Runway Alert: Natural and Fresh

The so-called "natural" look is always a runway favorite for Summer. It's hot and balmy, so who wants colorful eye makeup melting all over the place? But often this look requires more product and precision than the more dramatic looks like the smoky eye. The runway makeup artists NEVER send a model down the runway with just some moisturizer and chap-stick. People look at these models and think that they must just be naturally perfect, and though they are admittedly gorgeous women, even they need a lot of prep to look "naturally" perfect. Case in point was the Spring 2010 Gucci show. Famed runway makeup artist Pat McGrath did the girls' makeup for the show.

Here's how you can recreate this look at home:  Start with a good mattifying foundation primer like one of the ones I suggest in my Prime Time article (Korres, Smashbox, Arbonne, Loreal, and Hourglass all make good ones).  Then apply your foundation of choice.

Next, groom and define the eyebrows with a little brow gel.  I like the tinted brow gel from Anastasia, but Anastasia also makes a clear brow gel if you prefer.  To get the Gucci look shown above, try brushing your brows upward a bit with the gel brush.  You want your brows to look full and defined, but natural.  So avoid dark brow gels or heavy brow pencils and powders.

For the cheeks, dust a sheer fuchsia (trust me on this one) blush lightly and high on the cheekbones (this is the technique McGrath used at Gucci and it gives a more modern youthful look than applying the blush to the apples).  My favorite fuchsia blush from Anna Sui has tragically been discontinued, so I suggest using MAKE UP FOR EVER's blush powder in No. 26, a very sheer bright pinkish fuchsia.  You could also use a hot pink/raspberry shade like MAC's Dollymix powder blush.  I promise that this will look natural.  The key is to use very sparingly by patting your brush just once in the blush and tapping off all excess.  Then use a very light hand to apply the blush to the high cheekbones in a slow circular motion.  You don't want any defined edges, so if you get too much blush on or find that it's looking striped, use a clean blush brush to blend as much as possible and then use a powder brush to apply loose powder over the blush, blending it.  Once you get used to using just a tiny amount of product and a very light hand, this fuchsia blush trick will become a fast favorite.

For the eyes, apply a good eyeshadow base (Benefit's Stay Don't Stray in my favorite) to the entire lid.  Then apply a light matte skintone shade to the lid and browbone.  I use MAC's Orb personally, which is a pale bone color.  You want to use something just one shade lighter than your skin to add some brightness and definition to the eye area.  Next, use a dark brown liquid liner like Loreal's Lineur Intense in Earthen Rock Brown.  To keep the line very fine, either wipe the excess off the liner brush or better yet, use a separate clean liner brush to apply as little product as possible.  The easiest way to get a clean straight line is to take your liquid liner brush and point it directly at the eye and make tiny dots right in between the lashes.  Then slowly and precisely connect the dots.  Next, sweep a medium matte taupe eyeshadow across the crease and under the lower lashline to add subtle contour.  NARS eyeshadow single in Blondie is a great medium taupe shade for this look.  Finally, add a coat of a lengthening dark brown mascara like Covergirl's Lashblast Length mascara in Black Brown.

The final touch for this look is a light pink lip balm like Korres's lip butter in Plum, which gives he lips a really sheer moist lavender-berry finish, or the same formula in Jasmine, which is a very sheer natural pink.  The shea butter in the Korres lip butters will give your lips a healthy moist look and feel, like that achieved in the pictures of the Gucci show above.  You could also line your lips with a very light nude lip pencil for extra definition.  Josie Maran makes a good one called Natural.  I'm also a fan of the smooth lip pencils from NARS, and NARS makes a nude lip pencil called Morocco. 

Those are the steps to the natural look.  Once you do it once or twice, it's a breeze to get ready in the morning.

Eyeliner by L'Oreal

Like Buttuh!

I am a longtime fan of LUSH Cosmetics, a fabulous skin and body care line that prides itself on natural ingredients, eco-friendly packaging, no animal testing, and many vegan products.  Additionally, they just make plain good quality bath and body goodies.  Everything smells wonderful because LUSH uses natural ingredients and essential oils, from yummy honey, chocolate, and cocoa butter to pretty jasmine oil and rose absolute.  Best of all, after using their products, your skin will feel soft and smooth.  Two of my favorite categories of LUSH products, which are related, are the Massage Bars and Body Butters.  These are solid cocoa and shea butter based bars that replace a body lotion.  The Massage Bars are designed to be applied to dry skin and the Body Butters are designed to be applied to wet skin in the shower.

The Massage Bars are fabulous for their titled use, but because they are made with cocoa butter, shea butter, and essential oils, they are intensely softening and hydrating, leaving the skin with a gorgeous scent that lingers throughout the day.  So in addition to using them for massage, I think they make a great substitute for body lotion.  They are more moisturizing than lotion, their scents have more staying power than lotion, and your skin will feel incredibly soft.  My favorite scents are the Heavanilli, which is made with vanilla, jasmine, and tonka.  It smells soft and beautiful but more sophisticated than the vanilla scents we bought at the drug store back in junior high school.  For a lighter fruity scent, try the Each Peach bar, which has lime and mandarin oils and mango butter.  As an added benefit, the mango butter helps repair sun-damaged skin.

LUSH also makes a fabulous scalp massage bar called Snake Oil that is designed to treat scalp dryness and irritation, and in particular, dandruff.  It is the single best dandruff remedy that I have heard of, and it is extremely gentle and good for your hair, unlike most dandruff shampoos.  And despite the name, it leaves your hair smelling good as well with essential oils like lavender, tea tree, and peppermint.  Sadly, this product was discontinued in the U.S. LUSH stores, although I understand that you can still get it in the U.K. and you can order it online at the LUSH web site under the LUSH Retro list.  If you are prone to seasonal or occasional dandruff or other types of scalp irritation and itching (like eczema), you should stock up on a few of these bars while they're still available online and keep them in the fridge.  Most LUSH products have minimal to no preservatives, but I've found that they'll keep quite well in tupperware in the fridge.  All the massage bars run $10 to $12 except for Snake Oil, which is a bargain at $8.

LUSH's Body Butters are similar but they're designed to be used on wet skin, which makes them perfect for the bath or shower.  Some of them are both exfoliating and softening, like the aptly-named Buffy the Backside Slayer, which combines shea butter with ground rice, almonds, and beans to exfoliate.  Many LUSH fans swear by this one to reduce the appearance of cellulite.  I love it to scrub away the rough skin on my knees and elbows.  Buffy leaves them feeling soft.  Running to the Embassy is a body butter designed to replace your pumice stone in the shower.  Like Buffy, it exfoliates, but it also adds spearmint and peppermint oils to refresh and soften tired feet.  But my favorite Body Butter has to be Soft Touch, which is non-exfoliating.  This one is all about the soft nourishing shower butter.  It has good-for-you wheatgerm oil, cocoa butter, mango, and beeswax.  Think of it as a solid body lotion that you apply in the shower or bath.  The moisture and scent stays with you throughout the day, even after you towel dry.  The body butters are $12 to $15.

Soap by Lush

Home Cookin: The Oatmeal Mask

Oatmeal is a classic home remedy for all kinds of skin woes, particularly poison ivy, bug bites, rashes, eczema, sunburns, chicken pox, and general skin irritation and redness.  Aveeno makes many soothing skin-care products with an oatmeal base, but you can easily make an oatmeal paste at home that you can use to soothe irritated skin.  You can use this paste as a spot-treatment for bug bites, which will reduce swelling and redness, and help keep itching at bay.  You can add a half-cup of the paste to a warm bath for a rash on the body or to sooth a sunburn.  You can also use the paste as a facial mask to help soothe redness and irritation and give your skin a healthy refreshed glow.  The paste even makes a great spot treatment for an annoying red pimple underneath the surface of the skin.  It won't treat a pimple as effectively as salicylic acid, but it works well to treat redness and inflammation for those pimples that haven't quit hit the skin's surface.  You can also use the paste as a refreshing mask for the feet, which helps soften callouses and soothe blisters. 

Start with 1/2 cup milk and microwave it for one minute on medium-high power.  Then dissolve two tablespoons of honey in the warm milk, stirring well.  Next, add 1/4 to 1/3 cup oatmeal to make a paste.  You want it to be thick enough that it is sticking together and all the liquid is absorbed, but not at all dry.  How much oatmeal you will ultimately use can vary depending on the type of oatmeal you use (old-fashioned, 5-minute, instant) and what type of milk you use (fat-free, whole, soy, almond).  I prefer to use a milk with at least a little milk-fat like a 2% and a stove-top oatmeal rather than the instant stuff.  But you can use anything you have on hand.  Just add more oatmeal by the spoon-full if it's too wet or more milk by the spoon-full if it's too dry.  It should have the texture of a moist somewhat sticky paste, definitely thicker than a bowl of oatmeal for eating.  You can use it as is or at a teaspoon of an oil like lavender oil for extra soothing or tea tree oil for acne.  Olive oil is a good one for the feet.

