2 Oscar makeup picks & tricks

Guilty pleasure? Completely forgot? Purposely avoided?  Did you watch the Oscars this year?  Are you wondering how everyone looked so fresh & glowing (especially when they start getting ready early afternoon & arrive by 3pm PST) all night?

These 2 picks are magical tools for their makeup lasting & the glow looking fresh – All Night/Day Long! 😉

(watch video here)

Not only does it look great on the red carpet, it’s the perfect duo to spruce up your makeup bag for SPRING! (insert happy song here) shop here

So who has questions for SPRING makeup picks?  Here’s to bringing the daily glow from the inside to the outside.  Remember, YOU are Beauty- FULL!

~Michelle xo

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)

Sunscreen. Good enough for a Baby, good enough for me!

I can’t wear sunscreen with chemicals in them. A few years ago, on our Hawaiian vacation, I broke out in a rash after using my favorite Coppertone Sunscreen (and we finished the bottle) two days before going home. Itching like C R A Z Y! I was MISERABLE! We spent the last day looking for cortisone so I could make it home on the flight without scratching off my skin.

When I finally got home, I decided to go back to the basics = Zinc Oxide & Titanium Dioxide (these are natural sunscreens).

My FAV SPF

From Wiki: When used as an ingredient in sunscreen, zinc oxide sits on the skin’s surface i.e. is not absorbed into the skin, and blocks both UVA (320-400 nm) and UVB (280-320 nm) rays of ultraviolet light. Because zinc oxide (and the other most common physical sunscreen, titanium dioxide) are not absorbed into the skin, they are nonirriating and nonallergenic.^[47]

So started the search for consumer products with only these ingredients. First I only found Neutrogena oil-free face screen. Then last year, while in NJ I found a Sunscreen STICK from Neutrogena for BABIES Pure & Free (All Natural) & I fell in LOVE. I recommended it all year but I wasn’t out on the West Coast. In getting ready for this years sun I tried to find a refill and in the process I came across Aveeno for baby with mineral protection. But look, they have a stick now too! (I LOVE the sticks!)

Natural SPF Stick Aveeno Baby

Remember most mineral powders are natural sunscreens with zinc, titanium dioxide and mica as their main ingredients. So layering a coat of mineral powder on your face can help boost SPF protection as well!

GO!SCREEN powders come in a convenience refillable brush and convenient for reapplication throughout the day and travelling.

Whatever you choose, remember Daily SPF is the best kept secret to slowing down the aging process & the key to beautiful SKIN!