(any) holiday beauty!

I got home this week, and the craziest thing had happened: While I'd been gone, our cleaning lady had taken down our Christmas tree! Usually we leave it up for months (in New York, my parents had to drive into the city and pick it up, because we didn't have a place to store it... Needless to say, that usually didn't happen until June or so), so I wasn't quite psychologically ready to be done with it yet!

But when the Christmas tree is gone, you know your post on holiday beauty is officially long overdue! Chad and I had a low key holiday season (much needed), but I still found time to experiment with some new beauty trends! And both of these will work perfectly for Valentine's Day too -- no need to save all the glam for December!

Bold, Bright Lips

You know how everyone says there's a perfect red lipstick for every skin tone? I didn't really believe that until a few months ago. I'd found a cherry pink that I really liked, but real red? Never. I'd tried so many times, but no luck.

But during a photoshoot this fall, the awesome makeup artist handed me Beauty For Real gloss in 'Light My Fire' -- and since then, I've totally embraced red lips! So perfect for the holidays -- instant glam.

When you're doing a bold lip, keep everything else pretty simple! I used my everyday brown/copper eye makeup, and kept my skin smooth and nourished with Vital Vitamin Day Cream from Simple Skincare! I love that it has SPF 15, which you need in the winter too!

Kate Middleton Waves

I know, I know. My obsession with Kate Middleton basically has no bounds. I had a dream a few weeks ago that she and I were best friends, and we spent an awesome afternoon picking out her pregnancy outfits. (Basically the best dream I've ever had.)

I did a full tutorial on how to get her gorgeous waves here, but since it was a full two years ago, I figured I'd give you guys a refresher. The technique is pretty simple -- you just blowdry your hair smooth and straight, and then use a large barrel curler (mine is 1.5 inches) from about your jawline to your ends. Brush them out, and voila! Kate's pretty, voluminous waves.