From the time I was allowed to wear makeup…actually even before then, I have always longed to wear red lipstick.  I have always associated red lipstick with being a  grown up as well as as being sophisticated.  I have been experimenting with red lipsticks since I was sixteen years old and have never found a shade of red that I truly, madly, deeply loved and could not live without.  Either they were too light or dark, sometimes after a while the red would start looking bright pink on my lips or worse yet, orange. Sometimes they just had too much shine and I am not particularly keen on shiny red lips…my lips are not Angelina Jolie’s size, but they are still pretty full. Shiny red lips have a tendency to make me look cartoonish or worse yet, like the female Gremlin in Gremlins 2 (just Google it and you’ll see what I mean!)

So for about a decade into my makeup wearing stage I have tried numerous red lipsticks without success and had given up until just recently.  With red lipstick seemingly being the item du jour lately, my longing for that perfect shade of red returned, plus Valentine’s Day is right around the corner so visions of myself in a pink dress with red lips were swimming in my head. I decided to visit my happy place…also known to many as Sephora.

Before heading to Sephora I decided to do some research and Googled the best red lipsticks for my skin tone.  I had already tried a lot of the red lipsticks that came up in my search results, but for some reason had never given NARS a try. I wanted a matte red lipstick that would look great on my brown skin.It actually did not take me very long to find the lipstick I craved…OK actually it ended up being a lip pencil.  Once I tried NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella I knew my search was finally over.  The Velvet Matte Lip Pencil is a lip pencil and lipstick combined into one very easy to apply crayon.  The color is absolutely beautiful and I do not need to line my lips before applying it nor does it bleed.  I love that there is absolutely no shine to this lip pencil so my lips end up with a velvety look and texture…almost like a rose.

Since I bought the lip pencil I have been wearing it on a consistent basis…not just out at night, but also during the day with just jeans and a t-shirt and my red lips never manage to look out of place.  I cannot wait to wear this on Valentine’s Day…with or without the pink dress I had in mind.  Oh and did I mention that I have since returned to Sephora and purchased the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Bahama and Dolce Vita…methinks I have finally been cured of my addiction to lip glosses! If you have been struggling with finding the perfect red lipstick, I highly suggest to head to your nearest Sephora and give any one of the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils in red a try.

Gail Lewis

Gail is at times a model, most of the time a blogger, but always a beauty junkie.

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I have mixed feelings about Bobbi Brown’s new ‘Neons & Nudes‘ collection. Mainly because I do love wearing nude makeup shades, but just about every beauty brand right now already has the same obsession (with Urban Decay knocking it out of the park with their 2-part Naked palette of course!) In other words, it’s hard for me to be impressed by yet another series of not-so-blah neutrals.

The neons, on the other hand, totally intrigue me. I’m not one to regularly incorporate many not-seen-in-nature colors into my daily beauty routine, but I’m always open to experiment, and the more “adventurous” side of Bobbi’s new collection is definitely inspiring me to dabble outside my comfort zone! Some of my favorite collection highlights include the three punched-up lip gloss additions – now in Citrus, Cosmic Pink, and Ultra Violet – which are fun and spring-festive but sheer enough to not appear costume-y or kitschy.

I also adore the new eyeshadows, in Ultra Violet Shimmer Wash and the stunning cobalt Blue Bell. Of course, I realize that these shades aren’t for everyone (and they require a very skilled hand to wear them chicly), so what do you think – gorgeous or gimmicky?

- Alexandra Gambardella

*Guest beauty post from my friends at TheFind.com.

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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 It’s been said by passionate careerists time and time again – if you love your job, you’ll put your blood, sweat, and tears into it. Now, beauty lovers can apply the same mentality (well, maybe not literally) to their beauty regime thanks to Rain Cosmetics.

The Vegas-based beauty brand has a lot to live up to. The line was inspired by the city’s glamorous nightlife, and they even refer to themselves as “The Sexiest Makeup in the World”….so when I tested out their Blood, Sweat, and Tears lip trio, I was hoping to be nothing less than amazed.

Naturally, each product in the trio serves a different purpose. While you can definitely wear each of the shades alone, I prefer using the three together for the best effect.

Blood: Blood is a red lip stain. Stains can be tricky, but this one is an awesome product for first-time users because it isn’t too dark upon first application. I prefer a darker lip, so I put on about 2 or 3 coats. TIP – Make sure you exfoliate your lips before applying ANY lip stain! If your lips are dry, you’ll wind up with uneven color that is hard to remove.

Sweat: A shimmery champagne sparkle, Sweat adds some needed dimension to Blood. I found that when wearing alone, this product wears off pretty quickly…so for best results pair with Tears to lock the sparkle in.

 Tears: Tears is a standard, slick high gloss. The sheen lasted longer than other clear glosses and added the finishing touch to Blood and Sweat  that will make your lips pop.

Here I am testing out Blood, Sweat, and Tears lip trio from Rain Cosmetics.

I was very pleased with the collection and it has officially been added to my daily beauty routine – a girl can never have too many red lip stains! The set retails for $30.00. Check out  www.raincosmetics.com to learn more about other products in the collection.

