For the gal who has all or craves a bit of glitz in her holiday stocking, the perfect gift is just a few clicks away. Whether your giftee enjoys cosmetics or skincare, taking a peek at this season's most coveted clean beauty launches will offer an array of stunning gift options. From luxurious skincare to must-have cosmetics, here's a few of the best clean beauty items to gift this holiday season.

1. FOLLY FIRE 
SYNCOPE PALETTE, $28
What better gift to give than one of this year's most buzzed about eyeshadow palettes?
In collaboration with Silvija Gorcha, an ultra-talented tattoo artist and illustrator, Folly Fire launched this stunning palette of versatile, highly pigmented pastels and dazzling shimmered shadows that are truly next level.These wildly fun and universally-flattering collection of  colors are welcomed change from the standard holiday color palette we're all so used to seeing and using. A  fast best-seller by the bold clean beauty brand, now is the time to get your hands on this whimsical palette before it sells out once again.

2. TEMPTU 
BUILT TO LASH MASCARA, $24
Temptu, the authority in professional airbrush makeup, recently launched a lush, oil-infused mascara that offers a long-lasting wear without the dreaded fallout, clumping and lash-damaging effects. A true winner for sensitive-eyes and gentle lashes, this high-performance clean alternative will make you reconsider your favorite mascara. The vitamin-rich (B5) and nourishing (Agran Oil, Avocado Oil) formulation of Built to Lash offers a highly pigmented coat of rich black color which helps lashes look more voluminous and long (a major factor for me!). A favorite in both my makeup and gym bags, gift the look for full. fluttery lashes with this wondrous product.

3. JANE IREDALE 
LIMITED EDITION QUEEN BEE PUREPRESSED BLUSH, $30
Merging the gift of glam and philanthropy is Jane Iredale's mission this holiday season. Launching a limited-edition collection of luxe and radiant cosmetics aimed to give back, Jane's philosophy of caring and giving through beauty makes for a wonderful gift option during this gifting season. For this special range, she's partnered with HoneyLove Urban Bee Keepers, an exceptional organization deeply rooted in protecting endangered honeybees by inspiring new urban beekeepers while educating communities on the value and impact of bees in our ecosystem.

My favorite piece from the holiday collection is the ultra-luxe Queen Bee PurePressed Blush, which offers a soft, radiant flush of delicate fuchsia pink along the cheeks. A perfect pop of color to sport all winter, they won't want to leave the house without a quick dusting of  this best-selling, antioxidant-rich blush. 





4. SPOIL ME BEAUTIFUL 
LIP COLOR IN WILD HEART & FLING, $20.57 USD
During this year's Indie Beauty Expo (IBE), I had the pleasure of meeting with Jen Wojtaszek, the inspiring founder of Spoil Me Beautiful and discovered the power of her luxurious natural, vegan lip products. These beautifully formulated, hydrating lip colors are the ideal stocking suffers as the lightweight, smooth formula delivers a lovely wash of pearlescent color without the sticky, tackiness of a traditional gloss. All housed in a chic tube, you'll be eager to pull this lippie out of your makeup bag time and time again and can adjust the intensity of color with just a few swipes on the lips. Best of all, "Wild Heart," the luscious deep red hued lip color was recently nominated by IBE for best lip color in this year's show. Grab yourself this recognized lip color or opt for "Fling," the flattering bright pink shade with a dazzling gold iridescence blended throughout.

These unique lip products are gifts that give beyond beauty as a  portion of all Spoil Me Beautiful profits are generously donated to non-profit organizations and initiatives working towards rehabilitating animals that have been victims of cruelty.


5. CÔTE
SANTA BABY TRIO SET, $45
HO HO HO, check out this chic polish set! A chic red manicure always looks so luxe and just so happens to be the classic color for this festive season. Côte's rounded up its best reds into a chic and gift-friendly set which makes this my top fool-proof  gift pick. The set, aptly named Santa Baby, includes a gradient range of vibrant reds to please every holiday mood. Most importantly, the brand is committed to maintaining a clean and safe  (toxin and allergen free) approach to nail varnish without sacrificing quality.

