Happy Friday everyone! I hope you had a fulfilling and productive week and that you have a fun weekend ahead!

What I’m really squealing with excitement about today is that I get to meet the founder and CEO of Stella & Dot, Jessica Herrin in person tomorrow!  Jessica is the kind of woman I admire: a wife, a mother and the CEO & founder of a multi-million dollar company with record breaking growth each year whose sole purpose is to empower women (WHOA- go girl!).

I’m a “Stylist” with Stella & Dot and what I love most about the company is that their mission is aligned with the mission of Ms. Career Girl.  Their tagline is, “Style your Life” which really means something different for everyone: for some it’s one great piece of high-quality, high-fashion jewelry.  For others it’s earning a whole collection of new jewelry for free by hosting a trunk show.  And for people like me, “styling your life” is about pursuing a career path that allows you to spend more time with your family or have the flexibility and independence you’ve always desired.

So, in honor of both my excitement about meeting Jessica Herrin and my serious LOVE for this company that empowers so many different women in so many different ways, I decided to show you different looks from my personal collection. Let’s be honest, it’s Friday and I know we’re all looking for some distractions today!

PS- If you are in love with any of these pieces, let me know. I can hook you up with free jewelry if you host a trunk show (home, office or virtual!).   Plus they are doing crazy awesome specials in October! You can visit my site at StellaDot.com/MsCareerGirl too.

Black & Pink Glam

I don’t care what anyone says, I’m still not over black & pink or hollywood glam.  I love this look for a wedding or cocktail party!  Pictured are 5 different pieces:

LaCoco Jet Faceted Necklace with Plume Brooch (which clips right onto the necklace)

Deco Drop Earrings (so great for brides or bridesmaids too!)

Nouvelle Ring (adjustable for all sizes)

Soho Wristlet

Black Maxi Dress & Jean jacket

I love wearing this comfy yet polished look to a casual dinner, appointments and errands.

La Coco Turquoise Beaded Necklace with Bee Brooch

Marchesa Studs (love the little pop of turquoise!)

Sloane Bangle

Spice up your white t-shirt and look like a fashionista!

How to Accessorize a White T-Shirt

La Coco Curbchain with plume brooch in purple

Clover Single Wrap Leather Bracelet and Clover Double Wrap Leather Bracelet

Estate Chandelier Earrings

Red and Gold

Chantilly Lace Chandelier Earrings and Bracelet

Aurora Cocktail Ring (also adjustable- and I get tons of compliments on it!)

Together Forever Necklace (which I refer to as “the adult best friends necklace”)

Navy and Gold Night Out

Signature Clover Necklace and Signature Clover Earrings

Casual Saturday Errands Look

Snake Orb Pendant (surprisingly, this is the piece I wear the most out of anything I own!) Serpent Bangle

Leona Pendant

Rio Chandelier Earrings

What do you do when you are crabby, stressed out or are having an “ugly” week?  I go to my local drug store. Then I buy something that smells good in the beauty department to lift my spirits.

Apparently I’m not alone.  According to a recent study, 60% of women stated that fragrances have the power to lift their spirits or change their mood! Can you relate?  If so, you may be interested in becoming a Dove Correspondent. 

Thanks to mscareergirl.com reader, Diane, I found out about a really cool opportunity for women ages 18-25.  Dove recently launched a new scent in their go fresh line called Revive, a pomegranate and lemon verbena scent that is very summery. As part of the launch, Dove is giving three young women the opportunity to share their fresh perspective through their Dove Deodorant Correspondent program. Three young women will be chosen as a correspondent to either Seventeen, Marie Claire or Cosmopolitan magazine. They will: 

• Write for a high-profile blog to provide a fresh perspective to peers on topics ranging from beauty trends to career and relationship advice
• Take a week long trip to New York City to meet with national bloggers and gain essential on-the-job experience at the Hearst magazines office.
• Take a whole day in New York for a professional photo shoot for a Dove “go fresh” body mist and matching deodorant advertisement that will appear in Cosmo, Marie Claire or Seventeen!
• Receive valuable writing coaching and reporting experience from mentors at their publication.

