The Elizabeth and James Nirvana fragrance comes in a dry shampoo, and it’s my absolute favorite. It’s an aerosol spray and it does come out white, so you rub it in. I like to spray it, wait a few moments and then “massage the scalp,” as they say. The whole point of dry shampoo is to soak up oiliness so that you don’t have to wash your hair as often. The added bonus is that it adds volume to your hair. You can use it for that even on days when your hair is freshly washed.
I’ve been using Nirvana White for a while; I bought the mini bottle of the new(ish) rose scent during the VIB sale at Sephora and I like it even more. The first time I wore it, I kept getting a whiff of it throughout the day and wondering what the awesome smell was. Highly recommend!
Read MoreTonight me and five readers are getting a private makeup class from a Bobbi Brown makeup artist. I’m super excited to hangout with everyone and give some things away. I’ll be posting about it on Instagram if you want to follow along.
I got to join in on a seasonal training with Bobbi Brown’s artistry education team and hear about the latest products coming for Summer. Here are the ones I’m excited about: 
After an overview of where the company is at including details on Bobbi Brown’s retirement (What?! This was the first I’ve heard of that.), Deanna and Sarah got into the newest product launch – Remedies.
Everything was laid out in stations for us to try.
Remedies are ” the perfect fusion of beauty and wellness – the ultimate skin enhancer.” They’re meant to supplement your skincare routine for specific concerns.
Skin Reviver | $45 | Nordstrom is full of antioxidants meant to improve skin’s health with regular use. It’s not meant for a specific skin type but can be used on anyone.
Skin Moisture Solution | $45 | Nordstrom is a moisturizing serum for severely dry skin. It’s made with Hyaluronic acid which acts like a sponge to draw moisture into the skin. This was one of my favorites. I love moisture in the form of a serum verses a heavy cream. They suggested pairing this with the Hydrating Face Cream and Extra SPD 25 Tinted Moisturizing Balm.
Skin Fortifier | $45 | Nordstrom is rich in lipids, which fill-in the skin’s moisture barrier and restore skins ability to repair itself. It’s meant to keep moisture in and toxins out. They recommend using it with the Extra Repair Nourishing Milk and the Intensive Serum Foundation (which I love).
Skin Relief | $45 | Nordstrom calms skin and reduces redness.
Skin Salve | $45 Nordstrom is great for if you’ve overdone it with the retinol or if your skin s just really dry and patchy.
Skin Clarifier | $45 | Nordstrom is my favorite. I like that it’s an oil consistency but it’s meant to treat/prevent acne.
You can get one of these mini sets for $35 at Nordstrom.
The Cheek Glow Palette ($50 | BobbiBrown.com) was my favorite of the day. I’d seen these on their Instagram and was crossing my fingers I’d get to see it in training. Each comes with a cream highlighter and a pot rouge blush. They gave me the Pink Opal/Homecoming Pink shades. This is so pretty. I use a foundation brush to apply the darker pink and top it with the lighter, highlighter shade and pull it up toward my temples.
The Art Stick Liquid Lip just launched last month. I got to try the shade Antique Pink. They’re squeezable, semi-matte full-coverage color. I liked mine so much I came back to get one in the shade Havana Coral.
And now for my all-time favorites:
Eye Shadows and Palette | $25 and $10 | Nordstrom These are the best and last forever
Long-Wear Cream Shadow in Goldstone and Greige | $30 each | Nordstrom I like to use a combination of these two – Goldstone on my inner lid and Griege in the outer corner and down and around under my eyes.
Skin Foundation Cushion Compact | $50 | Nordstrom So awesome. Smells amazing + pretty and dewy.
Cheek Glow | $50 | Saks So pretty and dewy
Blush in Pale Pink | $28 | Nordstrom The best blush. Super
Bronzer in Golden Light | $42 | Nordstrom I recently went back to this. I had been using Too Faced Chocolate Soleil but I felt like it was getting blotchy by the end of the day.
Lip Gloss in Bare Sparkle, Pink Oyster | $28 | Nordstrom I love that these smell minty. Don’t be afraid of the glitter. I wear it to meetings and everything. I think it makes the shiny look of the gloss last a lot longer.
Serum Foundation in Beige | $65 | Nordstrom The best stuff. Goes on so smooth and has SPF 40!
Art Stick Liquid Lip in Havana Coral | $28 | Nordstrom These are so fun. This shade is subtle and looks pretty with a tan.
GIVEAWAY Time!
We’re giving away Bobbi’s Original 10 25th Anniversary Lip Collection. When Bobbi created her original 10 lipsticks, the vision was simple—an edited collection of creamy-matte lipsticks in shades that complement any skin tone. From pale salmon to deep blackberry to classic red, all 10 shades are brown-based, which is the secret behind their incredible wearability.
