Get Lippy for Your Valentine

So...Valentine's Day is almost here.  Yikes.  that means my birthday is almost here too!  Do you have plans yet for Valentine's Day (or should I say Valentine's Night?!)?  I do!  You're going to be sooo jealous when I tell you this, but my Valentine's Day plan includes working late.  Boy, do I know how to live or what?

My husband and I have been together forever, so we don't make special plans on Valentine's.  I guess we fall into the "I don't need Hallmark to tell me when to love my partner" camp.  But still, I get that it's a fun "holiday" and that special plans can make it all the more exciting. 

I received the tips below from makeup artist Jemma Kid.  Here is her advice to getting an enviable, romantic red pout, just in time for Valentine's Day.

Application:
- No lipstick looks good on chapped lips and some matte lipsticks dry lips even more. Keep lips smooth and moisturized with a balm containing natural oils, such as beeswax, and SPF. If you have chapped lips, apply balm and after a few minutes massage gently with a soft toothbrush or muslin cloth.

- Dab foundation around the lip are and over the lip itself. It will tone down any redness and ensures the line of the lips will be sharp and defined.

- Use a matching waxy lipliner to prevent any bleed around the lips. Spend time drawing the outline, making sure the lips are completely symmetrical and the bow is even. An uneven top lip shows up with red lipstick more than any other color. Start at the V of the Cupid’s bow and take the liner right into the corners.

- Fill in the lip with the pencil to hold the lipstick in place and make it last longer. Go over the pencil color with a lip brush, working it into any creases.

- Paint on the lipstick using a lip brush for precision, starting in one corner and working inward. Use the tip of the brush for the edges and the flat of the brush for larger areas. Blot with a tissue and apply another coat.

- Add a dab of gloss in a clear or slightly lighter shade at the center of the lower lip and press your lips together. High-shine glossy lips create instant glamour, make the lips look fuller, and draw attention to your mouth-a luscious evening look.

Attitude:
- Red lips spell grown-up glamour and should be worn with confidence.

- Hair color is irrelevant when choosing the right shade of red – it’s skin tone that counts. Pink tones are best suited to cooler “blue reds,” while darker, Mediterranean, and Asian skins are better suited to “orange reds.”

- Deep, plumy reds look fantastic on dark skin, cool blue-based reds suit pink-toned and pale skin, while orange-based reds are less draining on a warmer complexion (but make sure it doesn’t accentuate any redness in your cheeks).

- Red lips will be the focus, so keep the rest of your make-up minimal.

- A red-tinted lipgloss will give a more subtle effect.

- Try not to touch your mouth so you don’t risk smudging the lipstick. Matte finishes are more resistant to smudging than gloss.

Jemma says: “Lip color is one of the most fun and accessible areas of make-up, and also one of the most noticeable. From pretty and natural through classic and sophisticated to glamorous and vampish, how we make up our lips can change our mood in an instant”

Here Comes the Bride!

It's summer, so that means it feels like everyone is either having babies or getting married. Though I loved my wedding and am so glad I'm married, I wouldn't want to have to go through all the "getting married" hoops again. Planning a wedding is a huge stress!

The folks over at CVS have sent me some advice to help brides get ready for their big day without blowing their budget. If you're getting married (or have a big event coming!), check out the tips below. You don't need to hire a makeup artist--save the money for your dress...or better yet, your honeymoon!

One Month Until “I Do”:
Wedding planning may be stressful, but brides don’t have to look like they lost sleep.

* Performing a brow facelift at-home can help release any stress lines that may have formed between the brows. The WrinkleFree Brow Patch System ($29.99) includes a built-in battery to “ion charge” the anti-aging patch for a wrinkle-free treatment, while a complimentary youth serum acts to enhance and maintain results.
* Moisturize the delicate skin around the eyes to soothe stressed-skin, while preventing damage from the sun. La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Eyes UV ($29.50) helps shield skin from UVA and UVB rays, while smoothing dehydration lines.
* Add life and shine to hair with hydrating products, such as BioLuxe Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner ($9.99 each). The formulas include Almond Oil, Vitamins E and D, and essential minerals, like Magnesium, to add luster to the hair while smoothing the cuticle.

