Life is busy for everyone, and as the holidays approach it is only going to get busier. It is so easy to forget about our appearance in the mad rush of life. Pre-kids, I always had a full face of makeup on (being in the beauty industry meant this was really a necessity). After two kids in less than two years, a full face of makeup has become a distant memory! However, taking just five minutes to put on some strategically applied makeup will make you look so much more polished and make you feel that little bit more confident and assured as you hurtle towards Christmas.

My five minute face:

1. Tinted moisturiser that includes sunblock – combining three steps in one really saves time. Right now I am using Clinique’s Moisture Sheer Tint in Beige.
2. Concealer under eyes as I have really dark circles if I don’t get enough sleep – I use NARS Concealer in Praline
3. Eye brow pencil and clear brow gel over the top. I use Besame Eye Brow Definer in Grey and Estee Lauder Brow Setting Gel. I find that if your brows look polished, then the rest of your face does as well. I also make sure that I get my brows professionally shaped at least every 6-8 weeks, and maintain in between myself.
4. A quick dusting of blush/bronzer. I am using Clinique’s Fresh Bloom All Over Color in Plum as it adds a fresh burst of colour and some subtle glimmer. I apply to the apples of my cheeks and then brush the brush over the rest of my cheekbones, forehead and bridge of my nose.
5. Eyeliner and mascara – these help to really open up my eyes and give me an awake look.
6. Lipstick – select a sheer lipstick as it is easy to swipe on in the car and it doesn’t have to be too precise, but it is longer lasting than a gloss. Yesterday I used Julie Hewett’s Film Noir , a sheer berry red.

These six steps takes less than five minutes, but you will look a million times better than if you had left the house with nothing at all.

What are your shortcut beauty tips? Why don’t you share them with me at the Blissfully Domestic Forums.

Sarah Vitsas used to be a beauty executive before becoming a SAHM to two under two! Now she writes about her journey towards being a Chic Mummy at her blog Chic Mummy.

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“Tips and Trends” is where you’ll find the latest makeup looks, the application tips you can’t live without, the ultimate beauty advice, the hottest scoop about Mary Kay® products and much more. Time to check out what’s hot now! Today we’ll show you how to get the first of four great holiday makeup looks.

http://www.vimeo.com/2176951

If you liked this Fresh-Faced look, come back next week and check out our Holiday Look #2, the Cat Eye.

Here are the Mary Kay products I used to get today’s look:

Crystalline Mineral Eye Color $6.50

Spun Silk Mineral Eye Color $6.50

Taupe Eyeliner $10.00

Strawberry Cream Mineral Cheek Color $10.00

Creme Lipstick in Sunset $13.00

NouriShine Lipgloss in Cream & Sugar $13.00

Ultimate Mascara in Black $15.00

Experience the runway, your way! Visit the Virtual Makeover and have fun creating your own runway-worthy looks.

Luanne Storer loves beauty, fashion, and homeschooling her teenage daughter. Check her out at her website, I Want MK!

Facial cleansing with oil seems like an oxymoron to most of us in the west, but oil based cleansing has been popular for centuries in the Middle East and Japan. It’s hard to believe that putting more oil on your skin can make it look fantastic but cold-pressed, unrefined oils from nuts and vegetables are amazing cleansers. Cleansing with oil has many benefits that regular cleansing does not:

• maintains the moisture balance of the skin
• does not “strip” the skin
• dissolves impurities, especially makeup and pollution
• effectively delivers anti-oxidants to the skin
• excellent for even the most sensitive of skins

Cleansing with oil, not surprisingly, is great for drier skins. What may surprise you is that cleansing oils are also excellent for oily skins, too. In particular, oil cleansers will help to dissolve blackheads and other oil/sebum based blockages.

Oil cleansers have been available in the US for some time now, but have been more of a cult product known only to those in the beauty industry and only available from a few brands such as Shu Uemera. Recently, however, mainstream brands have cottoned on to the wonders of oil cleansers, and introduced their own versions.

Clarins recently introduced their Pure Melt Cleansing Gel 3.9 oz ($30) which starts out as a gel in the tube, then turns into an oil as you massage it onto dry skin. It then rinses off like a milk with warm water. The active ingredient is Marula Oil, which Clarins says rebalances the hydrolipidic film of the skin. I tried this for over a month, and I was quite happy with it. It certainly seemed to clean my skin well, had a light, not over-the-top fragrance and rinsed off easily.

Lancôme followed soon after with Huile Douceur ($34.50). This is a true oil cleanser, which is also safe to use on the eyes, removing even waterproof mascara. It contains White Lotus and Japan Cedar Bud; it has a stronger fragrance than the Clarins, but it is not overwhelming. I tried this for a month as well, and preferred it over the Clarins product. My skin looked and felt better after using this product. It is a little bit harder to rinse-off (I used a flannel to speed things up), but I felt that was worth it given the results.

Both of these products gave good results, definitely better than regular cleansers, but my favorite and most effective oil cleansers are homemade ones. The two recipes below smell delicious, are easy to make and will keep your skin looking great. Apply to dry skin, massage in to dissolve impurities, and then emulsify with very warm (almost hot) water. I then use a flannel soaked in very warm water to remove. Your skin should feel soft and velvety afterwards, not greasy.

Almond Cleansing Oil

4 tablespoons sweet almond oil
1 tablespoon apricot kernel oil
Contents of 6 Vitamin E capsules
6 drops sandalwood essential oil
6 drops mandarin essential oil
6 drops lavender essential oil

Combine all the oils thoroughly and store in a dark glass bottle. Shake well before each use.

