Fall & Winter is apon us!

It is that time of year again, time to change your foundation to one that is more skin friendly for the current environment you are located in. When the weather changes you will notice as you get older your skin changes drastically from season to season. For example in the winter my face gets so dry, occasionally if I am not careful, painfully dry and feels like it might shatter at any given moment.

In the summer I like to use a tinted oil free moisturizer with SPF protection. In the winter I switch it up. I need a little more moisture.

When getting your new color of foundation make sure that you swab it across the high cheek area and even across the nose if you feel so bold. Ideally you want to take a swab of the color and streak it across a long strip of the face without rubbing it in. REPEAT, Do not rub it in! The perfect match will match your skin color without you having to rub it in, that is right, I said it! However say you are not in a perfect world and they do not have your color, pick the next best shade without rubbing it in. Remember, usually you are going to get more pale as the winter months progress, unless you get to snow ski through out the winter in which you have beautiful rosy cheeks!

Pick a foundation that works specifically for your needs. Oily skin use oily free formulas. If you are dry you will want an anti-aging formula to prevent dry out. In addition to those layers there is do you want to address problems you have in your skin like color spots or wrinkles, or maybe you want added sun protection, shop around you will find a HUGE assortment of foundations cream and powder based to meet your needs!

Here is my favorite for the winter months: I couple this with a heavy duty moisturizer!

Quick Tip

When putting on your liquid foundation apply immediately after your moisturizer; this will help your foundation smooth out, and slide over those pores without leaving streaks. Always start in the middle of the face and work your way towards towards ears and neck.

When using powder foundation be sure your face is completely dry, use a powder foundation brush (this brush is bigger), apply in a circular and down motion starting in the middle of your face working your way out to the edges.

Whether you are using liquid or powder always apply in a downward motion - never go up. However, with moisturizer it is just the opposite, always go up.

another new product I have tried.

I recently noticed that Pantene has put out a new variety of shampoos and conditioners based on your specific hair type. I have been using the formula made for blonds for about a month now; and I am happy to report it has done exactly as it claimed to do. My hair is super shiny! The day after I started using the conditioner (because I used the condition before I started on the shampoo) I went to work and my boss and coworkers noticed. There was a lot more life to my hair or as the bottle says dimension.

After one month of use, my hair is very soft, shiny and is not breaking as much as it was previously. That makes me happy! I have one rule about my hair, I love long hair as long as it is healthy, so as long as my hair is healthy I will not chop it off, the minute it gets unhealthy I will go in to the salon and get a new do.

If you have used pantene in the past and did not like it, you might give it a try again and pick up the formula made for your specific hair type. My next trial will be for fine hair, you might be saying WHAT!? You have super thick hair, indeed I do have very thick hair, however, my strands are super fine. Therefore the formula for fine hair will be for me. Then after that I will probably jump over to the formula made for long hair. Now, if I could just get them to make a formula for blond, long, fine hair! That would be super!

For a free sample visit the official Pantene website.

happy to try the switch

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time you know that I am a Clinique girl through and through - that is until about a month ago..... OH NO! Yep, I have a friend who is a Mary Kay representative so she came over to my house to introduce me to her products. I had this one rough patch of skin under my left eye that has been there sense I had Emma, I just figured it was another one of those fun side effects from having a child. She figured out my skin type and set up a palate of products that would work perfectly for my skin. She taught me how to use the products and then sent me off on my own to use them and see if my skin changed. Well, indeed it did! Here is what I have noticed about my skin sense I started using this skin care regimen.

1. my forehead is no longer oily in the afternoons
2. I do not have dry skin sitting on my face that makes it appear dull
   
3. my skin is more radiant - I have stopped wearing makeup on the weekends!
   
4. I am putting less products on my face than I was previously with Clinique.
   
5. I anticipate I am going to save a little bit of cash!
   

One of my favorite aspects of the change, it may not seem like much, but I like the time savings. It might only be an extra 30 seconds that I am saving, but I like it!

So, o' self appointed beauty nut, what are you getting it; even if you think you are in love with your current beauty products, but you notice that something is just not right, it might be time to tweak the method. I am glad that I gave my girlfriend a chance to give me a makeover.
If you are wondering what combo of skin care products I am using:

I have dry skin and I am concerned about premature aging so I am using this combination:

• TimeWise® Night Solution
• TimeWise® Day Solution Sunscreen SPF 25
• TimeWise® Age-Fighting Moisturizer
• TimeWise® 3-In-1 Cleanser
• TimeWise® Microdermabrasion Set- I only use this set twice a week for exfoliating
  

*The two in bold are the only two products I use every time I wash my face. The other three rotate in for their intended purpose.

the right touch

It recently came to my attention that some ladies don't know that you have different combs and brushes for a reason.

