image courtesy of funny site Post Secret

Mother-In-Laws.  So hard.  So hard. I can feel heads nodding all around the South as you read that truth.  To help you out, here is my top 10 list.  Most are local to Nashville, but a couple are available online.  And, any of these Nashville stores will take your order by phone if you are part of our growing readership that lives somewhere else.

1)Allison Evans hand-made ceramic bowl; available in Nashville exclusively at Digs: $85.  This is the perfect size to hold a side dish on the dinner table, a pile of soaps in the powder room, or placed stylishly atop a stack of large books on a coffee table.  Digs Interiors also carries serving platters far larger (up to $350) in this same line as well as sauce bowls for just $25. (Digs JUST moved and opened next to the Crowe’s Nest on Bandywood.)

2)Nashville by Design: Architectural Treasures.  Bob Schatz’s latest book full of his fabulous photography.  Text by Christine Kreyling; With 170 pages and 244 color photographs, this book will not just lay dead on a coffee table.  It will be picked up, loved and possibly dog eared with time. Available at Caldwell Collection: $48.95

3) Cashmere anything, but how about cashmere slippers? Bluefly currently has brown, grey and black by Kashmere for $60.99 reduced from $120.  MIL doesn’t need to know you bought them on sale.  Available in s/m.  White + Warren makes some eco-cashmere slippers and they are the cutest slippers featured here. These are not dyed but retain the beauty of natural cashmere.  Available from SimplySoles.com for $175 in small, large and x-large, but sold out in medium.  However, medium is the only size available at the White+Warren website– so we’ve got you covered! Restoration Hardware may be the steal of day with their Cashmere Slippers on sale for just 34.99.

bluefly $60.99

White+Warren $175 eco-cashmere

Restoration Hardware $34.99

4) Sour Cream Caramel Cake from Leland Riggins’ Dessert Designs. There are some that truly don’t need anything else,”stuff” wise, but they always love yummy treats. What could be more tasty than a Leland Riggins Caramel cake? Website states that 48 hours are needed to make the cake.  As the Holidays approach, I’d order a week out just to be sure.  Cakes can be shipped….$39.

5)Terrarium from AshBlue. How pretty is this?  Includes all the plants inside and you don’t have to have a green thumb for these plants to thrive.  In fact, ideally, they will thrive without anything beyond the initial water as they make their own little eco-system in there!  20″ x 10″ this terrarium is quite large- don’t let the picture fool you $145

6)A watercolor painting of the family, or the grand kids, by Susan Underwood.  These faceless beauties are total steals starting at $135.  See below.  Aren’t they great?  Email her your photo (check website for details) and get her your check by Dec 12th and you can give your MIL, or your own mom, a special piece of original art that she will surely love.  I’m actually ordering one of my husband with our son for his Christmas present.  I hope he doesn’t read this and ruin the surprise.  Ask Susan to open a paypal account so we can all pay online.  But a snail mail check is worth the time to get one of these lovelies ordered: www.susanwoodardwatercolors.com

7)Low County Luxe Candle from Spruce, in Brentwood.  Candles are a hard one for our Mother-in-Laws as the packaging is usually tiny and we want our gifts to be a bit bigger unless it is cashmere or jewelry.  These candles come boxed in a rather large and beautiful box.  I put my iphone in the picture below so you can get a better sense of the box size.  Scents include: Spanish Moss (my favorite), Gulah, New Orleans and High Cotton.  Super eco-friendly and burns for 100+ hours. $50

Party to Go Tote from Custom Embroidery.  This tote solves all the problems of how to carry loose items in the car in an organized fashion with no broken bottles!  Get it monogrammed for MIL to know how much you love her.  $30 includes that monogram.

9)Clarisonic.  Skin Guru Tracey Harris introduced me to the Clarisonic and my skin has thanked her ever since.  Available at many local stores including Trace Skin Care, Maxwell Aesthetics and The Cosmetic Market. $195

10) Set of 4 glass ornaments, each encasing a different feather;  available at AshBlue for $24 each, or $96 for 4.  These just ooze “special”:

Happy Shopping!

If I told you there were a skincare product out there which could eliminate the need for a monthly facial and increase your current product potency by as much as 61%, would you run out and buy it? I just did and those are my reasons.

I have some friends who have crossed the 40 year old mark or are teetering on its edge. The remarkable thing is this: they are suddenly looking better than ever and it’s not the use of Botox that is getting them there. It’s a skin regimen that is setting the canvas (their skin) up beautifully and I am following suit!  Sure, some are using injectables, which I honestly have no problem with.  But, their skin is GLOWING and they are wearing less makeup, not more.  I have slowly found out the two-part secret to their skin: the clarisonic and Trace Skin Care. I guess Oprah was right to have it as one of her favorite things a couple of years ago.

First off, Tracey Harris, MSN, RNC, is the owner of Trace Skin Care (and I will write far more about my visit with Tracey in the coming weeks.  So, be on the lookout for all my trade tips which I will pass along to you.)  If you are interested in setting up an appointment, call Trace Skin Care at #615-519-7136.  She is offering all StyleBluePrint readers a true deal…but you are going to have to wait until next week to find out what it is!