For a spot treatment for bug bites or acne, simple apply a liberal amount of the paste to the affected area and let it dry for 45 minutes.  As a mask for the face or feet, apply generously and allow to dry for 45 minutes.  If you're applying it to the feet, I would suggest pulling on some cotton socks so you can be mobile while the mask dries.  Then rinse with warm water and a washcloth, no soap necessary.  Your skin will be soft and smooth, and it should feel a lot less irritated.

If you have a larger affected area, like a sunburn or poison oak or a rash on a large portion of your body, it's best to use this in the bath.  Simply take a 1/2 to 3/4 cups of the paste and run it under warm bath water.  Soak for at least a half-hour.  This will require some clean-up afterward, so even though I like to have the loose oatmeal so I can rub it into any particularly bad spots while I bathe, it is a chore to clean up.  Especially if you're already sore with a sunburn, etc.  To avoid clean-up, simply take the paste and put it into a sachet bag to hang on your faucet and let the water run over it. You'll get most of the same benefits.  If you don't have a sachet bag handy, you can make one at home with a coffee filter and just use a rubber band to tie it closed and a second rubber band to hang it on the faucet.  A little sieve from the kitchen would also do the trick.

This little home-remedy may not work the same miracles as the latest $75 anti-aging serum, but it's a great easy-to-make concoction that is affordable and effective, particularly for irritated and/or inflamed skin.  If you prefer to purchase the pre-made oatmeal treatments, check out Aveeno's long list of oatmeal and milk-based products.

Body Lotions & Creams by Aveeno

7 Days of StriVectin

I've been in the market for some new skincare products, so I've been trying a number of different items lately that I will post about.  I tend to "mix and match" my skincare products (an eye cream from one brand, a serum from another), but I know that some prefer to use one brand for everything.  Keep in mind that although chemically some products work better together to enhance the benefits, which is the primary idea behind using a single skincare line for all your needs, the main reason to use one skincare line is the convenience and ease of one-stop shopping.  If you do some research and understand what types of products work best together (and I hope to demystify this process in the coming weeks with my "Magic Potions" breakdown as well as other skincare posts), you will probably get more benefit by tailoring your skincare to your personal needs and budget regardless of brands.  Some skincare lines make a great eye cream but not-so-great or overpriced cleanser.

That said, if you do prefer to stick to one line for your skincare, StriVectin is certainly a beauty-insider favorite.  StriVectin earned cult-status as a skincare miracle line when it burst onto the scene with its famous stretch-mark cream turned anti-wrinkle powerhouse.  It then came out with an eye cream to seriously battle dark circles, even those vicious genetic dark circles that other eye creams couldn't touch.  Since then, the line has expanded to include more basic skincare as well as other breakthroughs in anti-aging.  I decided to try using StriVectin -- and only StriVectin -- products for seven days to see if I saw a noticeable improvement in my skin during that time.  Since StriVectin does not yet make a facial cleanser, I used Cetaphil, a very gentle fragrance-free cleanser.  In fairness, I will note that you won't see the maximum benefit of most skincare products until you have used them consistently (that's twice a day) for 30-90 days.  However, we live in a world of instant-gratification, and many skincare products now tout their instant and short-term benefits, so while I did not approach this experiment expecting a miracle, I was hoping to see some noticeable improvement in my skin's overall appearance and texture.  Here's what I tried, what it was supposed to do for me in terms of short-term benefits, and my review.

Intensive Concentrate for Stretch Marks and Wrinkles
This is a new-and-improved version of the original stretch mark cream that turned out to be even better at treating wrinkles on the face.  After washing my face, I applied this in the morning as a spot treatment to the areas on my face where I'm starting to see some lines, especially those pesky expression lines on the forehead.  Although ideal results are promised in eight weeks, I can tell you that I did see a visible improvement and softening of my expression lines in just one week.  I am going to get a full-size bottle soon and conduct a full eight-week experiment and take pictures to test just how well this stuff works, but I was happy with my one-week results.   I do have one complaint: this cream is very thick and difficult to blend in.  The upshot is that a little goes a long way, and at $135 for a 5 oz tube, you want to use as little as possible in order to make it last.  But it definitely takes some time to blend in.  About twice as long as it would take to blend virtually any other anti-wrinkle treatment I've tried.  That is a minus for me because I like to get through my skincare routine as quickly as possible.  If it takes too long, I won't do it.  On the other hand, if it really does produce the kind of results it promises (25% reduction in deep wrinkles in 8 weeks), then it might be worth the extra time and attention.  Overall, I liked this product and will definitely revisit it in the future for a longer trial despite its hefty price-tag. 

Overnight Facial Resurfacing Serum
In lieu of the wrinkle cream, I used this as my nighttime treatment.  It is a serum that comes in a dropper, but one thing that I really liked about this serum (having tried many many serums that are liquid-like in texture and drip all over the place) is that it had an almost-gel-like texture, making it easy to dispense a dropper-full of it on my finger tip and blend it into my skin without having any product slide off my finger before getting it to my face.  There are serums for nearly every skintype and problem, but this one is designed to be a universal product for all ages and skintypes.  The primary benefit is exfoliation or "light" resurfacing.  It's nice to get exfoliation from a smooth serum as opposed to the typical grainy scrubs.  It's supposed to give you brighter, smoother, more luminous skin instantly.  The first thing I noticed about this is that it left my skin with a somewhat filmy/sticky feeling.  That would be a death sentence if it was designed as a day treatment, since it creates a poor base for applying makeup, but as a night-treatment, that's not automatically a deal-breaker for me.  What was a deal-breaker is that after a week of use, I did not see a real improvement in my skin's look or texture to the touch.  I'm used to using Estee Lauder's Idealist as an exfoliating/refinishing treatment, and I must say that the Idealist makes my skin feel much smoother and silky to the touch and I can use it during the day under makeup.  Idealist is also a bit cheaper than the StriVectin product, so I'm going to have to give StriVectin's overnight serum a thumbs-down. 

Eye Cream
This is a multitasking eye cream, designed to combat dark circles, creases, lines, and puffiness all in one.  I am a huge fan of multitasking eye creams so I was excited to try this one.  Eye cream is the main skincare product that I am passionate about.  The eye area is the first part of your face to show signs of aging, it's extremely delicate skin, and it's very dry even if the rest of your face is oily.  I always tell people who are not into skincare, especially men, that if they do nothing else they should at least use eye cream and sunscreen.  I really wanted to like this eye cream: it has a nice texture, a non-offensive scent, and it doesn't feel sticky or greasy as some eye creams can.  I did notice a tiny improvement in the lines around my eyes, but my big problem with this eye cream is that I felt like it wasn't really that hydrating.  The skin around my eyes is dry but normal-dry, not extremely dry.  So if I feel like it's not really moisturizing, I imagine that someone with very dry eye-skin would not like this cream at all.  I've tried some other eye creams lately (Arbonne, Skynn Iceland, and Korres), which I will blog about as part of my Magic Potions series that blow the StriVectin one out of the water.  While I think that it does deliver on its promises to de-puff, de-circle, and de-line, it fails to do the most important things an eye cream should do: hydrate.  Hydration is the key to prevention.  Unless you have very oily skin around the eyes, I would look elsewhere for an eye cream.

Instant Moisture Repair
This is StriVectin's signature moisturizer.  It's supposed to go deep into the skin cells to replenish cell-moisture and your skin's natural "moisture cushion."  It promises to increase the skin's moisture by 30% within the first hour.  Hello instant results!  But did it deliver?  Well yes, my skin definitely felt more hydrated than immediately before when I didn't have moisturizer on.  But I don't think that is really the relevant comparison.  At minimum and by definition, a moisturizer should increase your skin's moisture instantly.  The relevant comparison is how well does it hydrate in comparison to other moisturizers.  The answer is: better than some, not as good as others.  Overall, I was underwhelmed.  On the plus side, this moisturizer was very lightweight and left my skin feeling refreshed rather than greasy.  My skin looked visibly healthier and softer immediately after use.  On the downside, I look for moisturizers that do a little something extra for me: like giving my skin a healthy glow or noticeably firming and tightening.  I just didn't get that "something extra" out of it that sets apart the cream of the crop when it comes to moisturizers.  And while I felt that the hydration-level was sufficient for my summertime skin which tends to be more combination, I don't think it would provide enough moisture during my dry-skin winters.   I liked it, and I think it's reasonably priced at $59 for 2 oz, but I wasn't wowed.  I would recommend this as a solid introductory moisturizer for teenagers who aren't really concerned with firming or dullness yet and those who have more oily skin. 