Did you know that when your hair is wet it is extremely vulnerable to being torn? To prevent yourself from doing harm to your hair, here are some steps to take:

1. avoid combing hair while wet
2. if you can't avoid combing while yet - use a large wide tooth comb to very gently comb your hair - start at the bottom and work your way up to your roots
   
3. when drying your hair do not twist it up like a beehive on your head instead drape the towel over your shoulder like a cape and bring the hair up and place hair on the towel
4. NEVER use a brush on wet hair! NEVER, NEVER, NEVER!
   

The best brush to use on dry hair is the natural boar bristle hairbrush(I would not recommended for curly or thick hair). This brush will help redistribute oils throughout the hair from the scalp. This brush will also not pull the hair, it is extremely gentle.

a new eye liner

I am traditionally a cream eye liner gal; however, the other day when I was purchasing my mascara I noticed that there was a "matching" eyeliner. So, I decided I should check it out.

My new eye liner is a liquid liner; Voluminous L'Oreal Mistake-Proof Marker Eyeliner. I love it! I have worn it now for the 5th day in a row, and I must say, I really like it. What makes this eyeliner so unique is the marker chisel tip. I prefer a very thin line applied to the lash line, with this marker tip, I can do just that very easily, without mess.

I do miss being able to smear my cream liner to make a more smoky look, however, I like how clean a line this marker creates. I have a feeling I will be switching to this for a little while, however, my cream liner will continue to hang out in my makeup bag, because some days you just need a different look.

http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?skuId=2147089&productId=xlsImpprod560120&navAction=push&navCount=1&subdoc=209lorealb1g1wk49&categoryId=cat80042#sku2147091

An added bonus, when I wash my face it removes very easily, unlike the cream liner, I usually have to do a second wash to remove smudges from the delicate under eye skin.

Baking Soda as shampoo

Image courtesy of babble.com

This weekend, I had to do a sleep study, required by my doctor after my nose surgery. I refused to take a picture of myself at this study because I was loaded down with sensors all over my body most of which were placed in my hair! yuck! Every time I touched my head I was just disgusted.

When I was about to leave I asked the sleep technician if she had any recommendations on how to remove the waxy substance from my hair. Her recommendation; stand in a warm shower and let it melt out. Internally I thought, I have a 19 month old, I can't remember the last time I got to sit in the shower for a prolonged period of time... That is not going to work. I figure now would be a great time to try out the baking soda as shampoo technique.

I grabbed my baking soda and what I thought was my olive oil, a few days later realized I had actually grabbed canola oil. I headed to the shower to get this mess out of my hair. I put the baking soda in my hand added a little bit of water and made a paste. This mound of soda in my hand did not go very far at all. I decided I need to mix it with my shampoo so I could get some distance out of this mixture; after all I have a LOT of hair! It is not only extremely thick, it is also fine, and is considered a long length. So, I got at it again. I am really working the mixture into my waxy areas, it is working!!!!!! the Waxy substance is starting to slide down my hair and "melt" away! Wonderful! So I grab more shampoo and add more baking soda, because wow, the baking soda really absorbs the shampoo. About five minutes later I have the wax out of my hair! Amazing! However, my hair feels really stripped of its natural oils. I do not like this feeling, the hair feels dry and brittle. So I grab the oil, and go to town on the ends of my hair, wow, it did not go very far.... Or my hair is just that dry after the baking soda. So I grab more oil... go for more oil... then after five attempts to put the oil into the ends of my hair, I give up, and reach for my conditioner.

I rinse the conditioner out of my hair pretty quickly because I did not want to overdue it and weigh down my hair. I get out of the shower and start to dry my hair. It is so dry, I am sad. So after stressing my hair out enough for the day, I pull it up into a bun and go on my mary way. I was out in the elements all day that day and so on Sunday I figured it would be ok to wash my hair again. This time, no baking soda, first I didn't like the results and second, I had to use the whole blasted container! Back to my trusty Redkin shampoo and conditioner! My hair is almost back to normal.

I personally do not like the baking soda shampoo techqnique. I did find it effective, if you have a serious buildup going on, give it a whirl, be prepared for your hair to freak out for the next few days. I personally think it would be way to expensive to do it everyday. It stripped my hair which I had already gotten to a really great place by not washing it everyday, and my redkin shampoo helps remove buildup so my hair is pretty healthy. I did however discover that baking soda as an exfoliator, not to shabby! I would recommend being extra gentle with your rubbing technique, do not overdue it, and be conservative, max I would do it is twice a week.

My bottomline opionin - use the good stuff that is made specifically for your hair!

Dry Shampoo

The oils your body produces is dependent on how much your body feels like it needs to make to balance the skin.

