Budget Friendly Beauty

Let’s face it, the weakened economy has got most of us doing what nobody likes to do – penny pinching.  With that in mind, I just want to remind you my fellow beauty queen, that you do not have to sacrifice your beauty during these hard times. Read more

Sharnell’s Skincare and Beauty Store

I am always on the hunt for a great bargain. Like most, I often find myself on the computer searching Ebay listings for some of my favorite things. Skin care and beauty products are no exception! There are certain products that I just refuse to buy anywhere but online at Ebay.com. I have found some of the best deals around on quality skincare and beauty products. Read more

Spring 2008 Makeup Trends

Spring is on the way and flowers are in bloom. We can start to enjoy the beauty of nature again with color bursting out all over the place. Not only will you notice the green grass, the bright yellow sun shining in the big blue sky and the pretty pink and purple flowers, but these lovely colors are also taking their place in the makeup trend this season. Read more

Clumpy Lash Beauty Ailment

Do you suffer from a clumpy lash beauty ailment? This beauty disaster happens to the best of us ladies (and men). You don’t have to leave home looking like a lash clumping disaster, help is on the way! Read more

Sunday’s Sensational Skincare Deal!

Calling all of The Body Shop lovers! This week’s super hot skincare deal is from Amazon.com, offering a $20 gift card with the purchase of only $75 or more from The Body Shop. This purchase will also qualify you for free shipping!

Who doesn’t love The Body Shop? There are tons of great gift ideas, like the The Body Shop Feet Treat Petite Gift and The Body Shop Tropical Shower Sensations Gift, which are both 50% off at only $9 each right now! With awesome prices like that, you can easily get several separate gifts, plus a treat for yourself!

Amazon is only offering this great deal until December 18th, so don’t miss out on it! 

Free Tarte Blushing Bride Cheek Stain

If you are going to be tying the knot soon, Tarte Blushing Bride Cheek Stain is the makeup miracle you need to keep your cheeks pretty and pink throughout your wedding day. Rave reviews continue to flood about this beauty favorite. The gel-stick design sets Tarte cheek stains apart from all the others. A quick blend with your finger tips will leave your cheeks with a dewy, beautiful bride-to-be glow. Tarte’s Blushing Bride Cheek Stain has become such a must-have, that even the beauty addict couldn’t resist including it as one of her “lovey” bridal shower gifts for her best friend. But don’t be fooled by the “Bushing Bride” title. You don’t have to be walking down the aisle in order to sport Tarte’s Blushing Bride Cheek Stain. This cheek stain is loved by everyone because it gives such a natural appearance. It can definitely be used on any occasion.

Buy 2 Tarte items and get a free Blushing Bride Cheek Stain at Beauty.com.

“Magical” Makeup Eraser Pen by Revlon

I’ve been on a hunt to find an eye makeup remover that I could use while trying to create the perfect eyeliner, without having to wipe off all of my eye makeup when I make a mistake. I have finally found this magical beauty tool. Until now, I have always used cotton swabs for my makeup corrections. The problem with using the cotton swab is that after so many times of wiping around my eyes (since it is usually mascara smudges or uneven lines of eyeliner that I have to remove), the delicate skin around my eyelids becomes incredibly sensitive. What’s worse is , after years of doing this, I could have actually promoted premature aging to the skin around my eyes due to all the poking and pulling. Who wants to be responsible for causing their own wrinkles?!

Thankfully, Revlon offers this very handy makeup eraser tool that is both convenient and effective. The Revlon Eye Makeup Eraser Pen is designed just like a pen with a felt-like tip that is saturated with an oily makeup remover solution. Now you may be wary about using this oily solution on your skin, but in fact, the oil is what makes this product so magical. Truth be told, the best solvent for removing makeup is an oily substance. However, because this makeup remover is just for small corrections and not meant to be used on your entire face, there is no cause for concern. If necessary, all it takes is a simple dab of tissue to remove any residue that may be left on the skin. No problem!

During my search for the perfect eye makeup corrector, I did also find a similar pen-style remover by Sephora. Since both Revlon and Sephora’s makeup pens do the same job, I went for the one kinder on my budget. Sephora also has a compact box of makeup removing cotton swabs, but again, this method proves to be a bit too aggressive for me. So Revlon has won my vote for best choice, making the makeup eraser pen a very important addition to my makeup bag. I keep two Revlon Makeup Eraser Pens on hand at all times. One stays at home in my makeup bag for use during my makeup application, while the other travels the world with me in my handbag. Like most people, my eyeliner tends to run throughout the day. Now, with my new eye makeup eraser pen, a quick fix is just a swipe away.

