Skincare Secrets: Adding Zinc to Skin Care

So I've always been prone to breakouts, especially during "that" time of the month. These breakouts would involve bumps everywhere, some that were even painful! Now, I've tried many products, some help me make substantial strides to clearer skin, especially zinc vitamins. For the past month and a half, I have been consistently taking a zinc vitamin alongside my breakfast. Zine is most helpful with immune health, but also acne and boils. By taking Zinc, I have escaped the winter colds and flu spread throughout my house. And, for my benefit, less breakouts and painful bumps. Of course, taking a regular multivitamin can also do the trick, along with drinking at least 3 glass of water per day, washing the face daily, and getting 8 hours of sleep. 

What is your latest skincare secret?

Winter Woes: Dry Lips Be Gone

Dry Lips Be Gone by lyndseycamille

If your winter is anything like mine, dry lips are always involved. No matter how much chapstick I slather on my lips, the dry air still causes them to chap. However, with the weekly lip treatment I created above, I can easily nix my dry winter lips. Keep on reading to find out the three steps in my weekly dry lips routine.

1. The toothbrush! Take an old tooth brush, or a new inexpensive toothbrush, to use as a lip exfoliator. Make sure to wet the toothbrush as well as your lips. Then, gently and slowly rub the toothbrush around your lips to remove the dead skin. Do so until your lips feel smooth (lips should not feel raw or red, or else your rubbing to hard/long!)
2. A lip scrub! A lip scrub exfoliates the lips similar to the toothbrush. Apply the lip scrub using either your fingers or the tooth brush, following the same directions as step 1. Also, if you don't want to invest in a lip scrub, make your own using a mixture of sugar and water. 
3. Lip balm! Always follow this lip treatment by applying a lip balm. Try using a lip balm specifically for dry lips such as EOS or Vaseline. Be sure to apply a lip balm at least once a day to protect your lips throughout the week.

How do you fight dry, winter skin and lips?

Beauty 101: Simple Skincare Secrets

Lupita N'yongo

All summer long, my skincare goal was to recreate the smooth glow of Lupita N'yongo's gorgeous skin. Lupita's skin is so even and rich that it can make any girl enviable. However, not even the strongest products would give me the perfect glow. So, of course, I went on a Google search to find my answer. That answer ended up being two basic necessities: water and sleep. I never realized my lack of sleep and water, especially during the summer, and how much it impacted the appearance of my skin! I made it a goal to drink at least 16 oz. of water a day and get in my bed by 10 p.m. on week days. After 2 weeks of this new ritual, my skin began clearing up and looking a bit brighter. Today, my skin feels smoother and looks visibly brighter. So, I literally took it back to the basics of skincare.

1. Water! Skin is like a plant that needs a lot of water to keep it hydrated. As I increased my water intake for the day, my skin was visibly clearer, brighter, and healthier!
2. Sleep! I never realized how important sleep was to skincare as well as my overall health. Once I began getting a good night of sleep, my skin began rejuvenating itself to a greater health state. I even noticed that I felt more energized throughout the day!

What are your simple skincare secrets?

Beauty 101: Fall 2014 Nude Nail Trend

Fall 2014 Nude Nail Trend by lyndseycamille featuring a nude nail color

I am a self-proclaimed manicure maven! My dresser is full of nail polish, from glitter polishes to bright neon polishes. An entire dresser drawer is home to nail design brushes and manicure kits. However, I won't be needing an abundance of color this Fall 2014 season. Throughout the summer, I became extremely bored within a repetition of bright pink, poppy coral, and classic red nail polish colors. So, I traded in bright colors for nude polishes. I found that the nude polishes complemented my accessories and made my fingers appear more elegant and lady-like. Now, two months later, who would've thought nude nails would become the Fall 2014 trend?! A nude nail look is all based upon your skin tone, a deep-toned lady may want to go for a more chocolate, rich nail color, a bronze-y girl for a soft tan polish, and a fairer skin girl for a creamy or pink-toned polish. Nude polishes are perfect because chips aren't as noticeable and can easily be dressed up with a coat of glitter polish.

What is your perfect shade of nude?

