Win a $1,300 pair of diamond earrings from Blue Nile just for voting!
(February 25, 2012 - Source: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images North America)
Hi everyone,
I’m so excited to announce that I made it to the second round of challenges for the Allure Beauty Blogger of the Year Competition. My new challenge is posted this week, where I discuss Miley Cyrus’s sultry Old-Hollywood Glam look. Curious on how to get the look pictured? Then head on over to allure.com, read my entry, and DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!
Also, be sure to press the Facebook “like” button above my profile on Allure’s website, and tweet me using @delialicious along with #allurebba.
Every week you vote, you will be entered to win amazing prizes. This week’s prize is a $1,300 pair of diamond earrings from Blue Nile.
xoxo
Get Candy Coated Lips
I love candy, but growing up having a father as a dietitian made obtaining candy an almost impossible feat. It wasn’t until I got to college and was no longer under the watchful eye of my father that I started spending my hard-earned money on every chocolate candy bar ever made on planet earth. But, to my horror, I noticed every time I would bite into the sweet, chocolaty goodness of a candy bar, my lower left teeth would hurt. I went to the dentist, expecting to fix the problem with a cavity filing, but there were no cavities found. Instead, it turned out my teeth were just sensitive to sweet foods. Just my luck. I now chew my chocolate bars on the right side of my mouth, because there is no way I’m going to let a sensitive tooth steal my joy. Below are some lip balms that are inspired by popular candies and chocolate bars. And, the best part about these balms is that they won’t give you a tooth ache. So, go ahead and indulge.
1. Wrigley’s® Juicy Fruit Flavored Lip Balm, $1.80
2. Bubble Yum® Original Scented Lip Balm, $1.80
3. Skittles® Flavor Collection, $5.75
4. REESE’S Cup Shaped Lip Gloss, $4.95
5. Sweet Tarts Lip Balm, $0.99
6. Laffy Taffy Lip Balm, $0.99
7. KISSES Chocolates-Shaped Lip Gloss, $5.95
Getting Organized – Why I love my Caboodles
My Caboodles when it closed. The handle allowed me to transport it easily from my room to another floor in my house to take this photo.
I’m not exactly the most organized person when it comes to my makeup. When I first started accumulating beauty products in large amounts, I began storing them in a very large suitcase with a lock, out of the fear that my two sisters would steal from me when I wasn’t looking – not that I would even notice. But, I am greedy when it comes to my makeup, and remain in the toddler possessive phase declaring everything mine and unwilling to share. The only problem with my giant suitcase is that it sits vertically so that it doesn’t take up too much space in my room, and to tell you the truth, I haven’t the slightest idea what’s in there. When I need blush, I stick my hand down into its depths and retrieve the first color my hands can locate, and that is how I select what shade my cheeks will be on that days. Thankfully, the madness has come to an end since I’ve discovered Caboodles, super chic cosmetic case organizers. I received a Grande Train Case from Caboodles during Nolcha Fashion Week’s Blogger Brunch. Since then, it has simplified organizing my makeup and now cuts my beauty routine in half, because I no longer have to spend ten minutes reaching down into a deep black hole just to find a blush.
I have my most used lip glosses, concealers, eye shadows, blushes, foundations, and other products in their own separate compartments within one organizer that pulls out to reveal all my goodies. When I’m finished with my makeup, I simply close the organizer and it decreases to half the size so that I’m able to store it underneath a small chair in my room. It also has a handle, so I’m able to carry all my makeup around whenever I need to.
My Caboodles opened halfway.
My Caboodles fully opened. I bet you weren't expecting that!
In addition to the classics, the cases are also available in really cool designs – my Caboodles is purple with black lace. Check out more on their website»
Voting is now open for the Allure Magaine Blog of the Year Awards
Hi everyone,
As you already know, Delialicious Picks is a finalist for Allure Magazine’s Beauty Blogger of the Year Awards. Each week a new challenge is posted, and every Monday a finalist is eliminated. 25% of the voting is done by the public, so I really need your help. Please click here to vote for me on Allure’s website. Just for voting, you can be entered to win a trip to Miami, designer handbags, jewelry and more. Click here to vote now. Thanks so much in advance!
