Behind the Scenes

Hair Care

 -Jillian Raposo

I often get so caught up in makeup that I neglect to pay any mind to caring for my hair. My hair regime usually consists of drug store shampoo and conditioner and blowdrying my hair upside down with no products. I'll usually finish it off with the straightening or curling iron to tame the frizz or else it's totally unruly. The biggest problem I've been having is mega buildup from using cheap products. I've been washing my hair about everyday and within hours it's limp, greasy, and just not cute. I decided it was time for a change and made an appointment with my go to girl Nadia Silva, owner of Luxx Beauty Bar, in Dartmouth. I knew she'd cut & color a masterpiece, and that she did. Every time I leave the salon my hair is completely unlike my own. It's shiny, voluminous, and full of life.

I ended up going from all black to a more brown tone with lighter ends. Going lighter for me usually means more frizz, so with my new look I decided to get all the products Nadia used. I purchased the Moraccan Oil Shampoo & Conditioner, the oil and the Moraccan oil round brush. Can I just say, FIN-AH-LLY! my hair has been saved and I can now make it fabulous all on my own. I've now made a conscious effort to sit down give my self a great blow dry and I'm loving the results. I don't even have to use the irons anymore. 

I'm so in love with these products and thought it was only right to spread the love. I will never go back to my cheap shampoo buying ways and will definitely splurge on quality products. Unfortunately these products are not available at your local stores but you can however take a trip over to Luxx Beauty Bar and pick them up :) If you're in need of more than just a little shampoo & conditioner you can also make an appointment with Nadia or Bethany for a variety of services. 


Luxx Beauty Bar
13 Russels Mills Rd, Dartmouth MA 02748
(774) 206-1558
https://www.facebook.com/luxxbeautybar

Get the look!

Someone had asked me for some shadow info on a recent look I did so I thought I'd share it with you girls. I also thought that this may be a great blog idea for future posts. 

Highlight & Contour

-Jillian Raposo


If you're the type that just slaps on your foundation and calls it a day, boy are you missing out. By applying one shade of foundation and nothing more, all you are doing is creating a dimensionless face. Remember in art class how you used darker shading to push an area away and lighter shading to pull an area towards you? That's exactly what can take your face to a whole new level of fabulous. 

By adding "contour" and "highlight" to your face, you can accentuate your best features and manipulate your worst features. It may appear intimidating at first but I promise after a few tries you will become addicted!! Not to mention, you will have many people asking if you've lost weight. Contouring can definitely make your face appear much slimmer and slim down features that you may not be too fond of. If you have a large forehead you'll want to apply a darker shade in areas which you wish to be made smaller and if you have a large nose you'll want to apply a darker shade to the sides to give a more slender appearance. Highlighting can also make your face appear more youthful, well rested, and fresh. Makeup magic is often the reason why celebrities are constantly being accused of having plastic surgery when if fact, it's just a result of a great makeup artist.

So by now you're probably saying "yes!" I want to slim, trim, glow, & chisel!" "Where do I start?" The world of contouring and highlighting products can be sooo overwhelming! There are so many brands & product lines to choose from! So let me help you, and give you the inside scoop on my faves. 

The Anastasia contour kit has to be my ultimate favorite palette. This kit contains everything you'd need to set, contour & highlight. The colors are so pigmented and there's a great variation for every skin tone.  Each pod is also replaceable if you run out of your favorite shades. For $40 it's a steal! If you were to buy a setting powder, a contour shade, and a highlight powder you'd be well into the $100 range. I also love that Anastasia provides a step by step guide for using the kit with each palette. 

www.anastasia.net

If you'd like to buy separate products here are my recommendations and favorites:

Contour:

• Hoola Bronzer by Benefit Cosmetics (Sephora)
• MAC RiRi Bronzing powder

Hightlight: 

• Becca Shimmering skin perfecter in shade "Opal" (Sephora)
• MAC Mineralize skin finish in shade "Soft & Gentle"
• Benefit Girl meets pearl & Watts up (Sephora)

Setting powder: 

• Ben Nye Luxury Powder in shade "Banana"
• MAC Mineralize Skin finish Natural

Skinny Fox Detox

-Jillian Raposo

I wanted to start the new year off fresh and clean from the inside, out. I've tried juicing and hated it and I definitely wasn't up for a Colonic. So when I heard of "cleansing tea", I was definitely interested. As I was skimming through Instagram, I came across a bunch of different brands but the Skinny Fox detox tea seemed to get most of my attention. I thought it was so cute how they call the morning tea "Hello Gorgeous" and the night tea "Goodbye Cherry Pie" :)

Skinny Fox utilizes a TWO part plan, consisting of a morning and night tea:

-Morning Tea: 'Hello Gorgeous' - Taken when you wake up, this tea is very smooth with no bitterness. Blended to consist of the most powerful natural teas and herbs to give you metabolism boosting, increased energy and fight fat accumulation. Comes in a loose leaf form for guaranteed freshness.


-Evening Tea: 'Goodbye Cherry Pie' - Taken before you go to bed, every other night, this tea is very light and easy to drink. Blended with a natural and gentle laxative and herbs to prevent stomach cramping. This tea is meant to help you say 'Goodbye' to toxin accumulation! Made in tea bags that have been oxygen whitened, without the use of bleach or other chemicals.

