Blog

  • Summer Beauty

    I’m a sucker for my beauty inspiration boards — here’s a few pictures of my favorite summer beauty looks.  Splash of bronzer with a pop of color on the lips.


    My current favorite lip colors:

    • Vegas Volt by MAC Cosmetics
    • Morange by MAC Cosmetics
    • #41 by Makeup Forever
    • #36 by Makeup Forever
    • Heatwave by NARS (one of my classic favs!) 

  • Give Yourself a Glow, Girl

    Bronzed Winter
    At last…springy weather. Warmer temperatures bring out the shorter hemlines revealing our winter pale skin. Here are a few of my favorite products and tips if you’re wanting to give yourself a little glow to carry you into summer.
     
    Self-Tanners:  
    • If you are pale, I’ve found that Clairins Instant Self Tanning Gel works best. The more pale your skin, the harder it is to get a non-streaky, natural look which is why I like this product — its gel texture allows for an easy application, goes on smooth, and isn’t too dark. This is also a good product to start with if you are a beginner to self-tanners. 
    • If you naturally have a little olive/yellow in your skin tone or feel like you’re a veteraned user, my favorite is St. Tropez Mousse Bronzer since it has a little more color to it than the Clarin’s product but still goes on smooth and streak-free if you know what you’re doing. The foam liquifies as soon it it hits the skin and the faster you rub this product in the better — more natural — it will look. 
    • Even though the other two can also work on your face, I like using Lancome Face Flash Bronzer since this product has SPF 15 in it — it’s perfect to rub on your face before hitting the beach or lounging poolside. Also, I love the immediate glow this product gives. 
    A tip for all self-tanner application is to make sure your skin is exfoliated and moisturized before using the product. It will only go on as smooth as the skin underneath. Also, to ensure your hands don’t stain, use rubber gloves to apply. 

    Powder Bronzers:
    • I like a lot of different powder bronzers but more recently have been using one by NARS. My only suggestion with powder bronzers is to make sure not to get one too dark for your skin tone. Another tip, only apply where the sun would hit you naturally (cheeks, bridge of nose, forehead, chin) and top off by adding a pink shade of blush to the apples of your cheek for dimension. 

  • In Celebration of JP3D

    The original Jurassic Park is being released next week in 3D — yes, that’s right, 3 mutha effin’ D. Of course my natural response is to wonder what I’m going to wear to such a wondrous event. 

    Have no fear, I found what I was looking for. 

  • 17 Days 'til Heartbreak Hill


    I feel very appreciative for all the support I’ve received thus far from my friends and family during my journey to run the Boston Marathon.  I wanted to give everyone a quick update on the marathon + my knee injury. I’ve been getting tweets, texts, and emails from some of you asking what the deal is so here it goes…

    After slipping on ice and falling on my knee over 2 months ago while training, I haven’t been able to run over 3-4 miles due to the pain I was experiencing (which was abnormal considering I was already at the 12-15 mile mark when this happened) — after resting for weeks & things were not getting better I made an appointment with a specialist and got an MRI. My results came back — good news, nothing broken or torn but the bad news is I have arthritis in my knee which is obviously something that will never go away like I was hoping. I guess the fall had caused some thickening of my cartilage in the knee which, leaving my knee cap off center and irritated the problem I already had in my joint. So there it is…I’m a 31 year old woman getting cortisone shots along side my grandparents. Awesome. 

    Most of you know that running is my life, my therapy — so as you can imagine this has been very hard for me to swallow. After a little physical therapy to strengthen my hip muscles (which apparently relieves tension in my knees) I was able to run 20 miles last weekend — I can honestly say, I’m ready for this race which will go down on April 15th.  After I run this Marathon I do not plan to run anymore. I’m more of a triathlon girl anyway…stupid marathon.

    I am still $3,900 away from reaching my goal I had promised to raise and bring awareness to CampInteractive. This charity teaches technology skills to inner city children to inspire their futures. I love and believe in what they are doing and of course want you all to know and hear about what they do. I know some of you have already donated to my fundraiser (THANK YOU!!!) but for those of you that perhaps forgot or don’t have it in the budget right now, no worries. If you could all do me one last favor and help me get the word out that would be just as helpful. 

