What is a Custom Blend?

While there are many women out there that know what a Custom Blend is, many do not!  The concept is simple and brilliant and now you will know what it is too!

I would say that 9 out of 10 people go to a department store or their local Target or similar store to purchase most of their makeup.  Then choose their foundation by trying to select a color without being able to try it and by simply looking at the color of the jar.  Typically, the lighting is poor and the color of the product is tainted by the color of the glass which keeps the liquid.  If it is a powder, then, it's also the same issue- it's just very hard to match something that you want to look natural to your skin tone without being able to try it.  More importantly, have you ever heard that no two eyes are alike?  Genetically, it's nearly impossible for any two people (even twins!) to have the same pigmentation in their eyes.  That being said, don't you think your skin is the same?  If that's the case, then how could we ever possibly select the right color for our skin by looking at a line of jars on a counter?  You can't.  Until now!  

So, custom-blending a foundation (both liquid OR powder!) or concealer for someone means mixing the appropriate tones (porcelain, beige, etc.) with the correct undertones (fuschia, yellow - YES, REALLY!) to match their skin perfectly!  We don't aim to neutralize the skin to the point that it looks lifelesss like with many pre-fab formulas, we aim to match the skin and neautralize the appearance of any imperfections in the skin such as blemishes, sunspots, roseaca, or scars while keeping the true color of the skin consistent all over.  Sounds perfect, huh?

We actually go one step further!  We can add sunscreen, firming, hydration or oil control and many other options to truly make this foundation a treatment and foundation all-in-one.  And best of all, it's unique to you just like your skin is!  

You're probably wondering how much a service like this would cost?  Let me tell you, no more than what you'd pay at a department store and this will last you LONGER because you will need less- our pigmentation is almost 50% more than the leading foundations out there!  Also, if your skin tone changes,  we can adjust your formula so that you can continue using what you have.  You will not get this anywhere else!

Now you know what a custom blend IS and WHERE you can get one!  A makeover is always free with any custom-blend purchase!  Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

You'll get a glimpse of my private side today...

Ok, that totally came out wrong!  It's a good thing I'm not able to specifically track who is reading this because I am not sure I want to know who's checking this post after a title like that!

Anyway, before I forget what I was going to write about, let me get down to business.  I am not going to lie- today's post is going to have nothing to do with Makeup or beauty.  But, I hope it will serve as a public service announcement on why having kids can age you...

This is going to be a long, meandering story- I hope you can keep up!

So, lately, we've been having a little ANT issue.  It's beyond disturbing.  They are the tiny, harmless ants, but they still skeeve me out.  Being that I have two small children who, as small children do, make lot's of organic messes, ants seem to feel right at home here.  No matter if I sweep and vacuum 3 times a day or not. They just seem to like us.  I also blame it on our 100 year old house, but that's another story for another time.

We have been using these liquid ant traps and they've worked, but, still, the Ants prevail.  So, I heard on the radio the other morning that CINNAMON can ward of ants.  If you sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon on the floor the ants will not cross it.  So, being that I just bought a BJ's sized container of Cinnamon, I thought I'd give it a try.  I sprinkled a little bit in the high-traffic ant areas and JOILA!  It worked!  Perfect!

I will come back to this in a minute.  Now, the past few days I have been going to the gym since I am trying to get my tush in shape for 2 5k Runs I am doing at the end of the month.  When we came home from the gym, I had managed, I thought, to get both of my kids to sleep.  I was brazen enough to shower while they slept sweetly.  While in the shower, my 3 year old son crept downstairs and decided to save us from the aforementioned ants.  And when I say "the ants" I mean each and every ant that ever walked the face of the earth- every ant in the tri-state area, every ant and its' mother...Ok, you follow me....As I stepped out of my relaxing, hot, steamy shower- I was greeted (I mean knocked over!) by the scent of Cinammon and then I heard little scampering feet.  My senses told me that trouble was a'brewing.  I took a deep breath (mmm, Cinnamon!) and slowly went downstairs to find the entire dining room floor covered in red-brown powder...my sons feet and hands were also covered in red-brown powder...and something that should smell warm, inviting, and nostalgic quickly became sickening!  I'll spare you the psycho mom, cleaning with a vengeance details and skip ahead to today...

