So many women are dropping all their fun money into "miracles in a bottle" that promise to give you everything short of an orgasm. All the snake oil in the world doesn't work. Every so often I'm going to give quick tips to get ahead and/or get gorgeous.
1. Face mask! Aspirin, oatmeal, or lemon doesn't matter, but take care of your skin.
2. Exfoliate! Whether it's your face, lips or body, if you have sugar, an essential oil (baby oil works) mix 3:1 and slough the dead skin away.
3. Manicure/Pedicure! Easy as trimming your cuticles, shaping and applying for favorite color, your hands and feet need pampering too. Ped Egg will change your life, and don't forget to moisturize.
4. Scalp massage! Take the balls of your fingers and pretend your head is dough and you are kneading it. Circles all over, and don't forget to rub your neck and shoulders.
5. Music! Turn it on! Doesn't matter what kind, but it has to be something that makes you feel good. Remember to dance like no one's watching and if they are, who cares?
6. Clean up your brows! They are one of the things that can make or break your overall "look." If you're in between waxing/threading conceal the hairs by using a concealer and spritzing it with hairspray to set. Don't go overboard or you will look like something is growing above your eyes.
7. Lists! Make a list of ten things you like about yourself. Look and the mirror and repeat what your wrote and tell yourself how beautiful you are!
8. Smile at your haters! Don't be stupid or they will see you as crazy. You know that look that says, "I know something you don't" It works every time. Haters want to see you look sad, flip it and make them even more jealous. I promise you'll feel better.
9. Posture! Practice sitting, standing and walking straight. It comes across as confident and people find confidence sexy. A mediocre women who appears confident will go from a 6 to a 10!
10. Wear a bold lipstick! Do you know how sexy lips are? Well why aren't you working one of your best assets? Everyone can wear a bold lippie, even if you wear glasses you will turn more heads than you think. Try it!
I'm not going to say beauty is not important, but we all have to take what we have and make it the best. So you don't have great hair, experiment with color or a style that suits your face. On the heavy side? Please! I know thick women who have more game than all the skinny Penny's on the planet. Package yourself well and your weight will be the least of your worries. Remember, you look good and you'll feel good. Go!
Yes, loves another one.
You know exactly what to do!
Click it now!
xoxo
Hey Cherubs:
It's amazing to me I have been in the makeup industry and am just hearing about camerareadycosmetics! The sight is owned and operated by Mary Erickson, a makeup artist located in Southern California. Mary has been such a blessing for me. I have placed several orders from her and have been impressed with how fast her shipping is, and how helpful she has been. For example, you know when a website has the "contact us" button and you ask a question with hopes to hear something back, but expecting nothing and if you're lucky you may get a reply that your message was received but then you never hear from them? Mary has been patient in answering all my questions, AND she even helps with product recommendations. I am so impressed. I know this blog is not popular, but I am not blogging for publicity so I get nothing by promoting this woman. My goal is to put out there that there are people who own business, who also work in the industry who are willing to help newcomers. This woman has an amazing portfolio, a resume one can only dream of, and a program for makeup artists looking for help getting into the field!
I am so excited to have found her link and other information so I can get as much information and useful tips as possible. The woman knows her stuff and she's dedicated to securing the sanctity of the makeup industry for all others. I can't tell you how many times I've contacted gurus, "high profile" makeup artists and bloggers and they don't take the time to acknowledge me under the guise of being too busy, too many subscribers, e-mails, etc. I completely understand, but how is it that someone who has more credentials, their own business and a store has the time to help me? Many of the top gurus were posting on forums AFTER me, and due to YouTube are now calling themselves "professional makeup artists" but have yet to work for a designer or a fashion show.
What's more, I ordered all my OCC lip tars from her site because the owner and CEO was a jerk to me at IMATS because he was too busy with the "gurus" and I mentioned my unhappiness about that. I am paying full price for the products from Mary rather than the discount because that is how much I enjoy her website, shipping and service.
