Beauty Without Rules

Medical Massage for the Win!

I was doing hair a makeup for a large wedding party one day, and I had a little break while waiting for the next group of ladies to arrive. I was just rubbing my hands and cracking my knuckles out of habit without even noticing I was doing it. One of the bridesmaids I had already done hair for was a licensed massage therapist noticed what I was doing and offer to give me a hand and arm massage. It was so sweet of her and felt so good. Once she reached my left shoulder, she was surprised how tight my muscles were. She said they are definitely not supposed to feel like a brick wall lol. After five minutes I felt so amazingly relaxed. I was so grateful to her. I had no idea how tight my muscles were. Unfortunately, she lived out of town and was only here for the wedding, so I couldn’t start going to her regularly. With her guidance I was able to find a great licensed massage therapist, who offered medical massage in my area.

I started going as regularly as I could last November. I have had relaxation massages plenty of times in my life, but having a medical therapeutic deep tissue massage was a whole new thing to me. First of all, I really had no idea how messed up my body was. The first massage was amazing, yes, a little painful at times due to the pressure but WOW was it worth it. Even being a little sore for a few days even walking out of her office I felt a thousand time better. I didn’t feel like the wound-up spring that I was. As a makeup artist and hair stylist my back, shoulders and arms are usually a mess. Over time when I am able to go on a regular basis, I have noticed a huge different in my body. My pain level and headaches have diminished.

I thought it would be fun to ask my amazing massage therapist some questions to let everyone know what she really does.

Kat- What is the difference between medical massage and a massage someone might get at a traditional spa?

Mariah Beuerlein LMT- Generally a massage at a spa has a focus of relaxation, is usually the whole body, and is done periodically as desired.

Though the effects of relaxation are therapeutic for the body over all, medical massage is therapeutic as well but it is a more specific targeted treatment. Medical Massage is targeting a specific area of concern or injury with treatment plan set up for multiple and frequent visits. Medical Massage therapists tend to have additional training and certifications beyond the state licensure.

Kat- What types of pain can medical massage help?

Mariah Beuerlein LMT – Massage can address pain associated with tendon, muscle, joint dysfunction as well as calm the nervous system down to calm anxieties therefore decreasing any type of pain. It also can help with pain and other sensations associated with nerve damage.

Kat – How Often do you recommend people see a licensed massage therapist?

Mariah Beuerlein LMT – Every individual should have their own massage plan. Everybody’s goals are different for their massage. More intense injuries or people who do jobs like you and I would recommend more frequent massages. I basically just tell people to stay ahead of their pain schedule.

I can personally say I will continue to have medical massage be a part of not just my self -care, but my physical care routine.

Red Lips!

Do you have a red lip color that you love? Do you feel like you can’t wear red?

Red lips are not only iconic, but timeless. Red lips are never outdated, and can go with any look. From jeans and a great t-shirt to a formal ballgown, it goes with everything! red lips post 2

Red is absolutely a power color, and I believe there is a red lip for everyone! Finding the right red lip, can be like finding a great bathing suit or the perfect pair of jeans. And by that, I mean it can be incredibly difficult and sometimes you just want to give up.

There thousands of red lip colors out there. From lip liners and lipsticks to lips balms and gloss. It can be very intimidating to try to choose one. If you are feeling a little weary about where to begin, start with a gloss or even tinted lip balm. Once you get used to seeing yourself with more color on your lips, you can work up to a bolder red if you like. 97325398_719881028752049_8258267497891889152_n

Since your lips will be bold be sure to keep the rest of your look soft. I am a huge fan of a natural eye shadow and a cat eye liner with my red lips. Another thing I love about red lips is that since you can wear it with a very simple eye look and be completely polished, it can be a very quick look. There are days I don’t want to take a lot of time on my eyes so I pop on a red lip and call it a day😉

So, get out there and find YOUR red lip. I promise it’s out there and you will feel amazing when you are rocking it!

Time To Give Your Hair Some Love

We all have times when our hair could use a little extra love. Whether you color your hair regularly or never at all, sometimes it just falls flat. And right now, if you normally go to the salon to get your hair done you are probably really missing it. Even as a licensed cosmetologist myself, I have an amazing stylist, who happens to be a good friend who knows me well. And because of that she already knows I don’t come in to get my color done as often as I should. So now I am way, way past time for a refresh. While that time will come eventually, I will wait patiently. In the meantime, I will be using a couple of Amika products to help my hair. reste and flash

First, I tried Reset, which is a pink charcoal scalp cleansing oil. It is applied before you wash your hair and massaged into the scalp. It has a wonderful minty scent and a cooling feel. After the oil foams, wash and condition hair as normal. While it did feel great, I had no idea how much it helped my scalp and hair until my hair was completely dry. I let it air dry and the next morning my hair had a lot more body at the roots. After multiple uses my scalp also feels less dry. This is definitely a product I plan to keep in my regular hair care routine.

A few days later I decided to check out Flash. It is super easy to use. Just wash your hair squeeze the water out and apply Flash in sections from root to end. I let is sit for about three minutes then rinsed it out. It felt really slippery so I was a bit concerned it wouldn’t Hair after flash all rinse out, but it was very light weight. After my hair dried, I noticed a big difference in shine, especially near my roots. If you get your hair colored you know your hair has such a shine right after you get it done. This had that fresh color feel to it.

