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guest post

Be a Flying Beauty with These Airplane Beauty Tips

April 9th, 2011 by Karen 16 Comments

Sam

Written by Sam

Captain Sam says, “You are free to move (beautifully) about the cabin.” Don’t let air travel slow you down. Be an airborne beauty with the help of these tips from Sam.

Flying Beauty

Flying is perhaps the worst thing to ever happen to beauty. The dry, stale air. The awful, exposing fluorescent lights. The 12 hours of foundation meltdown. Obviously, planes weren’t meant for photoshoots.

So, how can you combat the common mishaps and mayhem the mile-high atmosphere can wreak? Before you flash your passport and board, let’s find out.

Please prepare for takeoff
Your biggest issue, even if you have oily skin, could be keeping your skin moisturized and supple throughout the flight. That dry cabin air seems to enjoy leeching all of the hydration out of everything (including your face).

The night before a flight, use a deep conditioning hair masque, and leave it on while you sleep for the extra benefit. That way, your locks will stay lush and lustrous throughout your trip, and your cuticles will remained sealed against any toxins that may be present in the cabin.

The morning (or whatever time it might be) before your departure, take a warm shower instead of a hot one (which can break down the lipid barrier on skin that keeps moisture in and toxins out), and try to keep it as brief as you can. Pat yourself dry instead of rubbing, and apply a nice, thick lotion all over within 60 seconds of stepping out of that steamy stall — while your skin is still all nice and porous — to lock that moisture in. If you have time, slap a moisturizing facial masque on for five minutes or so to give yourself an extra fortification against dehydration.

It's lip balm
Balms are your best friends on long plane rides. To start, because they don’t qualify as a liquid, you can freely get them past airport security without a hassle (making sure you don’t miss your takeoff!). And they’re also mighty multitaskers. Seriously. Oil-based balms (rose or carrot oil being two of the best) can fix nearly any beauty problem you’ll encounter on a plane.

Smear over lips to instantly repair and protect against cracking, peeling, and general dryness. Rub into cuticles to stop them from ripping and pulling (also add a nice shine to your nails, as well as protecting polish from scratching). Dab on the top of cheekbones to add a subtle sheen while pumping up the moisture. Smooth over eyebrows as a down-and-dirty alternative to brow gel. Hey, my brows certainly get wonky after eight hours in a musty aeroplane.
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There are 16 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Beauty Tips, Guest Post, Skin Care Keywords: guest post

Game, Set, Matte: The Pitfalls of Powder and Shine

April 2nd, 2011 by Karen 17 Comments

Sam

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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There are 17 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Beauty Tips, Guest Post, Makeup Tips/How To Keywords: guest post

Get the Most from Your Hair Color

March 26th, 2011 by Karen 10 Comments

Sam

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.
[Continue reading…]

There are 10 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Beauty Tips, Guest Post, Hair Keywords: guest post

8 More Tips to Look Your Best in Pictures

March 19th, 2011 by Karen 12 Comments

Sam

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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There are 12 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Beauty Tips, Guest Post Keywords: guest post

Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polishes: Not Your Run-of-the-Mill Nail Brand

March 18th, 2011 by Karen 24 Comments

Robin of Beautyburg

Follow me on TwitterWritten by Robin

A few of us are meeting at the Rescue Beauty Lounge. Destination: your living room. Robin of Beautyburg has the scoop in today’s guest post.

Have you tried Rescue Beauty Lounge?
Rescue Beauty Lounge (or RBL for short) owner and founder Ji Baek opened her first New York City nail salon in 1998 after being dissatisfied with the standards she felt she saw at other salons and spas. Today, RBL isn’t just a salon chain. It’s also a line of bath and body care products and, most notably, a unique brand of nail polish.

Before she opened her first salon, Ji wondered if she really wanted to be the cliché of a Korean nail salon owner, but what Ji saw was an opportunity to elevate nail salons and set a new bar in professional nail care. “You have a great concept,” her husband said, “I’ll be by your side and help you. You can’t go through life with ‘what ifs’.”

Some of my favorite RBL polishes ($18 each)

RBL Chinoise
Chinoise

RBL Scrangie
Scrangie

RBL Coral
Coral

RBL Anne
Anne

As a self-admitted germophobe, Ji designed her spas to standards of hospital-grade cleanliness, and her philosophy takes overall nail health to heart.

When creating her nail polishes, Ji wanted to set herself apart from other brands by bringing the same philosophy and discipline she brought to her salon to her nail polishes as well. She boasts that several lab technicians almost quit trying to meet her standards, which were for a long-wearing polish made without the the use of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), formaldehyde, toluene or animal testing.
[Continue reading…]

There are 24 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Guest Post, Nails Keywords: guest post

Have You Checked Out Origins Before?

March 12th, 2011 by Karen 18 Comments

Leah

Friend me on FacebookWritten by Leah

Leah and Maximus dish about one of their favorite beauty brands in today’s guest post.

Have you checked out Origins before?
Maximus is partial to Origins eyeshadow

I’ve been using Origins products for many years, but I actually rarely shop at an Origins store. That’s because their website features free samples, and I often shop using coupon codes to get their DELUXE samples, while taking advantage of the free shipping deal (good on any order).

I think there’s a lot to like about Origins, but if you’re new to their products, here are some things I like about the brand.

Product Container Recycling and Samples

They offer a great product recycling program in their stores. Just bring in an empty container. They’ll recycle it for you, and give you a free sample of your choice in return. It’ll be one of their regular products in a sample jar (similar to Sephora’s little plastic sample jars).