    Feel free to use this tweet or revise as you see fit: 
    • Help @chelsa raise money to teach inner city kids technology skills. Pls donate to her fundraiser here: http://bit.ly/15ankO5 
    Also, Dennis is very close to making his goal as well. If you want to help him reach his goal you can tweet this: 
    • Help @dens raise money to teach inner city kids technology skills. Pls donate to his fundraiser here: http://bit.ly/103pFY3
    What do ya say, want to help out a couple old fogies like us? (In case you didn’t hear, Dennis had a ‘fractured’ hip last year….talk about old man)  Not only do we have to face the Tax Man on April 15th but we also have to face Heartbreak Hill from mile 17 to 21. Wish us luck on both encounters. Thanks again for all your support!!  

    Love,
    Arthritis Ridden Chelsa & Old Man Bones Dennis

  • Tickled Pink

    image

    When the season changes, so does my makeup bag. In this case of these beauty purchases — I’m blaming the weather. The sun was shining on my face on my walk to Sephora so by the time I was at the register with my routine supplies I noticed all of these randoms in my basket. Whoops. 

    • Teddy Girl by butter™ LONDON (Light Pink)
    • Trout Pout by butter™ LONDON (Pink / Coral) 
    • Riveria by Dior (Bright Coral) 
    • Niagara lip color by NARS (Pink / Coral) 

    I just bought myself a one way ticket on the pink and coral train (choo choo!) — next stop, SPRING!

  • Vegas, Baby

    image

    I’m heading south for some beautiful weather to celebrate a friend’s upcoming nuptials. Sunny skies deserve a fun sunny lip color. Taking one of my favorites by MAC cosmetics — Vegas Volt. 

    Who needs Vegas when you have Miami? 

  • Hair Help

    Hair Help

    If you’re looking for a hair serum to protect your hair from damage, I’ve found Alterna Anti-aging Overnight Rescue to be a total hair saver.  I mentioned which shampoo & conditioner I’ve been loving lately but as an added bonus — I sometimes use this overnight rescue to protect my ends and smooth out damage. Like the other hair products I use, I love this because it never weighs my hair down or leaves residue. Hey, every girl needs a little help from time to time…

    You can find this product at any Sephora or you can be lazy like me and order online. 

  • Spring Fever

    Spring Bags

    This springy weather has me in the mood to shop. First up, bags. I recently organized my handbags and realized I haven’t bought a new one in quiet a while. I think this is mainly because I tend to purchase classic styles that I never get sick of and colors that never look dated but I’m wanting to break out of my love-of-basics mold. So far the top brands I’ve been admiring are Lizzie Fortunato, 10 Crosby Derek Lam, Loeffler Randall, Steven Alan, Moyna, and Foley + Corinna. They have the perfect edgy mix of pony hair, beads, mixed patterns, or colorfulness that I’m looking for and that I know I won’t grow tired of too quickly. Yay, for warm weather! 

  • Rub A Dub Dub

    In My Shower

    After taking a shower this morning I realized I’ve found a very satisfying mixture of products I’ve been using lately — so I thought I would share what’s been so great about them. 

    HAIR:

    • My hair is dry and tends to break easily but its hard to find a good shampoo & conditioner that will help split-ends and breakage without weighing it down since it’s also fine in texture.  However, I’ve been using Davines Mulu shampoo & conditioner and I’m in love with it. I haven’t found a shampoo I’ve been completely satisfied with in….well…ever. Plus, the light, powdery scent is really lovely.

    BODY:

    • I’ve always been a Dove unscented bar soap girl — it’s gentle and doesn’t dry out my already dry skin but recently I switched and started using L’Occitane Shea Butter Extra Gentle Soap and wow! It’s five times more expensive than Dove but totally worth it. I do think I’ll go back to Dove in the summer but this Shea butter enriched soap saved my winter skin for sure. 
    • I’m a huge fan of exfoliation. In fact, I would guess that I probably exfoliate more than anyone I know. Face, body, soles of feet — I’m always scrubbing to reveal new, fresh skin. Removing the layer of dead, dry surface skin enables my moisturizers to work better since it allows them to penetrate and not lay on the surface — I mean, that last sentence alone has made self-diagnose myself as an addict of exfoliation. That being said — I’ve been really into Bliss’ Super Minty Soap’n Scrub. It’s incredibly refreshing and makes my skin feel amazing. Highly recommended. 

