Find The Perfect Drugstore Makeup

Take it from Lady Gaga, we are all born superstars. The only difference is that some of us get paid for it while others have to pull of smart shopping strategies to make that shine through. This Christmas, I’m going to help you with one of the important aspects of bringing out the superstar in you – and that has something to do with putting on makeup. (Well, okay it can be about walking wedge boots as well)

I know that natural beauty will always be the best. But for days when you just need a little help with conceal those under eye circles from that light night shindig with your friends, you never have to spend hundreds of dollars for that unless you’re a millionaire.

Here are 3 things that you SHOULD know when buying makeup items from the drugstore.

Try different brands. One great thing about shopping at drugstores is that they offer a wide selection of eye makeup, lipsticks and mascaras to name a few. These retail stores carry a number of affordable brands that offers different types of products that carry their own distinct features.

Finding the perfect makeup for your skin type is like finding the perfect leather boots during the somewhere – it’s difficult and it might seem that you’re going nowhere but your time and effort would surely pay off. As they say in fairy tales, you have to kiss a couple of frogs before you find your prince charming.

If you’re still looking for a brand or a particular product that will treat your skin well, here are 3 simple things that you can do to find the best one for you:

1. Take a shade of lipstick in two different hues. Always remember that there are tons of variations of a single color. Both of them might seem like the same color but bloody red is different from burgundy. And if you’d like to find the shade that suits you better, get two affordable lipsticks from the drugstore which you can put to the test. 
2. Bring a good item that you currently. This tip works best if you’re looking for a foundation that would match your skin’s shade and condition. If you already found one that’s working for you but it’s from a high-end brand, you just have to compare it with the one’s offered in drugstores. More often than not, you can find an affordable with the same features if you just look really good. 
3. Read product reviews online. Not all drugstores offer testers that you can tinker upon to check a product. To make sure that you’re getting the right one without actually trying it, take your search online and find out what other users are saying about a particular brand or product. Keep in mind that there could be biased reviews online so having a good judgment is also a must.

Look for deals before settling to buy. The Christmas season is a great time to go shopping for anything – including cosmetic products. Brands are pretty generous this time of the year with price reductions and freebies. Take advantage of the numerous sale events that take place before and after Christmas to beef up your makeup kit in time for next year.

Make a “save and splurge” list for your makeup. This trick has really saved much of my makeup budget. My savings from doing this for about a year has allowed me to get a swanky pair of sneaker boots just last month so I’m really recommending this.

Creating a “save and splurge” list is rather simple. The first thing that you have to do is list down your makeup staples. Then beside the item you can write the words save or splurge depending on how you intend to buy the product. For example, I’d write save beside mascara. This means that I’m okay with purchasing mascara from drugstore brands. If you tag one item as splurge, it means that it’s one of your non-negotiable items and you’d rather purchase them from high-end brands for any reason you might have.

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3 Simple Holiday Fashion Tips for the Busy and Hardworking Mom

When was the last time you wore high heels to a Christmas gathering? If you can’t remember, then you might have been on the mommy route for quite a while. Don’t get me wrong, being a mom is one of the most wonderful things in life. But the changes that it brings are a reality as well.

For the upcoming holidays, I’m making it my personal mission to help as many moms bring to life the stunning look they so deserve even if they’re just planning to wear a pair of well-made Bamboo shoes. I personally like wearing Penny Loafers.

Below, I have 3 Christmas fashion tips for every hard working mom out there. These guidelines aim to help you get an awesome time just in time for those sweet little kisses from your kids under the mistletoe. Feel free to share these with your friends so that we can all have a fashionable Christmas this year.

Hot Mama Holiday Fashion Tip # 1 Fit is in. Whoever started the loose fitting clothes fad for moms must be hanged. Kidding aside, it has always been so weird for me to see my figure-flaunting friends choose sweatpants and over-sized shirts when they start having children. They say their new style is comfortable – I say it’s hideous.

