Dôa Restaurant, Miami

Pork Ribs at Dôa Restaurant, Miami.

Dôa, pronounced (dow-ah), a Miami beach, late-night eatery recently opened its doors.  The owner, Arjun Waney, already owns the highly popular Miami restaurant  Zuma, inside the Epic Hotel.   Located on Collins and 20th Ave, the restaurant features a large, zen space, with dim lighting, cool colors and an open-air kitchen. The culinary theme falls somewhere between Japanese with a heavy Latin American influence. The chefs term it 'LatAsian.'

Nestled in the heart of Miami Beach, you'd expect high-priced fare with small, dainty portions., right? Wrong. We went hungry, and left happy, happy, happy.  Here's why:

12 Days of Christmas Holiday Gift Ideas - Day Five: Clarins Eye Shadows

NUDE

There are 7 days to go before Christmas!  Next up on the holiday gift guide: Clarins Four Color Eye Shadow Palette.  Here's why:

• These come in luxe gold compacts
• You have three different palettes to choose from
• 4 shadows to a palette
• Sturdy mirrored compact
• Great color payoff

My favorite one is Rosewood.  These retail for $43.  

12 Days of Christmas Holiday Gift Ideas: Day 4 - Hugo Boss The Scent For Her and Him

Hugo Boss: The Scent For Her

Today's holiday gift idea is brought to you by Hugo Boss, who recently hosted us for a beautiful evening at their new Brickell City Centre location.  After an informative tour of the elements used in the fragrances, we sampled both the men and women's scents.  I was already familiar with the men's cologne, Hugo Boss The Scent.  I love the masculine leather notes in it. It also has great staying power.

The Scent for Her is a beautiful fragrance that's the perfect mix of spicy and sweet. The bottle is chic and elegant. Want to know why? Because Jason Wu designed it!

Both are beautifully crafted fragrances that last, and would make perfect gifts for your girl or guy. 

At the Diptyque store opening, just before heading to Hugo Boss (more on that tomorrow).
Wearing: Free people crop top, Bebe Perforated top, Forever 21 Skirt, Ann Taylor 'Mila' Suede Pump

12 Days of Christmas Holiday Gift Ideas: DAY TWO - Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Chrome Liners

How many days are left before Christmas? 11! Today is Wednesday, December 14th, 2016...have you finished all of your holiday shopping? My holiday wish list would definitely include these Bobbi Brown Long-Wear liquid liners. They have a chrome finish and come in five shades. The really fine marker tip makes them an breeze to apply, and really helps you get that wing down.

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Liquid Liners: Forrest Sparkle, Baltic Blue, Night Sky Sparkle, Violet Sparkle, and Gold Bronze Sparkle

To ensure that the product dispenses evenly, these have to be shaken quite a bit before use. They're formulated with quick drying ingredients, and once these are on, they are on. They don't budge. I like to layer these on top of the Bobbi Brown long-wear gel liners, or a cream based eye shadow.  Layering these on top of other shadows is fine, but do not try to pack this product onto itself. Once shaken, they're pigmented enough to apply lots of chrome goodness onto the lid with one swipe, but if you try to apply more on top of that, they will flake. 

Product swatches down below!!

TFE Tip: use an eyelid base that matches the color of the liquid liner, for an even more intense, chromatic finish. 

12 Days of Christmas Holiday Gift Ideas: DAY ONE - AERIN Tangier Vanille Perfume and Gift Set

Good morning TFE's! Today marks the official countdown to the 12 days before Christmas. Today's holiday gift idea is brought to you by Aerin. If you're a reader of my Beauty File section, you know that I oftentimes rave about these scents. I love the entire line, how it's packaged, and obviously how the perfumes smell.  A woodsy, spicy and sweet scent; Tangier Vanille is Aerin's newest fragrance launch. The product line extends into beautifully packaged shower gels, soaps, and body creams. 

Gift wise, the fragrances come in a variety of sizes, which makes them perfect for anyone on your list. The largest size is 3.4 ounces, but ranges to roller ball sizes and an even smaller $15 spray (the perfect stocking stuffer).  Click below for a pricing breakdown.

Happy Holidays xo

AERIN Beauty Soap Coffret gift set

 

December Beauty Board

Click on the images to shop the products. 

AERIN Tangier Vanille: the newest fragrance launch. I am a HUGE fan of AERIN fragrances. Their packaging is so beautiful and the scents are really, really nice. These make great gifts. Tangier Vanille is a vanilla scent that applies stronger and fades to a delicate, sweet and spicy note. My other favorite?  Ikat Jasmine.

