Try a High Ponytail and Smokey Eyes for a Sexy Party Look!

One of the hottest hair trends this season is the high ponytail.  It is chic and sophisticated and when paired with smokey eyes, it will definitely give you a glamorous and sexy look that will turn heads at your next holiday party.

Below are some easy steps to follow in creating your look.

Styling the High Ponytail:

1.  You want to prep for this the day before by air drying your hair since day old hair works better than freshly washed hair.  You'll need to take some Moroccanoil and smooth it into your hair.  Moroccanoil makes hair silky and shiny.

2. Grab all of your hair and brush it back tightly into a high ponytail and collect the hair at the crown of your head. Secure it with an elastic hairband.

3. You can then use a flat iron (I like the T3 manetamer because you can straighten large chunks of hair at one time) to straighten out the pony and give it a super-sleek appearance. 

4.  I add shine serum again for a glossy pony.

Crafting Sexy Smokey Eyes:

1. I like to apply an eyeshadow primer to keep my eyeshadow in place for hours (Tarte Cosmetics has a great one called "Clean Slate 360").  Let it set for a couple of minutes before putting on your eyeshadow.

2.  You want to create a base first by using a beige shade of eyeshadow.  Make sure to apply it all over your upper lid and work it into the lid using a blending brush.  Sweep the shadow up into your brow bone.

3. Use a bright blue eyeshadow and tap the shade onto your lid using the blending brush.  Sephora has an awesome eyeshadow palette that has all the colors you need including some fabulous blues that work so well for a smokey eye.  

Make sure you really focus on the ball of the lid and blend the color well into your crease.

4. Brush a dark blue or black shadow from the outside crease to the center of the crease using a windshield wiper type of motion.

5. Using that same dark blue or black color, smoke out the bottom corner of the eye in a very thin line.

6. Lastly, apply 3 coats of mascara to the top and bottom lashes to complete your eyes.  As I've mentioned in the past, Diorshow mascara is amazing and will give you luscious lashes.

With such dramatic eyes, I like to leave my lips a more neutral color so that the attention goes right to my eyes.

My Loehmann's Loot!

Awhile ago, I promised to post the clothes that I ordered from Loehmann's so here are my picks below!  I got all of these tops for a little over $100.  Some of them are even more discounted at Loehmann's right now so I've included the links to go with each top in case you find something you like and want to check out Loehmann's Black Friday deals. 

http://www.loehmanns.com/Clearance-All-Clearance/Tramp-Chiffon-Hi-Lo-Tank-In-Geometric-Print.htm

http://www.loehmanns.com/Women-Sweaters-Fashion/Pink-Rose-Dolman-Sleeve-Lurex-Sweater-Top.htm

http://www.loehmanns.com/Clearance-All-Clearance/Workshop-Tapeyarn-Sweater.htm

http://www.loehmanns.com/Clearance-All-Clearance/Shae-Sleeveless-V-Neck-Sweater.htm

http://www.loehmanns.com/Clearance-All-Clearance/Vertigo-Crimson-Sequined-Dolman-Sleeve-Pullover.htm

http://www.loehmanns.com/Clearance-All-Clearance/Annalee-Hope-Multi-Striped-Knit-Tee.htm

Get Blinged Out for the Holidays!

Jewelry can instantly glam up any outfit so I was really excited to see the new ring collections that Zales recently launched!

Zales has a "Celebration Diamond Collection" that features some amazing diamonds rings.  The diamonds are so brilliant that your eyes can't help but be drawn to them.  If you're ring shopping this season, you definitely want to put this collection on your list! 

The stunning Celebration 102 rings

For those of us that aren't getting engaged, Zales has the "Candy Colored Diamonds and Gemstones" collection, which showcases some gorgeous rings that will really add sparkle to your holiday look.  I'm happy to share with you guys a promo code so that you can get $50 off when you spend $300 or more at Zales.com.  With this great deal you can treat yourself to something special and timeless for the holiday season.  

This discount is available online only at Zales.com from 11/15-12/13. Enter promo code STYLEWATCH at checkout!

Below are pics of some of my favorite rings.  The colors and designs would work well with many looks so I'm having a hard time deciding on which one of the 3 I want!  

 

Bold and Edgy Looks

 

 Beauty Morsels: Bold and Edgy

I really love the combination of yellow and black for an edgy and modern look.  A lot of people are afraid of the color yellow because it's so bright, but you can make it work by choosing simple designs like the ones above.  You can mix and match the yellow tops and jacket with the black denim and the patterned top goes great with the yellow jeans.  The vibrant yellow gives your wardrobe just the right pop of color against the black pieces to help you make a fashion statement that is chic, but still bold.  

The Quest for Thicker, Fuller Hair: Does Aveda's Invati Work?

The Invati System

Lately, I've been trying to make my hair thicker and fuller.  I used to have super thick, lush hair as a kid, but now that I'm in my twenties, I'm noticing it's not as full as it used to be especially at the front of my hair.  I wouldn't say my hair is thin, but it's not as thick as I would like it to be.  The seams when I part my hair are a little bit wider than I'd prefer so I want to minimize them as much as possible.

