Beauty Tips

Tuesday Beauty Tips: Step Up Your Style Game with a Nordstrom Personal Stylist

April 5th, 2011 by Karen 72 Comments

Oh! I wanted to tell you how my appointment with the Nordstrom personal stylist went yesterday. Before I met with Rob, the stylist at my nearby Nordstrom in Corte Madera, California, I told him over the phone what I hoped to achieve. Among other style suggestions, I wanted a cute, fashion-forward, age-appropriate spring dress to hide my tum and minimize my bum.

The whole personal stylist experience was very cool, kinda like being on one of those makeover shows, except you don’t bring home the clothes for free (dang!).

To schedule an appointment with a Nordstrom personal stylist, call (877) 283-4048, or shoot them an email here. The appointments themselves are free, but you should have a budget in mind for any clothes or accessories you decide to buy.

Rob usually asks clients to start the styling process by getting fitted for a bra, so when I arrived at the store I headed over to Rachel in the lingerie department. She took care of the fitting for me and also introduced me to the preternatural power of Spanx (OMG! Review coming soon!).

After my fitting, Rob took me to a dressing room filled with dresses, shoes and accessories he pulled beforehand and then left me to start trying on clothes. Every 15 minutes or so, he’d check in and bring over some new things for me to try. Throughout the process, we gave each other feedback on what was and wasn’t working, both trying to get to the same place.

If you’re shy when it comes to discussing your appearance with strangers, you might want to mentally prepare yourself beforehand. Giving and taking feedback helps the stylist get you where you’re trying to go with a look or an outfit, but it can be difficult if you’re not used to it.

It helps to keep an open mind. Rob urged me to try on this purple dress by Amanda Uprichard, even though I wasn’t feeling the ruffles at first. I didn’t think it would look good on me, but after I tried it on and Rob explained how I could work the dress in different ways, I fell in love.
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Game, Set, Matte: The Pitfalls of Powder and Shine

April 2nd, 2011 by Karen 17 Comments

Written by Sam

Game, set, matte! Only shine when and where you want to with the help of today’s guest post from Sam.

Strike the Powder
Photo by sekushy

Some of the most inappropriately applied makeup products are the ones we use every day, like shine/shimmer products and setting powder. When used correctly, they can produce beautiful, subtle effects, but when used improperly things can go terribly, horribly, no-good, very badly wrong.

Let’s review some application techniques and tips to help you use shine/shimmer products and setting powders to perfection.

Beware of Shine

Shiny isn’t usually a word you want used in reference to your face. It brings to mind other less attractive words like greasy, oily, dirty — you get the picture. But no glow at all can make skin look flat, two-dimensional, dull, and expose things like large pores and dry patches (not a good look either).

What we want is a happy medium — a selective sheen — with a bit of “wetness” on the tops of our cheekbones, down the bridge of the nose, on the chin, and on our cupid’s bow. Everywhere else should be more or less matte.

To pinpoint exactly where to apply, stand almost directly under an overhead light, and note where the light highlights the planes of your face. We’ll call these your highpoints.

When you have some time to prepare, try using a cream or liquid foundation, and then dust a powder lightly over every part of your face except for your highpoints. Blot these areas with a tissue instead. This way, the moisture in your foundation will produce a skin-like gleam only where you want it to, and where one would appear naturally.
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Get the Most from Your Hair Color

March 26th, 2011 by Karen 10 Comments

Written by Sam

Don’t settle for caramel when you wanted toffee brown. Get the hair color you wanted (and the color you deserve) with help from today’s guest post from Sam.

How to get the most from your hair color

Are you ready to turn that bottle blonde to a defiant brown? Or does that daring platinum call your name? When you and your hair are ready for a new shade, you’ll want your choice to last.

After a color change, it’s easy to get frustrated when once vibrant, glowing tones turn dull and fade, but with a few simple steps and perhaps changes to your routine, you can put off your next visit to your stylist for three weeks or more.

Watch out for these hair bears that can take your locks from VA-VA-VOOM! to boring in no time flat.

