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Mom Get Glamorous: A Miracle for Ava Fundraiser

Shannon Nelson — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:16:34 +0000

Every May, we hold our annual Mom: Get Glamorous contest in search of a deserving mother to gift a prize package of beauty products. This year, I decided to do things a little differently. There is a little girl that I know named Ava who has an inoperable brain tumor. Her parents, that I know through my church and lifegroup, are going to the ends of the earth to get whatever treatment they can for Ava to find a cure. As I type this, Ava is in Maryland getting ready to undergo an experimental brain surgery on Wednesday. Ava is only 5 years old…coincidentally, my son Brody turns 5 today. I cannot even imagine going through what Mike and Gianni have gone through with Ava since the time of her stroke at age 3.

Which is why I have decided to hold an auction to help raise money for this family. As you can imagine, all of the travel (and expenses that come with that), the time out of work, medical expenses that are not covered, all add up. I can’t imagine trying to fight for my child’s life all the while wondering how I will make the mortgage payment or how I will pay for gas to get her to her next appointment hours and hours away.

Items I am auctioning are un-used makeup from Limited Edition MAC Cosmetics makeup collections. These were sent to me as press samples, however, they are full sized and un-used (additionally MAC has nothing to do with this auction, it is not endorsed by them.)

If there is nothing you want to bid on, you can also donate directly to Ava by going to her website: www.MiracleforAva.info or if you are local here in Northeast PA, PennStar bank has an account set up for donations as well listed as Friends and Family of Ava Gioe. She also has a fan page: A Miracle for Ava

I’d love to be able to raise at least $1000 between the auction and direct donations. Can you help me spread the word?

Auctions:

MAC Cosmetics To The Beach
MAC Cosmetics alice + olivia and In the Groove
MAC Cosmetics All Ages, All Races, All Sexes; Love Lace; Spring Colour Forecast 2 & 4
MAC Cosmetics Opulash and MAC in Lillyland
MAC Cosmetics Riveting

Thank you for helping me to raise very needed funds for this wonderful family!

Hydrating Makeup Removers That Strip Your Makeup, Not Your Skin!

Shannon Nelson — Fri, 11 May 2012 23:59:42 +0000

As someone who’s tried plenty of makeup removers and experienced her share of nights when I’m just too lazy to remove my makeup at all (ugh, naughty me!), I know all about the importance of finding a great makeup remover that does the job without drying out my skin and lashes. After all, you shouldn’t dread taking off your makeup; a quality remover should do the job without any extreme scrubbing on your part, and certainly shouldn’t leave skin violated or stripped. However, too much moisture can be a bummer too – if there’s anything worse than waking up and realizing that you went to bed with a full face of makeup, it’s waking up with oily, mascara-smudged residue left around your eyes and face.

Luckily, I’ve rounded up a batch of 5 hydrating makeup removers that get the job done – no unsightly smudges or residue left behind – while leaving skin silky, smooth, hydrated, and CLEAN with the help of natural soothing ingredients like aloe, cucumber, and even moisturizing fruit extracts. Say goodbye to raccoon eyes, over-stripped skin, and all those sad excuses for not taking off your makeup before bed!

From left to right: Elizabeth Arden All Gone Eye and Lip Makeup Remover, H2O Plus Aqualibrium Dual Action Eye Makeup Remover, Neutrogena Hydrating Eye Makeup Remover Lotion, Urban Decay Meltdown Makeup Remover, and NARS Gentle Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover.

- Alexandra Gambardella

TheFind is excited to announce the launch of Glimpse by TheFind – a new socially-curated shopping experience!

*Guest beauty post from TheFind.com.

Review: Smashbox LIMITLESS Cream Shadow

Amanda Huggins — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:00:25 +0000

Between work, work, and a more work (okay, we’ll throw a little “play” into the mix for sanity’s sake), I need makeup that will last for longer than a typical 9 to 5. When it comes to eye makeup, I run into one of two problems: the color either settles in my lid creases, or it wears off within the first few hours post-application.

I was intrigued when I heard about Smashbox’s LIMITLESS 15 Hour Wear cream shadow, and knew I had to try it. I normally trust Smashbox products (hel-lo, primer collection) so I already had a good feeling going into it. The shadow comes in twelve different shades, and I chose to put the Quartz shade (a soft rose gold) to the test.

What I love most about the product is that regardless of which shade you choose, it can be worn day or night with a few simple alterations. During the day, the cream provides awesome sheer coverage with a healthy, glossy sheen. For a nighttime look, I added a touch of shadowing and liner for a smoky plum eye (pictured below). I’m looking forward to trying some of the other colors and testing out more looks soon – my next shade is “Riches”, for sure.

