**COMING SOON!!**

Hey guys!

I know I haven't done a new post in a while so I wanted to update you on a couple of things. A new site will be coming soon and it's turning out to be absolutely stunning! I can not wait to share it with you. It will be a little more interactive and user friendly. You can get a little preview of the newness up top. Just check out that fabulous new logo!

Stay tuned for more info! Love you guys!

XOXO - Megan

Tips for Applying Makeup to "Older/Still Fabulously Gorgeous" Skin

Let's face it ladies. We all (despite our greatest efforts!) will eventually start to show our age. It's just how Jesus meant for it to be. This does not mean that we must give up and roll with it. There are many tips and tricks that will help to hide those laugh lines that we've earned throughout the years. Through out this article, we will address many concerns and how we work through them. Enjoy!

First things first, every thing starts and ends with skincare. This is true for even the youngest of skin and, believe it or not, you are never to young to start your anti-aging regimen. How you treat your skin wears on your face kind of like the pages of a book. Your skin tells your story.

Use a serum that will help to plump out those fine lines and wrinkles. Serums with vitamin C are great for this purpose as they sink to the second layer of your skin making them more effective. Then top with a moisturizer that is going to keep you hydrated (perhaps one with hyaluronic acid). This will also help to diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles and keep you glowing all day.

Now that we have covered skincare, let's go through what you can do throughout your Makeup routine that will help to enhance your natural features.

1. Try using a foundation primer followed by a tinted moisturizer or a lightweight foundation. Using a thick and creamy foundation tends to draw more attention to the wrinkles simply because it will eventually settle into them. A primer will combat this and when paired with a lightweight foundation will look much more natural. Also, applying this with a brush instead of a sponge (I know its hard to put down your sponge that you have been using for years but it is for your own good!) will give you more coverage and lend to a much smoother appearance.

2. After applying your primer and foundation, follow with your concealer. Choose a concealer color that MATCHES your skin tone. Using the pad of your finger (simply because it gives you much more control over your blending) or a smaller concealer brush, apply your concealer over your problem areas such as redness, age spots, and dark circles. Try applying your concealer under the eye a little lower than you would normally and in an upside down triangular shape. There is no need to take your concealer all the way to your lower lash line as it may settle into wrinkles there. Now blend. This will really help to visibly "lift" your eyes!

There will be more to come with this one! I'm currently working on pictures to help best illustrate what to do with your eye makeup so stay tuned!!

As always, thanks for reading.

XOXO - Megan

Rodan+Fields Mini Facial Review

Recently, I had a friend send me a facial she wanted me to try and, since I have a slight skincare obsession, I eagerly agreed to do so! The company that created the said facial is called Rodan+Fields, which was started by the people who created Proactiv (not my favorite thing in the world just to be clear) so naturally my curiosity was peaked.

It is a three part facial which includes a micro-dermabrasion paste, a retinol and peptide filled capsule, and then a silver capsule with a lip salve.

I waited until right before bed time to try this as that's typically when your skin gets the most benefit from it all. There was a precious/very clever card with instructions included that I had to show you guys. That can be seen in the above picture on the right.

Now, let's break it down by steps....

1. The Micro-Dermabrasion Paste - The stuff is a heavy duty exfoliator. You just open the packet and rub onto your face in circular motion making sure that you avoid the eye area. I scrubbed for about 20-30 seconds and then rinsed it off with warm water. Next, I patted my skin dry.

Can I just say that my skin felt so smooth when I was done! Literally, it was as soft as a baby's bottom. I wouldn't use this stuff more than once a week but that is the truth with most exfoliators. Give this stuff a shot and you won't regret it!

2. The retinol/peptide filled capsule - It is no secret that I adore retinol. It is one of the best skincare secrets that a girl can have due to the amount of benefits that it can provide your skin. It increases your cell turnover bringing forth newer skin cells and removing the dead ones. And a bonus? After exfoliating, your pores will be clear of dirt and oil making them more accepting of the retinol/peptide combo.

I opened up the capsule and applied it all over my face and neck area (can't neglect your neck area, ladies! We will start to show age there as well). I could most definitely tell a difference when I woke up the next morning! Not only was my skin brighter and more even (bye, bye discoloration!) but any problems areas that I had experienced (mostly my chin and nose) had cleared up.

