Top 2014 Best Holiday makeup gift set ideas from ULTA Beauty!

As you know I am a girl who loves to play with makeup and every year I look forward to the new holiday gift sets from my favorite brands. Again this year I paired up with Ulta Beauty for Arizona Midday to bring you my list of the must have beauty sets - one for yourself and your A listers who were naughty but mostly nice. Host Destry Jetton was super excited to get her own Benefit Cosmetic advent calendar yesterday! (I think she's pretty much nice)

I have links to all the products below which are available at Ulta online and in stores - limited time only so don't wait!! Even Santa can't get his hands on them when they're sold out. You can watch the video of the show below and {here}

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The advent calendar for the beauty junkie - a little surprise behind ever door ... Order yours NOW online - they sell out every year!

 Benefit Candy-Coated Countdown Advent Calendar 

 {Get yours here}

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Ulta Exclusive! Collectible tin with all of Benefits best selling problem solvers for lashes, brows and a flawless looking face.

Benefit Cosmetics Pretty Parfait $39 ($81 value)

{Get yours here}

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IT Cosmetics

• Bye Rye Undereye Anti-Aging Concealer $24 {HERE}
• Exclusive Superheroes brush set $50 ($100 value) {HERE}
• Limited Edition Matte Eye Palette $42 {HERE}

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STILA and Bauble Bar $65 ($147 value)

What girl doesn't love jewelry and makeup? A magical collaboration for the holiday -  best sellers from Stila cosmetics encased in a beautiful festive clutch with a bracelet AND $10 gift card from Baublebar.com with Many sets to choose from 

Order {HERE}

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Ulta Beauty is your one stop shop even for the guys. And who doesn't like to envision their guy smelling sensual yet modern. Straight from Italy, why not envelope his scent with inspiration from Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana and Versace EROS, the God of love. Gift with purchase!

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Trick to making thin hair appear thicker Instantly!

Fake thicker-looking hair:

I have a lot of hair, but it tends to be finer the older I get. Plus my hair is a dark color and I have fair skin so the contrast in my part can make my hair appear even thinner than it truly is. 

A quick easy fix to giving the illusion that you have more is hair is by simply pressing into your part the same shadow that you use to darken your brows.

... hope you enjoy this little trick for thicker looking hair in an instant (and virtually free!)

Get rid of age spots to look younger - Hydroquinone with alpha-hydroxy or glycolic acid

Age spots. No thank you.

What in the heck is an age spot? How do you get them, and more importantly how do you get rid of them?

Age spots sometimes called "gasp" liver spots, are brownish flat areas on the skin that usually show up in areas that have been primarily exposed to the sun. If you are over 40 and have fair skin you are likely to have a few of this tell-tale signs of aging.

The best way to lighten these spots is with hydroquinone. There are over-the-counter concentrations available up to 2 percent, but dermatologists can give you levels of up to 4 percent by prescription. Using daily, these products alone can take four to eight months, sometimes a year to lighten. So no quick fix. 

To speed up the process you can use an alpha-hydroxy product with a hydroquinone. Glycolic acid, lactic and citric acids are other common names for alpha hydroxy acids. One of my favorite and least expensive lactic acids is one I use for my dry elbows and feet called Amlactin. Super affordable for $12-15 - you can buy this at almost any drug store or Costco. Check out my post about what else you can do about hiding wrinkled elbows {HERE}.

If you are ready to attack these areas faster you should make an appointment with a dermatologist to talk about an in office peel or intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment, both of which will give you faster results than with a cream. 

Uneven skin tone / pigmentation will make you look older, maybe even more so than wrinkless will. Concealing well can help cover them up, but you walk a fine line with using too much make-up or foundation as you age since it can settle into fine lines and wrinkles making them more prominent. This is where I advise to take care of the skin first with products that can really help like these and use creamy concealer just on the areas that need covering instead of an all over heavy foundation.

Looking Younger after 40 - Get rid of Middle Age Belly Fat

Muffin top. Belly fat. Spare tire. Mid life bulge. 

