bag: c. wonder small floral pouch, $28

balm: bite beauty spf 15 sheer balm, $19

how cute is the nylon pouch from c. wonder? i love the shiny gold hardware and the matching floral lining. they come in five sizes and a variety of colors and prints making them uber pretty while being perfectly practical. (if you’re in the new york area, you likely already know the phenomenon that is christopher burch’s delightful shopping experience. if you’re not in the ny area, you can partake in all of the pleasures this spirited collection offers online.)

as for the balm, i’m having a moment with bite beauty as you know from this post. this balm has prime real estate on my bedside table and i have not gone a night without wearing it to bed sine it arrived on my doorstep. it has just the right balance between tug and glide when you apply it (lip balm connoisseurs will totally know what i mean by this – you don’t want a balm to be too slippy or too grippy) and feels lovely on the lips. the cream shade is a tender, nude pink, depositing nearly no color but refreshing my mouth in the best possible way.

ps – we’re down to the wire! i would love your continued votes and support as we round out the final days of the allure beauty blogger of the year competition :)

i have the kind of skin that requires spf on regular days. whereas some people can chill at a soccer game for an hour on a sunday and soak up some sun, my entire being turns crispy and it ain’t real pretty. unfortunately for my skin, i have a real love-hate relationship with sunscreen. it’s basically essential to my fairer than fair  existence, but there may be nothing that i despise more than applying it – especially when i need to be out and about in real clothes. for me, there is nothing worse than reapplying sunscreen, fully dressed (am i alone in this?).

these wipes make the art of sunscreen application a total breeze and i’m starting to wonder how i ever survived without them. with one swipe, your skin is armed against the sun without hassle and supergoop!’s formula means you’re getting paraben-free spf 30 protection. i find that i’m so much more prone to reapply when i have them with me and they have already prevented many a burn. they are beyond easy to use as well as lightweight and non-greasy. they are fragrance free and you can tote them around individually wrapped or in a pack. whatever strikes your summer fancy!

get ‘em here:

supergoop! spf 30+ sunscreen swipes 8 count, $10

supergoop! spf 30+ sunscreen swipes 40 count, $34

supergoop! spf 30+ sunscreen single swipe 7 count, $15

ps – please vote for me in the allure beauty blogger of the year competition today! just seven more days of voting before the grand prize winner is announced. you guys are the BEST.

the final challenge is HERE! the makeup videos are live over at allure and i could not be more excited for you to see my makeup routine set to music (isn’t everyone’s makeup routine set to music?).

allure sent all fifteen bloggers a BIG ‘ole box of revlon products and a sony bloggie video camera with instructions to get creative and make a video. knowing that i’m not one for talking at the camera and giving detailed tutorials, i had so much fun showcasing the products exactly how i have been using them in everyday life.

you should know that i’m really impressed with the revlon products! the look i’m wearing in the video is 100% revlon and it’s super fresh-faced and pretty (if i do say so myself :)).

i’m so very proud of my creation and i know you will see the glossarie personality shining through in these two upbeat minutes.

click on over to take a peek at the revlon products that have taken up permanent residence in my beauty bag and how i wear them on a daily basis, then come back here and let me know what you think! oh, and while you’re there please, pretty please, take a minute to vote – the voting counts more than ever this week!

on top: new! revlon just bitten kissable balm stain, available in 12 shades.

on bottom: clinique chubby stick moisturizing lip colour balm, available in 16 shades (inlcuding 6 brand new releases!)

top: i kissed a girl (poppin’ pink), it girl (yellin’ yellow), and hollaback girl (outrageous orange)

bottom: nasty girl (flaming fuchsia) and party girl (sassy salmon)

the five neon shades are juicy and bright, with a matte finish to make them special (and more fun!) they are begging for you to break out your nail art tools and just aching to be included in some fun and fabulous color combinations.

in honor of my big 5-0-0 and deborah’s nod to girl power, i thought i’d share some lovely links to the ladies of the beauty biz who, along with deborah, keep me motivated and inspired to blog the pretty day after day.

