I had another post scheduled today about color correctors, but when I opened up my new Martha Stewart it looks like I was scooped.  It’s a nice little piece, I recommend you take a peek. I will do something on correctors one day soon and perhaps find you some equally as good (and less expensive) alternatives. I’d like to think great minds think alike, right?  Although, I am not sure how great my mind is. It is mildly obsessed though with beauty products. I want to discuss vibrant blushes and getting a natural flush look. I learned this trick from working with many makeup artists when I ran a fashion + beauty PR firm– there were lots of shoots and lots of events and me being nosy inquisitive always had to ask a ton of questions when I was in the presence of professional make-up artists, models and the holy grail-beauty editors. The consensus was always the brighter the better. This may seem counter-intuitive and several of you have emailed asking me, ‘how bright?’  I found this blush the other day and tried it on and this is how atomically bright it is in the pot and the swatch is how sheer it goes on.  That just doesn’t seem right, I know. Consumer make-up products cater to our fear and try to sell colors that we think will look natural, but usually look dull + ashy on. That’s fine let all those other girls wear them, you my dear will wear the one that make-up artists recommend and makes you look like a fresh-faced, natural beauty, right?  The one shown is called Crush from the Afterglow Glide-on Cheek tints by Urban Decay, I don’t care for the packaging but the products are top notch. This is for everyone that didn’t like the shimmer in the Tarte blush I recommended previously, which I completely understand I find a shimmer hard to pull off too, but I do like the Tarte consistency and wear.

Afterglow is a beautiful, sheer, buildable color, very believable as a natural flush. It does not work well with mineral make-up which I find is the case with almost all of them and creme blush. Since I couldn’t find alternate colors for the Tarte (the peachy one was the only one available), I picked up the Crush for a more pink option. I found this beauty blogger that has photos of her afterglow on after working from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., it shows how well it wears and how lovely + light the color is (and she’s darling as well).

P.S. My friends from my former life in the city ask me if all I do all day now is try out BB creams, blush and practice calligraphy in my new country life. My answer would be kinda/sorta. I mean I don’t spend all day on beauty + calligraphy, I work a good 12+ hours but I do have one wild day a week wherein I visit an Ulta. I practice the lettering every night. Yes, every night.

I thought I was going to implode all week not being able to write about this product!  I didn’t want to write about it until I had tested it for a full two weeks, in multiple situations. This is it friends, this is the product I have been dreaming  about.  It’s magic, for once truth in advertising from a beauty company–how novel?  I am going to go over all the pros and cons, but I think I may need to explain first that this product comes out of the tube a grey/white color and once applied to the skin will develop to match your skintone. I have tried a few of these color matching products and did not have the same results. The Josie Maran is very expensive, the pump breaks after a few uses making it impossible to use, the consistency is odd; it goes on oily and then dries to an extreme matte, which is not my thing, the color is nice though.  Almay’s was horrible (granted it’s not a BB cream), color, consistency, finish–don’t bother.  Dr. Brandt has one that develops into a shade too dark for your skintone (could be good for summer), again very expensive.  The L’Oreal Magic BB?  If I could afford it I would buy every one of you a tube so you could try for yourself, that’s how impressed I am with this product.

Okay, so some details, I have dry skin, this is supposed to be great for individuals with oily to combination skin. For dry skin you will need to use moisturizer first, since this doesn’t have a sunscreen (a con for a BB cream), you may want to use something with an SPF in it. The finish is matte, I usually prefer a more dewy finish, but I use the Tarte cheek stains and they add that sheen/glow that I like. The no SPF is really my only con (and the not so pretty packaging). The pro list is much longer and includes: the price-for under $8 it’s completely budget friendly. The consistency, it’s super light, but not too ‘liquid-y’ that you will make a mess everywhere (like the Josie Maran). It’s pretty goof proof, the color is seamless, so there’s absolutely no color differentiation from jawline to neck. Did I mention it’s light? It is. You won’t feel like you are wearing anything, nor will you look like you are either.  How is the coverage?  It’s completely buildable so you start light and add where you need more (for me it’s the hyper-pigmentation on my cheeks). It doesn’t settle into creases, which is perfect for me, I have major laugh lines around my eyes, I have always had them I laugh a lot and am not going to stop for a wrinkle free visage. The tube is nice and  compact and the tip is very narrow which really assists in keeping your hand light when you are applying. It doesn’t rub off as easily as a traditional foundation or even a BB cream. What have I forgotten? Did I mention it makes you look like your pores are non-existent? It doesn’t feel like you are wearing anything and now there’s no excuse to ever walk out of the house looking like this.

