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It’s time to beat the winter blues!

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:20:41 -0800

With harsh and cold temperatures approaching, it’s essential to invest in your beauty and all-around wellness. Below I’ve compiled some of my favorite winter rescue remedies:

Sugar Face Polish by Fresh is an incredible nourishing blend of brown sugar and wild strawberries, serving as an exfoliator and moisture mask. I recommend using it weekly, especially when the temps drop, as skin tends to become flaky and dry. It also works perfectly as a quick refreshing treatment before a fancy night out! Oh, and please, for the sake of your skin and sanity, skip any harsh facials before any special event.
*It’s important to never let your skin get too dry because your skin will produce more oil glands, leading to breakouts. It’s always better to have exfoliated & hydrated skin (you can always add powder if you feel too shiny).

La Mer Hydrating Infusion is a staple in my kit. Again, it’s all about keeping the skin humidified. I use this product before applying primer or lotion, and at the end of the day after removing makeup. The calming and replenishing infusion make for the perfect spritz before applying makeup, or even after a gym workout. A more affordable softening spritzer is Rosewater. After applying makeup, lightly spray your face and the rosewater will actually seep into your skin, allowing for a more natural glow whilst settling your foundation. This product ranges from $5-$10.

Salma Hayek introduced me to her line of amazingly affordable and effective skin care products. My favorite: Wild Lime Exfoliating Facial Gel--great quality and smells incredible! I’m quite impressed. Her entire line is department store quality at drug store rates. Sold through CVS, It’s the best line of skin care products I’ve found at such a low price range. She is one clever woman!

Two worthy winter splurges:

The Eye Balm Intense by La Mer which is very luxurious. Within days the skin under your eyes is softer, the darkness and puffiness disappears, and lines are less visible. If this is a problem area, I highly recommend this product.

Chantecaille Lifting Neck Cream is a new little gem a client introduced me to and it works! There are many creams that claim to clear lines and lift the delicate skin on your neck, but few actually deliver. This one is a winner, especially for anti-aging. You’ll notice a difference within a week.

Lips: Aquaphor --you can never go wrong. I buy 3 at a time and stash them around. No one wants dry lips and this product is very affordable.

Another must-have in your purse, refrigerator, office desk, car or gym bag would be Wellness Drops -- Literally you can avoid a cold the instant you start taking these drops(you can buy them in pill form as well). They are a godsend--move over Emergen-C & Airborne!

Melissa formula is great to calm your nerves naturally and also works as a great sleep aid. I have many friends that swear by this product. It works. Stress and lack of sleep only increase beauty problems. In fact, they tend to be cause (puffy dark under-eyes, dry skin, brittle hair & nails, colds, etc).

Viviscal Extra Strength hair nutrient tablets are mind-blowing. After taking the tablets for about 6 months, your hair will be thicker and stronger. It’s very popular amongst actresses and models as their hair is tortured with wigs, irons, dryers, etc. Reese Witherspoon uses this in between all of her long shoots in order to restore her hair. Liv Tyler is a huge fan and the celeb list can go on and on... After seeing the results and hearing nonstop about this supplement, I had to try it for myself. Within about 3 months my hair was stronger and my hair was growing at a rapid speed(I noticed because I needed to double-up on my highlighting) --it’s the real deal! Most people will use this product for 6 months and then stop until their hair needs a re-boost! It’s like taking your hair to a spa once a year.

Lastly, one amazing cure for acne is Niacin. The Niacin flush actually keeps the blood flowing and reduces acne buildup. I was in Europe and a dermatologist told me that the best way to avoid breakouts was by taking Niacin(Nicotinic Acid) daily. Be sure to abide by the recommended dosage.

xxx

Perfect daytime makeup

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 19:28:24 -0800

Even though the temps are cooler, the sun is still very strong and capable of damaging thin layers of skin.

I advise all of my clients to wear at least spf 40 daily. I’m restocking my kit with Chantecaille’s Spf 50 Primer-- Mixed with cherry blossoms, lemon balm, and white tea extracts--incredible product and paraben-free! (top right)

Stila makes a lovely self-adjusting blusher. It literally adjusts with your skin tone and body heat. Both colors are good to have: Sheer Coral and Sheer Pink. You can even mix the two.

Also, Stila just released their ‘Dream in Full Color Palette’ which is valued at $366 but is sold for $39.00. This could be a nice staple to have, as the most useful makeup colors are provided in the palette. Blending colors is the most practical tool for makeup application: mix, layer, and blend.

A constant staple in my kit is Lancome’s waterproof under eye concealer called Effacernes. It costs about $30, but worth every penny--I promise! Every woman should own this!

I’m a huge Jane Iredale lip gloss fan! Each gloss contains mint and ginger flavors that plump up the lips without chemicals--completely organic and cruelty free! Sugar Plum, Black Current, Pink Candy, Mulberry, Apricot Fizz and Cherry Sparkle are my favorite colors.

xxx

S

Shimmering gold & charcoal eyes

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 19:05:49 -0800

A beautiful clean smokey eye is always alluring and classy.

