How Do You Deal With Bad Allergy

I know on social media we only suppose to share glam things but this is a part of my glam life. I don’t have allergies but my body ( #lupus ) think I do. All of my sinuses are infected so I always sound congested like I have a damn cold 24/7. Enough is enough, today I’m going to fight this like I have allergies.

What do you do when you’re fighting your allergies? I’m accepting suggestions & tips..

Makeup And Martini’s NYC Makeup Review On Pat McGarth Labs Lust Matte Trance


This is a fun blog post because the content was so much fun to do. Johnny and I have been flirting for some time now to do a makeup review video. Being in the makeup industry for 20 plus years I only know how to do is the artistry and not making videos. So it’s good to have someone who is stronger with technology. I have filmed numerous of videos of myself but when it comes to editing I suck at it. So they never get posted.  I’m excited about recycling the name Makeup & Martini’s, it was one of my theme’s at my makeup studio in New Orleans years ago. To bring back Makeup & Martini’s with a twist is actually pretty cool. So welcome Makeup & Martini’s NYC!

 

The first makeup review is on products by an amazing makeup artist Pat McGrath. If I am going to do this new venture then it had to be on something fabulous from a woman that I admire very much. Her newest makeup items from Pat McGrath Labs  is called Lust Matte Trance Trio.  Johnny purchased the trio called Vicious Venoms, they are dark like channeling your dark side. Think vampy gothic meets glamour. Here’s the video to see for yourself what the lipcolors look like on.

We just went for it, NO editing just one take so that it could be us being us. I hope you enjoy and support. Also, I would like to thank Finlandia Vodka for supporting me once again with vodka & glassware and to my daughter Envy for providing us with music. Most of all to Johnny for pushing me to do something that I would probably never have gotten around to do…can’t wait to film our second video. Also, follow us on Instagram at @makeupandmartinisnyc 

Hotel Review On A Quick Summer Getaway in Downtown Baltimore Inner Harbor

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Here is my hotel review for a new hotel in Baltimore.

While in Baltimore for the day with hubby I managed to get my work done while we enjoyed a quick couple’s afternoon. It’s been over 20 years that I’ve been anywhere near Maryland. For a short time I resided in Silver Springs and Wheaton, Maryland so when the opportunity came about to go to Baltimore it was a definite yes. I love how Downtown Baltimore Inner Harbor flirts with the downtown New Orleans scene around Poydras, Canal Street, South Peters and The Warehouse District. Lots of exposed bricks and beautiful buildings. The night life, the food, hotels and the eclectic vibe of the people gave such an experience. I always love visiting cities where I can walk amongst tourist and locals and enjoy the scene and the lifestyle of that city.

Our stay was at the trendy The Delta Hotel by Marriott Baltimore Inner Harbor. As many of you know I travel a lot because of my career, so where I stay can make or break my trip. It can determine how my energy goes if my stay is not pleasant. Because of my private celebrity clients, I’m always doing makeup in their luxurious hotel rooms. I have had my share of experiencing over the top accommodations from hotel staff and from being in hotels like The Plaza Hotel in New York, Windsor Court in New Orleans, The Four Seasons in South Beach, Wheatleigh in Massachusetts, The Villa Casa Casuarina in Miami, and The Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley.

