HUUGE Shake Your Beauty Giveaway!!

Hey lovelies,
HUGE news. HUGE!! In this crazy economic climate, I really feel weird posting about, like, miracle mascaras, and trillion-dollar treatments. So, in a bid to lighten your load--and to thank my SYB Babes for their loyal support over the years--I'm starting Shake Your Beauty's first-ever "Free at Last" Giveaway Extravaganza!! From March through May, I'm giving away tons of free products from my favorite brands—-including Redken, Tarte, Bare Escentuals, Dior Beauty, Carol’s Daughter, Neutrogena and Bobbi Brown (and some hot fashion pieces from ChickDowntown.com and Ravinstyle.com)!

Here’s how "Free at Last" will work: Every Monday until the end of May, I'll ask a trivia question from SYB’s archives. The first reader to correctly answer will win that week’s giveaway! Come back on Monday, March 9nd to participate in the second contest—-and compete to win a pair of What Comes Around Goes Around's Vintage Boyfriend Jeans from ChickDowntown.com Good luck, vidas mias!

xoxo,
Tia

Avon Saves the Day

Hi Tenderonis,
Hair has been on my mind a lot, since mine is being sort of disagreeable lately. I've told you before that it's falling out, thanks to pregnancy hormone withdrawal--but it's also FULL of split ends. Who has the time or extra dinero to get a trim, right? Well, Avon has saved the day! Their sneaky-smart new Avon Advance Techniques Dry Ends Serum ($3.99) manages to perfectly mask my split ends while adding all sorts of glossiness and shine! This lightweight serum smoothes down frayed cuticles, creating the illusion of healthy, just-snipped ends. It works fabulously on both wet and dry hair, whether it's curly, straight or somewhere in-between. Here's how I use it: Every night, I rub a dime-sized amount between my hands, and then apply it to the last inch of my hair (DON'T coat the entire length of your hair with it--it's only meant for the ends!). In the morning, my hair looks uber-shiny and freshly cut. It's AMAZING. And for only $4, the value is incredible.


Speaking of value...Miss Jessie's, the curly hair product mecca, is having a sale on their amazing Creme de la Curl Cleansing Cream (was $20, now $16) and Creme de la Creme Daily Conditioner (was $26, now $16)! These two super-moisturizing, curl-defining conditioners are perfect for natural, dehydrated, naturally curly, colored and chemically treated hair (Creme de la Curl works best on thicker curls, while Creme de la Creme is formulated for finer strands). Enjoy!

xoxo,
Tia

Halle + Tresemme = A Badass Updo

Hey Ladies,
The Oscars! Spectacularly boring! I did, however, love the new way they introduced the acting Oscars. The movie buff in me adored seeing all those back-in-the-day winners together in one glitzy clump of talent and ego! Speaking of, Halle Berry looked particularly gorge as she helped present the Best Actress award, didn't she? She really has been so glowy and lush since Nahla was born (where's MY lushness, yo?)...and the chignon was LOVELY. So lovely, I did some digging and found out how her hairstylist, the much-sought-after Mara Roszak for TRESemme, worked it out:

1.) She applied TRESemme Thermal Creations Straightening Gel ($4.99) to Halle's wet hair from roots to ends, and then blow-dried it with a round brush.

2.) Next, she sprayed random sections of her hair with TRESemme TRES TWO Ultra Fine Mist Hairspray ($4.75), and curled them using a 1 1/4 inch curling iron.

3.) Then, she rubbd a dab of TRESemme 24 Hour Body Weightless Crème between her hands and raked her fingers through the curls. Next, she pulled Halle's hair into a pony, twisting it into a loose chignon and securing with bobby pins.

4.) After leaving out some sexy, face-framing strands, she sprayed the 'do with TRESemme TRES TWO Ultra Fine Mist Hairspray.

xoxo,
Tia

PS...

For those of you who asked for a new pic of La Lina, okay, okay, you twisted my arm. Here she is in all her giggling glory!

Free to be, well, FREE

Hey girls,
I know it's Fashion Week, and I should be raving about Jourdan Dunn's searing walk at the Marc Jacobs show, but I decided to give my ladies a special treat, instead. On this totally gray, totally economically depressed day, I thought it might cheer you up to hear about some fun new contests! It's kind of all about what you can get for free right now, isn't it? Here you go!


