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  | 17 Hairstyles That Take Less Than 10 Minutes
With a few (and only a few) key products and styling tools, you can quickly give yourself a salon-worthy 'do. And hey, if you hate it, try a different one -- at least you haven't blown 60 bucks and a hour of precious time on it. ...More |
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You may or may not know this but milk and dairy products in general are excellent beauty aids. The calcium alone in a glass of milk helps with your skin hair and nails. Cleopatra even BATHED in it (such a diva...LOL) And while we are on the subject of Cleopatra, I found this AMAZING photo of Tina Turner as Cleopatra....breathtaking. Anyway...there are several beauty recipes that milk can be used for.
Nana used to do the classic yogurt and honey mask (the acid in the yogurt is a great exfoliator) That is a mask that I still use to this day at the end of the summer to get rd of all of the dead sunburned flaky skin that has been hanging around.
Another great recipe is to use powdered milk to make a bath soak (You heard me!) 1 cup dry (powdered) milk 5 to 8 drops scented oil perfume oil or essential oil. You skin will be smooth as butter and the essential oil depending on which scent you use can have an aromatherapy effect.
Sometimes beauty products are as close as your kitchen cupboard or refrigerator. For more information on how milk can help out in the beauty department check out the Got Milk site.
Bathe Pretty!!
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Top 10 Makeup Felonies
Before you make up your next face, there are 10 crucial no-nos you need to know. (Chances are you're guilty of at least one of them.) To ensure that your best efforts aren't wasted, we asked celebrity makeup artist Fiona Stiles to explain why these common mistakes really are that bad ... as if fear of looking like one of these celebrity offenders isn't enough ...More |
Now that summer is coming to a close, it's time to start the long road back to healthy hair. Sun, Wind, Salt Water and Chlorine can all do a number on your hair!! I like to do deep conditioning treatments once a week this time of year to start getting everything back on track. 
Check out my friends over at Clutch Magazine and their monthly beauty series In My Clutch. This month, they have some really great beauty finds for Fixing Damaged Hair. I want that bag too, purple is so hot for fall...sigh.
Read Pretty!!
If you are one of the lucky ones that were able to get your hands on a copy of Italian Vogue's all black issue....count yourselves among the lucky. In a world where magazine editors and analysts stated emphatically, "Black covers don't sell..." the world has proved them wrong by making this issue one of the biggest selling issues in Vogue Italia's entire history. People all over the world have been clamoring for a copy (I still don't have mine) I have been keeping up with people on twitter that have been asking if anyone had a spare issue to sell! Crazy?? Maybe not...maybe people are tired of seeing the same faces inside the pages of magazines every month.
Conde Nast, the publishing house behind the Vogue brand initially shipped the standard 10,000 copies to all of its outlets. Nearly all have SOLD OUT. They now have rushed to print 40,000 MORE copies. These events have caused quite a stir in the fashion world. I have read dozens of articles online that state things like, "the fashion barrier has been broken", "this is a cultural watershed" I could go on and on. But the main point of this whole issue that came across loud and clear for me was that guess what, black covers DO sell and that African American women spend nearly $845 billion dollars on fashion and beauty. Hello people....is anyone home??
Check out Jezebel's Guided Tour of the issue here.
Read Pretty!!
Hola mamis...As you can tell, I am busier than ever these days. I have taken on another gig..... I am writing for Glam's newest channel entitled Black Life. My latest article is up here. They are in "soft launch" status right now and plan a full launch with PR etc during Fashion Week in September. So come check it out!!
Also in other news, you may have noticed that my little Josi-bird has decided to spread her wings and fly. She will still guest post here from time to time but she has her own place called Daily Beauty Break - so please show her some love and check her out/add her to your list of daily reads.
Read Pretty!!
The gorgeous and talented Tia Williams has done it again girls. The sequel to the insanely popular and addictive "IT CHICKS" will be in stores TOMORROW May 6th!! The new book is called Sixteen Candles and from the looks of things looks to be a smash.
Now if teen novellas aren't your thing...DEFINITELY pick this up for your daughter or niece...
Read Pretty!!
So let's face it boys and girls.....in todays youth-obsessed, celebrity culture it can be pretty hard to find and maintain a healthy level of self-esteem and confidence....(tell me it's not just me, right?).
Well.... been there done THAT! Now at the glorious age of 32, I've had the 20-something identity crisis, had the "what's eating me, so why am I eating" epiphany and have finally figured out (with much professional help) that Josi needs to take her meds daily.....no ifs, ands or buts........(I wish I was kidding)....
But ever so often I become completely plagued by self-doubt and insecurity again.....that little voice inside my head just gets WAY too loud...so I do what any self-respecting girl would do...I hide it all behind my designer jeans, a head of beautiful highlights and perfect makeup.....I mean, it's my JOB to make other women look and feel beautiful..so I am PERFECT at doing it for myself, right? HA!That little voice still compares myself to others..and I never seem to measure up...sometimes I can't seem to stop "comparing my insides to others outsides"...I mean, if you LOOK pulled together, you ARE pulled together right? WRONG.....
