Are you ready for summer?

Every spring I review my wardrobe to prepare for summer. It's not anything special but I like to make sure I have a few new things to keep it somewhat updated. That always leads me to review myself.. My hair..my skin..my nails.. Oh my! So every spring I flip out. You can flip out with me.. Then you can read the following tips to help get a jump start on the summer season.

1) If you haven't had your hair cut, colored or highlighted please call your stylist now. Spring calls for lighter fresher looks. Get those dead ends trimmed .. Slap some pretty highlights in. And if by chance you have some silver strands poking out here and there COLOR them or highlight and lowlight them. Clinging to your silvers because you think you've earned them is no reason to display them like some kind of humanitarian award. Trust me. You will look fresher, healthier and  younger. 

While you are at it...consider a new *do* too. if you haven't had a new style in a few years then you may be stuck in a rut and have a hair *don't*. It doesn't have to be a complete change.. Go shorter..go for an aline..go for something spikey, softer, curly, fringy, layer... Just change it up. You will be glad you did.

   Whatever you do, you are going to need a hair revitalizer to rescue your hair from the  long,hot, dry, winter forced air ... And the perfect one is...

 Hayashi 911 Emergency Pak.  This stuff will transform your hair from straw to silk. Use it after washing your hair, leave it in for several minutes..apply heat if you want. I use it twice a week. I can always find something to do for 15- 30 minz with my *Emergency pak"d* hair wrapped up under a Wal-mart bag. 1 tube should get most ppl thru the summer all while keeping your hair in tip top shape through the sun, pools, chemical treatments too... this is a "can't live without". Get it on Amazon. I don't use the Shampoo and Conditioner by Hayashi though.. No particular reason. If you love the 911 you will probably love the other products too. I purchased mine from Amazon.com.

                                                             

2) Skin, Skin, Skin. It's the only suit we have that has to last us for the rest of our lives. Keep the lines, wrinkles, and skin cancer away by using sunscreen ALLLL the time. Even incidental sun can create damage.  

   I also do facial peels during the winter. I cut way back when it gets nice enough to be in the sun a lot. Deep exfoliation can also increase the risk of cancer because peeling removes many dead cell layers paving the way for new pretty skin which is even more vulnerable to sun damage..think baby skin!!       Depending on your age you may or may not be ready for peels. Consult your esthetician or dermatologist.
 However, there is something that almost anyone regardless of their age, skin type, or ethnicity can use to exfoliate with. A facial brush. I'm not talking about those little plastic ones. I'm talking about the cool, battery operated brushes. You can use them in the shower or at the sink. You can incorporate a brush into any brand of skin care. You can get spendy and buy a clairsonic, or you can save a few bucks like me and get one from Mary Kay for only $50. Comes with 2 brushes and batteries! Cleans your face , neck, and decollette' up to 7 times better than using wash cloth or just your hands. It's also exfoliates to reduce the look of tiny lines and wrinkles.  My opinion, not theirs. Any line or wrinkle looks bigger when dead skin piles up in and around it. It also sweeps away debri trapped in your pores helping them to appear smoother and smaller. Use it with your own cleanser.  Just get one !! Www.marykay.com.

3) Getting your tan on. If you are a sun goddess you need this next product. If you are a wannabe sun goddess you need this next product. If you just want the occasional tan for an event or wedding, or maybe you woke up that day wanting a tan for no reason at all, then you need this next product.

Fake Bake Flawless!!, a self tanner that works for even the fairest of skin tones. It's applied with a sponge mitt and buffed onto your skin. It includes a gorgeous color guide so you can have some instant color but more importantly you can see exactly where it's going so there is no streaking!

  I used it all last year and people complimented me allll the time. One person even told me it looked like I just got back from Hawaii. It won't break your bank either. You can find this on Amazon usually for under $20. Safe, easy tanning... Stop worshiping the sun and start worshiping your skin~

4)More SKIN!  Before you get all cray cray with the self tanner. Remember to exfoliate your whole body for better, nicer, more even coverage. Not to mention it's one of the healthiest things you can do for your skin. Off with the old, dead,flaky winter skin!!!...On with glow!!! I make my own out of warm milk, honey and sugar. I let the sugar begin to slightly melt so it rounds off the the granules and scrubs delightfully. Make sure to rinse the area you use this scrub in very well afterwards.. because milk sours! 0_0   Don't ask.
  If you don't like scrubs or your skin is sensitive to product then consider getting a Dermalogica Japanese buffing cloth from Ulta or Amazon to exfoliate with ((under $20 and laaaaaaasts forever))... suds it up with Dove...or some kind of body cleanser.. And buff away.. It's a long strip of cloth so you can manipulate it to get your back.. Your shoulders.. Your butt....wherever... really everywhere... All over.

  Be sure to use a really rich cream to lube up your bod and get it summer clothes ready. In between self tanning be sure to liberally apply a luxurious skin loving cream. I love body butters. Any of them. All of them.. Heck,  I'd even put it on my toast if I could.... that's how much I love body butter. 

  . 

  While there are many out there my personal fave and wallet friendly as well is soap and glory body butter. For about $20 you can get a little over 10 ounces of thick , rich buttah!

