Fragrance of the Month

Check out the six fragrances for the month of October!
Photo: Up in Smoke by illpadrino

Top 10 Workout Songs

Put together a playlist to help you get your beach body back from author Nathanel Jefferson.

Image courtesy of Stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

ASPiring Artist

Online gallery of drawings and artwork by ASP.

ECV's Beauty Tips

Check back often for new tips!

New Year's resolutions and goal-setting

Get the help you need to follow through on your resolutions and goals in 2012!

Jun 25, 2013

Weekly Beauty Tip - Week 3: Picture Perfect Lips

Who doesn't want picture perfect lips ladies? Here are three simple steps to get the perfect pout.
  1. Draw the line.
    Define the shape of your mouth using a lip liner. If your lips are naturally full, there really is no need to line outside the natural edge of your lip. Choose a shade that complements your favorite lipstick. Now color in your lips with the liner to get color that really clings. For my ladies with two-tone lips, feel free to go lighter with the liner application on the darker lip or skip it all together.
  2. Choose the right color and formula.
    Matte lipsticks give off intense color, but can be drying. Crème lipsticks deliver great color and keep lips moisturized. Whatever formula you choose, make sure to evenly apply the color, covering the liner and blotting any excess. We've found paper towels work well here as opposed to facial tissue which, depending on the brand can leave lint. 
  3. Set the look.Finish off with a little dusting of translucent powder and a second coat of lipstick or a coat of lip gloss. Or start off by using a transfer-resistant lipstick to help color stay put and perfect for hours.

Now if you're looking for the picture perfect full pout watch the video below. There are a couple of extra steps but it's still really simple and easy to do. The hardest part might be picking out a shade. Check back each week for a new beauty tip.


Jun 18, 2013

Weekly Beauty Tip - Week 2: Eyes

Three Steps to Beautiful Eyes

  1. Apply foundation to entire eyelid to prep skin to hold color. Bush a medium-toned shadow in a neutral shade over the entire lid. Then brush a deeper color along the crease to create depth. Gently smudge colors together to blur any unnatural looking lines.
  2. Use a darker color shadow or eye pencil to rim the lash line. You should make the line thicker at the outside of eye and then get gradually thinner toward the inside corner. For a subtle look, line just the top lash line; for a more dramatic look, line both the bottom and top.
  3. Use a darker color shadow or eye pencil to rim the lash line. You should make the line thicker at the outside of eye and then get gradually thinner toward the inside corner. For a subtle look, line just the top lash line; for a more dramatic look, line both the bottom and top.
   Other Useful Hints
When applying mascara, hold a tissue under lashes so that makeup doesn’t end up on the skin. And to minimize dark circles under eyes, apply a concealer that is at least half a shade lighter than your skin tone after applying mascara to bottom lashes.

Jun 12, 2013

Weekly Beauty Tips - Week 1: Blush Application

Ever wonder how to apply your blush so you won't look like a clown or worse, like some one hit you in the face. Here are some tips to help!
 
On a Round face:      Place blush from the center of your cheek out along the ridge of your cheekbone, blending upward towards your temples. Dot some on your chin too.
 
On a Square face:     Use minimal blush placed on the lower apple of your cheek. Don’t sweep it upwards or to side.
 
On a Narrow face:   Blush goes at the outer point of your cheekbone. Don’t sweep it upwards; keep it horizontal.

Check back next week for tips on applying eye makeup!

A Motivational Comment for the Summer

A very interesting email was sent to us by a friend. We love the positive body image it encourages and have decided to share it here. If anyone knows who the original author is, please feel free to post it in the comments of the page.
 
 Recently,  in a large French city, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan
 woman appeared in the window of a gym.  It said:


THIS SUMMER DO YOU WANT TO BE A MERMAID OR A WHALE?
 
 

 A middle aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match
 those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed
 by the gym.
 

To Whom It May Concern:
 
Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions,  curious  humans).  They have an active sex life,
they get pregnant and have adorable baby whales.  They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing
themselves with shrimp.  They play and swim in the seas, seeing  wonderful places like Patagonia, the Bering
Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia. Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs.  They are
 incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired
by almost everyone in the world.


Mermaids don't exist.  If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts
due to identity crisis.  Fish or human?  They don't have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them not to
 mention how could they have sex?  Therefore they don't have kids either.  Not to mention who  wants to get close
 to a girl who's skin is all scaly and smells like  a fish store?

 The choice is perfectly clear to me... I want to be a whale.

  P.S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that  only skinny people are beautiful,
 but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with  my grandkids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver and a
 latte  with my friends.  With time, we gain weight because we  accumulate so much information and wisdom
 in our heads that when there is  no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies.  So we aren't heavy,
we are enormously cultured, educated and happy.
 
 Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think, 
 
   "Good gosh, look how smart I am"!

Financial Wellness - Work on Your Retirement Fund

Retirement is a topic that most 16-19 year olds don't think about. But if they follow through with monetizing the content that they are already putting out as discussed in this article, they can get an early start on securing their financial future. This strategy is useful for other age groups also. Read more about it in Brandon Tucker's blog, Work on Your Retirement Fund.

Fragrance of the Month - June 2013

Fiji Paradise is June's fragrance of the month. It's light, airy and smells of flowers and coconut. Free samples to all this entire month.

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