Bridal Beauty ~ Where To Begin

Looking Your Most Beautiful On Your Wedding Day – Where Do You Start?

 

image courtesy of Phoenix Bride and Groom Magaine

You just got engaged.

Congratulations!

Or maybe  your wedding is fast approaching - regardless of where you are on the road to holy matrimony, the time to start working on your skin is now.

image courtesy of Phoenix Bride and Groom Magazine

On your wedding day you want to look fresh and beautiful and radiant, and the first step is to have your skin in the best condition possible. Whether you are going to be in makeup, or whether you are planning on being au naturel, gorgeous skin is essential. So where do you start?

 

image courtesy of www.darrinjamessalon.com

The first thing to do is go have a facial. If nothing else, while you are lying there being pampered you can come up with a plan!

If you don’t already have a facialist that you see on a regular basis, ask around and see if you can get some recommendations from friends, family and co workers. A referral from a happy client will seldom lead you astray.

If you don’t have a referral from anyone, check out day spas and medi-spas in your area.

If your budget doesn’t have wiggle room for facials look at the aesthetics schools in your area. Prior to graduating students have to clock in hundreds of hours of facials and beauty treatments, and as such you can get a fabulous facial very economically.

Once you have found your place for treatments, you and your facialist need to come up with a plan for getting your skin ready for the big day.

Sometimes that will only mean having a facial the week before the ceremony, other times it will be a more comprehensive plan that involves hydrating facials, deep cleansing facials, exfoliating treatments – whatever is necessary to give you that polished, beautiful look.

One of the most fabulous things you can do for your skin is to have a microdermabrasion treatment.

This is where a machine is used to remove the dead and dull skin on the surface leaving you with a smooth, fabulous, glowing complexion.  Dermasweep is a highly evolved form of  microdermabrasion that follows the intense exfoliation with infusion treatments. 

You walk out the door with the most exquisite skin, and feel like a million dollars!

While you are there, talk to your aesthetician about your eyebrows.  If you haven’t started grooming them, now is generally a good time to start.

Well maintained eyebrows are so very important  - they’re like punctuation marks on the face.  Eyebrows can make or break a great look. The most beautifully executed makeup can be made marginal by a furry, untamed brow.

Ideally your first brow wax shouldn’t be right before your wedding, just in case you don’t like it. You may also have some upper lip fluff that she can remove at the same time – we want that upper lip smooth!

You may find that you need to change up your skin care products too. Maybe you’re not using the right components for your skin’s particular needs, or perhaps the products you’re using need modifying.

Your aesthetician can guide you and help you create the ideal skin care regime for your lifestyle and for your budget.

No matter how talented your makeup artist is, your makeup will never look flawless and perfect if your skin is not in good condition, and especially not if your skin is dry, patchy or flaky. 

Investing time in preparing your skin can give you a gorgeous, glowing complexion on your big day!

Golden Globes 2015 Best Of The Red Carpet

Some of the most interesting trends on the first big red carpet of the year were silver dresses, white dresses, Veronica Lake inspired old hollywood waves and sleeked back hair.

Wearing Silver

Julieanne Moore in custom Givenchy Couture with feathers. 
She won on so many levels.

Kate Beckinsdale in Elie Saab Couture

Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad. Wow.

Reese Witherspoon In Calvin Klein

Diane Kruger in Emilia Wickstead

Uzo Aduba

Wearing White 

The white dresses were super fitted and all had deep, deep plunging necklines. The breasts were as important as the dress.

Kate Hudson wore a plunging Versace

Rosemund Pike (who just had a baby) wearing Vera Wang.

Sienna Miller in Miu Miu

Emily Blunt in Michael Kors

Old Hollywood Waves

Jessica Chastain was amazing

Jessica Chastain in Versace

Allison Williams

Diane Kruger

Selma Hayek, Reese Witherspoon and Heidi Klum

Emma Stone and Sienna Miller sported a shortercut with a very chic wave.

Sleeked Back Hair 

Lourde looked the best I have ever seen her, in black Narciso Rodriguez and slicked back hair. Perfect.

Kate Hudson

Anna Kendrick

Jennifer Anniston sleek in an updo, and was stunning in Saint Laurent.

Katie Holmes, Xenu-free

Taylor Shilling

That Lip!

Julia Goldani Telles' makeup was stunning.

