TimeWise® Microdermabrasion – "at home" alternative to a cosmetic procedure

I'm often asked what I do to have nice skin, even from guys. :) Which is kind of nice because I always thought boys don't notice things like that. ;)

My number one beauty secret to maintaining healthy skin is exfoliation followed by sun protection with a moisturizer of at least SPF 15. I also have acne prone skin so it's necessary for me to exfoliate to control blemishes. Our skin naturally regenerates itself to reveal newer skin however as we age it doesn't regenerate as fast as it used to so we need a little help.

We have all heard of microdermabrasion treatments at the physician's office to help in the skin renewal process to fight fine lines, minimize pores and improve skin texture. Several of my girlfriends have done it and can attest to its effectiveness. However, when asked how often do they need to go through this procedure, the answer is often not that regular because it's costly and can be quite dramatic for some. One or two treatments will not allow your skin the regular renewal it needs to achieve that healthy glow. We need to do it regularly. That is why I'm so excited about Mary Kay's latest product, TimeWise Microdermabrasion set, a 2 step program that gives you the microdermabrasion treatment at home using the same microbeads that are being used at the doctor's office. Each set will give you 60 treatments where you can use twice a week.

Key findings after using the Set for just one week:

· 85% saw an improvement in skin texture
· 73% saw a reduction in appearance of fine lines
· 71% saw pores that looked smaller

*In a consumer study conducted by a U.S. independent research facility.

To learn more about it, you may email me at lisa@thelovely.ca and I will be happy to provide you with a complimentary treatment or go to Mary Kay website to read all about it.

xo,

Lisa

L-O-V-E

I said in my Beauty Tips for Spring Bride post that I would touch on the topic of love another time and today is the right time as every where I went I was reminded of it.

It started off in the morning with wedding photos from my friend Becky's wedding over the weekend which she shared on her Facebook. She was glowing with happiness and surrounded by little princesses. What a beautiful bride she made. Then later in the morning I read an article by Danielle LaPorte on her blog, "What Would Love Do?" . I could relate to two primary points from the article, that love is patience and kind. In the afternoon my beautiful friend called and talked about one of our friends who is having some doubts about her relationship and what it meant to love someone truly. Then my day ended with a last minute bike ride/marathon training invitation with a couple of friends at Marinaside. When I arrived at my friend's appartment, one of my girlfriends was on the couch all curled up in a big ball moaning in agony of lost love... So we decided to ditch the ride and ate junk food the entire evening instead. We had a long girl talk about love. Really long talk and we laughed a whole lot.

I've been fortunate in many ways when it comes to love. I have the love of solid family, love of friends and was given true and unconditional love very early on in life that has shaped my life and my decisions. I learnt that true love is a special gift shared by two people who connect in many ways, and they make it easy for each other to give without reservation. It is easy. It defies time, distance, and space, in that absence makes love grows stronger and long distance relationship is absolutely possible. It is also unconditional in that regardless of how things may end, they love each other anyway and only want the best for one anoother. True love is also very solid, in that it gives those two people the security and confidence in knowing that their love can overcome any difficulty. It also gives them courage to be fearless and the conviction that nothing will get in the way of their love. It is truely once in a lifetime experience.

Like what Danielle LaPorte wrote in White Hot Truth , love is something we all aspire for no matter how many times we fail. So lucky are those who know what it is. :) And I am so ever grateful...

After we parted, my girlfriends and I agreed that in order to get our friend back again, we will have to meet almost every night and eat a whole heck of a lot more junk food and ice cream for the next 2 weeks. :) It's all good and thank God for girlfriends.

To love,
Lisa

The Other Beauty Duties

So I've been giving my Twitter followers reminders of the daily steps they need to do to achieve beautiful skin. Below a recap:

1. Cleanse - you must wash your face before you go to bed at night, especially for the ladies who wear makeup!
2. Exfoliate - my beauty secret ;)
3. Freshen - to refine pores
4. Moisturize - hydrates your skin
5. Protect - sunblock to prevent wrinkles caused by sun exposure

The other beauty duties you need to do for yourself to get that pretty complexion: ;)

Beauty sleep - they didn't call it for no reason. The skin is our body's largest organ and it needs rest too! :)
Exercise - is just as important for our skin as our body
Nutrition - a dull complexion is a sign you're not eating properly with the right nutrients
Count your blessings - Ahuh... that's right, we need to think positive thoughts and count our blessings. We have many stressors daily that if we focus on them we'll destroy our immune system which affects our health. Think of the good things in your life now and make the best out of each situation. :)

To your pretty complexion ;)

Lisa

10 Beauty Tips for Spring Bride

We are definitely in Spring, though in Vancouver, you're not really sure sometimes.. ;) And where there's Spring, there's love in the air right? ;) Yah...I'll leave this alone for now.

