Beauty Blogger Coalition Roundup

Destany at Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom is loving Zoya Gia!

Blushing Noir uses the Guerlain Les Ombres Turandot Ecrin 4 Couleurs Eye Shadow Palette to create the perfect holiday eye look!

Pink, Purple, and Red Gradient Sugar Spun Nails & Tips

Will Christina Aguilera's Red Sin fragrance be your holiday pick? Alison Blackman of the Advice Sisters is " on the scent" of this new product!

Are you a nudist? Then check out Dior Grege at Cosmetics Aficionado

Sheila from Painted Ladies review and demos a look from Make-Up Secrets, a new beauty book from makeup pro Jemma Kidd.

BeautyTidbits gives you the skinny on the new Coola Plant UV Face SPF 30 Unscented Moisturizer. Find out why this all-natural sunscreen has been a welcome addition to her skincare arsenal!

Say no to racoon eyes and yes to Chanel Stylo Yuex Waterproof Long-Lasting Eyeliner! Hop on over to The Stepford Witch's blog to read her review & swatches of this amazing product.

Mama Fashionista has Great Gift Giving Ideas for the Men that Make your World Go Round!

NEVO Hydra Pearls are said to be power shots of Drops of the Amazon. Always a fan of hair serums, Christina from Curls N Pearls shares her opinion of the NEVO Hydra Pearls this week.

If you are looking for high quality makeup that is budget friendly, then Lola's Secret Beauty Blog urges you to take a look at Prestige Cosmetics!

Flawless skin never looked sweeter! Check out these 6 SPAtacular tips -- plus an amazing DIY at-home facial and raw honey facial mask -- to melt those environmental blues!

TheFabZilla shares how you can achieve smokey eyes using only one shade.

With this year's Victoria's Secret fashion show just finished, Sarah from Scottish Beauty Blog finds out how to copy the Angels' glowing gorgeous look with Sara Hill from The Academy of Makeup Scotland.

Pammy Blogs Beauty's Holiday Shopping Guide 2012 series continues with her review of Laura Mercier's beautiful Color-To-Go Palette.

Looking for a new matte lipstick? The Beauty Professor swatches all 12 shades of Burberry's beautiful recent release, Lip Velvet.

Shalini from Be Beautilicious shows her new found love for Red MAC lipstick in Eden Rouge from MAC Style Seeker Collection.

Want the most awesome and easiest curls ever? Check out the Verge Bubble wand at Beauty Info Zone.

Angela from Lipgloss Break shares her splurge and steal options for bold red nail colors.

Mai over at Portrait of Mai does a thorough post on the Anastasia Holiday Kisses on my List Kit, check out the swatches and her review!

Laura from My Newest Addiction Beauty Blog shows us her makeup through her first trimester of pregnancy.

Elena from Endless Summer found an eye makeup remover which doubles up as a facial toner. Is your makeup remover versatile like that?

Stephanie Louise- All Things Beautiful Shows the New L'Oreal Infallible Shade in Blinged & Brilliant Dupe Alert & Comparisons!

Mimi's Mani's shows some gorgeous polishes in time for Christmas nails! 

Currently Loving...

Coffee pics. I love coffee in general, but fun cups and mugs make it that much better. This one put a smile on my face even though I had a 5 minute wait for the train. It's from the W 87th and Broadway bodega I stop at when I want to treat myself on the way into work.

I love fun chairs. These aren't practical for my house, but fun to see out and about. This one is at the Hotel Palomar Chicago (which has a complimentary coffee bar every morning, which I also love). 

I love sushi, but healthy sushi rocks my world. Imi Sushi on 92nd and Amsterdam makes mean brown rice rolls. They even take it up enough with cucumber wrapped rolls. They are my go to restaurant when I get grubhub.com to deliver.

I'm currently loving accessories. Big, chunky necklaces...can't get enough. I about fell over when I walked into Pink accessories in Midtown. 

I love views from high up. This one is of Chicago and Lake Michigan, from the John Hancock building. Note the shadows of the buildings on the water. Kinda eerie.

 

See what other fabulous bloggers are Loving Lately....

And the Winners are...

Congrats to the ladies who won the latest giveaways...

