Beauty Monday: Skin Care, Winter Time, Changing It Up

So the cold and dry air are finally here! Yay!

If you haven't changed up your skin care routine from the summer time you might notice your products might not be working so well for you.

That's because winter is a bit more harsh on our skin. Even if you have an "oily complexion" your skin might be needing a bit more hydration than you think.

Things you might want to consider:

1. You might want to stop yourself from washing your face in the morning. As long as you've cleansed your skin the night before from your makeup, oils, outdoor dirt & pollution that your face has accumulated from the day before, you really don't need wash your face in the morning since all you did was sleep. Therefore instead for grabbing for your face wash in the morning, just splash your face with lukewarm water to wash off the residue of you night cream, so that you aren't striping your skin of your oils. And then proceed with your toner & day cream.

2. Example: If your skin care products are for "oily complexions" you might want to switch to "combination" if your using "combination" you might want to switch for "dry" skin. Really just upping your level of hydration.



3. Once a week do a hydration mask.

4. If you're finding your skin is a bit more flaky when putting on makeup, switch out your foundation for a tinted moisturizer or BB cream. And set with a powder foundation if you want a bit more coverage, if your happy with the coverage of the cream then just set it with you favourite setting powder.

"These boots were made for walkin'...."

Yes, yes they were!!!

Why I love these boots:

~ COMFORTABLE (I can totally see myself dragging around my makeup case on public transit in these bad boys)
~ All leather:) Not a fan of plastic boots....or smelly feet
~ Sophisticated with a side of edge
~ Wide heel for stability

I was walking around Yorkdale Shopping Center Monday evening with no intention of purchasing anything. (If you haven't been there in the past year and are looking for a good shopping haul, I suggest you stop by.)When I spot the Steve Madden store and walk on in. Spot these boots, ask for my size & they fit like a glove, so I can't say no.
The sales associate I was dealing is was very charming and good at conversing which made the experience even better!

Review on these shoes?! LOVE, LOVE LOVE! As a makeup artist my day off is obviously filled with errands. So I bravely put these beauties on praying they don't need breaking in. I was running around in them all day and they are OH-SO-COMFY!...AND stylish if I might add!;)

Although my style has evolved to a bit more on the conservative "good girl" side I always try to find a way to add some edge to my look on a daily basis with one item, because that's who I am. "Velvet paws hide sharp claws" - Polish proverb ;) 

I ended up pairing these booties with my Stradivarius low waisted light jeans, a silk earth green blouse from Dynamite and rose quartz crystal necklace!

Beauty Monday: Batting My Lashes With It's A Long Story Mascara

When clients & models used to ask me about what the best type of mascara I would just give them names of my favourite Drugstore brands like L'Oreal's Volume mascara or Mabelline's Great Lash mascara which I had very good experiences with and used both in my kit and personal makeup. Because I never believed you should spend 40 bucks on a mascara, those were my go to's, although I once got a sample of Dior's mascara and really liked it...I didn't like it enough to spend more than $12 on a mascara.

BUT, after a month of using Arbonne's "It's A Long Story Mascara" for health reasons, I fell in LOVE! My lashes have grown & strengthened, I wasn't promised this so when I noticed I was pleasantly surprised! I'm a two coat girl cause I like the volume and it coats the lashes beautifully!
Without mascara my lashes feel healthy & hydrated, long & voluminous I absolutely LOVE it!

Arbonne's products are botanically based, vegan & cruelty free, which is my reason for switching over and paying a bit more for my mascara. It's basically the dirtiest thing you put on your eyes so you want to be safe as possible. "It's A Long Story Mascara" not only looks great but smells great too!

Nomadic Beauty

Beauty Monday: "You can OVER exfoliate?!" Wait...what does stripping mean?

We are always hearing about exfoliating, but rarely does anyone ever explain what it does for the skin.

Exfoliating is meant for the removal of dead/dull skin, to unclog pores & speed up cell renewal. 

Caution: Before you go all scrub crazy, if your under the age of 30 I suggest exfoliating once a week. If you are over 30 you can go 3 times a week, as skin renewal does start to slow by that time. Over exfoliating can lead to stripping the skin causing breakouts and irritation. Of course,everybody's bodies are different so it might take a bit of trial & error to figure out what works for you. 

There are two ways to exfoliate, mechanically & chemically.

Mechanically:

Electronics -  One of the more popular ones at the moment that beauty bloggers and magazines have been raving about is the Clarisonic brush. And yes, I love it too. It's beautiful. Leaves the skin feeling so good and clean. It has one brush but the inside of it and onside of it revolve in opposite motions, creating 300 movements per second. It even has a timer of 30 sec. per facial part (forehead, nose & chin and each cheek side) get 30 seconds. It's great and because it is "gentle" I was using it every morning (bad idea). My skin became stripped (when your have taken off more natural oils of your skin than needed), I knew because I was breaking out more than usual & my skin became more sensitive. I gave my skin 1 month to recover, now, I use it once a week.

Scrubs: like a cleanser, come in either gel or cream form with abrasive materials in it such as sugar or salt crystals, micro-beads, crushed almonds sheds, ect. Likewise, use this once a week, I love Arbonne's Exfoliating New Cell Renewal scrub because you can also use it as a mask. Which is what I do with it once a week. But remember when using a scrub don't rub rigorously as it will irritate the skin because you are already using abrasive products on your skin already.

