The lovely Megan McIntyre at DailyMakeover.com has assembled an amazing holiday gift guide. Follow this list and it will take all of the stress an worry out of what to buy your sister, mother and best friend. Which will in turn leave plenty of extra time for attending holiday parties and sipping on spiked eggnog.

Click here to check out the guide. Happy shopping!

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My face tends to be all one color. Without makeup I bear an uncanny resemblance to a CSI cadaver. So when I'm running late, I toss Stila Convertible Color (Poppy is my fav) into my handbag. It adds a fresh flush of color to my cheeks and lips. Plus the adorable compact has a mirror so I can apply on the bus on my way to work. I also always carry several atomizers of perfume in my purse because I rarely remember to apply fragrance before I leave the house. Right now I've got Prada Infusion d'Iris, Philisophy Amazing Grace and Bath & Body Works Japense Cherry Blossom fragrance mist taking up residence in my purse! - Daneen
Spoiled Pretty

I am always running late and lately my saving grace in the morning is Smashbox's Halo powder. This is bad but I actually apply Halo while I'm driving. When I come to a stop light I grind the fresh powder and apply, apply, apply! There it's a little bit of Bobbi Brown's Pot Rouge in Blushed Rose on the cheeks and on the lips and a little mascara while I'm at the Starbucks drive-thru and I'm done! - Carla Product Girl: A Beauty Blog



When I'm running late I love to use Clinique Superbalanced Powder Makeup SPF 15. It evens out my skin tone and gets rid of shine. And it is super fast and easy to apply. Make sure to use the right brush: TourQuam 3-D face sculpting brush by Darac Beauty is my favorite. I also can't live without Giorgio Armani Beauty Master Corrector & Giorgio Armani Beauty Precision Retouch to conceal dark under-eye circles. I hate when my lips are dry in the morning so I have to have some kind of gloss. My favorite is Philosophy Follow Your Dreams lip gloss which is part of their Supernatural makeup collection. - Marta Talking Makeup

COVERGIRL's new LashBlast Length Mascarda creates expertly defined beautifully separated lashes. The long brush provides more control, plus special product reservoirs at the top of each bristle grasp even the tiniest lashes to lengthem them by up to 80%. The clump-free formula contains nylon fibers, the same material used in expensive lash extensions, to extend your lashes without flaking, smudging or smearing.

You have to see it to belive it! Try COVERGIRL's new LashBlast Length Mascara in Daily Makeover's virtual Makeover Studio now.

As you are all probably aware I am undergoing a MAYJAH hair transformation. Back in February my stylist and I started out with shoe polish black hair and over the course of seven months, have transformed my locks into a luscious caramel color with some serious blond pieces. (To read the blog about the transformation click here.)

The responses I've been getting from people have been really positive! Everyone loves the new hair and I always get comments about how I look like a different person.

So yesterday I had a meeting with my vendor Sam. I was waiting for Sam when the CEO of the company came out to the front. I'd met him a few times before so I made eye contact and gave him a smile. He just kind of looked at me and went about his business.

About an hour later I was packing up when the CEO came into the conference room where I was having my meeting. He stood in the doorway asking Sam a question. I looked at him and said, "How are you?" He replied, "Good how are you?"

I found this odd since we do regular business with his company. I'm not going to lie, I was kind of offended.

I said goodbye to Sam and hopped in the elevator. As soon as I pressed the *L* button I heard, "LEES!! LISA!"

I thought I'd forgotten something.

"Yeah?" I poked my head out of the elevator and there was the CEO.

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry. I just asked Sam who he was meeting with and he said your name." He then regarded me. "Did you....did you dye your hair??"

"Yes."

"I didn't even recognize you!" 

"Yes I'm going blond."

"Ha. I'm sorry didn't recognize you." He then gave me a hug and went on his way. 

This is my first case of not being recognized with my new hair! And my hair makeover isn't even compete!!

