Beauty of a Site Blog

I was totally stressed this time yesterday about what I would be wearing to our friends big New Year's bash this year, until I remembered a cardinal fashion rule:  the very best outfits are defined by details.  I put together a classic ensemble in greys, silvers and blacks and spiced it up with the following: For eyes:  I moved away from my overdone smoky eyes and went for something simple with a touch of drama.  Lined the inside corners of my eyes with a white liner, and a thick black liner on the outside of my eyes.  Mascara to follow.  A bit of glitter on my cheek bones sets of my eyes perfectly! For lips:  To balance out the simplicity of my eye makeup, I chose DuWop's Pink Shimmer Lip Venom for plumpness, flushing and plenty of shimmering pink. For hair:  Down and curly, I used Catwalk's Your Highness Gel Creme and Hairspray to control and hold my style.  Flexible for bounce & swing with the perfect amount of shine. For nails: Here's where I had some fun- OPI's new Alice in Wonderland Mad As A Hatter polish features a crazy multi glitter sparkle to help ring in the new year with some extra glitz. For shoulders and arms:  Dirty Girl's Glitter ball adds glitter to exposed skin, while Booty Parlor's Luminizing Body Butter adds a subtle sheen all over skin. Glitz and glitter in the smallest details not only make a perfect New Year's touch, but they are definitive of what runways, cosmetics lines and our favorite celebs are telling us are perfect for 2010.

Aunt Sadie's Premium Scented candles have become some of our favorite holiday traditions here at Beauty of a Site.  Nothing gets our office in the holiday mood more than a new shipment of Aunt Sadie's pine scented candles.  The Tree in a Can series candle is by far the  company's top selling candle.  Smelling of a balsam forest and featuring pictures of either the classic tree or a wintery snow covered tree, this candle is a holiday essential.  Let the smell of Christmas linger in your home while you entertain guests, celebrate the holiday and even after your tree is finally taken down.  Truly what it claims to be, the Tree in a Can candle offers years of holiday tradition & nostalgic childhood memories packed into a convenient can, for your burning pleasure. Purchase Aunt Sadie's Tree in a Can candles here. [caption id="attachment_673" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Aunt Sadie's Famous Tree in a Can Candle"][/caption]

ALICE IN WONDERLAND NOW for SALE!

These are the most surprising colors OPI has sent us this year!  We are excited to show you these awesome swatches from the new polishes from the Alice in Wonderland Collection!  We should be shipping these products out by the end of the week, but in the meantime, check these out! From left to right: OPI Thanks So Muchness:  A violet infused red with a super subtle shimmer. OPI Mad As a Hatter: Did you see this glitter!? Crazy chunky multi-glitter that has holiday parties, New Year's Eve and general fabulous-ness written all over it. OPI Absolutely Alice:  Another super glittery polish with slightly smaller glitter pieces in blues and golds.  Perfectly Alice inspired! OPI Off With Her Red!: A standby classic bold, creme bright red. Gorgeous! Check here to purchase!!!

[caption id="attachment_653" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Catwalk Your Highness Products"][/caption] We had no idea that styling products could be so beautiful. Tigi is in the process of revamping their entire Catwalk line, and their newest edition, the Your Highness range, achieves volume like we've never seen. Instead of just selling individual products to help you achieve a certain style, the new Tigi Catwalk lines feature a concept from wash all the way to finishing spray.  The formula in each product helps prepare your hair for the next, resulting in a well thought out product line that gives maximum results. To help initiate volume-lovers into the new line, Tigi released a limited edition introductory set (pictured below) that includes all of the Your Highness range gift packaged in a starter kit that costs nearly 40% less than buying them each individually. [caption id="attachment_655" align="alignright" width="234" caption="Your Highness Starter Kit"][/caption] The Catwalk Your Highness line (and the starter kits) include: Elevating Shampoo (10.14 oz) Nourishing Conditioner (8.45 oz) Thickening Gel Creme (7.27 oz) Root Boost Spray Mousse (8.1 oz) Weightless Shine Spray (5.15 oz) Firm Hold Hairspray (9 oz) Don't forget Your Highness this Christmas!

[caption id="attachment_630" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Serendipity 3 Frrrozen Hot Chocolate Mix"][/caption] Beloved by New Yorkers, celebrities, chocolate lovers and even Oprah, Serendipity 3's famous Hot Chocolate Mix has changed the face of hot chocolate forever. Creating a luscious frozen slushy concoction, Serendipity 3's ice cream bar-inspired location in NY has become world renown for this special frozen hot chocolate drink. Their famous hot chocolate mix (available for purchase here) includes 14 types of chocolate and exotic cocoas. Yum. This fun and inventive twist on standard hot chocolate is perfect for holiday parties, gifts and relaxing afternoons. Use this recipe to make it at home!

1. In a steel blad mixer, combine 1/2 cupmilke, 1/2 cup Frrrozen Hot Chocolate Mix and 1 1/2 cups ice.
2. Cover and blend on medium to desired consistency.
3. Pour mixture into large goblet or glass & top with whipped cream & chocolate shavings.
4. Sip through large straw or scoop with a spoon.
5. For a little extra punch, add a jigger of Kahlua or vodka. (Yum again.)

Make some and tell us how it is!!

The web is abuzz not only about the widely successful Twilight sequel, New Moon, but also about its punk rock leading lady.  Breathtakingly beautiful and mysterious, but with an extremely down to earth personality, Kristen Stewart is always the center of discussion and controversy.  Her most recent style choice to cut and dye her hair had the beauty world in turmoil, and wondering if their beloved brunette picture of Bella Swan would be gone forever (no worries folks- she wears a wig in the next movie!). But either way, Kristen Stewart was stunning as always at the world premier of New Moon in Westwood, CA.  Our staff loves her dress selection and were even pleasantly surprised with her curled-faux-half-up do.  Perfectly Kristen and pretty dang cute. For more news on Kristen and some of her more every day looks, visit our Steal the Look celebrity section for the products we think can help you achieve her classic style.  Click here to check it out!