Armani just launched new holiday golds and sparkles with their ‘Eyes to Kill’ waterproof shadow(Gold & Silver) in addition to a 2011 eye palette madreperia(mixed pearl, gold, lavender or green). By layering a deep charcoal and/or grey with a pearl or light metallic gold dust, you will be creating contour and still maintaining the “smokey eye” look. Revlon has a quality Perle shadow with similar shimmer holiday tones(Glistening Snow, Brushed Copper & Black Galaxy).
*If you want to splurge, Cle de Peau Beaute has a limited edition vintage palette III (image to right). The jeweled compact houses a geometric design of glistening powders to enhance the skin’s natural light. This can be used on your eyes, cheeks, and slight bronzing (year round). I must forewarn you, this item is priced at $125.

Always start with a nude or taupe tone on a clean foundation based eyes. Gradually build the color (it’s always easy to add but difficult to subtract) until you are happy with the blended tone. Play around with the colors, but less is always more. Be sure to line the inside and outside of the eyelid.
As a finishing touch,brush the gold shimmer on your lid and blend out.

Complete the look with long lashes-- I love Diorshow waterproof mascara, but you can opt for L’Oreal’s new lash out mascara that actually matches your eye color and has a subtle gold sparkle as a final layer--quite enchanting! Keep the dark to a minimum under your bottom lid as you don’t want to weigh down your eyes. Think: Clean, blended lids topped with long alluring lashes(3 coats of mascara per eye. Wipe the wand between each application).

Go for a sheer lip in a nude tone or even mix your favorite color with a clear gloss. And don’t forget subtle rosy cheeks(opt for powder vs creme this time of year)

*Apply your foundation or concealer AFTER you have finished perfecting your eyes as to avoid a powder/liner mess.
xxx

Email me if you have any product/application questions.

It’s the season for RED!

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:26:11 -0800

Ladies, it’s time to pull out your winter reds!

Who isn’t a fan of the classic Chanel Rouge Allure in ‘Excessive’ or even YSL’s new Rouge Pur Couture Golden Luster in ‘Rouge Helios’. Both divine, but quite pricey.

I’ve done my drugstore research for an affordable high quality color stay winter red and have fallen in love with Revlon’s Colorstay lip stain in Forever Scarlet. You cannot beat this quality color(it stays on for 10 hours and does not feather) and you’ll save at least $20! With this product, and all lip colors, make sure to exfoliate your lips first. Then perfectly apply the lip color(light or dark), let it dry, and add the top clear coat. No need for retouches!

*Remember, never pair red lips with dark eyes (the result is messy and overdone). Choose one or the other--dark eyes with light lips or dark lips and light taupe/brown shadow on the eyes paired with long dark lashes and consider a thin waterproof black liner inside the eye(top and bottom lids).

Also, I’m a big fan of The Deborah Lippmann Collection as her colors are both striking and rich--always a good go-to nail polish brand, but not inexpensive. Recently I’ve been using Sally Hansen’s Xtreme Wear in Red Carpet and Flirt. You can get creative with the colors as they cost under $3.00 at most drugstores (I own about 6 shades). Trust me, the quality comparison is hard to beat and you will receive many compliments--I promise!

xxx

S

Article

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:03:58 -0800

After makeup artist Shauna O'Toole gave us the beauty breakdown on Diora Baird on the set of FunnyorDie, we got the chance to peek into her stash of favorite makeup products. Shauna studied Cinematic Makeup Design at Delamar Academy in London and now works as a freelance makeup artist in sunny Los Angeles. Keep reading to see which products Shauna loves right now!
Favorite Makeup products Shauna O’Toole
Alicia Silverstone turned me onto her line of Ecotools brushes--they are AMAZING and now occupy a large space in my brush kit. I own nearly every brand of cosmetic brushes and this is by far one of my favorites. Very affordable and earth-friendly--can you beat that?
The best highlighter around is the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Radiant Touch. This luminizing pen will add eight hours of sleep to your face and make you look radiant! All eight colors are worth having in your kit. It's a definite must have! I use this product on all of my celebrity clients and it's so beautiful--like silk!
Lancome foundations never cease to amaze me since the coverage is wonderful. Armani Luminous Silk Foundation looks flawless and beautiful on all skin types. Laura Mercier's foundations are also fantastic and blend smoothly with any and every makeup base or primer.
A dear friend and client of mine recently introduced me to Laura Mercier's Secret Brightening Powder. This powder literally lifts all the colors in any foundation. It's clean and has a tint of shimmer which looks lovely on everyone. Make Up For Ever has created the ultimate translucent powder in their HD line--in fact, their entire High Definition line is quite incredible!
I always Use La Mer's Lip Balm since it's perfect in all ways. I collect Lancome's Juicy Tubes, especially the color 'Touched By Light'--it's the perfect mixer for lip color. However, for a more affordable version, one can never go wrong with Aquaphor Lip Balm.