10 hair & makeup tips you may not know..

Over the years, my clients have asked me to let them in on secrets of the trade. Some "secrets" are learned through experiences, trial & error, and some are just common sense. Either way, I've put together a little list of every day tips that may help you to look and feel your best each and every day.

1. You can use conditioner if you have dry OR oily hair! Tip: after shampooing your hair, ring out as much water as possible before you use conditioner. If your hair is soaking wet, it has absorbed the water, not the conditioner. The less water in your hair, the better your hair will take in the conditioner. (note: always start at the tips of you hair and work your way up. If you have oily hair, don't condition all your hair, just the ends)

2. Mascara: you DON'T need to apply 8 coats of mascara! the goal is to have may long lashes, not 4 gigantic ones. Apply the first coat by spinning the mascara wand as you apply. Apply a coat to the bottom and top of your eyelashes so you cover the whole eyelash. If you just apply a coat on the bottom, them will be weighed down!

3. Foundation: Not everyone needs foundation and NO ONE needs foundation all over their face. Tip: find your perfect foundation that matches your skin as perfect as possible. Apply only to redness or discolored places on your face and blend. I love putting a little foundation in my face moisturizer for a light all over coverage that blends perfectly.

4. Lips: When I was in high school, it seemed that lining your lips with a chocolate brown then fill your lips with a nice light lip gloss. I somehow never got hooked on that trend, but I still see women doing that to this day! Ok people, it's time to change! Use a lip liner that matches your lipstick or is a shade darker. Fill in your entire lip with the liner, then use the lip stick over the liner to ensure a longer lasting color.

5. Face: this one has been said time and time again, yet people...like my sister, still think it's ok to NOT wash your face every night. I understand washing every night can cause skin to get irritated, but at least take your makeup off. Leaving your mascara on all night, will break off your eyelashes. Leaving makeup on will clog pores, and although you may not see a breakout the next day...you can count on one sooner or later. So please, use a gentle face wash every night and if you think that's too much, use your astringent and a cotton ball to wipe off your makeup before you sleep!

6. Dry hair: I don't know how may times I have had girls complain about their dry hair and when they tell me about their routine, there is a lot of flat ironing and blow drying involved. If you like your hair straight and need to chi it, might I suggest washing your hair at night and sleeping on it wet. Chi it the next morning and you will cut down the drying damage by 50%. Also, use a heat spray to protect your hair before drying or any other heat you might use on it. Note: try going natural when you can! You may find that you love your hair after all, has it been a while since you've see it?

7. Legs: Trying to get that nice smooth feeling, but 30 minutes after their prickly again? Try shaving first thing when you get into the shower. Your legs absorb water and swell a little. If you wait too long, you will find prickly legs when your legs un-swell after the shower.

8. Breakouts: If you find that your forehead has a little breakout on a regular basis, check and see what kind of shampoo & conditioner you're using. Some cheaper products will leave residue on your skin, which causes breakouts. Higher quality products use better quality ingredients, which may help your problem.

9. Blush: Don't know where exactly to brush on your blush? Just think about where the sun hits your face and do a slight swipe of blush across those places. Example: cheek bones, top of nose, forehead, collar bones, & chin. Same goes for bronzer. Just don't go crazy with it!

10. Moisturizer: Give your skin a break no and again. Yes, it is good to moisturize before you go to sleep since your skin absorbs better in your sleep, but sometimes your skin does need to breath! In the summer, moisturize every other night, or even just a few times a week. During the winter/dry months, moisturize when you get out of the shower while you're still a little damp (not too wet), that way your skin will absorb more and you shouldn't have to moisturize as often.

Yes, I do have many more tips to share, but these ones seem to come up a lot. I hope you can use them to make the best of what you got!