Happy Skin

What makes your skin happy?

As much as I like to go on and on about how important it is to maintain some sort of beauty regimen, including but not limited to putting your face on in the morning before you leave the house, at the end of the day, the happiest face, is a clean healthy face. Wearing make-up all the time can clog up the pores and dry out the skin, that's why it's so important to make sure that you remove your make-up and clean your face before you go to bed at night. This will allow the skin to relax, and breathe during the night while you chase your dreams.

What kind of cleanser are you looking for?

You need to make sure that if you are skipping the make-up remover, that you are using a cleanser that can remove all the make-up successfully as well as unclog the pores and exfoliate the skin to get rid of dead skin cells. I personally think exfoliating is one of the best things you can do for your face. After you've exfoliated, your skin is softer, smoother, it glows, and it has a healthy bright colour to it. Skin that is exfoliated regularly is also easier to apply make-up to. The make-up will also look like it has a better finish. 

What kind of cleanser should you avoid?

L'oreal's Happyderm Cleansing Wash

Look I wear more make-up than Dolly Parton. It may work for me throughout most the day, but by the time I get home from work, my face feels like the surface of Venus - volatile. It's oily, tired, dry, dull, and it's in need of some TLC. Now I'm not one of those people who wants to wash their face 3 times before they can leave the bathroom. This product makes you feel like you need to do just that. If you clean your face with a soft fluffy mouse that smells like a basket full of roses, you expect to radiate all of that when you're done, but all this cleanser really seems to do is remove the make-up. Every time I use this, I still feel like my skin isn't clean; when I run my fingers along my face, it feels like I'm trying to rub up a lizard. It doesn't feel pretty. I end up using the mouse again, but I still don't get the feeling I'm looking for. It's only once I've found an exfoliating face wash to scrub my skin, that I finally feel like I can leave the bathroom. 

What cleanser do I recommend?

L'oreal's Dermo Expertise Vitalift Self Heating Wash

This is what you use when you want your skin to feel amazing. It doesn't foam, it doesn't smell like roses, it doesn't look like whipped cream, but it does the job you need it to. With products like this one on the market I cannot understand how the Happyderm Cleansing Wash was even approved. I think the kind of people who'd by the Happyderm Cleansing Wash over any other cleanser, are the same kind of people who'd by a laptop based on the fact that it's pink rather than for it's performance... okay, I might be that person, but you're missing the point, which is, this product LOOKS like it's a cool product, but really, it's performance is non-comparable with it's competitors.  

Tip

If you're not using an exfoliating wash, try and use a scrub at least 3 times a week. If you don't you'll start to notice dry skin, and no matter how much moisturiser you use, the problem will not go away.  The dry skin you're seeing is the dead skin cells hanging onto the live skin cells, trying to moisturise them would be like trying to use a defibrillator on a zombie. Also, the moisturise won't be able to penetrate the the skin properly because of wall of "zombies" blocking your pores. Exfoliating removes the dead skin cells, giving the moisturiser the chance to work it's magic on the new skin cells underneath, so that you can wear the rosy look, rather than just smell it. 

Beauty - in the eye of the beholder?

Who's scared of eyeshadow?

Don't be. Eyeshadow can either make or break your look - literally! When you're not wearing eyeshadow, it's much like flaunting the "unfinished look" where celebs apparently go without concealer (and yet somehow still look like goddesses). Well the point I'm trying to make is... the look will be incomplete. Even if you want it to look like you are not wearing any makeup, you need to be applying a nude eyeshadow to your lids. Why? Because you aren't naturally beautiful, but you want all the other boys and girls to think you are :-P 

Applying nudes to your eyelids will still look natural, but will allow you to use tone to emphasise your eye colour or shape, which ever it is that defines your look, in a subtle way that says; "Yes, I am naturally this hot goddess, now bow before me you puny human".

L'oreal Color Appeal Trio Pro

I think this is a fantastic eyeshadow, especially for newbies. You don't have to worry about  

buying colours that look like they might go, or worry that your shades are too far off or almost the same. In one simple compact, you have everything you need, the right applicators too. This eyeshadow comes in loads of different colours, so you can go anything from Nicole Kidman to Kim Kardashian, what ever pops your toast, and it's so easy, you couldn't go wrong if you were Forest Gump's daughter!

Spice it up

Don't be afraid to play with some colour too. This is the modern age, it's okay to put colour on your eyes, in fact, it's okay to put more than one colour on your eyes. 

Yes ladies, that's right, blue can be worn on the eyes without the red lipstick, leopard print skin tight dress, pink fluffy heels, long red nails and curlers in the hair. Look at how fantastic these eyes look; splashes of blue with other colours, and it works especially well with grey and black. 

Just please people, please, what ever you do, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, walk out the house looking like Mimi from the Drew Carey Show!!

