Beauty Tips and Tricks

Easy Tips to Applying Your Favorite Fragrance

The appealing fragrance of a perfume has been described as being “like gathering an armful of luscious rose petals at the height of their bloom.” Fragrances today last longer on the skin than ever before. To use an example, Revlon’s “Lasting” is truly that- it has lasting power for up to ten hours. There are some easy tips to applying your favorite fragrance that everyone should be privy to.

Before buying a fragrance always try it out on your own skin first. A fragrance sprayed on a cardboard piece of paper will give you an inkling of how it smells but not how it will smell on YOU. And keep in mind that not all fragrances smell the exact same on everybody as no two body chemistries are the exact same. Spray the scent on the inside of your wrist and then allow it to warm and absorb into your skin. Your own personal body oils will determine how the scent will smell on you.

Do not be hasty in deciding whether or not a scent is suitable for you or not. Instead, after applying it, give it twenty minutes to an hour to make a proper determination. Or better yet, every couple of hours let your nose have a whiff of it and see if the original scent retains its fragrance. Longevity of a scent is important. Remember that not all scents have the same effect on everyone and some agree with some people’s skin better than others. Once applied to your inner wrist never rub it on your other wrist as this can alter the scent of the fragrance tremendously.

The best places to apply fragrance are between your breasts, around the ankles, the sides of the neck, and behind your knees as these are your pulse points. If you wear a watch or bracelet(s), be careful when spraying scents. The fragrance you apply could react to the leather or plastic strap or the gold or silver of the bracelet and dull the material so keep this point in mind when you apply your favorite fragrance.

For those with skin on the dry side you will need to reapply your fragrance often but for oily or combination skin it is less often. Dry skin doesn’t retain scent as well as skin higher in oil content.

It is best to test new scents one at a time. Do not overdue a good thing when it comes to perfume. If you sample too many at once you will confuse your nose and won’t know how to choose between fragrances. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither do you need to make a snap decision about which perfumes suit you best and which don’t.

A good rule of thumb for applying your favorite fragrance is that less is more. This is particularly important to keep in mind if you are attending a social or business related event where there will be lots of people. A spritz of a fragrance applied with a light hand to a pulse point is all that is really needed. And remember, big events equal lots of women (and men) wearing lots of other fragrances. In this case too much competition between fragrances may not be what you are striving for!

A tip that is not well known but is perfect for the social event scenario is to spray the outside of your hand instead of your wrist. This works because it allows the scent to defuse in an outward direction. It is airy and oh so subtle which is what you want. Another option is spraying the air (in much the same way as you would spray air freshener in a room) and then simply walking through the scent as it falls around you. This is a subtle but effective way of perfuming yourself. If you are concerned about your outfit then don’t worry, as it will not affect your clothing in any adverse manner.

Less is more is also wise to keep in mind as you age in relation to applying your favorite fragrance. Our sense of smell is not as sharp as we get older and the dulling effect means we cannot always accurately gauge whether we are wearing too much, as opposed to enough, fragrance. We might automatically assume that if we cannot smell our fragrance on our own skin that no one else can either. Never assume this is the case!

Airbrush Tan

Check out all the leathery old folks out there! Now, how do you suppose they got this way? Could it have been caused by the powerful glow of the moon? I don’t think so. These folks are most likely sun bunnies. Those Caucasians who crave darker skin. Are you destined to be a leathery old man or woman as well? Hey, if you sun bathe on a daily basis, I’m thinking you are.

It’s inevitable. The harmful UV rays from the sun will darken your skin and weather it like it’s no joke. We’ve known this for years now. That’s why new-age methods of tanning have come about. Not tanning beds! Those are worse than the real sun. I was thinking more along the lines of an airbrush tan. This is the glow of the future.

Remember self-tanner? It probably wasn’t the greatest invention of the 20th century, but it had good intentions behind it. Once we knew how bad the sun was for our delicate skin, scientists were scrambling to come up with an alternative. Hence the numerous brands of self-tanning products. I tried this stuff back in high school. Folks stared in jealous awe at the orange streaks running up and down my legs. I was officially a god. Uh, yeah right. But, many of my peers did point and laugh at my ridiculous fake bake. Who could blame them? Then later down the road, something new came about.

It was called the airbrush tan. Unfortunately it didn’t show up until after the new millennium, but better late than never. Folks were suddenly indulging in the innovative safe way to tan. With the airbrush tan, you simply hop in a booth and get misted by tanning solution. It should leave a nice even glow, without any streaking. If you’ve yet to test out this method, I suggest you get on it.

Why the new airbrush tan? Well DUH! We obviously can’t continue being a bunch of sun bunnies. This is not healthy for two reasons. One, it causes cancer; and two; it causes premature aging of the skin. Nothing will age your face faster than the sun. Fortunately for everyone who loves to have that rich glowing tan year-round, they can now get it the safe way via the airbrush tan. Even all you folks who don’t tan due to the negative consequences, you can still give this safe method a shot. At least during the summer months.

Body Spray - My Experience

When I was younger I couldn

Lipstick Color - Finding The Right Color For You

I feel like a fashion dunce. I

Nail polish

I have an addiction to nail polish. My nails are always painted and I am always buying new nail polish colors to experiment with. Sometimes my toes and fingernails match, other times I purposely make them clash. Why? I have no reasoning behind it, but it has become almost a trademark for me and it is just fun. I am especially fond of the nail polish that claims it dries in 60 seconds. In my opinion, it takes 3-4 minutes, but it does dry much faster and seems to go on smoother.