Limitless Eye Cream in Quartz, Plum shadowing

I will say that without primer, it doesn’t last a full fifteen hours…but the color lasted longer by far than any other I’ve used (I’d say around a good 8 – 10 hours). It didn’t smear easily or fold into lid creases, either. Total win-win in my book.

For an easy swipe of long-lasting color, this cream is definitely worth it. Visit your local Sephora, Beauty.com or Smashbox.com to learn more about the product and find locations to buy near you.

*Disclosure, press sample

Review: gud by Burt’s Bees

Shannon Nelson — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:00:57 +0000

gud is better than good. I struck gold when Klout sent me a perk that included products from Burt’s Bees new bath and body line called gud. To be honest, I haven’t really tried too many Burt’s Bees products; just their Replenishing Lip Balm and Herbal Blemish Stick. But as soon as I smelled Vanilla Flame, I was sucked into its awesomeness.

gud consists of natural body wash, shampoo and conditioner, hand cream, body lotion, body butter, foaming hand wash and body mist. There are several scents to choose from: Pearanormal Activity, Vanilla Flame, Orange Petalooza and Floral Cherrynova. Vanilla Flame is my favorite, but despite the name…it doesn’t really smell like vanilla, but more of a creamy coconut…and it makes me sing The Bangles song substituting “vanilla” in place of “eternal.”

gud does everything it claims it will–soften skin, nourish hair and leave you smelling irresistible. Not to mention that the products are good size and affordable.

Have you tried gud? Which scent and product is your favorite?

Spa Review: Canyon Ranch Spa Miami Beach

Gail Lewis — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:28:57 +0000

Receiving an invitation to visit the largest spa in South Florida (70,000 sq ft to be exact), was definitely one of the highlights of my year in Miami and it just happened to materialize when a visit to the spa was very much needed…at the tail end of the moving process when I was sore, running low on energy, and anxious about fitting a studio apartment’s worth of stuff into a minivan to go across the U.S. So the invitation to visit The Spa at Canyon Ranch Miami Beach was a very welcome diversion from the moving process. As soon as I checked, in the staff was very welcoming and friendly…something that was rare during my year in Miami. The Canyon Ranch Miami Beach property is impressive and absolutely breathtaking to say the least. The service I received from the spa is called Yatra. Yatra, as explained to me by my service provider, is a Sanskrit word that means journey. The treatment is a journey through the senses and is intended to unwind every sense, relax every nerve and melt every muscle.

My 100 minute sensory journey began with a natural rice scrub. The scrub was gentle, but left my skin feeling uber soft and smooth. I was then escorted to a rose-scented, salt-infused bath where I lay soaking in bliss for about 20 minutes while also exploring a color-therapy journey. Finally, I received a gentle massage as I reclined on a therapeutic neuroauditory-sound table, where specially selected music vibrated through my body, melting away a lot of the “moving” tension. The journey was truly incredible and each sense with the exception of taste was fully engaged and invigorated.

One of my recommendations when visiting the spa is to either arrive early for your service(s) or stay later…at least an hour, to make sure you explore Aquavana thermal suites, which will definitely enhance your spa treatment(s). I especially enjoyed the Crystal steam room, Finnish sauna and Igloo. The Thermal Heated Loungers also looked pretty amazing, but unfortunately I did not allow myself enough time for that experience. I also recommend having lunch at the Canyon Ranch Grill while soaking in an amazing ocean view or taking one of the spa’s fitness classes. The spa has a lot to offer so it’s probably best to make an entire day of your experience or better yet a very long relaxing weekend.

*Disclosure, spa treatments were comp’ed.

Dreams, Aspirations, Inspiration and Opportunity

Shannon Nelson — Sat, 05 May 2012 17:32:10 +0000

The recent passing of my friend Jason Pisano, MCA (because you can’t, you won’t and you don’t stop…) and a little girl named Avery, have brought to mind the idea of leading an inspirational life and creating opportunities instead of waiting for them to come to you. When Jay passed away, it caused me to really reflect on, not only what an amazing person he was, but just how much he accomplished in his short 40 years on earth. He set his mind on goals and found ways to make them happen. MCA, as you know, was part of my generation’s musical geniuses. If you put on any Beastie Boys song, I could not only sing all the lyrics (and bust a move or two), but I can name memories that come to mind from the spans of time throughout my childhood growing up listening to them. MCA, as we all know, did some pretty inspirational things over the years. And then there is Avery…by now I’m sure you’ve heard the news story about this 5 1/2 month old little girl whose family created a bucket list of things to experience and achieve before she would pass away.