I'm very particular about my fragrances. I don't like anything too sweet or cloying. But look on my vanity and you can find a variety of fragrances ranging from YSL Rive Gauche to Fresh's Cannabis Santal.

A few years ago I was looking over my friend's perfume collection and held up a small frosted rollerball of fragrance. It smelled divine!

"WHAT is this?!"

"Ooooh," she said very seriously, "that is Child."

"Um. What is Child?"

"It's a perfume created by this woman named Susan and she makes it in her house...or something."

It sounded kind of hoakey to me.

"Where is it sold?" I asked.

"I picked this up at Fred Segal when I was in LA a couple of years ago."

I lightly rolled some of the oil on my skin. It smelled amazing! Floral. Jasmine maybe? Definitely gardenia.

I looked online to see where I could purchase it on the East Coast and came up empty. The closest retailer was Henri Bendel in NYC.

I went about my day to day. I filled my fragrance lust with imposters; Calvin Klein, Donna Karan. I think I even purchased White Shoulders thinking it could match the amazingness of the fragrance oil I'd rolled on my wrists a year prior. 

Then two weeks ago I was out in LA visiting my best friend from college. We had just finished doing outdoor yoga at Runyon Canyon when she asked what I wanted to do next. My answer came out so forcefully that I thought I pulled something.

"OH!! CAN WE GO TO FRED SEGAL?!"

"Uuuh. Sure..."

"KTHX!"

"Anything specific you want there."

"CHILD! I WANT CHILD!"

"S-sure..."

I couldn't believe that after three years I was about to finally get my beloved fragrance.

I sauntered into the Apothia at Fred Segal and zoned in on the display. I grabbed the tester and dabbed some of the oil behind my ears. I breathed in and the fragrance danced through my nose. Not that am one to lay in a field of flowers on a cloudless summer day but if I were that girl I imagine this is what it would smell like.

I was so happy to finally be in possession of my very own Child fragrance! Best trip to LA ever! (Don't tell my best friend I said that.)

I have issues.

With my purse that is.

I'm always so paranoid that I'm going to need something that I jam pack it full with mostly non-essentials.

Here is my purse. It looks innocent enough right?

Here is an aerial shot of my purse open. I mean it looks packed but still looks pretty innocuous.


Here is a shot of the contents of my purse laid out.



As you can see, I kind of like pouches.

I have one pouch for my drugs (Motrin, birth control, the various meds I have to take), a pouch for my camera, although now that I have a camera phone I suppose I don't need to hoof that around with me. I have a pouch for my iPod, a pouch for all of my lip glosses (this pouch also houses stamps and little mirrors), a pouch for my mini perfumes and another pouch for essential lip glosses.

Then I have two kinds of deodorant. I'm not really sure why. I mean...do I stink that badly? I know it's summertime in NYC but still...Next is my assortment of tampons, which any normal girl would utilize a pouch to house these but I have them right out in the open. You can see my check book (I only write checks to pay bills so why am I carrying this around!?), hand cream, a bright green calculator, gum, car keys, a pen, a garage door opener for the parking carage of the office I no longer work at, a mini baby powder (whiskey tango foxtrot?!) a hair brush, my glasses case and two mini amentiy bottles of Fresh Sugar Lychee Bath & Shower Gel. Oh and my wallet.

Do I need all of these things? No. I'm well aware of this. But the thought of removing anything gives me severe anxiety.

I am so sick of listening to all of my friends complain about how heavy my purse is or make fun of me because I am bogged down in pouches. HELP! How do I downsizes?

By no means am I a morning person. It takes two alarms and three cups of coffee (and sometimes a call from my mother for the really early wake up calls) to get me going in the morning. In fact I was drinking so much coffee in an effort to wake my sleepy self up that I started to get raging headaches and at one point began to oscillate in place.

"There has to be a better way..." I thought to myself.

Naturally going to bed earlier would probably help my situation but due to my fast paced and frenetic life, those extra 5 minutes of sleep are precious and non-negotiable.

