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Quick and easy sun protection from Neutrogena for even the most sensitive skin.  Even though the sun isn’t shining in many areas of the country, the harmful effects of sun damage are still fast at work.  So protect your skin whether it’ s winter, spring, summer or fall.

My favorite sunscreen is the Pure & Free™ liquid from Neutrogena.  This oil-free and PABA-free formula is a powerful blend of 100% naturally sourced sunscreen ingredients for superior broad-spectrum SPF 50 protection. Free of fragrances, dyes, oils, and irritating chemical ingredients, Pure & Free™ Liquid Sunblock is great for sensitive skin.  It glides on skin, leaving it silky smooth, never greasy or shiny.  It is the perfect choice to use daily under your makeup.  It dries quickly and won’t interfere with your foundation. And don’t forget your hands!  They are the first place to show the signs of aging, so make sure you lather them with sunscreen everyday.  Shake the bottle really good before each use, then tuck it into your purse or backpack to keep it handy for reapplying throughout the day.

Stay Gorgeous girls….and protected! 

xoxo

Anne

Just about every woman reading this can say that she has a friend or a friend of a friend who is going through chemotherapy and suffering from the low self esteem that losing your hair, lashes and brows can bring on.  Not to mention that the overall nauseous feeling that is overwhelming at that time can have even the most confident woman feeling a bit down and out.

So what’s a girl to do when she has lost her locks and is looking for a little help when heading out for a special occasion?  A few tips and tricks can have you looking your best and forgetting all about those missing brows and lashes.

• When your brows are thinning or have completely gone, turn to powders INSTEAD of pencils to fill in and draw them on.  Choose an eyeshadow or brow powder [they're basically the same thing] in a color just a shade lighter than your natural hair color.  Using a stiff angle brush use short strokes to fill in the brows.  Start slow…you can always add more.  And when in doubt go with a lighter hand rather than a heavy one.
• If you still have some lashes, avoid waterproof mascara at all costs.  Waterproof mascara is much harder on natural lashes, so in order to preserve the life of yours as long as possible, steer clear of waterproof.
• And once your lashes have gone, don’t shy away from false ones.  They’re not as hard as you think to apply.  AND, if you choose the right pair, they will look completely natural.  My favorites…by Monda,   The 747xs for ‘extra short’ look really natural on.  They’re human hair lashes, and go on in a flash.  I like to use the Duo lash adhesive in ‘dark’.  Apply a thin strip of it….wait for it to turn dark, and once it does it’s ready to apply.

• If false lashes just aren’t your cup of tea, you can darken the lash line which will frame your eyes.  Choose an eyeshadow in a medium to dark brown if you have brown or hazel eyes, or in dark gray or charcoal if you have blue eyes.  Using a short angle brush and short strokes,and work the shadow right into the lash line, or in this case, where your lashes were.  This will give the illusion of lashes.

Stay Gorgeous girls…..

xoxo

Anne aka MsBeautyBuzz

Do you sip a cup of tea at night before bedtime to rest and relax your soul?  Well, don’t throw away those teabags.  Store them in the fridge over night.  Upon rising in the morning,  place the cool teabags over your eyes for 10-20 minutes.

The coldness of the teabags along with the caffeine will help ease puffiness and lighten under eye circles, giving you a completely  refreshed look.  A quick and easy way to look bright eyed and bushy tailed each and every morning, even when you’re dragging from sheer exhaustion!     Best choices; Green Tea or  Chamomile.

Stay Gorgeous Girls!

xoxo

Anne

The kids are graduating, grills have been fired up, boats are launching and Summer is on the horizon.  With Summer comes shorts, sandals, sundresses and baring those legs and other body parts that have been safely tucked under wool the past 6 months.

If the glare coming off your legs is comparable to that off the ski slopes in the Swiss Alps, then have I got a quick fix for you!

