Hot or Not Beauty

Here are the latest beauty tidbits from around the web!

- Are you as into Jen’s premiere look as I am? Then you’re in luck - BellaSugar got the scoop on her style from celebrity makeup artist Angela Levin, who did Jen’s makeup last night.

- Smoky eyes were a major trend at recent runway shows - now, StyleList has provided a handy tutorial on how to perfect the look!

- Food for your lashes? Believe it. eBeautyDaily discusses the latest product to give you long, lush lashes.

- Before you curl up and dye, try out your favorite celebrity hairstyles with In Style’s Hollywood Hair Makeover. If your favorite ‘do isn’t pictured, you’re not out of luck - Hair Mixer allows you to upload any photo to try on.

- Get gorgeous while you sleep - People gives star-tested tips for beauty during your beauty rest.

For no reason whatsoever I constantly change cleansers, probably because I like the different textures and tried all sorts. However we have those products that we keep repurchasing (this one I constantly repurchase because my mother loves it as well) because we like them and they work.

Chanel’s intensive Eye Make Up remover is a biphasic remover that is incredibly gentle and it’s my favorite to dissolve waterproof mascara and stubborn eyeshadow in a very comfortable way. Although my mother disapproves how much I spend on makeup, this is one item she cannot live without. If you have sensitive lids, give Chanel’s eye makeup remover a try.

Welcome back to part two of makeup for weddings (when I say weddings, it can apply to any sort of special event or cerimony that demands that you look your best and usually will have you photographed or videotaped for posterity), when we review the best type of makeup products to use.

First and foremost, a primer is mandatory! You want to ensure that your makeup holds all day long with the least bit of touching up necessary that will make you look always fabulous and prevent the “Oh dear, is it six AM already?” look.

Here’s a couple of options that (to me) have always been bullet proof:

Make Up For Ever’s Corrective Make Up Base - Available in several shades to correct skin discoloration/rosacea
Make Up For Ever’s All-Mat - Formulated for oily Skin and to ensure a matte look throughout the day.
Smashbox’s Photo Finish Foundation Primer - Also available in light, color corrector and anti-aging versions to suit your skin’s needs.
Laura Mercier’s Foundation Primer - Regular or Oil-Free

Blot the skin with a soft tissue to remove excess product (if needed) and follow with your usual makeup to even out the complexion. As always, regarding dark circle concealers opt for moisturizing formulas that avoid creasing and don’t enhance whatever lines you might have in that area like:

Estee Lauder’s Re-Nutriv Duo Concealer
Chanel’s Vitalumiere Creme Concealer
Dior’s Anticerne Perfecteur Concealer
Laura Mercier’s Secret Concealer

Where foundation is concerned, although we like to appear as natural as possible, more damaged skin (either sun damage or scarring) will require foundation with deeper coverage, also if you have oily skin avoid shimmery/dewy types of foundations, as the day progresses it will make you look greasy and that’s a definite no-no. Also, avoid shimmery powder and highlighters if you have uneven skin in terms of texture, the shimmer will atract light and make painfully obvious whatever you’re trying to conceal.

If it’s a afternoon/evening wedding, prefer matte or semi-matte foundation formulas so that the flash won’t reflect and wash out your complexion and avoid foundations with SPF, specially Titanium Dioxide. Opt for SPF in your primer or day cream.

Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturizer (sheer coverage with a fresh glowy finish) - For those who need sheer coverage and slight adjustment to their complexion, this is a consumer and artist favourite.
Make Up For Ever’s Face & Body Foundation (gel type, all skin types, dewy) - Sheer to Medium Coverage, water resistant and can be used on body
Make Up For Ever’s Lift Foundation (fluid, with powder for deeper in formula for deeper coverage, semi-matte) - Formulated for mature/dry skin with medium to full coverage.
Make Up For Ever’s Mat-Velvet + (Fluid, combination/oily skin) - Photographs gorgeously and medium to full.
Dior’s Diorskin Air Flash - (Spray Formula, matte finish) - Velvet finish with a lightweight formula

Use loose powder to set your foundation and to ensure a flawless application of other products that will follow, apply with a velvet puff for more coverage or a brush for a more natural finish.

MAC’s Loose Blot Powder - For oil-control and makeup hold, specially for combination/oily skin.
Make Up For Ever’s Super Matte Loose Powder - Impecable hold and extraordinary finish
Chanel’s Le Poudre Universel Libre - A gentle loose powder for more sensitive skin
Dior’s Diorskin Poudre Libre - Gentle loose powder completely oil-free

If your under-eye area has a lot of fine lines, avoid using loose powder in that area so you won’t accentuate them even further, also avoid heavy pigmented powders in that area it won’t darken the area that you’re trying to lighten.

Next follows the application of color products to the face…

First, let me apologize for my lack of posting, unfortunately my modem decided to die on me and I was unable to post for most of last week. Hopefully everything will be taken care of this week.

And now back to beauty!

