Ten Things I've Learned in My First Year of Blogging

Lisa Frank Nail Tutorial...

I came across an article on Refinery 29 presenting a Lisa Frank nail tutorial.  I thought, why do I know that name? Oh yeah, that's right...I was obsessed with Lisa Frank products when I was around ten or eleven.  So for all of you growing up in the 90s....here is a nail tutorial in honor of Lisa Frank, presented by Megan McIntyre on www.refinery29.com.

Photo © Shanita Sims

Products in January Giveaway

For more details on the giveaway:
http://blog.alelizabeth.com/2012/01/rafflecopter-application-for-january.html

Shadow Shields Review:
http://youtu.be/XwI9c8_oQkw
Embryolisse Blog:
http://blog.alelizabeth.com/2012/01/embryolisse.html

I do not currently represent any brands or sell products. I only recommend products based on their merit and/or individual client need. If you or your company has a product you would like me to consider for review, please fill free to contact me through my contact form on http://www.alelizabeth.com.

• All photos that I attach to my videos & blog belong to me, unless otherwise noted.
Please make sure to add appropriate credits if reposting.

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Shaving Legs...

My friend, that is letting me use her leg to demonstrate the Moom and I were talking tonight and got into a conversation about shaving legs.  She thinks I'm a complete weirdo, that I shave my legs everyday and I think she is bananas for not shaving her legs for several months.  I personally cannot stand the prickly little stubble, but I guess if it grows long enough it gets soft?! I also think shaving exfoliates my legs, cause if I go more than a day not shaving, my skin gets really dry.  Just curious of other ladies routines.

We are filming the Moom video tomorrow, so that one should be ready beginning of next week.

♥♥♥

Embryolisse

Photo © Nicovision

If you have been in the make-up industry for either a short or long amount of time, you probably have heard of Embryolisse.  The company is based out of France and has a whole line of skincare products, ranging from cleansers to moisturizers.  My favorite product from them is the  Embryolisse Lait-crème Concentré.  This creme is marketed to be used as a moisturizer, primer and make-up remover.  I have used it for all three but prefer to use it as a moisturizer.  And mostly a night moisturizer, as my skin tends to be oily and the richness of it is a little too much for day use, except during the winter.  All my model's that come to the studio get the Embryolisse treatment and I have never had any negative reactions / feedback to the product...actually only the opposite.

The formula is very creamy with a non-greasy feeling.  It absorbs and blends easily in your skin and is paraben free.  This product also encourages the rebuilding of your hydrolipidic skin layer, which is a protective barrier layer on the surface of your skin.  This layer protects the skin against infection, irritation, allergic reactions and dehydration.  The skin's pH balance is approximately 5.4 and is achieved by your body's own acidic secretions and hormones, but if you wash your face with a harsh cleanser or even a common bar of soap [pH anywhere from 9 - 11] it will break down that protective skin barrier.  Depending on how sensitive your skin is, it can take anywhere from two to thirty six hours for your skin to restore to it's natural balance, but Embryolisse Lait-crème Concentré helps encourage the skin layer to restore faster.

I loved this product so much, I got in touch with the company and was lucky enough to talk to Michelle Shaffer, who happens to be the Vice President of Embryolisse.  I wanted to purchase some samples so I could send client's home with Embryolisse, so they could enjoy the benefits of this product for more than just their photo shoot.  Michelle was kind enough to send a variety of samples for me to share with my clients and every single one of them has been delighted to go home with samples.  [Thank you so much, Michelle!]

A small tube, 1 fluid ounce is being included in the January 2012 giveaway, so one of my blog viewers can test out Embryolisse Lait-crème Concentré for themselves.  The packaging is very plain and clean....but I think it represents the lotion well, no gimmicks or fancy promises...just a great moisturizing product that works with all skin types, and safe enough for babies.  Of course I have to mention it is not fragrance free, but the scent is not strong and dissipates shortly after you apply it.  Even though I prefer fragrance free or unscented, the scent in the Embryolisse Lait-crème Concentré is a light floral scent and doesn't bother me one bit.

♥♥♥

My Favorite Make-up Remover...

I've been seeing a lot of posts lately about which make-up removers are the best and how baby oil is one of the quickest and cheapest ways to remove makeup.  Depending on your skin type, rubbing oil all over your face can sometimes have a negative effect.  I just wanted to share my favorite make-up remover and why.

One of my good friends, April Landrum-Johns is a Mary Kay Sales Director and she introduced me to the Mary Kay Make-up Remover.  This stuff is magic.  It is oil free and removes make-up gently, even waterproof mascara, which we all know is a pain in the bootie to get off.  It has never burned my eyes and it is fragance-free.  Supposedly it is safe for contact lens wearers as well...but I cannot test that...as I do not wear contacts. :)  I apply it using a cotton ball...and the product lasts a long time.  A little bit goes a long way.  I have a bottle and a full bottle as back-up in my model's make-up kit and my own bottle for my personal make-up kit.

Photo © Mary Kay

The price is $15.00 for a 3.75 fluid ounce bottle.  If you would like to buy a bottle to test it out, April will be more than happy to help you out. You can visit her website at:
http://www.marykay.com/aprillandrumjohns

I promise you will absolutely love it.

Pretty toes....pedicure

I absolutely love pedicures, but one of my good friends refuses to go to any nail salon, as she thinks her foot is going to get crusted over and fall off from a fungus she happened to catch from the nail salon's foot bath.  I always just laugh at her, since I've been going for years, have visited numerous of salons and my two feet are still in tack. [knock on wood.]

I've heard the horror stories of people getting staph infections and viruses and I usually go to a regular salon here in Atlanta, but one night last month it was raining and traffic was terrible, so I decided to go to a new salon by the studio.  It was not a good experience...I never got fungus or anything like that, but the place itself didn't seem super clean nor were the employees caring and nice.  I remember walking out of there, thinking I will never ever go back there.

Last night on was on the Barnes and Noble site browsing around beauty book and at the bottom they have the section, "customers who bought this bought..." and there was a book called "Death by Pedicure".  Not only did the cover kind of look creepy, but reading the table of contents makes me never want to visit a salon again...especially the last one I visited.

So this got me searching youtube videos, and I found this undercover news report. Umm, my conclusion, yuck. ewww.

Color.Bug

Colored hair tips have been on the rise for the past year and are only becoming more popular.  Tonight I was browsing the internet and came across a new product, called Color.Bug.  It is basically eyeshadow for your hair, that washes completely out.  The neato thing about it is, the vibrance of the color depends on how many times you apply the color bug to your hair.  So if you want a pale pink just streak it across your hair once or twice....if you want full on pink, then keep on rubbing, until you get the saturation you desire.  As of now, it is available in pink, purple & orange and became available in the states last October. Check out this article on the product.  You can also follow the creator, Kevin Murphy on twitter.

Photo © Kevin Murphy

After last night's post...I started to wonder if the Bella Terra powders would create good hair streaks...considering I have never tried it.  So here are my results. I actually mixed it in the airbrush with the Temptu Aqua converter...but then I also tried the blue with hair spray and powder. The results were better than I thought they would be....but still not great. I want to try out the Color.Bug.