Click below and fill out the form by Friday, May 12th for your chance to win! I’ll randomly select a winner and email you to let you know you’ve won!
And one more! Check out the Tiramisu For Breakfast Community on Facebook to see how you can enter to win this set too!
Click below to join the Tiramisu For Breakfast group on Facebook. It’s a place for Tiramisu For Breakfast readers to get news first, ask questions, suggest posts and make other beauty-loving friends. Plus, get bonus content and access to exclusive giveaways.
Today was the day of the brand new ad course, Content. These two wonderful women were part of a group of Chinese scholars that observed our class all semester. It was so special to have them. They surprised me with this Chinese tea and art that means “when you are at peace, success will come.” Thank you! 
A couple Sundays ago we had a Tiramisu For Breakfast Party at Kendra Scott in Richmond. I’m so thankful for everyone who came and for everyone who worked hard to make it special.
Carrie of Paper Rose Co. made this gorgeous arrangement. (You can shop her Mother’s Day Collection here)
Candy Valley Cake Co made these delicious mini tiramisu cups.
The sweet ladies at Kendra Scott printed out these photos of me and Kitty for the event. 
Alisha White of Makeup By Holly was there giving makeovers. 
And Jevata Herman of Canvas the Salon was there styling hair. She’s the best. 
Here’s my friend Tori playing with the virtual Color Bar. My favorite thing about Kendra Scott is that you’re able to customize/build/pick-out your jewelry in store and then have them make it right in front of you.
Five lucky people got to take home this little gift, which included a necklace from Kendra Scott, a bloom from Paper Rose, lip balm, coupons and copies of R Home and Style Weekly’s Black Book of Style.
The first customers! 
The lovely Melissa Chase stopped by and got this cute ring. 
The sweetest moment of the whole event. My friend Suzanne’s oldest daughter was doing her sister’s makeup. (Yes, that’s a Chanel palette) 
This is Devin, Kendra Scott Richmond’s events manager; she made the whole event happen and she’s absolutely amazing.
I would love to see what you got at the event. Post your photos and let me know what other events you’d like to see in the comments.
Thanks so much again to everyone who made this such a fun event!
Sephora’s biannual sale is almost here. Here are the details:
VIB Rouge members get 15% off from 4/18 4/24 with the code ROUGESPRING,
VIB members get 15% off from 4/19-4/24 with the code VIBSPRING
Beauty Insider members get 10% off from 4/20-4/23 with the code BISPRING
In case you’re looking for recommendations on what to get, here are some of my favorite things. Let me know if you have questions about any of them.
Read More
The social recruitment strategy we developed for the VCU Brandcenter is in full swing and it has been awesome to see new students being welcomed into the “brandfam.”
Students graduating from the VCU Brandcenter go on to work at Google, Facebook, Coca Cola and beyond. We needed to formulate a social strategy that was a reflection of the amazing talent coming out of the school in order to attract the right new students.
Our goal was to use this to create content that feels custom-made for their target, individuals aged 22-30. We worked hand-in-hand with the recruiting and marketing team of the school to create an effective and sustainable social content strategy. Not only did the Brandcenter see a 15.7% increase in requests for an application to the school following the campaign, they were also now equipped with a detailed content strategy built on insights from their audience and a plan for analyzing and optimizing on an ongoing basis.
We began our research by evaluating secondary data, an admissions survey followed by an audit of the school’s social media communications, an industry analysis, and finally, focus groups.
We used the feedback across all channels to develop eleven content categories that covered every aspect of the Brandcenter to appeal to as many different types of students as possible. We looked at common questions as themes and used that to inform the informational content we created. We incorporated a reporting structure that utilized monthly social media reports to identify topics and questions to address in info sessions, tours.
We learned from accepted students that getting their application package in the mail was a huge, life-changing moment…everyone remembered where they were when it arrived. We capitalized on this and captured this shared moment by branding the Brandcenter application envelope with a hashtag welcoming them to the #brandfam.
We found that prospective students had the same questions over and over about the admissions process and financial aid. The Brandcenter’s recruiting coordinator became the star of her own video-series, “Ask Hawley,” focused on answering those frequently asked questions.
Students said they had no idea how awesome Richmond, VA was. We incorporated content about the Richmond area into our social content strategy and even included a custom guide to Richmond in acceptance packets.
Not only did the Brandcenter see a 15.7% increase in requests for an application to the school following the campaign, they were also now equipped with a detailed content strategy built on insights from their audience and a plan for analyzing and optimizing on an ongoing basis.
Read MoreI learn so much and get inspiration from people I follow on social media. I’m going to begin sharing a few of those favorites with all of you, starting with Lisa Eldridge.
One of my favorite people to watch and follow is Lisa Eldridge. She’s a British makeup artist to the stars with an amazing talent in not only makeup artistry but also teaching and sharing her expertise.
