To Botox or Not To Botox...
Feb 17, 2012That is the question. And I get asked it a lot. There's no right answer except what's best for you. If you're going to get it, here's my one piece of advice: go to a dermatologist known for giving natural-looking results. The goal isn't to make you look 10 years younger. It's to make you look instantly refreshed in a way that your anti-aging moisturizer can't. You should still look your age, and you should still be able to move your eyebrows. The below "before" and "after" are untouched photos taken of my friend (she's letting me use these images of her sans makeup, so I promised I wouldn't say her name), a thirty-something who got Botox for her first time to minimize the appearance of her crows feet (crinkles around the eyes). Can you see the difference? Would you try Botox?
You're Invited! Best Beauty Buys for Moms event on Feb. 6th
Jan 9, 2012
Last year's event was such a success, Bump Club and Beyond and The Beauty Girl are partnering again. This year's night out -- Best Beauty Buys for Busy Moms -- is going to be even bigger and better! Treat yourself to a night of pampering and FUN PLUS style and beauty product 411 from yours truly. Every ticket comes with your choice of a mini-manicure or brow shaping from Bliss Spa, food and a gift bag worth $100+ in beauty products (they're gonna be filled with lots of amazing stuff!). We’ll be giving away thousands of dollars in beauty products and services as well as a brand new Promenade stroller from phil&Ted’s. Click here or the invite to purchase tickets to the Feb. 6th event.
Hot Winter Skin Saviors
Dec 19, 2011In the dead of the snowy, bitter winter, my skin is sometimes nothing short of, well, dead. I wish I could snap my finger and be transported to my favorite spa—a girl can dream. In the meantime, I’ve found some products that not only save parched skin, but also bring home some spa coziness.
My typically wind-burned cheeks have stayed comfortable with a skincare line called Vitaphenol. The cleanser and daily moisturizer contain Coenzyme Q10, antioxidants and vitamins A, C and E. The cleanser takes off makeup without stripping skin and the moisturizer has a nice, light, fast-absorbing consistency. I love that the products are anti-aging and moisturizing without being heavy duty, gloppy creams.
Flaky, scaly limbs are not to be ignored. Fiery, itchy legs have actually kept me awake in the middle of the night and the only cure is more Clarins Tonic Body Treatment Oil. Made with hazelnut oil and rosemary, geranium and mint extracts, it’s kind of like a spa in a jar. I coat myself in the stuff while I’m still damp from the shower and I pat the excess onto my face—keeps me dewy!
Only thing better than a fab body oil: a warm body oil in candle form. The Earthly Body 3-in-1 Massage Candle is made with
massage oil rather than wax. You light the wick, enjoy it as a candle for about twenty mintues or so, and then you can pour the warm oil onto your skin and use it as a moisturizer. How cool is that! I’ve been using the “Skinny Dip” scent, which is vanilla-y and musky, but there are several other scents to choose from (might I say a fabulous holiday gift?).
(Posted by Cody)
My Simple DIY Body Scrub Recipe
Nov 10, 2011P.S. This video was filmed just days before my little man Rex was born.
Chillax with these DIY Spa Tips
Oct 12, 2011Check out my latest interview featured in the October issue of "make it better" magazine.
What I'm Writing about in the Summer issue of Michigan Avenue magazine
Jul 14, 2011
I write the beauty page for Michigan Avenue magazine every month. Here's my latest roundup of beauty happenings in Chicago.
The Beauty Girl "Best in Beauty" Event Highlights & Photos
Jun 14, 2011
Thank you to everyone who attended my "Best in Beauty" event this past Thursday!
To see all of the festivities from the evening, scroll down and click on the photos.
For this celebration of beauty, I handpicked some of my favorite beauty vendors in Chicago to give women a night of pampering, and what a night it was! The upbeat crowd of 100 was all smiles indulging in perfect eye brow waxes and incredible hairstyling (see below gallery for some of the red-carpet worthy updos) provided by Maxine salon, relaxing chair massages courtesy of David Barton Gym and custom airbrush tans, thanks to the girls at Glo Airbrush Tan. And the VIPs were treated to a special non-surgical mini brow lift from C.I. Luxury MedSpa.
In between services, guests got to sample and learn about the fantastic French skincare line Votre Vu. Not to mention, everyone left with some of my favorite Votre Vu products (Antioxidant Eye Gelee and Amour D'Ore multi-vitamin oil for Face, Body and Hair) in their gift bags. Another perk of the event -- 20% off Kerastase and Shu Uemura haircare, two brands that never go on sale.
A big congrats to all of the raffle prize winners! During the night I gave away over $1000 in freebies including $450 worth of Botox, a makeover at Maxine salon, a suite of Votre Vu Skincare products valued at $500, a one-hour massage and two sessions for in-home airbrush tanning.
Keep in mind, you'll never leave a Beauty Girl event without a legit, high-value gift bag loaded with stuff that will make your friends jealous. For this event I included over $300 worth of goodies including my favorite summer must-haves like Degree's new deodorant and Neutrogena and Aveeno sunblocks. And never underestimate the power of paper. There were also gift cards for amazing treatments like a $125 facial, haircut discount and a week's pass plus free personal training session at David Barton Gym.
The bar was hopping all night long. To keep everyone feeling and looking beautiful from the inside out, the delicious SnapDragon beauty beverage, a perservative-free drink loaded with all kinds of good-for-you antioxidants, juices and vitamins like green tea, mango and ginkgo biloba, was served (note: it's refreshing on its own but also makes for a great mixer) as was Effen's newest vodka flavor, Effen Cucumber. It smells as clean and refreshing as the cucumber water you drink at a spa! Being that I'm preggars, I wasn't able to imbibe, but even non-drinkers were raving about how good it tasted. Of course, The Beauty Girl events are never complete without some sweets. The cupcakes from Lovely Bake Shop were a hit.
Have fun perusing the gallery of pics!
The Beauty Girl Featured on VitalJuice.com
Jun 13, 2011
Vital Juice -- a Daily Candy-esque newsletter dedicated to healthy living, recently picked my brain to find out my fave Chicago spots. If you're curious, here's where I frequent to stay on top of my game.
Nicole Pearl, The Beauty Girl, has written for national publications including Allure, Cosmo, Marie Claire, Self, In Style, Seventeen, and more. She's covered NYC and LA Fashion Weeks, has appeared on TV as a top beauty and style expert and has been a guest speaker for corporations. The Beauty Girl blog is Nicole's exclusive insider notebook, sharing her V.I.P. access to the latest in beauty. Welcome! Still curious about Nicole? Click here. To book this beauty expert for parties, events, TV segments, media tours, personal consultations and appearances, email info@thebeautygirl.com
