Posts Tagged ‘beauty’

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Colored Mascara: Fun Fad or Fashion Don’t?

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

By Liz W

Colored mascara

Flickr.com user dreamglow

The other day my friend was shocked as she opened her brand new mascara and it was the wrong color. But it wasn’t just brown instead of black, it was electric blue! Colored mascara has gotten little pops of attention over the recent years, but they seem to be lighting up the run ways and red carpets more and more these days. There are many ways you can go with colored mascara, ranging from an eye color enhancing hint of pigment to straight day glow lashes. This trend is definitely one that needs to be followed carefully, as there is a very fine line between looking foxy and looking freaky.

If you are thinking of trying a mascara that enhances your eye color, there are a few out there that look black at first glance, but when they are hit by sunlight, you can see the hint of purple, green, or blue. They claim to make your natural eye color more vibrant using a contrasting color to your iris.

For green eyes, purple is a good choice to make eyes pop, as it has a red base, which is green’s complementary color. If you have blue eyes, a mascara with a hint of gold or amber will turn your eyes from dull to dazzling, as yellow is the opposite of blue. If your eyes are brown, then you are in luck, because you can get away with any color, (besides maybe white or bright yellow) but those colors don’t really go with any complexion.

One trick makeup artists use is to apply a coat of regular black or brown mascara, and then add a color to only the tips of your lashes. This way, your eyes are still well defined, and the look is not as severe.

If you are feeling daring and want to try some florescent hues, then just make sure you do it with a purpose. Colored mascara with no other makeup, stringy hair and a sweat shirt is never a good look. People will think you just stepped out of the loony bin. Instead, dress up and wear it to a party, where crazy makeup is expected, like Rhianna. In my opinion, the eye color that looks really fantastic in bright blue or green is brown eyes, like these beautiful brown eyes, and all other eye colors look best in purple.

After deciding to take the plunge, it’s time to decide on one of the many brands out there offering multi-hued mascaras. This best mascara blog has reviewed some of the most popular, expensive, and affordable, so you can narrow down your options before you hit the stores.

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How to Choose the Right Shade of Lipstick and Blush for your Skin Tone

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

By Liz W

Blush

Flickr.com user Weglet

Good lipstick and blush can be a challenge to find if you don’t know how to choose the correct colors for your skin tone.  If you are having a hard time finding lip and cheek colors that look good on you, and are sick of feeling like a clown, here are some tips that will help you with your search.

Know what your skin’s undertone is.  There are two basic undertone colors, Warm (more yellow), and Cool (more blue).  To determine your skin tone, look at the underside of your arm. If your veins appear bluish you are cool toned, if they appear greenish you are warm toned. If you still can’t tell here is a quiz so you can know for sure.

For warm skin tones, chose colors like, coral, peach, rust, and deep brick reds, like Duwop’s Private Red. Stay away from pinky reds, and mauves as they will contrast badly with the yellow undertones in your skin.

For cool skin tones, chose colors with a blue undertone like Pink, Raspberry, Lavender, and Mauve, like Stila’s Lip Color Sheer in Natalie.

Blush colors follow the exact same rules – it doesn’t matter how light or dark your skin is – it’s just the undertone that you need to match. A bronze or orange-red is a beautiful color for warm skin tones, and purple-pinks, and berry colors will look natural on cool skin.

Follow just these rules, and it will relieve so much agony when buying new shades of lipstick and blush on your next shopping trip.

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Hair Brush Guide – Select the Right Hair Brushes to Create Your Hair Style

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

By Jenna

There are so many different hair brushes on the market that if you’re not an expert, it can be hard to choose which brush is right for your hair type to achieve a specific hair style. Each type of brush is made for different uses, depending on what look you’re trying to achieve. Here’s a hair brush guide that will help you along the way.

Hair brush

flickr user: Ardie96750

The round brush is usually used to give definition or add curl to hairstyles. You can stick to the basic rule of – the smaller the round brush, the tighter the curl. You can use the round brush during a blow out to add volume and some extra “oomph” to your hair. A larger round hair brush is better for longer hair as a smaller round brush for shorter hair. I personally recommend finding a round brush with boar bristles, it lasts longer and the bristles work through your hair perfectly without damaging.

