Beauty

Slip, slop, slap and wrap

SLIP, SLOP, SLAP AND WRAP

Summer’s here and I’m busy as a bee! With family outings to attend, beach trips to plan, kids’ summer activities to sign up and months of slatternly housekeeping to atone for, it’s easy to forget the skin care routine – which is the worse thing one can do with all this heat and sunshine!



If you’re pretty laissez faire with the sunscreen, now’s the time to step it up. UV rays (most potent between 9:00am – 3:00pm, according to www.epa.gov) can cause actinic keratoses (aka skin growths), premature skin aging, sunburn and, at worst, skin cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends a “Slip! Slap! Slop! Wrap!” approach to sun protection: slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat, and wrap on sunglasses to protect the eyes and the sensitive skin around them. We’ve tackled fashionable ways to slip on and cover up; here are some suggestions for those three other steps.

Confessions on skin aging

Nice goal, ate.

Even though I’d always had no-fuss skin – as a teen my breakouts consisted of a few zits on my T-zone – I’d been fairly fastidious about skin care. At age 25 I began daily facial massages, used day and night moisturizer and sunscreen, and got facials maybe every other month. It was all in a bid to “preserve” my youthful skin.

It seemed to work – for a while. Without make up, and clad in shorts and knee socks in my futsal classes, I would often be mistaken for a college student. (This fantasy came crashing down though when I began to play with real college students and was told, “Nice goal, ate!”)

Beauty buy bonanza

Avon - Beauty buy bonanza - Mangojuiced.com

In my last column, I talked about my favorite places for getting affordable, happening clothes. Now let’s move on to make up (YAY!). If there’s anything I learned at a short stint at a fashion & beauty trade, it’s that make up need not be expensive to be good. If you don’t have very sensitive / allergenic skin, or need make up just for everyday use, most drugstore brands will work for you. Don’t get taken by the marketing hype and choose according to your need. (For a more in-depth look at marketing language vs. what the make up actually does for you, check out Cosmetics Cop.)



There are a couple of make up tutorials in The Thrifty Mom’s Guide to Style, and here are the brands I frequently use.

New Year Beauty

newyearbeauty.feat

It’s the first month of a New Year and everyone’s feeling giddy. Style and beauty-wise, this is the perfect time to just go for it! Try that trend you’ve been dying to wear or get that haircut you’ve always wondered about. 

Whatever change you’re making, remember this one simple commandment: commit to it. If you’re going to be half-hearted, it’s never going to look like it suits you. Wearing looks with pride and confidence is the key to stand-out style. 



Holiday Beauty

Sparkle like a Cullen

Christmas parties! Reunions! Face-stuffing! The holidays are all so busy, festive and fun – what better season than this to showcase your gorgeous face? Take advantage of the good cheer (and hopefully good lighting) with amped-up holiday beauty. Try these:

Line them up

From Liz Taylor’s dramatic winged eyelids to Twiggy’s emphasized waif eyes, liquid eyeliner guarantees you’ll make an impact, wherever you go. You can do a little retro line or go all-out Cleopatra. I know most people are scared of liquid liner, however, so keep a few tips in mind: rest the heel of your hand on your cheek to steady it as you apply the liner; start with a thin line and light pressure as close as possible to your lashes and then add/thicken from there; and choose a liquid liner with a slim, precise applicator. I prefer the kind that comes in a pot with a brush than the pen applicators, which tend to smudge on me. My favorite is Avon ExtraLasting Eyeliner.

Treats for tricks

Iggy - Sheer top

I’m really looking forward to the long weekend (which *full disclosure* I’ll probably spend cleaning the underside of the kitchen stove) because I dearly need a break! But like many busy moms, I don’t have the time or the budget to go on a weekend “staycation” or even spend the day in the spa (which I don’t enjoy anyway). What I do are mini-treats: five-minute pick-me-ups you can squeeze into your day and emerge feeling just a tiny bit better and ready for the challenges ahead.

Read the Label

humannature

You’re a civilized person: you bathe at least once a day, brush your teeth, sanitize your hands after grimy MRT rides and before eating, and wear cologne and deodorant out of consideration to the people you encounter each day. You may even wear make-up to enhance your features.

But do you every wonder what’s in the products you use each day? Are they really safe?

Mommy style (part 3): Facing the world

iggyafter

I remember this old greeting card that used to circulate back in my elementary school days. It had a simple line drawing of a witch and inside was the words: “How can you face your problems when your problem is your face?”

Ouch, yes. Trite, oh surely. But sadly, true. Nowadays, whenever I want to go au naturel and show the world just how sleep-deprived I am, I remember the words in that old greeting card. And I double back to the safety of my make-up kit.

Mommy style (part 2): The headsuit

Reese Witherspoon’s cute bob with texturizing layers

The key to looking great is keeping your locks simple. When the choice comes down to ironing your hair or getting another extra 15 minutes of sleep, the zzzz’s will win out, anytime. That means you can shelve your longed-for Kardashian mane until your kid(s) get to kindergarten.

That doesn’t automatically mean chopping your hair into a sexless pageboy – although I know some moms who really rock the short blunt bobs. What it means is hair that is easy to manage and made presentable with the least amount of effort. (Meaning running a comb through it before dashing out the door!) Here are some tips.

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