Smashbox Halo Powder

I was introduced to the Smashbox Halo Powder about a month ago from one of my coworkers. As far as I know it's the only powder from Smashbox at the moment that's Paraben and Talc free. It is beautiful. You can use it on it's own as a foundation powder or you can use it on top of your liquid foundation to create a beautiful satin finish. It has a bit of a glow and makes your skin look flawless. I love it!!!!

check it out at Sephora...:)

La Bella Donna (Mineral Makeup) the real deal.....

I’ve already mentioned La Bella Donna mineral makeup on a few occasions with my blog, but I wanted to devote a bit more attention to it. To me, it’s one of the best mineral makeup lines out there. Not only do I have an attachment to it because it was my first real introduction into the mineral/green/natural makeup world, but because I’ve used it for a long time and I’ve seen how it photographs and wears on an everyday level. In both cases, it’s absolutely gorgeous.

The loose foundation powder is wonderful. It has a bit of a shine/shimmer that gives the skin a healthy glow. A little bit of it goes a long way, so you can start with a thin wash of it with a large brush as a natural clean base or you can build on it to make it full coverage. You can also use a small flat brush and use it as a concealer for blemishes and even under the eyes.

If the loose foundation powder is a bit too shiny for you, they also make a pressed powder that has a matte satin finish. It’s mostly matte but there is a slight sheen that isn’t really shiny, it just reduces the chance for typical results of most matte powders which can be chalky and cakey at times. Personally I use both the loose and the pressed. I like to dust a thin wash of the loose powder all over my face for a nice base and then set with the pressed. I find that setting with the pressed eliminates the need for touching up throughout the day.

The eye shadows and powder blushes are really pretty. The color choices aren’t immense but there is definitely enough variety to have a natural/neutral look, a smoky look and a look with a bit of color. They blend so well together and into the skin that it physically requires no work. I mean you place the brush where it needs to go, blend and the color/shadow is perfectly placed on the eye or cheek.

The mascara is great. It has a nice amount of thickening and lengthening and doesn’t dry hard. The only thing is it’s not waterproof so using it for brides has gone out the window for me, but I use it on myself and it gives me just enough “wow” to feel pretty and natural but not too made up.

The same is true with the eyeliner pencils. They are soft and rich and blend very well for a soft smoky look, or you can create a thick bold line that’s full and dark if that’s your thing too. The only problem again is that they are not water resistant so using them for brides and/ or on a very hot day, can get a bit messy just because they tend to melt a bit more easily.

The lipstick and lipgloss is really nice. Most of them are pretty sheer but buildable. So potentially you can use them like a stain just for a bit of color, or you can build the color to a fully rich tone that looks and feels like a lipstick you’d buy from Chanel or Bobbi Brown. Again, like the eyeshadows, the color selection isn’t vast but its enough to give you choices for a variety of looks and I guarantee you will find at least 2 or 3 colors that jump out at you right away.

The most fascinating thing to me about La Bella Donna as a company, is that they provide information about their products that is not only factual about minerals and their benefits but also how simple it is. The explanations of the ingredients are easy to understand and actually fun to read.

La Bella Donna is an approachable line. Even though they are located at Bergdorf Goodeman which is a rather intimidating and fancy department store, you can still feel good about yourself because everyone that comes to shop there is treated equally. The people who work for the company (including myself a few years ago) truly stand behind this product and are excited to impart their knowledge of it to everyone. You can also purchase it online at the website www.labelladonna.com. There is a lot more info about all the ingredients on the website…..take a look and enjoy!!! ☺

Bare Minerals

So this week I contacted my friend Kerrie Urban (www.kerrieurban.com)... She is a hair and makeup artist based in NYC with Artists by Timothy Priano. I contacted her to help me with my blog because I knew she used Bare Minerals cosmetics on a regular basis.

