If you live in a cold climate you know that not only do your makeup colors change for the season, but so do all of the contents in your makeup bag. My makeup bag in my purse is a mini “survival kit”! At least if I am ever stranded, I will be one cute women in distress! With the drastic weather change here in Colorado, I have recently given my makeup bag a mini makeover to make sure that I am prepared for anything this frigid weather may bring. As we all know, cold weather brings on dreaded dry skin and possible chapping. Cracked and dry lips are so common in the Winter as well as dry eyes. These are all symptoms of a cold winter that no women wants to live with! So, this winter prepare yourself to be hydrated and to always look your best.

Bigelow Chemists Rose Salve is one of my favorite multi-purpose products for the Winter. I use this product to add a moisture to my lips, skin, cuticles, elbows and even tame my hair frizzies when on the go. I use this salve everywhere! This salve has been around and is known to soothe irritated skin and add moisture, www.bigelowchemists.com, ($5.50). In the middle of the day when my skin has lost it’s luster due to the cold and dry air, I rub a little balm between my fingers and tap into my skin for an instant moisture boost!

Stila Convertible Color, www.StilaCosmetics.com, ($25.99) is a great multi-purpose product to add color on the go. This compact of color can be used on the cheeks and lips. I prefer to use a cream blush on my cheeks for the Winter time to give a nice glow and prevent dry skin by using too much powder. Apply this anytime during the day as you need a refresher and in the morning after your foundation finished by a loose powder to help “set” the cream.

Yes even our poor eyes become dry from time to time, so make sure to carry a bottle of re-wetting eye drops to help moisturize the eyes instead of using a “get the red out” eye drop which can only cause more problems. You spend all this time in the morning on your great eye makeup and want your eyes to look their best, and for most women their eyes are their best feature. Refresh Tears, www.drugstore.com ($8.99).

If you don’t like the scent of roses, or aren’t big on using your fingers to apply a lip product, then try Aveda’s Lip Saver ($8.50) and Hand Relief ($19.00), www.Aveda.com. I have used both of these products for so many years now and love the feel and scent of them both! The hand cream is not too greasy and I can even persuade my husband to use it (he would be so embarrassed if he knew I was telling the world that I make him use this from time to time!). The lip conditioner is also very moisturizing and has an SPF of 15 which is great to protect your delicate lip area.

Last but definitely not least, Shiseido Sun Protection Stick Foundation ($24.00), www.sca.shiseido.com. Alright, so I don’t carry this in my makeup bag, but I felt that I had to tell everyone about this for great sun protection. I apply this stick after all of my skincare and right before I apply my makeup everyday. This stick has an SPF of 35 and helps to give my skin a more smooth appearance. I don’t even use a face primer, just this and it gives the same effect! Plus, I feel great that I am protecting my skin with this durable (water-resistant) sunscreen. Yes, even in the Winter when the sun isn’t shinning you still need to protect your skin. If you are active and like to ski or snowboard, this is great as well!

I also like to carry a black eye pencil in my makeup bag to darken my eyes for a more dramatic look in  the Winter season (I have talked about Stila Eye Kajal in a previous post and am still loving it!). I really don’t touch up as much with powder in the winter because I am not as oily these days, but if you do still need a powder use a lightweight and not too drying powder with a brush (less powder and more of a natural look) versus a sponge. Use a more moisturizing night cream and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Scrub, scrub, scrub that dead skin away! I love to exfoliate and do it about 3 times a week at night for my face and body. Be prepared this Winter!

I am sure that you have all seen the lip trend for fall… Dark Lips!? I know that it can be a bit hard to grasp at first, with the nude lip being so popular and all! I have never really been to big into dark lips, but I have to admit that with the right eye makeup and my hair pulled back, I can rock out a dark lip these days. I found an amazing lip gloss that can take your favorite lipstick and turn into the trendy fall dark lip in just a dab or two.  At first I didn’t know if I was going to shine my black stilettos with it, or exactly what I was looking at, but after trying it on I had to have it! I am talking about the new lip gloss by Yves Saint Laurent, Pur Black Gloss $28.00. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, this new gloss will not turn your lips black if you place it over your existing lipstick to deepen it. Choosing a new lipgloss is so much easier than trying to find that perfect shade of lipstick!

Not only are dark lips in vogue for Fall, but so are dark nails and I could not be more excited about that! We’ll Always Have Paris, by OPI is a gorgeous nail lacquer to compliment your dark lips and muted tones for the Fall.

