H'ween Party Envy!

Hi girls,
This morning on Facebook, my cousin Camille asked me what I was going to be for Halloween. "An uncomfortably pregnant person," I wrote. But that wasn't always the case. Until recently, upon Brownie's suggestion, I'd planned on wearing a cheap veil, blue eyeshadow, carting around a Budweiser and being a trashy knocked-up bride (Bristol Palin, anyone?), but in the end, I decided my ankles were too swollen to go to any parties. Instead, I'm going to wear an X-Large "Boo!" tee-shirt I got at Old Navy and hand out candy to the darling kiddies! But I'm dying to live vicariously through you girls. Write and tell me what you're going to be tonight!


In lieu of all the fabulous parties you're no doubt attending, I wanted to give you a great idea for a hostess gift. Anyone can bring a bottle of wine or champagne to a fiesta, right? Instead, make the festive choice and bring your amiga/o Philosophy The Haunted House ($30)! It's been my experience that EVERYONE loves a beauty gift, and this one is particularly adorable. It comes with a trio of yummy shampoo/shower gel/bubble bath combos in Black Licorice, Caramel Apple and Pumpkin Spice Muffin. I'm salivating as I write. And don't worry, it's not too late to pick one up...just hightail it over to your local Sephora. And be safe tonight, ladies! Have fun for me...
xoxo,
Tia

Exhaauuusted

Hi ladies,
I love you to death, but I can barely open an eye, let alone muster up beauty talk today! I'm the biggest pregnant woman who ever lived and I'm soooo tired. I swear I'll be back in a couple days with a great post! Stay tuned...
love you, mean it,
Tia

Blackheads be Gone

Hi lambs,
Those of you who've been pregnant know that it does some interesting, special new things to your skin. In my case, I haven't been so zitty--it's been more about incessant blackheads. So annoying. They've conquered my nose and chin, completely. Well, they HAD, until I became completely obsessed with Clean & Clear Blackhead Eraser ($19). Have you seen the commercials for this thing? Okay, it's this gently vibrating applicator thingie with a foaming, medicated pad attached, and it exfoliates away the dead skin cells and oil that clog pores, causing blackheads. Not only is it ridiculously fun to use, IT WORKS. My blackheads have cleared up at least 80%. It's fabulous!
xoxo,
Tia

PS...Fabulous contest alert!! Ms. Mimi if You're Nasty has teamed up with Elizabeth Arden and Brickfish to launch her "Design a Luscious Pink Dress for Mariah Carey" campaign (that name is priceless, BTW). The campaign, located at http://mariahcarey.com/fragrance/mariahcloset.html?=blog89f_mariah, asks entrants to design a sexy pink dress for Mariah. You can use your own design or the dress templates to create your masterpiece! From the winning design, three custom dresses will be made...one Mariah will wear, one for the contest winner to add to his/her own collection, and one to be auctioned off at a charity event for Breast Cancer Awareness. Prizes will also be awarded for most viral, highest score and weekly sign-up sweepstakes. Good luck, ladies!

Halloween Must-Have

Hi girls,
Would you believe I had yet ANOTHER baby shower this past Saturday (that's me and Sunshine, getting snuggly at the festivities)? That brings the total to three. I now feel like I should be enjoying a shower in my honor every weekend. Tabitha? 1969? Schanina? Where are my SYB Babe regulars? Is there such a thing as an online shower? I'm totally kidding. Anyway, my last and final shower was gorgeous! My two aunts and darling mommy threw this one for all my DC relatives, and it was a cozy, delicious affair replete with Creole faves like meatpies (courtesy of Laur) and jumbalaya (thanks to Brownie). Since I'm prone to gravitate towards little girls in family settings, however, I spent much of the time talking to my eight-year-old cousin, Aliyah, about her Halloween costume (she's undecided). Which brings me to today's beauty recommendation...


