28 posts tagged “beauty”
Happy weekend! anyone out there still on spring break? any of you get to even HAVE a spring break?! not I, not I. but, today was a bit of a fun surprise in the mundane routine. myself and my co-worker and new-found roommate decided to go on a hair adventure after work! well, during, rather. since we had to leave early due do an emergency. =]
a HAIR emergency! she's a hair-dresser, i'm a color-starved orphan of anything fun (thanks Corporate!) so we needed something to cheer ourselves up. so, naturally, we buy hair. and lots of it. then fun hair color, LOTS of it. stayed up most of the day and night, ordered take out and had a frenzy. it's finally done, and i'm SOOO excited! i finally got my turquoise extensions i've been moaning and groaning about. AAAHH! it's so fabulous, i love it! i feel like a carousal horse gone bad. =D pictures tomorrow! (or, now?)
speaking of pictures, looking for these? behind the scenes photoshoot from earlier in the week!
it was tiring, but extremely fun! kind of like today. we went up to the Fillmore to get our hair stuffs for the makeover frenzy. a bit of a trek, but totally worth it. (especially the prices we got the stuff for, hot damn!) plus, week wrap-up, in pictures of course. =]
possibly more later, stolen wifi is quite irritatingly slow. =/
photo by Eyeworks Photography
Oh Betsey Johnson, why do you tease me so? it's come to that time where you really start counting down the days til your birthday. and this is when i start accumulating the ridiculous mental list of things that i want. MAKE IT STOP!
this bag makes me drool. and not that they would go together, but this dress also would be perfect with my new hair! well, once i get my turquoise extensions in, ONE of these days! (hopefully soon!)
Barbie's 50th Anniversary fashion show! ala Tarina Tarantino, of course. maaan i would have died to have been there!
speaking of, she sold out of my favorite bag of hers! the pink doctor bag from her Dollskin collection. LAME! she's got this really cute leopard print one out right now, which is still pretty adorable. but not like the pale pink one! i found a picture of the black patent leather one with the hot pink trim, which is also mighty cute!
oh yes, and happy late mardi gras!
and i've decided, i'm having an Alice in Wonderland mad tea party for my birthday! it shall be held in a pretty park, and there will be mismatched tea sets, flamingo croquet, cookies that make you larger or smaller, and everyone will be in COSTUME! i've decided to be the white rabbit. =] now, we only need someone to be Alice!
photo by Steph Hartop
oh boy, now i'm all excited. off to party-plan! =D
Life's been a madhouse, and today's Mardi Gras, right? okay, good. so then that makes my pink kitty tiara mask somewhat of a legitimate thing to wear, correct? =D no picture of that right now, i've got a hydrating mask and spot treatment going on... not too terribly glamorous! how has everybody's week been?! lots going on, right?! last weekend being Valentine's, Friday the 13th, President's day, and now Mardi Gras!
I actually went out on Friday the 13th this year, for once. (and on a work night?! oh dear.) we had a BLAST! there was a bunch of us this time, and we went to The Cellar here in SF for a badass 80's night, where on Fridays they play only 80's music... SCORE! i think it was even more awesome awkward that my friend Lei and i were the ONLY one's in spandex and day-glow makeup. well, there was this one girl in a damn jumpsuit and neon pink fanny pack. AWESOME!! too bad i didn't get a picture! or the dude with the ridiculously ill-made mullet wig. (hahahha)
the bad news? i lost my BRAND NEW IPHONE THAT NIGHT!! and who says Friday the 13th is unlucky? well, a lot of people. but i couldn't help but get technical about it, and since it was 2am i HAD to blame it on Valentine's day. either way, i don't have my damn phone anymore! i'm working on getting a new one, since the dude at AT&T told me that applecare insurance covers lost or stolen phones, (which to my dismay it DOESN'T!!) since the guy told me it did, they're trying to get me a new one. the jerks! hopefully it'll work out.
Random:
No Doubt touring! ticket pre-sale starts TOMORROW!
hahaahhaha, my friend linked me to that. i have no words.
i also CANNOT stop listening to this song.