It’s repeated ad nauseum, but that’s because it’s true: the wrong shampoo and conditioner can wreak havoc on hair. Just like you wouldn’t give a moisturizer with mineral oil to someone with oily skin, you shouldn’t use sulfate-rich shampoos and conditioners on color-treated hair.

Sulphates are rather harsh surfactants (they’re one of the things that make shampoos lather) which strip product and oil from hair. And they can also do the same to color. Shampoos and conditioners formulated for color-treated hair have much lower levels of gentler sulphates (while many also contain natural cleansers to supplement this) that are better for daily use.

If you prefer not to use any heavy products on your hair at all, look for sulphate-free shampoos; they’ll preserve color even longer, but they may not be able to tackle product buildup (and don’t expect a foaming lather).

Styling products work by coating each strand of hair, and as many contain chemicals and oils, merely rinsing in water might not remove them. Products built up over time can leave your locks dull and limp. That’s where a clarifying shampoo comes in.

Normal clarifying shampoos are basically like dish soap. They contain extreme levels of sulphates and harsh stripping agents that can literally make color-treated hair ashen. Higher end companies and beauty supply stores, however, stock clarifying shampoos and treatments for more delicate hair. They rely on strong, natural extracts and oils (grapefruit being the most common) to gently dissolve buildup while nourishing the hair and smoothing the cuticle.

If you use shine products, keep in mind that silicones, while temporarily good for giving hair a mirror-like reflection and for smoothing frizz, can build up quickly over time, coating the cuticle, and making hair heavy, flat, and lusterless.

The sun is a fickle mistress, huh? It can burn our skin, yellow our nails, and now it can dull our hair, too? Well, yup. UV rays are extremely damaging to colored hair (especially to darker shades), leaching the life out of locks and making strands brittle and dry. But it’s easy to remedy with a leave-in treatment or spray containing UV-protection (basically, sunblock for your hair!). Many companies are now formulating UV-protecting shampoos and conditioners; however, if you spend much time outside, they shouldn’t be your hair’s only defense.

Heat styling and volumizing products both do some of the same things. They open the cuticle and make hair porous. Heat does it by making the hair cuticle expand; volumizing products do it by forcing open the cuticle and making strands appear thicker. Both of them allow color to escape.

Look for volumizing products manufactured for color-treated hair, which work by lightly coating the strands instead of expanding them.

Just by washing your hair in hot water, the cuticle can open enough for even mild sulphates in color-protecting shampoos to reach and strip away the molecules of color within the hair shaft. To stop it, rinse your hair in the coldest water you can tolerate (step out of the water stream and just dunk your hair under). Doing this with icy water will leave an incredible natural shine on hair as it seals in moisture and smooths the cuticle completely (and it tames frizz at the same time!).

Then, when blow-drying, aim the nozzle down the shaft to avoid damaging the cuticle, and blast hair with the cold setting once it’s bone-dry.
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8 More Tips to Look Your Best in Pictures

March 19th, 2011 by Karen 12 Comments

Written by Sam

Cameras can be cruel. Stop letting them kick you around, and get the pictures you deserve with these tips in today’s guest post from Sam.

How to look your best in pictures

When you see pictures of yourself, do you ever wonder, “Do I really look like that?” If you do, you’re not alone. Do you pick out every flaw, see every blemish, and wonder what caused that horrid ashen cast, or the shadow that makes you look like you have a second chin? Often, these are things that only we notice (because we’re our worst critics), but occasionally they can be real issues. Fortunately, many are easy to remedy if you know how to work with your surroundings when you find yourself in front of a lens. Stop ducking when someone pulls out a camera, and put your best face forward with the help of these tips.

1. Angling for success

Always try to get your photographer — whether they’re a pro with a fancy DSLR or a friend with a small point-and-shoot — to snap you from straight on, or above. Never below. If the camera strays downward and angles up toward your face, your jawline and any defined bone structure tend to disappear, adding a substantial amount of “imaginary weight” to your face. By tilting your chin slightly downward as you look into the camera, you’ll show your face from the most flattering angles. NOTE: If you have a very prominent brow ridge, however, this can cast a heavy shadow over your eyes.

