Last week I realized that I don’t have to be a victim of clever marketing of cosmetics if I don’t want to be. I can educate myself about the ingredients used in cosmetics and decide for myself what will benefit my skin. With the help of two great books, I’m beginning to do that. “Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me” by Paula Begoun is a compilation of makeup and skin care reviews of over 100 brands. The reviews are honest, well-written and contain helpful information about price points, ingredients and recommendations. The other book that is a great companion to Begoun’s book is, “A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients” by Ruth Winter, M.S. This book is a straight up dictionary of all ingredients that are found in today’s makeup and skin care products. This book is great if you’re attempting to determine why one foundation works for your skin and why another one doesn’t. Read the ingredients, look them up and determine what the differences are. That is what I’m currently doing with all of my makeup and wow it is time consuming but SO worth it.
Begoun’s book contains a list of common irritating ingredients which is a good place to start educating yourself about ingredients to avoid. I plan to share all the knowledge I’ve gained from these books in later posts but for now, here’s a list of cosmetic ingredients to avoid:
-alcohol or SD- alcohol followed by a number (exceptions: ingredients like cetyl alcohol or steatyl alcohol are standard, benign, waxlike cosmetic thickening agents and are completely nonirritating and safe to use.)
-camphor
-citrus juices and oils
-eucalyptus
-excessive fragrance
-menthol
-menthyl lactate
-menthozypropanediol
-mint
-peppermint
-sodium lauryl sulfate
-arnica
-bergamot
-cinnamon
-clove
-eugenol
-grapefruit
-lavender
-linalool
-wintergreen
-witch hazel
-ylang-ylang
I used to constantly change shampoos because I thought they were basically all the same and I didn’t care too much about what I used. None of them ever did what they claimed to do and they were all over advertised, harsh, glorified soap. Well, I finally found a shampoo that my hair and I both love and most amazingly, I haven’t seen one ad for it!
I heard of Moroccanoil shampoo through word of mouth from blogs and my hair stylist. Everything I heard was positive and most importantly, accurate.
What it claims to do: Hydrating moisture repair. For chemically damaged hair, color safe. Sulphate-Phosphate and Paraben free. Contains Argan oil and keratin rich in fatty acids and proteins. Restores damaged hair.
What it does: thoroughly cleans hair without drying it out. I never feel like I’m stripping my hair of protein or of color (I’ve been coloring my hair blonde since grade six). I feel like I’m doing something good for my hair when I use this product. I’ll never use anything else if I can help it. this shampoo is as good as it gets. Moroccanoil makes an entire line of hair products that I hear are also amazing. I’ll be trying those out very soon. If you can find it, but it!
Mascara has come a long way in the last few years. They used to be all the same- thick, clumpy and messy. The applicators used to all be the same as well. It was very difficult, if not impossible, to find an applicator that wasn’t your standard brush style. Wow how things have changed. Mascaras come in every color, many finishes and a plethora of applicator choices from curved to vibrating.
My favorite mascara applicators are the non-brush, stiff kind because they allow you to get to the root of your lash which is so important. I bought this Cover Girl mascara for $8.99 because I wanted to see how it compared to my more expensive, “hyped-up” mascaras. After one week of using this mascara, it’s now my favorite. The product isn’t clumpy at all, it goes on with pin point precision and it’s easy to reach the lower lashes.
The packaging says that it’s supposed to add shine….not sure that’s true…at all. I don’t see any shine but who really wants shiny eyelashes anyway? That seems unnecessary to me. So, even without the promised shine, I’d recommend this product.
When I was giving a makeup workshop for the Miss Boston beauty pageant contenders last Sunday, I was asked a very good question and I think it’s a question that a lot of women have, “which products can I buy cheaply and which should I invest in?”
It’s such a great question because there is a definitive answer (at least I think so). Below is a list of makeup categories and a description about whether you should either invest (over $9.00) or skimp (under $9.00).
EYESHADOW: Skimp. Cheap brands usually carry many colors and finishes. You might have to apply more to your eyelid than the more expensive eyeshadows but who cares.
LIQUID EYELINER: Skimp. There are lots of great liquid eyeliners available and there is no reason to pay more than you have to.
PENCIL EYELINER: Invest. Cheaper pencil eyeliners are difficult to use because they tend to not show up at all on your lid and pressing hard on your eyelid or going over it too many times may irritate your eye area.
MASCARA: Skimp. There is no reason to buy expensive mascara because there are tons of great cheap options. Lash Blast by Cover girl is great. The brush is very stiff and allows you to easily get to your lash root. I like this mascara more than the expensive mascaras I have in my kit.
FOUNDATION: Invest. There’s nothing worse than whitish, cakey or pinkish foundation and that’s what I’ve seen from the cheaper foundations out there (Cover Girl, Maybelline etc.) I’m not saying they are all bad, but I have yet to come across a great cheap foundation. Brands that make great foundations are: Bobbi Brown, Chanel and MAC. I’ve also heard that Giorgio Armani’s beauty line has great foundations but I haven’t tried them yet.
POWDER: Invest. Cheaper powders can contain ingredients that are bad for your skin also, cheap powders tend to look whitish or too powdery. They sit on your skin rather than act to set the foundation.
BRONZER: Skimp. Just make sure it doesn’t turn you orange. Consider buying the lightest bronzer available and only using a very little bit.
BLUSH: Skimp. There is an endless supply of shades and finishes for under $9.
