Sweet Revenge for Valentine’s Day

Local lingerie designer Catherine Fritsch is offering a special Valentine’s Day deal just for readers of Pretty Indy!  Check out these adorable pajamas:

Striped Pajama Shorts:  $15 - These flippy, sexy shorts are comfy, too!  The shorts are cut on the bias for extra softness to the shaping. The hem is a lettuced edge; the waistband has a colorful ½” cotton twill drawstring.  These sit about 1 ½”  below natural waist line.  Made of a knitted stripe cotton jersey with a touch of spandex to hold its shape, the fabric is soft to the touch and fits the body without restricting you.

Striped Pajama Top:  $22 - This raglan sleeved top is stripe-a-licious! The combination of v-neck and ruching at the bust is a flattering cut: it’s quite fitted, offering a little support without smashing your bust. The slim fit sleeves are finished in a tulip shaped cuff that comes down over the hand. The cuff is finished in a lettuce edge. No more chilly wrists! Shirt length is 24 1/2″ from shoulder to hem, measured on a size medium.  Made of a knitted stripe cotton jersey with a touch of spandex to hold its shape, the fabric is soft to the touch and fits the body without restricting you.

Striped Pajama Leggings: $22 - The legs are cut all in one with no side seam, for a smooth fit. Lower leg and thigh is cut quite fitted, but we’ve left you a little more ease over the butt and tummy.  The hem is finished in a cuff that can either fit down over the ankle onto the top of the foot, or be folded up (it‘s double layer, so both ways look great).  No more freezing ankles! A drawstring waist ensures the perfect comfy fit with a colorful ½” cotton twill tape. The waist sits about 1 ½” below natural waist.  Made of a knitted stripe cotton jersey with a touch of spandex to hold its shape, the fabric is soft to the touch and fits the body without restricting you.

Get free shipping and free gift wrap by entering code “prtyval196” in the coupon code entry box at checkout.  This offer is good through February 18.

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Meg’s Winter Must-Haves: Your best defense against the elements

The cold weather can make beauty looks feel lackluster especially with the blistering winds, snowy days and cold temperatures. What adds brightness and sparkle to drab winter days better than moisturized hair, skin, nails and eyes?

Keep yourself prepared and feeling beautiful this winter with some of my Must-Haves:

Hair
Kerastase Elixer Ultime

After I saw this on a post from WhoWhatWear, I had to try it. With the amount of heat we use on our hair – it sometimes needs some damage control. This leave-in conditioner is a powerful elixir… I found the most success utilizing it as post-washing/pre-drying conditioner, which creates a beautiful shine and smoothing effect on the hair. Now $50 may seem a bit steep but once the summer comes shining in, you’re hair will never be healthier.

Redken Curl Recovery

Have bouncing curls like me? This is another great product to condition and arm your hair with a proper defense against the elements. Soak it into your curls after shampooing and this intense recovery system diminishes frizz and strengthens delicate curls with a coconut oil base.

Lips
Sara Happ Lip Scrub

Celebrities dote this product, magazine editorials praise this product and you need this product. When I won a free sample of the Sara Lip Scrub from Pretty Indy, I was hesitant to use a lip scrub.  Won’t chap stick do the trick? Quite the contrary. Offered in various delicious flavors, this lip scrub was created in Sara Happ’s kitchen back in 2005. Simply rub the exfoliating scrub on the lips and slowly wipe away with a tissue – trust me, your lips will never feel or taste better.

Nails
OPI Natural Nail Base Coat

Despite the fun gal-pal time it offers, getting your nails professionally done can be a hit on your bank account. Try doing your nails at home this winter – so you can buy a warmer coat. With gloves, dry hands and freezing temps, it can be difficult to keep your nails from chipping. Try starting with OPI’s Natural Base Coat. Leaving this base coat on  your nails for several minutes seems to keep my color on longer.

