D.I.Y Home Facial

Hey All you beautiful people,

              Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend. I have a treat for you just in time for a lovely Sunday spa day and it's all about how to give yourself a sweet facial to clean out those pores and reveal glowy squeaky clean skin. Please keep in mind that the products mentioned are products that I prefer for my skin type. Use whatever works for yours. So shall we begin?

Step #1- Clip Back Your Hair
This step is actually the most obvious thing ever but I thought I would mention it. You really want to get your hair out of your face so you can work tangle-free on your face. I like using a turbie twist which is a turban style head towel. This really keeps my hair away from my face.

Step #2- Cleanse
Cleanse your skin thoroughly with your favorite facial wash. This is going to get rid of all the surface dirt and oil. I like to use it with a electric facial brush. I use the Olay Fresh Effects Cleanser with the beyond belief electric facial brush.

Step #3- Exfoliate
Exfoliate your skin with a medium grain scrub. You don't want anything too harsh but you don't want anything too fine. I would not recommend microdermabrasion type scrubs as they are too fine for a facial. You want something to really get rid of that dead skin. I like to use the Queen Helene Mint Julep Facial Scrub from Sally's.

Step #4- Steam those pores
 Put on a kettle full of water and bring it to a simmer. Remove from heat and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Pour into a metal bowl or pot. You can boil in a pot and use it directly from there but transferring it makes it less likely that you will hit your chest and burn yourself.  Sit with your face hovering over the hot water, place a towel over your head and slightly over the bowl to create a "steam room" for your face. Sit like this for 5-10 minutes. The steam will open the pores get all that guck out of your skin. And create a nice surface for our next step.

Step #5- Extract
Alot of bloggers and pro say that your should leave this to the professionals but I have something else to say. My nose collects quite a few blackheads (yuck!) and although after exfoliating and steaming, most are gone, I still have a few deeper stubborn ones that I like to get out. I use the tips of my fingers, NOT MY NAILS, to gently squeeze the surfaced blackheads. They usually pop out quite easily after steaming, as the pores have been enlarged. After this, I wipe my face clean with a clean warm damp cloth. Do not use a cool cloth because the cold will snap the pores shut and make it hard for the next step to do it's job.

Step #6- Mud Mask
This is my favourite step because you get to sit back and relax. Apply your favourite mud mask to your face and neck. After this, sit back and relax for about 5-10 minutes. I like to pop on some relaxing tunes and just lay down on my bed. The mask will settle in the open pores and really kill all that dirt and oil. Rinse the mask off with cool water to help the pores close. My favourite mask is the Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask.

Step #7- Shut those Pores
This step is pretty crucial since you want to avoid dirt and oil clogging your pores again. Take an ice cube and run it through your hands to melt it a little bit. Slowly run the ice cube across your face. Focus on areas where your pores seem to be larger. The cold ice will help to shrink the pores and avoid dirt getting into them. Pat Dry with a clean towel.

Step #8-Serum and Moisturizer
Apply your favourite serum and follow with your favourite moisturizer. Do not skip moisturizer! This is going to help to restore the oils that may have been stripped. If you have oily skin, this is also important because if your body detects that your skin is lacking in oils, it will produce more oils! I like the Beyond Belief Oil Control Serum and The Clean and Clear gel moisturizer.

You should now have smooth, glowy, clean skin! Follow this with your manicure routine for a full-on spa day/night.

Coming later this week, we get an interview with an up-and-coming makeup artist who will give us some makeup tips your can take to the bank. Stay tuned!!!

Have a great night!

XXO Sarah

Intense Eye Shadow How-to

Happy Hump Day Everyone!

                       Yes, it's that huge hump that we have just made it over (considering that it's 1am). Pretty exciting that there is only 2 more days left until the weekend. Do you have a fancy party to go to or maybe a club this weekend with the girls? Why not try to intensify your everyday eyeshadow for a more dramatic look? I'm going to show you how. It's really sweet and simple really, all it takes is your favorite shadow and water, that's right...water. (PLEASE EXCUSE MY BLENDING (or lack thereof) I DID THIS SUPER QUICK TO SHOW YOU THE INTENSITY).

Most eye shadows will go on pretty shear until they are highly pigmented. You can mostly find highly pigmented shadows at higher end makeup stores, such as Sephora or MAC. These types of shadows go on more vivid than normal and are usually used for photos or movies. I am going to show you how you can highly pigment your own shadows. It's pretty basic really. All you want to do is dip your eyeshadow brush or sponge into water before swiping your shadow. The water thickens the formula and causes the brush to absorb more of the shadow. This results in a more pigmented shadow. I took a few pictures of a swipe using a wet brush and a dry one so you can see the difference. The wet is on the left and the dry is on the right. I have also captioned the brands and names of each shadow in case you were wondering. PLEASE NOTE: SOME OF THE SHADOWS NEEDED A FLASH TO SHOW UP IN MY LIGHTING. THEY ARE MUCH MORE VIBRANT IN REAL LIFE.


Rimmel Blue Eye colour palette - unsure of the name

Rimmel London Colour Rush - 021 Alluring

                                                  Sally Girl Baked Eyeshadow-Ladylike Lavender

Sally Girl Baked Eyeshadow - Pink Frosting

Sally Girl-Blue Marine

 

 

So, Pictures don't lie. See the difference in tone? It's pretty crazy huh? So, eyeshadow rule of thumb; For a sheer look, opt for dry shadow, for a bold, vivid look, dab your eyeshadow brush in water. This can also go for blushes and bronzers. Turn them into cream blush/bronzer by spraying them with water.Another trick; spray your matte black shadow with water and apply with an eyeliner brush. Instant liquid eyeliner. It's amazing what water can do. Well, that's it for now folks. Stay tuned because I plan on posting again tomorrow with a DIY and some nail art.