The paddle brush is a fun one to brush your hair with. Not only is it great for straightening medium to long hair, but it smoothes as it lengthens and gives you a slight scalp massage. These brushes are great for styling layers, but they don’t add much volume to layers.

vent brushThe vent hair brush is the brush with holes in the middle of the base of the brush. This enables air to pass through the brush to help for faster hair drying. They are great for detangling your hair and also boosting volume.

Cushion hair brushes are generally made for medium to long hair and can perform the same as the half-round brush. It’s great for day to day use and the added plus is that it also massages the scalp. You can achieve short cuts, round layers and textured outlines after styling with the cushion brush.

There are tons of brushes to choose from, so try to get one that feels comfortable in your hand that you feel best styling with. The brush and dryer can make all the difference and most importantly save time in your beauty routine. Since switching to the right tools to style with, it’s made my routine easier, cuts down time and looks more fabulous than ever. Bring on the complements! J

What are your favorite styling tools?

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Wrinkles Beware: Meet Your Match – Ms. Anti-Aging Serum

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

By Jenna

You’ve got the super thick moisturizer to cure that dry skin during this season, but you’ve noticed that something has been missing. Where are these new lines on my forehead coming from?! Settle down Sally, it’s not the end of the world. In fact there are quite a few things we can do to help stay a perfect beauty besides go under the knife or to the needles. (I know sometimes that seems like the best choice because it’s easy.) Using really good anti-aging serums along with your favorite moisturizer can work wonders for your skin tone, elasticity and those itsy-bitsy fine lines. Lucky for you, I’ve scoured the world for the best serums money can buy, so you don’t have to do all the hard work or spend a ridiculous amount of money. Your skin will thank me for it I promise.

Botox

flickr user: kanpeki yume

What is a serum? A serum usually consists of a thinner consistency than a cream but not completely liquid. It was created for the purpose of delivering ingredients to the skin that most often, a cream or other products cannot do. The molecules are made to be smaller and use different delivery system-methods to have the product penetrate deeper into the skin. Serums can help prevent, and repair wrinkles and is recommended to be applied under sunscreen or a moisturizer. Common ingredients in anti-aging serums are usually peptides, antioxidants, vitamin C and sometimes retinol. The effectiveness of the ingredients in the serum may vary and not all serums have been clinically proven. They can also boost collagen and elastin production, which can decrease the appearance of wrinkles. After trying a slew of them, which ones do I like the best?

Peter Thomas Roth’s Un-Wrinkle definitely does what it says. It UN-WRINKLES. This hasn’t been the first time using this product for me. When I was working back as an esthetician in the Stone Age, I’d add a few drops of this little bad boy in my facial treatments to give them the wow factor when they walked out and looked in the mirror. This serum can be used on all skin types and uses a 23% blend of neuropeptides and peptides. This can help reduce the appearance of deeper wrinkles, fine lines, expression lines etc. Not to mention your skin looks fantastic almost immediately after using it. They do tend to call it “Botox in a bottle” because of the unique ingredients it uses which is my favorite part. It uses 4% SYN-AKE and 10% SNAP-8 that are pain-free synthetic ingredients that mimic snake venom and injectibles to target wrinkle formation. This serum also helps boost collagen production, increase firmness and visibly reduce the appearance of wrinkles. I’ve loved this line of anti-aging products so much; I have also bought the Wrinkle Preventer and the Un-Wrinkle eye cream.

Since sometimes serums can have a lot of artificial ingredients and fillers in them, it’s good to try out something on the natural and organic side once in a while. One of my favorite hydrating serums is John Masters Organics Green Tea and Rose Hydrating Face Serum. This serum has a blend of nourishing certified organic ingredients that focus on the hydration of your skin. At the same time this serum encourages collagen production and stimulates cell turnover leaving your skin radiant and gorgeous after application. It’s also full of antioxidants to nourish your skin and help your complexion. What I love about this is how silky it is on application and it doesn’t interfere with your eye makeup. It leaves your skin dewy and supple. This is perfect for any skin care regimen.

Another that I’ve fallen in love with blindsided me because I personally thought it was too good to be true. At lunch one day talking about my mission of finding the fountain of youth, my friend had recommended I try iQ Derma’s SkinTensive xCel serum day and night to help me with my lovely fine lines. They offer a free trial and focus on anti-aging formulas made with “intelligent ingredients.” After using for about 3 days morning and night I was astonished to see the results even after the first day. It helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and it really shows. I feel like those lines of mine are diminishing faster and faster, not to mention my sun spots have been evened out quite a bit, which was an added bonus. Since using this, my wrinkles have improved and it’s more radiant than ever. When applying you don’t have to use much, so you don’t feel like you’re wasting product and it glides on evenly not interfering with makeup either. I’ll be using this one for a while.

