My New Year's beauty resolution. Do you have one?

Can you believe that in just hours we'll be bidding adieu to 2010 and ringing in the New Year? I'll be celebrating the event with my boyfriend and some friends at an ultra-trendy restaurant here in NYC. I'm looking forward to some mouth watering food and a champagne toast at midnight! I'll be wearing an adorable new dress from Free People along with with a cool sparkly blazer and black shiny patent leather heels. I plan to pair my outfit with rich purple nails, a smoky eye and long, loose curls.

The impending New Year has got me thinking about resolutions. This year, my beauty resolution is to hit the spa more often. Believe it or not, I've actually never had a professional facial but I hear they work wonders for your skin and overall well-being. So, in accordance with my new resolution, I may just get a spa facial this weekend.

What about you-- what are your resolutions? Do you plan to experiment with new makeup colors in 2011? Get more sleep? Blog more?

Happy New Year, dear Prettied Up readers! I'll talk to you in 2011!

Nail of the day - OPI The Color to Watch

Hey, beauties! I hope everyone is having a great holiday season and got lots of presents! I got a ton of beauty loot that I'll be blogging about over the next couple weeks. 

This gorgeous iridescent dark lavender nail polish called "The Color to Watch" was gifted to me by my brother's incredibly stylish girlfriend Erin. It comes from OPI's Fall 2010 Swiss collection along with another polish that was recently featured here on Prettied Up called "Lucerne-Tainly Look Marvelous." Check it out (please don't mind my short nails and shoddy painting job).

Although I usually associate lavender tones with summer and springtime, this color comes out kind of dark with three or four coats so it's perfect for any season. Every time I look down at my nails this pretty purple just makes me happy! 

Do you love this color as much as I do?

Five festive New Year's Eve makeup looks

Whether you're going to a casual house party or out to a fancy restaurant, here are five great makeup looks that will help you ring in the New Year gorgeously!

What are you doing for New Year's Eve? Will you try out any of these makeup looks? Which one is your favorite? I am going to try the Boho Chic look!

My major beauty gripe of the moment

Lately I have been trying to break a bad beauty habit I've had for a while: Tugging on my eyelid when applying eyeliner.

Everyone knows that it is much easier to apply eyeliner when tugging on the corner of the eye to make the skin taught. I have seen people doing this in many YouTube makeup tutorial videos, so I know the practice is widespread. Many popular beauty magazines and websites even advise this practice.

I am somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to eyeliner and tugging on the corner of my eye helped me get the nice, straight line I desire.

However, I have recently been thinking a lot about the damage I have caused my eyes by tugging on them every day. Regularly pulling on the delicate skin around the eyes cases wrinkles.

So, I have been forcing myself to break this bad beauty habit -- but it has not been easy. It can be frustrating to train yourself to do something a different way. At times, my eyeliner has not looked as perfect as I would have liked, but I am getting better each day and I know I'll be happy with my decision to stop pulling on my eyelid in the long run.

I find that the easiest way to apply my eyeliner without pulling my eyelid is to first use an eyeliner pencil, then use (wet) eyeshadow to go over the line and smooth it out. I used this method to get a smoky eyeliner look seen below.

To get this eyeliner look, use a creamy black liner, such as Lorac's eyeliner pencil to carefully line the upper eyelid. Don't worry if it's not perfect because you will be going over the line with eyeshadow. Next, wet an eyeliner brush, such as the Smashbox double-eneded smudger brush with water and dip it into a wet/dry eyeshadow such as MAC's eyeshadow in "Carbon" (an intense matte black color). Use the wet eyeshadow to go over the line you made with the eyeliner pencil, smoothing out any imperfections. 

Repeat the steps above to line the lower lashline. The shadow will add a smoky look and help prevent the eyeliner from running. In the photo above, I have gone over the eyeliner along my lower eyelid with the steel gray eyeshadow from Dior's Ready to Glow Palette that I also used all over my top eyelid.  

Meanwhile, here are some extra tips for breaking this bad beauty habit:

• Experiment with different types of eyeliner (pencil, liquid and gel) to find the easiest one for you.
• When using an eyeliner pencil, ensure it is a creamy blend. I've heard Urban Decay's 24/7 glide on eye pencil is good. 
• Rest your elbow on a hard surface such as a table when applying the liner.
• Use short strokes and connect the lines. 
• Most importantly: Keep at it, and be patient. You will improve over time! 

