Tag: beauty

Interview with The Beauty Girl, Nicole Pearl

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Earlier this week, I sat down with Nicole Pearl, the founder of The Beauty Girl to talk about our upcoming event, Best of Bridal Beauty as well as all things beauty!



What can guests be expecting at the Best of Bridal Beauty? 
Expect to be spoiled with an insane number of amazing beauty treatments from express manis and mini massages to brow tinting, dry blowouts, makeup trials, airbrush tanning and more. 
What are looking forward to most at the event? 
Where to begin…The night is like an all-you-can-eat buffet of beauty services. This is the event for the ultimate multi-tasker because you’re getting all of your beauty needs met in one place, on one night. Not to mention there will be food from David Burke, cocktails, raffle prizes and gift bags.  
Name three products that you cannot live without: Tom Ford foundation (I wear foundation for television appearances and special events), Burberry lip gloss in bright plum (the formula is saturated, glossy and the best berry I’ve found), Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Glow Blush in Euphoria. Here’s the link to find out why it’s a favorite. 
If you are in a rush, what is the one thing you do before leaving the house?
Apply my Burberry lip gloss!
Do you have any beauty tips for brides leading up to their big day?Use a teeth whitener so your smile is pristine for photos. Don’t try any new products or treatments close to the big day in case your skin doesn’t like them. I’m not one for a french mani; I think a classic shade like Essie Mademoiselle is way more modern.

Any Day of tips? 
Prep skin with a primer before applying your makeup to help it last the night; I think wearing false lashes is a game changer. Individual lashes applied to the outer corners of your eyes will take your look to another level. Don’t overload on foundation. You want your skin to look flawless, but it should still look like skin. If you have freckles, they should still show. Apply concealer on your lips before applying your lip color. This will help you lipstick stay in place when you smooch after saying “I Do.”  


Will I get to meet my idol at Lucky FABB?

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via In the Gloss


I cannot even begin to contain my excitement over meeting my idol this week at the Lucky FABB Conference.  I don’t use the term “idol” lightly, but I had a crush on Jean Godfrey-June since the 90’s.  (Did I just give away my age?)

If you are not a regular reader of Lucky, then you may not know of Jean Godfrey-June.  She is the Beauty Directory at the magazine and writes, in my opinion, one of the best columns in any magazine (and I subscribe to 15).  I love her honesty as well as her advice.  

It’s really easy to mock the attention, time and research that is spent on beauty products (it’s not curing cancer as she has joked in the past). And Jean realizes this, yet she is able to take beauty seriously while keeping a refreshingly light tone to her columns and articles. While I cannot say that I have followed all of her advice, I have gone out to buy some products she recommends to her loyal readers.  

If I do get to meet and speak to her — and am able to put together coherent sentences — then I plan to buy her a drink for the sage advice of using Lancôme Flash Bronzer for legs on my face. It really is the best bronzer out there.


Lancôme Flash Bronzer for legs

Trendy Nail Styles

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In the midst of all the wedding planning chaos, don’t forget to spend the time to pamper yourself!   While you will probably do a more natural look for your wedding day, there are a ton of new styles that would be fun for your Bachelorette Party!  Here are a few of our favorite nail trends…what are some of yours?


A Twist on the French
If you love the idea of a french manicure but want to be a bit more unique, try out a reverse french manicure with color or glitter or a bright neon instead of classic white on the tips.

Matte Manicure
Just like most trendy manicure styles, matte nails can look horrible if they are not done the right way. Make sure to try out a few different colors and brands to find one that you like best. This is OPI La Paz-Itvely Hot Matte.
Textured Nails
I like the thought of adding texture to your nails. The caviar manicure trend was hot for a while, but here is another idea. If you have small lace details incorporated into your wedding, I think this manicure is totally fun and worth the time and effort. 
  

Nail Art + Design
There are so many options for nail designs these days. I’ve seen animal print, flowers, logos, stripes, polka dots…the list goes on and on! Here is a tip: if there is a color or theme running through your wedding that would be fun to incorporate into your nail design…have fun and go for it! 

                                    via                                                          via



Chrome “Mirror” Nails

The chrome manicure is simple, modern, clean, and chic, but will still make your nails stand out from the rest. Kits for these types of manicures are available in stores like Sephora. 

What are some of your favorite nail trends? Comment below and let us know!

Task 2976: Picking Your Nail Color

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  • Getting a mani?
  • Real or Fake?
  • Are you getting a pedi?
  • What nail color(s)?
Decisions, decisions.  Seriously, though, I didn’t want to leave it up to chance for my nails.   Luckily, OPI has a tool on their website called the OPI Studio.  You can click on it to pick your skin tone and then “try on” various shades of nail polish.  I just wish that you could change the nail length and shape!  

In this photo, I have on Mimosas for Mr. and Mrs. which is what I wore on my wedding day. Another good option is the Garden Party line.  If you are a fan of dark colors, I’d suggest my all time favorite, Lincoln Park After Dark!


