Winter Lip Care

Hi All,

So I've been noticing more and more with clients this season their struggle to keep their lips soft and supple. Many are dealing with chapped, dry, cracked lips. 

Here are some tips to prevent this from happening or to repair the damage. 

When the temperatures drop and the wind picks up (especially in the mid west!), it can become increasingly difficult to keep your lips moisturized. 

1. Don't lick your lips! 

Your saliva contains acids that help break down food which can irritate your lips' delicate skin. Licking your lips only adds to dehydration. 

2. Drink TONS of water!

I am very guilty of not drinking enough water this time of year. To help prevent dryness, it's important to stay hydrated from the inside--out! Make yourself drink 2 glasses upon waking up and going to bed. Making this a ritual will help with dehydration.

3. Apply Lip Balm at night.

You lose so much moisture at night! Especailly since most of us sleep with our mouths open (glamorous as it is), it's extremely drying. By applying a balm before bed, it helps to slow that process. When purchasing a lip balm, beware of ingredients such as, eucalyptus, menthol or camphor-- these can cause dryness or irritation. 

My favorite: 

          

Burts Bees Beeswax Lip Balm

With all natural ingredients that work, this balm tops the charts for me!

4. Exfoliation.

I preach about exfoliation often! It makes such a huge difference! There are a couple different ways to handle it, I'm splitting it into 2 parts. 

Part One: 

I am a big fan of home remedies, mostly because of sensitivities, but also because they work! If your lips are dry, but not cracked, you can give this trick a try once every week to two weeks. 

Take a little sugar with some oil (coconut, olive, etc), and create a paste. Take your finger and gently scrub this mixture in tiny circular motions on your lips. This helps to gently scrub off any dead skin, and the oil helps to moisturize. Once you finish, take a dry rag and wipe off the sugar, apply some balm and voila! soft supple lips! 

Part Two: 

Another exfoliation trick, that's a little more gentle and easy to do, is to take your toothbrush after brushing your teeth, and gently brush your lips. This helps stimulate blood flow and gently removes dead skin. This is something you can mindlessly do every day. 

If you are suffering from severe cracked, dry lips with pain or bleeding, you can seek out a medicated treatment to get them under control, and then try some of the above tips for upkeep. 

Hope this helps you as we slowly but surely make our way into spring with lots of bright lipsticks! 

Making a comeback

Hello friends!

I'm finally making my blog comeback! I am making it a New Year's resolution to be better about creating posts and following through with my ideas :) 

Winter is finally making it's appearance here in Chicago -- yes, there were a few flurries today! I figured it called for some wintertime survival tips! Things that will save your skin and some time :) 

One of my favorite things about the cooler months, is bringing back my beloved head scarf. Back when I was a wee little babe, I would wear my pink and gold head scarf paired perfectly with red lipstick EVERYDAY!

No joke. 

So today, with my dirty hair, I was able to bring it back! 

In the summertime while it's hot and humid, I like all my hair off my face- especially when I'm working. So I will rock the top knots and braids (thank goodness they were so IN this year!), but when it get's chilly like this, I prefer the scarf.

I literally tie it underneath my hair, pull all my hair to the side with the knot of the scarf, and roll it into a bun. From there, I wrap a hair tie around it and VOILA! 

Easy, cute and WARM!

Now for your skin, 

I've preached about the importance of exfoliation (especially in the winter months- read about it HERE), but another tip for hydrated winter skin, is a good hydration mask. 

There are many masks you can use on your skin for different needs (clear pores, oxygenate skin, exfoliate.. etc), but for winter, I highly suggest using a hydrating mask, especially for those with drier skin. 

I have combination skin for sure-- super dry in some areas and oily down the T-zone. But in the winter, I can get dry patches. I especially need extra hydration under my eyes. 

I just purchased the Burts Bees Intense Hydration Treatment Mask and it is awesome! 

Photo courtesy of Burts Bees

It makes my skin feel like silk! It is a mask you don't rinse off-- so it's SUPER hydrating. You wipe it off with a tissue and allow the rest to absorb into the skin-- like your night cream. I love it!

There are so many different types you can buy, you might even be able to get a sample to try before buying if you go to the department store. 

