Winterizing the skin you're in

In the upcoming winter months, your skin will suffer the consequences of low humidity, high wind-speed, and cold temperatures. All of these factors together will lead to dehydration, cracking and unattractive skin. You will want to invest in a moisturizer, not necessarily a thick-consistency formula, but definitely an effective formula, possibly including petroleum gel so that it stays on your skin and protects it for longer. Make sure whatever cream you're buying has SPF to it because, although you may not feel it while you're outside, if the sun is out you will still get burned even in the winter. It is important to protect your skin against sunburns, because they promote aging, sunspots, wrinkles and skin cancer. The key to moisturizing your skin externally is ingesting lots of liquids internally so that the hydration spreads around to all of your body systems and organs (including your skin).  Consider investing in a humidifier for your room, it will allow your lungs to intake oxygen more easily and allow your airways not to overproduce mucous to compensate for the dry air. Humidifiers will also be a saving grace for your skin, especially during the night-time when you're asleep and incapable of moisturizing or drinking liquids.

To avoid crackling, you will want to eat antioxidants (fruits and veggies, usually) and omega-3's to increase the fatty acids in your skin. These fatty acids will allow your skin to become more flexible and soft, protecting against breakage and cracking.  If you find yourself licking your lips often, consider investing in a moisturizing lip balm (that doesn't have any alcohol base in it), because licking your lips often means that your lips are dehydrated. Unfortunately, licking your lips actually has the opposite effect because of the acid in your saliva which serves to dry out your skin even more than it already is.

Although it may be tempting to take long, hot baths during the winter months, you should stick to short cooler showers as to avoid your pores from opening up in the hotter temperature. What happens when your pores are open after a hot bath during the winter months is that you are tempted to quickly rub yourself dry with a towel which causes your fragile pores to break open and cause mild scarring which leads to wrinkles and skin breakage. Make sure you apply moisturizer after taking a bath/shower every day and don't forget to apply it to the areas that don't get exposed (toes, stomach, shoulders) because they are still getting dry from the general conditions.

Take your vitamins (A, B, and C) during these months because they will make a big difference in your appearance and overall comfort. Vitamin A will promote skin thickness and protect against it stretching apart, while it will also allow it to create new layers. While vitamin B will improve your circulation and this means the supply of blood replenishing supplies (minerals) to your skin is increased, allowing it to heal quickly. Vitamin C is an integral part of collagen formation along with the fatty acids you intake, which is self-explanatory - collagen is an elastic compound that allows skin stretching without breaking or wrinkling.

If you use cleanser or soap during your washing routine, make sure that they have moisturizing and hydrating properties, otherwise the cleaning astringent chemicals inside will leave your skin parched (use oil-based cleansers instead of makeup wipes to remove makeup). It really is all about common sense, try to stay away from after-shave if you're a man and alcohol-based body sprays if you're a female because the alcohol-base of these products will cause your skin's natural moisture to evaporate. As a female, you can try to use a moisturizing foundation or cream eyeshadow to help your skin out during these harsh, cruel months. Stay away from anything that stings your skin, as a good general rule, because these products will always have alcohol as a base. Good luck and take care of your external-most organ!

The Kate Middleton look

Want to look like the lovely Duchess of Cambridge? I've found the scoop on what her favorite look is and how to achieve it yourself. She goes for fairly neutral, natural tones with a slight mauve tint to her eyeshadow, accentuated with lots of black eyeliner. To achieve the look of her skin, you'll want to consider bronzer and a light pink blush. She is a fan of Bobbi Brown cosmetics and her wedding day makeup was entirely done by her with their line of makeup products. I have found duplicates of their colors in other lines so that you can easily access the shades she has used. I suggest starting off with your eyeshadow so that you can easily manipulate your eye makeup without rubbing your foundation off with your hand.

Use concealer on your eyes (eyelids and under your eyes) to give them a uniform, refreshed look that can act as a blank canvas for the color application. Then, take an ivory or very light bone colored eyeshadow and apply it all over the eye from your eyelashes to your eyebrows. I used MAC's Sweet Eyes from the Devoted Poppy holiday palette (the one in the top left corner), but you can use any nude color that suits your skin. To cover your eyelid, use MAC's 'Under Your Spell' eyeshadow, the lavender-silver side of it with a flat shadow brush and pack the color in. Afterwards, apply Elizabeth Arden's 'Vintage' eyeshadow in the crease of your eye and don't forget the next step to blend it in thoroughly with a fluffy brush (a brush that is not as dense as those you put your shadows on with) so you can feather out the color. Make sure you also apply this color to the lower lash line.

