A Daily Dose Of Glamour

My life has been so devoid of anything inspirational or enjoyable due to the most intense schedule Ive ever had. The only thing that can usually ever pick me up and out of any funk is music. About a year ago while listening to Hype Machine (probably the coolest music app ever, Ive discovered SO many great artists) I stumbled upon ‘Waiting Game’ by Jillian Banks (of Her Name is Banks) and fell hard for all of her tracks. My favorite being ‘Change‘ (see video linked below).

Jillian Banks is insanely talented, her music is so soulful and moving. Please discover this gem and enjoy!

Recently discovered a list of  quotes I had saved that really reflect my personal thoughts on life and beauty…

“No one should notice how your eyes are done or the color of your eyeshadow. They should just notice you and notice that you’re beautiful, that you have beautiful eyes.” – diane von furstenburg

Makeup should have one function only—to make you look better, to make you more attractive…Makeup is a luxury, so it should be fun… Making up is like telling yourself a secret.” – dian von furstenburg

“What makes you attractive is being yourself, being natural, being unaware. Even though makeup is important, you should do it all, and then forget about it. You don’t want to look like anyone else, any more than you want to be anyone else. You want to look like you. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery—but it’s flattering to someone else. Not to you. – diane von furstenburg

“It’s exciting because when I’m obsessed with something, I learn. And, I love to learn” – Carine Roitfeld

“It’s probably not just by chance that I’m alone.
It would be very hard for a man to live with me, unless he’s terribly strong. And if he’s stronger than I, I’m the one who can’t live with him. … I’m neither smart nor stupid, but I don’t think I’m a run-of-the-mill person. – Coco Chanel

“If I’m not interested in the person that’s in front of me, I don’t go out of my way. And because I am a pretty quiet person, I can look totally cold. Too bad, but I’m not going to change now. I’ve never been able to pretend. That’s the way it is.” Catherine Deneuve

Truly good skincare in my opinion consists of pure, natural ingredients which I for one know that I can trust to not irritate my skin. Valia, a natural based skin care line bringing us a range of products made with Japanese Herbs by its own Herbalist, Marc Ching, has come across my radar with a bang, and due to the luxurious textures of their cleanser and moisturizer as well as the high quality natural ingredients, I am now hooked.

The Cleansing Milk feels amazing and for a milder cleanser does a fantastic job of keeping my face feeling clean. Its light and has a pleasant scent. I appreciate having a gentle cleanser for those days when my skin won’t tolerate the harsher exfoliation that I get with using my Clarisonic.

The Yuzu Hydrating Creme has given me a really gorgeous glow with each application as well as provides a temporarily tightening effect. Overall as a hydrating moisturizer I think this works very well. However, full disclosure, as I do require some serious hydration due to the winter elements and my perpetual drier skin, so I have been following up with another dose of moisture in the form of serum or balm after allowing the Yuzu to sink in.

My absolute favorite product from Valia is the Bloom Dietary Supplement. An Omega 7 rich supplement designed to help with bloat and reduce belly fat. Since I typically experience mild discomfort from most vitamins/supplements (headache, upset stomach etc) I really appreciate the zero side effects Im experiencing taking this product. I have only been taking this supplement for 2 weeks so I think it might be a bit early to see real rapid results, but given the ingredients and the ease I have had incorporating this in with the other nutritional supplements I take, I can pretty much guarantee there will be a repeat bottle being ordered soon.

Stumbled across this super chic lingerie while browsing today. I really love the look of these photos and just had to share. How stunning is that model? And that apartment?? Amazing!

All images via Jolie Momes

Marilyn Monroe reveals the truth behind her legendary statement…

http://inside.chanel.com/en/marilyn/video

Or, the shorter version…

Ellovi body butter, a newfound and loved product. It is a true stand out with the other hydrating products I reach for in my quest for seriously moisturized skin this winter. I love that Ellovi is rich in all natural ingredients. Free of ‘synthetic chemicals, fillers, preservatives, or secret ingredients’, the makers of this luxe skincare truly care about whats being absorbed into our skin.

The packaging, scent and creaminess of the product are a dream. Also, a little goes a long way as I only need a nickel sized amount to cover each area of my body (legs, arms, tummy…).

