Friday FunDay: Who dat?!

Happy Friday, beauties!
I’m in New Orleans today for my best friend’s wedding this weekend!

Just got back to my hotel from the world-famous Cafe du Monde for a cafe au lait, beignets and a little morning writing…

 

Au Lait!

Now it’s time to primp!

I wouldn’t exactly say I travel light.

Where the magic happens: my makeshift vanity in New Orleans

So what’s on the beauty agenda tonight? For the rehearsal dinner, I think I’m donning YSL burgundy lipstick, Ardell false lashes, Trish McEvoy eyeshdows, powder and mascara, Bobbi Brown spf tinted balm, Tarte blush and Makeup Forever lip liner.

WHO DAT????!!!!

 

Have a beautiful evening, beauties!

 

xoxo,
Dawn

BF Asks: Got any New Orleans places I need to try while I’m here in the cajun capital? 

Thirsty Thursday: Pina “Ghouladas” with “Speared Eyeballs” -bahahahaha

It’s already time for our last Halloween-haunted cocktail recipe.

I stumbled upon this spooky and delicious recipe while trolling my favorite blogs for Halloween-themed drinks.

This one comes courtesy of Hostess with the Mostess. So fun!
So gather your ghouls and goblins and enjoy. Bahahahahaha!

Happy Halloween, beautiful witches!

Pina Ghouladas with Speared Eyeballs

Halloween is supposed to come with a little shock factor, right? That’s my excuse for this next creepy cocktail:Pina Ghouladas served in “blood rimmed” glasses and garnished with “bleeding eyeballs”.  I promise they taste way better than they sound! =)

The from-scratch drink recipe is below, or you can keep things easy and just use frozen or pre-mixed pina colada mix. Entertaining little ones or non-drinkers? Just leave out the alcohol!

Pina Ghouladas with Speared Eyeballs

Full recipe & garnish details below…

*****

PINA GHOULADA

20 oz pineapple juice
1 can cream of coconut – (15 oz)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup orange juice
10 oz rum (optional)

Whisk together pineapple juice, cream of coconut, heavy cream, orange juice and rum. Place 2 1/2 cups ice in a blender, then and add 1 cup drink mixture. Blend until smooth, and pour into prepared glasses. (If mixture is too thick, add more pineapple juice before serving.) Repeat process with remaining ice and mixture.

OR – Make it Quick: Just use frozen or pre-mixed pina colada mix for the drink.

*****

For the “BLOOD RIM”:

OPTION 1: Hard Candy Version* – Click here for the recipe.
*This is the version we used in these photos. It takes a little time, but I recommend this route to get the prettiest, richest color. (We also tried a store-bought mix, but it came out translucent/pink looking, so we scrapped it.) And because this version dries hard, it’s less messy for guests than a gooey/liquid rimmer.

OPTION 2: Corn Syrup “Blood Rim”
(a Martha Stewart recipe)

3 tablespoons corn syrup
1/4 teaspoons red food coloring

Pour the corn syrup in a shallow bowl. Dip a toothpick into the food coloring, and stir a very small amount into the syrup to combine. Hold a glass by the stem, dip rim into the syrup mixture, and turn glass, coating entire rim. Turn the glass upright, allowing mixture to drip down sides. Dip the remaining glasses. Set aside.

*****

Pina Ghouladas with Speared Eyeballs

For the EYEBALL GARNISH:

Ingredients:
canned lychee in syrup, drained (available at most Asian markets)
strawberry (or other red-colored) preserves
blueberries (fresh or frozen, thawed)

Directions: 
Dry lychee & fill cavity with red preserves. Insert blueberry, blossom end facing out. Spear with a toothpick or cocktail skewer. Gross!

Pina Ghouladas with Speared Eyeballs

Are those “eyeballs” not TOTALLY freaky and realistic??!! Yikes!!!

Whatcha’ Wearin’ Wednesday: Meg’s Makeup comes over to dish on Revlon Fall Faves for People.com

Happy Wednesday, beauties!
For today’s Whatcha’ Wearin’ Wednesday, I’m sitting down with Meg of Meg’s Makeup to discuss our favorite Fall Revlon products.

