MARCH MADNESS! 31 days/31 beauty tips!

#17 - With the hot, humid weather approaching we could all benefit from a good oil control tip. Soak up grease and make pores look smaller with a tomato mask. Cut a tomato in half and rub it on your face, focusing on your t-zone. Leave the juice on 10 minutes, then rinse.

MARCH MADNESS! 31 days/31 beauty tips!

#16 - Rub away rough patches on hands, feet, knees, and elbows with a mixture of olive oil and either sea salt or sugar. The olive oil moisturizes while the salt or sugar grains exfoliate your skin.

MARCH MADNESS! 31 days/31 beauty tips!

#15 - After you paint your nails, add a shiny topcoat. And if you're impatient like me, look for one labeled "quick dry." You can also run your nails under cold water to harden the polish quicker, and then rub a little petroleum jelly on each nail to prevent smudging.

MARCH MADNESS! 31 days/31 beauty tips!

#14 - Yes, face and body moisturizers help nourish your skin, but there is one thing that tops any product on the shelves, WATER!

MARCH MADNESS! 31days/31 beauty tips!

#13 - Winged liquid eyeliner on the top lash line is ultra glam. It will make your lashes appear longer and thicker. But be precise in your application, liquid eyeliner can be a bit tricky. Use makeup remover and a q-tip or wipes to clean up any mistakes.

MARCH MADNESS! 31 days/31 beauty tips!

#12 - When you're down to your last drop of foundation or concealer, don't toss it just yet. Scrape it out with a butter knife or an object small enough for the container, then put it in some aluminum foil. Then apply it with a brush or sponge and get your full monies worth. Every penny counts now-a-days!

MARCH MADNESS! 31 days/31 beauty tips!

#11 - This one may be a shocker, but its been said that using preparation H under the eyes can take away those morning bags. I have not tried this yet, but I wouldn't count it out! The things we women do in the name of beauty...

MARCH MADNESS! 31 days/31 beauty tips!

#10 - Five minute face: skip concealer and only apply your foundation all over instead. Apply one neutral eye shadow color from lid to brow or just on your lid. Apply mascara on both top and bottom lashes. Apply bronzer/blush on cheeks. Then apply lip stain or gloss. And just that quick your out the door looking stylish as ever!

MARCH MADNESS! 31 days/31 beauty tips!

#9 - Lip Conditioner can be used on dry spots and patches on your eyelids and face. The deep conditioning properties help to penetrate the dry skin cells. This really works well, especially in the dry winter months. And as always, I swear by cocoa butter products, including lip conditioner.

MARCH MADNESS! 31 days/31 beauty tips!

#8 - If you wear a scarf on your hair at night, add an extra layer of protection by putting moisturizer around your edges.

MARCH MADNESS! 31 days/31 beauty tips!

#7 - When plucking your eyebrows, try shaping them in accordance with your facial features. This will enhance your personal looks. Not everyone can wear the same shape and no two eyebrows are the same. You can even try an eyebrow stencil to help you along. Or better yet, contact us! We'll do it for you! www.epearl.vpweb.com

MARCH MADNESS! 31 days/31 beauty tips!

#6 - Dramatic eyes are best when worn at night. A dramatic smokey eye is perfect for a night out on the town. Save it for special occasions so as not to wear off the appeal.

MARCH MADNESS! 31 days/31 beauty tips!

#5 - When applying product to your face always try to rub in an upward motion.  This will help massage your facial muscles in the right direction and help prevent wrinkles. 

MARCH MADNESS! 31 days/31 beauty tips!

#4 - We all love to wear dark, warm nail polish colors especially in the Fall and Winter seasons. But if you don't wear artificial nails, dark nail polish can stain your real nails. If this happens, soak them in denture cleaner to remove the discoloration.

MARCH MADNESS! 31 days/31 beauty tips!

#3 - Yes, brown-skinned ladies can wear vivid colors on their lips too! Apply foundation to your lips by lining them with a precision brush. This will help the color stay true to the shade, as well as keep it from bleeding. Then apply your vivid color. The result, flawless bold lips!

MARCH MADNESS! 31 days/31 beauty tips!

#2 - Change your pillow cases and head scarf weekly so that the oils from your hair don't transer to your face causing breakouts.

March Madness! 31days/31 beauty tips!

#1 - Got dark circles under your eyes? Use the right camouflage. Orange and blue are opposite each other on the color wheel, so dab a little bit or orange based cover-up under your eyes to get rid of the bluish tint of the dark circles . Then apply your concealer. And ta-da! No more dark circles!

Official pictures from Industry Standard Natural Hair & Beauty Fashion Show (Chicago)!

http://jerjohn.com/i-s-fashion-show

Cream Eye Shadow

In preparation for an upcoming event I was trying to decide on what makeup look I want to achieve. I decided to try a cream shadow that I've used in the past, its actually one that can be used as a shadow or cheek color. So, I'd like to share a bit of advice... If you have oily lids stay away from cream eye shadows as they have a tendency to crease faster. If you do use cream shadow make sure to use a shadow primer before application and apply a thin dusting of powder shadow over it to set it. This will help prevent creasing. 

Photo shoot

E. Pearl's first official photo shoot pt. 1 was a TOTAL SUCCESS! Pt. 2 next Friday. Stay tuned for the reveals!

Men and Eyebrow Grooming

I'm sure you've all seen the guys walking around with thin perfectly waxed and shaped brows. You've also seen other guys wearing caterpillars for eyebrows. Let me say first, I love a perfectly shaped brow... on a woman. Men are supposed to be manly and a little scruffy looking, unless you're a metrosexual of course, do ya thang. But for the average guy, leave the brows alone. Lightly trim them with scissors if they are wild looking, and always get rid of a unibrow, but please leave the perfectly manicured and arched brows for the ladies.