    FACE:

    • I grew up with my mom & step-mom constantly throwing sunscreen on me and lecturing me on the importance of taking care of my skin or else the god forsaken wrinkles will find me — ahhh! So much drama for a little kid to know or even care about but as an adult I am so happy I was taught the importance of this. It not only has made me develop good habits but it has made me curious about beauty products in general. I’m always using new skin creams and fun beauty products but for the past few years I’ve been using a drug-store bought face wash by Aveeno. It really does a great job at removing makeup and impurities as well as being gentle on my skin. Such a great product for the price and since I throw my money into creams, oils, and makeup — it’s nice to pinch some pennies somewhere in my routine. 
    • Again, with exfoliation — obsessed. That being said, I may have tried hundreds of body exfoliators but I haven’t tried a ton of face exfoliators. I guess when you find something that works, you stick with it. I’ve been using Cliniques Exfoliating Scrub for over 10 years now. Get it. Love it. You’re welcome. 

    Davines Melu Shampoo and Conditioner Set (8.45 Oz Each) / Clinique Clinique Exfoliating Scrub / Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser, 6 Ounce / Bliss Super Minty Soap & Scrub (8 oz) / L’Occitane Savon Extra-Doux Verveine, (Verbena Soap, Extra Gentle), 8.8-Ounce Bar

  • Mad Men Inspired

    Banana Republic and Estee Lauder has collaborated with AMC’s Mad Med series to define their 2013 spring collections. Banana Republic used their mod 1960’s fashion as inspiration for some of their new styles and Estee Lauder took a cue from the women’s on-screen beauty and launched a beautiful line of makeup products that are perfect for the spring season.  Personally, I’m not excited about the BR line only because it’s not really my style however, I am looking forward to checking out the Estee Lauder collection.

    Just another example on how collaboration is the new competition. 

  • The Tucked Bun

    tucked bun
    I’m really not sure what to call this hairstyle so for lack of a better name I refer to it as a tucked bun. I’ve been rocking my hair like this for over a year now and I havent grown sick of it yet. I think what I love the most (besides how easy it is to do) is how it can look great casually on the beach or sleek at a cocktail party.
    My favorite headbands I’ve been finding are one of a kind pieces on etsy and then I love these accessory designers: 

  • Getting my Kicks

    Getting my KicksSeriously in love with all of these sneakers. I’m pretty hooked on Nike shoes from their Liberty collaborations to their running shoes and now even their weather proof shoes are making my heart swoon — what’s up new snow boots?! 

    As for these others, every girl should own a pair of perfect black high tops, no?! Especially if you live in a walkable city like New York and the adorable silver sneaks have me up in arms — should I buy the Elizabeth and James or Ash metallic kicks or these silver oxfords I’ve been stalking. Decisions, decisions. 

    Maison Martin Margiela leather shoes / NIKE wedge heels / Elizabeth and James metallic shoes / Ash hidden wedge sneaker / Rachel Zoe high top shoes / Sandro High Top Sneakers

    Besides the above here are a few more items I’ve saved online & waiting for a sale (shh!):

    Sigh….Love them. 

  • My Love of Argan Oil Continues...

    Argan Haircare

    Yes, I already wrote about my serious love of argan oil after I started using it almost a year ago but I am still so enthralled in this product that I find myself buying products just because they have this miracle oil in them. I’m already a Kiehl’s lover so when shopping for my all time favorite body cream  and I saw they had hair and body products with argan oil — I had to test them out. Obviously. 

    My quick summery:

    • The shampoo and conditioner I found to only be MEH on the scale of BOO to YAY — a.k.a 5 on a scale of 1 through 10. Here’s why: even though my hair is dry, especially in the winter, it is also fine so these products were a little too heavy. I did like using the conditioner as a once a week treatment rather than everyday moisturizer. 
    • The dry oil wasn’t much to swoon over either. Instead, I love using Loreal’s EverSleek Precious Oil Treatment on my hair as a finishing product after it’s styled.
    • The body cream, however, was great but I’m still hooked on their Creme de Corps body moisturizer. So goes the saying when something’s not broke…
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