Bloomingdale Adventures

How cute are these 'Little Brown Mug's???

I heart Bloomingdale's. I spent a solid 3 hours straight there on my first day off this week, and could have spent double that if I had the time. There are about 9 levels of fun to see at the Upper East Side location (on 3rd Avenue). I spent the most time looking at accessories, handbags, cosmetics and women's fashions.

My adventures at Bloomie's...

I discovered Bloomingdale's own line of women clothing called Aqua. Affordable and chic. I bought this strapless dress with pockets. Everything was 40% off on this line, I couldn't resist.

Next, cosmetics. I got my make up done by NiFlame at Estee Lauder. She did an amazing job giving me a pop of color smokey eye. I decided on committing to the Estee Lauder Cooling Eye Illuminator with a ceramic tip. I loved (and was amazed by) how the tip felt so cool and soothing on my skin! The translucent color makes for an easy application, and an immediate noticeable difference.

I went in and out of each handbag designer boutique about 3 times. I loved picking up and trying on all of the designer bags. And finally, I purchased the Rebecca Minkoff Mini Mac clutch I've been drooling over for about a year now. It's tricky to find Mini Macs with silver hardware so I was super excited that they had this one in stock. This bag deserves a whole separate post. More to come.

VISITORS FYI: Thank you to Niflame for pointing this out to me. If you are visiting from out of state you can get a visitor's pass. This gives you an extra 10% for the day, AND a free gift if you spend a certain amount (easy to do, unfortunately). I was able to use it on my new purse...#awesomeday.

Collection Inspired by HBO's True Blood

HBO has announced the launch of Forsaken, a unique collection of beauty products inspired by its Emmy^® and Golden Globe^® winning hit series True Blood. The collection will launch exclusively on HSN on August 9^th.

As a fan of True Blood, I'm really looking forward to this line launching!

Forsaken by True Blood

Forsaken Eau de Parfum 50 mL, 1.7 oz.

HSN Price: $59.50

Available on HSN/HSN.com on August 9, 2012

Forsaken by True Blood

Shimmering Body Veil With Poof

HSN Price: $31.00

Available on HSN/HSN.com on August 9, 2012

Forsaken by True Blood

Body Cream

HSN Price: $42.00

Available on HSN/HSN.com on August 9, 2012

Forsaken by True Blood

Fairy Dust and Human Nature Nail Polish

HSN Price: $25.00

Available on HSN/HSN.com on August 9, 2012

Forsaken by True Blood

Let It Bleed Nail Polish and Bite Me Lip Color

HSN Price: $28.00

Available on HSN/HSN.com on August 9, 2012

Forsaken by True Blood

Bad Blood, Strange Love and New Flesh Nail Polish

HSN Price: $25.00

Available on HSN/HSN.com on August 9, 2012

Forsaken by True Blood

Candle With Fang Lid

HSN Price: $58.00

Available on HSN/HSN.com on August 9, 2012

Forsaken by True Blood

Diffuser/Candle Set

HSN Price: $48.00

Available on HSN/HSN.com on August 9, 2012

Forsaken by True Blood

Diffuser

HSN Price: $48.00

Available on HSN/HSN.com on August 9, 2012

Get Lacey's Balayage Look

Colorist Sherry Ratay had the pleasure to get Lacey Chabert ready to go for the summer and her 30th birthday with the 'All American Balayage.' Here are the steps she took to get Lacey's look:

STEP 1: Start in the bottom nape working towards the top of the head, move forward to the front hairline alternating with multiple shades to create shade on shade.

STEP 2:  Paint the desired shade onto the hair and secure it inside a foil vertically. Create a slightly darker re-growth by placing a terracotta shade on the first 3-5 inches of lighter brighter pieces floating 4-6 inches down the hair. While having the front frame being kissed by lighter brighter golden shades.

MAINTAIN THE LOOK:

Home care- Use Minardi luxury color care wash #3. Saturate mid lengths and ends with Minardi pre-wash and wrap in and go on with the day.

Strengthening and nourishing the hair fiber during a busy day.

Color Refresh- Needs to be every 4-6 weeks in the salon.

