Makeup is one of my passions, but makeup can also be overwhelming for many; there is so much out there, from high end department store makeup to drugstore makeup, from the countless YouTube makeup videos to the celebrity looks we see and wonder if we can do on ourselves.  I was lucky growing up to listen and learn from my mom’s beauty tricks as her degree is in cosmetology.  Makeup can be simple and glamorous – here are the products that I have found to be essential to my routine, day and night.  For day looks, I go lighter and for night looks I just go darker 🙂  Read on to see what I love and swear by.  My list seems lengthy, but it’s really not too much at all!  These are the things that I swear by!

Foundation: Clinique’s Superbalanced Makeup (without SPF) in Breeze (32)

Concealer: Glossier concealer in Light 

Loose Powder: Covergirl Clean Professional in Translucent Fair (I use sparingly on my nose)

Blush: Milani rose powder blush in Tea Rose

Highlight: High Beam by Benefit Cosmetics (for my fair skin tone, it adds a sweet pink shimmer)

Eyebrows: Maybelline Great Lash Clear Mascara (for grooming my brows in place)

Eyeshadow: NYX Cosmetics palette in The Natural Shadow or LA Colors palette in Bronze Queen

Mascara: L’Oreal Voluminous Original in Blackest Black

Lipstick: Revlon’s “Gentlemen Prefer Pink” or Revlon’s “Love That Red“

Lip Liner: L’Oreal Colour Riche in Forever Rose or L’Oreal Colour Riche in Always Red

Lipgloss: NYX Cosmetics Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee

It only took the sound of an explosion and a power outage in my neighborhood yesterday to actually wake me up to the reality of how important emergency preparedness really is.  I live and have lived in California for my entire life – I am used to the concept of the “Big One” happening and have pushed the thought far away in my mind, until yesterday’s power outage.  I think I was sufficiently spooked into the reality of what it means to actually have to deal with a serious emergency.

That’s what led me here, FEMA’s link to creating your own emergency preparedness kit (seriously, do it!) and the types of information that you want and need on hand in the event of an emergency.  Ready.gov has tons of interesting information, and I highly recommend bookmarking it.  A small backpack from Amazon with the “basics” seems sufficient, but it’s actually not – the items you can collect on your own can be more personalized and make you thoroughly think about what an emergency can involve – it’s random, but even remembering things like toys and books for children and feminine hygiene products…  Also, filling out information beforehand is so crucial, I am starting to think, in the event of a real emergency, I’m not sure if it’s that easy to quickly recall the memorized information that is second nature to us.  Just think, it’s better to prepared than not…   Are you ready?

 

If you are close with me, I have probably mentioned to you about how I avidly follow a miniature chihuahua on Instagram (@machi5536) named Omo and she resides in Tokyo, Japan (I think).  Omo is the funniest pup on Instagram by a long shot (I’m serious), but I’m not a huge fan of the effort that Omo’s owner takes in dressing Omo and her companion in silly outfits, but I will admit, it’s still amusing.  Nonetheless, Omo’s personality is so vibrant and so adorable that she is a little ray of sunshine in my Instagram feed everyday, that I truly enjoy every moment of.  Whoever Omo’s owners are, I am grateful that you have shared little Omo in all of her adorable hilarity to the world.  We love it.  #ILoveOmo

There are so many reasons to smile for Smile Train.  This organization has a sustainable business model where they empower local doctors to provide cleft lip care within their communities.  Through this model, there can be more change affected as there is more opportunity for children suffering from cleft lip to get the surgery that they so desperately need.  The organization has given over 1,000,000 cleft repair surgeries and every 5 minutes, a child is getting the surgery – lives are literally being transformed with this organization.

This is a remarkable concept that can be scaled quite well; as far as the organization itself goes, they have done a remarkable job with their marketing and their partner organizations – partnering in 2016 with The Miss Universe Organization, where recently Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters represented the organization at the United Nations.  Another partnership done well has been with Kylie Jenner and her company, Kylie Cosmetics, which donated almost $500k in proceeds from her “lip kit” products alone, and helping 600 children with receiving the much needed surgery.  Another successful partnership has been with Christie Brinkley being their Goodwill Ambassador, representing the organizations at events for more than 10 years.

Growing up a 90’s child was great for the toy era…  Those were epic times – the 1995 mermaid Barbie was classic whimsical Barbie, the Polly Pocket by Rose Art board game that came out in 1994 (maybe the most epic board game created of all time?), and last but not least, sand art.  For some reason, I found the concept of sand art to be so awesome when I was little – and honestly, I still do, today!  Also, let’s never forget the technicolor wildness of Lisa Frank and the oh-so-popular ’89 release of Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Ariel is still my favorite princess).  Well, the 90’s are long gone, but hopefully the nostalgia and colors galore can live on!

xoxo,

Bianca

Bora Bora…  The most fabulous spot to be if you’re ever in French Polynesia.  In ancient times, islanders referred to it as “Pora pora mai te pora,” meaning “created by the gods.”  I think that is aptly described; listening to my mother’s descriptions of her travels to Tahiti growing up were so magical that it put Bora Bora right at the top of my list of places to explore and travel to. Four Seasons Bora Bora has become a notable wedding destination as well.  The turquoise waters and overwater bungalows are no doubt a place everyone needs to spend time in.