Meg called me up and said she’d like to have a little wine and dish a little on a few of her Revlon faves.
And that’s exactly what we did!
She came on over to The Cupcake Palace and we chatted about Revlon’s new PhotoReady Eye Primer Plus Brightener and Revlon Top Speed Nail Enamel.

Already on People.com, I had to share these great products with you guys!
Enjoy!

xoxo,
Dawn

BF Asks: What Revlon products are you loving for Fall?

In-My-Tub-Tuesday: Guest post by NamiMScott.com – Taking Care of your skin

Happy Tuesday, BeautyFrosting beauties!
For In-My-Tub-Tuesday today, I’m thrilled today to share my favorite new blog with you:
NamiMScott.com

You may recognize Nami as my most-featured Whatcha’ Wearin’ Wednesday girl. While being one of the most stylish people I know (she’s a big style icon for me), she is also a ridiculously gifted writer, a talented illustrator & art designer, an amazing photographer, a beauty & hair expert and a good friend to boot. She’s also an amazing shoe shopping fairy godmother who helped me pick out some new shoes yesterday!

You might also recognize her from the interview she did with me for her blog, LAdiesHer sage advice has led me to referring to her as “Naminy Cricket”.

And now you can receive some of her sage advice too. Well, actually, this particular advice is courtesy of her mom, Mama Matsuo.

Enjoy! And then head on over to NamiMScott.com to see other musings this muse has going on! I love her to bits.

***

Mama Matsuo Musing #2: The Skin You’re In

It’s time for another installment of “Mama Matsuo’s Musings” where I get to tell you about my chic Japanese mother’s sage advice. So, here we go…

I know what you’re thinking. “Duh.”It’s something we’re told to do all the time. Fashion magazines, health magazines, beauty blogs. Everyone is talking about skin. It’s our biggest organ and the one people see right away. What kind of idiot wouldn’t take a minute to give it a little TLC? No one’s an idiot. Life is crazy enough as is, so it’s understandable that doing all this extra self-care is the last thing on your list of priorities. (It’s probably somewhere between getting your tweezers sharpened & going through that stack of mail you’ve been meaning to organize – guilty as charged.)
But, seriously, skincare can take up precious hours of your day and you have to be diligent. None of that “I’m too tired to take my make-up off. I need to just sleep.” or the famous express washing of the face that’s basically you scrubbing at your face like it’s a washboard for 30 seconds and rinsing it off with the foolish assumption that you’ve rid your pores of all those youth-killing offenders.
I learned very early on, by watching my mother, that taking care of your skin is a process and one that, when you get into it, you can really enjoy and luxuriate in. And I’m not just talking about your face, folks. You need to take care of all the skin on your body. I mean, having a youthful face and a leathery beef-jerky-esque body would be a little disturbing, no? Yes. Yes, it would be disturbing. Don’t be that person who disturbs other people.
So, let’s start with the steps:
For your body 

Dead Skin Demolition:

I didn’t pick this up from my mother, but she would approve. Dry brushing is basically a way to slough off dead skin pre-shower while your skin is still…dry. (Yes, it’s not a misnomer.) Using a brush, you gently brush the skin (see? really not a misnomer) in small strokes from toes to chest and fingers to chest. You want the brushing to always go towards the heart. Don’t know if this is an old wives tale, but I’m willing to keep with tradition. Think of it this way, scabs come off easier when they’re dry. Dead skin is the same. 

Here’s the Scrub:

I use a good ol’ exfoliating towel in the shower. The same kind of towel I’ve been using since I was about 5. They have them at Japanese markets. Just textured enough to catch any remaining dead skin, but not so textured that you come out of your shower looking like a burn victim. You want to get the dead skin off…NOT the live skin. That can stay. 

