How does Your skin feel?

Happy Monday, my dears!  I hope your weekend was fabulous and your Monday was not too manic.  Can I tell you how AH-MAZING the weather was this weekend?!  I was ready to throw on my swimsuit and head to the beach.  Then I remembered it was January.  Yuck.  

I've had several people ask me about how to care for their skin and what type of skincare and foundation to use in the winter months.  So I'm here to help you all navigate the road of winter skin.  First question I like to ask is: how does your skin feel?  Is it taut and flaky all over?  Do you feel as if you CAN NOT wash your face enough to get the oil off?  Or are you oily in the T Zone and normal on the cheeks?  Most people choose option #3 and most of the time those people are correct.  Here's a breakdown of how to care for every skin type.

For Dry Skin:

Dry skin may look flaky and dull and feel tight.  It shows signs of aging, such as fine lines.  It may have a crepey appearance, especially around the eye area.  Production of sebum, oil produced naturally, is minimal. One of the plus points of having dry skin is that pores are almost invisible and less susceptible to breakouts.  
To help combat dry skin, be sure to drink at least eight glasses of water a day.  Use skincare products with a high water content and wear a protective moisturizer as a barrier against water loss. 

Recommended Skincare products:
Aveeno Ultra Calming Foaming Cleanser - CVS- $7.49
Eucerin Daily Protection Moisturizing Face lotion - Target- $8.49

When it comes to foundation and makeup, be sure to moisturize well and use an oil based serum before applying foundation.  Use a liquid foundation rather than a stick or compact.  Oil-based products go on easier rather than powder.  Powder will sit ON the skin instead of sinking IN to the skin drawing attention to fine lines and flakiness.  Steer clear of powder blush and bronzer for the same reason.

For Oily Skin:

Oily skin may look shiny and feel greasy, even after washing.  Pores are larger and more visible.  Oily skin is more prone to blackheads and breakouts. Oiliness comes from the overproduction of sebum.  This is great because it helps keep skin supple and protects it from environmental factors.  But, overactive sebaceous glands result in greasy skin with large pores and are more susceptible to breakouts.  Stay hydrated and use water based moisturizers that are made specifically for oily skin.  Avoid oil stripping products with high alcohol content.  They are too harsh and will make the oiliness worse.

Recommended Skincare products:
Clinique liquid facial soap: oily skin formula - Belk - $16.50
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing gel - Belk - $25

As for makeup, use a mattifying primer under foundation to help it stay on.  Use foundations and powders that have Silica in it to help keep the oil locked away from the skins surface.  Lean towards mineral powder foundations, as the oil helps the powder to be absorbed.  Avoid creams (eyeshadow, blush, etc) with are wax based and sit on the surface of the skin. 

For Normal Skin:

If you are lucky enough to have skin that is not excessively dry nor oily, you have normal skin.  Normal skin may be slightly dry on the cheeks with greasier patches on and around the nose, forehead, and chin.  There is no one product that can hydrate one area and absorb oil in others.  So, the best option is to treat problem areas separately with different products.

Recommended Skincare products:
L'oreal Youth Code foaming cleanser - CVS- $7
Aveeno Positively radiant facial moisturizer - Target - $17

Individuals with normal skin have a broader range of makeup formulations they can choose from.  Anything goes!  It's a matter of trial and error to see what you like the best.

Remember, no matter what skin type you have, always use an SPF!  

Do you have a particular product that you can't live without when it comes to skincare.  Let me know!!

Until next time,
Layne

Oh hey there, 2013!

Wow!  Talk about being a slacker.  Um, it's been over a month since I have posted something.  I really need to step my game up! Hmph...

Any-who.   MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! It's hard to believe that the holiday season has come and gone and here we are in 2013.  I surely thought by now we would have flying cars and houses in the sky like The Jetsons!  

My holidays were amazing.  I was able to spend Christmas eve with my nieces and wake up with them on Christmas morning.  I loved it!  They are at that age now where everything is so much fun.  I hung out with tons of friends, old and new, and ate waaaayyyy too much food!  Brett surprised me with a special dinner and date night to see the Nutcracker.  He's so sweet and thoughtful.  Or maybe he was just sick of me hinting to him that I hadn't been to see it since I was young and I RRREEAALLYY wanted to go :)

Heading into 2013, I have a few things up my sleeve for Blush Beauty and Makeup.  Some I'm still ironing out the deets, but others I've already talked a little bit about.  One being my Blush 'n' Go Parties.  What is this, you ask?  These parties are  fun girls night out events specifically designed to teach each doll how to make themselves look amazingly gorgeous for a fun night out on the town. Learn techniques, color schemes, and product knowledge all while enjoying the company of your best girls! Included are hors d'oeuvres and wine. So all you have to bring are your beautiful faces and your makeup bag. HOST a party and receive a special gift.