Neck Cream
I was very excited to try StriVectin's night cream because I've never used one before.  In recent years, I have started to notice a loss of elasticity in the neck and general dryness, so I've been considering adding a neck cream to my skincare routine.  But since it's an additional investment of time and money, I haven't really gotten serious about it until I got a small tube of this neck cream in my 7-day sample kit.  This particular cream promises to smooth and tighten the neck and decolletage as well as improve any discolorations.  First, the goods stuff: this cream felt fantastic going on, and within a few minutes, my neck felt firmer, moister, and more elastic to the touch.  It also just looked better, less dull and more healthy in general.  I would rush out any buy this tomorrow if it wasn't for one major complaint: it smells bad.  It's not just that it smells bad in the medicinal way that is common among cosmetics, it's odorous.  To be frank, it smells like sweat.  At first, I blamed myself.  It has been a hot California July, and I thought maybe something in the cream was just bringing out a smell in my skin.  But after using it for one-week straight and sniffing the tube, I have confirmed that it is definitely the cream.  I can smell it in the tube, but it intensifies when you apply it to the skin, even freshly-showered perfectly clean skin.  It's really disappointing because it makes my neck feel and look so good.  But the smell lingers for an hour at least, and god-forbid that you go to the gym after applying it or do anything where you actually DO sweat, because that will make the smell worse.  And forget applying perfume to your neck because it will just get funktified.  After reading the ingredient list to try to find out what could possibly be the culprit, I suspect that it's the yeast extract, which is one of the top five ingredients.  I've never seen that ingredient used in a skincare product before, and I'm not sure what type of benefits it provides, but I hope that StriVectin will reconsider using it in their cream or devise some sort of a way to combat the scent.  If you can get past the smell, it's a great neck cream.  In fairness to StriVectin, I do have a friend in the cosmetics industry who loves this stuff, and she claims that it smells more like beer to her and it doesn't bother her.  Perhaps I'm just sensitive, but I'm going to look elsewhere for a neck cream. 

Face Moisturizers by StriVectin

The New Neutral: Mauve Over Brown!

Berries, plums, and silvery mauves are THE hot shades on the runway this season.  The reason that everyone from celebrities to makeup artists goes nuts for these shades is because they are universally flattering and wearable.  No matter your skin tone or your eye color or hair color, purples and particularly the more neutral variations like plum and mauve look divine.  They can be soft and subtle for day or dark and smoky for evening.  They can even be bright and wild for a night out when you're feeling daring.  Sometimes, all of these looks can be accomplished with the same shade depending on wear you apply it, how much, and whether you use it wet or dry.  Here are a few of my favorite "new neutral" eyeshadows and ways to wear them.  And here's a picture of Eva Longoria rocking a smoky eggplant eye at a recent event.

NARS Tokyo Eye Duo
This is a beautiful soft smoky mauve duo that is perfect for everyday-wear, even at a conservative office.  The light shade, a pale silvery mauve, makes a lovely base for the lid.  Apply it dry for a soft day look or wet on the lid for a bolder evening look.  Choose a soft shimmer or bone color for a highlighting shade on the brow bone.  Then sweep the darker shade from the NARS duo, a medium mauve-taupe into the crease.  You can easily transition this soft, subtle look to evening  by applying a little black eyeliner and "smoking" it up by using a thick eyeliner-blending brush to run the darker mauve shade over the eyeliner, blending it into a smoky plummy haze.  Expert purple eyeshadow tip:  keep the purple concentrated on the top lid rather than below the eye.  Purple eyeshadows underneath the eye, unless they are very bright, tend to make the eyes appear bruised or tired.

Estee Lauder Berry Ice and Pale Moon Eyeshadows
Estee Lauder makes two of my all-time favorites, my go-to eyeshadow look for all occasions.  These are wet/dry shadows, but I really like to use my base shadow, Pale Moon, wet and the contouring shade, Berry Ice, dry.  After applying your favorite eye primer, wet a flat-shadow brush and apply Pale Moon (a light silvery mauve-pink) all over your lid and blend out into the crease.  Then take a fluffy crease-brush and sweep the Berry Ice (a medium berry-plum) shade into the crease, creating a half-arc around the eye and sweeping down toward the lash line.  Add mascara and you're good to go for the office.  For an evening look with a little extra pop, take a wet angled lining brush and dip it in a deep matte violet shade like NARS Daphne.  Line both the upper and lower lash line with this one.  It's ok to line the lower lash line with a shade like this because it's both dark and bright enough in color to not make you look like you have a black eye.  Blend it outward at the outer corner of the eye for a gorgeous smoky finish.

Bare Escentuals Eye Glimmer in Soul Sister
Sometimes, a very special eyeshadow comes along that stands alone.  For me, those are typically loose pure pigment eyeshadows like those by MAC and Bare Escentuals.  This one is a gorgeous rich and dark plummy aubergine with a shimmery finish.  After I prep my eyelids with some eye primer, I like to take a flat eyeshadow brush and sweep this sexy shade over my entire lid, using a blending brush to blend it into the crease.  That and some mascara, and you've got a sexy and simple date look.  If you want to, you can always add a smoky coat of black or charcoal eyeliner, but please, stick with the top lid only.  This eyeshadow is so great at making your eyes sparkle and stand out without anything else, you don't want to go too heavy with the eyeliner.  I wear this look with a little bronzer and neutral tawny cheeks and some light plummy-nude lipgloss.

MAC Purple Haze
This is a bolder brighter medium violet shade for those who want a pop of color.  It's easy to incorporate.  Just start with your favorite natural eye look (taupes, golds, bronzes, and champagnes, whether matte or sparkly are all great for this look).  Then, simply wet an angled eyeliner brush and use it to apply a thin line to the lower lash line and inner eye-rim of the lower lash line.  Then, wipe the excess shadow from the brush and use the brush to blend a little bit around the lash line.  The key to keeping bright shadows like this looking fresh instead of like an 80's explosion is to concentrate the color on an otherwise neutral eye, which is why you don't want any eyeliner on the upper lid.  So you want to keep that line really thin but slightly blended for a hazy eye worthy of the Purple Haze name.  Just add mascara, preferably a softer brown or black-brown instead of black so that the drama is all focused on that lower lash line. 

Expert tip: you can use this runway secret with ANY bright color for the same effect.  Just remember to keep that line of color as thin as you can and concentrated more on the inner rim than the lash line, and keep the rest of the eye and face very soft and neutral.

Eye Shadow by M·A·C

Quick Fix for Skin Woes

Tendskin is a longtime beauty-insider favorite for both men and women.  This liquid miracle quickly and effectively treats a host of skin problems.  While it was designed to be used after hair removal to prevent and cure razor bumps, razor burn, and ingrown hairs, many Tendskin-fans in the know also use it to treat acne.  Unlike most acne-treatment formulas that dry the skin and cause more irritation, Tendskin is very gentle.  If you get occasional spots, you can apply this product twice daily and it will eliminate most breakouts within a few days.  The same formula that makes it to effective to treat bumps and ingrown hairs on the face, bikini line, or legs makes it an acne-slayer.  The secret ingredient?  Liquid aspirin.  When used with the salicylic acid and isopropyl alcohol, the aspirin works to magically quell redness, irritation, and inflammation in the skin FAST.  Best of all, the liquid dries quickly and smoothly, without leaving a film or stickiness on the skin like most acne spot-treatment products.  Simply swipe the product on the skin with clean hands or a cotton-ball in any area where you have or are prone to get acne, razor bumps, or ingrown hairs.

You can use it occasionally as needed, especially after shaving, waxing, or electrolysis.  For you men out there who have facial-skin sensitivity after shaving, you will LOVE this lightweight non-irritating formula.  Despite some of the hardcore astringent ingredients like the alcohol and salicylic acid, the aspirin actually makes this product very soothing.  You can also use it every day, which is what I recommend for preventative maintenance if you're prone to ingrown hairs in particular.  Annoying ingrown hairs often emerge as the hair follicles are growing back after shaving or waxing, so using it only after hair removal won't work very well to prevent them.  But after using this product every day for a full hair-growth cycle, you will see a marked improvement.  I have heard that the same is true for those with moderate to severe acne: every day use will help prevent new breakouts.  I would caution that even though this product is fairly gentle, it still has a laundry list of astringent ingredients that strip the skin of moisture, so if you to use this product on your skin every day, be sure to use a good moisturizer to restore hydration and prevent aging. 


