Cure {for} Chapped Lips

For the past month and a half, my lips have gone through hell and back. I had severe chapped lips. I couldn't smile, eat, or drink without being in pain. They were cracked, dry, flaky {and downright unattractive.}

I desperately tried everything{Vaseline, Burt's Bees, Nivea, honey, oils and even antibiotic cream from my doctor.}

After almost giving up hope and accepting my status as a bloody-lipped wretch, I made my way to Walgreen's. The pharmacist helped me find the answer to my prayers, which you will find below.

Step 1: Add a small amount of your daily facial cleanser and some warm water to the Facial Cleansing Sponge and gently buff away as much of dead skin as you can {don't hurt yourself!}

Step 2: Take a pea-sized amount of the Apricot Scrub and lightly scrub your lips until they are relatively smooth. Rinse with warm water.

Step 3: This is the most important step. Generously coat your lips {as well as the surrounding area} with the Eucerin Smoothing Repair Creme.

This stuff is thick, so you do not need a lot. It also leaves a white film on your lips, so I would recommend doing this before you go to bed and reapplying very small amounts during the day.

After one night of doing this my lips felt baby smooth. I hope this helps!

Walgreen's Facial Cleansing Sponges: $3.99
Walgreen's Apricot Scrub {Mini version}: $0.99
Eucerin Smoothing Repair Creme: $5.99

-Nuria

5 {Easy} Makeup Tricks

1. If you run out of eye liner, or if you want to spice things up and try a new color, here is an easy solution:

Grab a tube of Chapstick {or something similar}, any eye shadow, and an angled eyeshadow or eyeliner brush {or a Q-Tip although the line may not be as precise.}

Run the tip of the brush along the top of the Chapstick, and then dip the brush into your eyeshadow. This will create a cream liner that will glide on smoothly.

This works best with dark colors. I love doing this with brown, plum, and navy eyeshadow. It looks amazing when applied to your top lash line and the outer corner of your lower lash line.

2. To get the most out of your eyeshadow{and to make it last throughout the day} start off by applying concealer all over your eyelids. This will also help neutralize them. You may want to use a yellow toned concealer if you want to eliminate any redness.

3. Applying concealer to your lips before applying lipstick {lip stain, tinted lip gloss, etc.} will also make your product appear more true to color. It also makes a difference if you dab concealer on the corners of your mouth since they tend to be darker.

4. Most people own more than one foundation. I have a darker one for when I am tan and a lighter one {which I am currently using.}

To give your face more dimension, apply the light foundation all over the face, especially the areas you would want to highlight {under the eyes, down the bridge of the nose, above the cheekbones, above the brows, and on the chin.}

After applying the light foundation, take a small amount of the dark foundation and blend it into the areas you want to contour {along the jawline, in the hollows of the cheeks, along the hairline and the temples.} This slims down the face and gives of illusion of great bone structure. This is a miracle worker for me since I have chipmunk cheeks.

5.To add a natural flush to your cheeks, dot a small amount of a pink {or rosy} lipstick on the apples of your cheeks right after applying your foundation and blend it in. This looks more subtle than a powder blush.

White {Or Cream} Eye Liner

White eye liner can be an extremely useful makeup tool. If you have a darker complexion, you can try these same trick with a shimmery champagne color or a light concealer!

Yes, I look like a freak in this picture, but there are four main areas that can be dramatically enhanced by simply adding this simple step to your makeup routine.

1. {My favorite} Along the brow bone . Even if you have a couple a strays you haven't taken care of, this will make you look like you have freshly plucked {threaded, waxed, etc.} eyebrows. By lining the area right below and blending it with your fingertips, it will make a huge difference.

2. Outside of the tear ducts. Applying a little bit here will really open up your eyes and make you look awake and ready to rumble.

3. Along the water line. This is where most people pack on the black eye liner, which is great for a nighttime look, but can look heavy during the daytime. This will make your eyes look bigger and make the whites of you eyes look brighter.

4. Above and on the lips. I have pretty small lips so blending white eye liner or a light concealer right above my cupid's bow makes them look a little bit plumper. I also like to add a little to the center of my lips after I have put on my lipstick to make them look fuller.

I like to use the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in the color Milk, which can be found at Ulta for $3.50 - $4.00. 

Love,

Nuria