We need a RED Lipstick Day! Beauty is the best therapy sometimes.

In honor of the new movie "I Don't Know How Does She Does It?,"  I am recommending RED lipstick as a "day changing experience." For those ladies that are tired, overwhelmed and looking for anything to improve their spirits...RED is for you.  Old Hollywood used RED as a staple, but RED was replaced by the natural look for several years.  Well no longer...bring on the Power of RED LIPS.  Red lips can change your day...guaranteed!  Whether you have more confidence, a little nervous energy or get lots of flirty glances, RED will make you feel more alive.  Be sure to pop a breath mint, because you are destined to have a few close encounters with your new sexy look. I have included a link for choosing your perfect Red Lipstick.  Elle did a piece on finding your best red, so check it out.  Red was all over the Emmy's redcarpet this week...see pictures below for inspirtation. Basic Tips for Red Lips:
Exfoliate and condition lips first.  This way they will be soft and supple to compliment your red.
Add concealer, foundation or powder around clean lips to smooth the look and enhance the red contrast.
Line lips with a nude pencil if you want to create fuller lips first...this will give the red power to adhere and give the lips a larger/fuller look all day.
Apply RED and Fill in your red lipstick with a brush to make sure it is smooth and uniform across lips.
Keep base make up, eyes and cheeks more natural, to avoid a clash with your bold lips.
Add gloss for over the top sexy red lips for evening
Add touch of powder for matte, all day look or to tone down a shade.
LOOK AT THE STARS THAT GOT IT RIGHT! 

Penelope Cruz



Emmy's 2011 Kerry Washington



Emmy Rossum

Emmy's 2011 Christina Hendricks

Dimitrios Kambouris/FilmMagic; Kevin Mazur/WireImage; Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

The Skinny On Fixing Skinny Lashes

I LOVE LATISSE!  Take a look at the pitiful before Lashes and the VaVoom after Lashes.  I began using Latisse a few months ago to see if anything could fix my short, thin and barely there lashes.  Latisse requires a commitment to apply it every night, but it works!  I now have amazing lashes that give me a bright look with or without mascara.  The after picture shown here represents 12 weeks of use and 1 coat of great mascara only.  HINT:  I useVisine if the Latisse ever causes temporary redness.

BEFORE LATISSE + Mascara

 



AFTER 12 WKS OF LATISSE + Mascara



AFTER 12 WKS OF LATISSE +Mascara

To Extend or Not to Extend? Hair Extension 101

HAIR EXTENSIONS have been used for a few thousand years as a beautification technique and for status.  We know that Cleopatra was know for her beauty, which included hair extension and weaving.  So, what are the best extensions for a quick look, limited budget or someone new to styling the extensions?  You can get synthetic hair or real hair at most beauty supply stores.  Natural hair is more expensive, but able to be washed and styled like normal hair.  There are so many colors to choose from, you can almost always match your highlight color or base color.  I chose to buy hair without clips and sew on the clips myself.  That way it is easy to cut the pieces to fit my head exactly.  It is a little more time consuming to sew your own clips on, but well worth it.  You can have fun clipping them in under your hair layers and make a variety of looks.  Just make sure you clip them tight in each layer to avoid a hair blow mid evening.  Take a look at the before and after photos here.  They are both TV looks that I had prior to going on a television show.  I much prefer the longer look.  It gives a softer and more youthful look.  Also see our model Jessica with Homecoming hair without extensions & Prom hair with extensions.  Glamorize yourself or a teenage beauty. Try it!

BEAUTY MAKE OVERS LIVE THIS WEEKEND

Hello Friends & Beauty Fans!  Watch beauty happen LIVE on TODAY & SATURDAY !  I will host PUR Minerals at 10pm & Midnight tonight (8/26).  Also, I will host PUR Minerals tomorrow at 2am, 4am, 7am, 10am, 2pm, 6pm & 9pm.  Great make up tips for every woman.  Go to http://www.theshoppingchannel.com and choose watch us live on the top, right side of the screen.  See you there!

Lighten Up! Beauty Tip

A great hair color can make you look 10 years younger, but a washed out or dull color can add age.  Don't be afraid to lighten up!  The before photo of dark hair looks "ok" here, but the after looks more like a woman in her late 20s than almost 40.  The photos were taken only weeks apart.  I always use word of mouth to find the best colorist.  Ask around and don't be shy about paying a little more for someone with great experience. 

