| At some point in my adult life it just hit me! After years of trial and error, I finally figured out what works for me. From my skin to my hair, I invest time to preserve what God has given me. I get asked all the time about my makeup and my hair. Here's some of my key beauty secrets that I can't live without: Skin: My daily must haves are drinking half my body weight of water and moisturizing twice a day. I know you have heard how beneficial water is for your overall health but it's even better for your skin. It keeps you hydrated and keeps the dry skin away. Yes you're going to have more frequent restroom visits but it's so worth it. A trick that I used to build myself up to half my body weight is to add an extra 8 oz of water daily each week until you reach your goal. Moisturizer is another important aspect to preserving my skin not just visually but texturally. Sounds crazy but having soft skin is definitely something you have to work on. My husband makes fun of me because I spend so much time lathering up but he never complains about me having rough skin. I love Shea butter lotion. It keeps your skin soft but not too greasy. I can't use any products that have fragrance so anytime I find something that works and doesn't have a strong perfume smell, I latch on for dear life. I love Jergens Shea Butter lotion and body butter. I won't leave home without it. Facial Cleansing: In high school and college I didn't really take the time or have the means to invest in the proper facial cleansing products. I always struggled with acne even as an adult and I just got tired of using products that simply didn't work. I realized I had two issues: my face wasn't getting clean enough and the products were too harsh. I thought I had to use the strongest acne products and the super scrub cleansers to "fix" my face. Ironically, taking it down a notch using natural based products actually worked. I wash my face twice a day. I use Neutrogena Naturals in the morning with Neutrogena daily moisturizer instead of the body lotion I had used in the past. I know "why would I use body lotion?" Well I didn't know any better. My night regimen is a little different. I use Neutrogena makeup removal wipes (only when I'm wearing makeup), I have a Clarisonic brush that works like magic. It leaves my face feeling so clean. I then use a tea tree toner from Body Works. I found this little gem along with my tea tree night cream courtesy of my best friend who has flawless skin. Works like a charm and removes unwanted scars. My number one rule when it comes to my face is I never go to sleep at night with my makeup on! Make up: My favorite look is the natural no makeup with makeup. Don't get me wrong I'm always ready to glam up but on a daily basis I would rather go with the less is more approach. Eyebrows I live for 2 things, my hair and my eyebrows. The funny thing is before I discovered the power of the brow I always wondered why my face looked so weird when I had on makeup. I have very thin and light brows, partially due to genetics and partially to me over tweezing when I was a teenager. At the time I thought it was the grown up thing to do and little did I know that I was ruining my beloved brows. The secret to my signature brows is the MAC eyebrow pencil. I use the color spiked which is a dark brown. Now I'm not a makeup artist however I have mastered my signature look. My brows are the last step in my routine and takes 2 minutes flat. I go with a medium width base and slight contour tip. I also like to create a more defined arch by putting a little eyeshadow right at the crease of my brow because it brightens up my eyes especially when I look tired. Concealer, Foundation and Blush I used to use foundation until I realized that my naturally oily skin was not having it. So I had to switch to something that was lighter but still provided the finished look I desired. I use MAC mineral skin finish. It's super light and lasts for months. The application is light so don't worry about makeup transfer on your clothing. I use a concealer as well but only around my eyes. My goal is to make my eyes pop. No contouring needed! I have naturally high cheekbones so I use a light blush (one stroke) to give my face an extra humph. Mascara I use mascara because it's hard for me to wear false lashes. I mess with my eyes all the time and it's too risky to have that much money be rubbed off by accident. I go back and forth with different brands but right now I'm using MAC false lash. It actually makes my lashes long as if I had false lashes. Lips I have full lips and I love them. Women spend thousands of dollars to get lips that look like mine so I definitely appreciate them. Leading up to my 30th birthday I decided that I wanted to do a fun challenge. I challenged myself to wear a different lipstick color for 30 days straight. This was difficult for me because I typically wear neutrals or soft colors because my lips are so full. However I decided what the heck, if I didn't like the color I could give the color to one of my friends. I had over 30 different lipstick colors and I only paid for 10. How is that possible? Well I recycle my empty makeup containers with MAC and I get a free lipstick. You only need 6 to make the switch. My favorite color is Flat Out Fabulous. It really pushes my envelope and looks amazing on me. There were some colors that simply didn't look good on me and I was ok with that. Remember just because they make it doesn't mean it will work for you. Be bold and step out of your lip comfort zone. Hair: I'm in a relationship with my hair. Not because I'm defined by it but because we spend so much time loving on each other. I'm natural and contrary to popular belief you can be natural and still straighten your hair. See I went natural before the trend hit and the primary reason was because the creamy crack was destroying my hair. I have never had short hair mostly because my face is not built for that and I didn't like the fact that relaxers were forcing me to cut my hair shorter and shorter. I tried every treatment that you can find and nothing worked. So I decided I'm done and I never looked back. I didn't do the big chop. I chose to transition with braids and sew ins. I have been completely natural for almost 10 years. My hair is naturally oily so I use very few products. My at home staples: Nexus shampoo and conditioner Paul Mitchell leave in conditioner Moroccan oil for shine My CHI flat iron I straighten my hair once every 2 weeks. I do touch ups around my edges after I workout and if I'm looking for a curly look I use my CHI to get curls. No other tools needed. Do I have heat damage to my curls? No! I take care of my hair and I stay away from over pressing it which saves my natural curls. The most important aspect of my maintaining my body is finding what works for me. It took awhile but the end result is worth it. Remember you only have one body! So take the time and care for it. Forever Fierce Fabulous & Flawless! Tenisha |                  |
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