It’s a cool program to get young women valuable real-life experience and network which, as you know by now, is an absolute must have for young professionals looking to land a job or enhance their careers.

If interested in becoming a Dove correspondent, apply at www.DoveDeodorantCorrespondent.com (entry deadline is May 5, 2010).  Correspondents can have full time jobs already and need to be able to go to New York for a week-long experience. Blog sites will run from June 15 – October 15, 2010.

Ok folks, I wasn’t gonna do it, but after receiving some provoking messages after a tweet I sent out about Heidi Montag, I’m doing it. Let’s start talking: is plastic surgery good for your career?

We’ve all heard it before: good looking people are more likely to be hired and more likely to get higher salaries. I must admit, I would probably choose to hire someone who manages their appearance over someone who does not if given the choice. If the candidate can’t manage their appearance, how are they going to manage their job?

Back to Ms. Montag…

10- TEN- procedures in one day! US News & World Report (can you believe Heidi made this publication?!) reports that Dr. Frank Ryan performed the following procedures (which took 10 hours) on 23 year old Heidi: mini-lift of the brow, Botox in the forehead, nose job revision, fat injections in cheeks and lips, chin reduction, neck liposuction, ears pinned back, breast augmentation revision, liposuction on waist and thighs, and a buttocks augmentation. For those of you who didn’t know, Heidi had a nose job and a boob job 3 years ago.

The scary part is that the Dr. says everyone in Hollywood is doing the same thing Heidi did, but no one talks about it.

Ok, so there are several scary parts, bear with me…

Scary part #2- Heidi thinks that she needed this surgery to have the look of a popstar and that’s just “what people do in my industry.” The People magazine article quoted Heidi saying that she is competing with people like Brittney Spears while she was in her hey day. (Yeah but to our knowledge Brittney Spears was a wholesome, southern belle with talent, unlike you Heidi).

Scary part #3- She also tells Robin Roberts she hopes to get her own Barbie someday and seems flattered when Robin almost slipped and called her a Barbie…

Scary part #4- Her new album is called “Superficial,” (sorry, I refuse to link to it here) and she timed the announcement of all this surgery right as her album dropped. PR stunt anyone?

Scary part #5- Heidi really believes that this surgery will advance her career to fame and fortune.

How far would you go to advance your career? Do you believe that looks can advance someones career in industries outside of Hollywood?

Any one want to predict how long it will be before Heidi gets her next surgery? Or worse, what she will look like by 35?

Have you listened to her album? I did. It sounds like a copy cat of Brittney Spears but way worse and soooo digitized. I guess that explains why she wouldn’t sing in the Good Morning America interview..

I think that depending on your looks might help you land a job but keeping it and avoiding a sexual harassment suit is a whole different story.

Please let us know what you think about using plastic surgery as a way of advancing your career!

By, Ashley Crimaldi

Every woman wants to look her best over the holiday season. December and January are busy times for the social calendar, but the winter weather doesn’t do much for our hair, skin or waistlines for that matter. Between holiday shopping, office parties, family reunions and celebrations with friends, it’s hard to find time to look your best. My advice? Don’t let the cold winter weather get your spirits down! When you’re feeling drab and dull, reach for one of these five winter beauty essentials!

Rosy Pink Blush (with Shimmer)

There’s nothing more beautiful in the winter than the look of rosy pink cheeks. As if naturally blushing after coming in from a cold winter day, the right pink blush will make you look snow-kissed! I personally love a product with a little shimmer in it to translate the frostiness of winter. Try Bare Essentuals Cheerful, or NARS Multiple Stick blush in Orgasm. Remember: don’t over bronze! No need to look sun kissed in the winter (unless you live in California). A little bronzer is always good, but too much can look tacky, or orange- yuck! Can’t ditch the bronzer? Try a combo blusher bronzer like this one from Benefit

Red Lips

Nothing makes me feel more festive than wearing Red Lips in the winter! A nice little pop of color can add some pizzaz to that black trench coat you’ve worn 800 times. Try a traditional lipstick like MAC‘s Lady Bug or Russian Red. For a subtler look, try a red tinted gloss like Flirt! Plushious Lipcolor in La-La Land.

