Category — style & beauty

Chinese New Year is upon us and as you can tell – I. Am. Inspired. I feel so fortunate to have grown up in the cultural wonderland that is NYC. So much of my upbringing was influenced by the diversity that surrounded me. It’s always interesting when people ask me “what are you?” because I almost feel like a hybrid of different cultures. For example, my neighborhood landscape included many family-owned businesses who were from all over the world.These experiences simply became a part of who I am and from it I fell in love with the artistic expressions of countries like India, Japan and China. After college, I got a job as an educator for the Bronx Museum (Latino, African American and Asian contemporary art) and I really got a chance to delve into the beauty and history of Asian culture, particularly Chinese culture and their theatrical productions. I was very familiar with their beautifully embellished images of Chinese women and men draped in intricate garments with breathtaking makeup to match. However, I didn’t know that it came from The Chinese Opera and was also used to celebrate Chinese New Year.

We are now entering the year of the horse and I wanted to have a bit of makeup fun with the colors red and gold, which symbolize luck and wealth. My first image is a classic red lip look but inspired by The Chinese Opera with a more dramatic eye. The nails are a take on the flowers typically used in Chinese New Year – Plum Blossom and Azaleas. In the second picture, I combined pink, red and gold to create a wearable everyday Spring look. My last picture is definitely not what I would consider an everyday look for me, but it was a lot of fun to recreate. If you’d like to shop these looks, I have all the details on Babble … or you can just use this as inspiration to create your own makeup looks inspired by Chinese New Year. It’s a lot fun to play around. My boyfriend and I stayed up late shooting pictures and trying out different ideas. Hence the more the conceptual take on makeup than I usually do.

May this year bring you lots of happiness!

I own a few peplum tops, and have a love/hate relationship with them. I really have to be in a frilly sort of mood to wear one unless they have a more structured or flowy look, if that makes sense. The top I’m wearing wouldn’t technically be considered a peplum but I’m favoring this silhouette a lot more. It’s way more flattering if you have curves. I really like the asymmetrical cut too. It’s a jersey knit, so it’s super comfortable and can be dressed up or down.

(Heather Pleated Asymmetrical top, Asos pencil skirt, Chinese Laundry heels, Ann Taylor bag)

Last Spring, black and white was all the rage. However, the thing about trends is that it’s all about reinventing and modernizing an already classic look. Well, for the most part. I can think of a few trends that don’t resonate with anything classic (acid wash jeans). But black and white will always remain a classic no matter how you dice it up. In fact, it’s one of my favorite “non-color” color combos! As I’m sure you noticed.

I’m wearing Zara’s monochromatic striped sheer top from last Spring similar here. Here are a few

This post is in collaboration with Conair. All opinions are my own.

As I’ve gotten older, I focus more and more on my skin and hair. I feel that if your hair is shiny and your skin is glowing, all you really need is a bit of mascara and gloss, and you’re all set to go. And with holiday season right before us, I really need to be able to get ready quickly for events after a full day of work. When Conair reached out to me about their Infiniti Pro and Cleansing Brush, I definitely wanted to try it out. I actually used to use a Conair hair dryer years ago when I was in college (it has since been discontinued) that I couldn’t live without. Similar to the Infiniti, it had a comb attached and cut down on my drying time. In fact, I had it down to 30 minutes – pin straight!

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I’ve been eye-ing the BCBG Loretta sweater for weeks now, and finally got it after it went on sale. I had the devil on one shoulder telling me it’s OK to buy something for yourself and an angel on the other telling me to stop being selfish because Christmas is around the corner and this was no time for indulging. When I saw the sale, I took it as a compromise. This sweater is perfect with skinnies, a pencil skirt or even an A-line. I’m excited to play around with looks. Maybe I will get some inspiration from the list of 40+ Style blogs I created for Babble a few days ago. I loved looking through all of the pictures, bios and posts. You must check it out. Lots and lots of style inspiration. I also found several beauty blogs for women 40, 50 and up. I’ve been on the hunt for those because my skincare concerns at 40 are so different than what they were 10 years ago. I also want to see blogs that focus on makeup tips for someone over the age of 35. I like my makeup classic with a fresh twist. Mary Kay always send me great stuff along those lines, like their holiday bundle of makeup goodies. I’m actually wearing MK Rock ‘n’ Red Lip Gloss, Shy Blush Cheek Color and Love Lash in black.

These make the perfect gift for the classic woman. And I also love that they take the guess work out of which products work together. Their site has different looks, sets, everything. Now …. to find a pencil skirt to go with my new sweater … (that may need to to wait until the 26th!)

Recently, we hosted a holiday beauty event at The London with , which is a client we’ve worked with for a few years now. Absolutely love working with them. They have so many great campaigns and are pretty much all you need as your full-on skincare and beauty routine. I also discovered that their foundation #60 is my exact same skin color. With all the years I’ve spent blending colors to match my complexion, it’s nothing short of a delight when a brand gets it right.

Joining us on our beauty day was celebrity makeup artist who applied The Holiday Ballerina Look on me first thing in the morning. It was a great start to the day. I love how simple and clean the final look was, and I definitely plan on recreating it for a few of upcoming holiday events. I can’t tell you how excited I was to take home Neutrogena MositureSmooth Color Stick in Soft Rasberry. The last time my mother came to visit, she took a few of the ones I was given after trying it on. It really is a beautiful color. Want a fresh, clean holiday look? Check out this step by step video featuring yours truly!

If you’d like holiday beauty some tips from Elizabeth herself, we are hosting a Twitter Party on Wednesday, December 11th at 9pm ET. You’re officially invited. Three winners will get a personal regimen with products. Join us!

I’m so ready for the holidays! To get into the spirit, I decided to do a simple moonicure with a bit a sparkle. Who doesn’t love sparkle? I’m also trying to let my nails breathe (and grow out) from months and months of gel manicures that soften and weaken the nail. I’m a nail biter so the more sparkly they are, the better! I used The and purchased a na. To create the moon shape you can use the Sally Hansen strips I used here, or you can go freehand like I did using a . Before starting, I fixed up my cuticles and moisturized my hands. I simply used the Detailer Brush to outline the arch that will expose the bare nail. I filled in the rest of the nail with my polish and let it dry for about 30 minutes. I applied Sally Hansen’s UV Top Coat and let that dry for about 20 minutes. I applied another coat but this time I added the rhinestones to each nail. If you get polish around your cuticle, you can use a small paint brush or q-tip with nail polish remover to clean that right off.

*To see more holiday nail art inspiration, check out my roundup on Babble!

What kind of post tile is that? Oxblood and animal print? Sounds gory but pretty much sums up the colors and patterns I’m currently in love with. I had a few meetings last week, which confirmed that you really cannot go wrong with a classic white buttoned down shirt. Without or without a blazer, heels or flats, it’s perfect for so many looks I could do several posts on how to wear one. I also really love my oxblood skinnies and can’t get enough of my recently acquired animal print clutch. And no look is complete without my bracelet from Maiden Nation, which is a company designed to empower women through ethical fashion. In fact, I listed 10 jewelry companies that give back if you’d like to get a loved something that will also help a family or community. Check it out on Babble!

(Zara blazer and pants, Enzo Angiolini booties, Ann Taylor clutch similar HERE, Maiden Nation Imagine Peace bracelet by Yoko Ono)