There is a count down to the end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008.

New Year's resolutions are being made, lined up, ready to check off as they are accomplished and perhaps the paper that they are written on wadded up and tossed into the trash.

 I can help you with the beauty part of it. The is year the beauty buzz for 2008 is a focus on health from the inside out.

Have you heard the saying an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? That applies to your skin and your beauty routine.

Your body is almost all water, so drink more of it and I don't mean the flavored kind. I mean pure spring water.  Wash your face gently and remove all cosmetics before going to bed so your skin can rest and repair itself.

 Choose botanical products as often as you can.  If you don't have an Arbonne wholesale card, Sprouts or Trader Joes in your area, then use the internet to get the botanical products and even Walmart carries a line called Noahs Naturals that are botanical and cover the body from head to toe.

We know the body repairs itself overnight, so get more rest. Good, peaceful sleep that is not chemically induced.  Try lavender lotions, linen mists and soothing white noise machines to help you train your body to turn itself into repair and relax mode.

Stress is here to stay and we all have it in toxic proportions.  The addage practice random acts of kindness is true.  There is a chemical reaction in your body that mimics the cancer healing drugs when you show kindness ,give hugs, smile and express laughter. So to bust some stress of your life, please consider what you are allowing into your eye and ear gates.  Some of the sounds and images we are bombarded with through television and radio, plus the internet are highly toxic and damaging us in a slow steady assault.

Turn the television, the tivo, the dvd, the internet off and go outside for a few moments.  Sunshine provides vitamin D absorption, if it's snowy, just catch a few flakes on your tongue before going inside again, if it's raining, monster stomp three puddles before returning to the computer.  Nature was created for us, let's enjoy it!

Some families are more hurtful and could do more harm than good to be around, but I know you've got great friends that may be willing to go for a walk, take the dogs to the park, go bowling, hit the batting cages or just have a cup of coffee with.  The human is a pack animal and thrives when surrounded with loving people.

If it's you and the dog, or the cat, the pot bellied pig or canary: pets are so therapeutic! Lavish the petting, ear scratching, belly rubs and attention on them.  This benefits you more than it benefits them.

So the New Year New You 2008 isn't really about the newest cosmetic, color trend, advances in skin technology or spa treatments.

It's about you. Taking the best care of yourself and the body that you are in. Be kind to yourself and others. Daily, thank the Lord who knew you in your mother's womb before you were ever born.

Funny, I could have wrote this article in one sentence: More water.More rest. Less cosmetics. Less stress. More exercise. More reading. Less television. More family time less pub time. Pet your pet.

Happy New Year, 2008 is going to be amazing.

I love Christmas! I hope this finds you and your family having the merriest Christmas ever!

eegads!

I run as it is..after my toddler and such, but, I just think this will be a great way to start the year off!

So, I've registered, and I will up my running and training schedule as of tomorrow, and after I finish eating this piece of Christmas fudge.

Ahhh! It as easy to run in the heat ( I know that sounds funny) but now that it is so cold and windy, I want to run to the couch...not outside in the harsh wind and elements.

So be it. I'll do it! See you at the finish line on January 13th!

The New Year’s Eve face you wish you wore last year and won’t dare miss wearing this year!

You know the old adage that says a “hair stylist likes to cut”, well the makeup artist likes to color.  Rarely do we get to do big, bold, bright makeup.  Unless you are going to Mardi Gras, do ballroom dancing, or you are going out for New Years eve and you are ready to wear more than a little black dress like all the rest of the crowd.

I’ve got a short routine for you to do, it’s easy and simple, but will require a few extra tools and the result is going to make you stand out and be photographed!

 To start your shopping list: you are going to need spray glitter, gem appliqués from the craft store, liquid latex, big false eyelashes and I do mean, the bigger the better, and preferably a wig for maximum impact.

When you get back to from the store, here’s what to do:

1.       Foundation and powder your skin, do the neck and ears, and any chest area that is going to be exposed.

2.       Stain your lips with a basic red stain such as Benefits Benetint

3.       Begin with your eyes. Draw on a large and bold eyebrow using dark powdered eye shadow and a slant tip brush.

4.       Highlight the brow, corner of the eyelid, and cheek bone with the same color: a crème shimmer would work best, but a shimmer powder can work too.

