Sheer Genius - How to Go Sheer for Spring/Summer

A hot item for spring/summer is sheer chiffon. It comes in many styles and is popular in neons and nudes like below:

They're breezy and flow-y and forgiving and look great on all body types. These tops do pose a problem as to what to wear underneath. True, wearing only a bra at night in dim light may protect your modesty just fine, but for day time and for the more conservative persons out there, there are better options than your plain old bra.

1.  The Bralette: This is an extended version of a bra - if a bra and a tank top had a baby this would be it:

 

2. The Bustier: This is great for larger-chested ladies that need the support. The great thing about these are that they are usually the best option for off the shoulder tops because of that great support, and the fact that once a bustier fits you properly it doesn't move for hours makes this a consistent go-to:

 3. The Bandeau top: These look prettiest when they are peaking out from somewhere - whether at the back or at neckline or under a sleeve. They are ultra-feminine in lace but be make sure the bandeau is not sheer itself or your attempt at being modest would've backfired:

That's it! If you want a tutorial on how to make a bralette or a bandeau top email me or leave a comment below.

Till Lata,

Jane

DIY Sugar Scrub

This is by far the easiest beauty treatment I have ever done. It took less than two minutes to make and application and use was less than five minutes. Sugar scrubs are easy and quick and accessible to almost everyone because more than likely you have these items in your house already. You can use it on your lips or your shoulders or decolletage, your thighs or anywhere else you want to smooth quickly.

Ingredients:

• Brown Sugar

• Mineral Oil (I prefer using this to baby oil because it can be ingested without causing any harm, and I use this sugar scrub for my lips but if you are using it on your body baby oil works just as well. EV Olive Oil and Castor Oil work too)

Directions

Depending on how much you want, add two parts brown sugar to one part Mineral Oil. You want the mixture to be loose and wet but not liquid-ey. It should look something like this:

Then dip in and apply with your fingers. Rub in small circular motions for about two minutes if it is a small area, or ten to twenty minutes if it is a large area. Then rinse off, pat dry and apply your favourite moisturizer. If you have any left over then pack it up in a plastic container. It will last for about 5 days.

Let me know if you give it a try!

Till Lata,

Jane

Hot Weather Makeup

You spend time and care putting on your makeup so you want it to last right? Here are a few of my tried and true make-up tips that help makeup to last in the hot weather of a Jamaican sun.

• Less is more : Dilute your foundation by mixing two parts foundation with your moisturizer ( a colourless serum would be best). Apply with your fingers and blend in, then go over with a brush or a very slightly damp clean sponge. The brush or sponge will take off and blend in any excess product, while mixing it with your moisturizer will allow you to apply a thinner layer that will last longer in the heat.
• Set it and Forget it: Translucent powder will be your best friend in the heat. Do not however apply this with a sponge or pad of any kind as that will most definitely cause caking. Get a very dense brush and sweep over your face after your foundation has completely dried. Here's the trick though - apply the translucent powder only where your face sweats. For most people this is the top of your nose, your temples and/or eyebrows and along your hairline.
• Powder products are your best friend: Powder blush, and eyeshadow always last longer- I'm sure you've heard this many times. But what they don't tell you is that a thin layer of a cream product underneath a powder product will last all day. Simply put, apply a cream blush and blend it out then follow with a light layer of powder blush. This combination has always served me well, as my blush is usually the first thing to fade. For eyeshadows - the NYX eyeshadow pencils (the big fat jumbo ones) or any other similar products or bases worn underneath an eyeshadow helps to make the eyeshadow stay put all day
• Ink over Wax: Eyeliner in the pencil form contains wax, which melts in the heat. If you don't want your eyeliner to migrate down the side of your face then switch it out to liquid liner. In fact, many liquid liners come in a 'pen' form and are water-proof which contributes to longer wear.If you only have pencil eyeliner then sharpen the pencil and use a thin line (if you're going for a heavily lined look then draw lines on top of each other rather than going back and forth). Then on a liner brush, use an eyeshadow of the same shade as the eyeliner and pat on over it.
• Flake free: For mascara, waterproof formulas last the longest BUT what helps your mascara to last longer is if you do a thinner layer. This will encourage it to flake less and irritate your eyes. What I like to do is use my waterproof eyeliner pen and run along the topside of my top lashes to darken then follow with the mascara wand. Now, usually,mascara is applied to the underneath of top lashes and the top side of bottom lashes. If I want it to last in the heat though, I ignore my bottom lashes and focus on the topside of my top lashes. Tightlining your eyes is also a great idea
• A Swing and a Miss: I have no idea what makes lip products last longer - unless we're talking about smudge-proof lip liner or a lip stain. I can do a post on how to make your own lipstain, separate and apart from that, someone will have to educate me on this. Leave a comment if you have a trick to keep lipsticks and lipgloss on your lips in the heat.

