Beauty Q&A

Friday, December 10, 2010

Becky DiStefano, GoLocalProv Beauty Expert

You ask, we answer! With the holidays just around the corner and winter making an early entrance, here is some helpful beauty advice!

What can I do to avoid the the dreaded static hair look when I wear winter hat? --Denise, 27, Warwick

It is no fun to look like a science experiment and we all fear the static cling. There are a few things you can do. Always have some hairspray with you (waxes, pomades and gels can gum up under a hat, not fun!) to tame flyaways by spraying onto your brush and running through your hair. Try Oscar Blandi Lacca Hairspray ($11, Sephora) which is formulated with sugar, a proven anti-static agent. Sweet!

My hands are super chapped in the winter, what can I do to protect them aside from gloves? --Carla, 34, Foster

You’re smart to wear gloves as they will shield your delicate hands from wind and cold. Using a super moisturizing hand cream is a fabulous way to keep your hands healed and hydrated. Using a cream that contains oil will infuse your hands with moisture and heal any cracks or chapping. We love locally made Farmaesthetics Hand to Heel Softening Salve ($26.00) which contains beeswax, which protects the hands and locks in moisture and also has peppermint and carrot oil to help hand tissue rejuvenate. Soft hands at last!

My Mom wants to give me a spa day for Christmas, what services do you recommend since I’ve never been? --Toni, 22, Cranston

Ooh, what a wonderful mother you have! For first time spa goes, I usually recommend a combo of either a massage or facial plus a manicure and pedicure. You’ll come out feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and gorgeous! A few local spas that have packages like this include Facing Thayer’s The Cloud Nine ($166 which includes Splurge Facial, Spa Manicure and Spa Pedicure), Blue Sky Spaworks’s South of the Border ($279 which includes Elemental Nature Facial, La Stone Therapy, Spa Pedicure and Margarita Manicure) or my personal favorite, Stone House Spa’s Signature Stone House ($310 which includes facial, massage and pedicure). Enjoy your spa day and let me know how it goes!

I have a ton of holiday parties to attend but I feel like my eye makeup just doesn’t last. How can I avoid creasing and melting? --Rebecca, 25, Riverside

Ah yes, the magical and mysterious disappearing makeup, we have all been in that situation. Fortunately there are some simple tricks to keep your beauty in place. Before you even touch a makeup brush, let’s talk skin. Your skin should be clean and lightly moisturized prior to makeup application. Do NOT use a heavy cream as it can cause your makeup to literally slide down. After that, apply concealer under the eyes, around the nose and on your eyelids. Try a concealer like Neutrogena’s Mineral Sheers Concealer Kit ($11, drug stores). Priming the lids will help to keep eye makeup in place. Use a translucent powder like Laura Mercier’s Mineral Finishing Powder ($32, Nordstrom) on the rest of your face (forehead, cheeks, chin and nose). Enjoy your parties with your makeup intact!