Hot or Not Beauty

Do you hate that shiny skin that some sunscreens can leave you with? I personally think that there is nothing worse than the oiliness that you can encounter when you are trying to stay protected from the sun, while already sweltering in high summer temperatures.
My personal tip to counteract this problem is to use a tinted moisturiser. These tend to offer lighter coverage than foundation and are easily reapplied during the day. Select one that contains an SPF 15 to make sure your skin is protected from the damaging effects of the sun’s rays and you have a great alternative to ensure you put your best face forward.
Here are my 3 top picks for tinted moisturisers -
No. 1 - Stila Tinted Moisturiser with SPF 15 - this one gets my pick of the bunch because I feel that it has the best coverage and the widest range of shades, plus there is a SPF 30 available as well.

No. 2 - Dove Essential Nutrients Tinted Moisturiser with SPF 15 - I think this one is a good alternative, but the Dove Tinted Moisturiser offers far less shades than Stila (but it is very reasonably priced for those on a budget).

No. 3 - You Rebel Tinted Moisturiser with SPF 15 - this one is pretty expensive, and still doesn’t have the same range of shades as the Stila, so it gets my vote for no. 3 position.

There are other options available, but not all offer the SPF 15; which I honestly believe is the minimum you should consider if you’re planning to use this in place of regular sunscreen.

Being one of those people destined to either be scorched red shade or else accept their fair skin, I’m always on the lookout for new options for bronzers. So while on a recent shopping trip (read getting sidetracked checking out beauty stuff!) this Rimmel Mousse Bronzer caught my eye. So I of course had to pick one up and try it out!
I’m obsessed with things that say mousse on them, I suspect it’s a hangover from being a child of the 80s. At about ten I was given a moisturising body mousse, one of the earliest beauty products I had. So of course I couldn’t resist trying out a product called Rimmel ‘Cool Bronze’ Matte Mousse Bronzer. What I discovered is that this mousse has a light, whipped consistency that’s perfect for creating an even finish.
I liked that once it was on it did more or less stand up to the claims that it resists humidity and won’t rub off. I think as with any impermanent bronzer you shouldn’t test this out to vigorously, because the reality is they are designed to wash off. Overall I liked the Rimell Cool Bronze mousse. It makes a light option for that sun-kissed glow and was long lasting as well.

If you are looking for an ideal lip treatment for this summer, then look no further than the Bobbi Brown tinted lip balm. Forget problems such as hair or sand sticking to your lips. The lip balm is the perfect alternative. I’ve been a fan of this for a while and regularly use it under my lipstick, as I tend to suffer from quite dry skin on my lips. Not only does it offer the ideal base in this situation, it is the ultimate solution if you are heading outdoors and enjoying the warm summer weather. Whether it’s the beach or a picnic this is the perfect solution for keeping your lips soft and suple during long summer days.

My favorite color is the Desert Bronze, but with a further ten shades available, there is a color that will suit everyone in this range of lip balms. The great thing I find about this product is that it is versatile, and there is no reason why you couldn’t dress it up a bit with a little lip liner if your day out runs ‘overtime’. For a good summer option that allows you to let your natural beauty shine through, then this one definitely gets my tick of approval.

Sydney declared its intention to be the 5th Fashion city of the world at the opening of last weeks Australian Fashion Week. So to keep abreast of the latest trends from this young and vibrant city, I’d like to look at what was hot at Fashion Week and how to create your own ‘Sydnefied’ look for the Spring/Summer 2008 season.

Starting with what was hot – a resounding theme was the smoky eyes and nude lips. I’m quite a fan of the nude lip look for a dramatic statement, but it requires patience and a bit of extra effort. The nude lip look walks a fine line between nude and painting your lips out of existence.
To create this look I would recommend that you start by exfoliating your lips, something that we often overlook. Be gentle with the more delicate skin of your lips when you do this. Then when you apply your foundation, include your lips as well as your face. This helps to tone down the colour in the lips prior to applying a nude lip color.

Once you have done this then depending on how dramatic a look you would like to achieve then you have several options. If you are keen to try really nude lips, then apply a lipstick that closely matches your complexion. Add a little peachy or rose toned lip gloss to the centre of the lip and you are ready to go!
If you want to try nude lips that are not quite so dramatic, particularly if you are keen to try this look for everyday wear, then there are other options. One option is to apply the foundation on you lips as described before, and then put a little soft peach or rosy shade of lip gloss over that. Another is to leave your lips nude and try a clear lip gloss.
Yet another option is to place a little of your usual lipstick in the centre of your bottom lip, squeeze your lips together and then apply a little lip gloss in clear, soft peach or rosy shades over the lipstick. Basically be guided by the amount of colour or lack of colour you want to have, then select an option that achieves the look you are after.

