Bad Makeup Habit #2 – Not washing your face at night

Many of us fall into the bad habit of not removing our makeup and washing our face at night. We are tired from a long day at work or just got home from a night out. It’s a huge mistake not to wash your face and treat and moisturize it before bed – here’s why

A Naked Face

Whatever is left on your face from the day, i.e. make-up, dirt, sweat, oil, or pollutants that float around in the environment, will naturally get absorbed into your skin. Yuck! Think about it, your face, neck, and chest is one of the areas on your body that is not protected with clothing – it’s naked! There is no barrier to protect it from free radicals, pollution, and bacteria that adhere to it throughout the day.

Hinders Repair

Your skin goes into hyper repair mode at night, renewing itself so that you can look your best (and youngest). Failing to wash your makeup off can hinder the process. Your skin is also more receptive while you sleep, which makes it an ideal time to apply moisturizers, serums, and medications. So if you do happen to fall asleep with your makeup on, know that you’re depriving your skin of some serious quality time.

Solution

Create a new habit to wash your face after you get home from work or after dinner. Start today and repeat every day to make it a new habit.

Use cleansing cloths like the Makeup Remover Wipes with Mineral Complex from Avon. I use these on my face and they work great. I also use the Moisture Effective Eye Makeup Remover Lotion to remove my eye makeup.

I follow up with my treatment and moisturizing products. I apply two serums – ANEW CLINICAL Absolute Even Multi-Tone Skin Corrector and the ANEW CLINICAL Pro Line Eraser Treatment which won an Allure Beauty Breakthrough award. Next my eye cream is the ANEW CLINICAL Pro Line Eraser Eye Treatment and my night cream is ANEW GENICS Night Treatment Cream. I know it sounds like a lot of steps but I’m in my early 50s and love what these products have done for my skin. It takes about 10 minutes to cleanse and treat my skin in the evening.

You can shop for these great cleansing and treatment products at www.youravon.com/dmusto. I hope you enjoyed the second in my series of breaking bad makeup habits. More to come so stay tuned!

Dayna

Bad Makeup Habit #1 – Holding on to old mascaras, eye shadows, and eye liners.

The lifespan of eye makeup depends on what you are using: mascaras have a shelf life of about 3-4 months, eye liners about 1 year, and eye shadows about 1 year for creams and 2 years for powders. After that time, bacteria begins to build up like crazy. If you are suffering from red itchy eyes, or have dry, red wrinkled patches around your eyes, it could be your mascara, eye shadow, or eyeliner.

Solution – If you aren’t sure when you bought the eye makeup, check how it looks and smells. If powders get chalky or fall apart, or creams get smelly and separate, it is time to chuck it. With mascaras, you want to replace them every 3-4 months. Keep your makeup in a cool, dry place and away from the bathroom’s moisture.

When replacing your eye makeup, I recommend affordable eye makeup products from Avon. For example, Glimmersticks eyeliners are the number 1 eye liner in the world. They come in tons of shades, are often on sale for around $2-3, and never need sharpening. Here are just a few of the shades.

Avon True Color eye shadows are awesome as well. There are lots of wonderful shades and they go on easy with no creasing. Here are some of the shades of their eyeshadow quads.

For mascara, Avon has lots of affordable options for adding length, curl, and volume. Check out the before and after picture of my model using the newest Avon SuperExtend Infinitize Mascara.

You can shop for these great eye makeup products at www.youravon.com/dmusto. I hope you enjoyed the first in my series of breaking bad makeup habits. More to come so stay tuned!

Dayna

I played with the new Spring eye shadow quad from Avon called Awakening. I loved the taupe brown with bits of sparkle and the intense turquoise color.

I covered my entire eye in the soft matte pink, then added a light covering of the turquoise on my lid. Then I added the taupe brown to the corners and the lime to the center of my lid. I lined my eye with the turquoise and the brown. I used our black eyeliner and lined the inside of my upper lid and a bit on the corner. I finished it off with a couple of coats of the Super Drama mascara.

