Atlanta 2013 Beauty Escape Makeup Bar Event

For my fellow Atlantans, the Beauty Escape Makeup Bar Event is back on October 12th at the Lowes Atlanta Hotel. Though this is their 7th event, I’m sad to say this is the first time I’ve heard of it. Nonetheless, it sounds like an amazing event and I love the concept. Beauty Escape Makeup Bar is a national pop-up salon. I’ve seen fashion pop-up stores but not beauty. Brillant! Event attendees are made over by professional makeup artists, relax with mini-massages and cocktails and go home with a gift bag. You do have to buy a ticket to attend and there are 3 options: 1) General Admission ticket for $15 which allows you entry into the event and access to vendors 2) Southern Belle ticket for $35 includes admission, access to vendors, a makeup application, complimentary mini-massages, one complimentary drink and a Beauty Bash bag or 3) the Georgia Peach ticket which is the Southern Belle plus an application of lashes and two complimentary drinks.

I already know I’ll be going out that night to celebrate my husband’s birthday so I went ahead and got my Georgia Peach ticket. I can’t wait to see the results, especially the lashes (I’m not so great at applying them). And then I get to show off my look that night.

Insider scoop: Get your ticket before 8/31 and get $10 off. Just enter the code ‘earlybird’ at checkout.

Besides getting made up and pampered, all Southern Belle and Georgia Peach ticket holders will go home with a Beauty Bash gift bag. Who doesn’t love a gift bag? I’m excited to announce that Ritual Beauty will be sponsoring the event with our Daily Perfecting Treatment Serum sample in the gift bag. So grab your girlfriends, get your tickets and I’ll see you in October!

What: Beauty Escape Makeup Bar Event
When: Saturday, October 12th from 1 pm – 6 pm
Where: Lowes Atlanta Hotel
Buy tickets at http://www.beautyescapemakeupbar.com

P.S. Beauty Escape Makeup Bar will also have an event in Houston, TX later this year so you can join in the fun, too!

Photo: Beauty Escape Makeup Bar

Tory Burch Expands into Beauty

After 9 years of success offering must have fashion, jewelry, handbags and shoes, Tory Burch is ready to expand her lifestyle concept into a new area – beauty. Beginning September 26th, Burch will launch a fragrance, a capsule cosmetics collect and bath and body line exclusively at Bloomingdale’s, Holt Renfrew, Tory Burch boutiques and toryburch.com. Entering the beauty industry has been something Burch has wanted to do for some time. And once she had her mind set on moving forward with beauty, she didn’t mess around. She took her idea to Leonard & Evelyn Lauder of the Estee Lauder Cos, Inc. saying “we first discussed the possibility at least five years ago…that at some point we would want to work together.” The two companies signed a contract in 2011.

The Fragrance
The eponymous scent has top notes of grapefruit, pink pepper, cassis, mandarin and neroli and middle notes of peony, jasmine and tuberose. It dries down to vetiver, cedarwood, sandalwood and white musk. According to Burch, the scent is “unexpected but fresh.” Packaged elegantly in a square glass bottle with her signature gold logo. The ornate gold and orange cap matches the packaging of the cosmetic collection.

Photo: George Chinsee via WWD

The Capsule Cosmetic Collection
In addition to the fragrance will be a four-item capsule color collection of lipstick, lip and cheek tint, bronzer-blush palette and a retractable face brush. The minimalist collection goes along with Burch’s philosophy of “less is more.”

Photo: George Chinsee via WWD

The Bath and Body Line
The bath and body line is made up of a body lotion, bath and shower gel and a candle and are all packaged in a soft pink with the Burch logo.

Photo: George Chinsee via WWD

If you can’t wait until September 26th, there will be an online pre-sale beginning September 6th. The line will retail for $32 – 150.

What do you think? Will you be adding a Tory Burch lipstick to your Tory Burch handbag?

Product Review: La Fresh Travel Lite® Polish Remover Pads

The other day, I noticed how bad my manicure was looking. Even with a forgiving neutral color, it was embarrassing. But I didn’t have time for a new mani. Luckily, I remembered I had a La Fresh Travel Lite® Polish Remover Pad that I had received in a beauty box one month. I grabbed one as I headed out the door.

