Category — Beauty tips

Flawless skin is the first step to beautiful, but even the loveliest of ladies can use some help from time to time.  The look of perfect skin beings with a good foundation, preferably one containing vitamins, antioxidants, and SPF, topped with a loose powder.

In order to create a more defined face, sweep a blush right under your brow bone.  Brushing a soft peach blush lightly on cheeks will soften your look and help play up the intensity of eyes and lips, while a soft pink blush high on the cheekbones will give you a finished and youthful glow.  Bronzers are also a great option for defining the face and creating a glow, but be sure to blend them well to avoid a hardened and streaky look.

Cream blush should be used sparingly, but with the right application on the apples of the cheeks and the brow bone, you can create a youthful glow that will last throughout the day.

Beautiful Body Care — When we think about beauty, most of us concentrate on the face, but what about the body?  How you feel can greatly affect the amount of beauty you put out into the world.  Your body deserves just as much tender loving care as your face and hair.  If you aren’t feeling your best about yourself and how you look from the neck down, some small changes can create a large impact to help energize you and improve your life.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be a burden or overwhelming.  Small changes to your diet and minimal, but regular, amounts of exercise can help you feel more confident about your body.  In addition to keeping the muscles in shape, there is a lot of skin covering that body of yours.  Look for body washes with anti-aging ingredients and deep moisturizers.  These products can help reduce the look of fine lines in dry skin and restore some of that supple, youthful glow.

Don’t disregard your underarms…especially during tank-top season.  Choose a deodorant with moisturizers and soothing ingredients like soy and acai berry or chamomile.  These will reduce redness and condition dry, irritated skin.

If you find yourself struggling with dry or dull skin, you can use a lemon-honey mask by mixing equal parts of lemon juice, honey, and olive oil.  Leave on for 5-15 minutes and rinse with warm water.  Adding a half of a cup of lemon juice to your bath an create an all over brightening effect when you’re getting ready to show off a little skin.  Be sure to take some time to pamper yourself and take care of your body.

This year, many of us are trying to achieve that ever-popular smoky eyes look.  We see it in multitudes of commercials and all over the red carpet.  How do you create that smoldering look at home?  Easy!  Start by blending a light shade of eye shadow across the entire lid from the lash line to the brow bone.

Next, apply a darker eye shadow to the outer corners of the lids and along the lower lash line forming a sideways V shape.  To create an even more dramatic effect, use darker shades of blues and purples (as long as they complement your natural eye color).  After applying eye liner to the upper and lower lash lines, start smudging.  Smudge it good!

Don’t go too crazy smudging though or you will to look like a raccoon.  Finish off this dramatic look with a couple of coats of mascara to the top and bottom lashes.  You’ll be smokin’!

No matter what products you use or believe in, nothing is more beautiful than well-cared for skin.  Taking better care of your skin and knowing which products are right for your age and skin type are two of the most essential steps in looking and feeling beautiful.  Quality products don’t have to cost a fortune and great skin care shouldn’t break the bank.

Spend some time researching products you think might meet your needs.  Advice from the beauty counter specialists is free, so spend a little time chatting with them.  Keep in mind that well-hydrated skin will soften the look of fine lines and hydration comes from both inside and out.  Increasing your water intake by just a glass or two a day can create a noticeable difference in no time.

When choosing products for your skin, remember that serums will penetrate more deeply than lotions or creams.  Look for anti-aging products that have a higher concentration of active wrinkle-fighting ingredients, are lightweight, and contain the vitamins and antioxidants needed to repair some of the environmental damage you’ve already endured.

A hint of mint will not only make you feel refreshed, but will help your skin if you are prone to oiliness.  If you are struggling with blackheads and larger pores, try rubbing lemon juice over the areas with the most visible blackheads right before going to sleep at night.  The citric acid will dissolve the oils in the blackheads and after a few nights you should see significantly less spots.  Whatever skin care route you choose to take, consistency is key.  Your skin is your largest organ and deserves daily TLC.

Who has all of the time and money that they can use?  Not many of us.  There are several quick and easy things you can do to save both.

For instance, most of us don’t use all of the conditioner before running out of shampoo.  Instead of throwing it away, try using the extra conditioner to shave your legs.  You’ll save money by not buying shaving cream, and your legs will be super silky.

To help save time when getting ready, clean out your makeup stash regularly, at least every 6 months.  This will help keep quality items organized and your make-up fresh for the changing seasons.

Another timesaver is to find products that do multiple things at once, like using an anti-aging cream with SPF and sheer coverage.  You only have one application but you’ve completed three steps in your beauty regimen.  Use some shortcuts, stay organized, and find new uses for products you already have, and you will see the time and money start to add up.

Stay-Put Tips for Eye Make-up:   Looking great when you walk out the door is one thing, but looking great hours later can be quite a challenge some days.  One simple trick is to apply your eyeliner and then use a fine-tip brush to dust on an eye shadow that is almost the same color over the liner.

