It’s the eternal summer conundrum: You want to enjoy everything the season has to offer - hikes, trips to the beach, swimming - but you’d rather not do it totally bare-faced. So what’s the solution? Suck it up and go au natural? Spend time trying to summer-proof your favorite cosmetics? Or simply resign yourself to three months of mascara, blush and foundation running and streaking all over your face? Now thanks to Cargo and Sephora, you can stop worrying and start loving summer!
Cargo’s Melt-Proof Make-Up Collection, available exclusively at Sephora for a limited time, is a handy set composed of waterproof (I’m sorry, "Better-than-Waterproof") mascara, bronzer and a 3-in-1 color palette for use on eyes, cheeks and/or lips. All of the products are made "with a special Melt-proof™ formulation that uses a mixture of emollients and waxes to form a water-resistant film on the skin," which means you can look gorgeous without fretting about the effects of sun, sand or water on your makeup. Sweet!
RESULTS: I am a lip gloss fiend; in truth, I’ve never met a gloss I didn’t like. Still, I’m always excited when I try out a new product and it actually lives up to its promises - and Rimmel Sweet Jelly really does exactly that. Sweet? Check. I’m licking my lips right now and it tastes like candy! Sheer? Check. The shade I selected, "Tasty," looks pretty dark in the picture, but in the tube it’s a translucent berry shade, and on my lips it’s basically clear, with perhaps the merest hint of rosy color. This gloss is also very shiny and, miraculously, absolutely lacking in the stickiness department.
PROS: Smells and tastes great - less "fruity," more chocolatey. Shiny without being sticky. Feels good on my lips, which makes it ideal for obsessive reapplication.
CONS: The color is sheer to the point of nonexistence, so this isn’t the gloss for you if you’re looking to create a bold, statement-making lip look. It will, however, work beautifully as an everyday gloss to impart a little shine, moisture and flavor.
Despite the fact that we live in a society where everyone uses beauty, grooming or personal hygiene products on a daily basis, pretty much everyone I know (myself included) really has no idea what’s in the stuff we put on our faces, bodies and hair…until today. After reading this list of 9 weird ingredients hiding in your makeup bag (and your shower, your medicine cabinet, your purse, on top of your dresser, etc.), you may never look at your favorite products in quite the same way again.
Weird Ingredient No.1: Sodium Chloride (Table Salt). Rather innocuous but still surprising when considered in the context of the goods that utilize it, sodium chloride helps products create a foamy lather. Think shampoo, body wash, bubble bath - anything that gets all sudsy when it comes in contact with water.
Weird Ingredient No.2: Oleoresin Capsicum (Pepper Spray). First salt, then pepper?! Capsicum is the active component of the pepper sprays used by police officers and sold for self-defense purposes, and it pops up from time to time in products that create a warming sensation, like creams intended for pain or itch relief. Just one more reason to keep those products away from your eye area!
Weird Ingredient No.3: Diatomaceous Earth. Combine this stuff with nitroglycerin, and you’ve got dynamite! Seriously, my mind boggles when I think about how my bathroom is a virtual chem lab. Anyhow, diatomaceous earth is made from the fossilized remains of hard-shelled algae, and it’s used in beauty products for its abrasive qualities.
Weird Ingredient No.4: Albumen (Egg Whites). Egg whites are frequently used in skin care products that promise any sort of "firming" or "drying" action. Wonder if applying a little egg white mask and then rinsing it off after a few minutes would have the same effect? Hmm…
Weird Ingredient No.5: Plastics. Plastics can take many forms - polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene spheres, polymers - but they’re all used for the pretty much the same reason: To help give your hair, face or makeup form and hold. They usually pop up in mascaras, hair gels, liquid bandages and "gentle" exfoliating scrubs (you know, the ones with little beads suspended in a liquid…those are plastic!).
Weird Ingredient No.6: Simethicone (Gas Relief Drops). Prized for having pretty much the opposite effect of sodium chloride, simethicone is added to products to prevent foaming by reducing the surface tension of the air.
Weird Ingredient No.7: Urea. Urea, which has skin softening, antimicrobial and preservative properties, is synthetically made nowadays - good news, as it used to be extracted from horse urine. Ewwww.