At $20 for a 4 oz bottle and $50 for the jumbo-size 16 oz bottle that will last you a long time, you'll find this a worthwhile investment whether you use it occasionally or everyday.  Get it at Sephora, ULTA, and most fine salons that offer waxing and electrolysis.

Squeeze Me, Tweeze Me

No tool is more essential to a makeup bag than a good tweezer.  For most makeup artists and cosmeticians, the main qualifier for a "good" tweezer is sharpness.  You need the tweezer to be really sharp in order to grab those tiny little annoying stray brow hairs.  Tweezerman makes some decent tweezers, but they're not sharp enough for my taste.  I bought Anastasia's (the brow expert) tweezer a couple of year ago, which served me well for two years before dulling (all tweezers eventually dull and require replacement).  To date, the Anastasia tweezer lasted the longest for me.  But I recently replaced it with the Bobbi Brown tweezer, an investment at $30, but a worthy investment.  This is the sharpest tweezer I have tried, eye-gaugingly sharp (seriously, this might double as a self-defense weapon in a pinch).  This tweezer will scout out stray hairs that you didn't even know you had and grab hairs that have barely cracked the skin's surface.  There may be better tweezers out there, but I haven't found them.  You can find them at Bobbi Brown's online store, Nordstrom and nordstrom.com, and select Macy's.

Double Double Toil and Trouble: Magic Potions

Everyone is still looking for the Fountain of Youth.  We've just stopped looking in the jungle and started looking in dermatologist's offices and department stores.  I've taken pretty good care of my skin, but I'll admit that sometimes I'm not so faithful about using my skincare products EVERY morning and EVERY night as I should.  But as another birthday is looming, I've suddenly noticed some lines and horror of horrors, a sunspot (also horribly known as an age spot) that were not there last year.  That sent me into a panic and I went through my medicine cabinet in search of a quick fix.

The sad truth is that with skincare, there really are no quick fixes no matter what the salespeople tell you.  It's all about long-term and consistent use, something I've not been very good at as of late but have recently rededicated myself to.  Sure, you can find some fillers that work like shellac to instantly diminish the appearance of lines and wrinkles.  And a nice radiance serum or eye cream will instantly improve your skin's appearance and texture.  But if you want to look younger or at least prevent yourself from looking older, you need to get OCD about daily skincare.  Make that twice daily skincare.  So if I'm going to invest time, energy, and money in a regimen, I want to choose the best products and get the most bang for my buck, including some instant-gratification because, like most Americans, I'm impatient.

This will be a multi-part post on the magic potions that make up a good skincare routine.  I will give you my expert advice on what to look for in your skincare products depending on the three big factors: skin-type, skin concerns, and cost.  I'm also going to review the products that I'm trying as I build my own skincare routine and give you some helpful reviews and information about products I've worked with in the past.  I'm also happy to answer any questions you have about skincare in the comments.  I'm beginning with the beginning, cleanser and exfoliation.  I'll begin I'll then move on to discuss serums, moisturizers, eye creams, and a wild card category of skin care treatment extras that you won't use everyday but will see noticeable improvement from occasional use. 

Before I move on to cleansers, I'd like to tell you what I'm expressly excluding: toners.  Allegedly, toners should restore the PH balance of your skin.  A lot of people use them to try to catch any excess oil, makeup, or grime that you miss with the cleanser.  However, if you have a good cleanser, this is really not necessary.  Moreover, most of them have alcohol and are very astringent, which you should never use unless you have sever acne.  Even then, I would be cautious about stripping your skin of its natural moisture with astringents.  Now there are alcohol-free toners out there now, and if you think you must use a toner, I would recommend these.  However, I feel that this is generally an unnecessary extra step.  The mild reward simply isn't worth the money and time.

On to cleansers!  Unless you have sensitive skin, cleansers basically break down into three skin type categories: normal/combination, dry, and oily.  Combination skin is when you have an oily t-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) and dryness in the cheeks and eye area.  This skin type can sometimes be seasonal, as it is for me.  I used to have combination skin all the time, but as I get older, my skin is getting dryer and consequently, I only have combination skin during the summer when the pores tend to release more oil because of the heat.  I have normal to dry skin during the rest of the year.  Other than skin type, the other big factor in choosing a cleanser should be texture.  Some prefer a gel or foam while others prefer a lotion.  There are also solid cleansing bars and cleansing wipes for people on the go.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Lush
Lush makes several excellent cleansers.  For those who aren't familiar with Lush, this is an amazing all-natural skin and body care brand.  Many of their products are freshly made in the shoppes, and most of their products are vegan.  Most importantly, Lush has a longstanding commitment to making their products without any animal testing.  But besides all that, their products are just plan good.  They feel good on the skin, they smell good, and they are affordable. You can order directly from Lush at www.lushusa.com or go to one of their many free-standing shoppes.  Some Macy's are now carrying the line as well.

Lush's Coalface is one of my all time favorites because it is an exfoliating cleanser in a solid bar that gives you an impeccable squeaky clean.  It's perfect for me during the summer when I'm feeling grimy after a long day in the sun.  It is made with charcoal, and it is as black as coal.  It also contains licorice root, which is a natural antibacterial.  Consequently, this cleanser is ideal for those with acne-prone, oily, or combination skin.  I would not recommend this for those with dry or sensitive skin, however, since the exfloliants in the bar can be a bit rough.  I don't typically use this every day myself.  I like to rotate it with a more gentle cleanser.  If you're not into the bar-cleanser, you can also get the same stuff in a cream with exfoliating black sugar mixed in, which is called Dark Angels.  Each of these are about $11 online, although the price in the shoppes will vary since they're made in the shop and cut into pieces and then weighed for price.  Both of these cleansers are vegan.
 
For those with normal to dry, dry, or sensitive skin, I would recommend Lush's Angels on Bare Skin, a much gentler cleanser.  It is sold as a slice of a roll, which is a slightly solid creamy cleanser.  It's made with lavender and rose oils, which sooth the skin and provide a very gentle exfoliation.  If you tend to have lots of allergies and skin-sensitivities, Lush's Aqua Marina with calamine is another great cleanser.  These cleansers also run about $11 and are vegan products.

Face Cleansers by Cetaphil

Aveeno
Aveeno makes some truly great affordable cleansers.  Positively Radiant is a fantastic lotion cleanser that is designed to give your skin a radiant glow.  It's very gentle and suitable for most skin-types but it's especially great for normal to dry or dry skin.  The creamy lotion feels fantastic on the face, and my skin always feels clean and nourished afterward.  It's very hydrating for dry skin.  You can find this at virtually any drugstore or online at www.drugstore.com or www.ulta.com.  It's a bargain at $7, and it's often on sale at the drugstores.

Cetaphil
For those with ultra-sensitive skin or anyone who is looking for the ultimate value in a cleanser, you can't do much better than Cetaphil.  They make it in both the bar and a creamy lotion in a pump now.  It's great for virtually all skin-types, and it's especially great if you have sensitive skin or acne-prone skin.  They make it in several different formulations now too, some of them specifically for sensitive, dry, or oily skin.  Although dermatologists and industry-insiders have been using and recommending the original formula for years to all skin-types.  It's a fantastic, affordable, reliable product.  Personally, I like the bars but the lotion is also great.

St. Ives
St. Ives's classic Apricot Scrub is one of my all time favorite beauty products.  It's a wonderful exfoliator with natural exfoliants.  And it's very inexpensive.  It's a dry scrub, which means it's in a cream base rather than an oil base. It's fantastic as a weekly or biweekly face scrub, but I also love to use it on dry patches like my knees.  Unlike the Lush products, this is not a two-in-one cleansing product, so I would still recommend using another gentle cleanser like Cetaphil or Aveeno first. The original formula is really great for all skin types, but like Cetaphil, St. Ives is now making this scrub in several formulas for different skin-types.  You can even get a formula of the Apricot Scrub for acne-prone skin that has salicylic acid to help with breakouts.  Likewise, they make a gentler creamier formula for dry skin.

