Work It

So now that my youngest is officially in Kindergarten, I decided to go for it & work part time at the MAC counter. Come in & see me & we'll play make-up & I can help you pick out some awesome stuff for your beautiful faces! Just call Nordstrom in advance & make sure I'm there (I work 3 days a week).

Tips for 45+

I got a request to do a post of tips for more mature ladies. Loves it. So, as we all already know, I absolutely LOVE the skincare line 'Philosophy' & they have some of the best products for aging skin.

Here are my recommendations as far as skin care goes:

1. 'Miracle Worker' Miraculous anti-aging retinoid pads & solution $70

2. 'The Present' clear make-up $25

3. 'Purity Made Simple' One Step Facial Cleanser $32

4. 'Hope in a Tube' high density eye & lip cream $33

5. 'Eye Hope' advanced anti-aging eye cream $48

6. 'Divine Illumination' skin illuminating moisturizer $85

7. 'Miracle Worker' miraculous anti aging moisturizer $55

*All sold at Nordstrom, Sephora or philosophy.com

     If you can foot the bill, then I say go for it & get all of the above, if you just want to get a few at a time, then I would say to start out with #3 (best cleanser I have EVER used hands down & I have tried a LOT of them on the market), #4 (so moisturizing & I love how you can use it around the lips as well, I particularly like this one for nighttime & #5 for day, but if you can only choose one, then go for #4), #7 (I have been using this particular one since they launched it about 6 or so months ago & I highly HIGHLY recommend it. And I was checking out some other customer reviews online about this moisturizer & it sounds like a lot of other ladies would also highly recommend it), & then #2. Even though #2 is technically a make-up Primer, I feel like it has skin care benefits as well. If you do your morning cleanse & moisturize routine & then put 'The Present' over it, it just seals in that moisturizer so well that you have just put on & then as the directions say, you let it 'sit' for 2 minutes while it's developing on the skin. Then you are ready to apply your make-up for the day. I think a make-up primer is a must (especially for aging skin) & I don't go a day without using one. Benefits of using a make-up primer:

*You smooth out the surface (your skin) & then foundation/powder, whatever you put on top of it lays on top a perfect surface, therefore making your skin appear smoother.
*Your moisturizers job is to 'sink' into the skin, so if you put make-up right on top of it, it clings to the moisturizer & therefore magnifying the fine lines, wrinkles & pores. Whereas, a make-up primer just lays on top of your moisturizer, helping to temporarily 'fill in' the imperfections. Making your skin look & feel a little more supple.
*As I previously mentioned, it locks in the moisture underneath it, making your moisturizer work better for you. (Especially as we age, we loose some of the natural oils in our skin, so the extra moisture is a must) And if you really want to go crazy, you can also layer this over your moisturizer at night.
*It makes your make-up last a lot longer on the skin & your make-up looks fresher.

      If you would like the 'look for less' I have heard/read that 'Olay ProX' Professional Anti Aging Regimen; 3 piece starting kit is awesome as well. It is sold for around $60 for the kit which includes: Wrinkle Smoothing cream, Age repair lotion with SPF 30 & Eye Restoration Complex. You can get the kit at Wal-Mart , Target & drugstore.com

      I  also highly recommend wearing sunscreen year round with an SPF of at least 30. Nothing ages the skin more quickly than sun damage (well & smoking, but I am just assuming that none of you out there are that foolish to have such an unhealthy habit).

      As far as make-up goes, make sure you are using a good concealer to conceal under eye circles & age spots. I like MAC's 'Select Moisturecover', blends in easily & is ultra-moisturizing & has build able coverage, so you can layer it if you need extra concealing in certain areas. And it comes in a lot of great shades, so color matching your skin will be easy. It's $16.50 & is sold at Nordstrom & maccosmetics.com. Also, make sure that you are defining your eyebrows with a good eyebrow powder or pencil. As we get older, our brows start getting a little bit sparse, so you want to maximize what you've got & also, nothing frames out your face more than your eyebrows. I feel like at any age it is appropriate to wear a little shimmer on the face. My tip for that is, the older you get, the finer milled the shimmer needs to be. So if you are say 12, heck you could wear glitter on your face & be fine, but if you are 45+ make sure it's just an iridescent glimmer & limit it just to the eyes & a little shimmery gloss popped in the center of the lips helps them look fuller. What patent leather is to the butt (makes it look bigger), shimmery gloss is to the lips. Just saying. Also line your lips with a neutral lip liner, to help prevent that feathering of the lips effect that seems to come with age.

