We all get the occasional blemish and need to cover up those under eye circles now and then. But, no matter what your day-to-day makeup routine, who doesn’t want the ultimate makeup coverup for her wedding day?

I had the opportunity to try out Cover FX’s Camouflage Concealer for my own under eye circles and I gotta admit, it works like a charm. While I’m still a fan of the Mary Kay Facial Highlighting Pen, I think you’ll get more bang for your buck and amazing coverage with the Camo Concealer.

Here is some more info (from the Cover FX website) about the concealer pictured above:
- It instantly erases undereye circles, redness, dark spots, sun damage, blemishes, moles, tattoos, birthmarks, fatigue and trauma.
- Lightens dark areas, erases red or brown spots, evens out skin tones.
- Emollients softens delicate skin to ease blendability.
- Provides opaque, long lasting, water resistant and stay put coverage.
- Hi-definition developed to be camera friendly.
- Layers for optimum coverage with six shades for a global palette

I’m tend to live by the rule “less is more” when it comes to concealers and foundations, but if you’re looking for some serious coverage (without feeling like you have paste on your face), Cover FX has every skin care item you’d need – from primers and foundations to cleansers and lip “treat-mint” primer. They also have a full set of concealer and foundation brushes, should you need them!

The company was started by Lee Graff, a corrective makeup specialist at the CosMedic Clinic at Sunnybrook and Women’s College Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada, after working with thousands of patients with various skin conditions. She worked with Jenny Frankel, a chemical engineer, and Dr. Neil Shear, a leading dermatologist, to develop all the goodies you’ll find in the Cover FX line. As she put it,

My dream was to help men and women with skin conditions face the world with confidence by offering them makeup products with therapeutic benefits that would perfectly match their skin tone, be affordable, well tolerated by even the most sensitive skins and achieve a pefectly natural, flawless effect. After receiving feedback from thousands of patients who use Cover FX products every day, I’m proud to say we’ve done it!”

For more info on CoverFX, The Foundation Authority, check out their website!

If nail polish is not your thing, but you’re dying to have something special on your digets for your wedding day, Incoco Dry Nail Appliques are the thing. for. you.

I tried these babies out a few weeks ago and I must admit – I was impressed. I’m a bit of “purist” when it comes to painting nails. I believe in the process filing, buffing, base coat, color coat, color coat, top coat, and watching paint dry. BUT! If you don’t have the budget to get your nails done or the time to do them yourself, you should try Incoco! They are made of real polish, just much less messy and much faster drying (in fact, they are already dry when you put them on)!

They are simple and easy to use. After your prep your nails (file and buff), you match each applique to each nail, then apply them one by one by pressing them on to each nail, stretching them to fit, and filing off the exces. It doesn’t take much work to make them look great, which is precisely why I like them!

Plus, while I kept mine on for three days, they would have stayed put much longer. As you can see on their website, the nail appliques can last for up to 14 days. When the polish is ready to come off, you can use the pre-soaked spongey pad included with each kit.

Hurrah! I got my Real Simple Weddings 2010 issue in the mail last week and I’m so excited to share some of the fabulous tidbits that you can find in this issue (below the image of the cover featuring an *amazing* bouquet).

Of course, as with all Real Simple publications, you’ll find great advice on how to simplify your life (and in this case, wedding planning). Some great articles you’ll find in the 2010 issue – a timeline and year long planning calendar, great questions and answers on budgets, locations, guests, attire, flowers, vows, reportage, food, and the overall ambiance of your big day, choosing your cake and picking out wedding day decorations. You’ll even find a pullout guide of checklists and guides and a website index of all the websites listed in the magazine.

My favorite part, however, are the Real Weddings featured throughout the issue. With themes like “Married and Bright”, “East Meets South”, “Together by Design”, and “A Handmade Tale”, they simply must be great, right?! I wish I could feature one or two here, but the images belong to the brides and grooms (understandably). You’ll just have to pick up a copy for yourself to see them!

