Many women feel inadequate and there are even men who feel the same way.  Ads try to target these type of people in order to get them to hop on board and buy products that can supposedly make them into something better.  On top of just beauty products, people are also risking their lives to enhance their bodies with plastic surgery.

Here at Stamplays, we love beauty.  The difference is that we love natural beauty and we believe that everyone is beautiful!  The infographic below shows just how many people are trying to change because they do not embrace their own natural beauty.

1. Wash my face every night.  I’ll admit that I have occasionally skipped the face washing and gone straight to hitting the sheets.  This is a bad idea for anyone.  If you have to, stash some wipes in your bedside table at least.
2. Use less heat on my hair.  I have days where I will blow dry, straighten, and curl my hair within hours.  It’s like I can hear my hair screaming.  This year I am going to be sweeter to my hair so it can be healthier and shinier.
3. Take my vitamins everyday.  I love taking vitamins.  I feel like they actually do some good, but I cannot for the life of me get on a routine where I take them daily.  So, I am going to try to do that this year.
4. Get a healthy glow.  I love tan skin.  I always have, always will.  I do not love the thought of prematurely aging or the potential of skin cancer.  So this year I am going to be glowing and tan in a healthy way.  Sunless tanners are going to be my new best friend.
5. Sleep my recommend amount each night.  I am bad about getting to bed on time.  I just get way too easily distracted.  This year I am going to stick to a sleep schedule so I can get my beauty sleep.

For an office party:

This year the lips rule when it comes to make up looks.  For any company or office party, play up your lips with a bold color and go minimal on the rest of the face.  Keep your eyes simple with a thin liquid liner on the top lid, or go for a nude eye.  Using a liquid illuminator highlight your cheek bones, but be sure that the lips are the only thing to pop.

For a friend’s house party:

You can choose a couple of looks for a house party.  Go for a look that is clean and classic with subtle colors that look good on everyone.  Keep your lip shade close to your actual color and just play up your natural beauty.  The second look is Hollywood glamour.  Thick eyeliner, glossy lips, and rolled hair gives a Hollywood vibe that you and everyone else will love.

For your own party:

Hosting a party is difficult enough.  With that said, you do not want to spend a ton of time in the bathroom before hand getting ready.  Hot roll your hair with big curlers beforehand for volume, and use your normal make up routine to keep it fast and just add in one update.  Either use a bolder lip color or eye color to create a party look that will not go unnoticed.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

• Get plenty of moisture from natural oil.  The idea of not washing your hair each day might scare you, but the truth is your hair and scalp will thank you for leaving the suds in the shampoo bottle occasionally.  Think about it, when you wash your hair you are stripping those natural oils that can help keep your scalp from flaking and keep your hair from looking dried out.  Even those with the oiliest hair, should consider going to an every other day wash.
• Add in moisture.  Conditioner is a girl’s best friend in the winter when it comes to taming winter locks.  Condition when you shower to get extra moisture for the ends of your hair.  Do not condition the roots of your hair as the moisture will make it look oilier and force you to wash it more.  Condition the ends of your hair and leave the conditioner on for about three minutes.  If you have really dry hair, use a conditioning hair mask once a week for a boost of hydration.
• Cut out hot showers.  Okay, on chilly days a steamy hot shower seems like the best idea, but the hot water can be contributing to a dry scalp and damaged hair.  Keep your showers closer to the warm side to ensure you aren’t causing more harm than good.  Your skin will also thank you for this and will not seem as tight and dry after washing.
• Avoid over-styling.  Everyone breaks out the hair dryers in winter because you simply can’t walk out in cold weather with wet hair.  If you do have to blow dry your hair, skip the straightener or curlers that day.

When the weather starts to get cold and that dry air hits your face every morning when you open the front door, you may want to consider switching facewashes to one that is cream based instead of gel based.  An abrasive wash is great for removing dirt at the end of the day or controlling oily skin in the summer, but if you are experiencing dry skin in the winter months, it is best to avoid harshness.  Along with this, make sure that your moisturizer is giving you a sufficient amount of moisture throughout the day.  Many women think that as long as they are using some sort of moisturizer that there isn’t much else they can do.  This simply isn’t true.  There are so many options for moisturizers out there that you need to take the time to figure out which one suits your skin type in the dry weather.  I use a dermatologist recommended intense moisturizer in the winter because my skin gets dry patches and I can use this powerful moisture on target areas.

Take your lip care back to the basics.  If your lips are dry, don’t make the situation even worse by feeling like you need to constantly be applying lipstick that doesn’t have enough moisture.  Go for a natural look with a layer of straight chapstick on your lips topped with a dab of gloss.  You get a little shine without drying out your lips even further with color.  There are even some healthy colored chapsticks available now that offer the best of health and beauty combined.