Skinny Fox offers two different plans to choose from. The 14 day mini cleanse and the 28 day total body reboot. I chose to do the 28 day reboot simply because it was cheaper than buying two 14 day mini cleanses. So I figured I'd either do the full 28 days or two 14 day mini cleanses at different times. So far I've done about 20 days and I absolutely LOOOVE it! First off, I do want to say that Skinny Fox does not market this as a "weight loss" tea but more as a cleansing tea. It's sole purpose is to rid your body of toxins and help with lack of energy, reduce sugar cravings and boost your slow metabolism. This is the first time that I've ever used a product that actually does what it claims. It completely reduced my cravings for junk and makes me feel so clean and energetic. Before starting the cleanse I was a complete coffee addict and loved drinking wine at night. Now, I somehow don't even like the taste of coffee and wine anymore!!! I've lost 6 lbs of solid weight and I can't wait to continue. 

The #1 question people ask is, "Is it gross?". Not at all!! I've never been a tea drinker and this tea is so easy to drink. The morning tea is so light tasting and goes down so easy. The night tea does have more of a taste but definitely not a gross one. 

Along with just drinking the tea, there are some guidelines that you do need to follow in order to achieve optimal results. 

To avoid reintroducing toxins into the body, you need to eat clean during your detox! That means:

NO Dairy/No Yogurts
NO Sugar/NO Artificial Sweeteners
NO Processed Foods
NO Dark Meats
NO Fried foods
NO WHITE Pasta/Bread/Rice
NO Fruits High In Sugar
NO Alcohol

In addition to the rules above, please drink lots of water. The cleansing tea utilizes water to help flush your body, if you don't provide enough water, you will experience stomach cramping. Water is necessary to flush toxins so DRINK UP! And finally, if your desire is to boost weight loss effect, do not eat at least 4-5 hours before bedtime.

(Information taken from www.skinnyfoxdetox.com)

It is also recommended that you work out at least 30 minutes a day to help sweat out the toxins. I've been sticking to a clean diet, going to the gym 4-5 days a week and following the guidelines above and I wouldn't have it any other way. The results speak for themselves.

This cleanse is also a great way to discover foods that don't react well with your body. Throughout this cleanse your body feels so clean that you'll notice immediately, what you shouldn't be eating. There are certain things that I've introduced that I now know don't react well with my body. Cheese, milk, diet soda, wine, and gum. I've now realized that these things trigger bloating and discomfort and that I should avoid them. By cutting these things out of my diet I have continued to feel clean and energetic. This product has made such an impact on my diet and will continue to be a staple in my journey to a healthy lifestyle. 

(Skinny Fox recommends spacing the 14 day detoxes out with 6-8 weeks between & the 28 day detox 2-3 months apart)


Now here's the amazing part! Skinny Fox was generous enough to give me a coupon code for those of you who are interested in Detoxifying! Visit www.skinnyfoxdetox.com and use coupon code "FoxyJillian" to receive 10% off! 

Why does my makeup look dirty!?

-Jillian Raposo

There's nothing more frustrating than finishing your makeup and walking by a brightly lit mirror only to see that you look DIRTY. Why does this happen?! Here are the reasons why, and how to fix them :)

#1 Problem: You have dead skin 
Dry, flaky, or dead skin can be extremely problematic in creating a flawless complexion. Makeup will not absorb properly into dead skin which will create an extremely uneven look. If you've ever had a sunburn, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Solution: If you notice that your skin is flaking this means that the skin is already dead. In that case, I would recommend exfoliating. I recommend an exfoliating mask, face wash, or  clarisonic to rid you of that crusty layer. Glycolic peels are also amazing if you can afford them ($75 a pop @ the dermatologist).

#2 Problem: Your skin is dry 
When your skin is craving hydration, makeup is not exactly what it's looking for. If you have dry skin and add a foundation that may also be dry, your skin is going to hate you. It will literally suck the life out of your face and leave you looking blotchy.

Solution: Always!! moisturize and prime your skin before applying your makeup. This will help create a hydrated base for your makeup to sit on. If you have super dry skin you may also want to look into a moisturizing primer. Setting sprays can also give your skin a sealed and more hydrated appearance. And don't forget to drink LOTS of water and moisturize day & night.

Recommendations: MAC Moisture infusion, MAC Prep & Prime Natural Radiance, MAC Fix plus spray.

#3 Problem: You are using the wrong color
As much as we all want to look tan, buying a foundation that is darker than your skin tone is not the way to go.

Solution: Use a foundation that IS your skin tone and create a more "tan" look by using bronzers along the outer areas of your face. (Forehead, cheekbones, etc.) NOT ALL OVER!

#4 Problem: You are using the wrong products.
If you've been having this "dirty" problem often, change up your products. Sometimes the chemistry of our skin changes which means it may also be time to change up your product line.

Solution: If you've been using powders switch to creams or liquids. If you've been using creams or liquids switch to powders or mineral based.

#5 Problem: You brushes or applicators are dirty
If you've dipped your all over face brush or applicator in foundation, bronzers and highlighters chances are, the next time you go to use them, it's not going to be pretty. Those colors will have all mixed together and probably created a not so nice shade. Brushes with a lot of accumulated products will also not absorb and distribute products as well as clean ones.

Solution:  Clean your brushes as often as possible. I suggest cleaning them in between every application with alcohol and once a week with a brush cleaner.

#6 Problem: Your skin IS in fact, DIRTY!
So you just woke up with yesterdays makeup still on and totally don't feel like going through the whole cleansing and starting over process. I know, we've all been there.  As much as you may think you can get away with just "adding" to yesterday's makeup YOU CAN'T. For one, it's probably germ infested from you touching your face all day and night and two, it's probably worn off in most areas. So don't do it. You'll waste more time trying to fix it than just starting over.

Solutions: Do I need to say…?! Wash your face :)