A little tip that I have learned with maintaining dark nail lacquer on my nails, is to apply a great nail strengthener first. I have great success with Nailtiques! Apply two coats of Nailtiques and wait to dry, then apply two to three coats of your favorite shade and again allow to dry. Now finish your nails with a final coat of nailtiques. For 7 days apply one coat of nailtiques to a clean nail and allow to dry. This will really help to keep those nails looking flawless!

My long awaited pefect eye kajal is here! So I have been complaining for months about my Hashmi Eye Kajal (khol) as you all know, which was found to contain lead. After finding out about my favorite eye khol containing lead, I have been left with a smudging mess for months now! Recently I have found Stila Eye Kajal $18.00, at your local Ulta or Sephora or major department store. I tested the product on my hand while shopping in Ulta, and fell in love instantly. Where has this eye pencil been all of my life? I guess I have been trying all of the wrong khols this entire time! This pencil is so rich and smooth, that it will glide along any set of eyes effortlessly! I use it mainly in my water cil (inside the eye) and have had the hardest time finding a pencil that was actually smooth, the blackest black and resembled a traditional eye khol from Pakistan or the Middle East.  So for any of you ladies who need a great eye kajal for your water cil that will stay and keep a strong color, try this amazing Stila eye pencil.

The formula (eye kajal) is available is several different shades: Amethyst, Emerald, Onyx, Pearl, Sapphire, Smokey Quartz, Tigers Eye and Topaz. Below are a couple of well known women who are known for loving their eye khol!

What is one of the first things that people notice when they look at you? Your skin! Our skin is our bodies largest organ, and a reflection of our total health. It is so sensitive, yet protects us from so many harmful elements. I am huge into skin care and love the idea of preventative care, which is to stop the damage before it happens! Now, let’s face it, there are not a whole lot of conditions that we have control over when it comes to our skin, but there are so many that we do.

Look at your mother and father’s skin, most likely you inherited one of their skin types… like it or not! I used to be all about the makeup, until I realized that your makeup is only as good as your skin. I receive so many questions asking about how to cover up freckles, large pores, dark spots and other textures. The truth be told… You can not cover up a texture on the skin! If your skin (and eye area) is raised, bumpy, puffy, rough, flaky, etc., there is no makeup that will cover up texture. Makeup is made to cover the tone of the skin, not the texture. For example, using a concealer to cover puffiness around the eyes will not work, but that concealer will cover any darkness or discoloration.

There are many products out there on the market, and it is best to 1. Determine your skin type and then 2. Determine your special needs. Your skin type can be normal, dry, oily, combination, or maybe all of the above depending on you. Your special needs can be concerns like: freckles, dark spots (discoloration, pigmentation, age spots, etc.) or acne. If you are unsure of your skin type and your specific concerns that you should visit a Medical Aestitician or your Dermatologist.

Once you have determined what your skin needs, now it is time for a regime! You can choose cosmoceutical products or over the counter (department store) products. Cosmoceuticals are great for people with major concerns, and I have had great success in the past with them. Department store products can be great too! They can get just as pricey though. When purchasing a product from a department store, keep in mind that product does not reach below the epidermis, which is just the top layer of the skin. These products can only do so much, so they are great for maintaining your skin. Be careful what the sales people behind the counter tell you about their lastest and greatest! Not many creams are worth hundreds of dollars, especially if sold in a department store. To see results, visit your local professional to see what would work best for you! Also, treatments from a professional can be great, such as: chemical peels (will take off layers of dead skin and help to even out the skin tone, texture, etc. ), microdermabrasion and facials. This is really what has helped get my skin into shape!

Here are some great tips for keeping your skin in prestige condition:

- Protect your skin from the sun by using an SPF of 15 or higher, daily.

- Sunglasses! We wear them to just look cute and to avoid being aggravated by the glaring sun, but protect that delicate eye area. Show off those new Guccis!

- Wash your face in twice a day, in the morning and in the night. Even if you have had a rough night, get out bed and wash your face!

- Use an eye cream! Your eye area is so delicate and you want to preserve that area.

- If you are experiencing extreme sensitivities, blotchiness, breakouts amongst other conditions, visit your local homeopathic doctor or naturopath. These professionals can help you to pin point what is off balance in your body to be causing these reactions.

- Shop on the outskirts of the grocery store where all of the fresh food is located. Avoid the middle of the store, this is filled with processed foods that cause irritation and inflammation. You can always take a multi-vitamin, but the best source of nutrition is always in your food.

