Holts says "A killer manicure can make even the most basic outfit look super chic."

That is so true!! And this Spring, BOLD and STANDOUT colours is the TREND! 


 


Recommended by Holts: 


Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer in On the Beach $20 
Butter LONDON 3 Free Nail Lacquet in Jaffa $17 
Dior Vernis Nail Lacquet in Blue Denim $24 
NARS Nail Polish in SCHIAP $21 

What are my recommendations from Motives Nail Candy? 

Motives Nail Candy in Laguna Beach (USA link)

Motives Nail Candy in Sunset Boulevard (USA link)
 

Motives Nail Candy in Twilight  (USA link)
 

Motives nail Candy in I'm a Party Girl  (USA link)

Same if not better Quality and brilliant pigmentation for only 1/4 of the price! Check them out! 

Don't forget to put a Base Coat (USA link) to protect your nails and to finish off with Innocent (USA link) as a top coat. HAPPY PAINTING :)

THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING YOUR SKIN TYPE

With all the external and internal conditions that your skin is vulnerable to, it is extremely important to give your skin the attention it needs to stay healthy. The first part of tending to your skin is finding out exactly what type of skin you have (USA Link). This will help you better assess the type of skin treatments that you should be using. Skin types can be dry, oily, combination or sensitive and each type can is marked by certain characteristics, which need to be addressed in different ways.

courtesy of Health Skin Care Tips.com

Dry skin is flaky and may or may not feel tight, rough, or itchy. Oily skin, on the contrary, looks shiny or greasy and may be accompanied by large pores. Combination skin is made up of the not-so-best of both worlds and can be dry in some parts while oily in others. Then there is sensitive skin, which often experiences stinging, burning, or itching in reaction to some skincare products. Once you have established where you fall on the skin-type spectrum, you can make wiser decisions when sifting through the hundreds of skin creams, serums and balms that are offered.

In the mean time, there are certain lifestyle habits that everyone can adopt, regardless of skin type to contribute to healthier skin. They include the following:

Stay hydrated
Avoid smoking
Eat a diet full of fruits, vegetables, lean protein and whole grains
Exercise regularly
Learn stress-management

Once you incorporate these habits into your life, familiarize yourself with the needs of your skin, and choose the proper skin care products, you will be well on your way to giving your skin the TLC it deserves.

MAKEUP MUST-HAVES: LISA KOSTKA

Wondering what the most successful Certified Motives Consultants are using themselves?Lisa Kostka, director of training and sales for Motives® by Loren Ridinger®, offered some of her favorite Motives makeup products and services, how she’s using them and why they can help you build a successful Motives Cosmetics business.

Get Flawless Skin. Taking the free, online Skin Care Analysis (USA Link) will help you determine which products are best suited for your skin based on your unique needs. We have the best skin care products – Skintelligence, VitaShield, Cellular Laboratories – to clear up any skin concerns and prevent future damage.

Want Magnificent Nails? Check out our professional nail care sets (USA Link). You can have freshly manicured nails wherever you go. They are made of stainless steel materials, very durable they are perfect for any quick fix on the go. After you’ve prepped your nails …

Now Give Them Some Glam and Panache. Choose from our wide collection of trendsetting colors from the Motives Nail Candy Collection (USA Link). Our polish glides on smooth for a flawless, chip resistant, high-gloss shine.

Need Sun-Kissed Skin? Try our Motives Pressed Bronzer (USA Link), a satiny, smooth-textured bronzer that gives you a safe and healthy tan instantly! Personally, I love California Girl.

Perform Makeup Magic. Create skin that looks flawless and smooth with Motives Perfecting Face Primer (USA Link), an oil-free hydrating primer that evens out the surface of the skin helping foundation glide on smoother.

Stop Makeup Meltdowns. Help you makeup stay fresh all day long with Motives 10 Years Younger Makeup Setting Spray (USA Link). It can be sprayed on immediately after makeup application and will help reduce the appearance of lines by keeping the makeup from settling into creases.

All About Brows. Having perfect, well-defined brows are very important to finish the makeup look and balance your features. Brows are sisters, NOT twins – no two brows are the same! I recommend the Motives Essential Brow Kit (USA Link) to help fill in the brows to make them balanced and even.

Bolder Lips in 29 days! Motives 40FY Lip Treatment (USA Link) plumps and hydrates lips by supporting collagen production to give you full sexy lips. This is great to keep by your bedside and use every night, you will wake up with soft hydrated lips!