I had my sweet, innocent (but full of naughty potential, I am sure) 1 year old sleeping soundly.  I managed to get the 3 year old sleeping again, too.  I settled in to do some work, pay some bills, get some laundry and other housework done, when, who comes slinking downstairs hiding his face?  You guessed it!  And why the hidden face?  Oh, only because he had painted his face with lipgloss and lip liner and eyeliner, and whatever else he found in my makeup kit that I use for WORK!  But, it wasn't enough fun to put all of this on his face...it had to be smeared on my bed, too.  

Did I mention that this could be a great public service announcement about kids and the way they age you?  Maybe I should also add how they: destroy your home and the things in it, eat all of your food, dirty every possible article of clothing you will put on their first 10 years of life, create science experiments out of every room in the house, clog your toilet, dig in your flower pots, break the heels off of your favorite stilettos while playing "dress-up", deprive you of sleep, patience, cleanliness, personal time, and adult snacks, music, and movies, and so many more?!?!  Ok, now that I covered all of that....I guess I should mention one more thing:  How they will inevitably find a way to melt your heart in just the right moment and make you see that none of those things mattered anyway.  That the reward is not in those things- it's in the prideful moments like when they offer to share a snack with a stranger or they hold the door for a mom who's struggling with her arms full of babies, or they wave at that elderly person in the grocery store and you're happy because you know that YOUR kid made them smile!  

While writing this, I was offered a "cup of coffee" for "while I work" and I was protected from more ants (only with an empty container of cinnamon this time!).  My 3 year old can absolutely cause some gray hairs and fine lines, but, I wouldn't trade my life with my kids for a younger looking face or body ever.  Every bit of stress has been worth it!

Hope you enjoyed reading this=)  Back to beauty (HOPEFULLY!) tomorrow!  

Be Well:) Nicole

Here's the little rascal being sweet and cute and ooeygooey!  <3

Smokey Eye is not just black anymore!

I personally cannot wear a smokey eye.  I have a hooded lid and dark eyes and the smokey eye look just doesn't work well for me.  But, I do think I could do a degree of a purple smokey eye (seen above) and I think it's something anyone could do.  It's beautiful and not overdone and using the proper depth of colors, could work with any eye shape and skin tone.  I especially love the purple for this dark brown eye because it brings out the gold tones in the eye, but I also love that that smokey eye doesn't over take her whole eye.  Can you picture this with golds and browns or teals and greys?  Or even an olive shadow with a darker brown anchor shadow?  You could even use a red shadow with brown...Would be beautiful and dramatic yet not as overpowering as the traditional black smokey eye.  Beauty is about constantly evolving and finding ways to make trends work for you.  Don't ever count a specific trend out, just try to be creative and think outside the box!

...a little tease...

From shimmer to matte, sparkle to pearl, we have it ALL,,,

A good kind of problem to have!

I was talking to my husband the other day about the cosmetic line I rep (poor guy, he hears it all!) and explaining to him something that I recently realized!

My whole life, I was never a foundation-wearer.  I didn't do powder, foundation, nothing!  After I had my 1st baby, my son, I was sleep deprived and I started to have an issue with the dark circles under my eyes.  So, I added concealer to my very simple routine.  It was sometime between baby 1 and baby 2 that I met up with my good friend who introduced me to Motives in the first place.  In an effort to support her, I let her make me a custom blend mineral powder foundation.  I used it the next day and quickly became hooked.  I had tried Bare Minerals before but was displeased because I felt like it had a powdery look which I just can't stand.  However, I did not find that to be the case with my Motives Mineral Powder.  It truly looked natural, didn't feel dry, and it gave a nice coverage.  Soon after, I became a rep myself and ended up trying a new foundation- the current #1 selling foundation for our company- the Liquid-to-Powder Mineral Foundation.  And, wouldn't you know it?  I loved it, too!  I used that for almost a whole year before I decided to go back and try something else.  This time,  I made myself a custom-blended liquid mineral foundation.  Not surprisingly, I fell in love with that one too.  With each one I felt I had found something better than the last.  For someone who never wore foundation, I truly find this amazing!