Straight Up Fabulous

Above All This Frivolous Nonsense

Amal Clooney in Dior Haute Couture

 I love her.  Amal Clooney was sensational. I also liked the way George talked about finally finding love after all these years. And then I felt awful for the legions of women who probably thought he found love with them...

5 Myths About Skincare products Busted!

This is a great post from Beautiful With Brains about the nonsense we get spun regarding skincare. As part of the new Year New You Skin Care series, you need to read this before you buy or make your buying decisions about skincare products.

5 Myths About Skincare Products Busted!

We all know how important it is to take good care of our skin, but there is such an overwhelming amount of products on the market that just makes it harder to choose the best ones to suit our needs. So, we read the labels, hoping that they’d help us to make the right choice, but can we really trust all the claims they make? And what about the common beliefs that we should choose expensive and natural products because they supposedly work better? Is that true? Read on to find out:

1. Hypoallergenic products are safer and better for sensitive skin

Hypoallergenic is a word that implies that a product is gentler and less likely to cause irritations and allergic reactions and so it is better for those with sensitive skin. But as I’ve already discussed in a previous post, hypoallergenic is just a marketing tool. The term is not regulated in any way, there aren’t restrictions on what ingredients can and cannot be used in products labelled this way and companies don’t have to prove that these products don’t contain allergens. This means that cosmetic companies can just put the word hypoallergenic on every product they want, even those that contain irritating ingredients. But by reading the ingredient lists, you can easily avoid products with ingredients that you know will cause irritations, allergic and even breakouts to your skin.

2. “Dermatologically tested” products are safer and more reliable

The term “dermatologically tested” is another marketing tool. It means that the product has been tested on skin and nothing more. They don’t tell you on whose skin and on how many people the product has been tested, how the testes were performed, by what dermatologist they were performed, or what the results were. And although we like to think that when a doctor endorses a product they have people’s best interests at heart, some dermatologists may recommend a particular product simply because he/she was paid to do so (obviously not all dermatologist do this, but sometimes it can happen).

3. You should use skincare products targeted to your age group

We are often told that we need to use skincare products targeted to our age group, ie teenagers should buy products targeted to teens, women over 50s those for mature skin etc, but that’s just nonsense. While it is true, for instance, that mature skin can be dryer and develop skin conditions associated with age, that doesn’t mean that all women over 50 will experience that. There are lots of mature women who have oily skin prone to breakouts for instance and the richer moisturizers targeted to this age group certainly wouldn’t help them. More simply, everyone’s skin, no matter how old you are, is different and has different needs. You should use products that are designed to treat any skin concern YOU may have, regardless of the age group they are targeted to.

4. Natural ingredients are better and safer than synthetic ones

There seems to be a general belief that anything that’s found in nature is automatically good while ingredients made in a lab must necessarily be bad for the skin. That is not true! There is absolutely no factual evidence nor scientific proof to support the claim that natural ingredients are safer and more effective. In fact, often the opposite is true. There are lots of natural substances that are bad for you such as poison ivy for instance. In addition, natural ingredients may be harder to preserve and so more prone to bacteria contamination. The truth is that cosmetic companies can’t put toxic ingredients in their products. That’s illegal. As for their effectiveness, there are simply some natural ingredients that work well and others that don’t, just like there are some synthetic ingredients that work well and others that don’t. You should use products that contain ingredients that work well for your skin and its concerns, regardless of their origin.

5. Expensive skincare products work better than inexpensive ones

The effectiveness of a product depends on its formula, not its price. There are expensive products that are well-formulated, just like there are others who promise to treat wrinkles or other concerns but simply have a very basic formula that doesn’t do much apart from hydrating skin, and even those that contain irritating or comedogenic ingredients. And the same can be said for drugstore skincare products. In addition, sometimes high-end and drugstore brands are owned by the same company. So when new ingredients are discovered, the expensive brand will release products with it first and then usually, months later, a drugstore version will follow suit so you can have the same benefits at a more affordable price. By learning to read ingredient lists you will be able to tell what products, regardless of the brand, are better-formulated and so avoid spending money on those that just don’t work.

Check out more posts from Beautiful With Brains here

New Year New You ~ How To Build Your Skincare Wardrobe

Just as your sartorial wardrobe is built upon staple pieces that are timeless building blocks, immune to fads and the moving tides of fashion (a great pair of black pants, the LBD, a killer blazer), so should your skincare wardrobe be built with staple pieces, tailor made for your specific skin type.

If you read yesterday's blogpost on pairing down and thinning out your exisiting products (click here) and hopefully acted on it, now you are ready to build your skincare wardrobe.