My favorite thing to do is wait until CVS has a circular in my weekend newspaper that advertises a buy one, get one free sale for nail polish. I’ll ask my mom for her coupon and buy 4 new nail polish colors for the price of 2. It’s a great deal and I love it. I do that once a month. My husband teases me about my dresser drawer that is devoted to nail polish. I must have at least 75 bottles of nail polish in my drawer. I have had this love for nail polish since middle school. I can’t say that I’ve had more than 24 hours since middle school, that my all of my nails haven’t been painted. In fact, when I remove the nail polish, my nails all have that yellowish tint to them. If I wanted to go cold turkey and let my nails recover from being smothered by nail polish, it would take months for the yellowish tint to grow out and disappear completely.

A friend of mine used to do stencils and nail art for me, but I grew bored with that. It was too much maintenance. I would rather do my own nails, all natural, and be able to change them whenever the mood strikes me. I’ve never been into getting fake nails. I know that there are quite a few people out there who are big fans of getting them and it is much easier for some people, but I can’t stand them. I had them once, for prom, and felt like I couldn’t properly use my fingers. I vowed to never have them again, and years later, I continue to say the same thing.

Any store that sells nail polish will probably have tons of brand names. I have a few favorites, but none that I can say that I don’t care for. I’m a fan of Maybelline, as they have the quick dry nail polish. My preschooler has started to love it when I paint her nails as well. I put light colors on her nails and she thinks she is just the coolest 3 year old around. Not that I wouldn’t have loved a son just as much, but I’m happy that I can pass my love of nail polish along to someone else.

Bags Under Your Eyes

I had a friend in college who always complained that she had bags under her eyes. She never knew what caused it, but it had been that way for a long time. She was a pretty girl though, and no one ever seemed to notice. It may very well just be a part of who she is and it certainly did not detract from her good looks. However, if you don

Dry And Damaged Hair

I have had naturally curly hair my entire life. Though many tell me that my hair is beautiful, I have found it to be a pain to care for. I have always considered myself unlucky, because there are only so many things that you can do with curly hair. I have also noticed that I usually have dry and damaged hair. This means that I have to spend extra money to take care of my hair, and it also means I have to be creative when thinking of things to do with it.

If you have dry and damaged hair as I do, you are probably looking for a solution. Though I do not have all of the answers, there are some things that I know. Dry and damaged hair must be trimmed at least once every two months in order to keep the split ends from overwhelming you. If you keep your hair trimmed, it has a better chance of staying healthy and growing longer. You may think that getting regular trims might defeat the purpose of growing your hair long, but you should know it actually helps it grow longer in the long run.

Dry and damaged hair also needs special help to keep it looking smooth and shiny. If you have been buying drugstore brand shampoos and conditioners, and nothing seems to be working, you may have to spend some extra money to buy salon products for your hair. I have found that after I started using the more expensive hair care products on the market that my dry and damaged hair started to look much better as time went on. I would say that this is one expense that I am glad to have.

You may also find that there are other products that will help your dry and damaged hair. If you are anything like me, you probably do not know where to start. When you feel this way, you should talk to your hair stylist to see what they recommend for you. They may offer you suggestions regarding gels, sprays, and other products designed to keep your hair in place, healthy, and styled. If you just take a little time, your dry and damaged hair can look better than ever. Just remember that curly hair is much different than straight hair, and there may always be some damage or some dryness that you have to deal with on a daily basis. You should also remember, however, that with a little work your natural curls can be stunning.

HairSpray - The 80’s Hair Savior

I am a product of the 80s and I miss a lot of 80s culture. I miss the layers of socks, the stretch pants and the scrunchies. I miss 80s music and all of the day-glo fashion. I do not, however, miss 80s hair.

When I was in elementary school, 80s hair was all the rage. Girls spent hours and gallons of hair spray trying to get

Beauty secrets - Secrets from around the world

It is a well-known truth that many women around the world have used a variety of things to maintain or enhance their beauty. Across cultures, eras and continents beauty secrets from the highest royal to the lowliest commoner have been passed on from generations to generations. In the West, women have taken the task of staying attractive to extremes: plastic surgery, liposuction and other invasive treatments are rife. Yet there are common beauty secrets that are neither costly nor risky, and can have a multitude of benefits that help women stay both healthy and beautiful.

One of the first beauty secrets involves something that is surrounds us every day

Aveda Hair Products

The image that you are supposed to project as a man and the realities of being a man in this day and age are quite different. We are all familiar with the male stereotype. You are supposed be artless and uncaring about appearance. You are supposed to be straightforward to the point of Neanderthal-like. The reality is much different. Men have to groom every bit as carefully as women do. Personally, I have been using Aveda hair products since I was 13, and if anything I have become more concerned about my appearance over the years.

I don’t mean to advocate Aveda hair products over any other. I could just have easily settled for Paul Mitchell hair products or l’Oreal. The point that I am making is that I and judged by my appearance every bit as much as a woman is. I even use the same Aveda hair products as my sister does. That is how I learned to groom myself in the first place