I am so excited about these parties.  They're gonna be a blast.  

I'll be back in a couple of days with some tutorials and trends for 2013!  

'til then,
Layne

Me and my doll babies!

 My handsome date!

 Great group of friends!

It's been a long time...

I'm baaack!  Fshew, it's been a minute, hasn't it?  So sorry my beaut's, life seemed to get in the way there for a little while.  I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving.  We spent ours in Pennsylvania with Brett's family.  It's always such a great time.  And it's always such an experience.  I was honored to take Brett's mama for her first EVER manicure!!  First. Ever.  I guess that's what happens when you raise boys.  She was hilarious.  She was chattin' everyone up.  By the time we left, she knew everyone on a first name basis and was planning her visit back when she is up in PA for Christmas.  Tehe!

Now, I'm finally settlin' back in to my routine here at home and getting sooooo excited about Christmas!  This year will be the first year since my mother passed away that I will spend it with my family.  I can't wait!  It's probably crazy that I've already planned out our Christmas day meals and fun dilly's that I want to do with the girls, right?!  I went to Target tonight and spent way too much money on stocking stuffers.  But how can you resist their $1 section?!?

Let's see, what else has been goin' on?  Oh yeah, I have set a goal for myself to watch the American Film Institutes 100 Greatest Film Musicals of All Time by my 30th birthday.  My birthday is 4 months away.  

Yeah.

But I've already seen 10 of them, so I have a little bit of a head start :)

Now on to the fun stuff.

With it being the season for festivities, I'm sure many of you will have plenty of parties and events that you are heading to.  These types of activities are always a good reason to play around with your makeup and have a little fun!  You can be as daring as you want to be.  Step outside of your comfort zone and do something you would never do.  Who knows, It may just become your signature look.  Be as sexy, bold, and seductive as you wanna be!  Like I always say:  IT'S ALL ABOUT WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL CONFIDENT AND BEAUTIFUL AND COMFORTABLE IN YOUR OWN SKIN!

Here are some of my favorite looks:

The Classic Cat Eye and Red Lip

Brown/Bronze Smokey Eye

A Bold Purple Lip

Soft and Subtle Sexiness

Now ladies, these are just a few options.  Play with your colors and your features.  Experiment!  Have fun!  

Until next time lovahs!

Layne

PS: For those of you that don't want to worry about the hassle of doing it yourself, I'm available to do it for you.  Also, if you refer a friend and they use my services: YOUR services, my dear, are 25% off.  Say what?!

Perfect Pout?

Recently, I have been obsessed with dark lips.  Anything from red to purple to berry.  I love them all.  Shades of deep purples are IT for the season.  So I went on a quest last week to find the perfect purple for my pout.  But in my quest, I didn't find a purple but a FABULOUS berry!  I fell in love.  That doesn't mean that my search is done, though.  I'm still looking.  So here are a few pointers to find that perfect color just for you.

For my fair skinned beauts: Try a lipcolor that has a blue or pink undertone.  Going straight purple will wash you out and make you look like a ghost.  Try something like Loreal Colour Riche Lipcolour in Sea Fleur 630:

For my loves with medium skin tone:  I'm in your boat.  Usually I'm one to stick to nudes, peaches, or corals. But I while I was browsing around the makeup racks at Ulta, I found the perfect shade of deep berry.  And with me it has to be the PERFECT shade to go dark.  The color is Ulta Lipstick Totally Berried #247:

For dolls with olive skin:  Use a lipcolor that has an slight orange or berry undertone,  There are so many options available to women with olive skin.  Everything looks great on them.  I love MAC Hang-up:

For my lovelies with dark skin:  Being a former consultant for Clinique, I fell head over heels in love with Clinique Almost LipStick in Black Honey.  This color has been around FOR-EVER.  And once you try it, you are sure to understand why.  It's a sheer lipstick that has a violet undertone that warms up the dark skin.  You can also layer it with other colors to create your own signature shade.

These are just a few suggestions.  Let me know what your favorite plum, berry, or purple shade is!  Like I always say; it's all about what makes you feel beautiful, confident and amazing!

Mwah --XOXO

Layne

The Midweek Blues...

I'm baaack.  It's been a bit since I've posted and I'm sorry about that.  I was a rough couple of days and I just couldn't get out of this funk I was in.  UNTIL...today!  It feels like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.  God knows just the right time to open up that door.  For a while I have been feeling trapped or complacent.  For anyone that knows me, I HATE this feeling and it starts to make me a little cray cray.  Poor Brett, I love him so much because he will listen to me cry, yell, and complain and he never makes me feel like I just have to be quiet and deal with my situation.  As he says, this is just a blip on your radar, a bump in the road.  

