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Lara Eurdolian, Pretty Connected Beauty Blog

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Credo Beauty Opens in NYC

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I’m way overdue for a trip to San Francisco and one of the beauty stores on my radar to visit while there was Credo. So when an invite came for the opening to their store in NYC, I was so excited! With just months after Space.NK moved to Nolita, the new Credo store is located on the same street, just a few blocks over at 9 Prince Street.credo-store-nyc

For anyone not familiar with Credo, it has that same smartly curated beauty boutique feel you’d get from a Space.Nk or Blue Mercury but their schtick is all natural and organic beauty brands. So you’ll see minimal to no cross over from these stores or Sephora. Spanning 900 sq feet, the Credo store offers products from 100+ brands from all over the world spanning face, hair, body and makeup. We’re talking brands like Tata Harpour, W3LL People, Ilia, Indie Lee, Juice Beauty,RMS, African Botanics, Cocovit, Evolvh, Dr. Jackson’s, Fig + Yarrow, Graydon, Herbivore, Innersense, Intelligent Nutrients, Kahina Giving Beauty, Kjaer Weis, Lurk, Marie Veronique, MV Organic Skincare, Nu Evolution, Rituel de Fille, Sans (ceuticals), Skin Owl, Strange Invisible, SW Basics, and Vapour. 

Stepping into Spring with Viscata Espadrilles

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If feels like spring has been wavering but earlier this month for just one day in between all the rain the sun came out and it made me so excited to put on my new Viscata espadrilles and a floral romper and visit the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. You could say I really dressed the part from my hair to toe to celebrate all of the beautiful colors around me.

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Outfit details:

Willow & Clay Seaflower Romper and army jacket (similar)

Viscata Espadrille Tamariu Wedges in Beige

Kate Spade Orchard Street Penelope Crossbody Bag in Alice Blue

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Surrounded in lilacs and cherry blossoms, there was really no better place to spend a beautiful day in NYC then at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. It exudes spring everywhere you look and there’s something so special about being surrounded in florals and the joy it brings to everyone around you walking the gardens.

Espadrilles always remind me of my sister who has lived in Europe for most of her adult life and owns about a million pairs. Viscata espadrilles are all hand made in Spain with artisan crafting based on traditional designs from centuries ago — but with a modern flair of breathable materials, sustainable packaging, and an array of fun colors and styles in both flats and wedges. These are my first pair of open toe espadrille wedges which I’ve been on the hunt for some time. There’s something a little more flirty about them then standard closed toe. Plus a wedge always makes your legs look leaner.

Beating the Bloat: Flat Tummy Tea Review

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Being bloated sucks! I know I’m slender and usually in shape, but after three weeks in LA, and doing both weekends of Coachella I was feeling the effects of major vacation bloat. I blame my beer, fast-food and salted popcorn diet.

{Behold the dreaded bloat!}
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It didn’t help that while I was there the May issue of People StyleWatch came out featuring me in a bathing suit. I had shot the campaign in February when I was in my ultra-healthy, workout mode. But alas, the only real exercise I got in the two weeks away was the walk to and from the music festival. Truth be told under a loose tee shirt all looked good under the hood but by the second weekend the last thing I wanted to do at the pool parties was be in bikini. And my crop tops were buried at the bottom of my suitcase.

By the time I got home I was ready to get back on track and try Flat Tummy Tea. I had seen them all over social media and with all of the health benefits of their teas I was ready to detox!

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Before anyone asks, Flat Tummy Tea is not a weight-loss supplement! It’s an all natural, herbal detox cleanse system designed to get rid of bloating and offer a daily energy boost. I mean… no one likes that bloated and sluggish feeling and this tea tackles that!

The Power of Touch and its Importance in a Relationship

 

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May is very special month for me. It marks the 10-year anniversary since James and I had our first date! Even when you have the best partner (and James is the best!) relationships are not easy. I’m filled with advice as we’ve been through practically every obstacle in the past decade but there was one piece of advice a while back, which always stuck with me. It was about the importance of touch and how over time our skin to skin interactions decrease and the negative effects it has on us.

The article triggered two habits. One, I try to always have my hands around the back of James’ neck or on his arms when I kiss him. The other is totally strange – I nestle my foot around his ankle before we go to bed. I know it’s weird, and he thinks it’s so I make sure he doesn’t get away but in all actuality it’s to make sure we have enough skin contact in a day. We are an affectionate couple and I’m so grateful for that, especially after partnering with K-Y on their latest campaign.

