Category — Beauty tips

As much as we would all love to look like a cover girl, most of us are rarely thrilled with how we look in pictures. Here are some celebrity hints to help you look great for your next portrait sitting or night out that ends up on Facebook.

If your hair never seems full enough, try adding some extensions to boost the volume. The majority of celebs either have them glued or sewn in.

When applying mascara, apply what is on the wand to a mini-fan brush and then to your eye lashes. This will help you coat each individual lash without any clumps. Always apply a sheer lip balm right before pictures or lick your lips at the very least. The extra shine will help your look.

When posing, stand at an angle to the camera but make sure to turn your face toward your photographer. This will slenderize your body and elongate your neck.

To make your arms look more shapely and present a certain amount of confidence or attitude, place hands on hipbones but not at the waist.

Finally, try to be shot from above. This upper angle will help you avoid that dreaded double-chin and make you appear thinner.

Following these few simple tricks will have you picture perfect for every shot!

You don’t have to invest hundreds of dollars in your makeup stash to create a marvelous everyday look. A few quality tools and products and you’ll be all set to create whatever look you’re in the mood for from natural to glamorous. Start with a clean and neat storage area. This can be a bag, box, drawer, or whatever suits your fancy. The key is to keep it clean and organized and be sure that brushes can lay flat or stand up.

Never store your brushes upside down. This will damage the fibers and make application less accurate. When it comes to supplies, every makeup kit needs to have a large round brush, eye shadow brush, sponge-tip applicator, blending brush, eyelash curler, and cotton swabs. As far as cosmetics go, keeping it simple will make your morning routine much simpler.

Must-have’s in your makeup line include powder foundation, concealer, eyeliner, eye shadow (in 3 complimentary colors), mascara, lip liner, lip gloss/stick/stain, and a natural blush. Of course, mixing it up with some fun bright colors and sparkles and shimmers is always fun!

No makeup kit would be complete without proper removal supplies. Neutrogena carries a variety of lines that are great for most skin types. Keep an eye-makeup remover, cleanser, toner, moisturizer and acne treatment product in your arsenal and be sure to use them daily. Never, never sleep with make up on.

All great skin regimens and makeup routines begin with healthy skin. Keeping these products neat organized and at your fingertips will make your daily routine simple and stress free.

For many of us, dealing with unwanted facial hair seems like a never ending battle. Whether it?s unruly eyebrows, fuzz above your lips, or those stray whiskers on your chin and neck, facial hair is not a good look for any lady. Thankfully there are many, many options for removing that hair and creating a smooth, gorgeous look. Hair can be removed by waxing, threading, tweezing or chemical removers. It is never recommended to shave facial hair because it will come back in darker and thicker.

Having a professional take care of the hair is usually easier, but can get a little pricey for some. There are lots of at-home hair removal options. Nads facial wax strips are easy to use and come with an after-waxing serum to help clean and soothe skin. Not all of us are comfortable ripping wax strips off of our faces though, and more often than not, there is still tweezing to do for a complete job.

Chemical hair removers are easy to use and seem to do a thorough job. Both Nair and Sally Hansen have at-home options that are very inexpensive, but can irritate skin. Olay also now has an at-home hair removal system that doesn’t seem to cause the skin irritations that other products do, but costs a little more.

No matter which product you choose, be sure to do a skin test before applying to your face. Always follow the product instructions and listen to what your skin is telling you. When in doubt, stop using the product and remove with cool water. Good luck with whatever method you choose!

Whether you are packing for a tropical vacation or gearing up for another hot summer at home, be sure to avoid looking like a hot mess while enjoying the sun and summertime. Warm weather brings out excess oil in our hair and skin as a protection mechanism from the sun and environment. To help alleviate looking like you’ve spritzed with baby oil from head to toe, try some oil-absorbing products while applying less to your look.

Start with an oil-absorbing toner to clean your face and remove hidden oil from pores that the warm weather will draw out. Follow that with an oil-free foundation applied only to the nose area and then blend it out to the cheekbones and lower forehead. Always avoid any foundation or excess lotions along the hairline where you will perspire the most.

Finish the face with an oil-absorbing powder with a minimum SPF of 15. For the eyes, most make-up will melt as the day heats up, so less really is more. Waterproof mascara along the top lashes is usually plenty for an everyday look as is a tinted lip balm containing SPF. Protect your skin and keep the make-up simple to avoid looking like a hot mess whether you’re on the beach or in the backyard.

We are busy ladies who juggle a lot in life?family, careers, school, friends?you name, we can do it. What most of us can’t do is figure out how to have enough time to get ourselves ready in the morning so that we can apply a decent face of makeup.

Getting a great look doesn’t have to take a lot of time or effort. The five-minute face can be yours and can be fabulous! Start with a multi-purpose product like a tinted BB Cream. It moisturizers, protects, and evens out skin tone all in one simple and quick application.

Next, avoid a lot of paraphernalia. Your fingers are your most useful tools plus they’re easier to clean than expensive makeup brushes when you are on the road. Find products that can go double-duty like a bronzer that can be used as a blush and an eye shadow or a lipstick that can double as rouge. This will also cut down on the items you have to carry for touch-ups.

A chunky eye pencil is a great accessory to any busy lady?s makeup bag. It is soft and full so it can serve as an eyeliner without having to be smudged and can also be used to fill in the lower lid like a shadow.

