Vamp Up Your Valentine's

With February already among us, the only exciting thing about this month has got to be Valentine's Day. I mean, why else would we be excited about a month with less days? Other than pay day comes sooner than the average month, I'm pretty sure February usually sucks for most people, aside from Valentine's Day (for some...the day's not usually all it's cracked up to be for everyone). Now whether you would like to openly admit it or not, most (and yes, I did say MOST for you girls who are "He-Man-Woman-Haters") of us ladies still look forward to celebrating with a Valentine whether we have a significant other or not. Of course movies have influenced us to imagine a romantic date night of some sort, where we get all dressed up and well...as the night progresses I'm sure you can figure out what most women expect from their Valentine's Day.

Whether you have a V-Day date or not, I'm here to share some tips on how to vamp up your V-day by making sure you look and feel amazing no matter the occasion. 

Number One- Pamper yourself. Whether you have plans or not, giving yourself an at-home spa treatment can really change the way you look and feel on Valentine's Day. I suggest if you have plans to go out with a friend or your lover on the 14th, do this pampering sesh the night or day before your date. This will ensure that your skin has time to relax before you apply a full face of makeup. And a little bonus tip for all you girlies that are habitually late to everything like me, this ensures all you have to do the day of is get yourself glammed up. Pre-pampering the day before allows you to actually relax and to not be in any sort of time crunch. Give yourself a mini facial, and if you don't have the time or just want to save a little bit of money prepping for your V-day plans, an at home mani/pedi will be the perfect way to still ensure your digits look up to par for the evening events, but that you don't break the bank doing it. Besides, artificial nails are long gone and out of style. All natural baby! That's the way to go. And trust me, your man will surely agree. Yes, he may find long nails sexy and seductive in the bedroom, but that's probably about the only place. Of course you want your man to think you take care of yourself by having your nails and hair done regularly, eyebrows, lip and bikini waxes are a no brainer; but you also don't want to make him think that you spend a tremendous amount of money on these things. Now as women, we know the truth. But what he doesn't know won't hurt him. :) Enhance your natural features. You want to look like YOU! Crazy right?

Number Two- This tip kind of goes in hand with number one. Whiten your teeth AHEAD of time to give you a more confident smile. This tip is great if you spend from now until the 14th preparing for V-day because then you will see whiter results the longer you have been whitening them. I think this tip is so important because who doesn't plan to be locking lips on Valentine's night?  Also, it just makes rocking a red lip on Valentine's that much sexier when your teeth are supppaaa white! :)

Now for Number Three- Send yourself flowers. No matter who you expect to surprise you on V-day, there's nothing better than a little gift from you to yourself to show your appreciation and love for all that YOU do! And if you've waited too late to send yourself a bouquet, then pick up a fresh one at your local Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. They have beautiful spring bouquets and roses right now for as little as $3.99!!

Number Four- Buy yourself a new outfit for V-day that will coordinate with whatever your plans are for the day or night. Staying in with girlfriends? Buy a new set of cute PJ's for your Girl's Night In! Going on a romantic date to a nice, intimate restaurant you've been dying to try? Go for a sexy, but sophisticated dress. You can't go wrong with black, red, or even a baby, blush pink. Keep it classy, Ladies. Going out with the girls? You can go for this same cute cocktail dress look! Let's not forget the lingerie and heels. You definitely can't go wrong with purchasing either. I recommend all three to really pull your look together!

Number Five- GO SIMPLE, yet sultry with your makeup. Stick with the "natural beauty" look as opposed to going all out for an evening smokey and bold lip. I can't stress enough that you DON'T, and I mean absolutely don't by any means, need to cake on the makeup! KEEP IT SIMPLE! BB creams, tinted moisturizers, or just a light weight foundation with build-able coverage are perfect options. You want to still be able to see your skin peeking through. If you need full coverage, use a concealer to build up coverage, but ONLY in areas where you need it. Using soft shimmery pinks and vanilla's paired with a matte taupe or soft brown to smoke out the crease are perfect shadows for a Valentine's Day makeup look. With the lips there is a little more room to play. If you really are itching to wear a red lip on your date, be sure to use a lip stain or matte lip stick that won't wear off quickly. And if you're looking to go a little bit softer or more natural, I suggest going for a soft pink or natural lip liner close to your natural lip color paired with a true nude or pinky nude lip and topped off with a soft pink gloss. Don't over do the lips though. Or else that could really be a V-day disaster and put a bit of a roadblock between you and your date and that Valentine's Day kiss.

                                      If you have more tips of your own. Share them below!

XOXO,

Jessica

DIY-Goodbye Blackheads, Acne Scars and Hyper Pigmentation!

If you're skin is similar to mine and you struggle with clogged pores, scarring from acne or hyper pigmentation, then this "do it yourself" facial mask is going to not only work great for your skin, but keep those pennies in your bank account and away from the spa. Spa treatments and products can be expensive, especially when they are products or services focusing on a specified skincare issue like anti-aging, acne, and hyper pigmentation. You can spend tons and tons of money on peels, microderm, etc.. OR you can use all natural products you probably already have in your home to achieve the same result! Now keep in mind, the time frame and the quality of the results are not going to be the same. Would that really be very realistic? Of course it's going to take a little bit longer to see results using all natural products from home, but it's going to be a lot healthier for your skin and much more cost efficient. So let's get started!

You are going to need:

1 Egg (Egg White)

Small Bowl

1 Lemon

1 Mixing Spoon or Whisk

Hair Tie

Headband 

Facial Towel or Washcloth 

Old Foundation Brush or Paint Brush (optional)

Step 1: Crack the egg into your small bowl separating the egg yolk from the egg whites. You're only going to be using the egg whites, so instead of throwing them out, save your egg yolk for breakfast in the morning or for a bonus step at the end of this post!