After looking at the picture, I could have probably gone darker with the brown on the outer corners. What do you think?

This palette and more are available at www.youravon.com/dmusto. There is free shipping on $10 orders through midnight March 20th. Enter POTOGOLD at checkout.

Do you suffer from uneven skin tone also called hyperpigmentation? Uneven skin tone is universal. Women of every age and every ethnicity experience some type of discoloration. That’s why Anew Clinical Absolute Even Multi-tone Skin Corrector was created.

There are many causes of hyperpigmentation such as sun damage, skin trauma, acne scars, and the side effects of medications such as Estrogens and Tetracyclines. You can also get dark spots from pregnancy and medical conditions such as liver and Addison’s disease.

Anew Clinical Absolute Even Multi-tone Skin Corrector dramatically reduces the appearance of 7 types of discolorations:

1. Dark spots
2. Uneven skin tone
3. Post-acne marks
4. Brown patches
5. Blotchy red patches
6. Freckles
7. Sallowness

The results of the clinical tests were impressive. I recently toured the R&D facility of Avon in Suffern, New York and I know they perform ethical, double blind tests with their products. Their claims are substantiated and can be trusted. Here are the results of the tests:

• 100% of women showed an improvement in skin clarity*
• 9 out of 10 saw dramatic improvement in skin tone for flawless, younger-looking skin***
• 91% of Hispanic women saw the appearance of brown spots diminish***
• 93% of African-American women felt their skin tone looked more even***
• 85% of Caucasian women saw a dramatic reduction in the appearance of blotchy red patches***
• 91% of Asian women felt it reduced the look of blotchiness***

*Based on a consumer-perception study. **Based on a dermatologist-supervised clinical study. ***Based on those who expressed an opinion in a consumer-perception study.

To use the Anew Clinical Absolute Even Multi-tone Skin Corrector, treat it as a serum and use twice a day under your moisturizer. I recommend using only 1 pump of the serum unless you have severe discoloration. You can also use it on your chest as well.

Anew Clinical Absolute Even Multi-tone Skin Corrector Product Reviews

Here are some reviews from Avon Customers:

Can you use it with other serums?

You can use it with other serums such as the Anew Clinical Pro Line Eraser. Use the skin corrector first and let it soak in for a few minutes. Then use your other anti-aging serums. I recommend taking a before photo, and then taking another photo in 4 weeks to see the difference. If you are not impressed with the results, Avon guarantees a full refund of your purchase.

The Anew Clinical Absolute Even Multi-tone Skin Corrector is now available from my Avon store for $34.99 with free shipping. I have received a preview shipment of this serum at a special price. You can purchase them from me for $29.99 shipped. That’s a $5 savings from the introductory price of $34.99. Just click contact me on the blog or leave me a comment to place your order. I also have some samples to send if you are interested, but it is truly best to use the product for the 4 weeks to see the real difference.

Thanks for reading!

Dayna

The most flattering lip tones will be one or two shades darker than your natural lip color, according to makeup artist Bobbi Brown.  To test shades, apply lipstick or gloss to one lip. If that color is just a shade or two deeper than your bare lip, then you’ve found your shade. While picking the right shade is as easy as going a couple shades darker than your natural lip color, we can delve just a wee bit deeper in the science of shades and skin tone. 

WOMEN WITH FAIR SKIN look great in lipstick shades such as nudes in a slightly apricot shade, pinks and light corals. Stay away from browns, which will appear blah.

THOSE WITH MEDIUM, SKIN TONE can go a bit darker. You’ll look great in roses, mauves and berries. Skip the bright reds and consider a deep burgundy instead. 

Deep plum, chocolate or red is fabulous with DARK OR BLACK SKIN. According to the editors of Allure’s “Confessions of a Beauty Editor,” women with dark skin “can go in one of two directions: toward brown or purple. Think caramel or walnut for day, and plum or wine for evening.”

