Beauty Gala would personally like to thank each and every one of you for making 2011 another successful and supportive year. May you all have a very Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, or whatever you choose to celebrate this time of year. May your season be bright and filled with peace, joy, and love inside.

I have always been a huge fan of Splurge Versus Steal, even when I was younger and faithfully watched every single episode of “The Look For Less” on the Style Network. And why not? Getting a steal means more money in your wallet with the same fashionable payoff. When I had the opportunity to pick out some “steal” items from Sears recently, I was extremely excited. After all, I have always been fortunate in my life to have the things I need, but I’ve never been a girl who could go out and spend thousands of dollars on an outfit, let alone hundreds. Since the holiday season is upon us, and everyone is looking for those special holiday pieces that add extra flare, I wanted to pick out extraordinary trends that I think will really stand out, and usually retail for a good chunk of money. To see what I picked out, and the Splurge Versus Steal I put together for you, read more…

One of the greatest last-minute gifts you can give to someone is a candle. It’s a simple, classic gift but remains timeless as the years go by. Studies also show that our greatest sense of memory is through smell, making it a very personable present to gift someone. Slatkin & Co is by far my favorite brand of candles. I have been purchasing these candles at Bath & Body Works for almost two years now, and own over ten of them ranging from summer scents like pina colada to fall scents like marshmallow fireside. One of my favorite traditions when I see my mother-in-law is to exchange Slatkin & Co candles, trying to guess which scent the other would love and doesn’t own yet. When I had the opportunity to include these in my Holiday 2011 Gift Guide, I knew I had to include these two lovely holiday-inspired scents. Not only do they smell cozy and warm, but they will burn for what seems like forever. To see photographs, and read what these two candles smell like, read more…

After battling through being sick this week, I found plenty of stunningly beautiful makeup inspiration online, with my favorite being a recent photograph I found of Katy Perry at an event. Katy Perry is naturally eccentric, and tends to be bold with her makeup choices, but at this one particular event she looked absolutely radiant. Glowing from natural bronze and peach tones, she looked young, fresh, and doe-eyed. I decided to use this photograph as an inspiration for a makeup tutorial here on Beauty Gala. It’s perfect for the upcoming holiday season, and really great to wear for New Year’s Eve, especially if you tend to wear more natural, earthy tones. read more…

The coveted Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette is here, and it has made a tremendous boom in the beauty community. This palette was released last week with the first shipment being 5,000 palettes. Within several hours, the palette was sold out, and I was fortunate enough to have gotten my order in! To preface this entire post, I do own the original and first Urban Decay Naked Palette. I have probably used that palette the most throughout the entire year of 2011, and so no matter how similar the two palettes are, I very much love this palette and I think it is completely worth owning it. To see photographs and swatches of this stunning palette, read more…

ybf Cosmetics Royalty Collectible Pewter Lipstick in Princess Pink is a lip color housed in an intricately-designed case that is embellished with glistening Swarovski Elements, each replicating the tone of the lipstick you choose. This lipstick has been going everywhere I go lately because it’s just such a gorgeous wearable pink shade. The packaging is by far one of the prettiest I have seen on a lipstick…ever, and this includes all those really expensive luxury brands of lipstick because when it comes down to it, I adore somewhat gritty, edgy looking pieces. To see photographs and swatches of this masterpiece, read more…

I’ve gotten a great response from several people saying that they enjoyed watching the vlog from yesterday. I figured I would keep going with these, though I can’t promise I will do one every single day. I actually find the process of filming my daily activities to be very soothing, and I love editing them because it helps improve my knowledge of video editing, and backtrack everything I did that day.

Feel free to leave me a comment, question, or video requests!

One of my favorite type of video’s to watch is “day in the life of” video blogs, also known as vlogs. I decided to put together a video showing you a typical day in my life, from morning until night. I know this is a beauty website and channel, but I hope to give you all a glimpse into my everyday personal life, as well, and get to know you all better.

Please let me know if you would like to keep seeing this type of video, as I really enjoyed filming this one and putting it together. I always love to hear your feedback and comments!