Weird Ingredient No.8: Propylene Glycol (not Antifreeze, but close!). This stuff is similar to ethylene glycol, better known as antifreeze, but it’s not toxic - good news, since it’s in all sorts of products due to its moisturizing qualities. It’s also used on aircraft to prevent the accumulation of ice and moisture on the wings. Bizarre.
Weird Ingredient No.9: Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Shortening). Why does that lip gloss or eye pencil glide on so smoothly? Why does that body butter feel so decadent and luxurious on your skin? The answer is good, old-fashioned Crisco. Okay, maybe not Crisco, but…well, yeah. The cosmetic additive is exactly the same as the fatty foodstuff.
So there you have it - just a few of the unexpected ingredients that are working overtime to make you extra beautiful! Now you know who to thank. (Crisco, salt & pepper, the visionary who figured out how to make synthetic urea…)
According to Rea Ann Silva, a makeup artist quoted in the latest issue of Self, the average woman uses about 40 strokes to apply mascara. Craziness! Piling on that much mascara will only increase clumpiness, waste money (the more you apply, the more you’ll buy) and set you up for a case of raccoon eyes. Instead, Silva recommends a simpler approach that only involves dipping the brush in the tube twice (once per eye) and using fewer than 10 strokes to apply. First, "Place the brush at the base of your upper lash line; draw it through your outer lashes. Without redipping, tilt the brush toward your nose; brush through the inner half of the lashes." Next, "Close one eye; hold a tissue under it, [and] without redipping, roll the wand down over the outer lashes to smooth mascara. Repeat on inner lashes." Then all you have to do is duplicate the process on your other eye, and you’re good to go. Although Silva calls this second step a "declumper," I’m a bit skeptical and would recommend that you keep a lash comb around just in case additional declumping is required. I like metal ones, because the bristles are less likely to weaken and break off like they do with plastic combs.
I just found this little 3-step tutorial on repairing a broken eyeshadow on Bella Sugar, and I can’t remember the last time I was so excited about such a simple tip! Have you ever dropped an eyeshadow not long after purchasing it? Well, I have, and it’s so frustrating. You can still use the shadow, of course, but it’s a complete pain and you have to worry about the particles falling all over the place everytime you open the compact, plus you can’t just toss it in your makeup bag anymore…argh. Well, stop suffering! It’s an easy problem to fix.
Step one: Use a clean mascara wand or Q-tip to gently scrape away any loose bits of shadow.
Step two: Place a Kleenex on top of the broken shadow, then use your index finger to press down on it. Use a series of small pressing motions rather than a few big ones.
Step three: Remove the Kleenex, and you should have an intact shadow once again.
That’s all there is to it. Basically, you just gently press the shadow into place. Why didn’t I think of that? I’ve had a broken shadow (NARS Night Fever) sitting in my medicine cabinet for like a year. Now I can finally start using it again without fear of littering my bathroom counter with sparkly shadow particles! Thank you, Bella Sugar!
Just came across this tube of Lip and Nail Balm by Yves Saint Laurent. While I’m always a fan of products that have multiple uses, I have to say I was pretty underwhelmed by the idea of paying $24 for a few ounces of a moisturizing lip balm that can also be used as a glorified cuticle softener. I still think using a thick, emollient-rich lip product on your rough patches, from the nail area to feet to hands, is a good tip though, but there’s certainly a cheaper solution!
It’s called Smith’s Rosebud Salve, and for just $6 you get a whole tin of lightly rose-scented pink goo that you can slather wherever you see fit! I love my Rosebud Salve. It’s a great, non-sticky lip balm, a powerful moisturizer and a tremendously versatile tool for little tasks like grooming your eyebrows (brush your brows into place & top with a little salve to set). Plus, the pretty tin, virtually unchanged since the 19th century, makes me happy. Let’s hear it for affordable multitaskers!
I fell into the depths of late-night infomercial madness the other night. I’ve been battling a case of insomnia this week and suddenly I found myself enthralled by a "paid programming" about the Luminess Air Airbrush Cosmetics line. Basically they were extolling the wonders of airbrush makeup and knocking down and belittling any other kind of makeup choice. My favorite part was when the host took three sheets of white paper with a half face drawn on them. The papers were said to have "wrinkles" in all the same spots, but you couldn’t see them until the makeup was applied. She then took liquid foundation and applied it to the first paper. Suddenly, wrinkles under the eye were revealed! On the second piece of paper, she took mineral foundation and A) got mineral powder everywhere - "loose powder is so messy!" she said - and B) suddenly, wrinkles under the eye were revealed! Of course, when airbrushing the third sheet of paper, no wrinkles! And to prove she wasn’t "pulling a fast one" (her words, not mine) she then took the mineral powder and put it over the airbrushing and suddenly, wrinkles were revealed! Anyone else think it’s funny they used sheets of paper???
