MUST LOVE LIPSTICK
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Lifestyle

New Year, New Site, New Topics. Let’s GO!

Happy New Year everyone! Well okay, I realize that we are already into February at this point, but life happens and it’s sometimes merely impossible to stick to our internal guidelines. I know you get it too!

Anyway, with this re-launch and overhaul of Must Love Lipstick, I have decided to take things in a much needed new direction. These past years have been something I barely talk about. We are living in a “Smoke and Mirrors” type of society. With the evolution of social media, we are all guilty, in some way, of painting a more perfect existence of our lives. But, it’s all a facade. Trust me.

When I launched Must Love Lipstick years ago, it was a way for me to get lost and forget about my devastation and heartache. Talking about makeup, applying it and specifically writing about it, has been a major coping skill for me since I launched my site. But with the evolution of my life, has come the responsibility I now feel to share more of what my life consists of behind the scenes. We all know and recognize the term SILVER LINING. Well, my story has one too. What I have now come to realize is, with my site and social media in general, I am able to share on a much bigger platform. So after today, my blog will consist of multiple topics. From my usual makeup and skincare, to health and fitness, what’s good for the soul, a more detailed Q & A section, to my own real life journey revolving around mental health and my role and mission of becoming an advocate.

Don’t worry, my site is still going to consist of topics you can enjoy and get lost in. My crafty and artistic side will showcase a D.I.Y. section. With anything and everything from clothing to Interior design to the basic life hacks we all need to know! The beauty in life is that we have so many things our individual lives revolve around, and what I have found most comforting in this journey these past few years, is hearing the stories of others. It allows me to feel that I am not alone in all of this. I also realize, that me sharing my story and experiences can possibly help another person to heal, take steps to find help or just lend an ear or a voice and help put an end to some of the stigmas in society. I will tell you this, never judge a book by it’s cover, because when you actually start reading that book, you will surely be surprised by their story. At the end of the day, the perfect ending to my story will be helping others and making a difference.

Thank you for continuing to support me on this journey, this is just the beginning of this next chapter. I’m glad you are along for the ride!

Much Love- Jen

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Health & Fitness

My Go To Workouts for Staying Strong & Fit

Let me first start by saying, as I’m getting older, it is more of a daily challenge to stay fit! I will always be envious of the people that say they actually enjoy working out. Although, I love the way I feel mentally afterward, and of course I feel rewarded when my body looks strong and fit…It is still a challenge to get myself motivated daily. Let’s just say, sometimes, I have to get in the mindset that my life depends on this workout!! Haha. With that being said, let’s dive right in.

Fitness is not about being better than someone else…it’s about being better than you used to be.  –  unknown

I have always been relatively slim. Although I’m a healthy eater, I still indulge from time to time like everyone else. Let me give you a bit of background on my upbringing and what kinds of activities I was involved in growing up. My Mom always kept us super active. She also always encouraged us three girls to try new things. Even though I was definitely a tomboy at one stage of my life, I never ever wanted to play sports! I wanted to do all of the girly things like gymnastics, ice skating, dancing and cheerleading. So we were kept pretty busy doing numerous physical activities growing up.

As I got a bit older, I found different forms of working out that kept my body toned and in shape. Now let me reiterate, I am old enough at this point, to understand that our body changes through the years and our workouts need to be modified to target the new problem area(s) we have acquired. (Now, those of you that are younger and have not experienced this yet)  things change as you get older. Trends also change. I remember when I was in my early twenties, no one wanted to have a big, round booty! Now it’s all the rage. Thankfully, since that has always been my problem area, or shall I say, hardest area to keep firm! My workouts have always consisted of a healthy balance of cardio, light weights and strength training. Years ago, I used to spend a lot of time in aerobic or step classes. But the past 12 years or so, my cardio mainly consists of running on a treadmill or running five miles outside.

Now, please let me remind you, my current workout regime, is what works for me! It may not be exactly what your body needs. I will always remember, years ago after a car accident, I had to go to physical therapy. There was a woman one day that said to me “What do you do to stay in shape?” I answered, I basically just run. She quickly snapped back, “Oh just wait, when you get older you are going to need much more than running!” Which, now that it is twenty plus years later, she was partially right. Yes, my body type, still to this day, can get completely toned just by running alone. But I definitely like the look of being a bit more sculpted, which I get from strength training and weights. It also helps with my core muscles and helps keeps me stronger overall.

Two of my favorite all time workouts, are workouts you can do at home. Yes, I know I’m going to sound like an infomercial here. But my go to workouts are Barry’s Bootcamp and Brazil Butt Lift. I get it. You have probably seen those commercials with the Victoria Secret models claiming it works for them. Whether or not Brazil Butt Lift is actually their go to workout? I don’t know.  But what I do know, is it WORKS! The Barry’s Bootcamp home workouts I do, are very manageable and very target oriented. The ab workout is better than the workout I got from a personal trainer. No joke! It completely transforms your core and ab muscles. And better yet, each targeted workout is only abound 12 minutes long.

