How To Choose The Perfect Blush For Your Skin Tone

Blush is such a gorgeous product. It breathes new life into your face and adds a little color to stop you from looking washed out.

image of Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick in Moon Beach

Choosing the right blush can feel a bit overwhelming though, so let's look at the rules of blush, and how to choose the right blush for your skin tone.

The Rules

Blush should never be confused with contour. Contour products are made up of black and grey and are designed to absorb light and create the subtle illusion of a shadow falling under the cheekbone, making the cheekbone look higher and the cheek look thinner.

Blush and bronzer are not interchangeable! Bronzer's job is to make you look like you've been out in the sun, giving you a sun-kissed glow.

Don't choose a blush that is deeper than the color you would naturally flush to. It will make your complexion look muddy and heavy. Blush is supposed to give you a little lift!

Color

The most important criteria when choosing a blush color is knowing your skin's undertone. 

Are you a cool tone - ivory/beige/pink or are you a warm tone - olive/ bronze/ebony? 

Jessica Chastain is a cool toned girl

If you are a cool tone then cooler, more blue based blushes will look best on you. If you are a warm toned girl then you need a warm based blush.

Jennifer Lopez is a warm toned girl

That nutmeg spice colored blush that looks stunning on an olive girl can look like a heavy brown smudge on a cool toned girl. If you have a cool skin tone but want to wear a more neutral blush a softer, pinky-red based buff or gentle beige-brown color can look beautiful.

The slightly blue based pink that is charming on a cool toned girl can sit up on top of an olive skin and look all wrong. If you have a warm skin tone but want a pink blush, choose a coral based pink instead of a blue based pink.

Tips

If you are using a blush with a shimmer or a sheen choose one with a gold based shimmer. 

Cream blushes help to keep your skin glowing.

Look for products that give sheer, buildable color.

Blushes I love:

Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick in Moon Beach 

Lipstick Queen Frog Prince Cream Blush
No - it's not green blush! It adapts to your personal pH and gives you your perfect cheek.

Nars Orgasm. It's been around for ages, no doubt because it's so fabulous.

How To Choose Your Perfect Shade Of Blonde

Taylor Swift Vogue 2016

I love love love Taylor Swift's new blonde hair.
It's fresh, it's modern, it brightens her up - it's just fantastic! And it got me thinking, how do you find your perfect shade of blonde?

Summer and blonde go together like gin and tonic. They are a perfect pairing. But only if you get the right shade of blonde for your complexion.

Ever wondered how to get the absolutely perfect shade of blonde for your skin tone? Or maybe you tried blonde and it looked awful?

One of my good friends, Heather Strange,  is a celebrity color specialist who worked forever on Rodeo Drive perfecting some of the most most famous blondes in America, so I figured she would be a good person to ask how to choose your perfect shade of blonde...

When you are choosing a blonde the most important thing to remember is that your shade of blonde has to compliment and set off your complexion. The wrong shade of blonde can wash you out and make you look awful, so we are going to break it down by skin tone.

Pale Skin

Pale skin girls can pull off platinum shades and shades close to their skin tone, but need to be careful not to lose their facial features or look washed out. If you are going pale think about balancing it out with a strong eye makeup or a bold lip. 

OR go with a warmer, more sandy toned blonde to brighten you up. Think about the shade of butter or the inside of a banana peel.

Pink Skin Tone

Pink toned girls look great is ashy blondes and beige blondes. The blue and green undertones help balance out the rosiness in the skin.

Yellow Skin

If your skin has a yellow undertone your best bet is to go with a neutral blonde, not too ashy and not too warm.

Darker Skin

Darker skin tones need to stick with darker blonde shades. This not only keeps the maintenance down but also keeps the hair looking more natural.

Think about honey blondes and butterscotch blondes. Color Melting is fabulous for darker tones.

Summer Blonde Hacks

Heather also gave me a couple of fabulous hacks for summer blondes.

1. Even when doing darker or rooty shades she pops a few highlights on the hairline to keep her clients looking bright. Lightening up around the face is always a good idea.

2. No matter what shade you are you want to keep a blinding shampoo on hand to keep brassy-ness at bay. The summer sun can bring out those unwanted orangey tones, but using a blinding shampoo 3 or 4 times per month will keep your color true.
Try SachaJuan Silver Shampoo from Sweden, available online at Space NK

You can find Heather on Facebook at Scottsdale Colorist

See some of her blondes on Instagram @ScottsdaleColorist

Or go see her yourself in Scottsdale at Carolyne's Salon

How To Buy A Strapless Bra

Don't you just love summer clothes?
All those strapless, shoestring strap, sleeveless, haltered tops and dresses, low backed, arms and shoulders free?
All of you that is, except for the girls with big boobies.


You see for she of the perky A and B cup, she of the firm and youthful C cup, and she of the righteously augmented California/Scottsdale-style breast (you know, the gravity defying power breasts who's nipples point skyward no matter what position the body is in), summer clothes are a dream.

Jennifer Lopez in a strapless dress

But for she of the full breast, she of the round breast, the heavy breast, the large breast and she of the pendulous mammaries any and all of the above mentioned clothing styles are more like a nightmare.
Generally gravity calls to all big breasts like a siren song, luring them ever downward, making the strapless styles and their brethren all but an impossibility unless said boobies are bound into an industrial strength hoisting contraption, also known as a strapless bra.