Upon arriving at 9:30am to The Delta Hotel By Marriott Baltimore Inner Harbor I was greeted by two valet guys who was very pleasant and helpful with getting my luggage out of the car. When I walked into the lobby it was nice and bright, I was welcomed with a joyful “Good Morning” by the front desk associate named Kenya. I always remember a name when given to me. I was a little fatigued because I awake this morning at 4am and I was hoping that my early check in was going to be honored. When Kenya asked me for my name to look up my reservation I completely forgot that my husband Michael had the confirmation number and was already headed to his 10am GM Meeting. Let the panic begin but Kenya was very fast on her feet and advised me that everything was going to be okay and had me call Michael to get the confirmation number and to put my name on the reservation. Kenya was so helpful and put out that little spark right away all while keeping a smile. As she moved forward with getting me checked in and sharing with me great information about the hotel, Angela Wedemeyer the GM walked in, another face with a genuine smile. I’m thinking to myself my hair or makeup must look crazy because this is not normal behavior nowadays of establishments. Friendly employee’s in the morning smiling looking like they love their jobs. Angela started up a conversation right away engaging with me as a great host wanting to know about her guest. Like a great host Angela offered me a complimentary appetizer for lunch at the Tell-Tale Restaurant later today. Upon finishing up at the front desk here comes another friendly person, Stephanie Mervine, Director Of Sales. She stopped to chat with me about my visit to Baltimore and gifted me with a complimentary coffee from Zeke Restaurant inside the hotel. Each conversation I had with these ladies made me feel like I was among friends and I was staying over at their home. They were all happy about me being at their hotel. They shared any information with me that would make my stay exceptional and accommodated me with genuine professionalism. The way they treated me was effortless it wasn’t forced and this is what all businesses should take note in. Because I’m in the customer services field myself, I understand the importance of GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICES. Now granted if it was regular rush check in time maybe they each could not engage with me for that long but the acknowledgement I received upon checking in would make any guest feel special. As I headed up to my room even the lady in housekeeping smiled and welcomed me. Whoever does the training for this hotel did an excellent job because everyone made some type of a friendly gesture.

img_4834I made it up to my floor on the third floor and as I walked the hallway it gave the feeling of an art gallery with colorful light fixtures, stylish and bold paintings and pictures that were both beautiful and captivating. As I entered my room, I instantly luved everything about it as my eyes glanced every inch of the modern décor. I wanted to take in the feeling of the room and the selection I made for my hotel stay. I’ve been bamboozled before with hotel rooms not looking like the pictures they advertise on their websites. But I was very pleased with what I’ve seen so far. It was a perfect room for our stay and right away I wanted to capture pictures of the room.

 

 

After unpacking, and getting work done, Michael and I met up at 2pm for lunch downstairs at Tell Tale restaurant.  It wasn’t busy, I think we saw two other people there. A couple at the bar and 3 ladies at a table. Wasn’t sure about where to sit we sat ourselves before the waitress could seat us. The bartender Anna was assisting a customer with her food. Anna came over and apologized for not being able to seat us upon arriving. She got us a menus and took our drink order right away. Because my husband is a beer connoisseur he had questions about their beer selection. Anna wasn’t to knowledgeable about the beer so they walked over towards the bar together to see exactly what they offered. I just ordered one of my signature, a margarita on the rocks with no salt. Michael also managed to find him a beer of his liking. We accepted Angela’s complimentary appetizer and selected the Crab Stack which was DELICIOUS, it was crab meat, mangoes, and avocado. I should have order two of those because it was so good. She took our order which was the Crab Cake Sandwich and Michael order the Steak Panni both dishes again were DELICIOUS. The food came out hot, fresh and plated very well. Anna was a good waitress/bartender. She made a spectacular margarita just the way I like it without asking.  If I was a local who frequently the restaurant I would like to be seated at her table every time because of how she stayed engaging with us and how she checked in with us the entire time all while keeping that smile.

We then decided to enjoy the city of Baltimore which is a couple friendly city. Everything is in walking distance to whatever your needs are from malls, the pier, bars, restaurants. The weather was perfect, it was a bright hot summer day. After all that walking and taking in the city we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We were greeted by Anthony from the Front Desk, it’s nice when hotels employees check on you when they see you. Such a nice guy he seemed to care about how I’ll stay has been thus far.

For dinner we selected Captain James Crab House because CRABS are a must have when you come to Maryland. When I lived in MD, blue crabs was something that we always ate. I was so excited about dinner and when we arrived it was busy but not to busy that we couldn’t get a seat. We were able to pick where we wanted to be seated. As I looked around everyone looked happy enjoying their stacks of season crabs. We found a table right by the water. As soon as we sat someone came over to prep our table. A gentlemen name Jacob came over to take our order. A very nice guy, who joked right away with me about me taking pictures. I’m a blogger I can’t help myself. We did 1 tray of blue crabs and an order of calamari. Jacob brought over two sweet ears of corn and two bowl of soups. The crabs came out right away, they were nice and hot, the music was good and we just went in. Jacob checked in plenty of times and we were happy, relaxed, and enjoying the food and atmosphere. We are already planning on returning to Captain James with the kids so they could experience what we did, great crabs and relaxed ambiance.

