Beauty Secrets: How to Weatherproof Your Makeup

Change of seasons bring change of fashion. Change of weather should also bring a few little changes to your makeup bag. Here's a few tips to weather proof your makeup and leave you looking flawless this winter.

Photo by David Burton

WATERPROOF MASCARA
 Switch out your normal mascara for a waterproof  one. It will help prevent smearing. Nobody wants black streaks running down their face. =)


WATERPROOF EYELINER
If you're going to wear eyeliner in the rain make sure it's also waterproof so you can avoid raccoon eyes.


CHEEK STAIN
Blush always seems to be the first thing to go on a rainy day. To keep a rosy glow on your cheeks try applying a cheek stain. Most of them double as a lip stain so you can kill two birds with one stone!
 
SETTING SPRAY
Now for my favorite tip.... Setting spray. If you have trouble keeping your makeup on this is the answer! Seriously. A spritz of setting spray before you leave the house will make a huge difference in the longevity of your  makeup. It pretty much waterproofs every thing you have applied to your skin. When I use setting spray on my clients they come back and tell me how their makeup stayed on all night. They have setting sprays for all skin types, even mineral lines make them. Try it out.

WATERPROOF MAKEUP REMOVER
If you're going to waterproof the eyes make sure you use a waterproof makeup remover. It's important to be gentle around your eyes and your lashes. 

Try these secrets the next time it rains. You might just come back and thank me!

Fabulous Five: Five DIY Beauty Tricks Using Coffee Grounds

I know that most of you can't go a morning without your caffeine fix... Did you know that caffeine is good for your skin too? Coffee not only wakes you up, but it can wake your skin up too. So instead of throwing those coffee grounds away, put them to good use. Here's five fabulous ways to bring coffee from morning routine to beauty routine!

1.QUICK FIX FOR PUFFY EYES
  Rough night? Try this!  

•   Apply cooled coffee grounds directly under the eyes. If this is too messy for you. Dampen a coffee filter and fill it with coffee grounds to make a "tea bag" and apply under the eyes.
• Leave on for 15 to 20 minutes and rinse.

2.TREAT CELLULITE 
That's right! According to Doctor Oz, coffee grounds are a great home remedy for cellulite. Here's how to give yourself your very own fanny facial!! ( I wonder if he said that with a straight face?)

• 2 cups coffee grounds
• 1/4 cup sea salt
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• Combine ingredients and apply in the shower massaging it into the skin. 

3.TREAT YOUR HAIR
If your hair is looking dull just throw some coffee grounds up in there. Literally! It may feel weird at first. Like your exfoliating your head, but it actually helps remove product buildup creating beautiful shiny locks. If you have light colored hair, don't try this at home.

• Grab a handful of coffee grounds and mix into your hair.
• Rinse thoroughly
• Shampoo and condition 

4.DEODORIZE
Just chopped a garlic clove but you don't want to smell like one? Wash your hands with a handful of coffee grounds and you'll be good as new.

 5.EXFOLIATE AND FIGHT AGING
Caffeine is huge in the skin care world so I was eager to try this out for myself. The coffee grounds not only exfoliate the skin leaving it baby soft but its a great anti aging tool that helps stimulate the skin and fight free radicals. I made two versions of this mask. The beauty of making your products is that you have the ability to customize it to your skins needs.

 Version 1 for normal skin

• Mix 3 tablespoons of coffee grounds with a tablespoon of milk or honey 
• Apply mixture to the skin  for 20 minutes in the shower and rinse.

Version 2 for acne prone skin

• Mix 3 tablespoons of coffee grounds with a tablespoon of egg whites
•  Apply mixture to the skin  for 20 minutes in the shower and rinse.

Now that you're in the know about coffee grounds, you'll have an excuse for having that second cup of joe =).

Learn How to Repair Broken Eyeshadows, Blush and Foundation

You just bought that fabulous metallic eyeshadow you've had your eye on for the last month... A week later ...It's fallen on the floor in a big powdery mess. Oops! If you're anything like me, this is a common occurrence in your household. Don't you hate it when you buy new makeup and it breaks faster than you can say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious? Okay, maybe not that  fast. But here's a quick easy way to fix that problem.

WHAT YOU NEED

• Sandwich baggy
• Tiny spatula, if you don't have one improvise! Use the opposite end of a spoon
• Rubbing alcohol
• Paper towel, tissue, or piece of fabric
• Quarter

 STEP ONE
 Place the baggy over the broken eyeshadow.

 STEP TWO
Take your spatula and break the eyeshadow even more. This sounds counterproductive, but the smaller it is ground up the easier it is for it to stick together again. Make sure your hands and spatula are clean!