Estee Lauder
Estee Lauder makes some fantastic cleansers, but with so many great drugstore options, I tend to think that they are too expensive.  I used them often when I was working for the company as a makeup artist and received free product, and they're great.  However, now I'm looking for more cost-effective alternatives.  I like to invest my money in eye cream and treatments, but I generally feel that the more expensive cleansers are not exponentially better.  However, one Lauder product that is worth the investment is a deep exfoliator called Idealist Dual-Action Refinishing Treatment.  This product was originally called Micro-D, and it was designed to be a lighter at-home version of micro-dermabrasion, but it was recently reformulated and improved to give you the benefits of both a micro-dermabrasion and a glycloic peel.  It warms on your skin with water, which opens up those pores.  Then the ultra-fine exfoliating spheres get deep in there and clean out those pores and banish any rough or dry patches.  This product is somewhat abrasive definitely not for every day, but it's far less abrasive than micro-dermabrasion or glycolic acid treatments while offering similar results.  I also would not recommend it for sensitive skin.  But if you're skin is oily, normal.combination, or dry, you can use this once every week or two for instantly smoother and brighter skin.  It's more of an investment at $49, but you'll feel like you just had a $100 facial, and the tube tends to last about 6 months if I use it once a week, which is not bad.  This is definitely a good one to add to your skincare arsenal.

Calling all Mascara Players

Givenchy has recently rejuvenated its cosmetics lines with some truly interesting products I can't wait to get my paws on (especially the odd-looking Mr. Lash Booster, but that's for another time).  First up is a new mascara.  Now I've tried a lot of mascaras, and much like shampoos/conditioners, I tend to get bored and start looking for the next great thing after the first few uses.  Yes, I'm a serial mascara user, a mascara commitmaphobe if you will.  Because mascara is something that really needs to be replaced every 4-6 weeks, it tends to go downhill fast.  Each time you use it, air and bacteria get it, which quickly transform your mascara from a smooth lash-defining little black dress of makeup to a cakey clumpy mess.  I realize it's not really the mascara's fault, but inevitably I take it out on the product and move on to the next.  By now, I'm a bit mascara-jaded and not easily impressed.  Curved brushes, plastic non-bristled brushes, combs . . . I've seen and tried them all.  And I've rarely bought the same formula more than a couple of times (shout out to CoverGirl Lashblast: you made it 3 replacements before I started seeking a Bigger Better Deal).  So I was excited to try this funky looking mascara from Givenchy called Phenomen'Eyes, but I wasn't really looking for a long-term commitment.  I was thinking it was going to be more of a one time thing.  But as it turns out, this mascara is, well, it's special. 

Phenomen'Eyes is a spherical-shaped wand with well-spaced bristles of various lengths.  The result is that you can reach those pesky corner lashes that other mascaras seem to always miss or pile on way too much product.  Also, this shape seems to be the ideal for lengthening while avoiding clumping.  It really defines all the individual lashes.  For the first time, I felt like I had those unobtainable magazine photo lashes.  You know the really close-up shots of lashes that always look like they must be purely computer-generated since they are long, perfectly separated lash-by-lash, and impossibly curvy.  While a combination is using this product after the Shu Uemura eyelash curler delivered on that seriously defined fanned out look.  I think I'm in love.  It's too bad that this mascara costs $29.  As often as I replace them and given my partiality to $5 drugstore mascaras, that is one expensive mascara.  But I honestly think it's worth every penny.  I've only used it a few times though, so I'll have to see how it does as it ages.  Even though I give Givenchy credit where credit is due, I really do hope that Maybelline or CoverGirl catch on and copy this design.

Now, one problem that I've heard some people have had with this product is related to the formula rather than the design.  Some have complained that it smudges too easily.  I didn't have this problem myself, but I do have a solution for it if you try this mascara and find that it smudges: use a very light coat of lash primer first.  The mascara will bind to the lash primer and prevent it from smudging.  You don't want to go to heavy with the primer though and you need to get the mascara on immediately before the primer dries (that means you have to do one complete eye at a time) because otherwise the primer will stiffen the lashes and you'll lose the benefits of the shaping and defining properties of this wand.  Hopefully, Givenchy will improve the formula regarding the smudging issue or come out with a waterproof version because the wand design is perfection.

Prime Time Part Deaux: Eye Primers

I find that eye primers are critical to a smooth, lasting, non-creasing eye look.  The right primer can also bring out the vibrancy of your eyeshadow.  I love face primer, but if I'm in a hurry in the morning, I admit that I sometimes skip it.  However, I never skip the eye primer when I'm wearing eye makeup.  Here are a few primers I've tried in the past week.  And here's how they compare to my all time favorite: MAC's Paint Pot in Painterly.

MAC
MAC is generally tough to beat in the eye makeup department.  It's a good quality, highly-pigmented, affordable product.  But I'm an especially big fan of MAC's paint pots.  Technically, this is a creamy eyeshadow that dries  smooth and long-wearing.  But I am of the opinion that even though this technically is not a primer, it does the trick very nicely.  I use the shade Painterly, a nice light cool to neutral toned nude-beige that matches my skintone.  MAC also makes this formula is several other fleshy shades, including one that is a bit warmer, Soft Ochre, and one that is great for medium skintones, Groundwork, and one for darker skintones, Quite Natural.  In addition to the smooth staying-power of these paints, I really like that they have several shades that match real skintones.  Many eye primers are "one color fits all" and tend to be very yellow tones, which is not flattering for me.  And personally, I feel that the yellow-based primers distort my eyeshadows in an unflattering way, making them appear more yellow on my skin.  That is why I always choose eye shadow bases/primers that are as close as possible to the skintone, or slightly lighter.  And at $16.50 a pop, these paints are nicely priced.  Here's how the other primers I tried stacked up to my favorite.

Urban Decay
I tried a sample Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Eden.  I was not pleased with this because it was way too yellow, but in fairness to the product, they do make a sheer nude shade that I might have preferred.  The overall texture was fine, and it definitely helped my eyeshadow stay all day just as well as the MAC product I like.  But I had a strange reaction to this product.  My eyelids suddenly became red and irritated as the product dried.  The sensation went away after about 15 minutes or so, but my eyelids were very irritated for a while, which caused me to postpone applying my eyeshadow since I didn't want to agitate the area with a brush.  I don't typically have cosmetic allergies, but who knows, I may be allergic to something in the product.  But I know this is a popular primer with a lot of the makeup artists I know, so it may just be me.  However, if you tend to have skin allergies or sensitivities, I would do a patch test first before spreading this all over your eyelids.  In any case, between the overly yellow color and the irritation, I doubt I'll be trying this again.

Kat Von D
Yes, the famed sexy tattoo artist started her own makeup line.  I guess I should have seen that one coming.  This is the first product I've tried from the line, and I must say especially after my Urban Decay experience, I was impressed with the High Voltage Eye Primer.  The primer was smooth and lightweight.  It spread easily, and I like that it comes in a wand form.  However, the ease of the wand is somewhat deceptive since it holds too much product, so it's not useful for blending.  You either have to blend with your finger or preferably, a concealer brush.  I am used to using a concealer brush to apply my Paint Pot, so that's not a problem.  I think that if you wipe the wand thoroughly on the edge of the tube, you may be able to use it to blend the product.  But chances are you'll still end up blending the edges with your finger.  Even though the shade of this product is not bad, a "universal" nude, it's still a bit on the yellow side for me.  But my bigger complaint is that it does not come in shades to match other skintones.  There is a deep dark charcoal color, but that is not going to match anyone's skintone.  And while there are different thoughts on whether you really need your primer to match your skintone, my question is if you can get a product that does match, why the heck would you want to use something way too dark, too light, too yellow, or too pink?  So basically, I think that Ms. Von D has a good product here, but I'd like to see her expand the options to accommodate a wider range of skintones rather than trying to mass off a warm yellowish nude as "universal." 

Benefit
Benefit's Stay Don't Stray is a winner.  It's interesting because it's not just an eyeshadow primer, it's also designed to primer underneath your eyes to keep your under-eye concealer form creasing.  It comes in a pump format, so you can apply and blend it with either your finger or your concealer brush.  Beware: I got lazy and decided to use my finger instead of a brush when I tried this, and it did not wash off very easily, even with soap.  I had to break out the makeup remover.  But I took that as a good sign that it was definitely going to prevent concealer and eyeshadow from running, fading, or creasing.  And boy did it!  This is a fantastic non-greasy gem with staying power.  My under-eye concealer has never looked so good, particularly during the July heat when it tends to run and crease easily.  You're definitely gonna need a good eye-makeup remover to get it off.  Once again, it is only sold it one color, a "universal" nude.  However, I thought that this one really was more universal because it is pretty sheer and neutral-toned (equal parts of cool pink base and warm yellow base).  I'd still like to see them make at least one more a few shades darker for women with medium to dark skintones.  But overall, I think that this is a great product.  It's a few bucks more than the MAC at $24, but I think I would use the MAC for everyday and reserve the Benefit for days when I need a little extra staying power because of the heat or a photo shoot.  This one's definitely going in my wedding makeup kit.

