*Ding-Dong* AVON Calling!

So let's all think back at how cool Peg was in Edward Scissorhands, shall we? Modern woman, fashionable...an Avon lady :o)

Okay so I'll just get to my point: I'm officially an Avon lady!

I'm very excited at the prospect of playing with make up and skin care as a job and I am exceedingly enthusiastic about Avon as a company. They are the oldest cosmetics company in the country (it's their 125th anniversary this year! That means they were established way back in Eighteen-eighty....old...I don't do math)... They do NOT test on animals, and they are the biggest corporate contributor to breast cancer awareness/research in the country!

So if you are interested in learning more about Avon's products, feel like browsing a new brand's goodies or have a favorite product that you need an Avon lady for-- hit up my new Avon website or email me at noelladelaney.avon@gmail.com
Thank you!
--Noella

Darlene's Kosmetology Korner

So, let's talk about hair! I thought it appropriate to open up discussion on the subject as hair care is certainly part of being wicked pretty. I want to start with good shampoo. We all know if your hair is not healthy you cannot expect the best results. In all my years of doing hair I often said, I wish I could be the holistic hairdresser. Work with your hair, not against it. 

Well, it all starts with good products, and good products are all about pH levels (potential hydrogen). In a nutshell, the pH scale ranges from 0-14. 0 being really acidic and 14 being the highest in alkalinity. Our skin and hair are on avarage between 4.5 and 5.5. Pure water has a pH of 7! If you use products high in alkalinity the cuticle of your hair will swell, open up and allow oils and moisture to escape. In turn hair will become brittle and dry. Using a product that is acid balanced (we want shampoos around 5-5.50) it will actually close, harden and flatten the outer cuticle layers creating smoother hair. If your hair color is fading fast, the hydrogen is probably too high, causing dark hair to lighten.

So how do you know what the pH level of your shampoo is? Well, a few professional companies will state the pH, but most companies do not tell you. You can have some fun and do some testing of your shampoos and lotions with a visit to the drug store. Litmus paper or sticks will give you an accurate reading (we did this in beauty school). 

Unfortunately, most mass produced shampoos are made of the cheapest ingredients and won't list the pH. You can call the company to ask and also let them know that you want this information up front on the bottles! 

If you don't want to bother with this experimenting my advice is the same as I have told my clients for years. Go treat yourself to a duo of shampoo and conditioner from a professional line of products. Use these products exclusively until they run out. Do not use any other products during this trial. Certainly stay away from all those half used bottles of hair care products you have in the deep dark depths of your cabinet. For years the results have been the same... they always come back for more! 

You all know plenty of those professional products (Alterna, Pureology, Redken, Matrix, Paul Mitchell, Aveda, Nioxin, Chi, Bed Head) so wait for a sale and unless you have the strongest virgin, (un-chemically treated) hair I can pretty much guarantee you will notice a difference and you will be ready to learn how to get the perfect haircut...

--Darlene

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Applying the Color Wheel to Cosmetics

Anyone who took elementary school art is probably familiar with the color wheel. If you are not, the color wheel consists of the primary colors (red, blue, yellow) and the results of their combinations (secondary colors), which are complimentary, or opposite, to those colors. 

From an artist’s standpoint, it makes complete and total sense to apply the color wheel to cosmetics, especially concerning the eye shadow.

Let’s start by breaking things down:

Primary colors:

Red, Blue, Yellow

Secondary colors:

Red + Blue = Purple

Red + Yellow = Orange

Blue + Yellow = Green

Complimentary colors:

Red = Green

Blue = Orange

Yellow = Purple

Obviously the spectrum of colors is much wider than what I have listed here, but consider this a basic refresher.

So, if you are going to apply the concept of the color wheel to find a shadow that will really make your eyes pop, you will want to choose a shade, or a variation of a shade, that is opposite your eye color…

If you have blue eyes…

As we have established above, the opposite of blue is orange. Obviously you are not going to want to walk around with Tang eyes all day, unless you have darker skin and you can pull it off.

If you have fairer skin, try using a soft, orangey peach on your lids and using a light coral or a neutral color in your crease. Use a white or light peach colored pencil on your water line to make your eyes appear bigger and brighter. I recommend using a chocolate color on your top and bottom lash line to keep things looking natural. Top it off with a brown mascara, or a dark, navy blue. The blue mascara will compliment your eyes as well as making the whites appear whiter. This is a trick that can be used on any eye color, though I personally think it looks best with blue eyes.

