Denim Giveaway

Our newest sponsor,

Denim Lovers

is giving away (drumroll please...)

a pair of jeans!!

Did you just poop your pants with excitement?

perfect.

cause you can win a new pair!!

Click here for details.

Disneyland WW

To tennis shoe or not to tennis shoe?

That is the question.

This weekend my little family went on a vacay to the happiest place on earth. BUT i was plagued by style uncertainty:

Do I go for fashion or function?

I'll tell you a story and let you decide.

The first day we were at D-land the forecast was ominous: 50 degrees and a large chance of rain. What's a girl to wear? I decided on jeggings, (duh) a ruffled tank, a long sleeve boyfriend cardi and a short trench (I was going for layers in case I got hot/cold). I was dressed head-to...wait I still needed footwear. Shoes were the biggest issue. Do I wear tennies or flats? (can you guess where this story is headed?)

I totally blew it and went the fashion route with my favorite leopard flats. They were completely soaked through within an hour and I was on the brink of foot-frostbite. Seriously, I thought I was going to have to amputate.

When we took Dean back to the hotel for a nap I changed into my tennis shoes (I don't use them for exercise so I might as well use them for something else, right?!)

I felt so downright homely in tennis shoes with skinny jeans. Don't try this at home, folks. Not a good look.

Here's what I decided: When going to a theme park (or any place you will need to walk approximately one million miles), marry comfort and style. I was ill prepared because I don't have any casual slash sporty shoes! Fail. (we'll come back to this issue)

Besides the obvious shoe-disaster-dot-com, there are a few fashion choices I made that actually worked for our Disneyland adventure:

1. Keep style in your accessories, i.e. colorful earrings and big sunglasses.

2. Wear tailored clothes so you don't look like you are going to the gym. It's about comfort, not pajama-time.

3. Layers always work.

4. Please DO your makeup and hair! Being at an amusement park is no excuse to free-ball it when it comes to beauty; but don't over do it either! Just think of all those pictures you will be in to document your trip and make appropriate choices accordingly.

5. One thing I really loved was my cross-body bag. These are so on-trend right now! I am so used to carrying my big tote/duffel/diaper bag I forgot how convenient it is to have something small for just the essentials! New favorite indeed.

me and my gorg sissy B.

side note: I was teasing my mom and sister about wearing eyeshadow to Disneyland and "dared" them to not wear it the next day. They turned on me and said, "Fine, then don't do your eyebrows and twenty-pounds of winged eyeliner." Let's not be ridiculous now.

So here's where I need our TBM readers advice (as per usual!): I obviously need to invest in some sporty/casual (but still fashionable) shoes! What do you suggest?

FTF: the pixie

A pixie a day keeps the doctor away. O.M. GOSH. I love cutting a pixie. Everytime I cut a pixie a fairy gets its wings...right? Ok, i'm taking crazy pills...

But seriously, anything that has an Audrey Hepburn connotation has to be the classiest thing in town. Am I the only one who constantly asks myself WWAD? (what would audrey do?)

Remember in Roman Holiday when she choppy chops all of her hair off? I sincerly wish I had the face to do that. sigh. If you don't know what I'm talking about then stop what you're doing and go here. now.

All right. Enough about Audrey (honestly I can never really say enough)

BUT this Fashion Tip Friday is all about the PIXIE. Let us drool over the following pictures together:

is there a puddle of drool on your keyboard? good. me too. Now, don't get me wrong I love some long locks too...but these crops are nothing short of gorge. Let's all take note that none of these women looks like men either. They play up their femininity with their makeup and clothes which is a must if you're going to pull off this look. I am NOT saying you have to wear 8 lbs of makeup- we're going for classy here!

Check out one of my most darling clients, A. I become giddy with excitement every time she comes in. Becasue 1. Love cutting pixies {see above} and 2. She's hilarious AND adorable. Get ready for hair envy about....

NOW.

How do you feel about the pixie?

Do you think you could ever find yourself at the chopping block?!

'

Over Forty and Fab: Part One

H & I have talked about doing an "Over Forty" series of posts for a while now. To say that we have been asked to do so would be an understatement. We have been flooded with requests from the over-forty set of glamourous women. We don't like to alienate any readers (whether age 14 or 44) so we thought we would do a three part series that showcases the ins (and OUTS!) of beautifying as you start to ... ahem ... mature.

Today's topic is {drumroll, please} makeup! I know, I am a one trick pony... what can I say {you know you love it.}

First, let's get some over-forty inspiration courtesy of some gorgeous celebs:

Brooke Shields, age 45

Julianne Moore, age 50

Julia Roberts, age 43

Christie Brinkley, age 57 {!!!}

Diane Lane, age 43

What do these ladies all have in common? Dewey skin, light pinky-peach cheeks and lips, and, most importantly, no frosty eyeshadow or lipstick!!!!! (there is no amount of exclamation points that can reiterate this clearly enough)

Here's a few simple tricks to stay looking youthful and flawless:

Moisturize! Dry skin looks older than supple skin, plain and simple.

Don't use powder unless you have oily skin. (see above rule)

Use a foundation formula that works for your skin type.

BLEND your makeup! {this means foundation, eyeshadow and blush!} Don't let your makeup look like it is just sitting on top of your skin, but that it is blended in.

Stay out of the sun, use SPF!

Exfoliate and get chemical peels if possible.

Keep your {facial} hair situation under control, i.e. don't be too proud to wax your 'stache.

