Written by Kelly Tick
Let’s talk about brows, baby. Let’s talk about you and me. I started plucking my brows in college, a late-bloomer you might say. What a difference a good brow makes. I’ve since moved up to waxing and threading with the occasional pluck. And I ALWAYS fill them in.
Several weeks ago I had the pleasure of making up models for a fashion show benefiting colon cancer research. I got to work on lots of women, lots of different sorts of women; old, young, all colors, and each in a different state of health. What did I notice (or reaffirm, as it were): brows matter.
Blah, blah, blah they frame the face. It’s true! When properly groomed, brows draw attention to the best parts of the face. They can bring out your eye color; visually lift your eyes (taking away years!), make you look fresher, healthier and well kept. It also makes the application of makeup easier.
But folks, here’s the thing, removing unwanted hairs is only half the battle. The important aspect of brows is in filling in what nature has left us without. Filling in the gaps, patches or the whole kit-n-caboodle. A powder (like Clinique’s Brow Shaper) is great for covering a lot of real estate or if you want a very soft, natural look. A pencil (I love YSL’s and Lancome’s especially for blondes) is going to give you a much more defined look and can come across too harsh if not applied very delicately. My favorite brow product of all? Laura Mercier’s Brow Definer. It’s a waxy cream; softer than a pencil, more defined than a powder, and idiot proof. You use a synthetic, angled brush to apply it and it is gorgeous.
A few final notes to remember: brows should be a couple (two) shades darker than your hair color.
Your hair stylist can color them for you; I highly recommend this for people with hair color that is significantly different from brow color or if you are lacking brows all together.
Remember that your brows are sisters, not twins.
is a freelance makeup artist in Charleston, South Carolina. She worked for years as a makeup artist at Saks Fifth Avenue and is specifically trained by Yves Saint Laurent Cosmetics and Clarins of Paris. She believes that simple techniques and excellent products can transform a person. For more information about Kelly she can help you achieve the look you desire please email 1kellytick@gmail.com.
Do you wish you could find the perfect outfit in 10 minutes or less?
Are you tired of spending $$$ on clothes you don’t love to wear?
Do you wish someone would show you how to get the look you want?
I’m excited to do just that with my new Stylish Inner Circle coaching program. This coaching program actually teaches you step-by-step how to achieve your style goals. Through LIVE phone classes, style guides exclusive to SIC members, Q & A sessions, and VIP discounts you will have the tools you need to discover the best way for you to look and feel great.
You can have any style or look with a little guidance and a belief in yourself. For the same amount you would spend on two magazines and a cup of coffee, you get an ongoing style resource that shows you how to always feel and look great.
To activate your two-month trial in my Stylish Inner Circle, sign up now through my secure online registration. You only pay a one-time charge of $5 for customer service and handling of your membership materials. (This charge covers the entire two months.)
Then, after your first 60 days, you can continue this exciting coaching program for only $9.99 a month (or pay $94 for a full year and get $25 in savings). It’s only $9.99 a month to finally discover your style potential.
Yes, sign me up for my two-month trial membership!
Don’t let your closet frustrate you another day. Activate your two-month Stylish Inner Circle trial today, and discover how to get dressed in 10 minutes or less and feel great every time you walk out the door.
Don’t miss the next Stylish Inner Circle call on Tuesday, February 23 at 12 pm Eastern.
“Travel In Style without Bringing Your Entire Closet”
This call is ONLY for Stylish Inner Circle members. Join now to access this call with your two-month trial membership for only $5.
For more information about the Stylish Inner Circle please visit http://www.stylishinnercircle.com
Written by Kelly Tick
Q. Why am I getting black stuff under the eye even when I’m not wearing eye liner or mascara on the bottom?
A. Black stuff under the eye (when unintended) is annoying. In fact, it ranks right up there in the top most annoying things having to do with makeup. Black stuff under the eye can be caused by several things.
and dust on the slightest little bit of translucent powder or secret brightening powder by Laura Mercier, right under your lower lash line, but NOT any farther (one wouldn’t want the powder to settle into any, ah-hem, fine lines). This will help keep your eyes smudge free. You can also use the powder on chin, nose and forehead to reduce shine.
Even the best shoppers have occasional slip ups. To get the most out of the items you buy, you need to properly integrate them into your existing wardrobe. It’s not uncommon to find wardrobe pieces that have been hanging in the closet for months with the tags still on. Even for the most disciplined shopper there are steps you should take after you complete your shopping. When you return home from shopping get the most out of what you buy with these simple tricks.
1. Try on everything you buy again. Make sure you can still answer yes to all of your shopping guidelines once you are at home. If you bought shoes, give them a practice run. Wear them around the house to ensure they are as comfortable as they felt in the store.
2. Save and keep your receipts in one place. This way if you need to return something you can get a full refund. Just as a precaution, leave the tags on until you actually wear something out of the house.
3. Create a new items section within your closet. As you wear each new item, integrate it into the proper wardrobe section of your closet.
4. Assess your new items section every 30 days. If an item is still in the new section after an extended time period, you may consider returning it for a refund or a more useful item.
5. Schedule a time to play dress up in your closet. Come up with outfits you’ve never worn. Take pictures of outfits you create to reference on days you are lacking dressing brain power.
For additional tips on how to shop smart visit www.charlestonstyleconcierge.com and sign up for our free monthly ezine.
Make Over Your Make Up
Do you wish you knew how to use make up to help you look modern and fresh?
This month’s Stylish Giveaway is brought to you by one of my favorite freelance make up artists, Kelly Tick. Kelly works with clients to show them how to use make up that brings out their best features. Kelly belives you can have the make up tools you need on any budget.