6. HERBIVORE BOTANICALS 
AMETHYST RITUAL KIT, $88
From luxe facial tools to elegant blends of beneficial skincare, Herbivore Botanicals has launched a number of effective products to tackle our greatest skin woes. Just in time for the holiday season, the brand has launched a super luxurious kit to reach maximum relaxation and a youthful glow through a lavish skin care treatment. The Amethyst Ritual Kit includes the radiance-boosting Bakuchiol Retinol Alternative Smoothing Serum, a potent hydrating and anti-aging product that is further blended into the skin with a pair of skin enhancing facial tools. To amplify the soothing effects on the skin, the tools are crafted in calming amethyst stone. An ideal gift for your favorite beauty enthusiast, this extravagant spa-like skin balancing set will be a memorable gift they won't be able to live without.





Images courtesy of brands 

Monday night's MTV Video Music Awards were incredibly bold and it's prime guests certainly made quite the fashion and beauty statements. One of my favorite beauty looks of the evening was the stunning gold-toned bronze look celebrity makeup artist Carolina Gonzalez created for Gigi Hadid.

When creating this look, Carolina was inspired by the warm, golden shades of late summer and wanted the eyes to be the focal point of the makeup. The Maybelline New York spokesmodel sported an array of gleaming gold-toned products from the brand which included the ultra-chic and glamorous 25K Nudes Eyeshadow Palette in Gold. Using the affordable range, here's how you can recreate this look yourself:

FACE:
A perfect canvas always starts with a clean, freshly cleansed face. Carolina wanted to create a flawless complexion that looked both luminous and subtly radiant. For an even base, she applied Fit Me Dewy + Smooth Foundation in Buff Beige, to Gigi's face, softly blending into the hairline and along the neck for a perfectly blended effect that extended beyond the face. For a brightening effect, she went back in with Super Stay Full Coverage Under-Eye Concealer in Medium and delicately used her fingertips to blend the product under her eye-area. To achieve that radiant finish and lightweight sheen on  Gigi's skin, Carolina strategically applied Master Chrome Jelly Highlighter Face Makeup in Metallic Rose along her nose, cupid's bow and chin area for a wearable luminous effect.

CHEEKS:
Once the complexion was perfected, Carolina moved onto a soft contour which sculpted Gigi's face and further highlighted her striking features. Using City Bronzer Bronzer & Coutour Powder Makeup in Medium, she buffed the powder onto her cheeks and areas where the sun would naturally warm the face (hairline, jawline). For added depth and a uniform warm-glow, she pulled the product down along the neck and the ear area.

EYES:
This awards show makeup was centered on the eyes and Carolina opted for luxe golden shades that enhanced Gigi's eyes and tied in with her effortless and elegant glowing complexion. To create this multidimensional bronzed smoky eye look, Carolina used both light and medium shadows from the 24K Nudes Eyeshadow Palette in Gold. Expertly blending the shades onto the lids, the brow bone and smoking the soft shades along the lower lash created the look of a more highlighted and wide-eyed look, ultimately making them appear bigger. To add a gltizy feature to the makeup, Carolina popped a champagne-tone shimmer atop the lids. Finally, Carolina elongated Gigi's stunning eyes by creating a subtle, soft-focused cat-eye effect with dark brown shadow concentrated along her outter lash lines. The look was finished by layering the lashes in generous coats of Snapscara Washable Mascara in Pitch Black, whereas a single coat was applied to the lower lashes. To further enhance the cat-eye effect, Caroline focused mascara on the outer upper lashes.

BROWS:
Feathery brows were the goal for this look, and Carolina used Brow Ultra Slim Defining Eyebrow Pencil in Light Blonde to fill in any sparse areas and concentrated product in the inner corners of Gigi's brows, ultimately enhancing her natural shape and framing the full look.

