Holiday Gift Guide Day 1: Fresh Hesperides Grapefruit Fragrance & a-Thread Funfetti Sweater!

Ho ho ho, hoes! The holiday season is upon us! And while some boring-ass contrarian types may balk at an entire month devoted to consumerism, I say FUCK THEM -- GETTING PRESENTS IS THE BEST THING (besides carbs and white wine). Those Dismal Doras deserve no presents and should never know the joy of latkes or Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You." 

Spend that money on yourself since they're so unappreciative. 

This month, I'm bringing you some of my favorite holiday gift picks for any fun chick (yourself included) on your shopping list. Check out some of my favorite apparel, accessories, beauty products, shoes, art, and experiences, plus some cool charitable organizations so you can give back as you get.

$38, Fresh, Sephora.com

I recently discovered Fresh's Hesperides grapefruit fragrance, and there's probably no turning back for me. It's a fresh (duhr), crisp, clean, reinvigorating fragrance that's made me realize that sometimes it's just as nice to smell like a fruit as it is a flower. Plus, I'm pretty sure I now smell like one of those people who juice ALL THE TIME.

Fiorucci Icy Fantasy Perfume Is Shaped Like Ice Cream And Looks Like A Pending Lawsuit

This is Fiorucci Icy Fantasy, and apparently it's a "playful" fragrance for "young girls" from 18 to 24 years of age who want to smell wild strawberry, apple and raspberry lollipop. It's shaped like an ice cream cone, as you can see. I just have so many questions, and yet, I want none of the answers.

Versace Yellow Diamonds, Rimmel Volume Flash Scandaleyes Mascara + More On 10 Things I Love Tuesday!

I'm kind of experiencing a real-life "Emma"/ "Clueless" situation. See, my BFF Laura is a phenomenal writer, mother, and human being. I've been bugging the shit out of her to start a mom blog for AGES, and she finally did it (probably just so I'd STFU). Anyway, speaking of bugs, she was bitten by the blog bug and is burnin' up, Madonna style, with a SERIOUS case of blogging fever over at Look What Mom Made. And I'm so happy because I'm not even a mommy/ kid sort, and her blog is so inspiring. Anyway, it's a classic case of the student becoming the MASTER, where she's Tai, and I'm Cher, because I love her "10 Things I Love Tuesday" list, so I'm promptly stealing it. Thanks, Laura!

Without further ado, here are 10 things (most beauty, I admit) I love on a TUESDAY.

1.) Versace "Yellow Diamond": I'm highly devoted to Versace's "Versace" fragrance, but I want to slather Versace "Yellow Diamond" all over my body (in a reasonable way). It's basically a lighter, brighter version of Versace Versace, with more citrusy notes but all of the sophisticated staying power. Put it on yourself NOW. "Yellow Diamond is $67 at Macy's, but if you like "Yellow Diamond" on Facebook you can get a free sample! HOW 'BOUT THAT, America?

2.) Rimmel Volume Flash Scandaleyes Mascara: This is kinda Rimmel's answer to Cover Girl's epic Lash Blast mascara. The main difference? Rimmel's has slightly more color payoff. It's best used as a final coat over a mascara that really defines -- like MAC's False Lashes. Rimmel Scandaleyes is like, I don't know. However many dollars. It's not much.

3.) Nars "Shrinagar" lipstick: Perfect wearable berry purple. I know I said all of that stuff about red lipstick, and I do love a good red, but lately purples have been doing it for me They bring out your lips' natural color but in a slightly exaggerated, not at all cartoonish way. "Shrinagar" is $24 and worth every penny.

 

4.) Cover Girl Color Blast Flipstick Lipcolor: Beware. Cover Girl's new two-in-one lipstick will stay on your lips FOREVER. I'm still wearing "Perky," and I put it on like, last Monday.

$7.99, Cover Girl, Target

5.) Soap & Glory Hand Food lotion: File under: British stuff I love, right next to "Downton Abbey." Impulse bought this while waiting in line at Sephora (IT WORKED, Sephora. You're welcome), and this is my new favorite lotion next to MOR. It lasts forEVER, softens, and has a secret ingredient: MARSHMALLOW! Bonus: Adorable packaging.

$5, Soap & Glory, Sephora

Spring Beauty Forecast: Tom Ford Lavender Palm, Topshop Polish + Dark Circle-Busting Concealer

Ohai! Beauty Blogging Junkie's Amber and I have once more joined forces to bring you some of our favorite beauty products for spring. (Review our favorite winter beauty products if you need a moment.)

Anyway, neither one of us should be allowed in front of anything that has the capability to record us because we will NEVER STHU. OKAY! Watch our new spring beauty "forecasting" videos, and check out my favorite spring products below!





Here are the beauty products I'm INTO.

($4.99, Sonia Kashuk, Target)

 

Tom Ford Lavender Palm EDP is $250 for 50ml, $950 for the 250ml decanter (I KNOW!) and available only at Tom Ford Beverly Hills. That's SO Tom Ford of him.

($23.99, Graftobian.com)

Seriously, Graftobian makes the BEST concealer/ corrector OF ALL TIME. Believe me when I tell you this. Because it's true. This is like the Susan Boyle of beauty products: plain-looking but deceptively skilled.

($28, Rodin, Barneys.com)

If you're not the kind of girl who'd spend $28 on lip balm, you will be after reading my Naag.com review of Olio Lusso.