Your husband will leave you for your mother, your children will not acknowledge your existence till they've moved out the house and they're sure they haven't suffered any permanent mental scarring, and your dog will run away! Please always ask a child how you look before you leave they house - their honesty knows no bounds. 

Okay ladies (and queer gents) I think you can do this, now get out there and try some eyeshadow. 

Tip

Feel free to take a pic and email it to me at sammybsa@gmail.com, if you don't have a child in the house to tell you when you've f***** it up, I'm always available :-)

Have a fab evening, and get that beauty sleep

Before and after

Hello loyal readers. Today's post is more of an update on my previous posts. I am going to post before and after photos of myself to demonstrate how well the products I've raved about work. I must admit, doing this is rather like getting over some or other fear - for the first time, I'm am showing people what I look like without make-up on, and I'm posting it on the internet for EVERYONE to see (dom dom dom...).

First photo: Washed face, straight out of the bath

So I took this pic after I got out the bath. The only thing I'd done to my face was wash it with a L'oreal face scrub. Oh, and I blow-dried my hair too, I'm already showing you what I look like "naked", I'm not going to look like a wet dog too!

Second photo: toner and moisturiser have been applied

You can see I'm looking a little shinier, but I've just created the perfect base for my make-up. It will go on smoothly, without blotching or drying up on one spot. In doing this, I have also ensured that my skin is better protected when I'm out and about in the sun today. 

Third photo: BB cream has been applied 

Can you see the instant difference once the BB cream has been applied? My skin is looking neutral, mat and healthy. Again, the long term effects of this product is why you're actually using it. After a while, you should start naturally seeing a healthier glow with a nice neutral tone. No blotches or redness.

Fourth photo: Concealer and press powder has been applied

See now why I said BB cream or a tinted moisturiser will not be enough if you're looking for full coverage? Even my puffy eye looks better. This is now the perfect canvas for make-up.

Fifth photo: Eye make-up and lipstick have been applied

Now look at that previous photo again - isn't this mascara just the product of the decade? I've also applied gel eyeliner. Together with the mascara, it creates the illusion of larger eyes with longer lashes. I've also used an eyebrow pen on my eyebrows. Even if you don't have light eyebrows like me, using an eyebrow pen or even some eye shadow on the eyebrows will always give your eyes a more structured look. 

And that's it boys and girls. Now go out there and get cracking, I want to see pretty faces out on the street tomorrow, you don't just owe it to the public, you owe it to yourself, because you're worth it ;-)

Night night

Leather, a good look for a jacket, bad when it's on your face...

Who really puts that much effort into looking after their skin?

Um, Jennifer Aniston, Salma Hayek and Halle Berry, to name but a few (and these 40 somethings can put just about any 20 something to shame).

 I've noticed that besides being just so busy that no one has the time to take 5 minutes to themselves in the mornings and evenings now days, most people just don't seem to care, and it's such a pity, because I know that they are young still, and one day once they've aged, and it's too late, they'll regret not doing more for themselves. 

It's not considered selfish to take some time to make sure you've taken proper care of yourself before you leave the house, in fact, I'd say it's expected of you, just as it's expected that you've brushed your teeth and wiped your arse, dammit! Make yourself decent before you go out in public. 

Where to start

Along with making sure you cleanse and tone twice daily, you need to moisturise. As it is, we don't drink enough water in the day, and then we run around, eat crap, take in far too much salt and sugar, and  we live in sunny South Africa. You need to make sure that you moisturise in the morning after you've cleansed and toned your face, and again in the evening. Remember ladies (and queer gents) you should never go to bed with make-up on, NEVER. I admit, I am guilty of this, but my skin will make me pay for at least a week every time I attempt to break this rule. 

What moisturiser should you use?

See, now here's the thing, you can get moisturiser for just about every skin type there is, I however find that the problem is that my skin never stays constant in it's "type". Today my skin is oily, so I use a moisturiser for oily skin, and then tomorrow it's dry, blah blah blah. I've come to learn that with temperamental skin like mine, I've had to develop the gift of foresight to tackle the problem. If you don't have the gift of foresight, check e-bay, you can buy anything there.

L'oreal Even Perfect cream 

Garnier Pure Active 24 hr cream

 

I find that at the moment, the combination of these two creams work for me. Though I have oily, blotchy skin with pimples and blemishes, I still need to moisturise (invest in my future good looks ;-) so I use the Garnier Pure Active on my problem areas and for the rest of my face, I use the L'oreal Even Perfect cream (great cream to even skin tone for the guys and gals out there with blemishes). I think it's important that you get to know your own skin a little better, and maybe buy a a few different products that you feel might work together. What's important is that you do moisturise, the luxury we seek is to find the moisturiser that will not only preserve our skin, but will aid it in appearance today, which if you think about it, is a pretty unrealistic expectation, isn't it? 