Hot & Steamy…and Moisturized:

Wait! Do not open the bathroom door just yet! Dry yourself off and let the steam hang out for a little while so you can properly moisturize your body. The minute you open that door, that loving steamy air is gone and in its place, mean, drying, cold, relentlessly harsh air that will steal your body’s moisture and NEVER GIVE IT BACK. Protect yourself from that situation by slathering on the moisturizer and locking that water into your skin before opening the door. Also, invest in a good body moisturizer. “Good” doesn’t mean expensive. “Good” means “works for my skin type.” I use LIERAC Hydrofilian Anti-Dessechement.

Something’s Afoot:

Oh, puns! How I love puns. I just want to say, don’t forget about your feet. We’re so busy standing on them that we forget to take care of them. Get a pumice rock and give your footsies a good exfoliating at least once a week. They’ll thank you. Trust me.

For your face: 
Remove the Excess:
Before you start getting into washing your face, remove all the extra gunk GENTLY. No using semi-decent make-up remover and then staring at your eyelashes a centimenter away from the mirror to neurotically pick off bits of waterproof mascara. I’m actually a big fan of straight-up jojoba oil (you can get it at your local natural foods shop). A tiny little puddle in your palm and a dip of your finger tip will melt through any type of make-up. So, use it to remove all the excess stuff first.  
No Express Lanes:
Remember that thing I was telling you about earlier? About scrubbing your face for 30 seconds and then calling it a wash? (MORE PUNS!) Don’t do it. First, get yourself a facewash that you love. (And not because it smells good, but because it works well for your skin.) If you have dry skin, consider a cleansing milk or cleansing oil. For oilier skin, consider a lathering kind. I use Shiseido’s White Lucent Brightening Cleansing Foam. I lather it up really well in my palm and then gently apply it to my face, keeping away from my eyes and massaging in small circles. I concentrate on my nose area because, girl, I’ve got some serious blackhead issues there. Do that for about a minute. Trust me. You want a real cleaning. Then I take a gentle swipe at my eye area (no heavy rubbing here, please) and rinse with lukewarm water. Soda Scrub (a Dub Dub):
So, I’m a wimp and chemical peels scare me. I don’t like melting things off my face and microdermabrasion always leave me looking like I stood in a windy desert for two hours (complete with particles lodged in my teeth & eyebrows.) So, I go the old fashion way with a little secret. I use baking soda as a facial scrub. Once a week, I gently rub it on my face before I wash it. Just put some in your palm, add a tiny bit of water to make it pasty (I know, it sounds lovely) and then start rubbing…just not too hard. The skin on your face is already a little thin, so don’t go having a massage party. It’s still abrasive. Then rinse and wash as usual. Trust me, your face will be porcelain smooth.It’s All or Nothin’:When it’s time to moisturize your face, don’t skimp. The worst is being all, “oh, this moisturizer is so expensive, I should just use half the amount I need. It’ll last longer that way.” Yeah, great. Your moisturizer will last twice as long, but will be half as effective. I, personally, need to slather it on at night. Partly because my face gets dry naturally and because I live in Los Angeles where there’s no such thing as humidity. I become, in essence, slightly shriveled.. Constant fans & air conditioning don’t help the cause, but further my downward spiral into dehydration, rendering me a more wrinkled, slim-jimmy version of myself. Not good. If you’re going to use moisturizer…use it. F’real. I’m a fan of Shiseido’s White Lucent Brightening Moisturizing Emulsion for night & Lierac Intiatic Fluid for day. (No giving me flack on not using SPF. That’ll come later down the list!)Eye Creams:If you’re prone to a crow’s foot or ten, consider an eye cream. I actually like crows feet. I feel like it’s a dignified and honest sign that someone has smiled a great deal in their lifetime. I probably need to use eye cream, but haven’t invested in one yet. If someone has a recommendation, I’m all ears. My mother is probably shaking her head right now. Yes, yes. I know. I need to get eye cream. Geez. OK!

