Christmas Break

Just letting everyone know I'll be taking a short break from blogging during the holidays.

Will return in a couple weeks.

In the meantime, please check in with me on the Examiner/losangeles. I currently serve as the Los Angeles Beauty Examiner and will be updating regularly through the holidays.

Thanks and Merry Christmas!


http://www.examiner.com/x-27280-LA-Beauty-Examiner

Eyebrow Shaping Tutorial

Often times we overlook the fact that our eyebrows can help amplify our looks and overall appearance. Did you know that certain styles and shapes look better on certain people, based on hair color, thickness, and other facial features? Shaping your eyebrows can be a challenging task if you’ve never done it before, and in the recession it’s not always affordable to shuck out $20 to get them waxed and shaped at a salon.

Here are a few tips to consider in attempting the task at home.

1. Invest in a good pair of tweezers. I recommend Tweezerman tweezers because of the company’s free sharpening and replacement policy. You don’t even have to pay shipping!

2. Think about your facial features. Take a good long look in the mirror and examine your face, and how your eyebrows naturally grow. Generally, your natural growth pattern will be most appropriate for face but in need of some cleaning up and management. For example, if your eyebrows have a natural, significant arch but appear overgrown and even brushy, then it’s best to continue with your natural pattern.

3. To get the desired arch shape, take a straight edge or a ruler and line it up with the bottom side of your nose (right near the nostril) with the outermost part of your iris. Where the straight edge intersects with your eyebrow should be the peak of your arch, or highest point. Follow this rule for both eyebrows to obtain symmetry.

4. The width of your eyebrow should begin in correspondence to the innermost part of your eye. To determine the ending spot, use the straight edge and line up the outermost part of your nose with the outer part of your eye.

5. To determine the thickness of your eyebrows, consider the strength and sharpness of your facial features. If you have strong features, keep your eyebrows at a medium or full level. If you have soft, subtle features, go medium to thin.

Eyebrow shapes for Different Facial Types:

1. Round faces should consider arching eyebrows. This provides dynamic in your face.

2. Long, oval faces may consider a flatter, subtle arch style which will consolidate your features.

3. Angular shaped faces might consider curved, rounder eyebrows to soften your features.

If you don’t trust yourself to free-hand it, consider eyebrow stencils to aid in shaping. Most stencils come in a variety of arch shapes and styles and thickness levels to compliment your face.

Here is a step-by-step video by HowdiniGuru explaining the process.

And that's all there is to it!

Hope you enjoyed my mini eyebrow tutorial!
-AnnaLou

The Deep Dark Secrets of DIY Beauty

Every Friday I spend my last hour of the day lying in bed watching 20/20, my favorite news show. Last week, as I was drifting to sleep I saw two segments of the show that I felt I absolutely must share with everyone. They include at-home cosmetic procedures gone wrong, and how tanning salons are lacking in their ethics when it comes to tanning addicts.

There are some frightening images of people now scarred for life, with blisters and facial deformities from at-home treatment of beauty chemicals bought online. Being a woman has certain pressures and expectations to stay young and flawless until you die. I beg you, don’t buy in. Never, ever buy any type of self-injecting chemicals online that claim to reduce your wrinkles or plump your lips. These procedures can have devastating results.

When it comes to tanning, limit the frequency and duration of your sessions. Many people fail to acknowledge that you CAN get cancer from a tanning salon if you abuse it. Not all establishments are looking out for you, despite government regulations. Your body is your responsibility. If you must tan, “fake bake” or use some type of protection.

To view the videos, visit www.abcnews.go.com/2020

• Tanning Salons Downplay Health Risks


• DIY Cosmetic Products: Women Turn to Web

Livestrong Dares to Be Healthy

A Recommendation from your Beauty Blogger...

About six months ago I stumbled onto the Livestrong website, became a member, and started keeping a food journal. One of the major benefits of the Livestrong website is that you can find the calorie content in popular fast food and restaurant meals without having to search all over the web. You can search for things you’ve had to eat throughout the day, even finding specific brands that may have a slight variation in calorie content. In addition, at the end of the day, Livestrong’s Daily Plate service, free of charge, displays a pie chart with a breakdown of how much fat, carbohydrates, and protein you’ve consumed.

Here’s how it works.

