Glow Baby

Summer is right around the corner. We're pulling out our swimsuits, flip flops, maxi-dresses and summer wear from our closets. We're lightening our hair, making sure our toes are in tip-top shape and getting rid of those pesky body hairs we ignore in the winter months (all you girls know exactly what I'm taking about). We're even upping our work outs in the gym to flaunt the fruits of our labor on the beach. To be sun-kissed and tanned with a healthy glow is what we dream about leading up to those summer days. But those harmful rays, while providing a beautiful color to our otherwise non-tanned skin (unless you're from the Jersey Shore), can cause damage to your skin down the road.

I have here some beauty tricks to get the look of sun-kissed beautiful glowing skin without having to suffer the lobster burns of the glorious sun. It involves exfoliation, sun-less tanning products, and makeup highlighters and primers to provide a gorgeous healthy glow.

1-Start with exfoliating your face and body in the shower. Use a different exfoliant for your face and body as body exfoliants are often grainier in texture and too rough for the face. Some suggested exfoliants are: Face- Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant ($$$), Kiehl's Pineapple Papaya Scrub ($$), St. Ives Apricot Scrub ($). Body- Chanel Body Excellence Revitalizing Scrub ($$$), The Body Shop Coconut Scrub ($$), Dove Gentle Exfoliating Nourishing Body Wash ($). Exfoliating will provide a smooth surface and assist in an even application of sunless tanning lotion all over. Pay close attention when exfoliating your elbows and knees!

2-Do not moisturize your skin prior to applying your sunless tanning lotion. Moisturizer will not allow the lotion to adhere to the skin properly and can cause streaking. Make sure you follow the instructions when apply self-tanner (sunless tanning) but key points to remember are : a) give yourself time for the self-tanner to dry (depending on which you use, there are different drying times) b) even strokes will allow for an even tan c) less is more on your hands and feet d) you face should be 1 shade lighter than the rest of your body if not evenly dispersed, not darker. Some great self-tanners are: Lancome Flash Bronzer ($$) St. Tropez ($$), L'Oreal Sublime Bronze ($). It's suggested that you give yourself ample time to dry and set the self-tanner. Once set, then you can moisturize gently but remember, if you exfoliate again or wash with a loofah, the self-tan will not last as long.

3-To prep your makeup for a gorgeous glow, start my applying an illuminating primer. Benefit's Girl meets Pearl will give your skin a gorgeous all over glow. If you want to forgo the primer but still achieve that dewy look, Lancome's Eclat Miracle can be used as both a primer and as a highlighter for the face. Apply to the temples and down towards the cheeks, down the bridge of the nose and even on the apples of your cheeks to get a luminous glow.

4-The next step would be your makeup application. You can do what you normally do or if you'd like further continue with your bronzed goddess look, make sure you apply a highlight shade of eyeshadow on your eye : MAC's Shroom is gorgeous. Line your eyes with a bronze-brown pencil, try Lancome's Le Stylo Waterproof in Bronze, two coats of a volumizing mascara, try L'Oreal's Voluminous ($), Covergirl Lash Blast ($), Lancome Hypnose Drama ($$) or Dior DiorShow ($$). If you're going to be poolside and possibly get thrown in the water, make sure you buy waterproof formulas! Add a bit of cheek color, here you could add a cheek stain ( Tarte), a cream blush (Stila) or a bronzing powder (Nars). I would suggest do your cheeks based on how you're feeling...if you feel fun and flirty, apply some color, if you're thinking sexy and smoldering, apply some bronzer, or if you're feeling fun, flirty, sexy and smoldering, apply a cheek color and bronzer! And finally we end with our lip color. This is where you have tons of choices. You can do a lipgloss, a lip stain, lipstick, nude lip, anything goes. I also like to end with a bit of gloss so here are some of my favorites: Nars Lipgloss in Orgasm ($$), Stila Lipglaze in Apricot ($$), and Lancome Juicy Tube in Simmer ($$).

One extra bonus step to give that touchable shimmery skin: Benefit's Bathina Take a Picture it Last's Longer gives a hint of shimmer with a beautiful scent that leaves your skin supremely soft.

Some tousled hair, a maxi dress, gorgeous espandrilles or flip flops and voila...you're a sungoddess with glowing skin without suffering in the sun.

**no endorsements implied**

Nothing lasts forever: when good cosmetics go bad

I do private shopping and makeup lessons to a range of clients. Some are knowledgeable about cosmetics prior to meeting me, while others are inexperienced. I teach them the good, the bad and the ugly about all kinds of cosmetics, from makeup to skin care. More often than not, while they heed my advice on the majority of cosmetics, the one part they find boggling is that cosmetics DO expire.

While life would be much easier not having to replenish the many items we use, your skin will thank you many times over when you throw out your products when they've expired . I've broken down the expiry dates for some basic cosmetics for you here but keep this in mind, if a product changes texture, smell or color, its gotta go!

Foundation/Tinted Moisturizers: 1 year (it is formula dependent, however, the texture of foundation will change once it 'stops' working)

Concealer: 6 months - 1 year (same as above, it also depends on what you use to apply your concealer with, ex: if you use your fingers in a concealer pot, you're transferring bacteria onto the makeup thus onto your skin )

Powder: 2 years (if you start to see dry spots on the surface of your powder, its time for a new one)

Eyeshadow: 2-3 years (eyeshadow can last a long time, however once you start to see bubbles on the eyeshadow, those are build ups of bacteria, its in your best interest to replenish)

Eyeliner: 2-3 years (sharpen your pencil regularly)

Mascara: 3 months (this product is the one that expires most frequently, I can't emphasize the importance of replenishing your mascara every 3 months-it dries out and can irritate your eyes and lashes)

Blush: 2-3 years (similar to powder in texture, keep your eye on dryness and bubbles)

Lipliner: 2-3 years (like eyeliner, sharpen regularly)

Lipstick: 1-2 years (some say longer, up to 4 years but if it starts to smell, in the can it goes)

Lipgloss: 1-2 years

Face creams: 6-9 months; 12 months if in a pump (your fingers will transfer bacteria so be cautious)

Sunscreen: 1 year (usually there is an expiry date on the box/bottle but if it starts to separate or smell, stop using)

Nail polish: 1 year

Fragrances: 2 years (spritzing causes oxidation (air in bottle) thus changing the smell which is no problem other than a change in scent)

Sponges/Powder applicators: I personally don't like re-using sponges because I feel they can't be washed properly, i'd recommend buying a pack of non-latex sponges from the dollar store and throw out after every use (if you don't use a foundation brush that is!). Powder applicators can be kept as long as they are washed and dried, however, an investment is to purchase a velour puff (drugstores carry it as well as some makeup lines) and wash and dry every week--these puffs won't disintegrate whereas the powder applicators will

Brushes: clean on a tissue after every use, clean with brush cleaner weekly (for personal use only--makeup pro's you know better ;-) ) and wash 1-2x month with a mild non-scented soap/shampoo (i prefer baby shampoo as it is gentle and doesn't dissolve the glue at the base of brushes)

If your cosmetics have an expiry date, abide by the date but keep some common sense intact as well. If any product starts to change texture, color or smell, throw it out. If you're a budget-conscious beauty maven, there are a plethora of cosmetic lines that have affordable beauty products without breaking the bank.

Any questions: ask The Makeup Junkie!!

Ch-ch-ch-Changes

Im in the process of upgrading my website and blogs where I whole-heartedly promise to blog more frequently. I've needed a change and a better focus as far as the blog goes so bear with me and I promise you it'll be worth it

In the meantime, check out my recent makeup work at :

http://ozzandiyeh.com/blog/