paris fashion: Skin Care Tips to Beat the Winter Blues and more...

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Even though it's still fairly warm here in San Diego, the winter skin blues have arrived. Yesterday as I was working at the computer, I found myself constantly scratching my face...which led to obsessing over my skin because they say that dry skin is one of the causes of lines and wrinkles!

Our hot water heater died this week and won't be fixed until Friday, so the cold water has done a number on my face. I came across these winter skin care tips from Kate Somerville and tried steaming my face by boiling hot water on the stove. Putting a towel over my head as I stood over the hot water sped up the process. Then I exfoliated my face with a loofah my friend gave me. Who says a facial has to be expensive?

I actually have been using Kate Somerville's Quench Hydrating Serum for the past year. It keeps the skin on my face soft, plus the formula is light and silky.

As for the skin on the rest of body...I recommend moisturizing the skin immediately after taking a shower. My go-to product right now is Shea Terra Organics Marula Whipped Shea Butter Body Creme, which is super creamy.

What are your "secrets" to keeping skin soft and supple during the winter? Share your winter skin care tips by leaving a comment below or on our Facebook page!

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Eyebrow Shaping Tips From the Experts

It wasn't until I was in my 20's that I paid attention to my eyebrows. My friends would have conversations about getting their "eyebrows done", which I ignored. I would also decline offers from my manicurist to shape my eyebrows. I just didn't think it was a big deal. Well, all that has changed. I get it now that nicely shaped brows frame and accentuate your face.

When it comes to grooming, I'm all about DIY, so I've turned to the experts who can help. GEE Beauty brow guru, Natalie Gee, shares her top five tips for shaping your eyebrows:

1. Start by looking at your brows in natural light. (kitchen or even in the car are great places)

2. Think less is more when tweezing your own hairs. Tweeze one hair at a time, step back, take a look, and continue.

3. Follow the natural shape of your eyebrow line. The more natural shape the better.

4. Try not to make the brows too wide-spread by over tweezing the middle of the brows.

5. Finish by applying eyebrow gel to keep the brows in place and use the brush in an upwards motion to make the brows appear fuller.

Carmindy, co-creator of Sally Hansen Natural Beauty and author of "Crazy Busy Beautiful", shares her eyebrow shaping tip:

"If your brows grow straight down, use a curved pair of cuticle scissors and snip them from underneath into perfect shape. To ease your tweezing, pull the skin taut, grab the hairs at the base as close to the skin as you can get, and gently pull."

I have Sally Hansen's Mighty Mini tweezer, which I like because it's travel size, plus it comes with a protective safety cap. There have been plenty of times when I've dug around in my makeup bag and poked my fingers with those sharp tweezers!

Here is a basic video tutorial on how to shape your eyebrows...