2nd Day of Christmas - Nail the Perfect Manicure!

One of the most looked over aspects of your beauty regime might be right at your fingertips. You can look your best, with the best hair and makeup you can make, ith naked nails and overgrown cuticles, you may feel a little self conscious.  That's why giving yourself a great manicure, complete with a great holiday-esque nail color is a great way to make your look complete.

The most important thing to remember when giving yourself a manicure is to buy a cheap buffer. This buffing block (along with your file) is all you should need to give yourself a quick, 10 minute manicure. After you file your nails into the shape you favor, go over your entire nails with the buffer. It will get rid of any uneven areas of your nails and cut down on the sharp edges a file can make. I also find that by buffing my nails, I can make my manicure last longer.

Find a great base coat that will help your nails by conditioning them while you show them off. My favorite nail polish company is Zoya, who boast about having the longest lasting toxic free nail polish in the industry. They also have the fasted drying top coat around. Their base coat, Anchor base coat, retails for $8 and keeps my polish from chipping way longer than anything else I've ever tried. Coat your nails with a thin base coat and you will be ready to add the color of your choice!

Unlike most blog entries I've read pushing the new China Glaze holiday set, I will be sticking with Zoya and telling you about my favorite holiday set by them! Their Mini Glam Nail Polish Trio offers three sparkly colors perfect for this time of year. Although they're mini bottles, it'd be a great way for you to test out the brand. Colors included are Nova, Astra and Luna. Nova and Astra are perfect for the holidays, and Luna is great for giving you disco ball nails for New Years Eve parties! For $15, you can't beat this set!

After you choose the color you like best, add two thin coats to each of your nails. Clean up around the skin if you've missed your nail at all or gotten a little too wild with your brush by using a q-tip and some nail polish remover. Add a clear top coat to seal in all your hard work and your nails are ready to go!

Tomorrow is my last article in this series, and it will be a short one since it's Christmas Eve!

3rd Day of Beauty - Exfoliate Your Lips!

The key to perfectly pouty, soft lips is not only moisturizing, but to also slough off those dead skin cells. Think about it: no matter how much lip gloss you put on, if your lips aren’t smooth the gloss will just coat your flakes. Soft, plumpy lips are one of the most alluring features a woman can flaunt, but exfoliating your lips is something most women never think to do. It will change how your lips look in more ways than one.


There are three great reasons to exfoliate lips:

1. Ridding your lips of dead skin cells

2. Making your lips more susceptible to moisturizers

3. Giving your lips a great, natural color

There are some products out there that are great for helping you to exfoliate your lips. The key to finding a great product is to feel it on your own skin and make sure it’s not too granulated. I’ve tried one lip product in the past (I can’t remember the name, unfortunately), that had pieces of pumice in it. It had rhyolite in it, which is pulverized volcanic rock that doesn’t disintegrate or lose any harshness as you rub. I rubbed very gently, but still came away with little cuts on the outside of my lips and a bright red mouth for days.

The best lip exfoliants are products that have gentle emollients, usually natural ingredients. I’ve had excellent experiences with Be Fine Lip Exfoliator, and since it’s available at Ulta and some Rite Aids for only $20, it’s a great product to try. Pineapple, almond meal and sesame oil are some of the active ingredients in this product, and important ones at that. Pineapple has enzymes in it that help with exfoliation, almond meal soothes irritated skin (by exfoliating you’re actually irritating, on a small scale) and sesame oil acts as a deep moisturizer.

Another great lip exfoliator can be made by you! With some simple ingredients you can whip up a great treatment whenever you deem necessary. Take some olive oil and brown sugar, mix quickly until you see it become slightly pastey. Add in a tiny amount of cayenne pepper to the mixture, stir in and rub on your lips with your finger. It will taste a little weird, so don’t try to eat it, but it’ll be a great way for you to save some money.

I've also heard another method of exfoliating by using a toothbrush and a little lotion. Never tried this, but I think using a toothbrush would be a bit harsh on your lips. You never want to push too hard when exfoliating, and a toothbrush could definitely cause there to be more pressure on your lips than your finger would. Also, lotion might not be the best thing to ingest...

After exfoliating, always make sure to apply a lip moisturizer just to keep all of your skin hydrated. Try exfoliating your lips today and see how much better your lips look!

4th Day of Beauty - Moisturize to the Nines!

