Product Review:

Jennifer Bradley, Fresh & Bold Colors for Summer!

by Sian Bitner Kearney

Judging from the looks of my hair lately, I’d have to say that summer is definitely here! While I try to make every effort to look my best as the temperatures rise, I must admit that the feeling of heavy makeup sliding down my face makes me want to cringe about as much as a 90% humidity weather report. Thankfully, celebrity makeup artist Jennifer Bradley and her new line for summer are here to save the day!

I was sent two different products to review for the Jennifer Bradley line; Bombshell Signature Eye Duo in “Siren”, a soft peach highlight color matched with a bold/smoky blue, and Lipshine lipstick in the shade “Secret”, a light pink with tons of shimmer. In addition to giving my two cents on the colors, I also decided to put the products through two of my toughest tests; a super late night out with the girls and sitting through my son’s 90 minute lacrosse game in almost 90 degree heat! Here’s the 411…

Bombshell Signature Eye Duo in “Siren”: At first I was unsure that these two shades would really compliment each other on the eye; however, once I slipped them on my lid I found that they were actually quite pretty. My eyes are admittedly strange, well the color is at least. Depending on what I’m wearing and the makeup I choose, my eyes can change from grey to green and dark blue to sky blue. These shades brought out the deepest blue in my eyes; an effect I must say that was quite pleasing. As far as holding power, the duo stood the test of both days with minimal creasing or fading.

Lipshine Lipstick in “Secret”: To begin, the feel of this lipstick is fantastic! It left my lips super moisturized and while the color itself did fade after I ate and drank something, the shimmer stayed all night. The color was a bit lighter than what I would usually wear, but it’s definitely a great shade for any fair skinned beauty. Overall, I would recommend these new products to any gal looking for some summertime shimmer without that makeup mask feel. The products are light, long wearing, and the colors seem to have just a touch of romantic appeal; and hey, isn’t that what summer’s all about?

Check out the line for yourself at http://www.jenniferbradley.com

What to Look for in Sunscreen

By Shelley Levitt for The Style Glossy

The one essential beauty rule for your most beautiful skin: Apply sunscreen every day. You already know this, of course! But if you’ve strayed from this rule all fall and winter, now is the time to renew your pledge to protect your skin daily.

When you’re shopping for a new tube of sunscreen, you’ll notice that labels look a little different. That’s because new FDA regulations have gone into effect, making it easier to choose the right sunscreen from the scores of products on your drugstore shelf. “Not all sunscreens are created equal,” says FDA scientist Lydia Velazquez, PharmD. “Our scientific understanding has grown -- this new information will help consumers know which products offer the best protection from the harmful rays of the sun.”

Here’s what the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) advises you look for when shopping for sunscreen:

1. Broad spectrum:
This means a sunscreen protects the skin from both ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays, both of which can cause cancer and premature aging.

2. SPF 30 or higher:
This lets you know the sunscreen will block 97 percent of the sun’s rays. Sunscreens with higher-number SPF block slightly more of the sun’s rays, the AAD says, “but no sunscreen can block 100 percent of the rays.” Some experts think the extra protection is worthwhile. Jessica J. Krant, a New York dermatologist and clinical professor at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, is among them. In the summer, she switches from an SPF 30 to an SPF 50 for daily use on her face. “Even though there is less and less of a difference with the higher SPF you get, I still want that difference,” she says. “If SPF 30 blocks 97% of UV rays and SPF 55 blocks 98%, that's over a 33 % increase in my protection from ultraviolet damage. That difference is valuable to me.”

3. Water resistant:
Sunscreens can no longer claim to be “waterproof” or “sweatproof” (because they’re not!). Products that are “water resistant” will keep providing the full level of SPF even while you swim or sweat. The label must specify how long this protection will last, based on testing, before you need to reapply. Only two times are permitted: 40 or 80 minutes.

Here are some other sunscreen smarts to keep in mind:

• Apply liberally. One ounce of sunscreen, enough to fill a shot glass, is the amount you need to cover the exposed areas of your body, according to the AAD.
• Reapply often. That means every two hours if you’re outdoors; more often if your skin is getting wet from a dip in the pool or surf, or a strenuous hike, bike ride or tennis game.
• Protect your lips with a separate lip balm that offers broad-spectrum SPF 30 or above coverage.

Apply in advance.
That means at least 15 minutes before you go outside. The exception to this rule: physical (not chemical) sunscreens, which are effective as soon as you apply them. These contain the active ingredients zinc oxide or titanium oxide.