For Your Skin Overall
You’ve Heard It All Before:
Ready for the obvious stuff now? Hey, eat healthy & keep hydrated! (Duh. Yes, I know, but it’s part of Mama Matsuo’s list, so I’m putting it in here.) Your skin is your body’s health billboard. Eat well, take your vitamins, and drink tons of water and you’ll become the Vegas of health in no time. Ok, you knew this already, so I can move on.
Enough of the Puff:
Don’t smoke. (Insert a long sigh here.) I’m guilty of this. I know, I know. Horrible. Dastardly. How could I? I actually quit for a year, but one trip to Paris did me in and I was sprinting to the Gare de Lyon by the evening of my first night, so badly did I was to have a cigarette with my cafe creme. I can beat myself up over it all day long, but the bottom line is that I know I need to quit and if you haven’t picked up the habit, then awesome. If you are smoking, make like me and promise yourself you’ll quit soon for the sake of yourself & everyone around you. Mama Matsuo is very displeased about this one.
(Don’t) Burn, Baby, Burn:
Sunscreen. Yes, you know that already too. I’m a big believer in BB cream. Coverage, extra moisture, and SPF (plus some other antioxidants & fun stuff depending on which one you try – I love Dr. Jart+’s Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45 PA+++) in one product. Perfect. Slap that on and you’ve evened your skintone, blocked out the sun’s rays, and given yourself a little extra protection from dryness. And I’m a fan of Aveeno’s Continuous Protection, SPF 70 sunblock for the rest of me (as much as I want that beef jerky body – that was a joke.)
Hot, Hot, Horrible:
Hey, I love a hot shower as much as the next person, but it turns out that that’s a baaaad move for anyone who wants to have hydrated skin. Hot water just strips away all the essential oils and leaves you parched. So, do yourself a favor and shower with lukewarm water. It’s just as good at rinsing away the soap, but it won’t rinse away your youth! (Yes, I know that was a bit dramatic, but I’m trying to make a point here.)
Aaaaaand I think that covers it. With enough practice, you’ll be able to do all of these things in your sleep. Or, at least, I hope you learn to because I still think that showering is such a waste of time. Why can’t I just have an auto-clean button and do other stuff in the meantime? (Are you getting a better idea of how neurotic I am yet?)
Anyway, why do I feel like this is such important advice? Because my mother, despite being in her mid-60′s, still looks like she has the skin of a 30 year old. I have to concentrate really hard on pointing out any wrinkles…even when she smiles! (Ok, ok, her Asian genetics help, but still…and, NO, she hasn’t had any work done.) So, for all of you out there who haven’t taken the time to take care of your skin, it’s ok. I’m not going to chide you, but I highly suggest you start as soon as you can.
I can’t promise that every time you take care of your skin you’ll feel like you’re in some sort of beauty advertisement (cue the background music & British female voice-over talking about the newest skin technology) and I definitely won’t promise that you’ll love every minute of it. (Between an extra few minutes of sleep & properly washing my face, I still would love to choose the former.)
In the end, however, you’ll be thankful you took the time when you’re 90 & people are cooing about how you don’t look a day over 70. Now, go forth & pamper yourself like you mean it!
***
Thanks Nami!!
xoxo,
BF
BF Asks: What sage beauty advice did your mom pass on to you that you have never forgotten? 

High-Low 14: Sweet & Sleepy

This week was busy. It seems like each week gets busier and busier. Isn’t that the case?

But along with the “busyness” of it all, I am beyond grateful that there were some super sweet moments that made it a week to remember.

 

Highs

1) My little neighbor & dear friend, Lucy, celebrated her 4th birthday. To celebrate, she had a rockstar fete.

And I baked “Microcone Cupcakes” for the occasion. Get it? Pardon the Phil Dunphy-ness of that.

I’ll put up the recipe for “Microcone Cupcakes” as soon as I get a chance!

2) Attending the J.Haus fashion show was a treat!

A burlap gown!

A gown made entirely of corn!

So fun!

 

3) I made another batch of my Pink Lemonade cupcakes for my agents last Friday. I try not to eat my treats during the week but it was Friday so I had to try one. It was so delicious, y’all!

4) I had the pleasure of having Tea with Tarte Cosmetics and had the delightful thrill of getting to preview their Holiday ’12 Collection: Baby, It’s Bold Outside.

