The Daily Beauty Break

Good Lord my skin is dry…….. I sit here in front of the computer typing away and itch, itch, itch….Luckily my pals at Futurenatural (my favorite online organic beauty source that happens to be based in Austin..) sent me over this little one-stick wonder…Deep Steep Moisture Stick ($5)..

Clean, Pure, Natural…the wonderfully moisturizing cocoa butter, echinacea and Vitamin E formula kind of liquefies once it hits skin… so it absorbs really well. I hit the entire neck then do my lips…and what I really love is that it gives my poor neck the love it needs without making me breakout (why god am I still fighting acne at 33?)……AND it’s “Good for you Beauty”…no scary ingredients and the not tested on the cute bunnies.

Be Beautiful Ya’ll….

Hello beautiful people!!! Getting invitations to Holiday Parties yet? Well I am (I’m sooo popular..lol)….I thought what better way to help than to give you some quick tips to “Amp up your Holiday Beauty Routine”….I’ve already reviewed several items from Bobbi Brown’s New Copper Diamond Collection because it is the IDEAL Holiday makeup. Here are a few ways to “Amp it Up..”

1. Add shimmer…..I’m in love with Bobbi’s latest Limited Edition Shimmer Brick Compact ($40). These universally-appealing bronze/pearly/coppery shades are  perfect for everyone and easily provide “all-over glamour…(yes, I used your spelling Jayne..lol).

Taking a big fan brush, lightly dust the tops of your cheekbones, brow bone and even your decollete with this lovely powder….take it one step further and dust the tops of your shoulders (if you dare to bare) and the front of your shins…..It’s catches the evening light perfectly (and I use it for day on my eyes….)

Plus, checkout out the packaging! You can bet my best girlfriends will be receiving this little lovely as a present from moi for Xmas……(cosmetics ship beautifully….)

2. Amp up your day look to night by adding Metallic eye shadows($20) and go one shade deeper with Bobbi’s Limited Edition Glitter lip glosses $19)……

Take one of these gorgeous jewel-toned shadows and apply from the lash line to the crease…..if you have blue eyes try a deep chocolate mauve shade and brown-eyed beauties try a navy shade…I’ve been doing navy lately and you would be amazed at how it picks up the flicks of gold in your eyes and lights up your entire face!!!

3. Then top it off with the gloss (over your usual liner if you need the extra definition like moi) and you are good to go…..OH! And don’t worry about getting the goo everywhere….Bobbi really does listen to our beauty gripes….Glitter Lip Glosses are packaged now with this cool little acrylic flap inside the compact that protects the gloss (and your purse)….that way your compact (and your purse) stay goo-free…NICE!

So how do YOU “Amp Up YOUR Holiday Beauty Routine”?…..Do tell!!!

Be Beautiful Ya’ll…..

Hi there beautiful people….So it be gettin’ cold and I be gettin’ DRY…(and itchy). But instead of just slathering on lotion over and over,  a little birdy turned me on to this little wonder stick…Revolution Organic’s All-Over Body Balm ($28). A newbie on the organic beauty scene, Revolution Organics was developed by two beauty professionals that were weary of all the “natural and organic” claims by other companies that didn’t ring true…..So they did what every industrious beauty junkie does (right?), they developed their own line!!!!

Well I love this stick….from cuticles to lips to heels to elbows, this smooth formula smells like cacao butter heaven (according to a girlfriend that tried it) and goes on like “buttah”….and all the ingredients are certified USDA-approved food quality ingredients so you can slather it on guilt-free!

Perfect for the winter months…I’m sure I will be discovering what those 22+ uses for this All-Over Body Balm will be….Even better, Revolution Organics definitely qualifies as “Good for You Beauty”…they would never use any of those nasty petrochemicals or preservatives. You can find out more about Revolution Organics at their website and at Beauty.com!

Balm Beautifully Ya’ll………

Hello my beauties…..Been thinking hard on this topic and just had to share with you my  5 Top Tips on “How NOT to look OLD”. There are so many out there but these 5 really “float my boat”…

1. Use foundation primer. The 2 seconds you spend applying this magical product before your foundation or concealer is HANDS-DOWN the best thing you can do for your skin. Primer fills in hills and valleys and helps to lessen the elevation of bumps and lumps……PLUS you will be amazed at how much better your foundation covers! My current fav? Napoleon Perdis Auto-Pilot Pre-Foundation Skin Primer ($39)…..I found it to be least slimy and “oily” feeling of all….

2. Say goodbye to dark, matte lipstick. Need I say more? Now be careful on the gloss…you want more of a SHEEN vs getting all “Porn-Star Paris Hilton-ish”…..( photo courtesy of TotalBeauty…check out the amazing photos from their story “Erase 10 years”…the pictures are phenom!!!)

3. Use a  Gradual Self-Tanning “Lotion”. (Instead of plain old Self-Tanner which can be tricky and has the potential to streak). These gradual Self-Tanners are SO easy to use and hide a multitude of past skin “sins”…Brownspots anyone?  It’s amazing how the neck and backs of hands can age you….I use Olay’s Touch of Sun Overnight (<$9). I’ve found it to be the least offensive scent-wise and who doesn’t need a little extra moisturization before bedtime?

4. Use a moisturizer with SPF EVERYDAY.…after you apply it to your face take it one step further and coat your neck, chest and the backs of your hands.….I’ve told you before, but my fav is Neutrogena’s Healthy Defense SPF 45 Daily Moisturizer (<$13). I was just telling someone the other day that this awesome product helps keep my brownspots at bay WAY better than some others I’ve tried that are $100 bucks or more!!!!

( Is Helen Mirren NOT amazing? Talk about aging gracefully.….)

