Dealing with Under Eye Circles

Bad news is, most under eye circles are hereditary so there is no real way to prevent them. Good news is, I have some great tips for you to follow to deal with those pesky dark circles.  

Topical creams can help to treat dark circles. When choosing a product look for a topical product that contains retinol and peptides which will help strengthen and stimulate collagen production. The product should also contain caffeine which constricts blood vessels, and green tea and aloe for anti-inflammatory. An eye cream with illuminating particles that reflect light is also a great way to brighten up under the eyes.

When it comes to using make up to cover up under eye circles remember, less is more. Too many women make the mistake of using a heavy concealer under their eyes and apply too heavily. The best thing to do is apply foundation to your dark circles first, then apply a concealer in a color just a bit lighten than your skin color using a brush form concealer that is targeted for brightening the under eye area.

For eyes, use light shimmering eye shadows and skip heavy eyeliner. Heavy eyeliner will just add more shadows and make under eye circles more obvious and dark. Light shimmering eye shadows are great for brightening the entire eye area.  

You could also try a bight lip color to draw attention away from the eyes.

Smelly Shoes

Sometimes it seems that no matter what we do, our shoes begin to smell not so pleasant over time. The good news is, there are few ways to get rid of these unpleasant odours without having to toss out your shoes or spend too much money.

·         Place a dryer sheet in each of your shoes to keep them fresh.

·         When done using running shoes after a heavy, sweaty workout, sprinkle a little

baby powder into each shoe and shake your

shoes around to make sure the baby powder

covers the inside of your shoes.

The baby powder will absorb the sweat and should leave a pleasant smell.

**Remember, don’t use very much baby powder, and make sure to shake out excess before using shoes again.

·          Toss your shoes into the washing machine, it works wonders. I have put both running shoes and flats in the washing machine and let them air dry and the smell was gone. I highly recommend that you don’t put heels into your machine though, it will probably ruin them and possibly your machine.

I hope these tips helped and will make your shoes smell wonderful!

Fall Trend – Lace

Lace is everywhere this fall, whether it be neutral or coloured, you’re going to see this fabric pop up everywhere during the season. I’m especially excited about this new lace trend because I’ve always been a fan of lace and I’m super excited to see more lace pieces coming into stores. Today I’m just going to give you a few tips about wearing lace and show you some different ways that you can try out this new trend. Whether you just want to incorporate a little lace into your outfit or want to be covered in lace from head to toe, these tips will help you figure out how to master lace this season.

Lace Accessories

Want to incorporate lace into your outfit without being too bold? Try lace accessories, this will give your outfit the perfect touch of lace without going overboard. Some great accessories to have with lace incorporated into them are shoes, bags, and belts.

Lace Tops

The most common lace clothing that you’ve probably seen around in clothing stores lately are the lace tank tops. These tank tops are both solid lace for layering or have lace backs. Both are great for adding a touch of lace to your outfit.

<-This is a solid black lace tank top; wear this top over another tank top (non-lace) in any color for a touch of classy lace. 

Head to Toe Lace

If going bold is your thing and you want to dress in head to toe lace this fall, go for it! Just remember, when making such a bold statement it is important to keep the rest of your look clean and simple. Do this by keeping makeup to a minimum and choosing natural looking colors. You want people to notice your amazing lace outfit, not your makeup! Next, try to keep jewellery to a minimum, or don’t wear any at all! Also, when choosing shoes, try to choose a pair that aren’t too eye catching, the simpler the better.

Lace Manicures

Lace Manicures are great for incorporating the fall trend of lace into your outfit in a unique and classy way. Check out this video below for a great tutorial on an at home lace manicure that you can do yourself.

How to Make the Perfect Ballerina Bun

Ever wonder how those girls get their bun so…perfect? It’s perfectly round and every strand seems to be in place. But no matter how hard you try, things always seem to be lopsided or not as volumous as you want and your bun ends up looking far from perfect. If this sounds like you, I have some good news, I used to be just like you until I found out the trick to the PERFECT, and I mean PERFECT bun.

