Guiltless Pleasures

Spruce up your fruit intake this summer and enjoy summer’s bountiful treats! We know you may be enticed to snack on junk, but here are some quick snack ideas that will satisfy your cravings, while not making you beat yourself up later.

1. Up your water intake with fruit: Getting at least eight servings of water every day can be a challenge and sometimes you may be tempted to grab a juice on your way to work. Remedy this by slicing up your favorite fruit, like oranges and freezing them. In the morning, throw them in your water bottle for a refreshing ZANG to your water. You can even throw in some frozen strawberries, blueberries, lemon, or lime. The possibilities are endless!

2. Apples and honey: So you have a bushel of apples, but are tired of munching on one at work. Next time, grab the honey from the cabinet and use it as a peanut butter replacement. Less calories, but just as delicious.

3. Oranges with Cinnamon: A trick I learned from my wise Spanish host mother: slice up a few oranges in a bowl, sprinkle them with cinnamon, and let them sit. WOW…. Talk about an unusually mouth-watering combo. I felt like I was having a rich dessert without the unwanted calories.

4. Soy Smoothie: Growing up my mom’s favorite mid-morning or afternoon snack was always a soy smoothie. Depending on the fruit availability, she would whip up a smoothie using bananas (especially the browning ones that are too old to eat), strawberries, or blueberries. No guilty conscious and this snack will fill you for hours! Don’t like soy- replace it with skim milk!

5. Tomatoes, Olive Oil, and Oregano: Living in Italy taught me one of the most delicious snacks is also the most basic. It’s summer, so chop up those juicy, ripe tomatoes and drizzle them with olive oil and oregano. If you want more of a kick, throw on some balsamic vinegar. You’ll be licking your plate, literally! Want to make an easy appetizer for friends coming over? Just add some buffalo mozzarella or place the tomatoes on crunchy, toast up little bread-toasts with olive oil and garlic. E presto, we have a quick appetizer that’s sure to please all your guests.

 Lesson of the day, Mom knows best!

For more beauty tips, tricks and fun, follow us on Twitter @DEXNewYork

Stefanie Thompson

DEX New York Cosmetics, Inc.

Elizabeth Johns Grand Opening Party

 Wednesday night, Elizabeth Johns Bridal and Evening hosted their Grand Opening at her beautiful, newly opened three floor boutique in Morristown, NJ. DEX New York sponsored the makeup for makeup artist Asif Zaidi for Elizabeth Johns’s show of bridal and evening collections from Anne Barge, Carolina Herrera, Elie Saab, Junko Yoshioka, Lela Rose, Liancarlo, Manuel Mota, and Pronovias.

It was a whirlwind of excitement! After a last minute decision to attend the event, our Studio Admin April swirled me up into an elegant Helmut Lang body hugging dress in a shale tone and black pumps of course (always a girl’s best friend). Next, Dex whipped me into the studio chair at 4PM to glamour me up for the night’s event. He painted my eyelids Carnegie Hall Caramel and Bryant Park Bisque Mineral Pressed Eye Shadows, then he gave the eyes a fresh, clean smoothness that widened them and enhanced the dramatic black crème line that I rock everyday, okaaay!! And of course he used DEX Luxe Crème Eyeliner in Alegria.

For a final touch he used Mineral Pressed Blush in City Hall Terracotta layered with MoMa Golden Pink for a warm glow. I can’t forget about the lips! To finish off the look, Dex applied Coney Island Cotton Candy as a base with East End Perfect Pink lip gloss, giving me Pout and POW, subtle, yet sleek.

The set was beautifully designed with silver, whites and translucent chairs that seemed to melt into the scenery. Lime green and baby blue accented the room with little bouquets of white flowers.  Colin Cowie presented and opened the show with raffles and his brusque, British accent; simply smashing. The opening of the show had a James Bond-esque theme as two handsome models sat down lazily on couches to the side of the catwalk and gazed out at the crowd. The dresses left onlookers awestruck as beautiful models filed out and strutted their stuff to “Diamonds Are Forever”. As I sat next to show producer Deno Ferraro, his face gleamed with happiness and pride for the show’s success!

