Archive for New Products

Super Face: The Secret Power of Natural Pressed Powder

November 28, 2008 · Filed under Green Brides, Makeup, New Makeup Lines, New Products, Shopping, Skincare, Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

marie-antoinetteFirst, a disclaimer: I’ve spent years discouraging women from using powder on their faces, and I’ve taken a good bit of flack about it from those women who feel incomplete without it.

My point? It is no longer the 18th century, Ladies. We don’t need to be surrounded by a dust cloud of powder to absorb our bodily and facial oils– we bathe! (The aristocrats who inspired over-powdering were the same folks who covered themselves in stick-on moles to cover up pock marks acquired from sexually transmitted diseases…and I seriously doubt stick on moles are coming back any time soon)

Furthermore, while a powdered face may indeed add a polished finish when you’re wearing a ballgown, it does NOT belong on your face when you’re wearing yoga pants, a jogging suit, or jeans and sneakers. It is unacceptable to powder our three dimensional faces into a two dimensional plane. It looks dry, fake, and completely cartoonish. While you’re at it, why don’t you shave off your eyebrows and paint them back on?

Let your skin breathe. Let your face glow.

–That said, I am going to recommend three brands of natural and healthy pressed powder. Why? Because there are some worthy new and natural brands out there, and because a good powder can make you look ethereal, softening your features by refracting a hazy angelic light.  And there’s nothin’ wrong with looking angelic.

One of the main reasons I’ve steered my clients from powder is because so many popular formulas are chock full of gross stuff that ends up settling in fine lines and wrinkles, not to mention clogging pores with extended use. If you’re going to wear powder, it should actually improve your skin.

My meters for great face powder include: Flexibility, Finish, and Fine Line-Proofness.

1. For Flexibility, you want a pressed powder. Lots of mineral makeup lines have clean loose powders: Loose powder is a one time sort of thing, used to “set” your makeup. Women who use powder throughout the day (because they’re frequently oily, or because they’re intent on maintaining a polished look) need to be able to carry in their purses.

2. For Finish, you want powder that rests lightly upon the skin. You don’t want the powder to be so fine that it enters the skin. Look for non “nano-particle” lines. Nano particles are often present in makeup lines that require you to buff powder into your skin, rather than letting it rest above the skin, using dimethicone (a natural silicone). Steer clear of bismuth oxychloride, while you’re at it. This popular mineral makeup ingredient is an irritant for many women’s skin, causing itchiness and, in some cases, cystic acne.

3. For Fine-Line Proofness, you want a silky powder. You don’t want your face to look ashy, sparkly, chalky, or dry. When you find a great pressed powder, you should be able to roll the puff lightly across your t-zone to take off shine, or sweep it across your entire face for a smooth finish. Look at your skin 30 minutes after you apply powder. Are your wrinkles more or less noticeable? Does your skin appear softer or does it look dry, caked, or flaky? Touch your face. Does it feel smooth and silky?

Here’s my new favorite pressed powder, by the company that makes my favorite clean liquid eyeliner.
ZUZU LUXE Dual Pressed Powder & Foundation (talk about flexible!) comes in 9 shades, for every skin tone!

zuzu-powder

Use as a pressed powder for touch-ups, or as a foundation with a matte finish. Available in 9 shades for any complexion (see color chart, and and refer to brief descriptions below). 10g compact is $21.95 each.

Ingredients: Mica, Zinc Stearate, Octyl Palmitate, Squalane (vegetable derived), Lecithin, Dimethicone, Silica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Grapeseed Extract

Here are two other great powder choices:

100-percent-powder100 Percent Pure Peach Pigmented Healthy Glow Pressed Powder:

100% natural pressed powder made with rice powder, fruit pigments and light reflective pearl powder to make skin appear luminous. SPF 20 protects your skin from UVA and UVB rays while antioxidants protect against environmental damage. Does not contain preservatives, artificial fragrances, synthetic chemicals or any other toxins. Truly, 100% Pure.

color: White Peach- fair skin tones
Peach Bisque – medium skin tones
Golden Peach – golden, deeper skin tones

Ingredients: Rice Powder, All of the following fruit pigments : White Peach, Golden Peach, Apricot and Papaya, Vitamin E (a-tocopherol), Lavender Flower Powder, Eucalyptus Leaf Powder, Silk Powder, Fresh Oyster Pearl Powder, Vitamin A (a-palmitate), Vitamin C(ascorbic acid), Pomegranate Seed Oil, Avocado Butter, Rose Powder, White Tea Powder, Grape Seed Powder, Silica (Natural Mineral)
SUNSCREEN ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: 12% Titanium Dioxide and 6% Zinc Oxide

larenim-powderLarenim Mineral Airbrush Pressed Powder:

Comes in many shades. The great thing about Larenim’s product, as well as Zuzu’s is that they can be used as foundations as well as powders! This company uses no bismuth oxychloride, nanoparticles, or any chemical fillers or preservatives.