If you are one of those people that say, "My hair is just too oily to go a day without washing" - YOU my friend should actually skip a couple of a days so your scalp can recover! When you wash your body, face or hair too much it makes it over dry which then signals to the body, hey we need more moisture over here, stat! So the little oil glands go to work trying to balance their home. This is why if you wash your hair everyday, by the end of the day you feel like you are dripping in oil, it is because you are!

My recommendation the next weekend you get, go as long as possible without washing your hair. If you need to, pull up you hair in a pony tail or put on a sweat band, but let that scalp breathe and balance itself. If it becomes to much, rinse your hair with cool water. Not hot, you do not want to undo the work that you have done. Cool water will get rid of the excess oil but will not hinder your scalps current mission. You can also use baby powder to absorb the excess oil, do not over use the baby powder as this will dry out your hair. And keep this process going, do not go back to washing your hair everyday. Every other day is just fine, you can rinse with water on those in between days.

I do not like to wash my hair everyday, in fact, I try and aim at every other day or even every two days. Depending on if I have worked out or not and the sweat factor; for example, I did yoga, I may have gotten hot and broke a small sweat, but a water rinse will do the trick instead of harsh shampoo. I am a fan of dry shampoo! My favorite is Rene Furterer Naturia, it has a fresh sent and is not too overwhelming.

Here is a recipe for a dry shampoo mix - feel free to change up the essential oil for a fragrance you prefer.

Dry Shampoo
Adapted from Natural Beauty by Aldo Facetti

5 ounces (150 grams) coarse-ground cornmeal, semolina or couscous
30 drops essential oil of lemon
20 drops castor oil

Mix the ingredients in a blender for a few seconds. Working over the sink, a large towel, or spread-out newspapers, bend your head forward and distribute pinches of the mixture over the hair and scalp. Gently massage the entire head, slowly and methodically, working in sections.

Keeping the head bent forward, comb and then brush out the meal. Continue combing and brushing until the hair is shiny and free of all traces of the shampoo.

Here is another idea - I am going to give this a go in the future!

How to No 'Poo

Dissolve about 1 tablespoon of baking soda in just enough water to make a paste. Apply this to your roots only; work it in and let it sit for a minute.

In order to stimulate blood flow, clean your pores and get off built up grime, use your finger tips to scrub your scalp. Start by making a circle on the top of your head in the area you’d wear a crown. Focus on the back of this circle to begin with. Next, fill in the circle. This is where your part will be; grease here affects the way your hair looks. Trace while still scrubbing with your fingertips around the bottom edge of the circle. Keep making scrubbing circles underneath each one, drawing lines in circles around your head.

Lastly, scrub the back of your skull and your temples/sideburns. This will result in less grease and more growth. After doing this, your scalp will feel alive. Many women swear their hair grows faster after a visit to the salon — it does, and this massage method is why.

When scrubbing, you’re actually rubbing your fingers back and forth in short movements. Be gentle; you don’t want to break your hair. Next, pour about 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into a cup and add water. (I keep two plastic 12-ounce cups in my shower and just mix when I get in.) After you rinse the baking soda out, pour the apple cider vinegar over the ends of your hair, let it sit for a minute and then rinse it out. That’s all there is to it!

No 'Poo Troubleshooting

Remember, there is a transition period from two weeks to two months depending on the person. Here are a few tips:

• If your hair becomes frizzy, try using less baking soda or leaving it on for a shorter period of time. Adding honey may also help.
• If your hair becomes greasy, try using less apple cider vinegar, switching to lemon or lime juice, leaving out the honey, and/or using a comb instead of a brush. Also, make sure you’re applying the apple cider vinegar just to the ends of your hair.
• If your scalp itches, try the following essential oils; tea tree, lavender, rosemary. If your hair becomes dry, try a tiny bit of oil (any oil, I use olive) smoothed on bottom of hair.

Ready to make the change? Sure! Don’t be afraid to go no 'poo. You know how to do it! Enjoy the journey – you’re on your way to a healthier you!

Don't make yourself the victim

I did not realize that this needed to be addressed...

Picture courtesy of goggle images

But apparently leggings have been parading around as pants. Maybe I have seen this and have been to shocked to remember the encounter. This is not a good look for anyone, leggings are not pants! Leggings serve a purpose as an accessory if you will. Your wearing a short skirt, throw on leggings. You are wearing a long t-shirt dress, throw on leggings. Your wearing a long shirt, throw on leggings.

If your shirt does not cover your rump or crotch for that mater, opt for skinny jeans if you are seeking the same illusion. There is a lot more coverage in a pant rather than a stretch material. Leggings are a light weight fabric, that usually has a sheer effect because they are meant to be stretched, unless you are one of those really skinny gals and the fabric gathers and hangs... there will be another posting later for you. Either way, do not do it.


Do not put yourself in a vulnerable situation were some perv will actually lie down on the ground to snap a shot like this below, of Paris, to post on the internet and show all his friends that he nabbed a shot of your junk.

