There is a new blog girl in town...

Best Face Forward for Teens (BFF) has just added a new blogger to the scene. As a self proclaimed beauty product junkie, I am always looking for the latest and greatest in beauty products. As I search, I hope to share my insight will all the BFF ladies out there. In the coming months I will be reviewing products, discussing BFF events, and keeping you informed on all the fun stuff. I am excited to begin this journey with all of you.

In case you are new to BFF, we are a non-profit organization that promotes self-esteem in tweens and teens alike by teaching them proper skin care techniques, makeup application, and the ins and outs of hair care.
We, of course, believe that inner beauty is the most important aspect of any young lady, but by giving them the tools in order to truly put their Best Face Forward, we are helping each of them gain the knowledge and confidence to always be at their very best.

The journey is simple, picture yourself at 13 years old. Look in the mirror. Where you confident? Did you love the way you looked? If you did, that is wonderful. If you didn’t, wouldn’t you have liked to have a safe place to ask the questions you were afraid to ask? What about a place to learn the basics of beauty? If the answer is “yes”, BFF is for your daughter, your niece, or any young lady that could use a confidence boost in the proper use of beauty products for skin and hair! Couldn’t we all some days!

The Program: Once a month, five girls will attend a local salon to receive a mini-facial, a lesson on skin care, a makeover and have their hair styled. A guest speaker will discuss a variety of topics such as etiquette, inner beauty, health issues and skin care education. Dinner will be donated by a local restaurant. Moms (and Dads) are encouraged to stay and enjoy the day with their daughters. Each girl will receive a goody bag of cosmetics and skin care that will be used the day of the event.

Please contact the president of BFF for Teens, Cynthia, at cynthiahuszka@yahoo.com if you are or know of a teen/tween that wishes to participate. More updates to come!
CeCe

BFF

We just had our May BFF in Marble Falls and it was a success! I have great news BFF is ready to expand and I am in the process of working with a new friend to make it happen in Austin and Houston. The future is bright for BFF and we will be able to reach many more girls in the future. The program really brings so much joy to the girls and the moms, I could not be more grateful for what I have been given and for the wonderful supportive sponsors!! I have not blogged in awhile because of some health issues, but hopefully I can get back on track!!

BFF

It has been a while since I have blogged, but BFF is always on my mind and in my heart! I am working on a project to raise money for BFF. My hope is to have it ready in a couple of months. I am very excited about the future. I am planning to expand BFF as soon as I can find the right salons and the right people, who understand and want to help teen girls. The program not only helps teen girls it has also been a blessing in my own life. It is amazing what doing for others, can do for yourself! If you know of any salons that would like to participate please have them contact me. It takes a special person like Crista at CrossHairs salon, to do good for others and share their knowledge and experience with others. A big THANKS goes out to her for her time and dedication to the program!!

Cynthia

Good morning! Today i will just update on what is going on with BFF. I am working on getting other salons started on the program. I several things working at once. I am also in the process on getting together a project to raise money for BFF, I am very excited about it. There are a couple of thing I have used recently that I am going to recommend the first one is Origins acne spot treatment. It is only $12:00 at Origins. It works to dry up the blemish. The second is Fusion Beauty products. They are in major Dept. stores and Sephora. The instant face firmer gets a zero from me because it balls up when you put your make-up on. I also used the mascara and lip plumper pencil and gloss. As for the mascara its average nothing special except the price!! The lip plumper pencil really is a nice moisturizer for the lips and the gloss does seem to add a little volume to your lips!! I hope you find this info useful, I am always trying new products to talk about.

Cynthia

Good morning! Today I am going to talk about some of the products that the girls receive from our wonderful sponsors. The first thing is FAB shimmer pot, its a light pink shimmer that you can use to highlight you cheeks and decollete, it truly is FAB! The other thing is the bronzer from Hard Candy, I love it because it is build able, just add a little for a light bronze color or add a more for a contour to your cheeks and jaw line. The third is LA girl eyeshadow, the colors are great and you get four colors in one case, so you can buy the greys and you get every thing you need to create a smokey eye! All the products are fantastic so I encourage you to give them a try. Hard Candy is available at Wal-Mart, L A Girl is available online, FAB is also available on-line. Thanks to all our sponsors for the great products, I know the girls are really enjoying them!!

Cynthia

We had our second BFF, yesterday and it was a great success!! Arielle was our guest She spoke about her experience with abstaing in a world which sometime pressures girl to be another way. Our sponsors this month sent great products that brought out the beauty of each girl. This months sponsors were, Sephora, Hard Candy, L A Girls, Fab Beauty, Origins, and Papa Joes pizza. I want to thank them all for sponsoring such a great program. The program is finally ready to expand into other communities, so if you have a salon that would like to participate please contact me. A big thanks to Crista, Amy, and Christina for there time and talent.

Cynthia

Looking forward to our next event this Saturday at 5:00pm. The girls will receive over $100:00 in free products that were donated by our wonderful sponsors. The first event was such a great success I know this one will even be better!!

Cynthia

Good morning! Today I just want to say that BFF is moving forward in a very positive way!!! The program has two new sponsors, FAB Beauty and LAGIRLS cosmetics. The next event is coming up this Saturday at CossHairs salon. I am also working with the students at the Art Institute in Austin on a fundraising project for BFF. I met the instructor and the students yesterday and they are going to produce something amazing I can tell already!! From now on I will be updating the blog on Saturdays only, unless I have some important news. Thanks to those that are following the blog.

Snow

Its snowing in the hill country!! Yeah!!!

