Don’t you just love being able to swipe some color on your eye lid, blend it with a finger tip, slap on some mascara and go? I do, and I have become quite dependent on jumbo “crayon” size pencils for accomplishing such a task.   Here are my favorites:

1.  Best Budget Crayon: Wet n Wild Idol Eyes Creme Shadow Pencil $1.99 Walgreens.com

I recently rocked a smokey green eye using Envy mixed with a bit of dark gray shadow.  Beautiful summer smoke!

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I am absolutely obsessed with eye creams. At any given moment throughout the day, you can probably spot me dabbing something around my eyes, and most recently that has been Relastin Eye Silk. (I don’t tend to use products as recommended)  If everything else on my face falls apart, I will have smooth tight eyes til the day my expire.

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Do you have a hard time creating a smokey eye? Most people do and I suppose that’s why there are a million smokey eye makeup kits, video how-to’s and tutorials on Youtube.  As a makeup artist, creating a smokey eye is second nature to me, but even I love shortcuts.  And I found a great short cut to an easy hot smokey eye.

In my goodie bag that I received upon check-in at the blogger event hosted by IMAN Cosmetics was an IMAN Cosmetics Eye Defining Powder in Black Magic .  Being the makeup junkie that I am, I couldn’t wait to play, so I wore the Eye Defining Powder that night.  And the smokey eye was HOT!  And simple!

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I’m a chocoholic. And for the sake of pounds, I have to avoid it like the plague.  Of late though, I have been getting my chocolate fix with a little square of dark chocolate. It’s amazingly satisfying and has health benefits to boot!

CNN health is reporting that a chocolate a day will keep the heart doctors away!  One study reviewed found people who consume chocolate reduce their risk of stroke or heart attack by 39% due to lowered blood pressure.  Similar to other studies findings it warns that the amount of chocolate consumed daily was a mere 7.5 grams per day.  Let’s be honest 7.5 grams won’t keep your chocolate addiction at bay, but another way to satisfy the chocolate fix without overdoing it is to use chocolate infused beauty products!

Check out the products below that contain cocoa as the active ingredient.  These beauty treats are guilt free way to indulge your chocolate obsession!

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Jones Magazine editor-in-chief Tracey Ferguson

By Qianna Smith

Magazine editor-in-chief’s are becoming pop culture fascinations. Vogue’s Anna Wintour gave us a glimpse into her high-fashion life last summer in the acclaimed movie, “The September Issue.” And, now Jones magazine editor-in-chief and founder, Tracey Ferguson, is the latest industry glamour girl to hit the screen. Ferguson is the star of reality show, “Keeping Up With the Joneses,” airing Thursdays at 8PM EST on Centric, BET’s newest network, starting April 8. Viewers will get a rare look at all the drama that goes into publishing each issue of Jones – and Ferguson’s quest to take her Houston-based magazine national. Under Ferguson’s leadership, Jones has flourished from a wishful concept bantered about during a monthly book club meeting, into a vibrant, influential and beguiling quarterly publication that serves as an authority on very best in fashion, beauty, hair, parties and travel.

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I know it’s Wednesday, but I have been sick for a very long time, and I lost my groove. So I’m playing catch up!
I can’t believe it. I’m buying skincare products at the drugstore. I admit it. Me, the beauty snob, the skincare bootcamp instructor, I’m in love with a moisturizer that costs less than a mani and pedi. I’m talking about Olay Regenerist Microsculpting Cream. Now at 52, I’m more than mildly obsessed with keeping it tight, keeping it firm. My face and neck that is.

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Chaka Khan circa 1975

I have a penchant for big hair. I think it began when I first saw and heard Chaka Khan.  Even though I couldn’t sing a lick, I secretly yearned to be Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan. So, since I could only sing into my lotion bottle and live vicariously through my Rufus LP’s, I made a pact with myself that one day I would have big hair.

Diana Ross photo courtesy of askmen.com

Thinking back on it, significant women in music have pretty much always had big hair.  Think about Diana Ross; some of the biggest hair I have ever seen.  Maybe Chaka was trying to outdo Diana’s hairdo. I think I will call them hair divas. And maybe that big hair thing is genetic, just look at Tracee Ellis Ross.  Her hair is voluminous and tres sexy.

Tracee Ellis Ross

Today, there are more hair divas.  Beyonce’ is the queen of big hair. And I must admit, she wears it well.  Even Rihanna’s hair is big, albeit short. In  view of the trend of musical women sporting big hair, I have come to the conclusion that men must love copious amounts of hair on women.  Heck, I’m a woman I love all that hair on women.

With that said, clearly then, big hair must be an accoutrement that breeds fierceness.  Today is Friday, and it’s it’s all about getting fierce.  So go for it ladies, get big hair– get fierce.

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I’ve said it before and I will say it again — I’m the poster child for big, frizzy hair. Without products that actually tame my fine, curly curly frizz, I might as well just go funky ‘fro. (Which by the way is my current state of tress…)  I do however have a segment to take with our local CBS affiliate tomorrow and this hair must be under control.  So, I am going to work with what I know handles my frizz.  I might mention that right now in the San Francisco Bay Area, most specifically, Oakland, it’s pouring! So I know that my hair is at risk for not holding up and looking sleek unless I bring it with both barrels.

