7 techniques to help you stop procrastinating and get things done:

* How to decide whether to procrastinate
* Monitor how you currently spend your time (< be present, be accountable for your minutes!)
* Does ‘Just Do It’ actually work?
* Why starting with the smallest things first causes you to procrastinate
* How to split up stuff into smaller chunks
* Do you like rewards or punishments? (< I like both! And honestly, both work to motivate me.)
* How to manage your attention span to your advantage
* Find out how to stop chasing bright shiny objects all the time
* Go public with your agenda (< Probably one that works the best for me)

The introduction reminds you of the reasons why procrastination doesn’t help you. I do feel like a lot of the techniques are things we’ve heard over the years and we know we want to do, but forget about easily. I did agree with everything mentioned.

This is written and referred to as a “report” and it’s definietly something that’s dry without a personable writing voice. But that means you can get through it quickly, and re-read it whenever you find yourself slipping back into procrastination. The author is definietly someone who has researched things, comes across as intelligent, and has outlined everything to be absorbed very easily.

I do think that for this to improve it should have had more of a personal approach and more examples so that it becomes especially memorable in your mind, and becomes something you want to re-read. It’s definitely worth one read, and luckily it’s a very low price. I also think that there should be an “about the author” bit. When reading I wanted to know who was Trevor, what is his job and what are his qualifications, that kind of stuff.

Check out the: Amazon Kindle download for just $2.99

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

CBS/Getty

Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Hair Tutorial

HAIR that’s bouncy! Because you’re kind of like a mermaid angel…thing!

See all the outfits! >> Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2011 Pictures of Alessandra Ambrosio, Miranda Kerr, More

The idea for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion show hair was for it to have body and be tousled and glamorous but no tight curls allowed. The hair for the 2011 show was done by Orlando Pita.

1: Curl hair with a 1-inch or 1 1/4-inch barrel curling iron. As you do this make sure you make the curls turn outward (or alternate, having your hair closest to your face turning outward first. And don’t be afraid to muss up your hair after you’ve curled it. Perfection is boring.) Normally you alternate curling inward and outward, and the hair towards your face is always supposed to be curled inward. But this is a little bit more rebellious of a look. It also helps give the movement in the hair as the VS models walk the runway.

Get the Makeup Looks! >> Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Makeup Tutorial

2: Get volume and texture with the addition of the VS So Sexy Style Clean & Go Dry Shampoo ($14, victoriassecret.com) and then use a shine spray. I find that I don’t need to use a shine spray anymore now that I use this fantastic blow dryer with a powerful motor for my annoyingly thick hair (listen, yes it IS annoying when you shower in the morning and then you have wet hair in the winter that needs to be dried before you leave.)

Candice Swanepoel above and Adriana Lima below.

But I also love the Eufora Pure Polish Drops to give some shine and take away frizz. A bottle of that stuff lasts basically forever.

Get the Victoria’s Secret Model Makeup and Hair look like Miranda Kerr, Alessandra Ambrosio and Adrianna Lima. The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2011 airs tonight at 10/9 c on CBS.

The makeup artist for the VS Fashion Show is Tom Pencheux and he gave the girls a natural, feminine, glowing, angelic look.

Photo by CBS/Getty

(Source: US Magazine)

Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Makeup Look

“Enough with the false lashes. We used to do a lot of fakeness: false lashes, fake tan, blah, blah, blah. This year we kill everything. No more fakeness.” Except for the fake breasts, huh?

Start with your face and cheeks

MAKEUP: face time!
1: Skin was prepped with the VS PRO Airbrush FX Face Primer SPF 20 ($18, victoriassecret.com) to create a supple canvas for makeup to glide on. Any face primer will work, of course.
2: Apply tinted moisturizer (Neutrogena makes a nice one) and then use a concealer for problem areas. (I prefer to use mineral makeup so you only need to use the foundation with a concealer brush. The EcoTools concealor brush is amazing, btw. Perfect for spots and under the eye.)
3: Apply VS Baked Mineral Bronzing Powder in Glitterati ($16, victoriassecret.com) over the face, especially over the top of your forehead, the temples, the cheekbones and your jawline.
4: Pink Blush should be applied on the apples of your cheeks and then swirled upwards towards your temples.
5: To ensure you look like a living angel just dust VS Brilliant Shimmer Shadow in Gold Dust ($12, victoriassecret.com) onto temples and along the tops of your cheekbones. I suspect this might be a step too far if you’re not going to be on a runway, though.

>> Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2011 Pictures of Alessandra Ambrosio, Miranda Kerr, More

MAKEUP: eyes!
1: Eye shadow primer. Always important to keep your eye shadow from creasing! I use Senna as my winter eyes primer because it’s thick and it works.
2: Liquid highlighter under eyes to cancel out dark undereyes seems like an unnecessary step after concealer, but it’s what the angels had done to them.
3: Sweep some VS Brilliant Shimmer Shadow in Gold Dust ($12, victoriassecret.com) onto your brow bones and the inner corners of the eyes. You can also use any mineral eyeshadow to get the same great pigment and shimmer. Use it wet for evenmore concentrated color.

4: Black liquid eyeliner is applied to your upper lashline, starting at the inner corner and extending slightly beyond the outer corner for a slight upward cat-eye wing. Keep it natural. Less is more.
5: Plenty of volumizing and lengthening mascara in black on top and bottom lashes. I would forgo the bottom lashes, though.

MAKEUP: lips service!
1: Exfoliate lips with lip scrub or your toothbrush bristles. Get the dead skin gone.
2: Use VS Perfect Lipstick in Whisper (a pink champagne nude which looks totally blah until you wear it, I think.) ($13, victoriassecret.com)
3: Apply VS Lip Gloss is Sublime (a sheer coral) ($12, victoriassecret.com) or VS Sparkling Lip Gloss in Delight (a sheer sparkly pink) ($13, victoriassecret.com), “concentrating on the center of the mouth for added fullness and shine.”

>> Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Hair Tutorial

MAKEUP for your body!
1: Moisturize, then mist VS Beach Sexy Flawless Airbrush Instant Spray ($12, victoriassecret.com) over the entire body so you have a healthy glow.
2: Swirl a body brush in a bronzer and run it down the center of legs, on the collarbone and over shoulders for definition.

Black Friday 2011 Deals Online

Crest 3D White Whitestrips Vivid Enamel Safe Dental Whitening Kit, 10-count Carton – Link!

List Price: $44.80
Price: $11.03 ($1.10 / Count)
You Save: $33.77 (75%)

I actually got to review these. My review of them summarized is that: they work, but are not as all powerful as you’d wish they’d be. I think you need to do two sessions to achieve the whiteness that you’d ideally get in one. However, for this price it’s pretty easy to imagine doing two strip sessions in two days. It’s normally $44.80 for a box, and for this Amazon Black Friday deal it’s $11.03. That’s pretty damn good, even if you pay for shipping. If I didn’t still have some strips left, I’d buy these now.

Refreshing Foot Spray Review

Kanshi is a nice line created by Lydia Sarfati (I bet people have often called her “Safari” half her life) and it’s nice because it is a natural line of paraben-free aromatherapy spa products. And, hello, I like to fake spa at my house. One of the easiest spa at home ideas I can give you is to sit down, put your feet on a towel, and have someone spray this on one foot at a time while massaging your feet. It’s nothing you get in your everyday life so it’ll feel special. And getting your foot rubbed totally causes endorphins to kick up and make you feel happier.

The ingredients in this spray aren’t random. There’s lemon myrtle which is a natural anti-micorbal, anti-fungal and it cuts odors. There’s also peppermint, spearmint and cornmint (who’s heard of that?) which also adds a nice smell and does some tingling foot cooling action. There is also horse chestnut which is said to improve circulation. While I can’t say “oh, for sure it’s the horse chestnut that’s working!” since I’ve never given much thought to, uh, horse chestnut…I can tell you that when I sprayed this on one foot and not the other I felt a difference. But, not so fast. I wasn’t going to be tricked. I waited an hour. And then I decided to tell you how I felt. Well, the slightly overpowering smell that made me smell like a mint was gone. But the foot with the spray on it felt plumped up and like it had been freshly moisturized. I should tell you that I lotion my feet every day after the shower but I still never usually feel this nice feeling throughout the day, even an hour later.