Seche Soft Cuticle Softener

Cuticles are easy to forget. I recommend Seche  – with soothing aloe and tea tree oil (never even heard of this so it must be good!), your nails will never look better. I found this at Ulta and surprisingly, my nails did feel softer and didn’t look so damaged.

Eye
LiLash

I know you’ve seen the Latisse commercial flaunting Brooke Shields gorgeous face. Not being blessed with long luscious eyelashes, I rely on many swipes of mascara and an eye lash curler. After using LiLash, an eyelash enhancer for a few months, my eyelashes are now longer and even fuller. Maybe not the best for keep your eyelids moisturized but who doesn’t want longer luxurious lashes this winter?

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils

Go from drab greys to rock out purples, blues and greens with the Urban Decay Glide-On Pencil. If you’re sick of using the same shades of grey and beige, just like this winter seems to feel – try these. The strong pigmented colors, moisturizing feel and waterproof formula are the perfect combination for brightening up your eyelids.

Stay warm and pretty!

Megan Giannini
{ Guest Blogger }

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Guest Blogger: Todd Shrider on How to Wear your Hair for Work

How to Style Your Hair for Work:

Whether you’re an early riser or a snooze-button addict, styling your hair before work is most likely not on your top ten list of favorite things to do. Here are my top tips to make this morning routine a success!

1. Good product leads to great results.

Whatever your hair type, there is a shampoo and conditioner for you. Laura has fine hair that is slightly dry due to the demands of a Midwest winter. Today we’re going to use Sebastian Volupt Shampoo and Conditioner which will boost her volume during styling. Will follow that up with Sebastian Whipped Creme to add moisture and some flexibility while drying, then we’ll set the style with Sebastian Re-Shaper .

We first wet the hair, and gently shampoo with VOLUPT Boosting Shampoo. After thoroughly rinsing the hair, we quickly wring it out with a hand towel to prep the hair for conditioning. This extra step make sure the conditioner penetrates the hair shaft and doesn’t slip directly down your shower drain.

2. When it comes to product, less is more.

No matter what the hair type, the number one issue people run into when styling their hair is the use of too much and/or too many products. Generally one wet styling product is good enough. For Laura we used about a golf ball sized of Sebastian WHIPPED CREME, first applied by hand and then evenly distributed with a wide tooth comb.

3 to 5. Dry, then style.

When attempting a successful blowout we’re not trying to hit two birds with one stone. You should always dry your hair completely and then style.

Laura starts first with her bangs, drying in the opposite direction from which they will lay. She then blows them back in the direction she would like them to set, always focusing the heat on the root. This helps insure the correct amount of volume and also works out any hair growth pattern problems she might have. The reason we dry the bangs first is so they don’t dry themselves. Dry bangs have a mind of their own.

After ensuring the bangs are dry, Laura uses the brush to dry the rest of her hair. She always wraps the hair to the shape of her head, always drying against the pull of gravity. Another drying tip is to always hold the dryer still, moving in smooth motions. Shaking the dryer creates friction in the hair and causes frizzy results.

6. Keep it simple, sexy.

The work day hair-do should always be simple and attractive. Unless your job inspires it you should save the over the top styling for your next night out.

Laura now switches to a round brush, clipping the top layer of hair out of the way, working the perimiter and rounding the hair under. When she’s finished with the lower section of hair, she removes the top layer of hair and continues to round it under. Each time she uses the round brush she starts with heat until the hair is warm throughout and then she finishes the section with a shot of cold air. This helps the hair remember it’s shape.

7. Set the style

After styling the hair, Laura brushes the hair into its final position and sets it with Sebastian RE-SHAPER. This is a hairspray that is good enough for the runway, but workable enough for your morning routine – it provides enough hold for the most difficult textures. At this point Laura makes sure to hold the spray at arm’s length so as not to douse any one section with too much product.

8. Happy Laura

Finally Laura is happy with her hair style!

As a stylist, I always suggest to my clients that they first practice styling their hair when there isn’t a time crunch – like when you’re trying to avoid that blind date your friend insists you go on. This ensures you learn the technique and takes minutes away from styling time in the rush to get to work.