When dressing for your updated figure, it really helps to go back to basics. Here are 3 simple guidelines that you should remember when updating your post-pregnancy style:

1. Get familiar with your new figure. Going a couple of sizes up could be depressing but mopping around wouldn’t get your teenage body shape back. You have to proactively handle the situation by being rational. Ask yourself: How did my body change? From there, you get a better idea on which parts of your figure you should highlight and which ones should be brought away from the spotlight.
2. Find appropriate clothing. Aside from getting the right fit, you should also make sure that your new clothes fit your new status as a mom. Showing off too much skin may not be the best idea. Always remember that you can always look sexy when you know how to hit the right buttons.
3. Stock up on classic. If there’s one fashion rule that you should remember for the rest of your life that should be: you can never go wrong with the classic style. With that said, get a new LBD that flatters your new figure. Don’t forget about the dress pants and the white tops as well that you can easily dress up with accessories and a fashionable pair of shoes.

Having kids and starting a family is never a reason to let go of yourself. I know for a fact that it’ll be busy but you should still find time for yourself – and that includes spending quality time for shopping clothes and shoes that suit your new figure well.

Hot Mama Holiday Fashion Tip # 2 Hair, Makeup and nails count. Most mothers play the role of a superhero in the lives of their families and children. Many of them juggle their work life together with their family life just so they can give the best to their families. It’s amazing! And I salute all moms – especially my mother. So this holiday season, don’t forget to update your hairstyle and your makeup simply because you deserve it for all the hard work.

Looking good and feeling good is a holistic thing. You have to take care of yourself from head to toe to create that sassy aura.

Hot Mama Holiday Fashion Tip # 3 Choose comfort over anything else. Need I say more? With your new life role, being able to do things comfortable could change a lot of things. Keep in mind that a comfy outfit matched with an equally comfortable pair of shoes can boost your confidence really. Simply put, being comfortable in your clothes helps you be comfortable in your skin.

Always remember this tip especially during the busy Christmas season. I’m pretty sure that you’d be going to a number of family gatherings with your children where they would run and play endlessly. To be ready for any mommy-action, make sure that you’re wearing a more comfortable outfit that could keep you going and going like your energetic child.

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3 Smart Online Shopping Tips This Christmas

Online shopping is the best thing ever! If you agree with me, you’d most likely been shopping for great online deals right after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Did you score great deals during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales? I did get an awesome deal from an online re-seller for free shipping on a pair of platform ankle boots at a discounted price. Neat, huh?

Today, I’m sharing with you 3 clever online tips that you should keep in mind while Christmas shopping in the World Wide Web. Feel free to send in your thoughts and share this practical guide so we could all be smart shoppers online.

Look for free shipping deals. Retailers would be more than happy to offer you deals that would make your holiday shopping more convenient this busy time of the year. Make sure to take advantage of this type of goodness in the holiday air by spending some time to look for or inquire shopping deals that online retailers might offer.

Do the bulk of your Christmas shopping in one online shop. One-stop shops can save you a lot of time and money when you do offline shopping. What can be better than getting everything you need under one roof, right? Just think of the hundreds of dollars you’ll save from gasoline and parking expenses to name a few.

Luckily, this holds true for online shopping as well. You can also get most if not all of the things on your Christmas shopping list in just one store. A good example of this type of online retailer is Amazon. The shopping mogul offers clothes, toys and books among many other things that are surely on your list. I’m just not sure if they offer a good selection of wedge boots but it’s worth the look.

When you shop online for Christmas presents and probably some decorations, you can always gather tons of options in just a few clicks. This advantage of shopping online can lead you to buy from different stores all at the same time. Keep in mind that purchasing goods from different stores would require you to pay multiple shipping fees. And that is on top of the price you’ll pay for the item and the headache you’ll get from monitoring all of the shipments.

If possible, shop from virtual department stores to get most if not all of the items you need in just one go. This would greatly cut down your shipping expenses and your waiting time for the goods that you purchased.

