Something Silky for you from First Line

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This beautiful silky head wrap is from the Evolve line of accessories for African women or men depending on your style.

I think it works great for hair, and could easily double as a neck scarf, purse accessory and even a boot wrap with the Fall 2010 style trend for footwear being boot heavy.

There are so many choices in the Evolve line-such as wraps, scarves and headbands.

The Evolve products are available at Walmarts and Sally Beauty Supply stores so you know you will be getting a good value when you purchase.

The Firstline Dri Sweat active headwear line is designed for ethnic men and women with active lifestyles who regularly exercise and desire to maintain their style.

After all, with the cost of a blowout today-you need to make it last as many days as possible!

I like my headscarf and hope you do too! In fact..both of mine are up for grabs! If you like the Evolve head band and scarf in the pictures, please comment on the blog and subscribe. Two lucky winners will be sent either the scarf of the headband! Simply share about your hair and you are qualified to win one!

Contest is open to 18 years of age and older, residents living in the continental United States and will run from 10/31 to 11/7. Good luck!

Remember: you are beautiful! Thank you for visiting the blog and check back for promotions and beauty giveaways!

Adidas Moves Pulse for him and her and you too!

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Let their glorious updos and glamorous makeup looks inspire you for your biggest beauty day ever

This is a TotalBeauty.com celebrity hairstyles article Celebs sport bridal-looking gowns all the time on the red carpet, so their hair and makeup could totally work for your wedding look. See looks

Fragance for you? Fragrance for your stocking stuffer? Fragrance as a holiday gift for the
office party?

Try the new duo of Adidas sporty scents for men and women!

I've tried both and they are a clean citrusy blend that wears well and dries down to notes that are smooth and appealing.

Each is affordable, makes a great gift, and can be purchased at the local Walmart, Target or drugstore near you.

If you feel nervous about giving fragrance as a gift, don't be! In my opinion, fragrance is a great gift any time of the year for any reason.

How do you know if a person is a fragrance junkie like me or just a special occassion wearer?

Well my answer to that is the fragrance junkie is always wearing something-whether it is a scented hand lotion, or a layering of scents from body wash, to lotion, to a finishing spritze of parfum.

The special occassion wearer simply dabs a bit on the wrist for the "special" occassion and giving that person a scented hand lotion may be better than a bottle of perfume.

Remember for your wedding, it's an amazing memory maker to pick out a specific bridal scent-something that will trigger the memories of the day with a whiff of the scent.

Enjoy some Adidas Moves Pulse today! It retails for about $19.

Remember: you are beautiful! Thank you for visiting the blog and check back for promotions and beauty giveaways!

La Roche Posay EFFACLAR for post halloween makeup cleanup

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Halloween makeup can be greasy and thicker in nature than an average makeup product.
So if you have a dirty face? Clean it up! I mean really deep clean it with La Roche Posay Effaclar line of cleansers and blemish treatement.

I tried the cream cleanser and love the rich thick foamy suds that washed clean without making my skin feel dry.

With continued use it can help clear up blackheads and work on stubborn acne like skin.

The real gem of the line is the wee tube of blemish treatment that contains salicylic acid as well as an ingredient to help slough off the dead skin that usually heals up in a red brown
spot.

The last thing we need are more spots that have to be lasered off at a later time for a higher price.

So check out the website and find out which La Roche Posay product is right for you!

http://www.larocheposay.com

Remember: you are beautiful! Thank you for visiting the blog and check back for promotions and beauty giveaways!

Night Elf: limited edition color icon palette by Wet'n'Wild

Fresh, Fun and Funky Halloween Makeup and Costume Ideas

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Hello! It's that time to begin the celebrations! For some of you the halloween party is around the corner, and for others it's time to get ready planning Thanksgiving travel, what to do for the office party this year and family Christmas photos.
Something for you to consider that is affordable and easy access is the new limited edition color icon palette from Wet ' n' Wild cosmetics.