If you don’t already apply a moisturizing cream to your entire body after you get out of the shower, begin the routine. This helps prevent dry skin so you won’t have to be embarrassed by itchy dryness while you’re at a holiday party with friends.   And if you do develop a dry patch of skin on your arms or legs, don’t simply layer on more of the moisturizing cream that you normally apply, go to the drug store and get some Vaseline or a cream with a similar texture.  Vaseline holds in moisture and stays on your skin longer than moist scented body lotions or creams, sealing in moisture at that exact spot.

Foundation – Having to choose a foundation for your wedding day might scare you, but it definitely should not.  Take a trip to the department store about a month prior to the big day and have a helpful beauty advisor help to match you with your foundation color.  These consultants are usually highly trained, and they want you to look flawless too.  Choose a foundation that is not heavy.  If you feel the need for more coverage, then your matching concealer will do that job.  Light layer of foundation and spot concealing will make your skin look perfect.

Blush and Lips – Both your blush color and lipstick colors should be close to the shade that you wear each day, or close to the natural flush in your cheeks and the natural color of your lips.  Typically when I create a bridal look, I choose a lip shade that is just two shades deeper than the natural lip shade and a cheek color in the same color family.

Highlight – There will be so many pictures taken of you, especially if you are the bride.  So be sure to highlight your cheek bones and brow bones.  This is a great way to add simple contouring to your face that looks incredible in pictures.

Eyes – You can do so much with your eyes for a wedding, but again, you still want to look like yourself and natural.  Add some sparkle and play up your eye color.  Pinks go great with green or hazel eyes, taupe and browns make blue eyes pop, and purples can create the ultimate play on brown eyes.  For evening weddings that want a subtle smokey eye, use browns.  This is classic for any eye color.  Once the smoky shadow effect is done, brush a sparkling copper shade all over the lid to give it extra oomph.

Stick to a look that is truly a reflection of who you are and what you normally look like for a wedding no matter if you are the bride or just attending, you will love how you look that day and throughout time looking at the photos as well.

Before applying, you do need to prepare your skin.  Exfoliation is the key here.  You want to take a shower and be sure to really scrub well to get all of the dead and dry skin off.  If you don’t this could lead to conglomerates of self-tanner and an uneven appearance, not cute.  After you’ve scrubbed up, make sure to dry off completely leaving nary a drop of water that could cause streaking.  After you’ve dried, then you can put on a balm or petroleum jelly onto your cuticles and nails (hands and feet) to prevent discoloring.  Now it is time to apply.

The type of self-tanner you have will impact how you apply it.  No matter what type you use, make sure that you start from the feet up to eliminate creasing from having to bend over.  Sprays are obviously sprayed on.  It is best to do this either on an old towel, or inside of the shower with the door or curtain closed.  Gels, foams, towels, and lotions can be a bit trickier because you don’t want to end up with orange palms.  There are a couple of ways that you can avoid the oompa loompa orange palms.  One is to wear disposable gloves, and the other is to apply the tanner with a sponge brush.  You can find these paint brushes in craft stores or home improvement stores.  After you have applied the tanner all over evenly, then make sure the areas that are prone to “gathering” more tanner don’t do just that.  Put a light layer of lotion on wrists, knees, ankles, and elbows to make certain that the coloring stays natural looking.

Once you’re finished applying the tanner, then you definitely need to wait more than ten minutes before putting on any clothes.  I prefer to sunless tan at night, so I will wait for about ten minutes than just put on my robe and lounge around before heading off to bed.  That way I can give it extra time, and I wake up with a bronzed glow.

Follow the above steps and you will be well on your way to looking like you’ve been a beach goddess for days with a natural golden glow.

Foundation – What you need to remember most when you want your foundation to stay put all day, especially in this summer weather, is to find a makeup primer that will help to prepare your skin for the foundation.  If your skin is ready for foundation, then the foundation will adhere to it and last throughout the day, as opposed to simply sliding off of your favorite moisturizer.  My favorite primer has an SPF in it too, so my skin can be extra healthy.  Clinique‘s City Block Sheer is phenomenal.  If you have red tinted skin, go for Clinique’s Redness Solutions Protective Base.  It has a green tint to neutralize your redness, an SPF of 15, and it is an oil-free primer.

Blush – Keeping blush on when it is scorching outside can be difficult, but with all things that you want to make last all day, think about layering.  Start out by applying a cream blush and then apply your powder blush over it for extra stay power.

