Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
Celebrate Earth Day with At-Home Natural Hair Tricks of the Trade
Leonardo Manetti of ION Studio says:
Almond oil helps to nourish hair from the inside and add shine to the outside. Try an all natural hair masque by massaging almond oil into wet hair, from the roots to the ends. Cover with a shower cap for 15-30 minutes. Shampoo twice with a clarifying shampoo and do not condition. Finish with a blow dry and the result? Gorgeous shiny and smooth hair. Repeat this process once every two weeks to work with hair’s natural oils to add health and shine.
Brewed chamomile buds are a great natural tone booster for warm blondes. Brew about 3-4 chamomile tea bags in your tea kettle, let seep for twenty minutes, and let cool down. Pour into a water bottle (recycled of course!) and keep in the shower. After shampooing and conditioning, rinse clean hair with a few squirts of the chamomile bath to add warm tones and shine to warm blonde hair. Repeat once a week for an at- home natural color remedy!
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
10 Ways to Help the Environment Through Beauty
Expert in green beauty, Carole Tessier, shares her top ten tips to support positive environmental change.
1. Seek out products with minimal packaging or biodegradable and botanical packaging such as boxes embedded with seeds which you can plant in your garden, as well as lipstick tubes made out of polyactic acid (a corn-based material).
2. Put your best face forward with organic, chemical-free, synthetic-free products. Avoid synthetic or petroleum derived ingredients, artificial fragrances, parabens, dyes, flavors, petrolatum, phtalates and preservatives.
3. Support companies with green business practices such as printing with eco-friendly soy-based ink or using renewable energy sources.
4. Before purchasing your beauty products, look for the USDA label. In order to be labeled “organic,” all valid certifying agencies must comply with USDA standards.
5. Utilize multi-use products such as color that can go on eyes, cheeks and lips.
Get five more tips on making your beauty routine more environmentally friendly! Continue reading →
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
With the recession still in full swing, some of us have to make our budgets stretch a little bit more. I know I’ve gotten quite a few more comments and e-mails asking for recommendations for lower priced products.
A few of you know drugstores aren’t as close as I’d like, but I did discover a way to give you better insight about those kinds of beauty products. Walmart is just five minutes away, and I think their beauty aisles are even fuller than some of the drugstores I’ve been in. It’s actually quite easy to forget just how long you’ve been perusing the aisles!
Here are five products most of us can skimp on without feeling deprived:
Body Lotion
Some of my favorite body lotions are still reliable, mass retailer brands like Aveeno, Cetaphil, and Nivea. CeraVe is a huge favorite for sensitive and scaly skin (well, so is Aveeno and Cetaphil). Cetaphil is also my go-to brand for when it feels like my skin is breaking out from everything else in my beauty cabinet.
Nail Polish
Even though I love brands like China Glaze, Essie, Orly, Zoya, etc., which are usually found at beauty supply stores and salons, some of the most popular nail polish brands are found at mass retailers. Brands like OPI and Sally Hansen are tops, and you can often score these on good sales (buy one, get one free). I don’t really justify why I buy a Chanel polish–I don’t think any polish could be worth $23 unless it was filled with diamonds, you know? For me, it’s an indulgence and not a necessity.
Find out three more products you can skimp on if you’re on a budget! Continue reading →
Monday, April 6th, 2009
Summer Bridal Makeup Looks by Rick DiCecca
Estée Lauder has created a look for every bride. Whether your outdoor wedding calls for a natural look, or your nighttime celebration insists on dramatic eyes and bold lips, you can achieve your perfect bridal makeup using one of Rick’s four Bridal Styles: Natural, Classic, Dramatic, or Romantic.
To begin each look, prep your skin with your favorite Estée Lauder skincare products. Use a foundation brush to apply your shade of Double Wear Light Stay-in-Place Makeup SPF 10 or Nutritious Vita-Mineral SPF 15 Makeup to even out skin tone for a flawless base. No matter what look you choose, be sure to apply Double Wear Eyeshadow Base from your lashline to the brow to ensure that your eyes stay fresh and glowing throughout the celebration.
Then try one of the four looks Rick DiCecca created! Continue reading →
Friday, March 27th, 2009
Go ahead! Ask your questions–now’s the time to get product recommendations, comparisons, or just find out what my favorite moisturizer is. You can ask whatever your heart desires, and I’ll do my best to answer:) I’ll be keeping an eye out on this post so I can answer questions quickly aka today! 
Feel free to chime in with your answer to someone else’s question, too! The more the merrier!
Thursday, March 26th, 2009
16 Eyeshadow Application Tricks
Struggling to create that flawless, seamlessly blended eyeshadow look? Here is some tried and true advice–with luck, maybe these will help seal the deal for you!
Invest in good brushes. I say good brushes, not expensive brushes, because there is a difference. I do prefer MAC brushes for their affordability (relative to other high-end brushes), variety in brushes, and look. Take a look at our recommendations for eye brushes and face brushes, plus tips on cleaning your brushes. A good brush really will go a long way in helping you improve your style and skills. You want at least one great eyeshadow brush; one that’s dense, fluffy, and picks up color without eating it. (My pick is the 239 by MAC, of course!)
Practice on the back of your hand. Nothing is worse than spending all that time working on your eyes, only to find it doesn’t work. I always give myself two attempts, and if I can’t get a working look by then, I go nekkid-faced! You can test out how different color combinations will work out by doing a “look” on the back of your hand. See how the colors blend together–maybe one particular shade is finicky and you’ll know to use a smoother shade when you do it for real. This is also a great way to practice blending, too.
It’s all about the base. Your eyeshadow will never look as polished, pigmented, or last nearly as long without a good eyeshadow base. A base is specifically designed to get the colors to adhere to your lid and allow it to last all day without creasing or fading. Some bases also help to brighten or intensify the colors you use.
Soft and gentle wins the race. Soft, gentle strokes are better than harsher strokes when it comes to both application and blending. If you find you have a heavier hand, try investing in a fluffy crease or blending brush to help reduce your naturally heavy hand. It’s easy to over-blend if you don’t!
Can’t blend? Try mono-looks. It’s not always easy to blend two different colors together, and if you just can’t seem to get it, I totally find that going for the same color family in different shades is so helpful. Browns are always the easiest — try a neutral shade like Shroom blended with a much deeper color like Bronze. You can increase your skills and move on to other color families, like a light green and a dark forest green.
Close your eyes and pick. Struggling to think of a combination for the day? Or just dying to try something out-of-your-norm? Just pick a random color and go with it. Or pick a couple, and think up ways you can make them work together. If you’re totally stumped with your random choices, try it again until something clicks. Most of the time I just start with one eyeshadow, and slowly I build up a look. I rarely know what I’m going to use ahead of time!
There are ten more tips!� Continue reading →
