Choosing Cleasers

Finding a great cleanser is like finding a great friend. You may have to go through several until you find something you love.

Cleansing your skin is the most important step in a good skin-care routine, next to moisturizing. You have to find a product you enjoying using; otherwise, you won’t use it twice a day like you need to.

The best cleansers are gentle and remove all the dirt and debris from your skin completely without leaving a film behind. One of the best is Purity Made Simple by Philosophy. It removes not only dirt and foundation, but also eye make-up without irritating your eyes. You can find Philosophy products at stores like Sephora or at philosophy.com for around $20.

Another great cleanser is the Enzyme Cleansing Gel by Mario Badescu. This product is all natural and has a pleasant, fresh sent. It uses papaya and grapefruit extracts to breakdown debris in your skin. You can find this product at Ulta for around $15.

A third great choice is Origins Never a Dull Moment. This product promises to brighten your skin with fruit extracts. You can find this cleanser online or at department stores for around $20.

The most important thing to remember when choosing a cleanser is to choose one that you can’t live without.

Red Lips

Q: With Valentine’s Day coming up, I want a sexy evening look. What is the best way to choose a red lipstick?

A: A romantic Valentine’s date is the perfect time to unleash your inner movie-star. When looking for the perfect red lipstick, choosing the right shade is the most important step.

Girls with fair skin or pink undertones should choose a red with a bluish color. The blue tint will keep from washing out the rest of your face and will make your teeth look whiter.

For girls with tan or olive coloring, look for a red lipstick with warm tones like orange. On olive skin, the orange undertones will warm up your complexion.

If you have a deep skin coloring, choose a plum-red lipstick. The purple undertones look classic and sophisticated on your skin.

No matter which color palette you choose, be sure to pick a texture you like. Beautiful red shades come in stains, mattes, glosses, or moisturizing lipstick.

The stains will last the longest, but the glosses will look the sexiest.

Top 5 of 2010

photo: Philosophy.com

This year is filled with new products and technology to have you looking amazing from January to December. I have five new products that have already been making headlines.

5th place: L’Oreal Lash Boosting System. This serum will help strengthen and enhance lashes and is similar to Latisse. Although L’Oreal’s version will not help lashes grow like Latisse claims to do, L’Oreal’s serum is affordable and available at any drugstore without a prescription.

4th place: Philosophy’s The Supernatural, a hybrid foundation and sunscreen. This product is easy to apply with fingers and goes on much like a tinted moisturizer, but offers more coverage. Philosophy is available on-line or at Sephora.

3rd place; Brow Beauty Brow Fix Mally Beauty. This brow stick comes in one color guaranteed to match any shade of hair. It’s quick and easy to use because it glides on smoothly and does not require a stencil to make it look perfect.

2nd place: Pangea Organics lip balms. These lip balms come in three different flavors and offer intense moisture without harsh chemicals. These balms will quickly become addictive.

1st place: Stila Makeup Player. This innovative train case is built with i-pod capability so you can download makeup lessons and watch them as you follow along using the mirror inside the case. This product is connecting beauty with technology to help you always look your best. Although the case is a pricy, around $70, it comes with the most popular Stila products and free makeup tutorials.

These are my top five products, but there are many more that did not make the cut. Let me know what products you love and why.

The Beauty Basket

Now that school is done for the semester, I can focus on my true love...beauty writing! Monday I will begin my "Product of the Week" in which I will review a product that has gained my attention. If you have any products you would like reviewed, please let me know!

Below is on of my articles suggesting a great Christmas gift for the women in your life. I love beauty questions, so please feel free to send those in as well!

: Christmas is the perfect time to give the women in your life a gift of beauty that will relax and pamper them. One of my favorite things to give is called a beauty basket.

These are very simple to put together and allow you to add a personal touch to your gift. Start with a small, inexpensive basket you can find at any local dollar store. Next, add beauty products such as bath salts, soaps, and lotions. During this time of the year you can find make-up gift sets at stores like Ulta.

You can separate the gift sets and add one or two items from the set to your basket. This allows you to get multiple presents out of one purchase. Also add some home-made treats or a beautifully scented candle and a pretty ornament that reminds you of the person.

I like to wrap a small item in the basket to give the receiver a second gift to open. Once you have the basket put together, wrap cellophane around the basket and tie it off at the top with a Christmas bow.

This gift is not only clever and inexpensive, but also a personal way to tell your loved ones to have a beautiful Christmas.

Reducing Dark Under-Eye Circles

Q: What are some quick ways of getting rid of under eye circles?

A: With all the studying and activities going on at college, sleep is usually at the end of the list of things to do.

However, this lack of sleep will increase under eye circles making you look more tired. For a quick fix, try a concealer with a yellow tint which will help balance the purple tones of the circles.

Gently pat the concealer under your eye with your ring finger. An eye brightening pencil, like Benefit Cosmetics Eye Bright, can also help. Before you apply any eye make-up, softly sweep the pencil just under the dark circles and along the lower lash line.

Putting the color just under the circle will help reflect light up, making the shadows and darkness disappear. A nighttime eye treatment can also help dark circles if used regularly.

Look for products with caffeine and vitamins A and K which will help with puffiness as well as dark circles. With some cleaver make-up tricks, people won’t know you only got three hours of sleep.

Philosophy Beauty

I'm watching Philosophy on QVC right now...and I want to buy everything! If you have never tried the brand, I strongly suggest you do.

Start with the bath gel. They smell amazing and can be used for bath bubbles, shower gel, and shampoo.

I also love their airbrush foundation! It so easy to use and looks great.

Ask the Esthetician- Ways to Relax

My life is stressful so I enjoy relaxing spa trips. However, I can’t afford them all the time. Are there any inexpensive services I can do at home?

-Needing the Spa

A: Dear Needing the Spa,

With the holidays and finals just around the corner, everyone can use some relaxing spa services that won’t break the bank.

One of the quickest was to relax is with a hot towel. Simply soak a hand towel in water, ring out the excess, and warm it in a microwave for about two or three minutes.

If you add some lavender oil to a napkin and warm it with the hand towel, it will add a relaxing sent the towel that won’t be over whelming. Be sure to test the temperature of the towel before applying it to your face.

A second was to relax is with cucumbers and classical music. Place some sliced cucumbers in the freezer for a couple of hours. After they are nice and cold, apply them to your eyes while you lay back for 15 minutes listing to soft, classical music.

The music will help your mind relax and the frozen cucumbers will help your eyes relax and de-puff. Finally, try getting a group of girlfriends together and create your own natural face masks.

Mix a hand-full of sliced strawberries, plain oatmeal, about 1/3 cup of milk or water, and a splash of lemon juice in a bowl until you have a nice paste (if you have food allergies to any of these ingredients, do not use them. Do a patch test on your wrist to make sure there will not be a reaction).

Apply to your skin, let sit for about 10 minutes, and then rinse off with warm water. Your skin will be glowing and you and your girlfriends will have a much deserved break from studying. This recipe will make enough for about 3 masks.

With these quick tips, you can be relaxed and beautiful even while studying long into the night.