The infomercial had makeup artists from Friends and The View and Desperate Housewives all explaining how they use airbrushing and nothing else for their stars. I have actually been "airbrushed" on set before, so I’ve had a little experience when it comes to this makeup medium and while it does provide good coverage, it wasn’t revolutionary for me. I never thought, I HAVE to get one of these for my own personal use! And looking on the Luminess site, I do have issue with the before and after pictures. While they claim airbrushing is the best way to look the "most natural," I actually think the makeup looks the most painted on.
What do you think? Does it look natural to you? Even more important, would you spring for your own personal airbrushing machine? Do you already have one? I’m very curious!! Tell me why I’m wrong. Or right. Let’s discuss…
I love the idea of Master’s Classes. Learning new things is fun and when it comes to makeup it is always beneficial to learn a new trick or three. I have a quick five minute makeup routine in the morning and I’m sure a lot of you have the same sort of quickie way of getting made up. While knowing what works for you is a good thing, getting into a rut is not. Which is why I love this kit from Smashbox. It’s a Special Effects Master’s Class that contains the tools and products to help you contour, highlight and define like a pro. It even comes with a DVD tutorial with celebrity makeup artist Patrick Tumey. How smashing! So if you’re in need of a boost to your makeup routine, this could be what you’re looking for. And at only $59 with free shipping from Sephora, it won’t break the bank either.
The latest lip gloss to catch my eye is this Sparkler Glamour Gloss by Too Faced. I just love a hint of sparkle on the lips, and these come in such pretty, iridescent shades. Plus, the formula has Vitamins A and E, so your lips stay soft and moisturized instead of drying out or getting all sticky. And doesn’t the fat, colorful tube and the click-and-twist applicator remind you of those tubes of glitter glue you used to use in elementary school art projects?!
Here’s a strange little tip I just read on BellaSugar: "…lanolin nipple cream (for breastfeeding mothers) is a fantastic lip gloss – so shiny and thick and hardly wears off! Definitely great for chapped lips. My friend introduced me to it and I’ve been addicted ever since!" Sounds weird, sure, but who am I to turn my nose up at thick, shiny, long-lasting lip gloss in whatever form it may take? It certainly makes sense that a product created to help soothe dry, irritated, delicate skin on other parts of the body would work well as a healing lip balm. This brand, by Lansinoh, seems to be the most highly recommended; the formula is totally natural, so you don’t have to worry about licking your lips since it’s safe for babies to ingest, and it’s supposed to smell good to boot. I’m not sure I’d want to whip out a big tube of nipple cream "for breastfeeding mothers" and start putting it on my lips in public, however. Lansinoh, have you ever thought of repackaging this stuff in cuter, less conspicuous tubes? No? Just a suggestion!
Attention Meagan (and all other lip stain lovers)! I just discovered a product that will make all your dreams of lightly tinted lips come true: TheBalm’s Stainiac lip and cheek stain. It’s a water-based gel, so it gives you more time to blend before it sets (and presumably, it’s less drying than other stains). It comes in three cheekily-named shades: Beauty Queen, Prom Queen and Homecoming Queen - oh, and it’s currently on sale at Victoria’s Secret, so you can stock up for a mere $5.99. Go crazy, ladies!