Picture courtesy of goggle images

Oh, and if you are reading this thinking, "yea this would have totally worked with skinny jeans"! No, no, no young Padawan I have so much to teach you. This would have only been pulled off with skinny jeans and an appropriate layered top. To much body showing and tightness going on is not a good balance. Unless you are trying to start a prostitution ring - which FYI is illegal. Below is an appropriate way to wear leggings without being overexposed.

Picture from Fashion Day Dreams

Ribbon lovely ribbon!

picture courtesy of Skip to the End

Ribbon..

You have a piece of ribbon that you want to wear in your hair or make a bow out of, but it keeps on fraying on the ends, right?

Here is what you need to do...

1. cut a small end off of your ribbon to make it all even again.
2. get a lighter or a match
3. light singe this ends of the ribbon to seal the ends
4. do not burn down the house; this one is more for me, because I am a bit of a piro...
   

Now you can use your ribbon as intended without having to worry about those silly little ends continually unraveling on you.

Oblong Face Shape meets the right hair cut

In the past I have done a posting on what is the right haircut for your face shape, but I have never addressed one specific shape. I have a girlfriend that has an oblong face shape and well to be perfectly honest when you have an oblong face shape and you don't have the right hair cut it is no fun. So enters this post!

Oblong face shapes are long and narrow. The goal here is to find a hair cut that balances the length of the face. Which means no long all one length hair, this is going to pull down the hair and make it flat and make your face look even longer! Think of Sarah Jessica Parker. She gets a bad rap as "horse face". I personally think she is beautiful! However, I do believe she has experienced some really unflattering locks since she has taken on the scene. For example these two hair cuts do not do her justice!
These pictures makes her face look like it is so long! Such a pretty woman, not a good hair style for her. The problem with the first picture is the hair is just too long creating a line that does not stop, great for pants and heels but not on your face! The second picture well... I am not sure where to start, the hair is flat all over in color and in style.

Ok, so things to go for with an oblong hair style:
Look for a way to add volume to the face to balance out the length:

Sarah Jessica Parker wears her hair short beautifully, only if it is long layers and cuts at the jaw line, which creates a stopping point for the face. Sense the hair is short the hair is more bouncy allowing it to have more volume which creates more balance.

She also wears her hair great long - as long as the bangs are long and hit high on the cheek to stop the flow of the face from being so long, long layers continuing down the hair line are perfect:
For this face shape one extreme or the other work great; Short hitting at or above the jaw line or long past the sholders, but you can NOT be lazy. Buy good hair products that compliement your hair texture. That does not mean expensive hair products; that means GOOD ones! If they don't work, take them back! Most stores will take back a product if you have used it a few times and are not satisfied with it, so keep your reciept for a few days until you figure out if you like it or not.

If you have a day where you are feeling like you don't want to do your hair, put some product in your hair that makes it wavy and bouncy. One tip that works great mix water and sea salt in a squirt bottle, grab a few pieces of locks and twist them, spray with the sea salt mixture and let dry.

And for crying out loud if you have curly hair and an oblong face and you straighten your hair, reread above! Most women think that curly hair equals frizz. Well let me clarify, it does not. Curly hair is fun and bouncy and needs to be tussled! Not hard and crispy from too much gel or even worse straight!

Here are some cute fringe options for oblong faces:

Hooray, summer is coming!

With summer just around the corner, I like to go through my makeup bag and throw out any old makeup, and start looking at foundation for the summer. Yes, I change my foundation in the summer, I will more than likely need the next shade up, and I rarely get any darker than that, I am not a sun goddess, nor do I have any desire to stay under the sun for prolonged periods of time to bronze my skin. No, thank you! I will steer clear!

So, my little sister about six months ago introduced me to a new Clinique foundation. It is called Even Better with SPF 15. What?! A foundation that covers and protects me from the sun! Whooohooo! Yea, but it doesn't stop there folks! This foundation also evens out your skin tone. No, I am not just talking about covering it up; I am talking about treating it. While I was pregnant, I seemed to collect dark spots on my face like crazy. So, I figured I would give it a try, even though it was a bit more expensive then my normal foundation, but hey, Clinique always guarantees their products so what do I have to worry about.

I have to admit that when I first started using it, I told my sister, I just do not like the texture of it, I don't think I am going to get used to this. Then, a few days later, I noticed hmmm, I am seeing a little difference here... Maybe, I will keep using it. Then for comparisons sake I used my old foundation which was Clinique's perfectly real, I preferred the new one! It is so much lighter! Plus, it is doing triple duty on my skin!

So usually in the summer, I wear a tinted moisturizer on the weekends, however, this summer, I think I will just wait until I have a touch of color and go and get my new summer shade of Even Better!