This will help keep the eyeliner from smudging or running throughout the day and will also helps to create that very popular smoky eye look.  To keep your eye shadow from creasing, put a few drops of contact lens solution on each eye lid before applying your favorite shadow colors.  The sodium chloride in the solution helps to retain moisture making eye shadow indestructible.

It is said that the eyes are the window to the soul.  Whether or not that’s true, it is certain that your eyes are some of the first features people notice.  Here are some basic eye do’s and don’ts that will make those peepers even more impressive:

• Shades of black eye shadows work well on all eye colors, are a sure-bet, smudge on an intense streak of one of these along your lash lines.
• Out of eye makeup remover or just don’t own any?  Put some facial moisturizer on a cotton ball and wipe across eyes.  This works just like eye makeup remover!
• To enhance your lashes, apply two to three coats of mascara.  For a more dramatic look, apply a couple of coats to both the top and the bottom lashes.
• To open up your eyes on those less than perky days, use a silvery eye shadow at the brow bone and the inner eye corner.
• To make those eyes pop, choose shades of complementary color eye shadows (the ones that are opposite your eye color on the color wheel).
• No matter what your eye color, skin tone can make a difference in making your eyes stand out.

Whatever you decide to do to decorate your eyes, be sure to take good care of them by keeping them clean, moisturizing with a light eye cream, and resting them enough.

Welcome to 2011 and all of the fantastic fashion that the celebrities will be flaunting.  Here are some of the essentials in fashion, hair, and makeup.

Accessories: Sunglasses are still large, but not quite as bug-eyed as in years past.  Moccasin flats, kitten heels, and wedge sandals will be among the footwear of the famous.  Jewelry must-haves include large, sparkling earrings and fashion rings that encircle the finger more than once.  Totes in quilted-leather or equine-inspired looks will be all the rage, but nothing beats the classic styling of the Chanel flap bag.

Clothing: Classic is still in. Invest in some quality pieces that can be mixed and matched with trendy pieces from year to year.  Trench coats that are mid-thigh length will never go out of style.  This year’s version has slightly extended epaulets, but is still a staple of any classic style.  Tuxedo pants with a satin trim can be dressed up or down, depending on the occasion.  V-necklines are always in style as long as they don’t plummet too far.  Experiment with button-downs, wrap-arounds, sweaters and t-shirts that create a lengthening effect for almost any neck.

Colors: Brown is still the new black.  This versatile color can fit into the workplace as a trendy blazer or a night on the town in a satin blouse or lace cami.  Mix and match the shades that suit you both in clothing and make-up.

Makeup: Natural looking make-up is always sexy and making a comeback this year. Forget the bright blues, greens, reds and purples.  Try that ‘I’m not really trying’ look this year by lightening up on make-up choices.  Soft shades of taupe, peach, and coral will accentuate the girl-next-door look.

Hair: As with make-up, less is more with hairstyles.  Messy waves create a relaxed and easy look.  If an up-do is preferred, buns will be the classic style, but moving the bun to different areas of the head will make for a more modern look.

Those with deep, dark brown eyes have the freedom to enjoy, experiment, and enliven their eyes with all most any eye shadow color.  A spectrum of shades will enhance your eye color, so have fun trying them on!

To create some extra impact, give deep purples and navy blue colors a try instead of the usual black eye liner or mascara.  Contrast is the key to making your eyes stand out, so let go of the brown eye shadows that mimic your natural eye color.  Shades of mocha and cappuccino with a bit of shimmer will really stand out against your brown eyes.

However, just because you have the option to use every color in the rainbow, doesn’t necessarily mean you should.  Brown-eyed girls should take their skin tone into consideration when choosing eye shadow colors.  Talk with a color expert to find out what colors go best with your skin tone and then experiment away with all of the shade choices available to you.

Since this is a website about obtaining free makeup samples and free makeup tips, I don’t normally promote products that are expensive unless I really feel strongly about them.  This skin care product is one of those times!

Recently I have been using  SkinCeuticals Retexturing Activator at the recommendation of my sister.  And if you can’t trust a sister, then who do you trust!!  It was expensive (it retails around $70 for a small bottle).  I found it at the link above for much less than that.

Anyway, this product is in a small bottle, but you don’t need very much since it is a serum. In fact, some users complain that it makes their skin feel sticky. I think that is because they are using too much of it. The instructions say you only need 4-6 drops for your entire face. If you stick to that, then it really does seem to do a good “retexturing” job.  My skin feels smoother than it has in a long time, and it gets rid of the dryness too.   My regular makeup goes on much smoother too and lasts longer.

I think I am going to get more than my money’s worth from this skin care product. Here’s the link if you want to take a look! SkinCeuticals Retexturing Activator