Cyber Week 2014!

Just a few ::coughDarnNear100cough:: deals you might enjoy! Share your favorite finds in the comments and spread the love!

100% Pure

Free Black Tea Mascara with any purchase of $75 or more through December 1st. 

Free shipping on all orders with code PUREFRIDAY November 29th.

Ahava: 

35% off site wide with the code BFRIDAY14. Offer valid 11/27-12/1.

Anthony Logistics

30% off site wide November 28th through December 1st.

Arcona

40% off orders of $200, 11/28-29.

Armani Beauty
20% off and free 2-Day Shipping on orders over $75. Register on site to get your code.

Avon
30% off site wide on orders of $30 or more.

Bath And Body Works
VIP Tote, $20 with a $40 purchase (worth $100).
Entire store buy 3 get 3 free.

Beautified

25% off all gift card purchases, 11/28-12/1.

Beauty.com
Free sample filled Edun wool felted pouch, valued at $170, with your $150 purchase.

Beauticontrol
Spend $80 and receive 2 free Mini Holiday Hand Cremes in Berry and Mint.

Spend $190 and get both hand cremes AND a free 1oz Nutri-Rich Oil. 

The first 200 orders of $190 or more will receive a Limited Edition Nutri-Rich Box Set and both hand cremes.

Benefit
Spend $30 get a free Tint
Spend $60 get a free Tint and Eye Primer
Spend $90 get a free Tint, Eye Primer and Moisturizer,
Spend $120 get five Bestsellers.

Enter code BESTDEALEVER at check-out. Offer ends November 30th 11:59 PST, some exclusions apply.

Birchbox
Free Birchbox for every $60 spent on subscriptions with code BOXME. 25% off all non-miniature products with the code FRIDAY25.

Bliss
20% off select brands, some exclusions apply.

Bobbi Brown
Free shipping and Pick Your Own Holiday set with any purchase of $50 or more. Choose Smoky Violet set with code WARMUP1, or Pink Shimmer set with code WARMUP2 (both sets include 2 full-size and 2 minis). Offers end 11/26/14 at 11:59 PM PST.

Nov. 28th through 30th, get five free samples and free shipping with any order over $30.

The Body Shop
Store-wide specials.

10 piece Black Friday tote, $30 with a $30 purchase, November 26th–30th in-store November 25th –30th online. Some exclusions apply.

Butter London
$10 all purchases of $75+
$15 off purchases of $100+
$25 on purchases of $150+
with code THANKFUL14

Jet Set travel bag, free with a purchase of $75. Add the Jet Set bag to your cart and use promo code CARRYON311 at checkout.

Free shipping on orders over $50, no code needed.

Cirque Colors
25% off Nov. 28th only. 20% off 11/29-12/1 Dec. Free US shipping 12/2-12/31 f. No code required.

Clarins
Exclusive Black Friday bundles
Free standard shipping on orders over $75
3 free samples with every order

Clinique
Create your own gift with your choice of 4 select deluxe minis with any $40 purchase.

ColoreScience
Now through 12/2: 

• $50 Off Orders $200+
• $20 Off Orders $100+
• $10 Off Orders $75+

Free shipping and a free Skin Calming Face Primer SPF 20 sample with all orders.

Concrete Minerals
30% off your entire purchase on Black Friday
25% off your entire purchase 11/29-12/1
Free eyeshadow with orders over $50.
Free worldwide shipping with orders over $50.
Some exclusions apply.

Darphin: 

Black Friday only, receive a free 6-piece skincare set when you spend $125. Receive free 2-day shipping with code HOLIDAY.

Dr. Brandt
40% off site wide and free shipping on all orders.

Dr. Hauschka Skin Care
11/28-12/1 get a free cleansing cream with all orders over $50

Drybar

20% off all products and tools in stores, Black Friday only.

e.l.f.
50% off best sellers on orders over $25 with code BESTIES. Ends 11/26 at 11:59 PM PST.