Only use one credit card for all of your purchases. This is more for your safety and convenience. Making use of just one credit for all of your purchases might seem limiting since ever card has a credit limit. But come to think of it, centralizing your expenses on one card would be easier for you when it’s time to pay for all of your purchases. Aside from seeing your expenses in one bill, you also have only one card issuer to pay which will save you tons of time.

This simple trick will surely help you to do more of the important things this holiday season.

Online Christmas shopping golden rule…

Shopping online at any time of the year spells utmost convenience for us shoppers; this is one of the most important things that we need in order to get through the busy holiday season.

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Slowly but Surely: The Only Plan you’ll Need for a Hassle-free Career Change

You feel stuck in your current job, right? I know. You wouldn't be reading if you love your job and you think it’s the most awesome thing to do for the rest of your life. But kidding aside, I know how you feel. I was once there too – together with a couple of family members and friends so it’s a pretty normal thing.

But you shouldn't take this matter lightly. Leaving your concerns to the expert tips and tricks of human resource books might not give to most suitable solution. Remember that every individual is unique so you definitely need to find that answer to your specific problem.

Changing careers is a leap of faith. Leaving a stable job to find a new pursuit is often a necessary risk you’d have to take in order to get to a better place. But since you’ll take leap, make sure to do it carefully or you’ll get injured. Yes, I’m talking about life here – because one wrong decision you make can bury you into a deeper hole.

Today, I’m going to tell you about The Plan which you can carry out in the first four months of 2013 to make sure that you only make the right decisions for your career change. Though you can do all of these in just a month, I suggest you take your time because from experience, my haste created much waste.

So save yourself from further trouble and take things slowly but surely. Here’s what you can do on…

January Determine whether there is an actual need for change. Would you still feel miserable if you worked for another company in the same industry?

Many individuals rush to think that leaving their current career and changing it completely is the only solution to the burning feeling of unhappiness that they feel for their current job. Given that you are unsatisfied, it is best to find out where this feeling is coming from. Keep in mind that there are tons of things in your current job that can drive you to lose interest in work. Problems can range from having bad office politics, an evil boss or simply not having a water cooler.

Before you bid your current career goodbye, make sure that it’s the one you want to leave. Not just your boss or the company that you are working for.

February Find the direction you’d like to pursue. If you’re sure that being in the corporate could kill you in the next 24 hours, decide on what you’d actually like to pursue. I hope that being a beach bum or a couch potato is not one of them.

When thinking about a new route to take, looking at your skills, hobbies and shelved dreams could be of great help. However, you have to be realistic with what you want at this point. You can’t be just be a hot rock star over night so you might want to keep that dream in the drawer if you’re not willing to work for it.

Mixing your dream with reality is the right way to go. If you want to be a full time artist or an entrepreneur, make sure that your resources can support you well throughout your transition until you make it.

March How much do you want it?

Now that you know where you want to go, do you really want to go there? How much time, effort and commitment are you willing to give to pursue your new goal? If your answer is still half-baked, you’d better stay where you are at the moment until you find something that you’d like to pursue.

This could be especially difficult if you have a family to fend for or bills to pay. Don’t forget to consider other important factors in your life before you make that big decision.

April Create an action plan. Write concrete steps on how you’ll arrive at that new destination. Think of it as a road trip that you’re planning to take to get away from your current toxic career. How would you get there?

During this time, you would like to think about the training's, seminars and certifications that you might need to successfully shift gears. You can also create a timeline of events to make sure that you don’t fall into a procrastination rut where you’ll aimlessly wander around until you get nowhere. Remember, go at great lengths to specify what you intend to do so as not to lose sight of the prize. It would help to write actual information on the training programs that you need as well as the other tasks that you need to do including research among many other things. Resource books on the field can provide you with tons of information.

