Friday night treats: Yummy facials

After a long week's work, I love winding down by just pampering myself. One of my favorite things is making delicious facial masks from the things I've got in the fridge.
If you learn some of the characteristics of fruits and vegetables, you can usually put together a fully working mask yourself in no time. Some are exfoliating, like citrus and strawberry. To sooth, use honey, strong chamomile tea or oatmeal. Does your face need refreshing after a week in front of the computer, try some cucumber. For dry skin, use olive oil or avocado. Once you've decided what you want to do and looked through your fridge, choose a base (oatmeal, banana, avocado, something that will soak up the other ingredients) and put in a blender. You should use less of the other ingredients, be careful with liquids and the exfoliating ones so you don't use too much, then blend everything together until you've got a smooth batter that isn't runny. Smear it on your face, avoid the area around your eyes and lips. Leave on for 10-20 minutes, then rinse off.
I like to lie down on the couch (with a towel under my head should the mask drip), with cucumber slices over my eyes (it does get rid of bags and dark circles) and listen to classical music while the mask does it's magic. It's also a fun thing to do together with friends, why not buy all sorts of fruits and vegetables so everyone can make their own mask? You can use the rest for tasty snacks.
What do you do to relax at the end of the week?

Skin care: Getting a daily routine

A lot can and will happen to our skin over the years, this everyday skin care routine will help your skin to perform it's very best. In this post I'll go over step by step how to work your daily routine and the skin care staples you need. The routine stays the same all your grown up life, only the products change.

- First of all you need a facial cleanser. Your face doesn't have the same texture or pH as the skin on your body, so you should get a cleanser that is for facial use. Clean your face as the product description says, some are used like soap with water and some don't need water. Dry your face with a clean towel.

- Then you use a toner. A toner is a liquid that removes the last traces of the cleanser, minimizes the pores and prepares the skin to accept a moisturizer.

- Use an eye cream on the delicate area around your eyes. Dab a small amount with your fingertips until it's soaked in, avoid the eyelids, it will get there anyway. Try putting some on your lips, I tell you why here!

- The final step is moisture. Use a day cream in the morning and a night cream before going to bed. The day cream will give you the protection you need from stress, dust and fumes. Some even have SPF. The night cream on the other hand cares for your skin and gives it the nourishment it needs to heal and regenerate while you sleep. Massage the cream into your face, starting at the centre and working up and out. Use enough to get an even coverage, but not more that your skin soaks up.

Use these steps twice a day and it will soon be as natural as brushing your teeth. Skin care series for men often don't include toners and different creams for day and night. Men's skin often don't need as much pampering as women's, if you feel like you need or want more, ask in your store for what they've got to offer. If you wear makeup, always take it off before going to bed, your skin will thank you!

I love: Touche Éclat

One item I wouldn't want to live without is my YSL Touche Éclat in 01. It's the best dark circle concealer ever made, the light reflecting effect lifts all signs of late nights and stress and the light tint gives you an even skin tone, concealing all shallow veins and discoloration. Just dab it lightly under your eyes and voila! you're ready to go! The effect is so natural, even makeup shy guys can use it to hide all traces of fatigue! Try putting some just outside the contour at the center of your mouth for a puckering effect. Chose a matching colour or one shade lighter.

I got the question: How do I pick the colour for my foundation?

Foundation is the product most people struggle with finding the right colour of. When you try to find a colour, don't just try it on your hand in the store, you won't get it right 98% if the times. The colour of your hand, or even the back of your wrist isn't the same as your face.
What you do want to do is to try it on your cheakbone, right where it meets your neck, it is after all there it needs to match, one of the worst foundation fails is to get a line where the foundation ends. Don't try just one shade, try two, three or even four, to make sure you get the right one. Then go outside, the store lights will give you a totally different experience. Wear your foundation smears for a couple of hours in different lights, does it look different in daylight than it does at your desk? What you want to look for is a shade that blends with the colour of your neck, make sure it doesn't get darker, you usually have more colour your face than on your neck. If you're not sure, go one shade lighter rather than darker. If you feel pale, you can always get some colour with a touch of blush or bronzing powder. You can also ask the store for a free sample to take home, that way you can be totally sure before you spend any money.
Our complexion either has a warm or a cold tone, so does foundation. If you've got a pink skin tone and use a warm foundation colour, you will look orange, the other way around you will look sickly. L'Orèal True Match Foundation presents all the colours in both warm (W) and cold (C) tones, with matching concealers and powders. I'm a natural pale, redish blonde and wear C1.
Remember that you often need a darker tint during the summer and lighter tint during winter. A foundation should be thrown out 24 months after it's opened.

How to: Make that lipstick stick

I'm totally addicted to lipstick, I love the feel of it, the look of it, the feeling of power that comes with wearing it and, in case of my favorite red, Dior's classic no. 999, the smell of it. I wear lipstick for all occasions. So how to make it stay in place and keep it's colour?
First of all, quality does matter. You don't have to buy Chanel all the time, but check out the brands in the store, try them on your hand, smell them, ask the sales pearson to try it. Invest in one or two colours, perhaps one for a party and one for the office, or one for the summer (I love corals and oranges in the summer) and one for winter (go bold as the weather goes gray, with bright red or berry shades).
Next thing to do, is to find a matching pencil, or lip liner. You should find one as close in colour to your lipstick as possible, or a tad lighter. I prefer a softer, creamier pencil, a lot of them also have nourishing ingredients.

How to do it:

-Start with a clean, dry and well moistured lip.

-Apply liner all over your lips. Start with the contours then fill in the rest. This will help you get a nice and even shape of your mouth before applying the lipstick and will protect the colour from fading. When the lipstick starts to wear off, the liner will remain.

-Apply lipstick on top, cover it all up.

-Bite off on a clean tissue, two or three times until the colour is dried and doesn't smear.

-Apply a second layer of lipstick.

-Bite off on a clean tissue again, just once.

-Pucker up and be on your way!*

*Stay away from salads with dressing and other oily food, oil will dissolve your lipstick no matter what you do. Kiss proof lipstick does not exist, but put a little bit of translucent powder between the lipstick layers and you'll be safe for many kisses.

Multi use items: Conditioner

This week's multi use item is one in (almost) any woman's shower, a simple conditioner. You use it to get those luscious locks detangled or to keep that straight hair thick and shiny, but you can also use it as... shaving cream! Put a tiny amount on your legs when you shave and it will help the blades glide smoothly and gives your skin care and moisture in the meantime. You'll also be able to see what you do while you shave, your razor won't get filled up with foam that makes the shave uneven, and if that isn't enough, you'll get one bottle less to take up room in the shower!