Style, Fashion and Life

Summer Skin

 

Summer is heating up and it’s time once again to get out to the beach or on a boat to enjoy the summer sun.  The sun can wreak havoc on your skin and if you don’t take precautions to protect it and you will look older than your years well before you should!  Most of the damage done to your skin is done in your teens and twenties, it just doesn’t start to show up until your 40’s.  Take care of your skin now, it’s never too late.  Sunscreen should be a daily chore just like brushing your teeth.  Men and women alike should apply it to the face, and the hands.  The invention of mineral cosmetics has sent trends in makeup looks and skin care in a new direction,  giving us the visibly younger, dewy complexions of the photos in the magazines.  The glow that these minerals give to the skin is unparalleled and it proves that we can wear minimal amounts of make up and still look refreshed and well rested.

    The priming of the skin should be the most important step in your skin care ritual.  No matter how much make up you are going to wear on a given day you should still prepare the skin the same way.  This will not only keep your make up in place much longer but it will give you a softer, younger and more healthy appearance.  Priming the skin each day will allow your natural glow to shine through so follow these steps each day to ensure that you have a smooth, taut canvas to work with.

1. Pluck and shape stray brows. A cleanly arched brow makes us look rested and groomed.
2. Cleanse the face using cosmetic wipes. Wipes can also double as an exfoliant due to the texture.  They also remove all traces of leftover makeup or the oils that collect on our pillows at night.
3. Rinse and tone.  Even the wipes leave traces of surfactants that can easily be removed with a quick swipe of toner.  Toner also hydrates and refreshes.
4. Smooth on a hydrating or moisturizing crème to sooth dryness and give the skin a velvety surface.
5. Take care of your lips!  Use a vitamin E stick or balm to smooth edges, infuse with vitamins and add sheen.  Finish off with a little lip plumper for full, shiny lips.

6.     Lastly, use a skin retexturizing product (like Heaven Skin Retexture) which are silicone based skin protectants that fill in lines, pores and wrinkles while the smooth as glass surface will allow make up to glide on with out tugging or blotching. 

In lieu of worshipping the sun to create that golden tan, try a spray on tan.  They are wonderfully easy to use and the color is rich and not unnatural looking.  Mystic Tan and Versa Tan both use a bronzer and DHA combined to get an instant glow that gets darker over 4-6 hours. They have minimal odor, and allow you to choose 3 different levels of color making this the perfect tool for those who want to stay out of the sun!  Many tanning salons also provide moisturizers to help extend your tan for 5-7 days.  I use California Sunless Tanning spray for in-between maintenance.

Here are my tips for making sure you get a great spray on tan that lasts!

v  Shower, shave and exfoliate the body and apply lotion the day beforehand.  The DHA in these products work on your outer layer of skin, so sloughing off old skin will help it remain longer.

v  Wear black, loose fitting clothing to your tanning session.  Bronzer can get on clothing, but it will wash out since it is not actual dye.

v  Apply barrier cream to your hands and feet and keep your palms facing away from the sprayer. Be sure to wear little slippers on your feet so your soles don’t turn brown.   Dry off your face and the back of your legs first, then rest of body.  Air dry for about 5 minutes before getting dressed.

v  Wait at least 4-6 hours before showering.  Rinse, apply a shimmery lotion and AHHHH!!!!!!  Gorgeous skin!

 

Take care of the skin you’re in, you only got one shot!  Have a safe, healthy and happy summer!

Beauty Urban Legends and Myths

 

    Don’t pull out your grey hairs or two will grow back.   Rinsing your hair with cold water will make it extra shiny.  Have you heard all of these old wives tales about your hair?  Have you ever wondered which ones were true or which ones were just urban legend?  Being a stylist, I hear these adages on a daily basis and through 20 years of experience I can pretty much tell you which ones work and which ones don’t.  And the ones I wasn’t too sure about I just did a little research to become your Hair Myth Buster!

Legends that stack up to be FALSE:

1.     If you pull out a grey hair, two will grow back.  If this were true I would constantly be pulling out my hair so that two will grow back.  I can always color the grey hair on my thick luxurious mane.

2.    Shaving makes hair grow back thicker.   Again, if this were true, we would all be shaving our heads for thicker hair right?  This myth does not take into account “tapering” that happens when a hair grows long.  Lopping it off at the root will make the hair seem coarse, but when it grows back out it will become thinner at the end.

3.    You can “repair” split ends.  No.  You cannot repair ends that have split.  Splitting is a result of dry, untrimmed or damaged hair.  Once it splits you must cut it off or it will continue to split up the shaft, causing further damage.  There are lots of products out there that act as a “cosmetic”, temporarily repairing the hair but as always, prevention is the best medicine.

4.    Come to your Haircolor Appointment with dirty hair.  Again, False.  This used to be true when chemicals were much harsher on the hair, but these days your haircolors contain buffers and conditioners that keep the hair in better condition.  If the hair is too dirty, these gentler haircolors can’t penetrate the hair completely and evenly.  Your best bet is to arrive with clean dry hair to ensure a perfect and even result. 

5.    Brushing your hair 100 strokes a day makes hair healthier. Not true.  In fact, over brushing or using the wrong tools can actually damage hair.  This myth was true many years ago when people did not wash their hair very often and were not privy to the amazing conditioners on the market now.  The brushing distributed the scalp’s natural oils to the shaft and ends to act as a conditioning agent.  But now we have great products, so a simple brush to get the tangles out is adequate. 

These myths turn out to be TRUE:

1.     Rinse with cold water to make your hair shiny. TRUE!  Cold water lays down the cuticle of the hair.  Since shine is simply a reflection of light, a smooth cuticle will allow the hair to shine to its full natural potential. But you could lose that shine if you don’t blow dry properly, so always use a shine-enhancing styling product and blow dry the hair using a directional nozzle.

2.     Cutting your hair on a full moon makes it grow faster.  After a slight chuckle- I will admit I am no astrologer but it doesn’t take an astrologer to figure out that if you trim your hair every four weeks it will remain healthy- and healthier hair appears to grow faster since it doesn’t split and break off.  If you are trying to grow your hair long, trim every 6-8 weeks.  You don’t want long hair that is stringy and dry, so get regular trims!

3.    Eating your Vitamins and Vegatables will make your hair healthy.  Also true!  Remember the other adage, “you are what you eat?”  Same thing with your hair.  If you want beautiful , healthy hair, remember to put healthy things in your body.  Everything you ingest will eventually come out in the hair whether its high blood pressure medication, anesthesia, nicotine or xanax.  So don’t’ forget to ingest the good things in life like plenty of green veggies and B vitamins for hair growth.

4.    Baby Powder at the roots absorbs oil.  Yes!  If you don’t have time to wash your hair you can gently shake a bit of baby powder at the roots to absorb scalp oil and fluff the hair.  It will also make it smell fresher.  Blondes can also use this technique to lighten the appearance of roots that need to be touched up!

Hope you have enjoyed myth busting with me.  If you have any questions or comments, or other myths you would like busted, please give me an email!