• Choose a formula you love. It won’t protect you if you don’t use it. With so many different formulations -- including lotions, creams, gels and sprays -- and scented or unscented options, even the pickiest among us can find a sunscreen we’ll want to apply. The best pick might be a sunscreen and moisturizer in one. That way, you won’t have to add an extra step to your skin care regimen to defend against damaging UV rays.

Shelley Levitt is the managing editor of The Style Glossy. She is a former West Coast editor of Self and senior writer at People.

I have a few perfect tricks that will help you when you wake up in the morning and your eyes are a little bit too puffy or you have some dark circles that need to vanish immediately.

• The first trick is to find a great under eye moisturizer.
• Next, find a really good under eye primer that helps to de-puff the eye with caffeine. You want to tap it in gently around the orbital bone of the eye.
• Especially during the summer you can even keep these eye creams in the fridge so that they will have a cooling effect around the eye, which feels amazing.
• The next step is to use a highlighter pencil for under the eyes. This isn't going to replace your normal concealer but instead brighten up the under eye area and help to deflect the light and soften those bags.
• You want to gently push the highlighter right in the areas where the shadows happen the most. And that's on the inner corners of the eye. And then gently blend the product outwards.
• You want the focus to be all on the inner corners. This is where the shadows and the puffiness tends to happen the most so this is where you really want to concentrate those light reflecting pigments. The great thing about it is that you might not need as much concealer as you think you did. These correcters can really change the appearance of those circles and puffiness instantly.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS:

 With those two simple tricks, you can battle away any puffiness or dark circles on the mornings when you're not really feeling your best. Just have those two products in your arsenal and you can look your best every single day!

Last night at the  2013 Billboard Music Awards, actress Chloë Moretz, one of my favorite actress and start of the upcoming action flick Kick-Ass 2, illuminated the red carpet with her star power, radiating glamour with the simple yet chic look of her luxurious blond hair created exclusively with René Furterer styling products by celebrity hairstylist Rob Talty of the Magnet Agency."Chloë's look is all about gorgeous and effortless shine," says Rob. "She's young and cool and I wanted to keep that overall fresh feeling with her hair as well."

Below, he tells us how he created her look!

GET THE LOOK:

« First, I washed the hair with René Furterer OKARA light activating shampoo and conditioned with René Furterer REPAIRING AFTER-SUN MASK.

« On towel-dried hair, I sprayed René Furterer FIORAVANTI shine enhancing no rinse detangling spray to remove any tangles. I then used René Furterer OKARA light activating leave-in fluid to add radiance and shine to Chloë's newly blond hair.

« Using a small amount of René Furterer VEGETAL MOUSSE to the roots, I then blow-dried each section of the hair using a T3 Evolution LongLife Blow Dryer and an Ibiza Round Brush.

« After making a sleek center part, I continued blow-drying the hair forward to ensure extra shine and softness to the ends of the hair.

« By lightly flicking sections of the hair back at the ends with a small Mason Pearson Brush, I was able to create a soft frame around Chloe's beautiful heart-shaped face.

« I finished the simple yet chic look by flat ironing the hair with a GHD Flat Iron to give it slight movement. Chloë was ready for her moment on the red carpet.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS:

Beauty Looks ~ It’s All About the Brows Baby!

by Sian Bitner Kearney

Remember the days of plucking your brows down to what felt like their very last strand? It was time consuming and although on trend, in hindsight not very attractive. Thank God in today’s beauty world, brows are back!! This look is all about a strong but structured brow to give your face natural drama and dimension. Here are the tools you’ll need to achieve this look:

White out: Before shaping brows, use a white eye pencil and an eyebrow stencil (we recommend one by Senna Cosmetics) to determine your best arch and trace it out.

Pencil me in: Next, use a brow pencil to fill in the shape of the brow and then use a brow powder to give the brow more depth. To choose the right color, follow this simple rule: for blondes, go one shade darker than your hair color, for brunettes go one shade lighter. Redheads should try to stay as close to their shade as possible or choose a very light brown.

Shape n Tweeze: Now that you have the size and shape you desire, use tweezers to pluck stray brows. Be careful not to over pluck as more is more here, and no one wants a repeat of a bad early 90’s brow (Sorry Pam Anderson!)

Welcome back brows: Guilty of over plucking for the last decade and now have little brow to speak of? No worries, the latest brow serums, like this one from Anastasia Beverly Hills, are guaranteed to bring awesome back to your arch. It may take a few months of consistent application, but no one ever said beauty was easy right?
 