LIPS:
To keep from competing with the glamorous golden eye look, Carolina chose to color Gigi's lips in a richly-hued nude tone. For an unexpected style, she created a gradient effect on the lips by contouring the outer lip line in Color Sensational Shaping Lip Liner in Totally Toffee and filling the in the rest of lips in with the lighter shade in Color Sensational Shaping Lip Liner in Nude Whisper. To seal in the lip, Carolina dabbed Shine Compulsion by Color Sensation in Baddest Beige with her fingertips atop the liners giving it a hydrated effect and providing a long-lasting wear.  The overall look was a modern ombre lip that beautifully complemented the bronzed tones of the full makeup. For added depth to the lips, Carolina's expert tip details the application of powder and bronzer along the outer lips to create a more plump pout.

For the final aspect of this look, Gigi's face was dusted in a light layer of Shine Free Oil Control Loose Powder, focusing on tricky areas like around the nose, chin, mid brows while avoiding the cheeks to maintain their glow.



Image: Courtesy of Maybelline New York/GETTY Images

Nothing excites me more than seeing a sparkling new beauty launch from a brand I absolutely adore. One of those beloved brands is Charlotte Tilbury. The coveted luxury brand consistently delivers high-quality, ultra-glamorous products that become fast-favorites and her new collection will be no exception. 

With the unofficial start to summer finally here, its time I compiled a list of some of the things I want to do, see and enjoy this summer. If you didn't already know, this summer is a pretty big one for me because June marks my 10 year heart transplant anniversary. It's pretty wild to think it has actually been 10 very full, exciting and challenging years since I got my new lease on life. So, in celebration of that beautiful event, why not spend the whole summer celebrating life in the most fun (and safe) ways.

1. Take a dessert making class
I've had a Sur La Table summer dessert making class bookmarked for ages and never found a right time to schedule or get my friends together all at once to finally attend. This summer, I'm making it a point to attend one of these cooking classes and dazzle my mom with pretty summer sweets that won't result in a call to the FDNY. I promise I won't burn down your kitchen, mom!

2. Midsummer Night Swing at Lincoln Center 
A night of live music and dance lessons at beautiful Lincoln Center sounds like the perfect NYC summer night. It also looks like a whole lot of fun. Best of all, a night of dancing with fun twirling seems like the ideal time to wear one of the many full-skirted dresses I have handing in my closet.

3. Visit all the NYC Pop-ups & Touristy spots 
Last year, my sisters and I made a promise to check out all the fun pop-ups, cute instagram-friendly events happening around the city and really appreciate the sights we've called home for all our lives. It ended up being a pretty fun summer and resulted in some hilarious memories. I definitely want to make the effort to get us all together for the same kind of fun this year.

4. Summer Love with the City 
The summer is the perfect time to visit unloved neighborhoods or gorgeous areas of the city I haven't been to in years. I loved the seaport but haven't been since its renovations which was quite some time ago. The same with the lovely BPC area, which I last visited in my early high school years. I've become so comfortable going to the same areas of the city and finding new gems to love in those areas but it's time to explore and fall in love with old places once again.



5. Weekends/Day Trips Out of Town
Even this die hard New Yorker enjoys a day out of town. Long holiday weekends are my favorite to stay in the city because it's so quiet and less busy but taking a day away from city life on an ordinary summer weekend is a different vibe that is much appreciated. Whether it's to a beach or new town, a quick trip is always a great idea.

6. Coney Island
I haven't been to Coney Island since I was a kid. I hear it's changed plenty but the Wonder Wheel is still up and running. During my visit all those years ago, I completely lost it on the swinging seats when it stopped at the top of the wheel and want to look at that fear straight in the face once more. I may not have the guts to ride the scary red and blue swing seats, but I'll give the white still seats a go with plenty of cotton candy in hand to ease my fear of heights.