The Week Before:

Brides should take extra care of their skin the week before their big day with preventative beauty solutions.

* Wearing a sunscreen that provides defense from both UVA and UVB rays can help prevent last minute sunburn. The broad spectrum CVS/pharmacy Extreme Sport ($9.99) is sweat-resistant to maintain its SPF protection all day, even during those final pre-wedding exercise routines.
* Banishing last-minute pimples is easy before the big day. The Zeno Hot Spot Blemish Clearing Device ($39.99) is a safe, hand-held tool that uses gentle, low-level heat to painlessly destroy the bacteria that cause blemishes and reduce 90% of imperfections in 24-hours.

The Big Day Is Here!

Calm fragile nerves the day of the wedding with beauty products designed to relieve stress.

* Showering with scented body washes can help relieve tension. The Aveeno Positively Nourishing Body Wash in Calming ($6.99) works with the steam of the shower to release soothing notes of Lavender, Ylang-Ylang, and Chamomile.
* Hydrating skin with a lightly-scented body cream can also help soothe and rejuvenate the mind and body. The Essence of Beauty Body Lotion in Creamy Fig ($5.99) offers a peaceful fragrance, while Aloe Vera, Shea Butter, and Vitamins E and C work to moisturize the skin.

While most brides have their makeup professionally done, there are a few helpful cosmetics they can keep close at hand to maintain their glow throughout the festivities.

* Dabbing a crème blush to the apples of the cheeks can easily create a rosy, flushed and youthful complexion. The Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush in Rose Petal ($7.99) provides a soft color and satin-like finish.
* Applying a hydrating lipstick can help to keep lips kissably soft at the alter and beyond. Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Blush ($8.99) hugs lips with a burst of weightless color, while moisturizing with Sweet Almond Oil.

All products are available nationwide at CVS/pharmacy stores and online at CVS.com.

Resolution #4: Pinch Your Pennies

With the economy still in the shitter (though starting to improve) and with the gluttony-filled holiday season just getting behind us, a lot of us are looking for ways to reign in our spending. Here are a few tips for when to save and when it's better to spend.

Awhile ago, Real Simple did a great overview of whether it's best to splurge or spend when buying particular beauty products. Here's what they recommend:

• Facial Cleaners: Save--it's only on your face for a few seconds and more expensive cleaners are virtually the same as their cheaper counterparts.
• Day Cream (moisturizer): Save--just make sure your moisturizer contains sunscreen!
• Anti-Aging/Night Cream: Spend--the more expensive brands are able to afford better research and typically contain superior ingredients.
• Eye Shadow: Spend--more expensive brands have richer color and go on better. But, if you are trying out a new color, or are opting for something trendy, go with the cheaper stuff.
• Foundation: Spend--it's best to have a make-up consultant help find the right color for you, or, better yet, to mix a color just for you and your skin type. Again, be sure your foundation contains some sort of sunscreen.
• Blush: Spend--for the same reasons as the eye shadow.
• Lipstick/Lip Gloss: Both--spend on a great everyday lipstick. More expensive brands are creamier and often contain vitamins. Save money on the gloss because you're going for shine, not color density.
• Mascara: Save--again, there is almost no difference between the budget brands and the spendy ones.
• Powder: Spend--for the same reasons as foundations.
• Shampoo: Save--all the fancy-schmancy ingredients in expensive brands just go down the drain, so don't bother.
• Conditioner: Spend--high end products have advanced delivery systems that penetrate the hair shaft in order to protect and restore hair.

