What do you think of in January? New year’s resolutions? Losing weight? Football Playoffs? I think Dry Skin. This time of year is terrible for your skin and lips. So I thought I would share some of my resent observations.

I guess once the weather turns cold- all bets are off. All of a sudden I see flakes on my skin, cracks in my lips and the worst- wrinkles more defined. What should we do?

I think the hardest part for most is change. Yes, You might have to change your skin care regimen from the summer months to the winter months. Yes, I know you hate change, but change it is. Use a good hydrating cleanser this time of year. You might have to pass on alcohol-based astringents and go for a calmer aloe toner to remove dirt from your pores. Moisturizing is always key. Make sure you do this in the morning and night. Get those extra dry spots good! Mine are my chin and between my brows for some reason.

Always use eye cream too. You cannot hydrate your eyes enough! Always apply a layer of cream before your concealer. You can mix your concealer and eye cream on the back of your hand and apply with a brush.

Do you breakout too? That is the pits. I hate having dry patches as well as zits. I try to exfoliate as much as possible. I always like our routine of pumpkin peel, almond scrub, followed by the chamomile mask. But when my skin is very try and needs to be refreshed and smooth, I skip the first two steps and go straight to the chamomile mask. Just apply for 5-10 minutes and rinse with cool water. Your skin will feel really smooth and soft. This is good for all skin types- even the sensitive ones.

Don’t forget your lips! Recently my husband Mike asked me for some lip balm for his dry lips. I handed him aLip Balm Ball (I swear this is a true story!) He made a face- like “ I am a man, I will not use this girly stuff.” I said- “It is all I got- try it- I think you will like it.” He did and was so impressed on how great his lips felt afterwards. On a recent ski trip, he again asked for some lip balm- I found an old chapstick in my ski jacket pocket, so I gave it to him. He said “What? You don’t have that lip ball thingy?” The Lip Balm Ball was so much better. He is a tough critic. Maybe I will get him to use our Sugar Lips Scrub to help smooth them out too! I personally use more lip gel based glosses this time of year. Otherwise I will add a coat of Lip Balm before applying my lipstick.

I have often been told to drink a lot of water- your skin will become re-hydrated from this. I may add this step to my New Year’s Resolutions.

So what have we learned?

Change your regular routine-Cleanse-Exfoliate-Moisturize!

Happy Skin!

Sherry B.

OK- I am a big talker. I do love to get glammed up for a party or special occasion- but I do get fearful of over doing it. Lately I have been trying to change it up a little. So while I have been experimenting, I decided to jot down a few things. I thought I would share a few tips for the up coming party season.

So, I have told you about our latest Holiday Palette collection. I just love the Neutral Palette. The colors are so easy to use and are so wearable. I adore it. But I must confess, I have hesitated on trying the smoky palette. I don’t want to look “too much” or “overdone”- if you know what I mean. But I do like when I see this smoky look on other women. So last night, I mustered up the courage to experiment with the smoky palette before going to Jayne’s affair. I know this was chancy, but I decided to go for it in the name of beauty. Well, to my surprise, it was perfect. The shadows were nice and can be applied light or heavy to create the subtle look you might want to achieve. I started with the lighted gray/silver all over the eye, followed by the medium color on the lids. I only added a touch of the black color at the crease for the “mysterious” look. I also used my brow quad to give my eyebrows some definition and life. I used the highlighter to add some brightness to my brow bone. I lined the bottom outside lid with the black glitter pencil. I was hesitant to line my upper lid- but if I did, I probably would have went with our Gel Liner in Black Cherry. Then I curled my lashes and applied a coat of our Ultimate Volume Mascara in Black. Wa- Laa! I did it- I created a not so over powering smoky eye in a matter of minutes. I was quite pleased with myself. For foundation, I used Mineral Powder in Medium, followed by our Mineral Bronzer in Terra Glow. For my cheeks, I dusted on the blush and blush glow from the smoky palette. It showed up nicely without being too bright. I then brushed on some of our Mineral Shimmer in Champagne, for a shimmery glow. I kept the lips simple but sparkly. I used our Glitter Gloss in Northern Lights for a nice reflective shine. Then I completed the picture with the Oil Control Powder that is also included in the holiday palette to seal the look. I could not believe how much I liked this look. I will definitely use it again next Saturday night when we are going out to dinner with a few other couples.