As always, you can contact me via email, or leave me a comment here.

Till later,
Jane

Hair Nerd: The Science in My Shampoo

I am that girl that thinks a simple wash and set can be perfected with practice at home, so I end up spending more time taking care of my hair myself than the hairdresser. So if any damage is done its my fault so I try very hard to make sure I get the products my hair needs at an affordable price. The Shampoo and Conditioner I have been using are the Garnier Fructis Fortifying Shampoo and Conditioner - Triple Nutrition.


The blurb advertises that it is for 'dry to over-dried or damaged hair'. I chose this one specifically because I had recently dyed my hair and it was feeling a bit limp and breaking a lot. The shampoo and conditioner boast that it contains ' 3 nutritive fruit oils - olive, avocado and shea' and promises that it 'fortifies and infuses with nutrients for silky hair, full of life'.

 The back of the bottle even makes it sound better with the following blurb: 'Triple Nutrition - the 3 nutritive fruit oils penetrate to nourish every strand to the core'. It basically sounds like a dream come true right? So of course I swooped it up and had high hopes for it. Of course, the gorgeous apple smell and the advertisements helped to suck me in. After the first two washes I was sorely disappointed. Surely something that boasted three oils could not be so drying! I felt like I had washed my hair with a mild form of the hand soap you find in hospital bathrooms. It may sound like I am exaggerating but I am not. I made the mistake of washing my hair then attempting to towel dry it so I could apply a treatment - let's just say it got so knotted up that I eventually just cut out the knot. I kid you not.

 The pair's only saving grace is the Conditioner. The Conditioner is not packed with the nutrition they promised but it does include silicone properties an glycerin properties that help smooth the hair shaft by weighing it down and closing the follicles. So I decided to take a peek at the ingredients and it began to make sense.

 I have been told that the first five ingredients of a product are the ingredients that are present in the greatest quantities in the product. IF this is true then I have reason to be disturbed. The first five ingredients in the Shampoo are

: >Sodium Laureth Sulfate: This is a chemical used to create suds when mixed with water. It is found in most cleaning or sanitary products like soap and shampoo but there has been a recent trend to step away from sulfates because of their harmful effects. (It is said that the body absorbs this and it messes with hormone levels). The sulfate is also said to strip hair and skin of its natural oils and proteins. Though you want your shampoo to clean your hair, you don't necessarily want it to strip your hair of proteins.

 >Coco betaine: This is a diffused derivative of coconut oil, and some companies try to get away with advertising this product as coconut oil. Don't be misled by this, this chemical works as a mild antiseptic with some germicidal properties to it. IE the focus is to clean rather than to moisturize

. >Glycerin: This is a humectant that attracts moisture. I am told that this allows for the sulfate to create more suds and to stay longer in your hair.

>Amodimethicone is an abbreviation of “amine-functionalized silicone,” which is a family of silicones modified to have specific properties. I am told that this is to ensure that there is some smoothing of the hair shaft.

 Other ingredients include but are not limited to castor oil, salicylic acid and avocado oil, shea oil and olive oil extracts.

IF I am to follow the 'first five' rule then it seems like the main purpose of the shampoo would be to sud up and serve an antiseptic/germicidal function. If I weren't following the rule though it seems that the majority of ingredients share that focus as well. Simply put, this shampoo is not going to moisturize your hair in any way shape or form.

 It gets the hair clean but as to moisturizing it, making it silky or shiny, Garnier Fructis fails miserably. I would not recommend this to anyone. I mean, do you really want salicylic acid in your hair and on your scalp? The next time you buy a hair product, read the back - it will give you a preview as to what to expect from it.

Till next time,
 Jane