Plump Up Your Best Beauty Assets

By Michele Bender for Completely You

With each passing birthday, our lips lose a little volume and our hair -- on our heads and lashes -- tends to get thinner. Plus, as we age, our eyelashes begin to straighten, which also makes them look less lush. But you don’t have to feel deflated about these changes. Instead, you can fatten up your best beauty assets with a few fast, simple tips.

Plump it up: Get lush lashes

• Choose the correct product. Stroll the makeup aisles at any drugstore or department store and you can easily become overwhelmed by what seems to be a thousand mascaras in an array of categories from lengthening to curling -- and everything in between. “For fuller lashes, choose volumizing mascara,” says Mari Shten, a NYC-based makeup artist.
• Be a curly girl. “An eyelash curler is the key to taking your mascara the extra mile and really giving your lashes that ‘wow’ factor,” says Sonia Kashuk, makeup artist and founder of Sonia Kashuk Beauty. For best results, try this trick: “Heat your lash curler up with a blow dryer, let it cool for five seconds, and then curl,” suggests Stephanie Flor, celebrity makeup artist and hairstylist whose clients include Mariah Carey and Kathy Griffin.
• Prep before you swipe. Apply loose powder before putting on mascara. “This will prevent the lashes from sticking together so you can more evenly apply the mascara,” says Flor. Or try using a mascara primer. “It has extra fibers that stay on your lashes and make them fuller and longer,” explains Shten. Apply one coat of a primer. Then, while the primer is still wet, apply a coat of mascara on top of it.
• Rework your wand. Bend your wand sideways to create an easier application. “The wand doesn't come with the natural eye shape,” explains Flor. “By bending it sideways you're able to get really close to your lash line. This is my secret and everyone loves it!” How to: Use a napkin to hold the brush; then, bend the area where the mascara brush connects with the stick part of the wand.
• Wiggle while you work. Start with the mascara wand as close to the roots as you can get and then wiggle it upward toward the tip. “That will lift lashes up and give the effect of longer lashes,” says Shten. Start at the outermost corner of your eye going inward toward the nose. By coating the ends with the most mascara, it gives lashes a thicker look.
• Brush it out. For a more dramatic effect, brush lashes to separate them. Kashuk suggests a metal-toothed lash comb. Then, apply a second coat of mascara. “Don't forget lower lashes. It creates extra dimension,” says Shten.
• Top it off with liner. Take a soft black or black/brown eyeliner (depending on your coloring) and apply it on the upper lid really close to lashes. Use an angled brush to blend the line into the lashes. “This will instantly add fullness,” says Kashuk.

Plump it up: Fake fuller lips

• Ban dry flakes. Gently brush your lips with a toothbrush (or rub with a washcloth). “Exfoliating will remove the dead skin and stimulate blood circulation,” says Galit Strugano Wigdor, founder of the makeup line Girlactik Beauty. “This will plump your lips up and smooth them for a healthy-looking pout.”
• Line right. Start by using a nude lip pencil that’s as close to the color of your own lips as possible. “Slightly overdraw and extend the lip line to make your lips look fuller,” says Kashuk. Also, stay away from dark lip colors because they tend to make lips look smaller.
• Grab the gloss. “Gloss will always make lips look fuller because it reflects light,” explains Strugano Wigdor. This is especially the case with glosses that have shimmer or sparkle. “You can also apply a shimmering gloss just in the middle of your pout, on the top and bottom lips,” she adds. Again, this attracts light to these areas, pulling them out so lips look fuller. Another option? “Glosses made to have a lip plumping effect,” adds Shten.
• Make it just an illusion. After applying your gloss, take a white eyeliner and apply it just around the cupid's bow of the lip (the little indent on the top lip) and slightly on the bottom middle part of your lip.  “Blend it inward and it will give the illusion of your lips looking fuller,” says Strugano Wigdor. If you don’t have white eyeliner, use a frosty, light pigment eyeshadow.

