Beauty Blog NYC | Girl Meets Life | a lifestyle blog by Gracie Gordon

what i’m loving right now.

20 March, 2014 by Gracie 9 Comments

ombré lips.

For my birthday Erica got me this great dual lipstick from Bite, which is perfect for doing easy ombré lips.

It was so simple - I just did the dark (red) shade on the outside of my lips, and the lighter (fuschia) shade on the inside. It’s not as fancy as the ombré lips/tutorials I’ve seen on makeup blogs, but it does the trick. Voila!

ribbon hair ties.

ALSO a gift from Erica…thanks E

Um, why didn’t anyone tell me about these things sooner?! They’re so much better than regular hair ties as they don’t break or leave creases in your hair. Not to mention they just look cuter in your hair and/or on your wrist.

vaseline spray & go moisturizer.

Ok – this stuff is a game changer. I’m slightly OCD about using body lotion every day, and Vaseline Spray & Go makes it SO much easier. I still love regular body lotion and body butters, but when I’m in a rush this is great for quick application *and* quick drying.

I’ve only tried the Cocoa Radiant one, which I love – it smells like cocoa butter!

roasted veggies.

Nothin’ fancy or new here, just good old big bowls of roasted vegetables. I’ve mentioned before how roasting vegetables (with lots of spices) is the best way to make them taste good, and lately I’ve been making big batches ahead of time.

Smothered with some Annie’s Goddess dressing = perfection.

(I have a great guide to roasting vegetables on this post)

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What are you loving right now? Any of these things?

{natural} smokey eye makeup.

21 December, 2013 by Gracie 6 Comments

Lately I’ve really been enjoying experimenting with new makeup looks. I don’t know if it’s because of the holidays or just getting bored with my normal routine, but trying new colors, brands, and makeup techniques is just so much fun!

I often go with a dramatic smokey eyes for a night out, but I recently saw this tutorial on Refinery29, and it inspired me to try a more natural take on my favorite eye makeup look.

To achieve the look was pretty simple. I used three shadows -

FOXY and FAINT from the Urban Decay NAKED Basics palette:

and the bottom, golden shade from the Almay Intense i-color Bold Nudes kit (for blue eyes):

6 steps to a natural smokey eye:

1. I started by applying a base of the Faint shade on my eyelids with a medium-sized eye shadow brush.

2. Then I used a smaller eye shadow brush to apply Faint under my eyes.
It’s trickier applying to the bottom (which is why you want to use a smaller brush) – try to keep it from going past the ends of your eyelashes to avoid looking like you have a black eye.

3. Then I went over the top and bottom with a light dusting of the gold-toned Almay shadow.

4. I applied the final, lightest shade (Foxy) right under my brow for an extra pop.

5. Eyeliner is optional. I used a light brown (Cover Girl) liner.

6. Finish the eyes with mascara. I swear by Rimmel Lash Accelerator.

To make the look complete I kept it simple with some bronzer and a nude lip.

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What’s your go-to eye makeup look?
What makeup styles/techniques have you been wanting to experiment with?

my favorite hair trends + ULTA gift card giveaway!

16 October, 2013 by Gracie 152 Comments

Fashion trends may come and go, but great hair is always in style.

What are some of your favorite hair trends this season? A few of mine are…

sleek waves:

classic ponytail:

low bun:

tousled:

To achieve more hair looks you love, visit the TRESemmé YouTube channel and browse over 100 how-to videos featuring tips from top stylists on how to create the hottest looks, like the Headband Braid.

The secret to great hair styles is having your hair be in its best condition. Everyday styling can leave your hair dry and dull. TRESemmé and ULTA want to help give your hair a fighting chance by offering a free 1oz. sample size of TRESemmé Platinum Strength Shampoo and Conditioner when you purchase any TRESemmé product at ULTA Salon from October 6 – 26!

The new Platinum Strength Collection is a line of hair care products developed to fortify and strengthen hair. They repair up to two years of damage and reinforce hair’s natural protective layer for beautifully smooth hair.

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Want to improve the condition of your hair and experiment with new styles? Then you can enter below for the chance to win a $100 ULTA Gift Card!

How to enter:

1) Leave a comment saying what your favorite hairstyle trend is right now.

2) Tweet about the giveaway – copy and paste: “I entered @alagracie’s @ulta_beauty @tresemme giveaway! http://tinyurl.com/n6xjeoe”

You can enter one or both ways, but be sure to leave a comment for each entry in order for them to be counted accordingly.

The winner will be chosen on Friday 10/25 at 4pm EST. Open to US residents only. Good luck!

a workless week.

18 September, 2013 by Gracie 8 Comments

With Jessi’s wedding just two days away, I’m so glad I decided a few months ago to take this whole week off from work. I knew there would be last minute things to be done, and I wanted to help as much as possible.

Other than wedding errands and preparations, though, this week has been full of some simple pleasures as well.

…like Justin’s Vanilla Almond Butter. Um, where have you been all my life?!

…or this beautiful New Wave Caffe New York set I was sent from Villeroy & Boch.

How cute is that? It’s part of Villeroy & Boch’s “Cities of the World” collection. I especially love the mug, which has great images of the Empire State Building and other iconic NYC landmarks. It has definitely made my routine morning coffee just a bit more special.

I also managed to have a much more productive week than I anticipated. Nothing feels as good as accomplishing something you’ve put off for…years.

My productivity was thanks in part to an extremely clean (and de-cluttered) apartment…

(Hey Jess, just realizing you forgot this picture. haha)

…and energizing snacks like this Skinnygirl bar from my Bethenny swag bag. I loved this – it’s like a really hearty granola bar meets a candy bar.

I spent today packing for the weekend, and I paid a visit to my favorite girl Nadia at Arrojo to get my hair done. Fresh blondes – check.

Another great part of the week - as you may have seen on my post from Tuesday - tonight was mine and Jessi’s first Community Group gathering of the season. It was so great getting to know the girls in our group!