Category: Beauty

Brows on Fleek

On By Christina VIn Beauty, FEMME, uncategorizedLeave a comment

If I am going to be completely honest, I have never really taken care of my eye brows. I had very dull and boring brows, they had no real shape and were fairly light in colour. I think I may have coloured them in a handful of times but I really didn’t know what I was doing. Then I was introduced to microblading.

Antonietta, founder and owner of Lavender Brow & Beauty Bar, introduced me to microblading and has completely changed the way I think of eye brows. After seeing the dramatic difference between my before and after pictures, I can’t believe that I didn’t have my eyebrows done sooner. My new brows look amazing, my face looks brighter, and I finally have a shape to my brow that opens up my eyes.

After posting my microblading journey on instagram I received many questions about the procedure, the process, and the aftercare.

FAQ

Q: Does it hurt? A: It doesn’t necessarily hurt, feels more like an annoying sensation.

Q: How long does it take? A: Takes about an hour and a half to two hours. The actually process is quick, the shaping of the brow takes majority of the time.

Q: Do you need a touch up? A: Yes, after on month you will go for a touch up and after one year.

Q: Can you go in the sun? A:You should not go in the sun for a least 30 days after having your brows done, and always be sure to wear sunscreen on your brows or else you risk fading and colour change.

Q: Will your eyebrows scab? A: They may scab or feel dry at times but if you do the proper after care there should be hardly any scabbing.

Q: How do you know what colour is right for you? A: You will decide together and find the best colour the match. Remember that your brows will lighten 40% by time they are healed. Day 1 ad 2 your brows will look the darkest.

Q: Do you need to prepare in anyway for microblading? A: Yes you do. A day before the procedure be sure not to have any alcohol, aspirin or ibuprofen. On the day of NO COFFEE ( yes thats right) These are all blood thinners and may cause bleeding during the procedure. There are some other pre microblading tips but each technician may have their own procedures they follow.

Thenakedmama

My Skincare Routine

On By Christina VIn Beauty, FEMMELeave a comment

Your skin is your bodies largest external organ so if you haven’t been taking care of it the way you should, now is the time to start. Since I was young I always had problem skin. From acne to annoying blackheads, its never been easy. Now as I am in my mid thirties, I find my skin gets really dry and flakey, and lets face it, these long winters don’t help.

This post is not sponsored by any of the brands, I just wanted to share my finds on some amazing products that have done great things for my skin. I use a few brands because I have fallen in love with different products from each.

AlumierMD has a variety of products: cleansers, exfoliants, moisturizers , sunscreens, you name it they have it. I recently switched to this brand and I am loving my results. My skin was feeling very dry and dehydrated and with the moisturizer and serum my skin has never felt and looked better. I use the Ultimate Boost Serum and HydraLight Moisturizer . Both these products are light weight and are extremely gentle on the skin.

Eminence is another amazing brand that I have been using for years. Eminence is organic and all of the products smell amazing. Eminence has amazing face masks. If you have a breakout and need a quick fix or you want to have the perfect glow, here are two face masks that I use on the regular. Strawberry Rhubarb will give you a soft feel and glowing skin, and Clear Skin Probiotic will make your skin literally tingle with excitement and clear up any unwanted friends.

Love your skin! When people see you its the first thing they see. Oh and don’t forget to drink lots of water, your skin needs hydration from the inside too.

Protecting Your Skin

On By Christina VIn BeautyLeave a comment

Something we know but are we actually doing?

The sun is something that most of us crave. If you live in a climate that is cold for a good part of the year ( Oh Canada), you likely value those spring and summer months and want to spend lots of time outdoors. Not only does the sun provide our skin with a glow, it provides good old vitamin d and the warmth of it feels so good.

But lets get serious, as much as we love the sun, the damage that it can do to your skin and other parts of your body is nothing to take lightly.

Along with the UV rays from the sun, we may be causing damage to our skin from being on our computers and phones. There has been much talk lately about blue light ( HEV -high energy visible light) having the same damage on our skin as the sun.

Recently I had a bit of scare which I posted on my instagram story. I noticed one day that my eye seemed red and was irritated. I assumed it was a broken blood vessel and I didn’t make a big deal of it. After a week it was starting to feel inflamed and I also noticed a white dot on the white of my eye. So of course I took to google (wrong thing to do – and I know this but I could not help myself) I knew something was wrong so I made an emergency appointment with my Optometrist.

My diagnosis – Pinguecula – are non-cancerous bumps on the eyeball and typically occur on top of the middle part of the sclera — the part that’s between your eyelids and therefore is exposed to the sun…..Ultraviolet radiation from the sun is the primary cause of the development of Pingueculae.

All I could focus on was the words UV and SUN DAMAGE. I starting feeling really guilty about all the times I did not take sun protection seriously. I usually always wear sunscreen and sunglasses but the key word here is usually. There have been times were I have not applied sunscreen or wore sunglasses, and in reality we should always be applying SPF and wearing shades even in the winter months. Lately Ive heard of so many people my age having sun damage related skin issues and it really is scary. We all have the mentality that “it wont happen to me”, but the sun is not here to play. There are many benefits that the sun provides but that shouldn’t stop us from protecting our skin, and in my case my eyes.

Top picks for body and face sunscreen

Amazing coverage and protection for my little one.
My go to sunscreen. Protects, does not clog pours, and smells great.
New find. I love this line, perfect for every day.

I am very picky when it comes to using products on my skin. I have super sensitive skin and after trying many products these are my essentials.

Don’t forget about your eyes

As for eye care, sunglasses are important but you must make sure they are polarized. This is something that I just learned at my appointment. Not all sunglasses are polarized, and in most cases the high-end designer shades we all love are not the best protection for your eyes. Thankfully you can get your lenses replaced but when your shopping for your new pair always make sure to get the best protection for your eye.

Simple habits to protect your skin

  • Apply sunscreen to your face daily even if it is cloudy
  • Ensure your sunscreen has UVA and UVB protection and its waterproof
  • Reapply at least every two hours
  • Wear hats and keep your body covered or in the shade if possible
  • Keep infants under 6 months old out of the sun
  • Make sure you are wearing you polarized sunglasses

Having tanned skin, feeling that warmth on your body, and being outside enjoying nature are all things I live for. I love to travel and beaches are my favourite place to spend my time. But eve if its cloudy or you only think you’ll be outside for a short time, sunscreen and sunglasses need to be apart of your routine.

Protecting my skin has been a priority but maybe one I did not take as serous as I should have. I have pledged to myself that I will continue to take better care of my skin and protect myself from the UV and I encourage everyone to do the same.