Chelsea's makeup picks 2011! A few splurges sprinkled amongst some CVS steals.

I have tried literally everything from Wet and Wild to Chanel, and while I prefer a few of the higher end brands -- my awards list is comprised of a mixture of CVS, Sephora and Saks buys.

I have larger pores and fair combination skins with minimal (aside from the few habitual zit offenders every 4 weeks) breakouts.

Primer - Smashbox.  Worth every glossy penny.  Goes on smooth, covers pores and leaves skin feeling flawless. No woman should go out for a night without this god sent.  If you can't bear to spend the $, covergirl ageless primer does an ok job too.  Don't go near bare minerals, it peels off your skin and makes concealer and foundation look like cake.

Eye shadow Primer - Urban Decay.  Now, i'm sure you're thinking you don't need eye shadow primer, but believe me once you use it once you'll never look back (get it look, eye, eye primer - such a stretch, but its hard to be witty in a blog post about makeup). I even will wear it without eye shadow over it, the light nude color of the primer is so pretty!

Foundation - Mac for full coverage that will really last.  Este Lauder for everyday full overage that doesn't look like you have makeup on.  Don't skimp on foundation that you're putting on in the AM and wearing all day, it's worth the extra money.. i promise!

Pressed Powder - Revlon pressed powder goes on smoothly and leaves my skin shine free.  I touch up twice a day with it. Dior makes a pressed powder that feels like silk, but does the coverage look any different than Revlon or cover girl?  not to me. Save the 60 dollars.

Under Eye Concealer - I use Cargo because I got tricked by the saleswoman at Macys.  I don't believe this is something you need to splurge on unless you have serious bags/discoloration.  If you do buy mac or HD Studio Effects from Sephora.  If not stick to Revlon.

Eyeline - Maybeline long lasting in Noir is fabulous! I've tried Mac on one eye and maybeline on the other.  Ive tried Dior, HD photo finish, everything, and this $7 is still the best! It really stays and goes on so smoothly!

Mascara - Loreal Volumunious in Blackest Black.  Honestly wouldn't consider using any other mascara.  this is like liquid black gold to me. My one staple that I swear by.  For thick, full lashes that look long and dark, Loreals where it's at.

Blush - Liquid I use Revlon and over it I put covergirl pressed powder.   I also have nars, two faced, etc etc and these cvs brands work just as well!

Finishing Powder - Bare essentials.  Really no comparison if you want a full clean coverage that will last.  Covergirl makes loose powder that works, but you'll have to reapply it a few times throughout the day.

Eyeshadow - While I do love my two faced palete and mac separates, I really think covergirl is just as good in selection and quality. if you want more drama just wet the eyeshadow brush a little before applying.

Lip Liner/Lipstick - Don't splurge! Covergirl is Great!

Lip gloss - Sally Hansen lip plumper, Youngblood lip glosses are so amazing but ridiculously over priced, loreal color riche lip glosses give a nice color too.

Chapstick - Sugar.  Is it REALLY worth the splurge?  probably not.  Does it feel like you've just kissed a cloud when you put it on?  Damn right it does. 

Fake Lashes - Revlon

Post script - Don't skimp when it comes to brushes.  Foundation should be applied with a brush similar to a paint brush, end of story. Investing in good makeup tools (and by investing I mean the Sonia Kashuk linke at Target - don't get crazy and buy the rediculously overpriced ones at Sephora or worse, Neimans) will only extend the life and quality of your makeup. 

Cheap on makeup remover, face wash, toner (or even witch hazel if you have oily skin than can handle the alcohol) but for god's sake buy yourself a decent face lotion that targets your specific problems.  Again, this can be achieved by olay, but read the labels do some research and put your best face forward.

Paz y amor. (y belleza!)

Chels

Drastic Drop the weight Pageant Diet!

In preparing for the Miss MA USA pageant that I competed in this past weekend, the biggest stressor was getting in "skimpy bikini on a stage in five inch heels shape"

As a now seasoned pageant participant, I had a few tricks and tools already up my sleeve, but as my journey to skinnydom proved exceptionally effective this year, I figured i would share with all of the people who would never take time to read my 4 post blog.

If you follow this extremely restrictive diet and workout regime, you will lose weight.  It is not necessarily healthy, and I am by no means a nutritionalist so please take my plan with a grain of salt (and then make sure you log that grain of salt in your food diary, and stress and feel guilty about it for 15-20 minutes).

Start of dieting journey - 118 pounds, 5'6, 3 months before pageant.

3 months out I watched what I ate very carefully.   I made sure not to have too much sugar, sodium or carbs.  My calorie intake was low, around 1000 and I kept track of everything I ate on livestrong.com "daily plate".  I didn't necessairly watch calories, but I made sure that if I worked out hard I would reward myself with some extra protein & nutrients.  More important, watch any sugar not found in fruits, and saturated fats and by all means don't even touch anything with fried, tempura, crispy, creamy, or rich in the description.  Try to eat everything as raw as possible and avoid anything in packages, especially those horrid little lean cuisines and other frozen monstrosities.

