BeyondBlushing...

Happy New Year! It’s so exciting to be starting off a brand new year. I personally have so many new things going on in my life and I am excited to see what the year will have to offer. My family and I decided that we would end the year right and spend our Christmas budget on a winter vacation instead of all the Christmas gifts and parties and everything else we normally do. So we were off to Lake Tahoe the day after Christmas and spent a week enjoying all the winter activities. So you may be wondering how my Christmas vacation ties in with my favorite subjects of beauty and cosmetics but of course in my beauty obsessed world it’s never hard to do. So the big news is Jack Black Skincare! This is a skincare line geared to men but I thoroughly enjoyed the lip conditioner/treatment all week long. When you are enjoying all the winter activities such as snowboarding, sledding, ice skating, and enjoying those nice brisk walks through the winter streets your exposed skin really takes a toll. ...

Have you ever gotten a perm…..for your EYELASHES? Yes, I said “perm.” I know it sounds bizarre but let me tell you….it’s AWESOME! I personally am obsessed about keeping my eyelashes curled. I just think it looks good. Especially on those days that I really don’t have time to do my makeup or don’t want to—I will still always curl my lashes, apply a little bit of mascara and some lip gloss. Well getting my eyelashes permed were one of the best things I ever did. Instead of havening to curl my lashes multiple times a day to keep them where they belong they are already curled and remain curled. I still use my eyelash curler on some mornings when I use a little bit heavier of a mascara. So now I think I’m hooked! Here’s how the process went down. I went and saw my esthetician, Tracy and she had me lie down. She cleaned my lashes with one of her Dermalogica Products to make sure I didn’t have any makeup residue on my eyelashes. Next, she pulled out her teeny tiny eyelash perm curling rods an...

I’m not kidding when I say I have been using MAC Cosmetics for half my life. We’re talking a good sixteen years! I fell in love “originally” with Studio Fix Foundation in C2 and N3 (I’ve always needed to mix the colors). Of course I really liked the foundation but I found myself wanting some of the vibrant colors that MAC had to offer. I swear the lipsticks had a hypnotic way about them that just lured me over to them. I had to pick them up, test them on my hand until I had at least a dozen stripes on my hand from testing out the colors and textures, and then choose a favorite that I just could not leave the store without. Then as I went to purchase my lipstick I couldn’t help but browse by the eyeshadows. How could I buy a lipstick and not an eyeshadow? Won’t the eyeshadow’s feel left out if I walk on by without even testing a few out to see if there were any I just couldn’t live without? Of course they would! And that’s how I slowly but surely became a MAC addict and started building...

I have been using PREVAGE Anti-Aging night cream for the last two weeks. My skin looks younger. It felt smoother and firmer in just a few days. Impressive—for sure. What’s neat about this product is that it is proven to help your skin’s night time natural repair process with amazing ingredients like: Idebenone (a skin revitalizer) which is encapsulated and time-released in the night time moisturizer; Mega Complex-A (a vitamin based blend) like vitamin A, which smoothes lines and wrinkles, Lemon Peel extract—a brightner for age spots and discolored skin, and Vitamin E which restores our skin. This is all really cool right? But wait—the moisturizer comes in this futuristic jar that keeps the product sealed and fresh. There is no way that air can mix in with the product and also the innovative design keeps the product totally sterile. I really appreciate that being the germ-a-phob that I am. Go to any Elizabeth Arden counter to check out the PREVAGE collection. If you are like me and are ...

December 1st was World Aids Day. A day to bring awareness to the disease and what is being done to eradicate it. Although I am a few days late posting, I think it's great to bring awareness to AIDS all year long. This is exactly what MAC cosmetics does and why I have always been so proud to either work for them or refer their products to all my clients. They introduced their Viva Glam lipstick line thirteen years ago in an attempt to raise money and awareness to AIDS and HIV. This is what is posted on their website: "The M·A·C AIDS Fund, the heart and soul of M·A·C Cosmetics, was established in 1994 to support men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS globally. The M·A·C AIDS Fund is a pioneer in HIV/AIDS funding, providing financial support to organizations working with underserved regions and populations. As the largest corporate non-pharmaceutical donor in the arena, the Fund strives to raise awareness of four key issues in the fight against HIV/AIDS: prevention, the lin...

It’s that time of year where we get together with our family and friends and celebrate our family traditions. I absolutely love the fall and winter time. I love to embrace the Holidays—giving thanks for all that I hold dear, celebrating the birth of Jesus, and finally closing the year out with a big bang (usually my “big bang” is a good card game and a few drinks!) Although Christmas time has a very spiritual meaning behind it in our family—we still enjoy the regular traditions of Santa Claus, holiday parties, and gift giving. It’s so much fun—especially those white elephant parties! That's why I would like to take the next couple of weeks to post on some fabulous gift ideas. First on my list is fragrances! Who doesn’t enjoy a nice bottle of perfume? Also, It’s an item that people don’t always like to splurge on for themselves but can really appreciate it as a gift. I’d like to spotlight on: Badgley Mischka Fleurs de Nuit by Elizabeth Arden. This is my night time…going out…all glam...

I came home a couple of nights ago from doing a little Christmas shopping and to my surprise I had a birthday cake waiting to greet me with all the love a mom could ask for in the form of a baked with love birthday cake. Oh my heart just melted! It is so cute. The way Isabelle decorated the right side and Ethan's left side with the backwards 3 (didn't he notice that?!) I thought it was the most precious thing ever and it definitely is way better than the Sprinkles cupcakes that I got last year! Thanks Erica for doing this with the kids--I love it so much! What a thoughtful gesture! Today is my birthday and I am so excited. It's silly feeling all giddy like a kid--isn't it. But I can't help it--I get to be pampered by spending time with my friends and family and that's truly my favorite thing in life. You know relationships--they're the only thing eternal in our lives-- Good company and a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks and I am on cloud nine! Even though ...