Apply like a PRO. Professional high-quality brushes are vital to achieving the best makeup application. The Motives 15-Piece Pro Brush Set (USA Link) is a complete collection for aspiring makeup artists everywhere!

Entice Your Senses. Mine by Loren Ridinger (USA Link) brings you a feminine and elegant aroma of Gardenias combined with an aphrodisiac of intoxicating musk. It’s fresh and clean with a scent of seduction.

What do you think of Lisa’s suggestions? Are you a Certified Motives Consultant? What are your favorite products?

[Hands-on Review] Fixx Lash Extend

Fixx – Lash Extend 

Hi Everyone!  So this is the first review I have ever written.  The purposes of my reviews will be to provide my personal testimonial and experiences, and to also provide honest and neutral comments of the products that I have tried!  Hope you will enjoy it :) 

For my first review, I have decided to talk about Fixx Lash Extend (USA link).

Why?  Cuz most (or all?) girls (and guys!) want LONGER and FULLER lashes!!!!! and this is one of my personal favourites! 

As a very typical Chinese girl, I have VERY short lashes.  Sometimes when I put on mascara, I still do not notice my lashes :( 

This Fixx Lash Extend can be applied on your lashes and brows to increase their volume and length!!

I can only comment of the lashes part though.  I have full brows so there’s no need for me to apply it on my brow. 

SO, WHAT IS IT? 

   

On the website, the primary benefits of the lash extend are: 

• SymPeptide (Myristoyl Hexapeptide-16, Myristoyl Pentapeptide-17 and Myristoyl Pentapeptide-8) increases visible volume of lashes and brows by 25% in just 14 days for fast, dramatic results
• Hydrolyzed glucosaminglycans promotes lashes growth

THEN, HOW TO USE? 

Personally, I strongly recommend this serum to be used twice daily, morning and night. 

I try to use this serum both morning and night.... but sometimes I forget and sometimes I don't have time to do it before I go to work in the morning.

BUT definitely, I use this every night before I go to bed.

It has a brush tip, you twist the cap to push the serum onto the brush, and you close your eyes and brush it on the roots of the lahses and wait for a few minutes before you open your eyes.

RESULTS?  FIRST TUBE:

For my first tube of lash extend, the tube lasted for well over 2 months!!!!!

One tube is one month’s supply, so obviously….. I used way too little...... Not a good sign. 

To be honest, I did not see any dramatic results.  I think my lashes got a bit longer but I wasn’t sure if it’s some inner psychological thinking or if it is real that my lashes grew longer.   

One thing I did notice for certain was when I was using the lash extend, I did not notice any of my lashes falling off when I remove my mascara!!

For this reason, I decided I should not stop lash extend and I should continue using it. 

RESULTS? SECOND TUBE: 

On my 2^nd tube, I made a commitment to myself.  I should stick to using it both morning and night AND everyday… and I should apply a lot more of the serum!

So I did and magic came!  

My lashes got VISIBLY longer just after the first week! And after the second week, when I apply my same mascara, I noticed my lashes grew fuller as well!!!!!  WOW!

After that, I started getting compliments from close friends around me! 

People noticed difference in my lashes!! ^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^

One compliment I will never forget was one day, when I was having lunch with my mom:

Mom:  What did you do to your lashes today?

Me:  (blank and lost) ????? Nothing??

Mom:  Your lashes look different.  Did you put on some fake lashes?

Me:  ?????

Mom:  I see reflection of your lashes.  I see shadows on your lashes beneath your eye!!  It looks so cute! 

Me:  (super excited and had this huggeeeeee smile on my face) REALLY?????

And I immediately took my mirror out to look at my lashes (and the shadow of my lashes) and started telling almost everyone about it!!!!

THE PROS? 

- This lash extend really does work!!!!! It gave me longer, fuller and healthier lashes!

- It’s not only a lash extend that lengthens and gives volume, but it is actually a serum that fortifies each of your lashes!  I rarely see lashes falling off when I remove my mascara now.

THE CONS?  

- It takes time to build a habit of applying lash extend every morning and night (especially morning when I’m in a rush to go to work).  It can get annoying. 

- It is hard to tell if you’re using enough or not.  One tube is one month’s supply, I never knew I was using too little until at least a month later when I realize I still have a lot of serum in my tube.

