The Daily Beauty Break

Happy Halloween my beauties!! You got your costumes for the weekend all figured out? Well, rather then re-invent the wheel I wanted to show you all the great How-To’s on one of my favorite beauty websites Total Beauty. Total Beauty is one of my sources for all the latest and greatest beauty finds, professional makeup tutorials and   “real people”  cosmetics reviews. They aren’t afraid to keep it real and I love that they do lists like “Editors 9 LOWEST rated body lotions”.

But seriously, TB’s Halloween makeup How-To’s are off the hook!!! There’s the “Twinkling Fairy” (pictured above), “Glamorous Mask”, “Sexy Kitten” (why do women always have to be either “sexy” or “dumpy” when it comes to Halloween…I soo don’t get that), “Classic Pin-up” (think Vita Don Teese), “Sexy Vampire” and MY favorite “Retro 60’s Girl”.

The step-by-step instructions are SUPER easy to follow and you don’t have to be a professional makeup artist like moi to re-create the looks…….Total Beauty Rocks!!!

So I hope you have a totally fun, totally safe (sorry it’s the mom in me) Halloween this year my pretties!!!

Be Beautiful and send pictures…..

*OH and don’t forget to enter my Sally Hansen Natural Beauty….inspired by CARMINDY giveaway (it will just take you a second….)!

So money’s tight my dears!!! (but there’s no reason our faces have to reflect it) SO, I really want to share with you (from the vast knowledge of all beauty booty in my big ‘ol beauty obsessed head) ways you can scrimp and save. Lucky for us, drugstore cosmetics companies are finally getting hip to the innovative products that were once fodder for prestige cosmetic companies “secret weapons”…..and coming up with their own (and just as great) versions!!!

So I’d thought I would start with a comparison of tinted moisturizers. I was delighted to find out that Covergirl got smart and finally came up with CG Smoothers SPF 15 Tinted Moisturizer ($6.99)….So I thought I would test it against an old favorite LORAC ProtecTINT SPF 30 Tinted Moisturizer ($30).

I found the CG Smoothers Tinted Moisturizer to be just as moisturizing as LORAC’s. The coverage was about the same too….I found them both to have the same amount of pigment and thought the CG Smoothers actually blended into my skin a little bit easier…… I think they both did a great job giving my skin the moisture it needed while calming any redness and evening out my tone (definitely only on a good skin day for moi…can anyone say zits from hell?).

Bottom line: The only bummer about the Cover Girl product was that I wish it had as much sunscreen protection as the LORAC tinted moisturizer….but heck, since the Cover Girl is less than half the price of LORAC, I’d would say it’s worth buying and adding your own sunscreen underneath!!!!

Be Beautiful Ya’ll!!

Hello my pretties…So have you seen Eva on the cover of Allure for November? It’s good to see her back to her former glory and I LOVE the look her makeup artist Stephane Marias gave her….He struck a great balance between strong eye makeup and a more nude face.  Eva’s darling freckles are there for all to see……I think there is nothing sexier than letting a “little skin” show through….

SO, my pearl from this month’s issue? Finally, the coveted and best kept secret of celebrity hairdressers world-wide will making it’s debut next month in the US at Target…..Loreal’s Elnett Hairspray($13.99) has long been smuggled in suitcases of the celebrity hair dressers from overseas…but no more!!! (well, maybe….)

Elnett has long been a celebrity hairdresser must-have because it supposedly is one of the only hairsprays that you CAN’T go overboard with…Supposedly it adds body and texture to the hair without weighing it down or resulting in helmet head…..But it also looks like (due to different EPA standards) the US version of Elnett will be TAD bit different…(different restrictions of propellants here vs. Europe)….BUT not enough of a difference for moi! I’ll definitely be looking for it my next trip to the “Big T”!

Be Beautiful…..

Hey dolls. So we finally had to turn on our heater a few days ago….and my skin can TELL. Itchy, itchy…..esp my neck! My hair is at that “perfect” in-between length and the ends just DIG into my neck and so I scratch…resulting in a very attractive little rash….and since my poor neck is so irritated normal moisturizers sting like H-E-Double-Hockey Sticks!! I just HATE that when you know your skin needs moisture to STOP the “itch/scratch cycle” but regular moisturizers have you screaming “FIRE”!!!……

Well happily, Renee Rouleau’s Stress Recovery Lotion ($25) has my poor skin back on track. Stress Recovery Lotion “calms, protects and helps normalize blotchy, stressed, oil skin prone to break outs (um, hello Josi…raise your hand that’s you). Also ideal after professional skin resurfacing procedures and sunburns to keep the skin moist and calm”.

Key ingredients include: Japanese Green Teas, Chamomile Oil, Matricaria Extract and Allantoin. Well, all I know is that my skin feels better…and it didn’t sting going on……Hallelujah.