3. The lip salve - I am not exactly sure what is in that stuff but my lips were very moisturized the next day. Coming from a chapstick guru who applies it a million times a day (I CAN NOT stand chapped lips), this is a nice little addition to a great little facial.

Overall, I very much so enjoyed this. Maybe my faith in the creators of Proactiv could possibly be restored after all!

If you guys are interested in trying this then comment below and I'll get you in touch with a consultant. It is a great pick me up and could possibly even be a great little gift for a fella to give his lady! :)

XOXO - Megan

Beauty Obsession: Eyebrows!

It is no secret that I am pretty picky about my eyebrows. I just like for them to look clean and natural. That's not to much to ask, right?

When shaping your eyebrows, you must remember a couple of key things...

1. You DO NOT want to over-pluck to where your eyebrows look too skinny but you don't want them to be incredibly bushy either. GREAT examples of No-No's shown below...



The eye makeup here is beautiful but those brows! They have got to go! 

I love Lily Collins. She is adorable and beautiful but those brows are far too thick!

2. You always want to give them a natural looking shape.

She looks like Ursula from the Little Mermaid...

Now that we've cover that, I'm going to tell you how I keep my brows in non-Ursula order...

I use a product from Hair Off called Instant Eyebrow Shapers. They are awesome! Let me go ahead and say that it will hurt when you use them. They are wax strips and beauty is pain, ladies! I place them where I want them to go and then viola! I have naturally shaped brows. This is what they look like...

Can be purchased here

The end result (with the help of dark brown eyeshadow, a skinny makeup brush, a toothbrush and hairspray to set) looks something like this...

This is completely untouched :) All I did was zoom in on my own eye.

If you have any question, just let me know! Thanks for reading.

XOXO - Megan

Top Pick Tuesday: Eye Creams

Eye creams may possibly be one of the most overlooked products in most ladies beauty routine. Many think that they don't need them. Others may possibly think that they are too expensive. I've heard many reasons but I can tell you two things, girls. They are worth EVERY CENT and you DO need them!

Here are my top picks for this Tuesday:

1. Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Intensive Eye Contour Cream ($55.00) - This is an incredibly creamy eye cream that will help to fight just about any eye concern that you may have including crows feet, lid wrinkles (YES! Finally an eye cream you can use under your eye and on the lid), dark circles, and undereye wrinkles. It is truly amazing.

2. Peter Thomas Roth Mega Rich Intensive Anti-Aging Cellular Eye Cream ($65.00) - Another creamy one, this eye cream helps to naturally boost the production of collagen and elastin creating firmer skin. What does this mean? Less wrinkles, that's what!

3. Perricone MD Hypoallergenic Firming Eye Cream  ($65.00) - This multi-tasking eye cream tackles pretty much every eye concern you could possibly have by firming, brightening. and moisturizing. The best thing about this one is that it truly is hypoallergenic for those of you who are more sensitive.

Don't let the prices stop you from trying these, ladies! The skin under our eyes is one of the very first places that we start to age. If you take the time to treat it right, you will minimize the problems that you have there. I promise!!

As always, thank you for reading!

XOXO - Megan

5 Ways to Get Rid of Blackheads

What are blackheads and why do we hate them so? They are unsightly little "plugs" of oil in our pores that look black from coming in contact with oxygen. They tend to take up residence in areas on and around our nose (most commonly) but can be found just about anywhere on our face.

So, how do we avoid and/or get rid of these? Here are 5 helpful ways to treat and avoid them...

1. Exfoliate. Adding exfoliation into your regular skincare routine helps to slough off dead skin cells, oil, and bacteria build up. Eliminate those three things and you will eliminate your blackheads.

My favorite exfoliator on the face of the planet.

 

2. Cleanse morning AND night. Washing your face on a regular basis helps to remove the oil that causes these little critters. However, just washing your face when you wake up won't do the trick. Being sure to cleanse off all of the free radicals (the nasty environmental things your skin is exposed to every day such as pollution, bacteria, or just anything in the air) from the day, helps your skin to rejuvenate at night while you sleep. This is the time when your pores repair themselves and push out a good bit of toxins. You don't want anything unnecessary getting trapped in there!

