Tuesday's Tip of the Day: Makeup Bag Overload*

Do you feel like your makeup bag takes up most of the space in your handbag?

Do you pack every product you use in the morning so you can reapply throughout the day?
If that is the case, you are using the incorrect products!

Other than lip products, and possibly blush and/or a blot powder, you shouldn't need any other products in your makeup bag.
I know a few people that feel they need to reapply mascara all day long, however it really isn’t necessary if you are using the right one. Find a mascara you love, apply as needed in the morning. Same with all the foundations and powders and bronzers, oh my!

First step, purchase (or find at home) a smaller makeup bag. If you have a smaller bag, you will make you eliminate some of the products that will be going in it. If you are using a longwearing face powder, unless your going to the gym and showering there, you shouldn’t need to reapply it. if you going home after, why carry it all day? Keep that, and the brush for it, at home.

My makeup bag looks like a fabric pencil case (below). Doesn't take up too much space in my bag, and fits everything I need - which isn't much!

My Current Obsession: Yummy Scented Candles*

It's that time of year again! The time of year where everyone becomes obsessed with scented candles! They make everything better!
If I am getting ready to go out or just watching TV & writing blogs, I love having the scent of Freshly Baked Cookies and Winter Pine roaming through the air (my favorite scents). It’s relaxing and calming after a stressful day.

When you walk into a room that has a candle lit, or a candle that was just blown out, you want to have that scent lingering. Yankee Candle is probably the most popular of the scented candle brands, however you can spend less money looking at your local Marshalls, HomeGoods & Pier1 for great candles at great prices.

What I also love about candles, is how they can be displayed. I love the idea of placing candles with different heights on a cute plate – you don’t have to use specific "candle holders" be creative!

This also lets you have fun with themed displays – shades of brown, beige and orange candles for fall, or white, silver and gold candles for the holidays on a festive plate look pretty even when they aren’t lit.

Tuesday's Tip of the Day: Perfume fade by lunch? Let us fix!

Does your perfume fade off before lunchtime?

Is your hand lotion scent too powerful or doesn’t compliment your perfume?

Some people love using one perfume all the time, some people like having a variety to choose from each day. Either way, each day you want to use scents that work together.
I personally love floral tones, so mixing lily of the valley with honeysuckle or lavender seems to work perfectly, as well as they compliment each other all day long.

To keep the scent from fading before lunchtime, I make sure that all the products I am using are scented - from my shower gel to body lotion and perfume.
I personally love the scent of lavender - it is never overpowering and lingers throughout the day, so I use that scent for my shower gel and body lotion. Then I use my mughetto (lily of the valley) perfume to top it off.

I know some people may have a reaction to scented products. Use what you can and make sure to place perfume in a few different places on the skin to help keep from fading as fast.

Does the perfume you use already have a body wash or lotion? Perfect match!

Some scents don’t mix as well – like the musky, heavier notes. In that case use a light smelling lotion or body wash and have your perfume be your main scent. You want to spray the perfume on your pulse points, neck, wrists, etc, not your clothes. Clothing can change the scent completely and can possibly stain some types of fabrics.

Get That Look* ~ Melissa Gorga's RHONJ Reunion Makeup

There are been tweets, blogs, facebook status's and emails about Melissa Gorga's makeup from the RHONJ Season Reunion that aired this past Sunday Night (and there should be, it was a-maz-ing!)

Not only was her skin glowing, and eyes sparkling on camera, you can tell it was just as flawless in person! Congrats to her Makeup Artist George for being amazing at what he does!!!

Melissa has given the tips and tools on how to create that look on yourself...and I just HAD to share!!!

