What a FLAKE!!

Hey Beauties!

Wow, we are in that weird time of year, in my part of the world, where we got a good hard freeze Saturday night and today it is supposed to be 70 degrees! My skin is totally showing the change of seasons. I was getting dressed the other day and I noticed my shins were actually flaky! My hands are also starting to get that winter eczema scaly patches too. Time to tweak the old daily routine for the season!

In winter the heating in your home can reduce the humidity to Saharan-like levels! Unless we've put a protective humectant layer on our skin, the moisture will leave our skin and hydrate the air! But to make our skin look it's best, we have to change some habits and use some different products for the winter season.

Exfoliate! I use ARBONNE Aromassentials Awake Sea Salt Scrub. It is simply the best salt scrub I've tried. I bought it for the first time about 6 years ago, and thought, "this stuff better be good for this price!" I was stingy with it, but when I managed to use it all, I couldn't see spending the money to get more, so I went on a quest to find an appropriate, comparable, cheaper alternative. I just have to say that there are a lot of yucky scrubs out there. Many are weirdly scented, some are too coarse, some are too fine. None of them worked like the ARBONNE product. So I went back to it, and still can't figure out why I bothered to stray! The only one anywhere close was Philosophy's Lemonade Hot Salt Scrub, which really isn't abrasive enough, but it smells wonderful. If you have sensitive skin, look for a sugar scrub instead...they tend to be less abrasive. I like to use my salt scrub in the shower after I'm all clean and I've rinsed the conditioner out of my hair (learned the hard way that hair has to be washed again when coated with oil), and shaved my legs. Be careful if you accidentally cut yourself shaving if you use a salt scrub...it is literally putting salt in the wound!

Cleanse Gently! If you like a really hot shower, you are not doing your skin any good, especially in winter. The warm water tends to let the water evaporate more quickly, leaving your skin parched. Take a cooler shower an you won't be as likely to suck all the water out of your skin! Then use a milder cleanser or soap, like Dove Beauty Bar, that won't dry you out. Rinse well, so there is no soap film on your skin to aggravate it. Pat yourself dry, don't rub.

Moisturize! Switching to a moisturizer that penetrates the skin and leaves a protective barrier is a must. My favorite is Curel Ultra Healing (I have this in my purse, on my desk...) but I've recently re-tried ARBONNE"s RE9 Body Serum and Lotion. This two part system is amazing for solving all those rough patches, or in my case, rough shins! After just 2 days, no more flakes!! And it has a nice mild citrus scent that doesn't linger. If your feet are getting cracked and scuffed up, apply your moisturizer to your feet and sleep in socks (if you can stand it!) You can do the same thing for dry hands: apply moisturizer and sleep with cotton gloves on.

I apologize for taking so long to post! I am preparing to host a couple of launch parties for my new ARBONNE business, so I've been crazy busy!! If you are ever interested in any of the ARBONNE products mentioned, let me know and you can try it to see if you like it!

Until next time, Stay Beautiful!!

Suz

Read my lips: Winter is coming!

Hey Beauties!

In my part of the country, the Midwest, the weather is changing and Jack Frost just can't wait to paint the landscape white! The temperatures have dropped to some of my favorite weather, that chilly, windy, dampness of fall. Next week they are forecasting a couple of nights that might actually freeze (yay! no more allergies!)

So what does all these weather changes have to do with makeup? Plenty! Have you ever tried to put a dark lipstick (oh so IN right now!) on rough chapped lips?? SO not a good look! Lips must be smooth and prepped to handle a dramatic look like that...dark and bright lipsticks are not the least bit forgiving of lip texture.


With the weather changing, unless you live in one of those places that is always 80 degrees and sunny (we need to talk if you have a guest room!), lip care should step up a notch. You'll still need that go-to lip balm (mine is Burt's Bees), but you'll need to add, if you don't do so already, an exfoliation step. There are many lip treatment products out there, but in an effort to save cash, lube your lips with a little lip balm or petroleum jelly. Then take a toothbrush and gently scrub your lips. This will remove most flakiness and leave lips smooth.

To keep lips smooth out in the chilly weather, don't go out without lip balm, lipstick or lip gloss on your lips, and use moisturizing or protective products. I recently purchased a Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle Lip Balm, SPF15 from Sephora. It only comes in a sheer pale pink shimmer color and it has kind of a bubble gum scent (but not the nasty aftertaste), but I noticed the second day that my lips were noticeably smoother. Us over-40 chicks may also appreciate how it smooths out the wrinkles, making our pout a little younger looking!

Products that will make dry lips look or feel worse: dark/bright lipstick, matte lipstick, long-wear lipsticks and glosses and some plumping glosses. A hint to keep lip color smooth is to apply lip balm balm before applying the lipstick or gloss (yes, before gloss!). The lip balm tends to help products stay put longer too.

I've got my lip balm and lip gloss on, so I'm outta here!

Until next time, Stay Beautiful!

Suz

Mascara Madness!

Hey Beauties!

Mascara! It plumps, lengthens, colors and makes your eyes look alive! It comes with all kinds of brushes: skinny, fat, round, vibrating, rubber, plastic or bristled. It can cost $5 or it can cost $50. It is a makeup must-have!! The biggest problem is find the perfect one (or more!)...piece of cake! Riiiight. Mascara, like all makeup, is very subjective, and this blog is strictly my humble opinion, so you may totally disagree with me and your best friend as to which is perfect...add your views to the comments below!

I have a small pile of mascaras here, both purchased and samples, so I did some mini reviews of them using the same criteria for each (how scientific of me!).

First I'll list the name, the type of brush, waterproof or regular formula, color, and volumizing, lengthening or curling formula. Then I will rate each one based on the following qualities:

Did it stay put (STAY PUT) all day?