All in all, I was very happy with both of these Amika products. I plan to keep them in my hair care rotation. While it might not be the same as going to the salon, it was a great boost for my hair.

Skincare 101

Skincare is so important! If your skin looks good, anything will look great on it. Skin is the largest organ of the body and can be affected by stress among other things, just as any other organ in the body. It is important to drink plenty of water to hydrate skin from the inside out. Don’t forget to take care of your body and mind and your skin will thank you.

Skincare 101

Wash your face every night!

Washing your face every night, not only gets rid of the grime from the day, but it also let’s your skin breathe and it will allow your nighttime skincare to really sink in. I love Face Halo to remove all my makeup, then I follow with a great cleanser like the Green Tea Milk Wash by Farmhouse Fresh.

Sunscreen

A sunscreen that protects you from both UVA and UVB rays is great to help battle the damage of the sun. But don’t get lured into a false sense of security. While putting sunscreen on in the morning goes a long way to help protect your skin, it won’t protect you all day. Be sure to reapply! It is suggested every two hours. I start my day with Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protector Cream SPF 50+ Sunscreen. There are also powders with sunscreen that are great for touchup throughout the day like Sunforgettable Mineral SPF 50 Sunscreen Brush by Colorescience.

Moisturizer/eye cream

It is so important to moisturize your skin. Unless you have dry skin most people don’t think about using moisturizer and especially eye cream until they are in their thirties or start to notice fine lines. The truth is you should start long, long before that. You want to keep your skin hydrated to help prevent fine lines and wrinkles. It is so much easier, cheaper and less painful to prevent lines and wrinkles then to fix them later in life. The skin around your eyes is very delicate, and eye creams are developed specifically for that area.

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Treatment products

To up your skincare game add serum or other treatment products. There are serums and other products to address pretty much anything you can think of for your skin. From brightening to smoothing, to more hydration to acne clearing. I have been loving the Renew & Smooth Night Serum by Bliss. It has changed my skin drastically. I feel like my skin is better now in my mid-thirties then it was in my twenties.

Boosters

There are a lot of ways to give your skincare routine a boost. I love a good mask to kick it up a notch. I didn’t always think a mask could really make that much of a difference in my skincare. Then I tried the Aloisia Marie 7 Day Skin Care System. It is a total game changer. I will be going into more detail on this system in a post in the near future. Stay tuned…

Lips

Don’t forget your lips are skin too! Take care of your lips. There are so many DIY recipes on Pintrest for yummy lip scrubs. Don’t be afraid to try some. Start out with just once or twice a week. Hydration is also key for your lips. Check out the Hydrating Lip Treatment by Chuda, it works wonders.

Body

Your body deserves some love too. Be sure to keep a great body exfoliator on hand. And to moisturize after you exfoliate.

Don’t be afraid to try new things with your skincare, but not all at once. Give at least a couple of days between new products just to be sure your skin is happy😊

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A Quick Look!

Have you ever had to get ready in a pinch? Maybe you don’t have the time, or maybe you don’t even have your whole makeup bag. It has definitely happened to me on more than one occasion. Here are some of my go-to products for a quick but polished look. I like to be sure I have some products on hand that can work double duty. This way I can get a more finished look while still using just a few products.

I like to use a cream shadow, they are quick and easy to use. This ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Truth is a great because it blends so easily and I can also double it as a soft highlight for my cheekbones.
I love this EM Cosmetics Illustrative Eyeliner in brown! It’s so quick and easy and looks like I took a lot of time perfecting it.
Mascara is a must for me! This is LORAC LUX First Class Lash Mascara is great for volume with a lightweight formula.
A great concealer can work wonders to even out your skin. Be sure you have the perfect color. It should match so well you are able to just do a dot and walk away. I used Arbonne The Real Conceal Liquid Concealer with a Beauty Blender.
I love to have a great lipstick that doubles as a cheek color in a pinch. For this look I used MAC Amplified Lipstick in Morange.

Before

After

As you can see with my before and after photos, five products can go a long way in creating a clean and polished look. As a bonus this look took under 10 minutes to complete.

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Beauty For All!

I am a firm believer that there are no rules to beauty. There is no wrong way to apply your makeup. No wrong way to style your hair. No wrong color to paint your nails. I believe beauty is feeling good about the skin you are in.

I want to start out by introducing myself. My name is Kat and I have been a professional licensed makeup artist and hair stylist for over fifteen years. My love for makeup, skincare and hair began a long time ago. When I was in middle school I would “go to bed” and apply makeup just to take it off and start over. Through the years I have discovered that feeling good about ourselves inside and out can make a world of Emilee and i difference. In my career I have had the pleasure to style many women specializing in bridal looks. There is something magical about helping a Bride feel that she looks the same way she feels on such an important day. The glow of a bride truly comes from the inside. This has changed my perspective on all things beauty. Your makeup, hairstyle and clothes should enhance who you are instead of covering it up.

I may not believe in the don’ts, but I do have some of my own do’s. This blog will be filled with my professional tips and tricks as well as product reviews.

Whether you wear makeup every day, just occasionally or never. Get your nails done every other week at the salon or paint them at home on the couch, I hope you will all find something in this blog that relates to you.

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