Okay, so we all know that when women get dressed up for Halloween, it's always the "sexy" version of whatever character we choose. Sexy Cat, Sexy Witch, Sexy Jo Biden, etc. No matter what you're costume, I've always believed that a slutty getup calls for the falsest of false lashes. The bigger and zanier the better. They just bring the whole fantasy-time look home, wouldn't you agree? Every Halloween, I have to wear one of Makeup Forever's Eyelash Strips ($14, each). They come in every style imaginable, from a demure Audrey Hepburn fringe to an feathered, be-glitterd explosion of fuschia. Don't be scared, ladies...this is the only time of the year it's okay to channel your inner Divine! And they're super-easy to put on, too. First, do your eye makeup--everything but the mascara. Then, dab a little eyelash glue on the back of your hand, run the strip through the glue (make sure it's evenly coated), and then place the strip along your natural lash line. Make sure you get it as close to your lashes as is humanly possible. Pres with your fingers for about twenty seconds, and voila! You're Tyra at panel!
xoxo,
Tia

PS...I couldn't wait to call your attention to the launch of a totally unique and thrilling new site for the rabid product junkie,
BeautyFix. Here's how it works: Every quarter, a panel of industry experts (yep, I happen to be one of them) picks out the hottest products in the land...and if you're a subscriber, you get the entire, full-size collection of faves sent to you in a darling makeup kit. It's already gotten tons of attention--WWD just covered the launch in glowing tones--so get your subscription on, today!

The Trick of Life

Hi ladies,
Siggghhh. I had THE BEST beauty experience yesterday. I treated myself to a whole day at the super-fancy, celeb-studded Paul Labrecque Salon and Spa. I had a luxurious, 90-minute pre-natal massage (ask for Lynn if you're in the market), and a trim & blowout with Labrecque's superstar black hair stylist, Yusuf. Adorable Yusuf, who has the pleasure of whipping Kerry Washington, Joy Bryant, Tyra and Naomi's locks into shape, gave me the best hair of my life. He also gave me a fabulous tip for relaxed girls like me with an almost-constant new-growth issue. After the blowout, he spritzed Bumble and Bumble Spray de Mode ($25), a non-sticky, ultra-light hold hairspray, all over a natural boar bristled brush (try
Ace Club Brush, $6.99)...and then, using quick, short strokes, he smoothed the brush over my hairline. I. Could. Not. Believe. The. Results. It honestly looked like I'd just gotten a touch-up. My roots were totally flat and impossibly glossy, and it took, like, two seconds! At first I was skeptical...as a rule, I don't let hairspray anywhere near my hair (it makes relaxed hair so sticky and unmanageable, I think). But Yusuf convinced me that Spray de Mode is actually so light that you can brush right through it. Frankly, after that genius hairspray/brush trick, he could convince me of just about anything. I'd marry Joe the Plumber if Yusuf said so.
love,
Tia

A MAC Miracle & 2 New Blogs

Hi girls,
I am so in love with MAC's new line of itty-bitty, bite-size eyeshadow duos,MAC Eyeshadow Suite ($16 each). They look like CANDY and they're equally irresistable. Each little palette comes with two shadows selected to perfectly accent and compliment one another. Hint: The larger shadow is the key shade, and the smaller one is the accent (blend it in the crease or along your top lash line for some oomph). My absolute favorite is Sweet Liaison, a fabulous everyday gold shadow with a deep, burnt bronze shade I've been wearing as liner (it's the one on the top left in the pic). Ladies, if you haven't checked out these adorable little eyeshadow nuggets already, get thee to a MAC counter, stat!
Kisses,
Tia

PS...I also wanted to draw your attention to a couple of new blogs from some extraordinary muchachitas! The first one is by my darling friend--and one of the most influential music writers in the biz--Margeaux Watson. After blazing through Time Out New York, Vibe, Essence and Suede (RIP), she's now working at the venerable Entertainment Weekly (perhaps you're familiar with her semi-regular column, "Margeaux's Hot Mess?"). Anyway, she's just been awarded her very own "music, news, and reviews" blog on EW's website...it's called Margeaux's Mix, and you can find it on www.margeauxs-mix.ew.com. It's totally hysterical and brilliant. Go Margeaux!!!

The second blog is from my jewelry designer/journalist cousin Allyson. A former writer for Hype Hair and Word Up magazines, she's now created She-Blogs at www.she-blogs.com. An inspirational blog designed to empower women to get their thing started, she features interviews with amazing entrepreneurs. Her first interview was with Karyn Parsons, formerly Hillary Banks on "Fresh Prince of Bel Air," and now the founder of Sweet Blackberry, an organization whose mission is to bring little known, miraculous stories of African American achievement to the widest possible audience. Loving that! Congrats Ally...