Floral Arrangements for your Nails
Sephora by OPI in Natural Environ-mint.
For my vacation, my sister decided send me off in style – with fabulous nails. Since I’m going to a tropical island, I wanted a light color that reminded me of the sky or the ocean, so we chose Sephora by OPI in Natural Environ-mint. This was the same color we used when we re-created the Sephora by OPI Cherry Blossom Nail Design a few months ago. Click here to read that post.
In addition to a tropical color, I also wanted flowers, so we used the Konad Image Plate M3 along with the Konad Stamping Nail Art kit to create a floral pattern. Here are the steps to get the look.
1. Apply a base coat. We used Sephora by OPI base coat nail polish.
2. Apply the nail color. Test out any color you like. Coral is this season’s hottest new color, so you can give that a try is you’re not crazy about the blue.
3. Use the Konad Stamping Nail Art kit along with the plate m3. The kit comes with instructions on how to use it. But, basically all you do is apply nail polish to the design, scrape of the excess, use the rubber stamp to pick up the design, and stamp it onto your nail.
After following Step 3, this is what your nails should look like.
4.Apply a top coat over the design for extra staying power. We used Konad’s Top Coat.
5. Just for a little extra jazz (i love anything that blings), we added silver nail polish in the center of each flower. We used Kiss Brush-on Nail Art in SPA10.
5. We finished it off with Sally Hansen’s Hard as Nails hardener, which can also be worn alone to protect nails from breakage.
Travel Essentials
After months of constantly being on the go, I decided to do something I haven’t done in years: go on vacation. As the countdown to my four days of relaxation and tropical bliss nears, like the savvy individual I am, I made a list of the thing I need to take with me.
1. Sunscreen– I never go a day without wearing sunscreen, even on cloudy days or on days that I spend most of my time indoors. UV rays can penetrate through windows, and indoor fluorescent lights also emit UV radiations, so I smear SPF on all day long. Finding a sunscreen that smell’s great and doesn’t leave white streaks of residue can be difficult, which is why I decided to purchase Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral SPF45 for my trip. It’s a transparent SPF 45 mineral pre-filled powder brush that is easily portable and oh-so convenient for a quick touch-up when on the go.
Peter Thomas Roth 'Instant Mineral' Brush On Powder SPF 30, $30
Vote for me in Allure’s Beauty blogger of the Year Contest!
I’m so excited to revel that Delialicious Picks was selected as a finalist for Allure Magazine’s first-ever Beauty Blogger Awards. I entered the contest on their website a couple of months ago, not thinking I even stood a chance against the many bloggers I knew would be applying, especially because my blog focuses on more than just beauty. Nonetheless, I was selected among 15 other finalists to compete for the coveted title of Beauty Blogger of the Year! Check out my bio on their website here»
I won’t be able to win this alone. I need YOU to head over to Allure’s website, and vote once every weekday when all the challenges are live. And just for voting, you’ll be eligible for some cool prizes, including a trip to Miami Beach!
The first challenge will be posted on April 23rd, I’m really hoping for all your support!
Here are the cool prizes at stake:
• Win a trip to New York City, with backstage access to a show at New York Fashion Week, attend Allure’s Best of Beauty party (and take home a suitcase stuffed with winning products worth an estimated $2,500), and go on a behind-the-scenes tour of Revlon’s headquarters to see a preview of new products.
• Be featured in a story in the October issue of Allure.
• Allure 2012 Blogger of the Year logo to be posted on winner’s website for a year.
• Have the opportunity to submit work to Allure and allure.com.
I’ll be posting a reminder on the day of the first challenge. May the best blog win!