And small world too. Renee has been making the beautiful people here in Dallas just a little more beautiful at her downtown spa for over 20 years! In fact….I will have the honor to meet and pick the brain of Dallas’s top skin guru soon…So stay tuned!

Be Beautiful Ya’ll…..

….Well I learned in a meeting a few years back that “if you want to keep what you have…give it away”…So since Carmindy “shared the love” with me with a load of products from her Sally Hansen Natural Beauty….inspired by CARMINDY cosmetic line, I’ve decided to “share the love” with you….

This contest will be a drawing and I’ll be giving away: 1 Instant Definition Eye Shadow Pallete in “Mountain”, 1 Natural Powder Blush in Cherub, 1 Sheerest Cream Blush in Beaming, 2 Comfort Color Lip Colors in Perfect Pink& Plum Shimmer and 1Natural Shine Lipgloss in Bronze Berry!!!

What do I need from you? Well, since Carmindy’s new book “Get Positively Beautiful” is all about stopping our “flaw-focusing” and comparing our own beauty to the airbrushed photos of celebrities….I just want you to leave a comment telling me YOUR FAVORITE FACIAL FEATURE...or heck, just anything about you that you KNOW is beautiful!!!

Be sure to leave your name and a valid email address so I can contact the winner for her (or his) address!!! I’ll draw the winner on Monday, November 3rd!!! (and yes, since I am still a beauty blogging newbie, family & friends are strongly encouraged to enter!)

I can’t wait to read your comments……….

Be Beautiful Ya’ll!!!!

Hello beautiful people! Well, as some of you already know I was super thrilled and honored a few weeks ago to meet one of my makeup idols….CARMINDY, the master behind the make-up on TLC’s What Not To Wear.  Carmindy was able to  fulfill a dream I think most professional makeup artists possess…..she was asked by Sally Hansen to help them create a one-of-kind makeup line called Sally Hansen Natural Beauty….Inspired by CARMINDY……I was even more thrilled to learn that Carmindy honestly ONLY USES SALLY HANSEN NATURAL BEAUTY make-up on the show!!! Since they shoot What Not To Wear in HD, what you see is what you get (and made me even more positive that I MUST try out these amazing products)!!!

And wouldn’t you know it….last week I received my own box of “love” from Carmindy….and just have to share with you the standout products from the Sally Hansen Natural Beauty…inspired by CARMINDY line!

1. Luminizing Face Primer ($9.99). Well, you all know how I feel about primer….if you are going to take the time to put on foundation, put on primer first!! This shimmery, gel-based primer felt like silk going on….It made my foundation adhere seamlessly and then stay all day! I am super excited because I have yet to find a drugstore primer that I can recommend to my clients…Well, here it is Ya’ll!

2. Your Skin Makeup ($12.99) This foundation did a great job of giving  me the  medium to full coverage I need; I found this yellow-based (thank GOD) liquid to be super easy to work with and the results looked super natural…I recommend this foundation for experienced makeup girls or you  newbies to the cosmetic scene!

3.Fast Fix Concealer ($8.99) Thick enough to cover the nastiest of blemishes but creamy enough to use under your eyes….that is no easy feat from any product ( GO drugstore beauty…)!

4. Instant Definition Eye Shadow Pallete ($7.99) Consisting of a highlighter, mid-tone and contouring shadow, there is no end to the different looks you can get from this one pallete (they come in 8 color combos)….Use the highlighter for day and pump it up with the countor shadow for evening….These silky shadows have enough pigment to satisfy a makeup artist while managing to stay VERY user-friendly..(I’ll be using these puppies at my next wedding for sure…).

5. Natural Beauty Powder Blush ($10.99) Same as the shadows…enough pigment for moi, but not too much for makeup newbies….the shade I tested “Etheral” was super-light with just enough shimmer to give you a super-natural glow!

And last (but not least), I have to tell you about the lip gloss….

5. Natural Shine Lipgloss ($7.99) This yummy-tasting gloss is the perfect mix of balm and gloss….thick enough to stay awhile, but not a “hair magnet” like some others can be, I thought it had the perfect amount of color….it looks beautiful on it’s own or works great layered over lipstick for that extra “oouummph”!

The best part? Since Carmindy “shared the love” with moi…I am going to pay it forward and share it with you readers….I’ll be giving away my own “box of love” of Sally Hansen Natural Beauty…inspired by CARMINDY cosmetics…Stay tuned for my next post Ya’ll!!

Be Beautiful….

Set your TIVO remotes ya’ll! FINALLY a reality show for aspiring makeup artists called BLUSH, will be debuting Tuesday, November 11 at 10pm ET/PT on Lifetime TV.  Contestants will be competing for a contract with MAX Factor cosmetics and $100,000 bucks! I heard about it initially from the gals over at D Magazine’s ShopTalk (they are soo on top of things…)

Anyways, I am already vying for makeup artist and mommy Jessica Millington to win (she’s a Dallas girl)…Can’t wait to watch (too bad I found out about it too late to submit MY application)!!!