After blending out the contour color, use an angled brush to place black eyeshadow on your lash line and extend it out to the corner a little bit. Kate Middleton does not create a cat-eye with her liner but does extend her darkest shadow out past the corner of her eye, so if you want to achieve her look, you should do the same. Blend out the black so that it is not stark and obvious. She uses either a gel or liquid liner, but since the appearance is similar just use whichever you are most comfortable with. I used a liquid liner because it was faster and lined my eye all the way around just as she does. She applies the black liner to the bottom lash line and not the waterline. This is the look she goes for, although it is not the most flattering because lining your eyes all the way around is a dated look and will make your eyes appear older than they are. Regardless, I did it to show you the exact way she goes about doing her makeup!

After this all you need is a coat of black mascara and use some darker eyeshadow or an eyebrow liner to fill in your brows. Kate has dark eyebrows and it appears as though she fills them in from close-up photos of her. My brows are much more arched than hers because hers have a more straight appearance, if you can get your brows to go in straighter then you will achieve a look much more similar to hers than I ever will. Make sure to fill in your brows with a darker color because it makes a big difference to the overall look. For your face, apply foundation in a natural color, then contour your cheeks as well as up and around your hairline and forehead with a bronzer. Kate has quite a tanned facial complexion when she applies her makeup so this leads me to believe she uses quite a lot of bronzer, and some light pink blush on the apples of her cheeks. She has quite a matte look to her face so I don't recommend using any shimmer powder or cheek highlights if you're going for her exact look.

She doesn't wear lipstick, just a coat of a nude lipgloss you think is attractive on you will work great. It's a pretty low-maintenance look that's easy to do in the morning if you want an appropriate work look (though I would skip out on the black liner all across the bottom lash line). Hope you have fun making yourself look like Kate Middleton!!! :)

Basics of Jewelry Making

Flat nose pliers, side
cutters and round nose pliers

Do you like fashion jewelry but refuse to pay a lot of money for what you want? Perhaps you're just bored with what you see in stores and what to customize your jewelry to represent your personality. Maybe you were inspired by 'Project Accessory' and want to be the next big jewelry designer. Whatever the case may be, I guarantee you'll be happier with what you've made for yourself because it will be uniquely yours and reflect your personal taste. You need a few tools (which can be found at your neighborhood Blick art store or online), regardless of what you'll be making, to start you off on your projects. These are important in rounding wires, opening spring rings, cutting wires, and much more.


First,  you will need the long flat-nose pliers (has a light blue handle in the picture) which allow you to easily grip wire and bend it without creating nicks and chips in it. Then it is advisable that you purchase a side cutter (has the pink handle in the photo) because, although the flat-nose pliers has some cutting ability, it will not be strong enough to cut thicker wire, nor will it be able to cut wider objects/findings. Finally, you will definitely be needing the round-nose plier if you plan on using any wire to make earrings or bracelet hoops/links and you should consider doing so because it will give your work a polished and finished look (it is the method that makes store jewelry look expensive as opposed to makeshift). An optional but recommended tool is the crimper - it is a tool that allows you to use little crimp beads that will push your wires together at the ends of necklaces and bracelets and press the bead to collapse in a perfect manner but if you get good at it you can also use the flat-nose pliers to do this.

Crimping tool

You should purchase beads that you like and find beautiful, I'm a big fan of Swarovski beads and glass beads, I suggest buying them in 4mm, 6mm, and 8mm sizes, and then you can combine colors that you think are beautiful together. You will need stringing wire to make soft bracelets and necklaces that dangle, I suggest working with sterling silver wire but it tends to be quite pricey so only buy however much you will be needing (measuring helps - so use a measuring tape). For earrings, you will be needing earring hooks, unless you can salvage some from your own jewelry by simply taking off the hanging parts. Make sure you get lots of these because earrings are very simple to make and you can crank out many styles that you like. Keep in mind that all of the products you get should be hypoallergenic, especially if you plan to gift your jewelry to a friend, you never know what can trigger allergies.