To be perfectly honest, I was never really a fan of Bare Minerals....I found it drying on my own skin which is already dry and sensitive, and that it didn't photograph very well on photoshoots. I found that the faces were reflecting a lot of light and almost looked metallic. Then I saw that one of the ingredients in one form of their loose foundation powders was Aluminum. I was surprised by that because La Bella Donna, another mineral makeup line that I LOVE, does photograph well, is not too shiny and does not contain Aluminum. The aluminum made me nervous and a bit ticked off that they were calling themselves a mineral line which they very well may be (obviously) but that they were still using relatively harmful ingredients.

Having said that, when I saw that ingredient, it was at a photoshoot with kerrie 2 years ago. Since then I've shopped at Sephora many times, furiously reading the ingredient list on the Bare Minerals packaging and never once saw Aluminum again on the list.

So I made the decision to start trying Bare Minerals. So far I've tried the Foundation Powder, Mineral Veil, Moisturizer and Eye Cream. They are all really nice, good quality products.
One thing I'll say about the foundation powder and mineral veil is that for photography purposes you have to be careful because of the light. In my pictures of Kerrie I used natural light which seemed to not have too reflective of a result so it was fine...but for studio light i'm wary because it almost casts a film that looks greasy.

But for everyday use here's what kerrie said, " I like using bare minerals for my everyday foundation because it's not too heavy. It doesn't clog my pores and it doesn't dry me out. I have oily skin so the nice thing is that the powder absorbs some of the oil but not so much that I look made up. What I do wish they'd do is create a travel compact of the foundation powder because it just get's so messy in my bag carrying around the loose. It would be nice to have a compact with a mirror and a little application brush, that way I can touch up at work and not worry about getting powder everywhere on set." Kerrie Urban 2010 (www.kerrieurban.com)

I'm looking forward to trying more of the bare minerals line and getting back with more info....stay tuned for more on Bare Minerals soon.....

Vitamin E

just a quick note/tip.....

Most lip gloss's and lip balms in the general market (meaning not green companies that I've either written about or am still investigating) contain petroleum jelly which is very unhealthy. It's unhealthy primarily because it's carcenogenic but also it traps in heat on the skin. It's a common misconception that Vaseline is soothing for burns or chapped lips but because when applied to the skin it traps in heat, actually worsening the burn vs. healing it. Petroleum jelly has also been known to cause a type of pneumonia called Lipid Pneumonia....

(FROM RESEARCH
Improper uses
As the substance became more common in households, it began to be used for a number of medical purposes, some of which medical science has shown to be dangerous or damaging.
Fresh Burns
It should not be used on fresh burns of any kind, including sunburn. Petrolatum traps heat inside, worsening burns. After heat has dissipated, however, it can serve as a dressing for minor burns to soothe later pain.[6]
Nasal congestion or dryness
If particles of petrolatum are inhaled from the nose, they may deposit in the lungs and lead to a condition called lipid pneumonia.
Personal Lubricant
Because petroleum jelly is oil-based, it interferes with the structure of latex. Using petroleum jelly with latex condoms weakens the material very quickly, increasing the chance of rupture. Thus it is not recommended for use during sexual intercourse when using a latex condom.)




but a few quick alternatives:

take a vitamin E liquid caplet, poke a hole in it with a safety pin or needle, and squeeze the liquid directly on to your lip. It's a perfect lipgloss because it has the benefits of vitamin E directly for moisture and hydration and it has a great shine....

an alternative to vaseline for soothing burns is aloe. Buy yourself an aloe plant and when you need something soothing if you burn yourself cooking or whatever, break off a chunk from the leaf of the plant and use the liquid directly on your skin. You'll find that your burn will feel cooler as well as smooth.

another home remedy for a sunburn that i've used myself is Avocado. I remember once when I was in college, I laid out all day not having applied any SPF and by nightfall my legs were so burnt it was hard to walk. I was in so much pain and so desperate for relief that I took an avocado and smeared it all over my legs and they felt so much better. it makes sense that it worked because Avocados are a big source of vitamin E.

