Galentine’s Day Favorites from Victoria’s Secret Pink & Heidi Klum Intimates

I wanted to share Valentine’s Day/Galentine’s Day from Victoria’s Secret PINK and Heidi Klum Intimates!

 

Be The Best Version of You: Embrace Your Natural Beauty

It’s not easy being a woman. We’re bombarded with photoshopped images of beautiful models, we have strict beauty standards forced upon us and most of us receive criticism throughout our lives for one feature or another on our face or body. But it doesn’t have to be this way, instead of comparing ourselves to others it makes sense that we should embrace our own natural beauty. Accentuate our best features, look and feel our best in a way that’s true to us. Here are just a few of the ways you can go about doing that.

Photo from People Style.com

Choose a Hairstyle and Color That Works For You

By the time most of us reach our twenties, we’ve dyed our hair every color under the sun. You might have spent some time bleach blonde, jet black, bright red or any other weird and wonderful shade of the rainbow. But to embrace your natural beauty, why not go back to your roots? If you have natural auburn hair, why not make the most of this stunning rare color and show it off! If you’re beachy blonde, ditch the dark dyes and if you’re naturally darker than give up the bleaches. If you have grey hair, don’t feel as though you need to change it- the silver color can look beautiful. Toners can help to keep it the best shade of grey it can be without permanent damaging colors being added. Sticking with your natural shade will save you time and money, you won’t have to keep running to the hairdresser or using box dyes to cover your roots. Your hair will be in good condition where you won’t be constantly dying it, and when it comes down to it- your natural hair color is what will suit you best. It will complement both your eyes and skin tone and will make you feel like ‘you’- especially if you’ve been coloring for a while.

Stick To a Good Skincare Routine

These days there are all kinds of ‘lunch hour procedures’ that can keep you young from lip injections to fillers to Botox. They’re not too expensive and the recovery time is minimal, however, prevention is better than cure. If you treat your skin well you will reduce the signs of aging and naturally stay looking younger for longer. You should use SPF every day, even in winter as the sun’s UV rays are damaging all year round. Eat a healthy diet, drink plenty of water and avoid damaging habits such as smoking, excessively drinking or taking drugs. Look after your body as a whole, and your skin is one place you will really reap the rewards. If you do feel as though you want a procedure or a little nip/ tuck to rewind the years however then go for it. When it comes to surgery, have the aim in mind that you should look like the best version of yourself, not someone completely different!

Work on Your Physique

A strong and supple body is, of course, practical- it allows you to live your life without feeling easily fatigued and you feel fit and healthy. But maintaining a healthy weight and having toned muscles also looks good too, and can give you a huge confidence boost. If you’re overweight, shedding some pounds will be useful for both your health and your self-esteem. You could join a dieting group for support, and join a gym along with a friend or partner for motivation. Alternatively, you could find an activity you enjoy, whether it’s swimming, yoga, a dance class, a sport or just hiking with the dog and family. Aim to get to a BMI that’s healthy for you (there are lots of calculators to show you this online) and you will look how you are supposed to look and feel great too. You’ll slash your risk of all kinds of health issues that can come from weighing too much or too little. Healthy eating and exercise don’t have to be a chore, there are tones of delicious dishes out there and lots of fun activities to get you up and moving. Don’t see it as a diet, instead see it as a lifestyle change in pursuit of becoming your best self.

You don’t have to conform to unrealistic beauty standards, instead just work on making the best of yourself and highlighting your natural beauty. When you feel good on the outside it does affect the way you feel on the inside- plus many things that improve the way you look will also improve your health.

Collaborative Post

 

Ice, Ice Baby – Ann Taylor’s Winter Accessories Will Keep You Looking & Feeling Hot All Season

There’s no need to let the cold weather bring you and your style down. This winter, let Ann Taylor keep you warm and fashionable.

With versatile accessories featuring faux fur and velvet textures, embellished details, and snowy hues, Ann Taylor will help dress up your multiple layers and heavy jackets. These looks will keep you red-hot from the office hours to happy hours.

 

5 Step Beauty Prep to an Epic Valentine’s Day Date

One of the biggest date nights of the year is right around the corner which means pre-date prep is in full effect! Start your prep early before your Valentine’s Day date and you’ll be in tip-top shape and full of confidence when the night comes.