Step 2: Cut your lemon in half and squeeze the lemon juice from both halves into the egg white mixture. 

Step 3: Whisk the lemon juice and egg whites mixture until frothy. 

Step 4: Tie back your hair and apply a headband to ensure no product gets into your hair. 

Step 5: Apply warm water to the face to open up your pores. You may also use your facial cleanser with warm water during this step. 

Step 6: Pat skin dry or let air dry and then with your fingers, foundation brush, or paint brush, begin applying the mask to your face. I prefer using a brush to ensure I coat the product evenly over my face and it's less messy this way. 

Step 7: Once you have finished applying the mask, let it sit for about 20 minutes until it hardens. Your skin will feel tight and dry.

Step 8: After 20 minutes, remove the mask with warm water and pat your skin dry. 

All finished! Now you are set to apply toner, serum, and your moisturizer. It is best to perform these skincare rituals at night so that your skin can properly absorb all of the products without interference of the sun, makeup, etc. Toning your skin is important to balance the pH of your skin after stripping it of moisture during cleansing. Serum is a must if you're looking to improve the tone and texture of your skin; serums can only help the process! Moisturizers go without saying, they're a MUST no matter the skin type, as long as the moisturizer you are using is fitting for you!

**As a bonus step, after removing the egg white and lemon juice mask, you can apply the egg yolk onto your skin for about 15-20 minutes and then remove with cool-warm water and apply toner, serum, and moisturizer. This step will help to moisturize your skin and tighten up your pores. 

Now I can't end this D.I.Y. without explaining the benefits of using these products on your skin. Egg whites work great for drawing out impurities such as dirt and oil and tightening your skin and pores, while lemons are an amazing natural exfoliant for the skin which helps to remove blackheads and dead skin cells. This increases skin cell turnover and in result the skin looks brighter. Lemon juice lightens the skin, so this also helps with the reduction of acne scarring and hyper pigmentation. Keep in mind, the average rate of skin cell turnover is every 30 days. So keeping up with this mask about 1-2 times per week for a month is best to do in order to see results. Don't be discouraged if you aren't seeing results immediately. Using natural or organic products takes a little bit longer, but in the long run is going to be better for your skin. I promise that once you see results you will never want to spend the average $50 on a skincare treatment or product again. The key is consistency. Consistency=Results!

xoxo,

How To Avoid Makeup Meltdown This Summer

With summer just around the bend, the approaching hot weather has many of us ditching our holy grail full coverage foundations in fear of makeup meltdown and running out to buy something a little more lightweight.  Trying out new tinted moisturizers, BB Creams and mineral foundations can be scary and not to mention expensive. Ladies, have no more fear of makeup meltdown or breaking the bank. Here is a simple, oldie but goodie trick for lightening up the coverage of your foundation for a more breathable, long-lasting wear this summer. All you need is your moisturizer and your favorite foundation and you have your perfectly matched tinted moisturizer! Mixing equal parts of each will give you half the coverage of using your foundation alone. The more foundation than moisturizer, the more coverage and the less foundation and more moisturizer the less coverage. It's as simple as that and you don't have to spend a dime! 

Tinted moisturizers are great during the summer because they not only feel lightweight, but they are absorbed into the skin more than a full coverage foundation alone, making it easier for your skin to breathe and less likely to start running off of your face when you're out in the hot weather. Setting with a  translucent powder or any powder you prefer will also help with increasing the lasting power of your makeup during the day. Use a powder matching your complexion on top of your tinted moisturizer for more coverage if you need or prefer it. This will keep you from having to layer upon layer your tinted moisturizer to get more coverage and will prevent caking. One last tip: Don't forget to prime that pretty face of yours before applying your tinted moisturizer. This will only enhance the staying power of your makeup and help you to avoid makeup meltdowns! 

That's all there is to it! If you haven't heard of this trick, then I bet you're wondering why you haven't thought of this before. And you might have heard of this, but are asking yourself why you just went out and bought that brand new tinted moisturizer. Hope you still have your receipt! 

No more fearing makeup meltdown or that expensive purchase at the makeup counter this summer. 

That's the great part about DIY's! 

Below are two of my favorite duo's for tinted moisturizer. 

The Aveda Tourmaline Charged Hydrating Creme is my favorite moisturizer to mix in with foundation. It's a thicker cream-like lotion so it doesn't feel runny or too wet and liquidy. You only need a pea size amount to mix in with your foundation for the perfect coverage.

The Aveda Mineral Tinted Moisturizer in 'sheer' is great too because it contains SPF 15, which makes it a great two in one moisturizer and sunscreen. 

Pictured above: (Right) Aveda Tourmaline Charged Hydrating Creme and Revlon New Complexion Foundation in '04 Natural Beige'. (Left) Aveda Mineral Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 in 'Sheer' and elf Cosmetics Flawless Finish Oil Free Foundation in 'Buff'. 

Follow me on Twitter and let me know how this works out for you!

@jessicar009

Love,

Jessica

Do It Yourself: Creme Blushes

It's no secret that this spring and summer, creme blushes are all the rave, but is it really necessary for you to go out and buy all new creme blushes just keep up with the season makeup trends if you don't already have them??? Absolutely not! You'll be surprised to know that most more than likely you already have the perfect creme blush right in your makeup bag! 

Just pull out your favorite spring time lip colors and pop a little color onto your cheeks just as you would a creme blush stick, blend with your fingers and voila! Now you have no reason to go out and buy a brand new creme blush to keep up with this spring's hottest makeup trends. xoxo