Brazil Butt Lift, is a bit more challenging. You have to be disciplined with this workout (as you should be with any workout) But this one specifically. I would suggest you commit to the initial 60 day challenge workout to see the best results and then you can do maintenance workouts. I also like running along with both of these regimes. It helps speed up your results. The other key factor for achieving quicker results, is eating right. Go light on the carbs and your core muscles will start to show definition much quicker.

Last but not least, I love a good outdoor hike. Living in Southern California, and L.A. specifically, allows me to enjoy some of the best hiking spots! I also love what being outdoors does to my mind, body and spirit. It helps ease my anxiety at times and gives me a feeling of peace and tranquility. Even if it’s just for a few minutes, I’ll take it!

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Make Up

L.A. Girl Pro Coverage HD Illuminating Foundation

First and foremost, let me apologize for my month(s) long absence. SO much has been happening behind the scenes and one day I will share with you and it will all make sense. But for now, let’s get on to this long overdue review!

I must admit, that although I love a great drugstore bargain, I have NEVER, EVER used a drugstore foundation in my life. As you know, I’m a diehard fan of my beloved Dolce & Gabbana Creamy Foundation. But after watching a handful of YouTube videos where vloggers raved about this foundation. I thought, “What do I have to lose?” Worse case scenario is I’m out of $9. But even most drugstores take back cosmetics these days if you’re unsatisfied. So, after stumbling across this L.A. Girl Pro Coverage HD Illuminating Foundation I had been hearing all of this hype about, I decided to snatch up my own bottle in the shade NUDE BEIGE. I had read that the color choice in this foundation can be a bit challenging, so I went with a color that seemed to look pretty close to my Dolce & Gabbana foundation color of Warm 100.

Now on to the application. I started with my usual Anti Aging Primer by Amazing Cosmetics and then I blended away with my beauty blender. At first, I thought there was no way I could pull off this shade, as it appeared way too dark. Even with my self tanner, it still seemed a coupe shades darker than my go to. But let me just say, the consistency of this foundation is phenomenal. It disperses from the pump in a pretty runny fashion, but boy does this stuff cover. It covers any pigmentation I have on my face and quickly covers any blemishes. For the areas on my checks where I have a bit more dark spots, I lightly applied a second thin layer and it covered EVERYTHING. I usually have to go back in and spot conceal, but not with this miracle foundation.

Once I applied my concealer, my face did lighten up color wise. I then applied my La Mer (original formula) loose translucent powder with my damp Real Techniques beauty blender and my skin looked flawless and airbrushed. I have also used this foundation with my Dolce & Gabbana Pressed powder with equally impressive results. I just needed to set it with a setting spray to get it to melt into the skin a bit more. By this point, the fact that the foundation was slightly too dark when I started off, had all but left my mind. My skintone was warmed up and I did not feel the need to apply my usual bronzer. Although I still contoured around the parameter of my face, the color and finish looked great.

I would say that this foundation my be a miss for anyone with oily skin, as it does seem quite hydrating. By the end of the day, I do feel the need to powder it down a bit more, but it never sets in my fine lines or wrinkles.

One more quick fact about this foundation is, it comes in a white shade as well. I LOVE this idea. This gives you the ability to quickly change the color of your foundation with a few quick drops. I have yet to try it myself, but I will definitely be picking one up as we head into Winter. I feel as though this trick and formula will work beautifully with all of my other favorite foundations. Stay tuned…and I will let you know how that works out!

Thanks again for your patience and support during my lack of posts. It means the world to me that you stuck around!

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Make Up

Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Luminous Liquid Foundation

It’s no surprise my NEW favorite foundation is by Dolce & Gabbana. I just can’t seem to find another foundation that I love as much as theirs. Dolce & Gabbana’s Perfect Luminous Foundation is simply perfection in a bottle. I know you probably get tired of me raving about my Dolce products, but seriously, I don’t think I’ve met a product of theirs yet that I don’t adore, and this foundation is no different. It definitely has a lighter feel that my usual Prefect Creamy Foundation, but it’s every bit as good and it’s name basically says it all. It makes my skin look perfectly luminous and I love the fact that it doesn’t dry out my already dehydrated complexion. I do use this foundation over my usual anti-aging primer by Amazing Cosmetics so it helps keep my makeup looking fresh all day without having to touch up at all. I wear the color Natural Glow 100 (for reference I’m an NC-25 in MAC) and it has the perfect amount of warmth to it and definitely livens up my skin. I have been using my new favorite foundation brush (stay tuned to see which one it is) to blend my foundation. The two together give me an airbrushed, picture perfect face! Now…”Say Cheese:)”

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Beauty

St Tropez Tan Makes Bikini Season Better!

