Danielle's Beauty Hacks
1.Mascara Before Liner: If getting your eye liner perfect is difficult for you try applying your mascara first. The stiffening of your lashes from the mascara creates the perfect guide for your eye liner brush. With this little hack you are well on your way to the perfect wing.
2.Perfect Gloss: Applying lip gloss straight from the tube can look messy. To perfect the look and create a sharper line, use a nude liner. After your gloss has been applied, glide your liner over the top. As a bonus it will also create a ombre effect.
3.Foundation Cocktail: I like my foundation to do 3 things…Protect, Perfect, and Brighten. Since I have yet to find one that does all 3 just the way I like, I mix my own foundation cocktail. Here are the ingredients.
1 pea sized drop of Sunscreen to protect ( Clarins UV Plus Anti Pollution Sunscreen)
1 pea sized drop liquid foundation ( Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water)
1 pea sized drop of highlighter ( Chantecaille Liquid Lumiere’ in Brilliance)
Then mix all together in the palm of your hand.
Spritz your face with a toner and then apply your cocktail .
Tip: In the dryer months I’ll even add a drop of hydrating oil to my cocktail ( Sisley Paris Black Rose Facial Oil)
4.The Perfect Fit: As much as we love the length and thickness that a false lash gives, we also need them to be comfortable. Here is how to achieve the perfect fit. Before applying your glue ( House of Lahes glue is the Shiz-nit) start your lash at the 3rd natural lash on the inner corner of the eye then lay it down. Anything that hangs past the end of your eye should be trimmed off. Having the first couple lashes on the inner corner of the eye be your own ensure that you don’t get that “ It’s poking me” feeling.
5.Get It Wet: It’s taken me 35 years to figure out what the heck toners are good for. Cosmetic companies are great at pushing them on us as a vital step in our beauty routine, but have not done such a great job of informing us what exactly they are for other than normalizing the ph of the skin. Well, I’ve figured it out! Moistening the skin prior to applying your moisturizer, primer, balm, liquid foundation, or bb cream helps you to spread the product easier. Which also means you use less. Anything that can help my $150 bottle of Chantecaille moisturizer last longer is a necessity in my book. My favorite toner: Chantecaille Rose Water
6.Leave it in: Im often asked if I receive facials and if so where. I don’t get facials. I subscribe to the thought that facials are much like a professional lotion application that pulls bad things out of my skin that I’d rather leave in there. Yes, they feel good, but I break out every time.( don’t wake the sleeping dragon if you know what I mean) That said, I AM a huge fan of the Avani treatment at Nayak Plastic Surgery. The treatment starts with derma planing ( removal of dead skin and languno hair from the face) Microderm ( removal of even more dead skin with a little diamond tipped suction device,extractions ( my favorite part:) then finishes you off with a light peel. The result??? Your skin looks better than when you got there,your make up glides on like butter over warm toast and best of all the results last about 2 weeks.
7.All About Saving Time: Care to expedite your post shower moisturizing ritual? Fill a squirt bottle full of your favorite body oil and spray it on before you towel off. Saves time and locks in the moisture better than toweling off then applying your moisturizer. If you care to take it to the next level, add a couple drops of your favorite essential oils. My current favorite in Moroccan Orange Blossom and Meyer Lemon