Have you tried Rain Cosmetics products before? What was your experience?

Amanda Huggins

Amanda is a PR and communications girl living and working in the NYC area. She is a firm believer in the powers of a strong cup of coffee and fire-engine red lipstick.

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I have a friend named Felicia who can rock a red lipstick like nobody’s business. Have you secretly always wanted to wear red, but just didn’t think you could pull it off? I sure have. So when someone from Cake Plate Boutique approached me to review a line of cosmetics they carried in their Napa Valley store, I took the chance to ask her to pick a color she felt would best suit me. I was told 29 Cosmetics’ Wine Critic, a red, would look great on me. I took a big gulp and felt worried.

Wine Critic, from 29 Reserves Moisturizing Lipstick Collection (SPF20), utilizes grape seed extract, an anti-oxidant that smoothes, softens and prevents aging, straight from regional grapes. More powerful than Vitamin E and 20 times more efficient than Vitamin C, the extract is said to have the ability to keep lips looking young, vibrant, and stylishly smooth. Although, for me, the lipstick didn’t feel very moisturizing. Additionally, the colors are named in honor of the Napa Valley region–hence Wine Critic.

Wine Critic is rich and vibrant. I personally love it and there is something about wearing this color that just makes you feel sexy. Like most lipsticks, the color doesn’t stay put very long if you are eating/drinking.

Here’s a shot of me wearing it, what do you think?

29 Cosmetics can be found in-store at Cake Plate Boutique at 1000 Main Street in Downtown Napa.

*Disclosure

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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Holiday party season is officially here, and if you’re opting to go the subtle route fashion-wise by avoiding ultra-sparkly cocktail dresses and glitter heels at all costs, there’s still plenty of ways to add some celebratory glitz to your seasonal party look! Instead, try focusing the festiveness on your makeup. Metallic silver liner adds just the slightest dash of holiday vixen appeal that makes a surprisingly gorgeous impact. It’s like tinsel for your eyes… which is way less painful than it sounds!

Try not to go too 90s-fabulous with the trend (that whole frosty lid look might make you look dated), and instead stick to just the corners of your eye and the inner rim. Similar to how white pencil makes peepers appear wider and brighter, silver liner will make eyes sparkle with a sexy metallic sheen. Also, make sure you pick an easy-glide, extra-bright chrome silver – darker gunmetal shades just won’t have the same tinselly effect!

Pictured above: Milani Liquif’Eye Metallic Eyeliner Pencil in Silver, L’Oreal HiP Chrome Eyeliner in Silver Lightning, Stila Smudge Stick in Silverdollar, and Bobbi Brown Dual Ended Eyeliner in Jet/Chrome.

Guest post for A Girl’s Gotta Spa! from my friends at TheFind.com.

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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NO JOKE. I seriously just got my hands on Urban Decay’s most freaked-about product ever, the Naked Palette (I know, two years late – I’m pathetic), and the makeup geniuses have already released its sequel! However, unlike The Hangover 2, The Godfather Part III, and the endless Land Before Time sequels that refused to die, the Naked 2 Palette seems like one of those rare sequels that won’t disappoint. As excited as I am about this, it admittedly doesn’t look too different from the original Naked Palette, so unless you’re an Urban Decay super-fan like me or are still too exhausted from tracking down the first one, you might be okay sitting this one out. (Ugh, did I really just say that?!) But its new sister palette does incorporate some pretty tawnier shades and russet reddish-browns as opposed to the first one’s sparkly champagnes and shimmery bronzes. And that’s different enough to justify a purchase on my part! Unfortunately, if you weren’t one of the lucky 5,000 to snag one up on Urban Decay’s short-lived presale, you’ll likely be out of luck until who-knows-when… but it doesn’t hurt to keep it on your shopping radar… or letter to Santa!

- Alex Gambardella

Guest beauty post for A Girl’s Gotta Spa! from my friends at TheFind.com.

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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If you survived Black Friday and are still in need of some holiday gift ideas for the family or friend who loves beauty products, then I know you’ll find our Holiday Gift Guide useful. Amanda, Gail and I put together some of our best and most favorite gift ideas (i.e. gifts we’d like to see under the tree) into a 13 page catalog. We opted not to create a multitude of holiday gift posts and thought a handy catalog that you can browse through and link directly to the product would make for a great all-in-one-place guide.

Here’s what we covered: Hair care, skin care, bath & body, holiday kits, cosmetics, gifts that give back and spas and spa treatments that we love. There’s some nail polish mentioned in there too!

Many thanks to Kelli & Co. for creating the cover for our Holiday Gift Guide. When reading it, make sure you view it at 100%; it is a downloadable PDF.

Enjoy the catalog and please feel free to pass onto your friends! Download it by clicking this link: Holiday Gift Guide

Disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links and 2 brands mentioned are clients.

