What’s your signature?

1. V05 Blackberry Sage Tea Revitalizing Conditioner, $1.08

I love this stuff so much. It smells delicious and it works like a charm. I have very thick and wavy hair, which doesn’t always agree with the wind or grit and grime of the city.  I know anytime I use this my hair will immediately get detangled and become silky smooth.

2. Pond’s Cold Cream, $5.28

This is a cult classic and for a very good reason. Although there are tons of uses, the main function for me is makeup remover.  It takes every little morsel off with no digging or scrubbing. And the tub lasts for ages. It’s a must buy.

3. Maybelline Great Lash Mascara, $5.17

No matter what mascara I try, I always come back to Maybelline. It’s been around for a while because it works. It gives me long, separated lashes with good volume. And at a little over $5, how can you go wrong?

What are you favorite budget buys?

Finally, at the age of 25, I have given the product a shot. And of course it turns out that I should have listened to her a while ago.  Here are the reasons you should try it:

1. It’s affordable.  It can be found for around $10, which makes it a bargain. You get two treatments in the box, which means it’s an even better deatl. Try going to a salon to get a moisturizing treatment. It’s going to run you $50+.

2. It’s easy. You wet your hair, warm the container in hot water, and massage it into your hair. Let it sit and wash your hair. And you’re done!

3. It’s fast. The entire treatment can be done while you take a shower. That can’t be said for many other products. And within that short amount of time, it does its job.

Go try to it as soon as possible. It’s great if you just want some shine or if you have dry and damaged hair and need to really give your hair some love.

I’ve actually been in the skincare industry for many years before GrandCentralBeauty, primarily in the luxury spa and niche skincare industry, from the front-end to the back-end of the business.  I’ve known since I was 19 years old that I will have my own skincare line one day, so all these years in the industry have been a playground of market research for me!

Sunglasses are fun, transformative, and can definitely make a statement. But more importantly, they offer very important protection. Excuse me for a moment while I get on my soapbox to do some preaching. I used to work at an eyewear boutique for two years and learned a lot about the damage the sun can cause. While I’m a big fun-in-the-sun type of person, I also want to stay safe.

What is UV radiation?

There are 3 types of UV radiation. UVA is the most prevelant and 98% of it gets through the ozone layer. You can remember it as the aging ray.  UVB is more blocked and generally 2% gets through. These are the rays that cause sunburns.  UVC is very rare and usually all absorbed by the ozone.

Why is it bad?

UV radiation is the cause of 80% of skin cancer. It also can cause premature aging, wrinkles, and cataracts.  Sun is a major factor in crow’s feet.  And let’s not forget about the sunburn.

What can I do?

Wear sunglasses, first and foremost. Also, protect your children’s eyes. They need it even more than you do!  Go polarized, if you can. Polarized lens help eye strain, reduce glare, and provide better eyesight accuracy. Obviously, big lenses are in, but they also offer more overall protection.  Feel free to buy a few pairs with different colored lens. Rose colored lenses help with depth perception and  brightening things up a bit. Brown lenses really help cut down on light. Black or grey lenses aid in keeping color perception accurate along with cutting down the light. Lastly, make sure any lenses you buy have 100% UVA & UVB protection!

If you have any specific questions about glasses, quality, or general sun exposure, let me know! Being  light-eyed and light-haired, I am very sensitive and love to help others in picking out fashionable styles, as well as ones that are still safe.

All shown sunglasses can be found at Net-a-Porter.

And they did! The daily moisturizer and hydrating serum really softened my skin and alleviating some redness. The plus side is that it’s all natural and includes vitamins to work from the inside out.  And the best part? Their line consists of 5 products! Lily B. wants to simplify our lives and give us some room in our cabinets!

Now it’s your turn to try! Lily B. Skincare is generously giving away a full-size Hydrating Serum (and some bonus samples) to one lucky reader!