2. The Torso Twist Diet

Regretting that last lemon-thyme shortbread cookie you ate right before someone slipped out their camera? Take 10 pounds off your waistline by turning your lower body away from the camera, and your upper body slightly back toward it.

3. Is that a ghost?!

Do you feel that you look extremely pale or washed out in photos? It could be your sunscreen and/or the lighting. Physical sunscreens (with the most common ones containing titanium dioxide) reflect light, and in areas with harsh ambient lighting, or in situations with a lot of flash photography, a camera is going to capture and magnify the glare. Opt for chemical sunscreens instead.

Or perhaps you’ve just happened into a brightly lit area (direct sunlight, an office building, etc.). They can wash out even the most glowing complexion. If you have some time to prepare beforehand, apply blush and/or bronzer one to two shades darker than you normally would, and opt for brighter lip or eye colors as opposed to neutrals.

4. Wiggle those ears

Can you wiggle your ears? If you can, you already know one of the best modeling tricks out there. Move your ears backwards and keep them there. You should feel a slight tightness in your face. Congratulations! You’ve just given yourself a virtual facelift.
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Hey, Winter Skin, Don’t Be a Flake! How to Keep Skin Supple and Moisturized in Winter

February 20th, 2011 by Karen 13 Comments

Written by Vonnie

Don’t let the Ice Queen crack your shell! Arm yourself with these tips from Vonnie, and save your skin from the Queen’s winter curse.

Winter skin

As if the thought of trekking through 15 inches of snow and traversing hidden sheets if sidewalk ice wasn’t thrilling enough, there’s also the havoc winter wreaks on skin, oftentimes causing it to become itchy, dry, flaky, and generally uncomfortable for months on end. Indoor heating and harsh icy winds are among skin’s least favorite friends, and they can leave that beautiful epidermis feeling a little under the weather. Thankfully, there are some products and tips out there that can help you keep your outer layer happy and healthy in winter.

Face

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Washing your face with a nourishing, rich cleanser is a great idea in winter. Gentle, creamy face washes form a great defense against the elements, and here are a few I highly recommend: Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple ($10 for a 3-oz. bottle), Korres Milk Proteins Foaming Cream Cleanser $21 for a 5.07-oz. bottle) and Olay Hydrating Warming Cleanser (it actually heats up while you rub it in and feels SO good and lush, but I think it’s discontinued).

I also recommend serums (vitamin C, among others) to not only brighten the skin, but to rejuvenate your overall appearance. Many impart a healthy glow, and some formulations work to seal in moisture and plump the skin, which makes for a more youthful appearance and even skin tone. While pricey, Clinique’s Even Better Skin Tone Correctors ($49.50 for a 1-oz. bottle) are very popular and perhaps worth a try.

You might also incorporate a moisturizing weekly face mask/masque into your regimen to balance the skin. Korres makes a few great ones, like their wild rose mask ($29 for a 1.35-oz. jar), pomegranate mask, thyme honey mask, and yogurt mask. Their formulations work to balance the skin without stripping it of nutrients and moisture.

Speaking of moisture, a good one is key — especially in winter! If you haven’t noticed by now, I REALLY like Korres skincare, and it all started with their AMAZING Thyme Honey face cream ($35 for a 1.35-oz. jar). This stuff really does live up to its 24-hour moisture promise, and did I mention the smell? It makes me want to nibble on my face when I put it on! Total yum, folks, total yum.
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Is Milk of Magnesia a Cure for Oily Skin?

February 19th, 2011 by Karen 57 Comments

Written by Sam

The subject of today’s guest post from makeup artist and blogger Sam has been soothing tummies since 1829! Now let’s see what it can do for skin. 😉

Milk of Magnesia for skin

The product that finally brought my skin to genesis is incredibly easy to use, portable, and comes in a chic little package. Since I’ve begun using it, my pores have all but disappeared, my skin redness has faded away, and my skin is as smooth as non-comedogenic butter. That’s right. I’m talkin’ about the Clarison — oh, wait. We already did that review.

No, what I’m here to hype today is not meant to be a skincare product at all. It’s actually a digestive aid. Liquid milk of magnesia (about $6 for a 12-oz. bottle) is a suspension of magnesium hydroxide in water, given its name due to its milky white appearance, and its typical uses include soothing raucous stomach acids and easing constipation… Not quite the kind of thing you think about using near your face, right?