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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This past summer, Christine Holmgren and Brittany Norman attended my social media panel at Cosmoprof North America and approached me to tell me about a new cruelty-free, gluten-free, vegan makeup brand they were launching. It sounded interesting and soon enough they popped a sample in the mail of their initial product, Hydrating Foundation. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love, which says a lot considering I haven’t worn liquid foundation in forEVER.

Why? Well that’s the interesting part. In the fall/winter, my skin goes a little wack and will peel or have dry patches.  Wearing liquid foundation was like putting a magnifying glass on these problem areas and only made it more noticeable. So what makes GlamNatural’s Hydrating Foundation so different? It is shea butter based, therefore it’s actually moisturizing my face, not to mention its other skin conditioning ingredients like grape seed oil, sunflower oil and jojoba oil. I have combination skin and had been worried that the shea butter would be too much for my skin, but it is not at all.

Glamnatural’s Hydrating Foundation comes in a 30ml glass bottle with an airless pump. That means it contains no water and therefore, no preservatives. It also is only comprised of 6 BodySafe ingredients plus color. So no fillers and unnecessary add-ons. Due to the formulation and consistency of the shea butter in it, you apply this foundation slightly different than you would your typical liquid foundation. I think of it like La Mer where you can only pat the cream on to activate it. For the Hydrating Foundation, you have to either pump a pea sized amount onto the top of your hand and rub your index finger on it to “heat it up” or disperse a pea sized amount onto your index finger and then warm it up between your finger and your thumb. The bottom line is that you need to let your body heat warm it up a bit so that it glides on your skin smoothly. And a little goes a long way, as the saying goes. My face only needs about a pea and a half dollop of the foundation to give me the coverage I like. And what’s great is that I can ditch my daytime moisturizer since this foundation already contains one.

This is full coverage foundation that is buildable. I do use a concealer on the sides of my nose, under my eyes and on my lids still, but I know a concealer is in the pipeline for GlamNatural, so I look forward to using a concealer that will work great with my skin.

I can’t begin to tell you all of the compliments I have gotten on my skin since including it in my makeup regimen (I’m wearing Ivory 2 in the picture above.) Even my cousin ended up buying some and raved about it on GlamNatural’s Facebook fan page (and she has super fair skin, so I was thrilled it worked for her!)

GlamNatural’s Hydrating Foundation is available for $65 at www.glamnaturalmakeup.com. And in full disclosure, I work with this brand for their social media, but I wouldn’t have posted this review if I didn’t think it was absolutely amazing. If you’ve used their foundation or have questions, please leave a comment!

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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I am a mascara addict. If there is one thing I will not leave the house without, it is a quick coat of mascara on my lashes. I’m fine with nothing else on my face. So I am always happy to be given the chance to try out any new mascara that comes onto the market and was therefore excited when I received a tube of Boots 17′s Falsifeye mascara, having heard good things about the product itself and already loving the brand anyway.

Falsifeye claims to ”create ‘wow’ effect eyelashes.”

I gave the mascara its first real outing for brunch with my girlfriends. Wearing nothing else on my face, just a lick of blackest black mascara. The brush is pretty big and looks like a mass of unruly bristles when covered in mascara but I wasn’t deterred and I was pleasantly surprised by the look it created: My lashes were left defined and curled* right to my little lashes at either side.

For a mascara that comes in at under a tenner I’d say I’ll be buying it again! Which is your go-to budget mascara? Or are you only a top dollar girl when it comes to your lashes?

Thank you to Shannon for letting me loose on her blog again!

You can find my beauty blog at http://the-eyeofthebeholder.tumblr.com and my fashion and lifestyle blog here http://sugar-and-spice.com.

*I should add, I do use a curler too as my lashes are flat, flat, flat!

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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I find myself in the market for a new blush only every so often. Like most women, I have my staple products that I know and love (hel-lo Nars Torrid blush), but I do like to test out new products once in a while to make sure I’m not missing out on anything.

I was excited to learn about GloMinerals products. A beauty brand comparable to the beloved Bare Escentuals line, GloMinerals promise flawless skin with oil-free, light reflecting pigments, and SPF of 15 in most products.  Personally, I’ve always felt mineral makeup is the way to go.  It’s good for your skin and always leaves a natural, radiant finish…not to mention it’s incredibly easy to apply.

Thanks to my Irish roots, I have very fair skin with naturally pink undertones. For this reason I tend to select peach-toned blushes to play down any redness and add a hint of bronze glow to brighten up my face (especially during those sun-deprived, vacation-less winter months).

I selected GloBlush in Nectar – a peachy powder with a nude shimmer. When applied to my cheekbones and blended out to my temples, it highlighted my face nicely and gave a nice natural glow for daytime. I loved the color as a simple everyday look, and am definitely planning on trying their powder cheek stain (yes, a powder stain!) for a more bold look in the future.

Check out the GloMinerals website to view all products. If you need another reason to go shopping, the site promises a free gift with purchases over $150.00. Have you tried any of GloMinerals makeup?

Amanda Huggins

Amanda is a PR and communications girl living and working in the NYC area. She is a firm believer in the powers of a strong cup of coffee and fire-engine red lipstick.

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