National Lipstick 💄 Day July 29, 2017

MAC has a free lipstick at their stores or any location that carries them. First come, first served so get there early.

 

Ruby Woo picture courtesy of the MAC site.

 

Here’s a list of the lines with discounts.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bustle.com/p/national-lipstick-day-2017-sales-deals-you-need-to-know-about-asap-73224/amp

Good morning!

How has your week been? Mine has been super busy and productive – which I love!

I’ve been doing some training on Instagram to help my clients. And I’ve doubled my followers in a week which I am pretty impressed by since I’ve had IG for like a year now and the numbers didn’t move. I started a 30 day challenge there that you can join in anytime. And re-do any time. It’s pretty simple – every morning you:

1. Write down 3 things you are grateful for;
2.  Write a compliment to yourself;
3. Do something you love, but don’t do enough of, for 5 minutes. I wrote draw because I love to draw but often wait till the conditions are “just right” before I do it. Maybe you like to sing, or dance, or paint, write a poem, read a poem? Whatever! Just do it!

Come follow me on Instagram (netc23) everyday and share your 5 minutes a day.

Hope the rest of your week is amazing!

How to make your life easier.

Just wait.

Easier said then done, right?

I had a friend. One day we were sitting down to dinner – we had been out riding bikes all day and we were hungry! So once our food was finished we both shoveled huge mouthful into our mouths. Then we both said “OW” and gulped down cold water to soothe our poor, now burnt, tongues. And then we sat, staring in frustration, at our steaming, hot, and as yet, inedible food.

I laughed and explained how my dad used to eat everything IMMEDIATELY, no matter how hot, and would suck in air with every breath to cool his food.

She told me how when she was a child she would do the same thing and every time her father would calmly say “just wait.” (Now that I write this out I wonder if this was a passive aggressive put-down? Oh well, it’s still a good lesson.)

So – now, when I get super hot food I picture a calm, Norwegian-looking man saying “just wait” in my mind.

Or when someone does something where I would usually get instantly mad.

Or when life feels very hopeless.

Or someone doesn’t respond when *I* think they should respond.

I.just.wait.

Because:

Food cools down.

So, just wait.

People drive away.

So, just wait.

Life becomes joyful, or at least bearable, again.

So, please, just wait.

You may get the answer you want. From them or someone else.

Just wait.

Just wait.

Just wait.

What simple, but profound, pieces of advice have you incorporated in your life? Please share.

 

Product highlight: Jergens Hydrating Coconut Moisturizer

So – we moved to Florida. Read = sun 🌞, surf 🏄, pool 🏊 aka chlorine  = dry skin! The first three I am okay with, the last, not so much.

Enter:

Yeah thats my goofy photo so no credit but mine – bad, I know!

Anyway, back to product: I bought it on a total fluke – it was on sale and it smells like old 80s banana boat suntan lotion – coconut! So -> had.to.have! So glad I did – not only has it kept my skin soft and non-flakey, it’s gotten rid of those horrible dry patches on my and my son’s elbows after only a few days of applying. Yay!

I got this at Winn Dixie but I imagine its available most places. Go get it, use it, it’s fab!

Highly recommend!

The Lining Technique Everyone Should Use

The Best Eye Technique For Every Eye

This is for those who love makeup. This is for those confused by makeup. And also for those who see it as a necessary evil.  And, of course, everyone in between these groups. 

Whether you like a nude eye, the most dramatic smokey eye outside of a panda colony, or the wing tip to beat all wing tips; this one technique will make your eyes POP (in a good way).

What you’ll need: a soft, but long lasting, gel pencil. You can use a kohl (and it might be easier to learn with at first) or a brush with gel liner but I find the gel pencil quickest and easiest, and least likely to bleed all over your face later. My favorite for this look is by Essence. You can find it at ULTA or Target.  

What it is:  Tightlining. What you are doing is filling in the base of your upper lashes so they appear very thick and full.

