Oh Pumpkin! : Homemade Pumpkin Enzyme Mask.

Fall. Everywhere you look there are different variations of the pumpkin around you. From home fragrance to lattes and baked treats. There is no better time to celebrate the Pumpkin in beauty than now!

Pumpkins are rich in Beta Carotene, Vitamins A, C and E which are strong anti-oxidants that assist in fighting free-radical damage that lead to premature aging. Vitamin A also increases cell turnover and stimulates your skin metabolism, giving you fresh, vibrant, youthful skin. Vitamin C is a natural brightener, lightener and tightener. Supporting even skin tone and increasing collagen production. Vitamin E is a humectant and moisturizer, leaving your skin's PH level balanced and comforted. As if that was not amazing enough, the Pumpkin has one of the most amazing and powerful enzymes. The pumpkin enzyme exfoliates the skin by digesting debris and dead skin cells leaving your skin bright and smooth.

So here is one of my favorite at home Pumpkin Enzyme Masks...

Oh Pumpkin! : Homemade Pumpkin Enzyme Mask.

Ingredients..

• 2 Tbsp. of Pureed Pumpkin (or canned)
• 1 Tbsp. of Plain Yogurt (..of course, being Vegan I suggest Soy Yogurt)
• 1/2 Tsp. of Oatmeal (Optional for dry skin)

Mix all of your ingredients together and apply to clean skin, avoiding the eye area. Leave on for 15 minutes then simply rinse. Follow up with your favorite moisturizer.

Voila! Glow on ladies, glow on...

Lala xoxo

Batting For Lashes: Homemade Lash Conditioner.

Mascara, cleansers, makeup removers, allergies, bad days...our eyelashes are along for the ride! Just like the hair on our heads, our eyelashes are made of keratin and can be prone to split ends, breakage and weakness. Here is a simple conditioner you can apply before bed once to three times a week from an item found right in your kitchen cabinet!

Homemade Lash Conditioner.

1. Dab a touch of Olive Oil (you can also use Sweet Almond Oil or Vitamin E oil so long as it it pure and does not have any added fillers or binders) onto a q-tip or small paint brush.

2. Apply oil along your lash line as if applying eyeliner. Then, paint oil from root to tip as if you are painting on mascara.

3. Wear the oil through the night and voila..in as little as two weeks you will notice thicker, healthier lashes!

Lala xoxo

All That Glitters: Lip Art Trend.

Every season, there is an avaunt guard trend in make-up artistry that sparks on the runway, music videos and pop culture that in it's pure form never makes it on the streets of the every day woman however inspires trends that are beautiful and can be infused into every day looks that you can wear anytime.

The trend this season is Lip Art. Thanks to the innovative artists of a new cosmetic company Violent Lips and their Celebrity Lip Art, this trend is sweeping the entertainment and fashion industry like a fabulous glitter dust storm!

If you are bold enough to rock a criminally fabulous amount of glitter on your lips, I highly recommend it. However, for the every day girl there is an inspiration to add just a pinch of sparkle to your pout this season. You can find amazing lipsticks that have a metallic base to them, lip glosses that have a touch of glitter and together they will just give you a beautiful lip gives you a special something without overdoing it. Here are the steps..

Inspired Glitterati Lips.

1.  Find a lipstick that has a metallic finish to it. You can choose any color of your liking. Right now, there is not so much as a shade that is hot for fall but rather a finish that is hot for Fall. So long as it has a metallic finish or hints of bling, you are set! Apply the metallic shade of your choice all over. I recommend placing the lipstick on with a brush to offer a smoother and more controlled finish.

2. Taking a lip liner in a shade that is similar to the lipstick, apply your lip liner around the lipstick. Putting the lip liner on after the lipstick will give you the opportunity to create the perfect shape of your lip and make it look clean and precise. I also suggest to leave your mouth just slightly open and relaxed, almost with a dead pan expression when you are shaping your lip with the liner so that it makes your lip look fuller and poutier. Opening your mouth while applying stretches the shape of your mouth out so when you close them the product will make your lip look smaller and shapeless. So shut those cute lips of yours when you apply!

3. Gloss. Choose a gloss that has some bling in it. As little or as much as you prefer! Place a small..and I mean a very small amount so not to thin out the coverage of the metallic lipstick on the middle of your bottom of your lip with a lip brush. Very lightly touch your top lip to your bottom lip to pick up some of the gloss from your bottom lip to your top lip. This will give a very slight vinyl look to your lips.

Rock that pucker out ladies!

Lala xoxo

Brow Raising: The Perfect Brows.

One of the most ignored and misunderstood features in beauty is the brow. The power of a well shaped, symmetrical brow can change and entire face. In my career, I have seen an entire face change before my eyes with the stroke of a brow pencil. So here are some tips, best practices and steps to the perfect brow..

The Perfect Brows:

Shade Finder: You will first need to find the perfect shade of pencil or powder. If you are blonde, pick two shades darker than your hair color. If you are brunette, pick two shades lighter than your hair color. If you have red or auburn hair, it really is best to use a strawberry blonde color or a brunette. I am not an advocate of the auburn brow pencil for that shade so close to the eye makes it appear tired and brings out dark circles. A common mistake most people make in choosing their shade is that they pick a brow color that matches their hair when truly it is too harsh looking to match it exactly.

Shape Template: Now that you have your perfect shade, with your pencil or powder you will mark out the template to follow. Take the length of your pencil or brush and run it up the bridge of your nose. Follow the diagram pictured to the left and make a mark where your brow should begin. Mark where your brow should arch (trick:Your arch should begin to the left of your iris). Finally make a mark where your brow should end by angling your pencil or brush barrel from the bottom of your nose and angle over to the side of your eye.

