Beauty Dishing!

My sis and I rarely get to dish together in the same room, but when we do we like to closet raid each other and see who has cooler stuff.  Usually we swap some things and jealously eye other things.  So we decided to do a long distance beauty dish and ask each other some hard hitting questions....What do you like to dish about with your sisters or friends?

Amanda asks Nicole:

If you could only have one beauty product in your arsenal, what would it be? It would have to be mascara. I feel like it instantly wakes  you up and makes you look ready for the day.  I am very brand loyal to my mascara and have been using it for years. Lancome Definicils is the bomb! Never mind the price people will think you have false lashes on! (and it lasts a long time)

What beauty advice will you pass on to your three daughters? Less is more. Cliche as it is. Right now they are into dress up and will layer on coats of pepto bismal colored lipstick.  Most of it is on their teeth. It's funny, but when they become older I would want to instill in them to let their youth shine and skip the heavy makeup. Plenty of time to do that later. I feel like I see a lot of young teens with too much going on. Be young, be your age.  You will want to look that way later in life.

Who do you most admire in the beauty industry and why? I'm not sure if it's total admiration, or more of a cool story, but it doesn't get any better than the Burt's Bees story.  Yes, I know they also make lip balm, but come on what an inspiring story. The co-founders Roxanne and Burt, originating in Maine in the 80's, made beeswax candles . They became locally successful when they decided to expand to personal care items using beeswax. The whole company was run out of a one room abandon school house. They started their first year at a high school craft fair and in a couple years time were selling at high-end boutiques in New York City! Thats success!

Ok, not me, but you get the perm idea!

What has been your biggest beauty mistake and what did you learn from it? Um hello, the home perm!!! What was I thinking? Actually what was my mom thinking.  She facilitated the perm. I had stick straight hair down to my butt and I chopped it and permed it. With my mall bangs of course. Absolutely horrible. My head looked like a fuzzy triangle.

If you could live in another decade, what would it be? It has to be the 20's. I love the dramatic nature of that era. The bob haircut with the short swingy dresses. The smoky eyes lined with black kohl and the red, red lips. Embellished hair headbands and kitten heels, come on! The long cigarette holders, prohibition, gangsters. I could go on forever. The women seem like characters in a movie. Looked like a blast of an era!

Nicole asks Amanda:

What is your biggest beauty splurge at the moment?  Well I am currently splurging on two things! One I have been getting routine facials at my favorite spa in Newport Beach CA, Pure Blu.  I can see a big difference in the overall feel of my skin not to mention my general well being. Two, I also must have New Beauty Magazine when it is published every quarter.  It's about 10 bucks an issue, but it is like a beauty Bible, totally worth it (I save all my issues too!).  I Follow them on twitter because of their great tips and articles from the experts.  I love it because the info is vetted by actual Dermatologists/MD's and not paid for by the advertisers.  They also give a wide range of price points from thousands of dollars for a night cream with 14kt gold flecks to a $10 version available in your local medi-spa.

How many nail polishes do you own?  Lets just say A LOT!  I have recently taken to at home manicures because of all the crazy news stories coming out of these mani/pedi joints.  I am a die hard OPI fan but I also really love Butter London and Essie has a lot of great neutrals to choose from.  The key is a high quality top and base coat.  My favorite right now is OPI "Big in Texas", it's a really pretty coral color and is a bit sheer so I feel like its perfect for Summer.  

Big In Texas

What was the worst color your hair has 
been?  Ugh, about 4 years ago I let the husband convince me that I would look AMAZING as a blonde.  No dice, it was awful and it took forever in the chair every 6 weeks.  Never again!  I have learned over the years that you can't follow the trends or try to "steal" a celebrity cut.  Find something that looks good on you and makes you feel beautiful and stick with it.  I like to experiment with color but I stick with what works for my skin tone and style.

The "Manly" Tweezer

Have you ever tried beauty products on your man?  He is going to kill  me right now for letting this one out of the bag but, we have Beauty Night on Sunday's.  Some nights we do facials, sometimes it's pedi's, or sometimes just a general maintenance night with eyebrow plucking and a quick steam.  He is not much into products so unless I do it for him he won't do it.  I love the time together with no TV, no phone, no IPAD.  Its just us talking about the weekend or what travel we have planned for the upcoming week.  Its relaxing and gets us ready to hop into bed for sweet dreams.  He has been a tester for the pucker pots too.  I keep applying and asking "what do you think", "how does it feel", "what would you change"?  He has become very in tune with his sensory feelings! 

Which Pucker Pot describes you the best and why?  Hmmm, I am stuck between two of them.  I love the Limoncello because I love anything lemon.  I am totally into the color now too, yellow is a big one for summer, but I digress.  The Limoncello Pucker Pot reminds me of the lemon trees that are blooming so beautifully right now in Southern California.  The smell is intoxicating.  It is the one I reach for first thing in the morning as the citrus kind of wakes you up.  The second is probably the Latte My Lips, I adore the fragrance (coffee...yum!) and the ingredients can't get any better...Coffee Essential Oil and Sweet Almond Oil???? Delish! We really have tweaked our formulas since the launch and I have to say that they all are great quality and feel amazing.  The feedback has been great and it has been a lot of fun so far!!

Love and Tulips,

Nicole & Amanda