This is a list of the building block products that make up a great skincare program. For those who prefer a minimalist approach there is the option to pare down, for those who like me can never have enough products or steps in the skincare treatment plan there is the option to add in.

Where it begins:

1. Eyemakeup Remover
This one lets overlooked far too often. Eyemakeup remover is designed to dissolve and remove all eye makeup products, even the most stubborn waterproof mascara, and do it gently. The skin around your eyes is the thinnest most delicate skin on the body, and the quickest to show signs of aging. Rubbing away at it with the wrong products will make you look older, faster.
You choose.
There are plenty of good ones out there. I use Makeup Forever's SensEyes because it's for even the most sensitive of skins, it dissolves everything, and it doesn't leave a filmy barrier on the skin that stops treatment products from penetrating.


2. Cleanser

image www.josic.com

You would be amazed at how many girls and women get this one wrong. You need a cleanser specific to your skin type. Which means you need to know your skin type first. Most of us get a little shiney in the T Zone, but this doesn't mean we are oily - for the most part it means we are normal or normal combination. 
Oily skin is generally oily all over, or has significant oil residue sitting on the surface of the T Zone. If you really are oily then you should use a foaming cleanser. If you are not actually oily, or if you have a normal or dry cheek area using a foaming cleanser can strip your skin and make it super dry.
I love oil cleansers for everyone, and cleansing milks for normal to dry skins. If you really are super dry and don't want to use an oil cleanser a cleansing cream works well.


3. Toner or Refresher
If you are oily a toner is a great rinse cycle product, if you are normal to dry then a refresher is a better choice.
Toners lift away excess oil while refreshers prepare the skin for the next step. Both lift away any residue from your cleanser.

Daytime products

Katie Bunn by Eric Cassee, makeup by Corinna Cooke

4. Serum
Add in a serum to address specific concerns. Maybe you need help with acne, maybe you're looking for anti-aging help or a barrier against environmental pollutants. Whatever your skin needs there is a serum for you.
I love Rhonda Allison serums. Actually I love all her products.



5. Vitamin C
Vitamin C provides potent antioxidant protection, shielding the skin from free radicals and environmental damage.
It makes skin healthier and brighter, boosts collagen, increases the effectiveness of your sunscreens and boosts your skin's defense against UV exposure.



6. Eyecream
The eye area needs it's own moisture product. If you need less help opt for an eye gel, if you need more hydration around the eyes go for an eye cream.

7. Moisturizer
Make sure your daytime moisturizer is specific to your skin type. Most of us don't need a really heavy product during the day, but we all need to address the hydration equation.

8. Facial Oil
The greatest thing ever. A few drops of a good facial oil make an incredible diference especially to normal and dry skins. Facial oils make the skin glow and have all kinds of benefits. My favorite is Nude Pro genius Facial Treatment Oil. I've used it daily for several years now (read about it here)
I love to put on a couple of drops before applying makeup, to make the skin glow and to make foundation look amazing.



9. Facial SPF
Don't be tricked into thinking the SPF in your moisturizer or your foundation is sufficient to protect you from melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, sun damage, fast tracked aging of the skin or anythinng else.
There isn't enough in there and you would have to put a super thick, opaque layer of it on to get even close to the SPF number on the lable, which is typically low.
You need SPF protection 365 days per year, so use a freestanding broadspectrum facial SPF product. I use Neutrogena Dry Touch with Heliopex in the highest SPF the store has, every day of the year. Its has a dry finish that makeup goes on beautifully over.

Night Time Products

Night time is when your skin does all it's repair work, so it needs a specialized set of products to help it along and to boost the turnover of cells.

Essence
The huge advances in skincare all stem from Korea. One of my favorites is the incredible essence products. In fact Korean women, with their absolutely sensational skin, will tell you that essence is the most essential step in any skin care plan.
It is a concentrated formula that treats skin on a cellular level, targeting fine lines and wrinkles, dull and uneven skin tones.
Korean essences have a special ingredient that optimizes the skin's natural turnover rate (regeneration). You will definitely notice a substantially smoother, brighter, more vibrant skin. 

The Missha Time Revolution Essence is super popular and less than half the price of the $100 SK II Essence. 

Serum
Like day time serums, night time serums tackle specific needs. I can never get enough serums! You can go more high tech, super boosted by using an ampoule in place of a regular strength serum.