- Take supplements, such as fish oil (not just any will do, make sure that it is a reputable brand that does not contain mercury), probiotics (good bacteria to fight off infections), and a daily vitamin that contains zinc.

- Wash your face before heading into the shower to avoid the hot water that can dry and irritate your skin.

- Exfoliate your skin at least once a week with a gentle scrub.

- Drink water and herbal tea to stay hydrated.

Now, watch my skin care video! I talk about my favorite skin care for myself and what works for me. I am pregnant, so have had to give up all chemical peels and cosmoceuticals for the time being, so I am using Shiseido (amazing brand, one of the only I would use in a department store) to help maintain my skin.

Clumpy eye lashes filled with way too mascara is not a good look for anyone! This has to be one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to makeup. Mascara is meant to take your natural lashes and enhance them to look soft and lush, not tarantula like! To really get more out of a mascara you must try a mascara that will separate and define each lash rather than coat it like crazy. I recently tried the new Christian Dior mascara, Iconic, $27.00. I am in love! The rubber wand that so many cosmetic companies are naming as their own, is really amazing for natural looking lashes that will help to achieve a natural, more separated look. Chanel mascara in Inimitable, $28.00,  is another one of my all time favorite mascaras. For a more affordable mascara with a similar technique, try L’oreal Clean Telescopic, $8.99,  mascara which is really affordable and in my opinion works just as great as the other high end mascaras mentioned.

To add a little more volume to your newly lush lashes, try a volumizing mascara over your defining mascara for the ultimate set of lashes! I created a video below which shows this same technique. In the video I used L’oreal Voluminous mascara, $8.99, which is great for the woman who loves to plump up her lashes!

One last thing, a mascara when used 5-7 days a week, will only last about 4-6 weeks due to bacteria build up and the amount of oxygen that is released into the tube each time it is opened. This tip will help your mascara to look more natural and to not flake off onto your skin! Do not ever add water or any other ingredients to your mascara, this will also help bacteria to mulitiply.

Here is my way of cleaning my makeup brushes, which will help your brushes to last longer and be used to their highest potential! When your brush is clean your makeup will go on so much more smooth and even. I prefer to use MAC brush cleanser which is so gentle on your brushes and not too expensive either! Here are some tips when washing your makeup brushes:

- Use Lukewarm water versus hot or cold.

- Never use too much water, so that the water will not surpass the metal bracket of the brush.

- Use a gentle gel face wash or I prefer the MAC brush cleanse because it is so gentle.

- Give your brushes a deep cleanse at least once a month.

- Do not use dish soap or any harsh cleansers on your brushes.

- Soaking your brushes is not a good idea because the water can get into the metal bracket and break up the glue that holds the bristles together.

- Be gentle and do not dig your brush into the container when cleaning, just swish:)

- Rinse your brushes clean and squeeze out the excess water.

-Lay flat to dry, so again the water does not get into the metal bracket of the brush.

So now it is time to go clean your brushes! You know your poor brushes need a good cleaning:)

“Create Your Signature Makeup Style” Seminar

Sunday December 14, 2008 11-2pm

Magnolia Hotel, Denver, CO

Hosted by Danica Jardien

Owner of Make-up Envy.com and

Ask A Makeup Guru.com

Cost for Seminar: $50 (Includes Seminar and Refreshments)

10% of all proceeds will be donated to Project Angel Heart

www.projectangelheart.org

Learn basic makeup techniques and how to apply them to
your daily look to “Create Your Signature Makeup Style!” I will go over
the best techniques, colors and products to use for all women to help
you look your best on a daily basis, without hassle! Please come
prepared with a “makeup problem” and a picture of your ideal makeup
look.

To sign up contact Danica at (720)939-3650

I look forward to meeting you and helping you to achieve your Signature Makeup Look!

So as most of you may or may not know, I am almost 5 1/2 months pregnant now. On Monday my husband Arshad and I found out that we are having a BOY! We are so very excited and I wanted to share the great news with all of my amazing subscribers because you are all so very supportive and help to make all of this possible:)

Here is a fun makeup tutorial that I did on October 27th for Diwali which was on October 28th this year! Happy Diwali to all of you who celebrate, and for those of us who do not… This is really fun and festive look when you want to stick out in the crowd! Enjoy and Stay tuned for more!

I created this Cat Halloween Makeup for my YouTube Channel for all of my subscribers who celebrate Halloween. I really wasn’t intending on putting this video on my blog, but I thought that it is a really fun look to see even if Halloween isn’t for you. This Cat Halloween Makeup is great for any women who wants a unique look for her Halloween Party! Enjoy!