Coconut Cleansing Oil

3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
½ oz cocoa butter
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons macadamia or sweet almond oil

Heat the coconut oil and cocoa butter very gently in a saucepan until just melted. Allow to cool slightly before adding remaining oils. Pour into a small pot. This will be like a balm. If you prefer it thicker, keep in the refrigerator.

Have you tried cleansing with oil? Do you want some more hints and tips? Then head on over to the Blissfully Domestic Forum and have a chat with me!

Sarah Vitsas used to be a beauty executive before becoming a SAHM to two under two! Now she writes about her journey towards being a Chic Mummy at her blog Chic Mummy.

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Recently, a friend asked for help on what to wear for a photo shoot. She was getting a corporate photo taken for a new job, and the picture was going to be in the newspaper. I gave her some basics tips, and it made me wonder if people generally think about these things when they are getting family portraits taken or having a picture taken for business or blog.

Here are some photo session wardrobe tips:

• Be careful of anything patterned, especially stripes. They can take on a life of their own in a photo.

• Clothing…stay away from anything baggy – or even anything with an empire waist, tunic or baby-doll style. On camera, you can’t tell that it is ‘the flow’ of the garment, it just adds bulk (which is code for it will make you look fat).

• If you have light hair, wear something dark…light colors (with all the light at the shoot) might make you look washed out. Likewise, if you have dark hair, be careful of wearing dark colors. Also think about the background you are going to be photographed on. Is it a tone that is like your hair? If it is, you will get lost in the photo.

• Double up on your makeup – specifically your foundation. Although you might feel like a circus clown, on TV (or in a photo), you’ll look great! Truth is – you will be back lit, front lit, side lit…all of that light will wash you out (and can make your skin look – well, odd). So, double layers of foundation, use lots-o-powder (shine is bad in photos), and don’t be scared of eyeliner.

• Think about what you would wear on a date night. That is what you should wear. Don’t wear something you wouldn’t normally wear – you’ll feel self conscious, and it will reflect in the photos.

• Think about the reason you are getting your picture taken. Your job, blog, (whatever) has a personality – and that personality should be expressed in the photo. If you are getting your picture taken to post on your blog, you don’t want to freak out your readers by being photographed in a way that is completely contradictory from the tone of your blog. For example, if you are a banker, you don’t want to be photographed in a sun dress and a market hat. Likewise, if your blog has a cutting edge tone, covering edgy topics, and your writing style is ‘anything goes’ – you won’t want to be photographed wearing a stuffy pin striped business suit.

• If you’ve got great curly hair – make that your statement! I have a friend who is a photographer, and she has this big curly red hair – it is her ‘thing’…it’s awesome. If your hair is straight – spray on a little shine, and be careful of ‘fly-aways’. Remember in the picture, (especially if it is a head shot), we’re going to see a lot of your hair.

• If you wear glasses, be sure the photographer is especially careful of glare. Clean them, and wear a TON of eyeliner (so we can see your eyes through the glasses).

PHOTO CREDITS: All pictures were taken by, and are property of the uber talented Cathy Dietz

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Kathy Friend is a wardrobe coach, fashion stylist and personal shopper. Visit Kathy’s blog at www.FashionAnswers.blogspot.com – or website at www.KathyFriend.com

I am in love with Three Custom Color Specialists. I’ve probably made that more than obvious on my makeup blog, Makeup Minute. I had the opportunity to ask Chad Hayduk, MUA and co-founder of Three Custom Color Specialists to share his concealer tips–

Concealers can be used to cover blemishes, dark circles, puffs, redness, breakout, bags etc., but what to use and where?

* Most people think that one color will address all but that is not the case. Puffs and breakout and raised and need to be addressed with a shade darker than skin tone. This will make the problem recede.

* Lighter colors advance so, one or two shades lighter than skin tone will help with darker circles and areas of redness.

* As your skintone changes during the course of the year, you will need to consider a couple different concealer shades. Take a look at our Concealer trios or you can “customize” one yourself!

* Always use a brush with a concealer (especially under the eyes to get right up under the lashes!) Warm it up on the back of your hand to get it closer to body temperature (which will help in ease of application). With our concealer, you can pack it on or blend it down and use like foundation. You can completely control the amount of coverage you get! There is actually no need for foundation as with our formula you can really kill two birds with one stone!

* Under the eyes, “paint” in the direction from tear duct out.

* Remember, less is more and only put it where you need it. Too much concealer can look like reverse raccoon eyes! Feather our edges for a seamless look and set with a bit of translucent powder by using a clean eye shadow brush and pressing it into the areas where concealer is applied, then brush excess away. It won’t move!

* When picking out a concealer, always look for something with a bit of yellow in it which will cut redness (or purple) and brighten.

* Try using concealer as shadow base or lipstick base. Remember a perfectly primed canvas will give the truest sense of color.

* Be wary of color correctors like “mint” which will take away red! They can look very ashy and gray when used over areas of redness. Instead use a yellow based concealer for a more natural look.

* You might want to try clarifiers too as they are great concealers for the inner rims of the eyes and make a spot concealer in a pinch!

Be sure to check out 3C’s fabulous products and their blog for more makeup tips!

Shannon Nelson finds time to blog on A Girl’s Gotta Spa! and Makeup Minute even despite chasing 4 little boys around who seem to have boundless energy.