Beauty, Charm & Style

During the week, I keep my appearance clean, light and professional.  But once I punch the timecard at 5 o’clock on Friday, I leave my office attire and makeup in my cubicle and don’t look back.  Pantsuits become hot pants.  Sensible shoes become stilettos.  And my makeup gets a little, oh, HOTTER.

Which is great Saturday night, but come Sunday morning…raccoon eyes, dark circles and mascara creases everywhere.  Even when I try my best to get my eyeliner, shadow and mascara off before I pass out after a long night, I just can’t get it all. But now I’ve started using Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Makeup Remover, and my Sunday eyes are clean enough for church.

Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Makeup Remover

First, I thoroughly rinse my face.  Then, taking my Boots Botanics, I shake the bottle up, I mix the plant extracts and oils together and then dampen a cotton ball.  Here we go.  Wiping down and away from the eye, I easily remove eye make-up. Mascara, liners, concealer and any shadows disappear and I don’t even have to rub my eye.

To keep the delicate skin around the eye in good condition it’s important to remove make-up gently but thoroughly. And afterwards, I make sure to use my favorite eye moisturizer and ta da! Ready for bed and ready for Sunday brunch.

The Breakdown:

• $5.99 for a 5 oz. Jar
• Dermatologically tested for sensitive skin
• Contains Iceland moss extract to hydrate and calm skin

Tips:

• For a quick pick-me-up, place Boots Botanics in the refrigerator until cool.

I went to a high school that was all girls, and I wasn’t trying to impress anyone when I went to my Academy.  Most mornings I wore no makeup, pulled up my hair, dressed in a skirt that hadn’t been washed in 3 or perhaps 4 weeks and let’s just say, wearing stockings and knee-highs didn’t encourage much leg shaving during the winter months.  When I was at school, I was there to learn, to allow my mind to grow and to become an independent thinking, scholarly woman.

And this worked, till you put BOYS in the mix.  Released into the real world where I was to be around BOYS was heaven for this boy crazy young lady. They didn’t even need to be attractive, tall, intelligent or good looking.  They just had to be BOYS.

And this is where my mom comes in with her wonderful makeup tips and tricks.  Having not really worn makeup to school, ever, my beauty pageant mother got stuck with a daughter who wined about wearing even the slightest but of makeup, be it lip stick, mascara or blush.  I would say, “I want a boy to like me for me.”  To which she would retort, “You have to have some honey, if you want to attract the bees.”

Then she would tackle me to the ground and apply mascara.

But years later, I appreciate her initiation into the world of facial enhancement.  And as a result, I never leave the house without mascara.  But recently, as I learn more and more about the chemicals and ingredients in beauty products, I want to make sure I am making the healthiest decision when it comes to my mascara obsession  – L’Oreal Naturals Mascara.

L'Oreal Bare Naturals Mascara

Applied like any mascara, I wand the black tint onto my lashes and it goes on smooth and without any nasty clumps.  In fact, when I look at the brush, which so often can be a big, black mess, I surprised at its still pristine condition.

My lashes are long and fan-out just like the movie stars. And after using it for all this time, never once have my lashed felt dry.  Plus, the mascara doesn’t flake off, and I’m not left with panda bear eyes.   Rather my lashes remain flawless and weightless throughout the day.

The Breakdown:

• 3 shades: Blackest Black, Black and Brown
• $9.95
• Paraben, Fragrance and Fiber free
• Hypoallergenic and safe for contact wearers
• Soft bristles won’t tug at lashes

Tips:

• Make sure ALL mascara is removed before going to bed – this way you’ll have a clean palette in the morning.

The evidence of my life’s stresses and poor sleeping habits can be read all over my face.  Right now, I’m undertaking yet another huge project at work, attempting a jam packed social life and trying my best not to die of exhaustion. And trying as hard as I can, there is  just no getting past the puffy, dark circles under my eyes.  I’m a tired little girl over here.

But lucky for me, I have Clark’s Botanicals Anti-Puff Eye Cream.  The name says it all.  I like things that are that easy and simple.

Clark’s Botanicals Anti-Puff Eye Cream

Specifically targeting stubborn puffiness, dark circles and wrinkles, I can see the high concentration of botanicals and vitamins go to work.  Tapping the cream ever so lighting underneath and above the eye, I can already see a tightening of the skin around the eye.

