playing with clay

Need to brighten up your eyes? Even out your skin tone? Ensure makeup glides on smoothly? tarte's smooth operator™ Amazonian clay eye base naturally brightens your base.

Amazonian clay balances oily lids and hydrates dry areas around the eye. The waterproof primer leaves your lids soft and smooth, allowing shadow to remain truer to color and last all day.

I dabbed a drop on my eyelids and gently blended it into my lids. I really like the way it evened out my skin tone, creating a fresh canvas for my eye shadow. Its hydrating properties also made my lids look and feel smooth, not dry and flaky, so the shadow looked fresh and even when applied.

While it definitely is a great way to prep eyes for shadow, I really like to wear it alone. It just lightens the whole eye area and can double as a concealer if need be. For more info, go to www.tartecosmetics.com.

trish dish

If you like Trish McEvoy, you'll want to "like" Trish McEvoy. On her Facebook page, that is. Just click on the image here and “like” her Facebook page from NOW until January 17^th for a chance to win a special gift package. Whether you live for her pocketable fragrances, Irresistable Lip Gloss Trio or Deluxe Eye Shadow compacts, or just want to win a great gift, show your love...you could be a winner!

eye do!

No time to stop whatever you're doing and chill out with slices of cucumber on your eyes, hoping to feel revived? Skyn Iceland has found a way to firm, tone and de-puff delicate under-eye skin within ten minutes. The best part: You can keep texting, tweeting or cooking dinner while they work.

The Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels with Biosphere Complex ($45 for six pairs) are simple to use. Just peel off the half-moon shaped stickers and stick the pads on stressed out under-eye areas. After just 10 minutes, peel off and throw them away.

First of all, the cooling action really cools, so they feel great on your stressed-out skin. Secondly, they work on reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, puffiness, and premature aging. Who doesn't want that?

My only qualm is, why don't they come in a box of 100? Go to www.skyniceland.com for more info.

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eat healthfully throughout the holidays

Holiday parties and out of town guests don't have to mean lots of added calories. Celebrity nutritionist Paula Simpson offers five ways to stay slim during the holidays...and get a jump start on your new year's resolution.

• Eat a High-Carb, High-Fiber Breakfast!
  Make a habit of eating a high-fiber, carbohydrate-rich breakfast, to start your day more focused and energized. A half-cup of high-fiber cereal can contain as much as 14 grams of fiber, and some high-fiber bread has 6 grams per slice. Aim for a total of 25 – 30 grams of fiber daily to best stabilize energy levels. Not a breakfast eater? Try a berry protein smoothie!
• Smart Snacking!
  Look for whole grain crackers with nut butter (almond, peanut, or cashew). Or go for an all-natural protein/energy bar. Make sure they have between 10 – 15 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat, and 20 grams of carbs.
• Eat a Handful of Almonds!
  Like all nuts, they are a great source of protein. They are high in fiber and vitamin E and almonds contain more calcium than any other nut. Their source of protein and fat helps to satisfy hunger and energy longer.
• Choose Living Foods More Often!
  Living foods are alive, colorful, fresh, and raw. Plus, they don’t contain artificial ingredients and they provide lots of vitamins and minerals. Plus, most veggies and fruit tend to contain more than half water – so they keep your body hydrated.
• Try a Nutritional Supplement!
  If you can’t get everything you need via food during these busy times, consider an antioxidant charged nutritional supplement for energy, clarity, and to help minimize the risk of holiday bulge.

expert advice: interview with Steve Anderson, pro makeup artist

Ever wonder what it's like to be a professional makeup artist? Makeup guru Steve Anderson shares his insider view, courtesy of mysocialbeauty.com.

Q: Is working on a film set how you imagined it would be?
A: I have spent 25 years on Film and Television sets, and yes it has been what I imagined it would be, but every now and then I will be surprised with a new twist or event. All sets are NOT created equal.

Q: Any activities or special projects you partook in while in school that helped you get ahead?
A: That was a long time ago, but what helped me was to treat each project as equally important and give it my best efforts.

Q: Are they any other exciting projects on tap for the near future?
A: There are several films coming out in the near future that I had the pleasure to work on. “Conviction” with Hillary Swank, Sam Rockwell, and Mini Driver, brilliantly directed by Tony Goldwyn, where Makeup Artist Vivian Baker and I helped to create a very character driven true story that takes place over a forty-year period. “Stone” with Robert De Niro, and Edward Norton (I was his Mr. Norton's Personal Makeup Artist on this film). ‘Here After” Directed by Clint Eastwood, and I completed the film “One for the Money” starring Katherine Heigl and Jason O’Mara. This is a film based on the popular “Stephanie Plums” novels.