Having Trouble?

Call me at DL Salon and we’ll get you in for a blow dry lesson to put you on the right track.

About Todd M. Shrider

As a hairstylist by day at DL Salon and renegade artist by night I am always looking for ways to improve my art. For those I work with that means bleeding edge creativity translated for their needs and expectations. As a way of translating my creative needs and urges I’ve recently started blogging at ahairguy.com.

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Kimmie’s Pre-Weekend Pretty-Up: Old School

We’re living in a constant beauty revolution.  From twirling battery-operated mascaras to self-scrubbing face-cleansing pads, we’re always getting bombarded by new products and ways to use them.  Change is good; new things are awesome.  But what about the products that came before them?  Some of the best beauty artifacts have fallen by the wayside, and this week I’m profiling four old-school products that deserve to make a big comeback.

For your body: Made in Vermont, Bag Balm’s original (and still widely recognized) purpose was for farmers, who used the product to prevent chapping on their cows’ udders.  Farmers then realized how soft their skin got over time and use of the product, and thus Bag Balm became an extraordinarily low-tech solution to a multitude of skin problems.  The formula hasn’t changed since 1899, and it literally works on everything – cuts, scrapes, sunburns, mosquito bites, dry hands, chapped lips, cracked heels – you name it, this stuff has you covered.  In my opinion, the smell is a little funky; it’s got an ointment-like scent.  However, that never stopped my mother from slathering it on me as a kid, and it hasn’t stopped me from always having it on hand now!  Bonus: it comes in a super-cute tin with cows on it – who can argue with that?

For your lips: Founded in 1895, the Rosebud Perfume company has been churning out great products for over a century, the most famous of which is undoubtedly Smith’s Rosebud Salve. My adorable 84-year-old grandmother sold the salve as a kid to her neighbors for 50 cents a tin – the price may have increased (about $6 a tin depending on the store) but the formula and classic scent have remained the same.  The brand has gotten a little more posh over the past 100 years and now offers a variety of scents, including minted rosebud, strawberry, eucalyptus, brambleberry rose and mocha rose.  And yes, they all come in super-cute, generously-sized tins.  I recommend sticking with the original formula.  This classic lip balm is soft, shiny and virtually colorless, making it perfect for wearing under lipstick or all by itself.

For your teeth: Before Crest Whitestrips, before professional dental bleaching, even before fluoride toothpaste, there was Eucryl Toothpowder. The original formula, which is a very fine and tasteless powder, was developed to remove dental stains caused by smoking.  A product of the United Kingdom, Eucryl is hard to come by in this country – my stash is an old gift from my British grandparents.  However, if you’re able to get your hands on it, Eucryl is definitely worth the $4 price tag.  With use just once or twice a week it gently buffs out staining and leaves your teeth white and very smooth, like you’ve just been to the dentist.  Warning: the powder doesn’t contain fluoride, so you’ll need to brush afterward with regular toothpaste to prevent cavities.  This odd yet awesome product definitely deserves to be tracked down!

For your nails: I’ve been hearing for years (mostly from little old ladies with kick-ass manicures) that dabbing lemon juice on your fingernails before painting them will make your polish last forever.  I finally tried it and did notice a decrease in my usually chipped-by-the-end-of-the-first-day polish.  I’d love to hear feedback from others who’ve tried this trick.  Looking for something a little more luxe but still lemony?  I recommend Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme. Okay, so it’s not exactly old school (the company celebrated its 25^th “Burt Day” in 2009) but it does come in an old-timey tin and works wonders on cuticles.  I especially love that putting it on over dry polish makes my manicure look shiny and super fresh.

Are there any old-school beauty tricks you love?  We’d love to hear them!

Cheers,

@KimmieTrubiro

Not Just Another Pretty Pro: Christi Thompson

Meet Christi, a “Pretty Pro” who’s been in and around the local beauty scene for a few years now as VP of Operations at a prominent Carmel salon. This running beauty keeps herself sitting pretty by always having her favorite lip gloss on hand. Find out what’s in her bag, her latest new beauty must-have and the trend she thinks can, well, go either way.

1. Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
I’m the business savvy VP of Operations at Salon 01 in Carmel, but outside of work I’m an avid runner, a networking and volunteering junkie, and just one of the girls.

2. If we peeked in your handbag, what would we find?
I carry around a collection of lip gloss that rivals that of any makeup counter, but I also make sure to stash my aviator sunglasses, a comb, camera and a stack of business cards in my bag too.

3. What are your top 3 beauty must-haves?
My Jane Iredale Peach lip gloss is always close by, along with a tube of concealer for quick touch ups, and my new favorite beauty tool is the Clarisonic Pro facial brush.

4. The trend/look I wish I could pull off is…
Thigh high boots. About half of the women I see wearing them look like ladies of the runway, but the other half look more like ladies of the night. Not wanting to fall into the latter category, I’m still a little hesitant to rock this look.

5. On any given day, you can find me shopping at…
J Crew and Anthropologie are definitely my go-tos, but when retail therapy calls, I’m liable to whip out my credit card just about anywhere!

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Reader Obsessions: Body Scrub

We asked our Twitter followers to let us in on their beauty obsessions – this is what one of them shared:

Jessica Largent is obsessing over this Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Eucalyptus Spearmint Stress Relief Sudsing Scrub …she says “it makes skin super smooth and smells fantastic!”  This stress relieving scent combines eucalyptus and spearmint and promises to help clear the mind and improve concentration.  It’s a sudsing scrub, so it’s super gentle but still exfoliates well.

Sounds pretty perfect for dry winter skin!

Pedre Watches

Fashionista Friday: Office Chic

As a recent college grad with an internship and job hunting, I’ve been trading my skinny jeans and motorcycle boots for trousers and button ups.  However, being a Sarah Jessica Parker wannabe, I’ve always got my eye on fashionable, office-friendly outfits.  I’ve put together two office chic outfits and a few accessories based on current trends that will make the morning commute a little more fabulous.

The first outfit incorporates the wide-legged trouser trend.  Being petite I didn’t know if I would be able to pull off this silhouette, but with some expert hemming (by my mom); the pants look like they were made for me and could easily be flattering on any body type (especially with some killer heels).  I paired the pants with an embellished cardigan.  Cardigans are classy and always work appropriate, but by getting one with a little sparkle, you’ll avoid the blahs that often come with work wear.  This cardigan is from New York and Company (www.nyandcompany.com), and they always seem to have cute ones with embellishments or ruffles.

The second outfit is more fabulous CEO; it’s a suit with a little pizzazz.  The best way to glam up any suit is to add a fun tank or blouse under the jacket.  In this ensemble I took an ivory tank that has fabric rosettes and layered it under my blazer.  Not only do tanks look really nice, but they also prevent you from overheating in the jacket.  Ruffles, color and patterns are all great ways to add a little pop to a stiff suit.  The other great thing about my suit (from Victoria’s Secret) is the skirt.  Pencil skirts are the perfect way to feel sexy, fashionable and office appropriate especially if they have extra special details.  The back of this pencil skirt has a little ruffle that adds a touch of femininity and goes well with the very feminine tank.

Now if you’re more classic when it comes to work wear or your office is more formal business, a great fitting button up tucked into a great fitting trouser is always chic!  Check out New York and Company’s button ups.  They are fitted to a woman’s curves and come in a rainbow of colors.

Besides clothes, there are a lot of smaller ways to FAB up your work wardrobe, starting with SHOES!  Like the tanks I talked about with the suit, color and pattern for your pumps are a great way to add some glam.  My personal rule (some offices may be a bit more strict) is as long as the shoe is closed toe or even peep toe, isn’t too ridiculously high and you can walk in them (very important), they are fine for work.  I am desperately craving the lingonberry suede Colin Stuart heels from Victoria Secret.  DSW is a great place to find inexpensive, yet still super trendy pumps.

