Ok! so here is a simple sounding topic…something we all deal with from time to time, some more often than others, but we all do at some point. When i came up with this topic i had so many questions running through my head i didn’t know where to begin! But having done more research i’ll do my best to break it down for you in some surprisingly simple ways how to fairly naturally and effectively reduce eye puffiness:)

What causes eye puffiness??

Improper sleep: Eyes often appear more puffy in the morning after a long night’s sleep. This is partly due to the fact that when reclining, blood flow is increased in the face. Also, when the body is deprived of sleep, the eyes become strained and overworked, usually causing dark circles under the eyes, puffiness and or redness.  Be sure you’re getting the recommended amount of time for sleeping every night to reduce puffy eyes.

Crying: When we cry, our eyes  get swollen and puffy. Even after you have calmed down and stopped crying, the puffiness is there to remind you of why you were crying, No?

Fluid retention: Not having enough water will tell your brain that you are dehydrated. This will cause an anti diuretic hormone to be released which will cause your kidneys to allow water back into your body instead of going out with your urine. Also, if you consume too much salt, more water will be reabsorbed into your body by osmosis. That is why salty food and dehydration cause edema (swelling). So, in this case, and in general, sticking to lower sodium diet will greatly help, from the inside out, as well as adequate water intake.

Other reasons for puffiness: allergies, taking certain medications, weather, hormonal changes, or even heredity!

Note: Visit a doctor if you have sudden or severe swelling in the eye area; it may indicate sinusitis or an allergy.

Here are some helpful things to try in reducing puffiness, redness, or some dark circles:

1. Apply chilled fruits or vegetables! Cool cucumber, apple, strawberry or potato slices on top of your closed eyelids for a few minutes until the slices warm up will reduce puffiness naturally.
2. Chilled Teabags! Cover your closed eyes with damp, chilled teabags. The tannic acid in the tea bags helps sooth the entire eye area. (This also works for red eyes if you do not have drops available) Simply dampen two teabags and chill them in the refrigerator for a few moments. Lay them over your closed eyelids putting very light pressure on them for 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Use Cold Spoons! Stick two teaspoons in the refrigerator or freezer, and gently lay them over your eyes until the spoons warm up.
4. Try Ice! Simply wrap some pieces of ice in a soft paper towel or washcloth and gently apply to your eyelids and the puffy area.
5. Cold Milk! Dip some cotton pads in ice cold milk and then squeeze excess milk out. Apply on lids until pads warm up. You may do this a few times until swelling is gone.
6. Witch Hazel! Soak a cotton ball in chilled Witch Hazel, squeeze out excess then place on closed eyes.   Note:  Position your face upright, elevated above your chest, to decrease blood flow from the face. This basically means don’t lie down!
7. Chill Your Eye Cream! Keep your eye cream in the refrigerator. The coolness will instantly help reduce puffiness when you apply it. Be sure to apply it gently with your ring finger and tap gently when applying.
8. Apply Hemorrhoid Cream! While Hemorrhoid cream is not completely natural, it is also known to do the trick. This used to be an old models trick for the instant reduction of puffiness. From what I understand however, some of the creams in the United States no longer have the ingredient that made this work so well. Note: Be sure to find a cream that has shark’s liver oil and yeast in it. (Also, be very careful to not get cream in eyes.)
9. Use an eye serum! Find an eye serum that is specifically formulated to reduce puffiness. There are many on the market that do this. Keep all products that you are using to reduce puffiness out of your eyes. If they get into your eyes, these products may add to the puffiness problem.

1. Use a Gel or Water Mask! Again, while you might have to purchase this item in a store, it also works very well. Wearing a cold gel or water mask for a few moments not only reduces puffiness, but can be very soothing as well!

          NOTE TO REMEMBER: Drink plenty of water!! remember Water retention, which causes bloating, occurs when the body has too much salt and not enough fluids to flush it out.

So there you go!! A few simple ways to take care of yet another one of those little things that bother us:)

~maresah~        

Long hair is definitely the trend…you’ll notice all these trends have long or at least shoulder length hair as their base. This is a great beach look, or relaxed weekend wear- but I wouldn’t style my hair like this for any dressier events.

Do: 

-Let hair air dry, or blow dry depending on the silkiness desired.

-Spritz with hair volumizing spray, or thermal hair spray.

-divide hair into small section and use curling iron to curl only the middle of each hair section, leaving the bottom and top curl free.

- Spritz with hair spray for stay-power.

Christian Dior started this 1940s Hairstyle Revival, and I love every retro inch of it. They key to this look is starting with soft smooth hair as your base- the rest is a cinch.

Do: 

1. Freshly wash hair and blow dry. If you have wild hair, like mine, apply smoothing cream before blow dry.

2. Part your hair on the far left or right (whichever you prefer) This hairstyle is meant to have a severe side part like, plus side parts make the nose look more delicate.

3. Begin by heating your curling iron and creating barrel sized curls that roll sideways on the head. Clip each roll with a duck bill clip or bobby pins.  (Like giant hotdogs with  the ends facing the mirror in front of you. )

4. Spray with hairspray and let set for about ten minutes.

5. Remove clips or bobby pins and brush out curls gently.

6. Apply a bit of shine creme to your hair with your fingertips.

Note: the Trick to that glam side swept wave at the top of the forehead, is to really get a solid curl pinned up. When it relaxes it creates that rich roll.

One of the prominent trends on the runway this Spring was this soft, boho French braid. It’s feminine,can be worn on a variety of hair textures/curls and…it’s super easy.

