It can be complicated figuring out what skin type you have plus it can change depending on seasons of the year, life stages and hormones. Everyone needs moisture of some kind. Even if you have oily skin and especially if your skin is combination or dry.

Basic ingredients you need for hydration include ceramides (plumps skin and helps retain moisture), hyaluronic acid/sodium hyaluronate (attracts water to your skin, replenishes moisture and gives you a youthful glow) and glycerin (humectant that prevents moisture loss). PLEASE STOP USING COCONUT OIL (or any other oil) ALONE AND THINKING ITS ALL YOU NEED. You are missing some serious hydration. Your skin will thank you.

Think you just need a good face scrub? Not exactly. You have to hydrate your skin to help the dead skin cells release. If you skin is not well moisturized when you use a face scrub then you're only irritating your skin. Great ingredients for exfoliating include alpha hydroxy, lactic acid and fruit acids. These give your skin a beautiful glow and are more beneficial than using a scratchy paste that can be irritating and cause tiny cuts in your skin. 

Lastly, a lot of people have acne and it can occur at any age and within any skin type. We'll only focus on that a little with the products as acne can be caused by so many different things. Generally a great night cream with retinol is very helpful for someone dealing with acne. You definitely have to be careful not to over-dry the skin as many acne products do. We'll expand this topic in a future post but you are always welcome to contact us with any questions!

​It has recently come to my attention that many of my clients and everyday friends and family that wear makeup strictly as a mandatory ritual to leave the house, do not know how to wash their makeup brushes. As a matter of FACT, I was told recently that some of you didn’t know you needed to!!! Is this true makeup wearers of today? No judgement. I'm not here to judge. So please excuse my motherly tone when I say YES, makeup wearers, you must MUST wash your makeup brushes regularly (at least once a month) even if you are the only one using them. Why you ask? Here is why:

As we apply makeup, our brushes are not only depositing the makeup we dipped them into but are also picking up the oils from our face along with that high end anti aging moisturizer we paid so much for. Repeated use eventually coats up our powder products and gunks up the brush. The overall results get muddier and our product harder to use because of the layers of moisture on it.
  

 1) Get yourself a bottle of inexpensive hair shampoo and a good brush cleaner ( I like Cinema Secrets and MAC the best).

* Toni Tip: For stubborn to clean brushes that have dried cream or gel in them use dish soap. Dish Soap can dry out natural hair brushes so best to use on synthetic and only when needed. Many foundation brushes are made with synthetic fibers.

 2) Place each in a separate bowl and mix with a little water. (Don’t have to mix with water at all but I like to make it spread a little further)
 
​3) Lay a towel next to the sink

​4) Get your brushes wet first and then dip into each solution swirling the brush under clean running warm water until brush is clean.

* Toni Tip: Be mindful of the shape of your brush. cleaning against the natural shape or smashing your brush can misshapen it over time

5) Squeeze all the water out of the brush shaping it in it natural shape laying flat on the towel to dry overnight.
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* Toni Tip: Dont place wet brushes in a cup upright and don’t soak upside down in a cup. The water will get into the base of the hair loosening the glue overtime.

This was one of those weddings that took our breath away! Every detail was perfection. Jessica's vision for her wedding day was awe inspiring and everyone involved did an outstanding job! We are so excited that we got to design the makeup looks for Jessica's special day at Southwind Hills!

All images shown are from The Tarnos Photography www.thetarnos.com 
​Floral Designs by Southwind Hills Florist
Makeup Design by MarloHaus Artist Krystal McKinley
Hair Design by Salon Zen Artist Brittainy Campbell

Southwind Hills is by far the BEST catering and venue experience I have had in a while. Super top notch professional staff and I even got talked into taking a couple minutes to sample their brunch menu. Let me tell you it was divine. I can't wait to come back to Southwind Hills again! - Krystal

We were so lucky to have such a wonderful bride and bridal party this last weekend! Now don't get us wrong we love doing weddings at Gaillardia BUT the bridal/locker room has terrible lighting. I mean terrible! Luckily Toni recently purchased two makeup lights so we could see in full brilliance just what we were doing. By the way for any pro artists reading The Makeup Light (TML Brand) is incredible. 

Never before have we had such perfect lighting to create the perfect look for all of our beautiful bridal party members! Our clients can now rest easy knowing that wherever we go they will be made into their most beautiful selves while basking in the glow of perfect lighting!!  Ok, slightly dramatic but completely warranted. Please take a minute to check out our work from Patricia's special day and thank you for following our blog! 

​We also planned out our day with multiple artists to give each person a fully customized look without being rushed.