How to Save Makeup before Expiration

Looking great with makeup is not just about knowing what are the best products or how to use them ... it's also about knowing when to toss, revive and how to revamp your favorites too!

Because cosmetic companies are not required to add expiration dates on their products it's important to learn the rule of thumb for when it's time to say good-bye to your make up. Certainly if anything changes color, consistency or starts to separate or smell you should get rid of it.

Watch the video {HERE} instead.

FOUNDATION
Expiration date is 12 months. Oil based makeup might last 18 months. Mineral makeup technically has no expiration date because it is made up of inorganic materials - literally ground rock, but if it is combined with other products such as sunscreens then this does not apply. 

Mineral makeup looks great in real life and can be a perfect foundation to use if you have sensitive, oily or acne prone skin, but on a whole it is not great for photography because they tend to be overly sparkly and contain certain micas and other materials that create a lot of sheen and "hot spots" for your face on film.

The SAVE: If you come home with a new foundation only to find it is too dark for your skin tone, combine it with your favorite moisturizer for an instant body bronzer.

MASCARA
This is one of your beauty products with the shortest shelf life, 3 to 6 months. Many times it will dry out before then. To keep it fresh make sure you are twisting, not pumping the wand and keep it tightly closed out of heat and sunlight.

The SAVE: To revive dried out mascara, add a few drops of saline or eye drops and stir it around. Start with just a couple and add as needed. Make sure you only use sterile solutions and not water without preservatives to keep it bacteria free.

Keep your old mascara wands and use them to comb unruly eye brows with a little Vaseline or tame flyaway hair by spraying an old wand with hairspray to smooth them. You can get different effects with the same mascara by using different types of mascara wands. Bigger ones will grab more product and volumize lashes while skinny comb like wands will lengthen.

POWDERS
Eye shadows, compacts and blushes. Keep them for about 2 years. as long as you are cleaning your brushes regularly and not introducing bacteria.

The SAVE: It never fails that we end up dropping our favorite powders and they break into a crumbled mess, spilling into everything in our makeup bag. Instead of tossing it, add a few drops of rubbing alcohol to make it look like new again.

LIPSTICK
If you take very good care of your lipsticks they can last 2 -4 years.
Do what the makeup counter girls do and clean yours with alcohol each time and store them away from sun and humidity.

The SAVE: If you end up with a color that is too bright use it as a cream blush. This is a good tip to remember when you end up going out after work and your face needs a little color, we almost always have a lipstick in our handbag!

PENCILS
Lip and Eye pencils can stay fresh for about 2 years, especially if you are sharpening them regularly to get rid of bacteria. Pencils dry out faster if you aren't storing them with their caps on.

The SAVE: If your pencil doesn't go on smoothly try heating it up with your blowdryer, or if it is too soft harden it up in the refrigerator before sharpening.

BRUSHES
Oil and bacteria can hide in the bristles of your brushes and cross contaminate your makeup so I suggest washing them every 2 weeks. Cleaner can get to be expensive and I find the best products to clean and restore them is something I already have in my kitchen. 

The SAVE: Use an antibacterial dishwash soap to remove and disinfect every single thing that may be on your brushes. So that you don't strip the hairs of natural oils when they dry, add in a little olive oil to recondition the brush. Let them dry upside down so that the water doesn't drip into the handle of the brush and loosen up the glue that's holding the bristle hairs in place. Watch the end of the video for a tutorial on how to so this with  chopsticks and a hair band.


For more secrets and tips on looking your best check out my new book Face This on Amazon {HERE}.

Oxygen Facial - Celebrity Secret Weapon for Flawless Skin

                                                                                                                                                                                    Photo via AP

Star's obsession with finding the fountain of youth are well documented. Who could forget Michael Jackson sleeping in that hyperbaric oxygen chamber to try to slow down the aging process. 

Well, there's a new oxygen machine on the block and Madonna reportedly owns at least 4 - one for every home, J-Lo has 2 ... What is it? A $14,000 Intraceuticals Oxygen machine. This little gem, found now in many dermatologist offices and spas, can give you a super facial unlike any other you've had before. One treatment will leave you with an instant glow and youthful lift.