Argan Oil giveaway - lmariegrimm
Playboy VIP fragrance gift set giveaway - dfox111359

Be sure to continue to enter the Faith Hill fragrance giveaway here. 

Waxelene - a Petroleum Jelly Alternative

I'm pretty much obsessed with lip balm. If I don't have one within reach at all times I go into panic mode. I normally just settle for petroleum based jelly balms, but recently discovered a new petroleum jelly alternative, Waxelene.

Waxelene contains no petroleum, parabens or artificial ingredients, they don't use animal testing and it's made in the USA. You can use it for anything you would use petroleum jelly for. I've been using it on my lips at night, to remove eye makeup from underneath my eyes, and as a cuticle moisturizer. It's not greasy and has only a slight hint of a beeswax smell. I love the way it feels on my lips, and when I use it on my face and cuticles it soaks in fast and doesn't leave a greasy finish. 

I always look for products and foods with the least amount of ingredients, which means they are that much closer to being natural. Waxelene contains the following: Organic Soy Oil, Beeswax, Natural Vitamin E Oil, Organic Rosemary Oil. Normally I don't like wax based balms, but it's not a hardened wax, but more like jelly and easy to spread. The 2 oz. & 9 oz. jars retail for $5.99 and $15.99. You can find them at Bed Bath & Beyond and several other retail locations. Find the location nearest you here. Waxelene is a must for everyone's nightstand and vanity - I'm now a petroleum jelly alternative believer! 

Patriotic Reds for Election Day

Looking for a new fiery red? Below are some Splurge and Steal options!


SPLURGE

CND Shellac in Hollywood is a bold red with light gold specs in it. Make sure that the salon you choose for CND Shellac applications is a certified CND salon. If not, you will not be getting your money's worth out of your Shellac mani!

SEMI-STEAL

Jessica Nails nail colour in Scarlett. I am a huge fan of Jessica polish. The colors are always rich and it wears really well.

MAJOR STEAL

Essence Colour & Go in Fame Fatale is a bright and shiny red and super affordable. Available at Ulta stores and Ulta.com for only $1.99.

Now go out and VOTE!

Mandarin Tilapia Spinach Salad Recipe

Tonight I tried a new recipe from Oxygen magazine, Mandarin Tilapia Spinach Salad. I think Mike told me about 5 different times how good it was. Here's the recipe with the modifications I used.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup sliced almonds (I used pecans I had left over from a salad I made last week)
1 mandarine orange, halved, unpeeled (local market didn't have mandarins, so I used 3 tangerines)
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
6 oz tilapia
Red pepper flakes
2 cups of baby spinach
2 cups mixed greens
Sea salt and ground pepper to taste (I didn't use salt, I normally don't ever add it to my recipes)

1. Heat oil in a skillet and brown almonds over medium heat, about 5 minutes.
2. Squeeze juice from the orange halves into a small bowl.
3. Add orange juice and in vinegar to skillet. Stir in chopped celery and parsley. Mix all ingredients together and remove from pan; leave the heat on.

A good way to test if Tilapia is done is to rub the top with a fork. If it flakes, than it's done!

4. Brush tilapia fillets with olive oil and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Brown on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
5. Combine spinach and mixed greens in a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked fish and pour almond mixture overtop. Garnish with extra orange slices, and season to taste.

Voila! Finished product. I was wishing we had big salad bowls in our apartment for this meal. I was surprised at how much the tangerine juice covered the salad. No extra dressing needed. This was a quick recipe. Took me less than 30 minutes to make. It will definitely become a staple for when I need to whip up a quick, clean meal!

Paul Mitchell Event at Caru Salon

I was a lucky girl and was able to participate in a Glamour event at Caru Salon in Hoboken NJ.  Glamour partnered with Paul Mitchell to help launch their new lines: Curls and Blonde. Of course, I was in it for the Blonde line. I’m already a huge fan of Paul Mitchell styling products and color, so I was excited to learn more about the Blonde line.