Things you’ll need:

·         A tube sock

·         Two hair bands

·         A few bobby pins

Begin by selecting a tube sock that is relatively close to your hair color, it doesn’t have to match perfect or anything. If your hair is dark go for a brown or black sock and if your hair is blond try a white sock, like I said, it doesn’t have to match your hair color exactly.

**Something to remember: the longer the sock, the bigger the bun is going to be.

Cut the toe end of the sock off and role your sock up until it is in the shape of a doughnut. It should look something like this:

Pull your hair into a neat ponytail at the spot where you want the center of your bun to be.

Now, pull all of the hair from your ponytail through the center of the sock.

Next, lean forward slightly so that your bun is parallel to the ground and spread your hair over the sock in all direction so that none of the sock is showing. Slip a hair band over your hair to secure it around the sock.

You’ll probably have the ends of your hair sticking out, that is what the bobby pins are for. Wrap the ends of your hair around your perfect bun and secure them with the bobby pins.

Finished bun should look something like this:

If you would prefer to have your bun closer to your head, once you have completed your bun according to the instruction above, gently push your bun against your head to flatten out the sock a little. This will make your bun look like it is leaning right up against your head and not sticking out a little like the bun above.

Feel free to dress up your bun with bows, ribbons, headbands, and other neat accessories. Be creative and experiment, you'll never know what new style you might create for yourself and end up loving forever!

Good luck and I hope you enjoy your bun as much as I now enjoy mine!

Clinique Lip Products

Chubby Stick

The Chubby Stick by Clinique is basically a moisturizing lip colour balm. This balm is super-nourishing and is loaded with mango and shea butters. This balm stick is great for lips that are dry and delicate and need to feel comfortably soft and smooth. Clinique Chubby Sticks double as lip color and balm to help you heal your dry lips (and keep them healthy) while still looking stylish. The Chubby Stick never needs sharpening and swivels up to reveal more lip colour balm that leaves a natural looking sheen.  It is available in 8 gorgeous shades that you are bound to love. I currently own the Chunky Cherry shade and I absolutely love it!

The Chubby Stick sells for $19.

Almost Lipstick

Clinique has come out with a new lip product called Almost Lipstick. As the name implies, this product is “Not quite lipstick, not quite lip gloss but works like a little of each” I recently had the opportunity to try this product at my local Clinique cosmetics counter and loved is so much that I bought it. I had to admit, when I first saw the product, I was sceptical.

Almost Lipstick only comes in one shade called Black Honey, but wait! Before you write this product off for only having one shade, know this. When this product is applied to your lips the shade changes within a few minutes to give you a very natural looking lip color that is perfect for YOUR skin tone! This lip product looks different on everyone! I know this for a fact, not only because the lovely Clinique salespeople told me, but because a friend of mine tried the product at the same time as I did and you would swear we were wearing two different shades.

An added bonus of this lip product is that it has an SPF 15 included into it.

This product sells for $18 and is worth every penny. I recommend the next time you walk by your Clinique counter that you stop by and try it out, you won’t regret it!

Sugar vs. Salt – Which scrub is right for you?

Body scrubs exfoliate skin, remove dead skin cells, and rejuvenate the underlying skin by rehydration. This gives the body an overall glow, smooth, and velvety appearance.

When it comes to choosing a scrub, some are better for certain skin types than others. Also, some scrubs are better for certain body parts than others. Here is the skinny on each scrub to help you choose which one is right for you.

Sugar Scrubs

Sugar scrubs are much softer than salt scrubs, they are great for a whole body scrub. They also dissolve readily in hot water, this is what makes it less abrasive than a salt scrub. Because it is less abrasive it is good for sensitive skin. Sugar scrubs do not have any mineralization benefits of salt scrubs and are great for facial exfoliation as they are a gentle scrub. Sugar scrubs are not great for those with excessively rough skin as it is a gentle scrub and will not help in removing the dead skin.

Salt Scrubs

Salt scrubs aren’t sticky like sugar scrubs. They are rougher than sugar scrubs which make them great for exfoliating feet, elbows, knees, smoothing callouses, and other rough skin. Salt scrubs also have therapeutic benefits; they help remove toxins and impurities from skin. Because salt scrubs contain mineralization properties, they help in achieving healthy skin. Salt scrub is more drying than sugar scrub and can be a bit irritating and stingy to skin.