Peace Keeper & ZuZu Luxe

Peace Keeper & ZuZu Luxe

I went to wholefoods/body yesterday and picked 2 makeup lines to experiment with. Both of these lines, Peace Keeper cause-metics and ZuZu Luxe, I had used 1 or 2 products from before so it just made sense to continue with them. Both lines are made from organic and natural ingredients and both cruelty free. ZuZu is also vegan, fragrance free, opthomologist tested, water resistant, and hypo allergenic (you can see these statements written on the side of the box).

Peace Keeper is a line of lip products. Lipsticks, glosses and a lip balm. 75% of the ingredients are organic (written on the box) and not only that, this company also distributes a certain amount of their proceeds to support women's issues (also written on their box). I can't say enough about this line. I love it!!! I've used the lipstick on myself, my mom uses it and I've used the lipstick and gloss on photoshoots and weddings. The pigments are strong meaning they last for quite a while.The texture is nice and creamy and stays that way, it doesn't cake up after it's been worn for a while. The gloss does need to be touched up a bit more often but not much more than a gloss from any other mainstream makeup line. I would definitely reccomend this line for both makeup artists and everyday women 100%!!!!

ZuZu Luxe is a full line of makeup. The product I had used from them before my trip to whole foods yesterday was the liquid eyeliner. The liner is great! I've been using it on photoshoots and weddings for about a year. When they say it's water resistant they mean it. Once it dries it will not move.

The other product I had used previous to my trip yesterday was the eyeshadow. The eyeshadow is tricky. The color selection they have is really nice. Very natural but with enough variety to keep it fun. The problem is the pigment only lasts for about an hour or so before it melts away. So yesterday when I was at wholefoods/body the first thing I looked for was to see if they had some sort of eyeshadow base/primer. They don't. So I looked for the next best thing; concealer. The concealer is very thick so only a drop is needed. Just blend it on to the lid as you would with a regular eye primer. Then take either your finger or preferably a stiff, flat eyeshadow brush and pack the color on by pressing it vs. sweeping the color with the brush. What this does is ensures that the pigment is grabbing on to the moisture of the concealer base therefore giving you a stronger sense of the color because you are creating layers. This will help the eyeshadow stay on longer without constant touch ups.

After I solved that problem, I continued experimenting with the rest of the makeup and here's what I discovered.

1. The concealer. After using it as an eyeshadow base I wanted to see it's coverage capabilities. It covers up blemishes very well. It's nice and thick so you can be really precise with where you place it and if you tap it in it almost blends itself. But when I used it under my eyes to help with my dark circles ( part inherited and part stress) it looked like I had 2 stripes of white paint under my eyes. At first I took the back part of my ring finger to try and blend it (the ring finger is the best for under the eye because it's small but has a good amount of flesh to help with the blending), but it didn't want to blend. So I pulled one of my makeup artist tricks out of my pocket and ran over to the Dr. Hauschka section, squeezed a bit of the Rose day cream on my finger and blended that into the concealer. What the moisturizer did was thin out the concealer enough to help it blend but did not take away from the amount of coverage that I needed. The only thing I would say is because the Rose Day Cream has essential oil in it it can be quite shiney, so i would reccomend after getting the desired affect from the concealer/moisturizer to set it with a bit of powder, loose is better than pressed but either one will do. That will eliminate the shine and also help keep the concealer in place thus lessening the chances for you needing to touch up more than once throughout the day.

2. Lipsticks/Glosses. The lipsticks are beautiful. There's a nice selection of color choices and the texture is creamy. I definitely would reccomend them. The glosses on the other hand are just okay. I wasn't super excited by them and they weren't as shiney as I usually like.

3. Liquid Eyeliner. As I mentioned before, GREAT!!!!

4. Mascara. They were sold out of black, which I took as a good sign so I tried the brown. Actually I purchased it and tried it at home. Normally I don't touch anything but black mascara, I'm kind of a stickler with that but I have to say I really liked how the brown mascara looked. And actually it didn't really look that brown on me considering I have black eyelashes to begin with. But what I was really impressed by was the way it made my lashes just a bit thicker and longer but in a subtle way. And another thing that happened without my doing it intentionally was that as I applied the mascara my lashes were crisscrossing in a way that was very natural but reminded me of a doll's lashes. I definitely would reccomend the masacara!!!