Elizabeth Arden
Free shipping and 6 piece gift with purchase, valued at $66, with any $45 purchase. Use code MAKEOVER45.

Eve Pearl
Black Pearl promo event, products up to 60% off with code BP2014.
Begins Tuesday 11/25, at 10:00am EST Ends Monday 12/1 at midnight EST.

Fake Bake

25% off site wide, Black Friday only.

FutureDerm
Up to 80% off on select items starting Friday, November 28th, at 12am EST.

FutureDerm Vitamin CE Caffeic Serum, FutureDerm Time-Release Retinol 0.5 (back order): 30% off

LAST CHANCE: FutureDerm Organic 8 Cleanser, Organic 8 Toner, Organic 8 Moisturizer, Phyrra's Pretty Little Hair Elixir and My Beauty Bunny AHA Moisturizer: 1 for $10, 3 for $25, 5 for $30, 10 for $50

Plus take FREE Shipping on all orders!

Geek Chic Cosmetics
25% off site wide, some exclusions.

GHD

25% off on all hair tools, some exclusions. Black Friday through Cyber Monday.

Indie Lee

Black Friday through Cyber Monday, get a sample-sized trio (CoQ-10 Toner, Squalene Facial Oil and Lavender Chamomile Moisturizing Oil) on purchases of $65 or more.

Inglot Cosmetics
20% off Thursday, November 27th until December 3rd. Some exclusions, while supplies last.

Jin Soon 

15% off all nail polishes, toppings, nail care and nail tools, online only November 28th through December 1st.

John Masters Organics

25% off site wide with code HOLIDAY14, November 26th-December 1st.

Jose Eber
Black Friday:
8AM – 12PM: 40% off with code BLACK40
12PM – 3PM: 30% off with code BLACK30
3PM – 5PM: 20% off with code BLACK20

Cyber Monday:
Free Shipping all day 

Juara
Black Friday mega sale runs 11/26 through 11/29.

June Jacobs

25% off site wide, 11/24-28

Karin Herzog

Get 20% off everything Black Friday through Cyber Monday.
Spend $100 or more and receive a free Foot oil.

Kate Somerville

25% off site wide and free shipping with code FRIENDS2014, November 28-December 1.

Kerastase

November 27th through December 1st:

15% off site wide, a free Nutritive Deluxe Sample Duo and free shipping on orders over $100 with code GIFT SILVER. 

Get 20% off, free Nutritive Deluxe Gift and Touche Finale, plus free shipping with code GIFTGOLD.

Laura Geller
25% off all orders with code FRIDAY25 

30% off all orders over $100 with code FRIDAY30

Free shipping on orders over $50

Le Cosmetique
Black Friday sale, up to 50% off select product lines. 

Lime Crime
Black Wednesday sale 11/26 only, up to 60% off select products.

LIT Cosmetics
Buy 1 get 1 free on all glitters on Black Friday.

L’Occitane
Free gift with any purchase. Limited edition collector's tin with three 10ml hand creams (Arlesienne Hand Cream, Shea Butter and Rose et Reines).

Lumene

Take 40% off all purchases on dermstore.com, Black Friday only.

MAC
Smoky Black Friday palette available online on November 28th only.

Mad Hippie
Black Friday use code Holiday to get 25% off all purchases. Offer ends 12/1 at 12am.

Makeup Geek
$100 Mega Bundle:

• 6-color Vegas Lights Palette (Casino, Sin City, Roulette, Mirage, Desert Sands, Bada Bing)
• Afterglow pigment
• exclusive MUG Large Rosegold Chevron Z-Palette
• 8 MUG blush pans (Bliss, Hanky Panky, First Love, Rendezvous, Romance, Secret Admirer, Smitten and Summer Fling). 

Blush Pan Bundle (without palette) for $70. 

Mally Beauty

30% off the site wide, 11/25-28th, daily Gift with Purchase offers. 

