Published on January 19, 2009
by Megan Segura
It’s no wonder with all the holiday traveling and the cold dry winter air that most of us are suffering from really chapped lips. Moisture loss is to blame and you’ll find that lip colors can gunk up in the unsightly flakes and look all wrong. Yuck!
You can make your lips look and feel better if you follow a few easy steps.
Rosebud Lip Balm
- In a hot shower, use a washcloth and a pinch of sugar to lightly buff your lips to smooth out the surface. After you jump out of the shower, immediately apply a rich lip balm with healing ingredients. Steer clear of old school waxy balms which guard against wind, but won’t heal damaged lips. Instead choose a moisture-rich balm containing natural oils that soothe, condition and heal. I like Burt’s Bees Medicated Lip Balm with Clove Oil, Huiles and Baumes Lip Balm, Rosebud Lip Salve or Pangea Organics Lip Balm with Lavender and Cardamom. Leave it on for about 1 hour before applying anything else on your lips. This will give it time to sink in.
Lorac Gloss Stick
- Now that your lips are conditioned, applying lip color can be tricky, but not impossible! Lip tints and stains should be avoided because they are too drying. Glosses are a good option since they go on evenly and disguise flakiness by reflecting light. Lipsticks can be worn, but only of you use moisturizing formula with low shimmer. (Shimmer particles can catch in the cracks of dry skin.) Go for a matte but moist formula like Sally Hansen Natural Beauty inspired by Carmindy Moisture Plump Lip Color. Apply the color with a lip brush to help it glide on evenly. For maximum moisture plus color, go for tinted lip balms. Formulas like Lorac Gloss Stick, Benefit Cosmetics Benetint Lip Balm or Mac Tinted Lip Conditioner with SPF 15 can add an extra layer of protection and hydration and still give you kissable color. You can apply these right on top of your other balm to double up on healthy looking lips.
In the mean time, no picking, rubbing or licking the chapped pucker. Got it?
As an established makeup artist, many beauty brands send me samples of their latest products for consideration. I only write about the items that I truly love and I always abide by Daily Makeover’s Editorial Ethics Pledge in each of my Positively Beautiful posts.
Published on January 13, 2009
by Megan Segura
Want to know about my new addiction? Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare!
Cleanse & Polish
Hot Cloth Cleanser
This is a line of natural skin care products from the UK which contains plant oils and is free of mineral oils or crude oil derivatives that so many other skincare lines contain. All of the products are filled with yummy botanicals and pure forms of nature’s good stuff. I love the Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser for the cleanest skin ever. After I take off my makeup, I apply this cream cleanser all over my face, then soak the muslin cloth (that it comes with) in hot water. I wring it out and wipe away the cleanser, splashing my skin with cold water when I’m done. It is quite a soothing little beauty ritual and your skin actually glows!
Next, I spritz on Instant Boost Skin Tonic for a little natural toning, then follow that up with what I call “Oil of the Gods.” The Superskin Concentrate contains neroli oil, organic rosehip oil, argan oil and natural vitamin E and renews and restores total radiance. This stuff is liquid gold! I put it all over my face and chest and go through bottles of it. My African American friends can’t get enough of the stuff and my husband uses it after he shaves.
My skin is super dry so I also use the Skin Repair Moisturizer and, I’m telling you, my skin has never looked better. It also feels good knowing that all these things going on my skin are good for me. I actually see the benefits. The line contains products for every skin type as well as products for the body, bath and men too.
As an established makeup artist, many beauty brands send me samples of their latest products for consideration. I only write about the items that I truly love and I always abide by Daily Makeover’s Editorial Ethics Pledge in each of my Positively Beautiful posts.
Published on January 8, 2009
by Megan Segura
Are you dreaming of having that perfect complexion? Ever hear of that phrase “you are what you eat”? Well, it’s true. Eating well can help you achieve great looking skin.
Your lifestyle has a lot to do with the way you look and, ladies, if you’re bitching about bad skin while having those margaritas, nachos and a drunken cigarette when you’re out with the girls after work, that is a problem.
Go on a berry binge to get great skin.
It’s a new year, so clean up your act and your skin will look lovely. The most important thing to remember is water. Lot’s and lots of water. Drink it like your life depends on it. Yes, I know, you will peeing every few minutes, but that’s good for you too.