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At Long Lash: A Wearable, Green Mascara

October 24, 2008 · Filed under Makeup, New Products, Shopping · Tagged , , , , , , ,

I’ve talked about compromise before. When a bride says she wants green makeup, I talk to her about what works, and what doesn’t. Green mascara (up til now) has largely been a failure. The very ingredients which make mascara stick to our lashes and not smudge are the same ingredients that we’re trying to avoid, namely pthalates, petrochemicals, and even coal tar.

The bride’s reaction is typical, “I want waterproof, smudgeproof, mascara. I plan to cry.”

I totally understand. I carry waterproof mascara (DiorShow Waterproof is most famous, though, really, all waterproof mascara is the same…nothing’s going to lengthen, thicken or curl, once it’s waterproof. I’ve tried at least 15 major brands…waterproofing ingredients make the formula precise, across the board.

Well, I try NOT to cry on a daily basis, but I still don’t want my mascara to smudge left and right, up and down on my face. I keep trying green mascara formulas that claim “smudge resistant”, and I ultimately look like a heroin addict by noon.

If you have shorter lashes, this isn’t going to be a problem for you. So go out already, and buy yourself some clean mascara. Of all places on your face, what goes on your lips and eyes should be as squeaky clean as possible. We’re talking orifices, here, ladies. Keep them happy, keep them green.

If your lashes are longer, however, you’re going to have trouble finding clean mascara that works for you simply because those “sticky” ingredients aren’t there; and every time you close your eyes you are undoubtedly transferring product under your eyes.

A couple tips:

1. After you apply under-eye concealer– you ARE using concealer, aren’t you– the under-eye will be slightly moist, which I prefer to overpowdered, BUT that moisture can make your mascara smudge when you blink. Roll just a touch of face powder under each eye, and THEN apply mascara.

2. Do NOT apply mascara to your bottom lashes. You just don’t need it. It closes up the eye, smudges, and and invariably looks “done”. If you MUST define your bottom lashes (although I can’t imagine why you’d want to, they don’t contribute to sexy eyes at all), then save it for evening, when the smudging will take on a charming, tipsy allure.

3. Apply mascara to the tops of your top lashes first, then fan the lashes upward from the bottom. You get more curled lashes this way, and you also get the look of two coats of mascara without the clumping.

Finally, EXPERIMENT with mascara formulas. What works for me may not work for you, and vice versa.

Here’s a new product that works for me right now: Tarte’s Health Couture Lash Hugger eco-friendly mascara in black. (Sephora carries it). I’ve been wearing this mascara regularly for three weeks, during which I’ve cried (at least three times–what? Who doesn’t cry at least once a week?), I’ve sweated, and I’ve had something in my eye which made me rub it. These are my results: Lash Hugger doesn’t smudge/run unless your face is wet, or you rub your eyes. And that’s totally fine with me. I EXPECT mascara to smudge if I’m crying. I EXPECT it to smudge if I rub my eyes. And I fully EXPECT it to stay put if I’m just minding my own business. This one does.

Lash Hugger Natural Mascara:
Water, Alcohol, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Wax, Cera Carnauba, Hydrogenated Stearyl Olive Esters, Stearic Acid, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Shellac, Triethanolamine, Candelilla Cera, Acacia Senegal Gum, Aminomethyl Propanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorophenesin, Iron Oxides (CI 77499).

Now I am by no means a fan of every above listed ingredient! I DEMAND completely clean products that WORK. And I’m still looking. I told you this was going to be about compromise. Tarte’s mascara tube is post consumer recycled aluminum, and the formula contains no parabens, or other evil fillers. I don’t like Triethanolamine (who would?) and the idea of putting shellac on my lashes is not a happy one, so I’m STILL LOOKING.

