I’m sure you have all heard that getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night is optimal for your health. Sleep is our bodies’ way of renewing itself and recuperating from the stress and the daily wear and tear of life. I honestly try to get my full 7 to 8 hours, heck, and I’d love 9 if I could manage it, but realistically women have many responsibilities that don’t always stop when the lights go off.  Between pets, kids and toys that spontaneously start *bleeping* in the wee hours, we often don’t get what our bodies need.

I recently received a letter from a busy mother of four even busier children. Becky writes,

Dear Jen,

I have a question for my friend the beauty blogger….what can I do about these puffy, dark eyes that I have? (Thanks in large part, I am sure to my beautiful new daughter! ) Do you have any ideas? I am currently using a Bobbi Brown eye moisturizing cream, but it does not seem to be doing the trick. I’d love any ideas.

I completely understand Becky, the one place that really shows the lack of sleep (and our age) are our eyes. (more…)

I am re-publishing this post today, both because I am feeling lazy, and because I just went over this technique with a friend this morning.  Actually, the REAL reason is to “ick” out Tracy because this picture looks like I am jabbing out my eye with a liner brush!  Enjoy.

Earlier this year, I mentioned one of my favorite eyeliner techniques using a flat eyeliner brush with a gel or liquid liner to create a very thin or tight line on your lashline.   The “tightline” is a fabulous technique for individuals who want to naturally enhance their lashes.

I use Laura Mercier’s flat liner brush with Bleu Marine and it stays on great and looks fabulous. If you have thin or sparse lashes this is an awesome way to define your eyes and make your lashes look thicker!

“with my Laura Mercier’s Flat Liner Brush I dot Bleu Marine eye liner above and below the lashes, to thicken my lash line and add some Oomph!  I think it turned out pretty cool, imho!  The brush in this position probably makes you cringe, and you need to be careful with it.  This liner technique just needs a steady hand and some practice.”

An excellent video to help demonstrate how to apply the tight eyeliner or “tightliner” technique in detail is found at:  http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=487834.

Kate from Megsmakeup.com mentioned that a thin eyeliner, like Tarte’s emphasEYES (that comes in chocolate, plum, green or black) is another way to create the tightline look.

No matter which eyeliner you choose, the tightliner technique is something you must try!

Elke Von Freudenberg is considered to be a Top 5 Eyebrow Specialist, and created her own specialty line, The MODEL BROW! 

1. Like Mo or DecoDiva, you can express yourself in St. Patty’s Day fashion with beautiful green color on your eyelids!

2.  You can go green by buying eco-friendly skincare or haircare products:

Like trying one (or several) of Herbaria’s green soaps in:  Triple Mint Oatmeal “Just in time for refreshment in warmer weather, we invite you to enjoy the natural menthol tingle and scent packed into this new bar,” Lime Coconut Aloe, or Spearmint Orange!

(more…)

DecoDiva created a stunning Green and Silver Eye that you could create this New Years Eve, or any evening where to really want to “knock their socks off!”  This is her step-by-step tutorial to walk you through this look.  And if you are on a budget – no worries, Aromaleigh and Meow Cosmetics offer generous sample baggies of many of their products for just $1.  Now we can all afford to get a wonderful selection of cosmetics and get a chance to try this look  for ourselves!

Start with a clean, moisturized face.

1. Put on Eye Shadow Primer.  (Eyeshadow Primer and Base from Aromaleigh in Light)

2. Put some black shadow on the outer vee area and a little in the crease. I used MAC Paint Pot in Blackground.

3. Apply some silver eye shadow all over the eye area, from lash line to eyebrows. I used Aromaleigh Fume (25% off, now $6). (more…)

When asked to create a list of favorite beauty products for 2008, both DecoDiva and Mo mentioned their love of Indelible Gel Eyeliners.  When such extraordinary makeup mavens heart such a find, one needs to pay attention!

If you are a fan of liquid eyeliners, and particularly MAC’s Fluidline, the Indelible “Gel” Eyeliner will most likely appeal to you.  Mo reviewed this eyeliner in Black Cherry from LooseLipsNY , and DecoDiva found the indelible gel eyeliner at Aromaleigh’s website.  DD noticed that Aromaleigh carried this product by customer request and that it was made by a third party (private label) company that supplies it to any company that wants to carry it, in the same colors and same formula. (more…)

After reading a compelling review of Clinique’s Clarifying Makeup Clear Skin Formula from Kate at Megsmakeup.com, it led to my stopping by the Clinique counter.  After discussing the pros and cons of this particular foundation, the Clinique Beauty Advisor said that she thought the newly re-formulated Superfit Makeup would be a better match for my particular skintype (combination and almost 40 yr. old skin).  Clinique changed the formula to enable this foundation to wick away sweat and excess oil and eliminate the midday shine or the late day fadeout.  After the Clinique Advisor applied this to my face and I felt it on my skin, I was sold.

