It’s a new year so it’s a great time to create a new look for yourself.  Cabin fever is about to strike so I am dedicating the rest of the month to new makeup looks for all the  Girly Girls out there.

Feminine and minimal is always a great look for any occasion.  Check out this picture of Hayden Panettiere.  It works very well for the office or put-zing around home with the young ones.  Let’s face it, you feel better when you look good and you never know when that unexpected trip to the store will come up, so here are a few ideas to look your best whenever.

I have found through my own experience that the days I don’t put much makeup on are the days when I get the most compliments.  But you must always start with a good foundation.  If your skin glows, YOU GLOW.  Let me put it this way.  You know when the dishwasher doesn’t exactly dry the dishes correctly and the drinking glasses look foggy?  (Darn teenagers anyway!)  Even though they are clean you don’t really want to drink from them, do you?  Your skin is the same way.  When you haven’t cleansed, your skin is dull and lifeless and you probably feel the same way.  I can’t stress this enough–GET WITH A PROGRAM!  Make good skin care a regular part of your routine.  I prefer Mary Kay but please use something!  You will thank me for this advice when you are over forty!!

Next moisturize, for the love of God, MOISTURIZE!!  Especially in the winter.  Now the canvas is ready!  You can forgo the foundation and just dab on some bronzer but always conceal first.  No need to proceed if you haven’t brought those dark circles and occasional blemishes into check.  Occasional blemishes I say?  Yes, because those are the only ones you will get if you are taking proper care of yourself and your skin!

Now for the drama!  Drama with minimalist makeup?  All you have to do is accentuate the positive!!  That is what makeup is all about, after all.  Pay attention because this is all you need to know to walk out the door looking absolutely fresh today.  People will probably wonder what you have been up to!  (The nosey ones will inevitably ask!)

EYES MUST HAVE MASCARA!  Not a lot.  Keep them separated and free of clumps so stop buying the crappy stuff!  Invest in good mascara and always keep it fresh.  If you do your lashes right you will not need eyeliner.  If your lashes are teeny tiny then invest in some good falsies.  They go a long way and look good if they are quality lashes and you practice putting them on right.  (I know there is that word PRACTICE.)  If you feel naked, use a little eyeliner in a muted shade but ONLY if you have to.

Cheeks need sheer blush.  You still brush on some blush, but very light.

Lips must be lined with a neutral, soft pencil and then covered with a sheer or SLIGHTLY tinted gloss. 

There you are all you Girly Girls!  That is it!  I am telling you, try it for one week.  That is all I ask.  Let me know the results of your one week test.  I want to hear all the compliments that you get.

Right there on the front page of MSN is this adorable “fashion computer”courtesy of  the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

 I wondered when those self proclaimed nerds would actually step outside their cubicles and take a look at who their consumers really are!  Women, yes women buy computers also and we are tired of every electronic gadget being geared towards the male population.  It is the smart man who recognizes that us women do not want to tote around unfashionable items!  We never have, which is probably why we like toting around fashionable men also.  Are you getting it yet?

Let’s face it guys; unless it’s your woman, bland and boring , cold and metallic works for you!  It doesn’t work for us though and it is the smart man who senses that his arm candy desires something less casual.  You do like us to look good don’t you!!

So let me wrap this up.  It always helps to step outside the box and take a good honest look at those around you that may not be like you.  You must gear your business towards the consumer, not yourself.  Your customers are the ones who keep buying your products to make sure you stay in business so be sure to pay attention to what THEY want.  Yes, it is scary to think of someone other than yourself guys, but you can do it!

Let’s talk about bad behavior!  Does the name Kumari Fulbright mean anything to you?  Well let me tell you about what happened today.

I get on MSN to check mail and right on the front page is a story about another wayward beauty queen.  Normally I don’t read them because I understand the Psyche of people who enjoy seeing others fall, but I must admit the headline caught my attention!  “Beauty Queen Charged in Kidnapping and Torture”  That is just a bit over the top!!  So I click on the link and start reading this story about Kumari Fulbright and next to it is a picture of an absolutely hideous looking person (one report says that she has already set the bar high for worst mug shot of 2008!).  The name sounded strangely familiar for some reason.  The words beauty queen, Arizona and Law student lept off the page so much so that I immediately scrolled down to the next picture of her that actually looked like a human being.  There she was holding a gun from a calendar pic and then I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was her.

It turns out that Kumari was the girl who competed against my daughter Gabrielle in the state finals for the title of Miss Hawaiian Tropics for the state of Michigan.  I will not forget that day.

As I stood in the crowd rooting for my precious Gabrielle as she graced the stage, the man standing next to me told me that Kumari was going to win!  I looked at him and thought how sweet the proud stage papa was, especially after he started talking about what a hard worker she was and how she was pursuing her law degree in Arizona and how she had won a title for the Miss Arizona pageant and on and on and on.  I believe that his statement was something like “She gets anything that she goes after because she works so hard to get it.”  “You watch, she is going to win,” he exclaimed.

Of course the pageant mom in me immediately assumed that he had paid someone off! (I was half joking to myself!)  Anyone who attends pageants like these understands you can never guess the outcome because you never know what the judges are looking for. I mustered up a polite smile and said, “Well you certainly are a proud dad!”  (Well, he was my age or older!)  He corrected me!  He was the owner of the bar where Kumari had qualified to be in the pageant, not her dad.  I was shocked and amused because my intuition told me if he wasn’t her dad, he certainly had an exceptional understanding of her!!  It is not snowing right now but you get my drift!!

She won!  Yes she did.  I have seen a lot of pageants and some have made my head spin but that one blew me away.  Oh well, that is how the pageant thing goes so you deal with it.  Something inside told me the judges had made a mistake though.  My husband was there for photos so if you want to see what she looks like when she is not committing crimes, take a look at her pictures at Defoe Photography.

Sorry proud papa or whoever you are!  Oh yeah, the guys who helped her commit the dirty deed were about the same age also.  Do I see a trend here?!  Anyway, to which ever “proud papa” who helps her along after this, please don’t bring the little criminal into my store.  I really don’t see her as A Girly Girl anymore!!