Say hello to my favorite Self Tanner today, and you’ll be looking good tomorrow.  Titanium Self Tanner by California North is hands-down the best available on the market today.  Chosen by top models and actresses across the country, it will never leave you orange or un-natural looking.  Their patented formula reacts with your own skin to give you the most natural custom tan.  Apply it twice the first day, and then maintain your tan with additional applications every 4-6 days.

ANNE’S QUICK TIPS:

• Mix a couple drops of it with your favorite facial moisturizer for a daily dose of summertime sun.  It will add just enough color to give you a nice warm glow.
• Exfoliating completely before first application will add life to your tan.  A simple sugar scrub in the shower will rid your skin of dead skin.  Add a couple teaspoons of table sugar to the palm of your hand and work into wet skin after cleansing.  Then simply rinse off.

So are you READY TO WIN your own bottle of California North Titanium Self Tanner?  We’re teaming up with ANNETICIPATION and  giving one away in our Kick Off to Summer Sweeps! 

Here’s how to win:

1. Tells us in the comments of this thread WHY you should win, then SUBSCRIBE to MsBeautyBuzz.  You must be a subscriber to win.
2. That’s it- then sit back and wait.  A winner will be chosen at random on  Monday, June 4th. *No purchase necessary-winner chosen at random*

You’ve bought the tools, spent lots of money on your brushes, and now they are starting to shed, or looking like they’ve been destroyed.  You’re wondering if you didn’t get quite what you paid for.

Most likely, you purchased quality brushes, but you aren’t taking care of them.  I’ve heard and read  articles where makeup artists suggest you wash your brushes monthly.  MONTHLY? REALLY?  30 days of skin oils gathering bacteria, most likely in a pretty little jar on your bathroom counter where airborne bacteria are sticking to them like glue?  Still want to use those brushes every morning?

Here are a few quick and easy tips that will keep your makeup brushes bacteria free, that will guarantee they will last a lifetime.

• Wash brushes weekly in a Conditioning Shampoo [like Pantene Pro V]- Fill your bathroom sink and let them soak for a couple of minutes.
• Rinse them holding them handle up, brush down as the water flows down the bristles.  Squeeze the water out and re-shape the brush as you do this.
• The most important piece to this puzzle is HOW you dry them.  Always, lay them flat on a clean paper towel or towel to dry.  NEVER stand them up in a cup or jar, this will only allow the excess water to drip down into the brush hairs pooling in the ferrule which can loosen the glue and shorten the life of your brush.

• For synthetic brushes that are used for cream based or oil based cosmetics [think concealers, gel eye-liners, foundation brushes etc]. Wash these daily after use.  Good ol Dawn dish detergent works wonders!  It breaks down the grease in the product and conditions the brush hairs as it does it.  Keep a small amount in a little travel bottle in your bathroom.
• A drop in the palm of your hand is all you need to wash your brush out.  It’s a 5 second routine that will keep your brushes clean and bacteria free.

• Consider storing your brushes in a brush wrap, roll or pocket rather than on your bathroom counter.  This will keep them free from airborne bacteria, which will also extend the life of your brushes.

Be good to your brushes, and they’ll be good to you for many years to come.

Stay Gorgeous Girls~

xoxo

Anne

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Keeping a nice curl to your lashes isn’t the easiest task, but it isn’t impossible either.  A few tricks will help even the straightest lashes curl with ease to flatter a pair of baby blues, browns or hazels.

The first essential tool is a GOOD eyelash curler, and know that they aren’t all the same.  My favorite, Curly Girl is shaped perfectly to follow the natural shape of the eye, creating an effortless curl, without pinching or crimping.  TIP: Heat it with a couple seconds under your blow dryer [test it on the palm of your hand BEFORE allowing it to touch your eye].  You want it warm- not hot!  It will lend a curling iron effect to your lashes.

Then it’s all about the MASCARA girls!  WATERPROOF is the key!  Regular mascara tends to weigh the lash down, allowing the natural weight of the lash to pull itself back to its straight shape.  A waterproof mascara will dry quickly and LOCK the lash into its new curled position.