STEP THREE
  Now for the rubbing alcohol. You can do this a few different ways...The most effective method is to use some kind of dropper to apply the alcohol. I didn't have one of those lying around the house so I used a tiny spray bottle. Don't drench the eyeshadow in alcohol but it needs to have enough to make it pliable. A clay consistency. You be the judge

 STEP FOUR
Take your paper towel/fabric/tissue and gently press it over your eyeshadow to form it back into place. You can wrap the quarter up in the paper towel to really get a nice form. DO NOT place the quarter directly onto the eyeshadow unless you want it to be filled with germs!

 Yours will probably look a little better than mine. It's difficult to form an eyeshadow trio back in to place =)

 Now that you know how to fix broken shadows you wont ever have to deal with a messy makeup bag again. Yay!

Leave Your Skin Glowing With This DIY Pumpkin Mask

Fall brings pumpkin spiced lattes and pumpkin pie, so why not treat yourself to an at home pumpkin facial? This wonderful gift from mother nature is rich in vitamin A which helps repair the skin and stabilize the production of collagen. It's naturally hydrating and great for all skin types!

 WHAT YOU NEED

• About 4 tablespoons pumpkin puree (not the pumpkin pie filling with a bunch of added sugar)
•  2 teaspoons of honey
• A splash of milk, buttermilk, or whipping cream

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. If you used whipping cream try using the electric mixer for a few minutes to really add thickness to your mask. Apply to freshly washed skin for about 15 minutes. I could really feel the hydration in this mask. I will definitely be trying this one again.

Forget the expensive facial. Have your skin glowing using only 3 ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen! 

Beauty Secrets: Learn an Easy Trick to Instantly Brighter Your Eyes

Try this beauty secret to whiten and brighten your gorgeous eyes

 

 BLUE EYELINER

•  Line your eyes with a navy blue liner and have your eyes instantly bigger and brighter. For a more dramatic look like the picture above add a smokey eye using blue eyeshadow.
• Take a white or light colored eyeshadow and lightly dust it on the inner corners of your eyes. 
• Last, top it off with a black mascara et voila! 

Fabulous Five: Five Easy Ways to Become a Braided Beauty

Braids have been all over the runways the past few seasons and are perfect for all hair types and texture. Here's 5 fun and easy ways to take your hairstyle up a notch!

 

THE SIDE BRAID
A french braid along the side of your hair is so easy and can do so much for your hairstyle. Wear it with natural waves or twisted up into a messy bun. You can't go wrong .

 THE WATERFALL BRAID
This one is my favorite and I can't wait to try it! If you know how to french braid you can easily incorporate this into your next style.

• First take a classic french braid from vertical to horizontal.
• When you have the hair sectioned into three instead of adding hair from the bottom section you split it in half only bringing half of the section into the braid. Let the rest fall giving a "waterfall" effect. It sounds more complicated than it is! 

BOHO BRAID
One simple braid can make such a statement. This is truly bohemian chic!

 THE KNOT SO BRAIDED BRAID
 A new take on the classic pigtail. This is so easy anyone can do it.

• Tease the hair to create lots of volume.  
• Section the hair and instead of braiding literally tie your hair in knots as if you are tying your shoes! 

THE INSIDE OUT BRAID
This one is a little more advanced and may take some practice. But definitely worth it! As you can see how fabulous it is. 

• Start with teasing the hair if you don't have natural texture.
• Start forming an inside out french braid (it's exactly the same as a french braid but instead of braiding over you braid under).
• When you get towards the end of the braid start pulling some of the hair out. Similar to the waterfall braid.

With these five new styles you'll be on your way to braided bliss in no time! 

Beauty Secrets: Why Does Your Concealer Settle Into Fine Lines?

One of the main things people are looking for when they ask me for make-up help is concealer . Women are in search of a concealer that doesn't settle into all of their little fine lines. So I'm going to let you in on a little secret.... because there's nothing worse than having to look in the mirror every five minutes to fix your makeup!

Clients are often reluctant to try what I suggest due to the creamy texture. Creamy is good! Who wants dry looking under eyes?? The answer is not in the concealer, but in a wonderful little product called setting powder.

HOW TO SET YOUR CONCEALER :
First off, do not set your concealer in with your foundation powder that is not the same thing.

• Dip a small powder brush into the finishing powder ( make sure you don't pick up too much product)
• Lightly press the brush into your under eye in a tapping motion to ensure that it is thoroughly set
• Take your brush and lightly wipe away any remaining powder

Using this beauty secret you will open the doors to buying any concealer you want!