The Daily Beauty Break

Allright boys and girls………..my sign up box is complete so it’s time to giveaway some skincare!!!! You all know that I am a control FREAK when it comes to my skin…and I was blessed to have found Your Best Face skincare products before summer hit us this year……DEFEND has been my favorite beauty tool thus far this summer….when I am on a photo shoot it gives me such confidence because….. 1.It helps makeup go on seamlessly and 2. I know that my face won’t end up looking like an oil-slick (and I won’t gross out the model that I am working on)….there is nothing worse than layering on the powder when it hits TRIPLE digit heat here in Texas.

So I was pleased-as-punch when my friends at Your Best Face told me they would sponsor a giveaway to officially launch Daily Beauty Break!!!

Get aload of this:

Grand Prize: 1 Full-size of each product in YBF’s skincare arsenal…..   DEFEND.CONTROL.CORRECT.RESTORE. (a $550 dollar value)

3 Runner-up Prizes: 1 Full-size DEFEND (a $120 Value)

What do I need from you? Just leave me a comment…introduce yourself, and tell me YOUR FAVORITE BEAUTY PRODUCT…..(get creative)!

The Rules: Four (4) winners will be chosen from the qualified entrants. To qualify for entry, you must follow the entry rules as outlined in this post. This giveaway is open to USA residents only. Please enter only once; duplicate entries will be detected and discarded. Entry deadline is August 23, 2008 at midnight US ET. The winners will be chosen via random drawing and will be announced here on The Daily Beauty Break, and contacted via email.
*Please note that I will not share your email address with anyone! I only use your email address to contact you if you are a winner. However, if you do not enter a valid email address, you will be disqualified.

Now “Come and get it!!” Can’t wait to hear from you……….

Be Beautiful Ya’ll!!!

Okay…I admit it. I am kind of a beauty product know-it-all…I mean, it’s my job for Christ’s sake! You would think after years of pouring over fashion magazines, working the counters at stores like Nordstrom, Sephora and Ulta, I would know EVERY single cosmetic line there is to know, right? Well…guess again. I just discovered Senna cosmetics…and as a very picky professional makeup artist I am super impressed by their product selection…Senna has makeup, skincare and even beauty tools (they have THE cutest turquoise makeup brushes y’all)!

Why am I so in love? Because Senna cosmetics is the baby of Eugenia Weston (who I have followed for years, phew I guess I’m not TOTALLY out of it)…makeup artist to the stars…Eugenia has worked with legendary fashion photographers (HELLO,Herb Ritts?), has had her makeup nominated for Emmy’s, and Kevin Aucion even dedicated his book to her……….the woman has had a career path paved with gold ( I want Eugenia’s career when I grow up!) Seriously, she has had an amazing journey in the beauty world (and she started Senna in 1976)….so she kind of knows what she’s doing when it comes to formulating makeup!

I love these new Lip Sync lipstick/gloss Duos($24)! This two-in-one lip duo allows maximum creativity….and my favorite one is called Stunning…the lipstick is a gorgeous golden/rose color that is perfect for the office. The gloss is a “stunning” gold color (and tastes like a latte…yummy!) and is perfect for slicking on and running errands during the weekend…..Put them together and BAM!! You are ready for a night out on the town girlfriend……..Seriously, never been a real fan of gold gloss because i think they tend to wash out the skin but not this one (I think it’s because it is wonderfully sheer)! Put one of these baby’s in your makeup bag and you are good to go….they take up absolutely no space at all but have you covered from noon ’til night. Perfect for the girl on the go!

The reason I probably never came across Senna before is because it is only available at Senna studios in CA and at exclusive salons and beauty boutiques across the country….click here to find a retailer close to you!

Be Beautiful Y’all…….

So I know that it’s SUPER early to be thinking about fall hair but when my favorite celebrity hairdressers’ speak, I listen. I’ve been pouring over my fashion magazines the last few days and it’s all about Fall…but let’s face it, for me hair just ain’t fun…so anytime I can get quick and EASY tips to change it up I jump!!!!!! And now that I am growing mine out I need all the help I can get to keep myself from getting a “chemical cut” by dying too often. (I like change)

Riggio predicts these will be the trends that will be taking the runways by storm this season:

The Low Ponytail (by far MY favorite look…talk about EASY girls…)-”Those girls who know they look great with their hair pulled back should definitely rock this look for fall,” says Riggio. “Before you gather your hair and pull it all back, section out a piece of hair at the nape of the neck. After you pull your hair away from your face, brush it with a Mason Pearson brush-every woman should invest in one. This will ensure that the hair visually moves backwards and remains uniform. Tack slicked hair into place with light hairspray to prevent flyaways. Fasten the ponytail with a clear hair band, then take the hair that’s sectioned out and wrap it around the ponytail, using a bobby pin to fasten.”

