Eve Pearl Made Us Over!! Celebrity make-up artist Eve Pearl used her expertise to turn us from exhausted little lilies into fabulous ready-to-take-on-NYC femme fatales You really don’t know just how much of a challenge I posed to Eve! I arrived at the hotel at 7am and checked my bags at concierge since check-in wasn’t until three, and by the time I checked in (around 5pm)… I had totally broken out. Like ALL OVER! In places that I’ve never broken out before!! I don’t know what caused it — everyone’s been saying it’s probably the weather, but ugh! I was 90% cleared up, and now it’s worse than ever. So, Eve had to contend with covering up a slew of blemishes and spots!
Look for me in an upcoming episode of Koren’s Be-YOU-tified! 
Elessa from Pursebuzz will also be appearing in an episode of the show, too!
So what do you do when you’re staying in for Valentine’s Day? Pamper yourself, of course! To the utmost. Here at Temptalia, if you’re single, Valentine’s Day is PAMPER YOURSELF DAY! I’ve had many a single Valentine’s Days before finding the love of my life. Last year, I wrote up a good guide to making the most of Pamper Yourself Day, and I pretty much think it covers it well, but I’ll reiterate and add some things here as an update
Indulge yourself. The day is about making yourself feel like a goddess, whether that means giving in and having a decadent molten chocolate cupcake or your favorite pasta. Get take out from your favorite restaurant and chow down with your favorite movie (and maybe curl up with a pet, if you have one!). Give yourself an at-home manicure and pedicure, or take a luxurious bath.
For a relaxing bath, Liz Earle tells us, “For the ultimate relaxation add a few drops of essential oils to a warm bath. For a Valentine’s Day treat, we recommend Bliss. Its joyous and sensual blend transports you to a calmer, more contented space. With floral accents of jasmine and ylang ylang to enhance your mood, sensual rosewood and patchouli to banish stress and sandalwood to soothe.” If you’re feeling a little feisty, opt for Philosophy’s Cinnamon Hot Dots three-in-one gel for a fun bubble bath. Or body wash, if you’re pressed for time!
One thing I always loved to do on Pamper Yourself Day was to hang out with my best friend. Then it becomes a total girls’ night in/out, and you can gab and dish on all that’s going on in your lives.
How do you like to spend Pamper Yourself Day?
We all know that Valentine’s Day can either be a really romantic day, loathsome day, or just yet another day for some (those who are more immune to the overwhelming amount of hearts and commercials of love!). Here are some tips, tricks, and product suggestions I’ve gathered up over the past month that I thought might be useful for those of you who are getting ready for a little lovin’ out.
First and foremost, what are you going to wear makeup-wise? I’m always a fan of the ever-classic smoky eye, but sometimes tweaking it a little really adds another layer to it–like going vintage gold and smoky brown. Or maybe you want to go full-on pink? Then, of course, there is a sultry cat eye and glam red lips sure to catch your beau’s eyes.
For those who want to go more minimalistic this year, you can get sheer, glossy lips with Philosophy’s Candy Hearts Lip Duo, which is a combination of Pink Bubbly and Angel Food Cake. If you know me, you *know* I adore these lip shines! Want a little more color? Try out Kiehl’s Lip Gloss Sets in either warm or cool.
When it comes to concealing any imperfections, think layers and patience. To help tired eyes, Liz Earle suggests, “To help tired eyes regain that sparkle, fill a basin with icy-cold water and splash over closed eyes 15 – 20 times. Your eyes will be visibly brightened and refreshed and much more likely to sparkle for that special night out!” Conceal tired eyes by using a concealer brush and a concealer color just a shade lighter than your usual shade. Depending on your preference, you may find applying concealer before or after foundation to work better for you. You’ll want to pat the concealer on, then blend out with a fluffy brush (think the 217, 222, etc.–yes, seriously!). For dewy skin, contouring, and blush application, check out this thorough tutorial.
If you’re planning to show a little skin, you may want to try adding a little Bio-Oil with your favorite bronzer to give you color and glow! (Think NARS’ Monoi Glow, but way cheaper!) And if you need to slim your figure down to fit into your favorite slinky little black dress, I fully recommend Yummie Tummie for shapewear that doesn’t make you feel like a sausage casing.
Of course, if you want to be pampered before you go out… Frederic Fekkai is offering a Valentine’s Day Package, which includes manicure, blowout, and makeup for $160 throughout the month of February at Frederic Fekkai salons. Makes me wish I lived much closer to a Frederic Fekkai salon!
What are your tips for this heart-filled holiday? What are you wearing? What are you doing for your makeup?