Helena Christianson in a strapless dress

For those of us who don't have their own personal Howard Hughes, or who are not married to an architect who can custom design an ergonomically correct, aerodynamic support structure that provides both the caging and raising of the beasts and perfection in aesthetic balance, the world of the strapless bra is pretty much a no fun zone.

They squeeze and corrupt, don't stay in place, make you nervous to bend over, terrify you at the mere thought of raising your arm and leave you at the end of the day with red line road maps marking their turf.

Unless you get a really good one.
A great strapless bra that is perfectly sized for you is a wonder to behold.

So today on the blog we are going to explore the fundamentals of How To Buy A Strapless Bra.

1. Avoid VS.
They have no end of fun lingerie, but when you need a workhorse to do a serious and important job, this is not the place to go.
Unless you are super lucky you will find most department store lingerie departments, such as Macy's and Dillards are a total waste of time too.
You can't be certain that the girl who is fitting you (assuming they actually have a girl there to fit you) wasn't working in the toaster department last week,  or that she knows what she is doing. 
They all say they are trained in fitting, but start asking questions about said training, or ask questions about bra construction, fabrics or shape and more often than not you will find yourself facing a blank stare.

Le Mystere strapless bra

2. Go To A Bra Specialist and Get Properly Fitted.
Either find a lingerie specialty store in your area, or Nordstrom tends to have really well trained and knowledgeable bra fitters. They also have quality merchandise.
Once you have been fitted by a pro you will be able to spot an impostor a mile off.
Strapless bras have a big job to do, and they cannot do it without being properly fitted.

3. Invest In High Quality.
You are not going to find a great strapless bra for big breasts at bargain prices. Look at your strapless bra as an investment, and be prepared to pay more for it. Quality is everything in strapless bra land.

4. It's All In The Band.
The band of your strapless bra is going to do all the work. This is where you get your hold, your support and your security.
The band has to fit you firmly without squeezing you. If it is too tight you will get fat rolls over the edges, even if you're not fat. If it's not firm enough you will have no support.
This is where a really good bra fitter is priceless. She will not only make sure it is sized correctly, but will look for unsightly overflow. It's important that your back looks smooth, so if you have large, weighty or fuller breasts a wider band is best.

5. The Gore must Be Flush To Your Chest.
I was told this yesterday. The gore is the flat part between the cups, and it needs to sit flat against your breastbone. If it is lifting away from the skin the bra isn't fitting you properly, and the cups will lift at the outer corners, or pull away from the top of the breast.

6. No Side Gapping.
If the band feels good, and the gore is flush with your skin but you are seeing gaps between the side of your breast and the cup of your bra you either need a different size, or that bra isn't right for your breast.

7. Choose A Molded Contour Cup.
For a bigger breast, especially a natural big breast or a fleshy big breast, cups that are molded will give you a smoother line in your clothes. Molded cups have a fit that feels more snug.

8. Beware Boob Ridge.
Check the line of your breast as it meets the top of the cup and make sure its smooth. Top boob rolling over the cup or spilling out of the cup both looks awful and means the bra doesn't fit you correctly.

9. Bring A Lightweight Top Or Dress.
The best way to test the fit is by trying on the sheerest fabric you are likely to wear with your new bra. Sometimes the bra will look great, but when you put your top or dress on you see the line of the top of the cup. A quality bra is expensive, so you need to make sure it looks good with everything you are going to wear it with.

10. Move And Groove.
With your perfect fit strapless bra on try a variety of movements.
If you are going to wear it dancing, bust a move and see if the girls get out or stay in place.
Try everyday movements that would normally be scary in a strapless - bend over, reach your arms out in front of you, raise your hands above your head. Twist and turn your body and see if your boobs stay in place.
With the exception of the monkey bars at the park you should be able to do most things in a strapless bra and not have your breasts slip out or fall out, or have the band and/or the bra itself slip down toward your waist.

How To Wear Highlighter

Gisele Bundchen  highlighter

Highlighter is one of those fabulous makeup products that can completely transform a face, making it radiate light and youth. 

You can use it to make individual features glisten, or to create the illusion of completely brightening the entire complexion. 

It's magic.

But unfortunately it is also one of those products (like bronzer) that gets horrifically misused and abused.

So here is a cheat sheet with 4 tricks for mastering highlighter.






1. Keep it to one product

Jennifer Lopez WearingHighlighter

Don't use highlighter and pair it up with a glossy lip and shimmery eyeshadow. Choose one gleaming product, and keep the others neutral.

2. For Just A Hint of Luminosity
Apply a hint of liquid luminizer such as MAC Strobe Liquid Lotion to the cheekbones, temples and bridge of the nose prior to applying your foundation. This will bring out a subtle glow to the skin from underneath. Light will radiate from your complexion without making you look shiny or oily.

3. For A Soft Sheen
If your skin is looking lifeless or dull and needs a little more help to achieve a subtle glow, mix a few drops of liquid luminizer with a few drops of foundation. Using a duo fiber brush, swirl the product across the tops of the cheeks, the bridge of the nose and the center of the forehead. Apply foundation alone with a duo fiber brush to the other areas of the face, swirling it into the borders of the areas you just worked on so that it blends seamlessly. Your complexion will come alive and look radiant, without looking oily or shiny.

4. For A High Shine
Add a liquid or cream highlighter to the cheekbones, cupid's bow and eyelids as the final step in your makeup application. This will give you a really radiant shine, and the boldest effect of them all.
If you are using a powder product make sure the particles are really refined. Anything with larger particles will make the complexion look glittery.