This is an incredibly gentle cleanser that will remove the dirt and oil but still leave your skin silky smooth.

3. Remove all of your make up before bed. Yes. All of it. Sleeping in your makeup stretches out the walls of your pores by clogging them. What results from this? Really large, unsightly, and gross blackheads and pimples that could have been completely avoided by TAKING OFF YOUR MAKEUP!

Keep these next to your side of the bed and you will no longer have an excuse for not taking off your makeup!

4. Use Glycolic Acid or Retinol. Both of these ingredients not only help to fight wrinkles, but they also help to promote healthy skin cell turnover by helping your skin to heal. They will help to return your pores to their natural size and tone at the same time leaving you acne and blackhead free. This is a win/win for you no matter what you do!

This stuff is AWESOME! Use it with caution though simply because if you do not follow the directions you can burn the crap out of yourself. Do everything exactly as you should and you will love the results!

5. Use a moisturizer. Moisturizing your skin keeps it hydrated meaning your skin won't feel like it needs to kick its oil production into overdrive. The less oil you produce the less blackheads you will have!

This is my all time favorite moisturizer because it is so light weight that you have no clue you are even wearing it! It also has vitamin C and we all know how much I adore that stuff.

As always, thank you for reading!

XOXO - Megan

Beauty Myths BUSTED!!

Common misconceptions that need to be put to rest...ASAP!

1. You can shrink your pores...FALSE! I repeat...FALSE! Your pore size is genetic and there isn't a dang thing that we can do about it. You can, however, stretch out the walls of your pores with makeup and other stressors. This will of course make them look larger. Only then can you technically "shrink" them back to their original size. 

2. Cocoa Butter will prevent stretch marks...FALSE! Stretch mark's are another genetic wonder that you do in fact get from your mama. And while there are ways to "treat" stretch marks that will help their appearance, there is no way to really prevent them. Slathering on cocoa butter while pregnant does nothing but help with the itching and make you really greasy... 

3. Tanning helps to clear up your skin...TRUE! While this may work for you, the effects will only be temporary. Tanning takes moisture out of your skin, meaning your body will produce more oil to make up for what is being taken away. What does this mean for you? It can actually cause more problems than you had to begin with as your pores can become clogged with the excess oil and numerous dead skin cells (layers of them, actually) that have been damaged by the tanning bed.  

4. Brushing your hair a lot helps it grow...FALSE! While brushing your hair does stimulate your hair follicles and increase blood circulation, too much tugging will actually cause your hair to become more fragile and break. Find a happy medium in between a lot and just a little. This will take you much further.

5. Age spots are something that everyone has to deal with eventually...FALSE! Age spots are actually caused by TOO MUCH SUN EXPOSURE. Want to combat this? Put on some dang sunscreen!

6. Split ends can be repaired...FALSE! Once your hair emerges from the scalp, it is DEAD - as in can not repair itself in anyway. The only way to rid yourself of them completely is to get them cut off and then take better care of your hair so that they do not re-occur.

7. In order for skincare products to work, you need to stick to one brand...FALSE! This is probably one of the most ridiculous things that I have ever heard. While some brands do create products that complement each other, you can find many other products from other brands that will complement that said product as well. Its all about the ingredients in the bottle NOT THE NAME BRAND ON THE OUTSIDE.

8. If I put on two different sunscreens with a different SPF, it will add up to a higher protecting SPF...FALSE! FALSE! FALSE! Although I love your admiration for sunscreen, that is just not how it works. If you start with an SPF of 50 and then add an SPF of 30...you are still sitting pretty at an SPF of 50.

9. Shaving your hair makes it grow back thicker...FALSE! The thickness of your hair is determined by genetics and your hair follicles, not how often you shave. Your hair will grow back the same way every single time regardless. Don't believe me? Ask your dermatologist.

10. You do not have to wear sunscreen on a cloudy day...FALSE! The sun's rays will make it through those clouds no matter what and not wearing an SPF can be a majorly poor decision (not to mention painful) on your part! In some cases, cloud cover can intensify the sun's UV rays and make you burn faster. Yes. That is true.

Feel free to comment below! And, as always, thank you for reading.

XOXO - Megan