On a cold, blistery day like today, I'm reminded of how important it is to keep EVERYTHING moisturized: your body, lips, hands, hair, and even inside your body. My fourth day of beauty is for you to concentrate on moisturizing and hydrating yourself.

I've already discussed moisturizing your scalp and hair with a hot oil treatment, so that should all be in check. I've also told about my love for Carmex to keep your lips moisturized. Keeping your skin hydrated can be one of the most challenging objectives for anyone's beauty routine, mostly because there are so many products out there, it takes so much time out of your day, and it's a daily process that you need to keep up with to see long term results.

I'm sure you've all heard the talk about your skin being the biggest organ in (or on) the human body. Seriously, it's time to take care of your skin. I've made a pact to lather on the lotion every time I shower, and you should too. There are tons of body products out there, and tons of stores that claim they sell the best ones...but how do you pick something that's right for you?

Don't be fooled by price. Sometimes the most expensive products aren't the best, and there are cheaper alternatives that work just as well, if not better. My favorite budget body product has always been Vaseline. Vaseline petrolium jelly, Vaseline lotion...I haven't found something that treats your skin better.

I've been a fan of Johnson & Johnson baby lotions as well, but be wary: sometimes these baby lotions and oils don't benefit your skin as much as others can. They have no anti-aging ingredients, no ingredients to help tighten and tone skin, which is something you can definitely get from a Vaseline product. Try out Vaseline Firming for a great way to tighten and moisturize.

My hands are the driest part of my body, and since I'm constantly washing them throughout the day, it's hard to keep something on them at all times. I've bought tons of advanced and expensive This is where Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Lotion comes in handy.

It comes in a huge bottle at an inexpensive price ($9.99 for a 14 oz bottle, and perfect for your desk or over your kitchen sink) and stays on through a gentle handwashing. It comes in smaller bottles that you can carry around in your purse as well. Gold Bond has a wide array of products that are medicated, or not, and really improve the texture of your skin.

Lastly, make sure you moisturize yourself from the inside. Drinking water is the most improtant thing you can do for yourself. It helps your organs function better, eliminates toxins better from your system, and helps your skin glow. I know that they say you should drink 8 8 fluid ounce glasses a day, but for some people that is too much. Take your weight and divide it by two. This is how many ounces you should drink a day. Try to get as close to this number as you can! Drink! Lots of water! Cut down on the alcohol (I know it will be hard during the holiday season).

Make sure every day you think about hydrating yourself, and you will see the difference it makes in all aspects of your appearance and health!

5th Day of Beauty - Get Great Brows!

My favorite thing in the world, and the part of everyone’s face that I’m most critical about is eyebrows. It’s become a growing obsession…a joke between my friends and I that I can’t seem to break away from. I’ve found myself thinking critically about children’s eyebrows. After meeting someone new, the first thing I say to whoever I’m with is either ‘I like their eyebrows’ or ‘their eyebrows need work’. You thought I was kidding when I said obsession, huh?


Eyebrows truly frame a person’s face, and for me, are a sign of how well-kempt someone is. It takes only minutes a day to trim, shape, or manage your eyebrows once you have a shape that works for your face, and I can’t see how someone wouldn’t want to take that time to do something so simple that can change their whole face.

There are tons of products out there to help you get a great shape for your brows. From stencils to home wax kits, the consumer market knows people are looking for a way to shape up their brows themselves. Be wary of these products: failure to use them properly isn’t uncommon, and a slip-up with home wax kits or going a little too wild with your tweezers and a stencil can be catastrophic to your face.

My suggestion? Go get your brows done professionally. Getting your brows done isn’t expensive, and it will completely change the shape, thickness and appearance of your brows. They know how to shape them for your face, so ignore all the stuff you hear about high arches, round arches, etc. If you’re afraid of waxing, (remember, wherever wax goes, it must be ripped off) please be aware that waxing is an entire class in beauty school, and as long as you have an esthetician that is certified, you should be safe. Some people feel waxing gives you a harsher look and lines that are more severe, but I think if you go to a good wax expert you won’t have a problem.

For those that are wary of the hot wax that tears your hair out of your face, there’s threading. Threading seems to be a growing phenomenon – there are two threading booths in my mall alone. I’ve heard things such as ‘it gives you a softer look’ or ‘it doesn’t hurt at all’…I think it’s a bunch of bull. Anything that rips hair from the follicle is going to hurt, and unless the person is trying to give you a softer look, you won’t get one.

