Jan 21
Three monumental occasions fall on January 21st, 2013;
1) Martin Luther King Day
2) The Presidential Inaguration
3) The fifth birthday of my little girl Ringlett
All have profound meaning and worthy of celebration, but excuse me if I’m slightly partial to one in particular.
Happy Birthday Ringlett…and many many more!
“True beauty isn’t about perfection. By liberating people to realize this simple fact, we help them see the real beauty within themselves.” Kristan Serafino
Written by: David Maderich
The holidays are fast approaching, and if you’re like me, you’ve been too busy sipping martinis at holiday parties to even think about gift giving. Well, dear readers, take a peek at my “Last Minute Holiday Beauty Gifts”. I mean, what gal doesn’t love the gift of beauty?
I adore all-in-one makeup kits – and Pixi has one of the cutest kits this holiday season. The Early Bird Morning Light kit is packed with 3 blushes, 2 bronzers and 20 eye shadows. All the colors are designed to make you look wide-awake and ready to start the day or night. This fabulous little kit also makes a divine stocking stuffer for gals-on-the-go.
Every glamour girl loves lip-gloss, so why not indulge her? I am in love with Mally Rancol’s new Mally Holiday Slimline Lip Gloss Library. Packaged in a gilded gold gift box are 10 super shiny liquid lipsticks in every wearable color under the rainbow – from natural to pink to red to plum. Buy one for every gal on your list.
Gel nails are all the rage, but they are not only expensive, but time consuming. For the do-it-yourself gal on your beauty list, try Sally Hansen’s Salon Gel Polish Gel Manicure Starter Kit. Each kit contains all you need for 10 perfect salon gel manicures with high gloss shine and zero chips for up to two weeks. I tried these nails on a shoot and they are a breeze to apply.
Sexy smokey eyes make the perfect holiday gift. Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero (black) is the first pencil that I’ve discovered that stays put on the inner rim (the water line). And this stuff stays on forever – cry, make love or rumba until the cows come home and you will still look fabulous. Try other colors like Lust (purple) or Flipside (teal) for 24-hour liner or blend it out for nonstop eye shadow. I even use it for lipstick! I swear, this stuff doesn’t move.
What beauty junkie isn’t on the perpetual hunt for a good foundation? Well, look no more. Tom Ford Beauty Traceless Foundation Stick is here. This is definitely my new favorite foundation. Not only does this miracle stick have amazing coverage that you can layer on for sheer to heavy coverage, but it also stays fresh all day with a soft dewy finish. I swear, Tom Ford can even make foundation sexy! Buy one for every girl on your list!
Sexy wavy hair is a gift every girl dreams about. Make her hair dreams come to life by giving her the new John Frieda Definition & Curl Wavy Curls Iron. This fabulous titanium ceramic-coated 1 to 1 ½ inch iron makes sassy loose waves that will make Santa swoon. Just wrap the hair up the iron like a candy cane and your hair will be ready for holiday fun.
For the sassy lass or lad that craves a holiday stocking stuffed with skincare, make them smile with Osmotics Cosmeceuticals. I highty recommend the eye creams. These tiny jars of hope will help erase the sags and bags of everyday living – and what fashionista doesn’t love that! Try Blue Copper 5 Firming Eye Cream to firm and tighten the eye area or Renovage Cellular Eye Repair for serious mature skin with crow’s feet and sun damage.
Finally, for the person on your beauty list that has everything, I’ve found the perfect gift. Everyone washes his or her hands, right? And all that washing leaves the hands dry and cracked, right? Well, say hello to Soap & Glory Cream and Soaper Duo – hand soap and hand cream paired together in a nifty stainless steel caddy that will look genius on any counter. Fabulous!
Now get out there and shop until you drop!
Want everyday Makeup Tips? Follow David on twitter @davidmaderich
“True beauty isn’t about perfection. By liberating people to realize this simple fact, we help them see the real beauty within themselves.” Kristan Serafino
Written by: Kristan Serafino
Can someone please tell me where 2012 went? It doesn’t seem possible the holidays are here. What few days are left on the calendar after Halloween is a blur of feasts, travel, and shopping. Along with the exhaustion of increased holiday activity, heightened expectations, and ever growing shopping lists can come a BIG case of the Holiday Blues.
SerafinoSays wants to do its part in counteracting this common anxiety by helping you cope with the Blues. We suggest you embrace the Blues by recharging your batteries with this array of Blue retail therapy. Oh go ahead….throw something in your stocking for yourself. 
