Fabulously Cheeky

These days, it is becoming more and more common to shop on the internet. One of the main internet merchants is Ebay. The biggest problem with this is obvious – we can’t try anything on, and we may not even be able to return the item if it doesn’t fit. All we can do is look at a picture of the garment, and then hope that it will look good when it arrives.

This isn’t really a problem. With my new system for figuring out what kinds of colors that look best on you, you’ll know exactly what you can and can’t wear. To see my numeric system for what colors to wear, please CLICK HERE.

Once you figure out if you look best in brights, muted or pastels, you need to know what is the most flattering length of the garments. You can learn about how to find your vertical body type HERE.

And last, but not least, you need to know what your style is (CLICK HERE to find out).

Once you know what your ideal colors are, and what length your clothing has to be, and you have a solid grasp on what style you belong to, you simply can’t go wrong, even when you buy on Ebay.

If you know that you are short waisted and need tops that are 25″ long, or longer, don’t even look at fancy tops that are only 21″ long. You already know that they’ll end up in the back of your closet. If, however, you find a top that is the right length, put it into watch, or buy it.

The same applies to the colors – if you know that you look best in muted colors, don’t even look at brights or pastels. They will simply wash you out and make you look very pale and unwell. If muted is your thing, only look at clothes in muted colors, and forget everything else. Yes, I know, temptation is there, but if you want to be a successful shopper on the net, self-discipline is a must!

And last, but not least, remember what your STYLE is! If you are a romantic type, search for flowers, frills, lace and Laura Ashley. If you are a dramatic type, don’t even go there. You need bold patterns and dramatic shapes. If you are a classic type, look for clothing under “career” on Ebay, and you’ll find simple tops that fit under your suit jackets. Sensual types, think cashmere, angora, silk and velvet, sexy, sexy… Casual types, go for button up shirts, pleated skirts and cardigan sets, but please, please, stay away from cropped pants – they shorten your legs, which is not flattering, unless you have very long legs! Plaids are good for your type, though. Innovative types should search for “boho”, “hippy”, “fairy”, “goth” or “renaissance”, and find all kinds of weird and wonderful stuff that most people wouldn’t even consider wearing. Did I forget anyone? I hope not!

Anyway, my point is, that if you know what colors you should wear, what your body type is, and what your style is, there need not be any more worries when you shop online. These are the secrets to successful shopping, even though you can’t try things on. Since you already know, ahead of time, exactly what to buy, you won’t be disappointed when your garments arrive. With my simple systems for figuring out what you need, you simply can’t go wrong!
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Tags: find vertical body type, what colors look best, what is my style

I would love to know, how do you feel about green makeup? Do you care if the makeup you put on your skin is full of toxic chemicals?
Please let me know how you feel about green.

When you are about 50, menopause hits, and your skin changes. Most likely, it becomes drier, thinner and more prone to wrinkles. You’ll find that the makeup you used when you were younger, makes your skin look all dull and caked. Have you ever tried mineral makeup powders on menopausal skin? If so, you know what I mean. Not only does it make the skin look dull, it also settles in your lines and gives you that scary, unnatural “mask” look that should never be seen in daylight!

So, what can we use? The main thing we lose from 40 and up, is that natural glow that you see in very young people. So we need to add some glow to our faces by using cream makeup instead of matte powders. I am sure many will disagree with me, because creams reflect the light more, but it still works better.

One reason why it works is because menopausal skin has a tendency to be on the dry side, and putting powders on dry skin is just going to make it drier. Try a tinted moisturizer or a light creamy foundation instead, such as Sally Hansen inspired by Carmindy, if you can find it, and don’t set it with powder. You should use powder only on your oily areas, like forehead and nose, if necessary, but let your cheeks be dewey.

Then, top it with a cream blush and put a little bit of highlighter at the very top of your cheekbones. (Check out Carmindy’s stuff). This will give your face back the youthful glow that you thought you lost, and it looks natural even in sunlight. To finish the look, top it off with some voluminous mascara and a light to medium lipstick with no frosting. I hope you know that frosting should never be used after 50! But, please feel free to top it up with some gloss. Gloss gives a woman any age a little extra glow. Try it, and you’ll see.
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Lose neck skin is the number one thing that really reveals someone’s age, but luckily, there are other options than facelift to make it tighter. One of the things you can do, is a small exercise that really works.

This is what you do: Lie on your bed with the head over the edge. Then slowly lift the head up until it is even with your torso. Hold it there, and count for 60 seconds (if you can). Then rest for 15 seconds, and hold again, this time for 30 seconds. Rest 15 seconds, and the third time, hold for 15 seconds.

Don’t be surprised if you can’t hold it this long the first time you try it, or even the first week! It takes a while to get in shape. This exercise. which only takes about 2 minutes daily, will tighten both the muscles and the skin of your neck.

Cheap, easy and effective. No cutting or snipping involved. I like it!
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Tags: Beauty

When I hit menopause and realized that my skin was getting wrinkled, I panicked and went looking for solutions. One of the first things that everybody praised was face creams that contained peptides.