(This picture doesn't do the makeup justice, watch this Sunday for Reunion Part 2)

First, and I always say this, you need to prep your skin. You want to cleanse it well, then apply your eye cream and face moisturizer (important!).
Next, I work on eyes first, that way you can clean up the makeup that falls easily, then continue onto face makeup.
For the eyes, apply your favorite primer on the lid and crease (mine is MAC Paint Pots in your skin color). Then highlight under the brow bone with a lighter shimmer tone, like MAC's Ricepaper shadow. Then apply MAC's Saddle shadow on the lid (from lash line to the crease, but not beyond). Then you want to work in MAC's Folie shadow in the crease, creating a shading effect. George then uses Makeup Forever's Gold Glitter, using a damp brush, only on the lid - NOT in the crease or above.
Lastly, apply black liner top and bottom, then lashes for that va-voom effect!

After your eyes are perfected, clean up under them of any fallen makeup, then brush on your concealer and foundation. Melissa uses either Dermalogica Cover Tint or Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer.
Then add blush - George applied Nars Orgasm, then lips - MAC Whirl Lip Liner, Cream Cup Lipstick and Love Nectar Lip Gloss.

Perfection!

NOTE* You can use grey tones on the eyes and apply silver glitter if that is more your thing - switch it up! This is a great guideline and you can put your own twist on it!

My Current Obsession: the good, the bad, & the eye-cream

The infamous "eye cream". A product that everyone has heard of, but not everyone uses.

The skin under your eyes happens to be the most sensitive out of all the skin on your body – which is why it has its own special cream. 

Just like pretty much any other product that is available, you don’t need to spend a fortune on eye cream, but I do recommend that you get one and use it!
There are drugstore branded creams, as well as department store and beyond. Go to the stores and get samples, try ‘em out, see what you like best by what fits your needs.

If you are puffy under the eyes, get a cream that will help with that. If you have dark circles often, make sure your cream has ingredients to help with that. Just like any other beauty product, it has a purpose, and everyone has a different skin "type" that needs to be catered to.

Once you find one that you love, could be in cream or gel form, you want to use your ring finger to apply it. Dabbing it lightly under the eye.
Your ring finger is the weakest, by doing this it makes sure you don’t press or wipe too hard on that sensitive skin.

Tuesday’s Tip of the Day: Cleaning Your Makeup Brushes*

Baby Shampoo. Alcohol. It's that simple.

Even if its just because there is product buildup on your brushes, you want to clean your makeup brushes often. The more often you clean and take care of them, the longer they will last. 

If you are using your brushes everyday, they should be cleaned at least weekly. If you are using one brush for multiple products and/or colors, it should be cleaned after each use.

I feel that most people don’t clean their brushes because "they don’t have time." Well, it’s time to make time, because what you are putting on your skin from those dirty brushes, is rather icky.

Not only are the brushes applying the makeup, but it’s brushing around any bacteria and/or dirt that is on your skin. Especially those face powder brushes that you apply a few times a day – I'm sure you’re not washing your face right before each of those touch-ups.

Clean gently with baby shampoo and then lay flat with brush part hanging off a ledge (off a counter or sink). I also recommend using alcohol, at least every other time. Apply a little bit of alcohol on a wash cloth and brush away other bacteria and dirt.

You don’t have to spend a fortune on name-brand brush cleaners – stop making that one of your excuses on why you aren’t cleaning them! Believe me, you will notice a huge difference in the application of your makeup with clean brushes - and your skin will thank you!

My Current Obsession: Making Sense about Scents*

OK, so this is another obsession I have had for a while, and one you should know about!

Santa Maria Novella is one of the top brands for perfumes, and other personal scent items in Italy. I am OBSESSED with their Mughetto (Lily of the Valley) Perfume (which I know I have spoken about in past blogs). This amazing brand also creates other amazing home and personal items, such as candles, soaps, talc powders, room sprays, body lotions, etc.

No matter what your favorite scent is, Santa Maria Novella will have one something that will catch your nose and excite your senses.

One of the reason why I am so in love with this perfume, other than the amazing smell, is that it literally lasts all day long. So many perfumes that I have purchased in the past have lead me to notice that I can't smell it anymore after lunchtime. These perfumes, there are over 20 different scents, let you (and people around you) have light whiffs of your favorite scent all day long.