7. Boating at Central Park 
Since we're on the topic of fears, water is another one for me. My BIL spoke about an afternoon of kayaking on the Hudson and the thought alone made me want to run away. While I may be too chicken to for this water activity, I'll try a safer option of boating at Central Park. It's equally beautiful, much smaller and there's a beautiful lunch at the Boathouse waiting for me after.

8. Summer Sporting Events 
Living so close to Citi Field and the Billie Jean King National Tennis center you'd think I'd make it to sporting events often during the summer. I'd be lucky to get in two Mets games a summer which is pretty sad. Most of my friends find baseball ridiculously boring so finding a great game watching companion is pretty slim. Thankfully, that seems to be changing this summer. With some dates already scheduled, this fashionista will be at various sporting events this summer season.

9. Movies at the Park 
My favorite activity for the summer is attending one of the grand movie nights at Bryant or Central Park or the many other lovely outdoor venues around the city. These nights usually play popular old movies in a very fun fashion in some of the best settings in the city. It's a great activity to gather your friends and catch up over a great movie. A major upgrade from your standard Netflix night at home.

Come spring, I'm all about lightening up my beauty routine and find myself reaching for weightless products that feel effortless on the skin and lend to a more fresh and effortless beauty look. From my favorite shadow palette to innovative products and multitasking wonders from my favorite natural and luxury brands, I've rounded up the best spring beauty products you should try now.



COMPLEXION
Smith & Cult Veiled Threat Weightless Micro-Blurring Foundation (comes in 42 shades)
With the Smith & Cult brand growing into a full beauty brand which is delivering impressive product launches, I was thrilled to hear about their new foundation. The velvety formulation of these foundation is only the beginning of its wonderful features. Concentrating on providing a radiant and more hydrated complexion, this impressive 12-hour coverage includes ingredients like aloe vera and chlorophyll which lends to a more improved skin texture and overall brightness. Best of all, their inclusive 42-shade range offers a helpful shade finder quiz to ensure you get the perfect match.



EYES
Arbonne It's All In The Eyes Volume 1 Eye Shadow Palette 
You may have first read about this amazing palette in my Valentine's Day post and I'm happy to report that I'm keeping this versatile collection of modern neutrals in heavy rotation for the spring. The earthy tones and flattering shades beautifully enhance the eyes with excellent color payoff in soft matte and satin finishes. I love using the bolder shades Forest (green), Amber (soft gold peach) and Red Rock (Rusty Red) as accent shades smoked out along the lower lash line in lieu of eye liner. This not only adds an unexpected element of color but makes the eyes pop without looking too dramatic. Unlike other products, the botanical-rich (cucumber extract, sunflower seen oil) formulation of these eye shadows contribute to its smooth texture and application.  Best of all, its compact design fits into slim makeup bags making it the perfect travel palette.

COLOR
ILIA Color Haze Pigment (comes in 5 shades, color Stutter shown above)
An ultra-creamy and dreamy pigment that's also muti-functional - sign me up!
Great to throw in the you makeup or beach bag, this pigment product really delivers a flattering flush of color on both your cheeks and lips in an easy fashion. Additionally, it perfectly adjusts to your personal intensity and dries down to a hydrated matte finish for a more polished look. If you're looking for a more intense hue, this cream product nicely builds without that dreaded caked on texture. Featuring Jojoba and Coconut oils, this whipped pigment is also both conditioning and soothing on the skin and lips. I love this lightweight cream color product for the spring season because it offers the perfect amount of color without using lots of product. Apply it on the cheeks, blending out in a soft-focus fashion for an instant fresh-faced look or pat pigment on the lips for pretty stained-effect pout.



BRONZE 
Laura Mercier Sun-Kissed Veil - Riviera Sun
Achieving that chic sun-kissed glow has never been easier with this light-weigh bronzing balm. This illuminating bronzing product gives the skin the perfect dewy finish and creates a elegant, sheer golden veil on the skin. To mimic that lit-from-the-sun glow in a flash, apply the product along the face using your fingertips and softly diffuse the product as you pat onto the skin. A creamy bronzing balm like this is perfect to have in your beauty bag as brushes aren't required for application and can be used on the body as well. Applying along your arms and legs can create a quick warm weather glow on-the-go.