5. Pencils. Both the lip pencils and eye pencils were just fine. I wasn't blown away but they served their purpose.

6. Liquid foundation. No! Don't even bother! The colors are completely wrong. They are way too pink.

7. Blush. The color choices are few but surprisingly very pretty. I suspected what would happen with the blush pigment would be the same as with the eyeshadow so I did a bit of manuevering. Normally blush is applied to the cheeks after the face has been powdered but this time I reversed it. I felt that the blush pigment would also need something moist to grab on to so I put it on directly to my skin. Another option is you could also use whatever liquid foundation and then apply the blush on top of that and then set with powder, either way skin or the liquid foundation gives a moisturized surface for the blush to sit on. The color looked pretty and in a way I preferred that method because it looks like the color is coming from underneath the skin as if you're blushing or just went for a run. I may have to do that all the time now. I would reccomend the blush.

8. Pressed powder. It's a good pressed powder. I would say apply with a brush vs. a puff just because it can be a bit chalkey as with any powder organic or not. You just want to dust the powder where it's needed and when applied correctly it looks very natural. Definitely a good staple.

Cover FX

Cover FX

2 years ago at the makeup show in NYC I stumbled across a makeup line called Cover FX. I chatted with the sales rep for a bit and had her try some of the products on me. I found out that they not only sell it online but that Sephora carries it as well. They do not make eyeshadows and blushes. They do make a bronzer in a few different shades but it is primarily a foundation, concealer and powder line. I wasn't in love with all of the products but I could definitely see the potential and absolutely get behind their goals.

This makeup line originated as a medical makeup line used in hospitals for burn victims. So it is quite literally a medical grade makeup line. All of the products include minerals in the ingredients and some of the creamy products contain moisturizing properties such as vitamin E to soothe the skin as it color corrects. I've used the concealer on photoshoots and on myself, and have learned recently that this product line is used by makeup artists working in Television. I can see why they use it for TV because it is mostly a full coverage kind of makeup best for the very bright lights used when filming that medium.

In my experience, what I've learned from working on films being shot in HD is that you have to be careful on set when the lights being used are not the extremely bright TV lights. When working with cameras like the newer, very popular Red camera for example, a key point to remember as a makeup artist/hairstylist is that the lens will pick up every single strand of hair out of place or a dry patch of skin and magnify it. So the goal is to be able to manipulate the full covering effects of this kind of makeup and blend it in to submission not only for Film and TV but also for everyday wear. In other words, to apply it in a way so that it's there but not really there.

here's what i've experimented with from this line:

1. Concealer/ Cream Foundation: With this particular line, the cream foundation is also the concealer. It is extremely full coverage so the trick is finding the best way to achieve both concealing and balancing the skin using a few different tones of color. And as a matter of fact they have a starter kit that helps you step by step with this. But let me start from the beginning.

For years I've used one color of foundation all over the face on myself and on clients as most people do, but what happens is that it creates a flat face ( if you've seen news casters on TV recently you know what I mean by a flat face ). As time has gone by I realized what was missing and have been working to perfect the art of blending 3-4 colors to create the best flawless skin tone possible.

We tend to forget when we are trying to create flawless skin, that we have bone structure. So when we only apply one color we eliminate that bone structure and have to recreate it by highlighting and contouring which can look very made up as the end result. Having said all that, the starter kit, is the perfect introduction to blending 3 shades of foundation together to get the perfect skin tone.

The starter kit comes in Fair, Medium and Dark. It contains a palette of 3 foundation colors with a mineral translucent powder, the skin prep which is their primer for makeup, and a foundation brush. On the back of the box they give you step by step instructions with a picture of where and how to use the 3 colors. Ultimately you will find the best method for yourself as you practice blending but as a beginner their instructions are pretty accurate.