But, here's the real kicker... Because I still have all of these foundations, I switch between them every so often for different reasons- every time I switch to a new one, I say to myself, "This one's my favorite!" and then I go to the next one and say the same thing.  I literally cannot decide which one I like the best!  They all feel completely natural and have great coverage so it's so hard to decide.  All things considered, I do think I like my custom liquid foundation the best but that's because I have customized it exactly to my liking by adding a hydrator, a botanical treatment, and a anti-aging treatment.  Every time I put it on I feel like I am nourishing my face.  It's perfect for me.  And, I bet you I could make you one that is perfect for you!  The best part?  This summer, as my face gets more tan, I can add more pigment to my formula and darken it without having to buy a whole new bottle!  Less waste, less money= HAPPY GIRL!

So, I am in love with 3 foundations!  I'd say that's a good problem to have, wouldn't you??!  Are there any products out there that you are in love with?

BEAUTY TIP #3: That torturous looking device...

Yes, the EYELASH curler!  USE IT!  It could not be more simple- curling your lashes makes your eye appear more open and bright.  It's one of the easiest steps to creating a perfect face and it takes less than 30 seconds to do it right!  To get the most of this tip, you should not simply crimp the lashes in the middle- you want to work your way outward from the eyelid and curl in 2-3 spots along the length of the lashes to get the most benefit.  If you do this, you can't go wrong!  Use mascara afterward and the curl will hold all day!  So, break out the eyelash curler and add it to your morning routine tomorrow!  You'll be glad you did!

BEAUTY TIP #2: PREP IT!

Many, many, many people out there wear makeup.  That's obvious.  But, probably half of those women or more are making one of the biggest beauty blunders out there:  they aren't prepping their face, eyes, or lips first!

If you aren't using a primer, you are setting yourself (your makeup, mainly) up for failure!  Primer not only helps your skin look more flawless but it also helps your makeup work better.  Regardless of the eyes, face, or lips, it helps to create a smooth and adherent base for eyeshadow/liner, foundation, and lipstick.  It will help your makeup wear longer and look better and you will even use LESS which saves you money!

So, if you are finding yourself unhappy with your current products and you aren't using the corresponding primer with it, try this before tossing those brands:  buy a quality primer, like Motives Face Perfecting Primer (contact me to order!).  Use this before applying your usual product.  If you are still unhappy with the results then it's time to try a new brand.  But, if you are happy then you have saved yourself a lot of time and frustration!

If nothing else, I highly recommend you using an eye base/primer.  It's worth its weight in gold (eyeshadow, that is!) and you will thank yourself and wonder how you ever achieved a nicely blended smokey eye without it.  I personally love the Motives brand of this (it's so silky and lightweight!) but anything will be better than nothing!  It's such an amazing difference.  I will be posting some proof shots later!

Update 5.18.2011:

The left colors are with-out eye base and the right colors are with.  You can see a pretty remarkable difference in both color and adhesion- between the right two colors there is a very clear line and the colors are richer and smoother looking than on the left.  And, I used the same amount of product, same application technique, and same colors!  Only difference was the base!  The results are even more impressive in person with natural light and a variety of colors.  Try it for yourself and let me know what base you used and if you were as blown away as I was!

By the way, the colors pictured here are: Motives Pressed Eye Shadow Compacts in Sweet Plum & Red Earth ($12 each) and our Eye Base comes in one formula and is $14.

Color Wheels and Makeup?!?!

You're probably wondering, "What the heck?  Am I reading the wrong blog?"  Nope, you're not!  You're about to get a very rudimentary lesson in colors and how they can make it easier to choose the best colors for your makeup (eyes primarily).  

