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One of our favorite makeup artists around here is Kandee Johnson.  She’s an amazing stylist that has a wildly successful YouTube channel…that you should check out here.   Kandee will show you how to do some incredible looks for Halloween.  Don’t be intimidated, she breaks it down.  You can do it…really, you can!  If you want to be over the top, in addition to having the coolest look at your next Halloween costume party, try these looks on for size.

httpv://youtu.be/slLZooklCp8

It’s always a surprise to see how overlooked our makeup vanities are.  Women spend an exorbitant amount of time and money on makeup purchases, so their makeup vanities should have equal exceptional value.  Creating a beautiful and functional vanity to your home will not only make your home more beautiful, it will make you more beautiful!  A functional, well-lit, well-organized vanity will naturally provide a better end result…beautiful makeup application.   One of our former makeup vanity blog posts continually elicits comments and inquiries on where to purchase them.  The following makeup vanities can be found at Pottery Barn Teen, www.PBTeen.com.

While teens across the nation are gearing up to go back to school, the fashion and beauty industries have kicked into overdrive.  When you have too many options, many times you’ll end up spending your money on things you don’t end up liking once you get them home.  Beauty products, much like clothes, are very personal.  Get to know what works for you. Experiment and try new colors, new fashions, new trends, and see what works for you.  Just because a skinny leg jean or a flesh-colored lipstick is hot and trendy doesn’t mean it’s going to look good on you…specifically.  So explore your options.  When you get a lot of compliments on a color you wear, pay attention to those cues.  That color works for you, so stick with it and expand on it.  If low-rider jeans make your hips look too big, then kick them to the curb and wear a more flattering cut for your body.

Back to school makeup is a snap with a few of these favorite items right from the drug store or supermarket.

Start with a clean foundation…a blemish-free face.  So you’re prone to breakouts at this age.  No biggie.  Send blemishes packing with an easy skincare routine.  Wash your face in the morning and before you go to bed.  Never wear makeup to bed.  Just wash and go twice a day.  That will keep your skin fresh and clear.

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Next, prime your face with foundation to even out skin tone, cover blemishes (if you have any), and to give your skin a pretty glow.  Mineral makeup is a relative newcomer on the scene in the makeup world.  It’s one of the easiest foundations to apply.  Liquid foundation can leave you with an embarrassing ring on your jawline.  Mineral makeup blends perfectly into the skin and is great if you have oily skin.  It reduces shine and eliminates excess oil on the skin’s surface.  And it’s so easy to apply, you won’t even need a mirror.

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Pretty eyes are easy to achieve with the thousands of choices in eye color you have to choose from.  Whether you go bold and beautiful or soft and shimmery, you’ll find every color of the rainbow to choose from.  Being a teen gives you a license to use bright and bold colors, and there’s nothing wrong with that.  But avoid doing that every day at school.   Try to stick with a more daytime look while at school.  Try going bright and bold on Fridays!

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The teen license to use bold colors applies to lips as well.  Glossy pink cotton-candy colored lips are so pretty and is a perfect color for teens.   Afraid to go bold?  Try a sheer bold color for a more muted effect.  Glossy lips and teens go together like Friday nights and football games.  It just works!

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Maybelline Great Lash mascara is a secret tool of the trade to many makeup artists in Hollywood.  This mascara is used on many of the sets for Hollywood movies.  It goes on clump free, stays put all day long, and makes your lashes appear to be a mile long.

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And it’s as simple as that.  Back to school beauty is in the bag in a few easy steps.  Here’s to a beautiful new school year!

The humidity in the summertime can give your hair a case of the frizzies.  In a matter of minutes, humidity and heat can make your hair a mess.  Use this insider’s secret to have hot looking hair in the summertime.  Dab a small amount of hand lotion to instantly smooth your hair.  The lotion’s moisture helps fight frizz by filling hollow hair follicles, preventing them from soaking up any frizz-inducing moisture in the air. Make sure you only use a dab so that it doesn’t make your hair look greasy.  If you have dry, hair, use this technique on a daily basis.

Before throwing out expensive mineral makeup because you think it irritates your skin, try using a different brush first.  Many times it’s makeup  brushes that causes your face sensitivity and itchiness as opposed to the makeup itself.  Because synthetic hair brushes tend to cause irritation and even tiny abrasions to tender facial skin, opt to go with an all natural brush.  You’ll feel the difference immediately.  Eco-Tools makes inexpensive high quality, all natural brushes that are, of course, eco-friendly.  Love that!

Nothing improves your mood quicker than great music.  Jeff Gold’s Escapes Music for Relaxation is tranquil and relaxing comfort music, ideal for creative inspiration, music therapy, healing, massage, yoga, or just winding down.   We listen to this CD in Supernatural Botanicals’ workshop, and find it to be great music to work to, relaxing the mind and allowing the creative inspiration to flow.  It’s fabulous!  Check out Jeff Gold’s website to listen and purchase to his fantastic music.

If you have lots of wood surfaces in your home, you know that the costs of furniture polish has skyrocketed.  And when prices start to soar sky high, so does our creativity.  How can we do it cheaper, better, and to boot….all naturally?  While there are numerous “green” recipes for homemade furniture polish, they all have the two basic ingredients…oil and lemon.  And as luck would have it, it’s all you need.

To make homemade furniture polish, simply whisk together olive oil with an equal amount of lemon juice (you can also use vinegar, but lemons smell so much nicer).  Simply leave it in the bowl you mixed it in and dip a rag in, or put the liquid mixture in a spray bottle.   The bowl method is easier and less wasteful, as you can mix only the amount you’ll need for the days’ chores.

Use a dry rag, dip the rag into the oil mixture, and buff down all your wood surfaces.  It brings the wood back to life in an instant, and makes it appear brand new.  All natural, less expensive, and oh-so-crafty!    We love this!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAIBxubYUy8v

Hitting that hour-long cardio class today?  Read this recent study and you may just skip the class all together.

In a recent study, people who used kettlebells torched a whopping 400 calories in 20 minutes.

Kettlebells have made strength training fun and interesting with its new design, enabling the exerciser to perform a multitude of moves that were otherwise not possible with simple hand weights.

Entire classes, and even gyms, have been created based on the practice of kettlebell exercise.  Consider jazzing up your strength routine with kettlebells, and torch 400 calories in 20 minutes while you’re at it.