It's a Cheertatorship and I'm the Cheertator

I love answering beauty questions (and Cinnamon Toast Crunch - seriously the milk at the end of the bowl??  Nothing more delicious)...  And what has surprised me during this whole Blogger process (can you believe it hasn't even been 2 weeks??  It's like a major part of me now!!) is how many women share the same queries.  There also seems to be an emphasis on followers wanting me to do more video demoes.  I can definitely do that!  Basically this blog will bend and morph as the followers want it.  I like that.  If you have a certain look you want to try out, a specific skin issue, or any other beauty-related question, email me, and I'm on it!

So let's get to it!  Some questions and answers:

1. I have freckles - I want to show them off, but still even out my skin tone with foundation;  how do I do this?
• Freckles are GORGEOUS.  A major beauty blunder is when women try to cover them up with tons of foundation, but it ends up looking murky or ashen.  Luckily, modern beauty products include buildable foundations that give a translucent finish - perfect for the freckled beauties, or anyone else that has relatively clear skin, but just needs to even out the skin tone.  My favourite products for this translucent finish look include:
• Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer:  I apply it over my moisturizer as I tend to get dry skin.  Apply it with your fingers or a kabuki brush.  It has better coverage than most tinted moisturizers, lasts all day, has an SPF, and gives a bit of a "glow".  
• Mineral Foundations:  Specifically Bare Escentuals and Laura Mercier.  Apply the foundation with a kabuki brush in THIN LAYERS - Really BUFF IT IN!! -  That is the key to even, flawless, natural-looking coverage.  Depending on how much coverage you need, you can continue to add layers, but for a translucent finish, and when you want your freckles to shine through, one layer is enough.
• Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener:  This is a concealer specifically for the under eye area, and intended for people that don't have a lot of discolouration.  It's NOT a full coverage concealer, but brightens the area with light-reflecting pigments, and a little bit of colour.  I like to use it on women with freckles under their eyes, or to add a bit of dimension to a matte concealer by applying it overtop of a heavier concealer.
2. Best way to remove facial hair, and is lasering really worth it?
• Oh dear.  Hairy face Syndrome.  I don't even like the fuzz on a peach skin, let alone peach fuzz on the face!!  And those seemingly-grow-over-night witch hairs?  Ugh.  There are solutions though!  As an obsessor about everything hair related (including hairlessness - see my previous lives connection) I have a few tricks up my sleeve.
1. Threading:  It's not just for brows, but for the upper lip and face as well!  When I was living in Dubai, I would be getting my brows done, and there would be women sitting across from me getting their cheeks, chins, side burns.... the whole works threaded...  It was kinda funny at first, but then I gained a deep respect for these women who keep their sh*t tight, and maintained!  What's beneficial about threading vs waxing the face, is it's safe for Accutane users, and doesn't pull on the skin, which when done repeatedly can cause pre-mature wrinkles.
2. Epilator:  This little machine is essentially like having a million pluckers rolling around on your face at once; it pulls from the roots, and unlike waxing, doesn't pull on your skin.  I use this for my upper lip area, and for any unsightly peach fuzz. 
• As for the Laser Hair Removal:   Clearly I've considered this option due to my constant quest for hairlessness, however, it's not as straight forward as it seems.  In order for the laser to do it's trick, you have to have a contrast between the colour of the hair you are trying to remove and your skin colour - the deeper the contrast, the better the results.  I.e., if you're trying to remove blonde hair on pale skin - good luck.  However, if you have dark hair and pale skin, the laser will work wonders on you!  I think laser hair removal is especially beneficial for the ladies that have quite dark leg hair and pale skin, and get the "plucked chicken" look on their legs 5 hours post shave.  Lasering the lower leg can be especially life changing for these ladies.
• Talk with a laser hair removal specialist if you really are going bat sh*t crazy over a hairy situation, but make sure you ask the questions about hair and skin colour contrast + permanent results, so you know what results to expect for the mega $$ involved with this procedure!
3. How do I keep my concealer from settling into my fine lines under my eyes?
• Tricky but doable - Moisturize under your eyes before applying your concealer!!  This beauty tip is so important to do anyways for the preservation of the fragile skin under the eyes, as well as ensuring your concealer stays in place, and doesn't settle into and end up amplifying the fine lines around your eyes.  I use Nars eye cream, or jojoba oil, depending on my mood, or what's handy.
• Use a creamy concealer over top of your STILL WET eye cream/moisturizer; this will help with the spread of the concealer, which will minimize any pulling on the skin.  At the moment, my concealers of choice are the Makeup Forever Palette concealers because you can customize the colours so easily and they have great staying power, as well as Revlon Age Defying Concealer.  
• Bare Escentuals Bisque concealer  is a fabulous mineral concealer that I've used for years; for the mineral/powder concealers I would recommend letting the under eye moisturizer dry a little bit before you apply the product, otherwise it can cake.  Remember the key to mineral product application is THIN layers.

I'm feeling very bossy - It comes naturally - Maybe another pre-Théa life involved Dictator?

Keep those queries comin' hot ladies!!

xo T