The Daily Beauty Break

Hello beautiful people! Well, FINALLY I am on my way to becoming a little more beautiful…..no seriously, if you know anything about my own adventures in beauty, you know that I have SUFFERED from horrible adult acne (of the cystic variety)…not only is it incredibly embarrassing to be a makeup artist with acne (thank God I am one though, or I probably would NEVER leave the house) but these little (big) suckers hurt!!! And since they are always along my jawline and mouth I can FEEL them when I am talking to someone…talk about self-conscious…..

When it comes to treatment of acne I’ve been there done that. I’ve done every kind of antibiotic (topical and oral), Azelaic Acid, cortisone injections, peels,ProActiv, Accutane (once when I was a teen…) and pretty much every prescription Retinoid on the market. I knew it was time to call in the big guns and did some research…and that was when I found Dr. Turner and her DermLaser Institute here in Dallas,TX. Dr. Turner and her staff were incredibly sweet and had a very calm, welcoming demeanor….and it always helps when an office offers stickers and jewelry to your 4 year old monster (I mean girl….)!!!!!

What I loved about the institute is that Dr. Turner combines a conventional dermatology practice with her cosmetic expertise….I was able to get my yearly full-body exam AND a cosmetic consultation at the same visit…Botox, anyone? More on that later……

But right now let’s just talk about zits. Dr. Turner gave my regime a jump start by first starting me on Spirolactone.…initially used to treat high blood pressure, spiro is an anti-androgen….meaning it blocks the body’s absorption of too much of this pesky little hormone that can cause hormonal cystic acne, excess facial hair and water retention. A beauty pill? HELLO, I’ll take it. I first heard of spiro at a recent photo shoot. After bitching to everyone a model I was working on and the other makeup artist told me they were using it…… and it was working wonders for them. So Yeah, I almost squealed a bit when Dr. Turner started off my suggested treatment with it…I proceeded to go home and Google the drug and you have GOT to read the reviews at Acne.org….my only question is why my previous dermatologist didn’t suggest it????

Second, Dr. Turner changed up my Retinoid from Ziana (which was NOT working) to Differin. I tried Differin a few years back and found it really it drying, but Dr. Turner prescibed a cream-based formula. I used it last night and it didn’t sting a bit and this am my skin looks great!!!

So yeah, I am SUPER hopeful this time. I am so happy to have found Dr. Turner and her beautiful institute….she works really hard to stay on top of all the latest and greatest in cosmetic dermatology (hey, kind of like I do with makeup! ) and it shows…..Next review? Anti-aging…Dr. Turner is REALLY good at injections…how do I know? Well….more to be revealed later…lol!

Stayed tuned for more on “War on Acne” and Be Beautiful ya’ll…..

So in a perfect world I paint my nails (and toes) once a week….however, in reality it isn’t that often that I can make it this long without some MAJOR chip or snag……I had tried Zoya nail polishes ($6) a few years ago and must have gotten an old bottle because I DID NOT like it…way too thick and don’t even remember if it chipped or not…

Well last polish time I tried it again….and got a fresh new bottle….it went on SUPER smooth, dried SUPER fast and heck…my nails look GREAT and I am on like, DAY 5!

And Zoya is “good for you beauty” because their polish is free of formaldehyde, toluene or dibutyl phthalate (DBP) in over 60 colors. These polishes are free of cancer and birth defect causing ingredients and are safe for pregnant women.

Life “changing”? No. Life “enhancing”, for SURE! Be sure to try out Zoya next go around ladies…and make sure you get a fresh bottle by ordering from Futurenatural…….they send out all their orders in these cute little natural canvas bags that are perfect for toiletries (I have mine in my makeup kit), re-gifting or lingerie!

Be Beautiful Y’all………

Ah, Dr. Obagi….a dermatologist after my own heart…..when it comes to skincare he believes that “more is better”….and the tag line for his first OTC skincare line, ZO Skin Health is… “Fight Aging. Fight Hard.” I agree…(when it comes to looks anyways…)! , I’ve read up on Dr. Obagi and as far as derms go he is THE MAN…. for over 20 years he has been a leader in his field and has “been there done that”, with his own line of px products and products only available from your dermatologists…Well, finally Dr. Obaqi decided to come up with his own line for department stores…and it is available as of this month exclusively in Nordstrom stores, at the Studio at Fred Segal and at ZO Skinhealth.com.