Sephora recently launched an exclusive new makeup collection, the brainchild of tattoo artist and reality TV star Kat Von D ("LA Ink"). Now, apart from the occasional guilty pleasure ANTM marathon, I’m not much for reality TV, and I’ve certainly never seen "LA Ink." However, after checking out this collection online, I’m kind of digging it. As Sephora describes it, "this edgy color collection exemplifies old-Hollywood glamour with an L.A. vibe." Think classic film star glamour meets trashy Sunset Strip rock chic. I think it’s always cool to have a few slightly tougher, bold alternatives in the beauty world, which is usually all about prettiness and traditional femininity, don’t you? Anyhow, here are a few of my picks from the collection:
The first is Painted Love Lipstick in Hellbent, a blood red shade. I absolutely love blood red lipstick (it’s so dramatic!), and haven’t been able to find a favorite in that particular hue since high school. I’m also intrigued by the Autograph Eyeliner, a liquid liner that comes in sparkly shades like Love Metal (glittery silver) and Turbo Lover (pictured), a bronzed metallic plum - not a shade you see everyday in an eyeliner. Finally, we have this magnificent True Romance eye shadow palette in Beethoven, which features eight shadows ranging in color from matte black to a shimmery cornsilk yellow to a matte black-purple spiked with purple glitter. Eye shadow palettes are the best because you get so much variety! I love a buffet. I think the packaging (silver roses stenciled on matte black) is pretty divine too.
Congrats, Sephora and Kat Von D! You’ve sold me, despite the fact that I’ve never seen your show and there is nary a tattoo on my body. I guess good makeup speaks for itself.
Here’s a quick, concealer-free tip for waking up tired, puffy eyes, courtesy of Women’s Health: Using your ring fingers, gently press the inner corners of your eyes and blink 20 times. The combined pressure and blinking will help to release the fluids you’re retaining in your eye area, which will in turn reduce puffiness. Fascinating!
"Forming an O with your mouth makes putting on mascara a cinch, says Allyson Murray, a makeup artist in NYC for Jane Iredale. When you hold your mouth like this, you relax your eyes and blink less." (pg. 66, June issue)
Makes sense to me. Are you sitting at your computer with your mouth in the shape of an "O" testing it out? Because I totally did that too.
I was flipping through Cosmo and there was a little blurb on their Beauty Q&A about concealer for men. They said that "there are a lot of dude-friendly options now" and my curiousity was piqued.
They suggested Clinique’s Skin Supplies for Men as a good option if a man is looking for concealer, siting it’s "masculine packaging" as a good way for him not to feel too embarrassed. I, of course, thinks it looks like a good nude lipstick….so as far as the masculine part goes, I’m not too sure.
So I googled "concealer for men" and found The Men Pen which I like for the name alone and John Varvatos has a Makeup for Men line with a concealer that looks "manliest" of all to me. All of these concealers are appealing to men who want to cover up breakouts, razor burn, under eye circles, and the like. I’m all for a man concealing skin issues but I want to hear what you think:
Here’s an exciting development for those of us who are always on a quest for longer, more luscious lashes: Polymer mascaras. These mascaras, which feature elastic polymers that actually coat each of your eyelashes with tiny flexible tubes, claim to both extend your natural lashes to surreal lengths and solve the whole flaking/smearing/fading problem that plagues typical mascaras. I first heard about them when I read a review of Too Faced Lash Injection over on Slice of Beauty, and after a little supplemental investigating, I was immediately intrigued: "This exclusive, 3D formula actually builds tubes around each lash. …Lash Injection comes off in tiny tubes, like little lash socks!" Little lash socks?! How adorably bizarre! (Slice of Beauty, however, said that the lash socks never materialized for her, mainly because the mascara just stubbornly stays put - apparently you can cry, rub your eyes, go swimming and, presumably, survive a nuclear blast and this stuff will stay put.) Then, today, one of my close friends mentioned that she saw a similar product in Target that claimed to create little "tubes" around each of your lashes for a really dramatic look. Of course, this inspired me to find other examples of polymer-based mascaras. Here are a few more promising prospects:
From left to right, we have Blinc Kiss Me Mascara, Prestige Lash Matrix and Cargo TexasLash. Like Lash Injection, all of them claim to be totally resistant to smudges, runs, flakes and water, all promise to increase your lashes’ length and volume to positively unnatural proportions…and all swear that you’ll find "little lash tubes" in your hand after removal. Is it weird that I’m just as excited about that as I am about the pretty eyes thing?!