Meow Cosmetics

20% off orders over $25 with code CatsLuvTurkey

20% off + Free World Shipping on orders over $40 with code StuffedKitty

Miracle Skin Transformer

Black Friday:
Spend $50 and receive 30% off your entire purchase with code BLACKFRIDAY30
Cyber Monday:
Spend $50 and receive 40% off your entire purchase with code CYBERMONDAY40

Missha

40% off your entire purchase, November 19th-30th. 

NARS

20% percent off Give&Take event, signing up here for access.

November 28-December 2nd.

NeoStrata
20% off all orders, no code needed. 

20% Off, free shipping on all UPS Ground Orders, plus Exuviance Purifying Cleansing Gel on orders of $100 or more. 

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics
20% off site wide

Black Box Set for $49.50 ($78 value). The set includes full-sizes of: Little Black DressStained Gloss, Tarred Cosmetic Colour Pencil, Bauhaus Creme Colour Concentrate and Blaylock Cosmetic Glitter, and  YES, you can use the 20% off on it! 11/28 to 12/1 only.

Omorovicza
From November 28th through December 1st, all products are 30% off.

One Hand Washes the Other
Code CYBERFRIDAYWEEKEND gets you 25% off orders of $20 and up, good through 11:59 EST MONDAY, 12/1/14. Additional flash deals may be posted on Twitter (@OHWTOcom) and Instagram (@OHWTO)

Origins
Holiday Super Set, $61 (worth $131) Free shipping and gift wrap with any order.

Orly
30% off all lacquers with promo code FRIDAY

Paula's Choice
15% off and free shipping all Cyber week, plus 5 free samples on orders over $8. Offer ends 9pm PT, December 7, 2014.

Perricone MD

60% off select items now through Monday, while supplies last. 

Peter Thomas Roth

Black Friday only, get a super-sized Mega Rich Intensive Anti-Aging Cellular Creme for $24 (originally $120).

Philosophy
Daily door-buster deals and holiday sale

Priti NYC
40% off all products

Pur Minerals

30% off online with code PURBF14, 11/28-30.

Ramy Beauty Therapy
3 for $30 sale

Rita Hazan

25% off site wide, 11/28-12/1.

Shiro Cosmetics
Will be having a sale, updates on facebook on 11/28.

Shop Zoe Life
30% off your entire purchase, enter SECRETCODE at checkout.

Shu Uemura
3 piece holiday gloss set and free shipping with any order over $50 with code HOLIDAY

15% off and free shipping on orders of $125 or more with code HAPPY125.

20% off, free Touch of Gloss and free shipping on order of $200 or more with code HOLIDAYS200. November 28th only.

Sibu Beauty
60% off all orders. Free shipping on orders over $50 (after discount).

Skindinavia
20 percent off, a free Makeup Primer Spray and free shipping on all orders November 28th-December 1st.

Sigma
11/27-28th
Free worldwide shipping on all orders with code BF2014

Use code CM2014 to get 20% off site wide, Cyber Monday only.

Sleek Makeup 20% off all orders, Black Friday only until 11:59 PM Friday, GMT (that's
6:59 PM, Eastern, folks!)

Smashbox
25% off online orders of $50 or more with code HOLIDAY14. Free shipping and samples with all US orders.

SokoGlam

Free shipping, 30% off site-wide, and a complimentary gift set from Banila Co.

Stila Cosmetics
Wednesday, November 27th:

Free 5-piece Seeing Stars Smudge Stick Set with a $50 purchase, use code FREESET

Thanksgiving Day:

3 full-size Lip Glazes with a $40 purchase, use code THANKS 

Black Friday: 

Use code BLACKFRIDAY and get the Pro Artist Brush Set (5 brushes and pouch) for free with a $50 purchase

Annual online warehouse sale, up to 80% off December 2nd through December 9.

Strivectin
November 26th through November 30th, enter offer code FFNOV14 for 20% off online purchases.

Sugarpill Cosmetics
Black Weekend sale, up to 50% off Thursday, November 27th at noon to 11:59pm PST on Monday, December 1st. No code needed.