• stephanie johnson
• poppy king
• bobbi brown
• essie weingarten
• josie maran
• sara happ
• olivia hayward

who did i miss? who inspires you?

photo by kate headley.

lips by bite beauty.

earrings by bauble bar (similar).

tank by anthro.

happy thursday!

ps – the competition is REALLY heating up and i need your vote more than ever! i’m cooking up a fun little thank you for all of you tirelessly voting for me throughout the allure beauty blogger of the year competition! please vote today (and tomorrow :)). the videos debut on monday and i *so* want mine to be in the mix!

my skin is lo-ving this serum from murad. it’s like someone has waved a magic wand over my face and my pores let out a big sigh of relief. this light liquid feels so good on, my skin is instantly smoother (to the touch!) and redness is noticeably lightened the next morning. i’ve been using it lieu of an evening moisturizer and, unlike most serums, it’s not at all sticky and really sinks into skin instead of sitting on top of it. for someone who feels like her skin hates almost everything, this is a complete breath of fresh air and a very welcome step to my skincare routine.

sensitive gals, get your own bottle for $49.50 at sephora.

ps – allure week four is almost done! two more days left to vote and you’re just days away from seeing my and the other bloggers’ movie magic!

On a sunny morning in Washington DC, pretty girl and product guru Lara Ramos of The Glossarie, came to me to create a natural, everyday, photogenic makeup look. Two makeup junkies in one room meant our pile of products were the tried and true, hall of fame, best-of-the-best.

We started with clean, moisturized skin—so important! Next, I primed her face with Smashbox Photo Finish face primer to create a smooth base for the foundation and applied it with a Real Techniques (RT) pointed foundation brush. Makeup Forever HD foundation gave a flawless finish while avoiding the caked- on look.

To conceal any redness, I pressed Makeup Forever Full Cover concealer over the areas and blended it with a RT detailer brush. Since eyeshadow tends to crease as the day goes on, MAC Painterly paint pot came in handy as a neutral base and eye primer, applied with a Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage brush.  MAC shadow in Orb was dusted over the lid with a NARS tapered shadow brush. To give subtle definition of Lara’s lashline, I tightlined her upper water line with a black gel liner (MAC Fluidline in Black Track) on a pointed eyeliner brush from Laura Mercier. A few swipes of Benefit Bad gal mascara, and her eyes looked fresh yet natural.

To frame the face, Lara’s brows were brushed through with a Sonia Kashuk Spoolie eye brow brush and defined using Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in medium ash/ medium brown.

To add warmth to the skin I used a Laura Mercier powder brush to dust MAC Harmony blush on her temples, cheekbones, and chin, and for an additional pop of color, I swept on MAC Pinch O’ Peach blush. The last and most important step was applying Makeup Forever HD powder on a RT buffing brush to blend all of the layers and create a lasting finish. The result: camera-ready, flawless skin that looked clean and effortless.

nicole, i can’t thank you enough for my mini makeover. you are a total life saver and quite the talented makeup maven. glossarie readers, take note of nicole’s awesome tumblr – you will love her endless array beauty tutorials, tips and tricks!

ps – the voting continues! if i make it through this week in the allure beauty blogger of the year competition, you will get to see my cinematic masterpiece (that’s right – a video, starring MOI!). if that’s not incentive enough, you can also win a rebecca minkoff bag :)

pps – have i told you all that i love you for all of the voting, tweeting, facebook posting, love texts and emails? i will challenge anyone who says that they have a better bunch of readers than me. MWAH!

week four is here and guess what? you lovely people have helped keep me in the allure beauty blogger of the year competition for another week of challenges! i am so unbelievable grateful for your tireless love and support. seriously, i’m feeling very, very lucky.

this week the name of the game was spring beauty trends and i went with my ultimate favorite – the bold lip. click on over to vote and see my top picks for spring lips as well as my tips on how to make the look last. i’m pretty proud of this post! hope you like what you see.

it’s a sad day in the ramos household, because the husband and i have finally wrestled the last drop out of our new mutual favorite body scrub, grit happens by otter creek. it’s the only thing in our shower that we’ve been fighting over for the last several weeks and it’s left us with clear, smooth skin that kind of smells like a margarita thanks to tropical top notes of coconut and lime. it’s been a godsend for my dry winter skin that needs sloughing and for his sweaty (but very sexy) post-soccer-game grime.

the whole otter creek line is genius from its rugged, outdoorsy packaging to its super manly product descriptions. steve notes his other favorites as hair of the dog birchwood shampoo (warning: do not drop this bottle in the woods) and spit shine body wash (scented with cedar, coffee and leather – yum). i’ve totally claimed the citrus-y snake skin body moisturizer as my own, and we both have our eye on the duck call primer lip balm.

check out the entire otter creek product lineup and definitely bring some into your shower, especially if it’s a co-ed situation. your man will be smelling delightful and you will totally enjoy sharing these hilarious and amazingly effective products with him.

ps – if you’re reading this before noon EST, please cast your final weekly vote for the allure beauty blogger awards! we’ll know on monday if i’m still in it to win it for week four :)