Special Effects for A Hallowed Night!

Here's a few tips for a girl heading out to the local Haunted House!

To give lips the picture perfect pout I just ordered Violent Lips Glitteratti for some added sparkle. They are a line of glitter, rainbow,"wild side" to fishnet themed, temporary lip tatoos that are vitamin enhanced and last for 4-8 hours. You can even buy them to express a single word on your lips like Fiesty, Poison or XOXO. ($15 for 3 sets)

To do a glitter lip yourself using gloss and craft glitter watch this easy DIY video to know how. 

Just in time, Make up For Ever recently launched Fluo Night Black Light Pigment. They are not only eerily fluorescent but they also show up under a black light. Glowing in the dark and body painting has never been easier! The white shade, available at Sephora for $31, is invisible in normal lights, but surprises brilliantly under UV.

Dior's Multi-Wear Adhesive Patches may have been the norm on the runway in Paris this year but decked out with Swavroski crystals and velvet they will definitely help indulge your costume in a dramatic eye look, the easy "press-on" way!

Don't forget your nails as you hand out your treats...This year there's OPI's Black Shatter which will create a crackled, shattered look on your nails. Or maybe you'll want to freak your friends out with an all white nail splattered with red, blood-like tips!

Happy Halloween and remember:
"Sometimes GORE is not more ... add some pretty to your BOO!"

Family Photos - Tips to Capturing the Moment

Click here to watch my video on the best ways to capture the spirit of your family ... the fun one!

It's that time of year again for families everywhere to endure the process of dressing up and looking happily into the camera all for the sake of the holiday card! This video will help inspire you and give you some things to think about so you can all really sparkle without putting makeup and gloss on Dad or the kids!

Basically, kids should dress like kids, and adults like grown ups. But leave the super hero t-shirts at home! Solids are best but one person in a small stripe or plaid will be ok. Mid-tones work great, like blues, but if everyone is dressed in denim it will look like a sea of blue so add some complementary colors in the same tone, or go all pastels/vivids or a variety of earth tones. You want to think coordinating, not matchy. Lay everything out ahead of time and make sure it all fits, the better the planning the easier to relax on picture day! This is not the time to try out a new hair do because you will hate it later on if you do something that you wouldn't normally do.

And what about including the long time boy-friend in your portrait? Well, families are constantly changing with additions and exits so I say include them if it represents the snapshot of your family at the moment. Just make sure they are placed somewhere on the end so if need be you can crop them out later on! After you get the money shot where everyone is perfectly positioned and looking at the camera, let everyone relax and be themselves. Posey posey pictures will never be the ones you love because they don't illicit any real emotion when you look at them and do people really ever say cheese when they smile? 

Honestly, don't be overly concerned about the messy hair or skinned knees, these photos are for you, to document your life. And if you decide to send out holiday cards ... well, your real friends don't judge! Be yourself and let the love for your family show through genuinely ~ These are the shots people talk about!!!

Skinny Fat - Ideal Body Weight Will Not Make You Immune!

Your dress size just may be luring you into a false sense of security when it comes to this subject.

Skinny fat seems to be a contradictory term, after all its what’s on the inside that counts - Right? Well, being thin doesn’t mean you're healthy! And this skinny girl, is here to tell  you that just because you are close to your ideal body weight does not mean that you aren't suffering from skinny fat ... models included! 

What is skinny fat? Although not scientifically defined, here are some urban dictionary quotes to help you understand this concept:

“Skinny fat is a self induced syndrome where an individual is fairly close to their healthy weight, or even at their healthy weight, but they have little if any muscle definition. The sufferer generally doesn’t exercise regularly or is a habitual on and off again exerciser. The sufferer also generally doesn’t follow any type of healthy nutrition plan, rather they eat anything and everything they want.”

“This term is used when a person is thin, yet does not eat healthy or take care of themselves. They think they don’t need to watch the junk they eat because they are thin. They can be more unhealthy then an overweight person.”

And finally for the visual we have all seen (Yikes) too many times:

“Skinny-fat girls usually wear clothes that are TOO small for their 'not so skinny' bodies. A skinny-fat girl usually may wear a pair of low-rise jeans that are WAY too tight causing her fat to spill out of the top of her pants.”

Primarily associated with the female gender is another pesky problem of fat distribution called cellulite. According to a study by Neutrogena, 70 percent of women have cellulite. Improving your diet and exercise is a perfect way to start repairing this uneven skin appearance. If your tummy, butt and thighs are flaccid and subcutaneous fat is layered on top of those muscles, it will contribute to the hail damage you see there. Losing weight and Resistance training or Pilates is a definite must for minimizing the appearance of cellulite.

When it comes to being fit, experts say there is no short cut! (By the way, save your money because cellulite creams don’t work.) If you want to be healthy you need to incorporate weight bearing exercises into a low fat diet and go for the burn!