Also- what I like about both palettes was that it could go from day to night-Just leave out the blush glow, darkest eye shadow shade and glitter pencil. So if you have something after the office, you can just reach in your bag at the end of the day and add a “touch up”. My mom swears by the oil control powder- Loves it!

Now for my skin, I scrubbed them to get the dead dry skin off. Boy, are my legs pasty! I was a little disappointed that I did not apply self tanner this week. I am even considering going tanning a few times this month too. My legs are not milky white, but more off white and they just lack luster. I also like that Jergen’s gradual moisturizer/tanner combination. Make mental note to start using that tonight- can’t hurt.

Had my nails done in Essie's Sexy Divide (as per my last blog) and I had my haircut too. I asked Carly, my hairdresser to give me “party hair”. Her interpretation of this was a full blow out with extra curl and bounce on the ends. It looked great, but did look a little overdone this morning at Stop and Shop when I did my week’s grocery shopping.

So don’t be afraid of a little change this season. It is a good thing- I am sure you will look Holiday Fabulous!

Sherry B.

Oh I am so excited, I don’t even know where to begin. I received an email the other day from my fabulous friend,Ja’Maal Buster. If you never heard of Ja’Maal, he is the eyelash guru to the stars. He specializes in fake lashes and extensions. His clientele include Rihanna (who is just gorgeous and talented), Paula Abdul, and Lisa Rinna to name a few. Definitely check out his site to read all about his amazing credentials. He is based in LA, but is on the road helping women achieve the most beautiful eyes possible.

Well, his email announced he is coming to town October 29^th through November 1^st to the Damone Roberts Salon in New York City. He insisted that I must come see him so he can perform his magic on me. I cleared out my calendar, and made my appointment for next Saturday. He told me how he wanted to come to New York and help us poor east coast girls have glamorous lashes. He also will have one of the eyebrow guru’s do my eyebrows. I just can’t wait to go.

It was very interesting speaking to Ja’Maal the other day. He is so focused on the lashes. He said he is so proficient in doing this procedure, that it only takes him 45 minutes to perform, where others may take up to 2 ½ hours. This is good, since I am often inpatient and cannot sit still for long. Ja’Maal does 3 types of extensions, and he will assess which type he thinks will be most beneficial for you. He is so excited about coming to NY. He just thinks he will have the best of both worlds- Fun and Sun in LA and then travel to NYC for our fast paced trendy scene. I do agree and am quit jealous! I will I will be able to do that sometime. I am trying to get my gal pal Eb to join me next Saturday when I have my appointment. This is so up her alley- for the love of the makeover. I am also trying to get Robin to drop her busy schedule and come along. She has done this before and says it is just the best. I am afraid I will become addicted. I am sure Ja'Maal is just hoping for that- lol.

I plan on arriving with my camera and will take as many pictures as I can take- especially before and after shots. I just love that.

This event is open to all, so definitely check it out. When you call to make your appointment, I would love it if you tell him Loose Lips NY sent you. He will definitely treat you even more special! And if you do go- bring your camera too. I would love to post as many before and after shots on our website. I plan on writing all the details, so keep your eyes open for that.

I also wonder what kind of gossip and dirt he gets when he is applying the lashes. Make mental note to ask!

Also in honor of this event-We are giving 20% off all of our mascaras with code eyeguru.

Also if you want to read more about Ja'Maal- check out these sites

www.JaMaalBuster.com
www.myspace.com/JaMaalBuster

My Eyes are on You!

Sherry B.