As for me, it was an amazing experience and world win of an evening. After all, what girl doesn’t love a black tie fashion show?

For more tips, tricks, and beauty fun, follow us on Twitter @DEXNewYork

Elizabeth Johns Bridal is located at 1099 Mount Kemble Ave, Morristown, NJ 07960.

Stefanie Thompson

DEX New York Cosmetics, Inc.

Skin Superheroes

Beach season is upon us and with that comes the joys and pains of days out in the sun. There is something so pleasing about feeling the sun radiating all over and warming your body. But then of course, there’s the brutal post-beach day sunburn to kill the rest of your weekend, not to mention the long-term damage of sunburns. While we cannot express enough the importance of protecting your skin during these blazing summer days (which should be protected everyday anyway), here are other ways to ensure your body is able to cope with harmful sun rays.

1. Eat foods with antioxidants.  Make the following foods everyday staples in your summer diet, because they can fortify your skin protection on the beach as an added bonus to sunscreen. Try adding more dark green veggies like kale, collards, spinach and broccoli, as well as tomatoes, carrots, watermelon or any other brightly colored fruit or vegetable.

2. CHOCOLATE- Yes, believe it or not, dark chocolate has a wonderful source of antioxidants, just remember to consume in moderation like a small square or a cup of hot cocoa.

3. Green and Black Teas- Whip up a batch of cold ice tea with lemon and throw in some frozen fruits like strawberries to make a tasty beach cooler.

4. Big Hat Diva- Over-the-top brim hats are in! Why not add one to your beach look and protect your skin while looking fabulous on the beach!

5. THROW CAUTION TO THE WIND- Whether you are laying out in the sun with that book you’ve been dying to read or absentmindedly watching fellow beach-goers, pay attention to the wind. You may feel cool from the beautiful breeze, but the sun is still beating on your skin.

For more tips, tricks, and fun with beauty and health, follow us on Twitter @DEXNewYork

Stefanie Thompson

DEX New York Cosmetics, Inc.

Drama 101: Eyes like Adele

The sultry cat-eye: some of the greatest women through history from Cleopatra to Adele have been cat-eyed. How many times have you felt brave enough to try the sleek wing that always seems to fill the pages of Vogue? This timeless look is sometimes a girl’s worst nightmare when the stroke between crisp and sloppy is small.  As a daily cat-eye girl myself, I do admit there are days I just can’t seem to get it right. Here are some tips on how to make your cat-eye clean without throwing your tube of liquid eyeliner in the garbage.

1. Use a sharp felt or solid-tip black liquid eyeliner or a cream liner like our DEX New York Luxe Cream Eyeliner in Alegria.

2. Curl your eyelashes. A cat-eye opens your eye and makes it look wider; compliment this look by making your lashes sky high.

3.  It’s about building the line, NOT sweeping it. This translates to a step-by-step process. Start by closing the eye you are about to do and place your finger in the outer edge of your eye and pull gently. This creates an even, steady area to create your line.

4. Next start your line midway between the inner corner and mid-eye and slowly following your lashes to the end of your eye.

5. STOP RIGHT HERE- The most challenging part of the cat-eye is the tail. Slowly extend the tip to your desired length slightly curving outward, but not too much (note: if your eyes are smaller don’t make too long a line!) Add slight thickness by making a very thin triangular shape at the tip.

6. Once you have the rough thin-line, go back slowly and make your line thicker or smooth it out.

7. Steadily connect the main line towards the inner corner of your eye. Be careful not to make it too thick, but more of a diminishing line as you get closer to the inner eye.

8. Try to avoid using colored eye shadows with a cat-eye. The cat-eye is elegant and clean, you don’t need any other extravagance added.

9. Practice makes PURR-FECT. You may not become an expert after the first time, but don’t give up and soon enough you will be an expert cat-eye applicator.

For more beauty tips, follow us on Twitter @DEXNewYork.

Stefanie Thompson

DEX New York Cosmetics, Inc.