One last office chic tip: don’t be afraid to play with makeup.  Now of course you don’t want to roll in to work at 8 a.m. with red lipstick, glittery eye shadow and cat-eye eyeliner, but you can play around with color.  Try a purple or pink eye shadow for a fresh new look. Currently I’m loving Revlon’s Color Stay eye shadow in Berry Bloom.

We spend a lot of time at the office during the week and personally, feeling fashionable and fabulous can make my day!

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Kimmie’s Pre-Weekend Pretty-Up: Prime Time!

I’m always looking for ways to keep my makeup looking freshly-applied all day long.  It seems that some women (I’m talking about you, award season red carpet-walkers) have the super-human ability to look glowy and shine-free all the time.  I suspected makeup primers may be the secret to such a flawless look.  For the sake of research (and fun!) and so you readers don’t have to test all these products for yourselves, I spent this past week buried in primers, up to my ears in “complexion correctors,” and slicking on every pre-eye shadow treatment I could get my hands on – here are my favorite prepping picks.

Face:

Daytime dynamo: The overall appearance of your makeup can change dramatically depending on lighting, which is where Benefit’s That Gal Brightening Face Primer comes to the rescue.  This pink-tinted primer goes on smooth, has a super-light feel, and looks great under any daytime lighting, making it perfect for those nasty fluorescent lights in your office.

On-the-go amazing: No time?  No problem.  As a “clear makeup,” Philosophy The Present can be worn under other makeup or alone for a flawless finish.  It goes on a little bit thicker than a regular primer, and takes a few minutes to set before you can put anything on top of it.  I’ve been using this product for years and still love how it blurs out little imperfections, minimizes pores, and fills in wrinkles – it’s like Spanx for your face!  The oomph it adds to bare skin is perfect for girls who don’t dig putting on a full face of makeup every morning.

Best deal: For a perfect matte finish that won’t dent your checkbook, try Avon MagiX Face Perfector . It comes in a generous size, has SPF 20 built right in, and is on sale right now for only $8!

Smoothest feel: For the silkiest start to my makeup routine, I was surprised that Sephora Smoothing Primer creamed the pricier competition.  This primer goes on matte, feels incredibly light and soft, and creates a great, easy-to-blend base for any makeup.  This is definitely one of my favorites.

Best for the beach: If you insist on wearing makeup to the beach or pool, or just want a healthy glow with some major sun protection, reach for CoverFX BritePrep. Its SPF 50 formula protects against both UVA and UVB rays, and the primer itself leaves skin with an amazing pearlescent glow.

No oil slicks allowed: For the girls who get a little bit of glisten after a long day, Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer can’t be beat.  Start your evening look with this primer and your skin won’t get oily, period.  As one of the gals who carries pressed powder around with me to combat shine, I continue to be amazed by the mattifying staying power of this primer.

Eyes:

Clear and simple: The most user-friendly eye primer I tried was NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. It glides on eyelids super easily and is clear, so there’s no need to blend it after application.  It makes shadow last longer and blend easier, and comes off with regular face washing.  NARS is a winner for its easy application.

High-def vibrancy: For eye shadow that pops and lasts all day, start with Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Original . This light beige-toned primer sets instantly and prevents creasing while making your eye shadow look more vibrant.

Super staying power: Super-blendable and very matte, LORAC Behind The Scenes Eye Primer was my favorite eye primer of the bunch. It goes on a shade lighter than my skin tone (medium-fair), which created a lovely canvas for my makeup.  It also made my shadow and liner last forever without smudging, and I even slept in it!

I’m constantly on the hunt for sneaky new makeup tricks, and primer just might be my new favorite prep product!  What are yours?

Cheers,

@KimmieTrubiro

Not Just Another Pretty Face: Beth Clayton

1.  Describe yourself in 140 characters or less: Indiana girl recently transplanted to sunny California. Writer, wine and food enthusiast, wannabe novelist, and one heck of a cross-stitcher ;)

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