Photo credit paintedladies.com

What It is not: it is not lining along the top lashes as closely as possible. It is not smearing black kohl on your waterline a la any rockstar or teenager in the 80s. Nor is it putting thick color on your bottom lash line and smooshing your eyelids together a la Kevyn Aucoin.

When did this start? No one is exactly sure and, everyone who learns about it thinks it is brand new, but I had a makeover with Laura Mercier supervising in about 2001 at Nordstrom in Seattle and she did this on me (yes she stepped in and did it herself – fangirl squee!) with a brown kohl pencil and I’ve been hooked on it since.  

How the heck do you do it? This is the toughest part though some people have said once they understand *what* it is they get how to do it. Even after all these years it still tickles when I do it and I often fudge by smudging color along my upper lash line *but* for true tightlining you want to gently dab your very sharp pencil point into your upper lash line between your eyelashes. See skin, dab with color. It helps to hold your upper lid slightly away from your eye with the hand not holding the pencil. I use black because my natural eyelash color is black but brown is also flattering. When done right you will not see the pencil color you will merely have a lush, thick lash base. You (and everyone else) will only think “wow, her eyes are gorgeous!” That’s why you can, and should, use this with any look you create or even on the days you are going for a non-makeup look.

Have you tried tightlining? Which product(s) works best for you? Any tips you have found to get it right?

Stay beautiful,
Nina

I was not compensated in anyway for this review.

Crease No More

Product Spotlight: eyelid primer

You’ve probably heard of makeup primers. They can help makeup stay on longer, smooth your skin for better photos, and unfortunately, clog your pores due to the dimethicone (or any other silicone) in them,  if used too frequently.   

But, don’t despair, there is one area you can use one with stellar results and no pore clogging. Your eyelids. Yay!

This is *the best* I’ve found for effectiveness and price point (under $5 bucks). Hey, I’m all for splurging when it’s worth it, and since I use eyeshadow primer daily to stop creasing and increase longevity of color, I would pay more but there’s no need to with Wet n Wild’s primer.

 

Photo credit WetnWildbeauty.com

The process:  start with a clean eyelid and hands. I, very scientifically, squirt a little (about the size of a grain of basmati rice) bit on my finger tip – usually my pointer, rub into the the opposing pointer so they both have an even amount, and then gently rub each finger over both eyelids. I let this set for a few minutes and then apply color as normal.

I have never had it change the color of any product and with both loose powders, cream pencils, and pan colors they all last longer and rarely crease.

Have you used a primer? Which is your favorite brand?

Stay beautiful,

Nina

Review: Lipsense by Senegence

Review: Lipsense by Senegence

Have you seen it? Perhaps at a kiosk at your local mall? Or on a friend’s facebook page? Or you were invited (totally without your knowledge or permission which is super annoying!) to a Lipsense party on Facebook or in someone’s home. Pinterest has board after board of color combos.

What is it?

Senegence is a makeup line, sold by individual consultants (network marketing), that is said to last longer than most. The star of the line is Lipsense. It includes: color, gloss, balm, and a remover. The company, see link above, says it lasts longer because of its specially formulated ingredients that when you apply 3 layers correctly, and seal it with their special gloss, last 12+ hours.

How does it work?

Application is a tiny bit different than other long lasting lip colors. First, it’s recommended that you clean your lips with witch hazel. (Wouldn’t this make any lip product last longer?) Then, you apply 3 thin layers – in one direction only – allowing time to dry between each. Do NOT rub your lips together during application. There are plenty of YouTube videos with people showing you how to do it (awkward!) if this seems hard to figure out. Then apply gloss. The #1 gloss is glossy gloss but they have a matte and several other colors – my favorite is opal. It is also recommended that you apply the gloss before eating and throughout the day to extend the color.

Here’s a picture of my gorgeous niece, Katie Coleman – who sells this, wearing Fly Girl and glossy gloss.

What do people think?

I asked my makeup maven friends before getting any what they thought. In Utah this is huge so I was surprised many had never heard of it. One said it wasn’t any better than any drugstore line if your skin is oily at all.