Q: What advice can you give to makeup artists aspiring to be in your shoes?
A: It is a very hard, competitive and fickle business... you really want to take this profession seriously. There are a huge amount of makeup artists out there now, and those ranks are swelling every day as new "Makeup Artists" are graduating from so many makeup artist schools. To rise above the throng, first know your craft as completely as possible, updating your skills as often as you can. Keep a professional attitude and a sense of integrity. In that I mean, act ethically with your dealings with producers, actors and other makeup artists. And mostly, love what you do. Have a passion for the craft and the work itself.

Q: What's the most useful beauty advice you were ever told?
A: Stay current, but use what works well, both with materials, and techniques... And never approach an actor without a box of tissues on you.

Steven Anderson has spent 25 years as a Journeyman Makeup Artist working on many well-known film and television sets.

For more great beauty stories, go to mysocialbeauty.com.

Get Set to Smooch: Enter Nivea's Kiss the One You Love Contest

Whether you're planning on giving your Aunt Esther a kiss as you walk in the door of her holiday celebration or snooching under the mistletoe with that special someone, Nivea's got you covered. The brand's A Kiss of Moisture Hydrating Lip Care SPF 4 promises uber-smooth lips with every application. But now there's another reason to keep your lips feeling soft and smooth.

Nivea introduces its Kiss the One You Love Contest on Facebook, a viral campaign that aims to bring together couples that may otherwise be kept apart this holiday season, to share their love stories for a chance to win the opportunity to spend New Year’s Eve together in Times Square. Facebook users can vote for their favorite couple and ultimately decide which two winning couples will be flown to New York City and prepare to be kissed when the clock strikes midnight. Two winning couples will experience one of the most important kisses of the year in Times Square during the world’s most exciting New Year’s Eve celebration.

Now through December 23rd, couples can log onto Facebook.com/NIVEAusa and share their stories of love and how they have been kept apart this holiday season on a personal profile page, complete with a (optional) photo and personal URL. The couple’s entry will also be viewable on the main contest page where consumers can view and vote on their favorite love stories.

Added features of NIVEA’s Kiss the One You Love Contest application include easy sharing capabilities featuring visuals of the couple so they can rally their friends and family to vote by forwarding their profile as well as posting contest details on personal walls and link to Twitter to capture votes. Voting will come to a close on December 23, 2010 at 11:59 PM and the winning couples will be announced on December 28th via Facebook. To upload your story and vote for your favorite couple, visit Facebook.com/NIVEAusa.

As the official sponsor of the Times Square Alliance New Year’s Eve Celebration for the third consecutive year, NIVEA will unite thousands of people in Times Square for one of the most memorable kisses as the clock strikes midnight. Throughout the evening, the NIVEA Kiss Platform will feature memorable moments to entertain the crowd. NIVEA will paint Times Square blue and white creating the signature “sea of blue” featuring New Year’s Eve accessories and NIVEA Lip Care products to protect the lips of revelers in Times Square as they prepare to be kissed on New Year’s Eve.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up for this exciting event on Facebook today at Facebook.com/NIVEAusa and beat the long distance relationship blues.

get your veggies

I've been dying to try the Yes To line of skin care products every since I read about it in WWD. It's such an innovative concept and sounds so good for you. So when Yes to Blueberries launched, I finally got my hands on it. I eagerly tested Age Refresh Overnight Hydrating Cream, Smoothing Daily Cleanser and Daily Repairing Moisturizer but I was somewhat disappointed. I just didn't feel like they did much for my skin and I didn't love the scent so I was reluctant to keep using the products. But before I turned a cold shoulder on the entire line, I decided to try some of the other Yes to products. I loved the rich, moisturizing effects of Yes to Carrots Hydrating Body Lotion with SPF 30, especially on extra dry areas like knees and elbows. I really liked Yes to Tomatoes Deep Cleansing Facial Pads, which left my skin feeling clean and refreshed. And you can't go wrong with Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Eye Gel (my favorite), designed to smooth and brighten skin around the eyes. It's even more soothing than the actual cucumber slices themselves. And you can feel it tightening and firming as it sets into your skin. Who doesn't want that? To pick your favorite vegetable from the Yes to garden, go to www.yestocarrots.com.