1.) GET LUCKY: Lucky magazine is looking for "real girls with style" to pose in fashion spreads in upcoming issues! To get your supermodel on, upload your most dazzling picture to LuckyStyleSpotter.com. The first 100 muchachitas will win an Ipod Shuffle! If you don't have a fabulous picture and live in the NYC area, stop by Lucky's office to get your photo taken on Friday, February 20th or Friday, February 27th! Just email Gina_Bulla@condenast.com to schedule an appointment.


2.) J'ADORE FREE STUFF: Throughout February, Spa Week and Allure are giving away Dior’s entire Spring 2009 Makeup Collection--an extravaganza of universally gorge shadows, glosses, nail polishes worth over $500! Click on Spaweek.com/content/promo/allure09 to enter.


3.) PASSION SHOW: Physicians Formula and Brickfish are sponsoring a "Share Your Passion" sweepstakes, which asks you to submit photos or videos describing your greatest passion. The winner, selected by Physicans Formula, gets a trip to LA for a makeover and one-on-one makeup lessons from super-fancy celeb makeup artist, Joanna Schlip (you also get a year's supply of all the stuff Joanna recommends for you!). The runner-up--as well as ten "Most Viral" winners--receives a fabulous swag bag full of Physician's Formula's top-selling products. Click HERE to enter!

Sessilee and Saran Wrap

Hey Ladies,
So, yes, it's Fashion Week! And sadly, no, I won't be bringing you SYB's bi-annual Fashion Week Beauty Wrap-Up. Since I can't imagine lugging La Lina around to the shows (all those lights! The noise! The fashionista germs!), I won't be able to give you my most comprehensive beauty overview. That said, I am checking out a couple shows, so I'll be offering you my two cents here and there. So far, I'm OBSESSED with the hair at Carolina Herrera (above, as flaunted by pouting up-and-comer, Sessilee Lopez). It's just so soft and romantic, you know? Totally timeless. Superstar hairstylist Orlando Pita created the loose waves by wrapping small sections of hair around a 2 inch curling iron, and then shaking it out. But first, he coated the ends of the hair--JUST the ends--with T3 Plump ($8.99), a heat-activated texturizer that helps the curl retain it's bounciness and shape under the crazy hot lights. Kinda smart, actually--I never thought of using a volumizer to help keep my curls (I mean, if anything I'm all about sleek-ifying my hair, not amplifying it). I fully plan on employing this trick when I rock the waves!

Speaking of tricks, I just discovered a fabulous one! I'm actually kind of embarrassed to bring it up because, the more folks I share it with, the more I've come to understand that I'm the only person on Earth who'd never heard of it. Every season, style powerhouse Glam.com hosts a suite at the Library Hotel around the corner from the Bryant Park Tents. It's a cozy little nook to hang out, get mani/ped's, and gossip with bloggers and editors in-between shows. Anyway, my friend Julieta from Glam hadn't seen La Lina yet, so I dressed my lil nugget up in baby Guess jeans, stuck a bow in her hair, and shamelessly showed her off while mama got a pedicure! When it was done, I expressed concern about getting creases in my pedi when I put back on my socks and boots (damn those cold weather pedicures). Well, the manicurist looked at me like I was insane. "Don't worry," she said, wielding a roll of Saran Wrap like a mighty sword. "After your nails dry, we wrap them up and THEN you put on your socks." WHAT? Did you know this? All these winters, I've lurched home from the nail salon in those flimsy flip flops, getting all kinds of frostbite! Okay, so you probably already knew the Saran Wrap trick, but I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention it.

