Contouring and All It’s Hype

April 12, 2017

With the help of social media, contouring has become one of the most popular trends. You can’t walk into a cosmetics department today and not be bombarded by sales associates asking you to “check out” their contour palettes. Contouring has become the number one request from my clients. Here’s something that may surprise you: you actually may already have the product in your makeup bag to help create this contouring trend – it’s called bronzer, ladies!

The advantage of contouring is that it gives the illusion that you have a more defined facial structure that accentuates your cheekbones. While it may photograph beautifully, the downside is that contouring can easily be mistaken for bad makeup. Here are a few simple tricks to help you create those great cheekbones while giving the impression that you know exactly what you are doing!

Choose The Right Color

Choosing the right color bronzer is just as important as choosing the right foundation. The key for a natural, contoured look is to look for a bronzer that is no more than two shades darker than your natural skin tone. This will help prevent you from looking orange or muddy. I typically do not choose bronzers with a shimmer, since you are trying to keep your face as natural-looking as possible.

Blend: It’s All In The Wrist

When you apply bronzer, make sure to apply it where the sun naturally touches your face and remember to include your neck. You don’t want your face and neck to be two different shades…not a good look! I suggest doing this by sweeping a little of your bronzer downward from your jawline to your neck to make the transition seamless. If you are wearing your hair up, don’t forget to get the ears and back of the neck.

Have The Right Tools

I can’t stress this enough. Good makeup brushes and applicators are worth the investment. If you’re going to use a liquid bronzer for contouring, a makeup blending sponge works best. If you’re going to use a powder bronzer, an angled-brush or a flat-brush is best for giving your cheekbones that coveted depth. If you really want that contrast, think about applying a powdered bronzer over a liquid bronzer; make sure you properly use the blending sponge when using this technique.

Makeup can be very intimidating for a lot of women. Remember, it’s not permanent; you can always wash it off. You don’t need a professional makeup artist to give you a flawless look. It just takes quality makeup, good tools and some practice. You would be surprised how quick and easy this can be, even for you mothers who are on the go!

Happy Contouring!

Your Beauty Chick-Deanna

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Put The Phone Down!

April 5, 2017

Not so long ago, women would go to their neighbor’s houses to socialize. They might chat for hours, sitting around the kitchen table. There was an art to conversation, a give and take. People actually listened and learned from one another.

Today, things are much different. In our fast paced world that already doesn’t allow for “hours around the kitchen table”, too often we squander what little time we have left for our friends by texting other people when we’re supposed to be talking to the people we’re with!

We’ll text others who aren’t there and post selfies on Facebook/Instagram, etc., but are we able to fully enjoy ourselves in the moment if we’re doing that? Sure, humans are social animals and everyone wants to enjoy life to the fullest. But what does this behavior signify? Are we just trying to have fun with the most people all the time, even if we’re spreading ourselves too thin? Or are the reasons more difficult to face? Like maybe we’ve become uncomfortable with real people and our phones have become a crutch? Maybe we don’t have much to say, and we’re trying to hide our insecurity by showily engaging in private conversations with other people through our phone. Maybe we are trying to show off how popular we are. I ask you, do we really need to be distracted by every funny conversation that is texted to us, when we’re sitting with someone who took the time to actually show up to spend time with us?

This savvy chick says obsessively texting while with friends harms those friendships; and when done flagrantly, ostentatiously, or rudely, it displays shockingly bad manners as well.

This is not acceptable behavior! You’re better than that. Don’t you realize that always being available to text actually means that you’re not really doing anything else that’s interesting? Or, even worse, it might mean that you’re so easily distracted by novelties that you’re unable to hold a conversation as a mature adult. Admit it. The message that you’re actually sending to the world when you text while socializing with other people is that you’re immature, and unable to handle your social life like an adult should.

It’s clear that this technology is still new. With the advent of texting and social media, established communication etiquette has broken down. Yet, no one really seems to be speaking out against all this blatant rudeness that contravenes all the well-established social rules. It’s time we recognize that the novelty of smart phones has worn off. We need to reflect on how to comport ourselves when with friends in this age of ubiquitous smart phones, and come down on the side that honors the reality of human contact over the virtual reality of a phone. And we need to stop using the phone as an instrument of power over others. Forcing people to wait while you take pictures and text is impolite and self-important.

Of course, emergency texts are ok. The convenience of real time is nice. Recording a funny moment is too, but you don’t have to text it out right away to get the response you crave. Wait to do it later when you’re alone. Constant texting with friends and taking photos for social media should not be encouraged during social visits. Such behavior does not lead to meaningful interactions with the people you’re with, and may even lead people to resent your behavior.

In reality though, the problem is more complicated. It’s not just one person doing this when friends are together. The fact is everyone is doing it, and it seems to have led to an arms race to see who can do it the most. It seems to be a weird form of a popularity contest. No one wants to be the “uncool” one with no one to text with while they’re talking to someone else; reminiscent of the college days when having a drink or cigarette in hand signified relevance.

It’s become ridiculous. Given this dynamic, I’m not really sure how we’re going to fix this as a society. That’s the problem with arms races. It takes one person to take the first step. Yet, for many of us, it would feel awkward to ask someone to put their phone away when sitting down to talk. However, with someone you know, for whom the problem has persisted, perhaps you can take the first step by announcing “this is going to be a no-phone lunch”. Manners are the unspoken rules of behavior for civilized people.

However, you shouldn’t have to ask people to put down their phones, or even signal for them that they should do so. People should be expected to do that without asking. But try telling that to the worst offenders amongst your friends. Tell them their manners are atrocious. See how that goes over as you study their shocked faces!

We should be building meaningful relationships. By texting during a conversation, you’re missing out! Put down that phone! Not only are you hurting your friendships, you’re hurting yourself! Texting and too much social media creates a lonely place and a false reality! Start living again! Or at a minimum, let’s set an example for the next generation!

So let’s bring real communication back! Our happiness (and friends) will thank us.

Josie Croll, Savvy Chick