Shimmery Shadow

Experiment with some fun shimmery shadows this winter. I find Golden tones like Urban Decay’s Chopper and Midnght Cowgirl particularly pretty. These shadows have just the right amount of glitter- not too much, not too little. Too much glitter can look tacky and too youthful, but this time of year gives us some extra allowance especially on New Years Eve. Feeling really daring? Try a glitter pot from MAC

Extra moisturizing face lotion

The cold winter weather can be especially drying to our skin. Yearning for an extra touch of moisture in your skin care routine? Try Clinique’s Moisture Surge lotion, or switch to a more moisturizing foundation. Have a moisturizer like already? Try mixing a bit in with your liquid foundation to add extended moisture throughout the day

Colorful Lip Conditioning

Just because your lips are chapped doesn’t mean you have to smear on the Carmex or Vaseline. Enjoy the new variety of lip products that are actually good for your lips, and provide a subtle tint of color. My ultimate favorite is Neutrogena’s Moisture Shine Lip Sheers. This product combines the moisturizing power of a chap stick with the color of a lipstick, and the shine of a lipgloss. Its the perfect all in one product for the girl on the go. Other notables include Burt’s Bee’s Lip Shimmer and Clinique’s Vitamin C Lip Smoothie.

With these five winter beauty essentials, you’ll be ready for any occasion! Feel free to ask me any other beauty questions via my twitter @acrimaldi.

By, Ashley Crimaldi

A few days ago I decided to deter my morning schedule and catch up on a little Oprah. Typically, I’m a non-believer in shows like Oprah. I tend to approach them with a highly cynical and skeptical attitude. These shows are just for bored housewives, right?

Somehow this episode caught my attention. It featured Dr. Oz speaking about inner/outer beauty, and tips on how to better care for your self. Being the beauty junky I am, I soon found myself scribbling notes on a scrap piece of paper- what to look for in a face moisturizer, why exfoliating is so important, what to eat to keep from aging. . . and the list goes on.

Then they got to the part about cellulite- pen in hand, I was ready to get some notes on THIS section!

Ready, Set . . .

NO CURE!? What? No cure? Seriously, Dr. Oz you have to be kidding right? If there is no cure, then why does every brand of lotion come in a firming variety these days, and why are there tons of anti-cellulite creams on the market? Dr. Oz goes on to tell us that even liposuction wouldn’t cure cellulite. So what do we do? He says, accept it and move on. Ok, duh Dr. Oz thanks for the life changing advice, that’s what I’ve been doing MY ENTIRE LIFE.

Like most women, I’ve had stretch marks for years, loads of cellulite on my ass and I have no doubt that I’ll develop under eye bags with age. While I thought Dr. Oz was a magical beauty wizard that was going to behold all the anti-aging secrets, he simply re- affirmed everything I already knew: Having the perfect thighs doesn’t define success, happiness or being a sexy woman at all.

There I was so consumed by the show, and devastated by all my anti-aging short comings (ok let’s be honest, I don’t work out enough or eat nearly enough blueberries) that I was ready to run to CVS and purchase some serious anti-aging skin care products. Then I realized how ridiculous I was acting- I’m 21 years old, why am I already obsessing over anti-aging secrets, watching this consumer driven garbage instead of being on time for work?

But yes ladies, we should take care of ourselves. We should eat as healthy as possible and work out when we have time – but above all else, we should focus on our own personal happiness. Would having less cellulite really make us feel more fulfilled? Or is that just what we’re told by our capitalist society? What if we lived in a society where cellulite was sign of good health? Sounds crazy right? But believe me- I’m not that far off. The truth is, 90% of the time, I feel really confident about my appearance and my size. Its only when I’m told these things are important that I start to doubt myself.

So surround yourself with some self-confident women! Give a female co-worker a compliment on her personality, and slather on some cheap non-firming body lotion on today, because anything else is just not worth it!