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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Dark Spots

Hey Everyone,
First of all, have you seen my recent giveaway posts on facebook? If you haven't definitely check it out! Everyone likes free right? 
Moving right along to the point of this post. I have seen lots of Pinterest pins lately on DIY dark spot corrector and one of them I was very interested in trying.  I have dark skin and it scares so easily.  If I have a blemish that I merely touch it will scar up.  While watching the Olympics I decided I would whip up a batch. Most dark spot correctors that are sold at the makeup counters range from $49-$125 without any guaranteed results. I have heard amazing things about the Kiehl's Dark Spot Corrector which retails for $49.50.  That is honestly the low end of these correcting products without going to the drugstore brands. However, I have heard some great things about Garnier Dark Spot Treatment it retails for $16.50. I think that it just depends how easily your skin will take to these products and how regularly you apply them. Sometimes my skin can really look clear as day but I have to sit in the sun for awhile with/or without sunscreen. In my busy days I don't really have a lot of time for sitting.  When I saw the DIY Dark Spot Corrector I jumped right to it, I would really love to get rid of these spots and wear less makeup. Don't get me wrong I love makeup but I want it to be optional not a requirement.  

Recipe:
Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
4 TBS plain organic (real) yogurt
1 egg white 
Directions: 
Stir together and apply to the face avoiding the eye area. Leave on for 15-20 minutes and then rinse with cold water. Pat dry and apply moisturizer. 

If you have dark spots and want a cheaper alternative try this recipe and let me know how it works for you. Keep in mind you may not see results until after 4 weeks when cell turnover has occurred. 

Monday, July 30, 2012

Facebook Giveaway

Hey all, I have teamed up with Designs By Wives to do a Facebook Swap Giveaway! I am super excited about this since it is my very first give away and if this one is successful I will be doing a lot more of them.  The give away is to reach 200 followers so please be sure to share the original post with all your friends.  Also check out Designs by Wives on Facebook,  Brittany is simply amazing with jewelry, crafts, home decor, you name it and she can do it. She has also just created an Etsy shop under the Designs By Wives name so be sure to check that out as well! Also when you look at her page be sure to "like" and share her post about the give away with your friends and you could win free "date night makeup" with me. The "date night makeup" is only open to Madison/ Huntsville AL Residents so if you are in the area and wish to win please check her page out!!

Thanks all for the support :)





Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Are YOUR lashes Real?

Hey Everyone,
How is everything going this morning? Well as the title implied I get this question a lot like almost every other day someone asks me if my lashes are real? I usually just laugh and say yeah they are mine coated with a couple coats of good mascara. The truth is my lashes when I wake up don't look like anything spectacular but after using a lash curler and mascara they look long and full.
Let's dive into mascara for a minute, I for the most part only use drugstore mascara's because what I believe is that most mascara formula's are the same it is really the brush that matters and since the drugstore brands come out with so many different mascara's there is bound to be one that works well for me and still at an $8 and under price.  Any mascara priced over $8 is bordering on too expensive for drugstore because then you think well I could buy this drugstore brand or I could buy this high end brand for just a few more dollars.  I personally like the synthetic, plastic type brushes the big fat ones basically I like Cover Girl Lash Blast.  I used to use Max Factor 2000 Calorie Extreme Mascara.  For me this was the best mascara ever made and then it was discontinued and no longer sold in stores in the US. When they went 70% off at ULTA I bought 6 of them but that was 3 years ago. My lashes are long but aren't as thick as I would so I could really build a full yet long lash with that mascara so it was my favorite. Lash Blast however is very similar.  If you have short lashes I would try Almay's Get Up and Grow Mascara.  It is a dryer formula and you can build longer fuller lashes.  Unfortunately,  there really isn't a good way to figure out which mascara is actually right for you without trial and error.  After hearing about how great Loreal Voluminous Mascara was I decided to give it a try and it turns out that mascara is too wet of a formula and doesn't work very well for me. I've tried a lot of mascara's but I have been going back to Lash Blast.

Next, You need a great eye lash curler, I like the Shu Umera lash curler or the Tarte one.  These tend to be wider and can fit all of  your lashes into the curler giving you a full lifted look. I always heat mine a little because I feel like I get more curl that way and I apply just a little mascara to the ends before curling because that gives some hold to the curl. I don't keep my lashes pressed in the eye lash curler for long just kind of pulsing it all the way up the lash this ensures your lash doesn't crinkle.  Then I apply a couple coats of mascara.

This is the way I do my own lashes and it works for me I prefer not to do false lashes unless it is a special occasion or I want a dramatic look.  False lashes can weaken your natural lash leaving them sparse and I would rather build up my own lashes.  However, if you still would rather go the falsies way there are some great options I like the demi lashes which is just a half lash that you apply to the ends. Also anything that is crisscrossed looks very natural.  I prefer the Revlon glue that has a wand for precision.  It get the perfect amount of glue on the lash band without an clumps of glue. I think Kiss came out with a similar lash glue.  Lastly if you want a longer lasting look perhaps look into lash extensions.  These can run about $150 a set but they last about  3-4 weeks when you will need to get them "filled" again which is usually about $70.