Turns out Dr. Obagi has once again “shattered the status quo” and introduced a brave new world to the anti-aging community ( yes, I figure we are a community, lol!) ZO Skin Health was developed with a revolutionary idea….That moisturizers actually make the skin LAZY….when we constantly moisturize our skin our cells come to depend on it…and instead of repairing, renewing and growing new cells itself,our skin cells hit the couch….complete with TIVO remote and a large pizza…. (well maybe only MY skin) and gets OLD!

Makes sense if you think about it! Well…I’ve been on the juice now for two weeks and I gotta say…my skin is definitely becoming more active!!! I’ve been using ZO Skin Health OSSENTIAL Radical Night Repair in tandem with thier OSSENTIAL Growth Factor Serum. ..and my skin has definitely gotten off the couch ya’ll! The Radical Night Repair has a stellar 1% Retinol…(about 10 times the industry average). It’s the strongest thing available on the market right now without a prescription….BUT it works like one….my skin has been pretty peely….not as bad as with my prescriptions (thank god) but enough to know that it’s working!!! And BONUS, BONUS…my cystic acne is a third of what it was!!!!! The Growth Factor Serum goes on last….it smells kind of vitamin-ey (a good thing I think) and is super soothing (and feels moisturizing even though there are no traditional “moisturizers” in it).

Bottom-line, I can see real change in my skin with these two products…..WAY more than I ever got with department store skincare in the past (and I’ve tried them all…from La Prairie to Philosophy)….I’m looking forward to seeing even more new skin revealed……but first, you gotta get through some dirt to see the gold underneath!!!

Stay tuned…..(and be beautiful ya’ll)!

Hello my beauties! I’ve been meaning to tell you about my favorite local brow guru ever since I started writing The Daily Beauty Break! Zaibee’s is my go-to place for body waxing (I had my first bikini wax EVER there…why did I wait so long?), all kinds of skin services and MY favorite facial hair removal method, THREADING…they are on Allure’s list of salons to visit in Dallas and Zaibee does all the celebrities when they are in town….

Super cool, threading is an ancient technique that pulls out the hair from the root without touching the skin (I don’t know how these magicians manage it…it takes years of training to master)….perfect for moi, because with my Retin-A use and inflammatory acne my skin needs NO help in the redness and irritation department!

My momma DEFINITELY didn’t tell me that at 30+ I would A. still have acne to treat and B. Grow a moustache (and what’s up with those random BLACK hairs I keep finding along my jawline????) Well thank goodness I found Zaibee…because the moustache is no longer…and for the first time in my life my “Brooke Shields” brows manage to look elegant and polished while maintaining thier fullness ( it’s SO hard to find someone that can shape good THICK brows, in my opinion).

Zaibee’s is super affordable….you buy a “Preferred Card” once a year ( I want to say it was around $30) my brows are $8 and my upperlip is only $6…and the REALLY nice thing about it? Since they pull from the root my threading usually lasts 3 weeks!!!! What I really love is that I NEVER make an appt…they LOVE walk-ins…and I have never waited more than a few minutes (except maybe on a Saturday…if you go on a Saturday, best to make an appointment).

So go visit Zaibee if you are a local girl…..they have two locations, one in Richardson (where I go) and one in Plano….and be sure to tell them I said Hello!

Keep those Brows Beautiful Y’all………

Let’s face it……granny hands (arms, legs) happen. Now that the summer is finally wrapping up and the “color” ( I mean, sun damage) that I have acquired over the last few months is going away, what I am left with ain’t pretty. The other day I was driving somewhere and noticed my hands on the steering wheel and was SHOCKED….it looks like I’ve been washing dishes for a week straight…what’s a girl to do?

Now imagine an entire group of doctors and chemists in their “laboratories”…their bosses come in and say “we want you to formulate THE most effective skincare system to date..we want all the bells and whistles here….the best of the best…..NOW go all out ya’ll….don’t worry about PRICE of ingredients, or how hard they are to get…just GO FOR IT!”…..Well this really did happen and M LAB was born…..and I’ve tried all their products and can TELL.

M Lab body treatment cream instantly plumped my fine lines and wrinkles….my skin just is so smooth and looks FIRM, baby FIRM!.…..no more parched dried-plum girl here….This treatment cream has an exquisite herbalicious smell and my skin just DRANK it up…no marathon rubbing sessions (that is SO annoying). This stuff ROCKS…and rightly so, it’s $185 dollars! And why does is A. work and B. require so much coin? Because,

“M Lab Body Treatment Cream: Formulated with 55% clinically active ingredients. A fusion of peptides, exfoliants and hydrators help to promote collagen and elastin production, smooth and brighten skin tone, and provide long-lasting moisturization “.