Shop at www.beautyofasite.com this weekend only and get free shipping on any order of $25 or more!  Simply enter the coupon code "BLOGSHIP" on the first page of the checkout process to automatically receive free shipping!

Feel free to pass this coupon code along!  Expires Sunday night at midnight!

Click here to start shopping!

Wanting to purchase Twilight Lip Venom?  Click here.  Learn more about it below! Vampire-inspired; Beauty of a Site-approved.  This crimson, blood-red lip stain with a lip plumping bite will have you joining team Edward in no time.  Help us celebrate the upcoming New Moon movie with DuWop's Twilight Lip Venom! [caption id="attachment_597" align="aligncenter" width="281" caption="DuWop Twilight Lip Venom"][/caption] DuWop's popular Lip Venom acts as a plumping agent, using essential oils to increase blood circulation in your lips to add a plump and a flush of natural color.  Inspired by the magic of the first Twilight Saga movie, DuWop created a new Twilight Lip Venom that, along with a killer bite for plumping and flushing, stains lips with a crimson color for added drama. Each tube of Twilight Lip Venom comes with the stain separated from the venom, but with a quick shake, the two formulas collide for the perfect stain & plumping partnership.  Symbolic of the dramatic collision of the human and vampire worlds in the Twilight Saga, every application of Twilight Lip Venom helps transport you to a world of mystery, adventure & undying love. Click here to buy the Twilight Venom!

So... it's here.  We were excited, but we didn't expect to love it so dang much.  What are we all pining over at Beauty of a Site, you ask?  Why's it's Essie's new "it" color:  Essie Mint Candy Apple. We all were excited about Essie's limited edition North Fork Collection from earlier in the  year, which featured three blue-ish greenish colors, and when we saw the promotional pictures for Essie's Mint Candy Apple from her new Sweet Time of the Year Winter Collection, we were expecting something extremely similar, but this was better! Less bold or blue than Essie Greenport and decidedly more "minty," one of our fellow bloggers straight up called this the color of an after-dinner mint.  And we're pretty sure she's right. Expect a color slightly  more green than the promotional pictures, a true mint green with a tinge of blue, with enough creamy, milkiness to the formula to make it perfectly wintery.  We found that in about two coats, you can get the even and incredibly unique minty green color you're expecting.  And alongside Rock Candy & Lollipop, it's the cutest little holiday collection of nail polishes you've ever seen. And, PS, this color is FLYING off the shelves.  If you love it, you're certainly not alone.  And if you don't love it... you should. Click here to purchase Essie Mint Candy Apple today!

Infused with argan oil, macadamia goodness and nature's most nourishing botanicals, Macadamia Natural Oil products are everything we've ever hoped for. Extremely nourishing for hair that dry or damaged (or even normal hair that's had a rough week), Macadamia's healing formula tames frizz, increases shine, moisturizes, detangles, manages and calms- everything you need to get that perfect runway sheen. One of our favorite things about the Macadamia products is how stinking adorably they are packaged.  Who doesn't love grabbing a bottle out of the shower with that's as spunky and beautiful as what's inside?  And these products smell AMAZING.  With hints of the macadamia nuttiness and the warm fragrances of argan oil from Morocco, these essential oil-packed products make any shower feel way luxurious.  And that's how we like it. Shop all Macadamia products here!

Essie sent over some awesome manicure step-by-step instructions yesterday, and we thought we'd share the wealth! Essie's Matte About You Matte Nail Finisher has made matte polish so easy, and now it makes nail art even easier! Here's how to get these great looks!

* For these layered looks, wait about 2 minutes between applying each layer! *

1.  Glossy Nail with Matte Tip:  Apply base coat and polish normally, then coat entire nail with glossy top coat like Essie Good to Go!.  Carefully apply Matte About You to nail tips from side to side in a semicircular shape.  (Or use nail guides to get the perfect tip!) 2.  Matte Nail with Glossy Tip: Apply base coat and polish normally, then coat entire nail with a thin layer of Matte About You.  Carefully apply Good to Go! to nail tips as described above. 3.  Glossy Nail with Matte Moon & Tip: Apply base coat and polish normally, then coat entire nail with a thin layer of a glossy top coat like Essie Good to Go!  Using the edge of a nail polish brush, apply Matte about You to the bottom third of the nail in a crescent shape.  Carefully apply Matte About You to nail tips. 4.  Matte Nail with Glossy Moon & Tip: Apply base coat and polish normally, then coat entire nail with a thin layer of Matte About You.  Using the edge of a nail polish brush, apply Good to Go! to the bottom third of the nail in a crescent shape.  Carefully apply Good to Go! to nail tips. Have fun!  Let us know how your nails turn out!

Fresh month, fresh product, and best of all: fresh discounts for you, our faithful reader.  Here are two of our favorite products for you that are on special this month:

Rene Furterer: For this month only, select Rene Furterer shampoos and conditioners are 15% off. These specially formulated shampoos and conditioners treat different hair types with appropriate formulas that deliver noticeable and clinically proven results.

FREE Mandarin Honey Sugar Scrub: Receive a FREE 5 oz Qtica Smart Spa Mandarin Honey Sugar Scrub with any $30 Qtica / Zoya purchase placed during October.  This deliciously tropical smelling scrub will smooth & refresh skin while transporting you somewhere warm & fabulous! Check out the rest of our monthly specials here.