Lots of options for lashes but for everyday I go the natural route since I was blessed with pretty nice lashes.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Health and Fitness

Hey Everyone,
Recently, I have had a lot of questions about health and fitness.  Clients asking me if I think that health and fitness coincide with beauty.  My answer has been YES, ABSOLUTELY.  Perhaps I am being a little biased because I am kind of a health nut and if you know me you will know this about me but since some of my readers don't actually know me then there I said it.  I have been on both sides of the fence with health and fitness I have been very unhealthy which led to my skin looking more on the dull side, my attitude was less upbeat and I always looked tired even if I wasn't. Then after I had my daughter and had a ton of baby weight to lose I started a diet (low carb/low sugar).  I'm still on this "diet" but I refer to it as a lifestyle change. I don't go around with oh I can't eat this or that I say oh look what I can eat and believe me there is a lot. I follow a food blogger that I trust completely she has opened my eyes to so much and I don't plan on ever going back to processed foods and chemicals. I eat almost everything organic which has been great for my family as well.  I lost a lot of weight on this "diet" but honestly that didn't really change the way my body felt.  I still felt like I was missing something and then one day my food blogger, blogged about exercise and circuit training and that was in January and ever since I have worked out every day M-F at the same time.  I have always had an aversion to working out like I loathed and despised it and refused to do it unless I actually had to.  I don't like gyms, I don't like the heat, and my allergies get bad in the spring. However, in January I made a pact with myself that I was going to workout everyday M-F at the same time for 21 days to make it a habit in my life. I did just that, I didn't skip a day during the week and would give myself 2 days off on the weekend. It worked, working out daily has added so much to my life. The number one thing is confidence.  I feel so much stronger mentally and physically. My skin is way more even and I look rested when I wake up.  I project a more positive outlook through the day and I have a lot more patience.  I feel like you can't just do one or the other it is really the combination of both diet and exercise that achieve the best YOU, which translates to beauty. I have told a lot of clients when they ask about botox, skin fillers, wrinkles and all sorts of things that before they make their appointment try eating organic and NO TRANSFATS, limit sugar and carbs and create a balance that is right for your body, drink water and lots of it and lastly try exercise for 21 days at the same time and see how you feel after a month.  This will keep you looking younger longer than botox or any other chemical you inject into your body especially if you start a healthy lifestyle early in life.
I'm not perfect there are days when I simply don't want to get moving and I take that time to just rest I know when my body is telling me I am going to fast and have too much going on but I always pick it right back up after a day of rest.  I'm not a nutritionist and I am only expressing what works for me. :)

Have A Beautiful Day 

Saturday, July 14, 2012

BB Cream/ Neon Trend

Hey Everyone,
I have two things for you today the first being that I am working on a great formula for making your own BB cream. Which is kinda wonderful because except for the $40 Smashbox one I can't find a good one that I actually like and is not a tinted moisturizer.  What I did was mix 1 pump of my regular NYX foundation and then a half pump of my tinted moisturizer, a little of the NYX Shine Killer, and finally a little concealer. I personally have all these products on hand and I'm not typically oily but I chose to put the Shine Killer in the mix so I wouldn't need to set the "BB Cream" with a powder. It has worked really well for me and since I had everything on hand there was no need to spend any extra money.  Do you ever play around with your makeup to see if you can create something that works for you? Well I do this A LOT.  You never know what you might come up with and every other BB cream is just a repackaged tinted moisturizer so why not give my own concoction a try.  It's good and I would love to know if you have come up with anything you love all on your own.


My second thing really has nothing to do with makeup at all it is more of a fashion interest.  I love clothes and fashion in general and perhaps I am not the most fashionable person ever but I really enjoy reading the blogs and seeing whats current. A couple of weeks ago I saw a lot of posts with neon colors thrown in with neutrals and I thought it was just the greatest thing ever.  I thought wow now this is the way to do a trend all neutral and classic pieces and then a trendy piece thrown in.  I decided I would like to partake so I found some neon shorts at Target on the clearance rack (in the kids dept).  In women's clothes I wear a size 2 which converts to about a size 12-14 in kids.  The Jr dept also had neon shorts but they were so short they looked ridiculous and the kids sizes have longer inseams! YES it all worked out perfectly :) the highlighter pink shorts were mine and now I am obsessed. I paired them with a blue and white striped shirt and brown sandals and a brown bag. It really made the neon look way more polished. I bought a yellow pair at the thrift store that were similar to the ones I got from Target and I am so excited to wear those as well.  Are there any trends that you thought you would never follow but then found yourself falling in love?  




Well thats all...Enjoy your Saturday :)