Cynthia

Good morning! I do not know what I am going to do when I run out of quotes!! "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all" {Hellen Keller} Today I will discuss a new hair color on the market that is great if you color at home. It is Nice and Easy 10 min. color. You have very shiny silky hair after you color and the conditioner is great. But of course go see the girls at CrossHairs Salon for professional color.

Cynthia

Good morning. Today's quote "Along with success comes a reputation for wisdom" {Euripides} I just want to say that the program has been a great success so far. The program is booked through June. I am still taking reservations for July and August. I can see wonderful changes in my own daughter Abbey who attended the first program. My heart is heavy for some of the stories I have heard from some of the moms who's girls will be coming through the program. I hope the program can provide a ray of light for these girls. I am very grateful I decided to take this program to the community so many teen girls will be able to benefit from it.

Cynthia

Good morning! Today's quote "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail" {Harold R. McAlidon} Today I just want to say make sure you have a beauty insiders card for Sephora. When you make a purchase you get points that you can use for free products!!! All of the girls who go through the program get a pre-loaded card ready to use. Its a great place to shop, if you want to try a product they will give you a sample, so you can decide if you like the product before you purchase it. I was in the store at Barton Creek mall yesterday and I received a lot of samples. So make sure you visit Sephora soon!!!

Cynthia

Cant sleep! Here's today quote. "The only journey is the journey within" {Rainer Maria Rilke" I have spoke about make-up a lot. Now I want to tell you if you really want your skin to be its best you need to make sure you are taking your make-up off at night. You first need a good cleanser. I recommend purity made simple by Philosophy, because it will also remove eye-make-up. Then I recommend a Clarisonic, to really get your skin clean. Also you need to exfoliate at least once a week. I recommend Clinique 7 day scrub or Philosophys microexfoliater. There are many products you can get at the drug store at a reasonable rate, as well as My Mark page which you can access through my Facebook page. The most important thing is make sure you are cleansing, your face will break out less and your skin will feel softer and smoother!!

Cynthia

Good morning! Today's quote "Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake" {Henry David Thoreau} I will continue the discussion on age appropriate make-up. For the oldest girls meaning 18 and 19, you can start with the smokey eye look that is so popular. This is a great look for evening, a little to heavy for day. There are many kits, pencils, and other products to help you learn this technique. The most important thing is that you do it correctly. Just remember to do a more nude lip with this look!!

Cynthia

Today's quote "Happiness does not consist in pastimes and amusements but in virtuous activities" {Aristotle} Good news we have two more sponsors!! Fabcosmetics.com and lacolors.com. Things are going great!! I would like to talk about middle aged teenagers for a moment. When girls are old enough and ready they can add eyeliner and a little darker shades of eyeshadow as well as a lip stick with lip gloss. The most important thing is to not hide behind a lot of make-up but to accentuate your God given beauty. In going through this program girls learn tricks and tips when it comes to make-up application. Our goal is to educate the girls on what is age appropriate, and take some of the confusion out of the make-up process.

Cynthia

Today's quote "you cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one" {Henry David Thoreau} Today I am going to speak on age appropriate make-up. When a young girl around the age of twelve or thirteen decides she would like to start wearing make-up the most important thing is that it is age appropriate. At this early age I recommend very light make-up, that will just enhance her features. There are a lot of products that will do just that. The colors of eye-shadow are important, light pinks, light neutrals, no eyeliner a little mascara if she has very light eyelashes and that's it. Blush should be very light as well. A soft pink right on the apples of her cheeks. If she needs or wants to wear foundation I recommend a tinted moisturizer, because it has very little coverage, but has the benefit of a moisturizer. Finally a little gloss or lip balm and shes good to go.

Cynthia

Good morning, today's quote "The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook." {William James} Today I am going to discuss teeth whitening. I have tried many product that you can buy over the counter, with no luck. But I have a tip that really does work. Buy the auqafresh pre-loaded tray at the store, then go to your dentist and buy their whitening kit for about 41 dollars. Make sure you buy the 22% kit. Then add the 22% to the pre-loaded trays and you only have to wear the trays for an hour. I found that this works well and you save a lot of money this way.

Cynthia

Happy valentines day!!! Today just love the one your with!!! I just want to touch on a couple of hair products that I recommend. The first is Ojon restorative hair treatment, the second is Chi silk infusion. I have seen Chi silk infusion at many stores, but the best place to get it at the lowest price is Folica.com. The prices are like half of what you will pay in other places. The best way to use Ojon is to apply to hair and then sleep with it, the next day just make sure you shampoo very good to get all the product out of your hair. If you don't get it all out of your hair it will look greasy. The Chi silk infusion, apply a small amount, about a quarter size to towel dried hair. Make sure for best results with Chi you blow dry your hair. If you have long straight hair like my daughter Sophie, your hair will feel and look like silky ice. Both products are amazing!!!

Cynthia

Today's quote "When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us" {Helen Keller} I am going to discuss my favorite body products, I have a few it all depends on my mood. The first is Amazing Grace by Philosophy, I use the shower gel and the perfumed body moisturizer, which is also firming. The second is Bath and Body Works Vanilla Jasmine, it has a very wonderful scent. The third is Origins Ginger souffle body lotion. I use all three it just depends on my mood!!

Cynthia

Good morning! Today's quote "Go back a little to leap further" {John Clarke} I am finally to lips. My favorite lip gloss is Clinique Long Lasting gloss in Bamboo Pink. This gloss stays on for hours (no joke). My other pick is the new Michael Korrs line at Estee Lauder. I have been searching for the perfect flesh tone nude lipstick for a least 2 years. I finally found it!! Remember if you do a dark eye, you need a nude lip, if you do a light eye then you need a darker lip. Laura Gellar make-up has a beautiful lip compact with four colors, that a wonderful, for more color. You can purchase her make-up at QVC or on-line.