So, if you are like me and your skin needs some SERIOUS after-summer TLC treat yourself to some M Lab….this is also a great line for the metrosexual man in your life…..I call it “La Mer for Men”…lol!

Be Beautiful….

photo by Dixie Dixon Makeup by Moi

Hello beautiful people! Meet Jami….local model, mom and (most importantly) a beautiful person on the inside. I had so much fun working with Jami at our photo shoot…and was stunned at how amazing her skin looks in the photos. Of course, Jami has great skin naturally but I thought I would share with you some of the products I used to get The Look above…..so you can get it yourself!!!

1. I LOVE Lorac’s Breakthrough Performance Foundation ($38) As some of you know, I freelanced for LORAC ( owned by celebrity makeup artist Carol Shaw…..LORAC is Carol backwards…too cute,huh?) a few years ago……I fell in love with Carol’s shadows, lipsticks, bronzers, skin prep, pretty much everything……Except for the foundation….it was chalky and really sheer…a tough sell if the customer didn’t have perfect skin already….Well not anymore girls..Carol formulated this one perfectly!…..this foundation gives GREAT buildable coverage…it’s very yellow-based to cancel out redness and has TONS of good ingredients for the skin…..just look at Jami….

2. I forgot…I ALWAYS, ALWAYS start every makeup I do with foundation primer……primers go on top of moisturizer to fill in any little indentations and help to make foundation and concealer adhere….and since the primer forms a barrier between your makeup and your natural oils, you won’t get that nasty darkening of color that can happen later on in the day!!!!! For this shoot I used MAC Prep & Prime Skin ($23). It’s great for photography because it has shimmer particles that diffuse the light and give an airbrushed finish……

3. And last (but not least)…I used Cornsilk’s Classic Translucent Naturally Loose Powder in Nocolor ($5.49). to set and blend. Seriously, I have used this powder since I was THIRTEEN. I initially loved it because it contains crushed walnut shells….that sucked up my adolescent oil slick beautifully. Later on in my 30’s I realized that since it was so SUPER-FINELY milled I could actually use it under my eyes ( YES, powder around the eyes, I said it…) to set concealor and hide my sleep deprivation…and then also, due to the mica it contains this powder magically diffuses fine lines…and the price? Only cavout of the Cornsilk is the old school granny smell (really, I don’t mind it at all)..BUT you know, it’s always a conversation starter with the babies (I mean models) that I work on!

Be Beautiful Babies…..

Can you believe we are already in the last lap of August!!! And you know what that means… the end of my little Your Best Face Skincare giveaway……I want to say thanks to all those who entered and who are reading my blog….love you’s!!!

SO now the important part. Grand Prize winner of one-full size product each in the Your Best Face skincare arsenal:   DR. CALIENTE!!! This hot little dish wins $550 worth of skincare LOVE…….

And the 3 Runner-up Winners of 1 Full Size Your Best Face Defend ($120) skincare serum:

Rachellaurtizen

LA Blogger Gal

Kay @ New Image

Congrats ladies! I know you will love these wonderful products as much as I have……perfect timing to get your skin back into shape after a summer of sun!

And the best part…...YOU are ALL winners here……the dears at Your Best Face are going to send the first 50 readers who sign up for my newsletter (or leave me a comment below) a FREE deluxe sample of their latest products..….trust me ya’ll…these aren’t little-bitty foil packs…they are big enough so you can actually use the product long enough to know if it will work for you!!!!

So email me here…..give me your address and I will forward it on to the folks at YBF and you can get YOUR free skincare LOVE mailed right to your door.…..

Be Beautiful Ya’ll!!!!!

Ahh…the elusive “Smoky-Eye”…you hear about it constantly…..my clients clamour for it….women ask me how to do it…ALL the time. For some reason there is this huge mystique behind it…when in reality, the smoky-eye was one of the first eye makeup techniques that I really became confindent in….It is a great way for beginners to learn basic makeup application and works on ALL eye shapes.

My number one rule/trick (I hate rules…in anything) to achieving a perfect smoky eye is graduation of color….as you see in this picture it’s about starting dark around the lash line and blending the color from dark to light all the way up to the browbone…once you get that down , there are limitless ways to customize your look. The key is to blend, blend, blend my beauties…..once you get that down, you can do anything (when it comes to makeup that is…)!

But here’s a basic tutorial:

1. Line both the top and bottom lashes with liner….and be sure to extend to meet at the outer corner of the eye……..get as close to your lashline as you can…..work the liner into the lashline…this will define your eyes and give them that POP! we are all after.