Sleek Flat Ironed Hair-(been there, done that) “To get this look, start by blow drying using a small amount of your favorite relaxing cream,” Riggio recommends. “If hair is too stubborn to go straight, use a brush that is part plastic and part boar bristle. A ceramic flat iron is the best choice for straightening, as it’s very forgiving on the hair. After ironing, use a light application of your favorite glossing drops as a finishing touch.”

Braids-(SUPER cute, but kind of scary for the over 30 set..one of those annoying deals…I can see some else rockin the look but feel silly doing it on myself……(I can say that because I AM 34 y’all!))”Braids are going to make a comeback this year,” Riggio predicts. “But don’t envision Little Bo Peep-these braided up-dos are chic and bohemian all in one. The great thing about braids is that most girls can do them on their own. I recommend making random mid-thickness braids in the back of your head and a few from the side, leaving the front pieces straight. Then twist and wrap the braids around one another in a bun, making sure you intertwine the straighter pieces from the front and sides in with the braids. Secure the bun with bobby pins and remember to leave the style a little messy.”

Full Hair- (no problem for moi…I have too much hair…how come we always want what we don’t have?) “Bouncing, full, sexy hair is a great look for women who have wavy hair and don’t normally wear it down or flat iron it,” explains Riggio. “There are many ways to achieve this look-use a brush and blow dry, or use a large barreled curling iron. Even though roller sets can be a little time consuming, they do wonders for achieving this luscious look.”

So there you have it ladies…hopefully this will give you some inspiration to go “outside the box” next time you get out of the shower……..I know I will! Thanks to Guy and his team at John Frieda for the great tips!

Be Beautiful Ya’ll!

So let me start off by warning you…I am Burts Bees freak! I have loved every product of theirs I have ever tried and I gotta say….the fact that they don’t contain any harmful petro-chemicals or other nasty ingredients that can harm me or the environment really helps. Honestly, the first time I bought Burt’s I didn’t try their products because of their altruism ( woo…fancy word,Josi!)..I just loved using their lotions and potions….but now, well hey! If you can help save the world WHILE getting pretty, why the heck not!

If you’ve ever read anything I have ever posted before, you know that my life is all about WAR ON ACNE! I keep my dermatolgist on speed-dial and have tried everything out there in order to get clear skin…and here is the latest weapon in my arsenal…Burts Bees Herbal Blemish Stick ($8.50).

I love this little guy. It has a great rollerball applicator and the formula literally sinks right into your skin. You can use it under your moisturizer and other treatment products without getting any annoying product peeling (I HATE that). It is alcohol-based so you don’t need much; however I haven’t noticed it being too drying….and the proof is in the pudding…my zits are clearing….mainly it seems to have really toned down the redness.

Yippee! Burts Bees Products can be found in Walmart, Target and other drugstores….be sure to check out your local Target and Walmart  soon because last time I went they had new and improved Burt’s Bees stock!

Bee Beautiful…….(pun intended)

I love John Frieda. I remember when I was teenager and the original Frizz-Ease came out….John was one of the first to take dimethicone and apply it to the hair. …….and BOY! did he start a revolution.…these days you can barely find a haircare product on the market without it!  Back then I was a “long-hair” girl so Frizz-Ease really changed my life….unfortunately if I would’ve know then that I will still be battling it out with my hair I would’ve said, “Shoot me NOW!!!!”

No really, I am always looking for easy ways to get healthier-looking hair…..(keyword EASY)…and it looks like the hair magicians granted my wish….their new Frizz-Ease Creme Serum OVERNIGHT Repair Formula couldn’t be easier to use…just put in a dollop in dry hair before you hit the sack and wake up to shiny, luxurious locks!

The ONLY thing that freaked me out at first about this was getting it on my pillow or having it clog my pores (lord knows I don’t need any help in the clogged pore department). Well…no worries! This creme feels like silk, very luxurious…..it absorbs super fast and has a light clean scent…..I went to bed feeling blissful…..I was sleeping AND getting pretty! And Look Ma, no new zits!