It’s nice when your away and you get a comfortable hotel bed and pillows. Great mattress selection because it was heaven. I slept like a baby. For breakfast…down to Poe’s Coffee Bar. They offer locally roasted small batch ZEKE’s coffee with small bites to go. A perfect stop for anyone that works in the downtown area. You can get a Poe’s Avocado Toast or a tantalizing Cheddar & Bacon Waffle for breakfast.

Our day was perfect starting out with a great hotel, food, and weather. We enjoyed everything about Downtown Baltimore Inner Harbor. A perfect place to visit if you don’t have a schedule and want a getaway that’s not too far. Baltimore offers so many things and the energy reminded us of New Orleans and New York. If your looking for a new city to explore definitely add Baltimore to your list. You will be pleasantly surprised cuz I know we were.

If you like for me to come do a hotel review on your hotel let me know.

How to Host a Summer Soirée

I’m so elated to share this great article written by my bestie Beauty & Lifestyle Influencer Ilse with Live Learn Luxe It blog. Hope you enjoy cuz I know I did!

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Last week I invited some of my best girlfriends over to see our new place and have ourselves a little summer soirée! (Can we all agree adding “soirée” to anything makes it sound super fancy?) Our guest of honor was Notable Wines because when my friends and I get together it’s all about good conversation and even better wine!

Any time I know I’m having friends over I tend to go a little overboard with preparations. I clean with a good three days in advance and I love making the event extra special for them. Trust me when I say every little detail is thought out and I’m pretty particular about my menu.

With that said, I have 3 Tips on How to Host a Summer Soirée I ALWAYS follow:

To Read The Full Article On How to Host a Summer Soirée click here

Beauty Influencer’s Who Enjoy Working Together

 

img_4175-1When I start my week with my cousin (inside joke) Ilse then I know my week is going to be a prosper one.

What Ilse and I enjoy doing is working together brainstorming with each other on business and our blog. We love creating content together and we have hours of fun doing it.

Ilse has a fantastic blog called Live Learn Luxe It and we motivate each other when it comes to pushing one another on how to enhance our blog.

Being a Beauty Influencer takes a lot of work and commitment. She’s definitely more discipline about posting daily. I’m getting there you probably noticed that I do a lot of my posting all day on Sundays. Tomorrow I’ll post an article that Ilse did on her blog. You might remember me talking about it.

Wait…what do you think about my purple hair? Is it a Hit or Miss?

 

 

My Lunch Date With My Girlfriend At Little Pub

 

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Do you have girlfriends that you chat with a lot but getting together because of busy schedules is overdue. I’ve always said ‘Nothing Worth Having Is Easy” that’s with anything in life including a great friendship.

Well, Bethani is my girl, she is my ride or die friend. She’s beautiful, she’s glamxurious, she’s a business woman that knows her shit, she’s a fashionista with a killer body & arms. Her love for dogs in need, and her love for makeup, beauty, and cocktails is everything I look for in girlfriends. We just have so much in common that I enjoy our time we have together.

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Luv my Michael Kors sunglasses…can you see my purple highlights?

So my glow is Black Up Strobing Highlight Stick in Strobs 02 Medium 

On my way to meet up with Bethani I stopped to pick up sunflowers because I knew this would make her smile and bring joy to her day. Sunflowers symbolize adoration, loyalty and longevity and that’s what our friendship means to me.

Bethani selected Little Pub in Ridgefield because it’s one of her many favorite places in Ridgefield. Because she lives in Ridgefield it was a location for us to meet up at because I’m always selecting Terra of Danbury. We talked so much that we could not finish our food. But I did get to try their crab cakes, they were delicious! So lucky to have a girlfriend like Bethani in my life.