If you are looking into becoming a makeup artist, want to buy great products such as Yaby, OCC, Face Atelier, and so many more, I strongly encourage you to go to her website. The lip tars were cheaper at IMATS, but it's worth it to me to support business owners who care about me as a customer. Again, I am not paid any compensation of any kind, (products, money, etc.) to write this, and my purpose of this blog is to try my best to not be all about me, pictures of me, etc. so thank you for reading.
Meow for now loves,
B.P.
Hey Kittens!
Much like me, you've been bombarded with so much information regarding sulfate free shampoos. Many people don't get it, so today's post will address that. In the most simplistic of terms, we are going to discuss sulfates so you can decide on what, if any, changes you may want to make to your hair regimen.
There are two kinds of sulfates in most shampoos, sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). They are chemical agents found in many household detergents.
Why are sulfates put in hair products if they are bad for your hair? Well the answer is simple. One of the chemical agents is largely responsible for creating lather, not to mention it's cheap. The shampoos with sulfates have been approved by the FDA; however, we are just now being swarmed by advertisements against sulfates. People with dermatitis and other sensitive skin conditions have long been avoiding the "fates" in their hair products. If you find your skin dry and itchy after shampooing your hair, you may be having an allergic reaction to the sulfates in your shampoo.
So, which shampoo is right for me? That you have to answer for yourself. Again, sulfates are detergents, if you have baby fine or thin hair with oiliness, sulfates may be a God send for you. If you have thick, coarse, relaxed, dry ... hair like mine, you want to leave them out as best you can.
I should advise you that shampoos sans sulfates are a bit more expensive than those which contain sulfates, but if it improves your hairs health, it may be worth cutting out something in exchange.
More hair talk to come...
B.P.
The eyes have it!
Felines, it sucks that we have to learn the hard way that embracing our natural beauty also means, accepting some of our flaws. Well, flaws or not, we're quite blessed if all we have to worry about is concealing our flaws.
Some people have gotten confused when they come to me about their goals when trying to conceal the area under the eyes. Short of a lower blephorplasty, there is only so much makeup can do to hide under eye imperfections.
First, it's important to differentiate between darkness, under eye bag and under eye hollows. Darkness is the easiest.
See the purple area underneath the eye? That's what is referred to as "dark circles." I wish this were my only problem. Largely genetic, the way to conceal this is bar far the easiest. You will apply your foundation first. This way you have a good grasp of what if anything is left to conceal. Depending on your foundation's coverage, you may be fine. If not, you will select a corrector based on the opposite on the color wheel to neutralize or "cancel" the color out. For this little guy, we want to use either a light or dark yellow depending upon the intensity of dark under the eyes. Behold our color wheel:
The other complaint is under eye bags. These are caused by many things such as aging, hereditary, sodium, diet, allergies, etc. Unfortunately, they are a bit harder to conceal as they are fat pockets or fluid stored beneath the surface of the skin. Behold:
I know, it looks bad, but there are some people who have reported success using over the counter things which contain caffeine, tea bags, and creams catered to shrink the size of the pockets. If this is really troubling you, speak with an ocular specialist about it before spending boat loads of money on creams with false guarantees. Companies prey on the insecure and desperate. Also, be careful when concealing this area, do not be fooled into using an eye concealer two shades lighter than your foundation. Remember when Black Panther told you some posts ago, light draws attention as in highlight you want to use the same shade or one shade darker with setting powder. Never, ever go light here.
Next we have my issue. Under eye hollows. Yuck! I know we all have something, but when I look at mine, I have a love/hate relationship here. I get that I will never be perfect, the image above? She's been photo shopped! She has no pores, lines, wrinkles, etc. That is the image used to make us humans feel inferior in an effort to get products off shelves. She doesn't exist. Take this to any photographer and they will reiterate this. Hollows? Here:
Like that? Yeah...lovely. I look tired when I'm refreshed, and look deathly when I'm tired. So what can you do? Hollows are tricky. Some times hollows are accompanied by darkness and bags, so you have to call for back up and cross your fingers that you don't look like there is cake batter under your peepers.