The best part was the next day….after I shampooed and blow-dried my hair it BARELY needed to be smoothed..it was soft and shiny….and BEST of all…EASY!!!!!

John Frieda can be found at your local everything store and the Overnight Repair Serum retails for under $10 bucks.

Be Beautiful Ya’ll!

Have you seen this? I stumbled upon this little beauty in the new issue of  Instyle magazine (yeah, I’m a magazine junkie too)….I want it! The new Givenchy Phenomen Eyes Mascara ($27) comes with a MAGIC WAND…short and round so really helps you get into the base of each lash…giving eyes SUPER definition….and it looks like since it’s so small and perfectly shaped that you wouldn’t end up getting mascara all over the rest of your face…(I HATE that when you are done spending all the time to put on fancy eye makeup and then you go to put your mascara on and mess it all up….).

This crop of newly designed mascara wands on the market are really amazing me y’all…..Looks like I will just have to make a trip to Sephora to purchase me some.

Be Beautiful!

Let’s face it girls…….you can powder and shellac all day long, but if your skin ain’t right, your makeup ain’t right. I was blessed to have discovered Your Best Face Skincare a few months ago and their Defend Oil-Control Premium Protection Synergystic Anti-Aging (…Phew!…. Is that a mouthful?) serum has SAVED my skin this summer. Check out my initial review over at TheMakeupGirl.

Well…… I am happy to say that Darrell and Kimberely (CEO’s and founders of YBF) like me…..and are going to share thier love of skincare with YOU here at the Daily Beauty Break…they are sponsoring a HUGE give-away….One Grand-Prize of 4 full-size bottles of all thier product formulas ( a $550 dollar value) and THREE Runner-up prizes of a full-size bottle of Defend (a $120 dollar value).

So stay tuned….once we get Daily Beauty Break all dailed in all you have to do is sign up…and leave me a quick comment to enter the drawing.

OH and ANOTHER little tidbit….The first 30 readers to sign up for The Daily Beauty Break will be eligible to recieve a Deluxe-sized sample sent directly from my friends at YBF.

I LOVE Sharing the LOVE Ya’ll!!!!!!

Sorry Y’all but I HAD to do it…even though I spent years 11-30 in Seattle; I was raised in Texas…and once you “live” here it’s hard to imagine yourself anywhere else…..but let’s get it on the table right now……. I am for sure a “Blue Girl in a Red State“. Yes, we are all not gun-toting’, bible-thumpin beauties here….However, I do think we Texas women have something in common...WE LOVE TO DRESS UP!

And as much as we keep hearing lately that our economy is in the crapper, I was watching the news yesterday only to have it confirmed that the beauty biz ain’t feelin’ it!! MaryKay says that her lipstick sales are up 60% from last year..and it makes sense, when you feel bad nothing makes you feel better than a new lipstick,right?

And since MaryKay’s headquarters are literally 10 minutes from my house here on ‘ol Magnolia Drive…I just had to try out their new Eco-friendly BeautytoGo compact. Now I ain’t gonna lie…being a professional makeup artist I have tried lines like MaryKay in the past and was just not a fan. Not enough pigment for me…..

Well think again Josi!!! I tried their new compact and found their new makeup formulas to be very improved. Granted, you aren’t going to get a MAC quality pigment level, but day-to-day who really needs that? (and I’ll be honest, most of my clients wouldn’t know what to with all that color anyways…)

I really found their new BeautytoGo magnetic refillable compact to be extremely user-friendly, the magnetic refills are super easy to get in and out..and it is really tiny, but big enough to “get her done”… with a GREAT mirror inside. It holds three eye shadows (enough colors to do a smokey eye girls), a blush and  a full-size lipstick……..all while managing to be the perfect size for your purse…and even better this little beauty has a Suggested Retail Price of only $18 bucks.

Yay MaryKay!!! Click on this link to find your local  Independent Beauty Consultant…..and if you are in Texas just wait until someone approaches you next time you go into the grocery store, lol! (no really, I have been approached so many times when out shopping……).But seriously, you gotta hand it to MaryKay for empowering women and blessing them with the ability to take their care of their own…and for you Makeup-phobes (oooo…I just made up a new word) or Beauty Newbies, their consultants can give you the instruction you need to look your best!!!!!!

Be Beautiful Y’all!!!!!