These are the words that strike fear for women after forty. It is a fact that metabolism slow downs as we age, but decreasing estrogen levels are not the only reason it happens. Decreased physical activity, increases in insulin resistance and lack of sleep will all contribute to weight gain. However it's the loss of estrogen that can affect where those pounds accumulate. So fat around the middle is avoidable if you can minimize weight gain and improve your metabolism. Here are some tips on how to do that:

1. Exercise, duh. 
Make your exercise aerobic - and push yourself. The science behind this is that exercise at a sufficient level "anaerobic"will rev up you metabolism to burn calories for hours after your workout.

2. Drink Green Tea and Coffee.
Caffeine is a stimulant and it can raise your heart rate signaling your body to burn calories faster. Green tea contains "catechins" that can help burn belly fat and coffee jump starts lipolysis which is the break down of fat.

3. Spice it up.
Cayenne and chili peppers contain capsaicin which according to a 2009 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition increases metabolism and helps the body burn fat more efficiently.
Also read about the benefit of using Apple Cider Vinegar to Lose Belly Fat {Here}.

4. Power up with Protein.
It takes more calories to digest protein than it does for the body to metabolize fat and carbs. Think about replacing your carb intake with lean protein like fish and chicken.

5. Say no to Crash Dieting.
Eating less than 1200 calories a day may help shed pounds, but it can backfire if you lose muscle which will slow down your metabolism - making your body gain weight faster than it did before the diet. 

6. Increase your Sleep.
Hot flashes, night sweats, and the responsibility of caring for children and aging parents makes it harder to get to sleep and to stay asleep, but studies have shown that not getting enough sleep at night is associated with being overweight.  Sleep deprivation increases levels of ghrelin that can increase food cravings. According to a 2014 Canadian study published in Obesity, getting just one more hour of sleep per night reduces belly fat accumulation.  Check out the other benefits and ways to increase beauty with sleep {HERE}.

Fifty, Flirty and Fabulous - Shelley GoodStein

I wasn’t going to celebrate 50 - this is considered OLD in the modeling industry, but then again I keep getting booked, jobs keep getting better, and I keep walking in runway shows with girls half my age. Plus the older you get the more people think you know and the more valuable you appear to be! Ok ... but I still wasn't sold on celebrating this occasion and then, last month I was seated next to one of my beautiful friends and we began talking. She asked me about my mother's age when she passed away. I told her "60" and remembered how painful the year preceding her death in her fight against leukemia was. It occurred to me that this could be my last "zero" birthday that I felt healthy, happy and beautiful … so I decided to kick up my heels and have the party of a half century! 

I do NOT believe in the “rules” for women over “ahem” a certain age. For example I still wear short skirts, sky high heels, and sequins – just not all at the same time! However for this party I wore all three!!! (But, I have learned to say yes to solids and no to frou-frou.)

What else I have learned?

• I know that the truth always reveals itself. 

• I have painfully discovered over the years that it’s not important to have the last word –victories are sweetest when you can avoid the battle. You can trust that the Universe will solve the situation. I have found given enough rope, well, let’s just say that the best strategy to defeat an enemy is to deny engagement to the person behind the fight. And you sleep better!

• I believe good deeds will be rewarded with crowns in heaven, and as a  past beauty queen I can tell you I always feel prettier with a tiara.

• None of us like the idea of getting older and it is important to realize that it is impossible to look 30 when you’re 80, but that true beauty does last; It lives inside us and is a halo that everyone sees shining brightly.

What are my plans for the future?

Supermom …  supermodel … Check in with me in 5 years as I am working on super-mogul! Visit me at A Model's Secrets this month as I will be posting the best of ways to fake, beg, borrow and steal the fountain of youth and not looking your age!

A quote from my adorable husband's speech from the party:
"She is a woman who makes 50 look like she is just getting started!"

"Beware of the brunette in your life because she has plans."

My life-sized birthday card!