Wrong (I bet you didn’t see that one coming).

For a long time, I’d been hearing about DIY beauty remedies involving milk of magnesia as a weekly facial mask to soak up oil and help reduce acne. But, probably like many of you, I was extremely wary of putting anything meant to be in my acidic stomach on my sensitive skin, so I relegated this tip to the REJECTED pile and went on, going through bottles of cleansers, foundations, serums, and medications in an attempt to find something that could control my over-eager sebaceous glands.

A few products certainly helped reduce oil production, and my Clarisonic has done wonders for my skin overall, but the search continued to find a single product able to keep that dreaded shine off my nose, chin, and cheeks for more than a few hours at a time.

For years I’d dart into restrooms to blot my face with those not-so-great-for-hands-but-oddly-wonderful-for-faces paper towels (the really stiff brown ones), and to smooth out the smile lines that would appear after a couple of hours of laughing and bearing my pearly whites (thank you, Crest Whitestrips!).

As for photos? A nightmare! I’m surprised that my recent passport photo was accepted despite the blinding glare.

But for me the worst thing about oily skin had always been foundation transfer and absorption. Whenever anything would touch my face (be it the collar of my coat, a stack of papers I may rest my head upon, or my pillowcase on the rare nights I pass out before cleaning up), it would come away with a nice coating of Revlon Colorstay Foundation in 150 Buff…and do you know how hard that stuff is to get out of Dry-clean Only clothes??

Even when I’d been fortunate enough to make it through a day without any foundation transfer accidents, my foundation still looked a fright by 4pm, with my oily skin absorbing and redistributing foundation in all the wrong places, leaving me with a blotchy, dull complexion that night. Not cute.

Then a few weeks ago I ran across a brief post on a blog mentioning milk of magnesia as a treatment for oily skin. Out of both patience and resources, I decided to take the dive and go for it. I thought, what do I have to lose (besides a bit of dignity), so I stopped by CVS to snag one of the small blue bottles from the foot care and digestive aid aisle before hurrying home.

Not wanting to just smear it on with my fingers, I grabbed a disposable cosmetic sponge, pressed it up against the mouth of the bottle, and tipped it over. Taking the now damp sponge, I dabbed it over my nose, and repeated this for each of my cheeks, my chin, my forehead, and under my jaw. And I hit my nose once more for good measure.

Within a minute, the stuff had dried, and left a few chalky, white streaks across my cheeks. Fantastic. However, a bit of gentle rubbing with the sponge quickly smoothed these out. Next, I applied my normal primer, and then went about my normal face routine.

Looking in a mirror for the first time that day was not a pleasant experience. My foundation looked thick, cakey, and most of all, dry. Well, this was new. Mortifying, but new. Not a spot of shine lit up my face, and this was about three hours in, a time when my nose would have already begun to act as its own little mirror.

Something was different, that was for sure.

So, the next day, I went about the same initial routine, but applied about a third as much foundation as I normally would, and barely any powder (I used to press it in to get my face to be relatively matte) at all.

If I may be so bold, I think my face looked amazing! Surprisingly, my skin actually looked like skin, and not like a layer of product covering up bad skin. More than that, it looked like normal skin. No oil. No glow. Just a perfectly bare, slightly flushed matte canvas. All. Day. Long.

That day I did my face around 6:30 in the morning, and by 8 pm the same day it looked almost as bright and fresh as when I had first applied. A miniscule amount of shine had drifted onto my nose, but not anywhere near enough to disrupt my foundation. Only when I actually rubbed did any product come off on my testing fingers.

But the thing I’m the most excited about is that I can now use my NARS Albatross highlighting powder to give my skin that sultry sheen (you know the one).
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The Supersonic Ultrasonic Clarisonic Passes with Flying Colors

February 12th, 2011 by Karen 45 Comments

Written by Sam

I hope you studied last night because I hear we’re having a POP quiz. No worries. Makeup artist and blogger Sam will help us study in today’s guest post.