When I knew I had a few minutes to spare, I pulled out the wipe and removed my nail polish. I think it took all of 60 seconds. I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it worked. The whole cotton ball and remover combo always seems to take a lot of more effort. There was plenty of remover to do all 10 nails. I didn’t try it but I wouldn’t be surprised if you could do all 10 toes on top of that. The polish remover is formulated with aloe and Vitamin E and I could tell immediately that it was a lot gentler on my nails. These wipes don’t dry out your nail or cuticle like straight acetone does. La Fresh also has an acetone-free polish remover pad that is described as “gorgeously fragranced.” I may have to try those as well as the original formula has a potent smell which I didn’t mind, but if you are using these on the go, the odor could be offensive to others around you.

La Fresh to the rescue!

So, just as I have nail files stashed all over the place, these little packets are going everywhere else, too. Available at lafreshgroup.com – 3 packets for $2.49

Tasty Tuesdays: Ritual Recipe – Mini Breakfast Frittatas

Welcome back! I am happy to share another delicious and healthy recipe with you. Before we start, let me declare my love for breakfast. It is my favorite meal of the day (I guess that makes sense being that I am a morning person). With breakfast, there are so many food options. Sweet or savory, hot or cold, anything goes. I am on Day 44 of my Whole90 adventure and recently discovered these mini frittatas. They are super yummy and the protein and vegetables in each little one will keep you going until lunch. After I made these for the first time, I realized all the many options. You can use any kind of meat though I’m partial to breakfast sausage. And then throw in any other veggies you have on hand and season a million different ways. Cook these babies up on Sunday and you have breakfast ready for the week. These can be eaten cold or at room temperature but I prefer to heat them up in the microwave. I usually have 2 or 3 frittatas and a piece of fruit for a quick, easy and healthy breakfast.

Brown up your meat, add onions and mushroom and then the broccoli slaw

Whisk the eggs – look, I think one of my eggs was a twin!

Fill each cup with the meat and veggie filling

Pour in the eggs

Bake and enjoy

My son saw me making these and he thinks anything with a cupcake liner means birthday cake. So, we refer to these frittatas as cupcakes. It makes me so happy when he asks for cupcakes for breakfast. Look at how happy he is eating them.

Ready, set, yum!

Mini Breakfast Frittatas
Makes 24
Ingredients:
1 pound breakfast sausage
1 small onion, diced
1 package mushrooms (8 oz), diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 bag broccoli slaw
12 eggs
¼ cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 375˚. Line two 12 count muffin tins with silicone baking cups. If you don’t have the silicone cups, you can use paper liners sprayed with Pam or coconut oil. Brown meat until no longer pink, drain. Add the onions, mushrooms and garlic and cook down for a few minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Add the broccoli slaw and cook until soft, about 7-8 minutes. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and coconut milk and transfer to a large Pyrex measuring cup. Fill each muffin cup with the meat and vegetable mixture filling about 2/3 full. Carefully pour the egg mixture over the filling leaving some space at the top for the frittatas to puff up. Bake for 15 minutes, rotate pans and cook for another 6 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before storing in the refrigerator.

You can also eat these for lunch, dinner or pop one for a quick snack. Bon appétit!

Ulta’s 13 Piece GWP Available Now

Nothing gets a beauty junkie more excited about shopping for beauty than getting free products in the process. I was going to buy that lipstick and blush anyway but you want to give me a bag of more makeup and skin care, too? Yes, please. Starting last week, Ulta’s gift with purchase promotion began. Valued at $88, this freebie contains everything you need to put on a pretty face. And I mean everything.

The chic quilted makeup bag is available in your choice of a bronze or berry color and comes filled with not one but two eyeshadow quads, double-ended eyeliner (brown and black), mascara, blush, lipstick, lip gloss, nail polish, a cleanser and 3 makeup brushes. That is intense! Besides picking the makeup bag, you also get to pick one of the eyeshadow quads and the nail polish. And all you have to do is purchase $19.50 worth of Ulta makeup, nail polish, skincare, and/or brushes to get the gift. But hurry to your nearest Ulta as this offer ends August 31st.

Photo credit: Ulta