Plump it up: Create fuller hair

• Degrease your strands. You don’t need to wash your hair daily. In fact, doing so just strips it of its natural oils. Instead, opt for a dry shampoo product, which contains powder. “By taking some of the oil out of your hair, you’ll get more volume instantly,” explains Flor.
• Pull out the hot rollers. Yes, you read that correctly. They’re not for housewives anymore! “Put hot rollers in your hair before you start applying your makeup and then remove them for fuller hair,” says Flor.
• Tease it. Tease the crown of your head. “Grab a teasing comb and back-comb the top area of your head,” explains Flor. “Using a softer brush, comb it down softly to take away the frizz but leave the teased area hidden for volume.” Flip over your hair and spritz with hairspray. “Then flip it over to get that va va voom movie hair,” says Flor.
• Embrace your hair’s natural texture. “You may not realize it because you’ve been styling your hair into submission for so long, but you may have your own natural waves, curls, and fullness,” says Lorraine Massey, co-author of Curly Girl: The Handbook. Forget the blow dryer and flat iron. Instead, wash hair with a sulfate-free shampoo, and then apply conditioner. Leave a little conditioner in hair rather than rinsing it all out. Once out of the shower, apply an alcohol-free, silicone free gel to the palms of your hands, flip you head over and scrunch hair gently upwards. Let hair air dry without touching it. That may be hard, but you’ll be surprised by the fullness that emerges.

Michele is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in such publications as Real Simple, More, Glamour, Self, iVillage.com and Completely You. Michele also co-authors and ghostwrites books, several of which have been bestsellers. Her most recent is Curly Girl: The Handbook.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics were nice enough to share their beauty breakdown for their newest celebrity, drag queen extraordinaire William! William is one of three new faces for OCC makeup, and their newest launch. 

5 Hot Spring Fashion and Beauty TrendsBy Kara Solarz for Beauty & Confidence

Flowers aren’t the only things popping up this spring. New trends are on the rise as we happily retire thick sweaters and tights. But putting together an in-season outfit is only part of the equation: Pairing it with the perfect makeup pulls your entire look together and ensures you pull off a daring trend. Not sure where to start? You’re in luck: We’ve taken out all the guesswork for you with this guide to the hottest spring trends and matching makeup.

1. Bold and Busy Patterns

This spring, you’ll see no shortage of statement prints, including snakeskin, stripes and embellished fabrics. When your clothes have a strong point of view, opt for more neutral makeup. Brooke Glaser, a celebrity makeup artist in New York City, swears by MAC’s paint pots to achieve a low-impact look with staying power, especially when she’s on the job at Good Morning America . Her two favorite shades that look the most natural but give a pop at the same time: Groundwork and Quite Natural. 

2. See-Through Looks

This transparent trend will be hard to miss: Sheer fabrics and crystal-clear accessories become more and more popular. And a barely-there aesthetic applies to makeup as well. “Less is more,” Brooke assures. “A natural, fresh look is best for spring.”

3. Feminine Touches

Extra-girly looks involving lace and floral prints dominated the runway this season. And this ultra-femme look is the perfect excuse to go glam with your makeup. Glaser recommends adding a retro edge with a strong lip color in non-red shades: Bright orange and bold pink are both chic choices for springtime. Experiment with shades, she says, by picking up inexpensive tubes at your local drugstore. Also, look into sheer formulas for a softer take on this bold trend!

Once your mouth is perfectly painted (don’t forget to blot with a facial tissue!), keep the rest of your makeup minimal. “A winged-out black line on top of the eyelid can polish off this retro look,” says Glaser.

4. Pastel Palette

Fun sorbet shades aren’t reserved for your clothes this season. “You can totally rock a pastel pink lipstick when wearing pastel clothes,” says Glaser. Her advice: Apply bronzer so the light lip color doesn’t wash you out. Her top pick is Dior’s Amber Tan, but she also recommends MAC’s Give Me Sun for blending the neck and chest and Scott Barnes’s Body Bling for an all-over tan that won’t wind up on your clothes (just be sure to blend!). 

5. Go Green 

When tastemaker Pantone declared that emerald would be the color of 2013, they weren't just talking about clothes. Gemstone green beauty products -- like eye shadow and nail polish—are a must-try. Wary of going green? "A little bit can go a long way," assures Brooke. "Line the top and bottom of the inner lash line with a waterproof green eye pencil for a more  subtle pop of

Kara Solarz  is a web editor, copywriter, and avid but inflexible yogi who’s written for WhatToExpect.com, DailyGlow.com, CompletelyYou.com and Chaos magazine. She frequently contributes to Beauty & Confidence

Manicures are a weakness of mine, but I just don't have time for regular appointments each time I want to change my color or style. Actually, I only have a manicure occasionally since I was taught by the professional manicurists on set how to do my own manicures at home that look just as good as professional. It's actually extremely cheap. Remember that most of the products you need can be used many times. Though I do recommend investing in a cheap nail dryer. Many are under $20, especially around the holidays.What You'll Need