The next one I’ll be trying is a mascara made from sugar, by Suncoat. You know my philosophy about being able to eat anything that goes on my face!

The following mascaras did NOT work for me, but they are MUCH cleaner than Lash Hugger, and you may want to give them a go:

Dr. Hauschka Volumizing Mascara & Intermezzo Mascara

100% Pure Mascara (made with blueberries)

With any luck, we’ll all be winking clean in the new year!

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

September 19, 2008 · Filed under Makeup, New Products, Shopping, Skincare · Tagged , , ,

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

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Nailing It: Non-toxic, custom blendable nail polish

September 12, 2008 · Filed under Makeup, New Products, Shopping, Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , ,

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!

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The Primer Suspect

August 29, 2008 · Filed under New Products, Shopping · Tagged , , , , ,

I get a LOT of emails from women who use mineral makeup.  The letters fall into two camps:  the women who love it, and the women who hate it.   I often feel as though I’m standing in the neutral territory (a Switzerland of makeup) between two warring factions of females who are either singing praises or screaming invectives.  As you can imagine, I enjoy chatting with the happy ones, but I feel more ethically bound to investigate the people making so much cranky noise.

That said, I feel as though I can offer at least ONE tip that may turn the tide for those women who hate the effects of bismuth oxychloride (an irritant which is present in many popular mineral products), and those dry skinned women who hate looking like the desert floor an hour after grinding minerals into their visage.

It’s called PRIMER. To understand why primer is necessary, imagine painting a blank bedroom wall.  If your wall is porous, it’s going to absorb more paint than other walls.  Not only will it take more paint to get the even look you desire, but that paint is going to penetrate the very surface of the wall, clogging it.  Making your wall prone to breaking out.  Imagine now that your bedroom wall is full of hairline cracks.  The more paint you slather on it, the more apparent those cracks become.  As the paint sets in, the cracks seem to widen and flake, making your wall look old and decrepit.

What do we do with the bedroom wall, then?  We use a coat of PRIMER, people!!  Primer is exactly what is sounds like:  It primes the surface of the area that we are preparing to paint. For porous skin, primer acts as a barrier, preventing makeup from clogging your pores.  For dry/mature skin, a primer seals the cracks so the makeup will lie smoothly on the surface of the skin.

The question is, can you find a primer that is good for your skin?  Why bother using mineral makeup for it’s natural benefits if you’re just going to use a disgusting, chemical-laden primer?  It would akin to using an eco-paint on your wall, but putting a fresh coat of gasoline on it first!  So, if you’re a mineral user, and ready to try primer, read the ingredients first.  Don’t use parabens, petrochemicals, benzenes, phthalates or ureas on your skin.  Ever.  Period.

If you have trouble finding a clean primer, use ALOE VERA. You’ll find a million different uses for aloe vera, including hair gel, burn salve, and even internal cleansing.  That’s right, people eat it.  And you know my rule:  If it can go in your belly, it can go on your face! You can find pure aloe vera gel (in various concentrates) in your natural food store.  You can find it in the drug store, too–just make sure they haven’t added anything unsavory).

Aloe Vera makes a splendid primer; it’s a lightweight gel that dries down quickly.  Apply it allover the face, give it 30 seconds to dry, then apply your mineral foundation.  If you’d like an “Official Primer”, with added benefits, here’s the cleanest I’ve found on the market:

Mod.skin Face Sculpt Serum Excalibur with DMAE & Blue Green Algae: water, aloe juice, DMAE (a really cool amino acid), vegetable glycerin, blue green algae extract, vitamin e, rosemary, carbomer, phenoxyethanol (a preservative–not my favorite, but better than most)

So, all you unhappy Mineral-ites out there, before you chuck a week’s pay into the trash, buy a bottle of aloe vera for 99 cents, and give it a go!

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Come on, Get Happy: Concealing the Shadows

July 21, 2008 · Filed under Makeup, New Makeup Lines, New Products · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The one thing–and I do mean the ONE thing–that makes the biggest difference between looking haggard/sad/hung over and looking fresh/happy/sober is this….are you ready for it? Concealer. Bobbi Brown had it right when she called concealer “The secret to the universe”. A good concealer covers your circles, firms your bags, and brightens your face immeasurably. When proving the powerful effects of concealer to a client, I like to apply it to only one eye and hand them a mirror. The reaction usually goes something like this:

“Oh my god. I look like I’ve been punched under the other eye. I had no idea my circles were so dark. But THIS eye….makes me look younger. And happier.“

Is it really possible to make someone look happy by hiding their circles? Or a better question: How do dark circles make us look unhappy? What do they suggest?

