Breakfast Club Bag

I love getting compliments.  I think it's why we buy half of the stuff we do.  Today I was complimented on my Jessica Kagan Cushman bag.  Since it was filled with all of my clothes for cycling later that day, I struck up a conversation and made a new friend.  I think that's what a good bag is all about.  That and being big enough to fit enough of your stuff in so you can pretend you're Allison Reynolds from the Breakfast Club.  I mean, you never know when you have to jam.

OK, I'm Sold

So I've been trying to apply liquid foundation for about five years now with mixed results.  I only wear it on special occasions (I wear either powder foundation or tinted moisturizer.) so it's always a little more difficult for me and takes a little longer to do than putting on mascara or everything else I do everyday.  (You definitely don't want to watch me put on fake eyelashes, people.  Seriously, they're my white whale.)  A lot of people have told me to put foundation on with my fingers, but it looks streaky and uneven. I ended up settling on sponges, but I find they're difficult to use near my nose.  I know half of you beauty geniuses are rolling your eyes like I'm one of those infomercial ladies who say things like, "Is your stove too difficult to use?" but it seriously took me an entire week to adjust to my new ghd flatiron.  Point being nothing is too easy for me in the world of beauty that I can't make it difficult.  I've had a beauty blender sitting in my drawer for a few weeks, but I had never had the chance to use it.  I bought Ellis Faas's Skin Veil, and I tried to apply it with my fingers.  My skin was so dry it sucked half of it up, and, not surprising, what was left was a blotchy mess.  I made a phone call to my beauty experts and they asked me if I was using moisturizer everyday and if I had tried my Beautyblender yet.  I said no, applied some moisturizer and tried the Beautyblender.  (All while I was on the phone I might add!)  It ended up working great!  I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to use, especially around the nose.  My moisturized skin also didn't suck up the makeup in the same way, allowing me to apply it more evenly.
My tips for easy liquid foundation application are:
1.) Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize
2.) Make sure you're using the right color (duh)
3.) Use an application method that works for you (for me it's the Beautyblender)

For the Bridesmaids

Shopping for bridesmaids can be just as difficult as shopping for a bride I'm told.  Having never been married I consulted some of my recently married friends, bridesmaids and Maids of Honor for their favorite gifts to give and receive.  A few of the brides I talked to said they gave their bridesmaids spa baskets by filling a bag (Jessica Kagan Cushman's "Don't Touch My Junk" Tote is perfect for your Annie and Helen.) with a certificate to a local spa, bubble bath, a candle, lip balm and moisturizing balm.  A bridesmaid said that she really appreciated a "Bridesmaid Pack" that the thoughtful bride created for the Vegas bachelorette party including sparkly glitter eyeshadow, fake eyelashes and everyone's favorite chick flick Bridesmaids.  One Maid of Honor said that her best friend gave all of her bridesmaids matching bracelets from Tiffany & Co.

For the Bachelorette

It seems like every spring a stack of wedding invitations arrives in the mail and even though finding wedding presents for the happy couple is as easy as buying some of the 5,000 towels they registered for, finding presents for the bride for the events leading up to the wedding can be difficult.  My friends who currently are or have recently been Maids of Honor or bridesmaids have found this task particularly daunting.  They felt obligated to bring the bride something for the bachelorette party.  Nothing major, but something small and authentic to show that they were thinking about her in addition to the boas and tiaras and Ke$ha amounts of glitter.  I thought, "What could be better than a bag of fun makeup goodies for a last hot night out?"  TokyoMilk Dark Lip Elixir not only goes with the red hot theme, but is Cherry Bourbon flavored and scented with notes of cherry brandy, whisky, aged wood and clove.  Scotch Naturals in Kiltlifter may be bad girl red, but you don't need to feel badly about buying it because it's non-toxic (it doesn't contain any of the chemicals found in traditional polish or the chemical smell) and eco-friendly.  You really can't go wrong with lashes named "Flair" for any kind of night out.  Also, I included a great mascara to wear under the fake lashes because it will make them look even better.  TokyoMilk Dead Sexy is perfect for a last hurrah because it lives up to its name, yet it's subtle enough to wear everyday.  (Seriously, I wear it almost everyday.)  And - drumroll please - the pièce de résistance is a Jessica Kagan Cushman bag.  I can't think of any tiara or boa that says "Do you have any idea who I am?" quite as well as this bag, and that's what the bachelorette party is all about, right?

Ciao Bella!

I just returned from six months of studying (and shopping!) in Bologna, Italy at Europe’s oldest university (which is not-so-coincidentally a short train ride away from Milan!) to say that I still have not found a better gloss than TOCCA’s Baci Lip Gloss.  Having long traded gloss for Burt’s Bees to avoid the feeling of superglue on my lips, I thought I was done with what I considered a sticky mess forever.  That was before I was introduced to Baci gloss.  In Italian, “tocca” means “touch” and “baci” means kisses, and the product lives up to the hype.  It goes on smooth like chapstick but has the prettiness and shine of gloss.  It comes in Apple-Lemon (Amalfi), Sweet Sugar Vanilla (Catania) and the flavor that never leaves my bag, Raspberry-Peach (Salina).

Japonesque Pink Heated Eyelash Curler

Having an immense fear of traditional eyelash curlers makes getting ready for special occasions tough.  I say special occasions because I’m hesitant to use a traditional eyelash curler for big events, let alone everyday.  I don’t mind gluing false eyelashes on or lining the inside of my eye, but I do fear that tiny torture device lurking in my bag.  Fortunately I discovered the Japonesque Pink Heated Eyelash Curler, a small eyelash curler made for hard to curl lashes and people who are terrified of eyelash curlers.  It’s pink, tiny and works better on my eyelashes than an unheated curler.  Another great part about it is that you can apply it before or after mascara.