Test my theory if you must, but I am guaranteed you will find that I’m right.  I’ve tested in hundreds of times over many years and the waterproof mascara always comes back to work wonders.  Now, not every waterproof formula has lived up to my expectations- and the price isn’t always the deciding factor.  FALSIES waterproof mascara by Maybelline seems to be one of my favorites to lock in curl.

And don’t be fooled by mascara commercials and Ads girls.  Every one of them sports an actress/model wearing false lashes.  Even the straightest shortest lashes will look long with a pair of false lashes over it for heaven’s sake.  Advertisers often insult our intelligence trying to appeal to our vanity- but don’t buy into it.  I have yet to see an Ad for a mascara that didn’t include a beauty wearing false lashes.

So there you have it- arm yourself with a Curly Girl lash curler and a tube of waterproof mascara and you’re sure to be turning heads with those gorgeous lusciously curled lashes!

Stay Gorgeous Girls~

xoxo

Anne

Concealing rosy red cheeks is not impossible!

I’ve had lots of emails since starting this blog with beauty questions from Buzzers [our term of endearment for YOU, our faithful followers].  I have answered each and every one of them, and I share your frustrations with products and problems, and thought, “Hey- If Suzy Q in Denver is having this problem, perhaps others are too!”  

So -when I answer those questions of yours, I’ll put them here too so everyone can reap the benefits of those who weren’t afraid to ask.  Don’t fear- your names will never be revealed- so feel free to ask away!

Question of the day from Suzy Q in Denver [well, not really, but she knows who she is]:

Q:  I have horrible Irish ruddy cheeks and HATE all that redness.  I always feel like I’m glowing- is there anything I can use to conceal those bright red cheeks?  

A:  Hi Suzy

YES there is, and you are not alone.  There are several things you can do to cut down on the redness.

• First of all, when choosing a foundation, opt for one that has no red in it.  Usually we try to match the skintone, but in this case we’re going to try to counter-balance all that redness with a little more olive.
• Try applying a Red Neutralizer first under foundation- but not just a regular concealer, a color correcting one- my favorite for cutting down on redness is Joe Blasco’s Red Neutralizer.  It will zap the red right out- a little goes a long way!
• Finally stay away from blue based blushes and lipcolors; pinks, mauves and rosy colors.  These will only bring the ruddiness right back to your skin once we conceal it.  Instead choose peaches, neutral tones and bronzes.

Stay Gorgeous Girls-

xoxo

Anne

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Under eye Puffiness.  What causes it?  Hereditary? Sometimes.  Too much alcohol the night before? Yep, that can do it.  Poor diet?  Yep, that can do it too.  It’s a known fact that too much salt or alcohol can produce puffy eyes the next morning.  The body draws extra fluid into its tissues and unfortunately it will pool under your eyes.  You wake up and YIKES, those bags are telling stories you may have forgotten from the night before.  Allergies can also be a culprit when it comes to puffy eyes.

Follow these steps to help conquer and conceal that extra baggage:

• WATER- If your bags are a result of a night of Chinese food and one too many margaritas, make sure you get plenty of water to help flush out all that extra sodium.
• COLD TEA BAGS- This is an old remedy that actually works!  Take 10 minutes to lie down and apply tea bags to your under eye area.  This is not the time to try to be extra healthy with a caffeine free green tea.  You need the caffeine to  shrink that swelling, so choose good ‘ol black tea.  According to dermatologists, caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, encouraging the blood vessels to constrict and swelling goes down.  Soak  the tea bags for several minutes to release the caffeine.  Apply them cold to eyes for 10 minutes.
• REGULAR USE OF AN EYE CREAM- I say this regularly and can’t stress it enough.  Keep the area under your eyes moisturized.  An eye cream with Vitamin K and Lactobionic Acid will target weak capillaries that add to eye puffiness.  My favorite by Exuviance is their BIONIC EYE CREAM. Keep it in the fridge and apply cold which will act as a cold compress, doing double duty.
• DON’T APPLY CONCEALER TO THE PUFFY AREA- This is probably the golden ticket that most women make the mistake of doing.  They look in the mirror, see this big puffy area of skin and think, “gotta grab the concealer” right? WRONG!  Concealers tend to be lighter in color and heavily pigmented compared to foundations.  Think color theory here- light colors highlight, darker colors shade.  So, if the area is already puffy, adding a concealer that is typically lighter than your foundation will only accentuate that baggy area.  Instead look for the depression that is usually just below that puffy area.  Apply a thin line of concealer right into that area.  Don’t blend it into the puffy area or you’ll be back where you started.   If puffy bags are a daily battle for you and permanently part of your world, consider buying a foundation a shade darker than your everyday foundation and applying it only to that baggy area.  This will play with the light and give the illusion of a deeper area.
• AVOID LINING THE BOTTOM LASH-LINE- To bring the focus above the lashes and away from that puffy area, keep your eye makeup above the lash line.  Concentrate liner on upper lash lines only and avoid applying mascara to the bottom lashes.

Pamper those eyes and they’ll sparkle all day long!

Stay Gorgeous Girls-

xoxo

Anne

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Dark circles.  Most of us have experienced them at one time or another, and many are plagued with them on a daily basis.  What causes them?  Hereditary?  Some.  Not enough sleep?  Sometimes.  But the answer most are searching for is, how do I get rid of them?  That’s a two-fold question.  There are steps you can take to reduce their visibility, and steps to help conceal them.

That blue color is caused by dark veins showing through.   It’s true that the skin under your eyes is the thinnest on your body, so protect it.  Some circles are hereditary.  Those people have thinner skin which causes the area under their eyes to be almost translucent.

Dark circles can also develop as the veins under the eyes weaken as we age.  This causes the veins to dilate and the blood inside to pool.   Poor sleep patterns and a  lack of sleep can also make blood vessels dilate showing through the skin.

So, there you have it, now what can we do about it?  Several steps can help alleviate the darkness, and a few products will help conceal it.  Follow these tips for lighter and brighter eyes in just a few minutes each day.

• First of all- USE AN EYE CREAM DAILY!  I can’t stress this enough.  I recommend starting in your 20′s to keep that area looking its best.  Softer skin will age more gracefully as well as accept product more easily.  My favorite Peptoxyl contains a combination of peptides that stimulate collagen and elastin production.
• Choose a Color Correcting Concealer.  This is SO important, and a quick and easy tip.  Most women just pack on a concealer, but it’s just a concealer, and the more you pack on, the more you see.  It will lighten up the area, but it won’t balance the color.  Lets zap the blue first.  Start with my absolute favorite product for getting rid of dark under-eye circles- Orange Highlight by Joe Blasco.  A tiny dab applied just where you need it will zap the blue hue.  Use it under your favorite foundation, or mix a tiny dab with your foundation for a customized concealer.  This tiny pot will last forever.  Well, not forever, but just about a year.  It is well worth its price.
• Avoid Blue-based Shadows- Now that we’ve hidden the blue, lets not bring it back with the wrong color eyeshadow.  Avoid blue and plum or purple shades.  This only brings the blue hue back to the eye area and will accentuate what we just tried to conceal.  So opt for neutral shades instead, taupes, browns and bronze will make your eyes sparkle without bringing back the blue.
• Line Em Right- If you have severe circles, avoid lining the bottom of your eyes.  This only brings the attention to that area.  Instead, concentrate your liner on the upper lash line, and a double dose of mascara on curled lashes will bring all the attention to the upper area of the eye and will help to conceal those circles even more.

Stay tuned tomorrow girls when we focus on PUFFY eyes and what to do for them. Until then…

Stay Gorgeous Girls….

xoxo

Anne

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So you’re juggling 3 kids under the age of 10 and barely have time to brush your own teeth let alone think of applying a bit of makeup.  You catch a glimpse of  yourself in the bathroom mirror at your 5 year olds field trip and think “YIKES- who is she”?

