You can pick it up right from CVS! The Makeup Academy Ombre Brush Collection features gorgeous black and fuschia handles and contains the following 5 brushes: Powder Brush, Foundation Brush, Large Shadow Brush, Large Brow Brush and a Smudger Brush. The brushes come complete in a clutch style bag with individual slots to cover and protect the brushes. Buy it for $22 at CVS.

9. philosophy Celebrate the Ones We Love Rollerball Trio - I'm such a fan of the soft, feminine philosophy scents and this set contains three of their finest in rollerball form. The set contains Amazing Grace, Pure Grace and Loveswept. Buy it for $39.50 at Lord & Taylor, Sephora or philosophy.

10. Tarte Double Duty Beauty Day/Night Eye & Cheek Palette - This full face palette will be sure to delight any woman for on-the-go touch ups for a day or night look. The palette contains the perfect shades for both neutral and smoky looks with five shadows and a blush. Choose from Classic Courage or Star Power. Buy it for $28 at Ulta where it is an exclusive.

Pull Together One Classy Look for ALL of Your Spring + Summer Events.

Thank you to Lunchbox and Nexxus for sponsoring today's post. All opinions are my own. Please see below for additional disclosure.

The spring and summer seasons are such a busy time of year. For me, these next few months are busier than ever! There are so many events like Mother's Day, graduations, weddings, bridal showers, baby showers and milestone birthday parties to attend. I literally have every weekend booked through mid July! These are all big events that I need to plan for. I always seem to have a busy time of year like this and it stresses me out. I decided that I need to stop worrying about what I am wearing and put together a few key looks. This way, I can have fun, enjoy these events and make memories with my friends, family and loved ones and not stress.

This year, I am putting together little event looks by buying the right key pieces - dresses, shoes, jewelry, bags even planning the hair looks and makeup so I am prepared. I am going with a classy theme, so I can mix and match everything; I only need a few key pieces which saves me a lot of money.

We are seeing a lot of color this year, but when you are keeping it to just a few pieces, you can't go out and buy a pink dress and wear it five times without people noticing. This is why I invest in basic colored items, like a white, nude and black dress and accent it with gold jewelry and a bright bag or shoes for day; for night it is always black.

For makeup, I concentrate on beautiful skin both day and night. That means, flawless foundation, with a little bronzer and blush just on the apples of my cheeks. On my eyes, I keep it more natural during the day with a pop of color on my lips. At night, I am all about the smoky eye with a ton of mascara. I actually keep my favorite nighttime mascara, nude lipstick and gloss in a little makeup bag for my clutch at the ready because I know this will be coming with me every weekend. 

For my hair, I wear it down for daytime events and in an updo for nighttime events. Pinterest is such a great source of inspiration for updo's and I print them out and have photos by my vanity. Having my hair in it's best condition so it is smooth, frizz-free and manageable is key. I have been using Nexxus Oil Infinite system.

Nexxus Oil Infinite system is a two part system that contains a Rebalancing Shampoo and Restoring Conditioner. Specifically formulated using concentrated, 100% pure Elastin Protein and natural Babassu and Marula Oils, this Oil Infinite regimen works to renew hair texture and restore smooth, sleek, fluid beauty.

I'm thrilled that my hair is frizz-free, smooth and manageable and looks perfect for all of my events. The Rebalancing Shampoo does a great job at cleansing my hair and never makes it feel overly dry. It is silicone-free which is a plus. The blend of oils in the Restoring Conditioner really help make my hair smooth without weighing it down.

"Nexxus Oil Infinite system smells so good and makes my hair super shiny!"

The large 25oz. bottles of the Nexxus Oil Infinite system are available now at Costco for a limited time, so I don't have to worry about running out. More time for making memories!

Do you have a lot of events this spring and summer? What do you do to be prepared?

Today's post was sponsored by Lunchbox and Nexxus. As always, all opinions are my own.

Urban Decay Alice Through the Looking Glass Collection.

When a beauty brand collaborates with Disney, my ears perk up, especially when it's Urban Decay. Urban Decay has teamed up with Disney in a big way again this year for the sequel to Alice in Wonderland, with Alice Through the Looking Glass. The Alice Through the Looking Glass Collection is quite whimsical, featuring bright packaging with shades to match.