Don't use frosty eyeshadows or lipsticks (oh wait, I already said this. I felt like you needed to hear it again.) I know that you are all wondering:

a) what's the difference between "frosty" and "shimmery"? The answer is in the finish. Shimmer is a softer, more delicate form of shine. Frost implies a silvery finish that is more reflective and less flattering.

b) "Why can't I wear frosty eyeshadow?" The answer is this: it will make you look old. The frostiness will settle into lines and wrinkles and will not be attractive. (I am using blanket and generic statements here to scare you away from using frosty shadow.)

The ONE place you are allowed to utilize frost is under the brow in VERY small doses. Okay? Okay.

Let's take a look at What Not To Do:

oh, CZ. There are so many issues I'm not sure where to start! Bad foundation (both color and formula), frosty eyeshadow, too much eyeliner, Tammy Faye lashes, etc.

Hope this little snippet of ageless beauty helps! Stay tuned for more secrets!

happy monday

Sometimes H and I have a little get together that we like to call our "business meetings." This consists of two Apple Notebooks open on one of our kitchen tables, a lunch of Wheat Thins, goat cheese and turkey, and enough chocolate to get us through the day. Sometimes we get bored of hearing ourselves talk, so we play with Photo Booth instead.

Hope you are having an enjoyable and productive Monday as well :)

New week: New Winner

You snooze, ya loose! Just kidding, but seriously we have a new winner of the Pursenickity giveaway!!!

Samantha said...

I did all of the above!!! Such cute stuff!

Samantha doll, please email us at ourbeautymark@hotmail.com so we don't have to do this again, thanksbye xo.

Our condolences for Lauren who didn't email us in time (it really does make us feel bad)

WW: Ruffled Sleeves, Please.

are we all aware of my obsession with ruffles?

SHIRT: H & M (valentines present to self. Thankyaverymuch)

CAPRIS: 7 for all Mankind

SHOES: Steve Madden

Earrings: Gift, from C

Hair: French Braided with a messy, messy bun

If you have not yet seen the light, let these pictures do all the persuading.

ruffles= bliss.

I wish I could just swim in all of these ruffles...

tell me you feel differently, and I'll cry.

Vlog: Top Knot

and in other news...

the winner of the Pursenickity giveaway is

LAUREN DAVIS

Lauren and Brian Davis said...

ummmm adorable stuff!!!

I already follow the beauty mark and now I follow Pursenickity! Holler!

lauren: email us at ourbeautymark@hotmail.com to claim your prize! Congrats!! If we don't hear from you by Monday the 21st we will pass it on to another reader!

a few of {our} favorite things

Here's the dish, y'all: We love so many things. We want to share them with you {you can thank us later}.

Beauty:

C: I have recently re-discovered MAC Strobe Cream and I am soooo happy about it. This moisturizer has a crushed pearl pigment in it to give your skin the most glowing of all glowiness. It also has caffeine (say goodbye to that morning coffee or diet coke) and apple extract in it to FIRM your skin. Need I say more?

H: Big Sexy Hair Powder Play Volumizing and Texturizing Powder creates maximum fullness, dimension and texture INSTANTLY on dry hair. It is the fastest, easiest way to get Big Sexy Hair in seconds. Weightless, odorless and colorless on hair. Tip: Sprinkle powder on roots for lift and throughout hair for amazing fullness. Powder Play takes limp locks from flat to fabulous! (I am salivating thinking about putting this in my hair)

H: A lot of my clients ask me what the difference between Moroccan Oil and Moroccan Oil Hydrating Styling Cream is. I tell them it's like putting baby oil on your skin versus lotion. The cream is lighter and non-greasy. It "Seals In Shine And Produces Silky Perfection For All Hair Types." Loves it!

C: MAC Right Image Cremesheen gloss. It is the perfect shade of Barbie pink, but goes on super glossy and sheer with the perfect amount of color. (Bonus: it's not sticky!)

C: Burt's Bees Baby shampoo and wash. Here is my soap-box diatribe on using regular baby soap. (I'll try to keep it succinct.) Basically, most soaps have an ingredient called Sodium Lauryl Sulfate in them (it creates the foamy bubbles). This can be irritating, especially to precious baby skin. I found this product for my Dean and I LOVE it. It foams up and smells great, without the nasty chemical ingredients. Trust me on this one, your baby will thank you!

H&C: We can perform any and all physical labor with these nails without the chipping. Holla!

Fashion:

Here's a snippet of H & C's convo when discussing their favorite things:

H: We HAVE to mention sequins. I LOVE sequins.

C: Me too! I just bought a shirt from Gap with sequins!

{H & C both smile knowingly and think to themselves, "Great minds..."}

H&C: We can't even breathe when we think about puffy sleeves. We feel like we want to sport exaggerated shouldered clothing every minute of life. theend

Culture (ha!):

H&C: If you STILL haven't seen Country Strong, shame on you. This is your not-so-subtle reminder to get your butt in gear and go fall in love with newcomer Garrett Hedlund. Oh, the movie is really good too. But he may or may not be the best part. sigh.

H: If you are a fashionista (or want to be), this movie is for you. But you might want to schedule your viewing for when your male counterpart is gone.

You know we love to ask...

What is your favorite thing RIGHT NOW??

(besides the giveaway going on below)

Giveaway: Pursenickety

A giveaway from Pursenickity for our lucky lucky readers!!

Have you seen the fabulousity over at Myla's site? We just love how she pieces her accessories together for you to see how they would play out in your own wardrobe.

Click here for details on how you can win!