Newborn baby beauty blog...

So...this is my first blog EVER and I find myself a little overwhelmed w/ideas about what I want to say & all of products/topics that I want to talk about!
For years people have asked me about my skin & for makeup tips...etc I believe my industry, when not abused, makes people feel better about themselves. That whole, when you feel you look good, you feel better thing. I stand by it. I also think beauty is measured by the smallest personal adjustments. It's a very personal art & if my work helps anyone, then I'm happy.
I'll start with a little bit about myself & how I became a product connoisseur...

When I was a little girl, every Sunday my Mom would blow out my curly hair(sometimes give it a trim), give me a Manicure/Pedicure, have me apply lotion on my body & end with a mini facial.
This routine would become known as "Beauty Night" and these weekly "treatments" (as my Mom likes to call them) would be what sparked my interest in the dazzling world of Beauty.
By the time I was 13 I was giving myself weekly facials while maintaining my skin daily, from head to toe. I'd also mastered styling my own hair after years of watching my Hair Stylist Mom work on her clients. I still experimented w/fun colors (and some bad self imposed hair cuts) but I could still style it just fine!
I learned to use different creams for my feet, body & face and I still refuse to leave the house without perfume.
My Aunt gave me a Kevyn Aucoin book, Making Faces, for Christmas one year & I'd never seen anything like it. I was so captivated by this book! I grew up in Manhattan, NY watching all of the original "Supermodels" like Naomi, Linda, Cindy, Christy...etc take the fashion world by storm! It was such a visually stimulating time & to have a front row seat for it all really altered my perception of "Beauty" at a very young age. Reading Kevyn's book, being that he was clearly front & center for that as well, tied it all together for me. Madonna, who was world dominating at the time, was also a huge influence on me but that's another story...
It came as no surprise to anyone when I got my Esthetics license & later enrolled in the "Beauty Makeup" class @ Makeup Designory.
I immediately found myself backstage at Fashion Week shows, on photo shoots & working with some of the industry's more respected & seasoned artists.
I began using body products early but didn't get into makeup seriously until later. I hadn't the first clue as to how to apply it! The whole concept of blush scared me because I was afraid of looking ridiculous. I also didn't want to feel like I had a pound of crap on my skin because I wasn't used to it. The thought made me itch! My lashes have always been full and long so I didn't wear mascara but I've always loved lip gloss. Who doesn't?
My Grandma, who's Puerto Rican, has beautiful skin! She's 84, has few wrinkles & always had flawless, smooth skin. She never wore a lot of makeup either. I can't ever remember seeing her with foundation, eyeshadow or mascara. She used a CoverGirl compact to apply powder (which I don't believe she even needed), blush and red lipstick. That's it. Probably why I love it so much!
I got into skin care because of all these afore mentioned influences and it's fascinating! I'm not concerned w/aging because I believe it's a gift, to be alive, but I do maintain my beauty routine the same as I did when I was 13.
I have mixed feeling about products and what they can do for us. I've been around a lot of companies & to be honest a lot of it is hype. The Madison Ave lie that we will live forever and never age if we use_____ magic potion.
That and the Brooklyn bridge is for sale, wanna buy that too? You get my point!
There are, however, ways to maintain and help slow down the process. I just have a realistic take on all of this because I know a lot of what happens to our skin is caused by how we eat, live & toxins we can't avoid, like pollution & sun exposure. How we age is also hereditary so some things can't be avoided but rather fixed visually or temporarily. I do know that facial massage is helpful as it stimulates blood flow which we need for general health, not just for looking pretty.
I realize what an advantage we have today because all of this information is right at our fingertips. We now have stores like http://www.ulta.com/ and http://www.sephora.com/ that make finding the perfect products easy. We have publications, master classes and schools that teach us how to do all of this right.
My advice is to take advantage of it all!! I still spend hours reading and watching http://www.youtube.com/ videos about makeup just to see how other people do it. I believe a real artist never stops learning. Staying humble & open to new ideas is essential in this industry.
My journey is far from over as new products are always coming out & I keep buying/trying them! I created this blog so I can give MY review on what I've used, tried/seen & MY experiences with it all. I know it's not going to be the same for everyone, this is just what I think.
Having said all of that, I hope it helps!!

Keep it Prettie!
Xo
*Stephanie*