Supergoop!
30% off all Supergoop! item from November 28- December 1st with the code CYBER2014. Contrary to popular belief, SPF is vital all year.

Tarte

November 27th through 30th, get 25% off, free samples and free shipping on online orders $40 or more with code FRIDAY

Tatcha

20% discount on all orders on TATCHA.com, enter the code FF2014 at checkout through December 8th.

Tom Ford
The clutch-sized (read: mini) Lips and Boys Lipstick collection hits TomFord.com on November 28th for four days; it will be available on retailer websites Cyber Monday only; After this it won't be available in stores and or online again until December 26th (and I'm guessing that's if there are any left!)

Too Faced
November 28th only, get 50% off one item of your choice when you buy Better Than Sex mascara.

Until November 30th, get $10 off $60, $15 off $75, or $20 off your purchase of $100 or more.

Ulta
Deals start online Thursday, 11/27 at 7pm CST, in store at 8pm. Includes buy 2 get 2 free Ulta Bath, Smoothies, Skin and Haircare, $5 Ulta eye, face, lip and nail, and $14.99 Fragrance Sampler. Click link above for full preview.

Urban Decay
Online deals:

Thursday: 6-Piece Revolution Lipstick Set for $90 (includes Anarchy, Catfight, F-Bomb, Naked, Native, and Turn On)

Friday: Ammo Shadow Box $10 , Smoked Palette $20. Buy BOTH and get a deluxe sample of Perversion Mascara.

Saturday: Get any two 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils for $20

Sunday: Get any three eyeshadow singles for $36

Monday: Electric Palette and travel size Black Velvet 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil for $35

Free shipping and a mystery gift on all orders.

Vichy

Enter code NOIR to receive:
15% off $35+
25% off $75+
35% off $125+

Offer valid through 11:59pm on 11/30/14. Cannot be combined with other offers.

VMV Hypoallergenics
20-50% off select brands. 

Free shipping from November 27th to December 1st. 

Free tote bag with all orders off  $100 or more. 

Weleda

30% off site wide, November 28th - December 1st.

Yes To
40% off all products on Friday
35% off the rest of November with code SAYYES.

YSL
20% off any order of $75 or more with free shipping.
Spend over $125 and get 20% off and 5 deluxe samples.
Offers ends 12/7/14

Zoya
Get any 5 Mini Glams for $20 PLUS free shipping. Use code GLAM now through 11/26 at 11:59pm ET. US only.

Halloween!

Better late than never, right? (Um, right??) Halloween makeups! Quick, easy, and pretty darn cute, if I do say so!

So, things have been a bit hectic around here, but Halloween is my Christmas, so I decided I had to do at least a little something to get into the spirit. I spent half of the day at school with my (not so) little one, (deep sigh for 7-year-olds choosing thier own costumes!) so requirements were something that didn't take much time and was appropriate for wear elementary school kids. This is what I came up with!

I used Kryolan UV Aquacolor in Green mixed with a bit of MAC Face and Body in white and applied it in a rough rectangle over my eye with a stippling brush. I used a q-tip saturated with a bit of oh-so-handy Crealine (keep an eye out for an upcoming review) to clean up the edges of my little franken-patch. Then I lined around the edge of the patch and painted on black stitches and a wickedly slanted eyebrow using #00 and #2 round artist brushes (like those from Loew-Cornell) and Wolfe Hydrocolor in black.

To make things just a touch more sultry, I added some depth by placing black (Urban Decay Primer Potion, MAC Blackground Paint Pot and the old square NYX black shadow) to the lid, blending it into the crease and out over the orbital bone with a MAC 217 brush. I popped a special effects lens in my monster eye, added black mascara and a quick red lip (MAC Ruby Woo, on all night!) and I was out the door.

Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween! As I mentioned things have been crazy lately (finally got married, husband left his job to start his own business, my baby started 1st grade, room mom, Girl Scout leader, art-class assistant, dance/karate taxi service, need I go on...?) but I'm hoping to be able to carve out a bit of writing time to get back to this soon- I miss it and all of you!