Tip: when applying your self tanner.. please apply after exfoliating, let dry and do not get it wet for a few hours. I apply mine at night and wear old jammies to bed in case of transfer, then rinse in the morning and then lube up with the body butter.. .

5) If you have cut, colored, highlighted, exfoliated, and self tanned then you are arriving at the easiest part. Self tanner calls for a little bronzer for your face.. Here are a few guidelines to help you out.

DO - Know Your Skin Tone
Wearing the wrong shade of bronzer can look un-natural, un-flattering and sometime orangey. 

DO - Think Application
Of course, bronzers look most natural and best of applied to where the sun would actually bronze you. To apply, use a fluffy powder brush to apply bronzer to your forehead, nose and cheeks. If you want more control in application, try a creme bronzer version. I prefer a lighter feeling powder bronzer.

DON'T - Forget Your Neck (or shoulders or décolleté)
Don't forget that as we show more skin in the summer, be sure to add some glow to the neck, shoulders and décolleté to even it all up.  This is where you can apply one with a hint of shimmer too.  Think of the sunlight or even better, the moonlight hitting those shimmery spots and giving you a gorgeous glow... and these also be used to highlight and enhance the cheekbones, but use sparingly in that area.. Nothing sucks more than an over glow on the face.. You will look plastic and un- natural.. So yes.. Please realize you can use 2 bronzing powders for 2 different areas. .. Really ..it's ok.. 

Here are a few that I own:

 DIOR Bronze Original Tan Bronzer - HONEY TAN 002

get it online or at any Dior make up counter.

CLINIQUE
True Bronze Pressed Powder Bronzer in Sun Kissed. Get it online at Sephora, Ulta, or Clinique make up counter.

SOLEIL TAN DE CHANEL

SHEER ILLUMINATING FLUID

Chanel.com 

Nordstrom

Macy's

DO - Finish the Look with a Bronzed Lip Gloss and a Pop of Color.
Bronze shades look great on the lips, too!  You can find plenty of sheer bronze colors on the market, during the day shy away from darker heavier colors, and remember light- catching bronze shimmer on the lips can really pull together a sun-kissed look. Here are a few I love.

LÈVRES SCINTILLANTES

GLOSSIMER

Sweet Beige, Unity, Constellation, Seashell.

Also, Mary Kay's Teddy bear

Urban Decay Lip Junkie Naked and Naked 2

and Bobbi Brown's 2014 spring line Lip Gloss in Nude and Nectar

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and since we are on the topic of make up Urban Decay has been a long time favorite for me because of the 'Nakeds' line.

It's packed full of neutral naked color choices that wont go wrong  and living proof that it's ok to 

look naked! 

6) last but not in the least: Nail polish! You don't need me to tell you where and how to buy nail polish.. But I can tell you about a week-long lasting nail polish for our *paint it your selfers*. 

Vinylux is a polish line that offers stunning colors with the promise of lasting up to a week on your nails with no base coat. The key part is using their scrub away to prep the nails, and the Top Coat that makes the polish last and last. I tried it. It works! The trick is to get your top coat on in an even coat from base to tip. I even tried it with my other brand polishs and it lasted longer than without.  The best prices I have found are on Amazon. Can you tell I spend a lot of time on there?? Don't tell my husband!

Ok... glad you made it this far, thank you for sticking with me.

 It's been a long winter. Longer for some than others if you been in the snow battered regions.

Hopefully you were able to burn off a few extra calories by having to shovel yourself out of your house and garage all winter. 

if you just so happen to have managed to hang on to an extra layer of winter flab here is my belly busting tip that might shave off a few ounces of flab.. not that any of us really have flab.

 I know i don't. ;}

Morning

A huge glass of water. Just water. Pure delicious cold water...keep a pitcher in the fridge.. load it with ice, slices of fruits, water dense veges, mint leaves, lemon thyme, whatever appeals to your sense of refreshment, and then fill with water.  Also drink this through the day. It's fine to refill the pitcher with ice and water but you need to replace the fruits and veges after 24 hours.

4-8 ounces of Activia low fat vanilla or mixed berry yogurt mixed with 12-1 cup of fresh or frozen fruit to which NO SUGAR has been added.

I slice of whole wheat bread, or half of a small whole wheat muffin topped with an egg made your way.

If you fry or scramble use cooking spray.

Lunch

Light brothy soup loaded with veges

side salad with 1- 2 ounces of any dressing

4 ounces of chicken or fish, baked, pan seared, grilled .. anything but fast food or deep fried.

Dinner

This where I eat what I want but keep the portion sizes SMALL with a salad taking up at least half my dinner plate. 

This is the time that my choices may not be as healthy as breakfast and lunch but so long as they are small I can still have my hamburger and eat it too. Just not a double -double with bacon and thousand island dressing ..a side of deep fried fries and a fat coke...

Be sure to drink your delicious water through out the day. Also choose healthy snacks, such as fresh fruit.. nuts, fresh veggies with a little bit of dip. 

If you notice most of the menu is basically as close to fresh and not processed as possible.

Remember that this is a belly buster TIP.. it may not reflect the nutritional needs your body may require for long term dieting. It's certainly a decent jumping off point tho.. 

ok enough!

 Enjoy!

*** every recommendation in this blog is based on personal experience with each product and all my own opinion and not to be considered medical advice, especially the belly busting tip. Be an adult and mind your choices*