My favorite new quote, which ends every post on Avery’s blog is: “Up next: Whatever I bring to life, because I don’t have time to wait for life to bring anything to me.” There has long been the saying, “Live today as if it were your last,” and that is exactly what I take away from Avery’s quote.

Why do we wait for opportunities in our lives? Why do we say, “Some day I will….” but then make every excuse as to why that day will never come? I don’t have enough money, I don’t have enough time, the kids are too young, I’m too young, I’m too old, what will people think… I used to say these very words, and being honest, when it comes to some things I want to do, I still tend to use it as a fall back excuse.

One of the key things to letting your true beauty shine through is to be true to yourself. I believe that if you live your life in a way that gives other inspiration to accomplish the things they set their minds to, then you have begun to leave a legacy.

Having four sons and watching where the current generation of men stand, has led me to try to lead more of an example in their life. I want to teach my boys responsibility, ownership and accountability of their actions, being focused, believing in themselves, encouragement, positivity, having a goal oriented mindset with clear plans on how to achieve them, to never give up, to be a beacon of light to the poor, the hopeless, the sick and the lost, but to above all, know that God does not know the meaning of impossible. Through Him, ALL things are possible.

What have I done to show them this? I vocalize what it is what I want to achieve, but also show them that I look to God for strength and the ability to accomplish it. My boys have long heard me say, “I want to be in a magazine” and “One day, I will be in a magazine.” They watched me work hard to go after that goal…and now it has happened several times over. When I lost my salary position back in 2008 and had no way to pay the bills and afford food…as we stood in line at the food bank, I said, “I will make sure that we will never have to come back here again.” “How mom?” they asked. “I’m going to employ myself and create a job that I can work everyday and provide for you.” And as we left with our loaves of bread, canned food and eggs, I said, “But we cannot forget those who helped us and always make sure to give back.” I’ve made good on that by having a successful social media freelance business, through my blog, and by making sure that our gifts back to charity are always at least 25% of my income each year. About two years ago I also told my kids that it was my dream to be on TV. In Sept. of 2011, I pitched myself to WBRE for their new community talk show PA Live, and now you can find me on there weekly.

The point is, by telling my kids what I set out to achieve, showing them how it’s done and then actually doing it, gives them the confidence and encouragement to know that they too can do the same for whatever it is they wish in their life. And by doing so, make them better men and more productive members of society.

My question to you is, what are your dreams and aspirations? How will you achieve them? And how will you inspire others to do the same?

Sun-Proof Your Locks With These Nourishing Summer Hair Essentials

Shannon Nelson — Sat, 05 May 2012 13:15:19 +0000

Warm weather equals fabulous seasonal fashion, hot-ticket summer movies, plenty of pool parties, barbecues, and beach days, and of course, all the sunblock your skin can handle. But while you’re spending all your energy having fun in the sun while taking good care of your skin, have you considered the fact that the beautiful beach-ready weather could be doing some serious harm to your hair? Yes, believe it or not, your locks need some TLC too, to avoid getting dried out, sun-bleached, and damaged from the harsh environmental conditions of our favorite care-free season. But don’t fret – there are plenty of quality hair essentials on the market that can help summer-proof your hair without sending you into hibernation or giving you a serious case of hat hair! From UV-filtering styling sprays and serums to after-sun styling treatments, you can make sure your hair isn’t defenseless against the summer weather – so you can look fabulous without frying your coif!

Pictured above: Frederic Fekkai Marine Summer Hair Detox Shampoo, Leonor Greyl ‘Huile de Palme’ Pre-Shampoo Beautifying Oil, Rene Furterer Repairing After-Sun Mask, and PHYTO ‘Protective Sun Veil’ Hair Treatment.

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

A Touch of Red: Hair Streekers

Amanda Huggins — Fri, 04 May 2012 19:41:57 +0000

When it comes to hair color, I’m not much of an adventurer. There was the time a few years back when I dyed parts of my hair black, and another time when I turned half of my head pink…but aside from those scarce pseudo-rebellious moments in my teen years, I’m a blonde through and through. Recently however, I’ve been looking to to add a bit of color to my ‘do without the long-term commitment.

Hair Streekers is liquid temporary hair dye that provides an instant pop of color. Generlaly speaking, anything “instant” tends to scare me a bit, but I thought I’d give it a go.

I tested out a streak of red in my hair and was impressed with the hue’s richness, though I imagine the look will be slightly less apparent on darker hair colors. Once the color dries, it won’t rub off on skin or clothing, but it does take a few minutes for it to set. Be careful, though – for even color you’ll want to smart with a very thin strand of hair first. I made the mistake of taking a 3-inch chunk of hair the first time around and just painting my hair with the wand. Needless to say, it looked sloppy and childish, but my second time around worked out much better.