Not willing to walk around with an IV of caffeine jabbed into my arm I decided to try Mentha Body Vitamin Body Wash from C.O. Bigelow. A friend of mine was raving about it. She was saying that she uses it after her workouts.

"Well," I snarfed, "I don't do that. But maybe it will help me wake up in the morning..."

During one of my many trips to the Cape Cod Mall I stopped by the Bath & Body Works to pick up a tube of the Mentha Wash. I also grabbed a bar of the exfoliating soap because I am a sucker for anything that claims to slough off my dry skin.

A few mornings later, after making out with a bottle of Malbec by myself, I grudgingly peeled myself out of bed and headed blindly into the shower. I turned the water on and stood while the hot water squirted out. I leaned my forehead against the wall; my brain felt like it was filled with styrafoam packing peanuts.

After massaging my Moroccan Oil Shampoo through my hair I decided to give the Mentha Body Wash a try. I grabbed the green tube and squirted some of the gel onto my pink shower pouf.

I immediately noticed a cooling sensation take over my body. The water coming out of my shower head was probably in the 70's but it felt like there was a minty Arctic chill in the air.
I put the pouf up to my nose and inhaled the scent; I'm sure I looked like one of those cheesy Irish Spring commercials where the person's eye balls bug out of their head but that is really how I reacted. I couldn't believe how invigorating this product was. I had basically been a corpse before I got in the shower and now I was acting like the women in the Herbal Essence commercials. (Yes! Yes! Yeeeeeeeees!!)

I could totally see what my friend meant about this being a great product to rinse with after a gym workout. And if I ever join a gym again I will be sure to use it. But for now the C.O. Bigelow Mentha Body Vitamin Body Wash is my new caffeine!

In weather like this it is really hard to be a serious young professional when you're riding on the Path train and sweat rolls from your forehead down to your nose and onto your new J.Crew top. The other morning I spent forever doing my eye makeup because I purchased the new Murano quad from Chanel and I really wanted my peepers to pop!

Three seconds after stepping out of my apartment in Hoboken sweat started to bead at my hairline, which rolled down my forehead and into my eye causing temporary stinging. Just when I thought my eye shadow efforts were going to go to waste and start running down my cheeks, I reached for one of the many pouches that take up residence in my purse and pulled out my Shiseido Pureness Oil-control Blotting Papers.

Let me tell you guys something, I am brand loyal to about five things. These blotting papers are one of those five things. One day I'm into you as a mascara, the next day I've moved on to something bigger and better. I go through lip gloss like Amy Winehouse goes through cigarettes and I don't think I've ever used an eye shadow til the end.

But as someone with oily skin, these blotting papers are far and away a saving grace. 

As a matter of fact they saved my life when I was in China last September. I was busting around the streets of Shanghai where the weather was a balmy 98 degrees with roughly 5,673% humidity. My face was legit melting off. When I finally hopped into the van that was driving us around I took out my Shiseido Pureness and attempted to blot. 

It took a few of the papers, but eventually my face was dry.

The great thing about these particular blotting papers is that they are coated with a very light shimmery powder that leaves your complexion glowing, not sweating!

If you've been reading These Lips Are Made For Glossin' then you know I'm obsessed with mascara. I don't leave the house without it (yes even when I went to the gym I wore it).

You can imagine my surprise and delight when I happened upon the mascara tower at Sephora on Lex between 57th and 58th. I was merely browsing the tubes when I came across the Yves Saint Laurent Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils

"Well," I mumbled to myself, "This is exciting."

I read the text and it stated that this mascara gave the best false lash effect.

I placed a tube in my basket. I didn't need to know the price, just that it would give me a fake lash look.

After weeks of people complimenting me and saying how fake my lashes look I decided that I had to let everyone know about this product!

The first picture of me shows no mascara. When I tell you I don't leave the house without it, now you know why. My car was parked one block from my apartment and I ran to it so no one would see me mascara-less. And I don't run.

So here I am, rocking absolutely NO eye makeup (and looking kind of crazy mad...yikes!)