Powder helps in setting make up but it can sometimes accentuate fine lines. Apply powder on your forehead, nose and chin, leaving the under eye area and cheeks alone since powder in these areas tends to settle into fine lines.
*Note: If you have dry/very dry skin, skip this step altogether.
Featured here and my go-to favorite: Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder (mini).
Do you use powder? Which one is your favorite?
Warm Regards,
Stephanie
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, and a hopefully a not too hectic weekend. 🙂 I’m super thankful to have such an amazing family in my life and pictured above are some of the best ones: mom, one of my sisters and my little ‘twin’. I was lucky enough to have a four day weekend and basically it was a bit of relaxing, eating, taking advantage of some of the sales going on (I have a few shipments heading my way so I’ll be sharing soon), cleaning and attending a workshop. Oh, and I dyed my hair red which I absolutely love but when I take a shower, I feel like it’s a re-enactment of the famous Psycho shower scene as I watch my red hair dye stream down the drain.
On Saturday, I attended a Vision Board Workshop with Danielle Cuccio from Cuccio Somatology. If you’re ever in LA and want to take a fun yoga class with an awesome playlist, this is the place to go. 
Here is a glimpse of my unfinished board. I had pictures that I wanted to incorporate into the board but they were too big. Whoops.
The concept of this to to outline what you want to achieve in life, with each section corresponding to a particular theme. For instance, the left hand bottom corner (blue) represents Self Growth and Spirituality, while the middle section (yellow) represents Health and Home. I picked out pictures of what I want to work on or obtain in life, as well as some inspiring quotes that I love. One of my favorites has to do with helping people and it states,
“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.”
I know I’ve mentioned it before (and this probably won’t be the last) that I love helping people and this quote really encompasses the way I feel. Heck, I started this blog so that I can share my knowledge with others and hopefully in turn help them feel confident in their own skin. It’s a gratifying experience to be able to make someone smile. 🙂
One of the categories I enjoyed the most was the Travel section. Of course I have pictures of Paris, Italy and NYC. I have been to NYC before and I loved every moment but I have always had a dream to go during the holiday season. Christmas decorations! Ice skating! Snow! Call me crazy and maybe I’ve been watching too many movies but it just kind of looks magical.
Although I know that God sometimes has something else in store for our lives, this is a great way to really look deep into ourselves and figure out who we are, what kind of person we want to be and map out what goals we want to work on.
Have you ever done a vision board? What are you working towards in 2015 and beyond?
Stay warm and safe in this rainy weather,
Stephanie
Just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving and to say…
Thank you all SO MUCH for your support! I feel extremely blessed to have a great network of supportive family, friends and all the new friends I am able to connect with through this platform. I am truly grateful to all who carve out a little bit of time out of their day to read my posts-it means the world! 🙂
With Gratitude,
Stephanie
Hi readers! I know I usually have a post on Tuesday but some things came up… and you know how that goes. I decided to do a quick post that the lovely The World of Cos tagged me in over the weekend. Thank you Cos so much for tagging me and if you haven’t already, head on over to her blog for some great beauty posts!
This is just a fun post where you can learn a little bit about me and vice versa. It’s always nice to learn something new. 🙂
This or That Tag Rules:
Bloggers feel free to do this post on your own if I don’t tag you and readers, feel free to comment and share as well!
Tagged Blogs
Here are the blogs I tagged.
I hope you choose to accept this tag but no worries if you don’t want to.
Question for all my readers to answer #4
Questions
Beauty
1. Blush or Bronzer? Blush- more color choices!
2. Eyeliner or Mascara? Mascara as I feel it opens up my eyes
3. Foundation or Concealer? Foundation so I can even out my skintone
4. Lipgloss or Lipstick? Lipgloss for sure as you can color and moisture
5. Neutral or color Shadow? Neutral as it can work for many looks/occasions
6. Sponges or Brushes? Brushes
Nails
7. OPI or China Glaze? OPI hands down. They last a long time and the names they come up with? Genius
8. Acrylic or Natural? Natural
9. Long or Short? Short but not too short
10. Brights, Darks, or Neutrals? Depends on my mood.
Body
11. Perfumes or Mists? Perfumes
12. Lotion or Body Butter? Lotion when it is hot, body butters when it is cold
13. Body Wash or Soap? Body Wash
14. Wax or Shave? Depends but waxing does last longer
Fashion
15. Jeans or Joggers? Jeans as I have no clue what joggers are but you can’t go wrong with jeans
16. Skirts or Dresses? Dresses!
17. Stripes or Checkers? Stripes
18. Flip Flops or Sandals? Flip Flops
19. Boots or Stilettos? Depends on the outfit
Hair
20. Curly or Straight? Although I like it when my curly hair cooperates, I still love straight hair for some reason
21. Long or Short? Long
22. Bun or Ponytail? Bun
23. Light or Dark? Reddish (not sure where that lies)
24. Hair Spray or Gel? Mousse
Random
25. Rain or Shine? Sunshine
26. Summer or Winter? Winter as it seems it’s always summer in SoCal (not a bad thing but change is good…)
27. Autumn or Spring? Autumn
28. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate!
29. Fashion or Beauty? Beauty of course but I am working on some fashion 🙂
30. Leather or Sequins? Leather
I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say and I hope you enjoyed this! 🙂
Happy Wednesday and thanks for reading,
Stephanie
As temperatures drop, you might notice changes in your skin. Skin can become dry, tight, flaky and perhaps feel more sensitive/irritated. One crucial part of skincare is to keep your skin hydrated because this helps protect us from pathogens, irritation, and from the skin drying out. If you find that even when you use your moisturizer, your skin still feels dry or tight, us the tips below as a guideline.