We all know that hydration is the key to younger looking healthy skin. A single visit instantly hydrates, lifts and tightens the skin appearance. Fine lines and wrinkles appear visibly softened and skin looks elevated from using pure oxygen and hydraulic layering. It is delivered in what looks like a makeup airbrush to deliver oxygen that pushes vitamins with a serum under the skin. It's like bo-tox without botulism or needles ... SCORE!

I was lucky enough to try it out last week before an upcoming photo shoot and can tell you that it really does work ... I left seeing immediate results. The down side? It only lasts about 4 days and will set you back $250. Not working within a celebrity budget, I will probably only schedule it before big events and photoshoots in the future. But it is truly that amazing!

Celebrity A listers are admitting their love affair with this power packed facial too.

Check it out along with my new book Face This : Real Advice from Real Models for more secrets to looking your best! Available on Amazon, iTunes, Kindle and Nook.

Tips for Better Photos - Why these Tricks Work for Prettier Pictures!

How many times have you looked at a picture of yourself and thought, "If I only would have sat up straighter, or turned my head that way, or moved my body here, I could have looked so much better."

It's true that there are some tricks that models just know instinctively about how to look their best in every photo, but for most people taking pictures doesn't seem natural at all. Everyone is obsessed with getting a beautiful photo of themselves, whether it's for a profile pic on Facebook or as the CEO for the corporate brochure. Yep, braniacs included!

Mental Floss, a magazine dedicated to these knowledge junkies who want to know the "why" behind what works, interviewed me for their January 2013 issue on this very subject. 

ENJOY... and check out my book, Face This available on Amazon, Kindle, Nook and iPad, for more advice on how to disguise a long nose, bodacious body and more. 

I will warn you, the cartoon below depicts some of the dramatic changes you might see "after" learning these little tricks ...  so why not celebrate with a glass of bubbles? You got this!

Kitchen Beauty : DIY Dry Shampoo, Cleanser, Toner and Exfoliator

Watch the video {HERE}

How many times have you bought an expensive beauty product, only to feel disappointed that it didn't do what it claimed it would?  Some things are definitely worth the double digit price tag but many times you don't need to look any further than your kitchen to accomplish your basic beauty routine! These are the timeless beauty solutions your Grandmother used before Sephora was around. Need a little proof? Here are a few homemade kitchen recipes that should convince you!

Dry Shampoo. Greasy to Gorgeous!

In a hurry? Trying to go one more day without shampooing to give your hair a rest from heat styling tools? Whatever your reasons, dry shampoo is a wonderful degreaser and can save your blowout for up to a week.  There are many entries into this market that you can buy, but often they contain ingredients that you don't need and they can get to be a little pricey. 

It's really easy to make your own, and Wikipedia will tell you that the main ingredient in most of these dry shampoos is some sort of derived starch or silica. So how do you make it yourself? If you're blond you can sprinkle plain cornstarch to your scalp, working it in your hair to absorb oil and dirt before brushing it out. If you're a brunette, cornstarch alone might leave your hair looking a little dull so mix it with cocoa powder. Red head? Add paprika. If you want it to smell differently add a few drops of essential oil and you should be set! For more tips on dry shampoo and how to use them check out my post here {Dry shampoo - a dirty little secret for healthier hair! }

CLEANSER.

Soap is a great way to clean your face, but sometimes it can clean it too much, stripping your skin of natural oils and moisture. The best thing you can do for your skin is to exfoliate. This will stimulate the production of collagen and brighten your skin by removing all those dead skin cells. Usually pores on your skin are barely visible, but sometimes the build up of these dead skin cells can cause them to look much larger than they are. There is no way to decrease your pore size, but keeping the pores clear and looking smaller plus it will help prevent black heads from forming.

