Sunday, April 17, 2016

Mindy Kaling Outs Hollywood's use of Hair Extensions !





Mindy Kaling has a new book out WHY NOT ME ? and I have to give her a Big shout out for talking about the truth of looking gorgeous, especially her exposure of how prevalent Hair Extensions are in her industry. 

Mindy says, " The real trick to having gorgeous hair is quantity! Piles of thick, cascading My Little Pony - style hair signifies youth." 


She goes on to reveal that "everyone uses hair extensions, and I mean everyone. The stenographer who doesn't speak in that judge show you watch. The Long Island Medium. Clooney. EVERYBODY on the Today Show... the entire family getting a new house on Extreme Home Makeover, including the kids. Charlie Rose. The obese woman on My 600 lb Life." 


You might remember in my past postings seeing the not so secret tables and tables of hair extensions that is used in those  Victoria Secret Runway Shows, in order to achieve supermodel status.

Now you know the WHAT: Hair Extensions ... but here is where I can help you... clip in extensions are only great if you have professional installation and don't need to wear them very long. The reason? Those clips are metal, heavy and can be damaging to your hair and weigh a ton! One full set of clip in extensions has about 20 clips that are dug into your scalp and adding weight to your head in addition to the added hair. 


The solution is so  simple ... Hair on a wire that takes a minute to put on yourself, with no clips, no glue and no damage to your own hair. They are called Hidden Crown Hair Extensions and they truly are the Easiest Extension Ever!
1. Place them on  your Head. 
2. Pull your hair over to hide the invisible wire.
3. That's it! The gravity of your own hair holds the extension in place!


You can get yours online at www.hiddencrown.com


Trick to making Small Eyes Look Bigger



When you are creating a smokey eye, keep in mind that what defines your eye and makes it appear larger is having darker tones surround lighter ones. You can see here how this makes  the eye pop. Having darker tones surround a lighter one gives shape and definition—the light on the eye makes it pop!




One of the best ways to make your eyes look bigger - especially for girls with not quite as much lid space is to Tightline. It is a simple technique to use and Wayne Goss does a great job showing you how in this video below. Just remember to use a waterproof liner and not to pull hard when you apply. Doing this alone and nothing else will make your eyes standout. Think of it as the lazy girls way to look great.

Monday, February 1, 2016

Make-up Strobing and Diva Ring Perfect Light Techniques!



Thank you Arizona Midday for inviting me to talk about the importance of lighting in Beauty today. You can watch the video segment {HERE}


Strobing is the newest beauty craze that is making headlines on runways and Instagram photos all around the world. Due in part, to a backlash against the overly-contoured trend that Kim Kardashian made so popular these past few years. It is a makeup technique that uses light and only light to define facial features AND it works for everyone! It is not really new at all, in fact, most of us call this highlighting ... but it has been reinvented and it's cool new name is strobing.




You can really use any highlighter or shimmery, light-colored palette you have in your makeup bag. However there are many products being sold now for the very purpose of strobing. Just keep in mind that the effect you are looking for is shimmer not glitter or sparkle. My favorite and I think easiest product out there to use for strobing is Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector. It comes in 3 formulations: creme, liquid and powder in many different colors. 





If you are fair, I recommend sticking with the champagne and lighter colors, while if your skin tone is darker you can go into the more gold tones. You apply this anywhere the sun naturally would hit your skin in direct light. The top of your cheekbones, down the center of your nose, forehead and chin, your brow bone, and the top of your cupids' bow. You might consider using just a touch above the arch of your eyebrows for an instant face lift - It will draw the eye of anyone looking at you upward, also on your clavicle - sexy! and down the center of your shin - This will elongate your leg! I would advise against the T zone if you are particularily oily.



It's important to think about the other products you are using when you decide to "strobe". For example, using overly heavy foundation will not work together well with strobing. You want to keep your face light, almost glowing. For this, I recommend switching to one of the new serum foundations ... another really hot beauty trend right now. The serum foundations are lighter than a traditional foundations but still with coverage; not as sheer as a tinted moisturizer so it will cover imperfections and give your skin that flawless look. It's a perfect product for that no makeup - makeup look! Plus they have the skin benefits of the popular serums. 

The one I recommend is Josie Marin's Argan Matchmaker Serum Foundation. It goes on white and instantly adjusts to your unique skin tone: There are 3 shades that will match nearly everyone: Fair to Light, Light to Medium, and Medium to Dark. It also contains Argan oil which will keep your oily areas shine free and infuse your dry spots with moisture.



The idea behind strobing is that you are adding shimmer to the areas of your face that you want to highlight. That being said, you want to be careful that the other products you use do not shimmer except the one you use for strobing. Keep your blush matte-like and stay away from lip gloss. Try Too Faced Love Flush for long wearing 16 hour blush coverage.



Last, but not least, I want to mention Ring Lighting and the Diva Ring Light that everyone on the show today couldn't stop talking about ... guests, host and camera guys! For good reason, it is the perfect lighting for beauty photos and has a long reputation and use in fashion photography. Beauty bloggers, you tube videographers and Instagram girls everywhere are obsessed with them. A tell tale sign that someone is using this type of light is the halo - catch light in the eyes (see the photos above). Also the ring light surrounds you and makes fine lines, wrinkles and blemishes almost disappear. Pretty sure I always want this type of light with me! You can order these on Amazon and I even found one that can clip on to your phone for selfies.







With Light and Love,

XO

Shelley