How To: 

 1.  Loosely spray your hair with hair spray for volume and stay-power.

2. Finger part at the far side of the head.

3. Gather your (unbrushed) hair at the nape of your neck, and pull hair to the front

4. Divide hair into 3 uneven sections. Braid and secure with small elastic.

Do: 

-keep the braid swept to the side. The side sweep keeps the look modern and relaxed.

-Pair  the braid with modern or menswear inspired pieces. To avoid looking like Laura Ingalls Wilder, choose an outfit that has a contemporary cut. Blazers, shrunken jackets, wide leg trousers, suspenders, vests and the like.

- Have fun with a Fedora. this braid will look great with a variety of hats.

Don’t: 

-make the braid too perfect. It’s messy, and supposed to be that way.

…continued from part 1

C.  Eyebrow tinting/lightening.

note: Eyebrows are generally 1-2 shades darker than ones natural hair color, so be observant when coloring your hair to stay within those parameters so as not to look too artificial.

1. Lightening your brows can lighten the look of your face. To get a rough idea of how bleaching will look, take a light brown or taupe eyeshadow and rub it on your brows.

2. Darkening your brows can definitely add more definition to your face and eyes. to get a rough idea of how tinting them will look, gently sweep your mascara wand across the brow out towards the ear. Apply more if you want them darker. (this can also be a quick daily fix to enhancing your brows without the risk of chemicals near your eyes.)

Because of the potential damage to your vision, always have your eyebrows tinted/lightened by a professional.

D.  Filling in your brows.
If your brows are sparse or spotty and you want to fill them in, there are several ways to do it.

1. take an angled eyeshadow brush and press just a bit of eye shadow to the brow. (medium or dark brown for brunettes. Taupe for blondes or redheads. Charcoal for silver or gray hair). Follow the direction of the brow and extend the brushed-on shadow to the edge of the eye.

2. Pat a tissue on top to blot up any excess.

note: If your brows are really thin, you can pencil them in slightly thicker, but it’s difficult to make this look natural.

3. Take an eye pencil under the brow and follow the brow line out to the edge of the eye. Use a powder sponge to press some powder on top, very gently, to soften the line. then use a brush to lightly fill it in with shadow.

So there you go! Good luck with your brows…. they really can make all the difference to a fresh face

~maresah~

Again to grace the pages of our blog, First Lady Michelle Obama.

Mrs. Obama has a few key elements in her outfits that are always the same, can you spot them?

Mrs. Obama continues to amaze me with stunning sense of style. Graceful, classy, always fitting for the occasion.

Her pieces are simple, flattering to her figure and skin tone. Totally reminiscent of Jackie Kennedy.

More Pics coming soon!

Even if you never touch another cosmetic again, buy a good pair of tweezers and develop the skill to use them. Because no makeup trick on the planet will make you look better than a pair of beautiful brows!!

So How exactly do we achieve these brows you say?

well follow these simple tricks and you’re on your way to much more naturally shaped brows, designed perfectly for YOU!

 Define your parameters. 

1. Look in the mirror, hold a pencil vertically against the highest bone on the side of the nose, and note where it meets the brow. (if you need to, draw a line as a guide.) do this on both sides of the nose. Pluck only in between.

2. To determine the end of your eyebrow, extend a pencil (or tweezer) diagonally from your nostril, over the outer edge of your eye toward the brow. Where it lands is where your brow should end.

3. Whatever you do, don’t pluck the top of the brow. if you do, it will become fuzzy and then you won’t be able to create or contour an arch.  Although, if your brows are messy on top, have a professional wax them. But make sure to talk to her first about the shape that you want.

note: If you have never plucked your brows before, my advice would be to see a professional the first time because it’s possible that once hair is tweezed, it may never grow back. it’s rare, but in case it happens to you, you’ll want to get it right the first time!

 Plucking your own

some women prefer to moisturize before they pluck; they say it hurts less that way. honestly, I prefer to pluck when my skin is dry because i can be more precise with tweezer. But if that is too painful for you then try putting a dab of Anbesol on the area to numb it, or hold a cold washcloth to the brow for a few seconds before you start.

note: A tweezer with a slanted or pointed tip will grip the best.

1. Always pluck below the brow line, so the hair won’t grow back in a scraggly-looking line, and follow the natural arch of your brow.

2. Use the top of the brow as a guide on how to shape the bottom. Pluck the hairs out toward the ears, in the direction in which they grow. Remove stray hairs, but don’t pluck too much at once.

3. Pluck a few hairs and then stop. Look in the mirror, step back, and see how you’re doing. You can always take out more later, but once you’ve over plucked, you’ll have to live with that thin, artificial line until the hair grows back….if it does.

Part 2 coming soon!

Well, the experts say brown is on the rise for Spring 10. Can’t say I mind, I like brown. Neutral, goes with everything. What’s not to like?

Go cool: 

Makeup artists Matin says cool browns are most flattering: “Warm browns—like orange or brick tinted ones—look beautiful on some girls, but if you don’t have white teeth they can be detrimental to your smile.”

Mauve Tinted Brown:

Instead, makeup artist Gucci Westman says to go for a mauve-tinted brown. “There’s a bluish purple undertone to it,” says the Revlon global artistic director, who applied Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Chocolate Velvet on models at Richard Chai’s spring 2010 show. “I always love how it looks, and it works with just about every skin tone.”

_______

Get a fresh tube for Spring- $7.99 at your local drugstore.

Hey all,

We’re doing some market research- you want to help?

Leave a comment with the name of your favorite boutique in your local city that could be a potential retailer for Christa-Taylor fashion.

Particularly those in California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Washington and Oregon.

This will be a huge help!!!