Stuck in a Rut

It happens without notice.

One day you are rocking a red lip and a blow out and the next thing you know you have been putting nothing but moisturizer and chap stick on for longer than you would like to admit and the word "fabulous" hasn't be used to describe you since Nam.

You are stuck in a makeup rut.

No worries, it happens to the best of us - myself included.  Even though makeup is a large part of my life, I still find myself slacking off in the fabulous department now and then.

Here are some surefire ways to shake things up and inject a little life back into your beauty routine:

1. Buy Yourself Something Nice...You Deserve It
Seems obvious doesn't it?  However, it is something that we often do not do for ourselves.  My current recommendations are the Urban Decay "Start Getting Naked" kit that includes THE BEST BB cream ever created and one of the best foundations I have ever tried.  Also, now that the holidays are upon us the Sephora "favorites" sets are in stock (squee!) and they are the BEST way to try lots of different products without spending too much money.

2. Play Up One Feature
Just rocking a red lip or laying on an extra couple coats of mascara can make you feel like a million bucks. Pick one feature and give it a little extra attention (I usually choose my boobs when doing this but that is another blog entry)

3. Stop Listening to the Wrong People
You are amazing.  You are fabulous.  You can wear a red lip.  You do look good in a smokey eye.  You even look amazing with no makeup on at all.  Wear what makes you happy and surround yourself with people who do the same.

Take a little extra time in the morning, stand up straight, make yourself even prettier and screw everyone who doesn't agree.  You are officially out of your makeup rut.

Travel Friendly Beauty

As I write this, I am in the air on a flight from Chicago to Detroit to assist a client for a couple days.  This is a pretty common occurrence in my life as my job requires that I take pretty regular trips.

I used to have a hard time traveling for work and being away from home but at the ripe old age of 32, it is really not something I mind.  I have created systems that allow me to feel as “at home” as one can when they are sleeping in hotel rooms and taking cabs everywhere.

A lot of the things I do to make traveling a fun experience have to do with my beauty routine.  Because, there is nothing more pathetic than feeling bad AND looking bad when you are out of town.

During the trip I am currently on, I am actually going to do something fun and non-work related while I am in Detroit (gasp!) which is pretty rare for me.  So, in preparation for aforementioned rare leisure event, I did the full version of my “Going Out of Town and I Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty” beauty routine.

Here it is in all its superficial glory:

1.       More is…more 

On most of my work trips, I do consolidate my makeup and only take the necessities. For example, I often find products that will do two jobs, like a blush that has enough shimmer to also give me a highlight or a lipstick that can be used as a cheek stain. Check out Benefit for great makeup travel kits.

However, sometimes I don’t want to consolidate.  I don’t want to only bring what I need and be sensible.  I want to bring everything that I might possibility ever want in the case that something unexpected happens (Jack White is from Detroit – it is possible we might hang out).

2.      Fake it till you make it!

I have a secret to tell you all about myself that I dread admitting.  I am…..pale.  Very, very pale.  Like Interview with a Vampire pale (suck it, Twilight). 

Being pale is not cute.  I know that people say things like “porcelain complexion” and “peaches and cream skin” but frankly, that is all bullshit.  People look better when they are tan.  They look healthier, skinnier and generally more attractive when they have a little color to their skin.  Sorry if that offends anyone but don’t hate the player…hate the game.

Why am I weaving this dramatic tale of low pigmentation?  Because one of my favorite pre-travel beauty rituals is to fake tan.  A couple hours before I leave for the airport, I shower and exfoliate and slap on enough St. Tropez to make an Oompa Loompa proud. 

3.      You like my hair?  Oh, this is totally natural!

 So, my last and final "I feel pretty, oh so pretty" step is to straighten my hair.  

Stop right there!  I know you are about to say "Katie, I would kill for curly hair!  Why would you ever straighten it?"  I straighten my hair for the same reason you curl your hair - because it is fun to look a little different sometimes.

The day that I am leaving, I shower and after applying aforementioned fake tan - I pull my hair up in a wet bun.  The next morning I simply brush it out and throw some curls in with a curling iron for a bit of a Farrah Fawcett look and then I am ready to go.

What do you do to pretty yourself up before you travel?

                                                    En route to Detroit - fake tanned and ready to go!

                                                    Hair straightened and a little curled                
                                                   

                                                   Gorgeous Chicago from the sky!