Now that you know the colors to use, why not try the new Totally Kissable Lipstick from Avon. It comes in 10 shades and offers full-coverage conditioning color infused with fruit enzymes and a blend of natural oils for lips that are visibly fuller, softer and smoother. Here is the shade selector.

DEAL ALERT! Get a full-size Totally Kissable Lipstick for only .99 cents with every $10 purchase. Shop now at www.youravon.com/dmusto. This is good for Campaign 4 only! Regular price is $8.00. You can also get FREE SHIPPING when you enter the code NOSHADOW at checkout – code good until 2/2.

Thanks for reading and all the best to you!

Dayna

With cold and wet weather, we find ourselves indoors more with dry heated air which can make our skin very tight, itchy, and flaky. I suffer from dry skin and even develop red scaly patches called psoriasis on my legs if I don’t hydrate properly. Here are some tips and products that I recommend that combat the effects of dryness during the winter months.

Best Products Tip 1: Exfoliate your face

Your skin can get a buildup of dead skin which prevents the full penetration of your lotion or cream. To alleviate that, use a good scrub or peel to remove dry dead skin before hydrating. I use the ANEW Clinical Advanced Retexturizing Peel at night, two to three times per week. It leaves your skin smoother and removes a layer of dead skin so that your skin is more able to drink in the moisture.

Best Products Tip 2: Exfoliate your body

I also recommend a good scrub for your body as well. I usually use a body scrub a couple times a week. My newest obsession is the Ultra Sexy Body Scrub by Avon. It has a flirty fragrance of luscious strawberry, tantalizing jasmine and smoky cedarwood. They also have matching body spray, shimmering powder, and moisturizer – just in time for Valentines.

Don’t forget your feet! Avon’s Footworks line includes scrubs, a pumice cream, and a pedi peel to remove rough dry skin.

Best Products Tip 3: Moisturize your face

For the best hydration, I recommend switching to creams in the winter versus using lotions. Make sure to use a cream with an SPF 20 or higher to prevent skin damage from the sun. I recommend any of the day creams from the ANEW line. They are age appropriate and contain a 25 SPF. I am in my early 50s and use the Ultimate line.

If you still need a stronger boost of moisture, try the ANEW Emulsions. The emulsions give you anti-aging benefits while super hydrating your skin and making it feel soft and supple.

Don’t forget to use a good lip balm during the winter months. I use the Care Deeply lip balm with Aloe. It keeps my lips soft and hydrated.

Best Products Tip 4: Moisturize your hands

Avon has a wonderful line of hand creams but my favorite is the Moisture Therapy Intensive Healing & Repair Hand Cream. It keeps my hands looking smooth and supple and stays on between hand washings. I have friends in the medical industry that use it because they wash their hands so often. It’s a great cream for men too as it has no odor and isn’t greasy.

Best Products Tip 5: Moisturize your body

In the winter, I find that lotions don’t cut it for me. I need something stronger. I use a few methods for moisturizing. One is using a bath oil. My favorite bath oil is Skin So Soft – Soft and Sensual. It has a light fresh fragrance. I use it after I shower and while my skin is still wet, I rub on the oil and then pat dry. (You go through a lot of towels this way.) My skin feels like silk and stays hydrated. I also like to use the Skin so Soft Gelled Body Oil. It’s a bit easier to use and works just as well.

My newest favorite way to moisturize is by using the mark Whipped Up Lemon Sugar Body Butter. This luxurious cream is one decadent treat for the skin. Rich in vitamins and skin conditioners, the formula works within skin layers to hold in moisture all day. My skin is left silky soft and lightly scented.

Don’t forget to moisturize your feet – the Foot Works line has moisture intensive foot creams, overnight creams to use with socks, and my customer favorite cracked heel relief cream.

These are some of my tips for softer, more moisturized skin during the winter months. All of the products mentioned can be found in my Avon store at www.youravon.com/dmusto. Just enter any term in the search box on my site.