Another quick fix you can carry on the go is Evian Facial Water Spray: 

Evian photo courtesy of Nordstrom.com

This spray is water from the French Alps that is said to have a plethora of minerals that are easily absorbed by our skin. 

It is often used as a form of re-hydration throughout the day. 

I LOVE it. 

It's perfect for a quick pick me up if you're feeling dehydrated or just need a boost before your night out straight from work. It refreshes and brightens your skin instantly. 

This is probably one of the best products to carry with you when you fly! Flying really dehydrates your skin, so spritzing this instantly refreshes and wakes you up! 

I hope this helps your winter woes--at least some of them :) 

XOXO Jen

Good Makeup starts with Good Skin...

Hello everyone! 

This is my first blog post.. ever! yay! And what a better way to start this series than to discuss winter skin care. 

Many people think makeup can cover anything... WRONG. Makeup does have some powerful capabilities to mask a  lot of problems, but to achieve that flawless look, you need to make sure you are taking good care of your skin (even if you were born with nice skin:) <--Those are the worst offenders!

Here in Chicago we have had a pretty mild winter, many would consider us lucky to have missed big snow storms and 0 degree days... But we've had a horrible winter for our skin. With all the back and forth of low temperatures to 50 degree days, snow, and then rain and then cold, dry, windy days! It's horrible! Our hands and faces are rebelling!

So here are some basics you should know to keep your skin glowing and healthy in the hardest of times: 

1. Most important: EXFOLIATE!

    

 *So many women I meet neglect this step and it's so important to do! I exfoliate all year long, usually once a week during the hotter months and up to 3 times a week during the cooler months. Exfoliating is important because it is a gentle scrub that sloughs off dead skin cells. If you neglect to do this, those skin cells continue to pile up and build, creating flakey skin that can be one of the hardest things to cover! 

Exfoliate once and you'll see an immediate difference!

     *Here are some home remedies for you to try if you haven't found an exfoliant you like yet: 

          -Baking soda and warm water

          - Sugar and lemon juice

      *Gently mix and apply with clean hands on your face in small circular motions for a few minutes, rinse and moisturize!

     *Here's another quick tip for your lips. It's important not to forget about them! You can easily run your exfoliant over your lips (they also sell lip exfoliants in beauty stores), or you can be sure to brush your lips with your toothbrush after brushing your teeth (which is what I do, cause it's easy to do and remember!). Be sure to apply lip balm when you're finished! xo

2. Second most important: MOISTURIZE!

     *Your skin needs moisture from the inside out to help eliminate dryness, wrinkles (yes wrinkles!), and to make your skin glow!

     *Drink plenty of water! Especially in these drier months, your body is begging for extra moisture.

     *Moisturize daily. I moisturize twice a day, first with a lightweight formula to wear under my makeup and then a night cream before bed. I also use an eye cream as well. Why do you need all these?! I'll break it down: 

     *Moisturizer: Obvious, your skin needs moisture! Even if you have oily skin and think you don't need it, YOU DO! Buy an oil free product and be sure to do it twice a day. Oily skin produces more oil (which leads to more break outs), because it is making up for a lack of moisture in the skin. So confusing but so true. Luckily for you, having oily skin leads to a youthful face as you get older :) 

    *Night Cream: Most people use a heavier, more concentrated cream on their faces at night because your body absorbs more of the nutrients while you're sleeping, AND it's generally calling for more moisture than during the day when you're running around!

     * Eye Cream: Your eyes don't have oil glands, therefore they don't produce any moisture/oil, which means they age first! Ever notice how crows feet and wrinkles usually pop up first?! So you need a specially formulated eye cream to fight that. Get something that's hydrating and anti aging (retinal) and apply once to two times daily. 

     *Hate putting chemicals on your face? 

There are plenty of natural choices to keep your skin hydrated: 

          -Coconut oil

          -Jojoba Oil

          - Maracuja Oil

*Do your research! Visit a dermatologist and find what's best for you! 

If you take these two steps you can apply them all over your body.. Your hands, feet, legs, back, etc. 

So get to it! Good makeup starts with excellent skin care! Enjoy your day! 

xoxo Jen