The product comes in a relatively small package, but don’t be put off by the size. The tube and wand is sized to allow for just the right amount of color application, and once the color dries, you can brush and style as you normally would –you won’t have any flaking colors or crunchy hair!

Once you’re over the new color, just wash your hair. The color comes out easily, so you won’t have to worry about morning-after residue or telltale signs of leftover color. It’s great for a night out, or for whenever you’re in the mood to mix it up without all the commitment.

Hair Streekers temporary color is available in eight vibrant colors. To learn more and buy online, visit Streekers.com. Have you ever tried Hair Streekers? What was your favorite color?

*Disclosure, press sample

A Girl’s Gotta Spa! Mother’s Day Wish List on RetailMeNot

Shannon Nelson — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:16:00 +0000

Trae Bodge, senior writer at RetailMeNot.com’s The Insider, recently asked me for my 3 Mother’s Day wish list items. Two had to be things within my grasp and one could be a dream item.

I believe a girl can never have enough jewelry, so of course one of my items were Blue Topaz earrings from Ice.com. I’ve always loved blue (just look around at my logo and colors here to get the hint) and there is a timeless quality about Blue Topaz. It also reminds me of my home state of Rhode Island, otherwise known as the ocean state. (Ocean being blue…there’s a theme here.)

For people that know me in my real everyday life, they know that my footwear of choice are my FitFlops. I really find them the most comfortable of all summer footwear. From the moment it begins to warm up, until late October, I usually don’t wear anything else. I’ve had the same pair for 2 years now and if you know this brand of flip flop, they have those toning kind of sole (thick and make you rock forward.) Mine are flat as a pancake. That’s how much wear they’ve gotten. I did try to buy another pair last year, but then I accidently walked through freshly laid tar and ruined them. Now my eyes are on their new wedge FitFlops called Lolla.

Lastly, I’ve always dreamed of going to Canyon Ranch for a luxury spa retreat. And rather than go alone, my wish is to go for a weekend with my boyfriend to the Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Massachusetts.

If you are a mom, what are some of your wishes for a Mother’s Day gift?

You can read all I had to say, plus two other fabulous mom beauty blogger’s wishes, as well, on www.TheInsider.RetailMeNot.com.

Beauty Comes in Many Forms: Jason Pisano Was Just One of Them

Shannon Nelson — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:35:08 +0000

This will be a different kind of post on beauty. Today myself, and countless other people, are mourning the loss of a truly beautiful person. His name is Jason Pisano and I want to share with you some things about this amazing human being. He was a person unlike anyone I’ve ever known and it was a gift to have seen God work through him.

You see, Jason was born with cerebral palsy. While some may look at him with great sadness to have such a disability, Jason took what people may consider a weakness and made it his greatest strength. I went to junior high and high school with Jason (yes, 20 years ago, ouch) and was awestruck by someone who never saw obstacles in life, only opportunities. Thanks to Facebook, I re-connected with Jay a few years ago to see what incredible feats he had accomplished over the years. Jay went on to graduate from UConn with a degree in journalism, he was a freelancer for several newspapers, was a motivational speaker, recently completed writing a book he hoped to have published, but most amazing of all? He completed 52 marathons! He was one of the torch bearers for the 1996 Olympics and he ran in the Boston Marathon. Jason had been wheelchair bound his entire life, had no use of his hands and had a speech impediment– and if you thinking running a marathon is difficult with two feet…imagine doing it in a wheelchair with CP and using only your left foot.

For everyone that knew Jason, he was an inspiration. “Impossible is Nothing” was Jason’s slogan and catchphrase. He had such drive, such passion, such commitment for helping others realize their full potential. His love, his sense of humor and joy were contagious. This is the kind of person you can only hope to have in your life. Jason was full of life and his achievements are uplifting.

But last night, after several days in a coma and after just completing his 52nd marathon in honor of his grandmother, Jason has passed away leaving behind what can only be described as a legacy of honor, integrity, and motivation that this world is not filled with impossibilities or despair, but with opportunities looking to be discovered. Jason, in your passing, you have given us all a beautiful gift. I can only hope that you knew how hard I was praying for you to pull through, but I also know that your legacy is now in our hands to continue what you accomplished in your short time here. I will make it a point in my daily life to try to inspire others as you did.

Jason overcame the odds in life and I’d love to see his book get published as a result. If you know of a publisher that would be interested, please contact me and I can get you in touch with his family. Here’s the video of Jay’s final marathon completed just a few weeks ago: