Nail Lingo

When you enter a nail salon, do you find the list of nail services as foreign as reading Japanese? Me too. I have the best nail technician on the planet, and she thankfully knows exactly what I want even though I only ask for a manicure (which she interprets as a gel rebase, exactly what I was looking for). For the sake of myself and all my readers, I decided to figure out what all those terms really mean. And although I hope you all find a nail technician as magnificent as mine, this will arm you with the proper terms even if you don’t.

Manicures and pedicures are the most basic services a nail salon offers. A manicure involves trimming your nails, cleaning up your cuticles, and painting your nails if you want it done. A pedicure is the same thing on your toes. A French manicure is when you paint the tips white and leave the rest of the nails their natural color. It’s a popular way to paint your nails, but American manicures, or pink and whites, which use a softer more natural white have become more popular because they look so natural.

Acrylic nails, more commonly known as fake or artificial nails, are extensions of natural nails, and they are perfect for people who may have brittle or weak nails. Acrylic nails will not hurt your natural nails. Acrylics, if we want to get way too technical, are made up of a polymer powder and a liquid monomer (aka ethylmethacrylate, but if you say that in the nail salon, you may even confuse your technician). After fitting plastic tips to the ends of your nails, you nail technician will apply the acrylic, which will begin to harden on your nail. A rebase/fill is necessary every few weeks to keep your acrylics looking nice, but the plastic tips grow out and soon you are only left with your natural nail and the acrylic top.

Although acrylics are the most popular, there are other types of artificial nails. Gel nails are similar to acrylics, but use a polymer resin that is stronger than acrylic. Gel nails are more expensive, but they are less likely to break and crack. Fiberglass and silk wraps fit actual pieces of fiberglass or silk fabric on the surface of the nail. The material is then sealed with glue. If you are allergic to any of the chemicals used in the acrylic or gel process, fiberglass or silk is the way to go.

Paraffin wax treatments are luxurious treatments to leave your hands or feet silky smooth. Your hands are dipped in a paraffin wax (it’s really way too technical to explain what paraffin is, so just know it’s good for your skin) and wrapped in plastic or foil while the wax hardens. It seals in moisture and leaves your hands soft when the wax is removed a few minutes later.

Now that you have a basic nail vocabulary, how do you go about finding a nail technician as great as mine? There are plenty of bad nail salons out there, and don’t be afraid to be picky. Walking out is less embarrassing and painful than an infection. Be sure your nail salon has its establishment license and Board Health and Safety poster displayed in the salon. Also be sure the salon has a clean working environment and clean, disinfected instruments. Improperly cleaned tools can lead to infections, most commonly a nail fungus. Your technician should wash her hands before beginning to work on your nails. If you don’t feel comfortable, just don’t accept a service. There are plenty of other nail salons out there.

It’s that time of year, and I am signing off until January 2. Be sure to tune in then for a new series called Ah, the Spa. Happy New Year!

Eye Liner

Different types of eyeliner will create different effects, and using the proper eyeliner is important for getting the look you desire. Today we are going to cover the three most common types of eyeliner: eye pencils, liquid eye liner, and eyeliner gel.

Eye pencils are the most commonly used eyeliners and for good reason. We’ve been coloring with crayons and writing with pencils since we can remember, and using eye pencils just doesn’t seem that much of a stretch. Eye pencils are also the most forgiving if you are inexperienced with using eyeliner. They create a soft, fairly thick line, and a little slip in your straight line isn’t going to be noticed. Eye pencils come in nearly every shade and are great for all level of make-up junkies for day or evening looks.

Liquid eye liner is a bit more intimidating. There more ways to mess up liquid liner than there are eyelashes, and so the task can seem daunting. It’s easy to have your hand shake while applying liquid liner, and this will cause noticeable peaks and valleys in your line because of its precision. The precision is what makes people continue to try to use liquid liner despite the frustration it may cause, and it isn’t impossible to use. Perfect for evening, liquid liner mistakes can easily be fixed so do not fear. If you notice an obvious jaggedness to your line, take a concealer brush (I wouldn’t recommend using your finger just because they are pretty big compared to your eyelid, but if you don’t have a concealer brush your pinky finger will work) and smudge the line of the liner. You won’t have a precise line, but the smudged look is also very trendy and less bold. Practice makes perfect, and if you don’t get it on the first try, don’t dismay. Liquid liner takes time to perfect.

Eye liner gel has been gaining steam in the beauty world. Popularized by Bobbi Brown, eye liner gel is more precise than a pencil and easier to apply than liquid. It creates a bold look that can be precise or thick depending how heavily you apply it. Eye liner gel needs to be applied with an eye liner brush, and it is definitely my favorite way to wear eye liner. I find it easier to put on the either of the other choices, and I also think it is the easiest to play with to create the look you want. If you haven’t tried eye liner gel, be sure to get to the store and check it out. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Reader Question: Direct Sellers

It’s easy to go to your nearest drugstore and buy the newest Cover Girl product. You don’t even have to know you want that new product. All you have to do is show up at the store to buy a bag of potato chips, and voila! You walk out with new lip gloss. However, there are lots of great products you can’t find on store shelves.

Erin from St. Paul, Minnesota recently started using Arbonne, a skin care line she wishes she had heard about a lot sooner because she loves it. Arbonne is only sold directly, and therefore isn’t available in stores. So how can Erin and others of us who may want to buy brands like Arbonne find them?