This foundation blends well into the skin and provides buildable medium coverage, but I have noticed two problems while using it.  While Superfit makeup works well on my drier cheek areas, it looks a bit too shiny on my forehead and chin.  This might be due to some added light diffusers or shimmer in the foundation.  The other issue was that the shade I purchased (Petal) appears orange-y on my skin, not a perfect match.  I have also read several reviews of the Superfit Makeup that are saying similar things.  I would expect this foundation to be perfect for individuals with warmer tones and drier skin, and I believe the Clarifying Makeup would have been a better match for me personally.  So many times finding a wonderful foundation that works for your specific skintype is a trial and error experience! (more…)

Eye Treatments! Many of us cannot afford the $50+ eye cream and would prefer to be able to pick up a product from the drug store.  Here is my advice  for selecting an effective drug store brand eye cream.

1.  Read carefully through the product ingredient list. A good eye formula should have no strong fragrance or color, absorb quickly into your skin and contain beneficial ingredients like:

• Peptides. Only certain peptides are considered effective like Palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 (Matrixyl), and copper peptides should not be combined with retinoids, AHA’s or Vitamin C (in a nutshell, they cancel eachother out).
  Antioxidants. Vitamin C, E, green tea
  Caffeine. As strange as it may seem, caffeine diminishes inflammation and fluid retention around the eye.
  Sodium Hyaluronate. highly effective moisturizer
  retinyl palmitate (vitamin A). Speeds up cell turnover rate and has anti-aging benefits.

For example, L’Oreal’s Advanced RevitaLift Eye Cream contains shea butter, caffeine, and Retinyl Palmitate. I would say this might be a promising formula, but you might not like the fact that it has a strong fragrance or added color.  Another product like “Yes to Carrots” Eye can C Cleary Now Eye Contour Cream has cucumber water, carrot oil, Retinyl Palmitate, and vitamin c, also contains fragrance, but seems to list more natural recognizable ingredients. Whenever you venture buying any product read the ingredients carefully and keep your receipt.Â

2.  Eye creams should never sting or cause your eyes to tear-up. Eye creams should soothe not irritate your eyes.

3.  Your eyes should feel moisturized, but not greasy.

4. Results take time. Most eye treatments will take consistent use for 6 to 8 weeks before you can start noticing improvements.

I recently noticed an ad for Garnier Nutritioniste’s Skin Renew “Anti-Puff Eye Roller” that contains caffeine, Vitamin b-5 and “exclusive skin nutrients.” This looks like it might hold some promise for the puffiness issues and I would be curious exactly how it works to diminish the dark undereye circles.  In the *small print you will read that results were seen “after 8 weeks of use.” The women at Megsmakeup.com recently gave this product mixed reviews at, “GARNIER NUTRITIONISTE SKIN RENEW ANTI-PUFF EYE ROLLER! DRUGSTORE DEAL THURSDAYS!” (more…)

So many great beauty reads, so little time!

Jelly Pong: Pong Nude And Improved – Raging Rouge explains how “this handy little pencil isn’t just a primer, but can act as a concealer too!”

Purely Cosmetics – Pure Bionic Goodness! – Bionic Beauty discovers a wonderful mineral makeup line. “The biggest difference when I applied the Pure Silk Mineral Foundation was the feel.”

Sally b’s Skin Yummies – Lemon Sage Sugar Scrub – DecoDiva cannot get over how wonderful her skin smells and feels after using Sally B’s Lemon Sage Sugar Scrub.

CARGO HOLIDAY NIGHTS! SATURDAY AT SEPHORA! – Kate might still be building her wardrobe, but one thing she has down pat, Kate knows a great makeup palette when she sees one!

90s Ladies Week: Clueless About Foundation? As If! – I laughed all the way through this post about the 90’s. Spoiled Pretty’s new favorite, Make Up For Ever’s HD Invisible Cover Foundation!

Sneek Peek: MAC Hello Kitty Part Deux… The Makeup Girl posts about newly announced release dates for MAC’s Hello Kitty Colour Collection and Hello Kitty Kouture! Meow!

New Posts from Mythbuster Beauty:

• Urban Decay’s Urban Essentials Giveaway (hurry, the deadline is 11.26!)
  
• DecoDiva: The Right Tools for Liquid, Gel, or Powder Eyeliners
• FGW: Timelapse Wands, skin smoothing in a stick?
• Sally B’s Skin Yummies: Such a Treat!
• Beauty Bubble: Using your skincare products in the right order.