We can definitely relate to the Cheshire Cat's proclamation, “We're all mad here.” Urban Decay introduces the Alice Through the Looking Glass Eyeshadow Palette. Inspired by the new fantasy-adventure film release of Disney's Alice Through the Looking Glass, in theaters May 27th, 2016, this limited-edition, pop-up palette is a trippy tribute to our favorite characters from the film. Using this visually stunning film as our inspiration, we painstakingly created the perfect mix of 20 ALL-NEW shades, then arranged them all in columns by character and put them in an intricately designed, collectible palette. Match up the columns to steal their looks or mix up these shades to create countless others. From softer shades inspired by Alice's look in the film to bold, bright shades like those seen on the Mad Hatter, it's all here.

The Alice Through the Looking Glass Collection includes a Book of Shadows Palette ($60) with 20 shades and Five limited edition Lipsticks ($18).

I will take photos of the collection and have more details soon.

The Urban Decay Alice Through the Looking Glass Collection will be available May 1st at urbandecay.com then at other Urban Decay retailers (Sephora, Macy's, Ulta) later in May.

Quick + Easy Instant Coverage from Madison Reed Root Touch Up!

Thank you to Madison Reed for sponsoring today's post. All opinions are my own.

I'm not sure if I should admit it, but I've been coloring my hair for about 30 years. What started out as experimenting in my teen years turned to a necessity and maintenance in my forties. The upkeep is somewhat of a process, especially because I am not a natural blonde. If you look at the little image of me in the right-hand sidebar, you will see that I have blonde hair, when in fact, I was born with very dark brown hair. Keeping my hair a light golden blonde color takes a lot of work and monthly trips to the salon. My hair grows pretty fast requiring color touch ups because I don't like dark roots and I don't like the gray hairs that have been popping through for the last ten or so years either. The thing is, I could really go to the salon every two weeks for a touch up because these gray hairs just seem to grow out of nowhere. I have tried powders and sprays but honestly never stuck with one product because the solution wasn't for me. I never found one product to fit my routine or truly solved the problem - until now. I finally tried Madison Reed Root Touch Up Powder (which debuts on QVC tomorrow) and this is the solution I have been searching for. It's like makeup for my hair!

Madison Reed Root Touch Up Powder is a pressed mineral powder that conceals outgrown roots and gray hair quickly, easily and instantly. It works so well because of micro-milled pigments that provide dense coverage and blend right into the hair. I love how natural it looks.

This is no ordinary touch up powder either, Madison Reed Root Touch Up is made by color-experts with nutrient rich ingredients. Infused with Keratin to strengthen and repair, Argan Oil to protect and condition along with Ginseng Root Extract to help soften and hydrate, hair is even receiving treatment when using. How great is that?

The best part about this Root Touch Up Powder is that once you apply it, the powder is ON and roots are concealed until you wash it out. That's right, Root Touch Up does not come off when you sweat, when you sleep or even when you get caught in the rain. It truly is makeup for the hair!

The entire system is luxurious, from the compact, pouch and brush - it's all very prestige. Root Touch Up Powder comes in a luxurious compact with a velvet pouch to hold it and protect it. The pouch also makes it perfectly portable for travel. The compact fits easily into the palm of your hand making it easy to hold and easy to use. Root Touch Up comes with the perfect sized brush making it super simple to apply the powder to your roots, with just one little sweep and press of the brush I might add.

No matter your hair color, Madison Reed has you covered, as Root Touch Up is available in seven shades:

• Black
• Dark Brown
• Medium Brown
• Light Golden Brown
• Light Brown
• Red
• Light Blonde

I have been using the Light Blonde shade on my not-so-natural-blonde colored hair and it blends into my roots seamlessly. I love that I am able to extend my time between salon appointments just a bit longer because Madison Reed Root Touch Up instantly is covering my gray and dark roots at my temples. I also like that when I am pulling my hair up in a ponytail and my dark roots are revealed, I can apply Root Touch Up where needed and no one is the wiser.

Madison Reed on QVC

Madison Reed Root Touch Up Powder will be making its debut on QVC tomorrow, April 22nd, during Friday Night Beauty. Tune in to watch Amy Errett, CEO and Co-Founder of Madison Reed introduce the brand on-air. Root Touch Up Powder is QVC item #A282057 and sells for $30 with FREE standard shipping & handling. I can't wait and will be tuning it to get application tips and tricks and to see Amy live!

Thank you to Madison Reed for sponsoring today's post. All opinions are my own.