If you absolutely must pull on your eyelid, try using your ring finger as opposed to your pointer, as some say this causes less damage to the skin. Others advocate using a q-tip to pull the skin, which can also help minimize damage. 

Do you pull the corner of your eye when applying liner? Do you have any tips for breaking this habit? If so, please share! 

First Impressions of Lush "Ocean Salt" face and body scrub

"We believe in long candlelit baths, sharing showers, massage, filling the world with perfume and in the right to make mistakes, lose everything and start again." - Lush 

If you've never heard of Lush it's a Canadian cosmetic company that sells products made by hand from fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, essential oils and safe synthetics. The company uses only vegetarian ingredients and does not test on animals. 

I've heard about this brand from other beauty bloggers, and frequently passed the Lush store on East 14th Street in Manhattan but never went in until today. The company sells a variety of bath, shower, skincare, perfume and hair products but I picked up the 4.2 oz. "Ocean Salt" face and body scrub - $19.95. 

In general, facial scrubs help slough off dull, dead skin cells, making the face feel smoother and look brighter. However, when using this or any facial scrub, do so in moderation. It is important not to over-exfoliate, which could irritate your skin and cause rashes.

Made of lime, sea salt and vodka, this scrub is like a vacation in a jar. The smell transports me to a tropical beach where I'm sitting under a cabana with a margarita in hand!

The gritty sea salt is used to buff away dead skin cells while the antibacterial properties in the lime and vodka are supposed to help clear blocked pores, blackheads and blemishes. The scrub also contains avocado and coconut to moisturize the skin.

Doesn't it just look yummy? This is actually one of my favorite colors ever. But besides being pretty and smelling good, this scrub made my skin feel so soft! 

One negative aspect I encountered is that when scrubbing my face with this product it started to burn slightly where I have a dry patch. Fortunately, the burning stopped immediately after I rinsed the product off my face. When I dried off my face my skin felt incredibly smooth and clean. I was actually very pleasantly surprised. 

After using this scrub just once I really like it. I am not worried about the burning as it did not persist after rinsing off the product. I plan to use this scrub once a week and will report back if I have any other observations after I have thoroughly tested it. 

Do you use facial scrubs? If so, which ones do you like? Have you tried Lush before? Click here to shop their site. 

Un-boring black winter coats for under $200

Prettied Up reader Stephanie recently contacted me on Facebook because she needs help finding a cute winter coat. Here's what she wrote:

"I want to ask for a winter coat for Christmas. I want a warm black winter coat that's cute and not too bulky. Where is a good store to look for one at?"

Ideally, the coat should be less than $200, she said. 

Well, Stephanie, you're in luck because lots of retailers have coats on sale right now! I've scoured the internet and found tons of cute and affordable options. These coats prove that basic black does not have to be boring! Take a look:

Kenneth Cole New York black wool blend asymmetrical zip front belted coat - $141.60
If you love this coat, order it soon because it's extremely limited! If not, here are some other great options:

1. Urban Outfitters Joyce coat - $79
2. Zara seamed jacket with belt - $129
3. J Crew Stadium-cloth Sasha peacoat - $169.99
4. Calvin Klein black fleeced wool blend oversized collar coat - $159.20

If none of those coats strike your fancy, I suggest searching Shopstyle, where you can find a ton more!

What do you all think of my selections? 

Emma Watson tops the list of 2010's most Googled haircuts

After analyzing the billions of search queries from 2010, internet search giant Google has released its list of the top trends of 2010. One of the categories Google tracked was the most searched haircuts of the year. With her sophisticated and adorable new crop cut, Harry Potter starlet Emma Watson had the second most Googled haircut of the year. Who beat Watson out for the No. 1 spot? You'll never guess... 

... Lil Wayne! How odd, right? I can't say that I've ever been interested in the Cash Money Records rapper's hair, but apparently his long dreads are his trademark, and earlier this year there was a huge controversy over whether he would have to cut them off when he went to jail. 

Anyway, back to the gorgeous Watson. Since reaching mega-stardom for her role as Hermione in the Harry Potter movies, she has mostly rocked light brown, wavy hair that reached a little past her shoulders. This summer, after after finishing up filming the last two Harry Potter films, Watson decided to chop it all off and debuted her new blonde pixie 'do. 

Interestingly, those in Rhode Island, Utah and New Hampshire were the most interested in her new haircut, according to Google's statistics.

With her delicate features, Watson really pulls off the short haircut well. I love that it makes her stand out amongst the sea of long-haired beauties in Hollywood. 

What do you think of her short hair?