Using sodium bicarbonate, good 'ole baking soda, and lemon juice is a great cleanser and often helpful in treating acne and removing blackheads. The citric acid in lemon juice, especially if you use a fresh lemon, is helpful in breaking down the proteins that bind dead skin cells together, and the baking soda has just enough abrasive qualities to slough off the dead skin.

 This recipe only costs a few pennies to make, contains no harsh chemicals, is great at removing dirt or makeup, and a wonderful alternative to expensive exfoliating creams. 

Apple Cider Vinegar.

100% organic Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar is easily found at the supermarket. It is a natural antiseptic, antibacterial and can help balance the pH of your skin. The smell is a little strong at first but it quickly dissipates. Every one's skin is different but you may need to dilute this with water if it's too strong for your skin type before using it with a cotton ball after you wash your face in the morning and at night.

Apple cider vinegar also works great to clarify and remove build up and gunk from your hair. Use an old water bottle half empty and fill it with apple cider vinegar, in a one to one ratio. Shampoo normally and then rinse with this. You won't need a conditioner because it will act as a natural detangler and leave your hair super soft and shiny.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

In a perfect world everyone would have olive oil in their kitchen cabinet, not only is it one of the "good" fats but it is a wonderful hypoallergenic moisturizer all by itself. Oils are becoming more and more popular versus creams to beat dryness because they penetrate deeper into the skin. You can use it straight from the bottle with a cotton ball. I love the oils infused with lemon, they smell yummy but your options here are limitless. 

Olive oil also works great as a natural eye make up remover and can promote eye lash/ eye brow growth. Check out why in my post {Going to Great Lengths}

Sugar Scrub

The skin on your body is a little rougher which is why a sugar scrub is a perfect way to exfoliate  to leave it smoother. Almost every beauty company makes a sugar scrub but why spend the money for one when it's one of the easiest beauty products to make at home when you need it.

Simply use brown or white sugar (gentler) or a mixture of both with an oil. I like to use olive oil. Just pour enough to get a consistency you like. Take it in the shower with you and work it in small circles starting at the feet. Perfect to use before self tanners too!

Who says you have to spend your paycheck to look like a million bucks?

Life's Beauty Resolutions for Your Best Year Yet!

Cheers to a wonderful 2012 and an incredible 2013!

My goal this year is to create and appreciate the beauty in every place it lives, beginning within myself. Now that I am older, I often hear the phrase that a woman is like a fine wine, better with age. That may be true but I am a big believer in reinvention, breaking rules and running with abandon toward your dreams. 

New Year's is traditionally celebrated with bubbles but did you know that Champagne is only just a wine with CO₂ ? Yep, a fine wine in a beautifully different package!

Why all the fuss? According to sources, the average bottle of champagne contains enough carbon dioxide to potentially produce 49 million bubbles! My friends, we are like champagne, designed to sparkle, to fizz and be intoxicating! Not allowing ourselves to bubble from pressure or fermentation, but to understand that beauty lies within us once allowed to breathe! 

Tonight I will drink champagne from a trumpet-like glass who's silhouette is purely contrived to enhance the rise of bubbles from the bottom to the top in a cascade of effervescent possibility. 

At the beginning of 2012, I couldn't have dreamed that my book would be endorsed by Cover Girl and Olay in a 2 page ad in a major magazine, I had no idea that I would be featured in campaigns for Four Seasons, the Phoenician, be Ford's model of the month, or appear in photo shoots for multiple magazines, that I would be co-hosting a live morning show on ABC or be a respected beauty, lifestyle expert interviewed in multi-media and travel to the Pyramids of Giza, float in the Dead Sea and see the Taj Mahal. This all happened in 365 days, seemingly out of no-where, but I know it was because I didn't buy into the rules, or limits and had a vision.

I double dare you to change your thinking, your packaging ...  opening up your possibilities.

Whatever your resolutions for the new year, losing weight, getting fit, earning more, spending less ... I hope you include a little beauty and lots of frivolous details into your journey. Check in with me here at A Model's Secrets, now and then, I promise to give you the best advice I can offer with waves of cheering to encourage you toward your dreams! 

XOXO

Shelley