Gotta Love Casual Hip Hop JLo Tracksuit Style!

Oh, yeah. Even Jenny from the block likes looking casual + comfy when she's not doing the red carpet.

There was Jennifer Lopez out in L.A. yesterday with adorable Max + Emme and boy-toy Casper in tow, as they celebrated the twins' 5th birthday.

We like seeing the superstar out and about like this---having fun with family and friends, and not having to worry about getting glammed to the 9s like JLo often does for her many public events.

Let's face it...Jennifer LOVES her big, baggy tracksuits! And there's nothing wrong with that.

She's advertising LOVE, LIGHT and ANGEL on her casual duds. Plus we always like JLo's HUGE hoops! And she's got her signature, severe, pulled-back bun look to boot.

Jennifer loves her hoodie, velour and tracksuit chic. Check out this classic with JLo and Ja Rule in I'm Real. She's got on the mini version of the tracksuit in the video--YouTube.

LOVE  'I'm Real.' We believe you, Jennifer!

New Mama Amber Rose's Makeup + Skin Care Secrets

Okay, we know that some people don't like Amber Rose. There are some who figure she is only famous for doing nothing, or got her recognition only as  a piece of arm candy for Kanye West a few years ago.

Well, we like her. Congratulations to her and Wiz Khalifa on the birth of their baby boy, Sebastian!

Amber, at age 30, looks very happy with Wiz, and actually 'wore' her pregnancy well. She looks at peace to us.

Many blessings their way.

Meantime.....Amber is gorgeous with that platinum buzz cut---before, during + after baby.  Her skin is flawless and makeup always appears to be beautifully applied.

So, what are Amber Rose's beauty + skin care secrets?

 

Not easy to track down. But we did find some great beauty nuggets from the archives of Elle magazine, and here Amber does a little dishing in a 2009 interview:

 

You must be doing something, though. When I saw you at the Women in Hollywood Awards last month, your skin glowed like nothing else. What products do you use?

 

Thank you so much! I've always been good about moisturizing. Every morning and every night, everyday. What I do, and this sounds kind of weird, but I buy these pint-size containers of raw African shea butter from street vendors, I microwave it, and after I shower, I rub it everywhere. Even on my scalp and face. Nothing works better. And it's cheap!

 

What about your skincare regimen? What cleanser do you use?

 

Just Dove soap. I've never really tried anything else. I've always felt that when you use too many products or try too many new things, you're just piling a lot of unnatural, unnecessary stress on your face. I try to keep it simple.

 

As far as her makeup goes, Amber appears to prefer a light, penciled in brow, spikey faux lashes and  high-end foundation.' Read on:

 

My one regular splurge is YSL [Teint Resist] foundation. I love it, because it goes on so smooth and light, but still covers up everything I need it to cover up. I also love M.A.C Lip Glass in `Pink Lemonade', but my favorite lipstick is from Mona Lisa [shade `Hot Pink #14']. It's only $1.99!

 

Not even any retinoids or alpha hydroxy acids to re-build skin?

 

We are envious!

.

 Amber's complexion rocks!!

Could This Styling Product Change Your Life? Marie Claire Says Yes!

PANTENE AgeDefy Advanced Thickening Treatment $19. A blend of vitamins + caffeine that battles the 7 signs of hair aging, from  breakage to lackluster color.


Marie Claire featured this one in their Best New Beauty Products 2013 (Hottest Products for Hair and Body list).

We LOVE any styling product that FATTENS each strand of hair. A lot of times hair thickeners or volumizers plump up your mane, but can also leave your hair greasy if you apply too much. Pantene's Age Defy feels lightweight, which is a good thing.

The Pantene website says this about their new thickening treatment:

Thickens existing hair so it's like you have up to 6,500 more hair strands*. Works on the surface of each hair strand for natural-looking hair with fullness that lasts, adding thickness to existing hair fibers.

Plus---- the product claims that you will gain healthier hair with less breakage.

You can buy it at your neighborhood drugstore for $19.99 or online. We found a bottle at Amazon for only $12.99 at Shes Chic.

Amazon buyers gave the Pantene thickener 4 stars out of 5 stars. At least take a look at the customer reviews. That can give you more info before purchasing.

We like Pantene products, but is this treatment worth the $20 splurge? Sometimes, in the name of beauty, it is.

