Beauty Box 5

1. Perfect my brows

I’ve been patient and allowed them to grow out, and now it’s time to tame them! I love a good thick brow and glamourous arches, but I was not blessed with either, so I’m trying to embrace a straight shape and eyebrow pencils.

2. Find my one true red

I love lipstick and I have a great selection of bright pinks and purples, but I’m still questing for the perfect red. I’ve thrown out or returned a few in the last two years because they were the wrong color, had an awkward shape, or dried out my lips, but this lack of a power red is killing me. The quest begins!

3. Go beyond the basic eye

Minimalist I am, and my daily look is simple: cat eye, bright lips, subtle bronzer on the cheeks. The thing is, I own tons of palettes and brushes, but I don’t experiment enough. It’s time to go wild, binge on tutorials, and see what I can do.

4. Treat myself to more masks

Right now I use a Korres sleeping facial several times a week and pretend it’s a night cream, but I’m not in love with it. It’s time to pony up and buy the masks I can’t get enough of them and use them more often. Goodbye, nose pores!

5. Go for quality, not quantity

I love clothing, but in the last year or two I’ve tried to buy more fitted, luxe pieces so that I really love everything I have and not settle for a second-rate fit. It’s a process.

photo: getty images

Curious about the superhero behind our customer service? Lauren has great ideas for the new year!

1. Unmask myself!

As I have grown older and more secure in my skin I want to let it breathe! Yes, I have a few blemish scars and odd freckles, which I can probably only see as I stand less than a millimeter away from my brightly lit bathroom mirror but still am very aware of, so wearing foundation has become a daily routine. I think it’s time to just let go and embrace these beauty marks of mine and get rid of my foundation! Less is more, right?

2. Focus on my eyes.

I have always loved lipstick and wear it religiously but when it comes to eye shadows I never feel like I can pull them off correctly. I think its time to watch some YouTube tutorials and make my eyes shine with various colors! I honestly have a problem. I buy and buy eye shadows but they never see the light of day. :/

3. Moisturize! Moisturize! Moisturize!

My mom always told me you better moisturize to keep your skin looking young and smooth. Trust me this was an everyday thing from her but being hard headed I wouldn’t listen. With the winter season it has definitely become apparent that keeping my entire body refreshed is a must!

4. Give myself compliments on a daily basis.

I feel beautiful but it is so much easier to spot out the imperfections. When I see something in the mirror I don’t love I am not putting myself down, I am and going to make it something I am proud of. I am talking about you after holiday belly bump!

5. Keep my nails looking fresh!

If I see a chip in my nail polish I am not waiting for the other nails to catch up. If I have to go bare because I can’t keep up with keeping my nails looking perfectly polished my nail polish obsession will have to be put on hold!

What does Joanna, our super sweet marketing director, want out of the new year?

1. Give lipstick a go

I’ve been a gloss girl all my life, I think it’s time to move on to more pigmented color on my lips. I’ll be looking for the perfect moisturizing, pink lipstick in 2014 to rock on the daily.

2. Focus on hair

I’m facing my fears and I declare that I will not be afraid of haircuts anymore! I must confess, I only get a hair cut once a year because I always regret haircuts after I get them, but split ends don’t look that great either. I’m going to be fearless and get a haircut twice a year now! it’s a start, right?

3. Dress to impress

Austin’s known for it’s very “relaxed look” so we’re very casually dressed in the office. However, the famous Paris Hilton once said, “There’s too many beautiful women in the world to not always dress your best.” I’m taking her advice and making the office my runway!

4. Experiment with eye makeup

I’m a stickler for “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” so there aren’t many variations to my eye makeup. I just stick to one look that I’m confident with. I’d like to grow the variations for my eye looks that I use on a daily basis, perhaps more hints of color instead of sticking to natural shades.

5. Shop more with my handsome man

I recently went to a gala with my fiancé and inconveniently left the dress shopping until 4 hours before I needed to be ready. Yikes! After not finding a dress for a couple of hours, he came to the rescue, pointed out a dress I never would have tried on and it was absolutely perfect! I got so many compliments on the dress at the event. Lots of fashion credit to my soon-to-be hubby!

photo: makeupgeek

Have you promised to experiment with cream blush?

Treat yourself to more pedicures?

Contour like a champion?

Floss better?

"Rock the natural curls." -Natalia, Art Director

I was blessed and cursed with thick, curly and frizzy hair. I say blessed because after years of tangled out of control hair, dozens of styling tools, and hair care products, I’ve finally mastered styling my hair into soft, wavy curls and dialed down the routine from 2 hrs to 45mins. This year though, I’d like to go back to my natural roots and let the mane go wild. The hot tools and products work miracles on getting silky smooth hair, but it’d be kinda liberating to step out in natural curls.

"Dress to impress." -Joanna, Marketing Director

Austin’s known for it’s very “relaxed look” so we’re very casually dressed in the office. However, the famous Paris Hilton once said, “There’s too many beautiful women in the world to not always dress your best.” I’m taking her advice and making the office my runway!

"Give myself compliments on a daily basis." -Lauren, Customer Account Manager

I feel beautiful but it is so much easier to spot out the imperfections. When I see something in the mirror I don’t love I am not putting myself down, I am and going to make it something I am proud of. I am talking about you after holiday belly bump!

"Find my one true red." -Alexa, Communications Director

I love lipstick and I have a great selection of bright pinks and purples, but I’m still questing for the perfect red. I’ve thrown out or returned a few in the last two years because they were the wrong color, had an awkward shape, or dried out my lips, but this lack of a power red is killing me. The quest begins!