Now: the Clarisonic.  At $195, it’s not cheap.  But, that’s about the price of two facials and you won’t need another one again as long as you use this devise twice a day.  You can get away with nightly uses if you just don’t have that extra minute in the morning to give to your skincare routine.  But, besides the raves from my friends, what sold me was the fact that my skincare products will absorb up to 61% better because of how well the clarisonic cleans your face.  61%.  Wow.  If I’m going to spend all this money on my skincare products, I want them to work at their peek levels.  Tracey agrees: this product is da bomb.

I have my 15 year college reunion coming up in Oct.  The clarisonic is now part of my arsenal for looking my best.  It even helps to “erase” those fine lines around your eyes.  I’m so excited.  A call out to all my friends who have been telling me about Tracey and the clarisonic for the past few months!  Thank you!

The clarisonic is only available online and through professionals like Trace Skincare.  See the clarisonic website for distributors in Nashville.

Some of you may remember our interview with local makeup artist Lorrie Turk who gushed about the clarisonic facial brush.  You can click on that interview at the bottom of this post.

Profession:Makeup/Hair for Film/Video/Photography (mainly music industry related. TV and Print)  Lorrie’s Website is www.lorrieturk.com

Please give a brief description of your background as it relates to your career.

I went to a professional makeup school in Los Angeles, CA from 1989-1990. I began working in LA shortly after working with student photographers from Art Center College of Design and on student films at UCLA and USC. I took any job that would help gain experience whether it paid or not.

Describe your approach to beauty and makeup.

My personal approach is generally classic with an edge, but when I do makeup for someone on a shoot (photo or video), there are many factors that weigh into the direction I take the artist: the artist’s personal taste, the wardrobe, the set, the lighting, the event, the input from the directors, etc.

Do you have a tip that you can share with the reader that can make a huge difference in their day to day life?

A huge difference? Probably not, but maybe a difference.

I love the Clarisonic Facial Brush–love it! My skin looks so much more alive.

Lash extensions. They are an extravagance, but they make a huge difference in your appearance if you are suffering from skimpy lashes. No mascara is required when you have these.

TIP: Jimmy Q. Dinh, the lash extension man to the stars, is a real artist with lashes. He comes into Nashville fairly often! His number is 310 622 2547 or go to his website at http://jimmyqdinh.com

In your profession, what common mistakes do you see people make?

Eyebrows—over plucked, under plucked, not plucked at all or misshaped. So many people are very confused in this area. I spend a great deal of time correcting plucking mistakes made by over zealous or bad pluckers and/or waxers.

TIP: Senna cosmetics/Eugenia Weston makes the best brow kit that includes brow powders, stencils and incredible step-by-step instructions that will work for everyone, even the most decimated brow can be corrected with this. Check out the -Form-A-Brow Kit ($42 ) at www.sennacosmetics.com

What is the greatest trend you see for the next year?

Color! Soft pastel color on eyes, cheeks, lips, even lashes (but not all at once).

Flawless skin–which is always in

If you could put one thing in a customers “proverbial tool box” .. what would it be?

Confidence and a smile. But if you mean something more tangible, a good skin care routine, especially sunblock. Your makeup will never look as good as you want it if your skin isn’t in good shape.

What are some of your favorite products and why?

Giorgio Armani High Precision Retouch Concealer–excellent coverage and just disappears into the skin like magic.

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation–same as above.

Alison Raffaele Transparent Finish Powder-sets makeup and is light as air–just a beautiful finish

MAC and Nars eyeshadow–great colors with intense pigment.

Stila Convertible Color–cream blush in great colors that adds a pop of color and a dewy finish to cheeks.

Do you have a fabulous new product you would like to share with us?

The Beauty Blender Makeup Sponge is foolproof way to apply your foundation and is washable/reusable and bright pink!

Give us one of your favorite personal extravagances that just makes you happy?

A great massage where the masseur really knows what they are doing. Whenever I’m in New York City and have a little down time, I always go to the same place (it’s called Best Chinese Massage and it’s on Thompson in Greenwich Village). There are no frills at all, but they know acupressure like no else and it’s $42 for an hour! That makes me really happy!

Can you tell us a funny story perhaps something ludicrous that has happened to you in your career?

I had a video shoot doing makeup for a rap artist called “Young Buck”. The production company that hired me didn’t give me any details except that I was responsible for Young Buck’s grooming as well as a few video babes. Since I knew next to nothing about rap music or him, I googled him before the shoot and found out that his real name was David and that he grew up in Nashville. The day of the shoot the artist sat in my chair and I started to chat with him–asking him would if he like to be called by his stage name “Buck” or by his real name David. He glared at me and finally answered,”Buck”. When shooting began, I looked at the monitor and didn’t recognize the man on the screen so I asked, “Who’s that?”. The director said, “That’s Buck”. I said,” No–that’s not the guy I made up”.

The director replied, “Well, I don’t know who you made up, but that’s Buck”.

A couple seconds later, another guy, the guy that I made up, jumps in and starts rapping with Buck. I said to the director, ” That’s the guy I made up. Who is that?”

The director replied, ” That is 50 cent!”.

That is still so funny to me on a lot of levels.

Name the three things you simple can not live without. (Exclude family and friends!)

My iphone

My 3 cats

My MacBook

Lorrie’s trade tricks as reported by InStyle Magazine: Coral Red Lips and Cheeks Classic Cat Eye