What causes hollows? The same, genetics, allergies, fatigue, stress, eyestrain, weightloss, you name it.
You will conceal these but only to a point. Whenever you keep your head down and eyes look up, you'll see your "friends" looking back at you. I joke that I wish I could inject air in there to give my face fullness. I haven't considered having fillers yet, but I'll never rule it out. Concealer the same shade is what you'll use, but it should be the same color as your foundation, but you want to make sure it's budgeproof as well as not too oily as it will settle into lines and separate. Again, application is key as is a slight dusting of finishing powder.
Keep the questions coming, and if you wish to have a tutorial or photos, please let me know.
B.P.
Hello Cherubs,
I mentioned June would be tough on the wallets earlier, and MAC is also giving a discount, so we're all friends here. Use the code "SUMA" June 16th - June 18, 2009 and you will get an extra 25% off of your order but you must order online at here and be patient, I'm sure there are people waiting until 12:00 a.m. June 16th to place their bi-annual orders and quantities may be limited so get your list together and keep logging on, Makeupalley members have been known to crash many a beauty website :)
Love and purrs!
B.P.
June is going to be madness for those of you who love to collect and buy makeup. First, I received the above e-mail and wanted to share it with you, as you are all my friends and family. I mean that, not just words, I have a small blog and small following but if you are reading this I appreciate you, and soon you will know this, as I have a give away for ALL of you!!!
Happy shopping loves!
B.P.
Hello Felines,
Smashbox is looking for some new faces to promote their line. If you are an aspiring makeup artist, model or photographer, you need to scurry over to their website smashbox cosmetics and enter to win.
Tell your friends, family and clients to vote for you, then the top twelve will proceed to the next round.
Good luck!
B.P.
What's your pleasure?
or
Whatever you decide you cannot beat the deals at beautyticket.com right now in terms of making a makeup purchase.
For example:
Jelly Pongs new and improved concealer crayon in bare is $25.00 USD normally, that's what I paid, and though it's not my color. I have used this in my kit and for personal use to: use as a concealer on light skin, as an eyeshadow base to neutralize eyes with redness or visible veins, in the tear ducts to brighten the eyes, under brows to highlight, and on the waterline to make eyes appear bigger without looking stark, and to base pigmented lips, the uses are endless, be creative, if not, pass this on to your friends.
Stay beautiful, and believe in yourself!
Fashionista Felines,
Are you worried about being summer ready for swimsuit season? Well, Black Panther has some tips for you. I think the bum and the belly are the two issues most women fear most when it comes to exposing themselves at the beach. Well, sarongs are here to help! You can go to Sassy Sarongs and find one for around $21.99 USD, you can get a sarong in the color, length and pattern of your choice.
Just look how well it works to keep Kim Kardashian's lovely assets covered. It keeps the paparazzi from featuring her on the cover of every glossy with the title "Kim's Cellulite Exposed" or "Kim packs on 15 pounds and scheduled for rehab after fight with Reggie!" Go Kimmy, way to make your body work for you!
It's time us bottom heavy girls embrace the skin we're in and love and accept the body the Lord gave us, what's wrong with a little extra cush in the tush?
Let's celebrate!
Bring on the barbeques, swimming pools, beaches, and sand volleyball, with our sarong, we can have work it out and still look fly.
Meow for now lovelies,
B.P.
Hello Beautiful,
I know that MAC have been the "go to" when it comes to makeup brushes for some time. I don't know if it is part of the hype or cult like following for this particular cosmetics brand, or if it's because their brushes are said to have the best quality.
I have watched hundreds of tutorials where people just say the number (i.e. 209, 239, 217, etc) and viewers know exactly what they are speaking of. They are talking about the number assigned to the MAC brush they are applying their makeup with.