Dark circles are a visual indication that someone is suffering in their life somehow.

When we see people with dark circles, we make a mental note of it (even if only subconsciously). Of course, as a society, we tend to let those sufferers slide when we learn something about their situation.

New mothers are certainly happy (right?), but they don’t sleep. They have shifted from a state in which they worried only about themselves to one in which the weight of the world has been heaved (all 8 pounds of it) onto their shoulders. We understand their suffering, and expect their shadows and worries to be temporary. They never are.

Students are happy (right?), but they rely on all-nighters to study for exams, write papers, and participate in college culture (read: drink). We understand that they’re working hard now so that they may one day be unfulfilled in their jobs and turn into responsible citizens. We expect their shadows and worries to be temporary. They’re not.

Entrepreneurs are happy (right?), but they worry constantly about their investors, their loans, their mortgages, and whether or not their first business success will prove to be a “flash in the pan”. We applaud their talent and their bravery, and expect their shadows and worries to be temporary. Ha!

So look around–happiness doesn’t always show up on our faces in ways we might expect. Happy people often look unhappy, and here’s another blow–unhappy people look even worse, which doesn’t do anything to help their mood.

Dark circles are largely hereditary and hormonal. They are partially influenced by skin tone (the fairest tones and olive tones often have it the worst), and partially affected by lifestyle (stress, lack of sleep, diet). Circles are caused by a collection of blood under the surface of the skin–and no, surgery to cauterize those blood vessels is NOT the answer.

When I was 12, I found a natural recipe which claimed to bleach undereye circles with a blended mixture of raw potatoes and yogurt. It worked. That is to say, it bleached my SKIN, thereby lightening my purple shadows a shade or two. If having slightly paler purple or green circles is enough to inspire you, then rush out and buy some potatoes. What really works, though is makeup. It is easy, it is effective, and it has the added bonus of making you look happy. I will leave my house without lipstick, without mascara, and without blush. If I ever leave my house without undereye concealer, rest assured that it is on fire.

The concealer I currently use (and no, it is NOT green) is Bobbi Brown’s creamy corrector/concealer. It is the very best mainstream concealer on the market. Trust me, I’ve been around. On the department store end of things, I have tried Dior, Chanel, YSL, Nars, Estee Lauder, Lancome, Armani, Laura Mercier, and Trish McEvoy. From drugstores I have tried Physicians Formula, Covergirl, Mabelline, L’Oreal, Max Factor, and Almay. (Circles plagued me from a young age). For some time now, I have been obsessed with finding “green” concealer options. I will not stop until I find one that I can feel good about using everyday for the rest of my life, even if I have to make it from scratch myself. (I guarantee there will be no potatoes in it).

Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

Suki Concealer in Flax or Linen: I used this liquid product at a fashion show, and didn’t like the way it went on. (I worked with another artist and she had the same experience): it tended to “roll” under the eye, rather than gliding and blending. Also, limited by two tones. Really? There are only two colors of women out there?

Josie Maran: I’ve written about this one before. Three stick shades, all of which are too tan/orange for a fair skinned person, and too light for a dark skinned person. Application was fine, but I didn’t find it “buildable”, without it looking cakey, which is important. Also, I hate having to read labels when a company brands themselves as clean.

Dr. Hauschka: The wand is a popular concealer tool, and you can’t fault ol’ Hauschka on ingredients, but the coverage is too sheer, and the shades (there are three) don’t embrace even a majority of the population…except maybe the population of Germany.

Eco Nvey: I was SOOOO excited to try this little pressed pot of concealer (nice and green) BUT with only two shades to choose from…..are you seeing a theme yet? I will say that the consistency of this one was great. It was buildable, creamy, and blended really nicely, but the lighter shade looked positively yellow on me, and I wouldn’t get tan enough for the darker shade even if sailed around the world twice.

Sheer Cover: I was curious about this mineral makeup brand a while back. I had tried Bare Minerals, (who hasn’t?) and found their recommendation for powdered undereye concealer to be suitable for only those women who are naturally very moist/greasy under the eye (who is?). Sheer Cover had a selling point: a two toned creamy concealer with less offensive ingredients than most on the market. Result? It works. It’s buildable, blendable, and moist. And here’s a shocker: they offer a shade that matches my skin. It’s a decent option for women who are already using their mineral line, though I won’t continue to use it (not green enough for my blood).