What are some of your ideas for combating winter dryness? Leave me a comment.

Whether to choose a soft floral or a woodsy citrus is not the only question when wearing perfume. Are there places on the body where perfume is more effective? How long do various types of perfume last in the bottle and on your skin? What are fragrance notes? How many notes are there?

Here’s a definitive guide for how and when to don your most essential refinement, your signature scent. Your scent communicates as much about you as your skin, voice, and smile, so ensure that it’s speaking well of you.

The first step to find the perfect signature scent is to test it properly. When testing a new perfume, apply it to your wrist and give the fragrance ten minutes to unfurl for a complete olfactory picture to emerge. Keep your testing to no more than 3 fragrances at a time. Your nose won’t be able pick up a perfume’s complexities if you test more than three.

Perfume Notes

There are three levels of perfume “notes” that make up the fragrance: the top, middle, and base. The top note is the initial impression and will wear off within five minutes. This explains why you sometimes try a perfume, love it, and then discover that it’s really not to your liking after all. The middle and base notes first emerge ten and then fifteen minutes later.

For example, here are the notes in Avon’s newest perfume, Unplugged by Jon Bon Jovi:

• Top Notes: Gourmet notes of plum and refreshing sparkling citruses
• Mid Notes: Blooms with flowers of black dahlia
• Base Notes: Oriental flavor emphasizing creamy woody notes

Where and How to Wear Perfume

Perfumes are strongest on pulse points where the blood flows the strongest, and the skin is the warmest on your body. For a full effect, dab on wrists, back of the ear, nape of the neck, chest, inside the elbow, and behind the knee. Spraying around your ankles allows the fragrance to “billow up” over time. For the longest lasting effect and to give someone you hug a wonderful surprise, spray your hairbrush with the fragrance and brush through your hair.

Perfume lasts longer on oily and moisturized skin, and on skin that has been “primed” with a matching fragrant oil or cream. Layering fragrances will ensure that the effect lasts longer. Layering could entail using the fragrance’s lotion, followed with the line’s powder, then the perfume – or layering could entail wearing different but compatible fragrances together on different parts of your body.

Different Perfume Types

Perfume is a concoction of natural or synthetic fragrant oil extracts diluted in water and high grade alcohol. Here is a table of the different types of perfumes and how long they last.

Due to the fact that Perfume/Parfum has 20% perfume oil and is the most concentrated, it is also the most expensive. If you are using an Eau de Cologne, Toilette, or Parfum, it’s always a good idea to carry a purse spray to touch up in the afternoon.

Since spray bottles are sealed, they last longer than splash bottles. Fragrance should be kept in a cool, dry place and kept away from sunlight. For optimal freshness, keep your fragrance in its box. Fragrances should last three years past the manufacturer’s date.

Different Fragrances for Different Times and Places

Bear in mind how strong you would like your fragrance to be, based upon the time of year and the places you’ll be visiting. Light colognes and toilettes in citrus are ideal for summer wear. Parfum classics in heavy florals are best for formal outings. If you’re going to work in a heavy floral and sharing an elevator or cubicle, or sitting in on a meeting in a small conference room, you risk being inappropriately fragrant.

About 75% of perfumes contain rose and jasmine extracts, as these are the two staples in a perfumer’s palette. Perfumes are roughly divided into fresh greens, woody ambry, floral fruity, and oriental spicy. Thousands of ingredients and chemicals are used in one bottle of perfume. It’s been said that two people can’t possibly maintain a relationship if they don’t like each others smell, so the perfume industry, in its own way, promotes love and happiness.

And remember why you’re wearing fragrance. As Helen Keller said, “Love is a beautiful flower which I may not touch, but whose fragrance makes the garden a place of delight just the same.”

In this article, Jan Shure who is 60, runs a fashion website (SoSensational.co.uk) and has tried dozens of so-called miracle products over the years. She was always disappointed at the results as none of them ever delivered. She has spent hundreds of pounds over the years on these hyped creams but none of them made a big difference. Until now.