Face Primer by Benefit

Runway Alert: Renaissance Inspired Luxe

At the Fall 2010 Nanette Lepore show, MAC makeup artists went for a striking two-tone magenta and burgundy lip with a heavily-lined smoky eye.  This look certainly isn't for everyday, but it's a fun and trendy night look.  Here's how to recreate the look:  apply a nude eyeshadow base, like MAC's Paint Pot in Painterly.  Then take MAC's Eye Kohl in Smolder (or any other great easily blendable soft black eyeliner) and line the inner rims of the eye together with the top lashline.  Then, smudge the liner bit, particularly around the outer corners.  For a softer look, you could use a charcoal wet/dry eyeshadow with a wet angled liner brush to achieve the same effect.  I recommend Bare Escentuals loose eyeshadow in Wearable Stone Dark for a great blendable charcoal shadow.

Keep the cheeks soft and understated with a hint of bronzer or a soft rosy-nude blush like Smaskbox's Bare (shimmery) or Estee Lauder's Desert (matte).  Then line the top lip with MAC's Magenta lipliner (you could also use a nude lipliner like NARS Morocco, as I prefer to do with bright lipcolors), and fill it in with a magenta or fuchsia lipstick like MAC's Utter Fun or Love Forever (the latter shade was used during the Lepore show but won't release until September 2010).  Next, fill in the entire lower lip with MAC's Burgundy lipliner.  The MAC makeup artists then mixed two lipstick shades: Odyssey and Charred Red, and then layered that over the Burgundy lipliner.  This created a bright creamy ruby look on the lower lip.  I think you can get the same effect with a single lipstick, like Illamasqua's Box, a matte deep ruby red.  Or you can just use Odyssey alone over the Burgundy for a slightly more daring purple-based lower lip.  In either case, I think that the slight contrast between the lower and upper lip provides some visual interest.  It's a fabulous runway and photo shoot look, but you can also pull it off for a night on the town.
 

Runway Alert: Red-Orange Matte Lipstick

Of all the Fall 2010 runway makeup looks, I think that this look at Vena Cava is one of the versatile.  You can wear it now and later.  It's the cleanness of the rest of the face that makes this bright lipstick look so modern.  I recreated this look at home by taking my favorite bronzer, Estee Lauder's Bronze Goddess and sweeping it along the hairline and cheek bones for a lightly bronzed look.  After shaping the brows with some Anastasia brow gel and priming the eyelids with some of Benefit's Stay Don't Stray eye primer, I used a flat brush to apply MAC eyeshadow in Orb (a light matte nude-beige).  I then added a subtle shimmery highlight to the brow bone with Stila's Kitten eyeshadow (a pale golden champagne).  After that, I used a tapered crease brush to apply a bit of the bronzer to the crease and blended upward and outward along the top of the crease in the shape of the natural arch of the brow.  I finished with some brown volumizing mascara, CoverGirl's Lashblast Volume in Black Brown.  I use black brown mascara instead of true brown because I have darker hair and eyebrows, but blondes would look better with a true brown mascara.  Then I prepped my lips with a little Rosebud lip balm and lined them with a nude lipliner, NARS Morocco.

This is one of my best tips for pulling off bright lipstick: always use lipliner, but do not use a matching shade.  Instead, use a light fleshy nude.  It will give your lips the proper shape and keep your bright color from bleeding, but it won't leave that garish bright ring around your lips as your lipstick wears.  I also feel that no matter how bright your lipstick, you can always see a bright lipliner and that demarcation looks old-fashioned, which is why I only use two lipliners for all my lipsticks.  One is a very light rosy lip-toned pink for my cool toned lipsticks, and the other is my nude lipliner for my warm toned lipsticks and my brights.

After shaping my lips with the liner, I added the big finish: Illamasqua's lipstick in Ignite, a very matte red-orange. Illamasqua is a relatively new U.K. brand inspired by 1920's Berlin, and it delivers on the bright matte lipsticks. Their formula is very long-wearing and creamy, and their color selection is full of dramatic high impact options as well as the everyday. I also tried this same look with a favorite Estee Lauder vibrant matte magenta-berry lipstick that has tragically been discontinued. It's a great look that again, emphasizes a bright lip but comes off as very modern and polished. Illamasqua makes two shades that are very similar to mine: Resist is on the berry side and Welt is a bit more violet-fuchsia. Both would look great with this simple lightly bronzed look, and I think this look is fabulous for the Summer as well as the Fall.

Face Bronzer by Estee Lauder

We Will Plump You Up!

There are lots of new plumping lipglosses on the market, each one promising to make your lips fuller, smoother, and glossier than the last.  Here's the real scoop on three of the latest topsellers:

Too Faced
Too Faced makes a lip plumper called Glamour Gloss.  It promises to give you a plumped shiny pout that is "pain-free" and "cooling."  I tried it in Flirt to see if it lives up to those claims.  First off, Flirt is a great natural pinkish nude color.  It's described as a cool toned pink mocha, and I think that's accurate.  It's a very pretty natural-looking color.  And even though I found it cooling, I can't say it was "pain-free."  It is cooling in a menthol sort of way, and it does impart some minor stinging sensation.  Now this part doesn't really bother me; I was a fan of the old Lip Venom "spicy" gloss that stung my lips into a swollen pout.  But my bigger complaint about the Too Faced plumper is the stickiness of the gloss.  That I cannot abide.  I tried to salvage it by applying a layer of lip balm first because the color is so pretty, and that does help with the stickiness, but I still think we can do better.

Fusion Beauty
Fusion Beauty has long been considered the gold standard in lip plumping.  It's $50 LipFusion XL uses collagen and hyaluronic acid to dramatically plump lips.  But it's clear, so you still have to apply a lipstick or gloss over the top.  Their newest invention is a plumping gloss called Infatuation.  It promises to boost natural lip fat without irritants and silicone.  I tried star-favorite Big and Bare, a nice medium plummy nude.  Again, I love the color.  As for the pumping benefits?  I found that it was better than the Too Faced for plumping but not quite as good as the LipFusion XL, but considering the gloss gives you color too and it's $29, I think it's a good deal.  The friendly helper at Sephora told me that you really have to use this one every day to get the maximum lip-fattening benefits.  I can't see myself using the it every day, so I may never realize my maximum lip-fat potential I guess, but I must say, it is very comfortable to wear.  It's more cooling than stinging, and it' smooth and non-sticky.  Over all, I like this one much better than the Too Faced plumper.  As far as pumping products go, it's only beaten by the other Fusion product, and it's the very best of the colorful lipglosses I tried.

TheBalm
TheBalm is known for making smooth, comfortable lip products loaded with Vitamin E, so I was surprised and intrigued when I found out they had created a lip plumper.  Could it be that I'd found the holy grail of comfortable lip plumpers?  I tried the Plump Your Pucker in Cocoa My Coconut, a light creamy nude.  Aside from the kitschy names, I must complain that there is not much to offer in terms of shade selection.  And most of them are sparkly, which I'm not a fan of, particularly in a lipgloss.  Lipgloss is already making your lips shiny, so why would glitter be necessary?  In any case, the shade I tried was ok, but a bit too nude for my pale skin.  I was underwhelmed.  Moreover, the active ingredients are menthol and folic acid, making this gloss even more uncomfortable and irritating than the Too Faced one.  What's worse is I don't think my lips really looked that much plumper after applying this stuff.  What a disappointment.  It's too bad because I really like some of the other TheBalm products, but this one, well, it bombed.

Lip Gloss by Too Faced

Better than a Pedicure

Looking for an alternative to the pricey paraffin dips at the local nail salon?  If you have dry feet, try slathering on a generous layer of Vaseline before bed and put on some cotton socks.  You'll wake up with surprisingly soft tootsies.  It sounds a little weird, but it actually feels pretty comfortable once you get the socks on, and I've never found a better remedy for dry cracked feet in or out of a nail salon.  Add a couple of coats of nail polish when you wake up in the morning, and you're ready for sandal-season.