If I’m willing to compromise a little, I’m willing to compromise a lot. Until I find my dream green concealer, I’m going to keep using the one I love. Everyone’s got their sticking point. Concealer’s mine.

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No laughing matter: Lines, lines, everywhere lines.

July 3, 2008 · Filed under Anti Aging, New Products, Shopping, Skincare, Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I have laugh lines and I have pout lines. Thankfully I’ve done more laughing than pouting, but both lines are getting deeper, spreading!, and generally running amok across my once youthful visage. Why is it that I’m so proud of the deep lines in my palm (makes for easy palm reading) but not willing to accept them in my face?

I don’t care to discuss my Freudian hangups at the moment, I just want to get rid of the evidence. While I’ve never considered Botox, (injecting poison into my face is somewhat antithetical to my mission as a green makeup artist–not to mention my fear of needles), and I’m not interested in wearing a face-lift wig (see illustration), I do work in the beauty industry and am acutely aware that the older I get, the more desperate I’ll undoubtedly become. I’m trying to head those fears off at the pass by taking care of the small stuff while I still can. Cue the anti-aging creams, wrinkle serums, lifting lotions and miracle elixirs.

Skincare, I find, is the one area in which green cosmetic companies seem to perform well. How hard can it be to hydrate my face without poisoning me or making me break out? (worst case scenario, just throw a bucket of water at me) The cleaner the skincare line, the better results on this front. But when we begin talking about firming, lifting, minimizing, and brightening, we’re talking about serious stuff. Such potions are never cheap, and while the green versions may not hurt you (they tend to leave the poison out), they may not do anything at all.

And unlike many consumers who are willing to give a product a full 30 days before expecting results, I want to look better immediately. I haven’t got all day, and neither do my clients. If it’s supposed to firm, I want to FEEL IT FIRMING, if it’s supposed to lift, then it had better START LIFTING NOW, and if it’s supposed to plump with antioxidants, I’d better feel like Violet FREAKIN’ Beauregarde, rolling out of the chocolate factory as a giant blueberry.

Here are a few products I’ve tried, and my immediate impressions of them:

Aubrey Organic Lumessence Rejuvenating Eye Cream: A clean product which feels more like a serum than a cream. I used it for 2 weeks, am and pm. I found hydration to be only minimal, (and I count on things like hydration around the eyes), I experienced no measurable lightening of my morning under-eye circles, and also didn’t feel any firming whatsoever.

Earth Science A/B Hydroxy Acid Night Rejuvenator: This product claims 10% alpha and beta acids, has no parabens, but does contain dimethicone, polyprepolymer-2, and nylon-12. For hydroxy acids, I expect a hearty prickling/stinging sensation, letting me know that it’s burning off my dead skin. Wow, that sounds gross. Unfortunately, I felt as though I had only used a good toner. (ie, slightly refreshing tingle). After two weeks of use, I was not rejuvenated in the least. My pores weren’t smaller, my skin wasn’t smoother or brighter, and my lines were not diminished in the slightest.

Earth Science Beta Ginseng Cellagen Renewal Serum: Won some awards in the UK trade show, but failed to do for me what it claimed. Did take down redness in my husbands face, (he’s a willing guinea pig), but it didn’t do the plumping or firming it’s supposed to do. 25% hylauronic acid, (which helps the skin retain moisture), but perhaps I need a serum with 75%. Still dry as the desert.

Zia 15-Minute Face Lift: Love this stuff! I’d originally gotten this product for use with bridal clients, or their mothers on the Big Day. While it does have long term effects, it’s meant to make the biggest difference when used before applying makeup. The tightening/lifting lasts for up to 8 hours. (and no, your face doesn’t fall like a smashed pumpkin at midnight, it’s just less “pulled”) The product uses clay (I love clay’s beneficial long term properties) with which you make a little mask. Comes with a nice brush for painting it on, then you lie down and let your face begin pulsing. It really does what it says it does. Immediately.

