To follow up from my last post where I explain the perfect way to wear Stila One Step for night time, I wanted to share the way I do it up for my day look. I mentioned that the perfect foundation for day AND night doesn’t exist and that I create it. That’s mostly true with my day wear look, as you may have read in the last post, my night look with this stuff is pretty simple. 

Now, onto the day look. I’m a slightly greasy human, another thing I can thank my Italian heritage for… but whatever, hopefully that means I’ll get less wrinkles as a grandma. Anyway…. since I’m slightly greasy a stand alone tinted moisturize can’t really handle all this jelly. SO I improvise. 

Since I love the flawless coverage of the one step (it gives a somewhat airbrushed look to your face) I take it and I blend it with equal parts tinted moisturizer. Specifically I’ve been using Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer which is a really light product compared to the thicker Stila product - which you can see in the photo below. 

For a day look they balance each other really nicely- I get a little extra coverage but it’s light enough to not look like I’m auditioning for toddlers and tiaras.

Do you use the same base products on your face for day and night? I’d love to know some of your tried and true favorites!

Head’s up foundation for day and night doesn’t exactly exist, so I create it!

My perfect everyday foundation and my perfect event foundation both begin with the same product- Stila One Step Foundation.

I’ll begin with why this is a perfect option for events or evening makeup, because shockingly it’s simpler than the routine for my daytime wear - this little tube is a primer, concealer and foundation all in one, hence the name One Step. This stuff is serious business, it covers perfectly and has amazing long wear life on your face. I can slap this stuff on at 6pm for a cocktail party and still take a perfect photo at 2am if applied correctly.

So, what exactly does it mean to apply correctly? After all, makeup shouldn’t be rocket science.

Wash your face

Exfoliate your face

HEAVILY moisturize your face with your daytime moisturizer

Apply your One-Step, gradually at first, then add layers on where needed

Voila!

The only downside to this product is that it can be a little thick and dry if you’re not moisturized properly, so really lay it on ladies. After that I’ll set it with a little powder, and then bronze/contour the rest of my face. Make sure to do that last step even if you don’t usually wear bronzer- the coverage on the one-step is so serious that it can make your face look a little one dimensional if you just leave it as is.

Stay tuned for part 2 where I follow up on how I use the One-Step for everyday wear.

This Mother’s Day my Mother wanted to start a new tradition. She recently picked up all the add-ons for her Kitchen Aid mixer to make pasta (without the turn crank we were all used to) and thought it would be a fun way to spend her day.

My Sister, Mother and Grandmother spent the day turning out fresh pasta with two separate homemade sauces - my mother’s signature red sauce and a light white clam sauce.

Fresh pasta is one of the simplest recipes and it cooks up in a flash. Whipping up more than one sauce also adds some nice variety and fun. It’s great to hear who prefers what sauce and serve each up tapas style.

Our Pasta Recipe:

- 2 cups of all purpose flour

- 2 cups of semolina flour

- 6 eggs

- pinch of salt

- 2 tablespoons of olive oil

We munched on some homemade bruschetta and enjoyed plenty of wine while we cooked. It was a great low key day of doing something all together and it was a blast. How did you celebrate Mother’s Day?

April was a crazy month- I can’t believe how busy it was and how quickly it went by. I’m going to use that excuse to half way explain why I didn’t exactly fulfill my reading goal for the month too. The other half of the excuse? You’ll just have to read the reviews…

Dark Places, Gillian Flynn

Continuing with my trend from last month- I just couldn’t get enough of Flynn’s terrifying mysteries. I have to say, this was my favorite of her three novels. It was also the goriest to read and gave me plenty of nightmares, but isn’t that exactly what should happen while reading a GREAT crime novel? This one takes place in another small rural community dealing with a very poor family. A poor family that is completely annihilated one night except for one sister and the only brother. I won’t say too much, but the brother is pinned for killing his entire family while his baby sister escapes into the cold night. The book flashes back and forth between all family members in typical Flynn style and she does an amazing job giving life to dead characters. If you haven’t read it please do, just leave a nightlight on ;) Buy it here.

I Don’t Know How She Does It, Allison Pearson

I put this book on my list because I remember hearing great things when it came out forever ago. Plus, I wanted to watch the movie version with Sarah Jessica Parker and the book is always better so I thought I better read the book first. Well, I will NEVER be watching the movie, because if the book is better the movie must be total garbage. I gave up on this novel about halfway through. The bizarre British humor (which I usually love) was unbelievably irritating, almost as irritating as the main character. Her life is crazy with a few children, a high paying job that puts her as the breadwinner (gasp!) and a difficult relationship with her in-laws (double gasp!) I thought the whole thing was incredibly boring. Now, I know what you’re thinking- if I’m looking for substance I shouldn’t purchase books with pink covers, but I LOVE Chick-Lit and see no reason why it can’t be smart and entertaining. So there you have it. If you’re so inclined, here’s where you can pick up a copy.