I think it's important to remind you not to give up though. You may feel crappy about your skin today, you may even feel that you haven't got anyone to look pretty for, but you cannot undo that neglect, and a day will come when you will regret it severely.

Tip

Night cream repairs the skin, whereas day cream protects the skin, so it's important to make sure that you use the right cream at the right time. Drink more water, take your make-up off before you exercise or go to bed, avoid smoking and alcohol, and enjoy life!

And that's it for now guys, night night, get that beauty sleep, you're gonna need it ;-)

Mascara

I love it :-D

Black mascara, brown mascara, blue mascara, lash extending mascara, extra volume mascara, waterproof mascara, false lash effect mascara, collagen mascara, extra think mascara - I love mascara!! Mostly because without any on I look sickly and people around me probably worry that I'm carrying something contagious...

I am always wearing mascara. Even when I tell you that I'm not wearing any make-up, you can count on the fact that I'm wearing mascara and some sort of concealer. This is solely for your benefit, not my own :-/

If I love all mascara, what's my fav?

L'oreal's Extra-volume brown mascara...

...and L'oreal's Lash Architect 4D black

OMW, these mascara's were made for me! I have very thin blonde eyelashes, and with a little normal mascara on, they are at least visible, but with these lovely beauties, they are not only visible, they're IN YOUR FACE! Thick, lush, long, seductive and absolutely sexy!

How to use it

I like to use the brown Extra Volume mascara first, a nice thick helping full as a base for my black mascara, if you will. Why brown? That's the colour hubby brought home so that's the colour I'm using okay. Why am I using it as a base? I didn't realise it was brown when hubby brought it home, so after I plonked it on, I realised that it wasn't flashy enough, and then just went ahead and grabbed a black mascara to put over it. Little did I know that this was the birth of a whole new beginning for my eyes...

I then apply the black Lash Architect 4D mascara. I love it because it does things to my lashes that would probably be considered illegal in some countries, and also, it's waterproof :-)

This combination of mascara really can give you the false lash effect, without weighing down on your eyelids. False lashes tend to hang so heavy on my lids that I end up looking like some kind of any Asian inbreed. 

Is this product for you?

How the hell should I know? If I didn't get it for free I'd never have tried it out myself, but damn I don't think I could ever go back to my old brand of mascara, or even go back to using just one brand of mascara at a time for that matter - I've discovered the secret of the goddesses, and I must spread the word (and the lashes) so that all may know - now go on my beauties, spread the word, spread your lashes, spread your wings, and if you think you can fly... maybe you should get off the roof before you hurt yourself...

Tip

Liquid / gel eyeliner - they make the lashes look even thicker and longer. I find that the gel liner is much easier to apply, but the liquid liner pens are pretty cool too. If you aren't used to putting liquid / gel eyeliner on, practice at night before you wash your face, you'll be getting it right within a week ;-)

Night night everyone, and remember, beauty sleep ;-P

Everyone can do with a little concealer now and then

...yes you too!

I can't believe I'm still surprised to find that some people expect one solitary product to do everything for them. We all have different skin types, and as far as I'm concerned, unless God blessed you with porcelain skin, you need a more than just a little help from one tiny little bottle. Yes ladies, we don't just wake up looking drop dead gorgeous, we work our damn butts off trying!

Firstly, I want to clear one thing (for those of you who went out and bought the BB cream I was raving on about), there is a very big difference between the look that BB cream and tinted moisturiser gives the skin and the look that concealer / foundation gives the skin. There is also a difference between BB cream and tinted moisturiser that I won't get into right now, as the point I want to make tonight, is coverage!

We all need a little coverage, be it on the face, the chest area, or the pink G-string strap riding up your butt crack - some things are just better left unseen. 

If you have skin like mine, BB cream is a good idea, because over time it sorts out those nasty blemishes and acne scars (but note, that isn't done over night, although your skin might radiate with health, it can still appear spotty). While the nutrients in this cream take their time to heal the damaged skin cells, you need a little assistance with those spotty areas, and I find L'oreal's Infallible concealer does just the trick.

L'oreal Infallible Concealer

Foundation gives the skin full coverage. Obviously you'll chose a foundation that is fit for your skin type, and then you'll apply it to the face right after the moisturiser. A little press powder, and you should be good to go.  Concealer works the same as foundation in that you get full coverage, only it's better for targeting an area, which is fantastic if you are only using a tinted moisturiser or a BB cream, as coverage from these products are minimal. This product from L'oreal's infallible range is fantastic, I call it my little magic wand! It's a thin stick of concealer making it easy to apply to that targeted area. 

How should you be using it?