The Antioxidant Craze

Antioxidants are hot right now, and for good reason.  Super-berries like acai and blueberries as well as delectable pomegranate juice are showing up in everything from smoothies to cocktails.  But getting your daily dose of antioxidants is not just for your internal health, it's also fantastic for the skin.  Some companies, like Estee Lauder, have been doing it for years.  Their moisturizer, DayWear Plus (which is not just for day anymore thanks to its non-penetrating SPF) is loaded with soothing antioxidants.  I used to work as a makeup artist for Lauder and recommended this moisturizer for those with sensitive, irritated, and acne-prone skin.  I also found that clients with Rosacea experienced a substantial improvement with this moisturizer.  It may not be a cure-all product for everyone, but the antioxidants definitely help smooth and improve the skin's texture and color.  Whenever my skin is feeling irritated, I go straight for this product.  And the non-penetrating SPF is a godsend.  It's designed to stay on the surface of your skin so it doesn't get into your pores and cause irritation but still gives you the same sun protection.  A lot of people have bad reactions to SPF on their face and decide not to use it.  It's hard to find skincare or makeup with a non-penetrating SPF, so if your skin tends to get irritated after using skincare or makeup with SPF, try to switch to products like DayWear.  I suggest buying DayWear in one of Lauder's value-priced skincare kits, which are available practically year-round and give your the full-sized moisturizer together with deluxe samples of other skincare for just a few dollars more than the moisturizer itself.  It will give you the opportunity to try some of Lauder's other great skincare products.  I don't work for the company anymore, but many of their skincare products are staples in my medicine cabinet.

Face Anti-Aging by Estee Lauder

Other cosmetics companies are starting to use antioxidants in their makeup.  And you'll notice a big difference, particularly with lip products.  One of my new favorites is a Korres Raspberry Antioxidant liquid lipstick.  It's cooling and soothing, and it works to protect your lips from free radicals.  It's loaded with antioxidants from raspberries and pomegranates.  Moreover, it's formulated without drying nasty parabens and sulfates.  That is another tip when you're looking for moisturizing lipsticks and glosses: go for paraben and sulfate-free products whenever possible.  After a few days, you're lips will feel so much more soft and healthy.

Josie Maran, a fabulous organic beauty line, has a wonderful selection of skincare and makeup loaded with antioxidants.  The secret ingredient?  Argan Oil.  You can buy it from Maran in its purest form for $48.  And that's a great investment because you can use the oil wherever you like: on your skin, your hair, your cuticles, and your lips.  I'm growing my hair out, so I like to use a bit on my ends to protect against breakage and dryness.  Maran uses this miracle oil in many of the other products, including the lipgloss, mascara, and a fantastic bronzer.  I bought one of the value introductory kits and got to try several different products, including the oil, at a phenomenal price.

I hope that you'll be inspired to seek out antioxidants for your beauty regimen.

Replacing an Old Favorite

Don't you hate it when the powers that be discontinue your favorite lipstick or moisturizer?  Everyone has "the one that got away."  And it's inevitable that it will be some obscure color that you just can't find a match for.  For me, it's Anna Sui Face Color (the old formula) in #300.  This is the perfect fuchsia blush.  Yes, I said fuchsia.  Kevyn Aucoin first sold me on the idea of using a sheer fuchsia blush for the most natural healthy flush.  And he once touted the Anna Sui as the best example.  I was sold.  Sort of.  But after I worked up the nerve to buy this garish-looking color and try it, I was really sold.  Whatever your skin tone, when you flush, you don't really flush petal pink or sandy beige, you flush fuchsia.  The skin reddens slightly and appears to create a very light hot pink/fuchsia cast in the cheeks.  And using a blush in this color family to mimic a natural flush is a cult celebrity makeup trick, most vehemently promoted by Aucoin.

But alas, my perfect sheer fuchsia blush has been discontinued, and I am down to the last remnants.  I tried to satisfy myself with a hot pink, which gives a similar look.  I bought MAKE UP FOR EVER's blush in No. 26, which is close but not quite right.  It's more pink-toned, which would probably most people on a quest for fuchsia blush.  Then there is Illamasqua's blush in Thrust, which I like, but it's a little on the magenta side for every day.

I finally found a way to match my favorite fuchsia blush without compromising anything: Three Custom Color Specialists (www.threecustom.com).  This New York based line will match anything you can send them a sample of, both formula and texture.  And texture is very important in this case because it's the sheerness of the Anna Sui product that makes the loud color work so well.  Then they keep it on file permanently for easy reorder.  I am sending in a sample of my Anna Sui tomorrow.  I will let you know the results.

Face Blush at Sephora

Home of the Free

I love trying new products via samples.  The cosmetics industry has been marketing its products through sampling programs for decades.  Gradually, traditional sampling has been expanded to include gift with purchase, purchase with purchase, and value-priced sets.  The reason that these types of sampling programs are so common among cosmetics companies and retailers is because they sell little luxuries. The luxuries range from the affordable to the outrageous, but they are all nonessential items.  And particularly in these cost-conscious times, sampling programs and their related "try before you buy" counterparts are critical to sales.  The following are a few of my favorite places for scoring samples online, although I also recommend asking for samples the news time you're picking up your foundation at the local department store or browsing for a new perfume.  Who knows, you may discover a new favorite.

Sephora
I love shopping at Sephora stores and online, not only for their selection, but for their excellent sampling programs and member rewards.  You can always choose at least three samples with every order (usually out of a selection of a dozen or so skincare, makeup, and fragrance samples).  Additionally, sephora.com always has codes for deluxe-sized freebees.  Sometimes these codes are not all listed on the web page, but you can find them easily on Sephora's facebook page or on their email list.  For example, right now, you can use the code BEBARETRIO to get a free set of Bare Escentuals products with the purchase of any product on Sephora's web site.  This trio is a 10-day supply of the Bare Minerals foundation in your choice of color, the mineral veil sheer powder, and a cute mini Kabuki brush.  There are at least ten other similar offers at any given time, some requiring the purchase of a specific brand or product, but most of them are just free with any purchase. 

Sephora also offers great value-priced gift sets, some of which are seasonal and go on sale on the web page for an even better deal.  Some of them are a mixture of deluxe sized items from one brand, others are "Sephora Favorites" from different brands.  Right now, the web page has a mascara giftset that gives you ten deluxe mascara samples from different brands (including Korres and Smashbox) for only $39.  There are similar giftsets for skincare. 

Also, Sephora has a great rewards program that gives you even more deluxe freebees as you accumulate rewards points with your purchases.  One final Sephora tip: if you sign up for their rewards program, you also get a little birthday gift if you request it either at the store or on the web page within two weeks of your birthday.

ULTA
ULTA's online shop also has a fantastic sampling program.  There is some overlap of brands with Sephora, but ULTA also has drugstore brands and often has great sales and buy-one-get-one deals on those items.  ULTA always gives you three samples of your choice with any online order.  And like Spehora, often they have deluxe giveaways.  Right now, ULTA is giving a deluxe Bare Escentuals mascara with any purchase from the brand.  Additionally, ULTA often has online coupon codes for discounts and free shipping (although, shipping is always free with a $50 purchase).  But one word of warning on the coupon codes: they usually don't apply to any of the "prestige" brands, so those codes are only going to work on your drugstore and ULTA brand items.  But it's still a great way to save.

ULTA also has some great value-priced gift sets.  They have a great variety of Bare Escentuals and Too Faced value sets in particular.

The Beauty Sampler
This is a web site that specializes in selling samples of popular items that the cosmetics companies don't sample.  In particular, this is the place to find MAC Pigment samples.  If you're not familiar with Pigments, they are loose form pure color in jars that can be used as eyeshadow, blush, eyeliner, or even mixed with lipgloss.  I generally use them as eyeshadows and love that they don't crease and last all day.  The Beauty Sampler sells 1/4 teaspoon samples in small jars.  This doesn't sound like a lot, but with Pigment, a little goes a long way and even if you wore the same color every day, it would probably take you a good month or two to go through that much Pigment.  These sell for $2 to $3 depending on the color.  This retailer has rare and discontinued colors, as well as the Pro colors, which are only sold in MAC Pro shops.  They don't charge for shipping, and I find it's a great way to try new colors without a big investment.  The full-sized Pigments sell for $20, and I've never been able to get anywhere near making a dent in my full sized Pigments, some of which I've had for nearly ten years.  Better to get 6 or 7 different shades in these great trial containers for the price of one.  Get them at www.thebeautysampler.com.

Common Scents

After working in the cosmetics industry for eight years, I've seen and smelled it all.  And I quickly grew bored with fragrance.  After a while, they all smell the same.  It's hard to find unique fragrances that smell interesting, clean, and light.  I discovered Jo Malone a few years ago and found some truly outstanding fragrances.  My personal favorite is Mint & White Jasmine, which has a really interesting green fresh mint layer so that the heady feminine jasmine layer is not overwhelming.  Since then, I've also fallen head over heels for Nectarine Blossom & Honey, Lotus Blossom & Water Lily, and most recently, Vanilla & Anise.  The Vanilla & Anise is now a personal favorite.  It's the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, and it's surprisingly light.  I was afraid that it would smell too overpowering, but it's certainly not.  I plan to wear this one for my wedding.