Enter to win a make up makeover with Kelly Tick. Your makeover includes:
*Must be available to come to Charleston for your makeover.
This is an exciting Stylish Giveaway. Enter to win and make sure to spread the love and share this with your friends.
One lucky winner will be randomly chosen on March 1, 2010 and notified via email. Good luck!
Yes, I want to sign up for the make up makeover.
Written by Kelly Tick
Great clothes with visible panty lines are like makeup on neglected skin. That’s right, skincare is like your make up’s undies. You probably wouldn’t go out of the house without a bra on, try to think of your skincare routine in the same way.
Our skin changes all through our lives; hormones, stress, weather, climate, all have an effect on our skin. Proper cleansing, and moisturization are crucial to making our skin look it’s best. Finding a good dermatologist is also essential. They can help with correcting damage (I just had two post baby sun-spots frozen off in the office for $20!) and they can recommend treatments such as Obagi or Retin-A to smooth and soften the skin.
Regardless of what kind of skin you inherited, many problems can be corrected or controlled. Sometimes in a simple, straight-forward way, sometimes in a counter-intuitive way. Take for example oily skin: you hate it because you break out and make-up slides off. Well, for one thing take heart, you ain’t gonna wrinkle easily. Finding the right products for your skin and following the routine will be essential.
Maybe you deal with dry skin. Dry skin is lucky because it doesn’t usually suffer breakouts like our non-wrinkling oily peers. Dry skin sometimes requires several levels of help. You’ll want to make sure you’re cleansing gently and moisturizing well; I love Laura Mercier’s Emu oil cream.
For all of us eye cream is a must. The skin around the eyes is very delicate and prone to showing and telling. When we sleep poorly, drink too much, cry into our pillow all night- our under-eye area tells the tale. Using an eye cream everyday will help to lessen the look of fine lines and wrinkles and the pressure you use to apply the cream helps to reduce puffiness.
Here’s wishing you gorgeous, glowing skin!
Kelly Tick is a freelance makeup artist in Charleston, South Carolina. She worked for years as a makeup artist at Saks Fifth Avenue and is specifically trained by Yves Saint Laurent Cosmetics and Clarins of Paris. She believes that simple techniques and excellent products can transform a person.
In the spirit of trying to play by the rules and wear what you think is appropriate, or, what you “should” wear, it is really easy to end up losing yourself in a style that just isn’t an authentic version of who you are. Often times you end up thinking something is your style, when it is actually the opposite of the look and feel you want to achieve from your clothing.
To feel more authentic about who you are in your clothes you have to dress intentionally. This means you purposefully choose clothing that makes you feel and look a certain way. You become very disciplined about what you buy and what is allowed to live in your closet. If a shirt doesn’t make you feel great and doesn’t help you portray who you are, it’s simply not for you. That doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with you, or your body, it just means that it’s not the shirt for you. There will be plenty others!
Clothing then becomes something that you enjoy wearing, not something you have to wear because you can’t leave the house naked. Getting dressed becomes easier each morning. Think about the days you are able to dress quickly and easily. Those are usually the days that you love what you are wearing. Alternatively, it takes a few tries to put on an outfit that doesn’t match who you are. You’ll change your clothes over and over again because they never feel quite right. It never feels authentic.
The next time you are out shopping, or editing your closet, I encourage you to really think about your clothing. Does your clothing match the image you want to portray? Does it make you feel great? If not, spend some time figuring out the disconnect and become disciplined about what clothing truly puts a kick in your step.
This is the season for shopping! Follow these shopping rules for a more successful shopping experience.
1. A deal isn’t always a deal.
You only wear 20% of the clothing you own. For a second go back and think about the 80% of your clothing that you don’t wear. How much of that did you buy because it seemed like a great deal? Deals can often get you into trouble. Based on price alone you often end up buying items you don’t really need. You’re seduced by the price tag, not the way they can serve you and your style. Be disciplined about what you need. If you know that you desperately need shoes that are appropriate for work and only have a certain budget, a designer dress no matter how great of a deal, isn’t going to help you figure out what shoes to wear on Monday morning.
2. You should be able to think of more than one way to wear something before purchasing.
The second rule of shopping is that you shouldn’t buy something unless it can be worn multiple times or in multiple ways. When you are shopping for new items think about how they can mix in with the clothing you already own. If you’re considering buying a great jacket, think about whether or not it will be versatile enough to wear to work and also casually on the weekend with a pair of jeans. Or is it a jacket that you don’t have anything to wear with. There are lots of pieces that make up that 80% of your clothing that you don’t wear that were bought because you figured you would find something to wear with them later, but never did. Be disciplined about what you need and how it can work for you.
3. Your body is not the enemy.
The third shopping rule is to remember that your body is not the enemy. That may sound funny, but what’s not funny is that for many of you shopping is really frustrating. We end up taking out our frustration of not finding something on ourselves. It is not your fault when something doesn’t fit you quite right. The challenge is that we are all totally different sizes and proportions. Some brands and cuts simply might not work for your body shape, but others will.
Special Fundraiser
Live Auction at SC Thrift & Resale to Benefit CFW
Clean out those closets and drawers! Organize your garage! Donate your gently used clothing, accessories, furniture, books and other household goods to SC Thrift & Resale. Your donated items will be sold or auctioned to raise money for the Center for Women. We are particularly looking for furniture, lamps, jewelry, objects d’art and paintings for our first live auction. Tax deductible receipts will be issued for all donated goods. FREE pick up for larger items.
Thursday, October 15 | 6:30 p.m. (Preview begins at Noon)
SC Thrift & Resale Store, 1670 Hwy 17 N, Mt Pleasant, (843) 971-0552
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