Firstly, you need to make sure your face is a clean canvas to work on, that means washed, toned and moisturised (depending on what product you'll be using). Once you've applied your tinted moisturiser or BB cream, apply a little concealer just under the eye area and use your fingers to blend it in. Make sure the concealer you are using is the same shade as the base product you are using, or you'll end up looking like  a raccoon (the scary rabid kind, not the cute kind), which usually doesn't go down that well with the opposite sex (or any sex for that matter). I then recommend taking a step back, and having a good look at yourself in the mirror. Now be honest with yourself, or you aren't helping anyone here - any discoloured spot that shows through needs to be taken care of with the wand. Use your fingers to blend it in, and before you know it, you should have a smooth clear appearance. 

Non-cute raccoon eyes

Mistakes!

Please ladies (and queer gents) look at yourself once you've applied your foundation. I swear people put their make-up on in the dark. Be careful not to cake on the make-up, especially if you have oily skin with big pores, or you'll end up with all the foundation sinking into the pores, and none on the skin and then you'll just look like a flipping burn victim. Also, remember to blend the foundation into the neck, the last thing you want to do is give people the impression that you're being cast in the next production of Phantom of the Opera! One more thing I have to mention; I've seen woman with foundation on where I don't know that the problem is that it's been applied too thickly, or that it's completely the wrong shade, but it appears green! Flip man, that's one way to scare the living sh*t out of a person in broad daylight! I don't know how they get that right, but please people, if you look in the mirror and you notice that you're a colour not typically that of HUMAN, wash the crap off, and try again.

Tip

If there is someone else in the house, ask their opinion, never be to proud to ask for help, we all could use a little every now and then.

Night night people, now get that beauty sleep, I want you all waking up looking like Goddesses in the morning ;-) 

The BEST advise I can give you?...

...Sunblock!

Everywhere you look today, you've got someone preaching about sunblock, and how bad the sun is for your skin - that's because, it's true!

I remember in my school days, there was this track on one of my old cassette tapes called Everybody's free, and of all the advise that old guy had to give, one thing he said stuck, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99 

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be 

it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by 

scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable 

than my own meandering"

Listen to the track here, this guy had a hell of a lot of good advise to give. I think this is a track we should all have on our ipods and mp3 players, so that we could listen to it every morning before work.

 Back to the sunblock. Tonight I bring you Vichy's sunscreen and repair cream. 

About my skin

Now believe it or not, I come from Natal (Empangeni) and I'm the whitest kind of white person you can get! When I expose my skin, my victims get arc eyes! So I buy a moisturiser that over time gives the skin a bit of a tint, so as to minimise making enemies (I'll review it for my other super white readers some time soon). 

Growing up in the north coast, the only sunblock I ever used was the colourful stuff the surfers used, and only to draw pictures on our bodies that would over time, tan into our skin for a few weeks. I never burnt, I was a nice golden brown colour, and my hair went white from all the sun. We finally moved to the Vaal, and since the water on this side of the world is so cold, stopped swimming and going out into the sun as much. With all this sun deprivation, I've become the potential lead actor for the remake of the 1995 film, Powder!

But I remember my golden brown days, and somehow believe that I can get that lovely skin colour back. 

My mistake?

So every flipping time we go to the coast, I go out onto the beach with nothing more than a bikini on, planning on catching a tan. My hubby will offer me sunblock, but I'll refuse, because my skin needs LOTS of sun to get colour again. Ja ne. And so, every flipping time we go to the coast, I burn to smithereens. I end up in so much pain that if my husband so much as even looks in my direction I wince. And never mind that, for 2 solid days I'm the target of every moth on the flipping planet!

What did I do right this time?

So my husband and I have been on holiday this past week; We get to our hotel at about 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. The sun is still blistering hot out there, and even though there's a nice cool air in the suite from the aircon that's obviously been on all day, we can't wait to get out there and feel the sand between our toes! We stop on the way out the door, and apply some sunblock. 

This time I decided that I wasn't going to try tanning. It never works, I always end up in a world of pain, and you know what, I'm not the only white GP body on the beach! I made sure I applied Vichy's sunscreen every day. On one  particular day, I forgot to apply any to the back of my legs. By that evening, the back of my legs were red, and in some pain. It then dawned on me how well the sunblock works, as the rest of my body was just fine. I then used some of Vichy's after-sun cream. I got immediate relief, and the next day there was no evidence of any kind of burn at all. I didn't even peel!

So is it worth it?

Hell yeah! Not only did I not burn, but I now have a nice light brown tan! By not burning on my first outdoor excursion, I was able to go out everyday, and slowly but surely build up a tan, through the sunblock and all! No burn, no pain, brown skin at the end of my holiday, hell yeah it's worth it :-D

Tip

Ha ha, you guessed it, always use sunblock, you'll be glad for it when you're older and friends your age look like leather!

Night night everyone, and remember, beauty sleep ;-)