Collect jewelry from antique shops and thrift shops, or rummage through your basement or attic for whatever you have laying around that you're unhappy with. My motto is that no piece of jewelry is unsalvageable, anything can be transformed into a piece that is current and stylish. These are the basic tools you need to get started, obviously there are many other things you could purchase, but I recommend starting with these so you're not breaking the bank. All of these tools should cost you $30.00 or less and if something seems to expensive in a store, it probably is. I find that going to designated bead stores actually is a bad idea because they tend to have 'specialty' items and overprice for them. You're better off going to an art store, a hardware store, Wal-Mart, or shopping online (Amazon is perfect for these items). You may want to pick up general findings such as pendants, metal-earring frames, and anything you find interesting. In future posts, I will teach you how to make every piece of jewelry you can imagine, so just get your tools ready and we'll make things together! Here's a sampling of what I can teach you how to make: 

Horse Shampoo: Yay or Neigh?

Who knew you could walk into the pet store and find your next great cosmetic product? You may have heard of the fad that's started over the past couple of years, probably due to recommendations from daily talk-show hosts and pseudo-doctors: horse products. You may be asking yourself why this would have begun, the reasoning is quite simple to explain. Many claim that the shampoo and conditioner used on a horse's mane causes it to be lustrous, shiny and soft and can have the same benefits on human hair. It's simple to see the correlation, because our hair basically is made out of the same substance: keratin. This post will focus on debunking the myth or giving props to those who have led us into a new age of hair science, depending on which way the evidence weighs the scales of truth.

Reading reviews online of Mane 'N Tail shampoo & conditioner, I have seen numerous posts of African-Americans praising the product because they claim that it is moisturizing and makes their hair manageable. I'm no expert on this matter, so I'm going to take their word for it. I have also heard from people of all other races that they abide by the same principles and the products have proven effective. I'm not here to insult anybody's choices, I just want to get to the bottom of the chemical mystery, what exactly is it inside this product that makes people feel this way about it?

There is no empirical evidence to suggest that hair grows more plentiful or faster, so those claims are off the table. It is important to remember that hair grows up to three quarters of an inch each month in the average person and regardless of how much you damage or treat your hair, this will remain the same because your hair is already dead (technically just not living). There may be a possibility that increasing the circulation in your scalp can help with hair growth, but that would mean you would have to actively stimulate your scalp all the time (ask your significant other for a head massage all day every day? It probably won't help your hair growth so don't bother). Shampoo and conditioner only attach to the not-living hair strands and those aren't growing in and of themselves.

If you think your hair appears fuller from using the stuff, it does. Pet shampoos, more so than humans tend to leave residue in hair (because we don't wash our animals as much as we wash ourselves), so your hair has the appearance of being bulkier because of the product sticking to your hair and not easily washing out. It is important to note that there are no beneficial products in the shampoo, in fact, there is sodium lauryl sulfate (the cleaning agent used in most shampoos) which is a skin irritant and carcinogen. Not to mention, this chemical leads to split ends and broken hair, which is technically the opposite of what you're looking for if you're using the horse shampoo in the first place. Why is a chemical used in shampoos and cleaning products if it denatures skin proteins and leads to adverse side effects? The answer to that is obvious, it is cheap and companies have an easier time making profits using it rather than substituting it for a healthier option. If you want to go truly natural, try Fundamental Earth shampoos and conditioners, but you'll have to pay a pretty penny for them compared to the animal shampoo. To be honest, I'm hardly shocked, if something sounds too good to be true, it likely is. Hoping that this horse shampoo fad was going to be a good practice is folly because if there were some miracle chemical, why would it be used on horses and not mass-marketed to humans? If something great comes along, I'm sure we will all find out about it. Until then, try as best you can to protect yourself from false advertising and untrue word-of-mouth.

Manscaping: Manly eyebrow grooming

It’s important to know how to shape your eyebrows before you delve straight into it because they frame your face and you can make yourself look a lot better or worse. My pet peeve is men who over-tweeze their eyebrows and end up looking like angry women with severe arches and thinned out brows. Since men are spending more time grooming themselves nowadays and are looking to control the wild hairs and unibrow for a clean look, I decided to post this guide. Look at your brows and decide whether you want a complete redo of your brow area or if you’re just looking to control the shape slightly. If you’re looking for a dramatic change, less is more, and I’m not going to go into using hair removal waxing kits to do this (because I don’t assume you’re masochists). Most men I know want to do this with as little hassle and pain as possible so that’s how I’m going to explain it. 