To get even BIGGER samples, place your orders through their website. Some of the samples are amazing! It depends on their promotions and specials, but many are larger than the samples they give in the stores.

Natural Mission

The company’s mission is to “create high-performance natural skincare that is powered by nature and proven by science.” They use potent plants and organic ingredients and animal-friendly practices. All of their products are also formulated without parabens, phthalates, PABA, mineral oil, DEA (diethanolamine, a known carcinogen) and animal ingredients, and thanks to their Plant A Tree campaign, they’ve planted 93,000 trees so far.

Daily Moisturizer

I spend a lot of time outdoors (hiking, snowshoeing, skiing) and also use my sunroof a lot, despite the fact that I’m a New Englander, so a daily moisturizer with at least SPF 15 is a must.

I’m addicted to Have a Nice Day ($37.50 for a 1.7-oz. jar). It smells a little bit citrusy, and I think it’s just incredible. I haven’t been able to find anything similar at the drugstore, and mind you I’ve looked. It’s on the pricey side, but a jar does last me a very long time.
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There are 18 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Guest Post, Makeup, Skin Care Keywords: guest post, origins

Kevin Murphy Night.Rider Firm Hold Hair Paste Took My Hair from 0-60 in No Time Flat

March 5th, 2011 by Karen 12 Comments

Sam

Written by Sam

Not even talking sports cars with penchants for sarcasm could have kept makeup artist and blogger Sam from trying the subject of today’s guest post.

Kevin Murphy: Night Rider

It’s not often that I’ll rush from the Upper East Side to the Village with barely an hour to spare just to grab a product. But my hair was getting long and resisting the mild styling power of my current crème, and I had a big night ahead. A flat, shapeless ‘do simply would not… do.

Australian hair guru Kevin Murphy was the creator of my previously favorite hair product, Easy.Rider. This potent, herbal crème left my short, blow-dried hair soft, satiny, and de-frizzed; unfortunately, when my hair gets longer, it tends to lose definition. A quick jaunt through the interweb led me to Kevin Murphy’s interesting pop-art site (and here for the store). Nearly every page has an accompanying podcast where the stylist himself illustrates, step by step, how to style with the lotion, crème, or powder; a great little addition that quickly helped me pick the small, jet-black box that was simply one of the most aesthetically appealing packages I’d ever encountered.

One metro ride down to a tiny four-seat salon in the Village completed my quest for my new Hairy Grail, and left me in possession of the cleverly named Night.Rider (about $20 for a 3.7-oz. box).

Kevin Murphy: Night Rider

This soft paste promised a “tough hold and a rough matte texture,” but Kevin Murphy had never met my hair. Although I was still recalling memories of my wonderful jaunt with Easy.Rider, I was skeptical of what this product could do. On my indifferent locks, matte usually equaled flat, and textured often led to tangled. A thorough rinse in cold water and a quick blow out prepped my hair for its upcoming ordeal.
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There are 12 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Guest Post, Hair Keywords: guest post

Ion Color Defense Shampoo and Conditioner: Team Ion Could Use Some Help with Their Hair Color Defense

February 26th, 2011 by Karen 10 Comments

Sam

Written by Sam

Makeup artist and blogger Sam has been keeping an Ion his hair since trying this hair care duo. Find out if they’re the solution to your color-treated troubles in today’s guest post.

Why can’t beauty brands just be good or bad? Because being both just makes things more complicated. They do it all the time. A company will go and make something fantastic, and then turn around and make something god-awful (without telling me first). It must be how beauty company execs have their fun, by tricking unassuming beauty buyers into becoming faithful to their brand before throwing them for a loop and causing them to call into question their entire belief system… Not funny, guys. Rude.

Now, I’ve used Ion products before and have loved the ones I’ve tried. Their Clarifying Shampoo (Sally Beauty, $5.99 for a 12-oz. bottle) has its own spot on my shower shelf; I use it habitually every Friday, so it wasn’t so much a question of whether to buy their Color Defense shampoo and conditioner (Sally Beauty, $5.99 each for a 12-oz. bottle) as it was a question of which size bottles to buy (I settled on the 33.8-oz. ones for $7.99 each).

At the register, the salesgirl didn’t comment on the products as she manually entered them into the computer (for some reason, their product scanner always seems to be broken), and I found her silence unsettling. Not unsettling enough to change my mind, however, so I picked up the goodies and left the store with my heavy bag.

After having a quick snack at home (what…? Adults have snack time too), I hopped into the shower and popped open the giant shampoo bottle’s cap. First, I wish it had come with a pump, as holding a 33.8 oz. bottle of shampoo upside down in the shower with one hand is a rather risky endeavor (yes, I dropped it). What came out of the bottle was an extremely gelatinous, coral-colored goop. I’m not a naturally clumsy person, but this product just doesn’t seem to want to stay in my hands. First, dropping the bottle, and then the actual shampoo blob slipped out from between my palms twice as I worked to emulsify it. Even with rather wet hands, the stuff just didn’t seem to want to leave its singular form. After a third, careful attempt, I finally worked enough into a mild lather and massaged it through my hair.

It felt fine. Just… fine. I wasn’t expecting much texturally, as Ion tends to be a no-frills company, but I certainly would have enjoyed slightly more lather (even from a color-protecting shampoo), or a bit more slip, but I’m not one to complain if something does its job. After letting it sit for a minute or so, I rinsed it out, but my hair definitely didn’t feel quite clean.
[Continue reading…]

There are 10 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Guest Post, Hair Keywords: guest post

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog! My name is Karen, and I’m a freelance writer obsessed with makeup.

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