Beauty 101: How to Find Your Dark Lipstick Shade

Lorde

Transition your red lip to fall by going to the deep side. Trade in the bright red lipsticks, for the darker hued reds for a darker, classic look. For fair skin ladies, try using a lighter red lipliner mixed with the darker lipstick to prevent the color from overpowering the face. For deeper toned ladies, go for a red that leans more to the deep brown shades. 

Rihanna

Rihanna has been rocking dark hued lipsticks for years! Trade in the dark reds and blacks, for a mauve-y, brown color. The color looks fantastic when paired with heavy eye makeup, or even a subtle smokey eye.

Selena Gomez

In need of a new color all togther? Go the Selena Gomez route and opted for a deep purple. Purple lipstick shades do not have to look like crayon marks! Go for lipstains first, then transition to the full on purple shades. 

Have you gone to the dark side of lipstick?

Beauty 101: How I Grew Out My Eyebrows

Before 

After

Like many other girls around the world, I struggled to keep a "strong brow game". My eyebrows endured about 4 years of waxing, brow shape changing, and, of course, over tweezing on my behalf. However, 6 months ago my brow maintenance had to change after my eyebrow were waxed off ultra thin a week before prom! Since that day, I hid my brow tweezers and scissors from myself (Yes, I endured the tiny, stubbly new growth!). For 2-3 months, I relied only on brushing my eyebrows and utilizing brow pencils to perfect the shape. By month 3, I used tweezers to remove hairs that were obviously outside of my natural brow shape. Through removing the out of place hairs, my brows started to form a natural arch, perfecting my brow game. Now, 6 months later, I leave the tweezers alone for at least 3 weeks before removing any out of place hairs.

Quick Tips!

1. Hide tweezers, eyebrow scissors, and wax! Your growing your eyebrows out, not removing them.
2. Brush your eyebrows with an eyebrow brush to keep them neat. 
3. When tweezing, only tweeze hairs outside of the natural brow shape.
4. Place conditioners on your eyebrows to promote growth. 
5. Don't fantasize over everyone else's eyebrows! An eyebrow shape frames an individual's face, so an eyebrow shape is unique to every person. 

How do you maintain your brows?  

Beauty 101: The Secrets of Gel Nails

Kate Spade Fashion Week Manicure 

Nail art is the fun trend that we all love! Like any other form of art, nail art is full of infinite designs, prints, and colors. Perfect for any fashion/beauty look, mood, or self-expression for the day. However, we all know the feeling of utter disappointment when a perfectly polished nail chips. So, to combat chipped manicures, gel nails were created. Gel nails give a perfectly polished, glossy manicure that can last up to 2 weeks! What more could a nail polish maven ask for?! However, there are some pros and cons to gel nails. 

Pros

• As gel nail popularity continues to rise, more and more colors and nail art techniques continue to rise. So, don't even think you have to give up your favorite nail designs! 
• Gel nails can withstand just about anything, from digging around in your purse to washing the dishes! No chips...AT. ALL. 
• The glossy film of gel nails keeps your hands and nails looking fresh and well groomed.  
• Gel nails are super easy to apply at home! Purchase a gel nail kit, carefully follow the instruction, and you will always have top notch nails. 

Cons 

• Although gel nails don't chip, I have experienced peeling. However, for me, the peeling usually occurs after cleaning with chemicals or subduing the polish in liquid for extended periods of time. 
• Nails can weaken after excessive gel nail use. When taking gel nails off, you must be very careful not to peel off the actually layer of nail because it will cause the nail to weaken. 
• Because gel nails are so secure on the nail, the real nails do not receive a lot of oxygen causing bacteria to build up. 

Now, I am sure there are many more pros and cons of gel nails, but it is entirely up to you whether or not to try a gel manicure. My personal advice is to go for it, but be sure to care for your real nails and wait 2 weeks in between gel nail application. 

Be sure to send me your gel nail photos and let me know your gel nail experience! 

Beauty 101: Summer Nail Polish Colors

Summer Nail Polish Colors by lyndseycamille featuring a bright pink nail polish

Summer nails are all about fun designs and color! Whether a girly look is desired or an edgy look, any style can be achieved.