When on your own search for that perfect anti-aging miracle serum, just remember that samples can be your best friend and don’t be afraid to branch out and try new brands! Not every product is meant for every skin type but I highly recommend using a serum under your moisturizer ever day. It’s great for reducing the appearance of wrinkles and it’s amazing for prevention. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

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Makeup Trends Throughout the Decades – Beauty Looks of the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s & 90’s

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

By Liz W
As we approach a new decade, it is fun to try and guess how we will be remembered by the generations after us. Being in the midst of it all makes it difficult to predict which trends will define our time, and which ones will be forgotten. Makeup trends over the last 10 years have been shocking and risk taking, but overall, I think our looks measure up well to the past few decades. Generations before us and the beauty looks of the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s inspired our definition of beauty and influenced the makeup trends during the first decade of the 21st Century.

Makeup trends

Flickr.com user K E T S U

In the 60’s it was all about super long lashes, thick cat eye liner, pastel shadow, and frosted pale lips. Being known for its psychedelic glamour, the 60’s look is imitated today, with huge lash rimmed smokey eyes paired with nude glossy lips being a red carpet staple since the start of the millennium.

In the 70’s, the hot look was sun kissed and shimmery. Everyone wanted to look like Farah Fawcett, with dewy bronze skin, lightly defined eyes, and of course the feathered hair. Natural was in, and the makeup trend was less is more. If there is anything that has boomed over the last ten years, it’s the tanning industry. Sun worshipers are paying the price for years of unprotected sun exposure, and most of us have turned to sunless tanners to get that back from the beach glow, without the risk.

The 80’s traded natural for neon, and are still thought of as the wildest and most brightly colored decade. No particular shade was in, unless you consider “rainbow” a color. Bright pink lips and over the top everything went perfectly with the highly spirited (and pigmented) decade. The 80’s looks have been making a comeback in recent years with day glow lips and bold colored eye shadows; they are just applied in a less shocking way today.

80s makeup

Flickr.com user Max Braun

As if the pattern was pre-planned, the 90’s flipped right back to the dark side. Color was out, and nude “anti-fashion” was in. The peppy beat of the 80’s was replaced with the grungy heroin chic attitude and style of the 90’s.   Today, the obsession with vampires (instead of rail thin runway models) has re-inspired the half-dead slept-on-hair and eyeliner look.

With such a mixture of styles to choose from, it is hard to say how we will be remembered. Hopefully in ten more years we aren’t shaking our heads with embarrassment as we look through old photos. But that being said, (besides a few red carpet makeup and fashion mishaps) I think we should be proud how beautifully we started the 2000’s.

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Must Haves: Hot Nail Colors for New Years Eve 2009

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

So you have the perfect look picked out for New Year’s Eve: the dress, the shoes, the hair, the makeup all done and set in stone. What’s missing? Those little piggies. Having a manicure to match brings your entire outfit together and gives your look some extra pizzazz while you’re dancing the night away. After scouring the planet for the hottest nail color trends, I’ve picked out some trendy nail colors that’ll make you sizzle and ready for the big 2010 kick off.

Silver and gold are always a trend for the holidays and celebrating New Year’s Eve, but who wants to be repetitive? Opi’s Holiday Wishes line has the perfect pairing of this season’s hottest colors and glitter to give your fingers a stunning glow. This collection has 6 “wish-upon-a-star reds” and 6 “most-wanted-for” dark and neutral tones. To keep my outfit current, I’ve chosen to go with Shim-Merry Chic. It has the perfect bronzy-gold color with a dash of gold flecks in it to be the perfect color to compliment my skin, outfit and hands without going overboard. For a darker color, Holiday glow or Merry Midnight are exquisite choices as well.

Matte colors have been a nail color trend for 2009 and we’ve seen it on celebrities and friends alike. Experimenting with this trend, I’ve found that these matte colors have to be dead on and applied very well otherwise it can get a little sloppy. Trying out a few colors like jade green, bubblegum pink, dark emerald and navy, I found that the colors that looked good on my nails were the darker shades.  A great line of colors to try for your New Year’s party is Zoya’s MatteVelvet Winter Collection. I absolutely LOVE all three of these colors and Savita looks exceptional with mostly every skin tone. Veruschka is also another gem to try and the darker green is elegant and festive.