Direct selling is a way for companies to bypass the middle man. Rather than paying distributors and sellers to promote their products in store, direct sellers bring their products to you. Companies like Avon and Mary Kay are the most well-know direct sellers, and if you walk down the street for several blocks looking for a Mary Kay lady, you are sure to find one. Other brands are less known, however, and are more difficult to find out about unless you are told about them by a friend. If you want to do your own research on direct sellers to find products you wouldn’t normally find in stores, the best way to do it is through the Direct Sellers Association (DSA).

The DSA independently researches direct sellers, and if the company meets legal requirements along with the DSA’s Code of Ethics, the DSA will post their information on their website. This is the easiest way to make sure you are not getting scammed by some nut in Nigeria promising you wrinkle-free skin even at age 70. Since the DSA lists all the companies on their website, all you have to do is log on to find out about new direct sellers whose products you may want to try. To navigate their website, click on their member directory; click on company search; and then click on the category Cosmetics. This will search their directory for all companies that sell cosmetics, including Arbonne and many others. The DSA posts a general description of what the company sells and all their contact information, including a link to the direct seller’s website, and from there you can look at their products as easily as you would look at Cover Girl in the store from the comfort of your own home. The website will usually let you find a seller in your area as well.

If the DSA endorses the company, the products it is selling are reputable, but that doesn’t mean they are going to work on you. Erin loves Arbonne, but during my research for this post, I found plenty of people who didn’t. Just like Cover Girl or any other product you buy, you may love it or hate it depending on how your skin reacts to it and how it looks on you.
Buying from a direct seller is often a benefit if you do end up disliking the product because most direct sellers will take back a product you aren’t satisfied with. Direct selling often provides many benefits to its customers including lower overhead costs (equaling cheaper prices) and personal care. And believe me; no one will love you more than your local Avon lady.

Do you have a beauty question you want answered? I would love to hear from you. Please include your first name and town along with your question. Please e-mail me at explorefashion@gmail.com. I would also love any feedback on the blog or ways to improve it.

Product Review: Nail & Cuticle Cream

It’s the time of year for eggnog, family, and hangnails. Just like the rest of your skin, the skin on your cuticles seems to be as dry as the Sahara Desert, causing hangnails, cuts, and irritation. I discovered a product several years ago to combat those nagging problems, and I have been nearly hangnail-free ever since.

L’Occitane Nail & Cuticle Cream comes in a small silver tube costing $18.00. The price seems steep, but it’s well worth your money. The 0.52 ounces will last you virtually forever; after all, you really don’t need much to cover your cuticle. And the benefits are tremendous.

Before discovering this product, I had some serious issues with dry, cracking skin around my cuticles. I had moved from a humid climate to practically the desert, and my whole body was agonizing over the change in climate. I found myself constantly having cuts and hangnails, and I couldn’t seem to apply enough lotion or Neosporin to create a long-term solution to the problem.

And then I met L’Occitane Nail & Cuticle Cream. The product contains 30% pure shea butter, and it began to clear up my hangnails within 24 hours. The product also provides moisture to your nails, which helps to create a natural sheen. Since I began using this product three years ago, I have gone through two tubes (or $36) and I have hardly suffered a hangnail since. In a pinch, I have also used the product on my lips and on burns my hands suffer from cooking.
L’Occitane Nail & Cuticle Cream is available at all L’Occitane stores and on their website. Next time your nails start crying for relief, be sure to give it a shot. I don’t think you will regret it.
I am signing off to celebrate Christmas, but be sure to check back on Wednesday for the newest post. If you have any comments or questions about the blog, please e-mail me at explorefashion@gmail.com. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Mineral Make-up

There has been a lot of buzz in the beauty industry lately about mineral make-up. Make-up companies are boasting lots of great effects of using this new trend, but is it really better for you?

First, let’s define mineral make-up. Mineral make-up is made of pulverized minerals like mica, zinc oxide, and titanium dioxide. Because it doesn’t contain the harsh chemicals that can be found in other make-up, companies are claiming it is better for your skin. Because of ingredients like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, ingredients commonly found in sunscreen, it is also promising sun protection. Do the promises hold up? The jury still seems to be out.
Many people who use mineral make-up claim it has rejuvenated their face. People claim it has brought them a new glow, banished acne, and cleared blemishes. The make-up may do these things for some people, but not everyone notices those benefits. My past forays into mineral make-up have shown no improvement to my skin. In fact, some mineral make-up I have tried has aggravated my skin to the point where I returned the make-up to the store. Different people may experience different effects.

One downside to mineral make-up is that it doesn’t use dyes that non-mineral make-up does. This can be a good thing if you are looking for natural skin care, but no dye also means less coverage. If you really want a dramatic look, mineral make-up may not be the way to go. At least not yet. As the trend grows more popular, make-up companies are sure to find ways to make it more accessible to everyone.

More importantly, mineral make-up is not a substitute for sunscreen. Although titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are both found in most mineral make-ups, they are not found in the same amounts as you would find in your sunscreen. Some boast up to SPF 15, but I really think you will want a stronger sunscreen on your face, which is exposed to the sun all day. For more information on sunscreen, see my December 3 post, Good Morning, Sunshine!
As mineral make-up grows more popular, it is easier to find. You no longer have to drop a fortune or go on a scavenger hunt to buy it. I remember even as few as four years back only being able to find mineral make-up online or at my local day spa at high prices. Now even common brands like Loreal have mineral make-up lines. You’ll either love it or you’ll hate it, but don’t hesitate to give mineral make-up a try.

