Beauty Bash with Benefit and Birchbox

Tuesday, September 30, 2014


I had the best weekend ever!  You see, Birchbox teamed up with Benefit to help women all over the country celebrate Wing Women Weekend!  I was one of 500 selected to win a box of goodies to help celebrate the special 'wing women' in my life... and celebrate we did! This was the perfect excuse to plan the girliest beauty bash i've ever hosted!  I invited a few of my favorite ladies to celebrate friendship!  There was plenty of food, drinks, swag bags and loads of pink!  I tried to get creative with the decor and food!  Here are some pics from our fun evening!  (Sorry... there are a LOT!)
















 
My sister and i had a case of the sillies!







We had an intruder!













Hope you enjoyed reliving this fun filled beauty day!  Thank you Birchbox and Benefit for an amazing experience!  Thank you SO MUCH for reading!

Xo, Carla - FMM

Enza Essentials Spot Extractor

Monday, September 29, 2014

Enza Essentials Spot Extractor
You guys!!!  I have found a product that really works for all of those unsightly blemishes we all dread!  I struggle with a few that linger on my chest (i know, awful right?)  It's so frustrating when i wear a V-neck top because it's really noticeable.  I end up having to constantly conceal these blemishes when in fact, all I've ever wanted to do was get rid of them once and for all.  When Enza Essentials Spot Extractor arrived in the mail, i knew this that it had a major task at hand!  I quickly applied it to my 'problem' area and waited.  I kid you not, i noticed a difference the next day.  No, the blemishes were not completely gone in one day, but they were way less noticeable than they were the previous day.  As the days progressed, the blemishes vanishes!  I am officially a fan of this product!  Oh and it's only $15 through the remainder of September so be sure to take advantage of this amazing deal! If you suffer from acne, you'll definitely want to arm yourself with this beauty!

Thank you SO MUCH for reading! Xo, Carla - FMM

*press sample - all opinions are my own based on my experience with this product.

Bye Bye Redness - IT Cosmetics

Thursday, September 25, 2014


It's no surprise that I'm a HUGE IT Cosmetics fan!  I have yet to try a product that hasn't wow'd me! Most recently, I've had the pleasure of trying Bye Bye Redness, a product I've been dying to try and the results were simply... amazing!  Bye Bye Redness Correcting Creme is a redness neutralizing and correcting cream that completely cancels redness in your skin from view.  This is seriously the perfect product for me because redness is one of those things i struggle with daily. Additionally, this product is rich in peptides, hydrolyzed collagen and anti-aging properties as are all IT products.  I love knowing that i can apply this beauty on all over my skin and feel confident that I'm not only concealing this less than appealing problem of mine, but also nourishing my skin with the most skin-loving ingredients!  Personally, this creme is a great match for my skin tone and i don't actually need to apply additional coverage.  While i adore my IT Cosmetics CC Cream, Bye Bye Redness provides me with similar coverage yet is a lot lighter on my skin.  A few swipes of Bye Bye Pores (omg you need this powder in your life... for real!) and I'm ready to go!





For those of you who constantly tell me that my complexion is flawless (thank you) but it's all thanks ti IT! (I know the before pic is awful but i wanted you to see the difference it makes in my skin).



Thank you so much for reading! Xo, Carla - FMM

*press sample - all opinions are my own based on my experience with this product.
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CLINIQUE - Black Honey Beauty

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

CLINIQUE - Black Honey Beauty
I've been a fan of CLINIQUE's Black Honey lippie for years!  The formula feels amazing on the lips and the color compliments just about any skin tone.  Yes, it looks dark but it applies with a lot less intensity as it's initial appearance.  I absolutely love it for Fall. Earlier today, while browsing through Sephora online, i noticed they have this set for only $25!  What????  This beauty is SO mine!  Here's What's included:

This set contains: 
- 0.06 oz Almost Lipstick in Black Honey 
- 0.14 oz A Different Nail Enamel in Black Honey 
- 0.01 oz Quickliner for Eyes Intense in Black Honey 
- 0.21 oz Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in Black Honey 


Head on over to Sephora online and pick up this beauty!  It's a great bang for your buck!  I know i'll be sporting all of these amazing products this Fall!  


