Random Acts of Advice

I don't always watch What Not To Wear on TLC...In general, I prefer the original British version with Trinny and Susannah....however today I was having some breakfast and wanted something fluffy to watch and WNTW seemed perfect. Well, little did I know that WNTW would inspire today's post...but indeed it did. The lovely make-up artist said something that really stuck with me and made me think about all the great random pieces of advice I have received over the years. So today I present you with the five most random bits of advice I have ever received that are serious habits that can mysteriously make or break your beauty routine.

1 ) The "tightness" test for dry skin (courtesy of WNTW on TLC)
If you have dry skin or are anyone just looking for a moisturizer, apply moisturizer to your skin after washing and wait 5 minutes. If your skin feels tight after 5 minutes, whatever you are using is not rich enough. (I know for a fact this works...I had tried something similar in the past and found indeed that the moisturizer I was using was not enough for my skin.)

2) The q-tip exfoliator trick
You know how sometimes you get some peeling around acne on your face- whether from treatments or just from general healing? Then when you go to try to cover it up - it doesn't really work because your concealer just highlights those flaky bits of skin. Well, this is my FAVORITE random trick....take a dry q-tip and gently rub it in circles on top of wherever you have your flakiness...it will miraculously exfoliate off any excess skin without causing new damage or spreading any kind of bacteria. Then you can go ahead and cover up whatever you want. LOVE IT.

3) The number one element to an at home manicure
Make sure after you have done whatever you are going to do - file/buff/use cuticle oil etc....simply wipe your nails with some nail polish remover and then apply your base coat. If you try to put base coat on your nails without making sure they are clean of all lotion and oil, your polish will flake and chip and your manicure will last half as long. A ten second added part of your manicure that will make the difference between your nails looking salon done and home done.

4) Think outside the makeup box
Just because something is designed for your lips or eyes or cheeks, doesn't mean it can't be just as effective or even more effective somewhere else. It will do you good to think outside the box. My favorite blemish concealer is actually a eyeshadow base by Laura Mercier. It is designed to prep your lids for color, but it is ideal to cover blemishes. Just the right consistency, a good shade and thick without looking cakey. I never would have discovered this if I hadn't needed a concealer and not had anything. I tried it, and now it is my go-to cover up if I have a bad pimple.

5) Use your friends
Hehe- not literally of course! However, we all have bought a lipstick or an eyeshadow and gotten home only to realize it doesn't look like it should. Well, we then of course try to make it work and use it a few more times because we were really excited about the purchase and inevitably we are still stuck with a lipstick we just spent $15 on that looks terrible. Well one woman's trash is another woman's treasure. Some of my favorite shades have arrived at my doorstep because a friend bought them for herself and they didn't work. And I in turn have given things away that others have ended up using. So share and share alike- you will find some new cool things and not feel so guilty about all the money you spend on products that just gather dust.

Well all, hopefully these are tips that are new finds to you and that you will love and use as much as I do.

Keep looking fabulous!
BGND