Oh, and I TOTALLY screwed up the name of brand of the shirt I'm wearing! It's Wkshp (pronounced "Workshop.") Good thing I don't have to appear on any red carpets in the near future. Reporters would be like "WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?" I'd be like "IT'S LANCOME" instead of LanVIN or something! Anyway, Wkshp's tees are the comfiest, slouchiest, cutest tees I've encountered in my entire history of t-shirt curation. And that's really saying a lot. CandyStore Collective, Free People and Nasty Gal carry Wkshp tees.

($39.50, Wkshp, FreePeople.com)

 HORSE shirt alert, by the way! That wasn't lost on you,w as it?

($40, Wkshp, Shopnastygal.com)

+ And by the WAI, Topshop Sandy Lane nail polish is coming soon!

Finally, here are the products AMBER is into!
+ Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Eau de Parfum
+ Elemis FreshSkin Make-up Cleansing Wipes
+ Revlon CustomEyes Palette in Smoky Sexy
+ Josie Maran Blemishes R Gone Argan Acne Clearing Pads
+ Neutrogena Skin Clearing Blemish Concealer
+ Pixi Week Of Wake Up Makeup ($30)

The Year In Beauty: These Are My Favorite Things, Part 4

Welcome back!

You, like me, are probably sitting around in your sweatpants, so what better time to check out the fourth installment of my and Beauty Blogging Junkie Amber's favorite beauty products of 2010. I've been writing about beauty every week for Naag.com, so there are plenty of lipsticks, perfumes, eyeshadows, mascaras and wine to cover.

Let's get right to it.

Here are the beauty products we covered in this video:

Me: Davines Number 1 Finest Oil Non Oil For Wizards (a miraculous anti-frizz serum), Revlon Retro Fire and Ice nail polish in Siren, Miss Pucci Perfume and Tom Ford Black Orchid Nail & Lip Set.

Amber: Keratin Complex Serum, Immunocologie Skin Care, and CND Effects Line polish.

 

Watch Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

The Year In Beauty: These Are My Favorite Things, Part 3

Welcome back. And here we have part three of my and Beauty Blogging Junkie's Amber's favorite beauty products of 2010. I don't think my cat makes a cameo in this video, but you will see a lot of wine!

The products I love in this video include Topshop's big, fat Lip Crayon -- I truly thought I couldn't do a big, bright hot pink, but it works in Topshop's matte -- Urban Decay's spectacular Naked Palette, which is a celebrations of beachy browns and golds, Sulwahsoo Concentrated Ginsing Cream, which costs a small fortune but is worth every stress-inducing dollar you'd part with for insanely hydrated skin, Honore de Pres Va A New York perfume, which smells like the end of a long night out in New York, Burberry's Effortless Mascara, and Maybelline's Volum Express The Falsies mascara.

Amber's beauty BFFs are Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten, La Prairie Advanced Marine Biology Tonic, Juliette Has a Gun Fragrance Set (Lady Vengeance), Napoleon Perdis Lipstick in Calypso, La Prairie Anti Aging Eye Cream SPF 15 and Alterna Kendi Oil.

Again, my outfit ended up being an exercise in what NOT to wear on TV. But speaking of TV, I'm going to be on VH1's Top 40 Music Videos of 2010 Countdown show tonight, so hopefully I will be exonerated. And the lady who did my makeup did ELTON JOHN'S makeup for years. No, she did not make me look like Elton. Oh well. There's always next year.

($44, Urban Decay)

YESSS! Neiman Marcus Free Ship Code!

Ohai! Had to quickly share that there's a free shipping code for NeimanMarcus.com, which adds up if you shop at Neiman Marcus, which I rarely do, except I just did.

The free shipping code is OCTSHIP, and it expires 10/25/2010 at 11:59pm, so you have an entire work day to spend pondering what to buy.

I got Tom Ford Black Orchid rollerball. Pennies in the world of Neiman Marcus, but since I'm balling on a beauty budget, free shipping only sweetens the deal.

($45, Tom Ford, NeimanMarcus.com)

Random Stuff I Want...

I was quite surprised to see that Fossil has put out an extremely un-Fossil-like line of vintage-inspired bags for the fall. Check out their Fifty-Four collection:

($265, Fossil)

($200, Fossil)

($145, Fossil)



($24, The Ryde)

Cali surf-lifestyle brand The Ryde makes comfy-casual but cute surf-inspired gear. Normally I'm not super into message Tees, but look closely -- can you even handle how cute their "Seamstress For The Band" Tee is??? I love that the shirt doesn't hit you over the head with its message, and I love the Built By Wendy-esque look.

Fragrance fiend Jo Malone is coming out with a white jasmine and mint cologne for the fall. Apparently it was "inspired by a sun drenched morning in am English garden, new White Jasmin & Mint captures the scent of jasmine, wild rose and white blossoms with an unexpected twist of wild mint." Notes include wild mint, peppermint leaf, camomile, coriander, cardamom, bergamot, mace, cassis, Jo Malone heirloom jasmine, ylang ylang, orange flower, rose de mai absolut, muguet, cedar, Jo Malone musk, mate absolut, vetiver, prune and guaiac wood... Um, I have no clue what guaiac wood is, but I'm willing to find out, because this sounds heavenly.

($82, Jessica Simpson, Zappos)

Both these shoes and Jessica Simpson are ridiculous, but I kind of love both of them in an inexplicable way. Silver shoes are huge this fall, and I wouldn't mind owning these. They're not bad in black either...

($98, Arena CPH, Saks Fifth Avenue)

This necklace, those black heels and some dark jeans and a black top would look the hotness. K, nightnight!