Icy Hot

I promised to bring us back to the color wheel this week and discuss warm and cool colors and their relationship to your make-up and clothes. You have probably heard people refer to themselves as winters or springs, referring to a method of figuring out which colors look good on them popularized by the book Color Me Beautiful. But what does it really mean? It’s no secret that we all have different skin, hair, and eye colors, and those colors mean something for how good certain colors are going to look on a person. Some colors are going to bring out that glowing bronze skin or sparkling green eyes, and other will just make them look dull. Before you invest in good make-up, you want to make sure the make-up brings out the colors which look best on you. Let’s get started.
Take a look at our color wheel here, which I have borrowed from www.tigercolor.com. This color wheel displays which colors are cool and which are warm. Cool colors range from yellow to red-violet, and warm colors range from blue violet to yellow-green. Our chart below, copied from www.xaraxone.com, shows you in even more detail which colors fall into which categories. These charts should be your consideration when make-up shopping. But how do you determine which colors look best on you?
There are some people who will look good in anything they wear, and we call those lucky few neutral. But most of us will have a tendency to look better in either warm or cool colors. You can determine which you are by some of the tips below.
Warm Colors
¨ Your hair color is black, brown or red.
¨ Your eye color is brown, green or hazel.
¨ Your skin is golden, olive or brown and tans easily.
¨ The veins on the inside of your wrist look greenish.
Cool Colors
¨ Your hair color is blonde or light to medium brown.
¨ Your eye color is blue, gray or hazel.
¨ Your skin is naturally pale or rosy and burns easily.
¨ The veins on the inside or your wrist look bluish.
These are general guidelines to warm and cool colors to help you determine what colors you naturally are. When you look at the guidelines, you may find you fall into both categories. For instance, you may have red hair with blue eyes and fair skin. Since two of your main features fall under the cool colors guidelines, you will most likely look best in cool colors. Or say you have blonde hair with brown eyes and dark skin. You will look best in warm colors. I have included below a few celebrity photos to show you examples of warm and cool toned people. Determining which celebrity you most resemble may help you decide which category you fall under.

Warm Toned Celebrities:

Cool Toned Celebrities:

There are other tests to determine which colors you look best in. Do you look better in gold or silver jewelry? Warm toned people tend to look better in gold jewelry, and cool toned people tend to look better in silver jewelry. How does a plain white shirt look on you? Cool toned people tend to look good in white, whereas warm toned people will look washed out and would be better off in off-white or ivory.
You may be asking why all this matters. Have you ever, on a perfectly normal day, been asked by your husband/friend/co-worker/barista if you are feeling alright? Been told you look tired, upset or just not yourself when you are really feeling fine? That’s why it matters. The wrong color can make you look pale or tired and bring out under eye circles and blemishes. So next time you are purchasing make-up, be sure to take your color wheel along with you.

A Lipstick By Any Other Name…

Tinting lips used to be as easy as picking up a tube of lipstick. For better or worse, those days are gone. Stop at any make-up counter these days, and you are sure to find an array of choices to get that perfect shade. Lipsticks, lip glosses, lip tints, lip stains…the choices go on and on. So how does a girl pick? Like job titles, the name of a product can tell you very little about the product itself. So ignore all the fancy names and hone in on what the product does; there are really only three different ways to tint your lips.
The sheerest, and probably easiest, way to give your lips a little added something is with a lip gloss. Lip glosses can be clear or have the slightest hint of color to them, and they will make your lips incredibly shiny. Lip glosses often go by names like Lip Slicks, lip glass, and lip shine. They can be worn alone or over lipstick for a darker color.
The next step in color is lipstick. Lipstick is more permanent than lip glosses, and it has more pigment too. It will color your lips more noticeably than lip gloss. Lipstick comes in a variety of colors and it is usually sold in tubes. You can buy shiny or matte lipsticks depending on what look you want. Of course, lipsticks don’t always stay on as long as you would like, and who wants to take a break every few hours to reapply lipstick?
Lip stains and lip tints are the most likely candidates to pass the staying power test. They are virtually the same thing, and they are the most permanent color you can get for your lips. Lip stains adhere to your lips, and they will last you a very long time. The only downside to lip stains is they can dry your lips because they contain ingredients like alcohol. If your lips are already feeling dry, a lip stain may just collect into the dry spots.
Rubbing the color on the inside or your thumb will often give you an idea of what it will look like on your lips. In the end, how it looks on you will determine what you want more than what it’s called. Next time you are in the make-up aisle, sampling the product will give you a better idea of what you want than looking for a product with a particular name.