I risk humiliation because I love you.
xoxo,
Tia

Flawless Face & Naughty Nips

Hey ladies,
I believe there might be truth to the old wives tale that baby girls strip the beauty from their moms, like tiny, super-vain incubi. I say this because A.) I'm leaving strands of my formerly lustrous locks all over Brooklyn; B.) My C-section pouch is getting pouchier, still; and C.) My complexion has gotten, well, WEIRD. By weird, I mean uneven-textured and slightly discolored in spots (my OB insists it's some very normal post-natal hormonal business). Obviously, I've been slathering on every glycolic peel known to man, but that stuff takes time to work! I found my instant gratification complexion perfector in Prescriptives' new Photocrome Light-Adjusting Makeup SPF 15 ($35). This extraordinarily lightweight foundation was actually formulated as an answer to the putting-every-pore-and-blemish-on-blast phenomenon caused by HD TV! It's blended with light-reflecting particles and pigments that make skin look even, super-smooth, and flawless in ANY light, all day and all night long. And the texture is totally dreamy--it's a cream to powder formula that's so weightless you'll feel like you're not wearing anything at all. Love, love, love. And I'm a person that usually LOATHES foundation of any kind. Absolutely perfect for a saucy Valentine's night--whether it's a sexy snuggle-fest or an all-night rager with le ladies.


Speaking of Valentine's Day sauciness, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't put you on to Agent Provocateur Titillation Duo ($40). As if Agent Provocateur, with their sizzling hot lingerie, could get any naughtier, they've just debuted this little kit. The duo includes a delicious-smelling Lip Plumper and, hold onto your hats, a NIPPLE REFRESHER. Yep. It's a soothing, scented little balm that makes your ladies look and feel utterly irresistible. I dare you. I really dare you.

xoxo,
Tia

Bullets over Seventh Avenue

Hey girlies,
First, let me apologize for being so MIA (by "so MIA," I am not referring to rocking the mic while crowning). It's been a particularly rich couple of weeks for me. After kicking the flu, I came down with a relentless, rude migraine that landed me in the hospital--and then I returned home this weekend to a completely crashed computer! Lost everything, including my temper. Don't look at me like that! I have a gassy three-month-old, I can't be expected to remember to BACK UP! Anyway, Sunshine installed a new hardrive last night, and I'm back in business. My mind is still a bit scrambled, though, so I must communicate through bullets.

* I haven't had time to properly peruse the gossip sites, but Chris Brown? I can't. Someone help me understand what happened.


* La Lina is now cooing like crazy! Yesterday, she let loose a smile-y stream of babble that I interpreted to mean: "I'm so proud of my kitten footsies! Will you please show them to your SYB Babes so they can understand how chic I am?" Only following her wishes, girls.


* The lovely nurses at the hospital kept putting these cold compresses my head--you know, the kind you shake up and scrunch and they miraculously turn cold? Anyway, they leaked some sort of crazy acid on my forehead, and burned the s&*t out of my skin. I mean, REALLY. It was a flaky, raw, red, chapped mess. I've heard from a zillion makeup artists that they always carry Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream ($25) in their kits for emergencies. Now, this vitamin E and antioxidant-infused cream is truly a multi-tasking miracle worker. Not only does it soothe and moisturize cracked, irritated skin, it also doubles as a cuticle cream and FABULOUS lip balm. And they just came out with a super-cute vintage edition (very Betty Page-luxe)! Anyway, the second I got home I slathered this stuff all over my forehead. Three days later, I'm not just healed--my skin is unbelievably smooth and soft. FYI, Elizabeth Arden makes an Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant Stick Sheer Tint SPF 15 ($17) that's kind of brilliant, too.


* Speaking of brilliance, the genius muchachitas at Tarte have just launched their Tarte Bottoms Up Lower Lash Mascara ($16). You heard me right...a mascara specifically formulated to sex up your lower lashes!! Honestly, it's like the Tarte ladies sit around and think, what spiffy thing can we invent that'll make women wonder how they ever lived without it? As you know, I'm deeply lash-obsessed, and I fully believe that everyone looks better after coating on a slut-tastic amount of black mascara--but the bottom lashes always pose a problem. Even if I manage to find a mascara that makes me look like I actually HAVE bottom lashes, it invariably gets all smudge-y and couples with my undereye concealer in a most unseemly way. This Lower Lash Mascara solves both problems! The brush is super-tiny and manages to define every single lash, and the formula is flake-free and smear-proof. Voila: a super-defined, sexy look that lasts all day. I've taken to using it on those short lashes in the inner corners of my top lid, too. Love this stuff.

* Seriously, with ALL the characters and ALL the story lines in "He's Just Not That Into You," they couldn't come up with a single person or couple of color? I mean, does Hollywood really think the world is this white? Shocking, really.

That's all! Love ya, mean it!

xoxo,
Tia