anastasia make-up video & giveaway

Hey friends! I know I already told you about the amazing giveaway trip to LA from Anastasia Beverly Hills... but here is a video that I put together of the actual collection, "Wish You Were Here." Have a watch and don't forget to enter the giveaway: Click here for details!

I kept it short and sweet for all of you lovely ladies on the go!

giveaway details here

win a trip to los angeles!

Exciting news! I've got the scoop on a hot giveaway trip to LA, and it also involves make-up! I'm giving you all the heads up now about this giveaway, and look out for a video product review of the make-up collection later on this week from yours truly! So exciting!

Anastasia Beverly Hills presents Wish You Were Here! This beach inspired kit available exclusively at Sephora features the limited edition Pacific Coast Illumin8 Shadow Palette, HydraFull Gloss in Guava, and Clear Brow Gel to give you that cool LA look, no matter where you are. 

To celebrate this cool new kit, one lucky winner will receive a round-trip ticket to Los Angeles, a two-night stay at a Los Angeles hotel, a brow appointment with Anastasia, a hair and makeup makeover featuring the Wish You Were Here! kit at the Anastasia Beverly Hills Salon, and a photo shoot with the ABH team!

Here’s all you need to do...

· Take a postcard-worthy photo of yourself in front of your favorite local landmark!

· Make a new post of the picture on Facebook and tag Anastasia of Beverly Hills (www.facebook.com/AnastasiaBeauty) in the photo to enter. You need to first LIKE the page on Facebook in order to tag us.

· Or email your name, home address, and photograph to “wishyouwerehere@anastasia.net”.

· One entry per contestant only by 11:59 PM PST on February 3, 2012

· You must be a United States citizen to enter.

The Anastasia Beverly Hills team will select a winner and fly you out for a Los Angeles beauty weekend with Anastasia!   Seeanastasia.net/wishyouwerehere for complete contest rules and details.

Enter the contest NOW, and stay tuned for my video review on these products.

guest post: stress free travel

I have a great guest post today...

We all suffer from stress when planning and executing our travel plans. But it doesn't have to be that way. Take a look at some of these great tips. I bet some will feel new to you!

How to Throw Caution to the Wind and Have The Time of Your Life Traveling

by Logan B

Think about the last time you traveled. You probably booked your plane tickets months in advance. Maybe you spent the whole morning before your flight packing. Perhaps you arrived to the airport two hours early, waited in the security line for an hour, had to hand your messenger bag over to one of the airport security employees, and watched as that employee plucked each of your personal belongings out to inspect them. Once you got on the plane, you probably had to sit next to some stranger who wanted to talk on and on and on about the latest depressing news story.

This type of scenario is how millions of people begin their trips. Sometimes it only gets worse when they arrive to their destinations. Rental cars can break down in the rain. What you thought was going to be a luxury hotel suite can turn into something more like a cheap, dirty motel room. Travel is supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable, but sometimes it isn’t. You can’t control everything about your trip, but you can control some things. Here are some tips to minimize travel stress and have an amazing trip:

·      Travel on a whim. Just make your travel arrangements for the upcoming weekend, pack your bags, and go. Don’t even make hotel reservations. Just get out of town. It’s even better if you can convince some of your friends to go with you.

·      Fly on a jet charter instead of a plane and avoid all the stress at the airport. Split the price of the jet charter with your friends and enjoy the privacy of chartered jet.

·      As soon as you arrive at your destination, go to a local coffee shop or pub and ask one of the locals where you should stay. They’ll be able to give you the scoop on the best hotels in town. Go to the hotel, and claim a room. Chances are, a spot will be open for you and your friends. Making hotel reservations is hardly ever necessary, unless there’s some kind of special event going on wherever you’ve traveled to.

·      Ditch the itinerary and sightseeing. Go where the locals go. Search for the best restaurants, coffee shops, and bars in town online. Sit around with your travel companions and people watch, make some new friends, and immerse yourself in the culture of the place you’re visiting. If you’re in Roma, Italia, go on a hunt for the best pizza in town.

·      Try food you’ve never had before. Stay up all night dancing and watch the sunrise on the highest hill or mountain in town. Play hacky sack with some twenty-year old, dreadlocked boys you’ve never met before. Make memories you won’t be able to tell your grandchildren about. 