Reader Question: Costly Mistakes

In a new feature, I am asking my readers to ask me any questions they may have about beatuy. Our first question comes from Janet in Owatonna, Minnesota. Janet is concerned about making a costly mistake when she is shopping for new make-up. For instance, she would like to try Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer, the award winning and costly make-up primer. But she certainly doesn’t want to spend the $36 on it if she ends up not liking it. I’m sure we can all relate. Who doesn’t have a whole drawer full of make-up she wishes she had never even bothered with? So how do Janet, you, and I avoid these costly errors?
The best way I have found to get a sample of a product is to go to the make-up counter and ask for one. Most make-up counters are willing to give you a sample of anything you want, assuming they have one.
But if they don’t have one, they will generally take your purchase back, even if it’s been used, as long as you return it in a reasonable amount of time. Just be sure you save the original packaging and receipt. This won’t work at Target or Wal-Mart, but if you are buying directly from, say, a Clinique counter, their first priority is your happiness. Unless you end up with a horribly stingy salesperson (which I never have), you won’t have any problem returning high-end make-up bought directly at the counter even if it is opened.
Getting on a company’s mailing list will also give you the opportunity to get free samples. Some companies, such as Aveda, will send you mailers offering you a free sample if you stop into the store.
Many companies will offer you free samples when they send you a purchase. Sephora, for instance, will give you three free samples of products of your choice when you buy a purchase online from them. And if join Sephora’s free Beauty Insider program, you will receive a free sample in store when you accumulate enough points. They often have choices for you to pick from, and the samples are quite good. I have gotten Tarte mascara, Sephora body wash, and more from the free-with-purchase samples.
There are also some online companies which will link you up with lots of great freebies. Check out the ones below, but before you do so, I want to let you know I have not tried to get samples from any of these websites, so I cannot speak for their reputability. If you try out one of these sites, please e-mail me to let me know if you have found their services work.

www.herbeautysamples.com
www.freemania.com
www.bestfreestuffonline.com
www.freakyfreddies.com

Discounts on make-up can also come in handy. Of course, some of the ideas we have already suggested will hook you up with discounts, but there are other ways to come across them as well.
For instance, Lucky Magazine has a feature at the back of each issue that lets you know about discounts and promotions you can get by using their discount codes. EBay also has lots of sellers who are selling samples of different products. You will have to pay a little bit for their samples, but it’s definitely cheaper than buying a full size product you don’t want. Just go to eBay and type in “beauty samples.”
Christmas is also a great time to get discounts on products you are interested in buying. Nearly everyone has gift sets that you can purchase, and they will nearly always give you a better deal than if you had to purchase the full product.
Make-up counters don’t just offer gift sets at Christmas, however. There are also gift sets throughout the year that you can get with a purchase. These sets will often give you a good sampling of different products that brand has to offer.
Now back to Janet’s question. There are two ways for you to get your hands on that Smashbox primer without spending $36 on it. If you go to Smashbox’ website and order a free catalog, your catalog will come with a free sample of the primer. If you are pretty certain you are going to love it, check out Sephora’s website for a great holiday deal. Currently, Sephora is offering a Smashbox Flawless Finish Perfectors Set, which includes a full size and travel size Photo Finish Foundation Primer along with a full size Photo Op Eye Brightener. This set will cost you $49, a bit more than the $36 for just the full size set, but certainly a better deal overall. And if you order it from Sephora.com, you can get your three samples of any other products you have been considering as well.
Do you have a beauty question you want answered? I would love to hear from you. Please include your first name and town along with your question. Please e-mail me at explorefashion@gmail.com. I would also love any feedback on the blog or ways to improve it.

Product Review: Viva Glam

Normally I would use this section to cover a product which has proven its excellence, but in the spirit of the holidays, I thought I would encourage all my lovely readers to get into the season by giving something back. After all, it’s what the season is all about.
When you are shopping for the Christmas red lipstick you want to wear for the holiday season, consider checking out MAC’s Viva Glam line. The line has six lipstick shades ranging from a bright red to a subtle plum, and two of the lipsticks have corresponding Lip Glass lip glosses. The photo for our Red Lips –December 11 post shows our model wearing Viva Glam lipstick. The lipsticks retail at $14, and every single cent of that goes to non-profit organizations that help bring awareness and relief to those affected with AIDS.
I would never recommend a product to you that I couldn’t get behind, and I can honestly say that you won’t go wrong with MAC lipsticks. They won’t fade quickly, and they will last you forever. I bought my Viva Glam lipstick two years ago, and although I don’t use it every day, I still have a good portion of the tube left.
Another way to give back this holiday season is to buy products which aren’t tested on animals. Companies such as Urban Decay, Avon, Nordstrom Cosmetics, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Aveda, and The Body Shop don’t test on animals. For a full list of cruelty-free companies, check here.
So be gorgeous and good this holiday season, and consider giving back with your holiday beauty purchases.