Anew Clinical Pro Line Eraser Treatment has wowed industry experts with its performance in clinical trials. Avon’s research says the cream reduces fine lines and deep wrinkles in just seven days — apparently 100 per cent of woman saw a reduction in their wrinkles over 11 weeks. What’s more, after using it, half of the testers who had been considering a cosmetic procedure decided to postpone it.

The serum, used under your day and night moisturizer, contains A-F33 – dubbed the miracle molecule allowing new collagen to be formed in the skin. This is something that better-known anti-aging ingredients like retinol cannot do.

Jan went to a cosmetic dermatologist, Dr. Rakus, to get a before and after shot of her skin. The green lines show where a high-tech machine pinpoints Jan’s wrinkles. She used the Anew Clinical Pro Line Eraser for 4 weeks and her results were amazing – see the before and after picture below.

Jan was sceptical: ‘I was intrigued to hear that the product had made some women who had been contemplating cosmetic procedures change their minds —but I didn’t think any cream could tackle marionette lines [the deep lines that can form between the nose and corners of the mouth] and a slightly sagging jawline, which are as much of a concern as wrinkles to women of my age. ‘Still, it was a really nice serum to put on. It is very light, unscented, and is easily absorbed by the skin.’

After the first week, Jan hadn’t noticed any dramatic improvements — her skin looked a little smoother than before, but nothing more. But after four weeks, the differences were discernible: ‘My skin looks more even-toned, fresher, smoother and felt less dry,’ she says.

When we sent Jan back to Dr Rakus’s clinic for her ‘after’ images, the results were startling. The improvements are not necessarily the type of changes you can notice with the naked eye when you see yourself in the mirror every day, but detailed analysis and comparisons by the machine can pick up the signs of rejuvenation — as they did in Jan’s case.

I am so thrilled to be able to offer you the Anew Clinical Pro Line Eraser Treatment from my online store at only $34.99 for a limited time. Just go to www.youravon.com/dmusto, click the Shop Now link, and enter Pro Line Eraser in the search box. The product will ship for free. The price goes up after October 25th to $39.99. Still inexpensive considering what it can do for your skin. If you purchase the product, do your own before and after shot.

To read the entire article, go to: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2219230/Avon-Anew-Clinical-Pro-Line-Corrector-Treatment-Proof-20-miracle-cream-really-CAN-banish-wrinkles.html#ixzz29stfe4WN

I decided to do my own test of the Anew Clincial Pro Line Eraser Treatment. I took a photo on August 15, 2012 of my skin before. You can see that I had a bit of a tan. You can also see the lines beneath my eye that have been getting worse since my mid 40s. I started using the treatment and took a few shots every couple of weeks to check the progress. Here is the photo after using the treatment for a little over 7 weeks. I am thrilled with the results. What do you think? 

I still have samples but I can tell you from experience, that it takes a few weeks to see a real difference. I recommend purchasing it and doing your own before and after photo. You can still buy the Anew Clinical Pro Line Eraser from my online store at www.youravon.com/dmusto for $34.99 with free shipping. Just click Shop Now and enter Pro Line Eraser in the product search box.

Thanks and All the Best!

Here’s the flyer for the promotion. Many of these items would be great stocking stuffers. You will save up to 65%!

Here’s what you can get:

• 5 Glimmerstick Chrome Eyeliners
• 8 mini Nailwear Pro Nail Enamels
• 5 Glazewear Lip Gloss
• 3 Anew Cleansers – Rejuvenate, Reversalist, and Platinum
• Odyssey and Night Magic Evening Musk Cologne Spray
• Anew Clinical Advanced Retexturizing Peel
• Musk Marine for Men 3-piece set
• 6 Naturals Shower Gels
• 6 Hand creams and 4 roll-on deodorants
• 2-piece Skin so Soft Bath Oil

Shop now at www.youravon.com/dmusto. This promotion will last all of October. Shipping is FREE on $30 orders.