(sorry for the crappy vid.)
oh yes, and who could forget BADgal week at work?! and it's been dead. i mean, not a soul coming through the store. i really think everybody's really realizing just how bad off we all are money-wise, so i suppose $20 mascara isn't in the budget? too bad, cause we get to be badasses and wear fake tattoos at work!
speaking of work, guess who was mentioned on the red carpet last night?
oh yes, and a little over 2 weeks until my birthday. wow, i still can't get it through my head that it's already been an entire year. it's a good thing i already snagged my birthday gown at a nearby vintage shop, randomly one day on the way to the post office. it's a glorious 1970's white and gold sequined and bejeweled piece, with a slit almost up to the ass. never been worn, it's such a score! pictures later. =D still deciding on birthday plans in the city! any ideas?
oh yes, and you all of course remember this story, don't you? it's only one my FAVORITE stories as a kid - (among soo many others) - turned SHOE! my friend just showed me a photo today of his new shoes he bought recently with the character's face on it. how cool?! i'm still trying to figure out where he got them!
okay, before my eyes melt i have to tear myself away.
It's almost March! what are your plans for spring break, or St. Patrick's day? (which is ON my birthday!) =]
So the day has finally come... time to reveal the results of the "diabolical hair frenzy"! it's still not 100% complete (turquoise extensions to come next week!), but we got the majority done yesterday. i'm SO excited about the end result! it came out much more hot pink (and racy) than i expected, which is fabulous.
ta-daaaah!
there are a ton more pink streaks underneath, i will almost positively post more pictures later to better show the colors off. all i can say is... FUN!! as silly as it may sound, but the new hair is actually helping me (mentally) prepare for the V-Day Invasion this saturday. (oh lord...) any of you have plans?! i was bad, and bought myself a box of See's candy today after work (because who else will?! =[ ). some of them were even pink! (they're kinda gross, though. they have coconut in em, blegh. i guess i should have read the label before letting all the cute, pink truffles get to my head?)
also, a random tid bit: my model friend Alex from high school in a Benefit web tutorial... COOOOOL!!! i came into work the other day, too and found this in my work binder. how absolutely mind-blowingly awesome would it be to come into work, and find your friend's face amongst paperwork? PRETTY damn awesome.
Friday the 13th is tomorrow, how many of you are superstitious? i'm going out to 80's night in the city, woo hoo!
photo by Eyeworks
okay, work has been FABULOUS, (seriously, i get to throw a beauty makeover theme-party of my choice on a whim at work every weekend!) but i honestly didn't think it would consume as much time as it has, i'm far behind on the times! i'm going to try to get on here more often and update you guys, and hopefully with some new material/tips/outfits/weirdness and more! despite working non-stop, i've been attempting maintaining somewhat of a social life. i've made a really cool friend at work, she just moved here a couple months ago from Hawaii - who happened to graduate Cosmetology school around the same time i did, cool! she invited me over to her house one day after work, so i could play with her two new kittens and have some drinks! (i'm animal deprived, don't hate!) we have a lot in common, plus she's just really down to earth and friendly. it's nice to have someone to eat lunch with, especially when you're new to a company. plus, we live really close together, so we just walk home together! definitely cooler than walking home alone every single day of your life!
another good news update: my best friend from high school, (that i hadn't SEEN since high school!) calls me up last Saturday to tell me she's in the city for the night. HOT DAMN! it was so good to see her, the only thing was i had been up since 6am that day, and didn't get home from work til 7pm. (i was ready for bed at that point!) we ended up not going out til 10, and was so exhausted to the point of nausea. was clubbing a good a idea? probably not, but i went anyway, and wound up having a lot of fun! we went to the grand opening of the Infusion Lounge here in SF, it was really nice and swanky! (despite the line out the door to the UNISEX bathroom, that had bouncers!)
That's about all i can muster up for now, my brain isn't fully functioning from the event we did this weekend. (either that, or it was the severe black eye makeup we had on three days straight!) we were "Bad Gals" to promote Benefit's Bad Gal Lash mascara, since it won "World's best mascara" in Elle magazine, woo hoo! we slapped on our toughest eyes and studded belts, and did our famous "three-minute smokey eye" on EVERYBODY that would let us! although tiring, it was a lot of fun. next weekend: Beauty Queen For a Day! let's see how big we can make my hair, shall we?
oh, so any of you want free high-end, deluxe cosmetic and fragrance samples? Click here to find out how! basically, you're not going to have to prove you made a purchase with any of these companies, but say you did, sign the paper and get your free sample! it's on a first come, first served basis, so get there early on Tuesday the 20th!
photo by Minnaloushe
How do i keep my skin from looking "blah" this time of year?