Clark’s botanicals takes a natural and unique approach to clearing up my skin, basically by giving my skin a long lasting, daily dose of the vitamins it craves.   I use the eye cream along side my regular daily moisturizer and I go from drab to fab. My eyes are de-puffed and gone is the tired look I was so guilty of before.

The Breakdown:

• 0.5 fl. oz
• $87 each
• Vitamin K lightens dark circles while Vitamins A and E smooth, sooth and soften the delicate skin around the eyes.

Tips:

• A percentage of profits from the sale of Clark’s Botanicals will go to The Spinal Cord Injury Project at Rutgers University, one of the leading collaborative neurologi-cal research centers in the world.

Everyday morning I wake up and go through the same boring routine.  I wear the same boring clothes and wear my hair the same boring way and put on the same neutral toned makeup.  That’s my Monday thru causal Friday.  But on Saturday, I let my art degree shine, and I transform from Kinkade to Pollock, from Rockwell to Warhol, from Bob Ross to Rauschenberg.

I toss the bronzes, and browns, and tans and pull out the fun stuff.  Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics (I talked about them before, they have that kicking eyebrow kit) have released a line of colors this summer.  And my secret weapon – Youngblood Pressed Mineral Quad Eye Shadow in Mermaid!

Youngblood Pressed Mineral Quad Eye Shadow

I have green eyes.  And when I wear green, my eyes – they stand out.  On the other hand, when I wear blue, my eyes do some sort of warp and turn aqua marine, and it only gets better when I splash on the blue eye shadow.

And since its minerals and not some chalky, cakey, mystery compound, I know my eyes are going to shine with the reflective crystals in the minerals and my lids will be soft and smooth. And since its minerals, and from the Mother Earth, this makeup is healthier and safer and contains NO petroleum dyes. Mineral cosmetics also don’t support bacterial growth because honestly, who wants bacteria near her eyes?

But colors, colors, colors everywhere, which one to pick?  I have the Cabana Quad, perfect for summer, and I sweep the Aqua across my lips, I feel bold and fashionable and ready for the beach.  I accent with Coast and Sand dollar and throw some Driftwood into the mix.  (Those are the colors names – please don’t throw sand into your eyes)

Anyway, summer is a time for fun, so bring out your inner artist and have fun with your fresh palette. Because remember, even if you go a little too crazy with the color, you can always wash it off and start all over with a clean slate.

The Breakdown:

• $39 each
• 8 different quartets available
• Minerals, so it won’t hurt your eyes!
• Long lasting and easy application

Tips:

• Feel free to experiment with highlighting, contouring, lining the eye, or apply all over for a fresh wash of color

Turns out only 1-2% of the entire world population have green eyes. Scientists still don’t know exactly how green eyes happen.  Eye color is determined by the amount of melanin (pigment) in the eye – brown has a ton of melanin, blue has very little and green contains only moderate amounts.  To have green eyes you basically have to hit the bulls eye on the exact right amount of melanin.  Too much and you end up with hazel eyes, and too little and you’ve got aqua marine.

But true green eyes are literally one in a million. I can even remember getting into a heated discussion with my 1st grade teacher about the mere existence of green eyes.  We were making bar graphs of eye color in our classroom.  12 brown.  6 blue. 7 hazel. And one green – ME!

Anyway, I wear green, or colors that compliment green (blue and purple) and I play up my eyes with great eye shadows, just like POPbeauty’s Eye Cake in the color Green Eyes.

POPbeauty Eye Cake

In an attempt to create eyes that hypnotize, POPbeauty’s five-color combo is designed to enhance and bring out the color of my eyes, drawing all attention to my eyes.  And I love attention!

There are two ways to go about applying the POPbeauty eye cake.  1) Use a larger brush and mix all the colors together on the lid, and let the natural highlights and tones come out organically.  2) Use a small applicator brush to individually use each of the 5 colors in the tin to add drama to the eyes with a lid color, a crease color and a separate highlighting. As a girl on the go, I usually go with option 1.

Taking the guesswork out of eye makeup – I now have a nice splash of greens accenting my already green eyes. I become a real earthy goddess with sultry eyes and a green glow that glimmers and shimmers.

The Breakdown:

• Green Eyes includes emerald green for defining, softer green and taupe for lid and crease, and perfectly coordinated, paler-tones for highlighting.
• $19.00 for each tin

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