 

Sexy Lips for Friday Night...Beauty Tip

Let's get you some gorgeous lips!  No matter what you start our with, you can have voluptuous and inviting lips for date night.  1). Powder or conceal any flaws around your lips to keep all attention on your lips.  2). Put some moisturizer on & the rub off with a tissue to exfoliate lips. 3). Line (even line outside lipline for fuller look) & fill your lips with a lip tone "ish" lip pencil like Pur Minerals Plum Certe (that is what our model has on).  4). Follow with pout plumping gloss (also avail from PUR).  5). Place small dot of nude lipstick or concealer on center of bottom lip & blend with top lip slightly.  There you have it...no feathering, long wearing...gorgeous...full lips. 



AFTER







BEFORE



Beauty = good lighting!

This post is one of the biggest secrets I can share will those of you wanting to post pictures from a cell phone or digital camera.  It is all in the lighting.  This photo of me was at 2am after I finished a TV show.  I was tired and did not look great in the mirror.  I took the lamp shade off of the hotel lamp and took about 10 pictures with my face right in the light until I got one without wrinkles or caked up TV make up.  My husband was back in Atlanta and wanted a picture...I don't normally do the 2am photo shoot thing.  This is a secret for looking flawless.  Be careful not to wash yourself out too much.  You can take a poor complexion or wrinkles or tired eyes and get a vavoom look just by looking into the light.  Try it!

Youthful look over 50. Beauty Tip (go from 59 to 45 in minutes)

If you are over 50, you may see yourself as youthful & sexy in your Mind's eye...then we look in the mirror at 6am and wonder how the years caught up with our face so quickly.  We feel young and vibrant, so how do we get our face to shine with youthful radiance?  The best answer is...hide the flaws and give the skin a smooth glisten. 
We made Debbie (59 yrs) over in 30 minutes.  She came over for a girls night & we surprised her by taking 10+ years off her look. 

Below are the steps we took.

1). Added natural hair, hair extension clips from Sally Beauty (they look natural if not too long).  Gives her a less dated look.

2). We used eye prep from PUR.  Instantly brightens & tightens eye area. 

3). We use PUR Minerals 4N1 on  face & Hot rocks multi tonal blush for on cheeks & eye lids for highlight.

4). A coat of lengthening and thickening mascara to bring out her eyes (for aging lashes, try Impact plus by PUR to lengthen, thicken & curl lashes for a open & brighter eye.

5). To bring out eyes and draw attention away from age identifiers, we used top & bottom gel liner in coffee.

6). To finish the look, we used Rose opal, pout plumping lip gloss. Plump & "pretty" look.

More info on the artist, go to http://www.dixiedonis.com/

Beauty & The Summer Heat Beauty Tip

Traditionally, it seems pointless to try wearing make up with summer days of swimming pools, humidity and heat.  However, PUR minerals has a 100% pure product that fixes your flaws, protects you from the sun & does it all without giving you that cakey feel.  Pur Minerals 4 N 1 Foundation.  You will feel pretty and love the way your face feels.  So, what's in it?

1. SPF for Sun protection
2. Zinc Oxide to calm acne skin, rosacia or sun burn
3. No talc, so won't dry or cake your face
4. No Petro chemicals, mineral oil, wax or fragrance, so won't clog or irritate
5. Hypo-allergenic, with nothing to harbor or breed bacteria
6. Highly refined texture, so you don't even feel it on your skin
7. Vitamin E & Shea butter to nourish skin.

Happy Monday...Bright Eyes! Beauty Tip

Good morning!  If you are like me, you woke up to face the week with dark circles, puffy eyes and not enough sleep...again.  Monday's are tough all over, but you still have to show up to the day with bright eyes and a good attitude.  So what do you do with the tired eyes?
1).  I run straight to the fix all...Tone Up by PUR Minerals.  If you don't have this great product to clear up dark circles and smooth out puffiness, you can also try these 3 tips...
      A).  Place ice around the puffy parts of the eye for a few minutes.  This will decrease the puffy    
             look dramatically for many woman.  Be careful not to freeze your eye.
      B).  Preparation H really does work on under eye bags.  A favorite secret to quickly shrink the puffiness.
             Again, be very careful not to get this into your eye.  Pat lightly under the eye.
      C).  Finally, Conceal & Brighten.  If you have dark circles, crows feet or red under eye, you can use a
             lighter than your face concealer, to cover and brighten your eyes.  Pat lightly under eye to blend.