When you first move in to a new home or apartment, it seems the bathroom is the first room you want to “personalize”, perhaps because it’s the smallest room and most easily redecorated. If you’re one of those who enjoys a long, relaxing bath, you understand the need to have your bathroom be a little oasis of luxury where you can soak your cares away in beautiful surroundings. Even on a modest budget, you can make your bathroom attractive and inviting.

A coat of paint, window coverings and a nice shower curtain is a good starting point. It’s your bathroom accessories, the little touches, which make all the difference. Bathroom accessories run the gamut from art work to toothbrush holders. Many of these individual items are inexpensive, so you can take the add as you go approach if need be. Sometimes this method works best because you’ll take your time to find the perfect bathroom accessories.

Once you’ve established your basic color scheme, work from here to fill out your decorating scheme. It’s best to begin with the larger bathroom accessories, in order to achieve a unified look. Some of the larger bathroom accessories include items like toiletry cabinets, waste baskets, bath mats and towel bars. Naturally, these will be noticed first as part of your color scheme and style of decorating. Choose colors, textures and materials that fit into your overall scheme.

For example, if your walls are painted in an eggshell color, with a rust colored shower curtain, you have two avenues to explore in filling out your selection of bathroom accessories. You may choose similar tones or go for contrasting colors for your bathroom accessories. If your choice is similar tones, a natural rattan toiletry cabinet will fit in nicely, as will a wicker waste basket and warm tones for bath mats and towels. Slight variations in the colors of these bath accessories will give you a better result than colors which are exactly the same. Oak or brass towel racks will also go well in this scenario.

If you’d like a more lively look, consider colors that are on the opposite side of the color wheel. For example, a rust colored shower curtain will contrast nicely with teal blue tones in your bath mats. Shades between teal blue and forest green will look good in this grouping. Following through on the contrasting approach, you’ll find brightly colored plastic towels racks in shades that are just right for your scheme. Oak and brass towel racks will also work.

Now it’s time to look for the accent bath accessories, such as soap dishes, toothbrush holders and the like. Small glass vases with dried flowers can add a homey touch, as will live plants. Ferns and many vining plants do very well in bathrooms and add a lot of charm. If you’re the one who looks forward to the long soak in the bath, be sure to have an attractive candle holder to finish off your bathroom accessories shopping list!

Many women seem to have a difficult time choosing the right make up for themselves. I often see women that have foundations on that are too light or dark for their skin tone. Another mistake women make is with their lips. Many women are uncomfortable with lipstick so they either wear nothing or they put on lip gloss. For many women both options are a mistake.

Lip gloss is something that looks awful when not worn properly. Many women will purchase lip gloss that has a slight tint to it. When they apply it they often smear past the lip area due to the consistency of the gloss. This makes the lips look big and greasy. For the women that wear nothing on their lips the mouth seems to disappear off the face. Women will claim that they choose not to wear lipstick because it runs. This problem can be solved by the use of a liner pencil. The liner pencil should be as close to the shade of lipstick a possible. Simply outline the lips with the pencil and give it a short time to set, and then apply the lipstick. The liner will keep the lipstick color from bleeding off your lip area. It is important to reapply the lipstick color after eating or drinking because the lipstick will wear off faster than the liner.

If the liner and lipstick are not an option that you want to try use a lip gloss that is not tinted. A clear lip gloss will not appear as smeared as the tinted variety. The lips are very sensitive to the sun. This is another reason to wear some type of lip covering. Today most products have a built in sun screen, but it is important to check the label to insure that there is at least a fifteen level sun screen in the product you are using. For the times that you will be spending prolonged periods in the sun it is best to use a lip balm. Balms tend to stay on longer and penetrate deeper into the tissues of the skin. I will often wear a high sunscreen level lip balm under my lipstick if we are going to be boating or doing some other activity for a long period in the sun. By doing this I am assured that my lips will be protected even if my lip stick wears off. As with all sunscreen products it is important to reapply often for the best protection. Most lip gloss products do not include a sun screen. If you insist on having the shiny effect of lip gloss place it on over the balm.

Young teenage girls are the only ones that should wear lip gloss in my opinion. It is a nice option for them because it is lighter in color and it enhances their natural lip color.