Holiday Looks: False Eyelashes

False eyelashes used to be miles long and less than subtle. But a whole new world has opened up in false eyelashes, and using them sparingly can add an extra level of fun to any look. False lashes grace the red carpet on nearly every celebrity, but they serve a lot of other purposes too. Please keep reading; I promise you can even wear false eyelashes to your next executive board meeting – they are really that subtle.
The most important step in wearing false eyelashes is to get good ones. And they come at very reasonable prices. Sonia Kashuk creates a line for Target that includes several different choices of false lashes. For the most subtle look, pick up her individual lash kit. It comes with small clusters of false lashes and lash glue.
Applying false eyelashes does take a little bit of practice, but you will get the hang of it soon enough if you are persistent with it. In addition to your lashes and lash glue, you will need a pair of tweezers.
If you are applying a full set of lashes, you can take the tip of a small make-up brush and run the lash glue along the lashes. You can also take the glue tube and run it along the lashes, but you risk a messier process that way. If you are applying individual or small clusters of lashes, you can just put the tip of the lashes against the glue tube.
You will want to keep your lashes as close to the lash line as possible when you apply them. I don’t think I need to explain how awkward it would be if your false eyelashes were in the middle of your eyelid rather than along your lash line.
You don’t have to use your lashes exactly as they come in the box. Customize them to fit your desires. If you bought a full set of false lashes, you can trim them to make them shorter or even just trim some of them to make them uneven. After all, real lashes are not all the same length. Put individual lashes on sporadically to create a natural effect. Or just apply a cluster of lashes to the corners of each eye to create a little lift at the corner.
Have fun with your false lashes. After all, that’s all they are: a fun way to add a little something to your appearance.
The traditional wisdom is to place your false lashes on before you apply mascara, but I believe the more logical way to do things is to put lashes on after you have applied your mascara. You can better see your overall look, which makes it easier to apply the false lashes where you want them.
At the end of the night, false eyelashes will come off more easily than that stubborn waterproof mascara. Just rub the lashes with your eye make-up remover and they will easily come off your eyelids easily.

Holiday Looks: Shimmer

The holidays are your time to shine. And it sometimes seems the only time it is appropriate to glam up with high shine. A look that would be too noticeable at the office or a summer barbeque adds life and excitement to a holiday party.
Shimmer must be used carefully and appropriately. The older you are, the more wrinkles you will have on your face (Botox aside). And the more wrinkles you have, the more places that shimmer can get caught. Some make-up has a lot of shimmer, but some has a more subtle shimmer. Decide how much you want to shine, and choose your products from there.
If you decide you want your eyes to shine, MAC has a more subtle shine to their eye shadows, and Stila has great high-shimmer shadows. Revlon's Diamond Lust line also have some great shimmery eye shadows. An all over shimmer on your lid is a fun and easy look, but you can deepen and intensify the look by rubbing a darker shimmer on the inside of your lid. Worried about your make-up creasing? Try MAC Paints. They come in a variety of skin tones and last virtually forever. The formula is designed to go across your eyelid and create a base for the shadow to stick to. It’s not foolproof, but it can help.
Lips can also shine with a high-gloss formula. For a show-stopping lip, put a shiny lip gloss on top of your lipstick.
If you want a more subtle shimmer, a face highlighter may be all you need to glow. My favorites are MAC Glimmershimmer and Origins Halo Effect. You can use these products in a variety of places on your face. For an all-over shimmer, use the product to highlight your cheekbones and eyes. You won’t need a lot of product; a little of these go a long way. Highlight your cheekbones by dabbing some of the product along the tops of your cheeks beginning at the apples of your cheeks and ending at your temple. Rubbed in enough, this will just create a bit of extra glow to your cheekbones. Running your finger along the bottom of your eyebrow and tapping it on the inside corner of your eye will also create a perfect shimmer and an instant lift to your eyes.
Armed with these handy tips, you are sure to shine at any holiday party.

Holiday Looks: Red Lips

Red lips are a daring move. Red, the color of stop lights and police sirens, is sure to draw the attention of those around you. Red lips evoke old Hollywood glamour and classic beauty. If you are brave enough, it’s easy to dive in. However, wearing red isn’t often the fear; finding the perfect red can also be intimidating.
The best way to discover a red that looks good on you is to experiment. Stores have sample tubes you can test, and this is going to be the best way to find out which color looks good on you. A color can look great in the tube (just as a shirt can look great on the mannequin), but you can get it home only to find that the color just doesn’t look great on you.
Even the most detailed guidelines aren’t going to give you a foolproof red without experimentation, but there are several suggestions you can follow. Pale skin colors usually look good in reds with a blue undertone, and dark skin colors usually look good in reds with an orange undertone. It’s a bit confusing because it can sometimes be hard to tell what the undertone is if you have an untrained eye. Helpful salespeople or a good friend are sure to direct you to reds that look right. Another way to look at it is to pay attention to the colors in your face. If you have pink blemishes in your face, pinky-reds are going to draw attention to the pink in your face. Cool colors will compliment cool skin tones, and warm colors will compliment warm skin tones. If you aren’t sure what I mean by that, I promise to cover it next week. For now, hop on over to your nearest beauty counter and experiment.
Let’s touch on how to wear red lips once you have found the perfect color. As we already mentioned, red lips are a bold move. They can be stunning, but if your lipstick ventures from your lips, your appearance totally changes. Lipstick on your teeth is never an attractive look, and lipstick that bleeds off your lips (especially in bright red) risks you looking like a murder victim in a B-list horror movie.
When wearing red lipstick, always use lip liner. This will give your lipstick a barrier, and it will be less likely to bleed outside your lip line. It’s not as difficult to apply as you may think, but if you are concerned about it, don’t feel the need to use a lip liner the same color as your lipstick. A nude lip liner will also work to define your lips. It will also give you a more definite line to color inside of once you begin to apply your red lipstick. Don’t use a lip liner that is darker than your lips because you will most likely end up with only a bright red line outlining your lips after dinner, and let’s face it: that’s never attractive.
Carefully apply your lipstick after you have finished with your lip liner. I apply lipstick directly from the tube, but the smaller head of a lipstick brush definitely gives you more control.
I recommend keeping red lips matte. Glossy red lips can be too much, but if you want a bit of shine, a dab of gloss in the center of each lip is enough to add a little extra something.
To keep the color on all night, press your lips together with a tissue in between after you apply it. Apply another coat of lipstick, and then press your lips into the tissue again. This gives you a long lasting finish. And in order to avoid presenting your friends with a “should I tell her she has lipstick on her teeth” moment, stick your index finger in your mouth and purse your lips around it. Then pull your finger out of your mouth. This will remove all the excess lipstick that would risk getting on your teeth.
Yesterday we explained that you should keep the rest of your face neutral when wearing smoky eyes because your eyes are so dramatic. The same rule applies with red lips. Red lips are such a dramatic look that the rest of your face should be kept fairly subtle. Red lips, pink cheeks, and dark eyes are just too much for one face. After all, we want to look beautiful not Bozo. Compliment your red lips with a swipe of shimmery neutral eyeshadow and a soft pink blush on the apples of your cheeks, and you’ll bring holiday cheer to any occasion.