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K-Y recently partnered with world-renowned sex research institute, The Kinsey Institute, to create The Touch Initiative, a partnership devoted to exposing the power of touch in relationships. They commissioned a national survey to better understand how touch impacts couples’ connectivity and overall well-being and found:

  • 87% of men and women in committed relationships rated touch as very or extremely important to building intimacy.
  • Yet over a third (34%) of people say they’re not touched enough.
  • Couples who touch more than once a day are 14% more satisfied with their relationship, compared to all couples

Paramore Hayley Williams Launches Vegan Hair Dye Line

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Last week, I had a blast having dinner with Paramore’s Grammy Award winning artist, Hayley Williams and her colorist Brian O’Connor. Hayley is known for experimenting with hair color, just watch every music video she’s ever done — including her cameo in Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood music video — and you’ll see a vast spectrum of shades from the rainbow. So it should come as no surprise that she is starting a new venture and launching a ‘beautifully obnoxious’ DIY hair color line called goodDyeyoung with Brian O’Connor as the Artistic Director. good-dye-young-paramore-hayley-williams-brian-o'connor

As a voice for anyone whose rebel spirit stands out, but might not always fit in, the launch of goodDyeyoung (GDY) represents a youthful community bonded by self-expression, limitless inspiration and a flair for bold colors. When I chatted with Hayley and Brian they talked about how they have been working on the line for the past four years and as a color enthusiast she struggled to find the products she was looking for and thus decided to create them. Launching with five shades ($5,99 each) in Rock Lobster (red), Blue Ruin (purplish-blue), Ex-Girl (pink), Steal My Sunshine (yellow) and Riot (orange), a Fader ($13.99), Lightening Kit ($8.99) and glove, tint brush and mixing bowl tool kit ($5.99), the collection is completely affordable, vegan, and cruelty-free. It also smells amazing!

Celebrate Red Nose Day with us on May 26

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Mark your calendars friends for May 26th for Red Nose Day, the campaign dedicated to helping children and having fun. You can buy merchandise (like red nose’) from Walgreens where all of the proceeds go to the cause. There’s also a celebrity filled special fundraising event that premieres on NBC at 9/8c that day. Some of you remember the campaign from last year — I know I do and it had such a profound impact on me. Having been in Uganda a few months before, Jack Black’s footage of visiting the kids in hospitals from the region I visited had me so moved (and if I’m being honest, in tears) that I donated on the spot and wanted to do everything I could to support! red-nose-day-1

M&M has also launched the #MakeMLaugh challenge asking friends to post their best Red Nose look using the hashtags #MakeMLaugh and #RedNoseDay and tagging @MMSChocolate. For every post they are donating $1 to Red Nose Day. Charlie (he has an instagram now! @pompomcharlie) and I (@prettyconnected) both did it, although he was not having it with that nose — and actually it was perfectly fitting since it made me laugh pretty hard just how unwilling he was to even fake it for a photo and let me hold it up to his face. But then again that’s what this campaign is all about, spreading joy and making a difference.

2016 CEW Beauty Award Winners Announced

Enjoying the @CEWinsider Beauty Awards with @DermStore - sharing the winners live on Twitter and will post to the blog tonight. #CEWAwards

Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) held beauty’s biggest celebration of innovation today, recognizing the year’s best beauty products at the 22nd annual CEW Beauty Insider Awards. Hosted at the Waldorf Astoria, I had the pleasure of sitting with one of the event sponsors, Dermstore. With over 800 entries, 212 finalists the top products were announced across 37 categories including hair care, fragrance, skin care, cosmetics, and more.

Hosted by Tony Award-Winning Actress, Laura Benanti, the 2016 CEW Beauty Insider Award winners are:

Lean in 15 with Joe Wicks

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On Tuesday I joined personal trainer and global fitness sensation Joe Wicks aka @TheBodyCoach for his signature HIIT (high intensity interval) workout and launch of his new cookbook, Lean in 15. Three days later, I’m still feeling the burn in muscles I didn’t know I had. 

The 90s Now: Chokers, Teva’s, Fanny packs?

