Top 10 Beauty Tips for the Fashionista

There are a few things that every fashionista should know. Since we are not born with the knowledge, I have compiled a list of my top ten beauty tips to keep you looking like you just stepped off of the runway.

1. Moisturize morning and night. Sun, wind, makeup and chemicals in the air have a drying and aging effect on the skin. After cleansing your face thoroughly, apply a high quality moisturizer to the face and neck, using gentle circular motions. It is also good to apply a product made especially for the eye area. I like the Hydroxatone moisturizing line available at www.hydroxatone.com. It is a little pricey, (starting at $80), but I feel that it is well worth the cost.

2. Always allow ample time for your moisturizer to be absorbed before you apply makeup. Failure to do so results in an unnatural finish and may appear as if your makeup is sliding off of your face. 5 to 10 minutes is a good amount of time to wait, depending on the thickness of your facial moisturizer. I like to use this time to blow dry my hair.

3. After you shampoo and condition, always rinse your hair with cool water. the cool water will not only lock the conditioning properties into the hair shaft, but it will ensure a softer, shinier, frizz free finish.

4. Always use a diffuser or the lowest heat setting when you blow dry your hair. Heat has a tendency to cause damage and frizz.

5. To ensure maximum volume, use a volumizing mousse like Cibu Shang High Volumizing Mousse, $20 for eight ounces at www.cibuinternational.com , on your roots. As you blow dry, flip hair over so that you are drying it upside down to get the full benefit of this great volumizing product.

6. When using a curling iron or hot rollers to curl your hair, make sure to apply a thermal protectant like Nexxus Heat Protexx Heat Protection Spray (about $16) before you curl. As you curl, or after you remove the hot rollers, allow ample time for your hair to cool before styling your curls. After your hair has cooled, flip you head over and shake your curls out. This creates a full tousled look.

7. Cracked, peeling lips are very unattractive and can ruin your overall look. To avoid this faux pas, use a lip exfoliator like Philosophy Kiss Lip Exfoliating lip scrub, available at www.sephora.com for around $15, in conjunction with a lip moisturizer like Malin + Goetz lip moisturizer ($12 at www.barneys.com).

8. Never forget about your hands and feet. Maintain a consistent manicure and pedicure schedule. Peple do notice, and even Jimmy Choo can't make dry, cracked feet with chipped polish look good.

9. Always carry a fast fix kit. This should include oil absorbing facial sheets like Clean and Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets (about $5.50 at www.shopcleanandclear.com, eyeliner to match your shade of the day, face powder, lip gloss, cotton swabs for little smudges, as well as odds and ends like safety pins to fix minor fashion emergencies.

10. The most important beauty tip of all is to never, EVER, try a new beauty treatment or product on the day of an event. Blotches, breakouts, rashes, and allergic reactions are part of the price that we pay for beauty, but don't let them ruin your big day. Do a test run of the treatment or product at least two weeks prior to the event to make sure that it does not cause any reactions.