Dining out:
Breakfast - egg white veggie omelette.  Make it taste good with herbs and garlic or a little tobasco sauce/jalepenos
Lunch/Dinner: chicken & veg, a salad with grilled chicken, salmon, halibut, swordfish, tuna. no dressings aside from balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar. 
AVOID: cheese and candied nuts on salads (a little goat or feta wont kill you, but be reasonable!).   Definitely no creamy sauces, don't eat soups out - they're loaded with sodium and fats, unless you have access to the nutritional info and you can verify it's not going to throw you off track.  Don't touch the bread on the table, and don't even let your eye wander near the butter.  If you must have a nibble of bread you better ask for olive oil and use a small amount. if everyone else gets nachos, you don't eat them. any of them! you're on a diet!  Let the people you eat with know you're on a diet and that you're watching what you eat, who cares if they say something snooty - this is for you and you're going to look fabulous!
DRINKS: for gods sake no drinks other than water and an occassional glass of wine.

NOTE: You really shouldn't eat everything on your plate, but if you're like me, you do.  That's why I don't take bites of foods I shouldn't eat, I just order things my body wants and needs, like protein and veggies!  My dessert is a glass of wine, but to each their own.  This diet is for rapid weight loss for a certain date.  So there's not much room for setbacks and cheats.  That being said, having a few bites of a dessert or a nacho or two won't kill you, but dont be a glutton. and log every single ingredient (yes, 1/5 tsp of sour cream should be added if you dipped your nacho! and YES whip cream should be added too!).  log things that seem silly, so you see how they affect your nutritional breakdown.   After you reach your weight loss deadline then you can indulge a little and still maintain a healthy diet/weight/physique, but for this just don't. have some self control and harness the power of "guilt".

Supplements:
one a day women's multivitamin
fish oil
1000 mg of vitamin C
zinc, calcium & magnesium pill
Dieurteic teas.  I like the flavor of Berry detox

Sample eating schedule -
Eating:
7:00 AM - 1 serving of fruit
9:00 AM - Large black flavored coffee, 1 serving of fruit
12:30 PM - protein & veggies
3:00 PM - snack
5:00 PM - 1 scoop of care one protein powder with water
7:00 PM - 1 scoop of care one protein powder with water, protein & veggie, tea
Possible snack at night

Fruit serving: 1 medium banana, 1 medium apple, half a grapefruit, 1/3 cup of berries, 1/2 cup of grapes, orange

Coffee: NO cream, no lattes, no skinny vanilla lattes.  Flavored or unflavored black coffee or cafe americanos with no sugar.  if you must then add a splash of skim, soy or almond milk

Best snacks: sliced cucumbers, baby carrots, handful of unsalted nuts, handful of unsalted soy nuts, sliced bell peppers, celery

Other snacks that should be enjoyed in extreme moderation: teddys all natural super crunchy peanut butter, 1 serving of flax seed multi grain low sodium chips from trader joes, half of a cliff bar (no more than 1 bar per week), 1 oz of dark chocolate,

Drinking: tea! any kind all kinds all the time! Skinny waters, vitamin zero water, lifewater zero, soda water, occassional glass of wine (stay away from excessively sugary whites like reislings), black coffee

Protein: light tofu, grilled chicken, sodium free/low sodium deli turkey/chicken, friendship low sodium 1% cottage cheese, egg whites, salmon, halibut, tuna, swordfish.  Seasoning is the key.  I eat everything with grilled onions and roasted garlic.  Lemon on my fish with basil, yum.

Vegetable: Any veggies work for me! I love them all! be wary of potatos, i don't eat them at all, and don't over eat sweet potatos ...but everything else is free range.  Now, not all veggies are made the same, from a droping weight perspective spinach and broccoli is a better choice than their non leafy green buddies, but honestly, eat up your veggies. Sautee them (in no more than 1 tsp of veg oil), boil em, nuke them, throw them in an omelette, eat them raw in a salad, bake an eggplant with some tomatos, go ahead get inventive!

*If you work out in the morning, drink protein shake before and after workout and add more substance to breakfast: 1/4 cup old fashioned oats, 1/4 cup cottage cheese, fat free greek yogurt plain, egg white scramble


As the date approaches, you must start to tweak your diet.  I cut out dairly almost entirely, I don't eat any fruit after 11:00 AM, and I try not to eat more than 100 g of carbs. I keep my calorie intake under 1000 and the pounds slide off.

To curb hunger: I chew a lot of gum, drink water, vitamin waters, teas, and coffee.  If I had a great workout I'll have an extra scoop of protein powder.  I also snack snack snack on cucumbers and celery, I love the crunch!


WORKOUT PLAN:
For me this is what worked:
*Beantown bootcamp (beantownbootcamp.com) 2-3 times a week.  It's very intense cardio and drills.
*Beantown Bootcamp strength training class 1-2 times a week. Kettlebells, bench pressing, serious high intensity weight training
*Advanced Pilates once a week
*TRX one to 1-2 times per week

In addition to these workouts, I supplement with the Smith Machine, mat exerices, kettle bell workouts, etc.  While you are starting, go heavy on the cardio - sprints, running at 8 on a 6 incline, push push push yourself to fry off all the fat.  As the date approaches focus on muscle building.  Don't be afraid of machines, personal trainers, or free weights. And don't underestimate the power of a good yoga or pilates class to stretch out your muscles and give you a strong core.

Paz y Amor,

Chelsea

Pageant Prep

Preparing for the Miss MA USA can be summed up as follows:

Hungry