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{Outfit Details: Member’s Only Iconic Racer Jacket (on sale!), Double Agent Salty Hair Big Waves Tee, Rag & Bone Jeans (similar), LeSportsac Hand Free Wallet, Teva Universal Flatform Sandal}

I’ve been thinking a lot about the 90s recently. It’s pretty hard not to when Teva’s are everywhere and every themed event you attend is the 90s and your mailers are filled with Ring Pops and scrunchies (a brand even sent me the first season of 90210). I’m all about embracing my childhood and reliving it but with a modern twist. I bought my first pair of Teva’s in middle school, and still can’t believe I’m all about them and platforms again. And while I love that decade, I do think we need some updates so I thought I’d break down some of my best pointers starting with… DO NOT buy a black choker. Instead get a piece of black ribbon, tie it around your neck and call it a day! It will fit better and cost under $1.

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Know how to work a fanny pack – I have seen some cute ones on the market and am obsessed with Hands Free Wallet crossbody I doubled as a fanny pack from LeSprotsac. It’s so lightweight and holds everything I need (built in wallet, phone, lipstick, eyeliner), although I’ll admit I usually wear it more to the side or back. Between having surgery for a herniated disc two years ago and the fact that usually my dog, phone or a drink occupies my hands, not dealing with a purse is kind of amazing! Also backpacks keep continuing to grow in popularity which I’m all for as well.

members-only-jacket-blue-lesportsacGo for the gold! While it was all about the gold digital watches back then, now with cell phones who uses a watch for anything but arm candy? Not me, and I own a million. I finally found my perfect gold watch this year with this Henry London Chiswick Bracelet Watch. The majority of my watches are mens (James and I actually share the collection) and this one is a found new addition to the family. Especially since their watches are really special. We even got the back engraved with our initials.

At Home Devices Worth Investing In: NuFACE, Dermaflash and Nailbliss

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It’s not every day that an at home devices make us go WOW! In fact before this year most of the ones I used were just okay at best. While I’m still on the hunt for an at home laser hair remover that actually works, I’m no longer as concerned about it thanks to Dermaflash! Here are three devices that conquer everything from at home gel manicure, anti-aging, and hair removal that I’ve been highly impressed with!

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Dermaflash – Inspired by dermaplaning, a procedure available only in medical spas or doctor’s offices that exfoliates your skin to remove the dead skin cells and gets rid of the peach fuzz at the same time comes an at-home version. Dermaflash Facial Exfoliating Device is a first in class, patented, safe, hygienic, exfoliating device for at-home use. The easy-to-use device refinishes skin by removing dead skin cells and built up debris, while also gently removing facial hair (aka peach fuzz) for smooth, luminous, and youthful-looking skin. Use weekly and watch your skin be noticeably softer and glow after treatment. Follow the instructions and use it at an angle to shave all unwanted hair off your face and get ready to be shocked by how much facial hair you never knew your always had comes off your face. Note: You can only charge the device without a blade, so don’t immediately snap it in when receiving. You’ll know the device is charged when the light goes off. Each blade should only be used once (for whole face) before being disposed of.

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NuFACE Mini – The portable mini facial toning device version of NuFace’s original Trinity Facial Trainer, utilizes soft wave microcurrent technology to provide a five-minute facial-lift by gently stimulating the underlying structure of the skin tone facial muscles.  As we age, our body’s natural current begins to slow down leading to sagging skin loss of contour and wrinkles. This device mimics this natural current and goes beyond skin deep to tone facial muscles and reduce fine lines and wrinkles. And yes, you can feel the current (it’s super gentle though) as you use it on the contours of your face. Great for travel, it’s pocket size! Although I have to disclaim if you’re ready to invest consider going for original NuFace Trinity which is larger but compatible with two attachments that aren’t available for the mini. The NuFace Trinity Wrinkle Reducer which uses red, amber and infrared light to combat fine lines an wrinkles and the Ele attachment which targets the eye and lip area to attack eyebrow furrows, crow’s feet and fine lines around the mouth. I’m waiting patiently for them to come out a mini version since I’m dying to try both!

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Nailbliss One Step Gel Polish + LED Lamp – If you love the stay power of a gel manicure but are over the price, I have found the at-home device for you. Super compact and powerful, the Nail Bliss LED Lamp is specially designed to cure all types of UV/LED gel polishes in 60 seconds flat.  While the One Step Gel’s say “one step”, they mean one coat for darker colors and 2-3 for lighter shades. Be sure to apply polish in thin layers and do one nail at a time because the polish is extremely thick and will not last as long if applied in thick coats. If you especially like dark shades on your nails, this is easy to use! And the pink, portable LED lamp bed is the cutest! Paint and cure each nail one at a time for added perfection.