The Clarisonic Skincare System

You tap your pencil rhythmically on the desk, eyes flitting around the classroom. Checking out the other test subjects. Did she live in the room across the hall in college? For the fourth time, you check your watch. Maybe it’s broken.

The exam administrator walks in, her black heels clacking on the linoleum floor. She checks to make sure everyone has a pencil; you ask for a second one, just in case.

The girl in front of you hands back a stack of packets (I can’t forget to ask her what polish she’s wearing before we leave…), the three or so pages crowned with a gold staple at the upper left corner. You slip one onto your desk and hand the rest back.

You read the first question: “Name the one beauty product currently in production you would bring with you on a week-long business trip.” Hmm… Oh! — no, wait. That’s not it. Ah! Yes, I remember now.

The second question: “The name of the beauty tool you hear the most buzz about in your daily readings and discussions…” Yes! Finally, an easy one!

Makeup and Beauty Exam

The Clarisonic Skincare System is probably one of the hottest beauty tools around, flying from shelves and receiving more press than many celebrity scandals (have there been any good ones lately?). Touted by everyone from top skincare gurus to red-carpet divas and humble bloggers (myself included), this mechanized innovation is a simple concept that is simply wonderful to use.

From the creators of the Sonicare toothbrush, the Clarisonic is a mini-marvel of engineering. What appears to be the blurred buzzing motion of the brush head is actually three hundred small back-and-forth vibrations per second. Rather than simply brushing over the skin, it flexes each and every pore, loosening impurities and built-up sebum and skin cells, and then encourages these to rise to the surface to be whisked away by those quick vibrations.

After a few failed attempts at buying this magic system and a frustrating series of calls to my credit card company, I finally lugged the rather large â€” though nice and glossy â€” box home, and extracted the much smaller tool from its cage of instruction manuals and packaging materials.

I purchased mine from Sephora, and received the Philosophy skincare set, which came with three minis from that brand’s permanent collection. Also nestled in among the white cardboard maze was a surprisingly nice mesh travel case, an inductive charging cradle, and two extra brush heads (Sensitive and Body).
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The Jillian Michaels Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism Workout DVD Hurts So Good!

February 10th, 2011 by Karen 78 Comments

Blast you, Jillian Michaels, and your calorie-killing tough love! The first time I pushed play on your Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism DVD ($10), I came this close to a full-on bakery breakdown. I’m serious, I was one mountain climber away from driving to the nearest bakery to stuff myself with donuts (have I mentioned I’m a stress eater?).

But, as if you could somehow tell when I was ready to quit, you looked me in the eye, cranked up the motivation dial and firmly told me “not to phone it in” (which is Jillian Michaels for “never give up, never surrender!”).

Needless to say, this workout’s no joke, and it hurts SO GOOD.

How good exactly?

Good like the first time you got your ‘stash waxed, or the first time you kissed that hot, scruffy bad boy (you know, the unemployed one with the muscles and the motorcycle — the one your parents despised).

Made to heighten heart rates and torch calories, Jillian’s 45-minute workout begins with a warm up, which is then followed by seven 5-minute circuits and a cool down. Each of the circuits is comprised of a series of 30-second exercises, and the workout doesn’t require any equipment to do; just a small space on the floor to move around, and maybe a yoga mat, if you have one.

For what it’s worth, I am not an athlete — not by a long shot — but I’ve exercised off and on for most of my adult life. I think I have reasonably strong legs from running and dancing, and decent upper body strength, but I’ve been neglecting my core for years (I HATE sit-ups and crunches).

Now, this wasn’t my first time at the rodeo with Jillian. I’d been using her 30 Day Shred DVD for a while, so I thought I knew what to expect from this one.

Boy, was I wrong! With Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism, Jillian takes workouts to the next level — one where I want to curl up into a ball and cry, LOL!

Jillian uses plyometric exercises with big, explosive jumps, and likes working several muscle groups simultaneously (back when I belonged to Gold’s Gym, I’d watch personal trainers perform similar exercises with real athletes). I remember some of the moves from Shred, like skaters, burpies and mountain climbers…but the whole DVD makes Shred look like musical chairs at a kid’s birthday party.
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