Beauty Alert!!

First things first. I posted pictures that Kennedy and Sabrina sent me from Iowa. I loved them! But, my mom graciously reminded me that I left Kennedy's full-color sketch out. Above is a design by Kennedy. Kennedy, we'll call this part of your Fall 2010 fashion line! Keep up the hard work! Sabrina & Kennedy sent inspiring designs - you should both definitely visit New York City!

WHO WANTS A CHANCE TO WIN GREAT MAKEUP!?

Lancome's video makeup artist Michelle Phan debuted her latest Lancome makeup tutorial last Thursday. If you haven't checked it out yet I SUGGEST YOU DO! And while you're checking out the latest look for "clubbing" become a Lancome Facebook fan and enter to win all the product she used in her video! The Lancome Blog has contest details and always has great makeup info as well as LOTS OF GREAT GIVEAWAYS!

My personal favorite product used in Michelle's lastest video...La Base Pro. Ask anyone who knows me how much I love pictures & you'll learn photography is my passion. La Base Pro takes the shine off my face and makes pictures look that much better!

Click here to view Michelle's Clubbing Tutorial

Countdown until I land in Iowa to visit friends & family - - 8 days! Now that's beautiful =)

Fashion Designers At Every Age

I like to think that being brought up in the Midwest has made me appreciate all types of fashion. I left for a date the other night and was told I was wearing a lot of color for living in New York City. Guess what I was wearing? Dark, skinny jeans from Guess, a coral button up with a blue sweater over top from Gap and gold accessories from Forever 21. I was in shock. Culture shock more like it. If I wore all black, every day, like most people do here in the city, I don't think I'd like the reaction I'd get back home.

So I was really excited when I saw designs from two students at Forest City Elementary. Kennedy Baker and Sabrina Massie sketched a few designs of their own and sent them to me in New York. Sabrina's "crazy dress" would make a statement here in New York City. It reminds me of a ruffled coral jacket I saw on Peter Som's runway in February. Kennedy's color palette resembles the rainbow of color I saw at Chris Benz. Kennedy must have known I love accessories because her "line" comes complete w/shoes and a purse!

And last but not least, the latest necklace designed by my dad arrived on Saturday. The weather is trying to warm up and I've seen more of the sun lately, so fashion should compliment this awakening. Like I mentioned in an earliest post, I love gold and copper tones, so I was especially thrilled to see this piece arrive. It's a copper chain with multi-colored beads falling gently. I love it!

Sabrina's work is the "crazy" and "big, big dress" and Kennedy's is the sketch with splashes of color.

More exciting fashion news (and I might get yelled at for sharing) my dad designed a young girl's prom jewelry last week. I'm told it matched her dress nicely and was fabulous! If you want unique jewelry for your next special occasion contact me and I'll design w/him!

If you are a fan of nail color check out Essie's "not your grandmother's" pastel shades for Spring. Some of the shades are similar to the color used in Kennedy's sketches. I have seen lots of women wearing the pastel purple, pink and nude around the office. Each Essie bottle is only $8. Get yourself ready for warm weather with these inspiring looks above.

Eye, Eye, Eye My Favorite Eye Cream

You are never TOO OLD or TOO YOUNG to START using EYE CREAM. I love my mother dearly, but there is one thing I'm told I will inherit - dark circles under my eyes. And I refuse to let that happen! Three months ago I started using Lancôme's Génifique Eye and will not skip one daily dose of it. The texture is creamy and goes on smooth.

Génifique Eye Youth Activating Eye Concentrate boosts gene activity. It is backed by a decade of research into discovering skins youth "barcode." So if you're looking to restore a youthful skin quality this cream will work it's magic on you. Personally, I'm not looking to get rid of dark circles yet, but I do have the occasional darkness under my eyes due to lack of sleep. Since using this eye cream I have noticed my entire eye area appears brighter and more luminous. Another reason I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this product is because I can actually feel it work within seconds of applying. Trust me, I have seen and used plenty of skincare products to be able to notice a difference or not.

Apply twice daily by gently patting around your eye area. A personal trick of mine, I never let any product go to waste. Any excess on my finger I rub across my forehead.

You can find Génifique Eye at your local Lancôme counter or on www.lancome-usa.com. This product is great for men and women young and old.

ANN from UNI, stay tuned. I know how much you like YouTube and Lancôme's #1 Video makeup artist Michelle Phan. Michelle is working on her new video for Lancôme. She was in the office last week and I have heard it's going to be great! I wish I could say more!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Sorry I have been away for a week. There's so much to catch up on! Happy St. Patrick's Day from New York City. The barricades went up on Fifth Avenue last night to prepare for the parade today...and they needed them. New Yorkers and tourists lined the sidewalks of Fifth Ave. early this afternoon to watch the St. Paddy's Day parade.

Looking out the 32nd floor window of the L'Oreal headquarters (where I work) I could see a sea of green below. The festivities were in full-swing. You would not believe some of the green attire I saw today. The music was constant until 4p.m.

At lunch Nine Cakes of New York City was selling miniature cupcakes to celebrate the day. I chose the chocolate whiskey (pictured above). I joked with Brianna that for a $1 I got a little buzz over the lunch hour because the whiskey flavor was strong. It was not the best cupcake I've had yet in NYC. Yesterday, we had Sugar Sweet Sunshine to celebrate my boss' birthday and they were delicious!

