Cosmetics 101

Drugstore finds have always been a staple in many a girl's makeup collection.

One of the best drugstore cosmetics with the best value fort the dollar has been (for years) Wet n Wild.

For the sake of the "basics", let's just say tha Wet n Wild [WnW] cosmetics have been and will be the cosmetic of choice and recommendation of Back to Basics 101 [B2B101] from this point forward.

Wet n Wild aka WnW has products for every facet of the body: eyes, lips, face, nails, body...they even sell accessories. The best part about WnW is the convenience and availability of WnW in so many places and cities. Walmart, Walgreens, CVS--these are just the obvious locations, but supermarkets are on the list of total convenience too. In addition, WnW is a generous provider of coupons in magazines, etc. WnW has the most generous coupons that I have seen (ex: $5.00 off a $10.00 purchase-thats 50% off!) especially considering the value for each item.

Something else that w2e appreciate about WnW is the low key marketing and advertising they do. They don't have all of these expensive-high profile commercials with actresses and well known faces in order to get you to buy. The value, quality and accessibility is what keeps their customers returning. Thank you Wet n Wild! B2B101 is a fan of companies who don't make us as consumers fit the bill for high priced marketing campaigns! We intend here to get the word out--as WnW deserves--the good ol'fashioned way--by earning it!

Keep an eye out for the old school cosmetic that we have been enjoying for so many years. Amongst other old school contenders, WnW is in a 21st century league of their own!

Flattering Fashions 101

Find Your Fit????!?!?!??!!?

First you need to know your body shape. Then review clothing styles that fill fit your body shape. Sometimes, just the wrong style on a particular body shape is the issue.

There are many different ways to talk about body shape, but as you learn which you have, you can dress to flatter that shape and make yourself look fabulous. Clothes should fit the larges part of your body, FORGET about the number size. Size numbers vary from vendor to vendor--DO YOU first--dare I say ALTERATIONS ladies!?! Don't be a fashion victim in denial! Make your life easier by just thinking of your needs and body type first:)

Women come in many shapes and sizes. The clothing that you wear should flatter your form. There are five basic body types. Know your body type to help you to choose the shape or combinations of shapes that best "fits" your body. Select from there...don't get caught up and confused here--Hang in there with me:)

Body Types:

A

Body is straight up and down without defined waistline. Top and bottom are almost the same size.

If this is you: Create a gently indented waist

• Wear belts to imply your waist, but not too tightly.
  
  
• Avoid three-quarter length sleeves, they call attention to a lack of waist.
  
  
• Keep your neckline interesting, draw attention to your face.
  
  
• Keep clothing loose, not tight-fitting.

B

You carry your weight in the middle, a fuller waistline

If this is you: Create length and a smaller midsection

• Shoulder pads are recommended.
  
  
• Show your legs to visually add height.
  
  
• Wear prints or patterns either all over or on the bottom only.
  
  
• Use thin, draped belts to imply a waist.

C

Broader shoulders and/or larger bust than hips, often thin legs

If this is you: create balance between top and bottom.

• no shoulder pads
  
  
• wear darker colors on top
  
  
• wear bright colors and patterns on bottom
  
  
• avoid tight fitting belts
  
  
• avoid frills, ruffles and pockets on tops
  
  
• accessories should be simple
  

D

Broader hips than shoulders

If this is you: create balance between top and bottom.

• Use shoulder pads to balance hips with shoulders.
  
  
• Wear tops with lots of interest, patterns and bright colors.
  
  
• Bottom pockets should be either angled or sewn flat.
  
  
• Wear soft, flowing, non clinging material on bottom.
  

E

Even width of shoulders and hips with defined waistline

If this is you: keep your proportions as balanced as they appear.

• Emphasize your waist.
  
  
• Wear any color combination, print or pattern.
  
  
• Prints or patterns should be on top and bottom to keep balance.
  
  
• If very curvy, lessen by using soft blouses and long tops to create a straight look.

One of the biggest fears I hear over and over is that if everything that doesn’t fit my shape and doesn’t flatter my body I won’t have anything. When actually going through the process, every single woman finds that they really do have clothing left afterwards. They not only feel better about how they look when getting dressed they also don’t suffer as often from the I don’t have anything to wear syndrome.