Images: Courtesy of Smith & Cult, Arbonne, ILIA Beauty, Laura Mercier 

Rainy weather may lead to beautiful blossoms but they also tend to wreak havoc on our hair. From humidity to wind, spring rain can ruin a good hair day the moment you step out the door. With NYC experiencing consistent rain for the past couple of weeks, with more on the way, this seemed like the perfect time to write up a post on my best tips to tame frizzy tresses during wet weather.

Sharing my favorite products and hard-learned hair lessons, here are my tried-and-true tips on keeping the frizz at bay while keeping hair stylish:

1. Dry Hair Well
If you're like me, a great hair day begins with freshly washed hair. While some may want to skip a wash an rainy day, washing hair may be inevitable. Humidity likes any kind of moisture so it's important to really blow dry the hair from root to tip. Now is not the time to skimp on the effort - every bit of dampness you leave it your hair will ultimately frizz in this tricky weather. If you don't want your hair to look fluffy in a messy fashion, blow dry the hair in smaller sections to ensure all moisture is properly dried.

2. Prime Styling Products 
A rainy day is the perfect time to break out heavy-duty styling products that will not only protect the hair but diminish frizz while keeping styled hair in place. The best product to have on hand for such days is Living Proof Instant De-Frizzer, an ultra-conditioning finishing spray that packs a frizz-fighting punch (a hair taming power of over 90%). Another product I love using on hair, especially during wet weather is Bumble & Bumble Hairdresser's Oil. This lightweight oil smooths hair and adds a beautiful healthy shine while serving as a heat and UV protectant while calming frizz. Best of all, this oil tames pesky flyaways and extra frizz at the crown with minimal application. I like to blend a small drop onto my finger tips and gentle pat onto the crown for a polished finish. To seal in your look, Bumble & Bumble Thickening Dryspun Texture Spray offers a light mist of medium hold and allows the hair to have touchable body without weighing down the hair or using a ton of product.



3. Avoid Touching or Playing with Hair
Keep your hands off your hair. Constant touching or playing with hair only invites more frizz and unwanted texture. I can't tell you how many times I thought smoothing my hair with my hands would calm down the frizz but was sadly mistaken. The constant touching created more friction and awful frizz - an all around bad move.

4. Avoid Pretty Curled Styles 
A rainy day is not the time for perfectly styled curls. Chances are they will not hold up in rainy, humid weather and lead to an unwanted puffy look. Trust me as I have been on this side of a tragic hair day one too many times. These are the days to opt for sleeker looks and straighter blowouts.

5. Embrace Hair Accessories & New Looks 
A week of rain is just the time to try that chic ponytail or braided style you've been eyeing. Additionally, pinning the hair back with a trendy barrette or pin is stylish way to hide frizz-prone tresses while looking polished. Luckily, hair accessories are making a major comeback and New Yorkers have a wealth of options in this dreary wet weather. My favorite way to quickly tame hair in a flash is pulling my hair in a low ponytail and popping on a stylish silk scarf headband - quick, chic and out the door.

The Brand
Pili Ani in a not like any brand I've used before. This Filipino skincare company features a truly unique ingredient in their products which is an absolute game changer. Originating in Bicol, the southern island region of the Philippines, Pili Ani was built around the rich oils of the pili tree, which is specific to this location. Rosalina Tan, creator and proponent of organic agriculture, gravitated to this "chosen tree"and focused primarily on its beneficial oils.

These potent oils -- pili oil, which is found in the fruit's pup and elemi oil, which is found in the tree's bark -- carry intensely moisturizing qualities as well as being antioxidant-rich and have skin firming properties. These vital oils coupled together are the star ingredients in their exclusive skincare line.