Q&A Thursday

SYB BABE: Foxijt

QUESTION: "Is there anything you can advise for long but thinning lashes? And PS...can we expect a return from "Joanne" any time soon? She's my idol!"


TIA'S 2 CENTS: Oh Foxijt, I loved Joanne, too (for those new to SYB, Joanne was the name of the cute but ill-advised bangs I cut last year). She was just way too high-maintenance and caused zits, so I had to peace her out. The last time I saw her, she was spending time on Halle Berry's forehead, so I think she's done quite well for herself. Now, onto the other half of your question. The good news is, I can help you with your thinning lashes! The bad news is, if you really want a product that works, you'll have to pay for it. The absolute best thing on the market for sparse lashes and brows is B. Kamins Eyelash Fortifier ($90), a high-tech conditioner that boosts circulation at the root of the follicle with a powerful combo of peptide growth substances, natural plant extracts and vitamins. This isn't some gimmicky nonsense, either--the Eyelash Fortifier was developed by Benjamin Kaminsky, a super-famous Canadian chemist and creator of his eponymous, prescription-level skincare line, B. Kamins. I haven't actually tried the product because, knock wood, I don't have a problem with thinning lashes, but the formula has drummed up some powerful industry buzz...and a beauty editor girlfriend of mine is obsessed with it (half of her lashes fell out when she got fed up with her eyelash extensions and decided to RIP them out). Now, if you just can't stomach coughing up $90 for your lashes, Talika Eyelash Lipocils ($40) is also a great option. Like the Eyelash Fortifier, Talika's version is loaded with plant extracts that stimulate lash growth at the root. To use, simply apply to lashes and massage into the skin at the base of the lashes. Follow with mascara, and wait for the magic to happen in a couple weeks!
xoxo,
Tia


PS...I had to let you ladies know about a fabulous Obama fundraiser my genius photographer friend, Wyatt Gallery, is sponsoring on his site (there we are at our friends' wedding reception last weekend...he looks adorable, and I look like a pork chop). Besides introducing me to my husband, Wyatt's also a totally accomplished lensman (love that word) whose work has appeared in publications like New York Times, Newsweek, Vibe, and Budget Travel--also, his "After the Storm" series of Katrina photographs just won a slew of fancy awards. He's totally a genius, this one. Anyway, he's doing a sale of his photos and giving 50% to Obama! In the first two hours of the sale, he raised over a grand, so he's no joke! Check out his gorgeous work at www.wyattgallery.com/obama, and for more info on the sale, click on www.my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/wyattgallery.

A great twofer

Hi girls,
The things no one ever tells you about pregnancy. Once you hit 7 months, it takes Herculean effort to pull off/put on your own socks, put lotion on your legs, or take a bath (you'll never get back up again). So, I've been taking showers...but even still, I can barely wash anything below my knees, and shaving is more awkward than a Palin run-on sentence. Not that I'm complaining, of course! There's never been a happier pregnant lady. But it's definitely thrown a kink in my usual grooming sitch. Which is why I'm so grateful to Johnson & Johnson for creating their Softwash 2 in 1 Shower and Shave Moisturizing Wash ($4.99). It's a luxurious, skin-softening body wash that also doubles as a shave cream! I mean, yes, this is something we've been doing for years with soap...but as any card-carrying beauty addict knows, shaving with soap is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG (razor bump central). No, this two-in-one wash leaves your legs so moisturized you'll barely need lotion afterwards. So smart. And even though it doesn't come with a little person that'll shave my legs for me, I'm totally delighted by the two-in-oneness of it all. These days, anything that combines two mundane tasks is gold.
xoxo,
Tia

An alternative to Flintstones...

Hi girls,
It's been a beauty editor secret for years, girls, and I'm exposing it, here and now. Since the dawn of man, non-pregnant beauty editors have been taking pre-natal vitamins like GNC Women's Prenatal Vitamin with Iron ($8) to help strengthen their hair and nails. Now, I've always thought this was kind of an old wives tale--and just plain weird, to be honest--but since I'm seven months pregnant and enjoying the BEST hair and LONGEST, STRONGEST nails I've ever had in my life, I'm thinking there may be something to this whole thing. Seriously, my hair has never been this thick and lustrous...and my usually flaky, super-weak nails have been beyond-tough lately. It's worth a try, right? And besides, boosting your vitamin intake certainly can't hurt. Go forth, experiment, and report back with results!
xoxo
Tia