Essie Snake It Up – $11.25 
Laura Mercier – Sateen Eye Color – Haze – $22.00
Thierry Mugler Angel Etoile Star Eau de Parfum, 2.6 oz $190.00
Moroccanoil Luminous Hair Spray – $20.00
IsClinical Active Serum 
Chanel Le Crayon Yeux _ $29.00
“True beauty isn’t about perfection. By liberating people to realize this simple fact, we help them see the real beauty within themselves.” Kristan Serafino
Why is it that on one day out of the year we set aside to give thanks? For me…I want to give thanks to all of my readers for every day. Thank you for giving your time out of the day to read and comment on SerafinoSays.
So as you gather around the table for Thanksgiving Day, I share with you a Serafino family classic recipe for my entire “blog family” to enjoy!
Amaretto Sweet Potatoes
6 sweet potatoes
1/4 cup of milk
3/4 cup of sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup Amaretto Di Saronno
1 stick of butter
1/4 cup orange juice
Bag of Mini Marshmallows
Cook the potatoes. Peel skin and put in bowl. Add melted butter and mash with electric beater. Add all other ingredients and beat until creamy. Bake at 350 degrees 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven. Add Mini-Marshmallows. Return to oven for about 10 more minutes until marshmallows are golden.
Mmmmmmmm…Delicious!
Do you have a Family Recipe you want to share? Email Kristan@SerafinoSays.com and we will post it on Thanksgiving morning!
“True beauty isn’t about perfection. By liberating people to realize this simple fact, we help them see the real beauty within themselves.” Kristan Serafino
Written by: Kristan Serafino
This Halloween will not be your typical Halloween in New York City. The 39th Annual Halloween Parade that stretches more than a mile in length along New York City’s Sixth Avenue has been cancelled for the first time in its history. While this announcement leaves its 50,000 costumed participants, and 2 million spectators highly disappointed, it seems insignificant in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
SerafinoSays had decided to forgo our mascots annual costume contest. We thought it may be insensitive and superficial to be dressing up our dog #Ringlett in her Halloween costume when millions of our fellow residents of New York & New Jersey are without power, or even worse, returning to their home only to find it has been destroyed.
Then we saw something to change our mind. My sweetheart and I were walking around our neighborhood earlier today we saw kids fully dressed up for Halloween, complete with huge smiles (except for a couple zombies that were very scary) hoping to score a bag full of candy. It was at that moment we realized the resilience of our City. We have many, many family & friends without electric, but for a few short hours their full attention will shift to their children’s dreams and expectations of a fulfilling Halloween Holiday complete with trick or treating.
With that good spirit fresh on our mind, we rushed home to put on Ringlett’s Halloween costume with the hope of recreating a few of those smiles so freely shown by those kids walking down the street. For those that are dealing with the tragedy of Hurricane Sandy, our hearts and prayers go out to you. For those that are fortunate enough to enjoy the norm of Halloween, please be safe and eat lots of candy for all of us!
Happy Halloween!
“True beauty isn’t about perfection. By liberating people to realize this simple fact, we help them see the real beauty within themselves.” Kristan Serafino
Written by: Kristan Serafino
Since Christopher Columbus wasn’t particularly a fashionista, so SerafinoSays decided to recognize this holiday by honoring his supporting ensemble. The Santa Maria, Nina, and Pinta are the unheralded vessels that allowed Christopher Columbus to achieve his notoriety. But while most Americans know their names, we know little more.
The Santa Maria, the flagship captained by Columbus himself, was the largest of the three at 115-feet long, and the Nina and Pinta were much smaller at approximately 50-feet long. Together, the vessels carried 120 men, supplies, and light weapons for defense. The celebrity of the three is the Santa Maria since it was captained by Columbus during his quest to find a quicker passage to Asia that eventually led to his discovering the Caribbean islands and the New World. The Santa Maria never returned to Spain, but was run aground and completely destroyed in a storm on Christmas Day.
The Nina, formally christened the Santa Clara, was known to be the favorite of Columbus and logged more than 25,000 miles under his command. Columbus eventually returned to Spain on the Nina. Although not of popular as the Santa Maria, it was not without a few swashbuckling tales. At one point it was captured while on a secret mission to Rome along with its crew. The captain (not Columbus) and a few crew managed to escape, stole of small boat and rowed back to the Nina under the moonlight. They managed to break free of the robes holding the ship at the dock and made sail safely returning to its home port.
The Pinta had a long life at sea, but it was far less storied. The Pinta’s claim to fame is that it was lost and left for sunk after several violent storms, but always managed to eventually show up at its home port.
So let’s raise our glasses to cheer the unsung heroes that without them, Christopher Columbus would not be the discoverer of the New World.
