Charlie Tamara Piper

I've spent the last several months planning my next big organizing project to update my home office/closet and it's the inspiration for this week's blog post and a future series on this blog - the Home Organizing Series. In the first issue of the Home Organizing Series, I'll try to answer some of the most frequently asked questions that I get when it comes to taking on an organizing project, and I'll use my home office redo as an example of how to get the process started. What's the first thing I should do to start a home organizing project? Where do I even begin? Even the most organized person can still feel overwhelmed by taking on a new project because you have to figure out where to begin. Whenever I'm stuck for where to begin, I try to answer two questions: What does and does not work in this space? What does and does not need to be in this space? By figuring out how the space works for me, I can begin to figure out how to better...

It's a super hot day in New York City today and it got me thinking about my favorite makeup products for summer weather. It can be hard to figure out which products to wear when the heat is on but these products are great choices to look pulled together without your makeup feeling heavy or sliding around. Dior's Airflash Foundation provides the best coverage in the lightest possible formula. Plus, the spray bottle cooly mists the foundation onto your skin, which is a lovely treat on a hot day. Dior's Flash Luminizer Pen color corrects, conceals and brightens my under eye area without being heavy at all. The convenient pen applicator makes it great for throwing in the purse for touch ups if needed, too. All good makeup starts with a good base - and Giorgio Armani's Maestro UV Primer creates a great base and super high SPF 50 sunscreen protection. It's one of the few SPF-based primers that doesn't break me me out or clog pores. Setting powders are clut...

I wrote a post last Christmas about how I was finally able to get the best nails of my life - and they were doing so well until I got a really bad break. This week's post is all about how I managed to save a bad nail break and ultimately regrow my nails in great shape. Growing your nails takes time but with a good routine you can figure out how to bring your nails back to life after damage or breaks. But first, a quick rewind - here were my natural nails after an oil treatment on March 12. They were so long for me and mostly really healthy. I'd done an oil treatment because I'd discovered I had a small chip towards the nail bed on my right ring finger, and I wanted to heal my nails. And then disaster struck! I had a super low break on my right ring finger - who knew you could totally rip up your nail leaning on a diner bench to pick up your purse?!?!? - and I needed to act quickly. I used  Kiss nail glue to hold the break and then (very painfully) removed the re...

As my nearly-empty bottle of Philosophy's Purity Made Simple demonstrates, this is one of my favorite beauty products. It's a cult favorite product for many beauty lovers, having made Allure Magazine's Best of Beauty Hall of Fame in 2016 .  Purity Made Simple is a wonderful facial cleanser that thoroughly but gently pulls out dirt, oil and debris from skin, leaving it cleansed in one step. It works for all skin types - from the oiliest to the driest - making it one of the rare universal beauty products that everyone loves. Plus, you only need a tiny bit to get maximum result, making it really cost-efficient. It more than earned its cult status. I've gone through a so many bottles of Purity Made Simple over the years and I've come to find some new ways to use this beauty staple that you may also find helpful. 1. Use it as a makeup remover. It's pretty clear that it's a facial cleanser, but not all facial cleansers are good at breaking do...

I'm back with another crafting project! I have a present for my little cousin and I wanted to do something special - it would be youthful for an 8 year old but also a little grown up so that she can feel extra special. I got inspired by multiple shades of purple and came up with this gift wrap design. Here's how I did it. First, I started by wrapping the box in plain lavender gift wrap paper.  The color was so fun that it inspired me to work with multiple shades of purple to create something really special and to play with a tone-on-tone design. This was my purple palette. I grabbed multiple shades of purple card stock and some glitter paper to run the full range of pinky-purples. From there, I got inspired to create a purple flower garden theme. I used this decorative punch to make a string of flower petals. I then used an adhesive dot roller and coated the very bottom of the petals and proceeded to roll the petals in a circle to make the beginning ...

I'm always on the hunt for great beauty products and when my old curly hair routine stopped giving me the best results, I knew it was time for a switch-up. I've found some new products that I'm really enjoying for making my hair look and feel great and giving my curls some extra life. Plus, some of these products are even more affordable than my old standbys! Shampoos and Conditioners I've absolutely fallen in love with Bumble and Bumble hair care! The Gentle Shampoo and Super Rich Conditioner  do such a fantastic job of cleansing my hair without stripping it of moisture and conditioning without weighing it down. Best of all, it takes a super small amount of product to get the best results, so the product becomes even more affordable. I've used these salon-sized bottles since January and I've barely used a quarter of the bottle. It's really important to use a clarifying shampoo to get product build up thoroughly out of your hair. Clarifying produ...

Skin care is super important, especially as we get older. I'll admit to committing some skin care sins when I was younger - using harsh ingredients, not washing my face after a night out, and not sticking to a regular routine are my big crimes. I definitely don't have perfect skin but I've gotten my skin in its best shape and have continued to improve on it. I've gone from oily/combination skin to experiencing the occasional dry patch or break out which means I have to switch up my skin care depending on how my skin's doing. Here are the products that have helped me the most. Makeup Removal Taking off my makeup is key - I have to pull out the impurities in order for any skin care products to truly sink in and have their best benefits. I remove my eye makeup with Philosophy's Just Release Me and my face makeup with Dior's HydraLife Oil to Milk Makeup Removing Cleanser , wiping everything off with a damp washcloth. I use Dior's cleansing wate...