While I don’t do enough serious gym activity to warrant a worry of fungus or truly bad foot odor (although that happened to me one summer when I wore this one pair of white tennis shoes sans socks the entire 3 months I was walking everywhere in the heat) I think that if you or someone in your household has that problem, this is going to help you out.

Part of me still would consider this a luxury item (as opposed to oil-free moisturizer which is a staple of mine) but I guess part of the point is that sometimes we want a luxurious item. And for the price of $10.00 (for 4 oz’s, in a decent sized spray bottle)  it’s affordable. If you’re on your feet a lot, this might be the “aaah” you’re looking for.

To order or see more visit KanshiBeauty.com for other aromatherapy items.

Because I value what you guys think, I’d love to hear in the comments whether this product gets a yay or nay from you. Would you want to try a refreshing foot spray or would you not bother?

Disclaimer: As stated, I was sent this for review purposes.

This perfume is of the beach during the mid 60′s – think of if like if Betty Draper went to the beach. Of course, I’m not a huge fan of Betty Draper…I digress. While people didn’t know too much about why sunscreen was so important back then, there was still some to use. And one of the brands was Coppertone. I’m sure you know the bottle – it’s iconic! A blonde girl with pigtails has a dog pulling on her bathing suit.

“The prime note in this scent is Coppertone 1967 blended with a new accord I created especially for this perfume – North Atlantic. The base of the scent contains a bit of Wet Sand, Seashell, Driftwood and just a hint of Boardwalk. The effect when you wear At The Beach 1966 is as if you’ve been swimming all day in the ocean.”

At The Beach 1966 – CB I Hate Perfume – HERE

“Imagine it’s about 4 o’clock on a golden summer afternoon and you’ve been at the beach all day rubbing yourself with Coppertone suntan lotion – but Coppertone as it existed in the 60′s, not quite as it is now… You walk into the surf as the waves break on the shore and, bending down to touch the surf, you notice the smell of your warm skin and of the salt water that seems so cold by comparison. It has just the faintest hint of watermelon rind!”

I recall the Coppertone beach days as smelling like coconut a little…but maybe my nose is tricking me. I love how there’s an entire story behind this scent. It makes me almost believe in a sort of time travel. (Great, and now I want to go watch Doctor Who.)

Do you have other suggestions of perfumes that smell like the beach? Tell us in the comments!

Jessica Szohr (Gossip Girl) is the face of this campaign, and she picked a great winning sleeveless shirt design, that is now being sold on Top Shop.

Dove Go Sleeveless Deodorant Review

What I can tell you is that it’s a pretty ingenious idea to combine some sort of softening lotion with deodorant/anti-perspirant because no one likes when their underarms have razor burn, and because you’re probably using deodorant daily you never have a chance to moisturize them separatley. It just makes sense to have a deodorant that can also work like a lotion. I used the product and found my underarms did appear both softer and smoother after only a couple days. It’s just a little thing, but it makes a big impact in how I feel.

How is it different? It is the only anti-per/deodorant with 1/4 moisturizers and vitamins E and F. I don’t know what the vitamins are all doing (although I know vitamin E is a healing vitamin), but the moisturizer makes a visible difference to me.  So, instead of just working like normal, it’s also working kind of like a lotion for your underarm skin.

Though these are solids, they don’t rub off on your clothing, and glide on nicely. It comes in a blue version which is the “Nourished Beauty” and a pink version which is the “Pearl Finish.”

Dove Go Sleeveless Giveaway on ShesSmart.com

Giveaway Prize: One reader of ShesSmart.com will win a white and blue L.L. Bean Dove go sleeveless tote (perfect for the beach, if I may say so) with a sleeveless shirt picked out by Jessica Szhor herelf (in S M or L), a subscription to either People, InStyle, Self or People StyleWatch and the new Dove go sleeveless deodorant for you to review yourself!