Turns out, I am not the only one....and I was delighted to find out a few weeks ago that one of the most popular, pretty girls in my high school class (talk about insecurity...not a good time for me)has her own little voice..so she wrote a book about it!!! It's called Does This Book Make My Butt Look Big? (and who cares anyway, it's MY butt)...and inside author and confidant Sarah Nilsen takes us on a personal tour of her insecurities and self-doubt....and shows us how she triumphed!...Sarah showcases her fears and defining moments in hilarious short essays that ALL woman can relate to.
From getting fired to diet schemes, Sarah isn't afraid to tell it like it is and that is why I LOVED this book seriously ya'll...I started it at like 8pm (on a school night) and couldn't put it down until 12:30am! I was smiling like a chesire-cat and even laughing out loud right up until "So what does this all have to do with you, anyway?"...(you'll see at the end of the book).
The real message I took away from this book is that at heart we are all the same..and why not unite and share our weaknesses...because when we "get real" we gain a new strength! We as women all suffer the consequences at times of living in a world where air-brushed 14 year olds in haute couture are supposed to be the norm...a world where "Hope in a Jar" is an actual real-live product (and it's pretty good I might add).
So, do yourself a favor.. go buy this book. After you are done for the day, put on your most comfy sweats, pour yourself a glass of wine (or a bowl of ice cream) and sit down and enjoy! Who knew someone could incorporate a self-help book with so much humor it feels down right indulgent to read...I mean, seriously, I would put it right up there with US Weekly (did I just say that?)!
This book passes along a message that I believe every woman needs to hear....because let's face it...if your "insides ain't right ,ain't nothin else right"...and as Sarah says..."It's the size of your heart, not the size of your butt that truly defines you. " (Thank god!)
This fantastic book can be purchased at Amazon or at www.SarahNilsen.com.
Read Beautifully Y'all!
The Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) has announced the finalists in it's annual Beauty Awards. The competition recognizes the most innovative beauty products of the year.
The difference between this and other beauty awards is that the finalists are selected by CEW members, industry insiders and experts in the field of beauty. So the products that you see are not the average beauty products that you see in magazines that have been mentioned to death. The list contains some of my all time favorites (I have linked the ones on the list that we have reviewed) and some that you may or may not have heard of. Lots and lots of drugstore finds on the list too! All in all, 131 finalists in 26 categories!! That's a lot of beauty products!!!
The winners are selected by a special Voting Committee comprised from the CEW Board. Once the ballots have been cast, companies gear up for the culmination of this program, Beauty Awards Luncheon in New York City.
You can see the entire list on the next page...just click the link below.
Read Pretty!!
Continue reading "Read This: CEW Announces 2008 Beauty Award Finalists..." »
Yay! I was SO excited yesterday when lo and behold I checked my mailbox to find the first ever ON MAKEUP magazine . Right on trend, the orange cover of this amazing new magazine holds all kinds of industry news, new product launches, makeup trends and artist-to-artist interviews.
The brainchild of Creative Director/Editor Micheal DeVellis and The Powder Group, this magazine is a tremendous resource and source of inspiration for all aspiring makeup artists, beauty junkies and fashionistas alike.
Most of all, whether you are an industry insider or not, it is just a beautiful book. The makeup editorials inside this issue by world-renown makeup artists Biily B and Eran Paul are nothing less than stunning, coffee-table book worthy.
The debut issue of ON MAKEUP magazine is everything they said it would be.......and for only $28 dollars a year US it the contents are worth every dollar! Kudos to the Powder Group for empowering the makeup artist in all of us!!!!!
Read Beautifully Y'all!
Happy Valentine's Day!! I know that I told you at the beginning of the month that heart disease is the number one killer of women in America. Well I am going to tell you about a new initiative called Go Red For Women. This is a national movement founded by the American Heart Association to help
you to fight back against the No. 1 killer of American women. Today,
the near-term goal is nothing less than a 25% reduction in coronary
heart disease and stroke risk by the year 2010. As they work toward
that goal, they are working hard to change the perception that heart
disease is a "man's disease." And it's working! By teaching more and
more women how to talk to their doctors about heart disease, we can all
help save thousands of lives every year. Because the good news is that
heart disease is often preventable!
Go and use some of the great tools on the website for the American Heart Association! You can Find out your personalized daily fat recommendations and Join the AHA and Discovery Health for the National Body Challenge 2008 which is a great way to jump start getting in shape and eating healthy which is very heart healthy indeed.
Also this month, Bobbi Brown is teaming up with the Heart Truth organization to offer this Limited Edition Palette filled with gorgeous medium to deep hues. A great way to show your support.
Heart Pretty!!
Elke Von Freudenberg of The Beauty Blog Network...now publishes a monthly e-zine called the Beauty Ideal. Well, yours truly was a contributing writer for the February issue which went live this morning!
My article is about creating different looks for Valentine's Day and can be found here. make sure you check out all of the other great articles in this new e-zine!
Read Pretty!!