You can find these at any Walmart, Target or drugstore near you and the suggested retail is $4.99

It comes with both a brush and sponge applicator and includes a free black sparkle eyeliner pencil. So it's definately got some bang for the buck!

I'm demonstrating the Night Elf color kit and find

it's versatile enough to do eyeshadows from day to night-which means perfect to go from work to party! There is a color that will work for brows and that gorgeous red is a shadow or a blush.

So this inexpensive wee palette is a great gift or necessity for your purse this season.

I'm testing this before I leave to get the Mancub and try not to show up at his school wearing a full

face of evening styled makeup. So I apply the
white highlight on my brow bone.

Then the medium brown over the lid and use the rich red for a contour.

I line with the black sparkly eyeliner on top and a quarter inch on the bottom corners.

I use the red also as a blush, then finish with the dark grey in my eyebrows. Woo hoo! Time to carpool!
Now I happen to have some of the summer season high impact pigment matte but buttery feeling MegaLast lipsticks from Wet n Wild so I complete my look with that in a rich blue red matte lipstick.

I wore the makeup for the rest of the day and it stayed true in tone and pigment. I did not notice any significant creasing or fading of the shadows so I'm thinking all around this is a great buy and
a good look!

You can find Wet n Wild products at your local Walmart,Target and drugstores. To see more about the brand visit their website at

http://www.wnwbeauty.com/

Remember: you are beautiful! Thank you for visiting the blog and check back for promotions and beauty giveaways!

LUSH fragrances for pockets, purses and stocking stuffers too!

Find Your Eye Makeup Soul Mate

Take this quiz to find the perfect makeup to accent your unique eye shape

This is a TotalBeauty.com eye makeup article Makeup artist Molly Stern shares her expertise to help you find the best makeup for your eye shape, plus which products to wear and not to wear. Take quiz

Hello friends! Well, Costco started it and now it seems like every retail store around me is full
of all the holiday items at once. Like one big pile of halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas stuff and it's barely the end of October.

So I figured if you can't beat 'em, join'em. I've started an early edition of the Makeup University Holiday Style Guide and shopping list for great beauty gifts at amazing prices.

I'm sharing with you today from LUSH. Oh! If you haven't tried any of their products yet you need to! Why? Because they are organic, vegan, cruelty free, earth friendly, great pigments and wear, along with petrochemical free so it's safe to put on your skin!

Here I am holding there fragrance gift set which is perfectly portable for your upcoming Thanksgiving road trip or flight back home. ( safe journey to you!) This wee vial contains a powerful mix of essential oils that are pure, no synthetic scents in it!

A little bit goes along way, trust me. If you don't believe me ask the postal worker, my son's school teacher and the check out cashier at Walmart.

Order your LUSH holiday fragrance kit now because these items are hand crafted and made in small batches. So when it's gone, it's gone! My favorite scent is Orange Blossom on my left wrist but I like to mix it with Vanillary on the right wrist. It's to keep you guessing when my Peanut's Gang character PigPen cloud of fragrance wafts around you! Did I mention I'm a fragrance junkie! Go get some at http://www.lushcosmetics.com/

Remember: you are beautiful! Thank you for visiting the blog and check back for promotions and beauty giveaways!

Bambola Beauty-a green brides best friend

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Green brides and weddings that are being planned similiar to Chelsea Clinton with Earth
friendly dress, decorations, cake and why not beauty? Brides consider the Bambola Beauty line of skincare to get you wedding photo ready!

I have a few items here to share with you that are hand batched, not mass produced to quality comes in every bottle plus value!

Next, the line is cruelty free and never tests on animals!

I have been using the Invigorating cleanser which is full of Anise extract which revs up the blood flow of the facial skin giving a great healthy glow!

I follow with the Vital toner because it's full of grape skins and carrot root meaning natural anti-oxidant protection for my skin.

