In today's boundless beauty shops, you can find just about every color of lipstick imaginable. From radiant reds to beautiful berries and every poppy pink and peach in between, any lip color of your dreams is available in an array of finishes and textures. With such grand collections of colors, you'd think my signature shade would already be found. While I have a handful of favorites I've repurchased time and time again, there's one shade I just can't seem to find.

Oh those tricky pumpkin/brunt oranges.

There are certainly a plethora of burnt orange lipsticks currently on the market and it seems I've tried them all. The trouble is the true color of these lovely lipsticks appear differently on my lips due to my natural lip under tone. I often find that every burnt orange or pumpkin lipstick I've tried turns brick red or a variation of peach on my lips. It's very frustrating as the perfect burnt orange tone can only be achieved by layering 3-4 products.

This week marks one year since the heartbreaking event that changed my life in unimaginable ways. If you know me, I'm no stranger to difficult and frightening surgeries. While my first 2 major life-saving surgeries were filled with incredible happiness and joy, this one was just the opposite. It was unexpected, traumatic and completely heartbreaking -- the year following was a tough one which only strengthened my positive perspective on life and continuously reminded me to seek the light rather than the darkness.

I learned that it is OK to lean on your family and loved ones during a bad time. To depend on their love for a bit and to really take the time to recognize and appreciate those who have helped you build a life you've worked hard for and love. I am lucky to have an incredible support system -- my sweet family always reminds me that I don't walk alone in life. It is important to highlight these encouraging, incredibly caring and positive individuals as they help show you the light on darker days.

I always say you should never make a life out of a bad day. That one bad day is just 24 hours long. Twenty four hours to experience the worst, feel awful and still in between it all, we find the fight to make the following days better. For me that bad day lasted months. My recovery was, in one word, brutal. Every complication and downfall that could happen, happened. But hey, it could've been worse. My life could've ended last April.



Though you don't need to experience something devastating to appreciate life and to change your daily outlook.  My difficult journey in life taught me the tough lessons early and to really appreciate it all -- good and bad. In the midst of the absolute worst, happiness and peace can be found, its all about  keeping a positive attitude. At the end of the day, your attitude is the only thing in your control. Even on the extra difficult crappy days, know that it'll get better. Just learn to keep your attention on the light.
As someone who has really met death face-to-face on many occasions, nothing upsets me more than hearing absolutely comfortable and healthy individuals go on and on for hours, days, and weeks (yes, weeks) complaining about the same trivial frustrations of daily life. We all endure irritating daily annoyances such as traffic, simple work frustrations, or times when we question "why is this happening to me?" -- well, I'll tell you a simple way to get past it -- it could be worse.
How lucky are you to have to your health, to have a job in which earns you a living, to have a car or a paid monthly metro pass to get you to said job, to have a warm bed to sleep in every night and to have caring friends and family who stand by you through the good and bad. Remind yourself of this the next time something bothers you and you feel the need to take up another's time simply to detail these minor troubles. Its all about patience and attitude.

Expanding on these minor frustrations allow them to eat at you and ruin your days. I've learned that seeking positivity on smaller scale helps diminish daily negatively and ultimately makes it powerless.

An amazing mentor once explained to me that God only gives us the challenges we can handle. The ones that test, question and break us are only given to remind us of our strength. When the big heartbreaking things happen, it's important to remind yourself of this lovely outlook.

Without sounding too much like a fortune cookie -- learn to celebrate life. Life has dealt me a very tricky hand that has tried time and time again to snatch away my life card. We never know when our time will come, learn to COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS and speak of positive things. Negativity only invites negativity.

A beauty collection of dreams, this new designer collaboration with NARS Cosmetics is all things elegant and chic. 

NARS Cosmetics limited edition, stunning capsule collections have  not only become cosmetic must-haves but have become great collectors items for both beauty and fashion enthusiasts. For Summer 2018, the popular French beauty brand is collaborating with Erdem Moralioglu for a dream-like collection featuring 13 new colors, products and palettes.

Without losing the classic elegance of the Erdem brand, the Strange Flowers collection beautifully illustrates his feminine and beautifully romantic signature style through color. Using unique bold pigments, this collaboration offers daring yet timeless tones  (bold berry tones, romantic reds/rose and earthy, cool-toned neutrals) which help create versatile looks from demure to bold.
One of most exciting products in this collection is the new Lip Powder Palette. This innovative palette, which is unique to this limited edition collection, includes an array of delicate neutrals and daring rose shades (fuchsia and scarlet, both matte). This customizable palette can be worn in a variety of ways as it consists of a lip priming balm and 4 powders (metallic and matte). To achieve a multi-dimensional, layered look, the stunning shimmery rose gold powder can be applied atop the nude rose, fuchsia or scarlet with the precision-tip lip brush included in the palette.



Images courtesy of NARS Cosmetics

Spring has finally arrived and I'm so ready to take a break from those dark, moody polishes of winter. The light and bright shift of the seasons has me itching to lighten up my manicures and opt for more creamy blush and nude-toned nail lacquers. A forever classic and polished look (and Kate Middleton favorite!), light-colored manicures pair well with all ensembles and are very forgiving when inevitable chips occur. With the royal wedding just a little over a month away (May 19th!), I thought I'd highlight a few pale polishes I'm currently loving from Morgan Taylor.

Before I get right to my favorites, I must share why I can't get enough of this awesome nail brand. While their nail lacquers are toxin-free (formaldehyde, touluene, DBP ), it's their exceptional quality of pigments (major color payoff!) that brings me back to this range time and time again. Whether you're looking for metallics, iridescent finishes, cremes or intense opaque tones, Morgan Taylor's impressive collection of colors does not disappoint. Best of all, MT polishes all deliver an even, smooth coating of polish with every sweep of the brush. Speaking of brushes, each polish is equipped with a great wider cut brush which makes application a breeze.

I've also found that most polishes become thick and sticky with continued use which thankfully does not happen with these high quality lacquers. By the end of the bottle, the formula, consistency of color and fluidity remain exactly as a fresh bottle -- simply excellent.



Now to The Colors -- 
While I love a nice opaque pale pink or creamy beige, Morgan Taylor's silky sheer polishes are some of my favorites. These luxe sheer colors deliver a hint of color that can easily be intensified with additional coats without the dreaded, uneven streaking. Two coats are sufficient for a beautiful flush of color and my current favorites include a creamy ivory (Heaven Sent), a pale ecru/nude (In The Nude), and a ladylike light cafe pink (One and Only). As a fun alternative to the common pale whites and pinks, I had to add Beach Babe to my updated lights collection. This pale peachy creamsicle polish has a subtle iridescence swirled throughout which is just stunning and feels extra fancy every time I wear it.

With the sun shinning (and even when the April showers hit), treat yourself to manicure with one of Morgan Taylor's stunning polishes, your nails will thank you.