On Avoiding Cold Weather Hibernation

While I may be in the minority here, Winter is truly one of my favorite times of year. Chalk it up to a childhood spent in New York State and my many fond memories of snowy winters, nighttime sledding excursions, and (of course!) holiday lights. That said, each season, it tends to get a bit harder to stay motivated as the season drags on and temperatures linger below zero.

I’m a doer by nature, as many of you likely know, so I recommend embracing the season. A few tips to staying active, engaged and ENTERTAINED during winter:

• Upgrade Your Style: As a fashion-centric person, I LOVE Winter. Thick, big chunky knit sweaters and scarves, a statement-making coat and a gorgeous pair of books (over the knee is major this season – consider investing!)
• Create a Winter Bucket List: There are so many cold weather activities that I look forward to year round – be it ice skating, shopping the holiday markets or hosting screening parties at home - and a few that I’m itching to try, including SNOWBOARDING.
• Get Away! One thing I truly, finally learned last winter was that a sunny getaway mid-season is an ESSENTIAL! The cold becomes, at a certain point, exhausting – so refresh yourself with some sun, surf and a tropical cocktail or two.
• Entertain Indoors: Now that I’m all moved into a new apartment, I love hosting friends more than ever. Incorporate a winter libation (or two!), like the Spiked Horchata I recently mixed up, using Smirnoff’s new Cinna-Sugar Twist flavored vodka.

Equally as good warm or on ice, it’s a play on the traditional Mexican rice beverage. In this case, I mixed a pre-made Horchata (if you’re ambitious, you can try making your own) with the sweet yet airy Smirnoff Cinna-Sugar Twist flavored vodka, and garnished with fresh cinnamon and an apple slice.  

How do you avoid winter burnout, friends? I’d love a little shared inspiration!

While all opinions expressed are my own, this post was produced in collaboration with Smirnoff and Style Coalition.

Get the Look: Beyoncé at the 2013 Presidential Inauguration

Yesterday's Inauguration was a pretty special day. I was wowed not only by our President, Barack Obama, but of course his First Lady Michelle - oh, she of the much-discussed bold, red Jason Wu gown.

America's Second Couple was also in attendance at yesterday's festivities, as Beyoncé (seen here with husband Jay-Z) graced us with a gorgeous rendition of the National Anthem to close the inaugural. She looked fully glamorous - truth be told, perhaps a bit too glamorous for day, but who are we to judge? She's Beyoncé, after all.  

Below are some tips on how to re-create Beyoncé’s look direct from celebrity makeup artist Mally Roncal, who worked with her for this special day:

• To first set the skin, apply my Perfect Prep Poreless Primer all over the face and my Cancellation Concealer directly underneath the eyes.
• To achieve natural-looking coverage, first, apply my Ultimate Performance Liquid Foundation. Next, add a sweep of my NEW Diamond Unpowder that will illuminate the skin followed by brushing on my Effortless Airbrush Highlighter and Blush Duo to the cheeks in order to provide a soft, radiant glow to the skin.
• To achieve a rich, smokey eye – try my Evercolor Shadow Stick in Saddle Shimmer. Apply this all over the eyelid and underneath as well. Next, select a few shades from the Mally Beauty In the Buff Palette and sweep that onto the eyelids. Finish the look by applying a small amount of my Age Rebel Shadow Stick in Chocolate Diamond on the bottom lid right under your eyelashes to open up the eye followed by using my Lightwand Eyebrightener to the inner corners to instantly brighten this area. Lastly, to achieve this bold eyeliner at-home, try using the Mally Beauty Evercolor Starlight Eyeliner in Midnight, layered with the Ultimate Performance Ink Eyeliner.
• Complement this confident eye by pairing it with a mascara that will enhance the overall look – such as the Mally Beauty Volumizing Mascara and/or my NEW Instant Impact Mascara. To create glossy, Beyoncé worthy lips try my High Shine Lip Gloss in Mally’s Look or Mally’s Baby.
• And last but not least, before you leave the house, apply the Mally Beauty Face Defender to lock your makeup in place and Perfect Prep Hydrating Under Eye Brightener to make the eyes pop!

Of course, you can also get the look using similar products from other brands, but shop some of the products featured, below!

Destination Shopping: Woodbury Common Premium Outlets

It takes a lot to get me out of bed at 6:30 in the morning on a Saturday, but when I was offered the opportunity to head up to Woodbury Common Premium Outlets one recent Saturday, suffice to say I SET MY ALARM.

Located a quick and easy hour outside of New York, Woodbury Common is easily among the BEST outlet centers in the country. There, you'll find a range of outlets high to low, including a few of my favorites (Barney's New York, J.Crew, DVF and Last Call Neiman Marcus) and a few "onlys" (including an all new Tom Ford outlet opening this weekend - July 7, in fact!)

I easily had the most successful outlet shopping experience of my LIFE at Woodbury this go-around, with my final spend coming in at about $350. Included in my haul was an amazing Pamela Love cuff from the Barney's New York Lady Gaga Holiday Workshop, originally tagged at $390 - now just $18.81. Can you even? I can't!

Here's what you need to know if you're planning a trip up to Woodbury Common:

• Shop early or late to avoid crowds - we arrived at 10am on a Saturday, and shopping was a breeze.
• Know what to expect from your favorite brands in terms of quality, and avoid making exceptions for a great deal. MANY mass retailers manufacture product exclusively for outlets, including J.Crew and all of the Gap brands - Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy - and in some cases, the quality and fit can be widely disparate.
• Buy what you love, but MAKE SURE YOU LOVE IT before leaving - after all, will it be worth another hour drive just to return? 'Nuff said.
• Shop STRATEGICALLY! Whenever I hit Woodbury (at LEAST once yearly), I start in Grapevine Court as that's where most designer brand outlets are clustered. 
• Sign up for the Premium Outlets VIP Shopper Club here for access to a VIP coupon book with pages and pages of exclusive discounts - even if you just use one or two, it's well worth the time invested.

Learn more about Woodbury Common Premium Outlets and find directions and transportation online!