Light Up Your Life With Highlights

I consider this a very important message today! Listen carefully ladies; if you do not own a highlighter pencil, it is imperative that you pick one up today! Run, don't walk to your nearest, CVS pharmacy, Sephora, or department store for this must have item. If you do not know what a highlighter is, let me explain.
A highlighter pencil usually comes in a cream or off-white color, either matte or shimmery. The majority of make-up lines carry it, including: MAC, Anastasia, and Bobby Brown. This pencil should be used everyday, as a part of your "five minute face". Your five minute face includes, cleansing, moisturizing, foundation, blush/bronzer/, concealer, filling in your browns, mascara, and highlighting.
You use the highlighter under the arches of your brows, inside corner of your eyes, and inside your lower lid. Adding this simple adjustment to your face everyday, will make your eyes pop out, make you look younger and more vibrant.
This blog was inspired by a middle-aged woman I saw at Sephora today. She was offered a FREE highlighting pencil as a part of her "beauty rewards" points. She wasn't sure what to do with it and the beauty advisor briefly explained what it was for. I was mortified when the woman said, "Oh, I don't need anything like that." I wanted to shake her! This key make-up piece should be in every woman's tool box.
The moral of the story, aside from using a highlighter; is don't be afraid to try something new. Make-up can be scary when you're new to it. If you ask questions of the ladies at the counter or email me your concerns, I assure you we will work through it and be much more beautiful in the end.

Ciao,
Farrah
xoxo...

The Beauty of Letting Go

I am a self-identified perfectionist and by nature it is difficult for me to give up control and let life unfold in the way that it is meant to. Many of us struggle with "letting go" every day. We find it difficult to give up creative control of a project, let others do their own lives according to their own will, and worst of all, it's most difficult to allow difficult times to unfold as they may.

We are facing the most challenging financial times of our lives and many people are in fear of what tomorrow will bring. We often try to ease our fears and anxieties by using outside solutions. We often reach for food, purchase a new pair of shoes we may not need, or we react hastily to someone in traffic. None of these solutions make us look or feel more beautiful. In fact, it's quite the contrary; when we find ourselves reacting hastily to challenges that are out of our control, we look angry, uptight, and unapproachable.

The solution to the struggles we face today are in "letting go" and learning from the lessons we have been given today. The reality is that we may not be able to live the lap of luxury we once lived. We may be in fear about losing our homes, car, and/or many luxuries that once seemed like a necessity. The beauty of life is not found in things, but rather the beauty of life is found in our friends, our family, and our times shared with one another.

You may not be able to afford a movie, a Starbucks coffee, or a nice dinner out. But, I've found more beauty in reading a book at the library, making my own coffee, and cooking dinner with my fiance and family.

We become more beautiful inside and out, when we can "let go" of our expectations of the world and adjust ourselves to the world that is. The problems we face today are more complex than ever, but the solutions are simple. I find great beauty in letting go.

Beautiful thought for today: "God grand me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Ciao,

Farrah

xoxo...

Good Morning Sleepy Head!

Good morning ladies! I'm sure we've all had those nights when we simply can't get our 8-9 hours of beauty sleep in; deadlines need to be met, babies need to be fed, or margaritas were calling our names late last night. No matter what your reason is for a less than average night of rest, I have a few simple solutions to help you look and feel more awake with these simple tips:

1. 
   LOOK more awake with a cream highlighter below the arches of your brows and inside the lower lids of your eyes. This highlighter will make your eyes appear whiter, diminishing the redness associated with little sleep.


2. BLUE mascara will also help to brighten your eyes and reduce the appearance of redness. I like to use my black mascara first and then put a second coat on using the blue mascara.
   


3. Drink a minimum of 10 glasses of water today.


4. 
   Resist the temptation for diet soda, energy drinks, or other sugary sodas. They will only give you a boost first, then make you feel worse. Not to mention, too much of these caffinated drinks will elevate your adrenaline hormones, thus throwing off your endocrine system. If you must drink caffeine, have your morning cup of Joe/Starbucks and green tea throughout the day.
   


5. Fight the urge for sugary snacks and high starchy foods, like chips.
   Stay energized with a balanced diet full of a protein, complex carbs, good fat (like Avocado, almonds, or olive oil), and fruits/veggies.
   


6. TLC: Treat yourself with some extra tender love and care today. Women are so busy taking care of others, that we often put our own well-being last. Do something special for yourself today: take a bath with candles, meditate for 15 minutes, or take a yoga class. If you can't fit those thing in today, be sure to take extreme care for yourself today, by forgiving yourself for not being perfect!

Big Hugs,

Farrah

xoxo...

Questions and Comments

Should you have any beauty related questions or comments, please become a member of my website. Once you join, you can post comments and/or questions. If I don't know the answer right away, I will research it and get back to you. Thanks for your support!

Farrah
xoxo...

Bonjour!

Welcome everyone to my first official blog post! Let me start out by saying, that I am just a normal girl, living one day at a time. I do not believe that I was born with some innate beauty quality with perfect skin and flawless features. In fact, a little secret between you and I....lean a little closer, so everyone doesn't hear; I actually fell asleep with my make-up on last night. Shhh, please don't tell my esthetician.

My job on this blog is to tell you ALL of my tips and secrets, so that you can always feel beautiful, even when you've gotten little sleep, you're feeling bitchy due to that time of the month, or you're skin is between seasonal changes.

So, let's start today about faking good skin care even when you've fallen asleep with your make-up on.

1. Get up off your tush and go to the bathroom sink!

2. Grab your favorite cleanser: I like to use one with salicylic acid on mornings like today, because it helps soak up that excess oil lurking from the night before. I'm currently using Mario Badescu Acne Facial Cleanser because it's a specialty brand ,but it's fairly inexpensive compared to similar brands. This bottle was $15.50 and will last me about 6-8 months; you can find it at local beauty stores, such as Planet Beauty.

3. CLEANSE: You must wash your face for a minimum of 2 minutes in order to get all of the make-up off from the day before. I am going to wash twice today for a total of 4 minutes. I have very oily skin.

4. EXFOLIATE: This is the key, when you didn't wash the night before. Many women don't exfoliate and it's a must! This is the key to unlocking your true beauty, especially during the hot summer months when sweat makes your dead skin stick to your face, making you look dull, dry, and tired. Today, I'm using an the "Appleseed Brightening Exfoliant" by Fresh. The alpha-hydroxy-acid helps to penetrate the deeper part of your skin, your dermis.

5. Spray or swab on a light layer of toner and your favorite moisturiser. Do not forget to moisturize even if you have oily skin.

6. SPF: Don't forget your SPF!! If you already have it in your moisturiser or make-up, you're probably fine. If you'll be in the sun all day find a higher level of protection and wear a cute floppy hat.

7. Apply a light layer of foundation or minerals, bronzer, a little blush for color, and you're simply looking more beautiful already!

I will post more on skin care basics on another day. Tune in for more...

Thought of the day: "Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill

Farrah

xoxo...