Quick Tip: Easy Beachy Hair!

Photo by Molly Stronczek

Almost everyone loves those "fresh from the ocean" waves, but what if you're don't happen to be coastal? Of course, you can go out and buy "beachy hair" spray, but why waste all of that summer sunshine shopping when you probably have everything you need to make a great wave spray within reach.

"Beachy Hair" Wave Spray Recipe

Ingredients:
spray bottle
spray detangler (or your favorite rinse-out conditioner)
1-2 tsp. sea or Epsom salt
warm water

How-to:
Fill an empty spray bottle halfway with almost-hot water, then add your favorite spray detangler; make sure you leave enough room so that you can add the salt and screw your top on without overflowing. Next, add salt- if you have fine hair, start with just one teaspoon and add salt in 1/4 tsp increments until you get the results you like, otherwise go ahead and add 2 full teaspoons.

If you don't have spray de-tangler laying around the house, fill your spray bottle with warm water, add the salt and then add about a nickel-sized dollop of your regular rinse-out conditioner (I use that amount with about 8oz of water. If you have very fine hair or are using a smaller spray bottle, use a bit less. Thick, dry or coarse hair, or a bigger bottle? Add a little more). Then, shake-shake-shake to blend.

That's it. I usually use my salt spray on damp or dry hair and "scrunch" to enhance the curl. I've bought plenty of wave spray in my day, but always blend my own now, because I can control the formula better (more or less conditioner, more salt for more curl- but crunchier- a little gel for hold, etc...) Enjoy!

Spring Sprinkles NOTD and China Glaze Gelaze First Impressions

So...have you seen these limited edition Peeps?

I am OBSESSED. Of course, I don't actually like Peeps, so it's all aesthetics to me. I could stare at these all day. So when I stopped by Sally Beauty the other day and my eyes landed a Gelish polish called "Lots of Dots", my mind went "Peep!"

LoD is a clear coat sprinkled liberally with small multicolored dots (to my eye, I see red, coral, blue, yellow, grassy green, pale pink and and lilac). I knew right away that I wanted to layer it over a white creme base, a'la Peep, and when a Buy One Get One Free sign called my attention to China Glaze's new gel polish, Geláze, it was a done deal. I grabbed White on White and Shocking Pink and headed out the door.

The potentially cool thing about Gelaze (aside from the fact that it comes in 49 shades, including CG all-stars like Ruby Pumps and For Audrey) is that CG's gel polish offering is a base and color in one- no separate pH bond and foundation step like Gelish. You still need a UV/LED topcoat, and since my Sally's was out of the Gelaze one, my first run was a mishmash of products.

I Used:
Base (2 coats): China Glaze Gelaze in White on White
Accent (2 coats): Gelish in Lots of Dots
Top Coat: Gelish Top it Off
Cured under a 36 Watt UV Lamp

And here are my results:

Pretty darn cute, I must say. Now obviously, Lots of Dots is, well...dots. The end result is a bit closer to a vanilla cupcake than my coveted flaky Peeps, but I was still pleased with the look (and got tons of compliments on it).

As far as performance, I don't feel comfortable giving a definitive yay or nay on the products just yet. I'm far from an expert in my application technique, which can have a big impact on the performance of gel polish. As I mentioned before, I also mixed and matched lines, and while I've seen plenty gel-polish of connoisseurs say that's no big, I don't want to judge a line based on a "not used as recommended" experience.

Here's what I will say: First, application was a breeze- no different to me than a regular polish. I was a bit discouraged when I noticed the polish shrinking away from the free-edge after curing (and again, while I'm no pro, I do cap my tips as well as I can). I also experienced quite a bit of wrinkling, though I tried my darndest to keep my coats thin. Luckily, the wrinkling pretty much disappeared once I layered on 2 coats of Dots, so I didn't have to remove & start from scratch.

Shrinkage on tips of middle finger and thumb.
Wrinkling on thumb, ring, and index fingers.