DuWop Cosmetics, originator of the cult classic Lip Venom lip gloss (you know, that tiny vial of clear gloss that smells like Red Hots, tingles like a chili pepper and makes you look like you’re related to Angelina Jolie?), is now planning to branch out and bring their unique brand of stimulating makeup to other areas of your face - your cheeks, to be exact. Their newest creation is Cheek Venom, which uses the same blend of essential oils (including cinnamon and ginger) as the Lip Venom in order to encourage circulation and create a more natural-looking blush. Makes sense; as anyone who has tried Lip Venom will tell you, the stuff really works. In fact, the only risk seems to be that the Venom might work too well, to the point where your lips feel like they’re on fire and you look like you’ve been hitting the collagen. Can the Cheek Venom produce equally dramatic results? Will the effect be pretty and subtle or unpleasantly crimson-cheeked? Call me a glutton for the tingle, but I can’t wait to find out!
Check out the new line of makeup, brushes and bath and body products from E.L.F. (it stands for Eyes Lips Face) - it all look so enticing, and it’s cheap. Not even drugstore cheap; more like unbelievably, can-this-be-the-right-price?! cheap.
Hardly anything on the site seems to be over $10 (in fact, the few things I could find in the over $10 range were multi-piece gift sets) and many things are, incredibly, $1. This is a particular point of pride for E.L.F.: "We at e.l.f. believe that innovative technology, quality ingredients and superb delivery systems should not be limited to prestige retailers. Every woman should have the opportunity to participate in innovation, without sacrificing her budget." Hear, hear! Both the multitasking All Over Color Stick and the Candy Shop Lip Gloss tins shown above will set you back a mere dollar a pop; the Vanilla Coconut Body Butter will cost you 4. Judging from the website’s Store Locator, E.L.F. seems to be available at the discount retailer BigLots! - hey, if Target can invade Barney’s, why can’t the store formerly known as Pic’n'Save have fantastic beauty products, right?
The nail polish and eyelash curler also cost a buck. Seriously, they have everything from brushes to blotting paper to lip gloss sets (8 glosses for $8!) - but one of the most intriguing offerings is their mineral makeup. The mineral-based powder concealer shown above, which looks virtually identical to Bare Minerals, costs just five dollars; a full mineral makeup starter kit is $20. This must be too good to be true - how can they offer quality mineral makeup at such a low price?! - but at those prices, how can you afford not to give it a try?
There are so many different types of foundation! Liquid, cream, powder, mousse…and then I see this blurb from Jennifer Lopez in Glamour, singing the praises of spray foundation. To be specific, J.Lo loves Dior’s DiorSkin AirFlash Spray Foundation, which is referred to as her "current obsession."
This little can is supposed to help you achieve that "airbrushed" skin effect that Lopez is famous for - but I have to admit, I’m a little skeptical. Can a spray really deliver the necessary coverage to make my skin look totally flawless? Will the makeup feel all weird and caked-on? And, most importantly, is it really possible to apply this to your own face without getting it all over your hair, clothes, eyelashes, etc.?
For a more affordable spray-on alternative - we’re talking $10 here vs. Dior’s $60 price tag - Sally Hansen makes this Fast & Flawless Air Brush Makeup. I’m all for a bargain, but the extremely dismal reviews on Amazon - a mere 2 star average for this product, vs. 4.5 stars for the DiorSkin - make me more than a little wary. Probably best to stick to the high-end stuff in this case!
I love the look of bronzer. It makes my skin glow. Seriously. I used bronzer at my wedding last year and it quickly became part of my "staple makeup products". People kept saying to me, "Oh you must be so happy to be a newlywed, you are literally glowing!" Sometimes I’d do the, awe-gee-shucks thing and thank them. But if I knew the person better, I’d say, awe-gee-shucks-thanks but…really it’s my bronzer. I mean, of course I was ecstatic to be married to my Prince Charming, but I couldn’t give my bridal glow all the credit. Plus, I’m not one to not pass on a beauty tip! There are a lot of fancy bronzers out there, sure to do the job, but I use Cover Girl’s Cheekers Bronzer. It gives a very natural glow, without looking too obvious. I like to dust it over my blush to give a glowing, flushed look. Or use it alone on "no-makeup" days. I just apply it to my cheekbones and if I’m feeling crazy I’ll do a clean sweep of my forehead, down my nose. I never use it all over my face. Nothing looks more unnatural than bronzer on your chin. Use bronzer as a highlighter and you can’t go wrong.
Tips:
1. Keep your "staple makeup products" in a separate makeup bag or place in your drawer so that they are always easily accessible. This can help cut time in your morning routine.