Hamptons Bound

I've had nothing but fun so far in NYC. The shopping, eating and sightseeing has been amazing, but there is one thing I've been missing...the water! I know I'm surrounded by it here, but it's different. I miss the Michigan Lakes! I think Mike was missing it too. So we decided to go on a road trip to get an H2O fix. We were Hamptons bound...

Sunny-side up skillet

First stop, breakfast. Once we picked up our sweet Malibu rental car (ha!) we stopped at Thomas's Ham & Eggery Diner. SO GOOD. This place was rocking so we took a seat at the bar. Great service, food and prices. All egg dishes are served in a skillet (pictured) and fresh muffins baked daily. Loved this touch of home cooking to kick off our road trip.

'Be a cow tipper' was on their tip jar

Second stop was for lunch (only a few hours later from breakfast :) We stopped at the Townline BBQ restaurant. You order at the counter and they bring you your food, fast. Highly recommend the pulled BBQ chicken sandwich. 

Next stop, Napeague Beach. I swear this was a private beach we snuck on to. We parked of the high way and walked about .25 miles to the shore. We laid our towels down, covered ourselves in sunscreen, laid out until we couldn't stand the heat any longer, and then jumped into the water. Splashing in the waves reminded me of going to the Jersey Shore growing up. 

Next stop was a ridiculous cool roadside restaurant called the Clam Bar. Fresh seafood served daily. I've been on such a seafood kick lately! We had the grilled tuna and lobster salad. SO FRESH. You can't get lobster like that in Michigan. Next stop...Montauk!!! I HAD to visit Montauk for all of my Revenge junkies!

Montauk Lighthouse

Montauk is a cute little beach time that turns into a party town at night. It's on very end of Long Island is super narrow. Arenas and boats on each side. As soon as we stepped out of the car I smelled salt water and I loved it. 

After we indulged ourselves with Ben & Jerry's ice cream, we left Montauk to head home around 7pm and made it back to the Upper West Side in about 3 hours. It was an awesome trip to get a fix for some water fun, and to also see what the Hamptons hype was all about. Huge beautiful houses on the water, fun beachy restaurants with fresh seafood, and a fun flip flop-attire nightlife. I'd love to spend a weekend here again. Mike and I decided that it reminded us a lot of Up North Michigan, except 10 times more expensive to live...I think I'll stick with the Michigan Lakes for my water fix.

