Greek Yogurt: The Best Face Mask Ever

I would be doing a disservice to all if I didn't share my biggest skin secret. To start, I learned this from a lady who had the BEST skin I have ever seen. I always marveled at her bright, tight, barely wrinkled, super luminescent skin. One day she told me that Greek yogurt was the secret to her youthful skin [she's in her fifties]. You can bet I ran to my fridge after that to see if I could get the same results.

It's insane how healthy my skin feels after I do this mask. I have tried many masks and washes all to no avail. They left me with a "that's all?" feeling. NOT THIS ONE FOLKS.

How to do it:
1. Wipe plain greek yogurt all over your face.
2. Keep it on for about 10 minutes or until almost all the way dry.
3. Standing over the sink, rub it off in an upward motion with your fingers. This helps the dead skin cells to slough off, like an exfoliator.
4. Rinse the remaining yogurt off with hot water.
5. Splash cold water over your face to close pores. [And it just feels good]

Don't be silly like me and let your hair on the mask. But hey, maybe my hair is getting healthier too.

This is me sans makeup right after washing the mask off. My skin feels incredible right after.

Please tell me you're going to try this!

Makeup Photo a Day 50: What to Wear to The Makeup Show

This was my look for day two of The Makeup Show. It made me feel my age [I tend to have a baby face, especially in photos], and quite glamorous.

I made several friends and learned valuable information on products, makeup application, social media and branding yourself; and I had the great pleasure of hearing artists such as Beau Nelson, Michael Devellis, James Vincent, Sara Faella, and bloggers Lianne Farbes [The Makeup Girl], and Felicia Walker Benson [This That Beauty] speak.

Can't say enough about The Makeup Show NYC!!!

#feelingglam

Molls

Makeup Photo a Day 49: Bushy Eyebrows and First Impressions

This is a toned down version of makeup after yesterday's shoot. Nik and I had dinner at some new friend's house and while in the bathroom I noticed how over-the-top my eyebrows were [Close up they were theatrical ].

So much for first impressions!

Do something terribly sweetastic this weekend, ok?

Molls

Painted Face: Romantic Dead

 I found this image on Pinterest and was captivated by the haunted look in her face coupled with the off putting warm toned makeup on her cheeks. She looks as though she is being buried, but her skin is radient and full of lively colors. So I wanted to play! Here's my take on the shot:

Growing Back to My Young Self

Do you know what growing up did to me?

I stumbled across old FB notes I penned and thought "who is this pretty cool chick who has a big heart?". Not arrogantly. I simply admired her courage to write her beliefs, her ability to dream huge, and her I-don't-give-a-damn-what-others-think attitude. 

I liked her. 

Then I realized that she was ME. 

It seemed like a version of me from a parallel universe. I barely remember believing that openly or loving so fearlessly. 

What happened to me? 

I thought I was a dreamer, who would never "grow up" and would have the golden heart of a child.

I think it started at 15 when I began to believe the lie that I was ugly, chunky, and not good enough for anyone to love. It started when I picked up a razor and decided that cutting was the only way to cope with emotions that were too big for me. It started when I drove to a river and let thoughts of suicide torment me enough to drive there over and over. Wanting to die. 

It started when I let my beauty be numbed with lies like "You feel too deeply and no one can ever understand you". Or "No one would care if you died". "You wouldn't be missed at all". "Life would be better if you never were born". "Your family won't notice you've gone." 

Where did that imaginative girl go?

Did she shrivel up? Did she let her vast amount of emotions take her down? Did she DIE?

For amazing reasons and people in my life, I am still here today in one piece. But I wondered after reading those notes, did I allow years of pain to wound me too deeply to be the me God created?

I closed up and closed myself off emotionally for a long time; and it has taken a lot of work to come out of the shell of protection I made for myself. Pain caused me to fear vulnerability because I saw it as the catalyst to pain. And so I walled up.

But I keep seeing the spring sun shine over the walls I made and I want to go out and play. I want to be that young, spirited girl, who was uninhibited by life's ups and downs. I want to be HER again.

Writing this was certainly a way for me to open up and come out of that fog. That's why I started the tag "vulnerability" for posts. Some days I need to write from the depths of my heart and share with you, my dear readers. I hope this new posting style will encourage you, provoke a new way of thinking, and allow you to be vulnerable in your life as well. It can make us uneasy at times. But the great life lessons always start with unrest. It's how we grow.

Do you know what growing up did to me? I think it tried to knock me down for good. But thankfully I serve a God who doesn't let that unnerve him. And he made sure I am standing on my own two feet, ready to make someone laugh with my silly imagination.

Welcome back, dreamer.


How did growing up affect you?

Image via Nick Glimenakis