For those of you who don’t know about threading, it’s an ancient practice that involves thread (like, the stuff you sew with) which is twisted and pressed up against the hairs you are trying to remove. Often the people shaping your brows make you hold your own skin, or hold different parts of your face while you’re getting it done, which is kind of annoying to me. Tons of my friends are obsessed with threading, sometimes going once every week or two weeks. I think this is a total waste of money as long as you can invest in a good pair of tweezers.

To get great brows for Christmas, go to a professional to get them shaped. This will only put you out $10 to $15, and it’s definitely worth it. Right after your appointment, go buy a great pair of tweezers! Get a pair that’s slanted, not super pointy like a needle (they’re too difficult to maneuver). The key to keeping a great shape to your brow is to keep up with them. I’ve only gotten my eyebrows waxed twice in about ten years, and never had to go back again because I tweeze daily. Before you put on your eye makeup, tweeze whatever stray hairs you see. It will only take minutes a day, and saves you money and time in the long run.

Next, buy an eyebrow comb: totally inexpensive and totally necessary to me. These little brushes cost as little as $2, and that’s all you’ll need to spend to get something that works. Comb your brows into the shape your brow artist formed, and straighten them out so they don’t look all straggly. I’ve heard methods of keeping your brows in this position by spraying the brush with hairspray and combing through, but I don’t think there’s anything good about putting hairspray onto your skin. This can clog your pores, and often leaves white dust on your eyebrows. Not pretty. Instead, use a great clear mascara or eyebrow ‘glue’ type of product (my favorite is Modelco’s Brow Control) that can keep your brows from curling and getting all crazy throughout the day.

Before applying this, however, check your eyebrows and see if there are any areas that are a little too light. Being a natural blonde, I have eyebrows that are a little light in some spots. I know some women with platinum eyebrows (my mother for one!) that you can’t see unless you line them. Be wary of eyebrow powders, they don’t stay on well and can smear into your eye makeup.

I’ve invested in ybf Beauty’s transforming eyebrow pencil and can’t live without it. It comes in one brown color and changes to suit your color depending on the pressure you apply when drawing. It also has a great mascara wand on the other end that you can use as an eyebrow comb (who doesn’t like two products in one!?). Comb your brows in place and shade your brows with short, dashing motions. Apply lightly at first and darken if you deem necessary. Concentrate on giving yourself a nice, strong arch – it will define your eyes and give you an ultra-sexy look. After penciling in any spots that need some help, use your brow ‘glue’. This will keep your brows looking exactly how you want them throughout the day.

You will see a huge difference in how your face and makeup look when your brows are done. Use today to get your brows fixed up, and keep them in shape for the next couple of days so they’re perfect for Christmas. You will thank me when you see how much more amazing you look when your makeup is finished on the big day!

6th Day of Beauty - Concentrate on Your Eyes!

Sunday- the perfect day to relax after a stressful week of pre-Christmas shopping and festivities. Yesterday I spent my day baking holiday cookies I could give away as gifts…definitely exhausted after six hours of baking! Today would be the perfect day to treat yourself and relax for a bit while your man watches football (you can join in if that’s your thing, I’ve always been a hockey girl myself).


One of the biggest complaints women have as skincare consumers is that they want their eye area to look better. Whether it be shedding themselves of wrinkles, making dark circles disappear, or draining puffiness around the eye contour area. The biggest giveaways of your age, no matter how old or young you are, is your eyes. Your eye area is the most sensitive and delicate skin on your entire body and face, reason being it’s so thin and you have little to no fat underneath that skin.

You can be as young as your teens when you first start showing signs of aging around your eyes, especially if you’re not careful when cleansing and don’t moisturize the area well. I’ll give you a couple of reasons you may start to see signs of aging around the eye area, and show you some ways you can stop or delay that process.

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever seen people make with their eye area comes with cleansing or rubbing. Cleansing is something we do every day, sometimes twice a day, but women don’t necessarily pay very good attention to how they remove their eye makeup. Buy a great eye makeup remover, I suggest Talika’s Gentle Eye Cleanser, which cleanses and conditions your eye area at the same time. NEVER use a washcloth and scrub that area of your face! It’s a recipe for disaster in more ways than one.

The hardest rule I ever gave myself is to never rub my eyes. Rubbing your eyes can do anything from breaking small blood vessels around the eye contour area (which leads to dark circles or broken veins) to breaking capillaries within your eye. The more you rub, the more you break down the skin around your eyes, which will make it harder for you to fix after the damage is already done.

