These are top secret....

It has taken my years to learn my face shape, what colors suit me best, where to apply certain products and how to apply it so that it looks beautiful & natural... but I think I have gotten it down. Trust me, I am no beauty guru; but I have learned my fair share of tips and tricks! Hopefully you find these helpful and can maybe even add to my list! I would love to hear all of your pointers so I can give them a whirl. Ya know, us girls have to stick together. 

1.       If you have a clumpy mascara that is on its way out use a drop or 2 of Visine to break it up! Put the wand back into the bottle and swirl it around, this will soften the mascara making it apply like a new tube. Let’s face it, it happens to every tube of mascara over time and pumping your brush into the bottle actually makes this worse. When you do this you’re actually pumping more air into the bottle causing it to dry out faster. Although you should replace mascara every 3-4 months this is an easy way to renew your product.

2.       If you don’t own a white pencil, invest in one for this simple eye popping trick! Line your bottom water line with a white pencil to make your eyes appear bigger and brighter!

3.       When curling your lashes clamp the lash curler on the base of your lashes, then lift and invert the curler so that the handles are towards the ceiling. This will double the curl & make the curl last that much longer.

4.       When you curl your hair allow the hot curl to fall into your hand and let it cool before doing the next piece. This will let the curl cool off and set in the perfect shape. When finished curling your whole head again, let your hair set and then run your fingers through them to loosen the curls and you’ll get a gorgeous beachy wave. Set with hairspray, and you’ll be ready to go!

5.       During the hot summer months wearing a full face of makeup is exhausting. Create your own personalized BB cream with this easy recipe!  Mix half of your favorite liquid foundation and your favorite moisturizer on the back of your hand and you have the perfect go to product for the summer. The best part about this is that you’re using your favorite products that work for you! I have been doing this a lot lately and it’s so light and natural when I apply it with my beauty blender.

6.       Use a shimmery lip gloss on the center of your lips to create more of a “pouty” fuller lip.

7.       Use an exfoliator to get rid of dead skin, but limit yourself to 2 to 3 times a week so that you don’t over dry your skin

8.       When washing your face, wash and rinse with warm water. The last splash use cold water. Think about it- the warm water opens your pores and really gets down into your skin to clean, the cold water is going to snap your pores shut so that once it’s clean; it’s clean. You won’t be allowing anymore dirt into your skin.

9.       Water is the secret to bright, luminous skin. The more the merrier.

10.   When applying a bright nail polish use a white polish as a base color. This will allow you to use less of the bright polish to achieve the bright neon manicure.

11.   Finding your hair getting greasier faster? When conditioning your hair apply the conditioner only from the ear lobes down.

12.   Not sure where to apply your blush? Use the 2 finger rule: allow two fingers from your nose to where you should start your blush.

13.   Shave your legs with hair conditioner instead of shaving cream. It will soften the hair on your legs making it easier to shave and it will leave your skin feeling extra silky soft.

14.   Struggling with a huge pimple the day before your first date? Don’t worry apply a small amount of toothpaste to the pimple. They say that the toothpaste will dry out the pimple and reduce the size and redness. Stick with the paste and not the gel though, they don’t work as well.

15.   Before applying a matte lipstick or any lipstick exfoliate your lips first. Apply a lip balm and then using an old toothbrush rub your lips gently. This will get rid of any dry skin leaving it to be a perfect canvas for your lipstick.

16.   When getting out of the shower, don’t rub your hair with the towel this will cause it to frizz. Instead squeeze out the extra water while in the shower and then wrap your hair in a towel and pat dry.

17.   Pick up a new pair of shoes lately that are too cute to deny even though the blisters are a killer? Apply a little bit of Vaseline to the back of your foot to reduce any friction.

18.   Before applying any eye shadow use your foundation as a primer for your lids- this will help create a perfect canvas and will keep your shadows from creasing throughout the day

19.   Don’t have a quick drying top coat handy? Dip your hands in ice cold water after painting, your mani will come out dry in just 5 minutes!

20.   My top beauty tip, Smile. It’s the most beautiful asset that you have, wear it every day. 

ALSO: I brought my royal god daughter, Lillian, to see Cinderella this week.. Can we just all agree on how adorable she is! 

If you have a chance to get to the theater to catch Cinderella, or prefer to catch it on your couch at home I highly recommend it. Even if you aren't a Disney freak like me, it is just a heartwarming movie of an average girl having her dreams come true. After seeing the movie I reflected on life just a bit- and not just in a “fairy tale ending” type of way... I am someone who believes in good things happening to good people. The movie teaches young girls to be kind & to have courage. I just thought this was so beautiful and so simple. For my 3 year old niece as I was carrying her out of the theater we chatted about the movie and how important it is to be kind to her brother and friends at school, she sweetly responded “Auntie Ta, like how Rella shared her food with the mice.” This is what I live for. It’s the small moments in life- when you teach a life lesson and you see them learning to grow and that you can be a part of that. Disney does that, they make memories. With a story line as simple as Cinderella, Lillian learned the importance of bravery, kindness and courage. Sometimes when I look at her I see a little bit of me, she has such a big heart and I know that she is going to grow up to be a kind, loving soul like I am. Maybe that’s why I am her very own fairy godmother.