Your everyday makeup routine doesn’t have to be daunting and should never be a burden.  I usually buy two of my favorite lip color, concealer and eye-liner to carry with me all day for touch ups. Go simple, double-up products, and use those extra minutes of the day to just breathe by yourself!

The proper tools can make all the difference when going for a specific look, even if the look is just every day gorgeous. Imagine an artist not having the right brushes to complete a masterpiece. Why should you be any different?

Depending on what type of foundation you use, a large, round, sable brush may be necessary. This will keep the application smooth and even.

Eye shadow brushes are great for creams or powders just make sure to clean them between colors or keep more than one around for the different shades you use. Blush should be applied with a flat brush and not the same rounded one used for foundations and bronzers. The will keep the application more localized to the desired area.

No beauty kit is complete without an eyelash curler and tweezers. Popular opinion says that the Tweezerman tweezers are the only way to go to get the most precision. Eyelash curlers can be grabbed at a local drugstore just be sure that the pads are quality to avoid damaging lashes, and that it is cleaned regularly to help avoid clumps and infections.

If you are one of the many who hustles through your morning makeup routine, consider adding Almay Oil-Free Makeup Eraser Sticks to your beauty kit. They are a quick and easy way to eliminate those smudges and bumps that can ruin your look.

For inexpensive tools for your beauty regime, be sure to check out Amazon. They have products from hundreds of suppliers at much cheaper prices than the mall or supply store, even after you pay the shipping.  They are definitely wroth checking out.

It is amazing how far the beauty world has come in the last few years. It seems like there is a short cut for just about everything and the world of wipes is a fantastic one! Not only are there great products out there to remove makeup, cleanse, and exfoliate skin (like Simple’s line of all natural cleansing cloths), but there are also whole new lines of wipes and sheets hitting the market for all of your beauty needs.

L’Oreal is now among the many offering self-tanning sheets that eliminate the excess globs and patches that our sunless tanners use to leave on us. But if you decide you would actually like to soak up some real rays, try the Shady Day or MD Moms sunscreen wipes in a variety of SPF levels. Hair sheets by Tom Gibson or Chic can help tame fly-away’s and give your hair a more finished look.

You can also remove polish with worrying about spills and where the cotton balls are now with Cutex’s nail polish remover pads.

Not only do all of the wipe options work, they wipe out the clutter and refuse from bulky plastic bottles and packaging. So you can look good and feel good about your eco-stamp too!

I am currently undergoing a makeover for my career.  I do actually have a day job in addition to being a beauty blogger, and certain circumstances have caused me to take a look at the choices I’ve made, and if I want to make changes in the future.  I have considered going back to an old career, but since I am into beauty, I have also wondered about beauty school and starting something completely new.

When I was in high school, our theater club did a production of Grease.  One of my favorite scenes was the number with the beauty school girl and all the models wearing big curlers in their hair while Frankie Valli sang “Beauty School Dropout”.  Do I dare imagine myself going down the professional route? I do have to say that I love the time I spend with my stylist, but I am still trying to picture myself in the profession. I have spent years cutting my friends hair, and my kids, but do I want to do that all day?

A quick look online to research beauty schools such as beauty schools in Overland Park lets me see that there are several tracks one can take in this career such as  Cosmetology, Esthetics (Skin Care), or Specialty Workshops (Makeup Artistry).  Time will tell how my career choices will pan out, but I’ll still have my professional beauty blogger status to keep going!

Have you ever considered the amount of your investment in your makeup? No matter what you typically spend on a particular beauty product, you probably don’t realize the total amount of your overall investment, until you start to add it up. Whether use discount products from your local drug store, mid priced products from beauty supply stores, or high end products from department stores, it’s important not to waste your products and to take good care of them. Keep beauty items sealed carefully when not in use so they don’t dry out. Keep your beauty tools such as makeup brushes in good condition so they don’t waste your product.  Store your items at proper temperatures, and not in the glove box of your vehicle in the hot sun.

Consider other places to purchase your products, especially online. If you are in Australia, you might try a store like Napoleon Makeup.  They are a great example of how you can find the same products for discounts if you order them online.  The only downside to this is that you don’t get to try them first. I usually buy a product for the first time only after trying it, but then I look for a great discount store online to reorder my favorites.

No matter what the cost of your makeup, be sure you value your investment!

No matter your style, color, or texture, we all would like hair that is healthy and looks good, plus most of us would prefer not having to spend a lot of time getting our hair that way. Here are some hair must-haves that will shorten your styling time and keep those luscious locks looking and feeling good:

*Goody Quik Style Paddle Brush – For around $12, this easy-grip paddle brush will cut down on drying time for your hair. The key is the tiny bits of towel that are imbedded between the bristles and help to speed up the drying process.

*Nexxus ProMend – This is a must have for most of us. This wonderful serum helps to seal split ends caused by daily styling, heat processing, and coloring. A small amount worked into dry ends will make the split ends disappear and help to heal some of the past damage.

*Neutrogena Triple Moisture Mask – Once a week, work this into your hair after shampooing and squeezing as much excess water out as possible. Leave in for about 10 minutes while you finish the rest of your shower and then rinse. This amazing mask will help repair damaged hair, restore vital vitamins and nutrients, and leave hair feeling silky soft.

You can find all of these or similar products at Amazon for discounted prices.  With the help of these three amazing products, you will do less damage to your hair while styling and repair past damage over time.    Remember that healthy hair is beautiful hair!