You’ve gotten a little older, maybe a gray hair or two that popped up while you were busy changing diapers.  And perhaps a couple of wrinkles have formed while you were too busy sorting laundry and making lunches.  And in the midst of all those school open houses and little league practices you feel as though somehow having a family meant losing yourself.  Sound familiar?  If it does, then keep reading.

Since when did marriage and children mean you had to trade in your trendy wardrobe, curling iron and makeup kit for a frumpy look.  If you’re feeling like you’re in a beauty rut, then I have some news for you!

STOP- LOOK- and LISTEN!  

• STOP for just a minute to take 10 minutes each day to think of YOU.
• LOOK at yourself in the mirror and be honest- do you like what you see?
• LISTEN up because I have a few quick tips that will have you looking fabulous in less than 10 minutes each day.

Now, I’m not suggesting you get red-carpet-ready everyday, but a little makeup to accentuate your best features and hide some flaws will not only make you look better, you’ll carry your shoulders higher when you feel better about how you look.

I’ve been doing makeovers on young Mom’s for years, and the one thing that I hear loud and clear is it must be FAST.  So here  we go- a quick fix look to have you out the door in less than 10 minutes.  First- Look in the mirror ladies.  REALLY look at yourself.  Find your flaws- those usually stick out like a sore thumb to most of us.  Now, find your great features.  Come on, we’ll all have at least one, so find it.  Perhaps your big blue eyes, or your chiseled cheekbones, maybe your perfectly shaped lips?  Find one, cause we’re going to pull your focus there.

1. Concealer- Start with your flaws.  Dark circles? Blemishes?  Lets start with a quick concealer job.  Many girls can go without a heavy foundation, if they just conceal the flaws with a good Creamy Concealer first, blending it outward, then dust over it with a good  dose of Powder.
2. Grab a Cheekcolor- You are going to do double duty here.  Sweep a really good neutral color [my favorite-Sahara] up and over your cheekbones , then take the left-over product on the brush and dust it over your eye-lids.  This is a quick and easy way to bring a little color to your eyes without taking too much time to blend several colors of shadow or feel too made up.
3. Waterproof Eyeliner.  If your eyes are your best feature, this is going to draw all the attention there, and if they need a little help, this is going to do the trick.  A quick line on the bottom lid will brighten any pair of peepers.  Choose a neutral look, or pick one to compliment your eyes.  [Verde for Hazel eyes, Smolder for Brown eyes or Nightingale for Blue eyes] .
4. Curl & Goop- My niece affectionately refers to mascara as “eye goop”!  If you apply it right, it is far from goop, but can make or break your eye look.   If your lashes are stick straight grab our Curly Girl lash curler, curl for 30 seconds and follow with a dose of mascara.
5. Gloss it up- The finishing touch to your 5 minute makeover is a little lip-gloss.  I prefer soft, sheer shades .  Give them a little more depth by lining the lips with a light neutral shade then filling it in and covering it with a coat of gloss.

You will be absolutely amazed at how quickly you can transform yourself with just a few products.  If you have more time add to your routine, but this quick fix will bring attention to your best features, and make you feel good about your appearance.

And Mom’s GET RID OF THOSE SCRUNCHIES!  Scrunchies are for little girls, and definitely not for Mom’s.  An occasional pony-tail can look sleek and stylish when done right, but if your regular routine is to pull your hair back with a scrunchie everyday, I challenge you to call it quits on that ritual.  Let those locks down, and use them.  If you are not happy with your hair, head to a hairstylist and ask for a quick and maintenance free “do”.  Layers can help add a little body.  Set your hair on velcro rollers while feeding the kids breakfast, then take them out, run your fingers through your hair and go.  It will give you just enough twist to add a little life to your hair without taking tons of time in the morning.

Get out of your rut, and into a little style.  You’ll be feeling much better about yourself once you feel that you look your best.

Stay Gorgeous Girls- even if you only have 10 minutes!

xoxo

Anne

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