The great thing about Jo Malone, besides the innovative notes and combination, is that these simple two-note fragrances are designed to either be worn alone or layered with each other to create your own personal scent.  For example, I've found that the Lotus Blossom & Water Lily is a great base layer that I can spray any of the other fragrances over to add some interesting differences and help them last all day.  It's a great line for people who get bored with fragrance and wearing the same thing every day.  Plus they have all kinds of goodies to layer fragrances: lotion, shower gel, hand cream, candles, and bath oil.

One tip I have is to buy the bath oil.  First, I find that besides the cologne, the bath oils keep the scents with you best of all the products.  Second, I personally prefer to use the bath oil as a body oil instead of a lotion.  It's not at all greasy, and it makes your skin silky soft.  It just gives a soft glow to the legs, arms, and decolletage, which is great for the summer.  And a little goes a long way, so it lasts.

If you do decide to buy Jo Malone, you can find it at premier department stores like Neiman Marcus, Saks, and Bloomingdales.  But the best place to buy is at www.jomalone.com, where every order gets free shipping and two fragrance samples of your choice.  I would also suggest picking up their Vitamin E Lip Conditioner with SPF 15.  It's very hydrating, and it's fantastic for soothing dry or cracked lips.  It's $20, but it comes in a generously sized tube.  Often the Jo Malone counters at the departments stores will give you a sample of this if you ask.  The brand prides itself on generous sampling, so don't be shy.

You Dropped a Balm on Me!

Ah summertime!  Nothing beats a day at the beach with a cute swimsuit and cool summer libations.  But there is one thing I don't love about the summer is what is does to my skin, particularly my lips.  Together with the eyelids, the lips are some of the most sensitive thin skin on the face.  And we're typically much harder on our lips than our eyelids.  Summer heat and wind, tanning, and chlorine-filled pools in particular damage our lips.  Which is exactly why we need to keep them hydrated to ward off dry, sore, chapped lips.

Now I'm a big fan of Burt's Bees chapstick for the texture and flavor and the softening effect, but lately I've been feeling the need for extra care.  Enter my new favorite, a pick from my stylish brother (thanks lil bro!), Rosebud Perfume Co. lip balm.  You can find it at Sephora and drugstores (including drugstore.com).  Sadly, it's not available on Ulta's web page, but I've heard you can find it at some Ulta stores.  This is the ultimate lip balm.  I purchased it in strawberry, which has a hint of strawberry flavor and scent without being sickly sweet as some flavored lip products are.  It's also available in traditional rosebud salve (my brother's pick) and a minted rose, which also smelled good when I tried it in the store.  They have just a hint of lip-tone pinkish color, but it is very very light.  This is definitely a guy-friendly balm as the color is just enough so that your lips won't look weirdly washed out (which is what happens with some white, clear, and light yellow colored balms).  Best of all, this balm will leave your lips moist and soft for hours, defying physical laws of summer lip balm reapplication.  I applied it several hours ago, and my lips feel smooth and comfortable, and not a bit sticky.  At $7 for nearly an ounce in a tin (i.e., you get to actually use all the product unlike a tube), it's a bargain and a summer must-have.

Prime Time

If you've read a beauty magazine lately, you've probably seen some of the recent uproar about primers. Primers have been around for years, but until recently, it was hard to find a formula that felt smooth and light on the skin and didn't turn you a sickly shade of yellow. Also recently, there has been more buzz about the perks of using a separate eye primer formulated just for your lids in addition to a foundation primer.

For those of you not yet sold on the benefits of using a primer before foundation, let me tell you, it's a worthwhile investment. A good primer should (1) perfect your skintone; (2) minimize visible pores and lines; and (3) help your foundation glide on smoothly so you end up using less product. Your skin should feel smooth and silky after you apply it, and it should NEVER feel sticky or like you have layers of goop on your face. It's one of those things that you decide to try one day and then wonder how you ever lived without it.

Smashbox
Now, most beauty insiders go straight to Smashbox Photo Finish, and I can't blame them. It's a solid primer and it's available in several shades from colorless (which is my personal preference) to skintone-correcting shades like green to minimize redness and lavender to minimize yellow tones. My only real gripe with Smashbox primer besides my hankering to try something new is the price: it's $36 for one ounce, and with the economy being what it is, I went in search of a budget foundation primer to substitute for my old standby. And I figured while I was at it, I may as well try to find a good eye primer too.

Arbonne
First up, I tried Arbonne's liquid primer. My soon-to-be sister-in-law is a rep for Arbonne and kindly sent me a sample. Arbonne is an organic vegan Swiss skincare line available online and through reps. The primer was a nice smoothing liquid, and it smelled clean and fresh (always a plus). I liked the texture a bit better than the Photo Finish overall, although I found that the products are actually very similar in that they do all the things a primer should do: smooth the skin, minimize pores, and make the foundation look flawless. My only complaint is that like the Smashbox primer, Arbonne's primer costs $36. But considering it's made with good-for-you organic ingredients, it's a great find. And for those who are looking for a good organic and/or vegan beauty line, Arbonne is a wonderful option.

Laura Mercier
Next, I tried Laura Mercier's Mineral Primer. This is supposed to be a liquid-to-powder finish. It felt good going on, but I found that it dried too quickly as I was trying to spread it on. Because of this, it made my makeup look uneven and spotty (quite the opposite of what a primer is supposed to do). At first, I thought maybe this was a user-error and I needed to be faster on the draw in applying it. So I tried it again the next day, and though I had some improvement with speed, it still gave a really uneven look to my foundation. Both times I has to wipe it off and start fresh with a different primer. I think that this one is a big disappointment. I shouldn't have to race against the clock to get my primer on and blended before it dries into a cakey mess. And even though it's a good price at $30 for a 1.7 ounce tube, I would never buy this product.

L'oreal
On to the drug store find: L'oreal's new and much hyped Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base. I got sucked into the commercial and since I was in the market for an affordable primer, I immediately ordered it on drugstore.com. Other beauty-addicts must be on a similar quest for affordable smooth skin because it was on back-order, but it was restocked and shipped to my door within a few days. It comes in a little pot and is a bit thicker than the liquid primers I'm used to. But the formula is still airy and light when you apply it and gives the silky smooth finish I'm looking for. It also has a slightly iridescent pink glow to it that gives the skin a nice healthy look. Overall, I like it. But the problem is that because it's not a liquid or anything close to a liquid, it doesn't spread as easily and I ended up using for product to get full-face coverage. That wouldn't necessarily be a problem except that the jar is only half an ounce at $13, so I'd need two to equal the size of my Photo Finish, and I have a feeling that because the formula requires that I use more product, I would go through 2 and 1/2 to 3 jars in the same time as a bottle of Photo Finish, so it might not be a real money-saver after all. It's a shame because it really is a great over-the-counter product. This just goes to show you that you have to check out the prices per ounce when trying to save at the drug store. Sometimes you can find a great deal, and other times, the price per ounce is really the same or even more than the department store equivalent.

Korres
Next, I tried a Korres silicone-free face primer I got as a sample in my Sephora order. At last, we have an affordable winner! This 99% natural primer loaded with good-for-your-skin antioxidants. It is very much comparable to the Smashbox and Arbonne, only it weighs in at $28 per ounce, saving me a bit of cash. Other than the savings, I also prefer this primer to Photo Finish because it's in a tube rather than a pump, which I find allows me to get every last bit of product easier. I've spent many a day trying to scrape the last of my foundation, primer, or whatever out of the bottle with a q-tip, so a squeezable tube is a welcome alternative package.

Hourglass
Finally, I tried Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer, another Sephora sample. This one has a few additional features to the standard primers: it has SPF 15 and it's designed to absorb excess oils. Now, all the other primers will smooth shine on the skin and make it feel a little less oily. But this is the first primer I've tried that actually seems to suck up all the excess oil on my summer combination skin. I'm impressed! Bonus feature: I also found that my foundation stayed on better than ever with this primer, even after being in the hot July sun all day. The SPF is not a big deal to me since both my moisturizer and my foundation have SPF 15 and SPF is not layerable (so SPF 15 plus SPF 15 does not equal 30; you only get the SPF benefit of the highest level SPF product you have on). But the oil absorption is something to think about. I was sold until I looked at the price. $52 for one ounce? Yikes! I'm tempted because of the staying power and the oil-control, but I think that's just because it's summertime. In the winter, when my skin is dryer and I'm not glistening in the hot sun, those features would not be worth the extra cost to me. I may rationalize this purchase as a summer primer and use the Korres during the other 9 months out of the year. Damn you Sephora sampling program, you've done it again!

(check back soon for Prime Time Part Deux: Eye Primers)

Face Primer by Smashbox