Have you read either of these books? If so I’d love to hear YOUR thoughts. Leave me a comment!

When I was in college, my awesome roommate had an even more awesome summer internship with La Mer. We would slather our 20 year old skin with thousands of dollars of product daily and it was amazing. I remember swearing to myself that I would never use anything but La Mer from then on.

Welcome to the current time- where I have never actually forked over any of my hard earned money for a jar of the luxury face cream because well….student loans, car payments, and real life somehow get in the way every month of me becoming my best self (kidding, sort of).

All that good stuff being said, I’ve been on the hunt for a great night cream ever since. Just this month Aveeno sent me their new Positively Radiant Intensive Night Cream and so far I LOVE it.  Hell, if it’s good enough for Jennifer Aniston and her perfect body and her perfect face, it’s good enough for me. Now, I’m not ready to upgrade it to Stuff That Makes Squeal status just yet, but I have to say I’m thoroughly impressed.

The cream has a clean fragrance but it’s subtle and wont irritate your eyes.  My skin is very sensitive and some of the most expensive products tend to agitate it, but with this it isn’t breaking out or freaking out. I’ve noticed a difference with the tone of my skin- its much more even and less red. For $16.99 you can’t beat it. I absolutely recommend you pick a jar up, and I’m one picky lady when it comes to my skin. If you’ve used it, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Full Disclosure: I was gifted this product from Influenster and Aveeno for testing. Opinions are my own.

If you work in a semi-casual or hip office environment (like I do!) these are the perfect summer flats. I think sandals are a bit much for any office, unless it’s casual Friday. These are a fun and simple way to keep it cool all summer long. Kudos to ShoeMint for nailing it. Buy them here. 

Attention like-minded label whores! The Outnet is having a HUGE sale on Herve Leger dresses. Here are my top 4 picks form their bandage dresses. These dresses are sexy, flattering (thanks to the spandex!), and pretty timeless. If you’re looking to invest in one now is the time! The markdowns are ridiculous,  you can save over $700 bucks on one of these bad boys. My personal pick? Number 4- you may be seeing it make its debut at a wedding very soon. Happy Shopping!

{this contest is now closed} Congrats to Meredith for winning this eco-friendly giveaway! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

While it’s not exactly glamorous, most days I pack a lunch for work. Knowing exactly what I’m putting in my body each day gives me peace of mind from a food chemical perspective and a calorie perspective. It’s much easier to loose or maintain weight when you know there are no hidden fats in your meal. The fact that a brown bag lunch works in favor of my bank account is nice too ;)

I try to pack myself a variety of small bites to nosh on throughout the day- hummus, crackers, a hard boiled egg, and some fresh veggies usually power me through. I hate that 3pm crash that you can get if you eat too heavy of a lunch so I try and limit meat and carbs.

The lovely folks at MIRA were kind enough to send me a set of two small stainless steel containers to review and offer a set to giveaway!

I’m so glad they did; because now that I have these little containers I’m cutting back on the plastic zip-locks I use for my lunches every single day. Having these reusable containers now makes me realize just how much waste I’m adding to the earth by using (and throwing away) two bags a day.

The containers are the perfect size for lunch time grazers like me. The lids stay on tight so you don’t have to worry about spills and the plastic is BPA free, keeping us safe from poisons.

To win your set of Mira BPA Free Snack Containers (retail value $12.99) leave me a comment here sharing what your go-to lunch items are.

Additional ways to enter:

- Like Blog- The New Black on Facebook (and leave a comment telling me you did so)

- Tweet with the following ’ I just entered to win a set of BPA free snack containers from @nadinenocero, enter here:http://bit.ly/11Oy7so #giveaway’ (and leave a comment telling me you did so)

The winner will be chosen via Random.org on Monday, April 29th at 8pm ET.

Good luck and happy snacking!

It may seem a bit silly to profess love for something so simple and so regularly overlooked, but run of the mill, drugstore Vaseline has been a staple in my beauty bag and my medicine cabinet for the last 10 years.

So what do I do with the purest of pure petroleum jellies? Year round I use it as my go-to lip moisturizer. It’s wonderfully hydrating and adds a nice glisten to my lips. I don’t see myself as having particularly sensitive skin, but some chap sticks can feel weird or waxy on my lips, and that never happens when I use Vaseline. This stuff is also a great waterproof makeup remover- it isn’t too harsh and hydrates my lashes while it works it’s magic.

During the harsh winter months, if I’m having serious trouble keeping my face smooth and even I’ll slather this stuff all over my face before bed. While a sticky face full of Vaseline isn’t the sexiest bedtime look, it leaves me ready for a nice natural glow in the morning and helps my makeup go on much smoother. Oh, I can’t forget my cuticles- I’ll rub some goo on them and it helps patch them right up when my hands are looking a bit worn.

What can I say? You know that movie about the Greek dad and the Windex? Well that’s basically me with Vaseline. If you haven’t yet seen its wonder, pick a pack up- it’s cheap!