So, first, we all know, there's the 3 primary colors- red, yellow, and blue.  If you mix them together, that's where you get the other colors, called "secondary" colors found in between the primary colors along the color wheel.  So, example:  red + yellow = orange, yellow + blue = green, blue + red = purple.  Got it?  Good!

I am leaving one type of color out at those are called the "tertiary colors" but, they don't really apply a lot to this discussion, so, I will spare you the explanation- just know that the tertiary colors are created by mixing a primary and a secondary color and it usually results in a shade of/variation of the two colors mixed, i.e. blue-green, yellow orange, etc.

From here, this is where we can apply the color theory to makeup.  In essence, colors can either be harmonious together or complementary together.  If you look at the color wheel, it would be the wedge of like colors in different shades.  These would be considered harmonious.  Here is a picture of harmonious eye makeup- makeup that simply supports the eye color and appears to be neutral shades of taupe, pearl, and maybe even some brown.  This use of color theory typically looks very natural and though this is clearly a dressy occaision, her makeup is definitely not overdone.

From MyFashionCents by Loren Ridinger

Now, to complimentary colors.  Complimentary colors are the colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel.  For example, blue and orange (gold) would be complementary.  Green and red are complementary and well, brown is complemented by just about every color on the wheel.  You know what that means?  Those brown eyed gals are lucky because they can pick just about any color for their eyes and it will look great.  Here's a photo of complimentary colors in eye makeup taken from Eyeshadow Lipstick blog:



I encourage you to think more about this next time you go to select a new eye shadow/liner, etc.  This knowledge opens the doors to so many makeup possibilities!  Have fun!

I felt like a college kid again...

Mother's Night Out was a blast!  I have to admit, I really didn't know what to expect- I was even nervous about how I was going to chit-chat with new people- I am so used to talking with my kids and my tight knit little circle that sometimes talking it up with someone new is....awkward!  I feel like I say strange things that I never would have found myself saying before...Anyway, I "think" that night was void of any truly awkward moments.  Well, except the moments between a lady friend and I who were constantly being interrupted by a horribly obnoxious Deejay.  I wish I had gotten his name- then I would be able to tell people who NOT to book for their wedding- he looked like Kevin from American Pie (you know, the one with the pie....) but I swear I think he was more suited for a basketball game intermission or something!  

Anyway, there was a fashion show and it was GREAT!  I came into the event thinking that I would be avoiding the fashion show part at all costs but, it ended up being something different than I thought and it was not a disappointment at all.  

Unfortunately, there weren't any pictures that I know of so I can't post any but, suffice it to say, there were about 230 hot moms all together in one room having a great time!  That's not something you can say happens too often!  I am hoping for a second annual one next spring!

Now, I have other blogging to do...I am bursting full of thoughts today....stay tuned!

Today, I cut my own hair! EEK!

Ok, relax...it was just shortening some pre-existing side-bangs...And surprisingly, they look good!  It was a borderline crazy idea considering I had two young children crying and hanging on me when I did it, but, we have only survivors here and a happy momma with an updated 'do.  

Tomorrow night is an event that I have been planning (to go to) for months and months!  It was sort-of my business-re-initiation-event that I am hoping will jump-start everything since I had Madeline about 1 year ago.  I have some last minute details to tie up tomorrow, but, all-in-all, I am so ready for this.  If you are a Philly local, it's called the "Mother's Night Out" and you can purchase tickets and read more about it online.  Should be a blast!

I do have lots on the docket for tomorrow, though- I need to make my hubby my salsa with some awesome red-ripe-delicicious tomatoes that my Grandmother brought to me from Florida and I need to make some more strawberry bread/muffins for my kiddos to munch on...In the morning, I will be doing a walk along the Schuykill River with some friends and their kids, too.  And, somewhere in the mix, I have to find the perfect pair of black peep-toe heels!...All in a days work, right?  =)

I hope to post pictures and give a nice update Thursday after the event!  In the meantime, don't do as I do and cut your own hair- let someone else (with some education for hair cutting, preferably) do it- and if you are not local or able to come to Philly's Mother's Night Out, go enjoy one in your area with a few good girl friends!  

Be Well:)

Nicole