EVENT NEWS!

Natural Hair & Beauty Fashion Show in Chicago. Get your tickets while they're still available! January 22nd 6pm - 10pm.

Click here to purchase tickets

Click here to view the informational video by Meechy Monroe

Concealer: Application and product recommendations

Concealer is used to cover over skin blemishes and imperfections.  Be sure you know what your skin undertones are before purchasing (see post from October 4th).  It should also be one shade lighter than your skin tone because it has to blend the darker, blemished pigmentation and your natural skin tone into one flawless tone.  And I can say from experience, do your research and read reviews.  I recently purchased a concealer by Cover Girl Queen Collection to try something different.  The color was perfect but the consistency was watery.  I added powder to try and bulk it up, which kind of worked, but not to the consistency that a concealer should be in order to do its job, which is to conceal.  I do not recommend this product.  Recommended concealers: #1 Mary Kay, #2 Loreal.  Of course Mary Kay has to be purchased through a consultant, but if you are looking to make a purchase at your local drug store, Loreal does the job well.  Both offer an array of shades and the consistency is perfect.  When applying, you can use a concealer brush, but I prefer the tip of my finger to dab it on and blend it in.  Once your concealer is applied, apply your foundation and/or powder to create that flawless finish.  (All of the above applies to under eye highlighter for dark circles as well).

Find the perfect blush - Cool and warm undertones

Your skin tone is your guide for selecting a blush shade. If your skin has cool undertones (silver looks best on you), choose plums, mauves, and cool pinks. If your skin has warm undertones (gold looks best on you), choose earth-toned colors. If your skin has neutral undertones, choose colors like rose, coral, and sandalwood (pinkish beige).

How to know if you have cool (blue) or warm (yellow) undertones - Look at the inside of your forearms, if your veins are more blue then you have cool undertones. If they look more green you have warm undertones... yellow + blue = green. And again, cool tones look best in white metals and yellow tones look best in gold metals. However, some people are color balanced but most are cool. Here is a helpful chart:

Why use eye shadow primer & product review of Ruby Kisses 24/7 Magic Primer

The purpose of eye shadow primer is to prevent your eye shadow from creasing and to help the colors appear more vibrant. Your skin exudes natural oils throughout the day, even on your eyelids. When eye shadow is applied without primer, whether it's cream or powder, it'll crease at the skin folds on your lids where the oils collects. This makes for a splotchy uneven look. Also, when primer is not used eye shadow can appear dull and lackluster. Almost every cosmetic line makes an eye shadow primer and some come in various shades and textures as well. I have not tried them all of course, but my favorite at the moment is Ruby Kisses 24/7 Magic Primer for a few reasons: #1 its for all skin tones because it goes on sheer, #2 it's not thick or cakey, #3 it's inexpensive, #4 it helps the colors apply smoothly and makes them more vibrant, #5 its long lasting. I've had clients tell me they've even slept with their eye shadow on and woke up with it still in prefect condition the next morning (although I would never recommend going to bed with makeup on). Overall, I highly recommend using eye shadow primer, and Ruby Kisses 24/7 Magic Primer in particular. I purchased mine at my local beauty supply store, but you can also purchase it online at http://www.rubykissescosmetics.com/

How to exercise and still maintain your hairstyle

Limit the amount of sweat that gets into your hair by putting it into a ponytail and/or wrap your hair with a scarf before working out. Also wear an easy to maintain style that will not be ruined with exercise like a bob, layered cut or natural hairstyles. If you do water aerobics be sure to tie your hair up and wear a scarf and/or swim cap to prevent your hair from getting wet. Following these tips will help you stay cute AND fit!

Health & Hair Expo

I was recently informed about another health and hair expo coming up in Milwaukee.  I don't have many details but here is what I do know:

Event: United Healthcare Community Plan Women's Health & Hair Expo
Date: September 25th
Location: Frontier Airline Center (formerly Midwest Express Center)
Price: $27 (free if you have United Healthcare as your insurance provider)

Again, I'm not exactly sure what will take place at this event, if it will be geared towards African-American health & hair or if it will be a mixed crowd. 

Visit the Frontier Airlines Center website for updates http://www.midwestairlinescenter.com/events/704-united-healthcare-community-plan-women-s-health---hair-expo

Men and Facial Hair

There a lot of modern men prefer a clean shaven face.  However there are some who may look nice with a nicely trimmed mustache, goattee, stubble, sideburns, five O' Clock shadow or beard.  Now-a-days we see it all whether it be in the hip-hop world or other pop culture genres.  Almost anything goes.  The key is to find the best look for your individual style; classic, hip hop, rocker, urban chic, conservative, the list goes on.  Check out the links below to view some facial hair styles, old and new, and see what might suit you.
http://www.ftmguide.org/facialhair.html
http://www.askmen.com/grooming/appearance/top-8-timeless-facial-hair-styles_8.html
http://glo.msn.com/relationships/what-his-facial-hair-says-about-him-5099.gallery
     

New makeovers!

Check out new before and after pics of E. Pearl clients!  To view, click the E. Pearl link above and be redirected to our website.

Coco Curls Update - Ingredients

Good news!  I actually heard back from Coco Curls regarding my request for an ingredients list (or at least the featured ingredients).  Here it is:

Aloe Vera Juice, Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Honey, Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Ceteary Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Dehydroxanthan Gum, Fragrance Oils.