TIVO Beautifully….

CONFESSION TIME. I did it already…a few months ago…I GOT BOTOX. Just in my forehead, for horizontal lines that were “hanging out” a little bit longer than I’d like at the end of the day. It’s funny, because I consider myself a pretty down-to-earth person and have never minded setting my emotional baggage out there for the world to see (I’m in a 12 step program…) if it will make me a better person….but it took me awhile to come clean here….But as much as I work on my outsides (uh, it’s kind of my JOB), I spend a lot of time working on my insides too.

I’d been curious about Botox ever since a couple of close girlfriends got it…they looked fantastic!! They still looked like themselves, just “relaxed” (rightly so, since the Botox paralyzes the muscles under the skin)….not the over-injected, tightly-pulled honeys we see in all the magazines and on the tube.

And it was one of those days…I was in my derm’s office for my horrible acne…had just worked a job a few days before and had the cash in my pocket (mine was about $250).  Now, it’s not like I have extra money floating around the house to pay for vanity, but I work hard for what I’ve got…..and in the end, Botox was ALL ABOUT ME…it was something I did for MYSELF….I mean, in the big picture we have such little control over our lives…..kids, money, work, wieght (and even my acne for awhile before Dr. Turner)…BUT I can control those lines in my forehead.

A week afterwards, when Dr. Turner was touching it up we were talking about my lack of candor with some of my nearest and dearest about going “under the syringe” (which btw did not hurt in the slightest….) and I told her how it finally boiled down to control for me…..and she shocked me when she told me that after Hurricane Katrina sales of Botox in New Orleans sky-rocketed!!!! I’m telling you, after all that devistation….economic and emotional, even something as shallow and silly seeming as Botox helps!

But really, I am totally happy with my decision….it feels really great to wash your face every night knowing that it won’t change (at least for a few months) and not worry about how much deeper the lines got that day. I think the Botox gave my brows the tiniest hint of a lift and since she didn’t go down around my brows, my expressions aren’t hampered in the least bit.

In fact, even my mom didn’t notice…(I feel like a talkshow guest coming out on national television!)…which means it must look pretty natural…Only I can tell the difference (well my hairdressser did notice) which in the big picture of plastic surgery is FINE WITH ME….because when it boils down to it, that’s who I did if for, ME!

Be Beautiful (on the inside and out..)!!!

Hello beautiful people…thought I’d give everyone an update today on my personal WAR against adult, cystic acne. Things are looking up for me! As some of you may know, I started my anti-acne journey on spironolactone around a month ago.  Spironolactone is a high-blood pressure med that dermatologists use off-label to help fight the cystic acne, scary hair growth and generally greasy skin that our hormones wreak upon us in our 20’s and 30’s…(and bless your heart; I am praying for you if you are still dealing with this crap in your 40’s).

So ANYWAYS, spironolactone works so well because it counteracts androgens (one of the pesky hormones responsible for the mess) in our bodies……

I was STUNNED how after 1 week of taking my face was COMPLETELY in the clear….this was at 100mg a day…well, next cycle unfortunately the nasty critters were B-A-C-K…although, not quite as huge and not quite as painful (huge in my book). SO my wonderful dermatologist Dr. Turner upped my dose to 150mg per day…since then my skin looks pretty great!!It’s “that time” for me, so I have some funky business going on right now in the chin area, but nothing that I can’t handle with a little makeup….

YIPPEE!!! If you are dealing with nasty adult, cystic acne I strongly encourage you to find a dermatologist near you that prescribes this drug (look at me, Josi the pusher) because SERIOUSLY….spironolactone WORKS...I have no idea why my old derm didn’t prescribe this…I’m telling you…..if you are on the antibiotic/retinioid roller coaster that I was on, it’s time to get off….There is HOPE my pretties!!!!

Be Beautiful Ya’ll….

Hello beauties….So, not to brag or anything..but I have been having some seriously soft, GOOD hair days this last week or so! I’ve also been a hair-twirler my entire life (my mom swears I did this in the womb)…so keeping my hands OUT of my hair has never been an option…especially now that it just feels so SOFT (and looks pretty shiny, I must admit)…So (of course) I just had to tell all of you about my latest leave-in cocktail….

I just happened to mix together my Aussie Moist Leave-In Creme ($3) and my Biosilk Silk Therapy ($12)….I would say 2/3 parts Aussie and 1/3 part Silk….the humectants in the Aussie and the silicones in the Silk make for some seriously “twirl-able” hair…..And I like that it qualifies for my Hi/Lo Beauty Booty Section….Seriously, with the economy like it is (not that I haven’t always been broke) anything that can save me a buck and make my more expensive beauty products last longer is a VERY GOOD thing.

So if you have thick, coarse (over-processed, bleached, fried-n-dyed) hair like moi…give these two a go…You’ll thank me later!!!

Be beautiful Ya’ll….