To sum it all up, sugar scrubs are great for sensitive skin that isn’t too rough. Salt scrubs are great for rough areas or skin that isn’t too sensitive. Basically the best way to find a great scrub that you love is to go to a bath and body store where they sell quality scrubs and try some out! 

Quick Fix for Dry Lips

Ever wake up on the day of a big event and realize your lips are less than perfect? When your lips are dry and you need a quick, inexpensive fix, try this: wet a facecloth and gently rub it over your lips until they are smooth. The facecloth is abrasive enough that it will remove the dead skin from your lips without damaging them. Once you are done this, dry your lips and apply a thick coating of Blistex lip ointment (available at drugstores) over them. Leave the Blistex on until it has been completely absorbed, if you need to go out and cannot wait for it to completely sink in, simply gently remove the remaining Blistex with your fingers and check out your new, smooth, sexy lips!

A Hair Product you Need

Paul Mitchell makes an amazing hair project called Super Skinny Serum. To sum it up, this product smoothes, conditions, and seals strands to leave your hair frizz free, super shiny, and non-greasy. I use this product every day to tame my frizzy half curly, half straight hair and it leaves it super smooth and sleek. Apply this product into your damp, clean hair, it will speed up drying and give you a frizz free blow-dry. This product is truly amazing, and definitely worth the salon price of around $25.

Food and Acne – Is there actually a connection?

To answer plain and simply, yes, there is a connection between food and the condition of your skin. Today I’m going to explain how certain foods cause acne and I’m also going to tell you about some foods that are great for getting clear skin.

You’ve probably been told that chocolate and sugar cause acne. Though this is a myth, there technically is some truth to this statement. Let me explain, I’m going to warn you now this might get a little complicated.

·         High-glycemic foods are foods that break down rapidly and enter the bloodstream quickly as glucose.

·         When these foods are eaten they boost blood sugar too quickly and when this happens, the pancreas responds by making extra insulin to bring sugar levels back to normal.

·         Since this is an unintended consequence, the insulin also signals the sebaceous glands to manufacture and secrete sebum (an oil like substance that is carried to our pores through hair follicles). In normal quantities, sebum is a good thing, but too much causes the bacterium P. acnes to over-propagate and jam up the hair follicles.

·         The result of this is whiteheads and blackheads on your forehead, chin, cheeks, and nose. 

You’re probably wondering what foods are considered to be high-glycemic foods. Below is a list:

·         French Fries

·         White Bread

·         Soda

·         Doughnuts

·         Rice Krispies

·         Cornflakes

·         Chips

·         Jelly Beans

·         Pretzels

·         Chocolate Bars

Chocolate bars are considering to be a high-glycemic foods which is where the statement that chocolate gives you acne comes from.

Remember, eating these foods in moderation should not cause acne. Depending on the person, you might even been able to eat these foods every day and not experience acne.

Below is a list of foods that are great for achieving and maintaining clear skin:

      ·         Fish

    ·         Water

      ·         Fiber rich foods

      ·         Whole Grains

      ·         Green Tea

      ·         Berries

      ·         Dark Greens

      ·         Nuts and Seeds

      ·         Purple and Red Foods

Dealing with Sunburns

Obviously the best way to deal with sunburns is to prevent them. But in the case where you weren’t able to avoid a sunburn, it’s important to know how to deal with it.

Sunburns are painful; soothe a burn by wrapping ice in a towel and placing in on the burn several times a day. This will reduce swelling and ease the burn. Also damp, cooled teabags will work as well.

Taking a pain reliever such as aspirin or ibuprofen will help to relieve sunburn pain and also reduce inflammation.

When your sunburn begins to peel, place aloe vera gel on the peeling area, this will soothe the burn and can help speed up the healing process. To relieve itching, apply a water based moisturizer. 

For a great, non-greasy sunscreen try Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock.

Seeing Red

It seems like all of Hollywood has been turning red lately. From Emma Stone, Katy Perry, Blake Lively, Rihanna,  and Khloe Kardashian, these Hollywood beauties have all transformed from brunettes and blondes to gorgeous red heads. What do you think of this new trend, and are you ready to jump on this bandwagon?