5.       Cover the lid with a bright green, go from lashes to the crease of the eye

6.       In the eye crease use an eggplant purple shade and make a gentle stroke of contour shadowing

7.       Finish with black eyeliner on top and on bottom, but not inside the rim.  Color the inside of the rim with a white eyeliner pencil.

8.       Make the eye line soft and smoky with a smudge of dark grey eye shadow, like Dreamy from Lorac. Just run the brush through the shadow then over your black eyeliner to make it soft

9.       Put your large eyelashes on. If you want to glue some small gem stones on to the ends of the lashes, do that first and let the glue dry before you put them on your eyelids.  Use your eyelash curler to crimp them together.  Add a coat or two of mascara to help bind them together.

10.   Finish the face with a medium warm peach toned blush, and a slick of sheer gloss on the mouth.

Now, what to do with all that glitter? Close your eyes and gently spray your face and neckline and collarbone.  Apply with the liquid latex as an adhesive the gemstones from the craft store along your collarbone.

Pull your wig on and a black catsuit with some high heeled boots. Now go party like it’s 1999!  Your eye will look like a peacock’s feather, the glitter will reflect in the night club light and the texture of the gemstones on your collarbone will draw people to you to strike up a conversation.

Besides, you know everyone else at the party will have on dental floss for an outfit, a smoky eye with nude lips, or black eyeliner and red lips.  Be different! I dare you! Wear more clothes and even more makeup!

Happy New year my friends! 

Sincerely,

Cherelynn Baker

www.makeupuniversity.com   or   www.financialfreedomnow.myarbonne.com

If you are seeing the Holiday fashion trend reports and they are all screaming " metallics "! The hottest new thing..wait just one moment and let it cool a bit.

 If you are on the red carpet and need to make heads turn and have your photo snapped for the next check out stand tabloid, sure.

 If you are a normal everyday mom and business woman like me, sure, I would like to make heads turn, but not because of the shocking glare and reflection of the metallic makeup that I am wearing.

 Here's the short of what to do with the new metallic trend when it comes to makeup:

1. Less is more

2. A dot, or dash of it on the brow bone, into the eyebrow hair and letting it go just a bit over the arch is perfect and enough for a club party or holiday scene. This is not what you wear to an office party.

3. Focus more on shimmer than on metallic.  There are so many brands that have some glitter and shimmer to them that won't be overdone.  Check out Urban Decay, Too Faced, Benefit and Nars.

4. If you are going to use this on your cheeks, pick a liquid shimmer and rub in small circles from the center of your face towards the hair line.  Add a wee bit at a time til you get the look you want. Try Benefits gold peach liquid shimmer available at Sephora.

5. Lips: bottom lip in the center is perfect and plenty of metallic, if you do the whole mouth it will age you and it makes the skin look pasty.

 If you must wear a full mouth of metallic, enjoy the concert and tell us how it went.

For the truly adventurous who have a phenomenal party to go to where the more outrageous the better: get a can of ERA shimmer spray, hose your entire face, while it's still wet, tilt your head back and close your eyes while shaking loose metallic eyeshadow all over your face. Hold this position for a moment and let it dry.

When you bring your head back to the upright position, simply glue on some very large false eyelashes and put a wee bit of clear gloss on your mouth.  You my dear , will definately turn some heads and have your picture taken.

Merry Christmas!

On my last production, I created a glitter pomade that the crew and talent loved and they were asking where they could get it. Well, that's the thing. I make it myself.

I start with super fine glitter, you pick the color you want: silver, gold, crystal, translucent..pink!

Take a dollop of clear shine pomade, any brand...here's the key: it needs to be pomade! Not mouse , not gel, pomade.

Mix about a teaspoon  of super fine glitter into the pomade and mix thouroghly until all the glitter is suspended into the pomade.

Now work into the hair, over braids, hair pieces, bangs, style with heat or leave it alone.  This same technique can be used to create shimmer body art and patterns on bare skin. *Note*  do not put any kind of lotion on the skin before applying the glitter pomade because it will slip off.

Enjoy and sparkle it up for the Christmas season!