The Key Product
While their multi-dimensional products are promoted as ultra-hydrating, fine-line and wrinkle diminishing skin wonders, pili oil is rich in Vitamin A and E which also aids greatly in healing. I was thrilled to learn more about the pili oil and was excited to hear stories of skin ailments and scarring healed through its use. I couldn't wait to get my hands on their Intense Hydrating Facial Cream and try it on my own scars, of which I have plenty.

With so much hope and being so moved by the brand's story and testimonies, I wondered if this product would work on my aggressive, hypertrophic scarring, With a lot of patience, I put their cream to the test.

To help explain the degree of my major scarring, I should explain a bit and how they develop. Oh boy are they frustrating.



My Scar Story
Caused by trauma, some of my scars are more extreme than others. Surgery is a form of trauma which causes inflammation of the tissue. With time that inflammation converts into a scar, sometimes becoming a hypertrophic scar (keloid). This kind of scar is a thickened, elevated scar that grows beyond the measures of a surgical lesion. As someone who has experienced extensive surgery, I am all too familiar with keloiding and found that my skin responds to all trauma with this kind of collagen-rich scarring.

The most frustrating and decades-old scarring is on my shoulders which was caused by a terrible sunburn. As the skin naturally-healed and peeled away, it caused small tears in my skin which healed over in large, puffy, dark-toned keloid scars. Growing with time, these were painful, tight scars which would pull on the skin. I didn't know how to tackle them at the time and tried everything under the sun to treat and heal.



Keloiding is my skin's natural response to healing. That meant cuts, surgery wounds, or even a pesky blemish could and would heal as an unsightly keloid. I refused to get cosmetic work (injectables and laser therapy) or have them surgically cut out as the chance of them returning or getting worse/bigger was far too high. Additionally, the amount of scars and area of coverage was far too much. The time, pain and money involved to treat by these cosmetic methods without a guarantee was not worth it.  I knew a topical treatment was my only method.

The Results
Vitamin E was working the best so far. Discovering that Vitamin E was a component found in pili oil, I had high hopes and started to lather my scars in their Intensely Hydrating Facial Cream as a new at-home treatment method. The progress was slow and while I secretly wished for a instant response, I held on and continued use. To my surprise the condition of my scars, even those decades-old shoulder keloids which I was so self conscious of, began to improve with use.

With a few months of consistent use, Pili Ani's cream has not only improved the texture of my keloids but has began evening out their color and lightening the harsh darkness, The raised-puffy nature of my scars haas also flattened which is such an improvement from their initial state. A keloid is very tough to the touch and with use, the areas of intense hypertrophic scarring has softened and continues to do so. Best of all, the painful strain I feel in each scar has finally settled due to do the intense hydration.



Like all great things, this is not an over night cure-all. It took consistent use and twice-a-day application to garner any results. I imagine it would work much quicker if the product is applied to a fresh scar. The scars I've treated are many years old and therefore require more product and greater attention. I have used Vitamin E creams and various oils in the past, in the same fashion, to no results. It is this uniquely blended, pili oil-rich cream that has really delivered an overall improved change in the condition of my scars.

Pili Ani has become a major staple in my daily morning/evening routine and I can't rave about it enough. I have been so embarrassed of my scars which constantly draw odd looks and comments. I am thrilled to proudly show them thanks to the help of Pili Ani. While I know my scars tell a visual story that will never be fully erased, I'm so glad I found a product that truly works and heals the additional troubles that come along with my scars and has improved their overall look and texture.

As the weather cools, it's completely normal to see your skin dry out and require twice as much moisture than the warmer months of the year. While we're inclined to drench the skin on our faces and bodies with moisture-rich products, we often forget that our scalps need the same attention.

It's hard not to plan your Valentine's Day beauty look without reaching for all things pink and red.

Valentine's Day is one holiday you can indulge in all the darling heart motifs along with red and pink toned everything. Incorporating these joyful tones and designs into our beauty routine can spark fun results. When it comes to nail art, the creative designs one can create inspired by this love-centric holiday is endless and no one does is it better than nail guru and leading influential nail artist Jin Soon Choi.