If you’re looking for a more natural look for the big countdown, colors like nude and taupe would be a good choice. SpaRitual’s Forbidden Fall/Winter collection has gorgeous colors like Mystic and Inner Sanctum to give your fingers a classic, simple look. Another way to go is choosing a lighter color that has an iridescent look. She’s A River and It’s Raining Men are also good colors from SpaRitual.

2010 is only hours away, so make sure that you make the night one to remember and give your fingers some extra love. Remember, one key thing that people look at are your hands, and they always tell your age. If keeping them cute isn’t reason enough, keep your mitts youthful and give them some extra love and care. Most importantly, after making your extremities beautiful: Have fun its New Year’s!

Source: Flickr User Carbonated

Source: Flickr User Carbonated

Happy celebrating!

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Hair and Skin Detox

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

By Liz W

Hair and skin detox

Flickr.com user sanberdoo

Usually people are so focused on adding things to their hair and skin, like deep conditioners and moisturizers, they forget that what their beauty routine really needs is a good scrub down. Although it is wonderful to treat your hair and skin to rebuilding and thirst quenching products, sometimes, just the opposite is in order.

Over time, even when using the best beauty products, your hair and scalp will need a good cleanse to remove build up left over from hairspray, mouse, you name it. And even if acne is a distant memory, anti-wrinkle creams will work much better on fresh de-clogged skin.

A quick and inexpensive way to detox your hair is to add a teaspoon of white or apple cider vinegar to your daily cleansing shampoo. This will remove buildup and help smooth and close the hair cuticle. When the hair cuticle is damaged or exposed to heat, it opens and causes the hair to look dull and frizzy, so closing it down will add amazing shine, leaving you with ultra healthy looking hair.

For your skin, the best ways to detoxify are by working from the inside out. Everything you put (and don’t put) in your body shows up on your skin. Make sure to eat a well balanced diet full of whole, unprocessed foods and drink plenty of water. Equal to eating well, exercising is one of the most important things to do for your skin too, as it gets your blood flowing, and body sweating out those toxins.

Even if you eat a perfectly healthy diet, and get all your beauty sleep, it never hurts to treat your skin from the outside too. Dry brushing is an amazing way to stimulate cell turn over and unclog pores. Some people claim it is so effective they don’t even need to use body lotion after showering! For a similar treatment suitable for your face, a facial brush, like the Clarisonic can work wonders for removing dirt and makeup buried in your pores.

We all slip up once in a while and indulge ourselves with too much champagne and holiday treats, but as long as we focus on cleansing our bodies after polluting them with heavy makeup and red meat, we should all be able to stay un-blemished and un-bloated well through the New Year.

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Halloween Makeup Tricks and Treats

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

By Liz W

Flickr.com user jessicaflavin

Flickr.com user jessicaflavin

Flickr.co user Faithful Chant

Flickr.co user Faithful Chant

Even if you don’t know the first thing about how to apply makeup and prefer to go au naturel during most days, Halloween is a time when a bare face just won’t do. For those of you who shudder at the thought of high pigment shadows and false eyelashes, here are a few makeup tips and tricks to easily achieve your Halloween look.

The cat eye is a look that goes with almost any costume, whether your costume is sexy or scary, the cat eye can be modified to fit them all.

For a sweeter face, like a fairy or school girl, use a liquid liner to define the top lash line and extend the line past the corners and slightly up. Then blend a light shimmery shadow on the eyelids and apply a darker shade to the creases to create definition. If it’s glitz you’re going for, lightly dust some iridescent glitter over your eyelids and cheekbones for a seductive sparkle.

If you want a darker look that is more twilight and less twinkly, use the same first steps, but skip the glitter and deepen the crease shade which creates instsant sultriness. You can also use a small liner brush and line the bottom lash line with the same darker shadow. The trick is to blend, blend, blend, and don’t expect it to look perfect right away. If any shadow falls under your eyes a little liquid foundation will clear it away, giving you a flawless, professional makeup application.

Finish both looks with a fun set of false lashes applied right against your real lash line. To make them look more realistic, apply a thick coat of mascara to both your real and false lashes.  Pretty much any Halloween costume goes well with a smokey cat eye, just decide whether it’s innocent sex appeal or sultry splendor you want to achieve and tweak it to fit your look.