All of the bloggers who attended received a complimentary blowout from one of Caru’s talented and trendy stylists. I was paired with Andrea and couldn’t have been happier. She did an awesome job with my hair! After a shampoo and mini scalp massage, I gave her free reign over my hair and she decided to curl it after giving me a volume blowout. I was so happy with the way this turned out. I’ve always wanted to be able to try the ‘beach waves’ look and she showed me how I can achieve it at home with a curling iron and Paul Mitchell Curl products. Even if you have straight hair, you can use Paul Mitchell Curls line to achieve this look!

Caru Salon is definitely designed for the working woman, which I love. It’s right off the PATH train so it’s very easy to get to. They are open until 10pm at night (love) and are all about creating a relaxing environment and pampering experience for their clients (double love).  

We parted with fun goody bags filled with Paul Mitchell products and a surprise gift card from Caru Salon. I have been faithfully using the sample of Paul Mitchell’s Forever Blonde Dramatic Repair before blow-drying my hair to help keep moisture in my color treated hair. An added benefit to all Paul Mitchell products is that they smell great too!

I would definitely visit Caru again for a haircut or highlights. The staff is super friendly and talented, and I love that they use Paul Mitchell products! Many thanks to Kim at Fashionably Petite for being the hostess with the most-ess! 

Essie School of Hard Rocks

This is Essie School of Hard Rocks. Depending on the color of clothing you wear, this shade will change on you. It ranges from a stone gray to an army green. 

What's Your Favorite Piece of Clothing?

My favorite piece of clothing is also my staple piece: my black Tinley Road blazer from Piperlime. It transitions well from work to night, with jeans or over a dress. It's a staple in my suitcase for every trip I go on. I especially love the cut of this particular blazer: cropped in the back and lifted shoulders is flattering to my figure.

What's your favorite piece of clothing in your wardrobe right now? Please share below!

Beauty Blogger Coalition Weekly Round Up

• Check out Blushing Noir's swatches of the Zoya Ornate Collection! Holiday just got that much more glamorous!
• Cosmetics Aficionado suggests wearing a bib to look at the Guerlain Liu Eye and Calligraphy Palette
• Laura from My Newest Addiction Beauty Blog shares her review on the Guerlain Meteorites: Perles Du Dragon.
• Shalini from Be Beautilicious loves MUA Blushers for being an excellent budget makeup product. See if you love them too.
• BeautyTidbits gives you the scoop on three luxurious lipsticks from the new Sensai Rouge Intense Lasting Color Lipstick line. Check out the review and swatches!
• Winter is almost upon us. 'think you can skip sunscreen? TheFabZilla has the answer; plus check out her review on MDSolarSCiences natural mineral sunscreen made for every body!
• Nail-Aween Day 6 - Mrs. Frankenstein Nails from datyorkLOVES
• Sheila from Painted Ladies finds out that Hourglass Film Noir Kohl Pencil In Espresso is a miracle worker for the waterline.
• Want to know more about The Best of Beauty Award winners? Check out Lola's Secret Beauty Blog's exclusive interview with Allure Magazine's Assistant Editor Sophia Panych!
• Elena from Endless Summer tried and tested a foaming cleanser from an anti-aging line which is good for oily and combination skin as well.
• Lipgloss Break: Want to know what the color of 2013 will be?
• One color might have sparked an obsession for Mama Fashionista! Find out what nail polish formula has got her scrambling to acquire every shade she can get her hands on!
• Check out what is inside Pammy Blogs Beauty's diaper bag! A review for JustFab's cute 760 tote. Fits personal essentials, makeup, and baby stuff. Love this bag!
• Suave Professionals has come out with a new serum - the Keratin Infusion Smooth & Shine serum - that's "salon proven to work as well as Kerastase." Christina test drove the serum and shares a review on Curls N Pearls.
• Polarbelle shows you how to be sure to see the posts you want to see on Facebook.
• Ashley from Peek & Ponder shares a colorful masquerade look for Halloween.
• Alison of the Advice Sisters wants you to know about the unique beauty products she saw during BeautyPress Editor's Spotlight Day. You will be amazed!
• Get out your battle gear. Beauty Info Zone is ready to teach you how to fight wrinkles.
• Mimi'a Mani's features a guest poster rockin' Zoya Jem
• Need a Halloween idea fast? Check out Stephanie Louise- All Things Beautiful & her drugstore mermaid mask makeup!