I’m so, so excited to bring details of this sweepstakes to you all! Have you ever dreamed of being a VIP at New York Fashion Week? Well, Kohls and Rock & Republic are offering you a chance of a lifetime! When I want to feel like a total rockstar, this is my go-to look. I pile on the eyeliner, the false lashes, and add some glitter to it. Want to have the time of your life in NYC? To enter, 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…

Around the holiday season, gift sets are in abundance everywhere, and for good reason. Gift sets, especially cosmetic sets, allow you to use everything you need in one. ybf Cosmetics is a newly discovered makeup brand that I am absolutely loving. I decided to use a ybf palette called Perfect Fit in “Fashion,” featuring four eyeshadow shades that blend together beautifully, as well as a lipstick and lip gloss. This palette allowed me to put together a gorgeous smokey eye that deviates from your typical black and silver eyeshadow.

The look is sophisticated, chic, and a little more subtle in color than your typical smokey eye. It’s perfect for any holiday parties you may be attending, and has the perfect amount of sparkle to it. To see how I achieved the look below, simply watch the tutorial above!

 
**Click here to purchase the ybf “Perfect Fit” Palette used in this tutorial**

On Friday, October 28th, my husband and I celebrated three years of marriage. Without getting too mushy on you, I will say that time with him seems to not exist, as it just simply flies by. We married on the beach of Kapalua Bay, in Maui, Hawaii, and it was the most heavenly sixteen days on the islands. Later that night, I wanted to make sure that I looked all dolled up for the occasion. I stuck with simple colors and shades, but amped it up with some sparkle and products that gave it serious staying power. If you’d like to see my anniversary makeup look, the products I used, and how I achieved the look, read more…

The trends at BCBG Max Azria for Spring 2012 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week this morning included a lot of color-blocking, tribal prints, and easy-going, loose styles. The clothes were absolutely stunning and flowed in a detailed, complex manner. Of course, as a beauty addict, I was watching for the makeup, hair, and nails. The makeup, done by Maybelline, was absolutely gorgeous with fresh, dewy skin, nude eyes, and very rosy cheeks. The nails and toes were also nude and done by OPI Nail Lacquer in Samoan Sand. To see additional photographs from this morning’s show, read more…

Today was a fairly lazy day in my house, and it felt nice. I did have to go to an early morning doctor appointment (on a Saturday!), but I got to enjoy breakfast with my hubby, and it was nice to come back home and snuggle with our dogs for a few more hours afterward. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at a great small local place we frequent called “Libby’s,” and they have the most delicious sandwiches and wraps there! Lately, I’ve been on some kind of orange/copper/peach eye makeup kick. I feel like it really brings out the blue and green in my eyes, and I’ve been enjoying it with matching peach lips which is really trendy right now. I don’t usually match my eye makeup to my lips perfectly, but I’ve been enjoying the matching peach shades. To see what makeup I wore today, and a full product list, read more…

I had several people ask to see what MAC “My Paradise” Cheek Powder looks like on my actual cheeks against my complexion, so rather than just swatch it for a post, I decided to wear it today along with my new MAC Bloggers’ Obsession goodies. This was just a look for going out during the day on a Saturday to lunch with my husband, and then shopping. I adore the way peach cheeks and lips look with green eyeshadow so I decided to pair Jealousy Wakes with Evolution Revolution lipglass from the Bloggers’ Obsession Collection and My Paradise cheek powder from Surf, Baby! read more…

A natural-looking, face enhancing, “Blushed Beauty” makeup tutorial. read more…

I love Sleek Makeup. In fact, I love it so much that I’m ready to pick up my three dogs and husband and move to the United Kingdom so I can visit the aisles of Superdrug in endless abounds. Of course I’m just kidding — but in all honesty, I am completely in love with Sleek and their products. They make incredibly high quality, pigmented makeup for extremely impressive prices. The catch is that they are not sold here in the United States, and you must pay for international shipping online through their website. The Mediterranean Collection is limited edition for summer 2011, and contains three brand new products: the Monaco i-Divine Palette, Santorini Blush, and Monte Carlo Pout Polish. I skipped out on the Pout Polish because I heard from several beauty bloggers that it had barely any pigment to it, but wait until you see the gorgeousness that is the other two items of this collection… read more…

TINte Cosmetics is an independent color cosmetic line, most known for their flavored lip colors in vintage slider tins and flavored lip shine glosses. Their lip products come in a wide variety of delicious flavors and scents, and add extra moisture with shea butter. The creator, Stacy Provines Reid, designed this line to be reminiscent of a simpler time, yet be sophisticated enough for the modern day woman. She has absolutely succeeded in creating fun, flirty, retro-licious makeup products that are fun to look at and use. The Match Book Kit in Blushed Beauty is a purse-sized palette containing everything you need for the perfect makeup look. In fact, I have a video already recorded showing you how to use this palette for the perfect look. To see photographs and swatches of this adorable palette, read more…