Blog Posts by M.J - Fierce Beauty and Fashion

From a weak economy to healthcare overhauls, everyone's eyes are the midterm elections that will be here before you know it. Are American's paying attention to the proposed regulations and policies these candidates are proposing? Are we choosing the candidates that we feel would best serve our country after November? Or are we more concerned about a candidates designer suit?

In the Style vs. Substance survey conducted by Weatherproof (a men's, women's and children's apparral company) that was published in the Style Section of the Huffington Post , we are more concerned about a politicians' style than what he/she is all about. Out of those surveyed, 55.2% said that a politicians' physical presentation is more important, while 45.3% felt their policies were. It does make sense that first impressions are key but hopefully not the end all, be all when comes to something as important as voting. In my past life as a legal and political science student, I always looked at what a

It's Fall time!! Yay!! And with the new season, comes new fashion lookbooks to excitedly peruse through and Rachel Roy's is no exception. In her Fall 2010 RACHEL Rachel Roy lookbook, she features 20 real women who not only look absolutely fabulous in the fall collection but also share their individual stories on how they live life the fullest.

In celebration of living out loud, Rachel Roy is looking for more inspirational stories of living out loud and this is where you come in! You can create a video telling Rachel Roy that one statement that describes how you live out loud for a chance to be one of the five lucky winners who get a $150 gift certificate for Rachel's website ! Just check out her video on her inspiration and just upload your video as a response from now until September 24 th !

Good Luck Ladies!

More Rachel Roy News:

Fierce Fashion News: Rachel Roy Takes Fashion Transformation to Another Level!

Exclusive Q & A with Rachel Roy and

Young Women Puckering Lips

Did you know you even had a lip classification? I surely didn't and according to Dr. Robert Gordon a.k.a Dr. Lips, not too many doctors out there have one either! Dr. Gordon has created the first and only template for lip classifications, which is super important if you're considering getting a little extra surgical help for your pout. "I noticed a definitive void in the medical arena pertaining to lips and perioral aesthetics," says Dr. Gordon. "I used my experience in both art and science to create a classification system that would fill that void and allow women to reach their full aesthetic potential." He feels that all lips are not created equal and I definitely agree!

Though I don't plan on getting anything done on my lips ( I think they are just fine! I mean they are classic according to this chart!), I thought this would be fun to share with you ladies! I gotta admit that this lip science is kinda cool!

So get in the mirror and pucker baby!

You ladies all know I love to get my spa on and if I can get a spa trip on a discount, then I'm really all for it!

I told you guys about National Spa Week last month and this is just a friendly reminder that it will be here before you know it! In case you don't know what Spa Week is all about, it's when over 1,000 spas across the country and Canada get together to offer fabulous spa treatments for only $50 (check out my post back from August to get a taste of some of these treatments!).

Spa Week kicks off next week - September 13 th - 19 th for my spa lovers on the West Coast, Arizona, Las Vegas, and Chicago. For my ladies on the East Coast, Midwest, Denver, and Canada, your Spa Week event starts October 11 th - 17 th . For a list of participating locations and, most importantly, book your treatment, head over to their website !

Fierce Spa Reviews:

South Beach Spa Trip: agua at Delano Hotel

Just Say…….Oh….! The Eau Spa at the Ritz Carlton, West Palm

As my beauty and fashion blog approaches it's first birthday (Yay!) I'm trying out some new things and one of those things is offering weekly features. One of my first features is what I call, Tuesday Top 5's, which is a list of my fav beauty and fashion products that play to a theme. What better theme to start off with after coming off a long weekend then listing my top five makeup products that I use on a lazy beauty day. Today definitely qualifed as one of those days and I have my go-to items that gives me the fresh face I want when I'm not in the mood to be cosmetically creative!

CoverGirl Press Powder

This handy, dandy powder gets my face instantly fresh and shine-free in a minute. On those days when I'm extremely lazy, I just apply some powder in my T-zone after applying moisturizer. I have a fresh looking complexion in a minute!

ANEW Youth-Awakening Eyeshadow and Primer Kit*

I just started using this recently in Cinnamon Shimmer and its definitely

Photo courtesy of: girlfriendsgetaway.wordpress.com

It's that time again, and though we had a lighter topic last week with our Fall Fashion Forecasts , we are back to pushing those hot topic buttons. This week my fellow Friend Friday bloggers and I are talking about fashion knockoffs, inspired by a video posted on the The Taxonomy of My Wardrobe . It is definitely worth watching all the way through and forming your own opinions!

As always, please check out Modly Chic to see what everyone else had to say, as well as details on how you can participate if you're a blogger! J

Which side do you take… Copycat designs are a way for the average consumer to stay current and wear runway styles without breaking the bank OR Copycat designs take business from the designer and cheapen the value of their work. Explain.

I take the side of "Copycat designs are a way for the average consumer to stay current and wear runway styles without breaking the bank" and

Designer: Plum Vintage

As a beauty and fashion blogger, I'm always looking for something new and different, especially when it comes to designers. While the big names are always fun to look for, there are many other designers who aren't that well known and not always easy to find. Project Artisan does that! This newly launched E-Commerce site aims to bring together emerging designers in fashion, jewelry, accessories, and home goods, as well as those already established into one place. This site doesn't feature just any designers though. Robin Keyser, the site's creator, looks for progressive designers whose work is produced in small quantities using local materials as well as made by workers who aren't mistreated (i.e made in sweat shops, etc.). She wanted to design a place where someone can find high quality items with little negative impact on the environment. She also cares about the story behind the design, which is why Project Artisan has a really cool

My curling iron and I have had a tight, yet often destructive relationship. I used it every day, all day as the only way to get my hair to behave. Up until this past July, my ends always had a tendency to get unruly and my hair always lay flat - sometimes too flat! Add to the fact that my hair is relaxed and is even more susceptible to breakage, it wasn't helping my hair health to use the curling iron every single day.

This past July, I finally found a stylist I liked (the same one who did my blowout during my interview with Tippi Shorter) and I went in to get the much needed trim. My ends were damaged, splitting and breaking before my hair had a chance to grow longer. The overuse of heating products was definitely a culprit, along with the sun and salt damage that comes along with living in a coastal area. Now my hair has volume, my ends are better than ever, and I almost feel like I have a brand new hairdo. It's amazing what a trim will do! So amazing that when I