“True beauty isn’t about perfection. By liberating people to realize this simple fact, we help them see the real beauty within themselves.” Kristan Serafino
Written by Kristan Serafino
Is there any doubt what influenced my career choice? None other than my Mommy. We are celebrating her birthday tomorrow with a historical collage of birthday’s past. Never let it be said that my Mommy let a trend go by without giving it a whirl. From big hair, to even bigger hair, to a flip and a bob, Mommy is always stylish…of course I am slightly prejudice.
You can all celebrate my Mom’s special day by following her Pintrest Page. It’s her latest obsession, but then do you blame her….Giggle!
“True beauty isn’t about perfection. By liberating people to realize this simple fact, we help them see the real beauty within themselves.” Kristan Serafino
Aug 31
Written by: Kristan Serafino
According to the Dictionary Labor Day is “a legal holiday, commonly the first Monday in September, in honor of labor.”
According to Kristan Serafino, Labor Day is an indication that winter is around the corner! It’s the one long weekend of the year that gives me mixed emotions.
Why do I have mixed emotions? As an example, one on hand it’s the indication that frizz free hair is around the corner and humidity will be set to sail. On the other hand, my heart feels a little weepy when I think of missing these 5 uniquely summer happenings:
1. Lemonade – Clearly lemonade can be drank all year, but there is something so refreshing on a hot summer day then pouring a glass of iced cold lemonade.
2. Skirts without tights - Ladies, this needs no explanation!
3. Flip Flops- Life before Havaianas (#HotSummerNites) was a summer with boring feet. I personally own 8 pairs! I love to design my own and from my early admission from post “Comic Book Beauty”, you can be assured my favorites this summer were the “Heroes Cat Woman”. The comfort of the rubber sole and the ease of slipping them on my feet only enhanced my excitement to show off my manicured piggies. I will miss them so much, but thank goodness for their Urbis Mid Sneaker that transition me into winter!
4. Butterflies: Fluttering flight, artistic patterned wings, brilliant palette of color,, conspicuous only begins to describe one of natures most beautiful creatures.
5. Long Summer Days: Fact – the sun is at its highest elevation during the summer solstice resulting in the longest days of sunshine of the year, Fiction – time slows to a crawl during the beautiful sunsets of summer.
“True beauty isn’t about perfection. By liberating people to realize this simple fact, we help them see the real beauty within themselves.” Kristan Serafino
Written by Kristan Serafino
SerafinoSays does not make a habit of re-posting old posts, but in honor of tomorrow’s Independence Day, we thought it would be OK to share “What I learned from the US Military” one more time…
Let me just come right out and say; Memorial Day Weekend in NYC is one of my favorite holidays. It is the one weekend a year that the United States Navy dock their ships along the Hudson River….And with the ships come all the sailors & marines…Woo-Hoo!
I spent a couple evenings this long weekend with my sweetheart at an outside cafe, where I could not help but notice how impeccable each and every military personnel was groomed as they confidently walked the sidewalks. My sweetheart engaged a few in conversation about “military guy stuff,” while I happily sat and stared. I know, I know, a little on the stalker side, but they are just all so gorgeous in those uniforms….Giggle!
I realize the military has a well enforced dress and grooming code, but it got me thinking. What if we all took pride in how we looked every single day of our lives. What if we spent the extra five minutes in the morning making certain our hair was styled to perfection? What if we took the extra two minutes to apply an extra coat of mascara to enhance our eyelashes? What if we left the house with chip-less nail polish and pushed back cuticles? What if our clothes were always ironed and styled as if we stepped out of the pages of a magazine? What if we polished our shoes so no scuffs were visible? What if our handbag wasn’t so stuffed that it weighted us down, shrugging our shoulders?
I’m not really sure what the “What if’” would be like in my fantasy world, but I do know that each and every soldier we spoke with beamed with pride as they spoke about their dress preparation, as well as being in the military. Not one seemed to have a complaint about their daily regimen and conformity to be one unit. They walked with their heads held high, with an overwhelming sense of pride.
Aside from honoring our heroes that defend the United States of America with this brief post, maybe we can better appreciate the benefit of taking pride in oneself. The benefit of confidence, pride, and honor…. Just sayin’
“True beauty isn’t about perfection. By liberating people to realize this simple fact, we help them see the real beauty within themselves.” Kristan Serafino
Jun 17
Written by: Kristan Serafino
Top 25 Reasons Why My Daddy is a Rock Star:
I love you Daddy! Have the best Father’s Day ever!
“True beauty isn’t about perfection. By liberating people to realize this simple fact, we help them see the real beauty within themselves.” Kristan Serafino
Copyright © 2013 Kristan Serafino. All rights reserved.
