best summer lip stain

There are three sure signs that summer has arrived in my world: the makeup stores are loaded with bronzers, the magazines are loaded with beachy waves hair how to's, and my li'l old man is back at the park with his sno cone cart. I find myself looking at his usual spot in the winter and spring and feeling wistful -hoping he is not gone for good. So I just had my first cherry flavored hand-scraped cone of the season ($1!) and it left the most beautiful sheer red lip stain. If you have the misfortune of not living near a sno cone cart, there's always Stila's best selling Cherry Crush lip and cheek stain. Fresh and youthful, even in the sweltering heat.

Make Up For Ever

I am thoroughly enjoying the Make Up For Ever pro program which includes trainings and introductions to pro-grade products. Their NYC store recently hosted a product talk and demonstration for our NYC Makeup Artist Meetup Group. Their new HD (High Definition) line was the big buzz at last year's Makeup Show. When I finally tried their HD Powder, I was amazed. To me, all translucent powders are pretty much the same. They are supposed to be colorless and used to set product on the skin. For example, you'd apply it to the face when you have the foundation and concealer exactly how you want it and don't want it altered by adding colored powder. It's often used in between layers of lipstick to make that first layer really set. The problem is that they're not really translucent. They can look kind of white, especially against darker skin tones. The HD Powder was so finely milled that it barely stayed on my brush. The little particles flying around weightlessly in the air were a beautiful sight. Dusting it lightly onto a client's face was even more lovely a sight. It toned down the shine and set the foundation and concealer without looking powdery and overly matte. My MAC version now looks like ground up chalk dust in comparison. I haven't found any artist who has tried the HD and doesn't like it. I was even talking to a friend who is a corporate trainer for MAC and he confessed that their artists were secretly emptying their MAC powder containers and filling them with this. I think word has gotten back to the folks at MAC, as they have come out with a new version of their translucent powder: Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder (which I have not tried). A lot of Make Up For Ever's products are not user friendly (hard to blend, too heavy/intense for everyday, etc.). If you are interested in trying their stuff, go for the HD products or the Aqua Eyes waterproof eyeliners in a fun variety of colors.

Armani Face Fabric - like buttuh

I had the immense pleasure of trying Giorgio Armani's Face Fabric Second Skin nude makeup (spf 12) today. I rarely get to Saks anymore but was surprised to find it at Nordstroms. WOW. Love at first touch... and I kept touching my face for the rest of the day. I cannot even describe how it feels. It's light and creamy - like buttercream frosting- but then instantly dries to the smoothest thing you've ever felt. They call this it's "unique (3d) micro-fil formulation." It's not a tinted moisturizer because with those you feel a moistness on the face. It seems too light to call a foundation, although it does have some tint. As promised, you get a no-makeup look. Super super natural, yet skin is evened out and discoloration is gone. I would recommend this for anyone with already lovely skin or people who are not big on wearing foundation but want to take the first step. An expensive indulgent little treat to keep in mind!

Adventures in Self Tanning

I haven't fake baked since 1991. My aunt had a tanning bed in her house and I saw her skin turn into leather. Seriously. I reached to Bain de Soleil but those early self tanners were dark and and orange-y and not very believable. Luckily new strides are being made every day in this arena. For the past few years I have used L'Oreal Sublime Bronze for the body. I like the fact that it's tinted so I can see if I'm missing any spots and has some subtle gold sparkle in it. [Note: thumbs down on their any angle spray version of this]. I also like the fact that I'm tan after one application. It was always too dark to apply to my feet/ankles and I could never reach my back so I ended up using Neutrogena MicroMist Sunless tanning spray for those areas. I could never apply the spray evenly for the whole body, nor could I stand the smell of spraying my whole body with it (think of that brown liquid you find in an antique perfume bottle from 1948). So even though I found a winning combo to get the look right, I hated lying around waiting for it to dry in the muggy summers feeling greasy and smelling like self tanner. I decided to try the famed Jergens natural glow Daily Moisturizer. I felt like I had done so much work applying it nice and evenly (not tinted so I was scared of missing a spot) and it was barely noticeable. On the third day I grew tired of "building" my tan. I knew what I was getting into but realized I am just not a daily body moisturizing kind of gal. Recently I read 2 great reviews of the new foam version of it, Jergens natural glow Foaming Daily Moisturizer, and decided to give it a try. They claimed it did not streak, did not smell, and dried rapidly. Intriguing! It came with a sample bottle of the Healthy Complexion Daily Moisturizer (spf 20 for the face) so I tried that too. After just one (heavy!) application, two neighbors asked where I'd been that I got so tan. They couldn't believe it was fake. Then I showed them my usually bright white legs. They winced at the streaks. I loved the "barely there" smell so much I decided to try again. I figured out that I was using WAY too much product. It comes out like hair mousse but does not dissipate the way hair mousse does. A little goes a long way. It feels lotion-y on, but much lighter than the others I'd tried. Two back-to-back light applications looks quite nice. I still use the neutrogena for the feet and back. The face stuff looks great and like the foam, not much is needed for a nice glow. If you are the palest whitest person you know and the thought of self tanner scares you, I recommend the lotion version which somehow seems slightly more subtle. And remember the old rules of putting vaseline or shea butter or the like over knees, elbows, and ankles before applying any tanning product. And just say NO to real tans from the real sun. Why age your skin even more?!!

Chris March!

Today I and some friends were out at the Hell's Kitchen flea market and who do we spy? Chris March - everyone's favorite crazily creative Project Runway contestant. When asked what he was doing today he just said "Puttering." Yup yup, us too.

Farewell to Max Factor Makeup :(

Proctor and Gamble announced that they will no longer be selling Max Factor makeup in the U.S. beginning early next year. I have to give them credit for trying, though. Even with the help of Carmen Electra ads and Pat McGrath's prestige in the makeup world, they still struggled. When I got married in 2001 they had just come out with the first long lasting semi-permanent lip color: Lipfinity. I mixed a pink and orange color together for my own wedding day and it lasted well into the night. Thanks for the memories, Max!

Jenny B.'s Wedding

I just heard from Jenny B. that her cool beach-themed wedding cake is being featured on Brides.com ! Jenny and I worked together way way back in the day, locked away in a small windowless office . I would console myself by putting makeup on Jenny while she would tell me her latest dating woes. She made me promise that if she ever got married I would do her wedding makeup. Fast forward to May 2009, I kept my promise and went to the DC area for the big day. Her sister, the Matron of Honor, and I both had babies with us so she got to "test drive" them for a bit. I wanted to do a nice silvery shadow on the lids to accent her blue eyes. When I got there, I found her to be very tan and wanting something bronze-y. I switched to a warmer silver (has a touch of brown in it) and did a bronze crease. Unusual combo but looked great with peachy cheeks and tan skin. One of her bridesmaids had the cutest hairstyle. It's a great idea for those who have chin-length or bobbed hair but want to put it up or do something different for the occasion. Congrats Jenny! I'm glad you found Mr. Right.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

So today as I prepared to enter the blogosphere, I was hoping something interesting would happen that I could write about. Sure enough, I received a fabulous little email from my friend who works at Allure magazine. Now you have to understand that for me Allure is the holy grail of beauty magazines. She mentioned a piece for the magazine they were working on and wondered if I had any ideas to contribute. HELLO!!! Bien sur. And best of all, these ideas made their way to the editor and she responded back that they were good and thanked me. Woo hoo! It will be fun to see if they make their way into magazine after all.