2. Go over your liner with the darkest shadow in your kit…for newbies, I prefer eyeshadow palletes that contain graduated colors that blend together easily….like this one, Cargo’s Essential Eye Shadow Pallete ($32).

Apply the darkest shade up to the bottom of the crease of your eye….or another way to put it, about 1/3 of the total distance from the lash line to brow (crease or not..smoky eye works on all ethnicities…). I like to use a medium-size shadow brush…but if you are new, don’t be afraid to use sponge-tip applicators!

3. Next I like to apply my highlighter (or lightest shadow) to the top 1/3 of the lid…. blending all the way into the brow and following the entire length of the brow as well…( a little dot at the inner corners of eyes will open up sleepy eyes, too).

4. Take your medium shade and apply to the middle or crease of the eye…..and blend, blend,blend…here’s where the “art” to makeup comes in…you want to blend so that there is no visible line between your dark shadow and highlighter…….again, it’s this graduation of color that gives the eye the “smoky” look and separates the women from the girls…(not, really!) LOL!

5. Finally, give a good coat (or three) of your favorite mascara…work it into the lashes as best you can and POW! You’ve got a beautiful, smoky eye in no time flat!

Once you get this down there are SO many ways that you can change it up….dark, intense shadows for night give you a more dramatic look and you can use light, shimmering tones with this application for day. You can line inside the inner rims of the eye for extra WOW! or you can go without liner for an even softer look…I just love this “dark to light” eyeshadow application because like I said, it is a great way for newbies to learn to blend….(and way easier than trying to contour the eye crease and blend that)….And not only does this makeup look great on EVERY eye but it is particularly flattering on “hooded” eyes or if you are having a “puffy” eye day. Remember the basic rule of shading in art….dark colors will recede on the face and pull those areas “back” (as in minimize puffiness) and light shadows protrude (bring forward and “lift” your brow bone) giving eyes a visual “lift”. NICE……

The possibilities really are endless……and why I love makeup so darn much. Makeup really can be as fun as you want it to be…….and can be changed as much as your mood does (which for me is A LOT..I’m a Gemini)…and probably one of MY favorite things about makeup is that it can be washed off!!! So change it up ladies!!! Don’t get stuck in a boring routine and for god sakes…Don’t be afraid to try something new!!!

Be Beautiful Y’all…and please email me if you have any questions!

Let me tell you…this whole High Definition “revolution” has not been kind to television anchors and celebrities…(or their makeup artists). So anytime I come across a product that gives the look of natural, perfect skin I get super excited!

Especially for men…traditional makeup looks so fake on them….and in the past I’ve used tinted blotting powder…which helped, but didn’t give enough coverage…

Well no more! Say hello to Cargo’s Blu_Ray High Definition Mattifier ($24)…Used alone or under/over your foundation, this product is like an instant airbrush to your skin….just a small amount of this silky, souffle-like textured cream/gel instantly refine pores, evens skin tone and diffuses wrinkles! Perfect for men on set or you “Nancy Naturals” of the world. It has a slight bit of color which helps to even skin tone while still looking like you have absolutely NO makeup on!

Bonus, it contains tons of goodies for your skin…like Vitamin A & E for antioxidant protection. I love this product because it is totally multi-purpose. 1. Use over your makeup as a powder…to set and keep shine away ( I like to apply with a small Kabuki-type brush) 2. use under your foundation as a makeup primer (since it’s silicone-based it creates a beautiful smooth canvas)…use fingers or a sponge, or 3. alone for a “natural glow” when you don’t feel like caking on any foundation! Not bad for $24 bucks…

Cargo Blu_Ray High Def Mattifier is definitely going to be taking up permanent residence in My makeup bag and My makeup kit!

And as the folks at Cargo say… Be-you-tiful (that’s their little slogan..cute,huh!)!

As if I need ANOTHER reason to love Target MORE than I already do…I just heard ( I was a tad late on this one dangit!) that they are bringing in makeup by some of my favorite prestige cosmetic lines/makeup artists….Coming soon ( I heard this month, but looked again today with no success…) are products by Napoleon Perdis, Jemma Kidd and Petra Srand (Pixi) Cosmetics….all three are going to feature products similar to their high end cosmetic lines…..at Target prices….and hey, if those Frenchies @ Target have taught us anything, it’s that great design and style don’t have to come with a high price tag!!!

Although I haven’t yet tried Petra and Jemma’s lines, I have absolutely fallen in love with Napoleons….his Auto Pilot face primer really is my favorite right now…for my kit and in my own makeup bag.

So check it out next trip into the Big “T”…and if you buy, you better dish my beauties!!!

YAY!!!

Be Beautiful Y’all….