Thank you so much for reading! Xoxo, Carla - FMM

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The Rodarte Inspired Messy Braid

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

"It’s a lot easier to recreate than you think," explains Latest-Hairstyles.com guest contributor Steph Brinkerhoff. "It’s best to start on wavy or second-day hair to give the look added texture. It also doesn’t hurt to spray a little hairspray or spray wax in it beforehand to add a little grip and grunge. Here’s how to get the look…"
1. Beginning on wavy hair, take a medium to large section (depending on how thick your hair is) close to your right ear.
2. Braid the section going from the front to the back.
3. Repeat on the opposite side.
4. Bring both braids to the back and secure them with an elastic.
5. Loosen and mess up both braids by pulling on them gently with your fingers.
6. Take one braid and wrap it up and around itself, creating a small braided bun.
7. Secure with bobby pins.
Click here for even more cool hair tips and ideas!
  


*photos courtesy of Latest-hairstyles.com.  Text by guest contributer Steph Brinkerhoff.

Thank you so much for reading! Xo, Carla - FMM

Bluemercury and People Style Watch Event Plus a Visit to Benefit and Birchbox Stores!

Monday, September 22, 2014


As bluemercury celebrates 15 beauty-filled years, People Style Watch Magazine invited me to attend the grand opening of their West Village (NYC) store.  I decided to plan a whole day in the city and hit up some places that I've been wanting to go to.  I took my friend Nicole along for the ride because, hey, it's always more fun with a friend right? We were promptly greeted upon our arrival to bluemercury by PSW editors.  We chatted a little bit about the store and then i proceeded to shop. This store is truly a beauty lover's dream!  From the oversized candles to walls and walls of skincare, hair care and makeup, i was quickly overwhelmed (in a good way) by the amazing selection. Nicole and i picked out a few things.  Sadly, a few of the items i wanted were already sold out so i ended up walking away with a Bobbi Brown Nudes Palette that I'm absolutely in love with!  I'll definitely do a full review with swatches because this is one palette that is worth every penny.  I had so much fun swatching and playing with products!  Bluemercury carries NARS which I'm obsessed with, as well as my favorite Molton Brown body wash!  I could have shopped there all day!  The swag bag was amazing too!  I've had so much fun testing out some new products!  Thank you so much PSW and bluemercury for the invite.  I had a wonderful time!







Nicole and I on our way to NYC


After leaving the store, we took a cab to the Birchbox store which I'd been dying to go to.  However, just before arriving (the block before to be exact) we spotted the Benefit store!  We promptly asked the cab driver to pull over and leave us there.  The store is tiny but soooo dreamy!  Seriously, it looks like every girls' dream boudoir! There were shelves upon shelves of every Benefit product you could think of.  One thing i fell madly in love with was their hand held mirrors!  OMG they were the cutest, pink mirrors with the Benefit logo in the back.  I was so sad to learn that they were not for sale! They should seriously consider selling it because i bet they'd do so well!  I picked up something delicious that i will share with you soon (get a sneak peek here) and then proceeded to the Birchbox store. 






OK, so the Birchbox store is everything i imagined it to be and more!  The store window greets you with a lovely 'open for beautiful' display.  Once inside, you'll find a couple of walls filled with their best selling products! A few steps further, was a full wall display of products categorized by product type (not brand).  Just opposite of that was the 'try bar' where you can essentially try all the products on the table!  So fun right?  At the very back of the store was my favorite part... the BYOB (build your own box) section!  I used my Birchbox points towards this box which is actually $15 versus the usual $10 that it costs for the monthly delivery.  However, the product sized are bigger so no complaints from me! My box included a gorgeous nude Ruffian polish, Amika hair care, Dr. Brandt No More Pores, Stila lip gloss and a delicious perfume. It was exciting to pick out the products myself!  Oh and you also get a choice of boxes... i opted for the pink!  Downstairs was fun too! They had a section with really fun merchandise as well as their men's products and hair care.  Also, this is where they do all kinds of fun manicures and hair styling!  I'll definitely have to do that at some point in the future!  Overall this store was such a fun experience.  I can't wait to visit again!













So the cupcakes were not quite in tact when they arrived home... but they my girls didn't seem to mind!  


After that, we walked around and did a little more shopping.  We stopped at Georgetown cupcakes to pick up some treats for my girls.  Sadly, it began to pour and my bag fell apart in the middle of the street.  The cupcakes were a mess by the time i got home... but the girls didn't seem to mind! Apparently they were still delicious... after all, that's what's important right?  Such a great day in NYC!  

Thank you so much for reading! Xo, Carla - FMM
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