next up: St. Patrick's Day

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Top of the whatevs to ya! You don't need luck to have a good time on St. Pat's this year.

• Send one of our St. Patrick's Day invitations, like the one above. They're double green: holiday-appropriate in color and more eco-friendly than sending printed invitations.
• Our version of the minty, magical Shamrock Shake will make you shiver with anticipation.
• This recipe for pint-size baked potatoes, topped with a generous dollop of sour cream and a green top-hat-like sprinkling of chives, is the perfect crowd-pleaser for the holiday.
• Plan on making it a night to remember? We break down how to host a traditional St. Pat's dinner for up to 50 (yes, 50!) people.
• Plan on making it a night you'll forget? We'll show you how to party like a shamrock star with drinking tips — both serious and sassy — to get you through through the night...or day...or both.

a plum deal

Now's the time to stock up on party supplies for all your upcoming soirees. Plum Party has hundreds of cool party goods (everything from plates and cups to favors) at a whopping 50% off. Plus, Evite users get an extra 20% off the discounted price by entering "Evite" in the coupon blank at checkout.

Take, for instance, the shamrock cocktail napkins above, which are sure to make any St. Paddy's Day pint a little more festive. They started out at five bucks a pack, but you can get them for two. Now that's some math we can get behind.

party of hard knocks

The economy may be scary these days, but at least folks have kept their senses of humor about it. Case in point: the flurry of economic-downturn-themed parties springing up.

One of the best things about these bashes? The whole point is to be cheap, so cut costs willy-nilly and throw a party along these lines:

• I’ve seen them called “Hard Times” parties, such as the ones M&M The Special Events Co. throws, and “It’s Going to Be a GREAT Depression” parties. So stick your tongue in your cheek, and see what you come up with. Or steal the ideas below — that’s what they’re there for.
• One host requested attendees come as their favorite depression-related stereotype, such as flappers, socialites, Hooverville bums and street urchins. Some people got so specific they came as the Grapes of Wrath (a costume of purple balloons with angry faces Sharpied on them as a nod to John Steinbeck’s Depression-era book), Eeyore (Winnie-the-Pooh’s constantly depressed companion), and the tycoon from the board game Monopoly.
• Serve cheap foods: spam, peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, grits (a popular Depression-era food in the South), and whatever else doesn’t blow the bank. Also, stock the bar with only the basics. Prohibition didn’t stop people from drinking alcohol, but they certainly weren’t swilling mojitos. And if you want to go in a different direction with your party theme, you can always opt for a speakeasy vibe.
• Go for music of the '30s and keep décor basic. Cut up brown paper bags or newspapers with the latest awful economic news and use them in place of linen on the tables; and Campbell’s soup cans can serve as vases for the cheapest flowers you can find — or whatever you can cut from the yard. Or you can skip décor all together and just say it was in the spirit of being cheap — might as well take advantage of your party theme….

Photo courtesy M&M The Special Events Co.

oscar beauty: miley cyrus

Makeup artist Mai Quynh kept Miley Cyrus looking young and fresh on the Oscar red carpet with a selection of mark cosmetics. To get her look: 

• Apply mark Face Xpert Flawless Touch Makeup in Natural.  Follow with mark Matte-nificent Oil Absorbing Powder in Buff/Natural.
• Dust on I-mark eye shadow in Latte all over eyes. Blend I-mark eye shadow in Espresso lightly in the crease and smudge it underneath as eye liner. Add two coats of mark Make it Big Lash Plumping Mascara in Raven.
• To give cheeks a subtle glow, Mai used a combination of mark Good Glowing blushes in Golden Glo and Star Glo.
• Mai created a nude, glossy lip with mark Dew Drenched Moisturlicious Lip Color in Mist.

Image via WireImage

oscar beauty: jessica biel

Makeup artist Pati Dubroff created Jessica Biel’s romantic red carpet look from the Oscars by pairing soft eyes with glowing skin. To get her look:

• Keep skin glowing and bright with a product like Sensai Brightening Crème. Apply little foundation and powder only where needed.
• Skip the eyeliner and brush on just one coat of mascara.
• Apply Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Gossip then layer a very soft haze of pewter and lilac. Pati used Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow in Petal Shine 809 on Jessica.
• Pati gave cheeks a soft flush with Kevyn Aucoin The Creamy Moist Glow in Nuelle. 
• For Jessica’s pretty plum lip, Pati used Dior Addict Lipcolor in Infamous Pink #623.

Image via WireImage

oscar beauty: jennifer aniston

While most people watch the red carpet arrivals to critique the fashion, I find that I am often drawn to the hair and makeup instead. (Maybe because I’m always seeking out new and inspiring ways to update my party face.) Celebrity makeup artist Angela Levin shares her tips and tricks on how to create Jennifer Aniston's look from the Oscars for your own special event.