     I hope that some of these tips have helped. Please keep the suggestions a coming!!!

Beauty Inspiration Board

Yes I put this beautimus inspiration board together myself(I am SO patting myself on my back right now). Decided to start off with some of my classic favorites, so behold..... These are some of my Fave Craves...

1. Bobbi Brown 'Almost Bare' Perfume

2. Philosophy's 'Purity Made Simple'

Face Cleanser

3. Essie Nailpolish

4. MAC Lipstick

5. YSL 'Touche Eclant' Face Highlighter

6. Cover Girl 'Lash Blast Fusion' Mascara

7. MAC Foundation Brush

8. 'Tweezerman' Tweezers

9. Nautical Cosmetic Bag

10. Bare Escentuals Mineral Foundation

11. 'Velvet Rope' by Apothia Perfume

12. MAC 'Fluidline' Eyeliner

13. Philosophy 'Microdelivery Purifying Peel'

14. Nars 'Soft Touch Pencil' Eyeliner

Smudge Pencil

15. 'Shu Uemura' Eyelash Curler

16. 'Korres' Lemon Lip Scrub

Soak it in! Loves it!

Rock a PALE LIP

I love, love, LOVE to rock a pale lip. I think that it brings your eyes out but at the same time gives you this sexy-ish look to your pout. You can do a pale lip with a smokey eye, a bold winged out eyeliner look, a great pop of color on the cheeks, basically I think it works in any situation. Just don't match your skin tone exactly- you'll end up looking dead. Not cute. Pictured above is an example of how to do a pale lip right. Minimal make up, just dewy highlighted skin & then a little bit of drama as far as lashes & liner goes. Flawless!

Some of my fave pics for a nude lip are:

*MAC Lipstick in 'Myth'

*MAC Creamsheen in 'Boy Bait'

*MAC Lipglass in 'C-Thru'

*MAC Lipstick in 'Pretty Please'

*MAC Lipstick in 'Snob'

*MAC Lipglass in 'Underage'

*All available at maccosmetics.com & Nordstrom

Luscious Lashes

My fave tricks to maximizing your lashes:

1.Start by curling them with an eyelash curler.

My top pick:

"Shu Uemura" Eyelash Curler $19 at Sephora & Nordstrom

Clamp over the base of the lashes & hold for 3-5 seconds,

move up to center of lashes, reclamp & hold for another 3-5 seconds.

2. Apply 2-3 coats of lengthening mascara.

My top pick:

"Cover Girl" Lash Exact in 'Very Black' $6 at Target & drugstore.com

Start at base of lashes & wiggle the wand back & forth going

upward towards the tops of your lashes.

3. Apply 2 coats of thickening mascara.

My top pick:

"Cover Girl" Volume Exact in 'Very Black' $6 at Target & drugstore.com

Again start at base of the lashes & comb through to tops of lashes.

4.Apply a dark eyeliner right up against lashes (makes them appear fuller/thicker).

My top pick:

MAC Fluidline in 'Blacktrack' $15 at Nordstrom & maccosmetics.com

Use a slanted eyeliner brush to apply.

My top pick:

MAC 266 Small Angle Brush $19.50 at Nordstrom & maccosmetics.com

5. I personally hardly ever wear mascara on my bottom lashes, but if you like to

then my tips for that are:

*Just apply one coat evenly over lashes in a waterproof formula.(I only like

waterproof for bottom lashes, NOT top. And I only like it for the bottom ones so

that you don't get the smudging issue under your eyes)

My top pick would be any of the above mentioned mascara's but in a waterproof formula.

So, go on.....LASH OUT!!!

Inspired

My first "Inspired" post, so but of course I had to start it off with a bang. I give you, my personal fave, the beautimus Jennifer Aniston! I am always so inspired by celebrities/models makeup. It definetly gives me inspiration when I need to add a little omph into my own makeup routine. Jennifer A. epitomizes that laid back, california chic look, from her hair to the way she dresses to her, wait for it, make-up. So I have found some of my fave shots of her. Hopefully she will inspire you as much as she has me!

I love how the smokey blue eye shadow totally brings out her bright blue eyes.

Add a little peach shimmer to the cheecks & lips, and whamo, perfection!

So soft & nuetral. A bit of a smoked out bronzy eye, a sheer

wash of coral to the cheeks & finished of with a pale pink lip. LOVES!

