It’s A New Year.. What Makes YOU Fierce?

It’s a new year and one of my favorite words is FIERCE!  It ignites my passion.. my desire to be strong.. my wish to be fearless.. my ambition to persevere and my goals of being unforgettable!

A year ago in February, my Grama passed away.  We were very close & I loved her with all my heart.  She was one of my most special people: my cheerleader, my mom, my voice of reason, my greatest sounding board and LOVED to watch me dance!  While I was back East for her funeral I stumbled upon a ballroom dance studio I had NO IDEA existed a few blocks from my home in LA.  I contacted them while in NJ (I swear Grama sent me to them) and the rest is history.. I fell back in love with dancing because of the owners Katie & Erick (below) and the wonderful instructors (the events & other students are just a bonus).

I started dancing at 10 yrs old.  I taught, performed & competed all throughout school.  I turned professional at the age of 19 and continued my career until 26.  I taught ballroom at a Fred Astaire studio from 22-24 yrs old.  I lived my dream of being a dancer and performing professionally all over the country.  But I hadn’t ballroom danced in about 15 years (even just for fun).

Dancing has ALWAYS been my heart, my love, my joy, my passion.

When I retired I couldn’t figure out how to enjoy it for fun.. so I gave it up.

Last February I walked into the studio (shaking & heart pounding – thinking WHAT AM I DOING? I can’t do this anymore!) I was greeted by one of the sweetest guys I have ever had the pleasure of meeting (or dancing with) and I haven’t stopped smiling yet!   In a year I have lost 25 pounds.. bought a dozen glittering gowns.. danced & sung more songs then I can remember, laughed uncontrollably (while dancing), felt like a princess (more than once) and entered my first EVER competition in December.

I am FIERCE!  I am having the time of my life.. inspiring others to dare to try something new.. sharing my joy, reminding others talent SHOULD be shared and hoping to become awesome in TANGO (my worst dance, in my mind) by this years end.  I am  not giving up!  I have over done it and injured myself multiple times last year.  But I’ve kept going. I can’t remember as much as I would like to or as quickly as I used to, BUT I AM FIERCE.  I feel good.  I’m graceful.  I’m happy.  I’m taking chances.  I’m NOT giving up!

What is it that you would LOVE to try this year?  What lights a spark in your heart? What do you do and no matter how hard you try, you can’t stop smiling (this is a problem for my TANGO).  Do that!  Try that!  If it scares you a little, it means there is a WONDERFUL treasure awaiting you on the other side.. it’s wrapped in a gorgeous package with a tag on it with YOUR name.. “YOU ARE FIERCE“.. It’s just waiting to be opened.. discovered.. shared.. and ONLY YOU can unwrap it!

Remember, DON’T let anyone or anything STOP you.. especially when you soul is whispering to you.. listen to it!  It’s usually IMPORTANT.

Please share your adventures & journey with me!  I can’t wait to hear what makes YOU FIERCE!(because you are)

Always wash your face before bed?

That’s what my mother always told me.. So do you?

Confession: I feel asleep last night without washing me face!! Eeeeeeeek! I can hear my mom now! 

Yesterday was a “beauty day”. Hair, color, waxing, facial – so I didn’t wear any makeup. Good news. Bad news, I was so tired I fell asleep (yes, beauty is exhausting), without cleansing my face (which I do religiously every night) and woke up with three breakouts on my chin. Shoot! Point made.. clean the day off my face before falling asleep even if I didn’t put on makeup. (Love using the Norwex cloth for this & in the mornings – Just add water).

Here is a great article for why sleeping in your makeup is bad for your health in a 30 day experiment blog post. http://dermrf.com/2015/07/the-risks-of-sleeping-in-your-makeup-run-more-than-skin-deep/

We live in a dirty world (insert your favorite theme song). I’m in Los Angeles, known for smog and desert dirt!  Just a light wipe of a toner over your face at the end of the day is proof (try it after cleansing to freak yourself out). I wipe with toner, Hydrosols or astringent – And still can’t believe what still comes off.

