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Summer Makeup Tips and Tricks

dena — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:25:06 +0000

Whether you’re glowing as a result of your pregnancy, or just perspiring from the heat, take some tips from the pros to help you look your best. InStyle has some great summer beauty advice that works for any woman, whether you’re expecting a baby, a new mother, or just looking for ways to beat the heat and still look awesome!

Get Real Peach Blush

Makeup artist Amy Nadine: “I’m obsessed with a true peach cheek and disappointed when I buy blushes that turn pinkish when I apply them. The only way I’ve found to achieve a real peach on my clients is to use a formula that looks orange in its packaging. I promise it will become peach when layered on your skin! That’s why Nina Dobrev looked so great at the Independent Filmmaker event.”

Add Light Brown False Lashes

Makeup artist Amy Oresman: “Full lashes—and less mascara—are great for summer. I like using individual versions in soft brown, which gives the eye a flirty feel without looking heavy. Hayden Panettiere loves them. I’ll add a few to the ends of her lashline to elongate their almond shape. And because the lashes are brown, a splash of mascara makes it impossible to tell the difference between real and false ones. It’s so sexy.”

Switch to Coral Lip Stain

Makeup artist Gregory Arlt: “I’ve been obsessed with corals this season, but not your grandmother’s old-fashioned version. New sheer coral stains are light and whisper soft, like you’ve just had a popsicle. I recently used MAC Lusterglass in Love Nectar at a shoot with AnnaLynne McCord and she loved it so much, she wore it out that night.”

Set Your Makeup With Mist

Makeup artist Tina Turnbow: “In the summer, I love misting my client’s faces with Caudalie Beauty Elixer. It sets the makeup, freshens and tightens pores, plus it’s incredibly cooling. I use this trick with Jessica Szohr on a warm L.A. nights.”

Use Cream Blush Not Bronzer

Makeup artist Fiona Stiles: “I like a product that can multitask, especially in the summer. Instead of drowning Ali Larter in liquid bronzer, which can either look too orangey or a little greasy, I used cream blush in a warm, nude shade. (My favorite is Lancome Color Design Blush in Model Mocha.) It’s equally flattering on eyes, cheeks, lips and even as a highlighter on the shoulders, legs or clavicles.

Mix Foundation and Daily Moisturizer

Makeup artist Gina Brooke: “There is nothing more important that fresh healthy looking skin in the summer. For Anne Hathaway‘s look at the Met Gala, I mixed a dab of hydrating, nutrient rich cream like Intraceuticals Rejuvenate Moisture Binding Cream into her foundation. It’s lighter and more natural looking than foundation alone, plus it works to give her a more radiant complexion in the future.”

See more Summer 2010 Beauty Tips at InStyle.com

Being outside is good for kids’ eyes!

dena — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 10:03:12 +0000

When my kids spend too much time in the house, they start bickering, making a mess, and getting on my nerves. Just taking them out for a change of scenery, to play in the backyard of nearby park, is a simple solution that instantly improves everyone’s mood. I sit on the side and enjoy the fresh air, while the kids run around, play with the neighborhood children, and get some exercise. But I came across an article in The Epoch Times informing me that spending time outdoors has yet another benefit for your kids.

In a study, Australian researchers found evidence that children who spent the most time outdoors were the least likely to suffer from myopia, also called nearsightedness or shortsightedness, which has become increasingly common in recent decades. 12-year old children who spent less than 1.6 hours outdoors every day and more than 3.1 hours in near-work activity (reading, doing homework, drawing, etc) had double to triple the likelihood of being nearsighted, compared to kids who spent the most time outside and the least time in close-up work.

“Our evidence suggests that the key factor is being outdoors, and that it does not matter if that time is spent in having a picnic or in playing sport,” Dr. Kathryn A. Rose told Reuters Health. “Both will protect a child’s eyes from growing excessively, which is the major cause of myopia.”

Researchers don’t know yet exactly why being outside is protective, But it is likely that the high levels of sunlight releases retinal dopamine, which is known to be able to block eye growth. Myopia is caused when the eyeball grows too long.

The more time they spend outdoors, the less likely they are to develop myopia, even if your kids spend long hours in school or at home doing close-up work. So now you have yet one more reason to shoo the kids outside to play!

image from treehugger.com.

Hello, Bright Eyes!

dena — Wed, 06 May 2009 21:14:49 +0000

At times (altogether too many times, actually) I look in the mirror and go, “Where did those DARK CIRCLES come from??” Because it seems that sleep deprivation does catch up with you, whether you’re a pregnant gal whose beauty rest is disturbed by hourly trips to the bathroom and the inability to get into a comfortable position… or a new mom with an infant who wants to be rocked for an hour at midnight and then again at 3 AM… or, like me, have a couple energetic kids to chase after (and haggle with… haggling is my three-and-a-half year old’s newest skill) all day long.

So, if you’ve got to look good for a big meeting or a long-awaited night on the town, what can you do to wake up tired-looking eyes? “Just because you feel exhausted doesn’t mean you have to look that way, too,” says Parents.com. Here are some beauty tips to to help you looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!

Invest in a good eye cream. While eye creams may not actually zap wrinkles, they do temporarily plump up the under-eye area, diminishing the appearance of circles.
Switch to cream concealer. Dot it on with a tiny, stiff-bristled makeup brush. Don’t blend — that just rubs it off.
Cover with foundation that matches your skin tone. Blend well, ideally with a makeup sponge.
Lightly brush translucent loose powder over the entire area.
Use a light-colored shadow, such as bone or white, on lids and in the inner corners of eye. Lighter hues reflect light, brightening the eye area.
Don’t skip the eyelash curler. According to makeup artists, that one extra step really opens up the eyes, making your eyes look bigger, brighter, and much more alert.

Feature photo from stricly woman.