New Skincare Treats and Treatments to Chase Away the Winter Blues

It’s time to banish the winter blahs with indulgent products that plump, nourish, soothe and refresh the skin.  This year’s new crop of beauty treats are as much fun to use as they are effective. I Dew Care Ice Cream Masks in Matcha Mood, Cake My Day, and Berry Groovy look like gelato and feel just as rich on skin, while Kopari’s Coconut Detox Mask has probiotics to nourish the skin’s microbiome protective layer while hydrating with coconut oil.  Masks that smell and feel like dessert without the guilt? Yes please!

Overnight treatments are so easy to use: just apply, go to bed, and wake with a fresh, glowing complexion.  GlamGlow’s Good In Bed Passionfruit Softening Night Cream hydrates, exfoliates, and nourishes the skin while you sleep.  Nurse Jamie Miracle Base Beauty Oil is a versatile treat that can be used on it’s own or added to moisturizer and massaged into the skin with your favorite beauty tool. Containing 100% botanical oils it soothes irritation and inflammation.  

Adding a serum takes your skincare regime from basic beauty to glow pro.  My Daily Dose of Uplift Serum by Skin Inc. is a powerhouse with nutrient-rich marine collagen to help improve the skin’s firmness and elasticity, antioxidants to protect, vitamins C + E to reduce wrinkles, and hyaluronic acid to plump.  Use morning and night to improve the condition of your skin and maintain a natural glow.  Alpyn Beauty’s PlantGenius Survival Serum contains three different acids to reduce discoloration and to refine the skin tone, hyaluronic acid and squalene to hydrate, and licorice extract to brighten.  

Don’t forget your lips! I love Fresh Sugar Mint Rush Freshening Lip Treatment which is rich in oils to soften and hydrate, and sugar to prevent moisture loss. Press the lips together to re-activate the product’s ingredients for up to 24 hour protection. 

Spring is not that fare away, even if it feels like the deep freeze might never leave and  pampering your skin for the warm days ahead while indulging your senses puts the treat in treatment. 

          

                                                                XOXO Shelley

#skinbeautytreats #treatingwinterskin #beautytreatments #bestnewbeautytreatments #facemasksforwinterskin #serumsforwinterskin #treatdryskin #facethis.blogspot.com #ShelleyGoodstein 

Your Unique Beauty: Embrace Your Freckles!

First of all, let’s get past the idea that freckles are anything other than your own unique BEAUTY MARKS.  The era of individual beauty is here - finally! No more cookie cutter face designs that make you look like everyone else (!).  It's time to rock your freckles, scars, birthmarks, and whatever else makes you YOU.  Erasing your personal beauty marks is like erasing your identity, so instead of hiding them let them take center stage like so many supermodels, cover girls, celebrities, and yes - even the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT PRODUCTS TO ROCK YOUR FRECKLES:

Foundation: look for a sheer formula that gives light coverage rather than medium or full. Match the skin tone, not the freckles, and choose a color by matching a freckle-free patch on your neck to find just the right shade.  Try a BB or CC cream instead of foundation to let your skin show through.  Tinted moisturizer gives a natural look that is less about makeup and more about skin condition.

Concealer:  use sparingly, and don’t cover your freckles. Apply with a small angled brush or small beauty blender sponge for precision.

Blush:  go for peach, coral, or rosy pinks to avoid matching the color of your freckles.  Choose a cream blush for a blendable and buildable wash of color.

Highlighter:  use a very small amount of cream, oil, or gel highlighter on bone structure to draw the eye to your freckles.

                            

                                                               *** All products available at Sephora.com 

MAKEUP ARTIST TOP TIPS TO SHOWCASING YOUR FRECKLES:

• Use a light brown brow pencil to accentuate freckles.

• Wear a high SPF as freckled skin is more susceptible to sun damage.

• Go easy on bronzer as it will create a muddy look, but if you can’t help yourself and crave a warm, sun-kissed look, use it sparingly and apply with a large fluffy brush and blend it well.

• Line your lips before applying lip color to define the edges of the lips which are often blurred by freckles.

• Freckles tend to have cool undertones so warm-toned lip colors really POP.

• Skip contouring as it is tricky for those with freckles since it tends to hide them or blur them together.

Individual beauty is THE beauty for NOW. Don’t hide the very things that make you special and different from everyone else.  Real beauty is you the way nature made you. Love your freckles! 

