TV Host Nina Sutton’s Tips for Back-to-School Beauty for Mom

With all the focus on the kids going back to school in the next few weeks, it’s easy to neglect the most important family member in the process – mom. After long days outside, at the beach, pool or lake, Mom’s face and body needs some extra attention to get ready for looking great in the hug’n’go lane.

TV host, beauty expert and author of The Chic Mom’ Guide to Feeling Fabulous Nina Sutton (www.NinaSutton.com) has some head-to-toe tips and tricks for any budget to make Mom fabulous again now that the kids are back at school and you have your day back to yourself.

FACE CARE

Your face is the first thing people see. Sutton tells Family First step one for reversing the damage from the summer weather is to exfoliate.

• If you can afford it, she recommends a microdermabrasion from a dermatologist for the very best results.
• If that’s not an option, a less expensive product is the Olay Regenerist Microdermabrasion and Peel Kit from Oil of Olay
• The inexpensive home remedy is lemon juice – a secret many models use! Squeeze the juice into your hands, apply it to your clean face, leave it on as long as you can stand and rinse it off. Sutton says your skin will feel tighter and if you mix lemon juice with baking soda and water, you can make a scrub
• Two other homemade scrub ideas – Pepto-Bismol (if you can stand the smell, she says) all over your face or crushed-up aspirin mixed with water. Both of these products contain forms of salicylic acid which makes a great face mask.
• If you have freckles, you can fade them with products containing Vitamin B3. Sutton says this vitamin speeds cell turn over and gets rid of the darkened cells faster. She recommends two different products Pond’s Clarant B3 as well as a prescription formula called Tri-Luma cream, which you can get from your dermatologist. Tri-Luma contains hydroquinone, which is a bleaching agent, tretinoin, a form of vitamin A and a steroid which helps with inflammation from the first two products.
• Collagen is the building blocks of your skin, Sutton says, and it gets broken down by the sun. When that happens, you get wrinkles. To regenerate collagen and keep it, Sutton has a favorite that uses a unique method for regeneration – electrical charges!  Neutrogena Clinical Lifting Wrinkle Treatment System uses two creams with opposing charges – one with a mineral concentrate and the other that’s a white activator cream. The creams work together to increase the flow of the ions into the skin to boost collagen production.  Sutton says RoC and Aveeno also have products like this.

HAIR CARE

If you didn’t spend the entire summer under an umbrella or with a hat on, you probably need to give your hair a little extra attention. Sutton says the sun is especially harsh to any of us with colored blonde hair. To help fight the brassiness that comes with sun exposure, Sutton recommends a DARK purple shampoo such as Clairol’s Shimmer Lights to bring back the color you want. Many salons have a version of the dark purple shampoo if you can’t find Shimmer Lights.

Get a trim too, she says. And do a deep conditioning treatment. She recommends the home remedy of putting olive oil on your dry hair for 10 minutes and then rinsing it out really well. Also, Dove Intense Damage Therapy works in 1 minute, if you don’t have time to sit around.

To add shine back to your hair, Sutton has two options. One expensive option, but truly the best, is to go to the salon for a cellophane treatment. This can cost around $75. If that’s not an option, you can also try Frédéric Fekkai’s Salon Glaze which is available at Sephora  for $28. Alternatively, John Frieda has a product called Luminous Color Glaze for $10 at the drugstore.

HAIRSTYLES

“Oh my God, my hair is in a ponytail again!” She says. The ponytail is the staple hairstyle for any of us with hair long enough. Sutton suggests adding a little pizzazz to your pony by adding a jeweled headband or changing your part – middle or the opposite side you usually use.  

She also recommends not washing your hair! Using dry shampoo adds volume and gives her “sexy bombshell hair.” The brand she likes is René Furterer Naturia Dry Shampoo which is available from Sephora. An at-home alternative is 1 teaspoon of baby powder mixed with about ¼ teaspoon of baking soda sprinkled on your hair and brushed through.

HAND CARE

Our hands really show our age, says Sutton. That’s why it’s important to exfoliate.  She recommends the lemon juice trick only this time, add some sugar to help slough off old skin. Squeeze lemon juice into your hands and add a teaspoon of sugar. 

Aquaphor is also a great product for your hands because it’s so thick.  She says she puts it on her hands before she puts on her dishwashing gloves to moisturize while she washes dishes – great time-saver!

Another at-home idea is to rub olive oil on your hands – the oil moisturizes the skin and it’s cheap.  A side note for your feet – she loves the old trick of putting lotion on your feet and then wearing thick socks to bed. It really helps heal cracked, dry feet.

BEAUTY TIPS

This year’s trend from the “runway to mom-way,” as Sutton puts it, is to have luminescent skin. Having a healthy, fresh glow is what moms should be going for. Besides the skin care ideas from above, make up can really help tone, protect and moisturize – the trifecta for Sutton in order to have beautiful skin.

• Her favorite product is her tinted moisturizer with SPF protection. She says if you have time for nothing else when you’re getting ready in the morning, use this. She prefers Laura Mercier’s products which are offered in both matte and illuminating lines.
• For blush, she recommends a cream blush, applied to the apple of your cheeks. Her favorite blush product is Benetint from Benefit Cosmetics available at Sephora.
• Bronzers are a great way to even tan lines in the summer and give you a little color in the winter. For summer, Sutton says a tawny brown all over is fine for evening out tones. As we move into fall, she recommends looking for a mosaic product that includes peaches and pinks. Her favorite product is from Avon called Sunset Glow Bronzer, available for around $10.
• Concealers need to be creamy so they do their job and should match your skin. If you go too light, you’ll look like a raccoon. Sutton suggests going to the makeup counter to experiment and find the right shade for your skin. She likes yellow-based concealers because they minimize darkness. Her favorite is Cover Girl and Olay Simply Ageless Concealer which comes in a pot.  She also loves Benefit’s Erase Paste which brightens under the eyes.
• For your eyes, she says you must have a properly-shaped brow. She suggests getting your brows done once by a professional and then you maintain them yourself. It is the number one thing that can change your face, she says. A coat of mascara is another must-have if you’re running out the door. Finish off with some nude lip gloss or even Vaseline applied to your lips to make them shine.
• If you want to jazz things up for a date night or going out with friends, instead of the dark, smoky eyes of last year, this year’s trend is softer. She says the palette is more browns and greys. NYX Cosmetics has tons of palettes to choose from in these newer shades.
• And finally, your nails should be short “half-round/half-square” in shape, she says. For every day, go for a French manicure or a very light pink shade. Or just buff your nails to a shine. If you do choose to go for color, Sutton recommends nail gels. While a bit more expensive than regular polish, they last much longer, which means less touch-ups and more time for you.

So, as she says, moms can go from runway to momway by using common sense in choosing which trends to take and which to leave to the single gal with all the time in the world. Make it work for your life and you’ll feel better head to toe!