ILYSB by LANY is my current favorite jam…  I thoroughly enjoy how their album cover is of a rosy pink colored flower bush.  So, what does “ILYSB” and “LANY” exactly stand for?  ILYSB stands for “I love you so bad,” and LANY is one of the hippest Indie pop bands around, their name standing for the cities LA and NY merged together, but pronounced “Lay-nee.”  Paul Klein, their front man is currently dating actress Nicola Peltz, daughter of famed businessman Nelson Peltz.  Nicola’s brother, Will Peltz, is currently signed with IMG Models Worldwide and has been taking the fashion world by storm.  It’s quite the creative family.  Paul Klein perhaps wrote “ILYSB” for another special lady, but I’m sure it applies well to his relationship with Nicola…

The Palm Court, one of the most glamorous places in all of New York City is located at The Plaza Hotel.  They recently revamped their services and even had a partnership with VENUS ET FLEUR which offered a rose themed summer tea time!  The fabulous fictional character Eloise is also infamous for her adventures living at The Plaza, so it’s always charming to take a young girl who loves Eloise for an Eloise themed tea party.  The San Francisco equivalent, The The Palace Hotel’s Garden Court is equally esteemed and lovely to go to during the holiday season or if you just want a wonderfully historic and glamorous place to enjoy tea and have light conversation with your friends.  When I worked at The Palace Hotel, I always found the Garden Court to be one of the best spots to visit in San Francisco, its glittering chandeliers and ambience is so lovely.  I think there are some places that will never go out of style, and these are couple of those places.

xoxo,
Bianca

Alec Monopoly, otherwise known as Alec Andon, is a graffiti artist who is best known for his depictions of of the Monopoly Man (a.k.a Rich Uncle Pennybags) set in a graffiti style world.  Alec’s artistic ability to contrast the well-known cartoon’s placement as the scion of capital against the urban landscape that graffiti is known for has a distinct social dynamic at play that allows for viewers to consider the implications of recklessness in the financial world (Bernie Madoff was Alec’s inspiration for Monopoly Man) and its greater relationship to its role in society.  Alec’s work has also been used for advertising purposes (ironically) for brands such as Samsung and TAG Heuer and also purchased by celebrities including Snoop Dogg.  His works have been shown at Art Basel in Miami as well.

His most recent collaboration with The Beverly Hills Hotel was profiled by the LA Times with the article entitled, “Street artist Alec Monopoly is a blinged-out, social engaged paradox” and discusses the artist’s main influences (Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Keith Haring), as well as the evolution of the Monopoly Man character itself in his life and art.  Now, Andon feels consumed by painting him and living a “performance art” life, this forces us to consider how the Monopoly Man became an image of wealth to be proud of rather than a form of social critique, especially exemplified when he painted Khloe Kardashian’s Birkin bag and painted Adrien Brody’s Rolls Royce.  To me, the art still stands as an opportunity to discuss a taboo topic for so many wealthy people: how does their wealth affect them and what can they do with it?

Alec, as an artist, is never pictured showing his mouth – he always covers his mouth giving him a stylistic edge and helps him differentiate himself as an artist, and lets people ponder if the voice he has found for himself is through his art which speaks rather loudly.  His upbringing in New York by his wealthy financier parents, as well as  the reckoning that occurred during the 2008 financial crisis and with Bernie Madoff, Alec’s artwork has provoked the art world and individuals to consider how the perils of excess wealth is not as sweet looking as the adorable Monopoly Man appears…

What is the best way to give your lashes a break?  Finding a fabulous red shade of lipstick of course!  If you’re feeling like now is a good idea to put down the mascara wand (it’s actually never a bad idea) and are thinking about giving those lashes a break, go ahead and find a red lipstick to offset the less voluminous look of your lashes!  Personally, I am a firm believer in natural lashes – that doesn’t just mean “natural looking,” I’m talking about natural natural, as in you do not have falsies permanently attached or glue on falsies.

Follow this link to Charlotte Tilbury’s lipstick shade finder for all skin tones, it’s a great help for visualizing the full range of colors that can match great with your skin tone, as well as identifying the right shade of red for you!

At the moment, I am currently loving “Best Red” by Milani – all of their lipsticks are vegan and cruelty free, and smell SO good!  It is a matte shade, so I would recommend a dab of lipgloss in the center of your lips after applying, if you’re not super into the matte look like myself.  I love that it has great staying power, and I always get compliments on it when I wear it to work or out of the office.

One the lash front, there are great, natural remedies to improve lash growth, even when your lashes are doing great, it doesn’t hurt to use the following remedy (Carli Bybel has a great step by step video of how to mix the oils together).  If you use the mixture described in Bybel’s YouTube video or just use pure castor oil that you brush onto your lashes in the evening, I can say with confidence, you will see a difference!  My lashes have stayed long and healthy when I have kept up with applying oil and was light with my mascara.  As the holiday season begins, welcome the red lips!