See below for five face and body essentials to create luminous skin for the special occasion.

Start your V-Day date night prep by having flawless skin — blemishes are not cute, and it’s best to proactively fight against them instead of trying to heal them after they’ve made their (unwelcome) arrival.

 

Use this powerful cleanser to ensure your skin is squeaky clean, smooth and even in tone.

Try: Dear by Renée® Grapefruit Foaming Wash ($29.95, DearbyRenee.com)

Infused with Grapefruit which helps treat acne and prevent oily skin and Vitamin E antioxidant which helps boost skin’s defense against pollution.

Slather on your favorite hydrating face mask for flawless, date-night-approved skin! Put this on before you hop in the shower, making sure to let the steam work its magic on opening up your pores for an added bonus.

Try: Arbonne Rescue & Renew Detox Face Mask ($44, Arbonne.com)

Creamy French pink clay formula cleanses to draw out impurities from the skin’s surface, resulting in smaller-looking pores! The mask transitions from wet to dry to visibly show where excess sebum is drawn out.

Think of this as the equivalent of a power smoothie for your eyes! A little bit goes a long way since it spreads easily and melts right into skin.

Try: Dear by Renée® Ultra Firming Eye ($69.95, DearbyRenee.com)

This unique eye cream contains a mixture of botanical extracts and caffeine which absorbs beautifully into the skin addressing puffiness, dark circles and areas which lack circulation.

Look radiant and refreshed with super smooth, healthy skin by applying a scrub a couple days before date night. Apply this gentle formula to your skin and slough off dull skin that’s dimming your inner glow — you’ll be left with nothing but luminous goodness.

Try: Ethique Mochaccino Body Polish – Body Scrub & Exfoliator ($14.50, Amazon.com)

Ground Arabica coffee beans paired with cocoa, pumice, and lashings of nourishing cocoa butter – smells amazing and is the perfect treat for your skin. This deeply exfoliating bar will leave skin feeling smooth and refreshed!

Date night skin is hydrated skin, so lock in moisture right out of the shower with a gorgeous lotion and body wash that contains a mixture of luxurious oils for silky-smooth skin that will last all night.

Try: The Mane Choice Ancient Egyptian Body Wash & Oil + Lotion Fusion 

($14.99 each at TheManeChoice.com)

Infused with Beta-Carotene, Vitamin B5 and Vitamin E work to protect, moisturize and soothe while Kalahari Oil, Oleaster Oil, Mongongo Oil and Baobab Oil rejuvenates skin by bringing out its natural glow.

Frederic Aspiras styles Lady Gaga for the 2018 Grammy Awards

For last night’s Grammy Awards red carpet, Lady Gaga’s hair made a Victorian goth statement with a corseted romantic braid.

Inspiration: Frederic was inspired by the design of Lady Gaga’s dress – it immediately reminded him of the gowns and corsets of the Victorian era.

Step by step:

  • Start by spraying John Frieda Luxurious Volume Full Hydration Detangling Mist throughout the hair to help comb out any tangles
  • Then, apply John Frieda Luxurious Volume Perfectly Full Mousse to give the hair volume and texture, before creating a center part, and blow drying with a diffuser to set the hair
  • Next, while braiding both sides, apply John Frieda Frizz Ease Clearly Defined Gel to control and maintain the smoothness of the two side braids. Braid all the way down and tie the ends with a clear elastic. Then, weave the corset
  • To finish and hold the style, spray John Frieda Luxurious Volume Forever Full Hairspray

Get The Look: Rita Ora at the 2018 Grammys

Celebrity Makeup Artist Kathy Jeung worked with Rita Ora for tonight’s Grammy Awards – below is a breakdown of the look!

 

Who: Rita Ora at the 2018 Grammy Awards

The Inspiration: With the classic shape of Ralph & Russo dress, Kathy wanted to keep the focus on Rita’s complexion and eyes – giving her skin a satin finish with a touch of radiance and highlighter to accentuate Rita’s bone structure, and a simple glossy eye with lashes that lift the outer corners.

How to Get the Look:

Lips
Kathy applied Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Lip Colour in Plum This Go to give Rita a dark, bold lip.