Now I do realize that the coloring was played around with for this effect on the cover (photo

shop plays a part in most every pic I draw inspiration from, so let's all be a

little realistic here, we are not actually going to look like Jen Aniston, cause in

real life, she doesn't even look like this. Sorry to burst your bubble). My inspiration

that I pull from this photo is the GLOW factor. All bronzied up, all um... GLOWY.

Love this one as well, it's almost like perfection dirtied up or something. Which I dig!

The major smolderage you get from the black heavily lined & then smoked out eye.

Basically bare skin with a hint of highlighter. And then again, a pale pink lip!

You all know how I'm a sucker for a pale-anything-lip. Especially

when paired with a strong eye!

*More to come from my "Inspired" catagory!
Who inspires you?


*Some of mine in the works & still to come: Jennifer Lopez, Keri Russell, Charlize Theron, Miranda Kerr etc, etc, etc.....

Perfumed

I am a bit obsessed with anything yummy smelling. I have always thought of my perfume as a part of my actual wardrobe. Kind of like it's the last accessory I put on before I step out the door. I just don't feel "ready" unless I have spritzed myself. And yes, I do have different techniques, they are: if it is a heavier Eau de Parfum than I spritz just on my wrists & then 1 spritz in the air & then I walk through it. If it an Eau de Toilette, I will spritz my neck, wrists & spray 2 times & walk through it. A lighter body splash literally gets sprayed ALL Over my bod & I always do a body lotion as a base for my fragrance to 'cling to' & last longer. Sometimes it is a lotion in the same scent as what perfume I am wearing, but sometimes it is just a complimenting scent & then I just sort of mix & match my fragrance & then it's like I have my own one of a kind fragrance just for mua. So, just play with it, I even will do a perfume & then spritz a body spray (say a yummy fruity one from Victoria's Secret or something) over it. Mixing is a good thing, as long as you do complimentary 'notes' in the fragrance.

Here are some of my go to perfumes....

Miss Marisa by Ebba $60 at luckyscent.com

Notes in this scent: plum blossom, cassis, fresh mint & waterlily.

LOVE this one for Summer!

Amazing Grace by Philosophy $40, sold at Sephora, Nordstrom & philosophy.com

This one has very light very clean floral notes.

This is totally an EVERYDAY fragrance! Great for those of you out there that are almost anti-fragrance. This is so clean & soft, it'll just be like you naturally smell great, not like "Oh, what kind of perfume do you have on?"

Child Perfume $53 at beautyhabit.com

This is a roll on oil formula, so a little goes a long way.

This is a very 'SEXY' fragrance, has floral notes.

I honestly save this one for a night out with my huzzy.

Little, silly back story with this one:

Back when I had just graduated from High School, I read an interview that Jenny Garth had done in 'In Style' Magazine & they told her she smelled so good & asked her what she was wearing? Her response, "Child perfume oil, it drives men wild". Well, of course, from that comment alone I was like 'I need that!!!' But alas, I didn't buy it until a few years later, after Mike & I were already married. So I can't tell you that it will drive ALL men wild, but I can say that Mike loves it when I wear it & always compliments me on it.
Angel by Thierry Mugler $75 at Sephora & Nordstrom
Has notes of: Honey, Dewberry, Red Berries, Vanilla, Carmel & Chocolate.
I wear this one year round as well, but seem to apply it more when it starts getting cold outside.

Now, on a completely different 'note', I got another question in my 'Comments'. Cute Katee asked me to recommend an eyeshadow that would be good for green eyes. Well, my love, of course I love MAC's eye shadows, they are $14.50 each & some of my fave colors (especially for your gorgeous greens) are: Cranberry, Trax, Sketch, Bronze & Antiqued. Another thing that I LOVE & that is less expensive is the Almay Intense I-color, the one shown below is made specifically for green eyes. This line takes all of the guess work out of 'What eyeshadow colors will work with MY eye color?' You just find the one that is made for your eyes (be them blue, hazel, brown, green...) & buy the pallet that is made for you. I like that this one comes with 3 shades that mix well together. In this line they also sell coordinating eye liner pencils, mascara etc... Love this line, genius!

Almay Inense I-color around $5 at Walmart & Target

Hope this helps Katee! And ladies, trust me on the perfumed thing, work it into your daily 'get ready' routine. Not only do you smell fab, but, for me at least, it puts me in a better mood! Spritz on!

