Posts with tag 'Beauty'

January 19, 2011
- 2010 Post-breakup Hair Trends

The post-breakup hair cut has been a long-standing ritual for women to let go of a past relationship and feel fresh and new again. If your 2010 wasn't anything to be remembered we suggest you put a twist on this tradition: Take on a new style instead of a new cut. It's less risky and gives you the freedom to change things up while avoiding emotionally charged hair tragedies.

Top Knot Braid. Take your hair and braid it in a reverse French braid from the nape of the neck to your crown. Gather the ends and secure in a knot at the top of your head. This is definitely a style for long hair and looks best messy.

Big Sultry Waves. Perfect for long thick hair. Wind one inch pieces of hair around a 2” barrel, leaving ends out to keep the look playful. Add a shine serum to the ends to smooth and add shine.

The Chignon. It looks effortless and it is. Pull hair to the nape of your neck with a soft part. Secure with a ponytail and fasten with pins. Keep the look soft by curling and teasing hair prior to putting it back.

Side Braid and Pony. Curl hair into loose waves with an iron. Then, simply pull your hair to the side and begin a soft braid. Don't make the braid too perfect, it should be loose and soft looking.

September 19, 2008
- Has Your Make-up Expired?

Do you have 50 different shade of eye shadow? How many of those do you use? Most of us only use a fraction of our makeup. We all make impulse purchases which often end up sitting in the bottom of our makeup bag.

Every manufacturer has their own expiration or shelf life for their product, here are some general guidelines on how long your makeup is good for. You will want to get of old or expired makeup because it can cause skin irritations including breakouts. This is never flattering, so it's best to say goodbye to these products before you are welcoming unwanted flare-ups in your skin.

Liquid or Cream Foundation - 3-6 months

Concealer Powder, eye-shadows, blush: 1 year

Mascara: 3 months
Lip gloss & Lipstick: 1 year

Eye/Lip Pencils: 1 year

Eye and lip pencils: 1 year or more

Facial Cleansers & Moisturizers: 6 months

Facial Toners: 1 year

Natural Cosmetics: 6 months

Cosmetic Sponges: Wash after every use and dispose after they begin to tear

Brushes: Synthetic brushes should be washed once a week, natural brushes once a month

Keep in mind, these are just guidelines. The product can become ineffective or harmful long before this, as there are no FDA regulations on makeup expiration dates. The minute you open a product the life and effectiveness of the product decreases and bacteria grows. If your product changes in color, texture, or smell discard it immediately. The more air that is exposed, the easier it is for bacteria to grow. This is why mascara has the shortest shelf life. Never pump your mascara as it pumps air into the bottle. Products that are all-natural or preservative free will also be more susceptible to bacterial growth.

The good news is that there are a few steps you can do to help prolong the life of your makeup.

1. Keep your makeup in a cool dry area and close containers tightly.

2. Apply your makeup with clean hands

3. Use a disposable applicator or poor the makeup into your hands

4. Never share your makeup or makeup brushes with friends

August 5, 2008
- Check Yourself

Apart from getting a complete style make-over from Milena Distinctive Image Consulting

Here's a list of small things that can make a huge impact on the image you portray to others. Avoid these all too common image blunders:

Too much make-up Avoid looking like a clown by choosing just one feature to play up with color, for example your eyes. The rest -cheeks, lips... should be use soft, natural colors. Never match your eye shadow color to the color of your your outfit (purple shirt=purple eyeshadow). Badly pilled garments - your dating your clothing and dating yourself
Bleeding lipstick - use a liner in the same or lighter color to help 'seal-in' lipstick.
Perspiration stains - rumor has it that adding an aspirin to your wash will help remove these stains.
Stripes or patterns on clothes that don't match up at the seams - a sign of poor quality clothing.
Revealing and underwear or bra straps - we know or at least hope they are under there.
Chipped nail polish or unkempt hands and nails - the most chic style is to go with a clear natural nail.
Strong perfume or body odor - your personal space is within one foot circumference of your body, if I can smell you beyond that, there is a severe problem.
Overly coordinated outfits - when you are too matchy-matchy, it's a red-flag that says you have no style. Matching your handbag and your shoes is a very dated looked and should be avoided.

July 7, 2008
- Age just a number?

They say that 50 is the new 40 and 40 is the new 30 and 30, well you get the picture. So how do we do it? Some choose to use surgical procedures and others follow the good old fashioned rules of water, diet and exercise. But what if you want results now and you don't have thousands to spend on surgical fixes (which aren't necessarily quick)? Here are a few things you can do today to look 10 years younger:

Lighten Your Lipstick. Choose colors that are soft, natural and work with your skin tone. Go with a gloss or sheer color vs. a matte. Mattes make your lips look thinner and deep shades can draw attention to the fine lines around your lips.

Lighten Your Hair Go two shades lighter than your natural hair color - or color when you were a child, if you've already gone grey. Avoid a solid color. Make sure their is some dimension. Soft highlights around your face work well.

Go for the Bang. Yes, those cute little bangs that you sported as a kid, look great and ad youth to a woman. This time around, let them lay more naturally. Either have them angled, graduated or long and straight (think Heidi Klum). Don't apply the curling iron to them - ever!

Reclaim Your Nails. Artificial nails are not only tacky, but they scream old lady. A natural nail is always in and keeping them manicured is the surest way to keep them youthful. Opt for natural shades or sheer pinks. Shape is just as important: do a squared tip with rounded edges. Alone, a square tip looks unnatural and a round tip is dated.

Get Your Spanx On. Not only will you look 10 years younger, you'll 10 lbs. lighter. Spanx are footless pantyhose that help garments lay smoother and hide panty lines and any extra bulges. http://www.spanx.com/

Shorten Your Skirt. If you are wearing your skirt length anywhere around your mid-calf, you risk looking dowdy. Keep in just above or at the middle of the knee.

Cut Back on the Bling. It's no surprise that older women have more jewelery, but that doesn't mean you should wear it all at one time. As with most things, less is more. Two peices of bling is perfect, three borders on excessive. Keep it young by paying attention to what is in-style now or go classic (diamonds). Anything in between will age you.

Clean Out Your Closet. Just because you can fit into the outfit you wore 10 years ago, doesn't mean you'll look like you did then. Dated clothing makes you look dated (aka old). While fashions tend to come back around, they always evolve in some aspect. Keep your clothes modern and you'll be modern too.