The Beauty Bar Blog

Category: Beauty

How to Fix Summer Beauty Problems

Summer is right around the corner. With warm and sunny weather come a host of skin care challenges. Here are some tips to help you look great this summer.

• You should wear sunscreen all year, but it is especially important during the summer. You can wear a powder sunscreen over your makeup to hold your makeup in place, reduce oiliness on a humid day, and protect your skin from the sun. Powder sunscreen can be reapplied several times throughout the day if you are spending a lot of time outdoors.

• If you get a sunburn, use a lotion with 1 percent hydrocortisone or aloe vera gel. You can take an over-the-counter NSAID, such as Motrin or Advil, and take a cool milk-water bath to soothe your skin.

• You can keep your makeup from running in the summer by using a primer with SPF, long-wearing cream foundation, and lipstick with SPF.

• Summer heat often causes sweating and breakouts. Glycolic acid can keep your pores clear. You can prevent acne by using an at-home glycolic mask once a week. A mask that also contains clay can soothe irritation caused by sun and salt or chlorine in water.

• For shiny skin in the summer, adjust your skin care routine by using a cleanser with glycolic acid.

• You can minimize sweating in the summer by wearing a hat to keep the sun off your face.

• If you suffer from excessive sweating, Botox injections can help.

• If your skin is prone to acne, apply products with a downward motion. This will encourage lymphatic drainage, which will make your skin clear up faster.

• Beta hydroxy and salicylic acid can keep pores clear and minimize acne. Follow up with a product containing hyaluronic acid to add hydration without causing your skin to become greasy.

• You can restore moisture to dehydrated skin by eating avocado. Put it in a salad or smoothie so the healthy fats and phytonutrients can restore the glow to your skin.

• Keep your skin hydrated by using a thick moisturizer. Apply it right after you get out of the shower or bath to lock in moisture.

The Beauty Benefits of Honey

The secret to healthy skin and hair might be in your kitchen cupboard. Honey has many properties that can help in your beauty routine. For the best results, use raw honey, such as the kind you can get at a farmers’ market or Whole Foods.

Honey has anti-aging benefits. It is a humectant, a substance that pulls moisture from the air to the skin. Honey can help you keep your skin soft. The alpha hydroxy properties of its sugar base make it useful as an exfoliant to remove dead skin cells. Honey can also improve skin’s elasticity and smooth fine lines and wrinkles.

Honey can relieve dark circles under your eyes and make you look younger and refreshed. It pulls moisture to the skin and causes a plumping effect that can reduce the appearance of dark circles and soften fine lines. Wash your face and then apply honey while your skin is still damp. Leave it on for a few minutes and then rinse your face.

Honey can reduce inflammation caused by sunburn or a minor irritation because of its soothing, antibacterial properties. It can reduce pain and swelling from minor burns and help prevent scarring. Honey softens, soothes, and hydrates skin and promotes wound healing.

If you have acne, you can treat it with honey. Wash your face first and then put a dab of honey or a product that contains honey on your blemish. Leave it on for 15 to 30 minutes to allow it to sink in and reduce any swelling or redness, then rinse.

Honey can provide hair with extra moisture. Dilute it with water or aloe and work it into shampoo or conditioner. If you use a product containing honey, rather than raw honey, look for a product that says it contains beeswax on the label.

Spring Break Beauty Tips

Spring Break is coming up, and college students across the country are looking forward to a week relaxing at the beach or beside a pool. If you are planning to get away this Spring Break, here are some beauty hacks to keep in mind while packing for your trip.

Makeup worn on the beach is often ruined by sweat, water, and sunscreen. If you would rather not forgo your usual makeup, there are ways to look good on the beach or at the pool. Many brands offer waterproof versions of mascaras and eyeliners, and you can wear a foundation with SPF. This will keep your face covered and give you protection from the sun without the need to apply regular sunscreen, which could cause your makeup to run.