Closet Basics 101

I find it healthy to "purge" my closet at least once a year--if you can stand to do it once every six months or less...go for it! Sometimes we hold on to things that are either too old, worn out, ripped, to small...lets be realistic here...if you haven't worn it...dump it...you will feel victorious.

With that said, there are a few basic items all women should have as staples that can be built upon with other items here and there.f

Two pairs of dark slacks - in a neutral color (neutrals are gray, brown, black, dark blue). Be sure to get a straight leg cut. The fiber is up to your liking and lifestyle, but they should drape.

Two pairs of jeans -they should be different wash and lengths for different looks

Two skirts - a straight skirt (aka pencil) and an A line. Fabrics and colors can vary, but stick to solids just below the knew

Shirts - you should have a basic white button front basic shirt

Two-Three sweaters - The fabric should be a lightweight, merino or cashmere

• One black (for trousers)
  
• One neutral.
  
• One you can wear to work OR with jeans

Jackets

• Jackets should be tailored to fit just above the hip. (get a few in solids, prints, or stripes--you can mix and match for work or with jeans:)

Three coats

• A classic trench coat or raincoat with a zip -out wool liner for multiple seasons
  
• A knee-length transition coat that works for day and night
  
• A winter coat (if you live in a cold area)

Dress

• A little black dress

Three Bags

• A classic leather style with clean lines that works for everything.
  
• A fun tote bag
  
• A small evening bag

Shoes (at least five, but whose counting!)

• A pair of black pumps 2.5-3.5 inch heel (peep toe is cute now)
  
• A evening shoe with a close toe in a black satin.
  
• A pair of tall black boots
  
• Bad-weather boots
  
• A pair of sneakers or tennis shoes.

Cleaning Basics

There is a basic way to take care of all of your household cleaning needs. It's multi-purpose as well--one container will take care of laundry, kitchen cleaning, even bugs and weeds. This "miracle cleaner" is vinegar. Vinegar forms through the fermentation of sugars or starches. It is completely edible, and non-toxic. Back in the day, before all of these fancy cleaners came on the market, our grandmothers used it for so many things. The uses of vinegar are nearly endless. The health benefits are many as well. If you want to change some of your living habits to a more "green" fashion...this is one of the easiest and most BASIC:)

In this article, we are focusing on the uses of vinegar as a cleaner. Vinegar is used in 100% concentration unless otherwise specified.

1) Get a spray bottle
2) All Around the House--stains, stickers, odors, carpet, metals (silver, pewter, copper--use 1tsp. salt), no wax floors, wood, windows,
3) In the Bathroom--removes corrosion, chemical buildup, faucets, shower walls, toilet bowl (for abrasive needs, add salt)
4) In the Kitchen--get rid of ants, remove odors from garbage disposal (let sit for 1hour), wipe hands after chopping onions or garlic, boil water with it to remove cooked food smell or burnt smell, cleans microwave (boil a bowl of water), to clean coffee maker, counters, refrigerators, stove tops, cleans stains off china (use salt for abrasion).
5) In the Laundry--prevents colors from running (soak before), decrease lint (1/2 cup in rinse cycle), remove soap residue from machine, removes smoke smell from clothes.

Summer Hair Basics

Combat salt and sand
Problem: Those natural abrasives can damage strands. Step-by-Step Solution:Bar sand. Comb a hot-oil treatment into damp strands to create a barrier that will keep sand from wrecking your hair. Rinse religiously. Soak your hair with clean water before leaving the beach. Really rehydrate. After a day at the beach, treat your tresses to a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner to repair the cuticles' outer layer.
Conquer chlorine green
Problem: Pool chemicals can bleach out color and leave hair looking greenish and feeling brittle. Step-by-Step Solution:Douse your do. Saturate dry hair with tap water before a swim. Wet hair won't absorb as many pool chemicals as dry hair. Use protection! Comb in a leave-in conditioner to further block chemicals from penetrating. Clear things up. Once a week use a clarifying shampoo to get rid of chlorine and chemicals that have built up.

daily beauty routines--made simple!

summer is coming...
time to trade heavy products and colors for light and shimmery products and colors. do it and you will feel better and ready for steamy summertime:)

1--start with your brows

• well-defined eyebrows can make your face look more polished. even when you do not have much time for makeup, good brows pay their way! make time 1x a week to groom them and 2x a month to shape them and you will see days and days of rewards and a more simple daily routine! (splurge on a professional shaping every 3-6 months and maintain the look at home weekly:)

2--simplify your cleansing ritual.

• for oily skin, use a facewash and toner. for dry skin wash with a creamy based cleanser and moisturize. morning use SPF and at night use a moisturizer--no matter what your skin type! do not just use a foundation with SPF, apply your SPF lotion first, then a base makeup--or switch to a tinted face lotion with automatic SPF (that has all three steps: moisturizer, sunscreen and foundation)

Relationships 101

Noone is perfect, but whether you are a man looking for the best woman for you, or a woman looking for Mr. Right,--take a look at these top 6 qualities in order to have a good stable relationship:)

6) Nag free. A good woman or man is going to be nag free. Nagging is an ineffective method of trying to get your loved one to perform a task you desire. Trust me – it doesn’t work and often will have the opposite of its intended affect.

5) Supportive. Are you supportive? What does it mean to be supportive? Do you belittle your loved one or do you help him/her to feel good about him/herself his/her job, activities? Your loved one will be much more respectful of you if you are supportive. Even when you don’t agree with him/her – respectfully let him/her know you don’t agree – then support support support anyway. Otherwise, if he/she has difficulties – he/she will feel as though you’re adding to his troubles.

4) Build up your loved one. There’s no quicker way to build resentment in your loved one than to criticize – especially in front of others. On the flip side – try genuinely complementing your loved one in front of other people. Your loved one will glow with admiration toward you and you’ll feel his/her appreciation as love.

3) Respect. A good partner will try to treat his/her lover with respect. How? Much of learning how to be respectful toward your love one has to do with the way you talk to him/her. The old phrase “It’s not so much what you say but how you say it” should become your motto. This doesn’t mean you need to be careful what you say to your love one– just be respectful in the way you say it.

2) Communicate. Ironically, good communication between men and women can be quite frustrating. However, a good partner will seek to discover what’s on his/her other partner's mind and find a way to express him/herself in a calm manner. Take the time to have a "talk". Often, men and women will make a joint decision – while the man thinks she’s in agreement with him – but only to discover later that she thought the decision was a bad idea. Talk it out!

1) Be pleasant. Work to be pleasant toward your partner. Don’t be one of those people who makes everyone around you feel bad just because you’ve had a hard day. Good things will come from being pleasant. It’s a decision – just decide to be pleasant. But if you can’t be pleasant – make a decision not to bring your loved one down with you.

Happiness

Most of us look forward to living many years experiencing happiness and contentment.
We hope to live the lives that we have dreamed of—a life of happiness... Life is captured in moments ingrained in our memories, so we should make each moment count with acceptable actions that work toward our goals. The following are some tips and practices that will promote happiness in your life:

1. Set a good example. Live a life that embraces fairness, sincerity, thoughtfulness and caring. Younger people, as well as adults, are impressed with those who have principles and stand up for what is right.
2. Be thankful. Life is to be enjoyed. Part of that enjoyment is accepting blessings with appreciation and gratitude.
3. Avoid anger. Someone once said “Anger is like throwing stones at a bee hive; you may be surprised at what happens.” Bouts of anger imply no control, a situation usually resulting in regret and disappointments. Often an angered person loses friends, partners and others. No one likes to be caught in a web of uncontrolled anger.
4. Be POSITIVE. It is easy to become discouraged always thinking the worst is to come. Financial problems, health concerns, and family troubles, at times, make life seem onerous and burdensome. Review life achievements, friendships and other assets. Gain control and see the good in your life and in the lives of others.
5. Live with self-discipline. Developing self- discipline means learning to say “no” to situations that might damage physically or mentally. Many decisions are made daily. Distinguish those that are beneficial from those that are harmful. Control your life with thought, intelligence and zeal.
6. Work against self-pity. Feeling sorry for yourself is a solitary occupation which doesn’t impress or attract friends. Develop self-assurance based on your past accomplishments and accentuate the positive aspects of your life.