- Giveaway ends on June 20th, 2011!

MANDATORY FIRST ENTRY: Leave a comment telling me straight-up honestly whether you think you would buy this product in stores, and why or why not. (Talking points: Do you wear sleeveless shirts? Are you insecure about your armpits or do you think it’s silly to buy something to make them smoother? Do you trust the Dove brand, or do you buy whatever’s on sale?)

EXTRA CREDIT ENTRIES: (You must do the main entry first, post an additional comment for every bonus entry you do! If you’ve already followed us on twitter or subscribed to the newsletter, leave comments for those entries for every new giveaway and you’ll still get points for them! If something is worth 5 points, leave five comments.)

***Specific to this Giveaway, Additional Entry Methods***

* Tweet: #Win a Dove Gift Package from @ShesSmart - http://tinyurl.com/3f3qrbp

* Like Womennn on Facebook

* Like Ring O Blog on Facebook

***Standard, Additional Entry Methods***
* Follow Jessica Rae on Twitter
* Follow ShesSmart on Twitter
* Fan the ShesSmart Facebook page
* Comment on another (non giveaway) post and tell me the title. 3 points

USA residents only (unless otherwise noted.) 18+, no P.O. boxes. Winner will be chosen at random and will have 24 hours to respond with their shipping info. Subject to the official rules. Prizes mailed out by sponsors, this shopping blog not responsible for them. Disclosure: Review product (when there is a review) and prize provided by the giveaway sponsor. No monetary compensation is ever given for reviews.

Dove Go Sleeveless Contest with Jessica Szohr

“Jessica Szohr is inviting women everywhere to design their own sleeveless top with the go sleeveless Fashion Challenge app on Dove’s Facebook page here, where they can also view the sleeveless top gallery and vote on their favorite designs. By submitting a unique design, each participant will automatically be entered for a chance to win a New York City shopping trip with Jessica Szohr worth $5,000.” No Purchase Necessary. Void Where Prohibited. Ends 5/27/11. See Official Rules at www.dovegosleeveless.com for Details.

Fact of life: If you go out looking like crap, sans makeup, in fact – sans any attempt to look decent, you WILL, I repeat WILL, run into someone you know. Even better? They’ll want to chat with you, unaware of your pain to be seen like that. Or maybe they’ll even know, and they just think it’s funny to watch you squirm. This happened to me recently. I thought I would be safe to scoot outside around the block with sunglasses on, no makeup, and in unfortunate laundry day clothes. And wouldn’t you know it, someone that I always try to avoid caught me while I was looking in a store window. I had to make smalltalk. Smalltalk is really one of the worst things that can be asked of you. And if you have to make smalltalk while feeling like you look worse than crap… oy.

So what are the absolute makeup essentials that will make anyone forgive you (even your own mirror) if you look like a slob otherwise? And seriously – I’m not gonna list anything complicated because the whole point is that you don’t wanna deal with anything.

Use these weapons alone, or pair a couple up:

Tinted lip balm (it’s easy to apply without a mirror and never makes you look like you’re trying.) Try the new CoverGirl line of NatureLuxe Gloss Balm. I reviewed it: HERE. The shade I got has been my go-to lip look for a while now. It’s easy, it’s sheer, but it’s just enough that I feel a bit pulled together. It’s a step above a clear balm.

Blush (just to look awake.) I wear a light pink mineral blush from Eve Organics so it doesn’t clog my pores. Any blush will get the job done.

Sunglasses never hurt (cover up your eyes if you’ve been crying and you can cultivate a mysterious celebrity look.)

A high ponytail says ‘Hey, I’m hanging out, maybe I just jogged five miles!’

Using mineral makeup as a concealer to dab under your eyes and in any red spots is a great quick fix alternative to wearing a face of foundation (you don’t have to go the mineral route, but I recommend it.) I trust Bare Minerals foundation, using the concealer brush by Ecotools. (EcoTools Concealer Brush Review)

If you’re blonde with pale lashes you might want to reach for mascara but that seems like a step I’d rather skip. (And as a brunette, I luckily can. I’m so weird about mascara, it always feels heavy on my lashes even if I only use one coat of a lightweight formula.)

