YouLookFab » Grooming

Applying lipstick in public: yay or nay

Angie — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:07:56 +0000

My word, I do this all the time. And not just lipstick, but lip balm too. I don’t wait to find a public rest room. I’m obsessed with keeping my lips moist and can’t stand them to feel dry, so I’ll reapply lipstick every time I’ve had something to eat or drink, which means directly after a meal in a restaurant or a quick cup of tea. I will also reapply whenever my lips feel dry and it really doesn’t matter where I am.

Some style gurus feel that reapplying lipstick in public is unstylish. I obviously don’t. Do you?

When in the cut cycle does your hair look its best?

Angie — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:00:39 +0000

I guess that the answer to this question depends on the style and colour of your hairstyle, and the amount of work you put into styling it each day. I put the same amount of effort into my hair each day so that part remains constant. I have my short pixie crop cut and highlighted every six weeks. A little trim, a few foils and I’m out in an hour and 15 minutes. Quick, painless and very effective.

But my hair does not look its best straight after the appointment. It always looks best two to three weeks into the cut. It’s as if the style has to settle, lie a little flatter against my head, and grow into shape. Week four is still pretty good. But by week five I’m frustrated with the heavy bits and it starts taking longer to style. By week six I’m climbing the walls desperate for another hair appointment.

Does this happen to you? How often do you have it cut and styled and when in the cycle does it look its best?

Your party make-up regimen

Angie — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:14:57 +0000

There is so much going on in the world of make-up and it’s totally overwhelming. As soon as I walk into Sephora, I feel like walking straight back out again. Countless tubes of gloss, concealer, liner, bronzer, shadow, shimmery blush and other goo that‘s unfamiliar to my eye. I’m much more interested in skincare treatment than make-up, which is why I encourage a rigorous skincare routine, and an extremely natural makeup regime.

But helping clients with simple make-up solutions and suggestions is part of my job, so I’ve had to learn enough about the subject to keep clients looking adequately polished during the day. At this time of year, the subject of party make-up comes up and my suggestions are overly simple because I just don’t like the look of an overly made-up face. After all, you in your “almost natural” form is most stylish!

I usually suggest the following make-up tips for party occasions so that you look a little brighter at night than during the day:

Create an even skin tone with foundation or tinted moisturizer
Apply a darker shade of lipstick
Create a stronger brow line
Double up the layer of mascara
Add a little more blush

I also suggest a trip to the Mac make-up counter a few hours before an event if you’re after a smoky evening eye with eye shadow and liner. They do a great job and its virtually free. All you need to do is purchase one of their make-up items and you’re good to go. No need to fuss with make-up products on your own.

What’s your party make-up regimen and does it change from your daily make-up routine? How can I improve my party wear make-up tips? Are you enamored by the shimmery products that are available at make-up counters at this time of year, or do you find it overwhelming too?

Nail style

Angie — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:17:52 +0000

There is no “one look is best” approach to nail style. Different looks work on different people at different times of the year. My own nail style is deliberately plain and this is more a question of aesthetic preference than time or maintenance.

Hands: I might be alone on this one but I really like the look of short nails, sans finger nail polish. Once a year, I might venture out and pop on a bit of clear vanish, but never colour and I don’t do French manicures. I like to keep my hands and nails well moisturized, neat and au natural.
Feet: I wear toe-nail polish from April to August. For years, my choice of toe colour has been either a shade of blue or green, and very occasionally a soft pearly white. I do not wear pink, red, purple, orange or brown toe nail polish and once again, French manicures are not for me. I also have this weird idea that for the rest of the year, my nails need to breathe so come the first week of September, my toe nails are stripped of their polish and we’re back to au natural.

What’s your nail style? Do you even have one? Would you like to make a change? I look forward to loads of variety in the responses.

Impruv repaired my severely dry skin for pittance

Angie — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:44:04 +0000

For the last couple of years I’ve battled with dry facial skin, and I’ve tried everything under the sun. From all sorts of lotions, potions and creams, to oils, tablets, vitamins and Vaseline. No stellar results. Finally, I succumbed to making an appointment with the dermatologist and I’m really glad I did.

The dermatologist said to stop using the products I was applying to my face. He prescribed an ointment called “locoid lipocream”, and an over the counter moisturizer called “Impruv”. That, plus my normal cleanser and sunscreen is all that I’m allowed to use daily. I came home with the Impruv but had to wait for the prescribed ointment since it was out of stock.

Right away, I started to use Impruv twice a day. You won’t believe it, because I didn’t either, but my dry skin started to dramatically repair without the prescribed ointment. I fetched the locoid four days later and used a little of that too. But I soon stopped because Impruv alone does the trick.

Apparently, the moisturizers I’d been using contain skin drying ingredients like alpha hydroxy acids and retinol for exfoliation. Ironic, but in my case the expensive moisturizers were drying out my skin. Impruv does not have these ingredients. Amazing. And all for under $13. As you say in the US, I’ll be darned.

The expiration date of mascara

Angie — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:53:30 +0000

For years I heard that you could use the same tube of mascara for a year before it went off. Last year a cosmetics sales representative told me that the shelf life could be up to four years! Shortly after that I heard six months. The most recent information I got from two different cosmetics counters is that one should toss mascara after three months of use because of the unsavory bacteria that collects around the brush after repeated contact with your eyes.

Who’s a gal to believe? I find it hard to throw away what seems like a perfectly good cosmetic before there are signs of it going bad. I can’t help but think that cosmetic companies are trying to turn their products around faster with a conveniently short expiration date. I’ve been using mascara daily for 20 years and it usually lasts for 6-8 months. I throw away the tube when it’s empty but not before. So far no problems. Should I be more careful with the suggested expiration date and toss the tube sooner? Or is my skepticism warranted.