I’ve learned so much about makeup and skincare from watching Lisa on YouTube – from choosing the perfect nude lipstick shade to how to give yourself a facial massage to the latest developments in Korean beauty. She’s a delight to listen to and it’s neat to see the guests she brings on. In her tutorials, she goes step by step and you can literally set the computer on your vanity and follow along as you copy her technique.My favorite videos are probably the ones where she talks through her favorite products. I have tried out several of her recommendations –Becca Shimmering Skin Perfecter and Dermalogica Gentle Cream Exfoliant, to name a few – and never been disappointed.
In 2015, Lisa became Lancome’s Creative Director of Makeup. (She created the La Rose à poudrer that I mentioned here.) and she recently launched a book called Facepaint about the history of makeup.
Her Instagram is full beauty products, her work, vintage beauty icons, her celebrity friends and her cats – Bertie and Teddy.
Are you a fan of Lisa too? I’d love to hear who you like to follow.
Read MoreWHY SOCIAL?
Social media can get a bad rap. It’s said to be isolating/fake/time consuming. It’s also often seen as a time-suck. So why should realtors invest precious time and money? Because with a good strategy and proper planning, you can overcome all of those to make social media a tool for marketing success and business growth.
Eric Morehouse of The Morehouse Group in Richmond, Va. admits that one of the biggest challenges realtors face is a lack of trust. Buying a home is the biggest purchase of your life, and your realtor is your partner in that big purchase.
Trust isn’t instant. There’s no single post, ad or photo that will win over potential buyers. By “putting yourself out there” on social media, you’re working to gradually build a relationship with potential buyers.
The way you build trust is through consistency. In this article, you’ll find tips for starting and maintaining a social media presence that builds trust through consistency and community.
Thanks to Tracey Gould for the opportunity to share this with the NC Realtor Community. You can read the full article on page 20 at this link.
Read MoreBeauty week starts today 2/16 at Saks in Richmond! Tara, their lovely events and marketing manager, invited me to come in and preview some of the products and freebies. There are so. many. freebies. Basically, almost every brand in the cosmetics department has a free gift with purchase.
I’ve been wanting to try the Clé de Peau concealer (especially since my favorite concealer from Bobbi Brown is being discontinued). It has a cult following and I’ve heard nothing but good things. Tara made me an appointment with Millie, the make up artist representing Clé de Peau at Saks. He walked me through the line. We talked about the history, technologies and formulas.
Millie confirmed that the concealer is Clé de Peau’s bestseller. There were stickers on the display for the awards it’s won. I learned that the company was started in 1982 with a vision of fusing French skincare with Japanese Technology (they’re one of the many brands under the Shiseido umbrella). He removed my makeup with the softest cotton pads (made with natural silk) and applied the nighttime moisturizer (Fun fact, day moisturizers typically contain SPF, which he didn’t want to use because it causes a white cast when photographed). He showed me the brand new Radian Stick Foundation, but we ended up using the fluid version. He used a cream blush in shade one (pink/berry) and a light bronzer. On my cheekbones, he used the Brilliant Enhancer reminiscent of the YSL Touche Éclat. for lips, he used the Radiant Lip Liquid (I loved the way this felt – almost like a lip gloss).
The concealer is supposed to be super full coverage and long lasting. I think it will be perfect for carrying for touch-ups. I’ll make sure to give you an update once I’ve used it for a while.
He also let me try the new Blush La Rose from Saks. How cool is this? The product is in the petals, and you swirl your brush on the rose and then apply.
Here’s me and Millie after the makeover. Thank you, Millie! (To schedule your own appointment with Millie, you can email him at menelik_glover@s5a.com or call 804-320-6969.)
If you’ve been thinking about trying something out or if you’re running low on any of your favorites, now is the time to re-stock. For the full details on each brand’s gift with purchase, click here. (I think the Bobbi Brown one is super cute too).
You can probably tell my favorite shade to wear and decorate with is white. A while back I asked on Facebook what people would like to see on the blog and my friend Molly wanted tips for wearing winter white for messy people. I say, say go for whites that are washable. Silky tops and dry-clean only pants are tricky because I end up needing to dry clean them after almost every wear. My favorite pants are a pair from the Scandal collection that The Limited did a few years ago. Those ones are no longer sold (I with they were do you could get them – they’re sooo comfortable), but try to find lined pants that are machine washable. My other tip for wearing white is to take them to the dry cleaners and have the back pockets cut and sewn. It always bugged me when the pocked lining showed through until I learned this trick.
Here are a few of my favorite winter white looks:
This sweater by Nili Lotan is so, so pretty. I saw it on Gal Meets Glam and it looks SO soft.
And here’s how I do winter white:
