Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip:

Be subtle with your scent.

Perfume and other forms of fragrance are lovely, but use a light touch. You don’t want to be That Person who has everyone gagging and gasping in her wake. You know who I’m talking about…

If your perfume (parfum, cologne, eau de toilette, &c.) is in an atomizer, spritz the air just in front of you and walk though the spray, preferably naked. If it’s in a bottle, use your finger to lightly dab a touch on your pulse points: wrists, throat, back of knees. That’s really all you need.

You want a ghost of your scent to cling, not an aromatic bludgeon to assault.

I’m all for signature scents (and I wish I could decide on one!). You can always use several products from the same line for a gentle layering effect, like perfume, lotion, and soap. Sometimes you can even find sachets or scented drawer liners.

Don’t wear fragrance of any kind in enclosed places (plane, bus, &c.) or places that are going to get warm (dance rehearsal, yoga class, &c.) It’s just polite not to overwhelm your compatriots.

Dear Constant Reader,

Today’s Friday Tip follows up last week’s. Besides moisturizing like crazy, you need to…

Exfoliate!

(If you are that sort of person, please imagine it said in a Dalek monotone).

For beautiful smooth skin, especially in the winter, you need to gently remove the layer of dead, dry, dull skin. And if you exfoliate before shaving, you get a closer, smoother shave. So why wouldn’t you?

Twice a week I use Dr. Jen’s Five Fruit Face Wash*. For other body parts I use a homemade sugar or salt scrub. It’s so easy to make yourself, as my students at The Great Burlesque Exposition of 2013 discovered.

I use sugar scrub on more delicate skin, like hands and legs. Salt scrub is for rougher spots, like feet, especially heels. Don’t use these scrubs on your face!

Here’s my sugar scrub recipe:
1/2 cup white cane sugar
1/4 cup oil (jojoba, avocado, or olive are all good)
4 drops peppermint essential oil
Mix them all together in a jar. To use, wet your skin and then smooth on the sugar scrub. Let it sit a couple of minutes if you want (it might start to tighten up & tingle a little), gently rub into skin, then rinse off. Be careful if you’re using this in the shower as the oil makes things a bit slippery.

Perhaps anon I’ll share my special salt foot scrub.

*I have no affiliation with Atomic Cosmetics. I just like their products. A lot.

Dear Constant Reader,

Vote for The Boston Babydolls for “Best Theatre Group” and B.A.B.E. for “Best Dance Classes“!

Buy your tickets to The Teaseday Club on July 9th in my name! If I sell the most tickets, I’ll reward my supporters with a special photo!

Happy Friday! I hope all Americans reading this enjoyed the Independence Day festivities. Everyone else, I hope you had a nice Thursday. Here’s your tip!

Cover skin imperfections by neutralizing with a concealer in the opposing color.

*Mint green covers red, like zits.
*Yellow covers blue, like fresh bruises.
*Pink covers yellow, like late bruises.

Then you can cover with your regular concealer and then foundation. No one will be the wiser!

Dear Constant Reader,

Vote for The Boston Babydolls for “Best Theatre Group” and B.A.B.E. for “Best Dance Classes“!

Here’s your tip!

To prevent raccoon eyes in the morning, wash your face first, then use eye makeup remover.

I don’t know why this works, but it does. Ever since I started cleansing this way, I haven’t woken up with migrated mascara around my eyes. I like to give my face a quick splash after using the remover, just to get any traces of anything off my skin.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!

To zap a zit, dab on a little toothpaste before bed.

Seriously. It works. You’ve got to use paste, not gel, and you should make sure to put it only on the blemish, not on the surrounding skin. The pimple will be dried up in the morning. I’ve had great results more times than I can count. Wait… I mean, *my* skin is perfect. I never get zits. No, never. I have a friend, yeah, that’s it, a friend, who has had great results with this trick.

Dear Constant Reader,

Please vote for The Boston Babydolls every day!

Your Faithful Correspondent has the sniffles, but before I curl up once again on the daybed with Albert the Manor Cat, I wanted to give you your Friday Tip.

Powder your face after you line your lips but before you put on your lipstick.

It helps the lipliner last without dulling your lipstick.