I recently received an article from Paula Begoun on 10 Beauty Tips for the Spring Bride and since a couple of my girlfriends are actually getting married this Spring, I’d thought I’ll touch on the topic and share what I learnt from Paula here. These tips are great for brides to be, but also any lady can take away a few tips on the makeup techniques for the rest of the years in any occassion. We suggest that you take note of these tips and pass them along to your bridesmaids, Maid of Honor, and any family members that are part of your wedding party so they can look their best for any special occasion when lots of pictures will be taken and looked at throughout the years.

Before getting to the top 10 list, here is a general guideline all brides (and members of the bridal party, plus, from a skin-care perspective, the groom’s side) should keep in mind:

Regardless of the product, shade, or application technique, makeup is only as good as the skin it covers, so a good skin care regiment is very important. Take time in the months leading up to the big day to treat your skin well and avoid using products that cause irritation or can cause side effects such as dryness, flaking, or redness (the groom should be sure his shaving technique isn’t damaging his skin). Anticipate your skin’s needs based on its history and the weather (is the event in a location where it will be more humid, arid, or cold than your skin is used to?) then choose products accordingly.

1. Do not have a facial, microdermabrasion, peel, Botox injections, dermal fillers, or any other spa or dermatologist treatment within two weeks of the event, especially if you have not had such procedures performed in the past. The last thing you want to deal with is the complications that could result. If a trip to the spa is part of your bridal bliss, use the time to get a stress-relieving massage or manicure and pedicure rather than a facial.

2. You will be photographed and so must take the lighting into account. Outdoor wedding photos demand different makeup than indoor photos. Outdoor lighting is most flattering in late afternoon as the sun begins to set. If possible, avoid scheduling an outdoor wedding ceremony and photos for midday when the sun is directly overhead. This casts unwanted shadows on your face and is universally unflattering. Less makeup is preferred for outdoor weddings. Use a sheer, satin-matte foundation, a light dusting of pressed powder, powder blush, soft eyeshadow colors that are matte or barely shiny, and eyeliner that is dark brown or slate gray rather than black, which can look too harsh in daylight. Lips can be any color, but keep in mind that opaque lipstick with sheer makeup can look too contrasting. Generally, outdoor makeup looks best with creamy lipsticks or sheer lip stains. For mascara, choose brown if you have blonde hair (dyed or not). All other hair colors should stick with black mascara, preferably waterproof unless you’re sure you won’t cry! :)

3. For indoor ceremonies, you must take flash photography into consideration. A camera's flash tends to emphasize pink or ruddy skin tones, so proper camouflage with a neutral- to yellow-toned foundation is a must, even if you don’t normally wear foundation. Avoid foundations and powders with sunscreens in which titanium dioxide or zinc oxide are the active ingredients. Both of these mineral pigments have an opaque, reflective quality that can make your face look whiter than the neck in photos. A small amount of titanium dioxide in your foundation or powder is fine; it just shouldn't be an active ingredient where the concentration is considerably higher. Mineral makeup is a no-no for wedding makeup because it tends to contain an abnormally high amount of titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide.

4. Be sure your foundation matches your skin color exactly. Check to be sure there is no line of demarcation at the jaw, hairline, and temples. In general, liquid foundations with a soft matte finish work best because they are versatile and let your natural skin tone show through. Cream-to-powder and stick foundations tend to offer heavier coverage that, unless carefully blended, can look mask-like. It may be tempting, but do not mix a liquid shimmer product with your foundation to make skin look more radiant or dewy. In photos, even when used judiciously, shimmer can make skin look slick and greasy instead of luminescent, especially after wearing it for a few hours. And once the event begins, stealing away for full-face touch-ups is unlikely.

5. Seek a powder that closely matches your skin tone. Pressed powder is more portable and easier to use than loose powder. Look for a pressed powder with a silky texture and skin-like finish. Today's modern powder formulas (particularly those from Estee Lauder, L'Oreal, M.A.C., Prescriptives, and Maybelline) make skin look beautifully polished, not powdered or ultra-matte. Apply the powder with a professional brush, not a puff or sponge. If you have normal to dry skin, only powder the T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) and leave the cheeks with the soft matte finish your foundation provides. Be sure to bring the powder with you in a small bag or have one of your bridesmaid’s hang on to it for the inevitable touch-up. Purchase a retractable powder brush with a cap to keep things convenient and neat. Paula’s Choice Retractable Powder Brush is ideal.