Go ahead! Ask your questions–now’s the time to get product recommendations, comparisons, or just find out what my favorite moisturizer is. You can ask whatever your heart desires, and I’ll do my best to answer:) I’ll be keeping an eye out on this post so I can answer questions quickly aka today! 
Feel free to chime in with your answer to someone else’s question, too!
Carmindy’s Get Positively Beautiful ($21.99) provides more than just beauty tips and how-tos, and it is this different approach that makes the book remarkable. I know when I was in high school, and even on my worst days, I suffered from low self esteem when it came to my looks. “Carmindy Vision” is all about retraining yourself to believe that you *are* beautiful. She offers insights on how to discover and find your best and favorite features, and these are the features you should focus on. Instead of dwelling on [what you think is] a too-large nose, think about your high cheekbones and lush mouth. The book can be summed up with this line she writes, “I believe looking good starts with feeling good.”
Of course, the book is filled with great beauty tips and tricks, as well as some step-by-step walk-throughs of how to get the most out of your makeup application. She also includes shopping lists for all types of products ranging from foundation to eye liner, and she offers budget options as well as more high-end products. I’m by no means new to makeup, but I appreciate Carmindy’s take on beauty and achieving real beauty. I enjoyed the shopping lists (I love reading what others rank the top of the top) and the photography and layout of the book were both well done. Overall, this is worth checking out! I know on Amazon it’s only $14.95, and believe me, that’s a steal when it comes to a hardcover filled with all-color pages!
Read this? What’d you think?
No matter how you plan to spend your New Year’s Eve, here are some beauty and makeup tips and ideas to keep your makeup looking its best throughout the evening, plus, how to look pretty in the AM. (Despite being in block quotes, all these tips are written by me, head honcho of Temptalia, just FYI!)
LAYER YOUR FACE TO INCREASE STAYING POWER.
Whenever I have an event or intend to wear my makeup for a long period of time and really want it to look fresh and perfect despite the wear-time, I always make sure to layer my makeup. To me, this is about using a primer, like MAC’s Prep + Prime Face, over your moisturizer. It helps set a good base for your foundation, powder, etc. After the primer dries, I use liquid foundation–my favorite being MAC Studio Fix Fluid–but you can use cream, powder, whatever you want. I just find liquid tends to last longer on my skin tone. I then set the liquid foundation with a loose powder to reduce any oil build-up later and keep the foundation from settling into fine lines or melting later. Bring blotting sheets, blot powder, or a pressed powder for touch-ups later on, just in case.
PUCKER UP YOUR POUT & PERFECT IT.
Let’s face it, for most of us, our lip color will not last all night. We will all be lucky if it lasts a few hours of chit chatting with our best friends. This is why it is essential to do your lip color right from the get-go, so you can minimize the need for touch-ups later on. I like to apply a light layer of foundation or concealer over my lips, because this helps set it all up to take in the color later on. Next, I fill in both lips with lip liner (one that will match the lipstick I plan onusing). Use a lip brush to apply your lipstick of choice, then dust with a light layer of loose powder. Apply a second layer of lipstick, and then top with your gloss of choice. I do prefer to just toss a pretty close match of gloss (to the overall lip look) so I can just do gloss touch-ups rather than have to reapply the lipstick, too. But regardless of what you use or what you want to do, be sure to take a long your lipstick and lipgloss for later. I definitely recommend not using your most favorite limited edition lipstick, because the last thing you want to do is lose it during the festivities!
PACK AN OVERNIGHT KIT.
Staying out all night is no reason to forego your PM skincare routine. I know, I know, who wants to lug around a bunch of skincare products with you? So here’s an idea — just pack a few makeup remover wipes in a air-tight ziplock bag. They should stay moist enough to use whatever the hour, and even if they don’t, you can simply add a little water to moisten them again. A sample jar or package of moisturizer/cleanser would also be a great choice to minimize the weight and bulk of an overnight kit, especially for those who plan only to use a clutch for the evening! If you’re at someone’s house without a remover, try using olive oil–it’s great at removing makeup (and most people have it somewhere in their kitchen!).
BE PREPARED FOR THE AM.
If you plan on being at your girlfriend’s, boyfriend’s, or party date’s place in the AM, you might want to have something to use in the AM. Think about your usual partying antics–are you the type that spends the whole night dancing and drinking? The last thing you want to do is feel or look haggard the morning after! So if you party hard, prepare yourself for the morning after! Pack some aspirin/painkillers, toss in an undereye concealer (Benefit’s Just In Case set–perfect) and a pressed powder. The undereye concealer will help conceal just how much fun you had last night, while the pressed powder will help brighten and even out your skin post-NYE. A nice white or off-white liner used on the lower lash line/inner corner will help open up tired or puffy eyes, too.
Have a great New Year’s Eve!