To enter:

1. Follow Lily B. on Twitter.

2. Like Lily B. on Facebook.

3. Leave a comment with your email address and why you’re excited to try Lily B!

The contest will conclude on May 3rd and the winner will be announced via email and on Twitter. The winner will be selected with a random number generator.

Generally there is only one winner, but this time, we can all be winners. Lily B. would like to offer you 20% off your purchase by using the code: LB20. Enjoy!

UPDATE:

Katie P. is our winner as #3! Congrats, Katie! You will be receiving your prize soon!

Lately I’ve become utterly bored with my hair. I find myself with the same styles and just weighed down by the length and thickness of my hair.  Now, before you want to rip my hair out, please know that I realize how lucky I am. Most people would kill to have thick, long hair.

My problem is that I get lazy with it. I don’t like to wash everyday, let alone style it. I need something that works with my natural lose waves and my round face. I also want something that makes a statement, but isn’t high maintenance. Ironic, right? I know my request in itself is quite obnoxious.

So here are some options for after the wedding. I’m comfortable changing colors and length, as long as it fits the criteria.

So tell me. What should I do with my hair?

I have finally found my cult product. When I bought the Mario Badescu Facial Spray, I thought I was just getting rosewater, which is a natural astringent. No sir (or ma’am). It also has aloe vera gel, herbal extract, and some gardenia extract.  The smell is amazing and I’ve never been a fan of  a rose scent. You can spray it on your face, neck, or hair and get an instant lift.  It’s like turbo-boost.  I instantly feel refreshed, moisturized, and awake.  I find that it also reduces some redness if my already rouged cheeks, which is very helpful before you apply cosmetics.  You can also use it to set your makeup and get rid of the powdery look.  At $12 a bottle, this is not something you want to miss.

What’s your favorite cult beauty product?

I began with a mini-facial, via Clarisonic Mia II, from Richard.  He is wonderful! He truly knows his stuff and gave me a reading of my skin within 30 seconds.  He personalized his product picks for my skin type and went to work.  He then used the Grand Central Beauty Mask, which is the pearly pink concoction you see on my face. It was cooling and made my skin feel oh-so-silky.  From there, we finished with Cane & Austin treatment pads to tone and Freeze 24/7 moisturizer, which definitely tightened things up quite a bit!

 I then had the pleasure of having Johanna at Youngblood do my makeup. We focused on a 40′s classic look with a strong but neutral eye and a blush lip.  She taught me some great tips, such as starting with your eyes first and then covering your face.  She also had me in Midnight Sea eyeliner, which was quite different than my typical choice of black or brown.  She worked a lot on contouring to reshape my round face and highlight my naturally full cheeks.  She deems herself the “cheek specialist” and she is beyond worthy of the title. Also another you need to check out is the mineral lash prive (primer) and lengthening mascara. I looked like I had false lashes. Who knew I even had those lashes?! Go see the team at Henri Bendel (56th and 5th) and see yourself in a fresh new way!

Overall, I was very happy with the results! While I definitely intend to amp it up a little bit as to not be washed out in photos,  the colors and style was a hit. My skin looked flawless, the makeup was lightweight, and it was the perfect product to deal with the hot temperatures and humidity in Belize. Of course I’ll need som practice to get the look down, but I think I’ll be more than set for the big day.

What do you think of my bridal look?

You apply to your skin after cleansing and leave it for 20 minutes. You rinse it off, apply some moisturizer, and voila! It didn’t have a scent, applied easily, and didn’t drip like some other masks do.  It was quite soothing as well, especially to have on my face for that amount of time.

Now I’m sure most people will roll their eyes at me using an anti-aging treatment at 25 years old.  I personally you’re never too young to begin taking care of your skin.  My mom has the most beautiful skin and she’s been religiously using products since she was younger than I am.  And honestly, after seeing those stupid forehead wrinkle disappear after one use, I’m going to keep using them.

What do you think of the results?