RetinA
Retinoids are the gold standard in skincare when it comes to evening out skin tone, reversing sun damae, shrinking pores and reducing fine lines and wrinkles. 
Simply put, everyone needs to use a retinoid.
I've written about them often, but for more about retinA click here

Eye Cream
I use the same one day and night, but you can also get specific nightime eye creams.

Night Cream
Unless skin is super young or oily, (or for myself if I am somewhere humid),  I like to use a really enriching, emollient, heavy hitting night cream. I love skin to look glowy with all the extra hydration at sleep time.

Ancillary Products

There are a few additional products that boost and support your main skincare items, but that you don't use daily.

Exfoliant
I don't care for exfoliating scrubs. I always think they rough up and scratch the baby skin underneath, so I prefer enzyme masks to exfoliate. Ideally you only want to exfoliate every week or two.

Sheet Masks

I love these! When I have the time I like to use them at least once (or twice) per week. You look a bit like Jason from the Friday the 13th movies, but the sheet actually forces the skin to absorb the product better than if you just applied it to the surface.
I often buy the cheapie sheet masks at the asian market - there are so many to choose from, from brightening to tightening, hydrating to collagen boosting. They are fabulous.

On the Aeolian Island of Lipari with Tatcha Luminous Deep Hydrating Lifting Mask

When I really want to feel luxurious I use the Tatcha Luminous Deep Hydration Lifting Mask
I travel with these single serve masks. They breathe new life into tired, dehydrated skin, and work like magic after a long international flight.

Its Time To Clean Out Your Skincare Wardrobe

There's no time like the beginning of a new year to re-evaluate everything in your life, including your skincare.

Whether you are a skincare minimalist, or like me, a total skin care junkie, its time to take stock of what you have, decide what needs to go, and figure out what you need to invest in.

Some of my friends can do this in less than 2 seconds - they have a cleanser and a moisturizer, and that's it.
I recently spent an entire evening doing mine. It was ridiculous and fabulous. Ridiculously fabulous.

Admittedly I have not only my current skincare supply, but also my travel skincare (my travel bag is always packed and ready to go), my pro makeup kit supplies, my on hold products, products sent to me to write about, and things I just haven't been able to part with.
I'm a borderline skincare hoarder.

To start the purge and move in to the new year:

1. Get all your skincare products out and in one place.

2. Throw out anything old, anything you haven't used in the past year, anything that doesn't work for you anymore.

I am terrible at keeping the last little bits of products I adore. If they haven't gone bad, use them up this month, otherwise trash them.

3. Eliminate anything that has gone bad or no longer works for your skin.
A sidenote here: you will find that anyone who stands to benefit from you throwing out products, as in they can sell you more, will tell you everything expires in a few months and tell you to throw them out. 

4. Inventory what you have so you can make a list of what you need.
(Tomorrow we will look at how to build a skincare wardrobe)

How To tell If Skincare Products Have Gone Bad

Most skincare products have an estimated shelf life of one year after they have been opened. The fewer preservatives they contain, the shorter their lifespan. I have had plenty of products last much longer, but if not stored correctly or handled properly skincare products can go bad much more quickly.
They've probably gone bad if:
1. They look funny. If something looks odd I'm not going to risk putting it on my face.
2. They have separated.
A skincare product that has separated (unless it is designed to) has probably gone bad.
3. The texture has changed. Something creamy that is now runny, products thickening etc.
4. They have visible signs of spores or other growths. 
(You'd be amazed at how often people show me their creams and potions and I see bacteria growing in or on them!)
5. They smell. If it doesn't smell right, toss it.

Active ingredients like retinols and glycolics can actually get more potent as their bases degrde, separate or evaporate.

How To Store Your Skincare Products

Store your skincare products the same way as you should store your perfumes: unless the directions say otherwise, keep them in a cool dark cupboard, away from heat, and out of direct sunlight.
I keep some of my eyes masks and eye gels in the refridgerator, but that is largely because they feel nice when they go on cold.

Midweek Wisdom and Airport Celebs # 2

Happy first Wednesday of 2015!

Today's midweek wisdom is right on point

with a great attitude to wear like a second skin

all year long.

And it's paired with a photo of Cher

at JFK in 1974

Cher at JFK, 1974

"The less you give a damn,

the happier you will be"

xo

9 Beauty Tricks To Disguise Seasonal Colds And Flu

In a perfect world we would all get to spend the day in bed with hot tea and cold popsicles when we're sick. But in real life some of us have to go to work or show up at events, and we don't want to look like death warmed over.
 Today I was quoted for the first time in this new year, 
by The Daily Makeover  in an article about beauty tricks that help hide the signs of a bad cold or flu.