2. Skin Prep: Their skin prep is their primer. It is meant to be applied directly to the skin to prepare the skin for makeup. The consistency is much like a serum. A serum is a sort of liquid meant to hydrate the skin as the step before moisturizer. In this case they are using it as a way of making it easier to blend the makeup. Of course, that was not my experience. Let me elaborate......

I wasn't a fan of the skin prep. Not only did I try it to prep the skin using Cover FX's makeup but I also tried it underneath other foundations from various companies and found the same problem. I found that even though it felt good on the skin it really just sat on the surface almost creating a slippery base for the foundation which then made it hard to blend. I found that as the day wore on my skin went back to appearing dry and dehydrated because the skin prep wasn't doing the job they said it should. And on a photoshoot I found I needed to powder more than usual because the models skin was extra shiny from the prep.

So the other night, not wanting to give up on this stuff, considering it covers my blemishes very well, I tried my old faithful standby. I washed my face and then used Dr. Hauschka's Rose Day Cream to moisturize. I then applied my "fair" palette from the starter kit using my own modified version of the blending technique, powdered my face and took a look. As I've said before, the Rose Day Cream is amazing. It made all the difference. My skin was balanced, hydrated, glowing and the makeup didn't look heavy at all. It lasted all night without touchups and I was very happy! It just goes to show you that when you find something that works well with makeup you should stick with it. Using the Rose Day Cream as a base, I would definitely recommend the cream foundation for sure!

3. Translucent powder: It's a really nice powder. It sets the makeup well but doesn't look chalkey. It's a mineral powder so it's not too matte, it has just the slightest hint of a glow but not shimmery. I really like it.....:)

4. Mineral Foundation Powder: The mineral foundation powder that they carry is very beautiful as far as how it finishes the skin but it's extremely full coverage. Most of the mineral foundation powders I'm familiar with have the capability of being full coverage but you can build it that way, it's not like that from the first stroke of the brush. This one is. The packaging needs a little help. They don't make it easy to not get powder everywhere , making a mess, and the applicator is strange. I think it's supposed to be a sponge applicator that is shaped like a brush but when you use it it's like you're painting the powder in thick streaks across your face. I had to then take a regular blush brush and forcefully blend the powder away. It didn't work very well and I looked very made up. As I said the finish is beautiful, like a porcelain doll with a bit of sparkle. But the work isn't worth it. There are better mineral powder foundations out there, but give it a try......maybe it'll work for you.

5. Liquid Foundation: I'm not sure what they were doing with this product. It's pasty and thick but doesn't cover very well. It also doesn't blend very well. it just sort of stays in the spot where it was applied and doesn't move. I think it could have potential with a bit of time and experimentation but I found what I needed with the cream foundation mixed with the Dr. Hauschka Rose day Cream. This just seemed like an unnecessary step.

I'm glad I was able to make the cream foundation work for me because I understand the importance of a line like this. It's primarily for people with skin discoloration from serious burns to simple genetics. But genetics doesn't have to mean big dark spots or big white spots. It could be something minor like my red apple cheeks that every girl in my family has. They get super red at times and I get self-conscious. Everyone wants to feel beautiful but also it's hard to find a good foundation in the green/clean makeup world that covers well, can be the right color scheme, and still make you feel like yourself.

Cover FX will work if you use it correctly. :)

Dr. Hauschka

Dr. Hauschka

My introduction to the Dr. Hauschka product line was a couple of years ago on a photoshoot. I was assisting a makeup artist on a job for Harper's Bazaar. The feature of the editorial was on "The Real Housewives of New York." It was a riot seeing those ladies in action.

Anyway, the makeup artist I was assisting ( Christopher Ardoff ) asked me to prep the skin of one of the "housewives" while he touched up the lipstick on another. What he meant by prepping the skin was to have me clean the face with a bit of makeup remover and then apply moisturizer to the skin as a base for foundation. The moisturizer he had was the Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream. I remember loving the scent right away and the texture was rich and emollient. I finished applying the moisturizer and waited for further instruction. I noticed almost immediately that her skin looked dewy and fresh even before he applied the foundation. And after her makeup was finished, her skin looked amazingly even and hydrated.