2. Invest in a good blush brush and don’t use the brush that comes with the blush. Using the right brush makes all the difference in achieving a fresh, natural look. Especially with bronzer. You can find good, affordable brush options at Target (Sonia Kashuk has a great line there) or you can spend a little more at places like MAC and get a great brush that will last you years. (To extend the life of your brush, clean it with soap and water every few weeks)
3. Don’t think of bronzer as self-tanner. It’s not. It’s a highlighter. With this in mind, don’t be afraid to use bronzer on skin that is on either end of the color spectrum - light or dark. Bronzer is a highlighter than can make your skin glow if used correctly.
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Weird Ingredient No.1: Sodium Chloride (Table Salt). Rather innocuous but still surprising when considered in the context of the goods that utilize it, sodium chloride helps products create a foamy lather. Think shampoo, body wash, bubble bath - anything that gets all sudsy when it comes in contact with water. 
Weird Ingredient No.2: Oleoresin Capsicum (Pepper Spray). First salt, then pepper?! Capsicum is the active component of the pepper sprays used by police officers and sold for self-defense purposes, and it pops up from time to time in products that create a warming sensation, like creams intended for pain or itch relief. Just one more reason to keep those products away from your eye area!
Weird Ingredient No.3: Diatomaceous Earth. Combine this stuff with nitroglycerin, and you’ve got dynamite! Seriously, my mind boggles when I think about how my bathroom is a virtual chem lab. Anyhow, diatomaceous earth is made from the fossilized remains of hard-shelled algae, and it’s used in beauty products for its abrasive qualities.
Weird Ingredient No.4: Albumen (Egg Whites). Egg whites are frequently used in skin care products that promise any sort of "firming" or "drying" action. Wonder if applying a little egg white mask and then rinsing it off after a few minutes would have the same effect? Hmm…
Weird Ingredient No.5: Plastics. Plastics can take many forms - polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene spheres, 
Weird Ingredient No.6: Simethicone (Gas Relief Drops). Prized for having pretty much the opposite effect of sodium chloride, simethicone is added to products to prevent foaming by reducing the surface tension of the air.
Weird Ingredient No.7: Urea. Urea, which has skin softening, antimicrobial and preservative properties, is synthetically made nowadays - good news, as it used to be extracted from horse urine. Ewwww.
Weird Ingredient No.8: Propylene Glycol (not Antifreeze, but close!). This stuff is similar to ethylene glycol, better known as antifreeze, but it’s not toxic - good news, since it’s in all sorts of products due to its moisturizing qualities. It’s also used on aircraft to prevent the accumulation of ice and moisture on the wings. Bizarre.
Weird Ingredient No.9: Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Shortening). Why does that lip gloss or eye pencil glide on so smoothly? Why does that body butter feel so decadent and luxurious on your skin? The answer is good, old-fashioned Crisco. Okay, maybe not Crisco, but…well, yeah. The cosmetic additive is exactly the same as the fatty foodstuff.
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I just found this little 3-step tutorial on 
Just came across this tube of 
It’s called 
Here’s a strange little tip I just read on 
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Here’s an exciting development for those of us who are always on a quest for longer, more luscious lashes: Polymer mascaras. These mascaras, which feature elastic polymers that actually coat each of your eyelashes with tiny flexible tubes, claim to both extend your natural lashes to surreal lengths and solve the whole flaking/smearing/fading problem that plagues typical mascaras. I first heard about them when I read a review of 
DuWop Cosmetics, originator of the cult classic 
This little can is supposed to help you achieve that "airbrushed" skin effect that Lopez is famous for - but I have to admit, I’m a little skeptical. Can a spray really deliver the necessary coverage to make my skin look totally flawless? Will the makeup feel all weird and caked-on? And, most importantly, is it really possible to apply this to your own face without getting it all over your hair, clothes, eyelashes, etc.?
For a more affordable spray-on alternative - we’re talking $10 here vs. Dior’s $60 price tag - Sally Hansen makes this Fast & Flawless Air Brush Makeup. I’m all for a bargain, but the extremely dismal reviews on Amazon - a mere 2 star average for this product, vs. 4.5 stars for the DiorSkin - make me more than a little wary. Probably best to stick to the high-end stuff in this case!