Makeup Felony: Mismatched Foundation
I swear that there is a foundation shade on the market for ever single person’s skin complexion across the entire globe, except mine. I’m not over-exaggerating. After years of unsuccessfully trying to find something that matched my medium to golden skin tone, I recently walked into a poplar beauty store and asked for help locating the perfect foundation shade. The makeup artist raced back and forth from the makeup aisles to my face saying “too pink,” “too gold,” “too light,” and “too dark.” Two and half hours later, the sun went down, and after trying on shades from ever single brand in the store, she victoriously held up my perfect match. I admired myself in the mirror and agreed that it looked great, so I went home and applied the foundation across my problem areas on the night of a special occasion. Following the event, pictures were posted online for all the world to see; and, what they saw was my face clearly looking paler in the areas where I applied the foundation, and completely unnatural. Wearing the wrong foundation shade is something that almost very women encounters during their quest for a flawless complexion. Here are some valuable lessons I’ve learned to prevent you from making the same mistake I did:
1. When applying foundation, blend, blend, and then blend some more. This is especially important if yo
u are like me, and don’t own foundation that looks like your skin in a bottle. Use a wide brush to buff foundation over your face in circular motions, starting from the center, moving outwards, and then finally, down to your neck for a natural, even-toned finish.
2. When selecting a new foundation, apply and test the color out in the day time. Ask for a mirror so you can step outside and see the color in natural light. When the makeup artist applied the foundation on me in the store, the lightning was so dim it camouflaged the imperfect color match.
3. Always request a sample so that you can try the shade out for a few days, not only to make sure it really matches, but also to test its staying power.
4. Ask a second pair of eyes for their opinion, preferably eyes that are not vested in the commission they will receive from selling you the product. My mismatched face still resides in cyberspace as a restless reminder to ask people if my foundation is visible.
My final, most important tip is to keep your receipt so that you can return any foundation that is less that a perfect match. What is the worst makeup crime you ever committed?
Scotland Re:Designed New York Showcase
On April 10th, I attended the Scotland Re:Designed showroom launch party as part of Scotland Week 2012 in New York City. The event, held in association with the Scottish Government and Creative Scotland, featured the collections of twelve of Scotland’s hottest fashion designers and textile companies. This new initiative provided the designers a platform to promote, share and expand their work with NYC media and buyers.
The creative work show visibly drew on historic Scottish heritage as seen with some of the pieces by award-winning designer Judy R Clark that were made with tartan cloth; yet, everything managed to be fresh and was far from antiquated (the tartan cloth pieces incorporated lace).
The exhibit of Belinda Robertson immediately drew my attention. Ms. Robertson already has a large fan base in Scotland, especially among celebrities and fashion editors, and after viewing with pieces it’s not hard to see why. The beautiful clothing is made from 100% Pure Scottish Cashmere and some of the pieces incorporated intricate embellished crystals, which provided just the right amount of sparkle.
Belinda Robertson Cashmere
Fashionable Lipstick
What woman doesn’t love lipstick? The ability to transform your face resides in one little reliable tube packed with color. Personally, my everyday purse has several different shades housed in the secret compartments of my bag (the compartments are secret, because sometimes I’m not even aware of where the lipstick tubes travel to, which is why I keep throwing more and more tubes inside my bag, unintentionally creating a portable department store makeup counter).
Sometimes all a woman needs to do is add some tint to her lips to create an instant face brightener sans makeup. And, don’t forget about my previous post about how lipstick can double as blush. There are so many brands of lipsticks out there, and with so much competition, manufactures have two options to make theirs stand out: develop an amazing product or create a captivating design. If a brand is really great they will combine the two and develop a product that not only works well, but looks chic, because let’s face it we do, sometimes, buy with our eyes. This is why I have decided to seek out the most alluring lipstick tube designs. Check them out below, and see if you’re not tempted to add them to your collection.
1. Make Up For Ever La Bohème Rouge Artist Natural, $19.00
2. Diorific High Fashion Lipstick, $34.00
3. Too Faced’s Lip of Luxury, $20.00
4. Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté, $34.00
5. Guerlain Kiss Kiss Lipstick, $27.00 – $33.00
6. Burberry ‘Lip Cover’ Soft Satin Lipstick, $30.00
7. Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick, $19.00
Kardashian Spring/Summer 2012 Accessories
Last week when I previewed the Kardashian’s new home collection, I also had the opportunity to preview the upcoming swimwear, bag, and accessories that will be launched later on this year. This expansion of their current Kardashian Kollection line shows that there is nothing off-limits for the trio. Take a look below. Which piece can’t you wait to see in stores?
