5 Fabulous Best of the Best Gifts.... That Happen To Be My Personal Favorites!

OMG! Christmas is 10 days away! AND....there are an abundance of choices out there and sometimes gift giving can be difficult. Personally, I struggle with the fact that most of the people I'm gifting don't really need anything. That leaves me with two choices, give them something I know they'll use, or something I personally love and want to share. Here are my top 5!

1. Chocolate

I LOVE chocolate. I don't know anyone who doesn't, and quite frankly, I may be a bit skeptical of any human who doesn't like the combination of red wine and dark chocolate with sea salt.

Recchiuti Confections is my personal favorite with choices like Burnt Caramel Truffle and the Noir Box. Priced below $50.00. This is truly Christmas chocolate at it's best!




 

https://www.recchiuti.com/shop/theperfectgift/26to50.html

2. Champagne

I have a few favorites and with prices from $15.00 to upwards of a thousand dollars, there is truly something for everyone. Veuve Clicquot Rose is one of my favorites and retails for around $65.00....plus the bottle is gorgeous!




3. Perfume Rollerball

My parfum du jour is currently Armani Si.....it has a light sweet smell that is absolutely lovely.



4. Stelle Audio White/Gold

This speaker is water resistant, has an 8 hour battery life and is ultra portable. It's affordable chic and Neiman's has them online.





http://www.neimanmarcus.com/Stelle-Audio-White-Gold-Go-Go-Speaker/prod179930322/p.prod?eVar4=You%20May%20Also%20Like&RST=ViewedPurchased

5.  Adopt a pet!

My pets have given me more joy than any designer bag ever could...Your local shelter could help you find the perfect fit for your family. It would certainly be a holiday to remember. This handsome boy Weiland is available at the SFSPCA. He looks like a keeper!



MERRY CHRISTMAS! XOX
 

My Top 5 Rules To Help Any Girl Feel Beautiful!

What is beauty really all about? I've had this topic on my mind for a while. Given that I have four daughters the subject is somewhat of a minefield on some days. Whether it's on a show they are watching, in social media, about a friend, or worst of all... in reference to themselves. We all have bad days, and watching them have bad days is like torture to me. I want to make every growing pain go away. I know I can't and I know trial builds character, still it is horrible to watch when they are down on themselves. 

 

I believe the subject of beauty is among the most difficult, because it is completely subjective. Some think the mountain ranges are the most beautiful part of nature and some think it's the sandy beaches bordering a sapphire ocean. It's no surprise that with people coming in all shapes and sizes our appearances are up for debate, scrutiny, approval, and comparison.

 

As an adult I am completely fine with this, but as a mother I want to empower my girls and teach them to question everything they are taught, read, and see. I constantly tell them to never compare themselves to anyone because it's impossible. To envy someone is such a waste of time and energy. If you want to be that person you will have to take the whole enchilada. You can't have another's face and body without having the parents they inherited it from, and the problems in that family, and the siblings they have, and so on. This simple lesson has cured many cases of envy in my house....not all, but many.

 

Still, the issue of beauty is ever present in our lives. It has been worshiped since the beginning of time in it's various forms and will be until the end of time. The standards will change but it will always be relevant.

 

This brings me to a few opinions I have about it, and how we as mothers and women can help each other. When I look around at the fact that we all come in many shapes and sizes, it is also clear that those many shapes and sizes are considered beautiful. I know we see a sliver of the population on social media and TV, but in reality, not everyone thinks everyone else is beautiful. Some men would happily pass up a Victoria's Secret model for another man...point made!

 

If this is the case, why do we believe the hype we read and hear? Shouldn't we instead be listening to the inner voice we all have, that is more often right than wrong?

 

Here are a my top 5 rules I use for helping my girls feel beautiful.

 

1. Don't criticize other women.... especially in front of your daughter.

 

I see women do this all the time to make themselves feel better, but in reality this only teaches their girls that they need to tear someone down to feel good about themselves. It becomes a beast that is never satisfied. I say starve the beast until it dies before it inhabits your daughters and takes over.