Holiday Looks: Smoky Eyes

The most desired evening look seems to be a smoldering smoky eye. This sexy look evokes glamour and intrigue, but no matter how many times you see it on others, the perfect smoky eye can seem to allude you. Not anymore. I am going to first explain how to create a perfect, and perfectly easy, smoky eye, but there’s one-step trick we will also touch on at the end of the article.
Smoky eyes can be created with any color you want, but the most common colors to create a smoky eye with are gray or brown. Choose whichever color you prefer, but today I will be explaining how to create a brown smoky eye. You will need a medium brown, a dark brown, a nearly sheer, shimmery color, and a dark brown or black eyeliner. The products I will be using in today’s post are: Bobbi Brown’s Shimmer Wash Eye Shadow in Bronze and Black Plum, MAC’s Naked Lunch eye shadow, Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Espresso Ink, and Dior’s Diorshow Waterproof Mascara. Let’s get started.
Step 1: Cover your entire lid from the lashline to above the crease (your crease is the part of your eye where the skin folds into when you open your eyes) with the medium brown shadow (BB’s Bronze).
Step 2: From where you end the medium brown color up to your eyebrow, fill in with your sheer eyeshadow (MAC’s Naked Lunch).
Step 3: Step 3 is our most complicated step. There are several ways to create the contour needed for a smoky eye. You can take a small eyeshadow brush and rub your dark brown eye shadow (BB’s Dark Plum) into your crease or you can run it along your lash line. Either way is fine; it just depends on your preference. And if you are more advanced in your make-up techniques, you can create a “tail” to your dark shadow by swooping it down from your crease to your lashline (or vice-versa – up from your lashline to your crease) in a backwards C motion.
Step 4: I choose to use a gel eyeliner like Bobbi Brown for a smoky eye because the thicker gel naturally smudges itself creating the smoky effect you are intending. Take an eyeliner pencil, and run the eyeliner from the inside corner to the outside corner of both your top and bottom lashes. The eyeliner may naturally smudge itself, but you can also smudge it with the eyeliner pencil.
Step 5: To soften up the look a little more, take an angle brush and run your medium brown shadow along the bottom of your eye along the line of your eyeliner. This will soften up the sometimes harsh appearance of eyeliner.
Step 6: Apply mascara.
I know some of you skipped right to the bottom of all these instructions to get our quick and dirty tip for a smoky eye. Too many brushes and colors or just too much work! If so, you can create a smoky eye by taking a dark shadow like Nars Night Breed and running it along your upper lash line. From there, work the color out onto your eyelid. The darkest color will be concentrated on the lashline, getting lighter as it goes upward. It is an easy and quick way to create an evening look.
Accent your smoky eye with pale blush and nude lipstick. Bright lipstick is just a bit too much too look at. If bright lipstick is more your thing, we will be covering holiday red lips tomorrow. Be sure to come back.

Product Review

I recently got Lasik eye surgery, a real blessing as I no longer have to struggle with my contacts each morning and night. After Lasik, you are instructed not to touch your eye area and use eye drops multiple times a day. This combination led me to have a crusty film over my lashes, and a week after the surgery, when I was finally allowed to touch my eyes again, attempting to rub the crustiness from my eyes also removed many of my lashes, which had died in their crusty cocoons. So when I went to try to find a remedy for my now half-bald lashes, my eyelashes were in critical condition.
I picked up Talika Eyelash Lipocils ($38 at Sephora) with the hopes of restoring my lashes to their former thickness. What I got was even better. This product comes in a mascara tube, and you are instructed to use it twice a day, morning and night.
I followed the instructions – mostly, I will admit sometimes I forgot – and have ended up with far more lashes than I’ve bargained for several weeks later. I was happy with my lashes before, but using this product brought out a length and fullness that I didn’t have. They now have a full and healthy look to them, like hair that’s been washed with a really good volumizing shampoo.
If you are unhappy with your lashes, Talika is a great product for you. If you are hesitant about the $38 price tag, a great mascara (see my Wand Wars post for the best products) may just do the trick for you.
Be sure to check back next week as we are devoting the whole week to how to create great holiday party looks.