In my search for hair products that could deliver the thick hair I was after, I discovered Aveda's Invati System.  It promises thicker hair and less breakage.  The line has an exfoliating shampoo, thickening conditioner and a scalp revitalizing spray.  I decided to go for the scalp revitalizing spray since I felt that would be the one part of the system that may really help grow new hair rather than just fatten up individual strands or simply just prevent hair loss due to breakage.

Wow, the scalp revitalizing spray is expensive!!  It comes to about $65, including taxes, which is way more than I like to spend on hair products, but if it works, then it's worth the money.

So far, I've been using the spray for about 3 weeks and I'm liking the results.  The instructions on the bottle recommend spraying it 8 times on each side of your head, twice a day, but I don't do that because I think it's wasteful.  Instead, I part my hair in the areas that I want to make thicker (mainly on my left side part and my middle part) and I spray it a couple of times in each area.  I massage it well into my scalp for around 30 seconds.  I do this twice a day, once in the morning and once at night.  It has given my hair a fuller appearance and I feel that it is working.  Now, keep in mind, it hasn't given me incredibly thick hair, but it has made some definite improvements, particularly in the sections of my hair that I was worried about.  One thing I need to mention is that this is a wet spray, which will make your hair a bit damp so use it before you style your hair to avoid messing up your hairstyle.  

I'm going to continue using the spray until I hit the 8 week mark in order to really tell if it's worth the investment.  I'll post a final decision update once I reach 8 weeks. 

Beauty Morsels Shop Window: Ethereal and Feminine

 

 Ethereal and Feminine

For this week's Beauty Morsels shop window, I wanted to create a feminine look that was girly, but still sophisticated.  I love these loose and flowy tops because they are subtle, yet sexy.

Weight Loss Tips

As I've mentioned before, I tried the Special K Protein Effect plan to help me get rid of some stubborn pounds that I had gained over the summer due to poor eating habits.  It worked well and I ended up losing more weight than my goal.  While I'm not strictly following the plan right now, I've still incorporated the products and some of the lessons I learned into my daily diet.  

I wanted to share some other weight loss tips and snack ideas that have really helped me maintain my weight and ensure I don't overindulge especially during the upcoming holidays!  I'm still going to indulge a bit for the holidays, but I'm going to create low fat versions of all my favorite holiday foods so that I don't gain a lot of weight during this time of year.  If you have any requests, let me know and I can post the recipes that I use.

One of the key components of losing weight is making sure you are not hungry so that you don't reach for junk food.  The reason so many diets fail is that you are deprived and are constantly starving.  I'm aiming to make real lifestyle changes that I can actually stick to on a daily basis.  I've discovered that I usually get super hungry around 3 pm so that's my danger zone time when I'm tempted to grab some chips/cookies/ice cream, etc.  However, I've found some great low fat snacks/lunch ideas that help satisfy my hunger and taste good so that I don't end up eating a bunch of junk.  
 
When I want to have something different from the Special K Protein Shakes, my favorite lunch meal is 1 cup of non-fat Greek Yogurt (I love Fage because it is so creamy and rich) with 3/4 cup of Chocolate Cheerios mixed into it.  I often have this because the protein in the yogurt keeps you full for hours.  

A good snack, especially for that late afternoon slump, consists of apple slices with Laughing Cow cheese spread on each slice.  The flavors go great together and it's very filling. 

A bowl of strawberries or red grapes is something else that I snack on before dinner to help beat my sweet cravings.  If you're not too hungry, you can make your own trail mix.  I use peanuts, dried cranberries, chocolate chips and raisins in mine for an awesome salty and sweet combo.

All of these foods are low in calories, yet satisfying enough to prevent overeating.

Lastly, a huge factor that has allowed me to stay on track has been setting out specific times for my meals/snacks.  I like to be organized and follow a schedule so doing this has been a tremendous advantage in keeping my eating habits in check.  My day goes like this:  I have Special K cereal for  breakfast around 10 am.  I set my lunch for 12:30 pm, which is the Greek yogurt or the protein shake.  Then I'll have some of the snacks that I mentioned above at around 3 pm.  Dinner for me is at 5:30 pm and I usually have a big salad with a breaded chicken breast.  Dessert is an absolute must for me so I'll eat my dessert at 7 pm.  I use a rotation of low fat/low calorie recipes for dessert or I'll have a Special K meal replacement bar since they are sweet and taste yummy.  I follow dessert with an apple or some other fruit.  I don't eat after 7:30 pm and don't feel the need to.

Whatever you do, don't deprive yourself because that always leads to binging on the food you're trying to eliminate.  Keep everything in moderation and you will be able to lose weight or maintain your weight, while still enjoying food and not feeling like you are on some strict diet.  Also, if you do have something that's high in fat, don't take that as a pass to just blow your healthy eating plan.  This was always my problem in the past.  I would have something unhealthy and then I'd get discouraged since I'd "ruined" the day so I would just eat fattening things for the rest of the day, which further derailed my weight loss.  Remember, you can still get back on track by making healthy choices for your next meal/snack and that one bad food decision shouldn't mess up the whole day.

Hope these tips help and if you are currently on the Special K Protein Effect plan, let me know how it's going!