Was it clumpy (CLUMP) going on and require combing out?

Did it keep my lashes curled (CURL) or straighten them out?

Did it volumize/lengthen/curl (PERFORMANCE) per the advertising claims?

How easily is it (REMOVE) removed?

I'll also include NOTES about my experience.

Ready, set, GO!

Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash: Large diameter rubber bristle brush, regular formula, black, volumizing formula.

STAY PUT? A

CLUMP? A+

CURL? B

PERFORMANCE? A

REMOVE? A

NOTES: This mascara would be my favorite non-waterproof. I totally love the big fine bristled rubber brush...I never have to de-clump. It does undo the curl in my lashes just a bit, but not totally.

Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara: Curved, tapered traditional bristle brush, regular formula, black, curling formula.

STAY PUT? A

CLUMP? C

CURL? B

PERFORMANCE? C

REMOVE? B

NOTES: I tested the curling performance by curling the lashes of one eye and not the other before applying the mascara. The pre-curled lashes only lost a small amount of curl and they stayed that way all day. The uncurled lashes didn't curl much and only unevenly. I would say that if you want curled lashes, buy a Shu Uemura lash curler at Sephora.com. This mascara sort of came off in crumbs...and not all at once, so even though it wasn't waterproof, I had to use eye makeup remover to get the remainder off. I didn't get a lot of clumps, but I did comb out the lashes to make them look better.

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting Mascara: Large diameter, tapered traditional brush, regular formula, Black, volumizing formula.

STAY PUT? A

CLUMP? F

CURL? F

PERFORMANCE? D

REMOVE? B

NOTES: I'm not exactly sure what volume and lifting mascara is supposed to do, but it made a clumpy mess of my lashes and straightened out my lashes completely. Yuck.

Benefit Bad Gal: Large tapered traditional bristle brush, regular formula, plum, volumizing.

STAY PUT? A

CLUMP? B

CURL? B

PERFORMANCE? B

REMOVE? B

NOTES: I got this because I wanted to try out a plum mascara to see if it would make my eye color pop. It didn't exactly do that, but it is dark enough for my lashes. Being a large traditional brush, it didn't surprise me that it clumped a bit, but it did some volumizing, didn't obliterate the curl and was easy enough to remove. I like to use it once in a while for the plum color, but it isn't a formula to use everyday. Meh...

Maybelline Pulse Perfection Vibrating Mascara: Narrow plastic bristle battery powered vibrating brush, regular formula, blackest black, defining formula.

STAY PUT? B

CLUMP? B

CURL? F

PERFORMANCE? D

REMOVE? B

NOTES: Is it really necessary to have a vibrating mascara wand?? I mean, isn't wiggling the brush back and forth manually enough? I guess somebody thought it wasn't. Well, save your money on this one. The plastic brush is one of the worst type of brushes second only to the comb versions. The color is fine, but it started to flake late in the day, didn't define much and I still can't figure out what good the vibrating is. Only the last third of the brush vibrates anyway. Pass.

Smashbox Lash DNA Mascara: Very large twisted double-helix style traditional bristle brush, regular formula, jet black color, lengthening/defining.

STAY PUT? C

CLUMP? F

CURL? F

PERFORMANCE? F

REMOVE? A

NOTES: This has the biggest mascara brush I've ever seen, and I use Lash Blast! It is also the worst brush I've ever used. It is so big that it is impossible to get to the lashes at the corners without smearing it on your face...it is awful to maneuver! Also related to the brush, it clumps everywhere, completely straightened my lashes, and certainly didn't lengthen or define anything. I love love love Smashbox, but I hate hate hate this mascara. Sorry.

Cover Girl Lash Blast: Large diameter rubber bristle brush, waterproof, Very Black, volumizing formula.

STAY PUT? A+

CLUMP? A+

CURL? A+

PERFORMANCE? A

REMOVE? B

NOTES: This is my HG mascara! It makes my lashes very black, very full, keeps them curled and stays put all day (and all night if you forget to take it off!!). It does require waterproof eye makeup remover, but I've found 2 brands that whisk it right off: Mary Kay Non-Oily Eye Makeup Remover and Make Up For Ever Sens' Eyes Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover.

Cover Girl Lash Blast Length: Long narrow rubber bristle brush, regular formula, very black, lengthening formula.

STAY PUT? A

CLUMP? A+

CURL? B

PERFORMANCE? A

REMOVE? A

NOTES: This is a brand new addition to the Lash Blast family, and it lives up to its pedigree. It does for length what Lash Blast does for volume. It is a regular formula, so the curl relaxed a bit more than I would like, but it really made my lashes LONG! It comes off just fine and never clumps. I have a new secret: I curl my lashes, use Lash Blast Length, then top it with Lash Blast Waterproof...woohoo! My lashes look like falsies!!

Smashbox Bionic: Medium sized tapered traditional bristle brush, regular formula, black violet, lengthening/volumizing formula.

STAY PUT? A

CLUMP? A-

CURL? B

PERFORMANCE? A

REMOVE? A

NOTES: I like the color of this mascara...deep purple, dark enough for my dark lashes. It didn't flake until late in the day, didn't clump much, but it also didn't do much for my lashes either. No extra length and not much volumizing. Kinda mediocre, but I will use it for casual wear.

There are hundreds of mascaras out there, so this is just a drop in the bucket. I didn't get smudging from any of them, but I keep my eye area oil free which keeps that from happening. If you have comments about the mascaras listed here, or anything else in fact, be sure to add them below!! I'd love to hear what you think!

Until next time, Stay Beautiful!

Suz