Vintage Beauty

So where have the pictures of beautiful older women gone to? Archives? Now that I am getting older I've noticed that our culture supports the younger skin. And why shouldn't it? Younger, thinner and bombshell is totally acceptable, but I really would love to see older, beautiful and timeless on the cover of Vogue every once in a while. It seems that we are forgotten. I'm 38 years old and feel like I need to step it up to compete with these younger beauties... But why? 

 

Let me offer some encouragement. Being beautiful or "hot" does not mean we need to become someone other than ourselves.  Some women have a hard time adjusting to the newest "season" they are in including myself, but there is a way to accept with joy ... Be the best beautiful you can be. No one can replicate your beauty so take joy and pride that you are one of a kind.  People will see that and notice your kind of beautiful.

Be beautiful, girlfriend! 

Beauty Giveaway!

Beauty Review Products

I recently posted a review about some products that I tried called "OTC Beauty Review".  I feel every woman deserves a little something to brighten their day so I decided to give away a Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Candy Coral!  This product is so cool!  I love the cream to powder texture and coral is definitely a MUST HAVE color for this season! 

To qualify for this GIVEAWAY you need to:

1. Read my post "OTC Beauty Review"
2. Leave a comment

Simple as that.  I'll leave it up to you to follow and share. 

Everyone who participates will be entered to win the Dream Bouncy Blush plus other goodies and samples from my secret stash!  And its a good stash, too!!  The winner will be drawn on April 30th and will be contacted via the comment/email.  I would really love to bless someone with this product!  Good luck Girlfriend!  xo

OTC Product Review!

products used

Every time I go to the store I always pick up a new cosmetic brand to try whether it is mascara, eye shadows or different primers/concealers, I just want to try stuff.  So recently I picked up a few items to try from L'Oreal and Maybelline and put them to the cosmetics test... let's see if they passed!

The items being tested are:

- DreamLUMI touch Highlighting Concealer by 
  Maybelline in Radiant
- MagicLUMI Highlighter by L'Oreal in Light
- DREAM Bouncy Blush by Maybelline in Rose
  Petal and Candy Coral
- Downtown Denim eye shadow by Maybelline
  Eyestudio
- The Colossal Volum'Espress Cat Eyes Mascara by
  Maybelline in Glam Black





To start, I put all my primers/foundation on and did my eyes first with Downtown Denim as my lid and crease color and then added the darker blue-denim color under the bottom lashes as a soft-liner effect.  NOTE- You MUST have a primer on your eyelid for this pigment to even deposit.  Otherwise it just a wash of sheer color and its a bit... well blah.  Next, I applied the Colossal Volum' Express mascara by Maybelline.  It separated my lashes well but I am not sure it gave me the volume that I wanted.  Maybe its just my lashes??

After that I applied the DreamLumi by Maybelline first as a corrector and then added the MagicLumi by L'Oreal as my concealer.  It gave me a good highlight under my eyes.  The texture is creamy and they both have brushes to easily apply with!

Last but not least, I tried the Dream Bouncy blush in Rose Petal and the color looked very faint so I layered it with the other blush in Candy Coral.  The Rose Petal is great for a highlighter on the cheekbones!  This blush is definitely a cream to powder and is really lightweight.  You can get a sheer to medium application and then it kind of melts into the skin to leave a soft glowy finish.  The texture feels like a sponge but its not a sponge.  If you were to dig your finger in it you would break it.  Just use gentle, circular strokes with your ring finger when picking up the product and then apply.

So did these products pass the test???  What do you think?  I say on a scale of 1-10, I would rate a 7 because of the simplicity and it did exactly what I needed. 

Final product- unedited photo

So next time you are at the grocery store pick up these beauty finds and try them yourself.  Have a fantabulous day girlfriend!!!  xoxo

Ps.  I am not being paid to review these products. I bought them with my own money and am reviewing at my own will.  But I would be happy to get paid for it!  :)

Empowerment

Tegeler Career Center Fashion Show Runway

Recently I was a guest speaker at an alternative campus for junior and high school seniors.  The theme was "I Am Unwritten".  The girls were encouraged to "Write The Vision", meaning I can write my own story and "BE Bold as they walk in their Destiny", (Barbara Henderson).  It was absolutely amazing.  I have had some moments of joy but this day truly brought me a joy that I definitely want to feel again. 