I decided to purchase it for myself the next day. I used that moisturizer last winter and it was great for my dry and very sensitive skin, especially in the cold air with wind burn and inside heated buildings that are way too hot and dry. It protected my skin from typical causes for sensitive skin to freak out like not washing my face at night thoroughly, excess make up, and drinking too much caffeine and not enough water. Yes, even I do this, too.

Then I decided to try a bunch of the skin care line and here's what I found out:

1. The 2 cleansers work very well but you have to figure out the best ways to use them. I think because the ingredients are all natural they take a bit more manipulating than just an ordinary cleanser or makeup remover that you just wipe on the face and everything magically disappears. With the Dr. H's cleansers you use them in steps. First you take the cleansing milk and apply it all over the face. You can either tissue it off dry which is great for makeup removal ( but not Eye makeup) or gently wipe with a damp washcloth. The next cleanser is the Cleansing Cream ( for deep cleansing and gentle exfoliating) and that you use like a regular cleanser although when applying it try massaging it in to the skin in circular movements. Remove with a damp washcloth or even better a damp muslin cloth and then remove the rest by rinsing with water directly. Even though these cleansers don't foam up like soap, don't let that throw you; your skin will be very clean if you clean it the way I suggested.

2. There are 2 toners one for dry/sensitive and one for oily. Use whichever one suits your skin type the most. This is applied after cleansing just like any other toner. But with this after you spray it on the face, tap it in with your fingers a bit to let it absorb further in to the skin.

3. The next step is moisturizer. The Rose Day Cream as I mentioned before is very rich. It's actually great to use as a night cream if you find it a bit too heavy for the day time. But for dry skin I'd recommend it for both day and night. For day time there are a few options. There is a very thin moisturizer , The Moisturizing Day Cream, and there is a lighter version of The Rose Day Cream which is The Rose Day Cream Light. Just remember like the cleansers when applying these creams you want to work them in a bit more than a regular cream because of the essential oils and other natural ingredients which can sit on the surface of the skin if not rubbed in thoroughly.

4. An eye cream is important but you may prefer light or heavy hydration. That's all individual. The Eye Cream is great for daytime and works well with eye make up. A little goes a long way. Just apply a dot under each eye and tap in with the surface of your ring finger. The Eye Balm, which has a similar consistency to a lip balm, is great for those of us who want maximum hydration but it does not work well with makeup. Although they suggest not to use the balm at night, that is when I've found it the most beneficial because it took about 8 hours for my skin to absorb it fully without a greasy residue left under my eyes. I've used it during the day when I'm at home doing things around the house and it's very soothing but personally I found it quite shiny so I choose not to wear it outside.

This cosmetic company has many other products to try. They have sunscreen, body wash, lip balm, body oils, body powder and a line of makeup. For more mature skin, they have two Regenerating products: a serum to be used after cleansing and a day cream as a regular moisturizer.

To be honest I'm not as thrilled with a lot of their makeup as I am with their skin care. What I can recommend is their loose powder, mascara, lip liners, and lipsticks. There is a product in the skincare line which to me serves more as a part of the make up regimen. It is the Toned Day Cream. It moisturizes and gives the skin a glow but because it has a tint, it results in more of a sun-kissed look as well as a shimmery even tone. I would recommend using it under liquid foundation. My preference is to use it over the nose and cheeks to look as though I've spent the day in the sun.

This line is the easiest to find and use as your introduction to clean cosmetics. You can always find it at Wholefoods/Body but many of your local health food stores carry it or would order it for you. So far, I've turned almost all of my clients on to the Rose Day Cream. I use it a lot under make up because of the flawless, dewy hydrated look it gives. Not only does it look great in person, but it photographs wonderfully.