Tips to Keeping a Sun-Kissed Face

With winter just around the corner, daylight is now fading earlier into night. Along with the sunlight, goes the skin’s summer glow. Disguising a tan less body is easy to do in the winter because the cold weather leaves us with no choice but to cover up. But what do you do about the pale, ghost-like appearance of the skin on your face? In my opinion, wearing a foundation darker than your skin’s natural tone only makes it look like you’re wearing a mask . One of my favorite makeup tricks that I am convinced is the best way to keep your facial skin glowing is the use of a self tanner. However, I don’t recommend just any self tanner. Your best bet is a self tanner that is formulated for use on your face only. Sunless facial tanners will produce a more natural and subtle look. All you really want is a pinch of color, not the look of having just spent the entire day at the beach. Here are some additional tips on how to prepare your skin and apply the self tanner so that you are not left with any streaks or patches of color.

1. To achieve smooth results, you must exfoliate your skin before application of your self tanner. A mild exfoliation, such as a scrub, is best to use the day before applying your sunless tanner. Be sure to include your neck and decollete when cleansing, exfoliating and applying tanner so that you have a balanced look.

2. Don’t forget to moisturize your skin. There are two ways that you can moisturize and apply self tanner to your face. The first way is to tone and moisturize before smoothing on your sunless tanner. The other way it so combine your moisturizer and self tanner and massage them into your skin together.

3 . Keep a natural look by using cotton balls saturated with water along your hairline. This will help to avoid the look of a “bordered tan”.

4. To prevent discoloring of your palms, use vinyl or latex gloves. If you are allergic to the gloves, you can use baby wipes or just wash your hands with soap and warm water immediately after applying your facial tanner.

5. Allow your self tanner some time to set before applying your makeup. Rushing the process will leave you with uneven results.

Clarins has just come out with this fantastic new sunless tanner for the face. The Sheer Bronze Self Tanning Hydrating Gel For Face does more than just give your skin a beautiful glow. Your skin will also reap the benefits of hydration from aloe vera extracts, as well as protection from the sun and free radicals with cocoa extracts and vitamin E. The gel texture of this self tanner is exceptional for all skin types.

Dove is another great option, which is easier on the budget. The Dove Energy Glow Daily Face Moisturizer with a Touch of Self Tanner is a facial tanner that comes in two shades of color to accommodate all skin tones. Because this product has a built in self tanner, there is less potency of the tanning ingredients, which allows for daily application without the worry of having too much color on your skin.

A sunless tanner is really the best method to keeping a healthy glow of your skin throughout the year. Whether or not you decide to do this during just the winter or for all seasons, don’t forget to continue using a sunblock. Protecting your skin from the UV-light rays is the #1 way to prevent sun damage and premature aging.

The Perks of Permanent Makeup

I’ve had several inquiries regarding the benefits of permanent makeup or “cosmetic tattooing” so I wanted to share some information on this subject with you all.

Permanent makeup is quite popular and can be a great cosmetic investment. Most women will decide to have permanent makeup done because it saves them time during their daily makeup routine. It is no doubt convenient to wake up in the morning and already have your eyebrows, eyeliner, lip liner and color done! Then to top it off, you go through the entire day without having to reapply or worry about your makeup fading or smudging off. Below, I have outlined a few FAQ’s and answers about permanent makeup.

Are you a candidate? Anyone can have permanent makeup. It all depends on what you are looking to achieve. The most common procedures are as mentioned above, eyebrows, eyeliner, lip liner and color. If you have the disappearing brow, as previously discussed in my “Beautiful Anastasia Eyebrows” post, then you are the perfect candidate for permanent makeup. Cosmetic tattooing is also used as a corrective procedure for both men and women for conditions such as post breast reconstruction, thinning hair, scar blending, cleft lip, Vitiligo and Alopecia.

Will it look natural? There are some incredible methods of eyebrow tattooing such as the “feathering technique” that result in very subtle and natural looking eyebrows. Of course, there is also a wide variety of colors to choose from, so you don’t have to worry about being marked with black eyebrows, red lips and blue eyeliner for the rest of your life! A good permanent makeup artist will include a consultation first so that the best shape and colors are chosen to enhance your beauty.