Dry Skin/Normal/Dry and Sensitive: Switch to a heavier cream
Oily/Combination/Sensitive and Oily: Use a hydrating serum/booster underneath your current moisturizer to obtain hydration without heaviness that can lead to breakouts.
As always, if you have any questions, I am here to help. 🙂
Stay warm and hydrated,
Stephanie
Every so often, I am asked how I prepare my skin for special occasions so with the holiday season here, I decided to share my tips and tricks to achieving a great and lasting look.
Let’s get started!
Skincare Essential Tips
1) Exfoliate! One of the steps to achieve a smooth complexion is to exfoliate and a go-to favorite is Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment. In the shower after cleansing, I apply it to my face, wait 2 minutes while the enzymes and lactic acid remove dead skin cells and rinse away to reveal a rosy glow. (For a full review, click here.)
Lips can also use some exfoliating to remove flakiness and allow your lip color a smooth application. I like Fresh Sugar Lip Polish.
2) Moisturize! After exfoliating, it’s crucial to add in moisture to your skin. This step can also help prevent a cakey look. Choose a moisturizer that’s appropriate for your skin type. I use Dermalogica Active Moist when my combination skin feels more on the oily side as it’s light-weight and works well under makeup.
3) Use an Eye Cream! Adding hydration underneath your eyes will give a youthful look and can lessen the appearance of fine lines. A good eye cream I like is PCA Skin EyeXcellence.
Pre and Post Makeup Essentials
1) Face Primer! A face primer creates a barrier between your skin and makeup. It helps make your makeup last longer and depending on the formula you choose, it can minimize the look of pores and ‘fill in’ lines and wrinkles (silicone based). 100% Pure Luminous Primer Vitamins + Antioxidants with Resveratrol has a nice blend of green tea and vitamins C and E for added antioxidant support.
2) Eye Primer! Eye primer is a must to even out any discoloration you may have on your eyelids and keep eyeshadow from creasing/fading. My absolute favorite that I have used for years is Too Faced Shadow Insurance.
3) Lip Balm! Just as it’s key to moisturize your face, your lips also benefit from it too. Swipe on a little bit while you’re getting ready so it has a chance to set. Helpful tip: Mix it with your favorite lipstick to get a sheer look. I love Vintage Sister Lip Balms (featured here: Chai Tea).
4) Finish the look! (optional) To really help set everything, use a finishing/setting spray or a light dusting of powder. I alternate between Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder and Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray.
And there you have it. Whatever makeup colors/brands I choose depends on what I want to achieve, but these steps ensure a polished look.
What are your favorite products or tips for special occasions? Comment below!
Thanks for reading,
Stephanie
With cold weather starting to set in, your skin’s moisture levels may drop causing your foundation to start to looking a bit cakey. If that’s the case, first make sure you are applying your foundation over a moisturized face. Mixing a small amount of your moisturizer into your foundation should also help your foundation glide on more smoothly.
Featured product I love: Dermalogica’s Active Moist.
Have you tried this trick? How did it work for you? Comment below!
Have a great Wednesday,
Stephanie
The winner of my Vintage Sister Lip Balm Duo giveaway is Brooke from Beauty by Brooke LeAnne! Congratulations Brooke! I will send you a message to work out the details. 🙂
Take a moment to visit her blog http://beautybybrookeleanne.wordpress.com/; she has some pretty awesome posts!
Thank you so much to each of you who participated!!! Your support means the world to me! 🙂
I hope to do more giveaways in the future.
Wishing you a great Tuesday,
Stephanie
How many times have we thought, “If this product is working wonders for me, imagine what it can do if I use more.” When it comes to skin care, less is definitely more. Excessive amounts can cause skin problems and waste money.
A pea-sized amount for potent ingredients like retinol or concentrated serums should suffice and about a quarter-sized amount for cleanser and moisturizer should do.
Have a good weekend,
Stephanie
One of my good friends asked me if she should toss out all of her makeup items in lieu for a more natural and chemical free line. I could tell she was very concerned about this and I know this is probably a question many people have. Here is what I told her.
When we think of a chemical, we tend to associate the word with harsh acids that can lead to burns, redness, irritation, etc. But, what is it really?
By definition, a chemical compound is basically two or more atoms of different elements united chemically. The simplest way to illustrate this is by using water as an example. Two atoms of Hydrogen are joined with one Oxygen atom giving you water (H2O) and (gasp!) a chemical compound. So yes, water is a chemical. You can see why it irks me when I hear makeup or skincare companies touting their products as ‘chemical’ free. If that were the case, then they would be selling you nothing. In any case, most companies are phasing or have phased out controversial ingredients such as parabens and phthalates but that is a whole different story.
Second, the molecular structure of a product has a lot to do with how it works on your skin. Makeup products typically have a large molecular structure which means they just ‘sit’ on the skin. The molecule is too big to penetrate through all the layers of your skin and make its way into your bloodstream, and at the end of the day, you wash it off.
Bottom line, after I presented my view, I told my friend that it is ultimately up to her to decide what she feels is best for her. I did tell her to keep in mind that most ‘organic’ products have a shorter shelf-life due to minimal, natural or no preservatives and to always conduct a patch test before trying out a product. Just because something is ‘natural’ doesn’t mean it can’t cause a reaction/problem.
I hope you found this post informative and helpful and as always, if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email.
Oh, and don’t forget to enter my ‘thank you’ giveaway by clicking here. Only a few more days before the winner is announced!
Have a great Thursday and thanks for reading,
Stephanie