My picks:

I love a toner that is a treatment as well: https://michellebouse.myrandf.com/Shop/Product/AATN125 (R+F “spankz for skin”

Great hydrosol: http://amzn.to/1IKjLyA (love the rose & lavender from EvanHealy)

If you like an astringent: http://amzn.to/1M7ZEQ4 (rose petal witch hazel w/aloe from Thayer)

So here is your friendly reminder.. Wash your face before hitting the pillow. Start the rejuvenation process with the cleanest skin possible. Nighttime is the most important time for your skin and body’s renewal process. Even if you fall asleep first, get up, clean your skin and go back to sleep!

Is that a grey hair in my eyebrow!?

It was an ordinary day. I grabbed my mirror and headed to the window with my tweezers.. Looking for those pesky hairs out of place & messing up my brow line.
Wait, what is that? Do I see a.. Is that a..? Hmmm a light blonde hair in my brow? Strange I’m a brunette. I turn away from the sunshine and flip the mirror to the magnifier. OMG.. @!$?! What! How?..

Oh no.. Do I pluck it? Cut it? Color it? Or ignore it (yeah right). Can anyone else relate? Let’s look at options:

1. Pluck it.
I prefer the word “tweeze”. They say when you pull 1 grey hair 2 grow in its place. But when you’re over 40, they may not grow back.
Over-plucking can lead to holes & thinned brows. So my advice is tweeze sparingly.

2. Trim it.
If you have lighter hair trimming the grey hair may be a good option. Trim the tip so it blends into the brow instead of laying on top. Darker hair needs to trim lower.
Be careful to isolate only the grey hair, otherwise you’ll cut yourself a bald spot. (Post coming up on “Trimming brows”)

3. Dye it.
I believe this is the best option. While having your hair colored (or DIY) place some color across your brows (not skin). Leave it on for 10-15 min depending on darkness of hair color. Wipe off with cold water pad to seal in color. Or make an appointment with your favorite Esthetican and ask for a brow tint. They will be able to customize a color to match your hair.
Tinting lasts up to a month and slowly fades away.

4. Color it.
Wetting eyeshadow can work for darker hair tones. The best option is finding a matching brow or hair mascara. Simply wipe on and let it dry.
Color lasts until it’s washed off. It also helps keep the brow hairs in place.

Otherwise you leave it alone, smile at yourself in the mirror and continue on.
——————————————–
Eyebrows 101
New series from the Beauty Boutique..
Your eyebrow questions answered.

You Can’t SMILE & Frown at the same time!

It’s true! If you are frowning you can’t SMILE. If you are SMILING you can’t frown, at least not at the same time.

 

Smiling LIFTS everything up.. Frowning brings everything down and exaggerates WRINKLES!

So while on vacation visiting my parents this holiday season, my mom looks over at me and says, “Are you using EYE CREAM?”

I just stare at her wanting to say, MOM! I am a skin care professional..

She then says, “YOU better! I can see lines starting around your eyes and your skin is so pretty it would be a shame to let your eye area go.”

Gotta love MOMS. I DO love my mom, she started me at 19 years old on skincare and I still think that really made a difference in my skin today. And even though I hate to admit it, she got me thinking.. Even though I am almost 39 years old, sometimes she is still right. LOL I might have noticed a few “LINES” starting around my eyes but I am working VERY hard on my SMILE LINES (at least that is what I tell myself!)

When I workout out at the YMCA and swim in the pool without makeup and abunch of women, I notice two things:

First, they all think I am in my twenties (remember, without makeup).

Second, I can GUESS by the casual expressions on people’s faces, who has a happy life and who might be stressed or unhappy.

Casual people watching, you can learn a few things from people’s skin and expressions.

People wear their attitudes on their face.

They wear their habits on their skin.. you CAN’T fake it. What is going on inside, shows on the outside.

As we start a New Year, start to notice. If you are watching TV or casually thinking about your day and you quickly caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror, would you be SMILING or FROWNING?

When you lay down to sleep or as you awake in the morning, are you SMILING or FROWNING?

Call me crazy, but after purchasing OIL OF OLAY’S “Regenerist” Eye Serum and applying twice a day.. I remind

myself before bed, after waking and while singing along in my car.. I AM WORKING on my SMILE lines!

It’s up to you!

Good skin not only takes time & work,

but because you can’t SMILE & FROWN at the same time!