Feature of the month

‘My circle is small because I am into quality, not quantity! – Unknown –

I regret not taking better care of my skin as a teenager. As children, our skins constantly renew themselves, but as we grow older, renewal lessens. Suddenly we are confronted with ‘hormones’, which in itself causes changes in our skin texture. We can be faced with increased production of oils, which get locked in together with remnants of makeup as dirt in our pores. Becoming a teenager is your queue to start taking care of your skin, as your Mom did for you as a baby. It doesn’t have to be by breaking the bank on all kinds of skincare products. A simple skin routine will include washing your face twice daily with lukewarm water, but avoid harsh scrubbing; instead use gentle, circular motions. Moisturize your skin (to this day, I still LOVE baby cream), to promote hydration, which combats premature lines and wrinkles. Spend some of your savings/pocket money on a broad spectrum moisturising sunscreen. When exposed to the sun, be the one wearing a wide-brimmed hat… YOU could be the one setting the trend of protecting your beautiful skin and reaping rewards in your adulthood. Take care of your plump lips, by daily application of lip balm after a good lip scrub (SOFTEN ME PRETTY lip scrub and lip balm). Avoid touching your face, as much as possible, to prevent contamination. Stick to your routine, especially after an event, wearing makeup. Girls, as a Makeup Artist, my wish for you is to not wear makeup to early on, instead embrace your beauty, take care of your skin, follow a well-balanced diet, make it your lifestyle. Guess what? You never have to try and hide those precious freckles, as your peers now ‘makeup’ them in. If you love the art of makeup as much as I do, only use enough to enhance what is naturally you.

AGEING GRACEFULLY!

‘I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it.’ – Maya Angelou –

I have always loved the art of makeup. To a certain extent, women are expected to wear it for a polished look (PRETTY BEAUTIFUL travelling makeup artist). At first we could creatively play with all types of makeup, until the day we suddenly realise that our skin texture has changed ‘overnight’ with some sagging of our skin; we now could face a hooded eye or double skin under our chin. Have you noticed how your brow is almost non-existent due to over-plucking and your eyelashes seem sparse? Application of makeup for fun has now turned into a possible nightmare! Your go to look doesn’t look as vibrant and youthful as you remember. Ladies, this does not mean, your days of wearing your signature look is over… With a bit of tweaking, you could still dazzle when you enter a room. First and foremost stick to your regular skincare routine and be gentle. Now more than ever follow a well-balanced diet. Shift your mind set to ‘less is more’. We have now gone from the dreaded oil production as young adults, to the slowdown thereof, leaving our skin dry and lifeless. Invest in a good makeup primer, to soften the fine lines and wrinkles, leaving a smooth canvas to apply your makeup on. If you find that your powdered products emphasize dryness, you could investigate cream or liquid formulas. Add a highlighter where the light would naturally beam off your face, to create that dewy, youthful look. Dig up and dust off your once trusty eyelash curler. Even though your lashes have gone somewhere unknown, you will see how refreshed they look. Add some waterproof mascara to further lift, thicken and ‘lengthen’. Keep the focus on the upward lift, by not adding mascara to the bottom lashes. Fill the gaps in your brows with featherlike strokes with a brow pencil to bring attention upwards. Your brows frame your face and create a polished look. The good news is, natural full eyebrows and grey hair (more natural, the better) has the youth swooning over it.

NATURALLY GROWN!

It is known that a woman’s hands and feet form part of ‘first impressions’. I love how long nails emphasize a woman’s hands, however not all of us are sold on the idea of wearing build ups or add on to get the effect (PRETTY PRESS-ON). ABOUT PRETTY offers a service locally (Gauteng) to assist you in growing your nails naturally (info@aboutpretty.co.za).

Since I can remember, winter has always taken its toll on my hands. Together with my basic housewife duties, water, dishwashing liquid and sterilising detergents, my hands get dry and cracked. Despite my on-going housewife duties this has given me the perfect opportunity to a 7 day challenge to healthy and beautiful hands…

My first encounter with Justine was aged 10, after accidentally spilling boiling water over myself. I was lucky not to have carried any scars, other than a darker pigmentation around my bellybutton. Using the famous Justine Tissue Oil made it vanish, leaving no tell-tale signs. It is for this reason I truly believe in its healing power. With my hands being in a bad state, I turned to their hand treatment.