How to style a scarf the Great Gatsby way
Have you seen The Great Gatsby movie yet? Everyone seems to have different opinions but I can’t wait. I’m all about the fashions from that era – the more scarves and head pieces the better. Carey Mulligan wore a gorgeous scarf in the publicity pictures, and today I’m going to show you how to style… Continue Reading →
Homemade soap with roses and vanilla
This probably doesn’t come as a surprise, but I have Mother’s Day gifts on the brain. And as far as homemade gifts go, it doesn’t get much easier than making your own soap. Once you buy a soap base (I like shea butter because it’s so creamy) you can go wild making different flavors. Last… Continue Reading →
How to make a margarita body scrub
Making homemade scrubs is kind of like cooking. Once you learn the basics you can experiment with adding different ingredients. With scrubs, most recipes use salt or sugar as a base with some kind of oil to make a paste. Then you can start adding what sounds good – citrus, different fruits, chocolate – they… Continue Reading →
2-Minute Updo Tutorial
Summer is coming and I’ll just bet you’re looking for new ways to put your hair up. I spotted this ‘do on a friend recently, and it looked so elegant. When she showed me how it’s done, I couldn’t believe it was so fast! All you need is an elastic headband – it’s perfect for… Continue Reading →
How to Make Homemade Cocoa Mint Soap
Have I mentioned my love of mint chocolate chip ice cream? Because I could eat a whole carton of that stuff anytime, anywhere. In an effort to avoid doing just that, I made mint chocolate lip gloss. And it makes me happy every time I taste it. So when I started playing around with homemade… Continue Reading →
Cellulite Coffee Scrub + How to Fake a Tan
Do you fake tan at home? I’m going to Disney World next week and the thought of exposing my legs after they’ve been hibernating all winter is a little scary. Scary, people. My problem is finding a happy medium – they are either so white they could blind an unsuspecting tourist or glowing like an… Continue Reading →
How to Make Colorful Easter Egg Bath Bombs
I’ve seen people make bath bombs and found it completely intimidating. Me + Science = Not a good combination. But I guarantee the hardest part of making these is figuring out where to buy citric acid. (Hint: Whole Foods sells it in bulk.) The fizzy fun payoff is so completely cool my kids have been… Continue Reading →
3 Spring Nail Ideas to DIY For
Guess what’s here to stay? Unique and colorful nail art. The good news for gals like me – you can create a mani masterpiece in minutes just by adding graphic lines. Read on for 3 spring nail ideas! Fun French Pick a spring-y pastel base color and then swipe the tips. Mix it up by… Continue Reading →
4 DIY Wedding Hair Ideas
This is Jenna, my fabulous babysitter and craft helper, and she is headed down the aisle this fall. You may remember her from this 10 ponytail ideas post and the various times she has modeled my wares. Being an old married lady myself, it’s fun to hear about all the planning details (she just found… Continue Reading →
Vanilla Clove Body Oil Spray {aka Man Magnet Spray}
Ladies, this one is perfect for Valentine’s Day! It’s hard to feel romantic when it’s freezing outside – I can’t even think about a sexy red dress when all I want to do is layer on clothes and huddle by a cozy fire. But what I can do is take care of my skin and… Continue Reading →
Homemade Mint Chocolate Lip Gloss + Sugar Lip Scrub
Everything is so dry in winter – my lips especially! I have about 10 tubes of Chapstick stashed in every corner like a squirrel. Since my sister’s birthday is tomorrow, I whipped up a batch of homemade lip gloss and lip scrub. I mean, Valentine’s Day is coming up, right? It’s time to start getting… Continue Reading →
Grapefruit + Cinnamon DIY Home Humidifier
Happy New Year! I can’t believe it’s suddenly 2013. We welcomed the new year with a wet, cold and rather dreary day. Which means my heat is running almost nonstop. I found a DIY home humidifier trick from Good Housekeeping that adds some much needed moisture to the air. Bonus: it makes my house smell… Continue Reading →
what to wear | 3 Ideas For Short Hair
I’ve had (really) short hair ever since I chopped it off in high school. And I still love it. But I admit I’m not very creative with it. I mean, isn’t having wash and go hair the reason to go short? But New Year’s calls for a little sprucing up! Here are three easy (of… Continue Reading →
10 Totally Easy Holiday Nail Ideas
Are you into holiday-themed nails? I’ve decided that nail art is the new Christmas sweater. Why stop at plain ol’ red nails? I want some Christmas pizzazz! Like a white tree or a glittery Santa hat. If it can be made with two strips of tape shaped like a V, then I am all over… Continue Reading →
DIY Sleep Mask + Favorite Beauty Tip