St Tropez Tan: Part of my bikini body routine

Staying healthy and in shape is super important to me. But of course there are a ton of things I do to keep my bikini body ready (BESIDES the St Tropez tan!). I generally maintain a pretty healthy diet, but those of you that know me also know I’m a huge fan of the occasional bacon cheeseburger and fries! Come on, a girl has to live a little. Below are the basics of my bikini body routine.

Step 1)

Exercise. I start out at least five days a week working out. Whether it be running on the treadmill in my gym, doing Barry’s Bootcamp or, one of my all time favorite workouts in the comfort of my own home, Brazil Butt Lift. Ha, yes, I was one of those people that watched that infomercial for hours on end believing I could get that Victoria Secret body they kept showing over and over again! But, honestly, it’s an amazing workout. Perfect for the ideal bikini body! The key to exercise is that it doesn’t matter where you do it; outdoors, the gym or your living room, you just have to DO IT! Ok, I’m not plugging Nike here, although I love my Nike’s 🙂

Step 2)

Exfoliate. This is SO important ladies: I exfoliate my body daily. First, I start with dry brushing my entire body before jumping in the shower each morning. I begin at my ankles and work my way up. It gets my circulation flowing and also helps remove dead skin. Once in the shower, I use my favorite drugstore body wash by Soapsoap. It’s their Coconut Exfoliating Scrub and is a basic staple that I’ve been using for at least 5 years.

Last but not least, probably my favorite product in this post, is the BECCA Coffee Scrub. I use this 2-3 times a week on my problem area, my bum! After scrubbing, let it sit on the skin for at least 5 minutes before washing it off. It immediately helps smooth out my skin and leaves it virtually “dimple free.”

Step 3)

Target that cellulite! I have this amazing little tool I ordered on Amazon. I know you have all seen this little contraption and probably think it’s a joke. How could some little circular object with a handle help combat cellulite? But it works! Of course , you have to eat right and exercise, but with regular use it definitely helps break down those pesky lumps and bumps. All you have to do is use it with a great lotion and massage in a circular motion for 5-10 minutes. I normally do it while watching T.V. and it is actually pretty relaxing. Shouldn’t be hard to get the man in your life to help out with that one either! You can also use it with one of my favorite serums by Nivea, Goodbye Cellulite for a little more help, but regular lotion works great too!

Step 4)

Moisturize. This is the key to beautiful, healthy skin. I have been moisturizing my entire body, head to toe, for as long as I can remember. Starting in elementary school.  No joke! Use a moisturizer that is for your body type and go from there. My all time favorite body lotion is Nivea Essentially Enriched for extra dry skin. I have been using this lotion for at least 10 years, maybe longer. Also, you want to keep up the sunscreen to prevent sun damage to your skin!

I know we all want that golden tan, but the sun does so much damage to your skin that it will break down your collagen and will cause premature aging and even worse, could cause skin cancer. Staying out of the sun and wearing sunblock have been my saving grace! I still rock an amazing tan, but it’s fake and I LOVE it…so now I’m sure you can guess what my final step is for getting my bikini body ready?

Step 5 – The St Tropez Step

Self Tan. This is one of my favorite steps! Duh! I am obsessed with self tanners. You are all aware by now that this obsession exists. If you follow my blog regularly, you know how many self tanners I have reviewed. Well, my most recent purchase happens to be by the longtime cult favorite tanning company, St. Tropez. I often switch my tanners up just because I love trying different products, and it’s part of my job, but this latest find, St. Tropez Dark Tanning mousse, is just that: DARK! 

If you are new to tanning, you may want to start with something a tad lighter because, with this one, you have to move quickly while applying (that’s why I think it’s perfect for the pros!). But if you have your heart set on the darkest tan I’ve come across in a bottle, the St Tropez tan is the one for you! It instantly gives you a deep, dark, golden tan in minutes.

You will want to make sure you give it at least 5-10 minutes to dry before getting dressed then you’re good to go. I’ve found that the initial color can rub off on your clothes if you sweat, etc, but after 3 hours you can wash it off and you’ll be left with the most beautiful tan on the planet. It is a bit on the pricey side, but it’s oh so worth it! The St Tropez tan is my new go-to.

Step 6)

Grab your bikini (with your St Tropez tan, of course) your sunblock, hat and favorite sunglasses (maybe a cocktail) & head to the pool!

What a perfect way to spend a much deserved day off-

bikini body 8

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