Skin
Kathy applied Rimmel London Lasting Finish Breathable Primer all over Rita’s cleansed, toned and moisturized face to keep makeup fresh and long-lasting, creating a smooth, pore minimized canvas for makeup. She then applied Rimmel London #Insta Conceal & Correct underneath Rita’s eyes, erasing dark circles. Next, Kathy applied Rimmel London Match Perfection Concealer in Light/Medium with her ring finger, in a tapping motion underneath the eyes to blend into the rest of Rita’s face. Kathy mixed Rimmel London Lasting Finish 25HR Foundation in 303 True Nude with small amount of Rimmel London Good to Glow Highlighter in 003 Soho Glow to give her skin luminosity, by applying it with a flat foundation brush in broad strokes over Rita’s face, and blended with a damp sponge, giving Rita a natural looking finish. Kathy set the foundation with Rimmel London’s #Insta Fix & Matte Translucent Powder, helping to keep Rita’s forehead, sides of the nose and cheeks shine-free.

Cheeks
Kathy used Rimmel London Kate Moss Sculpting & Highlighting Kit in Golden Sands to highlight the tops of Rita’s cheekbones, above her jawline and down the length of her nose. She contoured the hollows under her cheekbones, just under her jawbone and under her chin using a narrow wedge brush and applied the blush using a rounded brush on the apples of her cheeks and extended towards temples.

Kathy finished up the cheeks by using Rimmel London’s Insta Duo Contour Stick to highlight along the tops of the cheekbones and blend with a damp sponge.

Eyes
Kathy applied the beige shade of the Rimmel London Magnif’Eyes Shadow Contouring Palette Blush Edition to the browbone and blended the matte taupe color into the crease. Then she applied Rimmel London’s ScandalEyes Eyeshadow Stick in Witness White to the inner corners of Rita’s eyes and blended for a trace of highlight. She then added Rimmel London Oh My Gloss in Clear to Rita’s eyelids to add a glossy, high shine. She lined Rita’s eyes using Rimmel London ScandalEyes Precision Micro Eyeliner in Black to create a very narrow wing along the lashline. To finish the eyes, she applied two coats of Rimmel London Shake It Fresh Mascara in Black to the upper lashes only to lengthen and thicken Rita’s lashes.

Brows
Kathy used Rimmel London Professional Eyebrow Pencil to fill in and extend Rita’s brow shape, followed by Rimmel London Brow This Way Brow Pomade in Medium to softly add color and keep the brow hairs in place. She finished the brows by applying Rimmel London Brow This Way Highlighting Pencil to lift the arches of the brow and add highlight to the brow bone.

Where to Find Them: Rimmel London products are available at chain drug stores and mass retailers nationwide. Visit www.RimmelLondon.com for store locations and to try the newest products with Rimmel London’s exclusive Get The Look App available on iTunes and Google Play.

#EdgeYourLook #RimmelRebel
@RimmelLondonUS

Get The Look: Janelle Monae at the 2018 Grammys

Makeup artist, Jessica Smalls got Janelle Monae got rockstar ready for the Grammy’s using Kiehl’s, Buxom Cosmetics, and Eylure Lashes.

 

INSPIRATION:  “I wanted to give Janelle a timeless and current look at the same time, so I decided to give her a Twiggy 2018 vibe.”

 

“I wanted Janelle’s skin to shine like the star that she is, so we began prepping her skin the night before Grammys with Kiehl’s Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Mask to help brighten her skin’s appearance. When I arrived to Janelle the next morning, she was already glowing, but I decided to take the glow to the next level by giving her a light 5-minute steam, and then massaging Kiehl’s Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate all over her face and along her neck, followed by Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream. I then applied Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado around her eyes, using my ring finger, to keep that delicate area moisturized.”

 

“For a bold and sexy eye look, I applied Buxom Cosmetics Eyeshadow Bar Single Eyeshadow in shades Lingerie Lover, Haute Couture and LBD to her crease, using a soft blending brush. The powerfully-pigmented formula glides onto lids with a luxe, powder-to-silk feel. I then lined her waterline with Buxom Cosmetics Hold The Line Waterproof Eyeliner in shade Ring My Bell and swept the Buxom Cosmetics Eyeshadow Bar Single Eyeshadow in shade Twilight Tryst on top to make the green pop. I finished with Eylure Luxe Silk “Trillion” false lashes and then applied a few individual lashes on the bottom for a “Twiggy” effect. To complete the look, I used Buxom Cosmetics Big Tease Plumping Mascara for instantly plumped, longer lashes.”