Eyeliner – It is so frustrating when you feel like your eyeliner is running down your face to create a serious raccoon look, so don’t let it.  Like your face, you need a primer for your lids, and this will help a little.  Layering is key here also, and a great stay in place cream or powder liner. Le Ligne De Chanel is a fabulous duo eyeliner that I absolutely love.  After applying your eye shadows, then you will want to line the top lid.  First, use an eyeliner pencil in a coordinating shade as your cream or powder.  Make sure that the line is not too thick, but is right on top of the lash line.  Typically a pencil will give a powder liner something more to grab onto and adhere.  So, immediately after penciling on a line, follow with your cream or powder liner, tracing the original line.  Do the same on the bottom, keeping the line quite close to the lashes.  The closer to the lash, the more natural it appears, and less chance of hideous “running.”

Relieving Sunburn -  Sunburn is probably one of the most uncomfortable things that can happen to a person.  While it is avoidable, often, people do not know the best ways to go about preventing the risks of getting burnt by the sun.  If sunburn happens to you, you may feel pain and discomfort and see reddened, swollen, or even blistered skin.  When some or all of these signs are present after you have been out in the sun, then you have got sunburn.  Here are so tips to help in relieving some of the discomforting pain associated with being burnt:

1. Use vinegar.  Apple cider vinegar will help to relieve some of the sting of your skin.  You can soak a small cloth with vinegar and place it on the burn, or you can take a cool bath with a few cups of vinegar in it.
2. Relieve Pain.  Over the counter pain relievers are a big help when it comes to relieving some of the pain.  While it won’t take it all away, you will find you do feel better after taking some.
3. Aloe Vera is your friend.  Do not skimp on the aloe vera treatments.  When you get a sunburn, you need to keep your skin moisturized and hydrated at all times.  This will help to keep the peeling that follows from being awful, and it will help with the pain.  Aloe vera directly from the plant or treatments and lotions with aloe vera are a great way to soothe and cool the burn and keep your skin from being dry and painful.

De-frizzing the Frizz – No one want to walk out of the house with frizzy hair, but a lot of the products designed to keep those pesky frizzies at bay are so heavy that your hair in turn becomes heavy and flat, without volume and style.  Use the following tips to get a frizz-free style that still looks weightless and manageable:

1. Don’t Rub.  Often when we exit the shower with wet hair, it is our first response to rub our hair with the towel to dry it off.  This friction helps to create the opposite of what we desire.  Smooth, glossy hair is not an option if you’re rubbing your hair around.
2. Watch Your Angle.  When you blow dry your hair, take notice of how you are angling the dryer on your hair.  To protect against frizz, point the dryer down starting from the roots and going down the hair.
3. Spritz the Spray.  Once your hair is completely dry, then lightly spray a shining or glossing spray to your hair.  Just be sure to use only a light spray at a time. You can always add more, but can never take away.

Hopefully these tips can help you to day comfortable with a burn and frizz-free. It’s like an ADT alarm system for your skin. Prevent the worst from happening! Stay tuned for the next article addressing keeping your eyeliner and lipstick practically smudge-proof.

Vitamin A—this vitamin, which is also known as retinoids are the perfect way to kick aging skin in the butt.  If you want to fight existing wrinkles, or if you want to slow down the aging process, then look for a night cream or a moisturizer with vitamin A.  Just remember more does not always mean better when applying your product.  You don’t want to waste your entire product, and your skin can only absorb so much anyway.  If your product is formulated correctly, then your skin should be getting plenty of vitamin A with just a light layer of lotion.

Vitamin B5—the best way to make your moisturizer really do its job, and to keep your skin from dehydrating is to incorporate vitamin B5 into your skin regimen.  I like to think of my B5 gel as a booster because it really does maximize your moisturizer’s effectiveness.  Another great perk is that vitamin B5 is also shown to help in repairing the skin’s tissue.  So, this great vitamin on your skin means you’ll be getting in your nutrients and your skin will have a soft texture and seem young in appearance.

Vitamin C—if you are looking for help with preventing and correcting all signs of aging skin, the vitamin C is what you need.  Vitamin C will help in exfoliating skin, and a faster skin cell turnover rate means newer, fresher looking skin for you.  It also acts as a preventative antioxidant which helps to protect your skin from seriously damaging free radicals like pollutants, sun, and even stress.  The best product I have found to give the best results is SkinCeutical’s C E Ferulic.  It is an amazing skin technology that you will notice working within days.cableinternetbundles.com

Vitamin K—this vitamin has become my allover skin friend, as it is used to help treat stretch marks.  Lather up in a cream rich in vitamin K and your stretch marks just may fade away.  Also, eating foods with vitamin K can be beneficial to ridding your body of unwanted stretch marks as well.

So, there you have it.  Vitamins are not just for the inside, they are for the outside too, and they can do some pretty amazing things for your skin.  Give it a try!