Thursday, May 26, 2011

Skin Discolorations (Melasma)

I have had many inquires in regards to Discolorations (Melasma) on the skin, mostly on the face. People have been asking me what’s the best home remedies are to even out the skin tone, stuff they can find at home and wont have to spend money on fancy products.

It is important to understand the cause of discolorations on the skin, most of the time it has to do with sun exposure. It can also be seen in pregnant woman. Or it can be family history.

Exfoliating you skin would be a great thing to do also. When you exfoliate it scrubs off all the dead skin, which can already make a difference. Make sure not to rub and scrub to hard, must be gentle with your skin.

Some great natural lighters you can use as juice, or raw just rubbing them on to the skin. Leave it on the skin for 10-15 minutes and rinse with lukewarm water,
  • Lemon
  • Tomato
  • Cucumber
  • Potato
Please make sure you do not keep this on longer then 15 minutes. These natural lightens can also dry out and damage your skin if they are kept on to long.

You can mix these ingredients with the natural lighters to create a paste and leave on your face for 10-15 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water.
  • Almond Oil
  • Honey
  • Banana
  • Milk Powder
  • Oatmeal
I don’t have much discolorations but I love to mix Lemon Juice, Honey, either Banana or Milk Power. My skin feels so smooth, soft and clean. I feel like my skin has lighten since my foundation looks to dark for me. I try to do this twice a week.

Your diet and exercise can be great help also. As I mention before in my Stretch Marks blog drinking water is keeping your skin healthy internally!

Hope this helped!


Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Phoot Shoot


Model: Kass Harrison
Make-up/Hair: Jyoti Purba
Photography: Photo Dreamz
Concept: Nikki Harrison 

Behind The Scene's









Sunday, May 22, 2011

Indian Bridal Makeup

Hey Guys!
This is one of my favorite looks!
Using gold, bronze, and hot pink
Feel free to take a look at the tutorial. 


Here are a few pictures of the look, since my camera lighting was bad. 




This is from a photo shoot I did using the same eyeshadows.

Here is the list of products I used:

Eye Primer – Mac Paint Pot Soft Ochre
Eye Base – Makeup Forever Aqua Cream #11
Eyeshadow: Makeup Forever Metal Powder #1, Barry M #44, MAC Louder Please, MAC Pigment Brash & Bold. MAC Pigment Vanilla, MAC Mineralize Illusionary Burning Ambition.
Blush: MAC Ambering Rose
Highlight: Body Shop Shimmer Waves #01
Lips: MAC Pro Long Lipcolor Night Rose, MAC Lip Pencil Soar.

Hope you guys love this look as much as I do! 


Thursday, May 19, 2011

OPI Black Shatter VS CHINA GLAZE Black Mesh

Hey guys seems like everyone is going crazy trying to buy the OPI Black Shatter, so was I even though I had the China Glaze Black Mesh. The first time I used the China Glaze I did not like the outcome, it looked like black streaks, and now I realize the reason why that happened was because my base color nail polish had not dried yet. It is SO important for it to dry completely so the black shatter or mesh works properly. After that experience all I wanted was the OPI Black Shatter.


 To make a long story short watch the video on my thoughts!


Start off with clean nails.


Apply 1-2 layers of your base color nail polish and let it dry completely. Then apply a thin layer like a thin skin of the black shatter or mesh, and watch it do it`s magic. Don’t forget to apply top coat.



CHINA GLAZE BLACK MESH




OPI BLACK SHATTER


 LEFT OPI BLACK SHATTER RIGHT CHINA GLAZE BLACK MESH





In conclusion it’s all your preference, do you want a chunky look? Then go for the OPI Shatter, if you want a mesh look then go for the China Glaze Mesh. Quite straight forward isn`t it, LOL. I love both of them and will keep them both too.

I like applying the China Glaze Mesh on lighter base colors and the OPI Shatter on darks base colors!


Monday, May 16, 2011

What To Do With Stretch Marks?


First off it is important to even understand what stretch marks are and how we get them. When the skin is pulled by rapid grow or is stretched that’s when we get stretch marks. Even though our skin has collagen and our skin can stretch, but when it is stretched more than normal it tears a layer in the dermis which is the middle layer our skin and we get scars called Stretch Marks.

There are many inexpensive methods you can use for your stretch marks that you can find in your home and drugstores; that can be just as effective as those expensive creams out there. Key point is being disciplined and starting right when they are fresh for the most effective results.

Fresh stretch marks are reddish purplish in color. Let’s start off with drinking at least 6-8 glasses of water a day. I notice my skin was so soft, clean and even when I started drinking water, reason being is water is like an internal moisturizer for your skin. Water will hydrate your tissue and keep it from produces collagen at its normal rate. Also watch what you eat. Eating fruits and salads which are rich in vitamins, having good nutrition can correct the balance your body. Exercise can also help to reduce the look of stretch marks. As I lost weight I felt like my stretch marks were less visible.