On average, your brows are not growing in enough towards the bridge of your nose and near the outside they are too sparse and not long enough to meet that marker. If you pencil in and fill your brow starting in closer to the bridge of your nose and extending the tail of your brow out longer, it will make your features look more lifted and open.

Fill 'Em In: Now that you have a template of where you want your brow to start, arch and end..you can begin filling it in. The best practice is to not draw with one line like an eyeliner but rather to feather your strokes on as if you were creating the appearance of hair. Another best practice is to draw your strokes on backwards, against the grain of your natural hair to give it a more natural back lit look. Once you have one to your liking, move on to the other brow. You do not need to obsess over making each one match perfectly, brows are designed to be sisters..not twins so just get them in the same idea.

Set: To keep your brows in place, set the hair with a brow gel. I prefer clear unless you are in need of color correction (Covering gray, trying to lighten or darken the appearance of hair that has been dyed).

There you have it, the perfect brow! Enjoy raising brows ladies..

Lala xoxo

So Berry White! : At Home Tooth Whitening.

Coffee, Tea, Soda, Wine..whatever your guilty pleasure is, you should not have to leave evidence on your teeth! Here is a very simple and inexpensive way to maintenance your dazzling smile with stain-free confidence..

So Berry White!  

What you will need...

- One Strawberry: Strawberries Contain Malic Acid which helps to exfoliate enamel discoloration and lift stains.

- 1/2 tsp. of Baking Soda: To activate the Malic Acid and act as an oxygenating delivery system.

Mash the strawberries with the baking soda to create a paste. Apply on your teeth with a toothbrush and leave the mixture on for 5 minutes. Then, rinse and brush your teeth with your usual toothpaste.

You can repeat this whitening routine up to once a week or just occasionally as needed. Enjoy flashing those dazzling pearly whites!

Lala xoxo

Oh Sugar! : Homemade Exfoliating Mask

As we transition from the end of Summer to the beginning of Fall, the metabolism in our bodies and skin is inconsistent. You may notice that where you were oily, you are now dehydrated or where you are dehydrated you are now oily.

You may notice breakouts or flakiness that are not to your usual skin type. This transition phase is unfortunately very typical for this time of year. A common mistake that many of my clients make is to treat their breakouts with harsh acne ingredients and routines which end up causing inflammation and irritation, which in turn make the acne or flakiness more pronounced.

Here is a simple mask to assist your skin through this transitional period, clearing out the dried and keritinized skin, calming inflammation and adding a glow back to your skin.

Oh Sugar!

You will need..

• Sugar- a natural exfoliate and humectant to draw moisture to your skin.
• Water or Olive Oil- To create a slip for the sugar and Olive Oil is a natural replenisher and anti-inflammatory.
• Strawberries- Naturally contain a mild amount of Salicylic Acid which exfoliates the walls of the pore that the sugar can not reach while preventing and treating breakouts.

1. Mix 2 tablespoons of sugar and 3 tablespoons of warm water. (Substitute water with Olive or Sweet Almond Oil if your skin is dehydrated)
2. Once the sugar is diluted (it is important to let it soften and diluted, if sugar is too hard it will tear at your cell membrane causing premature aging and irritation)..apply to skin and exfoliate in circular motions for one minute.
3. Rinse your exfoliator off and then apply mashed up strawberries to your skin and create a mask. Leave on for 5 minutes. Then rinse.

Enjoy this mask whenever you feel as though you need a pick me up or are experiencing transitional skin issues. You can apply this mask up to once a week. So get glowing ladies!

Lala xoxo

The Perfect Nude.

The perfect nude lip is a timeless way to perfect your pout. The nude lip can soften your features, bring out a smokey eye and give you a polished and sultry look. Here are the simple steps to maximizing one of your most used features..

The Perfect Nude.

1. Pick Your Shade. Determine your undertones. The perfect nude compliments your natural undertones. You will want to pick a nude that is congruent to that. So, here is how to determine your undertones..

 We all have undertones and overtones. Your overtones are the overall appearance of your shade. How fair or deep your pigment is, environmental elements such as sun damage, etc..is included in it. This is the actual color of the layer of skin you own. Undertones are the tones that shine from almost within your skin. Blood circulation, etc..also play a large part in how your undertones look.

So flip your wrist, look at your coloring..what do you see? Do you see mostly yellow and beige or do you see pink and red? Do you see none of the above? If you see mostly yellow or beige you have a warm undertone and want to pick a shade of lipstick that has more brown or beige in it. If you see pink or red, you will want to pick a nude with a soft pink base. If you are in between (Note: 85% of the Caucasian population is a Neutral, meaning that they have equal parts warm and cool in their skin)..if that is you,you will want to treat yourself like you have a warm skin tone and choose a beige shade.

2. Feather On Your Lip Liner.  With a nude liner, feather on the liner around your lip line. Feathering your application rather than drawing one blunt line gives your lips the appearance of a poutier and fuller look. Once feathered on, take your pinkie and slightly smudge the line. This will soften the line and give you even more of an optical illusion of fullness.

3. Apply Gloss To The Center Of Your Pout. Apply a small amount of clear gloss to the center of your lip. Applying your gloss prior to your lipstick will allow for a smoother and cleaner application. The texture of the application will look more congruent and sexy. Applying gloss only in the center gives you more control over your product and makes your lips in turn look fuller. The heat of your body temperature will naturally allow the gloss to spread slightly on it's own as well.

4. Finish The Look With Lipstick. With a lip brush, apply your lipstick over your gloss, blending the texture of the gloss and blending the lip liner.

Now, go out there and rock your new perfect nude pout..watch the traffic stop.

Lala xoxo