How do you travel stress-free?

product review and giveaway: Novica

Novica is an amazing website filled with artisan works from all over the globe. Think etsy, but on an even grander scale! 
Their mission is to:

"give artists and artisans around the world a global platform to express their true artistic talents and to spur their creativity... and to provide you with access to unique, hard-to-find items at great values that only the Internet infrastructure can allow."

I had the opportunity to shop around the site for something special. It was a hard decision. From  Home Decor to Clothing, and from Paintings to Jewelry, there was so much to choose from. Each item comes with a story, and they have daily deals!

I finally stumbled upon this adorable tea set, made in Bali! I always just heat up some water in a kettle, throw some tea in a random mug and call it a day. But the thought of brewing a few cups in this delicate pot and taking small sips for an hour sounded like heaven!

When the set came in the mail, it was wrapped to perfection and everything was in one piece. The set is also very delicate; one must be gentle. I also got a lovely card from the artisans!

One of my lucky readers will have the chance to shop at Novica with a $50.00 gift certificate!

Here are the possible ways to enter. Please enter by February 1st, and leave a comment for each entry in one post or separately!

1) Follow Behold the Metatron

2) Visit these items at Novica and tell me your favorite:
Accessories
Men's Accessories
Women's Scarves
Men's Sterling Silver Cufflinks
Wool Scarves
Walking Sticks

3)Tweet about this Giveaway
example: Check out this giveaway for a $50 shopping spree at Novica.com from @beholdmetatron!
http://bit.ly/zMi4Qh

4)Blog about this Giveaway

GOOD LUCK!

2012: let's gain a lot!

No, this is not my open invitation to you all to just let loose and eat cheese doodles all year and not give a crap about resolutions. However, I think we all need to nip resolutions in the bud and quit the nasty habit. Did you actually complete your resolutions from last year? Yeah, didn't think so. (if you did, you are not human...) 

The recent campaign for Special K Challenge (Kellogg's I know, evil corporations but hear me out) asks us what we want to GAIN this year. Gain? Last time I turned on the TV or opened a magazine GAIN was a negative word in the getting fit dictionary. But I like it.

So, for the sake of at least setting some goals, 

let's talk about what we want to GAIN in 2012:

self-confidence
self-awareness

a healthy appetite

energy

That's enough for now, let's not get ahead of ourselves. But the next step is how we're going to gain these things.  We can makes list until we are blue in the face. But it's just a list.

SELF-CONFIDENCE
Stop giving a shit about what other people think. Most people are only thinking of themselves  (unless they are Buddhists, and that means they are only thinking good things) so what makes you think they are actually thinking about the color of your socks, the size of your ass or what you're eating for lunch? The selfish bastards. Let your freak flag fly high!

SELF-AWARENESS
Wake-up. Realize what is happening around you. I know, I'm being vague on this one but if you are like me and a truth-seeker you know what I'm getting at and I don't have to go on a rant . Just be aware of what you are being told, look for the truth (don't be fed it) and always go with your gut!

A HEALTHY APPETITE
Give your body what it needs to survive and make it tasty. Any good nutrition book will tell you what nutrients, vitamins, and minerals we need to survive. So just find one and make dishes that include these valuable sources. If it tastes too healthy that's your problem. Healthy food tastes great. Or you are a bad cook!

ENERGY
Get up. No need to run a marathon or do so much hot yoga that you pass out. You can... but for now, just get up. 

Ok I'm done, and with that I'll leave you my recipe for a Seafood Pasta!

What you'll need for 5-7 (hungry) people:
1 pound peeled shrimp
1 pound bay scallops
(always get wild fish, never Farmed... self-awareness)

1 onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup white wine
4 tablespoons butter

6 plum tomatoes, diced

1 individual packet raw sugar

1 box whole wheat or spinach linguini

1/2 cup chopped italian parsley
1/2 cup chopped basil

What you'll do:

In a large sauce pan heat oil and 2 tablespoons butter. Add onions. and little salt  and pepper to soften. Cook for 4 minutes. Add garlic, bay leaves, pepper flakes and oregano. Cook 2 minutes. Add wine. Cook for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes. Cook another 4 minutes until it gets nice and saucy. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. This sauce should simmer for a good 10-15 minutes more to cook off alcohol and develop flavors. Meanwhile, cook the pasta. Now add fish to sauce. Stir to coat and cook the fish in all juices. Shrimp will turn pink when cooked, the scallops will be whiter. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining. In a large serving dish add pasta and melt in remaining 2 tbsp butter. When fish is cooked pour the fish and sauce over the pasta. Add parsley and basil leaves on top.