A friend from grad school recently asked me for my advice about how to get rid of dark discoloration around her eyes. She has darkness below and above her eyes from severe allergies.
There is a really simple way to disguise bluish tint around your eyes and it starts with understanding the basics of color theory. Any color that is warm (red based) will neutralize or disguise any cool (blue based tones). So, the first step is to apply this warm shade over any bluish areas. There are two products that I know of that will do this well. Bobbi Brown’s correctors and Laura Mercier’s Secret Camouflage dual concealer.
Applying this warm color is just half the battle. You never want any redness to be showing around your eyes so you’ll need to cover up the warm tint you applied with a cool one. Laura Mercier’s secret camouflage contains two colors, one warm and one cool that will allow you to do this easily. If you prefer Bobbi Brown products, you’ll need to get the corrector (warm based) and a concealer (cool based).
Pat each concealer color on your eye with your ring finger. This will allow for delicate and precise application. You may wish to set these two layers of concealer with a power. Yellow based powders (and foundations) will neutralize redness.
This is the best all-over-body-moisturizer you can get. It’s 100% natural and filled with “essential oils”. I don’t really know what “essential oils” are but here are the oils in Dream Cream: olive, chamomile, tea tree and lavender.
It has a faint natural smell and goes on easily. Non-greasy and not sticky. It has a nice whitish/green tint but goes on clear.
The best part about this stuff is that it keeps you moisturized all day no matter how dry your skin is. It’s a staple that I always travel with.
Highly recommended!
I’m a fan of tanning products in general because I’m not a fan of UVA/UVB rays so when I heard there was an alternative to tanning cream and gel, I was excited.
Tan Towel is just that…a towel that tans you. You can buy a small towelette size that will cover some of your body or a towel size that is supposed to cover your entire body. It doesn’t say anything about body size though. If you are bigger than average (whatever average is) the towel might not tan all of you adequately.
The towel looks exactly like a baby wipe. It’s a damp, whitish towel. It’s really easy to apply, easier than cream or gel and takes less time. It doesn’t cause a mess like creams or gels and it doesn’t streak. However, it doesn’t seem to work very well. I usually respond well to self tanners but this one took 2 separate applications (2 towels) to show up at all. I have light skin and I chose to apply the formula for med/dark skin so if that didn’t show up after one application, I would forget the light formula if you have light skin.
So, if you’re OK with applying 2 towels to get your tan then this product is great. If you’d like your product to work after one application, I’d stick with Clarins Auto Bronzante. My all time tanning favorite.
Liquid foundations vary vastly by color, texture and quality of ingredients but most of them have one thing in common, they are water based. The base of a liquid foundation is important because that is the best indicator of how it will act on your skin. Water based foundations can sink into the skin and disappear within hours and tend to either flake off or accentuate wrinkles or fine lines.
Face Atelier is a Canadian makeup brand that offers a full line of cosmetics including eye pencils, eye shadows and silicone-based foundations. I found out about them from a makeup artist in Boston who works at Shu Uemura. I ordered a sample online in my color and I’m absolutely hooked. I don’t think I’ll ever use anything else on my skin. I also just purchased one in every colour because I’m going to start using the line on my clients instead of using Bobbi Brow’s stick foundation.
Because the foundation is silicone based, it glides on to the skin and doesn’t sink in so it won’t fade like water based foundations. Once it dries it won’t smudge on to your clothes and stays true all day. I’ve read some reviews online that claim it clogs pores but it hasn’t clogged mine yet and I don’t think it will. As long as you wash your face really well (with either a wash cloth or the Clairisonic vibrating brush) you shouldn’t break out.
This product is definitely on my “revolutionary” list along with one other product, Bare Escentuals’ Bare Minerals.
If you are going to purchase this product online, please but it from www.whiterabbitbeauty.com. They sell cruelty free makeup and a portion of their proceeds is donated to animal related causes.
Most famous makeup artists have at least one published book. Artists such as Bobbi Brown, Francois Nars and Kevyn Aucoin are among the most popular published makeup artists and all of their books will teach you at least something you didn’t know before. Aucoin’s book, “Making Faces” is especially good and taught me several techniques that I use regularly.
When I bought Jemma Kidd’s “Make-up Masterclass” I was assuming I would have a similar experience that I had with the other books. I would take away a few tips and the book would sit on my desk looking pretty but I was mistaken. This book is filled to the brim with excellent, usable, do-able makeup tips and goes well beyond the basics to provide easy to understand and easy to carry-out makeup tips from the candid and honest, Jemma Kidd.
