How Much Time Is Your Skin Worth?

Taking care of your skin properly requires a daily regimen. Most people know this, but what many people do not know is that it is not difficult to do and does not take much time. We all wash our face at night to remove makeup and oil residue ... at least we should all do this. Then there are those who use eye creams, serums, multiple moisturizers, etc. But is this all really necessary?

If you have ever had a facial, then you know the basics are cleanse, exfoliate, mask and then moisturize. Now you may be thinking but I can't do this at home or i don't have the right products. I say nonsense ~ anyone can give themselves a facial. Now whether you do this daily, weekly or monthly is up to you.

Here are the steps to follow and my recommendation for how often each step should be done:

1. Cleanse ~ using a basic face wash twice. Yes, I said twice. Once to remove makeup and the second time to remove dirt and oil from the skin. This should be done daily.

2. Exfoliate ~ using a mild scrub or even a washcloth will exfoliate your skin. A washcloth can be used daily, but a scrub or glycolic should only be used 1-2 times a week. be careful if you are using a washcloth and scrub as this will double exfoliate your skin and can irritate the pores.

3. Treatment Mask ~ using either a hydrating or pore cleansing mask depending on what type of skin you have. Most drug stores carry a variety of masks that cost no more than $10. This should be done no more than once a week.

4. Special Treatments ~ whether it be an eye cream or a special serum this can be used daily or every other day depending on the product recommendations.

5. Moisturize ~ using the right type of moisturizer is usually the biggest concern of most women. And it's no wonder with all of the new things on the market these days. Try not to be side tracked by all of the catchy names (mature skin, natural, etc.) Whose to say when skin is considered mature... for some it starts at 30 others not until 50. The easiest way to choose is knowing your skin type.

Oily skin needs an oil free moisturizer
Dry skin needs a cream rather than a moisturizer
Sensitive skin needs a product made with sensitivity in mind
Combination Skin needs a good moisturizer that will hydrate and reduce shine

Skin should be moisturized both morning and night on a daily basis.

Now this may seem like a lot to do, but not every step needs to be or should be done on a daily basis. Taking care of your skin should not take more than 5-10 minutes a day. And when you want to give yourself a facial and treat your skin to some pampering spend the 30-40 minutes it takes to do it right.

Isn't your skin worth it?

Shel Cosmetics Fall 2008

Come see what's new for Fall at Shel Cosmetics

Be sure to join the mailing list to receive special emails about online ordering promotions!

Show Your Makeup Brushes Some Love!

Caring for your makeup brush investment is much easier than most people realize. I typically wash all my brushes every two weeks. All you need is a good, slightly moisturizing shampoo or liquid soap, and a towel.

Start by wetting the brush bristles thoroughly, then apply a small dab of shampoo or liquid soap directly to the bristles, and work it in for a few seconds like you would shampooing your hair. I like to swish it around with a little water in my palm to work off any stubborn eye shadow or concealer. When the shampoo and water are free of debris, rinse the bristles thoroughly under lukewarm running water, very gently squeeze the excess water out, reshape the bristles to their normal shape, and lay the brush on the towel in a flat position. The brush must be dried flat for two reasons:

1)If the brush is upright, any excess water will run down into the brush and break down the glue that is holding the bristles in place

2)The bristles will bend and flop over into a completely different shape, making normal makeup application very difficult

I usually clean my brushes at night so they are completely dry and ready to go in the morning. Be careful not to overwash your brushes, as this can make the bristles brittle and scratchy. If you find you are using multiple colors that require the brush to be clean, consider buying more than one of the brush you use most often.

Bottom line ... good brushes aren't cheap; so show them a little love and they will love you back!

Affordable Eye Serum!

OK girls, we have all heard about the amazing eye serums that reduce fine lines and wrinkles, take away dark circles and basically make us look 10 years younger. The only problem is that most of these serums cost $50 or more for a small bottle that holds less than an ounce of product.

Well do I have some good news for you! I recently tried a new product from Aveeno and after only 1 week I have already started to see a noticeable difference under my eyes. AVEENO Active Naturals Positively Ageless Eye Serum is simply amazing! Not only is it made with natural ingredients, but it contains extracts from the shiitake mushroom which have long been believed to enhance vitality and slow the aging process. For more information about the Positively Ageless line, coupons and free samples from Aveeno visit their website.

If you currently use this product or are going to give it try after reading this please leave your comments on this post.