Guess what all the ladies on my Christmas list are getting this year? A sleep mask! Ok, ok, not exactly groundbreaking, I know. But I’m also giving them my new favorite thing – a silk pillowcase. A beauty trick I just learned from my hairdresser, the pillowcase is a miracle for morning hair. It feels… Continue Reading →
DIY Chanel Chignon + Pearl Bobby Pins
A messy bun and a big Chanel pearl – how gorgeous are these gals from the Spring 2013 Chanel show? Karl Lagerfeld’s hairstylist wanted a look that was easy, “like the girls did it themselves.” So I figured it couldn’t be that hard to DIY our own version, right? I tried out the holiday ‘do… Continue Reading →
How To Make Homemade Lotion with Shimmer
The holiday season has arrived, and it’s time to start thinking about what to wear to fun, festive gatherings. Once you have the perfect outfit and shoes, add a little shimmering homemade lotion and you’ll be good to go! Have you ever wondered how the stars look so darn shiny on Jay Leno? Short of… Continue Reading →
what i wore | Glitter Nails
Good news: It’s Friday and I already have my ticket to see the new Twilight movie. Bad news: I’m not sure I’ll be able to stay awake for a 10 o’clock show. Oh, and did anyone else completely miss the fact that Thanksgiving is next week? Yep, I totally thought it was the following week.… Continue Reading →
diy beauty | 4-Step At-Home Facial
Which would you rather have – massage or facial? For my birthday my sister gave me a little spa treatment. I could choose either a massage or a facial, and I still can’t make up my mind. Which would you pick? I’m thinking facial. The pampering feels so good and – bonus! – you glow… Continue Reading →
Happy Halloween + DIY Twiggy Eyes
See that look on my face? It’s me saying, I can’t believe I’m wearing this much eye make-up! But for Halloween, it’s fun to get out of your comfort zone and go a bit dramatic, don’t you think? So this year I’m doing Twiggy eyes – false eyelashes and all! Want to try falsies? Trust… Continue Reading →
Happy Friday + Candy Corn Bath Salts
I’ve decided there are two types of parents – those who steal their kids’ Halloween candy and those who don’t. Yep, I’m one of the ones who immediately confiscates the Twizzlers. Ok, and maybe any Almond Joys. While I’m not proud of this behavior I feel it all equals out after years of changing poopy… Continue Reading →
DIY Messy Side Ponytail
Have you ever been tempted to go to beauty school to learn how to do hair? It seems like it would be super useful. Ever since I was little I’ve been playing with people’s hair – it’s so relaxing! Recently I found the cutest messy side ponytail ‘do in a Boden catalog. And I do… Continue Reading →
DIY Pumpkin Spice Facial
I remember reading last year about a fancy spa offering a pumpkin spice facial and thinking how divine that sounded. If you can make lip gloss with it, surely pumpkin spice good for the rest of your body too, right? Plus I am always opening cans of pumpkin puree and then wondering what to do… Continue Reading →
10 Fun Halloween Nail Ideas
There are two types of people: those who dress up for Halloween and those who don’t. As I grew up, I slowly slipped into the second category. But just because I don’t wear a ghost outfit anymore doesn’t mean I can’t wear other Halloween things, like nail polish! Now, unfortunately, I’m not one for advanced… Continue Reading →
5 Minute Face Tutorial
I recently asked a make-up artist friend to help a mother out. It’s too easy to start the whole “I don’t have time” excuse and go out the door every day thinking no one will notice. Before you know it you’re in a track suit eating ice cream out of the carton. (I may or… Continue Reading →
10 Ways To Upgrade Your Ponytail
The cute gal above is my babysitter, and I am smitten with her hair. She wears it in a fun, bohemian way, and I had to share this fun update on a ponytail. I’m sure you’ll see more of her on the blog – she’s a dead ringer for Zooey Deschanel! I’m dedicating this post… Continue Reading →
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Lip Gloss
Let the pumpkin spice madness begin! It feels like the first day of September is now the beginning of fall and I, for one, can’t wait. With cozy scarves and warm drinks, this is my favorite time of year. I have been meaning to make my own lip gloss forever and when I finally got… Continue Reading →
Moisturizing Greek Yogurt Face Mask
It seems like the older I get the dryer my skin feels. I carry moisturizer constantly, and apply it several times a day. When I read about the amazingness of a Greek yogurt face mask for your skin in a couple of my favorite magazines, I had to try it. Greek yogurt has lots of… Continue Reading →
10 Easy Updos You Can Actually Do With 2 Hands
My ongoing fascination with long hair continues. And summer – when everyone is pulling their hair into amazing updos – makes it worse! I wake up with ‘crazy hair’ (my daughter’s term) sticking straight up and wish I could pull it into a sleek ponytail or other easy updos. But have you actually tried any… Continue Reading →