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Cool Celebrations: How to Turn Your Thanksgiving Dinner into a Fabulous Fashion Theme Party

Celebrate this year’s Thanksgiving in style by hosting a fashion themed dinner. Get your wedge boots ready to walk talk and proud this coming holiday as you show your love and appreciation to the people who matter most in your life.

Today, I’m sharing with you tons of practical tips for a fabulous Thanksgiving. Read up on the useful tips below.

Choosing the Theme

Having a fashioned themed party can be exciting. But unlike going for a luau or a movie theme, fashion parties need you to be a little more specific which makes it even more fun. There are tons of sub-themes that you can choose from.

Two of the commonly used chic party themes are awards night and the fashion week. Both events are filled with glamour and they can surely lend this glitz to your Thanksgiving dinner. You could also go for unconventional ones like a Lady Gaga theme where guests can take a walk on the fashion wild side with their chunky wedge boots.

Keep in mind that when selecting a fashion theme, your top consideration should be your guests. It is best to take note of the age of the attendees so you can throw the party that everyone enjoyed.

Party Basics

This includes the event details and the invitations you’d be sending to spread the word out. To get the feel of a true fashion event, it is best that you reflect common practices in the industry. Awards night and fashion week after-parties always take place at night which makes them a perfect theme for your Thanksgiving dinner. Follow through with other practices like sending sleek VIP invitations to your guests. This would allow them to get a feel of your theme that would surely get them all excited.

Food and drinks

Give your guest the A-list treatment by getting their stomach’s fill in a sumptuous multi-course dinner. Serving a 5-course meal is easier than it seems. Just make sure to have an appetizer, salad, soup, main course and dessert ready at the dinner table to start the feast.

When serving an elaborate meal, remember that being creative pays off. There are tons of ways for you to get fresh ingredients, good tasting wine and turkey at more reasonable price. Using coupons and is a great way to save a couple of bucks. Don’t forget to hunt for deals way before the Thanksgiving time rolls in to make sure that you get ingredients in stock. Don’t forget to wear a pair of trusty boots when moving around to shop.

Another way to spend wisely on food during the holiday season is to have your guest bring in some of the food items especially if this is an intimate occasion between family and friends. Sharing the responsibility can surely lighten up your load.

Fun activities

Like what I said earlier, you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars just to have a memorable fashion-themed Thanksgiving dinner. Instantly bring in the paparazzi to your party by assigning one of your guests as the official photographer and dress the part. Having him or her roam around the room and signal people to take their posses can surely create a celebrity feel.

You can also incorporate fashion show at the beginning of the party just to liven up the atmosphere. Towards the end, have an award giving ceremony to keep the spirit of Thanksgiving alive.

Are you celebrating your Thanksgiving in style? Let me know how you've been preparing to throw your Hollywood style party. Leave me a comment below or a link to your pictures of the fashion themed party. I’d love to know all about them so keep ‘em coming!

More ThanksGiving Tips? Maybe a Black Friday Sale? Check out Jewelry for a Sophisticated You! tackles on how a simple mashups can bring a classy sophisticated look this Holiday Season.

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Yes, No! Celebrities in Purple Fashion

Purple is a pretty funky color to wear. Unfortunately, because the fun color is not easy to partner and match with the usual outfits, not everyone can wear it on an ordinary day. Even celebrities, who have all the money in the world, still make some awful red carpet mistakes with their purple fashion jewelry and outrageous matching outfits. On the other hand, there are also other celebrities who make it easy to wear purple.

To get ideas on how to wear purple the right way, here are a few inspirations from celebrities and why they worked or didn't work.

What works: There’s never really been a time when Victoria Beckham wore something that didn't look good. And despite the fact that she’s changed styles so much in the past few years, we still cannot dismiss this purple and silver outfit she wore a few years back. Compared to her style today, this is definitely a downgrade. However, the outfit still made her look chic, with only one purple Swarovski ring and a matching purple handbag. The heavy cleavage may be a little too much. Despite that, the former Spice Girl still rocked the look. Cheap? Never. It just made Victoria Beckham look many years younger than she truly is.