Bridal Makeup Trends

Here's a link to little article I wrote for weddingcompass.com

Bridal Makeup Trends by Michelle Fryer, Makeup Artist

Mineral Makeup

As I'm sure all of you know by now, Mineral Makeup is what everyone is talking about! You may wonder why all the hype about it? The trend on Mineral Makeup isn't necessarily "new", it is just becoming more mainstream as people are becoming more informed on the harmful effects of certain cosmetic ingredients. Mineral Makeup is by far better for your skin. There are different types of Mineral Makeup: Sheer Tint, Liquid to Powder, Pressed Powder and Loose Powder. The loose powder form is the most commonly used, but for those of you that don't like the loose form there are other options.

The main difference between the loose powder form and the pressed is that the loose form is the purest form available (Titanium Oxide and Zinc Oxide are both natural sunscreens and Mica and Iron Oxides are also natural ingredients from the earth) When you put the minerals in a pressed or liquid from other ingredients are needed to keep the minerals "together" These other ingredients are not bad for you, it's just not as "pure". Some brands that I like are Shel Cosmetics, Bare Escentuals, and Neutrogena Mineral Sheers. It seems like everyone now has a mineral foundation of some form or another, so test them out and see what you like... Your skin will thank you!

Get that Summer Glow Year Round!

Summertime has to be my favorite time of the year. As it is for most people... the days are longer, the nights are warmer, and we seem to spend more time laughing and having fun with our friends. But let's face it, we are happy because our skin has that summer glow that makes us all feel better about ourselves!

I have tried many self-tanners (some even turned my skin orange) and have recently tried using a moisturizer that tans your skin at the same time. Being an Esthetician, I am very picky about the ingredients in products that I put on my body. I have found one that I love so much I just had to share it with you... Aveeno Active Naturals Continuous Radiance Moisturizing Lotion. It comes in 3 shades; Light, Medium and Dark Skin Tones. Not only does it moisturize your skin for 24 hours, but it contains natural soy and gradual color enhancers to help even out skin tone and texture while deepening skin's natural color. It goes on like any other white moisturizer, does not streak, does not turn orange, and dries very quickly. Best of all, it contains NO lanolin, NO mineral oil and NO fragrance. And it only costs $7 for an 8 oz tube. For more information on this product visit Aveeno's website.

Mascara ... Don't leave home without it!

Well girls, it's official. The winner of our poll is Mascara! I agree, I won't leave home without mascara either. Something about darkening the lashes does so much for the face.

So now the question is regular mascara or waterproof?
First of all, waterproof mascara should only be worn for short periods of time. It tends to be very drying and damaging to the lashes. I recommend only using it for weddings or other special occasions where you think you will be crying. If you think you need it for a day at the beach or the pool I would suggest tinting your lashes. This lasts about 3-4 weeks and the more often you tint the darker your lashes become. Lash tinting can be done at most salons and runs about $20-$25 This should only be done by a licensed Esthetician! A local salon that offers this service is TEK Salon-Spa in Costa Mesa. 949-515-8351

As far as mascara goes, there are many good ones out there. The most infamous would be Maybelline Great Lash (the good old pink and green tube) Stila and Shel Cosmetics also offer very good thickening and lengthening mascaras that don't clump or flake. Whichever brand you choose just make sure you go with BLACK. Even the blonde girls should always wear black mascara... and remember to bat those lashes girls!

Wedding Season...

Well girls we are in the height of wedding season. However, more and more brides are getting married in the fall so keep those old bridesmaid dresses... you never know when you may need to use it again!

With bridal makeup trends going back to the natural "glowing bride" look clients often ask me if they can just do their makeup themselves. Being a makeup artist who makes her living by making brides beautiful on their wedding day, this is often a difficult question for me to answer. It's not that you can't do your own makeup, but there is truly an art to applying makeup so that it looks good in photos as well as in person. Not to mention water and tear resistant!

So my answer is hire a professional and let yourself be pampered on your special day. If money is a concern and you just can't see yourself spending any more on yourself; then I recommend having a private lesson so that you can learn a few of the tricks that will make you look and feel even more beautiful that you already are!

A photo shoot in 90 degree heat...

Well, it's true. You can wear full photo quality makeup in the heat and still look good. Last Sunday I did a shoot with Kelly Lynn Photography at the Balboa Pier and was happy how well my makeup lasted and looked in the pictures... considering it was 90 degrees outside!

So I thought I would share the secret with all of you. The key is to wear a makeup primer. By doing this the makeup adheres to the primer and won't run or roll off your skin. I wore a liquid to powder mineral foundation; which is a little lighter than the normal liquid foundation. I didn't feel like I had a lot of makeup on and looked very natural ... not cakey!