Hey y’all! Here are some quick tips that Brooke Shields beauty team sent me….can you imagine having a “beauty team”? (If I could just have someone come over to blow-out my hair everyday I would be in heaven…)

To show that women can have it all without constantly making trade-offs, I’d like to introduce Brooke’s Healthy Upgrade Team. The team consists of three experts including celebrity beauty expert Jeanne Yang, celebrity fitness trainer Stacey Griffith and Dr Michele Dozier, a practicing dentist. These gals provide Brooke Shields with advice to help her look and feel her best on-camera and off and now they’re bringing the same tips and advice to us at The Daily Beauty Break.

As one of Hollywood’s top beauty and fashion stylists with several celebrity clients including Brooke Shields and a mother of five-year old twins, Jeanne know how important it is to find quick and easy tips that leave mom with plenty of family time. Here are some of her quick tips :

• Carry a little bottle of jojoba oil, which serves multiple purposes for women on the go. Rub it into your nails and cuticles to moisturize or apply a few drops to your hair, which will help you sweep it up into a quick ponytail or bun.
• To maintain soft skin and a tanned look, mix a bronzing lotion with body lotion and self tanner. This is also an easy way to skip applying foundation on the face and still achieve a bronzed, even skin tone. Jeanne used this technique on a magazine shoot with Brooke Shields.( I never thought of adding my own bronzer to body lotion….I’ll totally have to try this!!!)
  

Stacey is a fitness veteran and founder of SoulCycle, a premier indoor cycling studio. She regularly trains celebrity clients including Brooke Shields and approaches fitness with an eye on the body and mind. Here are some of her healthy upgrade fitness tips:

• Turn on the music and dance. You can even do it while you are washing dishes or folding laundry. It provides a cardio boost to your day and helps burn body fat. One of Brooke’s favorite pastimes is dancing with her children…(mine is going dancing w/o the kids, is that so wrong?)
• Get a workout while you’re cleaning. While standing by the sink, grab a sponge with some soap and start making tiny little clockwise circles, as you emulsify the bubbles under soft running water. Then increase the pace a little and make the circles a little bigger. Switch hands, rinse and repeat. These moves can strengthen the biceps, triceps, and pectoral muscles if done repetitively…..(um yeah, I guess it beats going to the gym AND cleaning, right?)

Dr. Dozier is the Director of Operations for the Maryland Children’s Oral Health Institute and an Associate Dentist for Valley Dental Pediatrics in Baltimore, Md. She’s provided Brooke Shields with oral care tips so that she can maintain her healthy, white smile. Her goal is to educate all women about how to get the bright, white smile they crave in a healthy way. Here are two ways to do that:

• Take a break from tooth-staining antioxidants such as blueberries and cherries. Instead, try eating oranges, pineapple, and kiwi, each of which is rich in the antioxidants that dieticians recommend but are less likely to stain your teeth…(because we all know Josi’s teeth are stained from eating fresh fruit…not from smoking and drinking..LOL)!
• Look for a toothpaste that proactively protects against problems like plaque, tartar build-up, and gum inflammation. Colgate Total® Advanced Whitening delivers this protection with a unique 12 hour germ-fighting formula. It combines this long-lasting protection with an advanced whitening silica system to help you achieve a bright, healthy smile.

It’s amazing what small steps women can take that will lead to their own healthy upgrade. All they need are simple things that they can weave into their already busy lifestyles. We are all so happy to be working together as part of Brooke’s Healthy Upgrade Team.

Thanks for the tips girls….as long as I have been in this business I am still a  junkie for a great beauty tip!

Be Beautiful Ya’ll!!!

Aussie totally reminds me of high school. I used thier 3 minute miracle like it was going out of style..(remember that smell?). Well a few years back while visiting family in Seattle I noticed that my hair was just GOOD…soft and shiny and just BETTER than it looks in Texas. I thought it was the water until I realized it was the Aussie Moist shampoo in my Dad’s shower…so I got hooked, got girlfriends hooked (even my best girlfriend Megan who’s pet peeve is the word MOIST, hee hee)!

So I was thrilled when I saw that they had launched a new line called Opposites Attract. This stuff is all about the touch….the yummy new formula uses Wild Cherry Bark and Mango Fruit Extracts to smooth and protect. And the smell? Well I won’t have any high school flashbacks…(thank GOD)…it is delish!

Aussie Opposites Attract can be found everywhere and each item retails for under $3 bucks. Yippee!!! Pick it up next time you visit your everything store..you’ll love it!

XoXo…..