Do spa & beauty treatments justify the expense?

Angie — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:11:43 +0000

Manicures, pedicures, facials, microdermabrasion, skin peels, massages, waxing, tinting and so much more. Spa services are expensive once you start adding them up. Before you know it you’ve spent hundreds of dollars each year pampering your body inside a soothing and sweet smelling beauty salon. Is it really worth it?

I think it’s a question of your priorities, your values and your budget. I indulge in one spa treatment regularly – facials. I take skin care seriously and find that having monthly facials makes a huge visual difference. I cannot steam and extract skin impurities on my own and the head and neck massage is therapeutic. It’s the one hour in a month where I get to completely relax. For these reasons the facial justifies the expense. For me.

I have pedicures far less regularly because I loathe them. But I grin and bear it because I believe that the foot grooming process is good for your feet and I cannot accomplish the end result successfully on my own (I’ve tried). Not only do I like the look of well cared for feet, but my calluses need close attention because of the all walking I do, and after some initial soreness my feet feel really good after the treatment. So that’s another spa treatment I find worthwhile.

As for the rest? I do my own manicures, tint and shape my own brows, do not need to wax and do not enjoy any other form of massage unless it’s part of the facial service. So I’m down to one spa service that I regard as a worthwhile frequent investment (facials), and another that I force upon myself from time to time because it produces excellent results (basic pedicures). Perhaps I’ll change my mind about the importance of other spa services later on in life, adding a few more to the list.

What’s your viewpoint on the value of spa and beauty treatments? Do you indulge? If so, why is it worth the expense? If not, why not?

Reevaluating your hairstyle

Angie — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:29:45 +0000

Professional hairstylist Taylor said a fabulous thing in a recent thread about hair on the YLF forum:

“I tell my clients to think of hair as an ACCESSORY, it is part of a TOTAL look”.

I couldn’t agree more (and that goes for blokes too). There are few things that impact your look more than a flattering new hairdo, a bit of colour, or both. Your hair is your crowning glory and maintaining a killer style is as important as wearing the best bra. That’s why I loved Kendall Farr’s suggestion of reevaluating your hairstyle BEFORE you attempt to reevaluate your closet. This makes a lot of sense, because you’ll view your wardrobe and the items that you purchase differently once your smashing new do is in place.

So the question is, if your hair is an accessory, how often should you change it up? I don’t think that there are hard and fast rules, but I do believe that an annual hair evaluation is in order. In some cases you might need and want a dramatic change like going from long blonde hair to a short red crop. In other instances subtle changes are the way to go, like taking off a few inches of length, cutting a fringe or adding highlights. Or your current do is still fab so leave it alone.

I enjoy changing my hairstyle because I like to keep my look evolving. Sometimes the changes are dramatic and at other times they’re slight. I fool around with the length, texture and colour, but I’m always blonde and the length is usually above the shoulder. Those are the elements I like to keep constant because they feel like me. I can’t go any shorter, so I guess my next step is to grow my hair out a little once I’m bored with this look.

Are you happy with your hair and if not, why not? How often do you change your hairstyle? Are you frightened of dramatic hairstyle change?

Pale skin: to tan or not to tan

Angie — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:29:40 +0000

For the first 25 years of my life I cursed my pale skin, envying dark-skinned, tanned gals who always looked healthy and fabulous in Summer clothes. In the 70’s and 80’s, living close to the beach in a tropical climate would do that to you. Back then it just wasn’t fab to be un-tanned.

So in my early twenties I lay on a few sun beds and slathered blotchy self tanning lotions on my body in an effort to look sun-kissed and fresh. I thought it would increase my style quotient.

In my late twenties everything changed. I became paranoid about what the sun and tanning beds can do your skin. I started to loath the idea of rubbing self-tanning lotion on any part of my body. My deliberate sun tanning and self tanning days came to an end.

These days I am extremely mindful about protecting my skin from the sun. I use SPF 40 on my face and hands every day. On sunny days I use it all over. I am never tanned and stay my pale, fair-skinned self all year round.

My natural skin colour is what it is and I’m relieved now that I can embrace this fact. My legs are super white, but I wear dresses and skirts all the time. Dark-skinned, tanned gals still look healthy and fabulous in Summer clothes, but I have learned to love my milky complexion.

Over to you, pale skinned lasses. Do you find the need to tan or self tan? Do you feel better with a bit of colour? Or do you leave it au natural like me.

Vaseline and my facial beauty routine

Angie — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:03:02 +0000

Thanks to your helpful comments on how to combat extra dry facial skin, my face looks and feels much better. After trying many of the products that were recommended and several others, I’m down to the following routine: taking fish oil capsules, drinking a little more water, using jojoba oil twice a day with super rich moisturizers AND applying Vaseline to my nose and cheek area daily.

I stopped using olive oil because I couldn’t handle the smell. Popping it into a jar with rosemary or lavender to mask the smell didn’t help either (I either reeked of roast chicken or a herb garden). I then tried products with olive oil as an ingredient to see if that worked. I also tried pure Shea butter, cocoa butter, Aquafor, apricot oil and coconut oil. The odour was an improvement, but the products weren’t effective. In desperation, I’m back to using old faithful and dirt-cheap petroleum jelly. If I leave it out and use only the other products I mentioned, my skin is still dry.

So what is a gal to do? The result of adding Vaseline to my facial routine is glowing (and I don’t mind the smell). But many of you are dead set against Vaseline because it’s not good for our health or environment. How bad can it be?