One last thing...accept what you cannot change. Change the things you can:)

Time & Money well saved!

Didn’t want to do it, but it saves time and money—MENU PLANNING!

Menu planning has had three sanity and money saving effects in the typical household: no more twenty-minute "what do you want for dinner" discussions, one trip (not two or three trips) to the grocery store every week, and a 20% drop in the monthly grocery spending.

I plan one week at a time, but how often to plan is really up to you. Here are some of my tips for menu planning. It really is worth the effort.

Get Input From The Rest Of The Family –Get some ideas from the rest of the family.

Check The Sale Ads – Coordinate your planning with what is on sale that weekJ you can even shop for two weeks. Use double coupons on top of it and save more cash! Some stores do price matching if you bring in the flier from another store! YUP! ASLO, stock up on in season items and on sale items...plan around that as well!

Keep A Meal & Ingredients List –Before you sit down to make the week's menu, take stock of cabinets and match what you need to use and what you have the most of to any meal and ingredient list.

Keep It Simple – Every night's meal does not have to be an exciting and special event. You can do themes; Mexican night, Italian night, casserole night, breakfast night, etc.

Be Flexible– It's Tuesday night and spaghetti is on the menu. For whatever reason, you don't think you can even stand to look at spaghetti, much less eat it. It's ok to have a few backups. Keep a few frozen dinners or pizzas around for backupJ

Don't Forget Your Lunch –When you plan the dinner menu for the week, also try to plan lunches. Leftovers are great lunches!

Makeup: Why Wear IT?

It was the Roman Dramatist Plautus who wrote, "A woman without makeup is like food without salt". You do not need make-up to be beautiful. Makeup helps those of us who wish our cheekbones were higher, our skin more evenly toned, or our jaws more prominent.

Makeup is also a way to celebrate features we love and want to draw attention. From an unusual shade of eyeliner and long, flirty eyelashes, to a brighter lipstick and a bit of sparkle across the cheekbones - make up is the grown-up equivalent of dressing-up.

Makeup should be natural looking and a natural part of your daily routine. Less is more:)

Basic essentials:

SPF lotion

Concealer

Pressed Powder

Bronzer or Blush

Blush Brush

Mascara

Eyelash Curler

Lipstick, Gloss, or Chap-stick:)

Beauty Problems 101

Beauty Problems--SOLVED!

Poker straight lashes

Invest in a good eyelash curler, as they really make a difference to the way your eyes look. Gently squeeze your lashes between their cushioned pad before applying mascara. Curling your lashes makes them look thicker than usual and helps to open up the eyes.

Smudged eyeliner

Tidy up the under-eye area by dipping a cotton bud into some remover. Whisk it over the problem area to remove smudges, then re-powder. In future, remember to run a little loose powder over eyeliner to combat smudging.

Flaky Lips

If your lips are flaky you will find it difficult to create a smooth lipstick finish. Slick your lips with petroleum jelly and leave for 10 minutes to give it time to soften hard flakes of skin.

Flake off gently with a wash cloth. Smooth on one more time with a light layer before applying lipstick or gloss:)

Don't Spend More (than u make!)

When you spend more money than you make each month you are bound to have money problems very quickly. Sometimes we don't realize till its too late!

How many times have you used the credit cards to buy a TV, school clothes and supplies, fixed the car, or any number of things and not realized that you just exceeded your monthly income. You may have even realized it but thought there is always next month.

Credit cards are the biggest culprit but they aren't the only way to spend more than you make. Ugg, and Payday loans, don't get me started! Paying the "minimum" of $15 a month, at first, doesn't seem too bad, but when you consider that you are paying 400% interest of a years time--well, you do the math!

When you want or need something, you must first ask yourself...CAN I AFFORD IT?

First, make a budget. Analyze the cost of your expenses vs. income. After you do the math, see what is left over. Do NOT forget to include an amount per month for MISCELLANEOUS items--which most people forget.

I have seen people with as little as $500 a month income manage their finances very well while someone else with $5000 income can't make it last the entire month. It all boils down to planning. If you plan your bills and purchases each month with the goal of not exceeding your income, you can make it on almost any income. Sometimes, the more you make, the more you spend....PLANNING is KEY!