Kim Kardashian Wedding Dress – Vera Wang Sketches Revealed!

The first dress was the dress that Kim wore for her walk down the isle.

The second dress was for the first dance of the bride and groom.

The third dress was the party dress worn for the rest of the night.

Spa Treatments at Home

Hydrate skin with honey
When consumed, honey has the added health benefit of being a protective antioxidant. It's also a natural moisturizer; a soothing balm for dry skin. You can reap the benefits of honey with honey-infused lotions and body washes.

Use chamomile to naturally lighten blond hair
Chamomile is one of the top ingredients used in hair care for brightening blond locks. The next time you brew a cup, save the bag until the next time you wash your hair. After shampooing, rewet the tea bag and squeeze it through damp hair, wait a few minutes, then rinse and condition as usual. Your natural highlights will look super shiny.

Soften lines with wine
Studies have shown that wine is rich in flavonoids. Applied to skin, these strong antioxidants may help combat signs of aging and maintain skin's natural radiance. Add a few tablespoons of red or white wine or grape-seed extract to your bathtub to help soften skin all over.

Soothe skin with yogurt
Yogurt has the power to help irritated skin. Milk fats are very soothing and cold yogurt feels good on contact. Choose full fat over low fat (for more moisturizing power) and smooth onto bare skin. Leave on for 15 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

Enjoy chocolate's skin benefits
This naturally antioxidant-rich food is a calming and soothing treat for your skin. Try sprinkling cocoa powder into your bubble bath.

Polish skin with papaya
Papaya offers enzymes that gently slough skin. To reap the benefits, mash up half a papaya and apply it as a face mask for 10 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

Slough dry, rough skin with sesame seeds
As a beauty booster, crushed sesame seeds are rich in hydrating fatty acids. The hard outer parts of the seed scrub away rough skin and the oils soften it. Mix 2 teaspoons of sesame seeds with 2 tablespoons of olive oil (or your favorite shower gel) and use as a body wash. 

Rev up your hair's radiance with baking soda
Baking soda can do a great job of gently cleansing your hair. Try combining 1 tablespoon of baking soda with a dose of shampoo, then lather up as usual.

Deep condition with olive oil
Apply olive oil as a deep conditioner on clean, towel-dried locks. To help it penetrate, don a shower cap and wrap a damp microwave-heated terry towel around it. After 20 minutes, shampoo out.

Find a whole new use for that avocado pit
It may sound a bit odd, but when you finish eating your next avocado, save the round pit and use it as a foot roller (it really works!). Rolling your soles over the pit gives you the benefits of a reflexology treatment because it massages key stress-relief points.

Preventing and Dealing with Dry Skin

Moisturizing every day religiously and still dealing with dry skin? No worries, follow these tips for the best skin of your life.

·         Soft, moisturized skin starts on the inside. Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water each and every day to moisturize your skin.

·         Long hot showers/baths feel great but they aren’t so great for your skin. Hot water dries out your skin, so shower with warm water instead and keep your hot baths short or bathe in warm water.

·         Need another reason to wear a strong SPF outside, direct sunlight robs skin of moisture. To prevent dry skin stay out of the sun or wear sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15.

·         Great moisturizers can be expensive, before investing your money in a fabulous moisturizer ask the salesperson at the cosmetics counter for a free sample. This way you can take your moisturizer home, incorporate it into your regular routine and see how it fares before you drop money on a product you aren’t happy with.   

Oil Absorbing Sheets

Clean and Clear makes these fabulous oil absorbing sheets that are phenomenal! They definitely live up to their promise of instantly blotting away excess oil and eliminating shine. They don’t smudge your make-up, they don’t leave behind any residue, and they are super easy to use. These sheets are silky smooth and soft, they can easily be used anywhere on your face. The sheets are super flexible and change color with use so you can actually see the oil that the sheets are absorbing.  They come in a small pop-up package that can easily fit inside your purse or even your pockets! And the best thing about them, besides how effective they are, are that they are super affordable and available at drugstores.