You should always wear sunscreen at the pool or the beach and reapply it often, but you might still find yourself with a sunburn. Aloe vera is the most common treatment for a sunburn, but there is another way to relieve the pain. You can soak a washcloth in a pot of room temperature tea and rub it on your skin. Since many hotels provide complimentary tea bags, this can be an easy and free way to get the relief you need.

If you spend the day at the beach, you will likely be covered in sand. There is an easy way to get the sand off and avoid tracking it into your hotel room. Rub baby powder on the sandy parts of your body. The baby powder will absorb the moisture in your skin, and you will be able to simply brush off the sand with a towel.

During Spring Break, you can forget about your normal beauty routine and go for a more relaxed look. You can leave your curling iron at home and opt for a more natural hairstyle with beachy waves that you can get simply by going in the water and allowing your hair to air-dry.

Beauty Tricks Using Baby Powder

We are always on the lookout for beauty products with multiple uses to save money. Baby powder is a staple that can help you look and feel good in many ways.

• Baby powder can increase the volume of your eyelashes. Apply a light coating to your lashes between coats of mascara. It will add length, thickness, and volume; prevent your mascara from smudging; and keep it in place.

• If you don’t have time to wash your hair and you’re out of dry shampoo, turn to baby powder. Shake a little onto the roots of your hair, rub thoroughly, and blend with a hairbrush. It will absorb oil in your scalp and increase volume.

• Baby powder can absorb perspiration on your face and reduce shine. This works especially well with darker skin tones. If your setting powder is too dark, you can lighten it with a little baby powder.

• You can help your lipstick last longer with baby powder. Apply a coat of lipstick, place a tissue over your lips, use a powder brush to dust baby powder around your lips, and then apply another coat of lipstick.

• Use baby powder to clot small nicks and cuts after shaving. You can also use it between your legs to prevent sweating and chafing.

• If you wax at home, oily or recently moisturized skin can hold wax and cause pain. Sprinkle some baby powder before you wax to make it hold your hair and not your skin.

• If you go to the beach over the summer and get sand stuck to you, apply some baby powder. That will make it easy to brush off the sand.

• On a hot summer night, dust baby powder between your sheets to absorb sweat and keep you cool while you sleep.

•When you have sweaty feet and don’t have time to shower, sprinkle some baby powder inside your shoes to absorb sweat and odors.

How to Get Shiny Hair This Winter

You want to shine at holiday parties this year, but dry winter air can rob hair of moisture, making it look dull and lifeless. Shiny hair is a sign that your locks are healthy. Shiny hair reflects light, which creates natural highlights and can make your face glow. Here are some tips to help you get moisturized, shiny locks this winter.

Hair is at its shiniest when the scales on the cuticles lie flat, which lets them reflect light. This is normal with straight hair, but hair of any texture can be bright and shiny with the right products and care.

Contrary to what you may have heard, washing your hair every day will not necessarily make it dry and dull. Just be sure to choose the right shampoo for your hair type (fine, medium, or coarse) so that you won’t weigh down your hair or rob it of moisture.

Oil doesn’t always make hair look and feel greasy. Products that contain silicones or natural oils can protect your scalp and nourish your hair follicles, making your hair gleam.

Heat from a shower or styling can splinter your hair follicles, which can make them uneven and dull. Finishing your shower with a cool rinse (even for five seconds) and using a shot of cool air when blow-drying your hair can make it shiny.

A deep-conditioning treatment can replace vital moisture that your hair can lose on cold, dry winter days. Use a weekly or monthly hair mask to add shine.

Try a gloss, a colorless product that can boost shine. Products that you apply in the shower can make your hair shiny for up to a week.

Dry winter weather doesn’t mean you have to suffer with dry, dull-looking hair. Follow these tips to get shiny, beautiful hair this winter.

Airbrush Makeup is great for girls to use when getting Senior Portraits done. No more retouching makeup in-between outfit changes!