Chocolate & Eyelashes

I love both… as most women do.  Everyone has different taste and likes different types of both.  Then enter the love/hate relationships:  I love/hate fiber mascara & I love/hate sugar.

Maybe I am NOT the best judge of fiber mascara because I create natural, perfect lashes daily with lash extensions.  I work as a makeup artist who specialized in natural beauty.. but then again I am originally from NJ where more is always better!

I love the natural application of fiber mascara.  It works amazingly!  But I believe it needs to be washed off daily (call me crazy) and should never be applied to lash extensions (unless you want to break off lashes).

I love chocolate, I would love to eat it every day.  Heck, I wish I could walk around with a drip of it in my arm all day (you know the world would be a better place.. especially once a month 😉 ).  But I don’t like the weight it puts on my body eating it every day.  Or the lows it gives me after a binge of sweets (and the belly ache).

So here’s the issue.. I am horrified when I see spidery pictures of any type of lashes and any chocolate sundae picture make me crave one for days (especially from Serendipty3 in Vegas – my fav Instagram follow).  I believe we are all entitled to our options and thank goodness everyone is different or we would be in a crazy episode of the Twilight Zone where everyone looks the same (Season 5 Episode 17)!

This is the “How to” for spidery lash application:

This is the “How to” for natural fiber lash application:

Please share your thoughts with me on which look you prefer and why.  And which type of chocolate is your favorite? I can agree to disagree. 🙂

Beauty gifts for Mom

I am enjoying the wonderful Florida sunshine on a business trip and stopped in to visit my folks. I NEVER know what to buy my mom – she buys everything herself! Sound familier?

I just finished a Live Beauty Chat with my mom on my Facebook Page.. Here’s the cheat sheet of gift ideas & the sampling of Mom’s gifts this year. Along with some of the boutiques I will visit online at Facebook to purchase.  Hope this helps you find the perfect gift for Mom this year!

Confession: I still have to order my gifts for mom. Think they will be late. Oops!  Sorry Mom.

Beauty Picks

Makeup Brushes 101

Confession: So many brushes, so little time.  There are no RULES.. but this may help you start.

Everyone always asks me about brushes. Which one should I get for _______?

The answer is any one you want to use. There are no rules in makeup application. I use my fingers to apply shadow on myself ALOT (not on client though.. LOL). It is an art – Your Art. It is like painting. For different effects there are some basics, but it is all up to you! You can wipe your brow and know pressure is off. I will give you some basic guidelines and my favorites, but really the choice is up to you! 🙂

There are basically 3 types of brushes:

Round (which is circular)

Flat (which is straight across)
Filbert (which is curved) Think of this as your finger.

When choosing a brush, first think of the surface you are applying makeup to. Cheeks, eyes, face – this would work well for a ROUND brush. Liner, brows, contouring – you may want more of a FLAT line to blend. Under-eyes, lips, concealing creases – these areas are curved so a FILBERT would be just like using your FINGER. Make sense? Here is a visual to help.. this is a good guide to help you choose the basics of brushes.

Natural (Sable) hair vs. Synthetic:

Natural hair holds the product best (sable is the most popular and the more expensive, the nicer the hair). Synthetic brushes will not absorb the product and creams slide off the brush better. I use synthetic for special effects, glitter, cream liners, lipstick, etc. Powders tend to slide too much on the synthetic bristols and will discolor lighter hair fibers. If the brush is white or gold, ya synthetic.

These are my 5 FAV BRUSHES/MUSTS (besides my finger) for doing my own makeup:

1. Short ANGLE brush for eyeliner
2. Fluffy FILBERT for highlight under my eyes
3. Tapered/pointed ROUND for blending in my crease in my eye (my MOST fav of ALL I have 6 for personal/professional use)
4. Puffy big ROUND brush for powder & mineral foundation application
5. Full FLAT brush for blush application

As you can see I am creative with my choice of brushes for my personal application. I do use some different choices when working on others. Please share with me what you find works great for you.. I love trying new brushes!

ALWAYS remember to wash your brushes with shampoo or use brush cleaner and allow them to dry THOROUGHLY before putting them away. You should do this at least once a month.

Thanks for stopping by and happy brushing.

I Scream, You Scream.. We all need EYE CREAM!

From a recent conversation with my Pilates trainer, I have realized a lot of people do the bare minimum for skincare. Cleanse, maybe moisturize, maybe SPF.

If you are over 40 years old and want some advice, besides washing before bed, using eye cream may be the second most important step in staying youthful. We all start seeing those mysterious lines around our eyes. Dry skin can make these lines even worse. Here are a few products I LOVE for eye creams and one should be able to fit anyone’s budget. The range is about $30-110.

Caffeine is one of the popular ingredients for tightening and taking puffiness away. The most important thing is to use an eye cream every night. Place it next to your bed if you need to. You will definitely see results within 2-3 weeks and be glad you did in 10 years!

Eye cream for now, Chapstick and moisturizer next! Lol

Please let me know if you have any great finds I can add to my list or questions.

“The eyes hold all the emotions of our heart… And are the windows to our soul.”

Spring is Here!

I always love spring. I want to change my wardrobe, update my makeup, style my hair differently – start fresh for the season.

So many clients want to try new things.. New trends, new products and new services. Keeping it fresh for myself and my clients is a challenge this time of year.

What colors are hot? Turquoise & Coral for clothing; Purple & Greens for nails; Pinks for lips; and feathers of all colors for Hair Flair!

Here are some things I change for the Spring to get ready for the Summer:

1.  Buy a new Tinted Moisturizer with SPF (I am addicted to Merle Norman Tinted Moisturizer in ML30 & ML40)

2.  Choose some new colors to add to my makeup bag & routine (Mineral Pigment powders in Hunter Green & Marine to wet and apply as Eyeliner)

3.  Buy a new Lipstick (The BALM’s Lipgloss in Ruby my Grapefruit)

4.  Purchase a few colorful scarves and long necklaces to accessorize with (Infinitely scarves and long rosary beads)

5.  Add an oil or serum under my moisturizer in the evening (Love Coconut oil, basic and at Whole Foods)

6.  Regularly exfoliate to brighten my skin and slough off dead cells (Dermalogica’s Daily Micro Exfoliant)

7.  Try adding a new exercise to my weekly routine to stay fit and relieve stress (Hula hooping every other day for 1/2 in front of the TV.  LOVING my waistline)

8.  Drink more water and eat small bites throughout the day in between clients (I swear Alkaline water keeps me healthy, along with handful of nuts a day)

9.  Start reading a book I have been spying (THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett)

10.  Find ONE thing to be grateful for each day and a person/reason to write a Thank You note (365 Days of Gratitude by John Kralik)

 

 

“Sometimes”, said Pooh, “the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”