SUMMING IT ALL UP! 

MUST TRY!  I think… it does not matter if you want longer and fuller lashes or not, but lashes need serum especially if you need to remove mascara.  Plus, it works!

Thanks for reading! 

And as I mentioned, this is my first time writing a review.  If you have comments, please do let me know! 

If there are any questions, feel free to ask as well! 

Let me know what you wanna see next in my reviews!!!!! 

Jojo L.

March 2012

And a little bonus, here is a picture of a user of Fixx lash extend (USA link) (the person is the picture is not me!) 

2012 - Deal of the Month [March]

Palette of 5 Eyeshadows hand picked by BePretty.ca!!!!!
with FREE waterproof eye makeup remover.
(deal only valid for month of March, 2012 by email at henry@bepretty.ca) 

Winter is GONE and SPRING is here!
Kick away the boring winter colours and look your best in these fresh spring colours!
Colours inspired by 2012 runway and hand picked by BePretty.ca!

Palette of 5 Eyeshadows in the following colours:
1. Creme Fresh (USA Link) (a light shimmering white)
2. Pink Diamond (USA Link) (the name says it, a shimmering diamond pink)
3. Fantasy (USA Link)(a very beautiful purple)
4. Gun Metal (USA Link) (a shimmering dark gray)
5. Cappuccino (USA Link) (a light matte brown)
- Palette (USA Link) is hand picked by BePretty.ca with every eye shape in mind, making it perfect for any types of eyes!
- Transfer easily from day time look into night time look with same palette
- Instructions will be provided with palette (personalized/individual recommendations will be provided upon request)

Motives Pressed Eyeshadows
- Latina Beauty Award Winner
- Ultra smooth and luxurious texture
- will not run or crease, long-lasting
- Super highly pigmented for true colour result


 

FREE MOTIVES WATERPROOF EYE MAKEUP REMOVER (USA Link) with purchase of eyeshadow palette in March.
(safe for contact lens wearers)
 

SPECIAL price for MARCH only!
$45 per palette of 5 eye shadows with FREE Motives
Waterproof Eye Makeup remover (13% tax included)
Retail value of $90!!!!! ($15/eyeshadow X 5 = $75 + $15 makeup remover) 

Get them while they last!

TIPS FOR NAIL PAINTING

If you are like me, painting your nails is the most time consuming (and excruciating) task possible. I spend a good while painting one hand, then move on to the other only to find I have scraped off an almost dry nail. My least favorite part of the whole process? Using my non-dominant hand to paint with dark colors — the clean is such a pain.

courtesy of Examiner.com

But with a little practice (and some tricks I picked up recently), I’ve come to manage the process. Here are a few of those secrets I thought I’d share with everyone:

1. Start by applying your base coat (USA Link) to a clean nail to help prevent chipping and staining.
2. Take your brush and place it in the middle of your nail get as close to the cuticle as you possibly can without touching the cuticle.
3. Carefully push the drop up towards the cuticle but leave a small gap between your polish and the cuticle.
4. Paint a stripe down your nail with the drop you placed at the top of the nail.
5. Go back to the base of the nail and swipe the polish (USA Link) along the curve of the nail. If you have more squared nails and cuticles try to follow that shape rather than making it more oval.
6. Drag the polish along your nail shape and brush outward to the end of the nail. Do the same to the other side of the nail.
7. If you notice the color isn’t as rich or dark as you would like it, apply a second coat. Most people prefer to do a second coat. Just remember that when putting on a second coat make sure not to apply too much polish which can lead to chipping and flaking.
8. Once you have let your second coat dry, you can apply your top coat.

Some More Quick Tips

• Remember to keep the sides of your nails and the cuticle as clean as possible. If you mess up, don’t fret! Just use a little nail polish remover on your cuticle stick or a dry nail to scrape off that little bit of polish.
• Try and get a good amount of polish on the brush. You want enough polish on the tip of the brush to cover the nail but not too much that it will drip off.
• When painting your nails it is easier to paint with dominant hand first.
• If your non-dominant hand shakes when you use it to paint, try to place it on the table or a sturdy surface for extra support.
• Try applying Cuticle Oil (USA Link) at night before going to bed to allow sufficient time to absorb and retain oil if you experience discomfort associated with dry cuticles

What are your nail secrets? Let us know in the comments section below!