Also, switch out coffee for antioxidant-rich green tea for extra skin benefits. You’ll still get the caffeine jolt you desire. And keep alcohol consumption to a minimum. Go for red wine because its filled with antioxidants.
Now what to eat? Just think clean. Eat a ton of fresh organic veggies and a lot of fish. Salmon is the number 1 complexion food with all those omega 3′s, so enjoy it as much as you can. Stop eating anything processed or refined. Go for all natural as often as possible. Try sprinkling flax seeds on your cereal or a lowfat yogurt parfait. Become a berry binger too. Blueberries can greatly improve your skin and your overall health so eat them often.
Stay away from cigarettes and those who smoke them. Simply sitting next to a smoker can poison your complexion.
You’ve probably heard all of this before when talking about your diet. but remember these have great beauty benefits too! What better than to wake up with a creamy dreamy complexion and find out you lost 5 pounds?
Published on January 8, 2009
by Megan Segura
‘Tis the season to have any unwanted dark spots or blemishes peeled, lightened and lasered. The reasoning: You want to be at your most pale when having anything removed so your pigment stays intact, says my fabulous dermatologist Dr. Rosemarie Ingleton. Also, since the weather is cooler right now, you’re not out in the sun all which allows for safer healing time–you never want to expose just-treated skin to UV rays.
I’m a long sufferer of sunspots and discoloration due to growing up in sunny southern California. Even though I have been using sunscreen for years, as I age, these little brown spots keep popping up! A good glycolic peel always keeps them at bay, but you don’t want to go in the sun and undo all the good doc’s handiwork.
Here’s what to consider when getting a treatment:
- Remember to always use sunscreen post procedure, even if it’s cold outside.
Any sun exposure will just bring back all those nasty spots, so stay protected.
Physician’s Formula Organic Wear
100% Natural Origin Tinted Moisturizer
with SPF 15… It’s a mouthful but it’s worth it.
- Try to schedule your treatment for a time when you can go home right after and allow your skin to heal. If you must go out after the treatment, the best makeup to cover any redness is a super sheer layer of tinted moisturizer. My new favorite is the Caudalie Fresh Complexion Tinted Moisturizer because it contains botanicals, which will help the recovery and conceal the redness. Physician’s Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 15 is also a good bet because it contains sun protection and all natural ingredients that won’t irritate sensitive skin.
Please be conservative when having things removed! You don’t want to go crazy and overdo it, taking away every little natural thing that makes us who we are.
As an established makeup artist, many beauty brands send me samples of their latest products for consideration. I only write about the items that I truly love and I always abide by Daily Makeover’s Editorial Ethics Pledge in each of my Positively Beautiful posts.
Published on January 5, 2009
by Megan Segura
Tammy Faye never mastered the art of declumping her lashes
We have all been there: after an award-winning application of your makeup, you wait until the end to apply your mascara and then… oh no! an über mascara clump!
What to do? Well, I have seen women use just about anything to separate their lashes –a safety pin, a needle, I even saw a girl use the side of a razor blade… scary!
There are a few easy–and safe!–ways to un-clump lashes without risking blindness or even cutting them off.
The easiest way to de-clump is to purchase a metal folding lash comb like the folding lash comb from Tweezerman. While you mascara is still wet on your lashes, sweep the comb through the lashes for a perfect fringe. Never wait until the mascara is dry, because this can cause breakage and that is the last thing we want to do. Plastic lash combs just don’t separate like the thin metal teeth.
Another way to keep the lashes individually perfect is to twirl a clean, disposable mascara wand through them after applying mascara. You can find these in bags of 25 at makeup supply stores like Alcone. When you’re done, you can recycle it by washing it off for the next use.
In a pinch you can use a toothpick, which is still a bit dangerous so make sure you don’t live on a fault zone and your bathroom door is locked to avoid anyone barging in and startling you. Sight is more important than perfect lashes anytime!
Avoid clumps in the first place by wiping excess mascara off the wand before you apply it.
As an established makeup artist, many beauty brands send me samples of their latest products for consideration. I only write about the items that I truly love and I always abide by Daily Makeover’s Editorial Ethics Pledge in each of my Positively Beautiful posts.