I've been struggling to really find out what it is I want to do in life.  Well today, I realized that with enough determination and perseverance, YOU can make your life anything you want it to be.  It's all about taking baby steps, at least for me it is.  I have to start somewhere and today (I'm crossing my fingers) was the phone call that will help me start my life.  The REAL life that I want to lead.  

Okay, okay.  Enough with the babbling, let's get on with something that I've been wanting to try for a while now.  There are so many new nail trends going on nowadays.  Anything from ombre to monochromatic to caviar nails (see pics below).  But while I was doing my usual walk-through-Sephora-and-try-everything-I-possibly-can schtick, I ran across this: 

(Sephora, $19)

Okay, so the picture doesn't really do it justice, but OMG!  It looked so awesome in the store.  Its called Ciate Velvet Manicure.  While I wasn't able to try it because my nails were just perfectly manicured several days earlier, I did some research to see how easy (or hard) it was to achieve the look. To begin it's a two step process so for those of you who are just "one and doners"--I'm sorry. First, you apply the color, which comes in a paint pot with a small bristled brush.   Then, you sprinkle a generous amount of crushed velvet to each nail before it dries.  You simply sweep your nail clean to rid you nail of excess velvet.  Um, hello?  That to me, sounds like the easiest at home mani ever! 
For those of you that have tried it, how was it?  For those of you that are going to try it, let me know how you like it!

Toodles,
Layne

Ombre 

Monochromatic

Caviar

                                               

Happy Monday!

Good evening, my friends.  It's Monday!  I know, I know..I just rolled my eyes at myself for even saying that.  You wanna know some good news though?  Tomorrow is Tuesday.  One day closer to the weekend.  Word!

I get a lot of people who ask me about techniques and brands and colors when it comes to buying and applying eyeshadow. This is something that I try to experiment with a lot.  There's nothing wrong with stepping out of our comfort zones and trying something new.  But...for those of you that aren't quite ready to try a blue smokey eye, here's a product that will build your confidence and look amazing at the same time. 

I love Sonia Kashuk products!  You can find her products at Target and they are fairly inexpensive.This particular product pricing out at $19.99. Her line is classic and offers great quality for someone who is livin' on a budget. One product that I recommend a lot is her 12 Core Shade Instructional Eye Palette. This palette is comprised of your essential neutral shades.  They are also matte, which is going to be easier to work with as a beginner.  The velvety soft textures glides on nicely and is easy to blend.  This palette comes with step-by-step instructions for three different eye looks.  It's kind of like painting by numbers! 

Experiment.  Try different looks.  Find out what looks best with your skin tone, your face shape, and your eye shape.  It's all about what makes you feel beautiful and confident.  Now go forth and play with make up!

Until next time lovers-

Layne

Hi...My name is...

Hey oh!!!! Layne here.  Yeah, so this is my first time blogging so please forgive me if my blogging skills are not quite up to par.  I am so excited to get things started!  Soooo...basically, I want to introduce you guys to some of my favorite things.  Makeup, skincare, nail polish, clothes, shoes, dogs, songs, food...etc etc.  So let's get this thing rollin'!  

When I worked as a beauty consultant I basically became a makeup hoarder.  I would buy any and everything I possibly could with my ah-mazing discount, knowing that I had five of the same product at home in my beauty drawer.  My mama always said I could open up a makeup counter in my bathroom.  Oh mother! You were sooo right!  One of the products that I fell COMPLETELY in love with was Christian Dior DiorShow mascara.  Oh My Gah! This stuff is unbelievable.  The brush is humungous, the quality and texture of the mascara itself is so soft and glides on.  You have NO trouble layering this and it doesn't flake!  Heaven in a mascara bottle... no lie! 

The benefits of the thick brush are that you can distribute the mascara evenly over all the lashes, giving them a full, long, and voluminous look.  Even if you apply two or three coats, you won't look as though you have a tarantula on your face. That's always a good thing, right?

It also has a great scent to it.  It's not overwhelming, but it has a nice, light fragrance. If you find that you prefer waterproof, they offer the DiorShow in that as well.  I would not recommend this to someone who is highly sensitive to any perfumes. It may cause irritation and I really don't want anyone going blind, okay? 

As far as the price point, it is a little on the expensive side.  It runs about $25.  You are essentially paying for the high end name of Christian Dior.  But it is a product that I would spend the money on at least once.  You can purchase any Christian Dior product at Sephora or Dillards (Southpark only).

So peeps, there ya go...