 

“Giving the moisturizer plenty of time to penetrate the skin, I then applied a pore minimizing primer all over her face using a synthetic brush. I then mixed Buxom Cosmetics Show Some Skin Weightless Foundation in shade In the Dark with the Buxom Cosmetics Divine Goddess Luminizer and using a damp sponge I applied all over Janelle’s face, starting by her nose and blending upwards and outwards. Using my ring finger, I sparingly dabbed some Concealer under her eyes to brighten. I contoured her face, focusing on her cheeks, temples and forehead with Buxom Cosmetics Hot Escapes Bronzer in shade Maldives, which gives off the perfect sun-kissed color and flatters all skin tones. And to complete her face I applied a soft pink to the apples of her cheeks, with some Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream on top for a subtle glow.”

 

“Now that her eyes and skin are finished, I hydrated her lips with Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1, and filled them in slightly with the all-in-one plumping lip liner, Buxom Cosmetics Plumpline Lip Liner in shade Stealth. I finished the look with the ultimate plumping lip gloss, Buxom Cosmetics Full-On Lip Polish in shade Megan. The high-shine gloss tingles for a lusciously soft and seriously sexy pout. And a stunning red carpet look was born!”

Soft Surroundings is throwing a BIG PARTY this Saturday | The Summit

Soft Surroundings is celebrating another year of helping women to #LiveSoft by hosting an all-day party at our Birmingham store (at The Summit) this Saturday, January 27th, beginning at 10 am.  We truly appreciate our wonderful customers and have a very special day planned out for them, including:

  • A very special FREE GIFT for the first 50 customers at the event
  • 15% off your entire in-store purchase (we never do that!)
  • Tasty Sips & Sweets for you to enjoy while you shop

Soft Surroundings offers an amazing line of women’s apparel, luxurious bedding, and home décor, and incredible beauty and skincare products devoted to helping women take time out for themselves so that they can look and feel their best. Feel free to visit www.softsurroundings.com to get a better idea of our current product lines.

MARIA ARISTISOU Couture Show: Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week

Close your eyes and fly to the Secret Gardens of Alexander. A utopia, a fantasy land that euphoria is the only feeling of existence! A land with never-ending gardens of delicate Japanese flowers, that human eye cannot gasp in one breath!!! A land with human smiles that never will be forgotten and always watching over us.

 

One of them, close to my heart is Alexander Boulais! My agent in Paris! The person that with his instinct believed in my work. A gentle human soul, a nobleman that was always calm, soft-spoken with a genuine smile and loved his garden! May you be the wind and the light that crosses your Secret Gardens and always be a shining star upon us!

 

Maria Aristidou, a specialist in couture knitwear, created a fantasy colorful world for spring-summer daywear-eveningwear for women that romance, positive energy and freedom are the safety keys to happiness. A playground of flower patterns with silk viscose and metallic yarns where elaborate embroideries decorate the luxurious knit fabrics creations for the women today.  A collection with carefree curves and sleek cuts with unexpected details, and accessories that complete the beauty of this womenswear secret garden story!

ZIAD NAKAD Couture Show: PARIS HAUTE COUTURE FASHION WEEK

“I am Demeter, revered by all, the power most useful for gods and men,”
For his Spring Summer 2018 collection, Ziad Nakad decided to celebrate the “Goddess of wheat” and “Mother of the Earth”. Goddess who gathers the fruits of the earth and offers them to humanity; its cult is particularly flourishing in the countries where this wheat is found in abundance, in Sicily, in the region of Eleusis, in Crete, in Thrace, and in the Peloponnese.

 

Like a bird flying over the harvests, perfectly free, crossing a colorful sky, resplendent and singularly geometric: the pale blue of the firmament mixes with the yellow and gold of the wheat, the green of the earth, the coral of the ocean and the bronze trees at sunset. Wheat ears dot the dresses, a tribute to the most iconic representation of the goddess Demeter. Dress after dress, Ziad Nakad plays a subtle game that celebrates life in a precise mastered know-how and silk embroidery sublimated tulles.

 

Ziad Nakad created this collection for a strong woman, assumed, voluntary but also and especially generous, inspired by one of the most favorable deities to humans, as a symbol of accomplishment and peace.