When signing up, you are asked to enter your height and weight to determine your BMI. At that point, you enter in whether you’d like to maintain your current weight or lose weight, and at the desired rate. (For example, 2lbs a week) You are then assigned a daily caloric intake to lose the desired amount of weight at a safe and moderate rate, such as 1500 or 1300 calories a day.
You can even track how many calories you are burning for a huge variety of exercise routines including biking, walking (with different levels), running, dancing, and gardening. By recording the amount of physical activity you’ve done and the amount of food you’ve taken in, you are given a gross and net calorie count for the day.

In addition, the site provides a huge support system to help encourage you on your journey to healthier living. I highly recommend Livestrong. So go ahead, I dare you.

-AnnaLou

How Holiday Drinking Can Affect Your Health

Today I heard a story from a close friend of mine. In catching up about our weekends this morning, she filled me in about a celebration she went to Saturday night. It consisted of the typical boozing, binging, and puking phenomena that seems to go hand-in-hand with parties. I grimaced at the thought and asked her if she had fun. Her response? A half smile, followed by a sigh.

I wonder if holiday parties and binge drinking are one in the same. Funny enough, in my daily news feed is a story titled "The Happy Hour Health Trap" by Paige Greenfield about women and their drinking habits, and why it's bad for your body.

Here are some stats from her article:

• "In a survey in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 80 percent of women ages 21 to 40 reported that they drink—a significant increase over 10 years ago. "
• "Nearly 63 percent of women ages 21 to 34 report binge drinking (defined as downing five or more alcoholic beverages on a single occasion), according to recent research from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health."
• "...A watershed study published earlier this year in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that revealed even moderate drinking raises cancer risk by an alarming degree. Researchers followed more than a million women for an average of seven years and found that regularly having just one drink per day increased their chances of common forms of cancer including those of the breast, rectum, liver, esophagus, oral cavity and pharynx."
• The "average mixed drink has 300 calories...three adds almost 1,000 calories to your daily caloric intake."

Take the time to read the full story "The Happy Hour Health Trap" by Paige Greenfield to learn more about how alcohol consumption can put your body at significant risk of disease and alcoholism.

When facing the inevitable holiday parties, drink responsibly and be healthy. While alcohol may be alluring and a "guarantee" for a good time, in the long run is it worth it?

-AnnaLou

Totally Weird Experiment Involving Garlic

Browsing around for some neat body facts, I read an article about an experiment involving garlic. According to the article, if you rub garlic on your foot, you can taste it in your mouth 15 minutes later. Weird right?

Apparently the experiment demonstrates the body's capability to act as a sponge, absorbing and circulating anything you put on your skin. While I'm not so sure I'd like to try this myself, it reaffirms the amazing bodies we have!

To read the article, visit Glamour online.

-AnnaLou

Holiday Party Perfect

One of the fun things about winter is the weekly parties that co-workers, friends, and family seem to throw in lieu of the holiday season. It's an excuse to get out and do something, while looking adorable doing it. But, here's the problem. As much as we'd all like to spend two hours getting ready, doing our hair, makeup and style routine, there often isn't enough time. After all, we've got presents to buy!

So what's the busy beauty suppose to do come Friday night after a long afternoon of Christmas shopping? We need shortcuts that will make us look effortlessly gorgeous. And, once again, Allure comes in handy with their 5 minute makeup tips.

First, let's review some seasonal trends.

Purple is in. Period. Be it lavender, violet, plum or indigo. It's here and it's lovely and apparently belongs anywhere on your face and body. Enjoy.

Smokey eyes never seem to fade away these days. Giving that fanned out, dramatic look is always a hit at any social event. So, invest in liner.

Winter is all about big, romantic, sparkly eyes and a nude, neutral lip. Popular colors this season include gold, copper, silver, black, navy, and purple. Think earthy. Think drama.

Big hair. What is this, 1985? Volumized, teased, sexy hair is ultra popular right now. Granted, you don't want to look like a ragamuffin, but try a pomp or root lifter to avoid flat, dull, hair. Unique hair accessories are a must for party hair -- be it a jeweled barrette, a feathered clip, or silky headband.

This winter is about sultry with a hint of spice. Be careful not to go overboard and create a cabaret look, but a single pop in your outfit or makeup will make you shine.

Read Allure's article "5-minute Holiday Hair and Makeup Tricks" for instructions for creating your posh party persona.

-AnnaLou