                                                      XOXO Shelley

#InYourSkin #loveyourfreckles #bestfoundationforfreckles #meghanmarklesfreckles #makeuptoenhancefreckles #flawlessmakeupforfreckles #makeuproutineforfreckles #facethis.blogspot.com #ShelleyGoodstein

Bisous-Bisous! XOXO Valentine’s Day Most Tempting Kiss-Proof Lip Color is RED HOT

Nothing fires up a Valentine’s Day look like vibrant red lips and this year’s picks are swoon-worthy in the most tempting way in finishes from satin, to matte, to glossy, in shades from warm to cool, some in adorable limited edition packaging, and in long-wear formulas that are meant to last kiss after kiss.  Since you can never have enough red lip colors, I’ll be stocking up on these lucious beauties for a Valentine’s treat that will last well beyond February 14th.  Bisous-bisous! 

                                              Happy Valentine's Day! XOXO Shelley

#bestnewlipcolors #valentinesdaybeauty #redlips #classicredlips #toplipstickpicks2019 #valentinesday2019 #sexyredlips #facethis.blogspot.com #ShelleyGoodstein

The New Science of Skincare: Your Body’s “Third Brain” and How to Truly Achieve a Healthy Glow

Ever wonder why your six-step skincare regime doesn’t live up to the promise of youthful, glowing skin, and instead leaves it red, raw, dry, and over-sensitive?  In fact, using peels, strong masks, retinol, over-cleansing, and aggressive exfoliation is now known to be the very thing that causes issues with the skin in the first place. 

The skin is our body’s largest organ and has its own micro-biome which is a barrier of healthy bacteria that protects the skin.  Our body’s micro-biome is our “third brain” comprised of the good bacteria in and outside our bodies that control all of our body’s systems.  When our micro-biome is unbalanced or not receiving the right nourishment we feel sluggish, our behavior is affected, sleep is disrupted, and auto-immune disorders can present themselves, along with a multitude or other health issues. 

Just as we now know to consume pre and probiotics to feed the good bacteria in our gut, nourishing the micro-biome of our skin is key:  when the bacterial flora is damaged through the use of retinoids, acids and exfoliants, unhealthy bacteria invade causing redness, breakouts, and dryness. The skincare industry over the last decade has been flooded with products to exfoliate, peel, “purify”, deep clean, and “resurface” skin, based on the concept that slightly injured skin would heal itself, thus treating rosacea, acne, and discoloration.  Essentially, these products can severely damage the micro-biome of the skin, leaving it exposed, raw, and the perfect breeding ground for the unhealthy bacteria that causes the exact issues they are supposed to treat.

Scientific breakthroughs in the understanding of how the micro-biome protects the skin has led to the development of products that support the good bacteria with pre and probiotics in gentle cleansers, serums, and moisturizers, which are proving to be very beneficial to those with skin issues and sensitive skin.  Look for products with pre and probiotics that balance rather than strip the skin, squalene to hydrate and help the skin retain moisture, and antioxidants to protect.  Consider a three-step skincare routine that leaves your skin soothed and hydrated and let your micro-biome do what nature intended it to do:

                                                                 All products available at Sephora.com

                                                                XOXO Shelley

#thirdbrain #probioticskincare #skinsmicrobiome #newskincarescience #howtogetahealthyglow #howtofixskinissues #treatingrosacea #treatingacne #newtreatmentsforskinissues #facethis.blogspot.com #ShelleyGoodstein 

Flight of Fantasy: Pat McGrath's Feathered Eyes for Maison Valentino Couture Spring/Summer 2019, Paris Fashion Week

Sometimes a beauty moment happens and literally explodes across social media, liked and shared countless times.  The Maison Valentino Spring/Summer 2019 couture show in Paris this week had such a beauty moment thanks to the gorgeous vision and artistry of legendary makeup artist Pat McGrath who framed the models’ eyes with feathers in a flourish that complimented the ultra-feminine gowns.  The models looked like ethereal, exotic birds and added to the visual delight and drama that is expected from couture.  

How she did it:  McGrath lined the models eyes with her PermaGel Ultra Glide Eye Pencil in Extreme Black on both the top and bottom eyelids, creating softened cat eye shape.  She then applied false eyelashes on both lids before attaching feathers that had been dyed to match each gown.  She finished the look with her Fetish Eyes Mascara in Black.  The effect was almost like a mask that fluttered as the models moved their eyes.  Truly mesmerizing and captivating.  She finished the look with a glossy rose/nude lip with gold flecks, using her Lust:Gloss in Earth Angel on lighter complexions and Bronze Venus on darker complexions.  

Feathers available at Moonlightfeathers.com

Products available at PatMcGrath.com

I love this look so much that I am tempted to try just a single, small feather on the outer edge of each eye on date night or girls’ night, and I’ll go all out to attempt to recreate the look for Mardi Gras parties, Festival Season, or Halloween.  Who doesn’t love a feather?

                                                                 XOXO Shelley

#PatMcGrathLabs #MaisonValentino #SpringSummerCouture2019 #runwaybeauty #feathereyes #ParisFashionWeek #celebritymakeupartist #runwaybeautymoment #facethis.blogspot.com #ShelleyGoodstein