Wash your brows with warm water and some soap or facial cleanser before you do anything at all because it will moisten the hair follicles and open up your pores, causing you to feel far less pain when tweezing. If you have a small pair of scissors or an electric razor you can cut hairs that don’t look like they belong.

Shape your eyebrows by using a razor and shaving cream if you have tons of unibrow hair but make sure to go slowly because these tools are large so you have a higher chance of creating errors (don’t worry, your hair will grow back faster than you want it to). I suggest attempting to use the tweezer or electric razor as you’ll get more control out of them. The inner corner of your eyebrows should start in a straight line above the left or ride end of the tip of your nose (depending on which eyebrow you’re doing). So if you want to begin tweezing your right eyebrow, you want to take a pencil and measure upwards from the right side of the tip of your nose and make sure it begins in a straight line from there.

If you’re looking to trim up your eyebrows you can brush or push your brows upwards and trim what comes up out of the regular brow shape, and do the same with the hair pointing downwards. Just be careful not to poke yourself in the eye when doing this. Sometimes that’s all it takes to make your brows look defined and not unruly.

The key here is to use your discretion, some people look good with unibrows, no I’m not talking extremely dense ones, but a little shadow of hair can be attractive, and so can thicker eyebrows on men. Usually men have thicker eyebrows to balance out larger features like noses or eyes and to look more masculine, remember that Mother Nature knows what she’s doing.

Deodorant exposé: harmful chemicals on your skin

There is a big difference between deodorant and its subgroup antiperspirant, because of the function of the latter, there are chemicals inside of it that stop your body from producing and releasing sweat. Antiperspirants affect your sweat glands and are classified as a drug, they have even higher concentrations and more types of chemicals inside of them than deodorants. Bottles of deodorant have misleading advertising that leads consumers to believe the health and beauty products they are purchasing are safe and will improve their odor. It will shock you to find out that many of these antiperspirants and deodorants can cause cancer and allergic reactions with extended usage. Yet if you think about it, most of us will use these products on an extended basis, if you use deodorant every day of your life for the approximately sixty or so years that you'll be concerned about your body odor.

Many deodorants use a combination of many, not just one, toxic chemicals, including (but not limited to) aluminum, propylene glycol, TEA/DEA/MEA, FD&C colors, talc, and parabens. These can be causes or catalysts for breast cancer, numerous allergies, and even Alzheimer's disease and associated neurpathies. Research is indecisive about whether or not there is merely a correlation as to the heightened incidence of these diseases in users or if they are the direct cause. Regardless of which of these scenarios proves to be real, both point towards the detrimental effects caused by the toxins in deodorants. 

Talc

Talc is a mineral that is used in many products throughout the beauty industry to absorb moisture and add color to products. It is a well known carcinogen because it has asbestos-like fibers found inside as impurities. It is important to note that although society is incredibly outraged with building code regulations of the past not controlling asbestos levels, we are actively consuming beauty products in which the asbestos content is not regulated. Since this asbestos concern looms in the concentration of talc, there is no safe way for a consumer to check the concentration of asbestos in talc products. You are better off staying away from it rather than risking the usage of this irritant and carcinogen. Inhaling these fibers can cause lung cancer, an asbestos-specific restrictive lung disease, and myriad of other lung-related disorders.

Colors

The chemical colors used in the food, drug and cosmetics industry which are so-called "approved" for mass marketing by the Food and Drug Administration are classified as FD&C. It is important to note that these are entirely man-made and synthetic, they are not naturally occurring colorants even though your beauty products and deodorants might suggest that they are. The 'green apple' or 'fruit fusion' flavors you are smelling and the colors you are seeing were mimicked in a lab to look and smell exactly like those you would find in nature. These often cause allergic reactions in people (some people are allergic to a particular dye) and have long been suspected as being carcinogenic because they are derived from strange substances such as coal tar.