Beauty Blog Coalition Weekly Roundup

• Retrodiva's Beauty checked out the new video from YouTube star Lauren Luke called "How to Look Your Best the Morning After," and thinks you really need to as well.
• My Newest Addiction Beauty Blog gets patriotic with her July Julep Maven box.
• It may be July but Fall beauty is in full swing! Brooke from BlushingNoir shows you a bit of what Dior has in store for you with swatches of the Golden Savannah 5-Couleurs Eye Shadow Palette!
• Phyrra shares her picks for the Best Wordpress Plugins for beauty bloggers.
• Looking for a shortcut to bright, glowy skin? Check out the deets on Karuna Brightening Treatment Mask over at BeautyTidbits.
• Find out which BB Cream Beauty Info Zone is doing somersaults over.
• Over at the Glamorous Mama, Janelle, has been on a roll buying jewelry see what she thinks of Baublebar.
• Four shades from the China Glaze fall collection, On Safari, are featured on Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom.
• Red, Blue & Glitter nails for the 4th of July!
• It is Giveaway time on Pammy Blogs Beauty! Enter to win the RoC® MAX Resurfacing Cleanser and the RoC® RETINOL CORREXION® MAX Wrinkle Resurfacing System.
• If there's a beauty product Judy of BeautyJudy goes through consistently, and has thoroughly tried out, it's top coat! Check out the BeautyJudy Top Five Top Coats!
• Emily Hudspeth is super excited to have a sneak preview to share with you on some new Bare Escentuals products that are coming out in July. Stay tuned for a video tutorial and giveaway!
• Nicki Minaj's is as known for her music as her bold beauty statements. Want to find how out to recreate her look? MAC's senior makeup artist, Lynsey Alexander, explains how.
• Stephanie Louise- All Things Beautiful hauls some brushes, palettes, & tools from Crown Brushes...check out the great, the alright, & the downright rant-worthy items!
• Born on the 4th of July. The FabZilla celebrates her birthday with a Giveaway. Win assorted makeups, skincare, fragrance and a handmade pair of earrings. Open international.
• Miss L from Beauty by Miss L showed her very bright manicure with her new favorite nail polish.
• Clare @ cclarebear.com loves a foundation with skincare benefits and reviews Clinique Even Better Makeup.
• Mama Fashioinista shares her favorite products to Summer-ize her eyes (ha!)-3 easy products (from Rimmel London, Smashbox Cosmetics, and MAKE UP FOR EVER) guaranteed to give you swim-proof, sweat-proof, heat-proof gorgeous eye looks!
• Cosmetically Challenged little piggies get a new lease on life with Me & The Girls Lavandula Revive Foot Scrub.
• Christina of Curls N Pearls finally gets a new flat iron - the Karmin Salon Pro G3! Read her review and see the photos to see what she thinks of her latest hair styling tool.
• Lola from Lola's Secret Beauty Blog has discovered a FANTASTIC new luxury anti-aging skincare line called My. My is filled with the highest quality natural ingredients, is Cruelty Free, believes in transparency in everything they do, and has implemented impressive social responsibility initiatives! MY=PURE LOVE!
• Head over to Handmade Reviews to read about the three ways you can exfoliate to fade acne scars and brighten the skin.
• Spontaneous Chick has found a way to help nails that chip and break reularly. It's called Rx4Nails and it's a must have for anyone who loves long, healthy nails.
• Making Up the Midwest flaunts a fake set - of toenails, that is! See how her imPRESS Press On Pedicure weathered a week of wear.
• Forever on the hunt for the perfect foundation match, The Beauty Professor shares rare swatches of every shade of Kevyn Aucoin's renoun Sensual Skin Enhancer!
• The brushes in the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes makes doing your nails that much easier! Sheila from Painted Ladies gives you the complete details on her new favorite polish brand.
• Is your post-vacation skin looking dull and drab? Kiss & Tell shows us how to battle the post-vacation skin blues so you can get back to planning your next vacay.
• Take a look at Geniabeme's collective 4th of July inspired nails from some of your favorite beauty bloggers!
• Argan oil is all the rage! The Lacquered Lady tries out Maijan's version of this classic hair product.
• Polarbelle blows her prejudice away and finally tries the Nars Buenos Aires Lip Gloss Pencil that she purchased months ago, much to her delight.
• Midnight Manicures brings you 2 beautful jelly glitter polishes from Haze Glaze

Yves Rocher Nail Polish

Yves Rocher mini nail polishes are cute and full of color. Great for summer toes and fingers and perfect size for traveling. They retail at $3/bottle. Below are swatches by Tina.

Soleil Bleu

Vert de Gris

Pourpre

Nivea Celebrates National PDA Day

Nivea celebrated National PDA Day on June 20th in Herald Square. Swag, kissing booths and personalized Nivea Cream cans (my personal favorite) were shared, as well as guest appearances from America's sweethearts Bill & Giuliana Rancic, Grammy Award winning artist NE-YO and Emmy Award winning talk show host Wendy Williams!

Ann Taylor Loft Sale & my Purple Skinny Jeans

Ann Taylor Loft has been on quite the sale kick. I went from being anti-skinny jeans to buying a pair of purple skinnies from Loft last week. It was 40% the whole store!! If you need business casual clothes or want to brighten up your wardrobe, I definitely suggest checking on the sale.

MAC Nail Lacquers

MAC Nail Lacquers. I want every creamy pink and coral color in this collection! Available online and in store.

4th of July Nails

Be extra patriotic this 4th of July and paint your nails red, white or blue! Check out some of these looks that Tina and I put together :)

Bottom coat: OPI Last Friday Night, Top coat: OPI Blue Shatter

Jessica Blue Blast

Jessica Scarlet (2 coats)

Bottom coat: Jessica Scarlet, Top coat: OPI Navy Shatter (Tina calls these 'Spiderman nails'!)

Jessica Blue Blast and ring finger nail in Jessica Superstar