For me, I am not loyal to any brand because I freelance and with that, I don't represent any one makeup company. What's more, I have found softer brushes in art supply stores, the only problem is that they are not ergonimically designed for long hours on a set and that poses a problem for me.
Let me introduce another alternative called crown brush If you take sometime and look through their catalog of brushes, you will find many of the same brushes at a fraction of the cost.
If you love your high end brushes, that's excellent! More power to you, and if you have MAC, take a clear matte nail varnish and paint over the numbers as they will fade in time. For those of you who are looking at cutting back or ways to pinch pennies, take a look at crown brush, you may find some items you like and save more $$ for your next haul :)
Meow for now,
B.P.
Hello Kittens,
I wanted to have a beauty bite yesterday; however, I had my annual cold/flu and have not quite gotten back to 100% so rather than blog, I slept. I will be committed to this blog whether I have zero or a trillion subscribers because beauty is not about me, and knowledge really is power.
Lately a lot of people having been buzzing about ways to prevent their eyeshadow from creasing and how to make their eyeshadows "pop!" These two statements are not interchangeable. A base is not equal to a primer at all, so if you are priming your eyes, you will use something to prevent the eyeshadow from creasing. Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Urban Decay Primer Potion, L'Oreal De-crease, Artdeco, etc. are all primers. Once again, your goal in priming is to keep the oily eyelids at bay.
Bases are something you will use to primarily bring depth from your eyeshadow. You can have a mediocre eyeshadow and make the color pop (more vibrant) by using a good base. A base should be creamy enough for the eyeshadow or pigment to stick to, but not so much that it causes creasing. Almost every cosmetic line has the equivalent of a base, anything with a creamy or tacky texture will work. I have used eyeliners, cream color bases, kohl's, and jumbo pencils to base my eyes and the best part is that you can get them in so many colors. NYX's jumbo pencils are a softer alternative to MAC's shadesticks, but MAC carry creme color bases, paints and paint pots as well. The one thing to keep in mind is that you want to make sure you aren't heavy handed with your base or your eyeshadow will crease.
Good luck face painting!
B.P.
Hey Gorgeous,
I have something I want to include in my blogs and they are going to be "bites." It's a cute spin on our theme which correlates to how I love black panthers but want to include more than panthers, so we have pumas, cougars, lions, kittens, cheetahs, et al. What would be better than to add a bite? Or bites will be tips for achieving, maintaining, or incorporating our physical, mental and spiritual health.
I am guilty of loving mascara, and having a fetish for eyelashes hence, my current research on growth products for lashes. I went to ULTA yesterday because I was researching the Peter Thomas Roth product for eyelash growth, a blog for another day. While the sales assistant was pushing the product, the voice in my head was speaking about lash healthy.
I think my obsession and research has me observing everything I do to my eyelashes and one of the epitome's has been the damage we do in the quest for beauty.
If you use mascara, especially waterproof mascara, you may want to consider conditioning your lashes. Sound silly? Well, mascara is an extension of your health and part of your health is maintenance. We maintain our hair on our head, but think of all the rubbing, tugging, washing and scrubbing we do to our eyes. We lose lashes, and they also have a growth cycle. Why is it we don't think to condition them as well?
Heated eyelash curlers sound like a recipe for split ends and other damage, not to mention if you are one of those who curl your lashes AFTER applying mascara? Or, if you use a blow dryer for heating your lash curler.
All it takes is a little Vaseline or petroleum jelly, jojoba, vitamin E or another oil along your eyelashes every night. What's more, some people have found Castor oil to help the condition of their eyelash and assist in making them appear longer. I can't report that to be proven; however, I also can't report it to be something to cause further harm. What is your opinion, this is interactive and I encourage your feedback, comments, and suggestions.
Stay Beautiful and love often,
B.P.
Munere veritus fierent cu sed, congue altera mea te, ex clita eripuit evertitur duo. Legendos honestatis ad mel. Legendos honestatis Munere veritus fierent cu sed, congue altera mea te, ex clita eripuit.