Spring Beauty Inspiration: Emerald Shine

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Caress® via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Caress®.   

Fresh cut grass, flowers budding from the trees and ground. Spring beauty is blooming with every shade of emerald, the season's hottest color.

My favorite way to wear the emerald trend in makeup?  I saw some beautiful shades of teal and mermaid green on the spring runways.  Go for shimmer, a bit of sparkle and shine for a glamorous look that updates this color palette from your Mom's blue eye shadow of generations past.  You could go for a shimmery highlight, or go bold with the eye paints on the market with a very saturated, strong color.   

Your manicure is the easiest way to incorporate a bright emerald palette.  Pull a few shades together for an ombre look.  Go solid and shiny for a quick look to coordinate with your outfit.  I like using a pale shade as a base and a super bright color as a polka dot or brushstroke pattern if I am feeling ambitious enough to do nail art.  

Now that you have your beauty look set, you can highlight your gorgeous self with accessories.  I have a weakness for jeweled pieces.  If you don't have green eyes, you can still highlight your makeup with pieces that have emerald jewels and stones that pick up the colors of your actual eyes.  My necklace above has topaz and green stones that reflect everything I want.  

A silk scarf with a delicate, but complex print is a great way to pull together your look as well.  This is also a great accessory to wear patterns or colors that are too bold for your comfort to extend to a full outfit.  

Underneath my spring style look, I like to start with a fresh scent that sets the tone.   Caress® Emerald Rush™ Fresh Collection Body Wash has an invigorating gardenia and white tea scent that gets me in the mood for a productive, fashionable day.  It's also my favorite way to smell the flowers without the allergies that come with it. 

What is your favorite way to wear emerald for spring?

The Caress® Fresh collection wraps your skin in vibrant scents and hydrating lather, leaving it revitalized and delicately scented. Try the new Caress® Fresh Collection and revitalize your skin like never before.   

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Be My Sweetheart: I Heart Nail Art Contest

February is the month of sweethearts!  Whether that is between you and a partner, yourself or your makeup bag... I was asked to create a nail art look for this romantic theme, so I called upon my art school skills to devise a design in miniature.  I chose to use a trio of my favorite colors and pair it with a heart-print Tory Burch dress and spent an afternoon with my girlfriends.

Sally Hansen provided a terrific nail art kit for my palette.  I used a base of Insta-Dri Cinna-snap for a deep oxblood color as my canvas. I used their Nail Art Pens in hot pink and black to create sweet little heart-shaped flowers as my artwork.

To create the look, I first painted my nails with the Cinna-Snap.  The nail polish really does dry in about a minute (yes!).  Then I used the hot pink nail art pen in a small 'V' motion, using the wet tip to slowly fill in the V-shape until it looked like a heart.

For my pinky, I use the hot pink pen to draw an outline of a heart at the tip for something different.

Using the black nail art pen, I drew the stems of the heart flowers to the edge of the nail.  For the pinky, I filled in around the hot pink heart outline to highlight the heart tip.

The beauty of this design is you certainly don't need an art school background to do it.  It is simple enough to do with your left or right hand.  Hearts don't have to be perfect and the stems can be squiggly and look organic.

Are you ready to get creative?  If you are an artiste of the manicure genre, you could win $2000 and be appointed Sally Hansen's brand ambassador.  You just need to share photos of YOUR nail art on their Facebook page, or via Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #iheartnailart. 

Feel the love!

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or Use The Hashtag #iheartnailart on Twitter or Instagram to Share your Looks.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Sally Hansen via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Sally Hansen.

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Spring Beauty: My Top 5 Picks

One of fun things about being a blogger is that you get to try all sorts of fun beauty products.  The real story though, is determining which products do you love enough to spend your own money on after the PR provided samples are gone?

The five products I chose here are the ones I have been A) using and buying for years, or B) have been purchasing regularly since my first date with them!

1.) MAC lipstick.  I was at the Canadian fashion trade show way way back when Frank Toscan launched MAC cosmetics.  Who knew this homegrown line would dominate as the top collection with fashion divas and drag queens alike?  I have worn the Del Rio shade since high school, kissing the vanilla scented tube as my mainstay.  My springtime shade is Sophisto.

2) Garnier B.B. cream didn't look particularly sexy, but the the moisturizing tinted cream has replaced by daily moisturizer/sunscreen/foundation combo with one product.  It does help smooth out your complexion noticeably.  It's more affordable with one product too!

3) Nail Art is the biggest fashion AND beauty trend this year.  However, you need a very steady (ambidextrous) hand and a toMy fan patience.  I have neither.  My favorite easy manicure look is a glitter ombre combo.  I start with a medium shade like OPI's Coney Island Cotton Candy then dab on Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear glitter  nail polish on the tips.  This technique hides lots of flaws.  Finish with a topcoat of Essie's Good to Go.

4)  I was initially skeptical of Revitalash and its claims.  It just sounded like the PR fantasy claims that every high priced eyelash product came with.  I gave my mother some products for her brows.  Brows have always been her point of insecurity, going so far as to tattoo some in.  It was a shock to me (and her) when after using the Revitalash on her brows and eyelashes, she actually had to pluck for the first time in her life.  I have since used their mascara regularly and still amazed at the results.

5) Maybelline has been a regular sponsor of Mercedes Benz Fashion week for several years now.  Thanks to them, I have tried a large range of their goodies.  I can't say I would use all of them again, but my hands down favorite is the New York Studio Volumizing eye shadow.  They make dramatic eye effects super easy, with a clearly mapped out lid shade, brow bone highlight shade, crease shade, liner and sparkles.

Ok, I showed you mine, now you show me yours. What are your favorite products of the season?

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