Other great features definitely worth checking out? The “Choose Your Color Palette” with three different palettes for each of the green, blue, purple, pink/red/ orange, and yellow base colors, and “Flowers at a Glance” that gives you a nice breakdown of popular flowers, their “in” seasons, colors you can find them in, and a few other good-to-know facts. And I can’t leave without mentioning the Silhouette Glossary – cute sketches and great descriptions handy for anyone shopping for a wedding dress!

One perk of writing a blog? Free stuff! I got to pick out a few cute little items from INKtastic and I just had to show them off!

As a newly engaged person myself, I said “why not” to one of those Future Mrs.s shirts. I think it came out quite well!

AND! Probably the more cute of the two little goodies I got to pick out (and this is for a family member, not us)…

Too cute, isn’t it? INKtastic has tons of cute customizable options – something for brides and grooms, bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girls and ring bearers, parents, whomever! Shirts, tanks, totes, even customizable unmentionables.

Everything was super easy to pick out and customize, and my order arrived in just a few days. The quality is great, too – something I always worry about when ordering online! The site is actually a family owned business and I love the words they sell by – “If we wouldn’t buy it, we won’t sell it.”

You know I’m a fan of SUGAR! I’m also a fan of entrepreneurs and startups. You’ll find the perfect combination of the two with Chocomize!

Nick from Chocomize contacted me a while ago and offered me some samples of the AMAZING chocolate bars they make. I had fun picking out the types of chocolate I wanted and all the good things to mix in. They carry selection of nuts and seeds, fruits, herbs and spices, candy, and other decorations. Check out a few below.

Here are a few pictures of the goodies I received! I picked out a white chocolate bar with oreo cookie bits mixed in. Brandon (the beau) opted for milk chocolate with peanut butter chips, chocolate and peanut butter candies, and gold flakes. Yes, gold flakes (how totally awesome is that?!).

The guys over at Chocomize are more than happy to work with brides and grooms to come up with something special for weddings! Couples can customize to their hearts’ content and even design the packaging to have pictures, messages, or, well, just about anything they want. Side note: orders of over 50 bars get a nice little discount.

If you’re interested in designing your own goodies, click over to Chocomize, or find them on Twitter and Facebook. Also check out their blog – tons of fun things like the History of Chocolate and the Story of Saint Valentine.

If you place an order, type ‘Valentine’ into the coupon section of the checkout to receive free shipping!

Hello all! This is our first ever “advertiser appreciation post”. As you can see to our right, we have some wonderful people to get some exposure to their own sites through ours. Today, we’re featuring the fabulous Shirley Tan. We’ll be honest – we think it’s pretty awesome that she advertises on our site. But, there is much more to this wedding gift guru!

This awesome woman is an entrepreneur, business owner, wife, mom to three, and wedding goody extraordinaire (and much more). One of her websites and online shops is all about wedding favors and gifts. She’s got them all – bridesmaid gifts, groomsmen gifts, and even an array of personalized wedding favors.

Here is one of my favorite – a bridesmaid tote. I’m tote obsessed, so naturally I’d love this one! Love the monograms, too.

Some wedding websites seem a bit “sketch” and I’ll admit, I’d feel a bit uncomfortable ordering from them. But after having worked with Shirley for quite a while, I can say I’d totally trust her and her staff. Let’s hear it for Shirley and her American Bridal!

Opening Note: Don’t forget to check out the bottom of the post for a GIVEAWAY!

If you’re an organized bride, you know how important true organization is! It’s one thing to have your vendors “organized” (aka just booked) and something completely different to have every wedding detail in its proper place. And even better, have them in such a way that in case of an emergency, someone else can step up and know where to find everything. This means current contact lists, well organized information (in binders, folders, etc.), and easily accessible wedding day items.

That’s where the DYMO Personal Lablemaker comes in. Not only does it fit perfectly and comfortably in the palm of your hand, but it has a 13 character display, a color-coded keyboard, 5 font styles, 7 print styles, 8 boarder styles, 195 symbols, and the capability to print on two lines. Phew! In addition, what you see on the screen is exactly what the label maker prints out!

I’m not one for reading too deep into directions. So of course as soon as I got mine, I cut open the package and got to labeling. I figured I would have to do some sort of setup or programming process before I could begin using the machine, but all I had to do was press “On”! So naturally, it was love at first button.

