Short Summer? Keep it beautiful!

With the new "Balanced School year" here in Washoe County this year, many of my young school age friends are having more than a tough time finding employment this summer. I mean really, who wants to hire a person to train them for 6 weeks just to have them leave again. Enter the new generation of self employed, self motivated and self starters to find the answer. 

I would like to introduce a friend of mine that is one of the brightest, smart, young entrepreneurs in the beauty industry. She has a passion for makeup and specializes in Bridal Looks and Makeovers. Heidi is heading off to beauty school this fall after graduating from Galena High a couple of weeks ago. But she is not waiting till fall to get a jump on the career path she has chosen. She has signed up as an independent beauty consultant  with Mary Kay for her summer job. 

I thought is would be interesting this week to hear from one of the beauty industries "up and coming" to see what Heidi's best tips would be on how to stay beautiful and keep it cool this summer. Here's what she has to offer.

1. Self tanner! We should all be minimizing our exposure to the sun. But if you are going to hang out at Tahoe this summer you need some color. Just remember to exfoliate before, to avoid streaks.
2. Mary Kay carries this great set of products called Satin Hands. This includes a hand softener, a smoothing scrub, (which works great to scrub the self tanner off your hands after applying) and a hand lotion that moisturizers for 24 hours and will last through up to three washes! You can use these products on your feet for great summer feet! But I do suggest getting a pumice bar to scrub at your heels also.
3. UV protection for your hair. No, your hair cannot get sun burnt but the sun can fade hair color and dry it out. Bumble and Bumble makes a UV hair primer for $24. You also want to use this to avoid burning your scalp.
4. Are you trying to grow your hair? I sure am! Here are a few things I do to help hair growth. Massage your scalp for at least a minute a day (I do this in the shower). Minimize heat damage by simply not using heat stylers as often and using heat protectant when you do.
5. Now that we are all wearing shorts, we tend to shave our legs more often. Using baby oil gel as your shaving "cream" allows for your razor to last longer and it helps moisturize your legs at the same time! 
6. Typically your makeup is more minimalist in the summer so one of the best assets to play up is a beautiful full lip. I have a line of  lip sticks called True Dimensions. I think this line is a grab because it is an anti-aging lip stick! The lip stick contains ingredients to help boost collagen in your lips which makes them look fuller. And they come in 20 different shades!
7. Did you know that layering a scented lotion over a matching scent perfume intensifies the scent and it will last twice as long? This is helpful when you are out in the sun breaking a sweat.
   
   
   Do you have some great summer tips you would like to share? We would love to hear them! Please post a comment below. Share with your friends! Sharing is caring!! ;)
   Thanks for stopping by the blog! See you next week! 
   Michon :)
   
   
   
   Heidi Hunter is an independent Beauty Consultant for Mary Kay that lives here in Reno. She is passionate about her new up and coming career and excited to help others discover their ideal beauty experience.  
   You can shop Heidi's Mary Kay page here.
   You can also see contact Heidi on her business Facebook page here. 

Hold the Sunscreen Please!

Hello Sunshine, Yes!  The season of abundant sun is here!  
Your skin, hair and nails need the byproducts found in healthy doses of sunshine. Those byproducts would be Vitamin D and Vitamin K.  And with the epidemic at hand across America with 90% of the population being Vitamin D deficient I am thinking there may be a link to sunscreen on this. Call me crazy but... 
Beyond the beauty bennies, in that pretty orange ball up there, is long term preventive medicine. New research has found that low vitamin D is associated with premature death from many causes, not just bone disease. It also lowers blood pressure, breast cancer risk and lessens joint pain. Benefits also include increase in natural antidepressant, helps to heal psoriasis and improved brain power. (ok! I need more time in the sun for sure!) This recent article goes into great detail about the health benefits and the best sources for it. And one other article of interest goes on to say that sun exposure may help prevent - not cause - skin cancer for certain skin types! Very interesting read! With this new information at hand it may be time to rethink the chemical laden products that we all slather on to "protect" us from catching ANY rays on our precious skin. If you have fair skin that does not tan easily, I am not suggesting that you hangout on Tahoe all afternoon with no protection. But what I am suggesting, is that maybe we have gone a little too far. Healthy doses of 10 to 20 minutes of sunshine on our face and bodies we are discovering is what we need.  Then cover with some loose cotton clothing, and a fun, floppy hat rather than using a bunch of chemicals that may or may not be "protecting" us. These opinions are my own. I have done minimal amount of studying on the internet to come to the conclusion I have presented here. Please do your own research and decide what is best for you and your family. Thanks for stopping by for my controversial topic today. I would love to hear what you think or what information you are looking at when deciding on this subject. Please leave a comment below. Feel free to share with your friends, or "like" this on Facebook. Thanks for stopping in!
Michon :)

Painful Cracked Heels! What to do?

Hallelujah!! Summer is here!!
But along with it comes one of the things I struggle with every year, cracked heels.
I start wearing sandals and flip flops as soon as I have had my first pedi of the season and like clockwork, a month later, my heels are cracking and painful!
I consulted with a professional manicurist Kelly Holmes, and got some great tips on how to keep my heels, healthy and happy.
Kelly's top 5 tips for happy heels!

1. Moisten up your heels. Before going to bed apply heavy cream or ointment, such as Mango Extreme or Bag Balm, to your feet and then put on a pair of light socks to keep it on your skin through the night.
2. Exfoliate your feet. Purchase a little pumi stone from the beauty supply or your nail tech and scrub your heels in the shower every day to keep the build of dry dead skin from accumulating. 
3. Wear shoes in the garden. This isn't the most popular suggestion, but it will seriously decrease the amount of moisture being leached out of your skin by the dirt. Dirt is very drying to your hands and feet. 
4. Get a monthly pedicure. It is always a good idea to see a professional once a month to take care of those tootsies for you, offer suggestions on any problems she may see and just to plain ole  pamper yourself. 

Do you have any tips or tricks that you like to use in the summer to combat this problem?
I would love to hear them! Please feel free to comment below and share this with any of your friends.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hope you have a wonderful start to your summer and you are able to cool your heels and relax a bit! :)
 Michon :)

Kelly Holmes is a professional nail tech at Image Artistic Salon. She specializes in pedicures and is passionate about her profession. She is at the top of her class with sterilization and sanitation methods and continues to educate herself about the latest and greatest technologies in her craft. See her website here to schedule and take a look and "LIKE" her Facebook page to view examples of her work and learn more about her.

What is BRONDE or Bronding?

Celebrity Stylist Kim Vo coined the term "Bronde" back in 2011. Well, fast forward, and it is now one of the hottest trends going for Summer 2014.  It is a brunette with sun-kissed highlights. The highlights are strategically placed around the head, heavier in some places and lighter in others. The shades can range from a sunny pale yellow hue to a yummy dark carmel. The trickiest part about coloring darker hair is that you need to be sure you are using a tint with the right amount of ash or violet in the formula so that you don't end up being brassy and orange looking. I wouldn't recommend trying it yourself. Color correction appointments are much more expensive than just getting it done right the first time.
This is one of my favorite color techniques to do. Check out my Pinterest hair board to see all the beautiful brondes I just pinned to get a better overview of this trend that is taking hold.
Hope you have a beautiful week!
Thank you for following my blog and sticking with me.
((((Hugs)))
Michon :)