Blog Posts by M.J - Fierce Beauty and Fashion

Pumpkin Facial at The Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach

One of my favorite treats during the Fall season is pumpkin pie (which I could go for right about now!) However pumpkins aren't just reserved for your pies or Halloween decorations. To celebrate the season of Pumpkin Goodness, the Eau Spa at the Ritz Carlton Palm Beach is offering their Pumpkin Perfecting Facial. I admit that I never thought pumpkins were great for skin, but Kristin Carpenter, the Spa's director says its great for transitioning skin from the summer to Fall. "Pumpkin is a super-ingredient for the skin and a powerful anti-oxidant… it is high in zinc, beta carotene, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Vitamin A so not only does it help fight the free radicals that are believed to cause aging but it is also acts as a natural cleanser that exfoliates, soothes and softens your skin. Plus, it smells good enough to eat!" (Cue the Pumpkin Pie please!)

If you're in the Palm Beach area, it's worth checking out! If you do, let me know how it went!

Photo courtesy of:

Happy Monday ladies!

Being a member of the plus size club, I know personally how difficult it is to shop and find clothing that flatters what I want (and holds in what I need!) Finding and learning about brands that cater to women like me is the first step, which is why I started a Plus Size Fashion Spotlight on my blog. The second step is getting helpful tips and advice from the experts on how to shop, what to look for, and what pieces to invest in. This is where my first team of experts comes in! Laura Farris Schuffman and Saba Salehi are the stylists over at ABC Family, whose celebrity clientele include Mischa Barton, Billy Bob Thornton, Candace Cameron Bure, Kelly Rutherford, and Eminem. Laura has been a featured stylist in Vogue while Saba has had positions in mags such as Beverly Hills Magazine and Los Angeles Weddings. Here are their five tips that we plus size women should keep in mind before we go shopping!

Get the right undergarments. Start under your clothes. Have you ever wished you

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Fashion designer Rachel Roy made a special stop in Miami this past Saturday, hosting a special fashion event at the Macy's at the Dadeland Mall. When I hit the second floor of the Macy's woman's fashion floor, I was greeted by an awesome DJ mixing cool music, a mini runway with impromptu models, and Ms. Rachel Roy herself, signing autographs and talking with customers. Behind her were racks and racks of her clothing from her new Fall line that required great restraint on my part not to buy them all! I had the awesome opportunity to talk with Rachel about her line and fashion designing! Here's what I learned:

The design inspirations and conceps behind the Fall line

Her fall pieces take cues from her original and the latest trends. She wanted to create clothing that is trendy, sophisticated, and sexy. Designing with a team that wear the clothes they design helped make that possible! The key for her when it came to her clothing was that a woman can be smart and sexy

If you remember awhile back, Bluefly started a series where celebs and industry insiders shared the cool fashions (and sometimes obsessions!) that take up their closets. I always have fun watching these from Kelly Kutrone's jackets to Nicky Hilton's designer threads! The newest celeb to confess? NYC Housewife Bethenny Frankel and let me tell you, this is the most entertaining video yet! Showcasing her power colored red dresses and separate shoe closet that sits off her kitchen in her tank top and pajama pants, she gives a rundown of her closet that is so worth seeing! She even shows the dresses that her fellow housewives would wear (using accents and all!)

You ladies have to go and check it out right here !

Photos courtesy of: Bluefly

Though I'm a big fan of big, bold, and totally out there jewelry, I also like fine jewelry that's just simple, elegant and classic. This type of jewelry essential to have for that big job interview or elegant, sit down dinner with a special someone. These types of occasions came to mind when I saw these pieces from Jordann jewelry. My friends over at the Ritz Carlton Palm Beach told me that they were offering this collection in their boutique outside of their Eau Spa. These pieces shown here are trendy yet really simple and classy, something that is definitely appropriate for a dinner at the Ritz Carlton for sure! So ladies check it out and tell me what you think!

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Photos courtesy of: Jordann Jewelry

Happy Tuesday! Thank goodness we've gotten Monday out of the way! This week's top five is all about lip gloss because it's one of my makeup must haves! I was actually changing out handbags and realized that I was carrying around at least 6 different tubes of lip gloss in my bag! Not to mention I found some in my car as well! Crazy I know but you can never be too prepared, especially when you need a lip gloss touch up! Here are my top five lip glosses that get the most play in my makeup bag (and handbag…and car…)

Ultra Shine Lip Gloss from the SEPHORA Collection

An impulse buy that proved to be a good one, this lip gloss that I only have in sparkly brown color that I can't seem to find anymore, this lip gloss is super moisturizing. I often use it like a lip balm, giving my dry lips the moisturizer it needs along with giving me a nice, neutral lip color.

GLAZEWEAR lip gloss *

I like this brand of lip gloss from Avon because it comes in three different

With all of the beauty advice, do's and don'ts, trends and disasters, there is always that one piece of beauty advice that always manages to stay with you! For this month's assignment, my gurus and I had to dig deep into our beauty memories to find that gem that works every single time when it comes to our beauty routines. I know I've received tons, especially when I finally grew out of my tonboy stage not too long ago and finally embraced most things girly! However, the best piece of advice was something my mom used to tell me all the time:

"You're hair doesn't need all of that!"

Translation:

Take care of your hair by not over processing it, overloading it with product, or over-using heating tools.

When I was a little girl, my mom had full control of my hair up until high school. She styled it (mostly in braids because I wasn't allowed to wear it out!), bought the products, and prohibited me from doing anything to chemically change it (so relaxers and