Fashion Forward for Fall Makeup

Fall is here and I’m ready to celebrate with autumn’s colors. I am excited to check out Jane Iredale’s Fashion Forward collection, featuring eye shadows, retractable brow pencils and lipstick. The company sent samples for me to try and I’m impressed.

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First I tried two Smooth Affair® eye shadows. One called Naked is sheer nude color; the other, Iced Brown, is a sheer golden brown. I liked how light and smooth they were to apply and it’s cool that they double as either eye shadow or as a primer for more shadows. They’re smudge proof too! There are four other colors in the line including a sheer pink called Petal; a matte yellow named Lemon; a champagne color called Canvas; and a shade of Gold.

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Next up, I tried the retractable brow pencils in two colors: brunette and dark brunette. (There’s a blonde color too that I didn’t try.) The pencils do a nice job of filling in brows. And I totally love the built-in “spoolie” on the end of each pencil, perfect for brow shaping.

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The finishing touch? The Cindy Puremoist® lipstick, a sexy shade of red! As the name suggests, it’s named after supermodel Cindy Crawford. I love the lipstick’s scent – a light, fruity mix of pomegranate and backberry extracts. Plus I love how the color complements my fair skin.

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Sampling these products has been lots of fun – I’m looking forward to wearing them throughout the fall.

Inside Hotel Karlan

I visit and write about wedding venues a lot and it’s always exciting. I recently got a tour of Hotel Karlan, a DoubleTree by Hilton San Diego. The hotel has just finished a $12 million dollar renovation and rebranding.

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The property, conveniently located off the I-15 in the foothills of North San Diego County’s Carmel Highlands, is well appointed with many amenities including refurbished meeting and event space, villa style guest rooms and a new restaurant, featuring farm-to-table contemporary cuisine.

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I loved touring the hotel and seeing the 32,000 square feet of meeting and event space, which includes 17,000 square feet of outdoor event space.

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The lush lawn is perfect for an al fresco ceremony. Plus the patio is a great space for a cocktail hour. This site works for weddings small and large – up to 400 guests!

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During lunch at the on property restaurant, Asado Grill, catering sales manager Kylie Flora explained the venue is a fit for couples who want a wedding venue with indoor and outdoor locations, as well as rooms for guests and members of the wedding party to stay on-site.

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Those guest rooms are spacey and modern, each with a patio as well as contemporary bathrooms complete with great mirrors and lighting, which is ideal for brides who want to take the perfect bathroom selfie!

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Another benefit of the venue? The Black Horse Pub, formerly a golf clubhouse, is a spacious place for cocktails and relaxing with friends.

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Hotel Karlan is booking weddings now and into the next year.