How exciting (and flattering!) to be interviewed by one of my favorite beauty sites! Beautylish is my go to site for makeup tips and whenever I am searching for inspiration on new looks or products try out. Check it out!

http://www.beautylish.com/a/vxary/lesson-learned-ruba-ayoub

Just a few films Im looking forward to seeing …

Populaire

Blue Jasmine

Mademoiselle C

I have finally discovered the one treatment product that does it all. I came upon this magic bottle while searching for some type of overnight treatment or mask I could apply before going to bed that would help my strands while I slept…. enter Phyto’s Secret de Nuit. I purchased this from Beauty Habit (it retails for $38, pricey but worth it) and the results have been amazing. Secret de Nuit goes to work as you sleep to regenerate the hair fiber deep down. Upon waking, hair is delicately scented, regenerated and protected. It is shiny, supple and manageable. Well I can’t speak to any sort of delicate scent (Im sure there is a scent involved here it is just really mild, or more mild than the other products I use), I can say without any exaggeration that for the past few mornings I have woken up with incredibly beautiful hair. I have been applying this to my wet hair before bed and have been brushing it through to ensure that I get my hair well coated with the stuff.  Now, every curly haired girl knows a brush and wet hair is a no-no. You’re essentially killing the curl by breaking it up. Well! That just didn’t happen. My curls were even better in the morning!! The curls I haven’t been able to recreate since high school ( I swore my curls died after I hit 25, but they have regenerated with the use of this product!)  And then to top it all off, my hair has been sooo much softer too! I use just a touch of Caudalie Divine Oil in the morning to freshen up my bed head and head to work. My hair has lasted all day with little to no product. I have also applied it dry (before bed and during the day) and the results have been great. Holy grail hair care.

I remember the first time I ever wore lipstick. I was 7 years old and my mother had just taken me for what was to be the first traumatic experience of my childhood; a haircut that took away my much loved long hair, full of big thick curls and left me with a short pixie cut. I use to love my long hair so much that I remember spending way too much time before school brushing and flipping it over my head over and over until it looked full and fluffier (what can I say, I wanted to be a Charlie’s Angel and thought I had the hair to pull it off).  Reflecting back on the change in my look, I can appreciate now just how gamine and adorable I probably (hopefully) looked. At the time though, I just remember feeling like I had lost my femininity. I felt like a boy. In fact I felt like a boy so much that I kept saying it over and over in the car on the ride home. Until mom couldn’t take it any longer. She reached into her purse and handed me a tube of red lipstick. She told me to wear that and tell me if I still felt like a boy. It worked (well at least for the car ride home where I promptly produced fresh tears as proof to my father just how upset I really was). I remember sitting in front of the flipped down mirror applying lipstick on my small tiny lips until I had a few layers of red, enough to look like a 7 year old tarte. Throughout most of my life though I stayed far away from any color on my lips (except for a brief stint in high school where I religiously wore Cover Girl’s Toasted Almond). It hasn’t been until recently that I began to feel confident enough to wear a color on my lips other than my natural with a touch of gloss. I don’t know if its wearing lipstick itself, or the act of putting it on that makes me feel like a grown up lady. But it does. Is there anything else a woman can acceptably do in public besides applying lipstick that announces to the world ‘ I am a woman and I want to be noticed’? I can’t think of it. #83 Keep Wearing Lipstick from ‘100 Ways to Age with Grace, Elegance & Joie De Vivre‘  via  Live the Charmed Life.

Below are a few of my favorite shades of Red, almost all are universal and should work for most skin tones:

An iconic red, Revlon Fire & Ice $7

MAC Russian Red, a beautiful blue based red that is an almost universally flattering red. $15

MAC Lady Danger, a bright poppy red with almost a touch of orange. A classic red in my opinion. $15

Another classic color from MAC Ruby Woo, a beautiful red that goes on matte. Its a stunning shade with a lot of wearability. Be sure to apply this over moisturized lips as it can be a touch drying. $15

Gorgeous packaging and an intense and very beautiful red, Yves Saint Laurent ROUGE VOLUPTÉ – Silky Sensual Radiant Lipstick SPF 15 in 17 Red Muse $34

The ultimate in luxury cosmetics, Tom Ford Cherry Lush $48