Sol De Janeiro's newest launch is the Brazilian Kiss Lip Butter - a chubby lip balm stick beautifully scented with fragrant vanilla. I'm someone who is sensitive to heavily fragranced products, and I'm happy to report that I love this. Get it here, packaged with their award winning Brazillian Bum Bum cream for $25! This is a very cute gift idea for coworkers or office staff. 

dPHue: A new haircare line on the market (sold at Sephora). They sent over a generous package and I have been really liking their Renew conditioner. My hair is pretty delicate and I am wary about what I use on it. I researched this before using, and vetted the ingredients. I also like their Argan Oil.

Mac Trend Forecast Palettes: each Fashion Week, MAC debuts eye and lip palette combos. They forecast the new seasons' trends.  For SS17, we have a perfect set of lip colors and eye glosses, conveniently packaged in a sleek, thin compact. These are easy to transport. One features 6 lip colors, the other 6 eye glosses, to compliment any editorial look.

Sio Skin Pad: this overnight gel pad infuses your skin with moisture, plumping fine lines and virtually eliminating those ugly sleep/crease marks on your chest!  Use it overnight, or a few hours before a big event or night out.  Retails for $99 for two reusable pads (30 day supply) or $70 for a monthly subscription. The before and after photos are on the website are pretty remarkable. 

Tatcha Camelia Cleansing Oil: I'll admit that the prospect of cleaning my face with oil initially put me off.  After trying out this product, I am a convert. It does a great job at breaking down foundation and eye makeup. Also does a good job at removing thick mascara. Apply on face while dry, massage in, and then it rinses cleanly.  The Tatcha line is beautifully done, with luxe packaging and quality ingredients that are good for your skin. I wish I could use more of their skincare, but the majority of their serums and face creams break me out. This oil cleanser though? Perfection. 

MDSolar Science Sunscreen SPF 50: I go back to this sunscreen again and again for it's antioxidant benefits, and excellent protection against aging and the sun. It wears well under makeup for a full 6-7 hours, making it one of the only products that I can actually put on before applying concealer or foundation.

Oribe Dry Hair Texturizer: I tried to ween myself off of this pricey dry shampoo. For one year, I tried everything in between. I just re-purchased this because nothing works as fast, or as well at absorbing oil than this product.

Clarins Toning Lotion: a super gentle toner that reduces redness, smooths my skin and generally helps calm it down. People skip this step in their skin care routine, but I tend to love it because it makes my skin feel really clean and refreshed. This has a bit of an herbal scent to it, which is worth noting. It does not linger but it is somewhat strong, initially.  

Clarins Boosters: Clarins has also recently come out with a line of "boosters." These are very potent skin serums, each with a specific, targeted goal.  There are three to choose from: Energy (powered by Ginseng), Repair (powered by Mimosa) and Detox (powered by green coffee). Clarins recommends you mix them with other skincare, like in a moisturizer, because they are that potent!

Brocato Vibrastrait Flat Iron: This flat iron is an amazing product. I'm pretty obsessed with it. It heats up very quickly, has a digital temperature gauge that allows you to control the heat setting, has a vibrate setting for quicker drying with smoother strands.  This makes my hair really shiny. It helps lock in moisture and helps eliminate frizz. An amazing product and truly worth the money.  You can buy it online at Target and Ulta.

THE BAD:

I'm always trying out new beauty products, so of course, I do come across things that I just do not like.  This month, I tested the Cloud 9 Haircare line.  I used the Brocato Cloud 9 Miracle Repair Blow Dry Serum. Bad news. Never test out a new product before a big night out right? RIGHT. I used this before going to a work gala and my hair never looked worse.  It was one huge frizzball. This product did not standup to the Miami humidity. It was the only thing I changed that night, in my hair care routine, so I know it was the culprit. 

Disclosure: I received all products mentioned above, except Oribe, MD Solar Science, and Tatcha, as press samples.  I have included them because I genuinely enjoy them, and have given honest opinions about them. 

Eye Look: Urban Decay Moonstone Palette

Urban Decay sent over the Moondust palette for me to play with and it's been non-stop fun ever since I opened the package. It's a very colorful, sparkly palette with 8 shadows. The palette has a large, hinged mirror.  A definite plus!  As usual, Urban Decay packaging does not disappoint!  Each shadow packs high shine, and can be worn wet or dry. The swatches below are dry swatches, swiped once, with no primer. They're pigmented, but do take some getting used to because there is fallout with certain shades. I personally don't mind that too much, but it's worth mentioning. When you wet these, they become more opaque and almost take on a cream to powder texture. Wetting them is the best way to get full-on lid color, but it does change the tonality of the shades a bit. That's actually the fun in this palette, because the shadows shift color with the light. Keep reading below for full swatches and to see a look I created with the palette.