Jemma Kidd is a well known English makeup artist who has worked with notable fashion designers and celebrities for many years. She was the spokesperson for Max Factor and Rimmel and her work has been featured in the worlds most popular fashion magazines including, Elle, GQ and Vanity Fair. She founded an academy in London to train professional makeup artists in 2000 and offers a wide range of workshops. She also has three different makeup brands sold internationally.
Her knowledge of makeup is contained in this beautiful, well organized and easy to read book. If you are someone who wants to learn more than just the basics of makeup, I highly recommend this book. I refer to it constantly and it finds its way off my bookshelf and on to my desk almost daily.
What they say it does: “Clarisonic is the Dermatologists’ secret to silky-smooth, radiantly fresh skin. Clarisonic goes beyond cleansing by using sonic technology to deeply yet gently clear pores of daily damaging impurities, while also preparing the skin for the absorption of vital nutrients (up to 61% in a recent clinical study). With regular daily use the Clarisonic reduces dry skin patches, oily areas and blemishes leaving skin feeling and looking smoother. Developed by the lead inventor of Sonicare and used and recommended by leading dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons.”
What it does: I never use a washcloth on my face. I always use my hands and I’ve been aware for some time that I’m probably not getting all the sunscreen and foundation off my face with just face cleanser and my hands. So, recently I bought Philosophy’s micro delivery exfoliant and that has been great for removing all the stuff that’s on my skin and getting it really clean however, I don’t want to use it everyday…enter Clarisonic.
The Clarisonic is great for everyday use because it’s gentle and effective at getting all the foreign “stuff” off your face including sunscreen, foundation, and pollutants that exist in our environment both in and out doors. I’ve been using the product for about two weeks and after the first few days I didn’t notice a difference but after a week, I did.
I noticed that my skin was much softer and my impurities (little brown spots, the odd pimple etc.) were beginning to look less noticeable. Because I don’t use a washcloth and I don’t exfoliate everyday, my complexion was looking a little dull and impurities were beginning to show. The Clarisonic took care of all that. I now use it every night (after removing my eye makeup with an eye makeup remover (that’s something I never use to do either. I used to use my cleanser to remove eye makeup but it’s much easier and quicker to remove makeup with a remover) and in the morning I just splash warm water on my face, moisturize and apply sunscreen and makeup. This regime is working for me so far.
The cost of the Clarisonic is pricey. It’s $200 so if you don’t wear a lot of makeup and use a lot of sunscreen on your face then it might not be worth it. If you do use a lot of products and you want to brighten your complexion, then I would recommend this product. I do have to say though, that it’s possible a damp washcloth could have the same effect but it’s not nearly as much fun.
What it promises: “This soothing lotion helps shield your skin from the harmful effects of the sun with a high level of broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection. Lightweight and quick-absorbing, it can be layered over Brightening Moisture Cream to help prevent future damage and help maintain a radiant, even skin tone.”
What it does: Generally, any product with an SPF of over 15 is very thick, non-absorbing and streaky but this stuff is different. After it soaks in (about 10 minutes) you really can’t see or feel it on the skin which makes makeup application easy and I like that it has broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection.
The sun protection factor comes from its chemical sunblock ingredients. Chemical sunblock ingredients absorb UVA or UVB (sometimes both) rays whereas physical sunblock ingredients such as Zinc and titanium dioxide reflect them and do not require “soak in” time.
Below is a summary of the ingredients in this product. After some research, I was very surprised at what the ingredients actually were, especially the last one:
Homosalate: a UV absorbing compound (5%)
Octisalate: ingredient penetration enhancer (5%)
Avobenzone: a good UVA absorber but degrades in sunlight (3%)
Oxybenzone: absorbs UVB and short-wave UVA rays. This highly controversial ingredient may cause increased free radicals in the skin and therefore is likely to be a photocarcinogen. It is a derivative of benzophenone which can attack DNA when illuminated. The British Medical Journal showed that there may be a possible link between malignant skin cancer and Oxybenzone. For more information about this ingredient, see the following link:
http://www.natural-health-information-centre.com/paba-oxybenzone.html
before this blog entry, I didn’t know about the difference between physical and chemical sunscreens or that Oxybenzone is potentially harmful. Going forward, I am going to be very careful about what kind of SPF I use. I’ve decided that it’s not worth using the chemical sunscreens (that this product uses), I’m going to use physical blockers (zinc and titanium dioxide) from now on.
I was looking forward to trying this product because Hope in a Jar without SPF is one of my favorite moisturizers. I try to put on SPF everyday so I was hoping that this would be my new go-to-one-step SPF with moisturizer for everyday but sadly, it’s not.
