{image via refinery29}

happy friday, lovelies! i’m blogging from a very glamorous bus on its way to nyc where i will commence 72 hours of fashion week madness.

i. can’t, wait.

my day kicks off backstage at rebecca minkoff where mark is doing beauty for the downtown romantic designer. i’m so excited to see all of the fun new product and the sure-to-be-stunning finished model look. the plum and copper ombre eye up above is a sneak peek secured by the fine people at refinery29. if that’s any indication of what’s to come this afternoon, it’s gonna be good.

a few beauty notes from fashion week days one and two:

• opi painted model nails with pinky nude shade passion at bcbg max azria
• maybelline was on faces at bcbg with a “healthy, fresh, and effortless” look — products used include dream bouncy blush in coffee cake for a natural understated flush on cheek apples, graphic lined eyes with eye studio lasting drama gel eyeliner in blackest black, and a clean moisturized lip achieved with baby lips in quenched
• at the lauren moffatt presentation, nails were short and squoval, drenched in a good mandarin is hard to find
• the kate spade presentation showcased models with thick fringed bangs, polka dot nails by deborah lippmann (can’t wait to get a shot of them!) and lips awash in jouer tint in orchid

ps – i’ll be tweeting, facebooking, and instagraming my way through this weekend’s events and would love to have you follow along!

maybe it’s the romance in the air this month with valentine’s day right around the corner, but i have been bitten by the love bug and the culprit is an unexpected treat from parisian parfumers, roger&gallet. their rose fragrant water landed on my doorstep and i was instantly smitten by the blend of rose and peony. a longer sniff gave way to mandarin orange with a little amber and almond milk mixed in. the scent is…enchanting. it’s tough to do a rose water that’s not overwhelming and this one comes off as delicate and delicious. it’s fresh and girly, not too soft or flowery – all around scent perfection.

roger&gallet’s rose fragrant water is available online, 1 oz for $30 and 3.3 oz for $50. let me know if i should drop a hint to your valentine ;)

i am beyond excited to be in nyc today for the independent fashion bloggers conference at milk studios – and so grateful to the ifb team for the generous invitation. the day comprises a slew of inspiring panels featuring some of my favorite bloggerinas – grace, jessie, and ann. plus there’s a bunch of names on the docket that i definitely plan to stalk in hopes of taking our digi friendships into the real world – connie, aliza, nicolette. oh, and did i mention the many many MANY other bloggers scheduled to attend? safe to say i’ll be in friend-making high heaven all the live long day.

we’ll be back to beauty as usual tomorrow, but in the meantime, here’s a product completely rocking my world this week.

thanks to your excellent feedback on friday, i decided to welcome these fun floral flats into my shoe collection. they’ve been popping up along the blogosphere as of late and i just had to jump on board the taker train. they’re crazy cute in person and quite comfy, too – i can’t wait to sport them around nyc this weekend!

i’m a boston girl born and raised, so please excuse me while i root for the patriots this evening. and what’s a social sporting event without festive fan-inspired makeup? my picks for brady’licious beauty: deborah lippmann nail lacquer in lady sings the blues, $18; guerlain terracotta gloss in tango, $31; trish mcevoy deluxe platinum diamond eyeshadow, $22.

let’s go pats!

i haven’t been chomping at the bit this hard for a makeup lineup in a long time, but nars spring 12 is looking insanely good. meet the belles of the ball:

diamond life nail polish. this lacquer is all violet metallic brilliance. it’s shimmery and electric – way edgier than spring’s predictable pastels and i have to say, it looks pretty damn fabulous after just one coat.

gaiety blush. it may look garish to some, but what appears to be a straight up full throttle matte pink in the pan, actually wears as a pretty almost purple-pink with some serious shine. it’s one of those day-improving shades you just gotta own.

mexican rose velvet lip pencil. it’s the hottest fuchsia pink with equal parts punchy pigment and glossy shine. it applies like a chubby lip liner, but feels like a balm and wears like a stain. i’m slightly obsessed.

nars spring 12 is online and at the counters now!

{a few lovely links}

• free bottle of ‘honeyfox’ nail lacquer from sheswai when you purchase 2 or more – all tied up in a sweet jute bag
• a shiny new sample society from beauty bar and allure, this one credits back the $15 monthly fee towards the purchase of full size products
• dianna agron is my pick for best dressed (and best tressed!) at the sag awards
• dc’s top makeup artists share their can’t-live-without products
• desperately trying to decide if these are ridiculous or adorable – your input is much appreciated!
  

my friend caitlin is pretty awesome. she writes a super cute blog called style within reach, contributes to glitter guide, works on the bloggers night out team and tears around the dc/md area looking fiercely adorable at all times. she operates a little series on her blog called drugstore beauty and i’m over at her place today sharing my five favorite drugstore items of the moment – check us out!

hello from nyc! i booked myself into back to back trips these past two weeks and the result has not been pretty. i’m sick as a dog and desperately trying to catch up on sleep while working 11 hour days and faking fineness to the entire universe using a few secret beauty weapons.

i told you a few weeks ago that i’m a bottom lash quitter and that simple trick definitely helps to make me look more awake. then we discovered the best dark circle concealer ever which doubles the facade, but these last few days, i still needed something more.

i found a little extra alertness in a liner with tarte’s emphaseyes inner rim brightener. you just glide it along your water line (ever notice how it gets super red and angry when you’re exhausted?) and your eyes look instantly bigger and completely refreshed. it goes on smoothly and looks so much more natural than the old white eyeliner trick. it’s also great for allergy eyes if you’re a sufferer and it’s totally helping me to look the part this week, even though i’m feeling way under the weather.

tarte emphaseyes inner rim brightener is $18 at ulta.

sometimes a product comes along that is so pretty on its own, be it the packaging or the overall design, that i could almost care less about its performance because it just looks that darn good. my new “thing of beauty” series will feature the prettiest of products on the market in hopes of making the contents of your makeup bag just a bit more lovely.

the inaugural “thing of beauty” is perfect lipstick from none other than victoria’s secret. i’ll say that vs makeup has come a long way since the sticky glitter lip glosses and body splashes i recall – because this lipstick is divine! the square tube, the lip print (obviously, i’m a fan) and those stripes on the inner tube are all calling to me. plus, the four available shades are spot on – a hot pink, a blush rose, a bright lilac, and a yummy nude. sounds pret-ty perfect to me.

victoria’s secret perfect lipstick is $15 online.

{a few lovely links}

• a new-to-me blog to love, the fresh mani
• loving diane kruger in versace
• budget-friendly winter beauty pick-me-ups – i want them all!
• the ultimate makeup brush breakdown
• glitter in our veins

happy weekend to you!!