Answers & Info Corner

Alright, I was excited to see a question in my Comments section! My cute cousin in law, Jaime asked: "I have a problem with my foundation settling in the creases under my eyes. (I use bare minerals foundation. ) What can I do get to the "airbrushed" makeup effect? Thanks!" Well Jaime, you (and any other readers out there) ask & you shall receive. I am going to do an 'Answer & Info Corner' post every now & again. So send in your questions. Here is my answer to Jaime's question: I have found that a good daytime eye cream is a good solution. This one from MAC has caffeine & cucumber extracts in it & so it temporarily plumps up the skin, therefore, allowing the products that you apply afterwards (concealer, foundation) to go on smoother. It gives you more of an airbrushed affect & is treating the eye area at the same time. Another 'tip' that I like with this product is to take it with you throughout the day (like you would a lip gloss) & at any time (which should only be 1-2 times the rest of the day-MAX) you feel like you need a lil' touch up, just dab a little around your eyes. No need to add any more make-up over it, this will revitalize the make-up that you already have on, but keeps giving you that smooth affect you are after! And a little goes a long way with this eye cream.

MAC Fast Response Eye Cream

Nordstrom or maccosmetics.com for $30

Now, for some info that I thought I would pass along. Nordstrom is having their Anniversary Sale coming up in July, and what that means for you is that they have a lot of 'Beauty Exclusives' at a great price. You can pre-order right now online or even in stores (and most times, when you do a pre-order in store, they will give you some sort of BONUS present with your purchase, so be sure to ask them exactly what promo's they have going for the different products you want to buy!).

So, my two top picks are: First, the MAC Brush Set's are a sweet value (and are only sold at Anniversary & Holiday). It's a $125 value & is being sold as a set for $49.50! Literally, the blender brush alone (the one on the right) sells for $48 on it's own regularly & is by far my favorite brush- EVER! The blender brush can be used for foundation, bronzer, shimmer powder & blotting powder & is super soft! And this kit also comes with a liquid foundation brush, a blush brush & concealer brush. Just be sure to cleanse them regularly. My fave way to keep my brushes sanitary & nice & soft is clean them once a week (okay, sometimes once every 2 weeks, but whatev's) in luke warm water & baby shampoo (it's more gentle than regular). Air dry them on your counter over night & they will last & last. You will get such a better finish to your make-up when you apply it with good brushes. And MAC really makes some of the best out there. No Joke!

MAC 'Apply & Blend' Face Brushes

Nordstrom or nordstom.com $49.50

My 2nd pick is Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleanser in the Jumbo 32 oz size. Again a great value only offered twice a year. A $64 value sold for $42.50. This is my face wash that I swear by! Cleanses soooo well & doesn't leave your face feeling "tight & itchy" like some cleansers. Is great for ALL skin types. I have been using this product (& their whole skin care line actually) for over 6 years now & would never dream of switching. It has made THAT BIG of a difference to my skin. And this HUGE tub-o-goodness will last you a loooooong time! Fabu!

Philosophy Purity Made Simple 32 oz

Nordstrom & nordstrom.com $42.50

So, there you have it. Please keep those questions a coming! Loves.

Glow On

One of my favorite things to do to make your look go from good to YAWZA!!! is to add some shimmer powder. You need to strategically place it so that you don't end up looking greasy, you just look like you have this GLOW about you. So, take a powder brush & lightly brush it along the tops of your cheekbones, down the bridge of your nose, you can even take some & put it on your declote- especially focusing on your collar bones. Just a hint of shimmer there is uber sexy (perfect for a hot date with the huzzy). You can also take a smaller eyeshadow brush & use this to make your eyes sparkle, just add some to the inner corners of your eyes (right by the tear ducts). And add a little under AND over your eyebrow arch, to make it look more lifted. Use the same eyeshadow brush & add a teeny tiny bit right above & below the "pucker" part of your lips, that's right... your lips! It will make them look poutier.

Here are two of my picks:

MAC Irredescent Powder/Pressed in 'Belightful'

maccosmetics.com $22

And now "The Look for Less" version:

Wet n Wild Mega Glo in 'Starlight Bronze"
Walmart $3.50

*Since the Wet n Wild version is multi colored, make sure to use the lightest color (on the left) when you are illuminating your inner eye, eyebrow & lip pucker. Then feel free to swirl your powder brush over all of the colors to highlight the cheeckbones, nose & collar bone.