Dry skin around the eyes is also a dangerous beauty predicament. Dehydrated skin around your eyes can advance the aging process and show wrinkles very early. Remember when I wrote about the dry patch on my eyelid, and told about how I had a double flap of skin over my eyelid? It’s not an uncommon problem for those who have dry skin in this area. Make it a habit of keeping your eye contour area moisturized and this won’t be a problem for you!

I think ladies as young as fifteen to sixteen should start using an eye cream. I’ve used anti-aging eye serums since I was seventeen years old, developing a deathly fear for crow’s feet and saggy eyelids at an early age. My eye cream when I was younger was Clinique’s All About Eyes, an inexpensive great eye treatment that kept my skin in great condition for years. I’ve always been prone to dark circles under my eyes, and this cream took care of that while adding brightness to my skin.

I started using an anti-aging product not too long ago, Payot’s Rides Relax Regard, a great serum that takes care of first signs of aging. I love how great my eye contour area has been looking since I’ve started using it, and I don’t want to change it until I find something better! It takes care of my usual dark circles, as well as keeping my lids in tip top shape. My skin around my eyes is tight and soft, well moisturized and handles all cosmetics well because of it.

One of the newest innovations in the eye care area is the roller ball technique of applying your eye treatment. Brands from all price brackets are taking part in this roller ball, from Garnier to Clinique and Sampar. How does it work? The steel ball at the tip of the eye product allows for drainage around the contour area while applying. The product comes out from around the ball, and you apply by gently circling your lower eye and lid area. If you put your product in the fridge, this can be a refreshing way to apply a routine skincare item.

I’ve heard great things about rollerball products, mostly because you don’t do damage when applying the product with your fingers. Most women add all skincare products to their faces using either their index or middle fingers. These fingers are too strong to apply and eye cream, and if using these two, it can actually damage the area as you apply (kind of redundant). The only finger that is weak enough to apply your eye cream without damaging that area is your ring finger. I apply my eye cream with my ring fingers every night.

Today you should concentrate on finding a great eye contour care product. If you don’t have an eye makeup remover, go to your local drugstore and purchase one- you will see a difference in the area right away. The best drugstore brands I know of are Pond’s and L’Oreal. Be consistent with removal, and use a soft cotton pad with your product.

Curious about the rollerball eye treatments? Pick up a Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller (only around $13). If you already have a trusty eye care product, start applying with your ring fingers to ensure yourself you won’t cause any additional damage!

Start treating your eyes well this week and you will see a huge difference by Christmas! Enjoy your Sunday and check back tomorrow for a very important step in Fatal Attraction Beauty’s 12 Days of Beauty!

7th Day of Beauty - Treat Your Tresses

Christmas is a week from now! We're only seven days away, friends!

Around a week ago I wrote about how important deep conditioning is for your hair. Today, a week prior to Christmas, is a great day to treat both your hair and your scalp to a moisture bath. There are many methods of locking moisture into your hair, whether it be hair masks or deep conditioners, but not many of these treatments are good for your scalp. The most important thing to remember when it comes to hair is that a healthy scalp brings healthy hair, so you should really take good care of it.


What can you do to moisturize your scalp and hair at the same time? My favorite hair treatment of all: hot oil. There are tons of different hot oil treatments out there, and it can be difficult to pick the right one. If you go to Walgreens or CVS, chances are you won’t have as many options as you would at a beauty supply store. While VO5 treatments are the most popular and affordable, they aren’t the best you can find.

My favorite hot oil treatment is Proclaim Olive Hot Oil. At $0.99 a bottle (one treatment per bottle) it’s extremely affordable and available from Sally Beauty Supply. Coming from an Italian family, we are taught all the benefits of olive oil in the old country. My ancestors apparently used olive oil for everything…hand and face moisturizer, lip conditioner, even to help keep a regular digestive system…why wouldn’t we put it on our hair too?

To use the hot oil treatment most effectively, place the tube you choose into hot tap water to warm up. Shower and shampoo as you regularly do, and towel dry your hair once you’re finished. Open the hot oil treatment and apply liberally to your scalp. Work through with your fingers, again, concentrating first on your scalp, and then working through the rest of your hair. This treatment is even better if you have someone that can rub it into your scalp for you…it’s extremely relaxing, and who doesn’t like a great scalp massage?