TEA/DEA/MEA

These chemicals are solvents used in beauty and makeup products such as shampoos, conditioners, and skin creams because of their ability to cleanse. The function of a cleanser comes from their ability to adjust acidity and they are used to create salts which are then parlayed into cleansers. DEA comes from coconuts and can be found in pesticides. Long-term health effects are allergic reactions, immune-system damage, and liver/kidney tumors. This is just an example of one of their effects but they are all damaging and detrimental to human and animal health.

Propylene Glycol

If the name of this toxin is familiar to you it's probably because you've come across it in your everyday life in the form we're used to: anti-freeze. This chemical keeps substances from becoming dry and is therefore categorized as a humectant. The beauty industry has included it in deodorants for profits because it would stop their products from being adversely affected by temperature changes. There's a laundry list of diseases it can cause such as kidney/liver damage, neurological disturbances, skin rashes, and depression. It's no surprise that inhaling what you would put in your car can so adversely affect your body.

Parabens

These synthetic chemicals, found in almost every single deodorant out on the market (unless they are marked otherwise), can seep through the sensitive armpit's pores and increase the risk of breast cancer. This is known because the concentration of parabens is found to be higher than normal in many tumors found in breasts. The chemical nature of parabens is that they are copycats of estrogen and have similar functions in the body. If you are a woman, it is bad to be intaking more estrogen than your body requires as this is associated with higher breast cancer risk, and if you are a man you can be adversely affected by this estrogen as well because it will offset the hormonal estrogen to testosterone balance. You can spot these in your deodorant if you see names that end in -paraben (such as butylparaben, propylbaraben, and many more) and are used as preservatives widely in the beauty industry so that the products don't expire quickly. 

It is important that we are educated about these substances and do not actively purchase products that we know are poisoning us in time. If we allow the cosmetics and so-called health industry to release products with these chemicals which become fast-selling profit-boosters, they will never cease to release toxic waste under the guise of self-improvement. So go green and seek deodorants that aren't full of all of these chemicals to put on your sensitive armpits, after all, if you don't have your health you can never be beautiful.  Stick to brands like Crystal naturally fresh deodorant and pay more for your deodorant so you're not forced to be smearing your 'pits with a chemistry lab.

Tarte for True Blood eyeshadow palette review

If you know me you know that I have a very profound love affair with eyeshadow palettes, whether they be Urban Decay, Estee Lauder, Tokidoki, or any other brand under the sun. Just the concept of so many brilliant color combinations with endless customization and room for individuality makes me a giddy girl. I've never purchased anything else from Tarte so I didn't know the quality of their products beforehand, this review is going to be completely unbiased, I don't have stock in the company and I'm not a long-term lover of their products. Truth be told, I bought the Tarte for True Blood palette because it had beautiful shades that I wanted for my wedding day and I'm a huge fan of HBO's hit True Blood!!!

First glamoured impressions
I was thrilled with the packaging, the cutesy miniature drawer that slides out to reveal a miniature mascara, eye primer and black eye liner (which is remarkably amazing and slides on as smooth and easily as butter) and the fact that you're getting 17 eyeshadows for $52. While the mascara and primer are nothing to write home about, they're great filler bonuses that are much appreciated, the company could have just given 17 eyeshadows and not included that adorable drawer with its perks.


Upon further fanged inspection
The colors that you find in this palette are anything but the radical tones you would expect from this goth-inspired packaging. The pigments are surprisingly neutral and very blendable, they are silky in texture and very smooth on the skin. Some have matte finishes, others have a mild sheen, and a few even have sparkles inside!

I have swatched the shadows so you can get a clear view of the color payoff on the skin of my hand, but keep in mind that this is without a primer or base and the photos were taken with a flash on because the lighting was poor. Therefore, the colors are far less saturated in reality. I particularly love the most neutral shades from the top two rows of the first swatch set (such as Fairy, The Light, Dusk, Dawn, and Waitress). 'The True Death' is a medium silver tone that is one of the most accomplished shades of gray I've seen in any makeup line.

The true death-verdict
I would recommend this palette to anyone who is considering starting an eyeshadow collection because it covers a lot of the basics (neutrals, blacks, matte.shimmer... you get base, highlight as well as contour shades). You also won't be making too many mistakes because the formula is very forgiving and easily blendable. If you are a collector, then definitely do not miss out on this limited-edition beauty. It has made me consider Tarte as one of the makeup brands to watch.