I love, love, love the Glycolic Sugar Cane exfoliator because it is powerful and gentle at the same time. If you need to get the surface of your skin retextured and smooth, this product is a must for your pre-wedding beauty routine!

I am using the Hydration booster a couple of times a day!
I apply in the morning before work but while I'm on the set and drinking coffee and working, my skin begins to show my fatigue and dehydration....so...I put on another wee layer of Bambola Beauty hydration booster and I look refreshed!

Finally, the intensive eyecreme is amazing at plumping fine lines around the eyes and it's gentle too! I recommend these products because they work for me, so why not try them and experience how they work for you! http://www.bambolabeauty.com/

Remember: you are beautiful! Thank you for visiting the blog and check back for promotions and beauty giveaways!

Vampire brides! Gothic brides! Destination wedding looks for halloween using Makeup Designory

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This is a TotalBeauty.com beauty products article The products on this list are both safe for moms-to-be and help remedy gestational woes like stretch marks, acne and itchy skin. See products

No. 9: Avon Anew Clinical Professional Stretch Mark Smoother, $12.50

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.1

"I've been using this stuff for about one week and I already have a great confidence boost from the results …"

No. 8: Lush Hair Hennas, $22.95

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.8

"Especially good for when you are pregnant and need a touch-up …"

No. 7: Zoya Nail Polish, $7

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.8

"Pregnant women, rejoice!"

Want to see what other products made the list? Click here!

Hello brides and friends! It's so good to be back with you after a long work week on location!

Below is a short photo tutorial of how to do a simple Elvira inspired vampire bride look. For those weddings that will be gothic in nature, this is an easy and affordable do it yourself bridal makeup look. Enjoy and congratulations! If you have questions on how to do grooms makeup for the vampire wedding please email.

Vampire bridal makeup using Makeup Designory Autumn palette

In the first photo everything that is in the Makeup Designory bag is going to be applied!

The next photo is the foundations and primer products that I used.

Vampire brides remember that the key to great gothic makeup is going to be great skin! You need to have

a smooth complexion to work on for the product
to lay well and have a similiar absorption rate on the face.

Note on the hair: I did a simple teasing on the crown of my head for volume that would be similiar to Movie Macabre hostess Elvira. I sectioned off the sides and pin curled ( gotta get the pinup in there somewhere!) the sides and then made some Rivendale like braids in the front for a mix of texture in the hair design.
To even out my skin tone and get a matte white appearance I have applied Koh Gen Do green color corrector all over my face and in a full coverage layer.

My foundation is Dermablend Smooth Indulgene in Light Beige. I picked the Dermablend brand because I need a full coverage foundation to whiten my complexion and also if it's going to last through a ceremony and reception Dermablend is
a good choice for longevity.

I start my easy vampire bridal eyemakeup with the Makeup Designory black eyeliner. I make a thick cat eye line on top, all the way under the eye and through the waterline.

I use the same pencil for shaping a bold eyebrow. I will later go over the black eyeliner in my brows
with the dark brown shadow that my left ring finger in the photo is pointing to. Why? Because I want a bold look but not one that appears kabuki'ish.
The photo shows the silver can of ERA Classified Face highlighter spray. I put it through the Tzone area of my face.

I use a large domed eyeshadow brush to apply the beige shimmer shadow over the corner of the nose/tear duct area and a loose sweep of the color under the eyebrow. I want some highlight but not in a disco'y fashion. Just enough to brighten the eye.

Next I use a medium eyeshadow brush to work the rich purple brown Makeup Designory shadow through the crease of my eye. In the photo you can see a bold stripe on the right eye ( left in the photo) -please notice that it looks like a comma in shape with the corner of the nose being like a head and the tail sweeps through the crease and flares a bit at the edge of the eye. Now blend like
crazy because blending is the secret of great makeup! Here's a short recap for the vampire bridal makeup eyes:

1. black eyeliner

2. light shimmer on brow/tear duct

3. rich deep tone in comma shape through crease

How easy is that!
I apply the rose petal sheer pink blush in a C pattern around the eyes and at the top of the cheek bone. I'm not focusing on making a deep kidney bean shaped contour pattern in my cheek hollows because in my opinion the look is dated and reminds me of Vincent Price. ( love him, God rest his soul) I'm creating a fresh take on vampire bridal makeup here!