What it claims to do: “Allows you to capture younger-looking skin over night with this spectacular anti-aging breakthrough containing multi-correction ingredients including longoza, a rare revitalizing plant grown only in Madagascar that increases skin resilience, firmness, and texture.”
What it does: This isn’t a product I’d normally buy because it’s very expensive but I got a Sephora gift certificate for Christmas so I thought I’d use it on a night cream because they tend to be really pricey. I had not used any Dior skin care products before this and I’ve been meaning to try the brand for a while. My skin gets very dry in the winter so I went online looking for a well rated skin cream around $100 (the amount of my gift certificate).
This Dior cream seemed perfect so I bought it. I started using it seven nights ago and every morning I’ve woken up with perfectly moisturized and soft skin. I think my skin tone is more even which is definitely an added bonus. I’d recommend this cream if you’re looking for a great night cream and you’re willing to pony up the $$$.
What it claims to do: “keeps skin squeaky clean, easily dissolving dirt, debris, and makeup. One step facial cleanser that is gentle and effective.”
What it does: As I’ve mentioned before, I have sensitive skin. Warm to hot water mixed with soapy facial cleansers tend to make my skin red, hot and irritated. In the past, I have gravitated towards cleansing milks and very mild cleaners because of my sensitivities but I’ve found that I’ve had to sacrifice effective cleansing for gentleness and if the product’s not actually cleaning your face then….what would be the point?
Purity is exactly what it claims to be: a gentle yet effective cleanser. My skin doesn’t feel irritated and red at all after I use it in fact, it feels moisturized. I highly recommend this product for people who have normal to sensitive skin.
A note about “Philosophy” the brand: I’ve used two products from this brand and I love them both. Purity and “Hope in a Jar” facial moisturizer are now part of my daily routine. I know I will re-buy both of them. Philosophy just came out with another anti-aging product called “Miraculous.” If you’ve been to the Sephora website or store lately then you know what I’m talking about. Wow, are they ever marketing that product a lot! and I can’t wait to try it!
What it is: “A broad spectrum UVA/UVB, matte finish, tinted, oil free, zinc-oxide based” SPF 30 face cream.
I purchased this product after reading glowing reviews from other beauty bloggers. I used it for five days straight two weeks ago when I was visiting my parents in Maui. My face didn’t burn or tan (which is what I wanted) and I found the cream very moisturizing and easy to apply.
I’m always nervous when I hear that products are “tinted” because everyone has different skin tones and there is never a one-size-fits-all tinted product. The cream is beige colored which tends to be too dark for my skin but once I applied it, it blended beautifully into my ivory skin. I think it would work well for anyone with ivory, warm ivory, beige or natural skin tones. Anyone with lighter or darker skin tones should stay away from this product.
It evened out my skin tone and really protected me from the sun but after five days of using it (and re-applying about four times a day) I developed a rash on my cheeks. Now, I have very sensitive skin and products with SPF tend to give me rashes so I’m not going to blame the rash on the product. I think it’s a great choice for someone wishing to protect their face from the sun and have even looking skin all day if they don’t have ultra sensitive skin however, if you have sensitive skin like me, this product might be too harsh for you.
As another year passes into the distance and we all retrain our brains to write “10″ instead of “09″ I find myself contemplative of the new year ahead and have decided to share some of my thoughts about the upcoming year with you. (I promise I’ll only get this sappy once a year.)
I believe that success in every aspect of life can be attained by having clear, well defined goals.
My goals for 2010 are to expand what I have built in 2009 and continue to strive to be involved in every aspect of the makeup artistry world.
Specifically, I plan to review products not just for my blog but for magazine and newspaper beauty editors, and online publication contributors.
I will get more involved in community activities by lending my services to aspiring musicians and actors and donating my time to deserving charitable organizations when possible.
I’m going to continue to refine my craft by attending master classes and private clinics and continue to pass on new techniques to my students when I teach.
I know 2010 will be a great year filled with unexpected opportunities, new colleagues and friends and most of all….FUN!
As always, please let me know if there are any products you’d like me to review or simply provide feedback about whatever you’d like. This blog is for my readers and the beauty community. It’s all of you that make this blog worth while.
2010 will be great, best of luck to all!
What it is: “therapeutic moisturizer for all skin types. Contains the ester of lactic acid for exfoliation to help promote smooth, healthy skin. Contains beta-glucan to help give your skin a healthy, rosy glow. High performance moisturizer with antioxidants to help reduce environmental damage. Results may be seen and felt within days.”
What I think: you know that medicine that you take when you’re really sick that tastes terrible and those raw vegetables that you pretend taste good but really you want to gag? This moisturizer is a little bit like that with one primary thing in common with that gross vegetable and cough medicine- it works! This stuff smells awful. It smells like mold in your grandmother’s attic but man does it moisturize your skin. It’s not intensive, it’s not going to repair damage, it doesn’t have SPF (they do make one with SPF 20) and it’s not thick enough to be a great night cream but for an everyday non-spf cream, it’s wonderful.
Hi everyone,
Just wanted to update all my loyal followers to let you know that my blog posts are going to be infrequent for the next three weeks. I’m still planning to post some reviews (some I’m very excited about) but I won’t be reviewing everyday. Some products I’m going to review include: Blue Lizard sunscreen, Dr. Denese face sunscreen 30 and Philosophy, Hope in a Jar.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season and enjoying giving and receiving gifts, time with friends and family and delicious food!
Happy Holidays!
Lindsey