We've Got You Covered

Foundation can cover up some skin discolorations or blemishes, but not all skin woes can be covered up with even the heaviest formula. I decided to write this because I woke up this morning with a problem my foundation certainly wouldn’t fix. A zit as red and round as Rudolph’s nose had popped up unexpectedly (and most certainly unwelcome) on my right cheek. Time for concealer.
Concealer is most easily applied with a concealer brush by dotting the concealer over whatever blemish you want to hide. Your finger or a sponge will also work. I have heard two schools of thought about what step in your make-up routine is best to use concealer. I have heard that it is best to use concealer as your first step, but some people believe you should use it after foundation. This second school is suggesting that you can put the minimal amount of product on your face and blend the concealer in better if you know exactly how much of the blemish your foundation will hide. Both ideas make sense to me, so it is really up to your personal preference which method you prefer. When you apply concealer may also depend on which color of concealer you are using and what type of blemish you are trying to cover. Putting a green concealer on after you put on your foundation may look a bit funny.
Concealers no longer just come in the same shades as the make-up you purchase. Green, purple, and yellow concealers have also invaded the market, making shopping for concealer a difficult and confusing process.
I want to break it down for you to make it a little easier. Remember the color wheel? We all learned it at some point. This will be your key to shopping for concealer. The theory is that the color you want to cover will be most easily covered by its opposite on the color wheel. For instance, the Rudolph-nose-zit on my face this morning was red. Bright red. Looking at the color wheel, I would see that I need to neutralize the color by topping it with green. Therefore, green concealers are designed to hide any red or pink blemishes that your foundation will not cover.
Purple concealers, if you we again turn to our color wheel, are designed to cover yellow imperfections. Sallow skin or yellowing bruises (although I truly hope none of my readers have bruised faces) would be corrected by a purple concealer.
On the flip side, yellow concealers will hide purple imperfections. This would again include bruises or the more common under eye circles.
Arm yourself with your color wheel next time you go to the store, and you are sure to be able to hide even the most noticeable imperfections. Even Rudolph-nose-zits.

Snow Glow

Building a snowman isn’t exactly my thing. Really, the only benefit I find to being out in the blistering cold is the rosy blush that glows on my cheeks after being outside. It’s time to put those snow boots away! Now there are some fantastic ways to duplicate that glow without actually stepping foot outside.
Welcome to the wonderful world of cream blush. Like lip stains, cream blushes are long lasting and create a rosy glow that powdered blushes could never quite master. The best cream blush on the market right now is created by Tarte (www.tartecosmetics.com), but another great formula is created by Nars. Tarte’s product, Tarte Cheek Stain, comes in a stick that can be swiped across your face, and Nars comes in the same rectangular black case as their powder blushes.
If you are new to cream blush, you will feel the urge to double back at the store when you see the vibrant shades of pink these formulas come in. But have no fear, the final product will not be the clownish circle you are envisioning. Although bright in the packaging, the color will look much more subtle when on your face. Tarte’s cheek stain is particularly difficult to mess up. Go for a bold color like Nars Cactus Flower or Orgasm. You won’t be sorry.
Once you get the product home, you can apply it easily. When I use my Tarte stick, I just dab it onto my face until I feel I have a sufficient glow. With Nars (or a product that may come in a similar packaging), I take two fingers and tap them gently in the cream. With a big smile, I start by dabbing the product gently onto the apples of my cheeks (the big round spot that displays so prominently under your eyes with a big grin). Sometimes I work my way out from there, tapping along my cheekbone, but other times I will swipe a gentle bronze over it for a natural multi-tonal glow. Nars Zen powdered blush is a very light brown formula that works well in the winter, even on my porcelain skin.
If it is taking a bit of time for you to get the hang of the perfect amount to use, you can always layer a too-pink attempt with another swipe of your powder.
So get out of the snow and into your nearest beauty store for that perfect rosy glow.