6. For blush, powder formulas with a matte or satin matte finish tend to photograph best and hold up over the long haul. If in doubt about which shade to choose, opt for those in the rose or pink family if you have fair to medium skin and choose rosy-plum tones if your skin tone is medium to tan. Do not make the mistake of under-applying blush, especially for indoor photos. Wedding makeup is formal, and requires more color than you may normally wear. Make sure your blush is in the same tonal family as your lipstick (for example, pair a pink blush with a pink, berry, or rose-toned lipstick). Be sure to apply the blush with a full size professional blush brush rather than the inferior mini versions sold with many powder blushes. If you're stuck, go online and get Paula’s Choice Blush Brush works well for this purpose.

7. The color of your makeup design should come from your blush and lipstick, not your eyeshadow. Keep shadow tones muted and matte so that they emphasize, not compete with, your natural eye color. As a general rule, you can't go wrong with eyeshadow colors that have a brown, tan, taupe, or neutral base. Think earth tones (slate, shell pink, bronze) and "food" tones (cream, caramel, hazelnut, chocolate, and coffee). If you want to add a touch of shimmer to your eye makeup, find the sheerest product possible, apply sparingly to highlight your brow bone or the inner corners of your eyes, and make sure you like how it looks in photos before the big day arrives. Even a small amount of shine can look glaring and artificial in photos; Avoid any eyeshadows with a shiny finish that’s more glittery or sparkling than shimmery.

8. Pay attention to your eyebrows. Do not attempt any new tweezing techniques or patterns, but at least two weeks prior to the wedding do see a professional brow groomer who has loads of experience shaping brows so they frame your eyes as attractively as possible. A brow pro can also show you how to make the most of sparse, thin, or barely-there eyebrows. For wedding makeup, use brow powder, a matte powder eyeshadow, or tinted brow gel rather than traditional brow pencil to shape and define.

9. Be sure to carry your lipstick and lip liner with you for touch-ups after the ceremony and before the reception. As mentioned in tip 5, it is also helpful to carry a pressed powder and small powder brush, as well as a clean makeup sponge in case you need to buff or smooth any aspect of your makeup, especially lipstick marks from over-zealous relatives or friends.

10. As tempting as it might be, avoid the use of lip gloss for wedding makeup. Anyone who wears gloss regularly knows it comes off on everything (and everyone) and requires frequent touch-ups. If you must have a really glossy finish, consider one of the two-step lip paints. That way, you get a long-lasting base coat of color, and can reapply the clear, glossy topcoat when needed. The color stays on your lips, but the colorless top coat will transfer to objects (such as drinking glasses) and people. Maybelline New York, Rimmel, Max Factor, M.A.C., and Estee Lauder have brilliant lip paint options, some of which apply sheer but really last.

Alternatively, you can also contact me and my team to assist you with a makeover for you and your wedding party on the big day! :)

Happy Spring,
Lisa

The Trench Coat

There's something timeless about the trench coat that I love and I can never get enought of it. I have one in beige...black... and white and they are appropriate for any season and for any occassion. You can wear it with a dress, jeans or just wear it alone with your stilleto for a sexy yet classy look!


And yes, I adore the trench coat on men. ;). It makes them look sexy and sophisticated.

You can see images of trench coats in magazines and definitely on the runways. Last March 25th, I was part of a fashion show organized by Miss Universe Canada contestant Stephanie Marinus to raise funds for SOS Children's Villages. Clothing was provided by Wear Else. The show's openning was a series of coats in all colours and texture. I was in love!

About the show: It was a great show and all funds generated was donated to the SOS Children's Villages. The show was organized by a young lady who has the heart of gold, Miss Stephanie Marinus. Intelligent, generous, loving and beautiful, she worked so hard pulling everything together and we are so proud of her. And we are rooting for her to be our next Miss Canada because she has all the qualities that will make a great role model for young girls. To learn more about the cause, please log on to http://www.soschildrensvillages.ca.

To your heart and sense of style,

Lisa

The Business of Beauty

Recently I attended the SHOP Symposium in Vancouver, Canada where independent business women gathered to exchange and learn from each other and be inspired. It was a one day conference which was great for me as I don't always have time to attend multiple days events such as these. I came away with practical skills to build a business and the best part of all was the wise encouragement and camaraderie I received from successful women entrepreneurs in my own home town. I met several successful women such as President of Blow Dry Bar, Judy Brooks and Shannon Belsito, Wardrobe & Personal Stylist from Jacqueline Conoir Studio on West 6th.

I hope to work with Judy one day and be her apprentice to learn her business success. Currently my business is beauty and I do offer advises to women about skin care and makeup trends so Shannon invited me to the Studio to give a presentation on Colours on May 2nd at 2 of their private Fashionista Brunch Series, 10am and 1pm. You'll get to see a private fashion show, and learn great tips on choosing the right makeup colours for your skintone.

If you are in the Vancouver area, reserve your spot to have a chance at viewing a beautiful collection in a studio environment and be taken care of with your own wardrobe consultants.

To your beauty,

Lisa