P.S. If you do use moisturizer make sure it ‘soaks’ in first. I usually put it on (here’s my fave) and then make my coffee or walk my girls, which give it enough time to not be sitting wet on my face.

I have been wanting to reduce the amount of times I washed my hair each week as we (the blogosphere) have learned that too much washing is not good for the mane.  I have only been able to make it to every other day, which still seems excessive, but my hair looks dirty by the third day and that’s not pretty.  This gorgeous girl doesn’t wash her hair for a week at a time and it shows (in a good way) she has long, flowy locks that anyone would covet. I have read that a lot of people with these beautiful manes use dry shampoo.  I have tried it once, I bought a Sauve aerosol from the drug store but I didn’t like the smell and I was worried about chemicals so close to my scalp (and in turn my brain).  When I received a gift certificate to Kaufman Mercantile, I admittedly was drawn to the Adler Hair Powder because of it’s packaging, when I saw that it was what I thought ‘dry shampoo’ I was in.  So, my thoughts?  It doesn’t exactly look like I have clean hair, when you put it on (and only use a little) it immediately adheres to the oil in your roots (is that TMI?) and creates an almost clay/pomade like texture. It doesn’t feel clean, in fact it feels a little ‘producty’ which wasn’t what I was expecting from a natural product.  The upside was that I can get my roots to lift and appear like I have a lot of body/volume, which is near impossible with my super straight, heavy hair, body is not usually what I have.  You really need to go easy on this product, it reads to use a teaspoon, but I would even go lighter and build (that’s my philosophy with most cosmetics). If you have dark hair like I do, you are also going to want to rub in very well or else you will look like you have gray hair, which is a very specific look and not one I want to have at this juncture. So, this product is great to create root lifting volume, but I don’t like it for a shampoo substitute.   Don’t get me wrong, I will take volume at my roots whenever I can get it, but I won’t use this to combat the look of dirty locks, for now I will continue to wash my hair every other day until I get a better suggestion.  What about you?  Do you use dry hair shampoo?  If so, which brand do you like?  Have you tried the Adler hair powder and had a different experience? I would love to know!