I was also very bummed to have one nail lift just a day after I did my manicure. I removed and reapplied the offending nail, but unfortunately, by the end of day two, I noticed another nail coming up. Three days in, almost all of the nails were lifting at the free edge, and by day four, I had to remove the entire manicure.

Like I said, these are just my first impressions. I am hoping human error can explain away the issues I had, and am currently testing out a few other shades. I also plan on grabbing the Gelaze Top Coat as soon as I can to see if that makes a difference.

Until then, I'd love to hear what you think about gel polishes- have you made the jump yet? What are your favorite brands (and do you mix and match systems?) OH- and does anyone know of a multicolored flaky polish that will get me closer to my Peep-esque objective?!

Rise and SHINE!Pre-Prep for Your Best Early-Morning Face

For those of you who don't know, I am currently in the thickest thick of planning my upcoming wedding- less than 3 weeks to go (eeek)! Given my predilection to research, and of course my love of social media, you can bet I've been hitting the wedding forums pretty heavily. Recently, I happened upon a fellow bride-to-be wondering about how she should prep for an early morning photo shoot.

As I typed out my response on how to avoid common morning-time pitfalls (puffiness, redness, etc...) it occurred to me that my lovely (and, I apologize profusely, much neglected) readers may appreciate some tips too- after all, wedding or not, no one wants to leave the house looking like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man!

Here are my best tips and tricks for looking fabulous, no matter what your call time is:

• First and foremost, if you're gearing up for photos or a special occasion, don't expect most of these tips to take effect overnight. Though some will give more instant-gratification than others, in general, the further in advance you start, the better. 

• Take care of your skin! Remove all of your makeup before bed and moisturize well. Be especially careful to get all traces of eye makeup off, lest it migrate around and into your eyes at night. This can cause redness, puffiness and watery eyes, and though you may not even be able to see the traces left behind in the morning, they're there- and can cause subtle shadows that will make eyes appear smaller and darker (and for some reason, mascara left on overnight seems SO much harder to remove!) 

• Reduction of alcohol and salt, and of course, lots of water, can help to minimize puffiness. 

• Sleep on a satin pillow case- it reduces tug on the skin & hair and you'll wake less creased and ruffled.

• Sleeping with your head propped up with several pillows will keep fluids from settling in your face overnight (which causes puffiness).

• There is some evidence that caffeine applied to the skin can relieve puffiness and redness. Soak a tea towel in strong, chilled coffee and apply it as a cold compress mask for 10-15 minutes before you apply your makeup. (Black and green tea will work too, though possibly to a lesser extent because of a lower caffeine content). Bonus: coffee and tea are full of skin-protecting antioxidants! 

• If you can, pinpoint the cause of your issues. Redness, puffiness and under eye darkness can all be brought on by allergies. If you notice such things seasonally or just on occasion, an over-the-counter antihistamine like Claritin or Benadryl, or anti-inflammatories like Advil, may help. Of course, I am not a doctor, so please speak to yours before beginning any medical treatment!

•  A cool shower, rather than warm, is more beneficial to your skin and hair. It strips less of your skin's natural barrier, so you're likely to see less dryness, flakiness, redness and irritation. Cold water also helps smooth the hair's cuticle (outer layer), which will make hair look smoother and shinier. 

• When applying makeup, highlight skin under the brow bone, in the inner corners of the eyes around the tear ducts, and on the orbital bone under the eye (right on the top of the cheek bones- imagine a line coming down from the arch of your brow and start there, extending the highlighter almost to temples). Choose a champagne shade (white if you're fair) with a pearly finish. Your objective is to mimic the way light hits healthy skin- visible glitter not only gives away the trick, it can appear as white or black dots in photos!

• Line the lower, inner rim (waterline) with a white or nude eye pencil to make eyes appear brighter and more opened. And don't forget the mascara!

• Last, smile!!! This lifts the entire face, and you'd be surprised how visible a good mood is in photos!