The folks at Allure also chimed in on the subject. Here's their advice:

BROWS
Splurge on: Professional brow-shaping. The pros can work magic on shabby brows but you can keep costs down by plucking stray hairs that pop up between visits.
Scrimp on: Brow products. You can use your inexpensive eyeliner to lightly fill in your brows or find a drugstore-brand brow pencil to give your brows a better shape.
Skip: Brow gel. You can use Vaseline to keep crazy brows in place. Or pick up some cheap clear mascara to coat your brows. One word of caution: the mascara may flake a bit, so be prepared!

SKIN
Splurge on: Anti-aging creams if you need the help. Try to get something containing retinoids to help reduce wrinkles and increase firmness. If you really want the most bang for your buck, visit a dermatologist and get a prescription-strength treatment.
Scrimp on: Expensive treatments. Instead of a professional peel at a doctor's office, try an at-home microderm abrasion kit. Just be sure to use the product regularly to achieve the maximum benefit.
Skip: Facials. They don't do much any way. Just be sure to wash your face regularly, use your daily moisturizer, and don't forget the SPF!

HAIR
Splurge on: Highlights. You cannot achieve the same rich, high-definition highlight at home that you get in the salon. If you need to save a few bucks, opt for a partial foil rather than a full color/foil. Just having the highlights around your face will brighten up your look.
Scrimp on: Shampoo. Really cheap shampoos only contain cleaning agents that may strip your hair of moisture and shine. But shampoos in the $5 range are all you really need: they clean and moisturize perfectly. The same goes for hair products. Stay in the middle of the price range and you should be a-okay!
Skip: Salon blowouts. Unless you have a special occasion to go to, you don't need to have a pro do your hair for you. When your in the salon getting your highlights and cut, ask your stylist to show you how to blowout your own hair. Try out a few things like flatirons and large Velcro rollers to add volume to your hair.

No matter what resolutions your made this year (if any), I hope you have a happy, healthy, and beautiful 2010!

Know How to Fake It!

One of my Twitter friends recently asked me the best way to wear false eyelashes, and I was stumped. See, I wear glasses....all the time. I hate contacts and really do prefer being a 4-eyed kind of girl. I'll admit it: I love my glasses!

I love the look of fake lashes done well. They look dramatic and fun. But to me, it seems silly to spend time and money on fake lashes since I am just going to hide them under my specs. Fake lashes have been all the rage for a few years now, and if you're looking to embrace your flirty inner diva (or if you're just getting your Halloween costume in order), here are some hints that will help you fake it to perfection:

1. Pick your weapon! Do you want a very full eyelash? Or do you just want to add a few falsies in with your natural lashes for a more subtle sense of glam? Do you want your lashes to be black? Neon green? Pink, with feathers? All sorts of options are out there, and all the variations will greatly affect your final look.
2. Prepare your beauties! Before you apply your fake lashes, take a moment to make sure they're not clumped together (you may want to gently separate your store-bought beauties with a lash comb). Now's also a good time to trim your fake lashes with a nice sharp pair of scissors if necessary.
3. Prepare yourself! Curl your real lashes and give them a good go-through with the lash comb. If you want, you can now apply some waterproof mascara to your real lashes to thicken them up a bit. Also: if you haven't done so already, get yourself in front of a really good mirror (magnifying mirrors are best for this) and into some excellent lighting. You're going to need to see all the details around your eyes really well to get your falsies on right.
4. Attach your lashes! Follow the directions that come with your fake lashes, especially since you're going to be working with glue and the such. Apply the glue to the base of the fake lashes and wait a minute or two for it to set. Then carefully apply your fake lash as close to the base of your natural lash line as is humanly possible. TAKE YOUR TIME! And try not to get yourself all worked up if you don't get it right the first time. You may want to have a pair of tweezers or a toothpick on hand to help make final adjustments. And using the blunt end of your tweezers may help you get the fake lashes to conform to your lash line. Just be careful not to apply to much pressure. If you're just adding clumps of fake lashes, apply them to the outer corners of your eyes for a really fun, old-school sexy look. You'll really need a toothpick/tweezers/steady hand to get the clumps in the right spot.
   