Getting Pretty with Sonia

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Sonia Roselli has a cult following among brides. Her ability to apply airbrush make-up makes the bride not only look flawless but it is also reassuring to know that it will last the entire day and night.

The day that I found out that I was engaged, I knew that I had to have Sonia do my make-up. I knew that it would be difficult to meet her minimum. Luckily, all of my bridesmaids as well as my future mother-in-law wanted to get their make-up done.

I had my make-up trial with Sonia in early December. The trial was held at Enfuse Spa. Enfuse was offering a special that day for a $59 micro-dermabrasion treatment. Since I love beauty treatments, I decided to go for it.

Post-treatment without a lick of make-up, my Before Photo

Then, Sonia started to work her magic. I shower her a slew of photos that I loved and told her to do her thing. The room is very bright and very white so I think it makes me look a little more pale than I am. I would just want a little more blush and darker lip gloss but I LOVE SONIA!



I’ve got pictures of my hair trial with Kendra coming up tomorrow.

The Incredibly Shrinking Bride

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After my beauty post caused a minor uproar, I was interested in reading this Newsweek article. I walked away rolling my eyes.

After you read it for yourself, feel free to read my criticism:

  • The bride that was quoted for the article said that people are interested in how she is going to look on her wedding day. Really? I’ve gotten a few questions on the type of dress I’m wearing, hair style, etc. but no one has made me feel as though I needed to change the way that I look. If your friends and family are doing that, you have much bigger issues. Additionally, I find it curious that the article interviewed one bride. I am sure there are a few brides out there that feel this way but I highly doubt that they make up the majority, or even at the very least, a strong minority.

  • Brides ordering a dress that is 4-5 smaller than their current size. While silly, I would hardly call this life-threatening or even unhealthy.

  • Weight loss—While the article agrees that most brides-to-be used healthy methods, it mentions that up to 20% of brides use unhealthy methods. How is this different the general population?

  • Botox or Chemical Peels— These treatments are safe if done correctly, he says, but there are a lot of people offering these services who have had very little training. Some have even used research-grade botulinum toxin in lieu of Botox, Again, how does this specifically target brides?

Overall, I feel this article is pure sensationalism. Slap the word “wedding” on an article and some people are going to read it. I did. My gut reaction was, Really? I mean really?? I worked in the bridal industry. While I’ve had a few brides want to lose 5 or 10 lbs, I haven’t had any do something where they no longer looked like themselves.

I still stand by my original post. On the day that I will be most photographed, I want to look my best. But I want to look like me. On some good days, my skin looks flawless. On some good days, I have a fantastic hair day. On some good days, I’m at my “happy weight”. On my wedding day, I want to make sure that I am having a really good day!

Getting’ Purty

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First off, let me start by saying that before I started my wedding plans, I was a total beauty product junkie. I will participate in any beautification process, regardless of pain, if I think it will make me pretty.

Here’s a list of things that I will be doing in preparation for my Wedding Day:

  • Skin Masks— I’ve been giving myself a skin mask weekly starting eight months prior to the wedding. When my skin is oily or breaking out, I use Mary Kay Revitalizing Mask. In the winter, I find that a weekly Nivea mask really does wonders for my skin. Every few months, I use the intensive Origins Charcoal Mask. It’s intense and great on blackheads. As long as you moisturize afterward, your skin will look fabulous.
  • Facials— Since I take really good care of my skin, I have been getting facials every three months for the past year. I have read that it is recommended to get a facial every month. I would do it but that gets expensive! I love Aveda salon facials the best.
  • Nail Care — 3 months prior, I am going to start getting manicures every other week to ensure that I have the healthiest nails ever. I have been applying cuticle creme and lotion daily. Burt’s Bees is the knees bees for cuticle creme. I also like using Nailtiques protein to help my nails grow stronger.
  • Microdermabrasion— I heart microdermabrasion. After a treatment, I feel that my skin looks years younger. I have had the treatment done on an irregular basis the past few years. In preperation for the Big Day, I had a treatment in December. I will probably get another one in February and in April.
  • Waxing— Never fun but I do make a visit to Brazil before big trips. I will get a waxing probably on Tuesday or Wednesday before the wedding.
  • Tanning— This totally goes against being healthy but I am going to do a tanning cocktail on Friday. Twenty minutes in a tanning bed + One Mystic Spray Tan leaves me an entirely different color…but in the good way.
  • Teeth Whitening— In my personal opinion, this will be the most painful treatment for me. For a regular tea drinker, it really isn’t optional. The last time I did a Zoom! treatment, I was in pain for days. Luckily, I have some leftover Tylenol 3s from my gum transplant surgery.
  • Botox— I ugly cry. Besides, I am beginning to get frown lines between my brows. My plan is to get a tad of Botox to make me look wonderful and ward off the aging process a wee bit longer.
  • Water— I am sure you have read this in magazines but it REALLY is true. Drink lots of water and your skin will look fabulous.

Alright ladies, I have totally spilled the beans on my beauty preperation plans. Does anyone have any other great ideas?