The main two are palmitoyl pentapeptide, also called Matrixyl, which is supposed to signal the body to make more collagen. The other one, Argireline, is supposed to work a little bit like Botox, by blocking the nerve impulses to the muscles so they’ll stop contracting and creating wrinkles by squinting. Sounds great…

So, I promptly went and bought products that contained these peptides. After a year of using these types of creams, with no effect on my crowsfeet, whatsoever, I started reading cosmetics reviews online. I wrote down a list of products that were supposed to be amazing, with great before and after pictures, but when I found reviews from actual users, they were not impressive at all.

One of the so called best creams on the market is called “Bellaplex.” It so expensive that they won’t even tell you how much product you are buying, and you even have to sign up for automatic monthly mailings, if I remember right. The reviews, however, were basically stating that the cream did nothing and that it was basically a waste of money.

This is when I decided that peptides were just another form of hype that allows the cosmetics companies to charge more money for their products. Or, perhaps, the cosmetics companies don’t put enough of it into their products, since it is very, very expensive?

Collagen is another ingredient that are popular in skin products. It is a structural protein that naturally occurs in your skin, and the idea is that if you add it to your skincare products, it can be absorbed by the skin and used to build up collagen wherever it needs it. However, there is a big hole in this theory – the collagen particles are actually too big to penetrate the skin. So, what exactly is the collagen supposed to do, sitting on top of your skin? You’ll just wash it off next time you clean your face! Seems to me, Collagen products are another scam, so save your money…

The only product I have tried that really works, is hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is a natural component of the skin that is reduced as we age. Hyaluronic acid has the ability to hold its own weight in water 1000 times, so what it does in skincreams is to bathe your skin in moisture. This will moisturize tissues that are no longer able to hold moisture on its own. It plumps the tissues, makes the skin look healthy, and makes the appearance of small lines less obvious.

So, if you want a product that creates visible effect, make sure it contains Hyaluronic Acid. Whether or not Peptides work, are highly questionable, they certainly didn’t do anything for my skin in the products that I tried. And forget about collagen. You can’t add it on the top of your skin, and expect it to change the collagen inside your skin if it doesn’t penetrate. It won’t, and it can’t, if it just sits on top. But, hyaluronic acid will defintely make your skin look younger. (If you take before and after pictures of yourself, you’ll see a difference after 1 month).

And the best thing about hyaluronic acid is that it is totally green, and it is not an allergenic component, so you won’t end up with some nasty skin reaction.
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Tags: hyaluronic acid

I was recently reading about chemabrasion with Phenol, a substance that causes burning and blistering of the skin on the face. The purpose of this barbaric procedure is to get rid of fine lines and wrinkles by removing the top layer of the skin, and then growing new skin over the next 3 – 6 months! You may have seen some before and after pictures of people who have had the procedure done, but has anyone ever told you of the risks involved in this procedure?

In case they haven’t, I’ll tell you myself. The person has to first be anesthetized, to be able to endure the procedure, because needless to say, having acid poured over your face is not painless! Then the acid is poured or painted on the skin, and the skin is covered with a tape mask to make sure it goes as deep as possible. And, do you know how deep the Phenol actually goes??? It goes right into the bloodstream!

If it is poured on too quickly, it can enter the bloodstream at such a concentration that it can change the heart rhythm and atually make your heart stop. And, if that isn’t bad enough, the acid can also damage the eyes, if it is dripped into them by accident, and the lungs, from breathing the vapors!

In addition, the patient has to sign a release form before the procedure where she accepts the dangers of the procedure and takes responsibility for wanting the procedure anyway. And, of course, the docs have a disclaimer at the bottom of the contract where they don’t even guarantee any desired outcome!

Besides the fact that you can die, your lungs can collapse and your eyes can be damaged in the procedure, there is also the danger of infection, permanent disfigurement and you can almost count on pigmentation changes.

I can’t even imagine that women will accept such horrible procedures just to reverse the aging process of their skin. We have become so identified with our outer “packaging” that we have completely forgotten who is inside! We have forgotton that the energy of GOD or the universe, whatever you choose to call it, flows through all of us and expresses itself in so many ways! So, why are we so obsessed with temporary beauty, which, unfortunately, will fade over time, no matter how much we resist?

We have lost our connection to source, or GOD, that’s why. When we look inside, there is just a deep, dark hole there, that has to be filled, somehow. A new car, a new mate, a new face…

But the problem is, the hole cannot be filled from the outside. It doesn’t matter what we try to fill it with, the emptiness still remains. You can ask the richest person you know, and if they are honest, they will admit that the emptiness becomes darker the more they accumulate. Why? Because they KNOW that things don’t make you happy! At least poor people can still hope that they’ll be happy if they achieve their material goals, but when you have achieved everything you ever wanted, and you are still unhappy, then what???