This Saturday I attended a small intimate wedding and although I enjoyed the food, my clinical eye didn’t have a moment’s rest while I analyzed everyone’s makeup.

With mental notes enough to last me for the rest of the month, I’ll use this experience to give some tips on how to prepare for a wedding and how to shine your most while enjoying it.

Skincare:

If you want to do a more aggressive facial to make sure your skin looks its best, be sure to do it at least 2 weeks prior to the Cerimony. Some facial treatments will make skin purify itself from inside out and you might experience some skin irregularities.

Make sure you drink a lot of water to allow your body to get rid of toxins, it would be nice if you didn’t smoke but at least drink at least 2 liters of water per day, that will help your skin to look its best.

Before applying makeup:

Treat yourself to a booster (not to be confused with a primer), a booster will infuse your skin with a yummy cocktail of skin nutrients and make it look more radiant. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Chanel’s Instant d’Eclat - Conveniently packed in individual packs, not only boosts your radiance, it helps make skin firmer, transforming dull skin into an “awake state”, use it after your daily cleanse/tone/moisturize routine.

Clinique’s Moisture Surge Facial Sheet Mask - Apply this the night before to fully treat your skin to pure moisture (if you have combination/oily skin) or in the morning (if you have dry/normal skin), to pamper and cushion your skin.

Estee Lauder’s Perfectionist Power Correcting Patch for Deeper Eye Lines/Wrinkles - To give your eye area that extra lift that will make all the difference.

Before going to bed, also coat your lips in vaseline, this super moisturizing balm will heal your lips and help to plump them. The morning before, generously coat your lips in vaseline, let it sit for a couple of minutes and then use a soft toothbrush to exfoliate and remove dry and dead skin cells to ensure maximum lipstick hold.

This concludes the first part of wedding makeup, always remember that beautiful makeup starts with beautiful skin.

One of my biggest concerns in what regards skin care is eye cream, being that it’s the most delicate area in your skin and the one that starts to age first. If you think about and you’re trying to guess someone’s age, your attention will be drawn towards the eye area.

I think that a good eye cream is the one that you should invest on. A good eye cream is used sparingly and will usually last for at least half a year. You should apply it on the corner of the eye area and pat it along with your fourth finger towards the inner part of your eye.

My personal favorite is Chanel’s Precision Rectifiance Intense Eye Cream, a very rich and moisturizing cream that works from the moment you apply it. Although usually I’m quite skeptic about the promises made by cosmetic companies when they seem over the top, Chanel’s Rectifiance truly delivers, smother re-textured eye area and it evens act on your dark circles making them less evident. Although it’s rather pricey at $70 a pot, if you think about it, it’s less than 40 cents a day for unquestionable results.

It’s my favourite primer before I apply concealer and works wonderfully with Chanel’s Vitalumiere cream concealer or Dior Anticerne Perfecteur ensuring stability and durability for your concealer all day long.

Every now and then I ask my friends on what topic I should dwell here and the absolute majority said “CONCEALER”. So today’s journey will about this product and what we should have in mind when we’re shopping for one.

Personally I don’t like concealers that you apply to all areas of the face, meaning I believe you should have one concealer for your eye area and another for blemishes, face discoloration, veins, etc etc…

First: Consistence! The thicker the concealer his the more it covers with less product, however the more you apply the more artificial it will look and you have to be specially careful so it won’t enhance your fine lines because of too much product has been applied in the area. Yes, it can get rid of the darkness underneath your eyes, but if if creases and enhances your fine lines it will give you at least 10 more years. If you have fine lines under your search for a moisturizing concealer with a lifting effect.

They go from very light and fluid like Yves Saint-Laurent’s Le Touche d’Éclat to MAC’s Studio Stick. Be extra careful with very fluid formulations on under eye circles, the light reflective properties of those concealers and their usual light tints might give your under eye area a grayish or greenish tint. If this happens, you’re using the wrong kind of concealer, it’s probably too light for your skin tone or for the color of your circles.

Also, most articles on concealers advise you to get them in one to two tones lighter than your skin tone. This is correct when you have dark circles, but it’s wrong if you have puffy eyes. Applying a lighter shade of concealer on puffy eyes will attract light to the area and make your eyes look a lot puffier. So, if you have slightly swollen puffy eyes, hunt for a concealer in the exact shade of your skin tone just to even it out.

For very dark circles, instead of layering tons of product maybe you should consider a bit of color correction first. If you have blue circles apply a corrector of a peach tone to neutralize the color, if you have brown circles then a corrector of a yellow tone is in order. Apply the color neutralizer first, pat and blend and then follow with the appropriate concealer or your foundation if the coverage is able to even out the area.

Always prep your eye area with a moisturizing eye-cream so that its delicate skin won’t feed off the emollients in the concealer you are using and damage the skin over the years. After the area is prepped and moisturized apply a very small amount of your concealer with your brush or finger. I personally like using concealer brushes with stick/pot cream concealers, it always me to control the amount of product used and the area that it’s being used on. For more fluid concealers I used the wand/applicator when the product has it or if it’s a tube concealer I apply it with my ring finger.