Chemically: These are scrubs that contain salicylic acid, aglicolic acid, fruit enzymes, citric acid or malice acid. Strong concentrations are used by medical professionals and in lower-concetrations sold over the counter. 

Hope this gives you a bit of insight on exfoliating and understand how it works and how much of it you should be doing. 

        Nomadic Beauty

Lips are stained AND hydrated? Yes!!!

BEAUTY MONDAY!

Having fallen in love with Josie Maran's products & brand, I LOVE their new Coconut Watercolor Lip Stain & Shine. I had briefly posted about it on my Facebook & Instagram.

I had barely had to touch my lips the whole day, just some extra gloss if anything. At one side of the stick you have a pen (stain) and at the other gloss. Lips were stained AND hydrated all day! You can find it in 6 different colours from nude to red. Perfect vibrant pigment for November.

Your femininity, use it & embrace it!

“...women were inspired by a mannish way of dressing, but today liberated women realize they can wear skirts and use them as a weapon.” - Oscar de la Renta

This is one of my favourite quotes by the late De la Renta. Why?   For centuries women have been oppressed & men ruled the world. Today, at least in the western world there's more "equality"...This is my favourite quote Because in today's day there seems to be confusion between what feminism means.  For me, feminism as a liberated and radiant woman!  The word feminism seems to have a negative connotation, often tending to an extremist point of view. However, everyone who believes in the equality of genders, is in fact a feminist.

"I think of feminism as a liberated and radiant woman!" - Natalia Solar, Founder of Nomadic Beauty Blog

About a decade or more ago women dressed in more box like clothing (shoulder pads, straight suits, loose clothing) to have more shape of a man as they entered the work force, mostly to get respect from their co-workers (men).

Now that women have a place in the work force & are respected (for the most part) we've relaxed and now it feels like there is an new age coming upon us that is encouraging women to embrace their femininity. This is something that I feel that Oscar de la Renta represented in his designs.

After his death, I spent an afternoon researching about him. The quotes and images that I found are very heart-warming.  His philosophy in his designs were for his designs to let the woman shine and not over power her. He understood the woman body and clearly understood & respected women.

His designs are classic, elaborate & detailed. The elegance is incomprehensible! As a creative consultant and professional makeup artist, my respect comes from knowing the sheer talent and skill level that is necessary to exude the kind of work Oscar de la Renta exuded.

I think a woman embracing her body is one of the most beautiful things to see, and obviously Oscar agreed with me too as he draped women in beautiful gowns that let them shine, which is my exact philosophy about makeup. Let the makeup make you shine, because the focus is YOU, not the makeup itself.  

Feminist or not, it is time for women to stop looking for ways to hide yourself. Instead, find ways to help yourself shine, things and ways to enhance you! You're a woman and you are powerful! Use it!

Deep down, no one wants to see a front, people just want to see the real you. Expression is everything.   So...WHO are you? Do you RADIATE who you truly are?

Warm up with a bit of gold.

For today's chilly weather I put my hair into a "no fuss bun" & used my usual lipstick Makeup Forever's Rouge Natural Artist with Smashbox's Divine for a touch of gold.

Of course, sporting my combat boots today.

Top Things To Carry In Your Purse For Fall

Now, if your like me and generally change your purse on a daily basis, I suggest having a small travel pouch that you can easily transfer from purse to purse.  It's a great time saver for an on-the-go urban girl.

First off, I recommend throwing in a lip balm, especially with the season now changing to colder dryer weather you might experience chapped  lips.  I love Arbonne's "Lip Saver", botanically based & paraben free!

Blotting tissues, are a great way to  touch up in between meetings, gigs or classes. Absorbing excess oil without disrupting your makeup. Remember, BLOT DON'T RUB. Although I don't recommend shopping at the body shop for skin care (read the ingredients) I have fallen in love with their blotting tissues. 

Mattifying Powder, another great way to touch up your makeup. After blotting with the tissues, just dabbing a bit of powder to keep your face makeup in place. Arbonne's "FC5 Mattifying Powder" works best, a pressed powder that comes in a compact with a mirror and sponge. If you are prone to redness this powder is perfect for you because the powder is lightly tinted green which cancels out any redness on skin.

Lipstick, of course if you've applied lipstick that day, toss it in. If it's a pink toned lipstick you can also use it as blush, just dab some one your cheek to liven up your face when nearing close to the end of the day. 

Visine, if you find that your eyes tend to get itchy or red when the dryer seasons arrive throw this little bottle into your travel pouch for a quick fix!

May this helps your transition into fall!

xo

Arbonne's Garden Palette Review

Arbonne's Garden Palette perfect for transitioning from summer to fall looks. Blush/bronzer combo has the perfect amount of shine and shimmer to highlight those cheek bones! Comes with an awesome 3 in 1 lipstick, lip gloss and lip balm, which I love to use on a daily basis!
BEAUTY TIP: Loving the green eyeshadow, wet you brush with water and use it as a liner. Great for blue eyed babes!
HAPPY MONDAY!!!