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Makeup Looks for Halloween

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

By Liz W

Ghostly look

Flickr.com user Geishaboy500

To transform your usual glowing skin to appear ghostly, it’s not just really pale foundation that does the trick, a really heavy smokey eye and dark lip will create that extra contrast for a ghoulish gaunt look.

Flickr.com user BinJabreel

Flickr.com user BinJabreel

You don’t need a professional makeup artist to go from fresh faced to feline, the cat eye is easy to achieve with some liquid liner and a steady hand. Just extend the liner out past the corners of your eyes and go over it with a smokey shadow to smudge away any imperfections.

Flickr.com user arianne...

Flickr.com user arianne...

Almost no fantasy make up look is complete without a set of false lashes. The trick is to put them on correctly right up against your natural lash line. This way they will look more realistic and will stay secure all night

Flickr.com user Jacob Motrasio

Flickr.com user Jacob Motrasio

If you desire a more natural makeup look this Halloween,just glam up your daily makeup by adding some liquid liner and bright lipstick.

Flickr.com user Fotographix

Flickr.com user Fotographix

The super smokey eye is a makeup trend that goes with almost any costume. These girls go for even more drama with pale faces and false lashes.

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From Botox to Plastic Surgery – Dr. Babak Azizzadeh’s “Beverly Hills Beauty Secrets” gives you the scoop on anti-aging secrets of the stars

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

Ever wonder how celebs seem to age at a much slower pace than most? Ever consider getting an injectable like Botox or something more dramatic like plastic surgery? Beautyfix Panelist and Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon Dr. Babak Azizzadeh co-authored a book “Beverly Hills Beauty Secrets” with Dermatologist Dr. Douglas Hamilton that gives you the 411 on just about every anti-aging procedure that’s out there.

Beverly Hills Beauty Secrets

“Beverly Hills Beauty Secrets” really tells it all – from face creams to botox to chemical peels to going under the knife – after reading this book you will truly have an understanding of all of the options that are out there to look your youngest. This almost encyclopedic gem is a must-have resource for anyone considering either surgical or non-surgical facial treatments. This book stresses the importance of prevention and gives guidelines for each decade starting from your twenties and beyond. I particularly like that they discuss the psychological side of facial procedures, and encourage the reader to really think about what their goals are and why. This book actually helps you decide what to change, and breaks things down into what procedures work best for specific areas of the face. You’ll also learn how long different injectables last, alternatives to face-lifts, and the facts about plastic surgery. The doctors are also quite frank about post-procedural down time, the effectiveness of each treatment, and how much it all costs. They even give advice on how to find the right doctor.

Would you consider getting a surgical procedure to look younger?

Dr. Babak AzizzadehMORE ABOUT DR. AZIZZADEH:

Dr. Babak Azizzadeh is a Harvard-trained Facial Plastic Surgeon who specializes exclusively in the cosmetic and reconstructive surgery of the face, eyes and nose. He is the Director of The Center for Facial and Nasal Plastic Surgery (Beverly Hills, California; Greater Los Angeles Area) and board-certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. His expertise in cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery has made him one of the most sought-after surgeons in the country. He has been featured in The Oprah Winfrey Show, ABC News, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Discovery Health, and numerous other media for his expertise in facial plastic surgery. Dr. Azizzadeh is also the Course Director of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s “Advances in Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery”

After graduating from the UCLA School of Medicine with highest honors, Dr. Azizzadeh completed a six-year residency program in Head and Neck Surgery/Facial Plastic Surgery at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. He then completed a sub-specialized fellowship in Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at Harvard Medical School.

For the past two decades, Dr. Azizzadeh has been actively engaged in clinical and basic science research helping to advance the field of facial plastic surgery. He has received many honors and awards for his research endeavors. Furthermore, he has published numerous articles, as well as, presented at the national and international level. As an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCLA, Dr. Azizzadeh is also actively involved in teaching facial plastic surgery to residents and medical students.

In addition to his busy surgical practice, Dr. Azizzadeh has also been actively involved in several humanitarian organizations and is the West Coast Surgical Coordinator for Medical Missions for Children.

Dr. Azizzadeh practices in Beverly Hills, California in the greater Los Angeles area.

Specialties:

Revision rhinoplasty, facial rejuvenation, facial paralysis & Bell’s palsy reconstruction, blepharoplasty, facelifts, primary rhinoplasty, botox, restylane, radiesse, juvederm, perlane, fat grafting, fami, nasal reconstruction

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