Winter Woes

The holiday season is festive and fun. Christmas shopping, hearty meals, twinkling lights, and merry parties are a few signs of the cheerful season. The holidays also mark the onset of winter. And with winter comes new skin woes, most notably dry skin. My terribly sensitive skin has been screaming for mercy as winter has set in and sapped all the moisture from it. No amount of water (or gingerbread lattes) has restored my skin to its former dewy self. Just as your provide your body with extra layers of clothing to keep yourself warm, your skin will also be thanking you if you provide an extra barrier between you and the moisture-sucking cold weather.
Drench your body in lotion as many times as you can throughout the day. The intensity of your lotion depends on just how dry your skin feels. I demand an intense hydrator, but others of you will fare will with a lighter formula. To further increase the intensity of your lotion, you can mix a bit of body oil into a few pumps of lotion.
Body oil is my best friend all year, but it is particularly useful in the dry winter months. In addition to being able to mix it in with your lotion, body oil can serve other hydrating purposes on its own. You can use it as a barrier between your skin and hot water when you shower by rubbing it into your skin before you hop in the shower. You can also rub it on after you use the shower, although for all practical purposes you will have to pat some of it off as you towel dry. If you have the time, however, rub it in after a shower, throw on your robe, and relax while it soaks into your skin. It’s an ultra-hydrating experience your skin will thank you for. My favorite body oil for its price and quality is Neutrogena Body Oil (found at any drugstore). More expensive ones do exist, but I find this one works quite well.
Another important step in protecting your skin is exfoliation. Although dry skin may feel irritated during exfoliation, the exfoliant works to get rid of all that dull, dry skin and reveal a fresh new layer of skin underneath. My favorite exfoliant is The Body Shop’s Cocoa Butter Body Scrub ($16) for its delicious smell and soft feel. I find some exfoliants to be too aggressive, irritating even the most minor shaving nick, but The Body Shop’s formula is gentler on skin. Only use exfoliants approximately twice a week so you don’t aggravate your skin.
Of course, the products you use to hydrate your body won’t work well to hydrate your face. Dry facial skin can lead to acne, blotchiness or irritability. If your face is responding negatively to the cold weather, you must increase the moisture to your face as well. One way to do this is to use a weekly hydrating face mask. The most professional results at home can be found with MD Skincare Intense Hydra Mask. The $60 kit comes with six applications, effectively making each mask cost $10 (that’s two venti lattes ladies). The gentle formula hydrates for a week, and it effectively got rid of the irritability that was causing mini-breakouts around my face due to the chilly weather. Even after one application, I had a decidedly anti-fashion friend comment on how good my skin looked.
And since your skin absorbs most of its moisture at night, be sure to be using an uber-rich moisturizer each and every night like Origins Night-A-Mins. Your skin will thank you for it.
Other areas of your body that seem especially prone to dryness in the winter months include hands and lips. Your hands can be easily addressed throughout the day with a travel bottle of lotion in your purse or at your desk. For more intense hydration, buy an intense moisturizer (like Eucerin). After applying it, toss on some spa gloves and spend the night with them on. If, like me, you end up pulling the gloves off in the middle of the night or you just don’t want to wear gloves all night, this trick can work to some degree if used for a shorter amount of time. I toss mine on while I catch up on reality TV. Putting lotion on before you toss on your mittens for your morning commute is also an effective way to trap more moisture.
Cuticles and lips can be addressed with one tiny pot of pure shea butter found at L’Occitane. I will swear by this stuff, and L’Occitane also carries a fantastic product called Nail and Cuticle Cream which cures hangnails more quickly than any product I have ever seen.
Armed with these tips, you are certain to survive the winter months with skin glowing brightly.

Good Morning Sunshine!

Tropical islands evoke fantastic images of sandy beaches, calming waves, and lazy days, a break from our 9-5 routines to bask in the glorious, warming sunshine. Ahh…
Wait. Sunshine? I used to be a sun worshipper, not only because I like a glowing tan as much as the next girl, but also because I grew up in Minnesota where the sun only graces us with its presence occasionally. Sunshine was euphoria for me, and I am sure many of you can agree.
And then came the dark side of the sun. Cancer, wrinkles, age spots…hmm, suddenly that sunny tropical island doesn’t seem so appealing any more. Of course, sunscreen is the easiest way to avoid many of the negative effects caused by the sun. But where to start?
And I know what you are thinking. Yes, it is the first week of December. Like you, I am bundled head to toe to keep warm in the short, bleak winter days. Even for those of you who are not planning your next vacation to Cancun and don’t live in Florida, sunscreen is just as important in the winter as it is in the summer. Unless you plan to draw the shades and stay in your house all day, I implore you, for the sake of that gorgeous skin of yours, to use sunscreen each and every day.
There are two types of rays which emit from the sun: UVB and UVA rays. UVB rays are the rays that will burn your skin, and UVA rays are the rays that cause aging and leathering. A simple way to remember this is UVB (remember the B) rays Burn, and UVA (remember the A) rays Age. They’re both bad, and so when looking for a sunscreen pay attention to whether the sunscreen is broad spectrum. A broad spectrum sunscreen is one which protects from both UVA and UVB rays. This is just as important, and many argue more important, than the SPF of the sunscreen.
SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. There are minute differences in how well SPF 15 works in comparison with SPF 50. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, SPF 15 blocks 93 percent of UVB rays; SPF 30 blocks 97 percent; and SPF 50 blocks 99 percent. Minor differences really, but depending on how sensitive your skin is to the sun, they are well worth noting. As you may have also noticed, the SPF in sunscreen can only tell you what percentage of the UVB (B for Burn) rays you are deflecting. If you don’t have a broad spectrum sunscreen, you may not be burning, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t wrinkling like a raisin as you sunbathe.
Sunscreen should be applied every 2-4 hours, especially when you are outside. If you are working in a lightless cubicle all day, slather it on before you go to work and about thirty minutes before you clock out. But if you have a sunny corner office, be sure to be putting it on throughout the day. Most UVA (A for Aging) rays are not blocked by windows. As we mentioned earlier, don’t judge your sunscreen use by the weather. An estimated 40 percent of the sun’s harmful rays reach the earth even when the sun isn’t showing its shining face.
The very best face sunscreen I have found is Cellex-C Sun Care SPF 30+. This broad spectrum sunscreen doubles as a moisturizer for those of you who like to get up and go, and its ultra-light formula is non-greasy and completely safe for even the most sensitive skin types. Find it at www.skinstore.com.
MD Skincare (www.mdskincare.com) offers an on-the-go alternative called Powerful Sun Protection SPF 30 Sunscreen Packettes. These single-use packets are perfect for tossing in your purse. Clinique offers a broad spectrum balm called Sun-Care Lip/Eye SPF 30 that is also easy to use on the go.
For even further protection, Clinique also offers Advanced Stop Signs Eye Cream with SPF 15. In addition to offering further sun protection for the delicate eye area, this eye cream is especially illuminating.
Whether your next trip is to a fantasy tropical island or the nearest grocery store, never forget to wear your sunscreen.