I know from personal experience that the Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine line — all of it, shampoo, conditioner and styling products — works unbelievably well on my hair.  I didn’t expect it, but I got results!  My bangs that suffer from a constant onslaught of personal summer perspiration remain straight, whereas with other products I have had combination hair. Yes, you read it right — combo hair, not skin.  My bangs are big and frizzy and the rest of my hair is still straight.

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What’s in your wallet makeup case? Too much no doubt. I’m guilty of having about 20 lipsticks and lipglosses in my makeup bag at any given time, and consciously I know I really don’t need that many.  One lipstick and one lipgloss are plenty.  And I have a ton of other stuff in there that I just MIGHT need, but I know I really don’t.

But there are a few things that are necessary for each and every one of us to have in our personal makeup arsenal at any given moment.  Here are my top 5 makeup bag necessities:

Revlon lipgloss

1.  A luscious lipgloss that enhances your own natural lip  color. I love Revlon Lustrous Lipgloss in Life’s a Peach.  Stock up when it’s a buy one get one free!

Lorac Double Feature

2.  A concealer. With a concealer you can touch up not only under eye circles, but any other place on your face that may need a bit of coverage.  And it’s a lot smaller to pop a concealer in your makeup case than a bottle of foundation.  Try Lorac Double Feature.  I love double-duty products, and Double Feature has your stick concealer on one end and a beautiful highlighter on the other.  I have two at all times.  I love it.

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Blinging Beauty Blogger!

I commonly get mistaken for being at least a decade younger than I am.  I’m 52, but don’t look it.  I’m sure that I need to thank my parents for the DNA, because they both look(ed) younger than their years.   Those that know I am in the beauty business ask what I use, advice, tips and I’m more than willing to spill the beans.  I can’t shut-up about cosmetics and beauty stuff.  With regard to my skin care routine, it’s pretty simple.  I do the basics — cleanse, moisturize, use SPF,  diligently use eye cream and I diligently EXFOLIATE.  I’m an exfoliating junkie.  A day without scrubbing is like a day without sunshine for me.

So what is exfoliation?  It is the chemical or mechanical removal of dead or non-functioning skin cells. This process also aids in improving circulation through stimulating blood flow. Chemical exfoliants include Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA’s), Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHA’s) and Retinol.  Mechanical exfoliants are ones that have crushed or powdered nuts or seeds, jojoba seeds, or polyethelene (man-made) beads, to name a few.

As we age, our natural desquamation (skin shedding) cycle slows down.  When skin cells shed, it signals lower cell to start making new ones.  That’s why it is so important to exfoliate as we age.  Have you ever seen someone with dry, flaky skin?  Well, all the mosturizer in the world won’t help until they get rid of that dry stuff.  So exfoliation is key.

I use both manual and chemical exfoliants.  Here are my favorites.  My top 5 exfoliators:

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser

1.  Exfoliating Cleanser   Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser 6.75 oz $35

Exfoliates dull, dry, uneven texture.  Leaves skin smooth and hydrated.  Smoothes texture while cleansing impurities with a trio of gentle exfoliating acids. Salicylic, Lactic and Glycolic Acids provide clarity, brightness and improve cell-turnover by dissolving dead skin cell buildup. Jojoba beads further polish and smooth skin

Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle Pads

2. Chemical Exfoliant   Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle Peel Pads   60 Pads $45
What it is:
A daily hydroxy acid and peptide facial peel. 

Convenient and easy to use, these peel pads are formulated with alpha, beta, and gamma hydroxy acids (which act as exfoliators) and amino acids (the building blocks of peptides). The result: tighter pores, clear skin and disappearance of fine lines, wrinkles and uneven skin tone. Leaves skin soft, smooth, firm and revitalized.

St. Ives Apricot Scrub with Salicylic Acid

3.  Budget Exfoliant St. Ives Apricot Scrub for Oily or Acne Prone Skin 6 oz $3.99

Blemish and Blackhead Control

Oily/Acne Prone

Oil Free

2% Salicylic Acid

Gently exfoliates to remove dirt, oil and dead skin cells that can clog pores.

Brown Sugar Fig Salt Scrub

4.  Body Exfoliant  Jones and Rose Brown Sugar Fig Salt Scrub $28

Skin nourishing olive, soy, and almonds oils combine to deliver silky, smooth moisture to soften and nourish rough spots. moisturizes while mineral rich sea salts gently smooths and softens rough spots. No need to use lotion afterwards.

Laura Geller Lip Strip

5.  Lip Exfoliant  Laura Geller Lip Strip Cooling Sugar Scrub 1 oz $16

 Lip Strip gently buffs dry lips to renewed smoothness. Historically, sugar is one of the safest natural exfoliants and humectants, and because the skin of the lips is so delicate, pure organic sugar from Brazil was chosen to use as the base of this scrub. In addition, peppermint and spearmint oils were added for a beautiful, refreshing sensation.

 Try these exfoliators and you too can be a smooth operator!