Once you’ve worked the oil through your hair (use up the entire bottle) place a shower cap over your head and wait ten to fifteen minutes. If you have long hair, feel free to clip it up so you don’t have to worry about it falling out of the cap. I stay in the steamy bathroom while I wait for my hot oil treatment to finish. The heat in the bathroom helps the oil stay active for a longer period of time than it would if you were in a room temperature atmosphere.

Once your ten to fifteen is up, jump back in the shower and rinse out your hair. IMPORTANT TIP: make sure you soap up your back, shoulders, chest and face so the oil doesn’t sit on your skin and clog your pores. Once you’re finished in the shower, I suggest you give your hair some time to rest. Comb out gently with a wide tooth comb, and if you must blow dry, don’t dry your hair completely.

You will see a difference in your hair’s shine, softness and manageability. Your scalp will feel refreshed and comfortable. I try to do a hot oil treatment at least once a month, but in the summer I treat my hair more frequently to keep my hair and scalp protected from the heat and chlorinated pool water. The results last quite a while, and you will realize how helpful this is once you see the results you get!

Your scalp and hair will be in great shape for Christmas!

8th Day of Beauty - Detox Your Skin

With the winter in full blast pretty much all across the country, chances are your skin is starting to get flakey, dry and dull. Even if your skin isn’t looking that bad, now is a great time to detox your skin, clear out those pores and really get glowing for Christmas. By detoxing a week before the holiday, you give your skin enough time to completely cleanse itself and clear up any zits that may arise from the cleansing. My favorite way to detox is to use a great masque.


The first step to any skin detox plan is to cleanse thoroughly with your usual cleanser. I wouldn’t suggest you try a new cleanser right now, your skin may have a negative reaction…no one wants to risk that. A great way to get deep into those pores and exfoliate well is to use some kind of scrubbie.

I know tons of people who are in love with the Clairsonic- I have this tool but never really got into it. I hate charging things, especially when I need to use them every day. My personal favorite (and a LOT cheaper at about $2) is a basic Buf Puf style exfoliating sponge. You can get these from any drug store and only need a small amount of your cleanser to make a great lather on it. Scrub your face really well with this and your skin will be in great condition for the next detox steps.

The most effective way to open your pores is with heat or steam. Open pores means the treatments you will be doing can work to their full potential. Take a nice, hot shower and use a scrub on your body. My favorite is Perlier’s Pomegranate Scrub; it’s great smelling and really works into your skin. Take some extra time on your elbows and anywhere else you may have some dry patches. Rinse off well.

My favorite masks to purify and cleanse are clay based. I’ve tried tons of different masks that claim they will clear your pores and smooth your skin, but nothing really happens. The mask I’ve had flawless results with time and time again is Payot’s Masque Purifiant. This masque is perfect for oily to combination skin, helping to tighten pores and eliminate imperfections. This is great as a spot treatment to use overnight as well! If you don’t have a clay masque you can use, visit your local Ulta or Sephora and speak to one of the skincare experts- they can set you up with a product that will work great with your skin type.

Don’t be stingy when applying! Put a nice, thick coat of whichever mask you choose to your entire face, avoiding the eye area. I apply all the way under my chin onto my neck, making sure to cover my jaw line completely. Take some time and let the masque do it’s magic. It may be hard, but try not to talk for the fifteen to twenty minutes it’s on (this way it doesn’t crack). I would take this time to put a great moisturizer on your body.

Try a body butter or something extra thick that can really seep into that freshly scrubbed skin. I switch up body lotions all the time, but one of my favorites to use is also by Perlier, Mediterraneum Super Nurturing Body Butter with Sea-extracts. Don’t feel like waiting that long for the body product to seep in? Try a light, non-greasy fluide that allows you to get dressed right away.

After your masque is completely dry, remove with a soft terry washcloth and warm water. Your skin will feel completely retexturized, smoothed and tight. I always use an astringent or toner to make sure I’ve gotten the entire product off before moisturizing. When you wash off your masque, you will need to apply a cream to rehydrate and restore some oils to your skin. Use your regular moisturizer on your face, neck and décolleté.

There are tons of other products you can use to detox your skin, including peels, foaming masques and serums. When I don’t feel like waiting for my masque to dry, I use Sampar’s Equalizing Foam Peel to detox my skin. It’s a two minute treatment that uses essential oils and probiotics to rid your face of dead skin cells.

Try out some different products and see what works best for you. While some products can cause a negative reaction at first, (afterall, you are trying to rid your pores of all that dirt and oil) clay masques are usually gentle but effective enough for all skin types. By giving your face and body great treatments, your skin will be radiant for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!