As much as I love fashion, I think it’s just as important to love your skin care products and makeup as much as you love your outfit. Taking care of your skin is SUPER important, especially for your makeup to look the best it can. Although it’s not the only brand I use, I do love NARS cosmetics and skincare products.

My two simple rules of thumb when it comes to your skin:

1) Use a moisturizer during the day with SPF (Although not NARS, I use Trish McEvoy Protective Shield Moisturizer with SPF 15)

2) Wash your face! I know so my girls who get “too lazy” and go to sleep with a full face of makeup on (and not just after a long night out)…and they wonder why their faces are so broken out the next day! Wash it. Tone it. Moisturize it. Every day. Every night.

Here are some of my NARS favorites:

Top row, Skin Care (left to right): NARS Nourishing Eye Cream ($76 at Neimanmarcus.com), NARS Essential Vitamin Serum ($75 at sephora.com), NARS Hydrating Moisture Cream ($76 at sephora.com)

Bottom row, Cosmetics (left to right): NARS Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara ($25 at barneys.com), NARS Bronzing Powder ($30 at neimanmarcus.com), NARS Concealer ($22 at sephora.com), NARS Limited Edition Nail Polish in Tallulah ($16 at Nordstrom.com), NARS ‘Everlasting Love’ 15th Anniversary Bold Makeup Palette ($75 at Nordstrom.com)

Why these are my favorites:

NARS Nourishing Eye Cream: I have used many eye creams in my life, and none as powerful and hydrating as this one. I only use a tiny bit every morning and every night. I notice a difference right away. Dark under-eye circles run in my family and the moment I put this on, they’re gone. No joke! Never used an eye cream like it.

NARS Essential Vitamin Serum: This is something I use more in the winter than in the summer to give my skin a little extra hydration for the day time. It can be used whenever, but I like to use it under my day time moisturizer. It’s like a multi-vitamin for your skin!

NARS Hydrating Moisture Cream: This is what I use as my night time moisturizer. Another example of a little going a long way…only a dime size amount of this intense moisturizer is needed. It smells fantastic and leaves your skin hydrated and silky smooth.

NARS Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara: How many masacaras have you tried in your life? I know I’ve tried way too many. They’re either too clumpy, not enough lengthening or not enough volume. This baby does it all! It makes your lashes look amazing.

NARS Bronzing Powder: Bronzer is another thing I’ve experimented with throughout life and I have stuck with my favorite by NARS (I use the color “Laguna”) for a couple years now. It gives you a great glow with a hint of shimmer, and without looking overly tan.

NARS Concealer: Everyone needs a great concealer. NARS’s concealer is light, smooth and great at covering up any skin imperfections. When applying eyeshadow, I use this as a base to make my shadows last longer and go on more smoothly. Also a plus…the concealer is enriched with Vitamin E.

NARS Limited Edition Nail Polish in Tallulah: I’m weirdly obsessed with nailpolish (see my “Nailpolish” post) so whenever I find a great color, I have to write about it (and usually buy it). It’s a beautiful purple with a perfect about of shimmer. I love NARS nailpolish in general because it lasts a long time on your nails and they always have a great line of colors.

NARS ‘Everlasting Love’ 15th Anniversary Bold Makeup Palette: Celebrating their 15 year anniversary, NARS has come out with this awesome combo palette of eyeshadows, blushes and lip colors. The idea behind it is to create a smoky eye with neutral lips and a subtle glow of the cheeks.

Well, there you have it…my NARS favorites. What’s your favorite cosmetic/skin care item by NARS? Leave me some comments and let me know!

Such a simple thing women don’t utilize nearly as much as they should. It’s a great way to update your look without spending a lot of money. Although most nail polishes are not that expensive, I do feel it’s necessary to splurge on the nicer brands. This is because the nail polish lasts longer in the bottle AND on your nails, some are free of harsh chemicals like formaldehyde, and overall these higher-end brands tend to have a better/trendier selection of colors.

My two favorite brands of nail polish are Zoya and Lippmann. They go on very smooth, they last longer than any other nailpolish I’ve used (less chipping, yay!), they don’t put harmful chemicals in their polishes and they have a great selection of amazing colors.

My favorite Lippmann colors right now:

From left to right: Marquee Moon ($16), Call Me Irresponsible ($16), Wicked Game ($16), Bitches Brew ($16), Happy Birthday ($18)

Why these are my favorite:

Marquee Moon actually has small sequins in it. It’s a beautiful silver color and with the added sparkle from the sequins, it takes the color to another level. It was also featured in The Zoe Report, Rachel’s Zoe’s daily fashion e-mail so I obviously had to feature it in this post 🙂

Call Me Irresponsible is a bright solid purple that really stands out. If you are wearing a plain neutral outfit, this color will spruce things up and put you in a great mood.

Wicked Game is one of my most recent purchases and one of the most interesting colors I’ve ever used on my nails. Depending on the angle you look at it once it’s on your nails, it looks either silver, mint green or light purple. I’ve gotten numerous compliments on this color and it’s one of my favorite nail polish colors ever.

Bitches Brew is not only awesome because of its name, but it takes the common red nail color to another level. It’s a darker red with a hint of brown and lots of shimmer. It’s a perfect color for those of you who aren’t ready for a big nail polish risk yet (unlike my next choice…)

Happy Birthday is pure glitter. This is the type of nail polish I used to paint my nails with as a kid but Lippmann updated this glitter look to make a perfect complement to any polish. You can wear it alone but I prefer to wear it over dark greens, dark purples and blacks.

Click Here to Purchase Lippmann Nail Lacquers

My favorite Zoya nail colors right now: Savita, Nova, Ibiza, Freja, Rea (all $7)

Why these are my favorite:

Savita is part of Zoya’s newest collection, Matte Velvet. It’s a darker purple color that’s different from most nail polishes. Most polishes have lots of shimmer but this collection is completely matte. This is different from any nail polish I’ve seen before which is why I think it’s so fabulous.

Nova is part of Zoya’s Ultra Glitter collection, which is the complete opposite of the Matte Velvet collection above. These colors have lots of glitter which goes along with the current trend of SEQUINS (which I’m loving by the way). This color is a pinkish/purple and the glitter really amplifies the beauty of the color.

Ibiza is a color I’ve had for a few years now and continue to get numerous compliments on. It’s a dark blue with lots of shimmer. It reminds me of the sky at night because of the deepness of the dark blue and the shimmer reminds me of the stars.

Freja is another color I’ve had for a while and it’s a gunmetal/graphite color. It is a similar color to Lippmann’s Marquee Moon but without the sequins. It’s actually the color that is on my nails at this very moment I am typing this post 🙂

Rea is a gorgeous shimmery light pinkish/purple. Another color I get numerous compliments on because it doesn’t look like any ordinary polish. Another great plus… it looks great with any skin tone!

Click Here to Purchase These Zoya Nail Polishes

Both of these brands offer great nail treatments which is always important when using nail polish. A base coat is necessary to keep your polish lasting as long as it can. There are different types for strengthening your nails, filling ridges and so much more. A top coat is necessary for extending the wear of the polish and there are many varieties of top coats as well. Zoya and Lippmann have amazing nail treatments and I highly recommend both.

Hope you enjoyed this. Leave me some comments and let me know your thoughts!