Bold Lipstick 101
Photos: Keiko Lynn | Karla’s Closet | Style Sight | Real Beauty It’s no secret that I love red lipstick. After seeing how amazing it looked on Liz of Say Yes to Hoboken I tested shades and eventually found my favorite red. Bold lipstick is definitely one of the best tricks for tired moms –… Continue Reading →
Summer Sandal Foot Mask
My feet take such a beating in the summer. I go barefoot as much as possible (I am from the South!) plus lots of sandal wearing take a toll. Crusty, dirty feet is one of my biggest pet peeves so I’ve been trying various tools and remedies to keep them soft. When you wear cute… Continue Reading →
DIY Make-up Brush Holder
Hi, I am Brett from Silvergirl. I’m sharing an extremely easy DIY make-up brush holder to keep your make-up brushes organized and easy to reach. My make-up brushes were just thrown into different drawers and I could never find the one that I needed. With this practical (and pretty!) container, your brushes will be at… Continue Reading →
DIY Homemade Herbal Bath Salts
One of the things I’m most looking forward to post-pregnancy is a nice long, hot bath. Something about escaping the children with a fashion magazine and a glass of wine sounds pretty appealing. I decided to make these homemade herbal bath salts for my mom and sister for Mother’s Day – and of course left… Continue Reading →
5-Step No-Polish Manicure
While I love having bright polish on my toes, I can’t remember the last time I painted my fingernails. It was probably back in Caroline’s budding nail technician days when she slathered 8 different colors all over my hands. Yeah, that was fun. After reading that Sarah Jessica Parker gets her nails buffed instead of… Continue Reading →
5 Step Lip Prep for Bright Lipstick
Bright lipstick has become my new best friend. And I went nuts last week trying new shades at Sephora and stalking Walgreens for cheaper versions. (It’s a good thing they have an awesome return policy.) But matte, long-lasting lipstick wreaks havoc on the lips – and a cakey, dried out smile is so not pretty.… Continue Reading →
Pineapple Papaya Facial Mask
The last time I had a facial (thank you Groupon) my aesthetician told me I had a lot of sun spots on my cheeks and recommended laser treatments to remove them. Yes, I admit sunscreen was not really a priority as a teenager. My cheeks would ALWAYS burn. And we won’t even discuss the burning/peeling… Continue Reading →
5 Make up Tricks to Fake Looking Awake
I’ve been having a serious case of pregnancy insomnia of late. And with a baby due in the next 8-9 weeks, I’m pretty sure my dark eye circles are here to stay. While still holding out for a make-up miracle, here are 5 morning tricks I use to fake looking awake. So easy and you’ll… Continue Reading →
Coconut Oil for Stretch Marks: My Secret Weapon
Let me introduce you to my new secret weapon: Coconut oil! I know, I know, am I the last person to discover how amazing this stuff is? Yes, you can (and should) bake with coconut oil, but I’ve started using it for my super dry skin and can’t say enough. It feels heavenly and the… Continue Reading →
Get Glowing Skin with Turmeric Mask
I’m starting a new series on Simple Beauty because I’ve discovered how good it feels to pamper your skin. This discovery was followed shortly by the realization that I can’t afford salon facials – or fancy beauty products! Whether it’s using Kool-Aid to brighten blonde, making your own rose petal body oil, or making a… Continue Reading →
How To Make Your Own Sugar Scrub
I’ve discovered a new passion – making my own homemade beauty recipes. I can spend time in the kitchen using ingredients that are normally off limits and not worry about calories! Flipping through a magazine (another obsession) I spotted a gorgeous sugar scrub – for $40! Gulp. Turns out making this stuff at home is… Continue Reading →
DIY Rose Almond Body Oil + More Uses for Wilting Roses
Happy Monday! After a week my Valentine’s Day roses are starting to look pitiful. How are yours holding up? We don’t splurge on flowers that often and I can’t bear to trash them yet. To extend their life, so to speak, I tried an easy recipe for my dry winter skin. Rose Almond Body Oil… Continue Reading →
How to: Brighten Blonde with Kool Aid
My hair took a beating at the beach. Salt, sand, and sun add up to dry, dull hair. So I’m trying some cheap, easy at home tricks to brighten things up a bit. My hair is very blonde – about as blonde as the poor color ladies can get it. (This seems to get harder… Continue Reading →
Homemade Soap Recipe with Herbs and Citrus
First up from the herb garden – my very own homemade soap with herbs and citrus! I thought this would be a lovely homemade Mother’s Day or Teacher Appreciation gift. I picked up some plain, unscented glycerin soap and added herbs from the new garden and some citrus. I love the smell and bright green… Continue Reading →