If you have darker skin, feel free to be a little bolder in your choices. Vibrant colors will not appear quite as bright on dark skin, so experiment a little. Try a bright orange all over the lid and a burnt or brownish orange in the crease. Use a soft peach to highlight your inner corners and brow bone, as well as along your water line. Choose your eyeliner accordingly. If you are tan, stick with a chocolate brown, or if you have a deeper, darker skin tone, try a thin, black line. Choose a blackish brown mascara to finish the look. 

Try Stila's Wonderful in Waikiki Palette.

If you have green eyes…

The opposite of green is red. Again, unless you are into big, bold colors, you’re not going to want to walk around with Crayola lids. For the sake of this blog, let’s keep things, “wearable.”

I love pink eye shadows, but you have to be very careful with them. The wrong shade of pink around the eyes can just make you look like you have been rocking the ganj’ all day, and that is not an attractive look on anyone. If you are fair, choose a soft, baby pink for your lids. Follow it up by mixing a bit of that same pink with a little light brown and work that into your crease. White or a champagne color would make a lovely highlight for the brow bone and inner corners, and a white liner along your water line will really make things pop. Brown and pink make a lovely pair, so use a brown liner along your top and bottom lash lines and finish with a dark brown mascara.

Purples are gorgeous on both light and dark skin. Light lavender for the lid, a medium purple in the crease, and a white highlight will make green eyes sparkle. Try a deep plumb liner on your upper lash line and a soft brown for the lower. You can use the plumb on your lower lids as well, but again, take care or you will look tired and stoned. If you have really dark skin, get bold with your shades. Purples are absolutely gorgeous on women with deep and dark brown skin tones. 

Try the right side of Kat Von D for Sephora's True Love Palette. The color that looks white in the palette actually applies as lavender and is absolutely gorgeous. This palette also features stunning neutrals.

For those with brown eyes…

Brown is not on the color wheel, and is created by mixing secondary colors. As it is an earth tone, or a neutral color, I personally believe that brown eyes are best complimented by other earth tones and neutral colors. All eye colors are. A little bit of shimmer will really make brown eyes sparkle. Choose a soft beige for lighter skin and go darker the deeper your color is. I also love using gold and bronze on brown eyes. Choose a deeper shade or brown or bronze/gold for your crease and highlight with a shimmery champagne. As with the other colors, choose your liner and mascara according to your skin tone; browns for fair skin, blackish brown for tanner shades, and black for deep or dark skin colors.

If you are have dark brown skin, try using the purples recommended in the green eye suggestions. Deep skin tones are the exception to breaking the neutral rule when it comes to creating a wearable look for brown eyes.

No matter what your skin tone, don’t be afraid to play with shades of gold.

Try Urban Decay's ever-popular and widely coveted Naked Palette, or the gorgeous Vegan Palette. The Vegan Palette is on sale for $19 right now. Seriously. It is $17 for one individual Urban Decay shadow. How can you pass up six gorgeous colors, a mini primer potion AND a 24/7 pencil for $19? You can't. Buy it now and you won't be sorry. 

If you have hazel eyes…

If you have hazel eyes, you can probably successfully wear both the green eyed and brown eyed looks. Definitely play with golden shades, as hazel eyes tend to have a ring of gold in the center or gold flecks. If you have light eyes, play around with the blue eyed look as well. Though generally, I think the green and brown eyed looks are going to compliment you better. 

I recommend Benefit's BADgal Brown and Stila's Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Dark Brown to compliment all of these looks.

As soon as I round the troops I will be making a color wheel video using all of the palettes and products listed here, so keep an eye out!

xoxo Melissa

Put Your Softest Face Forward!

I wish that everyone reading this could reach through the screen and touch my cheek. Seriously, I am making my fiancé feel up my face right this very minute. I don't think my skin has ever felt so soft, and i have Michelle Phan to thank for it.

Anyone who watches beauty videos knows Michelle Phan, and if you watch her channel you will know that she has been making quite a few d.i.y. skincare videos lately. Her Look of the Day for August 12 was a d.i.y. cotton mask. Click HERE to view the video.

I didn't have all of the products that she uses, so here is what I did....

First I removed my make up using Sephora's Waterproof Make Up Remover. I actually hate this product, but I needed to try something new now that Benefit isn't making Gee, That Was Quick. It leaves my skin and hands feeling very greasy. I would never use it for clean up, and only utilize it if I will be washing my face immediately after.