I can't help but think that around this week last year I had friends visiting from back home. Tis the season for Spring Break and getting away for a week. And the weather was perfect for just that. You can see (in my picture above) I stepped out in my Zara dress and cardigan and was comfortable. It was hard to go back inside to work. I will not be drinking green beer tonight but to all those who do, please be careful.

Happy St. Patrick's Day from New York City! Stay tuned - I'm going to leave "the city" this weekend for a little exploring.

Guess Who's Going to Austria & What 5 Staple Products Should You Take on Your Next Trip?!

Not me - but I wish. Jenna, my little sister, is going to study abroad. She just found out today, I made sure I was one of the first to find out. I'm so excited for her - talk about loving life and seeing all the beauty out there. I have typically been the one in the family to venture the unknown but this is one adventure I haven't taken - studying or traveling abroad. Mexico w/friends on Spring Break doesn't count (even though it was a blast).

I have one college regret - not studying abroad. I think it's silly not to when you can get credit for it! I'm especially excited for Jenna because our family background is rooted in Germany so she will be close. She will spend two weeks learning and exploring. I'll be honest - I'm super jealous. Jenna doesn't have all the details yet so I'll keep you posted. Sometimes in life you have to just go for the things you really want, even if you don't know all that it'll become.

And if you're anything like me when it comes to packing for a long vacation, you don't start packing early and you always pack way too much. Or you bring every pair of shoes you own when two or three will do. I have mastered my beauty bag though. And here's what I'd recommend if you HAVE TO PACK LIGHT...

• Daily moisturizer w/SPF - especially if you'll be sightseeing all day long
• Mascara of your choice - I recommend Lancôme's Oscillation Mascara
• Lipgloss w/a hint of color - I'm addicted to Lancôme's Juicy Tubes in Simmer, Spring Fling & Hallucination
• Blush to give your cheeks a pop of color - my current favorite is Lancôme's Blush Subtil in Cappucine
• Hair paste - lately I've been using Aquage Transforming Paste, it can go on wet or dry hair and give you a casual look for day and sexy for night

Where is your ideal travel destination? I'm always curious to see where other people want to go! Best wishes to my sister on the preparations for her trip. I'm truly excited for you, Jenna!

I Got Threaded

I have always gone to Sue Byro at the Forestor Salon in Forest City, Iowa to get a waxing. She does a great job and has maintained an eyebrow shape I've liked for myself since High School. Unfortunately, I can't make it home once a month when my eyebrows turn unruly. So a friend of mine in NY told me about threading. I had heard of it before but was really scared. But, for a really low price of $6 I couldn't argue. So I went today and....

my eyebrows looked amazing in just minutes. I will admit mine were REALLY bad so it hurt a little. But now that I have a place in New York I can trust I should be able to maintain and it'll be less painful. The upper lip was a little more painful than the brow. Threading is good for people who have sensitive skin that wax might otherwise irritate.

Threading pulls hair from the root and is therefore less likely to grow back as quick. Doesn't that sound great?! Threading has been done for many years and is an art. I would make sure to find a professional before you try. And I did not want my eyebrows to disappear so I made sure to tell them I want the same shape just cleaned up!

Feel free to ask me any questions - I was really skeptical but am glad I did it!

I found the image above on Google when I did a little research before I went.

2 Months Already?!

Sorry I have been away for a few days - I truly live in the "city that never sleeps." Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have a 8-5 job, go home, make supper and have the rest of the night to relax. Right now, that's not me. And I'm fine with it. Let's talk about loving what you do and making it a priority.

Recently, a lot of people have asked me why I chose public relations. I'm going to be real honest with you - I accidentally signed up for communications classes after I quit pursuing my dream to become an architect. Go ahead laugh, I think it's ridiculous too. I'm in beauty now!

So I thought I was signed up to take hotel, restaurant and event planning courses. I was wrong - I was in public relations classes and had no clue what "PR" was. And to be real honest, it took me a year to figure out exactly what "PR" was.

Working in public relations in the beauty and fashion industry, there is no "that can wait until tomorrow." Everything is important. "This magazine needs lipstick X, Y and Z in the next hour, make it happen!" Most days I will hear my stomach growl and think "Why am I hungry this early?" and realize quickly it's already two in the afternoon.

What I'm trying to say is - I have seen and heard many people talk about not liking their job. They seem to be stuck in a world where they think they can't find something better because there is no time, resources, etc. to make it happen. WRONG! The reason I have titled this blog entry "2 Months Already?" is because I just realized I have already been here for two months. Two months, I feel like I just got here. Besides missing people - I'm not homesick. And I don't have any regrets. I know I feel this way because I have found work I truly love doing.

I started reading The Secret this past weekend and found one entry that sparked my interest. Jack Canfield wrote "Most of us have never allowed ourselves to want what we truly want, because we can't see how it's going to manifest." He is right - many of us fear "going for the gold" because we don't know how we're going to get there.

So make your life happen! I am a firm believer in there are no limits - go for everything you want in life and more.

Tell me your goals. The first step is knowing what you want. What's something crazy you want to do before it's too late?!

Stay tuned - I recently took a huge leap of faith and will share details soon!