 

2. It is OK to compliment a girl for their outer beauty.

Period. Why not? A compliment is an opinion, and an opinion is subjective. Beauty is individual and should be celebrated. Plus, you just might make someone's day.  Not to mention, they may really need to hear something at that moment... you never know what others are going through.

 

3. Helping others feel good makes you more beautiful in everyway to everyone.
Compliments never get old. I love to see someone light up when I compliment them, and it makes me feel beautiful inside. 

 

4. Self-confidence makes you beautiful.
Feeling good about who you are and what you can do to help and improve something makes you shine from the inside out. Nothing is more attractive than a person with self-confidence... nothing.

 

5. This is my cardinal rule... drum roll please... DO NOT COMPARE YOURSELF TO ANYONE...EVER!

 

I am adamant about this. Comparisons are worthless and only make you feel bad...that's it, they have no other purpose. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We need to be examples for our daughters and embrace ourselves, flaws and all. I am constantly making my flaws a source of humor. I also tackle the flaws I can change, I rarely sit back and do nothing if I am unhappy with myself about something....the last thing I want to do is to teach them to complain about something and do nothing about it. Poke fun or get on your horse and ride I say!

 

We were all given our face and body in this life for a reason. We are all different for a purpose. We need to celebrate all of it in every shape, color, and form! There is beauty in EVERTHING! xoxoxo

5 Fabulous Things I'm Currently Obsessed With!

So, this summer I had a love affair with pink. I've always loved this chic feminine color and with my fresh tan, pink seemed like a perfect fit. Below are my FABULOUS favorites!

 

1. H&M Rose Gold Locket Necklace 2. Blending Sponge 3. O.P.I., Mod About You 4. Sephora, Orchid Luster Matte Lip Gloss 5. Murad Invisiblur Perfecting Shield with SPF 30

1. H&M Necklace

This necklace is perfect with a simple top and dresses up just about anything. I love the bold simplicity of it.

2. A blending sponge changes your makeup game completely. Dampen it and your foundation will look seamless. I also use it for under eye concealer application.

3. O.P.I. Mod About You

I LOVE how bold and very purely pale pink this looks on. Also, I am very olive and this polish has a lot of pigment so the color looks amazing on.

4. Sephora Matte Luster in Orchid

Sephora's Luster Matte Gloss is perfect to wear alone or to contour your lips while adding moisture. Use a simple dot in the center of your pout in a shade lighter than your base color for added moisture and a fuller look.

5. Murad's Inviviblur smells divine and I love how smooth my skin feels after it's applied. It does double duty too, it has SPF 30 in it!
 

5 Reasons Why This Is the Holy Grail Of Foundaions!

I finally found the holy grail of foundation....MAKE UP FOR EVER recently came out with a new foundation  just as I was looking for something better than what I was using. It's called HD High Definition Foundation.  I was previously using a foundation that didn't break me out, but the colors were never right, and I was spending way too much time bronzing it up to make it match my ever-changing skin color. Finally, I decided, with literally thousands of options, I should be able to find something better...anything. I began test driving foundations for about a month, and much to my surprise, I actually didn't feel like I was settling when I tried this one. Here are the reasons why. 

1. I didn't break out.

This was HUGE for me. I literally held my breath each morning after I started wearing it before I looked in the mirror. I was expecting a new blemish to pop up, and to my surprise, I didn't have any unwelcome visitors! Hooray!

2.  The color match was perfect.

I have A LOT of yellow in my skin and it was absolutely identical to the color on my neck, which had some self-tanner on it.

3. It felt light.

It's not the lightest weight foundation as it's medium to full coverage, but it didn't feel overly heavy like other foundations I've recently tried.

4.  It looked great in pictures.

Haven't you ever noticed how your foundation can have a very different camera look? I struggle with this all the time. In the past my foundation has always looked too pink or just plain off. This is the first time I've actually liked the way my skin looks on camera.

5. It goes on easily and blends well.

I use either a blending sponge or brush, but either way it goes on easily and quickly because it isn't too thick.






                                      

In sunlight.

 

Without flash.

 

With flash.