A sheer and sparkling eyeshadow in a light, neutral shade is great to work all over the lid. I particularly love Senna’s “Sheer Glow Gossamer” and Eve Organic’s “24k Gold.”

If you really want to wear more eyeshadow, it’s hard to go wrong with a little bit of a warm brown shade in the crease of your eye, blended well.  Clinique does great neutral browns that aren’t too highly pigmented – it’s pretty impossible to pile too much of it on, really.  If I want to go over the entire lid and crease I love to use the Yves Rocher Loose Pearls-Intense illuminating effect in Pink. It’s very easy to apply without the need for a lot of blending. For me, a warm shade is more easygoing than anything with dark undertones.

The best thing is to distract people with your sparkling personality, smile (thank god you got your teeth whitened, right? or at least brushed them) and act so happy that they’ll never think to judge you. In fact, they might wonder if they’ve overdone it on looking so nice. All of a sudden you’re a trendsetter who is the Jenifer Aniston of natural beauty.

See, I have tons of nail polishes but I never make the time to paint my nails. So earlier I did it. Boom. (I also took the time to deal with my cuticles. Siiigh of relief.)  And I massaged myself via two instruments: by exercising on the Vibra Slim (which massaged my odd knee pain) and using a True Blue Spa handheld plastic massage to rub out some trigger points on my neck.

I read SOMEWHERE’s (read: many places, but I don’t remember exactly where – probably ladymagazine’s) that taking time to pamper yourself is all sorts of good in emotional and mental ways. So, I challenge you to do this for yourself. Pay for a manicure, have your kids do it, or do it yourself. There’s lots of options.

Blair and Serena would have paid for a high end manicurist to come to their house, but maybe you have a little sister in beauty school and this would be a good time for her to listen to your worries about Lady Gaga (or whatever!) It’s all about you. And unlike that infamous W cover of Kim Kardashian, that phrase isn’t followed by a “I mean me.” Because you’re too smart to not take care of yourself. And so am I. Pampering for women cannot be overlooked!

Here’s a list of my favorite nail essentials:

1. Burt’s Bee’s Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream: Here
2. This specific Nail Salon Shaper in the slim purple pouch aka Salon Shaper 5-Piece All-in-One Professional Salon Kit with Case: Here
3. Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream for hands: Here

]]> http://shessmart.com/beauty/manicures-and-massage-prt-1-in-pampering-for-women/feed/ 1 http://shessmart.com/beauty/covergirl-natureluxe-foundation-review/ http://shessmart.com/beauty/covergirl-natureluxe-foundation-review/#comments Tue, 19 Apr 2011 17:06:37 +0000 Jessica http://shessmart.com/?p=8624 Read the Rest...]]> I had the opportunity to review two items from the COVERGIRL new NatureLuxe line for their word of mouth BzzCampaign. The first was their new NatureLuxe foundation.

My Covergirl Natureluxe Foundation Review:

I love the tagline for this new line, which is, “luxury touched by nature.” Of course, that means nothing to me if it doesn’t actually live up to that standard. This liquid silk foundation in flax is a light color, and it has SPF 15 which is important for summer.

As far as the performance is concerned, it’s a very lightweight foundation and it gives you just enough coverage without being heavy. I am a fan of mineral foundation for summer because I like feeling very little on my face, but for the fall and winter I can see myself using this product because it’s oil-free, and doesn’t give me a face that looks too “makeupy” – to use my scientific term! Haha.

Flax is the second lightest color, so I should have gone with Alabaster. But I find there’s not too much trouble when you’re one shade off and not using a ton of product (I don’t.)

The price is $10, and though the bottle is small I think it’s well worth the price because you don’t have to use a ton of product to get the coverage.

I’m very happy to see Covergirl has come out with a line of ALL NATURAL products. Go green!

Here’s a chart of the Covergirl Natureluxe foundation colors:

Disclaimer: An item was sent for review, but there was no monetary compensation.