What doesn't work: Well, where should we begin? Maybe it’s the fact that her dark red lipstick really doesn't match the purple dress. Maybe it’s because her dark coat doesn't do anything for her dark, purple dress. Or the fact that her neck is just brimming with accessories. Really, you should never overwhelm your neck with too many accessories. The dress already had sheer detailing around the neck and because she decided to wear two more necklaces, it only made her look dowdy and overcrowded. The same goes for her earrings. Because she had too many accessories on her neck, the earrings aren't even noticeable anymore. One word for this outfit? Crowded.

What works: Just like Mrs. Beckham, there’s never really a time when Natalie Portman looked bad. In fact, she just keeps on looking better and better every day. In this outfit where she wore a glorious purple gown with an appropriate cleavage, Portman was simply stunning. Not only that, she accentuated her outfit with a matching purple fringe earring set that highlighted her upper body even more. Because she chose to keep it simple in a long dress and a side-swept hairstyle with minimum fashion jewelry, Portman ended up looking classy and sophisticated.

What doesn't work: Despite the fact that Fergie definitely looks beautiful in this picture, it seemed as if the light purple color of her dress just wasn't complimenting the shades of her skin. When you choose the dress to wear to an event, you also have to consider the specific shade of your dress, otherwise, you end up looking a little too tan. Do be careful in choosing a dress to display your cleavage though, you wouldn't want people to think that your dress is too tight.

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How to Save Money on Your Wedding Outfit

Who says you have to spend more just to get hitched? In fact, you can easily make every expense go away just by getting married in the nearby church – no attendees, no frills, just you and your loved one. Married, but not broke. But of course, why create a memorable day when no one else will actually remember it?

Weddings are important. But this doesn't mean that you have to spend all of your savings on it. Just because your wedding dress or bridal jewelry sets isn't branded doesn't mean that it’s not beautiful. You can still look your best on your special day on a limited budget. Here’s a few tips on achieving a budget, but beautiful outfit.

1. Buy your wedding dress early. Did you know that there’s a wedding season? Yes, in fact there are months when there are more weddings and brides to dress. You might want to avoid these months because you’ll end up paying twice for your dress. June is a pretty popular month to get married on so if you’re looking for a dress on those months, you will end up overspending. Get your dress a few months before. This will help you avoid all the rush and keep you under budget.

2. Have your dress tailored. If you cannot afford expensive designers, have someone tailor your dress especially for you. Several small-time tailors can actually design and create beautiful dresses as well. Don’t be too overwhelmed with expensive designers who are known everywhere for their beautiful dresses. Small-time tailors can make dresses without the hefty price tag. Besides, if you buy branded wedding dresses, you’ll end up wearing the brand, more than the dress.

3. Get inspirations from old styles. Old styles are less complicated. They are simple, but traditional so you can pick from them if you want a cheaper rate. Don’t worry, you won’t be too out of style. Some of the classic dress designs are starting to come back again. Mix classic styles into modern wedding dresses. You’ll end up with a beautiful dress, minus the expensive price tag.

4. Buy jewelry online. Saving money on dresses can be a little hard. But when it comes to bridal jewelry, you have the option to save a lot of money. Jewelry can be bought nearly anywhere nowadays. Go online and check out various jewelry shops. You’ll find that the prices online are much cheaper. While you can’t see the jewelry for yourself, you’ll enjoy looking at them through pictures. The best thing about buying online? There are literally hundreds of different jewelry stores. Not only will you get inspiration for your accessories, you can also buy cheaper jewelry at the same time.

5. Wait for sales. If you’re in a rush to get married, you might not be able to use this tip. But if your wedding is still in a few months, you can always wait for a grand sale to happen before you make your move. Sales can give you huge discounts so you’ll be able to save a lot of money.

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