Last, but not least, do you apply it under or over foundation? If you’re using a color corrector then you should definitely apply it under your foundation, just remember that when you do apply your foundation you shouldn’t “sweep” the area with your fingers, sponge or brush but instead pat your foundation in place so you won’t drag your concealer to other areas.

When it’s stick concealers or pot cream concealers, I usually apply them over foundation to do some last minute correct that the foundation wasn’t able to cover.

Hope this has been useful and I’ll be back to dwell on concealers for other parts of your face.

For several years, I spent my time writing advice for Sephora.com. If you are a product junkie, you know that it’s the hugest e-tailer of beauty products, cosmetics, fragrance, haircare and skincare in the world. As a makeup artist and esthetician with years of experience and one who has tried thousands of products, I am what you might call a pretty jaded guru. I’m not impressed by hype, but by results.

So in my own humble opinion, I know what’s hot and what’s not. But this is where I need you — the beauty blog readers out there. I am starting a new feature — Ask Ms. Hot or Not. So please send your questions to me via the contact link on the page, or in the comments section. If I don’t know the answer, I will do the research. If it’s a product I haven’t reviewed, I’ll get it, use it and review it. And know, I will give you my honest opinion.

Please, deluge me!

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About six weeks ago I received a new eye cream to try out. I am an eye cream fanatic. I’m obsessed with not getting any lines around my eyes. With my big 50 approaching in June, I keep looking for the ultimate eye cream, even though I have several favorite eye creams. I love eye creams, and have been known to use them on my entire face.

In my humble opinion, a good anti aging eye cream should to the following:

1. Keep eye area moist
2. Prevent lines
3. Repair or diminish current lines and wrinkles
4. Decongests and reduces puffiness

An eye cream is even better if it does the following:1. Protect with an SPF
2. Has a brightening or lightening effect in the eye area

Wtih that being said, I have been using Ultim K eye cream for the past 6 weeks. The verdict — I like it. Keep reading and I’ll tell you why.

Product info:
Especially formulated for the delicate skin around the eyes, ULTIM.k killtime Eye Contour Cream is a rich yet absorbent cream that quickly penetrates the undereye area most susceptible to premature skin aging. Red Algae and Bee Propolis combine with an exclusive Sunflower Pollen Extract, collected fresh and preserved for purity and potency, to boost hydration, diminish puffiness and lighten dark circles. In tracking the Sunflower’s daily cycle, ULTIM.k scientists were puzzled by its formidable resistance to sunrays. They discovered that within Sunflower Pollen is the DNA material responsible for this resistance. However, since Pollen decays quickly, it becomes difficult to utilize; when dried out its active ingredients are diminished. ULTIM.k utilizes a patented technology ensuring the collection of fresh Sunflower Pollen, freezing it in a way that preserves its fatty acids and vitamins and extracting 100% of its active ingredients – making ULTIM.k killtime among the most powerful anti-wrinkle creams available.
Ingredients: Aqua, Argania Spinosa, Pollen Extract, Urea, Aloe Barbadensis, Mel, Rosa Moschiata, Illite, Ahnfeltia Concinna Extract, PEG-2 Stearate, Cethyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Paraffnum Liquidum, Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Ceteareth-25, Zinc Oxyde, Propolis Cera, Cera Alba, Sodium Stearate, Citrus Limonium, Mentha Piperita, Rosamarinius Officinalis, Hedera Helix, Centella Asiatica, Calendula Officinalis, Anthemis Nobilis, Edta, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutyl Paraben.

0.51 fl. oz.
$70 Available at Beauty Exclusive.

Why I love it:

1. My eye area stays moist for hours.
2. The area around my eyes feels firm after application of the cream.
3. A little goes a long way.
4. My lines are still at bay!

What I don’t like:There is a minty scent that the cream emits that is slightly irritating to my eyes when I put it on, but it does dissipate after a few minutes.

Ultim K also makes anti wrinkle face creams. I suppose I should try those out as opposed to slathering eye cream all over my face….

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They say the eyes are the first to go. They show age before the rest of the face. But not for this girl. I’ve got dozens of creams that are keeping me tighter than Joan Rivers without the nip, tuck and Botox.
My top five faves:

1. You have excess baggage

Nickel Eye Contour Lift. It’s made for a man, but perfect for a woman. I use it daily to send my bags packing.

2. You’re a slacker
If you are getting a little droopy, skin is losing elasticity, check June Jacobs out.
June Jacobs Firming Eye Repair It tightens, it tightens, it tightens. Get my drift?

3. You’ve got something to hide
If concealer is your best friend, you need a powerful antidote for the circles. Just beware of trying to lighten what won’t budge. If you have shadows because of your bone structure, keep concealing. If you have micro-circulation problems, allergies, then a product that stimulates circulation and drains in the eye area may work for you.
Apivita age management eye cream Works wonders not only on dark circles but those dreaded lines and wrinkles.

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