Holiday Gifts | Beauty and Fashion Tech

Dec 4, 2012

Great Beauty Stocking Stuffer Ideas

December 4, 2012 By Carleenp 3 Comments

As the holidays approach, many people have begun making their Christmas shopping lists. Aside from the primary gifts that will be wrapped and placed under the tree are the smaller gifts to fill up stockings. If you have girls or women on your list this year, you may want to consider great stocking stuffer ideas with beauty and primping themes.

Makeup

Makeup is usually small and a great choice for sticking in a stocking. Since some makeup has to be chosen by the person themselves, like concealer, opt for the types of makeup that look great on everybody:

• Nail polish in red or a neutral color
• Black mascara
• Eyeshadow in a medium shade of brown
• Bronzer in a subtle shade
• Lipstick in a light coral

Another great option is to get a makeup set. You can find a compact with several different shades of eyeshadow or lip gloss. Get her a collection of eye pencils. If she loves to give herself funky makeup makeovers, colorful mascaras are a great gift idea. Think about her style and choose makeup accordingly.

Bath Items

For the woman who loves lounge in a hot bubble bath to unwind after a long day, there are plenty of spa items to stick in her stocking:

• Bath salts
• Miniature tubes of scented bubble bath
• Candles to put around the bathtub
• Bath fizz bars in cute shapes
• Scented soap

Travel Items

Every girl likes to stock her pocket book with must-have items for when she’s on-the-go. Make her life a little bit easier with these beauty supplies in travel sizes:

• Bobby pins
• Brush with an attached mirror
• Box of Q-tips
• Sample-sized perfume bottles
• Body lotion with SPF
• Toothbrush and toothpaste

Hair Care

What girl doesn’t love to spend time making her hair look perfectly coiffed? Stuff her stocking with these haircare essentials:

• Teasing comb
• Battery-operated, travel-sized hair straightener or curler
• Refreshing dry shampoo spray
• High-quality shine serum
• Expensive shampoo or conditioner

More Ideas

Beauty stocking stuffer ideas don’t stop there. Consider these great, pint-sized beauty gifts to surprise her with on Christmas morning:

• Body glitter
• Eau du parfume towels
• Eyelash curler with extra pads
• Fake eyelashes
• Lip balm in her favorite candy flavors
• Lip scrub
• Makeup bag
• Makeup brushes of different sizes
• Mirror
• Nail designs you can stick on
• Rosewater spray
• Salt scrub for the body
• Scented hand cream
• Tweezers

If there’s a specific brand that she likes, why not fill up her stocking with a selection of products? For example, if your daughter loves Bumble and Bumble haircare products, get her several trial-sized bottles of shampoo, conditioner, leave-in conditioner and other products. If she loves MAC makeup, fill up her stocking with the latest MAC items.

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Filed Under: Holiday Gifts, Holiday Items, Makeup, Shopping lists Tagged With: Gift, Holiday, Makeup

Dec 3, 2012

M.A.C. Fabulousness Neutral Eye Palette Review

December 3, 2012 By Carleenp 2 Comments

The following is a guest review of the MAC Fabulousness Neutral Eye Palette from the MAC Holiday 2012 Collection.

The first thing that catches the eye about this great collection of neutral shades is the unique mini-handbag appearance of the attractive case that contains the eye shadow. The look is black patent leather coupled with a cool, mint green, cushion-top with four tiny upholstered buttons. There is a fixed bow over the closure of the case, giving it an overall look that would make a great gift, either to a friend or as a treat to oneself.

The special collection of 5 neutral shades of bliss inside can be mixed, matched and layered to create any number of eye shadow fashion looks. This collection of colors is a bit understated, but has jus the right amount of sparkle and pizazz to get someone's attention. The is definitely the collection for the “less is more” crowd.

The Blonde Mink shade is a frosty white flash that adds more light than color. It is the perfect highlight to add on the inside corner of the eye and high underneath the eyebrow. This shade is also great to use as a muting tone to go over darker colors that need to be calmed down a bit.

Magical Mist is alive with flecks of copper dazzle suspended in a medium dark brown shade of eyeshadow. Of the five colors, this is one of the strongest and is the key element to creating the ever-famous smoky eye look. The color is warm, earthy and sensuous.

The darkest shade in the collection is Brun. Not quite black, this ultra-dark brown shade has a matte finish that is a nice contrast to the sparkly qualities of the other colors. This color lends itself to blending and looks great when the colors are softened with a touch of the aforementioned Magical Mist. Brun is a dramatic look that can be dressed up or down, depending on the surrounding color choices.

Eviable is another earthy tone, but in green, that is quite understated and smoky. Eviable looks great with any of the previously mentioned colors and highlights, or can be worn beautifully by itself. Coupled with smaller quantities of Smut, the reddish, medium dark brown shade, it can be part of a dynamic and dramatic look. Smut is recommended more for highlighting than worn alone.

At just under $40, this is a fantastic collection of shades and finishes that can give a versatile selection of looks for either day or evening.

Buy The MAC Fabulousness Neutral Eyes Palette

Filed Under: Holiday Gifts, Holiday Items, Palettes and Collections Tagged With: Gifts, Holiday, M.A.C., Palettes

Nov 30, 2012

Holiday Party Makeup Tips

November 30, 2012 By Carleenp 1 Comment

Holiday party makeup is all about glamour. It is a time for sparkle, intense colors and festive looks that you would not normally wear during the day. Here are some tips to help bring your holiday festivities to life.

(1) Use bold colors on your lips to completely change your look. Use a bright red over the lips and top with a collagen plumping gloss.

(2) Bronzer is a great addition to party makeup. This is especially true during the winter months. Use a full body brush to create a sun-kissed looked.

(3) Create a smoky eye with a palette of blues, grays and purple. Prime your eyes by dabbing a small amount of foundation on the lid. Use a moistened eye shadow brush to draw a line across your upper eyelashes with the darkest eye shadow. Use a medium shade across the lid, and then use the lightest shade from the crease up to your brow. Brush a small amount of pearl color under your eye and in the corners to make your eyes seem larger.

(4) Apply a light dusting of glitter makeup across your face and neck. A good product to try is Urban Decay Marshmallow Sparkling Lickable Powder. Not only will you add sparkle to your look, but you will taste delicious.

(5) Use a metallic highlighter just on the inside of your lower lashes. Use the same liner from the corner of your eye on your upper lashes to the outside corner. The extra sparkle will help your eyes pop and appear larger. Urban Decay is great in this department as well.

(6) Apply pink blush to the apples of your cheeks. Try to mimic the natural look of children's cheeks. The fresh rosy appearance will make you look younger.

(7) Use fake lashes to make your eyes appear bigger. Top the lashes with a colored mascara to draw attention to your eyes.

When creating a look for the holidays, keep in mind that you want to attraction attention but try not to overdo it. If you add bright color to your lips, avoid a bright color on the eyes. Accentuate your best feature without going overboard. Top the look with a light fragrance that is different from the one you wear during the day. Choose one that will highlight your femininity without being overpowering. The most important thing to remember is to have fun.