How long does it last? Permanent makeup will fade over time, usually lasting anywhere from 3-10 years. The color used on your skin will help to determine the life of your permanent makeup. Most people will have their cosmetic tattoos touched up occasionally to keep a fresh look.

Will it hurt? During the cosmetic tattooing, there will be some discomfort. However, unlike a normal tattoo, a topical anesthetic is used which will greatly reduce any pain involved with the procedure.

How much does it cost? The price of permanent makeup will differ for each case depending on what area is being accented. You can count on spending at least a couple hundred of dollars for any one procedure. Again, this can be a worthwhile investment if you find that saving time while always looking your best is money well spent.

Hopefully, this post will help to answer some of your general questions with regard to permanent makeup. If you would like additional information on permanent makeup, please visit Natural Effects Permanent Makeup.

Beautiful Anastasia Brows

Who doesn’t want great eyebrows? One of my favorite things to do is shape eyebrows. It is truly like art for me. It’s so exciting to have a client come in with fully grown or virgin eyebrows and have them leave with these beautifully groomed and shaped brows that are picture perfect. Eyebrows frame the face and can make all the difference in your look. Creating the perfect eyebrow doesn’t end with just plucking or waxing. With so many eyebrow challenges to be faced, Anastasia Eye Makeup offers the solution. Anastasia Soare is the absolute eyebrow guru. She is commonly known as the “Star Plucker” due to her extended A-list celebrity clientele. This woman is one of my beauty idols!

“Achieving a fabulous face is as simple as impeccable brows.” – Anastasia Soare

I couldn’t have said it any better myself! Here are some eyebrow disasters that can be easily fixed with a few of Anastasia’s amazing eyebrow makeup products.

The Butchered Brow
So many of us fall victim to the “butchered brow”. We all get tweezer happy sometimes and leave ourselves with these pencil thin eyebrows that end up never growing back. While some of us are happy with that end result, others wish they could turn back the hands of time and start anew. Lucky for those who are looking for a fresh start, Ms. Soare created an incredible serum to encourage new hair growth called the Anastasia Nu-Brow Brow Enhancing Serum. What is it and how does it work? This eyebrow angel is used just like a mascara wand. The serum is simply brushed onto the eyebrows to deliver a unique blend of vitamins and minerals helping to stimulate hair regeneration while conditioning and repairing the hair that is already there. With consistent use of at least two consecutive months, an increase in hair growth and density of eyebrow hair is evident.

The Shy Brow
Maybe you have all the hair you want, but you just can’t see it. If you have very light eyebrow hair but don’t like the idea of using pencil or powder to darken them up, then the Anastasia Tinted Brow Gels are perfect for you. These brow gels will add subtle color to very light and sparsely haired eyebrows for a more natural look. The brow gel is also great for keeping your brow hair and skin hydrated and nourished which will promote hair growth and prevent flaking of the skin.

The Unruly Brow
Oh, the unruly brow. These are the eyebrows that require brushing, trimming – the whole nine yards when being shaped. They also need constant grooming to keep tamed and in control. A lifesaver is the Anastasia Brow Gel For Eyebrow Control, Clear. This flake-proof and colorless brow gel will keep your crazy brow hairs in place all throughout the day. You will also get all the conditioning benefits of botanical extracts and hydrating ingredients.

The Disappearing Brow
Do you have to fill in or extend your eyebrows with powder or pencil? Then you probably also deal with the worry of accidentally “wiping off” your brows during the day. Who has time to worry about these kinds of things? The Anastasia Brow Fix Wax Pencil will bring you instant relief. The brow fix is a colorless wax and is meant to be applied over your entire brow to hold your everything in place, including the filled or drawn in areas. Like all of the Anastasia Eye Makeup, the wax pencil will also condition your eyebrow hair and skin while providing long lasting wear of your makeup.

If you’ve already taken the first step in achieving the perfect eyebrows by having them professionally shaped every two weeks, complete the process by keeping them well-maintained in between your appointments. Believe it or not, your eyebrows have much to do with the impression you leave on others. Beautifully shaped eyebrows never go unnoticed! The Anastasia Eye Makeup line offers a wide variety of makeup and tools for your eyebrows. To see more brow tools and makeup like eyebrow grooming kits, eyebrow pencils, eyebrow powders, classic eyebrow stencils and eyebrow brushes, visit Beauty.com.

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