Exfoliating is a good idea for more effective result. Since exfoliating removes layer of your dead skin, and you can work your way through to where your stretch marks are. Some stretch marks can be deep in areas that are sensitive so don’t be too rough with yourself.  You can use any exfoliate you would like some home remedies which are inexpensive and effective are sea salt, apricot, oatmeal, and ground coffee, add olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon to make it into a paste.

Moisturizing and Hydrating I feel is the most important part. The best time to moisturize is right after the shower. Since your pores open, and will soak more of the moisturizer compared to just sitting on the skin. Make sure you take your time to massage it into the skin, to create circulation also. Some of the best home remedies and drug store stuff I bought that worked amazing for me was:

  • Shea Butter
  • Coco Butter
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Castor Oil
  • Vitamin E Oil
  • Jojobo Oil / Cream
  • Aloe Vera
  • Lemon Juice
  • Honey
  • Rose Water
  • Turmeric
  • Bio Oil

* I bet there are many more things you can use these are the ones I played around with!

As for bio oil I only use it since I have it. It does seem to fade my stretch marks, but I feel like it’s not my money’s worth, if I don’t not apply it twice a day on a regular basis I won’t see effective results. I prefer to make a paste of the follow items and use that everyday twice a day. I mixed together coco butter, Shea butter (pure is preferred), extra olive oil, aleo vera gel, vitamin E oil, and fresh squeezed lemon. I make enough that it lasts me about 2 months. This has worked great for me, feel free to add or remove any ingredient you wish, I mixed these since that’s what I had a home and I love the smell of everything put together!

White stretch marks are the older these are ones that are harder to work with. Once they have hit this stage you are kind of stuck with them. You may be lucky if you can lighten or fade them with your regular routine but do know these stretch marks take much longer then the fresh one. I mean there are ways to get them removed but those are quite expensive methods such as laser treatment or microdermbrasion which is actual surgery that dermatologist or plastic surgeon are qualified to perform.

Overall if you take care of yourself and your skin you are on the right path. Hopefully my experience and research I did over the years has saved your time, money and experiments. Give yourself at least 6 months to see results. Be dedicated and disciplined.

Let me know how your results are. =)

Friday, May 13, 2011

2nd Place - Modern Basic Makeup Competition at ABA (Allied Beauty Association) Show

This was my first competition; I made the final cut out of 8. When I got there they didn’t have my name tag and I got worried since I drove from Calgary to Edmonton for this competition. Finally they let me in. Modern Basics had a huge stand, one to sell their products and one stand for the competitors. For those of you who haven’t heard of Modern Basics they are a private labelling company, so people buy products from then and put their own labels on them.

They gave each artist a complete makeup brush kit, an 88 shadow palette and more stuff we got to keep. YAY!

So the makeup artists had 45 minutes to do a red carpet look, and 2.5 hours for decade fantasy. That includes makeup, dressing, and hair. We had 15 minutes to get the makeup we needed for the first look. I was so excited I grab the all the face and eye products i needed, TOTALLY FORGOT about the cheeks and the lips! During the competition I looked like a clown going through the crowd to grab the rest of the makeup I needed to complete the look. I did a soft grey smoky eye and coral lips and cheeks.




Then the models took their pictures, we got a lunch break and did some shopping. Once we returned we had another 15 minutes to pick out our makeup for our decade makeup look. My palette had awesome colors since I was going an 80’s inspired look. Most of the makeup artists finished before time ended. My look turned out better than I thought in my mind. I kept it very crisp and clean. Here are the pictures!





So for the results it took about 10 days for the competitors to find out. I got second place and this is what I will get as my prize!

2nd Place PRIZE: Makeup Kit including: Tray Case, 18 piece Brush set, Kabuki Duet Brush, 88 Shade Eyeshadow Pallet, 6 Shade Blush Pallet, Concealer Pallet, Loose Powder(2), Lengthening Mascara, Volumizing Mascara, Balance Satin Finish Foundation(6), Lipstick(6), Lipgloss(4), Precision Liquid Eyeliner (2), Brow Shader Compact, Infinity Gel Liner (4), Hydro-cream Eyeshadow (4), Glitter Glam (2), Crème Blush(4), Lip Pencil(4), Diamond Line Pencil(2), Eye Pencil(6), EyeBrow Pencil (2), Chroma Color(4), Pigment Lustre(4), Bronzer, Camoflauge(2), 8 piece wedge sponge, Pencil Sharpener, Professional Eyelash Curler, Tweezer, False Lashes(3), Disposable Lip Gloss Wands, Sponge Tip Eyeshadow Applicator, Disposable Mascara Wands, Disposable Slanted Eyeliner Brushes.