1. Blues and purples work for all seasons and style depending on the shade. Purple is the color of royalty and looks great on a variety of skin tones. Bluer shades are youthful and peaceful and, like purple, work with various skin tones.
2. Pinks and reds are very classic summer colors. These colors look great with a more girly look, especially when paired with glitter and sparkly polishes. Pinks are great for an everyday look while red is even more perfect for a more classic and classy look. 
3. Nudes, white, and sparkly polishes are perfect for a simple manicure. These colors look amazing for a more formal look or a very clean nail look. 

What are your favorite summer nail polish colors?

Beauty 101: My Summer Skincare Staples

Summer Skincare Products by lyndseycamille featuring Clinique

1. For the past 5-6 weeks, I have been using the Clinique Acne Solutions products. These products have done wonders with controlling my occasional breakouts and oiliness of my skin. This product is especially useful for the summer heat which causes me to sweat even more by removing the excess oils and bacteria.
2. A self-controlled exfoliator is a great product for anyone with oily skin, dark spots, or just feels like their skin needs some rejuvenation. With an exfoliating pad or brush, you can more easily control the harshness of the brush which can be a big factor for people with sensitive skin. During the high temps, skin can get clogged with oil and an exfoliator can clean up all those pores!
3. A nice moisturizer is needed all year long to keep skin protected from the sun with built in sunscreen and hydrated. I like to use Neutrogena Visibly Even, both the everyday moisturizer and BB Cream when I want some coverage, to keep my skin looking fresh with a little glow. 
4. I have recently (recently as of yesterday) purchased African Black Soap in order to control the slight breakouts I have noticed appearing of my shoulders. Multiple reviews state that the black soap will help control and rid of the acne with the use of natural ingredients that will control my skin's oiliness and the pre-existing problem spots. 

What are your summer skincare staples? 

Beauty 101: Avoid a Spring Make-Up Meltdown

Make-Up Meltdown by lyndseycamille featuring Shiseido

Along with the warm temps of spring comes lots of pollen and allergies. Pollen and allergies mean a lot of watering eyes resulting in a make-up meltdown! However, transitioning your make-up for a simple, every day spring look is the easiest fix! Below are three tips and tricks on how to avoid a spring make-up meltdown.

1. Instead of focusing on the eye make-up which will easily melt off, create a bold lip. A bold lip can pull together an entire beauty look and make it stand out. Since the temperatures are continuously warming up, be sure to use a lip balm to protect lips from getting sunburned before applying lipstick and lipgloss. 
2. Defined brows are just as bold as lipstick. Bold brows can frame your face giving off a fierce, clean, and fresh faced look. So, put down those tweezers, unless plucking stray hairs, and use shadow and eyebrow pencils to create a nice eyebrow shape. 
3. In order to still make your eyes pop, try a water-proof mascara paired with a smudgier eyeliner. Before applying mascara, use a eyelash curler to define the lashes and keep them out of eyes. Also, utilize a lighter foundation with sunscreen to protect skin.

What is your spring make-up routine?

Beauty 101: Step Up Your Spring Make-Up

Shay Mitchell

Spring is all about fun, bright, girly colors and there is no where better to try out these cutesy colors besides the lips. Lilacs, pinks, reds, and corals are perfect pout colors that will last all the way through the summer season.

AnnaSophia Robb

Mega lashes and defined brows are major beauty trends this spring and super simple to achieve! Find a great mascara and follow the "T" and "C" method. The method begins by 1-2 coats going up the lashes, then 1-2 sweeps across the top of the lashes. Follow up with a quick coat on the outer lashes in a "C" shape. Define the brows using a shadow and brow brush in short, hair-like strokes.

Becky G

A soft smokey eye is the perfect spring date look. Simple pink and purple shadows on the lid, blended with a darker brown in the crease, topped off with a highlight shadow in the brown bone will create a quick, easy, and cute smokey eye. Make the look pop by adding on a coat of lipgloss and a swipe of blush.

Kat Graham

Summer is not the only bronzer appropriate season! Give your skin a shimmery glow for the spring with a swipe of bronzer on the cheeks and a mix of gold, brown, and nude shadows on the eyes. This look will highlight facial features and make even a simple look super chic.