Sunscreen

The dreaded winter is technically over WHOOHOO!! That means we will be spending more time outdoors in the sun so it's very important to wear sunscreen. Sun rays do not discriminate. Young, old, Black and White, it can damage us all. Here are some simple tips when it comes to sun protection.

• Use a broad spectrum sun protection to block both UVA and UVB rays
• Apply sunscreen on about 20 minutes before sun exposure
• Reapply every two hours especially when out in the sun
• Avoid peak hours in the sun 10am-4pm
• Wear protective gear ie. hats, sunglasses, t-shirts
• Shade and clouds do not protect you from UVA and UVB rays
• Reapply after getting into water
• Some medications and sun don't mix increasing the skin sensitivity so make sure you check with your doctor

Burnt, leather, freckly skin is not hot people. I don't care how great a tan looks, its not going to look good when your in the hospital getting treatment for skin cancer. Also if you are as vain and narcissistic as me then you'll avoid the sun because it causes wrinkles. I have a birthday coming up and wrinkles are the enemy. Also if using SPF only in your foundations remember to apply the foundation all over the face but I recommend using a seperate SPF. Well enjoy the Spring and Summer will be here before you know it.

Do's & Don'ts of Liners

Yes its 2009 and I still see women drawing lines around their lips, drawing lines for their eye brows and using eyeliner all wrong. Ok lets start with eyeliner...No its not okay to wear white eyeliner on the upper lid so if you got that memo throw it away. Eyeliner is supposed to create a larger eye, give the appearance of longer fuller lashes or accentuate your eye color. If its not doing one or all of the above for you then 86 liner. And stick to the basic when to comes to colors: black, brown, gray, dark blue, dark plum, dark green. I think black can sometimes be harsh so charcoal gray is a good alternative especially for fair skinned blondes. Right now gel liners are the new rave. I personally use Bobbi Brown but Makeup Forever and Smashbox have quality ones as well. I'm not a fan of pencils, they tend to tug at the eye causing wrinkles AAHHH yes wrinkles ladies and they run so by the end of the day your eyeliner is half way down your face. Also if you tend to have dark circles and/or bags stay away from lining the lower lash line, all it does is make your dark circles look darker.
Ok enough about eye liner next topic....lip liner! I hate it! It's one of my pet peeves but lining your lips and then leaving the center clear or a lighter shade just looks horrible and is extremely out-dated. Lip liner should define the shape of your lips, keep lipsticks from bleeding and help your lipstick and gloss last longer. Keep the shade of the lip liner and lipstick as close as possible and no ladies its not okay to create a false lip line with your liner. If you have smaller lips I suggest wearing more lip gloss. Lip gloss is shinny causing light to reflect giving you the effect of larger more voluptuous lips.
Brow liners I did discuss in a previous blog but I'll retouch on the subject for those of you who haven't read it yet (shame on you). Only use a pencil on the second half of your brows and make sure to use a brush to blend so it wont look like a drawn on harsh line. But only use a pencil if your brows are sparse and need to be grown in. If your brows are full a powder is fine and set the hairs with a wax or brow gel.