If you have never tried this trick...go for it! You will LOVE it! So pretty. It brings that extra somethin somethin to your face. GLOW ON!

Cheek Tint/Stain

My first official PRODUCT REVIEW! I am so excited!!! I decided to go with the cheek stain, I think it's just such a fresh take on blush and perfect for the hot humid summer months. I also think that a hint of blush on the cheeks brings a look of vibrancy & health to the face better than any other make up product. The cheek stain/tint's that I like the most are the kind that are gel based & then just dry down to a really pretty finish on the skin. They are also a great layering piece, if you start out with the stain & then do a little hit of powder blush on top, well there will be no stopping you & your hotness!!! They may look a little scary bright when you see them in the tube, but put them on & you will just get a nice sheer wash of color, that is build able, so add more if you'd like. I like to just tap it on my cheekbones straight from the stick & then blend it with my fingertips. Can't get much easier than that! And one of my favorite "tricks" is to buy a bright blush, so that it almost does look a wee bit scary to you, but then just do, like I said, a sheer application of it. It ends up looking so much better & actually more natural. So, I have chosen two of my faves to share with you. The first is the image that you see at the top, it's the limited edition NARS Multiple Tint. It comes in 3 shades: 'Cadaques'(a bright fuchsia, shown), 'Beverly Hills'(bright red), and 'Turks & Caicos'(bright orange). It's called a "Multiple" because it has 3 uses, you can actually use it on your cheeks, lips & eyes. I've tried it on my lips & cheeks (of course), but haven't yet tried out the eyes, to me it just seems like it would crease in an instant on my eyes. Gives a pretty 'my lips, but better' look to your lips, so that's a nice little side bonus of the product. All three shades are very wearable and flattering, but my personal fave is the 'Cadaques'. Available at Nordstrom & Sephora.com (online only @ Sephora, not available in their retail stores.) for $38 each.

So, now I am going to give you "The Look For Less", which I will try to do with all products, cause, hello!!! Who isn't on a budget these days? And plus, it's good to have options. So, the next cheek stain under review is actually sold in a set. And it is a pretty amazing value! It's valued at $179 (if you were to purchase the items separately) & then the regular price is $59 for the kit, but they have it marked down to $39(pictured above). It is sold exclusively at Sephora (in stores & online) & I believe that once this kit is gone, it is GONE. It is packaged as Lab Samples, which basically just means that it doesn't have the pretty packaging yet. So, you are basically getting some of their newest ideas in make-up & at a great price. I really like the cheek stain in this kit as well. It looks more like a deeper purple in it's tube, but goes on sheer. It has the same gel texture that I like. And, by the way, these stains will last you a long time, because a little goes a long way. Less is more with this product. And then, almost like a bonus, you get 5 other full sized products in this kit. The kit also includes: Waterproof Eye Shadow Palette (w/ 5 easy to wear colors), Brow Wax Pencil, Lash Detailer Mascara, Poured Photo Op (a skin brightener of sorts), O-Gloss Shimmer. And like the kit says, there is a lot of 'Beauty Breakthroughs' in this kit. If you want to read more about the different products that are offered in this kit, just go to Sephora.com (I have a link to their website on my sidebar, right). I could go on & on about some of the other items you receive, but I am just going to focus on the cheek stain for now. The other thing I like about this, is it is done by Smashbox, which is a very well respected high end beauty brand. So don't let the price tag fool you. Smashbox 'Master's Class Beauty Breakthroughs', $39 for the kit at Sephora.

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, suggestions for topics, etc, please feel free to leave them in the comment section! Keep Glowing!

BEAUTY BLOG

So, I am starting a 'Beauty Blog', which I am quite excited about! As most of you know & for those of you that maybe don't, I am a Product Junkie. I love playing in Make-up & always have since I can remember. I decided to go & try to be a make-up artist for one of my favorite lines: MAC. I went in with my "model for the day", my sis in law Natelli and they watched as I did a "Day Look" & then an "Evening Look". And I have been freelancing with them for about 5 years now. I also do some freelance work on my own as well with my own make-up kit. So, this may be random, but I have a lot of people asking me for different tips when it comes to cosmetics & skin care etc... so, I thought, what the hayzezee, I'll start a beauty blog. Fill it up with some of my best tricks, product reviews & maybe even a picture or two of clients that I have 'dolled up'. So lets do this ish, and I would love any feedback. This is all just in good old fashioned fun, cause after all, it's NOT SERIOUS....IT'S MAKE-UP!!!