Taking off the Mask: Why tinted moisturizer is the new foundation

As soon as people learn I’m a makeup artist, they invariably weave their burning questions into our conversation, even if we’re only talking about the weather.  “Seems we’re in for a bit of a warm spell…  ..speaking of warm spells, what kind of foundation should I be wearing?”

I’m lucky I’m not a doctor, because my answer is always unoriginal.  I’d like to say that I carefully evaluate each and every person’s skin type and make a qualitative analysis of each line, pore, and wrinkle…but the truth is–I think EVERYONE should wear tinted moisturizer with sunscreen instead of foundation.

I know, that seems rather general, doesn’t it?  I do use “foundation” (a full coverage liquid or mineral) on my brides or models when doing event makeup, but unless you are on a movie set or being professionally photographed, I would never recommend foundation for everyday. It’s simply unnecessary.  The point of makeup should be to enhance your natural features, to make your individual beauty shine, not to reinvent the wheel.

The use of foundation, or “base” is as old as mud; women throughout the centuries have endeavored to cover everything up (and sometimes shave everything off) and paint it on again.  It’s a way of creating a completely new persona, and Hollywood relied heavily on this idea in the 30s and 40s when creating sultry starlets out of freshly scrubbed girls-next-door.  There’s nothing wrong with wanting to start from scratch, but before you camouflage your features in a thick shade of beige, take a look at your freshly scrubbed face.  What is it that you really want to change about your visage?  Here are the typical complaints:

Redness/blotchiness around the mouth & nose, unevenness/blotchiness on the cheeks, freckles/age spots, under eye circles, blemishes

As you can see, the majority of concerns have to do with evenness of skin tone.  The good news is that tinted moisturizer (a lightweight lotion with a hint of color, and spf) will even out your complexion without smothering it. Your skin will GLOW, rather than look matte or cakey.  Your skin will BREATHE, rather than gasping for air, and your skin will IMPROVE in both appearance and texture.

If tinted moisturizer alone doesn’t address problem areas, then all you have to do is use a small amount of concealer (under the eyes, on a blemish or age spot, around the nose).  There’s simply no need to conceal your entire face!

Here’s my favorite everyday 5 Step Fast Face:

1. tinted moisturizer all over

2. concealer under the eyes

3. creme blush on cheeks

4. lip gloss

5. mascara

Your face is your calling card.  Do you really want to be the kind of person who is unrecongnizable without their makeup?  Embrace your face.  Save the foundation for the Big Ball, or your cousin’s wedding.  You don’t need it at 8 in the morning, and you certainly don’t need it in the office.

Special HIPPIE note: If you’re the kind of person who NEVER wears makeup, considering making tinted moisturizer your new best friend.  You won’t look like you’re wearing makeup, because it’s really not makeup–but your skin will look and feel fantastic, and you’ll have the added protection of at least spf 15, everyday.

Here are some of my favorites:

100% Pure fruit pigmented

tinted moistuizer

Suki tinted moisturizer

Juice Beauty tinted moisturizer

mask photo courtesy of flickr’s Flamed

Nailing It: Non-toxic, custom blendable nail polish

I am of two opinions when it comes to painting my nails–While I desperately love to witness an interesting color on my toes, peeking out from under the sheets in the morning,  I hate seeing any color whatsoever on my hands….I’m sure this is mostly due to the fact that I work with my hands, and cannot abide the haggard appearance of chipped nail polish.   The last thing I have time for is touching up my nails all day.  I’d sooner wear gloves to cover up the offending fingers.

That said, I’ve had a devil of a time finding good eco-nail polish in the last few years, so my toe polish collection has been somewhat limited to a vampy red Chanel polish, and some cheap silver polish I found at the drugstore to match my uber groovy Barbarellaesque silver summer sandals.

A couple years ago I was excited about a nail polish line called Honeybee, a water based pigment brand without all the nasty chemicals.  One night I smugly painted my toes in a beautiful watermelon red and headed to a party, where I awaited compliments.  The first thing I heard was, “Oh my God!  What happened to your feet?”

Oops.  It was a warm evening, I suppose, and perhaps the temperature of my feet was particularly high (though my feet rarely sweat); when I looked down, I saw that my toes appeared to be bleeding profusely.  The water-based nail polish was not intended for swarthy atmospheres, apparently,  and had melted and spread across my feet like an ice-cream cone on a hot cement sidewalk.  Gross.  So, rather than move to Alaska, where my new fangled eco-polish might fare better, I simply stopped wearing it.  Gradually, my feet grew bored, and I sought solace in toxic polish.  I mean, what’s a little chemical waste between toes, right?  Who says formaldahyde is just for dead people?

My toxic toe days are over, now.  Peacekeepers has a beautiful collection of non toxic nail polishes, now available at Whole Foods, and the bonus?  The color stays put!  I’ve written about this company before; they donate ALL their profits (post tax) to women’s organizations around the world.  I’m a huge fan of their “lip paints” (lipsticks), which are completely green, moisture rich and gorgeous, with names like “Paint Me Compassionate”, “Paint Me Wise”, “Paint Me Empowered” (one of my favorites–a 1920’s dark wine red).   Peacekeepers nail polishes are toulene-free, formaldahyde-free, and phthalates-free.

This is HUGE… believe it or not, your body absorbs every toxin you put on it–the CDC (Center for Disease Control) did a study in 2000, testing women for toxins commonly found in cosmetics.  What they found should alarm you:  Every toxin used in mainstream makeup was found in some level in all the women.  Highest, though, and particularly in women of childbearing age, were the toxins used specifically in mainstream nail polish. The chemicals are known agents of birth defects, and women who are pregnant or nursing or considering becoming pregnant were urged not to use any products containing these ingredients.

I’m surprised that 8 years has passed since that study, and yet there are only 4 or 5 non toxic nail polish products on the open market (and two of them are only available online).  It’s shameful and upsetting, and we must do better.

Enough of my rant- let’s talk toes!  I have an eco-makeup kit full of some beautiful new sparkly and matte mineral pigment powders by Larenim.   I bought the Bottom/Top Clear Coat by Peacekeepers, and have found painterly passion in mixing my OWN shades!!  Want your toes to sparkle?  Sprinkle a little mineral sparkle onto a sheet of paper, dip your brush, swipe it on!! Want to paint your nails black for the evening, but can’t find an eco-black nail polish?  Make your own!! And rather than dump black pigment into the little bottle and shaking (although, if you always wear black, that’s not a bad idea), sprinkle the pigment onto paper, and dip your brush in, or drizzle a bit of the clear coat onto the paper and mix (this is great if you paint quickly).  The reason I love this technique is that I am not bound by the bottle.  I have ONE bottle of nailpolish instead of an army of them, and I can make whatever color I like by mixing my mineral pigments.  A note: wipe your brush off before re-inserting it into the bottle if you want it to stay utterly clear.

Now that you know, you can set your nails free.  Free from poison, free from delusion.  Seek out a better solution or just go naked!