When my make up was off, I cleansed my face using Purity Made Simple by Philosophy. I think we have already mentioned this product like a bazillion times. That is because it is amaze-aze-ing. Then i exfoliated with Origins' Modern Friction, another product you will never get us to shut up about. I gently patted my face dry and moved onto the mask.

I used some non-stick pads that I had in the medicine cabinet. I ripped them in half so that i had two pieces, each with one smooth non-stick side, and one cottony side. I ripped enough pads to cover my cheeks, forehead, nose and chin. I laid them all out, soft side up, and spread a thin layer of Embryolisse (Ooh, la la! Thanks, Noella!!!) over the cotton. Next i pressed the pads back together and held them under the warm tap until they were good and wet. I held them between my palms and pressed them together so they weren't sopping and laid them across the previously mentioned areas of my face. You will want to give them a good press so they stick. You may even want to lay back or recline so they don't fall off, but I found mine stayed on alright.

Then you just play the waiting game. Michelle said she leaves hers on for about ten minutes. I opted for twenty. You will know when they are ready to come off, because the cotton will start drying out a bit.

After you remove the cotton, you will be able to feel the moisturizer on your skin. But we are going to take it a step further! I used Origins' Starting Over under my eyes and applied VitaZing all over my face and neck. Ladies, (and gents), don't neglect your neck. (Oooh, that rhymed! I'm a rapper!) I finished it all off with a quick spritz of Mist Opportunity by Mark.

I would personally recommend doing this routine at night and not in the morning before work, because your face is going to feel moist for quite a while. But when you are finished.... Oh. My. Goodness.

Obviously you can use any cleanser, exfoliant, and moisturizer that you prefer, though I highly recommend using products that are light, gentle and water based. You don't want to overload your face with oils, especially if you decide to do this before bed. Lord knows what kind of a mess you will wake up to! Especially if you have sensitive combination skin like mine. The goal is to feel soft and clean, not heavy and greasy. So choose your products wisely!

xoxo Melissa

Easy Interview Make Up with Rage

Our first go at a tutorial :o) Let us know what you think. Please request fun looks so we can delight in putting more make up on our friends and family!

1st Birthday

Have you seen the latest news? I’m surprised it wasn’t on your AOL homepage, I’m shocked Matt Lauer didn’t mention it on the Today Show and I’m appalled that the Portland Press Herald didn’t feature it on the front page of Life and Leisure.

I was thrown a Surprise Birthday Party.Me. The First Noel. Christmas Miracle. No Birthday Nelly.

Turns out, when your birthday is Christmas day (yes, the 25th) people tend to have other “important things to attend to” (like their own families pffff-LAME) and your birthday gets a little pushed aside. So since the days where my dear mother would plan a party around the first weekend in December, (piñatas, relay races, dress-up competitions…she gets excited), I have had generally low-key birthdays. On my 21st, mom asked me if I’d like a glass of white wine…You get the picture.

But enough of my Lifetime Channel, made for TV movie, birthday tragedy. The point is, my amazing friend Joy and my amazing husband Nick decided “to hell with Christmas/Birthday” and threw me a surprise birthday party this past weekend. In August :o)

To my supreme delight, my dear girl friends collaborated and Nick, attentive man he is, schemed and even our housemates (boys) braved the line in Sephora to make me the luckiest girl in town. And here I am, spoiled and thankful and sooo loaded with amazing new toys.

Here it is, The Most Epic Birthday Haul:

*Urban Decay Naked Palette! Weeeee! Review/Tutorials coming ASAP!

*Origins Modern Friction scrub! Let’s just say that my face feels much like a baby’s...face.

*Sephora Gift Certificate! Hey, they’re men, how could they have known I wanted...

*Too Faced Nice Stems eyeshadow! So smooth, so vibrant, yet still wearable.

*Korres Mango Butter Lipstick in Natural Pink! Feels like lip balm, looks juicy/pretty pink!

*A Kindle! Cannot be applied to face. Can look pretty whilst reading with application of above products though :o)

Certainly the most generous array of bedazzling pretty bits any girl could hope for. Let me repeat, I am the luckiest girl in Maine if not the entire World. 

Thank you so much to Nick, Joy, Patches, Shumie, Melissa, Tom, Roberta, Tina, Ian, Jarek and Tori who all made me feel so special and loved. Special shout out to Rage (my lil sis) who spent the morning weaving an intricate web of lies to keep me occupied at the mall/Goodwill/Target, little miss "I have to hit the bathroom just one more time," and all of you who kept me so far in the dark about all this I may have wet myself a little when I saw you all standing there in my kitchen. Thank you!

--Noella