Editor's note: Stay tuned for more Oscar beauty! Shannon has Jessica Biel's look from Pati Dubroff, as well as Miley Cyrus's look from Mai Quynh.

Angela gave Jennifer Aniston a sunkissed glow for the red carpet with a bevy of Chanel Beaute products. To get her look:

• Use a foundation brush to apply your foundation. Angela used Chanel Lift Lumiere Firming and Smoothing Fluid Makeup in Beige.
• Instead of traditional blush, Angela dabbed Chanel Hydrabase Lipstick in Coco Red on the apple of Jennifer’s cheeks. For a bit of shimmer, she applied Chanel Sheer Brilliance around the tops of her cheekbones, closer to the eye. She followed with a dusting of Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzer.
• Angela used a combination of Lorac eye shadows in Jade and Serenity with Tina Earnshaw shadow in Aubergine. She lined her eyes with a black Lorac eye shadow and coated lashes with Chanel Inimitable Mascara in Black.
• For rosy lips, Angela used Chanel Aqualumiere Lip Shine in Panarea, a new shade available in April.

Image via WireImage

question of the week: reasons to party

Some parties are more equal than others. These are the ones where you click "Yes" as soon as you get your Evite invitation. The ones where you open the invitation a few times a day just to see who else is coming. (Admit it, you totally do that....)

For some, it's the Super Bowl or World Series that gets them in the game, while others need a BBQ grill to fire it up. Some need lipstick and heels to really feel like it's a big time, while others prefer a potluck with close friends or a big, casual family gathering.

Whatever your speed, there's a party out there for you. And hey, what do you know, we have party invitations just right for all of these events and more.

twiigs.com

'tinis for toasting teeny ones

We've already discussed whether to serve alcohol at a baby shower (mom-to-be excluded, of course), and now a new cocktail recipe book offers a stylish solution.

In Preggatinis: Mixology for the Mom-to-Be, Natalie Bovis-Nelsen provides recipes for fun, nonalcoholic concoctions with baby-friendly ingredients like freshly squeezed juices, herbs and veggies. In addition to bevvies like Baby on Board!, Mamarita, Hot Buttered Mum's Rum and Momosa, there are sections on party punches and holiday mocktails, like the Bubbly Bubbala for Hannukah and the Father's Day drink My Honeydew.

She even includes a section on how to spike the drinks for those who need a little extra something. So whether you're serving alcohol or having a dry shower (that sounds like a contradiction in terms), these mom-tails will help you party in style.

mardi gras makeup tips

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Carnival season is here, and you’re probably looking for a new way to dress up your Mardi Gras beads. Leave the face painting and stenciling to the professionals. It’s easy enough to look the part if you play up eyes with the rich hues of the holiday. Whether you’ll be parading in the streets of New Orleans or attending a masquerade party, get creative with these festive yet simple makeup tips:

• Opt for an eye shadow in royal purple, emerald green or gold and pat the eye shadow all over your eye lid up into the crease. Sweep on an iridescent shadow to highlight your brow bone.
• Amp up the drama and add a gel-based glitter on top of the eye shadow like Sephora Eye-Glitter Gel in Green or Gold. (What’s a Mardi Gras costume without the glitter, really?)
• Line eyes with a glitter eye pencil in gold or teal. If glitter eye shadow is too over the top for you, use a creamy eye pencil like Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil to line around your top and bottom lash line in a complementary shade instead.
• Finish off with a strip of colorful feather lashes like the spectacular array by Make Up For Ever. If you’re wearing an eye mask, skip the faux lashes and go for mascara with a hint of glimmer like Rimmel Lash Bling in Gold Digger.
• Dust a healthy dose of mauve-colored blush on cheekbones. Apply a creamy highlighter above the cheekbones to give skin some sheen.
• Wearing a Mardi Gras mask is the perfect excuse to draw some attention to your lips. Choose a bold lip color like fuchsia, coral or red. Layer a glitter-based gold or copper gloss on top. (If you don’t have one, make your own by mixing a clear lip gloss with gold glitter.)

Now you’re ready to celebrate Fat Tuesday in style. And as the saying goes, “Laissez les bons temps rouler” or “Let the good times roll.”

i can arrange that

I tend to kill green, living things, and I’m moderately allergic to flowers — yet, I have a fantasy of being a florist. Clearly, I’m delusional.

But Blossom Crown Easy Arranger helps me tap in to my inner florist, if not as a profession, at least as a darn-good DIYer. The Blossom Crown contraption is a little grid — with decorative beads dangling from the sides — that sits on top of a vase; it acts as a guide for flower stems and allows wannabe florists like myself to arrange flowers like a pro. It's also pretty in its own right and keeps my delusions alive and healthy, which is the opposite of what I do with plants.