Check out this bad boy!

Yeah. It makes my heart beat a little faster.

DYMO has teamed up with the Clutter Queen for some helpful wedding planning/organizational tips. Here they are, from the Queen herself:

1. Make a detailed shopping list of all of the organizational supplies and tools you’ll need to plan your wedding. You’ll need things like file folders, a three-ring binder, albums and boxes for cards and photos, and a DYMO® Personal Labelmaker – these will help keep you and your fiancé organized while planning the big day.

2. Create a binder with sections labeled for calendar, dress ideas, guest list, registry, shopping lists, showers and parties, thank you cards, gift lists, bridal party schedules, and so on. Take the binder with you on appointments and meetings. Everything will be in one place for easy reference.

3. To help keep track of the landslide of wedding gifts you receive, use file folders and label them by category – gift cards and certificates, receipts, returns, etc. Also, consider labeling the outside of the box a gift comes in with who gave it to you. This will help when writing thank you notes later.

4. Designate a table in a low-traffic area of your home for crafting wedding favors, invitations, note cards, etc. Use a DYMO® Personal Labelmaker to clearly label boxes for RSVPs, cards, ribbons, table-setting cards and more.

5. Instead of letting wedding cards and photos pile up, store them in an album or photo box. Be sure to label the backs of cards and photos with names, dates, and location for quick and easy reference.

6. Make multiple copies of photos and other special memorabilia to create one-of-a-kind “brag books” for your mom, grandma, and soon to be step-mom to show-off to their friends later.

7. If there is something you need only for the wedding, consider borrowing from a friend or relative. A family heirloom – like your grandmother’s cake knife or your mother’s cake topper – will not only add sentimental value to your wedding but save you shopping time and money.

8. If you plan to provide a special CD for the DJ to use during the reception, clearly label the disc case with the song name and track number using a product like the DYMO® Personal Labelmaker. For a more personalized disc, use the DYMO® DiscPainter™ CD/DVD printer, which will print text and photos directly onto the disc. This way there aren’t any slip-ups during your special dance.

So, now that your mouth is watering and your organizational gears are turning, don’t you just want to get your hands on one? HERE IS YOUR CHANCE! We are giving one away! All you have to do is leave a comment and we’ll randomly pick a winner at the end of the week. We’ll send you an email asking for your mailing address and you’ll get the labelmaker sent right to your doorstep. So get to commenting! =)

Music plays a huge part in the over all reception vibe, so be picky when choosing your playlist! That being said, I wanted to introduce Rosey to you.

Rosey, I’d dare to say, could almost be called a female Michael Buble, with her smooth sounds, jazzy undertones, and absolutely wedding-worthy music! Her music is glamorous and sexy and she has a number of tracks on her newest album that could tie into the wedding day perfectly.

If you’re looking for something beyond Etta James and Frank Sinatra for first dance music, check out Rosey’s “Hand in Hand” or “First Time” (see below for some lyrics). Every other song on “Luckiest Girl” would make great music for dinner and dancing, so listen up!

If you really fall in love, Rosey and her band can perform at your wedding (as long as you can foot the bill)! Want to know how to find her? Check out her website and MySpace page, where you can look and listen all day long (which I’ve done a number of time!). You can also find her on YouTube, so take a look! You will fall in love!

From Hand In Hand: You take my hand with a promise and a ring, my life with you begins. And I take your hand and the tears fall down my face as I take your name. And here we stand, together hand in hand, shining like the sun. And I knew it from the start, you would have my heart and I would be your love.

From First Time: Do you think it’s okay if I say awhile. You could make me smile like this for such a long time. I’ve got a feeling about you. I’ve got a feeling I can’t loose. First time, first time I’ve looked into someone’s eyes and I knew, I knew. First time, the first time I know you feel the same way that I do.

All in all, I would definitely agree with how her website describes her:

There is something undeniably seductive about jazz music – its glamour, its sex appeal, and its earnest, soulful roots all appeal to a comfortable, old-fashioned music sensibility. There exists a select few who appreciate jazz on another level, people who see one step beyond the classic image and recognize jazz as an entirely fresh form of pop music. Rosey is one of these rare characters.