Turquoise Bandeau Bikini Top

Just put the finishing touches on this new turquoise bikini top. Available now in my shop.

Hand-crocheted. Front tie is decorated with wooden beads. 

Dresses for Late Summer on into Early Fall

Showcasing some dresses that can take late/end of summer on into early fall while the weather is still warm. You get the idea, something whose colors can meld from one season into the next with the ease of an almost unnoticed transition while keeping you cool. Black, red and beige, standard colors that work any time. The option of accessorizing will give you a plus in transitioning as well.

VIDEO - L’Oreal 8-Hour Pro Gloss/Suede - Product Review

Watch the review here or on my Youtube Channel

New product review from the Makeup Ranch at STYLE Santa Fe with your host, Cheryl Bruedigam, reviewing L’Oreal 8-Hour Pro Gloss in the color of Suede. Watch this video to find out what we found out and to decide if you will want to use this product.

This gloss is available in twenty shades and retails from $8-10 online or in a store near you.


Products used in this video:
L’Oreal 8-Hour Pro Gloss/Suede
BellaPierre Waterproof Gel Nude Lip Liner (Read the review)
Lipstick by Player in Brown #5

Chunky, Ethnic Jewelry and its Place in Santa Fe-Style

If you love that Santa Fe-style in clothing and accessories, chances are you also love the chunky jewelry that goes with it so well. Usually with an ethnic edge or from cultural artisans, I believe its roots and inclusion can be traced to the plentiful supply of turquoise jewelry in the region, mostly from Native American crafters.

Many pieces and stones are simply worn in a more natural state.

Though turquoise can certainly be set into tiny and dainty pieces, there are so many large and unique pieces crafted that those of us who truly love the southwest and all that goes along with the Santa Fe-style, can agree that large, beautiful, chunky turquoise pieces set in silver probably rank number one in the jewelry department. There is also a love of the raw and many pieces and stones are simply worn in a more natural state.

With the addition of these pieces to the Santa Fe look, other large pieces have evolved into inclusion due to the large number of jewelry crafters in the region as well as the inclusion of just ethnic clothing and designs in general because it all works so well with Santa Fe-style. Artistic, bohemian, ethnic, free-spirited, cowboys and Indians, all come together in the mix that we call Santa Fe-style and chunky jewelry has certainly earned its place.

Beauty Tip: Straightening Long and Thick Hair with a Flat-Iron in Only 5 Minutes

If you have long, thick and even curly hair and want to use the flat-iron to straighten your hair it can be tedious, time-consuming and tiresome day after day. 

One tip for making the process much easier and turning a half-hour to hour procedure into a five-minute procedure, is to have your stylist layer your hair underneath as thin as it can go. A stylist showed me this trick a few years ago and it brought my straightening time from about a half-hour down to five minutes and my hair is usually no longer than my shoulders. If you have really long hair, your straightening time is probably closer to an hour but no more, not if you have your hair layered underneath. For really long hair, you will shorten that hour to ten or fifteen minutes or maybe even five because once you see how fast it can go when the hair is layered underneath, you will buzz right through it.

It is also easy to do this cut yourself if you can get a stylist to do it for you the first time. I had my stylist do it many times but I also began doing it myself with a razor comb. Just be sure to see it done professionally and talk to them about it before you try it yourself so that you don't overdo or take off too much. 

You will love this cut and style because you get the look and feel of long straight hair without all the fuss. If you are like me and have thick, wavy or curly hair, you have probably always wanted straight hair. Of course you can get a relaxer put on it but it's nice to have those waves or fullness when we are in the mood or just want a natural look. Otherwise, layering underneath will give you the perfect start to a quick five-minutes to perfectly straightened hair. 

Desert Smoke Eye Shadow Tutorial

New, from STYLE Santa Fe, beautiful, colorful but smoky eyes reminiscent of the desert skies as the fires of summer burn in the distance leaving a darker layer of smoke in the distance; that was the inspiration for this amazing look and it is one of my favorites: Desert Smoke.

To begin, apply a primer or foundation.

Use a white matte beneath the brow to the edge of the brow bone.

Next, take a peachy peach and do the crease and inner eye area beneath the brow.

Now, with a light purple, do the inner eye lid on the top.

Come to the outer corner now with a smoky gray and make a wing or a number seven on each side even with the waterline of the bottom eye area.

Blend well without blending the eye color out into the other areas.

Now ring the gray with the purple, on the outer edges of the wing or number seven on each eye corner.

Line the under eye with the light purple outward to the outer edge of the pupil. Fill in the outer edge with a little more gray, touch up the outer light purple if needed.

Dot the center of the top eye lid with a shimmery white or pale pink and blend in being careful not to extend the white or pale pink beyond either side of the pupil. 

Highlight with a touch of gold beneath the lower outer eye corner from the pupil to the wing, very lightly.

Blend all lightly, using more peach and white highlighter if needed. If desired, add a final light sweep of pink blusher to intensify and set the look.

You may use eye-liner but this look does not call for it. Add mascara as usual.

The finished look, Desert Smoke, from STYLE Santa Fe

I hope that you love and enjoy this look as much as I do!

Hempz Sandalwood and Apple Body Scrub and Age Defying Herbal Body Moisturizer

Hempz Sandalwood and Apple Body Scrub

Hempz Sandalwood and Apple Body Scrub is lighter than most “scrubs” and leaves less residue in the sink or tub. I have been using this product for a while. The scent is medium and not exactly what I expected from sandalwood (as I do use sandalwood scent in soaps and other products) due to the apple combination.

It contains natural crushed hemp seed oil for skin softening however it does also contain exfoliating beads and is not clear if they are a natural or synthesized product.

The product leaves a clean, smooth feel to the skin though it is gel-based and I do not care for gel-based products of any type. If you do not mind the gel, you will likely enjoy the product very much.

As far as a scrub, it is very gentle in comparison to many others though this may question its scrubbing power. I must say that when I want a serious exfoliation, I turn to other scrubs.

It retails for around ten dollars online. The only reason I would not re-purchase this item is that I do not care for gel-based products and this is a matter of preference. Do I like it, yes. Do I love it? No. though it does do its job, I do not like the feel of gel and I like a grittier scrub. On the flip side, it is gentle enough to use every day. 

There is also an accompanying body lotion, Hempz Age Defying Herbal Body Moisturizer which I do enjoy very much and have purchased more than once. It is not too heavy and not too light, just right. The scent is very light and the product leaves the skin feeling smooth. It too contains natural crushed hemp seed oil for skin smoothing. It claims to be firming and age-defying but I do not use it daily so I cannot say whether it performs that particular miracle. It retails for around thirteen dollars online.

Both are very nice products at a fair price for an herbal-based scrub and lotion that each work well. 


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I am constantly reviewing products because I love beauty products and we all want the best working products but I am also the founder of UltraFem Skin Care and Cosmetics. I keep my reviews unbiased so that I can see if there are needed improvements in my own products. If you prefer an all-natural scrub try my UltraFem Brown Sugar Scrub or the UltraFem Rosemary Lavender Scrub.