For the lips: to stay modern I am using a deep
brown purple sheer gloss that will coordinate with the crease shadow and lining my lips with a nude lip liner from N.Y.C. cosmetics. I think the vampire bridal makeup mouth needs to be bold for photos but functional for kissing and caking at the reception.

Now for the fun part! I apply two coats of the

new Maybelline Falsies mascara which for buying on a roll back with a coupon at Walmart only set me back $4! It's worth it-I'm not ready to switch from my favorite L'Oreal Voluminous but I like it enough to use it here. I bought a $4 pair of black feather eyelashes to add drama to the look. It's your vampire bridal makeup, so it's up to you if you want to use traditional false eyelashes or funky ones . I highly recommend using a set of false eyelashes in your wedding photo because they photograph amazing!

Hope you enjoyed this short vampire / gothic bridal makeup tutorial! For questions on a coordinating vampire groom makeup please contact me! Perhaps Corey will make a second appearance for a video tutorial?




Remember: you are beautiful! Thank you for visiting the blog and check back for promotions and beauty giveaways!

Fright Night cosmetics "Butterfly" costume look

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Hello! Today is a short photo tutorial on simple, affordable costume makeup for your upcoming parties! I'm working with Fright Night cosmetics which you can find in your local Walmart, Target or drugstores-and all products are under $10, and many are even under $5!
This photo shows what I'm working with from Fright Night:

1. The yellow and black butterfly false eyelashes

2. The hot pink hair coloring gel

3. The neon blue liquid eyeliner

Oh and a bag of candy! Thanks Fright Night for the sweet surprise!

To start with I have clean skin that is moisturized and I have a light coat of medium coverage foundation on. I didn't do any special countouring for my pretty butterfly look.

In the photo you can see me spraying on a thin layer of silver highlight from ERA Classified Cosmetics

Next I apply from a cream color wheel of bronze/gold tones that have shimmer in them a red copper tone ( my left hand index finger is pointing to it) through the crease of my eye. I also use this same color on the apples of my cheeks and blend in for a blushy look.

Now continuing the look and still working with creme products I use the Arbone F.Y.I black creme shadow for eyeliner. I am using cremes because I want a dewy look.

I use the Fright Night hair gel in hot pink to make streaks of color in my hair. The effect I am working for is flower petals floating in my hair. So I am working the gel into tear drop shaped globs.

I also have left my curly hair fairly uncombed and put clip in flowers on top.

Next I use the Fright Night cosmetics neon blue liquid liner to make large, long, winged eyeliner on the tops of my lids but not the bottom because I smudged the creme black shadow there. I also use the neon blue liquid liner to draw dots, designed and antenna to add to my pretty butterfly party look.

For lips; if I was going to a party I plan to eat so I
don't want a high maintenance mouth. I opt for Studio Gear lip laquer in a sheer pink. The lip laquer will hug the mouth and last through several meals and the color won't bleed.

Time to finish up the Fright Night cosmetics pretty butterfly look by adding these feathery false eyelashes.
The seam of the eyelashes is quite stiff so be sure and bend it several times from end to end so they begin to curve like the shape of your eye.

The stip of lashes do come with a small disposable tube of glue and if you are careful in application and removal you can get more than one wear out of these.

I have already lined my eyes, and I did not put

mascara on my lashes.

All finished! What do you think of the butterfly look? It's easy and affordable and you can make it into anything you want too! The spots on the feather false eyelashes could also work in a Cheetah cat look.

Enjoy playing with the costume makeup!
Remember: you are beautiful! Thank you for visiting the blog and check back for promotions and beauty giveaways!