I have reposted the article below:

9 Beauty Tricks to Disguise Seasonal Colds and Flus

by Aly Walansky

Watery eyes, sneezing, puffy eyes, red nose—the telltale signs of seasonal illnesses neither feel, nor look, particularly good. It’s hard enough to combat the physical effects of symptoms from a cold, the flu,and even terrible seasonal allergies, but in those rare situations that we need to get out of the house and present our best semblance of health (like, ahem, going to work), these beauty tricks will carry you through. You may still be feeling under the weather, but nobody will be the wiser.

Invest in quality tissues.
It’s true: The softer the tissue you can get, the less redness and chapping you’ll have on your nose, says makeup artist Jennifer Trotter. “Yes, I learned this lesson the hard way so you don’t have to!,” she adds. Trotter recommends springing for the Puffs Plus with lotion—you’re welcome.

Up the ante on moisturizer.
Go heavy—and we mean heavy—on the moisturizer. Before bed, be sure to coat the tip of your nose with moisturizer, too, or if it’s especially chapped, use petroleum jelly, says Trotter. You want to avoid any residual rough and flaky skin, as it’s difficult to cover with makeup. Do your heavy-duty moisturizing at night and stick to your regular moisturizer during the day.

Get swelling under control.
Reduce inflammation around the eyes and nose by using an anti-inflammatory cream, suggests Marian Rothschild, a Certified Personal Image Consultant, makeup artist, and author of “Look Good Now and Always. “Lots of cosmetic lines make them, but the best by far is the Sisley Eye Contour Mask. It’s pricey, but well worth it,” says Rothschild. For a more affordable option that works great, tryKinara Flawless Renewal Eye Cream.

Conceal.
Use a thick, yet creamy concealer under the eyes to cover any redness without emphasizing dryness, and stick to light eyeshadow colors around the eye. Don’t use pink eyeshadow (though we don’t know why you would), as it will accentuate any red that’s in your eyes due to your illness, says Rothschild. Use the concealer around the bottom of your nose to hide any telltale redness and blend well. Fordark circles with a brown or purplish tone, use an under-eye concealer with yellow tones to counteract that darkness, suggests Lyn Tackett, esthetician and owner of Genesis Studio Spa. “I would advise avoiding white and other pale shades during your bout with the cold or flu, as your skin tone isn’t going to have as much color to begin with. White will draw attention to our paler complexion, but yellow will help color correct while keeping to a warm tone,” Tackett says.

Less is more.
Don’t overdo your makeup, and stick to natural tones. Peach tones will also help brighten up the eye area, says Tackett.

Choose the right colors.
Avoid all blue-based color products on eyes, cheeks, and lips as they will make the under eye area look dark and heavy, says makeup artist Corinna Cooke. Use warm bronzes and gold on the eyes instead and, stay away from black or charcoal liner—when we’re looking heavy around the eye area, it’s a good idea to skip dark liners and focus on brightening the eye instead. Curl your lashes and use extra mascara, too.

Look alive.
Use a warm-toned blush to breathe rosy-cheeked life back into the face, and brighten everything with a pop of color on the lip—just not a blue-based pink or red. A little gloss in the center of the lip makes it look juicy and hydrated instead of flat and parched. “I like cream blushes as they make the skin look more alive. Be careful with bronzer, as it can make your washed out skin look orange, and generally looks wrong in the cold months,” says Cooke. If you have dry patches around your nose from sneezing and blowing your nose, spot-treat the area with Make Up For Ever HD Elixir, suggests Cooke. It instantly hydrates and soothes dry, rough skin, and the primer finish helps enhance makeup application, as well as wear.

Check your posture.
Stand up straight and maintain good posture so that you look healthy and energetic—when we’re sick, we tend to slouch, says Rothschild, so it’s kind of a dead giveaway that you’re feeling under the weather.

Stay hydrated.
Drink plenty of water, both to hydrate and to help to flush out your system so that you’ll be back on your feet in no time at all.

Follow Aly Walansky on twitter @alywalansky
Follow The Daily Makeover on twitter @dailymakeover
Follow me on twitter @CorinnaMakeup

Read more: http://www.dailymakeover.com/trends/makeup/flu-beauty-tricks/#ixzz3O0mi4jj4