To see the rest of the pictures check out my album on my fan page Modern Basis Makeup Competition at ABA (Allied Beauty Association

Take Care! =) 

Kim Kardashians - Sliver Brown Smokey

Hey Guys!
This was my first makeup tutorial. I got a request to do this Kim Kardashian Sliver Smokey
There video link is right below
I am also going to list a few products I used incase you didn't catch it in the video!





Eye Primer – MAC Paint Pot – Soft Ochre
Eye Base – Makeup Forever Aqua Cream #3 Sliver
Highlight – MAC Rice Paper
Lid – Body Shop Palette #2 Sliver
Crease – MAC Espresso

Eyeliner (waterline) – Makeup Forever Aqua Eyes
Contour – NARS Casino
Highlight – Body Shop Shimmer Waves
Lip Liner & Lip Stick – Modern Basics Bare Lip Pencil and Lip Palette


Hope you enjoyed this tutorial!


Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Swag Bag!!!

Hey Guys!

So I am just going to let you know about the samples I got from London Drugs for being a makeup artist for them just for a day. I have also included a video where I briefly mention what I got but I also swatched my Lise Watier Lip Kiss Crayon and an eyeshadow from Studio Makeup. 



Fido Pen

Rogers – Lip Chap which is great not dry at all, and mints!

Ardell – False Lashes #110: Love them, very natural loving, not to long or to short!



Giorgio Armani – Acqua di Gioia: Love it! All you need is one spray, so much comes out on top of that the smell is so strong. The perfume smells so refreshing, not a flowery smell at all. If you like perfumes with a sharp yet fresh smell I would recommend this. I will defiantly buy this!


Chloe – Natural Spray: Not really a fan of this. Has a really flowery smell to it. Doesn’t really spray much out of the bottle, maybe because it’s a sample. I would think this would be a great gift to someone who does not like strong sharp perfumes.


Lise Watier – Desirable: Cute purple bottle which doesn’t spray but pours out. Very unique smell, it is sharp refreshing with a tingle of floral smell to it. Not very strong scent though. Hard to smell it once it’s on the skin. 


Elizabeth Arden: Cute sample perfume bottle doesn’t spray also. I really don’t like this perfume at all. SO FLOWERLY.



BeautySoClean – Cosmetic Wipes: LOVE THEM. You can use them on lipsticks, Gloss, Cosmetic pencil ECT… I used them while I was doing makeup at London Drugs. They have the sanitizer smell it them. All you do is open one up and softy rub it all round the lipstick. Best part is doesn’t break or mold the lipstick even if they are SUPER SOFT and it sanitizes them! Wish I got more.

Biotherm Reminerale – Anti Age Cream: This cream is suppose to fight the 8 main signs of aging. The cream it self has a yellowish color to it, slight smell but very moisturizing. Their website states:

VISIBLE RESULTS
• Reduces skin slackness: 72%*
• Naturally returns substance to the skin: 77%*
• Visibly improves fine lines and wrinkles: 66%*
• Makes skin more supple: 93%*
• Increased firmness: 76%*
• Makes skin more elastic: 91%*
• Leaves skin comfortable: 96%*
• Makes skin look younger: 67%*

Neostrata – Intense Tightening Cream: This serum is supposed to tighten skin instantly. Many reviews says it’s for long term tightening but does show result right away. Many people use this serum to define facial features such as jaw line, neck, chin and cheekbones! Can’t wait to try this! 


Marcelle – Revival Firming + Brightening Cream: This cream is used more on mature skin type, usually for woman who have reached menopause. It tightens the skin and reduces the appears of wrinkles also while brightening the skin to reduce brown spots on the skin. On top of that it is suppose to even the skin tone. I will give this sample to my mom to try out!


Lise Watier – Lipid Replenishing Booster: This cream I would recommend for people that have dry and dehydrated skin. It hydrates your skin and locks in the moisture for the day. I am also going to give this to my mom since she has dehydrated skin.


Lise Watier – Lift & Firm: This cream is used to tighten you skin and give it a lift in the facial contour areas. This sample I will give to mom also.


Lise Watier – Illuminating & De-Puffing: This cream is great for the under eye. I will brighten your eye, works to reduce puffiness and fights dark circles. You can apply it in morning and night.


La Roche-Posay – Anthelios XL Cream: This cream is for skin types that are sun sensitive and have dry skin, but it is suitable for all skin types.


Elizabeth Arden – 3-in-1 Daily Cleanser Exfoliator Primer: I have heard a lot about this Cleanser. Many people with problematic, sensitive, or dry skin this would be great for. I can wait to try this tonight! 


So those were all the samples I got in my Swag Bag from London drugs. I wont be doing a full review for any of these products unless I REALLY love them.

Hope you enjoyed this blog!