Then, it is time to realize that you are on the wrong path. Looking outside for happiness, is not the answer. We have to start looking within. Who are we, and why are we here? This is what we are here to figure out. Not “how can I stop my face from aging,” or “how can I be eternally attractive so I never have to face my loneliness and emptiness again.” The truth is, that whenever we try to fight the natural cycles, we are bound to lose, so why waste energy on that which is not permanent?
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There are many different types of people, all with different coloring and styles. Examples of different styles: casual, romantic, classic, dramatic and sensual. No matter what your personal style is, all of these types look better if they use at least some kind of makeup to enhance their best features. And, notice that I say “enhance,” not “cover up.” I believe that we should always allow our natural beauty to shine through the makeup we put on, unless of course, the skin is damaged or deformed and in need of camoflage makeup, but that is a different story.

To find out what your best features are, take a look in the mirror, and don’t focus on every little line, sag, bag or blemish, because that will just depress you and make you feel negative about yourself. Instead, focus on what your very best feature is. Do you have beautiful eyes? The eyes are the windows to the person’s soul, so the eyes should always be somewhat emphasized in my opinion.

Other features could be high cheekbones, beautiful skin texture, or nicely shaped lips. When you decide what your best feature is, put most of your makeup emphasis there.

One thing that everybody needs to do, no matter what their style is, is to mark the eyebrows. A face with almost invisible eyebrows, is like a picture without a frame. This is especially important for blondes to do, and for anyone with white or graying hair.

Try to avoid pencils because they tend to look a bit harsh, unless of course, you have very few eyebrow hairs left. If so, use the pencil to draw in a few extra hairs here and there. Short, little strokes is the secret – just don’t draw one continous line! It will always look fake and obvious, especially if you use one of those reddish brown pencils! Be careful with those!!!

The most natural way to darken the eyebrows is with an eyebrow powder that is in a neutral tone a couple of shades darker than your hair color. If you have a problem getting it to stay on, put a little bit of hairspray on an eyebrow brush, and brush the eyebrow with sticky hairspray before adding the powder. This method works great if you have a lot of white eyebrow hairs.

I always enjoy doing one eyebrow and then looking in the mirror to see the difference. It basically looks like you’ve had a facelift! It literallly “lifts” your whole eye area. Then, do the other eyebrow.

Once the eyebrows are done, the eyes need to be lined. First, line the top lid with a soft liner pencil. For daytime look, the line should be softened a bit with a q-tip. To set the pencil, you may want to add some brow powder with a thin liner brush.

If you like to put a line under the eye, too, avoid doing the inner rim, unless you have really big, prominent eyes. Coloring the inner rim tends to close up the eye. The nicest way to line under the eye, is to line only the outer half, and make sure you soften and smudge the line for a light daytime look.

Then put a tiny dab of highlighter under the eyebrow and on the inner corner of the eyes, for a fresh, wide-eyed look.

Now it is time for mascara. Mascara is the one thing you should always wear. It only takes a couple of minutes to apply, but oh, what a difference it makes. Mascara opens your eyes!

If your eyelashes need curling, do this first. Then use a mascara that fits your style. Are you dramatic or sensual? Then pick a mascara with volume. Are your eyelashes short? Then pick a lengthening mascara. Are you a casual type? Then pick a natural looking mascara, like Maybelline’s Full’n Soft.

To apply, start with the lower lashes. Make sure you don’t put too much on the bottom – nobody likes the “spiderleg” look. Then, apply mascara to the top lashes. Wiggle the brush side to side, to coat the lashes properly. Let the first coat dry, and then apply again.

If mascara is your only makeup for the day, you might be able to get away with using pure black, but if your coloring is very light, black/brown or brown might look softer. Put on as much mascara as you dare, and you are good to go.
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Tags: Makeup Tips

I was hoping to get some feedback yesterday about what sizes you would prefer my new skincare line to come in, but I guess you prefer to be lurking in the background, and that’s ok. (You can still comment, if you change your mind). If, however, you are anonymously interested in my new skincare line, you are welcome to send me an email using the contact form button at the top of the page, and I’ll send you notice of new products, and occasional promotional offers, samples and coupons. Your email address will never be sold to anyone, it will only be used to send you updates and offers about my new, totally natural, non-toxic, chemical free, green, anti-aging, luxury skincare line which is going to be released soon. So, right now, I am starting to collect a mailing list of interested individuals. Therefore, if you want to join my mailing list so you can be notified directly, just send me a quick email with “green cosmetics” in the subject line.
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Tags: natural skincare, non-toxic skincare, Skincare

Hi all you lovely ladies out there. Some of you might already know that I am currently in the process of developing a completely chemical free, non-toxic, green luxury skincare line. I believe that everyone should have the right to buy products that are good for their skin, health and the environment, so my new product line will be made with the finest natural ingredients that can benefit your skin. However, I will tell you more about the products at a later time.

Right now I need to ask your opinion about bottle and jar sizes. When buying a new skincare product, what do you prefer to buy first:
Sample sizes
Travel sizes
or Full sizes
Are there any of these sizes you would not usually buy?
I would very much appreciate a small comment on this issue, since it would help me decide what I should offer for sale.
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Tags: natural skincare, non-toxic skincare, Skincare