5. Assess your work! Now's the time to apply the rest of your eye makeup. You may want/need to apply some more mascara to your real lashes and the fake ones. Just be very careful when you do this. You don't want to snag your falsies with your mascara wand and rip 'em off after all your hard work. While your mascara-coated lashes are wet, you can also sort of squeeze your real and fake lashes together to better unify the two. Make sure your lash glue is not visible. If you can still see a bead or two of glue, you can use eyeliner to hide it.

Applying fake lashes can be tricky, so it's best to practice, practice, practice. If you're a fake lash wearer and have any tips to share, please leave a comment!

I Need YOUR Advice!

Okay--I answer lots of beauty questions, but now I have a few questions for you. I need advice and I'm turning to my blog for the answers! Yes, this is self-serving, but hey...it's my blog so by definition it's self-serving.

Here's what I need help with:

1) I am a natural blonde, but lately I've been going platinum. This means suffering through a bleach and tone every eight weeks or so. I love, love, love my platinum blonde locks, as I've mentioned before. The only drawback? My hair is much more dry than normal...thanks to the bleach and harsh chemicals. I've been trying to wash and condition every other day (and never on the weekends). This seems to be helping a little, but on day two, my hair is dry-ish and my scalp oilier than I like. This is my question: If you have dry, chemically treated hair, how do you care for it? Specifically: what products are your favorites?

2) As I mentioned yesterday, I have come to the realization that I have combination skin. My T-zone tends to get a little shiny during the day but I also have some dry patches on my forehead and cheeks. Nice. I wash daily and exfoliate regularly. I moisturize....I try to do everything right. If you have combination skin, what products and treatments do you use? What's worked and what hasn't?

Thanks in advance for your comments! I'll be back tomorrow with a brand new Beauty Product of the Week!

Ask Lydia x2: Face Cleansers and Foot Care!

I've had two questions from readers lately. If you have anything to add, please leave a comment. I appreciate your thoughts, and so do two of your fellow Kiss and Make-up readers! And if you want to ask me anything, shoot me an email (asklydia@hotmail.com).

Question #1: I have normal to oily skin. What facial cleanser would you recommend that could double as a makeup remover?

Even though I did a "Battle of the Eye Makeup Removers" awhile back, I never use a special makeup remover. I don't have the time for it, and honestly...unless I'm wearing a ton of makeup, I don't see the need for it. Who wants to buy a special product when they don't have to?

When it comes to face cleansers, my first rule is stop using soap. Soap makes your skin too tight, drying it out and leaving it in need of extra moisturizer later. Instead, try a gentle product specifically designed for the more sensitive skin on your face.

If you want a high end product, I'd recommend Philosophy's Purity Made Simple. It effectively removes makeup--even tough to get off mascara and eyeliner--without striping away your skin's natural (healthy) oils. If you're looking for a drugstore brand, any of Olay's facial cleansers are worth a try. I usually keep a tube of Olay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Cleanser in the shower and a bottle of Purity Made Simple by my sink. And on days when I am really lazy, I swear you cannot beat Boot's 4-in-1 Quick Thinking Face Wipes, as I've said many, many times before!

Question #2: I've been wondering if you know of any good pedicure products. The heels of my feet are in awful shape (really rough), and it always tickles too much to have them filed or whatever when I get a pedicure. Do you have any recommendations for a good pumice stone that will really do the trick? My foot filer thing hasn't been working too well.

I try to get regular pedis in the summer (once a month if I can swing it), and I always worry that I am going to laugh when getting worked on. Sometimes I can't help it, but I can usually quash my giggles with the latest edition of Town & Country magazine (for some reason, reading a snooty magazine while getting a pedicure seems like the right thing to do!).