This Ain't Your Grammy's Pond's: New Luminous Line

We like experimenting with cleansers because these facial washes go deep and contain something that soaps often do not, and that is stronger ingredients.

That means you get better exfoliating action, and anti-aging formulations that fight----wrinkles, hyper-pigmentation, sun damage, dryness, and so on.

Pond's has been around for a LONG time. Just ask your grandmother or great-grandmother about the name Pond's. They know all about it as a cold cream.

Pond's has recently launched their Luminous line. And we found a decent cleanser:

Luminous Clean™ Daily Exfoliating Cleanser ($4.69, at Target). This one sounds interesting and effective because it is made with 2 wonderful things

Soft white Kaolin clay - a natural mineral known to act like a magnet to gently draw out deep-dwelling impurities.

Gentle Microbeads - help removing dull, lifeless skin.

 

Winter is really the time to battle away aging, thristy skin. Do yourself a favor and try a facial cleanser that brings back your radiant complexion.

 

The Pond's Luminous line also features a Daily Lotion with SPF 15, Clean Cream Cleanser( with nourishing glycerin), and Clean Wet Cleansing Towelettes.

There is also another Pond's line that you can buy on Ebay, but it is only found in Asia, and this one is a really great skin care cream, if you believe all the hype:

Pond's Age Miracle Cream. Read about it here in an old BeautyTipToday post.

Hot Pink Lips Really Hot For 2013: Here's Pretty Pink Lite

Hot pink lipstick is really, well, HOT for 2013. But maybe you don't want to be too HOT. Maybe you want to tone it down for the office. Maybe you wish to go pink but in a subtle, soft way.

We have the classic pink look for you to copy---step-by-step. And you will need just  3 Revlon items to achieve this gorgeous pout.

We learned this today on People StyleWatch. Celebrity makeup artist Cyndle Komarovski shows you how to get the look and have it last ALL day. Really? Well, we will take her professional word for it.

1. Revlon ColorStay Lipliner in Natural. Put this on lips first to accentuate their shape.

2. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Stormy Pink. Apply one coat of Stormy Pink and then BLOT. Apply a 2nd coat of Stormy Pink. This will give you 'all day staying power.'

3. Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in Pink Ice. For added dimension, put on the Pink Ice over the lipstick.

There---you're done. Beautiful soft pink lips!

To see the demo, click here. The Pink Lips demo comes in at the 1:02 mark.

Would You Try This Cheap Full Coverage Foundation--Getting High Marks

Foundation.

Don't get us started. We believe EVERYONE should wear at least a bit of it, even if you happen to have perfect skin. Foundation is a pain because you need it to match really well, to blend easily, to look natural, and hopefully to last several hours. And not every foundation can perform all those steps.

We have tried a bunch of foundations and admit that our light olive skin is NOT easy to match. Finally, we settled on Revlon's ColorStay Foundation in nude.

Is the ColorStay a perfect match? Heck no....But it's the closest we've been able to come to a very decent blend.

Today, we are looking at Wet n' Wild's new foundation--Wet n' Wild Coverall Cream Foundation. Try your local drugstore. You can pick up a tube for $5-$6. We haven't tried it yet, but for that price we probably will, just to see if we can find a better match than our ColorStay Nude.

New Coverall Cream Foundation has been receiving high marks from a lot of customer reviews. Check out popular Makeup Alley. So far, buyers have given it 4.8 out of a 5.0 rating.

It's being praised for its buildable coverage and matt finish.

If you're always on the hunt for a flawless foundation finish, it's best to try a lot of them---from high end to drugstore. If the product works for you and it's a cheap one....Who cares? You've just saved a little cash for yourself.

Amen.

Go Blow Pro For Big Full-Blown Hair

Go BIG or go HOME!!

And we're talking about hair in this case. As you know, we are always on the hunt for styling products that do the job.

Here's one by Blow Pro. It's called Ready Set Blow Express Blow Dry Lotion (reg. $21, we found for $13.99, at PandoraBeauty).

Just add to towel-dried locks  and blow-dry section by section. And then get ready!! BIG HAIR ALERT!

Ready Set Blow contains wheat protein for lots of healthy moisture + shine.
and Panthenol for awesome texture + strength.

Shoppers at ULTA adore this Blow Pro product. You can read 50 reviews here. Ulta consumers gave it a 4.1 rating out of 5.