I was going to wait until Friday to mention this, but this is a ‘stop the presses’ sort of situation, so I re-arranged the previously scheduled programming to bring you this beauty innovation–stat.  I have waxed poetic on many occasions about my love of Tarte’s cheek stains, they are hands down the fastest way to get ‘insta-pretty’.  I feel like blush is neglected in most beauty regime’s or applied so horribly that you wished that it was opted out.  My mom used to use a tube of red lipstick on her cheeks; after expertly blending it in it always imparted a perfect rosy glow on her tawny cheeks (try it in a pinch it works really well).  I have to be so careful on how I apply blush as I have hyper-pigmentation on my cheeks and I don’t want it to look like I have a dusting of dirt on the apples (which can happen if I ever dared use a badly chosen powder formulation). I know that the Tarte stains are very natural looking and I don’t look like I have streaks of cosmetics on my skin (which is a beauty ‘don’t). You don’t want your blush to sit on top of your complexion, but rather blend perfectly so it looks like you have a beautiful natural flush. I have had one problem with the stains, they don’t work with any mineral foundation, in fact, I couldn’t find a blush that did.  I have very dry skin, so mineral make-up wouldn’t seem like an ideal choice, but it’s actually the one make-up that covers my hyper-pigmentation really well without it looking like I have a ton of make-up on (key for any cosmetic is a very gentle hand during application and to layer it on).  For those that are interested, I prefer finely milled mineral foundation–Laura Mercier and Korres are some of my faves.  I was at Ulta the other day picking up my fave splurge moisturizer and saw that Tarte had come out with a new blush, every single piece was sold-out except for one color, it seemed to me a good sign (or a good shop-lifter).  I picked up a tester in the one color that was left, it was not what I am used to or what I preach here, the color looked in the sample compact a little dark + dusty/flat and it had some shimmer (I am not a fan of shimmer), but I tried it on and wondered if the lighting was off.  The color on my skin was a beautiful peachy hue, it blended perfectly and went on with a glide that I am not used to–airblush.  There was no signs of where the blush was applied (sometimes with the stains if you don’t blend well it can cause a ‘halo’).  I applied with my fingers, which I continue to do, it’s super light.  It’s not like any blush I have tried before (and since I have been around since dinosaurs walked the earth, I think I have tried them all). I tried the Dream Bouncy Blush from Maybelline and a similar product from Sephora, but those dried to an almost powder-like consistency on my face and pilled, this Airblush is undetectable if you blend well (which is effortless to do).  How long does it last?  It lasted a good 8 hours on me which is excellent as my makeup tends to wear off fairly quickly (again due to my dry skin and yes, of course I prime, etc.)   As for the shimmer?  I am not crazy about it in any product, but it’s very, very fine so it is hardly noticeable (I don’t look like I am going to a rave or anything). I think it’s worth going down to Sephora or Ulta and trying the Tarte AirBlush out, I have used it with the BB cream too and it performed perfectly.  I love it and I can’t wait to try the other colors!

I love beauty products so much, like I would marry them if I could.  I started off my once illustrious career in PR/Branding in the cosmetic industry so I know the ins & outs and can speak of quality products with authority (I also am a beauty big mouth so let me have at it).  Above is my new beauty/make-up regime, these are the products I have been using everyday so I won’t scare my husband or the neighbors–it has been working.  I recently ran out of my Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer, it’s pretty spendy so I thought I would try a drugstore option that has been getting rave reviews–Garnier BB Cream. I have mentioned BB creams prior (I am a fan), I liked the Smashbox offering but I am in between shades right now so its been benched for the season. My skin is dry, so if you have oily skin this BB cream may not be for you,  it has a very emollient texture, in fact I put it on in the morning without putting on any other moisturizer. BB Creams are different from a foundation or a tinted moisturizer (sort of in between in texture/consistency) so getting the feel for how much to apply may be a bit tricky at first, use a light hand and build. I am using the Light/Medium, it looks much darker right out of the tube (the very large tube), but it’s deceiving, it matches my skin quite well. It’s sheer but has good coverage. I have been using the Neutrogena Night Retinol cream and have been having good results with it lightening the hyper-pigmentation on my cheeks, I don’t think I would have been able to get away without concealer if this was a couple months prior, but today I am happy to say I just use the BB Cream (great because I have been both lazy & busy). Like a regular moisturizer you are going to want the product to ‘set’ before applying the rest of your make-up. I usually put it on and then make my coffee and come back to finish the rest. I have been foregoing the mascara–shocker and just curling my lashes, it’s easy and makes me look more awake than I feel. I think most women could use a little blush, it’s the easiest way to get an ‘insta-pretty’ look, it’s also the most wrongly applied cosmetic or the one one that women skip all together, gah!  My motto?  ‘No one blushes mauve’ so stay away from colors that look dusty, browny pink, they aren’t usually flattering. Tarte makes the best sheer cheek stains that will make you look like you have naturally rosy cheeks (this product will last you forever too). The best way that I have found to apply is with a brush. I learned that trick after seeing this gorgeous make-over and this video, I couldn’t replicate her results with that type of brush but was able to do so with the foundation brush shown above.  With the brush you get sheer, luminous natural looking rosy cheeks. Lastly I swipe Burt’s Bee’s Honeysuckle over my lips, it’s a sheer nude lip tint, it feels nice and moisturizing without the stickiness of a gloss or lipstick. Altogether I take about 4 minutes tops (maybe) to look natural and like myself but without scaring anyone. If you have any questions ask them in the comments I am happy to answer them!