Let's face it (literally!), no one's skin is perfect. and if it is, the rest of us "common folk" don't really care to hear about it. (haha, i kid!) especially with the holidays nearing, we have plenty of things that put stressors on our skin. we're so busy flitting about; whether it be working for 11 hours straight and not having much time to take proper care of our skin (or sleep, for that matter!), or piling on the makeup for a slew of seasonal get-togethers. also, since winter typically brings a colder, drier climate, comes dehydrated, and chapped skin. not fun! so i've put together some easy and useful tips and products you can use to weather-the-winter!
De-stress!
it's definitely not an easy thing to do, but trying to keep stress down to a minimum is certainly going to benefit the health of your skin. when you're upset or stressed, your brain releases a hormone called Corticotropin Releasing Factor (CRF). this causes you to feel almost "wired" in a sense, since it's your body's natural emergency response. (aka: adrenaline!) this in turn puts you in a constant "alert" mode, which if you've experienced it, exhausts you quite easily! it then affects your surface adrenal glands, and can cause both irritated flakiness, or an overproduction of oil. (oh no, breakouts!) so, to break it down: stressed-out-skin = tired, dull and unhappy!
Try: thinking of things for only you that help you cope with the holiday stresses. take a warm bubble bath after your long day at work, (or with the in-laws!). take your mind off of things with an interesting book, and your favorite cup of hot tea. once you find one or two things that relax you and make you happy, (even if it's for only 20 minutes of your day!) you can start to deal with your current troubles a little easier.
Go to bed!
you'd think it wouldn't be a problem, especially since it gets dark around the crack of five o'clock! but 2 out of 3 women have trouble sleeping at night. statistically if you think about it, that's a LOT! there are many factors that play into the role of sleeping, but these are more common and can be avoided:
-stress can hinder sleep (there it is again!)
-napping during the day, which disturbs your internal-clock, and throws off your schedule.
-drinking caffeine close to bedtime.
Try: turning your lights down about an hour before you go to bed, and keeping music and tv on a low volume. heck, even turn the thing of! tv and computer screens keep your mind busy and awake, and could keep you up longer than you need to be.
my lambie i got from work! it's soft, cuddly, and sure to help anyone get to sleep. i just got the new lambie eyemask; tomorrow's post!
Stay hydrated!
you see drinking plenty of water as a given during the summer, but the same should apply for the winter as well. your skin has more of a tendency to "dry-out" and chap during the colder months, so drink your 8-10 glasses of water a day! (or de-caffeinated tea!)
and for an extra boost, try my absolute faaavorite hydrating facial mask. it's a clear, cool gel mask from Juvena that hydrates and smoothes your skin. it's even good for acneic and break-out prone skin, as well. it's basically like slathering your skin with a moisturizing watery... blanket! it's so easy, too. before bedtime and after cleansing, i just slap on some of that mask, let it soak in for 15 minutes, blot off and go to bed! simple, no? another excellent choice is Dermalogica's Hydrating masque. it's chalk-full of vitamins A, C, and E, which are necessary for healthy skin. it's oil-free, and replenishes skin perfectly at the same time. also, moisturize! my favorite nighttime facial moisturizer is of course, Murad's Essential C night moisture. since i have combination skin, you'd think this shea butter-rich concoction would be ridiculous and too oily, but it's perfect! oh, and don't forget your lip balm!
Clean skin is happy skin!
try trading up your current cleanser (if you don't already have a fabulous one) for a more hydrating, soothing cleanser. im in love with Murad's Refreshing Cleanser, which is perfect for taking off your makeup, and giving your skin a healthy glow!
(my secret to clear skin? i double-cleanse my face each time! wash once for 60 seconds for the first initial layer of dirt and makeup, then a second to get into your pores and leave your skin the healthiest it can be. i also switch off and on to an exfoliating cleanser, and exfoliate 2x a week. more info on exfoliating!)
i hope this helps!
let me in on some of your tips and secrets for staying beautiful!
well, i wish i did! =D
is it just me, or do i look stoned in this?!
what's your favorite color?!