The day started with makeup for the girls participating in the fashion show and of course I was down for that!  But just talking to them and getting to know them made me realize that these moments for them, these opportunities were far and few between.  So it was time to make them feel extra special.  As I did makeup for them, they kept watching and would say "Miss..." and asked questions and I was just tickled to see how excited they were about the whole thing.

During the middle of the day I was assigned to speak to two groups of girls about Empowerment.  And I was not sure what I was going to talk about, I prayed about it and asked God to help me find the words to encourage these young ladies. Then I remembered something... it was in 7th grade.  It was a comment said to me by a guy I thought was hotter than a pair of Jimmy Choo heels.... well not that hot but you get what I mean.  He said to me, "has anyone ever told you- you were beautiful?"  I replied "no".  He replied, "Good, then no one ever will".  Now this comment stuck with me for a very, very long time and crippled the way I thought about myself for years, but now ... I have been EMPOWERED by that comment.  My mission now is to make sure that these girls and women always feel BEAUTIFUL and CONFIDENT in themselves.  That they know their worth, that they have the authority to say NO to someone, that they can dream and that they posses the power change their circumstances. 

Girlfriend, YOU are loved, YOU are beautiful, YOU are strong, YOU are stylish, YOU can do anything, YOU look good just the way you are, YOU are amazing!

That comment made to me is why I am in love with beauty, I see it everywhere.  And I see it in you Girlfriend. xo

Skincare, what's the point?

In my years as a makeup artist I have learned a thing or two about why skincare is so important.  So what's the point in having a good skin care regime?  EVERYTHING!  Skincare helps keep our skin looking youthful and keeps our skin healthy (plus, your makeup looks better when you take care of your skin).

What is a "good skincare regime"?  Great question, there are some steps that are essential in keeping your skin looking polished as fresh.  Here is what I do to keep my skin feeling and looking its best.

1. Cleanse- It's a must.  You need to remove all the makeup, dirt and oil buildup off your face.  I have used Clean and Clear Foaming Facial Cleanser- Oil Free.  I have used this since high school!! However, if you have dry skin you need a cream cleanser like  NARS Skin Gentle Cream Cleanser.
2. Exfoliate- Find a gentle exfoliator to use as a deep disinfection of the pores.  PLUS, you gently polish and keep the skin from looking dull.  Try Aveeno Positively Radiant Skin Brightening Daily Scrub or Olay Regenerist Detoxifying Pore Scrub, you can get this OTC (over the counter).
3. Tone- This simple act plumps up those skin cells from raisins to grapes and gets your skin back to pH balance.   I use Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner because it will not over dry my skin, its hypoallergenic and it will not strip my skin's natural oils.
4. Serum- This is your anti-aging BFF! Serums aid in repairing the skin, smoothing out fine lines and wrinkles and brightens the skin.  I use a serum every night to help repair my skin from daily wear and tear.  Try Philosophy When Hope is Not Enough to put the breaks on aging a little.
5. Moisturize-her- This is needed to hydrate the skin.  It helps maintain skin firmness, smoothness, softness and luminosity.  I have used so many and your skin type will depend on what moisturizer you should use.  For norm-oily skin try NARS Skin Aqua Gel Luminous Oil-Free Moisturizer or for norm-dry skin try NARS Skin Luminous Moisture Cream.  I have used both products and they are phenomenal!
6. Eye cream- PLEASE.... you must use eye cream!  My favorite product ever and I would request this if left on a desert isle!!  SOAP BOX: We have no sebaceous gland in the delicate tissue of the eye (under eye area).  Therefore, eye cream is like a drink of water for that area.  It hydrates, protects, helps with fine lines, wrinkles, dark circles... need I say more??  I have used many and I like Kiehl's eye creams and eye serums and NARS Total Replenishing Eye Cream.

So there you have it.  I could write forever about skincare, I love it!  Everyone needs an AM and PM regime.  I know it's a lot of steps but I promise that you will notice a difference.  Your skin will look radiant, youthful and will glow!  I've included links for some suggestions but I also encourage you to do some research. Go to these websites for more information about the skin: Mayo Clinic or American Academy of Dermatology.

I'm turning 38 this year and I want to take care of what I have.  Take care of your skin Girlfriend!xoxo
(all pictures were taken with my iPhone, no editing or filter)

 

(I am not affiliated with any companies listed and am not paid to promote their products)