Conclusion

Well, it’s fun to play with makeup with friends, right? For some people, it lasts a long time. I am not one of those people. They used to have 90+ colors which included frosts and matte and sparkle etc but recently ratcheted it back to 36. The consultants say you can make different looks by layering the colors in different ways. I have: Napa (a shimmery plum), Bella (a neutral dark beige mauve that is universally flattering), Red Blue (a cool red), and Sheer Diamond Berry (a shimmery darker berry). The Diamond Berry is The one I use the most for my everyday face.The opal gloss I often use alone. I rarely use the oops remover. Once the color gets grainy feeling on my lips (usually within 2 hours), I put another brand gloss or balm and rub it with a napkin to remove. I do love the colors I have and I love the opal gloss *but* since this brand doesn’t last on me longer than any other, I’m still on the hunt for a super long lasting lip color product. Would I buy it again? Yes, for the opal gloss probably not for the color. I had gotten Plum which is quite dark and it would start peeling off within minutes of application. I returned that, and got a new color, for a $3 shipping fee.  The gloss is not as sticky as lipglass but thr glossy gloss, and opal are sticky. The matte gloss is much less sticky but the colors don’t last as long when using. 

The all important price point

Unfortunately, it’s not drugstore line priced. The colors run $25-30. The gloss is $20 – 25. And the oops remover is $5-15 depending on your consultant – sometimes free if you buy a “set.” The remover “oops” is mineral oil with added ingredients. Consultants are not supposed to give more than a 20% discount but do run specials so I would connect up with one if you’re interested in trying it.

A few final thoughts

One of the main ingredients is alcohol. Many people report a stinging sensation when applying the color, probably due to the alcohol. When I lived in Utah the reps would tell me “oh that’s because it’s so dry here” or “that’s years of buildup being removed and will stop when you only use this product for a few weeks.” I now live in Florida and it still stings. I did try to use this line *craziness, I know* exclusively for about 4 weeks and it never stopped stinging. With as much as my lips peel I have a hard time believing they have years of product build-up.  This did not cause my lips to chap or get fever blisters so that’s a positive.  

What about you?

Have you tried it? What did you think? Which colors did you try? Would you recommend it to others?

Stay beautiful,

Nina

 

I was not compensated with product or money for this review. All photos were used with the permission of Katie Coleman who is an independent consultant for Lipsense.

 

p.s. a few alternative long lasting products I’ve been enjoying:

Palladio’s lip stain – this is a marker type and I must put on balm for moisture.

IT Vitality 4 in 1 lip flush – super moisturizing. Very faint, flattering, pink color.

Anastasia lip gloss. The color, Venom, is super dark going on so I blot it and it leaves a nice stain.

Hello, hello again, world!

So.much.time.has.passed! Since I was last here. Job changes, moving cross country – now at the beach 🌴! My boy is almost double digits in age! What!? My hair has purple you can actually see (yay!) and I’ve decided to get my voice back on a blog. Why? The biggest reason: I’ve been writing for others for years now and I have a bad habit of not keeping what I write for them. So, a potential new employer asks for samples and I’m all “oh, yeah, those” and I direct them to the site where I wrote and I’m either embarrassed by the copy (do we all feel that way-  it sounded so good and looked fine when I sent it out but now 😬) OR their site/business/product is now defunct and nothing exists. *sigh*

Plus, I love connecting with people here. So, please, respond -engage (politely mr. anonymous), and let’s enjoy this wonderful life together.

On a business note: I’m providing copywriter services including SEO for B2B and B2C clients, social media management, mediation (not meditation though I can do that, too), and life coaching. I also throw together the random business plan, contract, or resume/cover letter review.

I have found the best success and my TRUE 💘 when empowering women. Whether that is introducing them to products or services or helping them as they are going through life changes such as divorce, death of a spouse, career, or health issues. I’d love to help you Love Your Life! I’m planning some women-centered get aways to help you connect with supportive, loving individuals who see your best so you can see it in yourself.