The candy-colored holiday products had me at hello. All pretty, powerful products that are a morsel of the cost of separate items.

Tarte Holiday Collection: "Baby, It's Bold Outside"!

 

And I got to see some of my favorite friends, Megan of Meg’s Makeup and my fellow Dallas girl, Roxy, of RedCarpetRoxy:

 

5) I finally played on Polyvore and oooooooh did I have fun!

I loved it so much that I started a Pinterest board based on my Polyvore-playing. That’s a lot of p’s! Check out BeautyFrosting on Polyvore and Pinterest to see what looks (fashion, accessories, jewelry, hair, makeup, oh my!) are inspiring me right now.

 

6) And lastly…I copyrighted my first kids books. One is a sweet-themed series and the other is a night-night book. They are my babies and I can’t wait for y’all to read them to your little darlings! Sorry there’s on pic of this so I’m using this one that Amy Opoka took for my BeautyFrosting shoot.

LOW

Tired. I am sooooooo tired. As much as I would love to sleep for a week, I’m off again next weekend to my best friend’s wedding in New Orleans. Sure to be a fun fete-filled weekend, I am also looking forward to sleeping in a few mornings! I have been going non-stop and even me, the Energizer Bunny, has to get my batteries charged sometimes!

Have a beautiful week, everyone!

xoxo,

BF

 

BF Asks: What was your High-Low this week? 

Quote Book: Friday, 10/19/12

True Work Philosophy - Thanks Jennifer Hudson!

“Remember, it’s not always about how good your are but how good you are to work with.”
(Jennifer Hudson, Project Runway Season 10 Finale)

Friend Friday: Michael Todd True Organics Intensive Eye Treatment

Recently, my friend Meg could not stop gushing about an eye cream. We’re beauty bloggers so we get plenty of that talk on a daily basis. Must we talk about it while we sip champagne & eat oysters on a Monday night?

Apparently, we must.

Another, non-blogging friend of ours, Sly, said she had the PERFECT eye cream. It fought her dark undereye circles, reduced the appearance of her “lovely little lines” and even seemed to soothe her eyelid eczema. Meg and Sly began to almost violently debate whose was better.

And then…they realized it was the same one.

Michael Todd True Organics Intensive Organic Cream Eye Treatment

They both won and apparently so did I because I got the name of a new eye cream I had to try: Michael Todd True Organics Intensive Eye Treatment.

While it produces noticeable, dramatic, results when it comes to line reduction, dark circle-correction, de-puffing and overall eye hydration and skin cell regeneration, its price point is totally doable at $38 for .5 fl oz.

Plus the fact that it’s cruelty-free and 85% organic makes me feel good about using it. Add in that celebrity plastic surgeon, Andrew Ordon, M.D., of “The Doctors” fame, says it “Tops my list of best eye cream treatments” and you have a winner in the war on anti-aging skincare.

A personal note? I love that after a particularly champagne-celebratory evening, the soothing, gentle, massage tip applicator helped break up my not-so-perky puffiness.

Within a week, it became a staple on my bedside table and a staple in my heart, as well.

Bedside Love that fights morning baggage!

xoxo,

BF

 

BF Asks: What do you do to fight morning baggage?

 

 

Thirsty Thursday: Vampire’s Punch

Another haunting Halloween punch for the ghosts and goblins in your life… Bahahahaha!

And you have the option to make it spirited or non-alcoholic. Regardless, I can assure you it WILL be spirited.

I vant to suck your....Vampire's Punch!

Vampire’s Punch

by Alex Straus, Suite 700 at the Hotel Shangri-La

18 oz. SKYY Infusions Cherry (optional)
8 oz. Lime Juice
6 oz. Cranberry Juice
2.5 oz. Grenadine
lemon-lime soda
Fresh cherries, pits removed

Wash and remove pits and stems from fresh cherries, and muddle in cocktail shaker. Combine the rest of the ingredients except 7UP in bowl and stir. Top with lemon-lime soda and muddled cherries. (Serves 12)