Burt’s Bees Repair Serum: A delightful, generously bottled collection of soothing oils for the face. While the product doesn’t reduce my lines, it is supremely luxurious, smells like heaven, and gives me a luscious glow. Use sparingly. (It really should come with a dropper, I think. Most folks are heavy handed when given the chance, and too much of this one could cause issues for acne prone people). Otherwise, divine.

Frownies: An old “Hollywood Secret”. These things work. They’re weird, but they’re natural and they work. Essentially, Frownies are little bits of stiff paper. Before you sleep, you moisten the backs (if you lick them, they taste like the paste of your childhood. I’m told.) and you stick them to various spots on your face. If you want to be rid of frown lines, there’s Frownies for the forehead. There are laugh line Frownies, and Frownies for the deep lines around the mouth. I like to call these lines parenthesis (since I clearly like parenthesis and the word Marionette gives me the creeps.) Frownies have been used for ages, and several celebrities swear by them. The way they work is simple. Once they’re attached to your face, they prevent you from making the crazy faces you inevitably make in your sleep. (That’s 8 hours of frowning and smiling that happen when you’re not even trying). Once you stop making these faces at night, your lines diminish SIGNIFICANTLY. I go through bouts of using Frownies, and every time I use them, I’m always surprised how something so simple works so well. So why, then, would I keep looking for miracle creams? Because I’m lazy. You really do need to use Frownies consistently for at least 3 weeks at a time to experience the results. And it wouldn’t hurt to have a great lifting serum to keep your results longer……by the way, don’t forget to take your Frownies off in the morning, or someone else will remind you to.

I speak from experience.

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100 Percent Pure Blush

June 11, 2008 · Filed under Green Brides, New Products, Shopping · Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

I adore a sheer, bright blush on my clients’ cheeks. The kind of blush that makes them look like they’re in love. The kind of blush that flushes their cheeks when someone tells them that they’re beautiful. The kind of blush that makes them look like they’re BLUSHING!! Universally, women look good in either a bright pink blush or a bright apricot blush. Very few women look like they’re blushing when they wear a dusty rose rouge. (Who naturally blushes in a brown tone?)

Being a blush fanatic, I’m on the constant prowl for a natural- looking blush that’s also NATURAL!!! My favorite find is a recent one, by a company here in the Bay Area called 100 Percent Pure. As a green makeup artist, I am well satisfied by the ingredients (most of them are edible, and they don’t add a single thing you won’t love) and I also like the way the product rolls up (unlike other cheek stains which push up). Last but not least, my clients LOVE the colors. The grapefruit blush is a favorite for a sheer pink, and the peach is great on redheads or green eyed girls. I can’t wait to stock my kit with more of them! A nice bonus–the blushes are great on lips, too. Did I mention that wine is one of the ingredients? Here’s what the company has to say about the derivation of the pigments in both the blushes as well as their glosses:


the first and only cosmetics made from antioxidant rich fruit
and vegetable pigments. While other color cosmetics are made
with either FD & C Colors (synthetic dyes) or minerals, only
100% Pure color cosmetics are made with fruit + vegetable
pigments (patent pending)! All the antioxidants and vitamins in fruits are in the actual color, so you will be applying all the healthy nutrients of the fruits directly on your skin!

And take a look at the gloss ingredients!

100% Natural lip glosses made with 83% Vitamin E from organic rice bran and beautiful colors from fruit pigments. Vitamin E is a powerful anti-aging antioxidant that drenches your lips with moisture and deeply softens.

Ingredients: Vitamin E (a-tocopherol), contains all or some of the following fruit pigments: Pomegranate, Wine, Cherry, Cranberry, Blackberry, Raspberry, Peach, Cocoa Bean and Plum, Vitamin C (ascorbyl palmitate), Grapeseed Oil, Honey, Shea Butter, Honey Beeswax, Natural Fruit Flavor, Chili Pepper


You can check out this company at 100percentpure.com

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Lipstick with Benefits: Peacekeeper Cause-Metics

June 2, 2008 · Filed under New Makeup Lines, New Products, Shopping · Tagged , , , , , , ,

I get excited about things sometimes. My sister in law (who studies chimp behavior) says that I make crazy breath-y noises just like excited chimps when I see something I’m wild about. Maybe I’m just wild, but I was “chimping” at Whole Foods when I found them carrying a fabulous new lipstick/nailpolish line called Peacekeeper. Peacekeeper has about 20 great shades ranging from shimmering pink to basic nudes, from coppers to vamp red.