It has a very different consistency than its predecessor. It’s not light and whipped, it’s more gel like. It makes my face very shiny and it doesn’t sink in for at least 10 minutes. This is definitely not your everyday SPF but it might be good for the beach or a time when you’ll be exposed to an increased amount of sun.
As far as moisturizers with SPF go, I’d recommend choosing something from the DDF line. They make non-oily, invisible products that are great for your skin.
This mascara had a devout underground following until it was featured on Oprah and subsequently, in many national fashion magazines. Although the devout followers are no longer underground, they are as strong as ever and getting stronger by the day.
Kiss Me products (mascara and eyeliner) are available on many online retailer’s websites and in select stores. I found mine in a small miscellaneous shop in Toronto, Canada while shopping for a thank you gift for my brother-on-law.
I picked up the mascara (cleverly packaged in a tube) and asked the cashier what it was. After listening to his description about “tubing” mascara, I had no idea what he was talking about. He assured me that his wife is a makeup-a-holic (I hear that sister!) and she uses it everyday and loves it so I should get it. So, I did.
This stuff looks like traditional mascara. It’s black, there’s a wand and you apply it just like every other mascara. The difference is in the removal. With warm water on your finger tips, you can pull the mascara off your lashes. The mascara comes off in black “tubes” that look like your own lashes. It’s very scary the first time you remove this stuff. Thinking that you’re pulling out your lashes is not fun but you realize quickly that your lashes are still there and the mascara isn’t.
The great thing about this product is the easy removal. I don’t use makeup remover, only face wash, so I find that traditional mascaras smudge under my eye and then I have to go back in with a moisturizer to get rid of the smudge. Not with this stuff, very easy removal and no irritation. Nice.
Now for the not so good news….this stuff will darken your lashes and that’s about it. It doesn’t thicken them or appear to give them length like some other brands can. You also can’t layer it and if you try, it will flake off.
SO, if you’re a mascara fiend like me….this might not be the product for you. I can deal with the extra step to remove my traditional mascara if it means my lashes look their absolute best. If darkening your lashes if what you’re after….get this product!
On a final note- I do have to hand it to Kiss Me Cosmetics for coming up with something truly different and innovative. It was fun to try and I’m glad I bought it. Let’s keep up the innovation cosmetics industry!
I like to try new brands and new formulations to stay on top of trends so I recently purchased Smashbox’s “Camera ready full coverage foundation with UVA/UVB SPF 15.” Smashbox is a very well known brand founded by Dean and Davis Factor, grandsons of legendary makeup artist, Max Factor. They also started LA fashion week and own “Smashbox Studios” in LA which is a haven for models, makeup artists and photographers. So they should know what they’re doing right!? That’s what I thought but after using this product, I’m feeling no respect or admiration for this brand. I’m thinking more that this brand is about pomp and circumstance, marketing, hanging on to famous relatives and creating products that are low quality but sell nonetheless.
What this products claims to be: “This lightweight yet buildable cream-to-powder full coverage foundation glides on effortlessly leaving a semi-matte finish. With cutting edge skin smoothing ingredients, powerful antioxidants like vitamin C and Quercetin, and a mineral UV blocker that provides non-chemical SPF 15 sun protection, this foundation leaves skin looking naturally flawless. The innovative mirrored compact holds a custom foundation brush designed for seamless application.”
What I think: Wow. Where do I begin. The product explanation is a list of lies. Let’s start at the beginning. It’s not lightweight. It feels like you’re applying heavy chemicals to your skin. If by “cream-to-powder” they mean “cream-to-leaching out all of the moisture in your skin and leaving it dry and flaky” then ok, but they should clarify that. Replace “semi-matte” with “semi-flaky like a molting snake.” Cutting edge smoothing ingredients”!! HAHAHAHA. There are many brands available that make great foundations that can actually improve the look of your skin and even they don’t claim they have, “cutting edge” anything. What a ridiculous claim.
This next claim deserves its own paragraph. “innovative mirrored compact.” It’s a mirrored compact….what the hell is so innovative about it!! Nothing. It’s just your average, run-of-the-mill compact. Does Smashbox think they are NASA? Are they going to put someone on Mars with their innovative, cutting edge makeup products? You produce makeup not penicillin for developing nations.
I wouldn’t care if they made those claims and produced a great product but because this foundation is SO bad, the claims serve to make it worse. It’s unfortunate that this product went through testing, couldn’t have done well and still they released it. I wonder what other products they’ve done this with.