If you don't have the time or resources to go in for a pedi--or if you're ultra ticklish!--there are plenty of products you can try at home. Look for high end, high quality (high priced) products from Tweezerman. Their Pedro Callus Stone has a decent handle and is easy to use. If you don't want to invest in an expensive tool, all you really need is a decent pumice stone. They're typically pretty cheap and readily available. Look for affordable products from Earth Therapeutics (I adore their foot wipes in the summer time!), ecoTOOLs, or the ultra cute, budget friendly Ms. Pedicure line of goods.

One word of caution, and this is coming from me, a beauty enthusiast, not a professional: avoid callus shavers. They shave off the skin from your feet and are very effective in the short term. I forget where I read it, but supposedly over-use of callus shavers can actually worsen your callus problem. I've only had a callus shaver used on me once--in a salon I won't be going back to. The whole thing freaked me out for some reason. But hey....maybe that's just me.

So readers: if you want to add your thoughts, please do so!

Ask Lydia: Festival/Camping Makeup

Lydia,

I was wondering if you had any recommendations for how to stay pretty while camping. I just bought my tickets for the Sasquatch Music Festival, where I'll be forced to stay in a tent/not shower/feel gross for a few days. Any suggestions?

Thanks!
Simone

Hi Simone!

First, have fun at Sasquatch! I live near Seattle and have thought about going over to the Gorge to check out Sasquatch, but the prospect of being outside, camping...with all those people, sort of turns me off. I am not a camper. camping for me means staying in a B&B with a shared bathroom.

Anyway, if I were going to a multi-day music festival...or if I were actually camping...there are a few things I would take with me in order to keep looking cute. You don't want to be bogged down with products, but you do want to take care of your skin and use products that will do double duty. For me, my makeup essentials are good looking skin, a quick coat of black mascara, and a hint of color on my lips. When camping or at a festival, you don't want to do your full face, so leave your eyeliner, eye shadow, blush, concealer, etc. at home.

Here's my must have list of your situation--if anyone has anything to add, please leave a comment!

TO KEEP CLEAN:

• Boots Quick Thinking 4 in 1 Wipes...or something similar. These wipes are great. They don't require any water or rinsing, and they make your skin feel perfectly clean. These are available from Target, but there are many other brands out there. They're a great way to wash your face with minimal effort (and no running water!)
• Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo: You can use this on days when you don't have time to wash, or when you don't have access to water or a blow dryer. It will make your hair feel and smell good, even if you're hanging out in the elements.

TO KEEP PROTECTED:

• MD Skincare Powerful Protection SPF 30 Sunscreen Pads: these are awesome! Sure, this is an expensive product ($42!), but they're easy to apply and even easier to pack. Plus they provide a high level of sun protection, and that's essential at outdoor festivals or when camping.
• Some sorty of bug spray. Many people swear by Avon's Skin So Soft, but I use the ultra-toxic stuff that contains DEET, like Deep Woods Off. Use what you like, but be sure to take something with you!
  

TO STAY CUTE:

• Alba Terra Tints Natural Tinted Lip Balm, SPF 18...or something similar. These tinted lip balms will refresh your lips with their minty scent/flavor, and they'll give your lips protection from the sun...all while adding moisture and color to your lips. I love double duty products, and this is one of my favorites!
• Any sort of tinted moisturizer containing SPF, like Olay Complete Plus Ultra-Rich Tinted Moisturizer. Again, this is a double duty product--your skin will get much needed moisture, and you'll quickly even out your skin tone.
• Your favorite waterproof mascara (I like Great Lash by Maybelline). Mascara will give your eyes just enough pop with minimal time. Go for a waterproof product so it won't smudge...and don't worry about getting it off--the Boots 4 in 1 wipe can handle it!

There you go, Simone! Don't forget to stay hydrated and be sure to wear your sunglasses. Have fun watching Animal Collective, NIN, and Jane's Addiction at the Gorge!