The “lip paints” look like regular lipsticks, feel smooth, silky and moisturizing on the lips and are TOTALLY clean!!! Here’s the ingredient list: beeswax, carnauba wax, candelilla wax, shea butter, castor oil, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, tocopherol (vitamin e). THAT’S IT!!!! (the pigment comes from iron oxides)So I’m in the midst of painting my inner wrist in a bunch of gorgeous shades (the names are great–”Paint me Wise”, “Paint me Compassionate”, “Paint me True”) when I notice something else. The front of the lipstick box says “All distributable profits, after taxes, support women’s issues.” Really?

Really. There’s a little slip of paper inside that explains: “We are a lean, mean, fund-raising machine. PeaceKeeper is the first line of cosmetics that gives all of its distributable, after tax profits to women’s health advocacy & human rights issues. Monies are use to fund organizations, events, and programs addressing these issues including but not limited to those of Wisdom Says…Inc. In addition, monies are used to support individuals directly affected by these issues through grants and scholarships.”

(Visit www.iamapeacekeeper.com to learn more about programs they support.)

PeaceKeeper’s mission is to help the millions of women and children around the world who suffer a life of forced servitude, physical or sexual abuse, gender inequality, and more.

I am completely inspired by this company to do more. They put the “cause” in cosmetics, and it’s about time! Darryl Hannah and Julia Ormond are spokesgirls for the company and Ana Gasteyer and Bonnie Raitt are on board, too, with their kisses in the “Kiss Museum”…..

Peacekeeper also offers nail polish without toulene or formaldahyde, and none of the products have parabens or ANYTHING NASTY!!!! They even have lipglosses without polybutene. Hello Dolly! My lips are back!!

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Josie Maran: More than Just a Pretty Face

May 23, 2008 · Filed under New Makeup Lines, New Products, Shopping, Skincare · Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Barney’s San Francisco opened up in November 2007, and with it came a new cosmetic line for green curious girls everywhere. Josie Maran is a model, actress, and former spokesperson for Maybelline who has launched her own greener line (Josie Maran). The line is still small (three shades of blush, three shades of concealer, three shades of tinted moisturizers) but she’s got several pretty eye shadows, lip colors, and glosses.

What’s brilliant about the line is the little labeling system that helps folks identify the ingredients list which can so often read like a foreign language. She’s got symbols for everything, and the counter will give you a Rosetta stone deciphering card so you can see which products are free of which ingredients. Several of her products contain organic ingredients, are paraben free, biodegradable, fragrance free, and petrochemical free, too.

I was thrilled to finally boogie my way down to Barney’s to try the new Josie Maran line, and was surprised that there was no one else playing in the makeup there. The line is conveniently positioned across from the new Nude skincare line by Bryan Meehan (of UK’s Fresh & Wild) and known for it’s famous supporters-Bono and Christy Turlington– which is smart– as Josie Maran offers no skincare, and Nude offers no makeup, and the two lines are the cleanest in the store. Still, I saw no one approach either line in the entire half hour I was there. Maybe it was a quiet day for everyone, or maybe the idea of green makeup is still incubating in the minds of department store shoppers….is there still a sense that green makeup is somehow less luxurious? Ironic, if that is the case, as petrochemicals were introduced into the industry as a way of making cosmetics CHEAPER to make, and therefore earning a higher return for the major brand holders!

Could this be the reason the Josie Maran line has started out so small? Did her investors advise her that it was too early in the game for a full line of gorgeous concealers, color, and skincare? And why are there no shades for women of fair OR deep tones? If I had wanted to, I wouldn’t be able to wear the concealer or even the tinted moisturizer (I’m not porcelain, but I don’t live in L.A., either, and they looked strange on me). And I was bothered that the line didn’t include deeper colors for women on the other end of the pigment spectrum. This is far too common in the cosmetics industry in general, and as a makeup artist and a woman I have come to expect more. But it’s very possible that the line was designed to do well for a younger (18-25 market) in L.A. (where the majority of Barney’s shoppers certainly sport their fair share of tans, and wear nothing more than a tinted moisturizer and a little gloss). If that’s the case, they nailed it….but we’re going to need a little more research up here!

I’m glad I got a chance to try the Josie Maran line, and I’m soooooo glad that a major department store is carrying a greener makeup AND a greener skincare line!!! I only hope that more Barney’s shoppers will gather the nerve to try them out…..

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