5. Accept your AGE. Sorry to get all deep on you ladies but I gotta say this one probably takes the cake. After all my years in the biz, I’ve seen some scary stuff…..you know, lots of women that look GREAT far away and then you get up close and are like, SCARY? I think nothing ages a woman more than when she tries to look YOUNGER than her AGE…I mean, don’t get me wrong…I don’t think there’s anything wrong with trying to preserve what your maker gave you..But tread LIGHTLY when it comes to the knife and needle...At some point we just have to accept that aging happens…So I say look the best you can FOR YOUR AGE!!! (Okay, I’m off my soapbox now….)!

If you have any tips or tricks that you rely on to look the best for YOUR age do tell!!!

Be Beautiful Ya’ll….

Hello beautiful people! So this is the time of year when I try to pretend like it’s not still 90 degrees here in Texas and do whatever I can do transition my summer wardrobe to a more “fall-ish” look…so I switch from Havaina’s to flats (BIG whoop)!

Well I got the cutest pair recently… but for some reason the Peds that I usually wear with them catch on the heel and end up in a ball inside the shoe…ANNOYING.  I just HATE the stinky, sweaty feet you get going bare…but only Dorothy can get away with socks with her flats…lol!

Problem solved though. I found this…. Certain Dri FEET Microsponge Powder ($<8).  I sprinkle a tad bit in my shoes before I take off for the day and don’t miss my Peds for a minute! My feet stay super dry without getting a nasty film and I don’t clear the room when I take my shoes off at the end of the day……

So pick some up at your nearest everything store and try it out next time you decide to go out sans socks……. your roommate/boyfriend/girlfriend/etc will thank you!!!

Be Beautiful Ya’ll………..

So as some of you know I just have been in kind of a creative funk the past few weeks……what to write, what to write. My 12 step program tells me when I get that way to write a gratitude list…so here it is.  Five products that make my life just a little bit easier…….

1. Marini Lash by Jan Marini Eyelash Conditioner ($160)…. This stuff is like Rogaine for the lashes… every time I put my mascara on it astounds me that I NOW have the kind of lashes that some “pretty girls” are lucky enough to be born with…Turns out now you can buy those lashes, in a tube! Yeah-Yah!…

2. Cargo TexasLash Mascara ($20) Do I really need to say more?

3. Nailtiques Nail Protein Formula 1 ($17.50) This is my topcoat, my basecoat AND strengthener. My manicure lasts a week and my nails are no longer peeling anymore (a small miracle in my book)!

4. Tria At Home Laser Hair Removal Device ($995) Still giving myself treatments at home in front of TIVO (nice) but already I only have to shave about every FOUR days…down from at LEAST every other day….

5. And finally last but not least, Maybelline Shadow Stylist in Elegant Pearl ($6) Just a touch of this beautiful powder to the lid and inner corner chases darkness away…..

So I’ve told you mine,  now tell me YOURS!!!

Be Beautiful Ya’ll and Thank You for reading…..

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….

Hello my beauties! Well one cannot help but notice the shift the last few years in the cosmetic and personal care industries towards healthier, natural products….good for us, good for the environment. For certain health reasons, I was tested for heavy metal toxicity a few weeks ago (results are not in yet) and have become a lot more conscious of metals and petrochemicals that are in my beauty products. One easy place to start becoming more chemical/metal-free is in the deodorant/antiperspirant department. I mean, have you noticed that some antiperspirants are labeled now with the warning, DO not use if you have Kidney or Liver Disease? I mean, NOT good for a hypochondriac like moi….I don’t have liver or kidney disease (that I know of) but HELL…it scares me either way.

Doesn’t help that dear hubby is convinced that the aluminum in antiperspirants cause breast cancer….and he has always just used deodorant (which I have always given him major crap for)……..The breast cancer/antiperspirant connection is a topic of heavy debate. But let’s face it…it doesn’t seem normal to clog your pores like that, day in and day out, for YEARS….right?

SO as a result, I have been “researching” some of the new all-natural deodorants…and I knew from the get-go that going from antiperspirant to deodorant only would feel weird….wetness under the arms isn’t may favorite sensation, but potential heavy metal toxicity doesn’t sound good either….. so I tried these two in particular:

Tom’s of Maine Natural Care Long-Lasting Deodorant Stick (<$6). This one smells pretty but a few hours later I could smell myself….EWWWWW!!!! I won’t say I hated it, because it was very pleasurable to put on (who dosen’t love lavendar) but it DID NOT WORK.

Burt’s Bees Herbal Deodorant (<$7). Okay, the packaging alone killed me on this one…too cute!!! And it smells really nice going on…less pretty than the Tom’s but still pleasant….I got a few more hours of stink protection than with the Toms of Maine but still, at the end of the day I DEFINITELY needed to re-apply.

So what’s a girl to do? Especially in Texas, in AUGUST. Come on….and I have to confess…I was sent a tube of Secret Clinical Strength Antiperspirant/Deodorant (<$7) and it sat there looking at me from my bathroom cabinent for awhile….So in a moment of weakness (and lack of hypochondria) I gave it a whirl and WOW! It was almost like I didn’t have pores under my arm pits…..no wetness or yucky deodorant smell…….this stuff WORKS….but at what cost? But I would say…if you aren’t worried about the metals in antiperspirants this one would be worth getting!!

Have any of you “Natural Nancys” out there have any tried and true aluminum-free deodorants that you love? Am I being a total hypochondriac worring about it in the first place? DO TELL…I need something that is going to work….as much as I’ve come into my own in my 30’s I CANNOT accept body odor….(and neither can the people who love me….LOL!)

Smell beautiful Y’all…..