What do you like to do with your bestie?

 

 

 

 

Fashion Night Out In New York

img_4226​When you get invited to attend a Fashion Focus Group in New York inside the Gregory Hotel given by Caravan Stylist Studio you know it’s going to be a fun filled glamxurious evening. The event was hosted by Claudine DeSola founder of Caravan Stylist Studio, actress Alysia Reiner, and designer Tabitha. It was a large group of women talking about something we all have in common…our LOVE FOR FASHION.

I met up with my gorgeous date for the evening Mindy at Grand Central. Mindy and I met some years ago at a photoshoot. Mindy was one of the Connecticut Housewives models for the magazine. While doing her makeup we just clicked talking about makeup and our blog. Mindy’s blog is called Finding Silver Linings. I luv how we both have grown at the same time as a Beauty Influencer.

Having fun on the train

 


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Getting Audrey Makeup Ready For Her Birthday Celebration

 

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​Audrey is a client of mine that come to see me for all of her special occasions in her life if I’m available. I think I may have missed her one time but I always managed to make it work for her. After leaving the salon Audrey met me at my home after she got off from work. I made sure to have a bottle of Mionetto Prosecco ready for her upon arriving. The weather was horrible with a rain storm but nothing was stopping Audrey from going out to celebrate. Her friends also kept calling to check in that she wasn’t cancelling the party. I guess when you’re young the weather doesn’t stop the party.

Check out the ending makeup look, all she need to do once she return home is hair then get dressed….Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!

On her eyes I used Stila Cosmetics Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow in Molten Midnight and Jaclyn Hill Eye Shadow Palette from Morphe with FAB Lashes from Absolute New York

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My Fourth Of July Was So Relaxing

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Started my day really late, my body was so exhausted from the day before that I stayed in bed as long as my body wanted. I have learned with having an auto immune that you have to let the body rest.

Plus, the kids were not coming home until 7pm so I had all day to go food shopping at Stew Leonards, pick flowers, while getting the deck ready because we had dinner outside. The food was left for Michael so I had an easy job.

So here are pictures of my Fourth Of July. What was your day like?

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Feel Like A Sexy Brazilian Woman With Sol de Janiero Products

Ladies, Ladies, Ladies, this summer I might not be jet setting off to Brazil but I’ll get the experience of being a sexy Brazilian woman with Sol de Janeiro products. Finally, I have the secret of what those beautiful Brazilian women have been using for years. The ancient secret ingredients from the Amazon rainforest will show off all my curves the Brazilian way. In the aroma can we talk about it? The delicious smell of their premium skincare products comes from their beauty blend of using acai, coconut oil, and cupuacu butter. Sol de Janiero products are contagious, their collection will have you baring your body and soul. I should know I’ve been hooked since last year when I received a sample size of their popular Bum Bum Cream from Sephora. So let’s mock the Brazilian and care for our bodies like we are in the Hot Bod capital of the world.

Here is a list of the their entire collection. I’m sure you will find something that will excite you.

Sol de Janeiro Samba 2-Step Foot Fetish Care

A two-step dry foot care system with a Foot Smoothing Board and a fast-absorbing, non-slip Foot Fetish Cream to keep feet looking and feeling incredibly soft.

Sol de Janeiro Brazilian 4 Play Moisturizing Shower Cream-Gel

A creamy, lathering body wash that gently nourishes and cleanses the skin.

Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Crush Body Fragrance Mist

Body fragrance mist, bursting with an alluring pistachio and salted caramel scent to be used on body, hair, and lingerie.

Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Golden Body Veil

A body hair lightening system for the face, tummy, arms, legs, and back that transforms peach fuzz into a beautiful golden veil.

Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream

A fast absorbing body cream that helps tighten and smooth the look of skin.

Sol de Janeiro Açaí Body Power Cream

A fast absorbing daily dose of powerful antioxidants for resilient and radiant skin.

Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Kiss Cupuacu Lip Butter

A lip butter infused with nourshing cupuacu, acai, and coconut oil, leaving them soft with a dewy sheen that intensifies your natural lip color.