Hey guys, happy Saturday! today i actually wanted to show you how exactly to do a perfect red lip look, since i've been asked how to do it (correctly!) a lot recently! so here's my intro, and then my tutorial following after.
Pulling off a red-lipped look can sometimes be pretty tricky, whether it be practicing trying to put it on without looking like a clown, getting it to not feather out to your nose, or picking a hue of red that goes with your skin tone. I've noticed that stars these days are making it look effortless and glamorous, i.e Katy Perry, Dita Von Teese, Scarlett Johansson, which is fabulous! but it's a must to know how to put it on! so that's why this post is here to help you. =D
Finding "your" red:
There are a ton of red lipsticks on the market, there are blue-reds, pink-reds, orange-reds, peachy-pinky reds... the list goes on! the way you'd find the one that goes with your coloring, is knowing what the undertones in your skin are. if you look at your wrists and inner arms, what color are your veins? are they a true "blue" color? are they sort of an "aqua/teal-ish" color?
- if they're more blue, then you're most likely on the "lighter" end of the spectrum, meaning you have blue/pink undertones. you're what they call a "Cool" tone. you want to pick a red that's more on the "pink/peachy" side. this will help warm up your cool complexion a bit, and compliment your coloring.
- if they're an aqua/teal-ish color, you're on the "warm" end of the spectrum, meaning you have yellow to golden undertones. you want to choose a red that's on the "blue/purple" side, to offset your naturally glowy-gold complexion. if this helps: i'm a warm, which means i have golden undertones. (yes, believe it! even as pale as i am! tricky tricky, this is.) so that means my red is a blue-red. i use MAC's Russian Red matte lipstick, and it's AMAZING!
Exfoliate!
so, of course you'd do your makeup how you normally apply it. so, that means basically everything except for lips. but first, what i usually do, especially with a dramatic lip color, i do an exfoliation before just to get all the little dead skin issues out of the way. =]
super simple: i just take a little bit of honey and a pinch of sugar, then scrub it all over my lips for about 60 seconds. it looks a little something like this:
and the best part? you can just eat it off when you're done!
Conceal:
after wiping the exfoliant off (or eating it!), you can then proceed with your usual makeup doing's. when finished with everything but lips, apply a concealer to your lips, blend out, finish with a dusting of powder to set.
Now, onto color!
in this tutorial, i'll be showing you how to apply your red lipstick without using a lipliner, this helps coordinate your eyes to scope out imperfections and crooked lines a lot easier. you'd mainly use this tactic for photoshoots, or short periods of time. for all-day, long lasting wear, i'd definitely recommend using a liner.
Top lip:
First off, try to imagine your lips split into four different sections. one line going down the center, and the other directly across the middle. i usually start with the top lip, so with your lip brush, start carefully lining 1/4 of the lip at a time, using steady, slow outward strokes from the corner to the middle. try keeping your mouth as natural and still as possible, leaving it closed. it lets you see the shape of your lips much better this way, and deters any unnatural shapes you might be left with! once finished, fill in with lipsick (still using your brush!). proceed to the next section. use concealer and a small concealer brush to fix any boo-boos along the way. (check out my INDIVIDUAL LASH JOB!! hey, they looked good in the mirror! that'll need some practice, haha.)
Bottom lip:
Lining your bottom lip will be slightly different than your top, as you'd start from the middle, then work your way out to the corner, but still working in sections at a time. although, you would use the same method in lining and filling. mind you, this may take you a while! especially if you've never experimented with darker or more dramatic lip colors. keep practicing! if you feel it's absolutely terrible, (which i'm sure it doesn't look THAT bad!), grab a baby wipe, and start over! nothing wrong with little practice. Note: don't forget about connecting the corners of your lips to the rest of your color! there isn't anything more unsightly than perfectly-pale corners and red lips!
Finish up:
when you feel that your job is sufficient enough, you can either leave it matte the way i did, or throw on your favorite gloss to glam it up a bit.
I hope this tutorial has been of help to you, and answered any questions about dramatic lipcolor! if you felt i've left anything out, or didn't explain something very clearly, don't be afraid to drop a line!
Yesterday, i posted about my friend Kirsten walking in the Factory Girl fashion show last night for the Andy Warhol Exhibit here in the city, and have some pictures to show you! she looked absolutely FABULOUS, and makes me kick myself in the ass for not going!
she looked so fantastic, i'm so proud of her!
thx to Shu Umera- makeup
thx to Oxenrose- hair
thx to Acrimony- clothing
Jewish Contemporary Museum- venue
thx to Acrimony- clothing
Jewish Contemporary Museum- venue
Even when she gets big and famous, i'll still remember the days of yore:
Q: What are those little rashy-red bumps on the backs of my arms, and how do I get rid of them?
A: I get this question asked of me a LOT, as it's a really common skin disorder. a lot of you may possibly have heard or referred to it as "chicken skin", acne, or a rash. although it looks as if it could be painful or irritating, it actually doesn't feel like anything! i mean, to the touch it feels slightly sandpaper-y and rough, but possesses no actual harm or health risks. It's called Keratosis Pilaris, and i've actually had a slight case of it most of my life. it's basically just an over abundance of dead skin cells that your body has a problem with sloughing off naturally. though it may look like acne in some cases, it has nothing to do with your oil glands or bacteria, but can be treated the same way as you would acne in the sense that they both need to be exfoliated.
(that's not my arm, just FYI!)
it's quite simple to treat, although if yours is severe enough, may possibly look like something different than what you see here, or have any concerns i definitely recommend you see your Dermatologist.
What do I use to treat it, and how much will it cost?
There are a ton of beauty products on the market, so i can see where one can get caught up in the media/magazine ad hooplah. basically with this skin disorder, exfoliation is going to be your best friend. key things to remember when you're searching for a good treatment:
- Quality ingredients are key. you want something that exfoliates chemically and mechanically, which means acids and granules! look for cleansers with ingredients such as AHA/BHA's, which are Salicylic, Glycolic and Lactic acids, and be sure to check up on the percentages. effectively, salicylic works best at a 1.5 - 2, glycolic at a 2%.
- Don't be cheap! i know it's rough right now, especially with the economy being in the position it is, but when it comes to quality skin care, sometimes you just have to shell out the bucks. i use Murad's Clarifying Cleanser, Acne Body Wash and their Hyper-pigmentation serum to help with the discoloration. and don't forget to moisturize! you don't want something SO heavy that it blocks up your pores and cancels out all the work you just did! try Eucerin's Moisture Plus, which has the AHA/BHA's (Alpha/Beta Hydroxy Acids) that help exfoliate. the downside is that Murad isn't cheap ($30+ a bottle?!), but the upside is that IT WORKS! if you're on a REALLY tight budget, stick with the advice i gave above about ingredients. Note: Try and steer clear from exfoliants with "rough" or uneven particles such as walnut shells and apricot-pit bits, as these could leave tiny cuts and scrapes in your Epidermis. Opt for gentle, smooth, or round exfoliants such as JoJoba beads or rice bran. Try Dermalogica's Skin Prep Scrub. it's gentle enough to use everyday, but extremely effective.
- Don't be lazy! once you have a good regimen, stick with it! make it a part of your daily routine, mark it on your calender if you have to! the more you use your products and use them consistently, the better the results are going to be.
- Watch the hands! try your absolute best to not pick or scratch at the bumps. it irritates the skin, and causes scarring and discoloration later on in life. keep in mind while exfoliating: for some reason, we get the idea that scrubbing reeeeallly hard will do the trick. in reality, you really don't have to work the skin all that hard, and could be damaging it. let the exfoliants do the work for you, and save your poor little arms some unnecessary heartache!
- Try not to over-exfoliate! if you're like me and feel that you should join a club called "Over-Exfoliators Anonymous", raise your hand! while getting your treatment started, you should start in small increments at first to prepare your skin. try 2-3 times a week with your exfoliation, possibly even just once a week. then after 2 weeks to a month, bump it up to every day. if your skin gets at all red or irritated, stop what you're using and see your doctor. it could be an allergy, or you're just scrubbing the hell out of yourself!
Be good to your skin, and it'll be good to you. if you have any more questions, just ask. =]
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