Finally you need to be sure that you select the right products. For the nude lip look I’ve found that some of the best nude shades around are available from Mac. I really like the Mac Slimshine Lipsticks, which are kind of like a halfway point between a lipstick and a lip gloss – and this also comes in several nude lip options. Best of all Mac offers great shades of lipsticks and lip glosses to complement all skin tones – which makes Mac a great place to shop if you’re looking for the perfect nude lipstick for your individual complexion.

I came across this ultra cute little ‘Blushing Daisies’ compact (pictured), while I was in the Body Shop the other day. It’s a shimmery blush that has the cutest design. I have dubbed it my makeup art, because I think it kind of reminds me of a Van Gogh, but then I’m a little nutty about my beauty products. So far I haven’t actually been able to bring myself to use it – being a total beauty nut I’ve just been toting it around showing it off and boasting about how cute my new purchase is!

Well after my cute discovery at Body Shop I decided to make it my mission to uncover any other dinky little designs, and found a cute little option available from Yves Saint Laurent. The Palette Pop Collector Powder is an aptly named face powder that comes in a very pop art inspired design. Formulated to give a radiant glow to the complexion, much like my Body Shop powder I suspect I’ll end up buying for looks more than functionality! If the pop art era wasn’t your thing, then the Yves Saint Laurent ‘Opium’ palette (pictured here) may be more your style. This is an adorable compact with an oriental art inspired case, containing four complimentary powder shades for the face and eyes incorporated into a floral design.

Finally I discovered the ultimate in very girly makeup buys at Christian Dior. The Dior Princess Ring is about the cutest thing ever, and is available in a lip and an eye version. This makeup as jewellery product is a silver ring inlaid with turquoise (it’s a little bit Tiffany’s!) or in candy floss pink. It has a crystal surrounded mirror on top and eight crystals on the four sides. Both the lip and eye ring contain 2 shades and are the ultimate in cutesy makeup ideas. I love it and I’m sure all you other princesses at heart are going to love it too!

It seems theses days that mineral makeup is the latest and greatest in makeup trends. The last 12 months have seen all the major brands jumping on the band wagon, extolling the virtues of this ‘new and revolutionary’ product. So in the interest of getting to the heart of things, I’d like to take a look at exactly what is behind the hype, and take a look at mineral makeup from Jane Iredale; one of the original producers of mineral makeup, and some would argue still the best.

The basic premise of mineral makeup is that it is a natural product, produced from finely crushed minerals. This product started in the hey-day of the seventies and was held high for the organic qualities of being without chemicals, preservatives and artificial dyes found in many other formulations.

Mineral makeup was initially found to be of particular benefit to those with problematic skin, as this makeup contained none of the fragrances, dyes and other chemicals such as preservatives that are traditionally recognised to be irritants for sensitive skin. Jane Iredale mineral makeup was first introduced onto the market and gained acceptance for its anti inflammatory qualities, making it a great option for sufferers of skin conditions such as acne, rosacea and even for those with skin irritation following skin treatments such as dermabrasion and laser skin resurfacing.

Whilst I am fortunate that I haven’t these above conditions, I have found that the Jane Iredale range is a great option for a sheer coverage, that lets my naturally healthy skin look its best. The powders are silky, and I’ve found once applied they rarely need a touch up. Best of all these powders offer the same skin protections as more conventional products, including sun protecting up to SPF 20 and a barrier from pollutants.

The mineral makeup is great as it allows your skin to breathe and maintains a natural and healthy glow. One added bonus with this particular product is that it truly is water resistant, and this has been tested in an FDA approved laboratory. I found that even on a hot day the makeup stayed put more than other bases I have tried and there was little transference.

Be aware that applying the mineral makeup may require a small change in your routine. After cleansing and moisturizing, you are going to have to really let the moisturizer absorb. This means apply it and then do something else for a bit before you start to apply your mineral makeup base. Personally I dry my hair while I wait, but if you are used to sticking on your moisturizer and then putting your foundation straight on top, you will need to get yourself out of that habit.

Once you are ready then take the brush and apply the mineral makeup lightly and in even layers, brushing the powder onto your skin in even, downward strokes. The initial ‘Amazing Base Loose Powder’ is a great product. It comes in warm, neutral and cool base tones. Great for someone like myself whose skins throws a lot of orange tones with some formulas. This also means that there are formulations that are suited to a variety of skin tones and colors.

As with more conventional makeup this base is complemented by a pressed powder for any necessary touch-ups throughout the day. I’ve found that this makeup generally stays put, but the pressed powder is still a great portable option if you have a long day ahead of you. Using the Jane Iredale mineral makeup has proved a great option, I would recommend that if you have been procrastinating then its time to give it a go!

Ever since the advent of Chanel’s Le Vernis ‘Rouge Noir’ polish – as sported by Uma Thurman in ‘Pulp Fiction’ – I’ve been a Chanel girl. (Actually being something of a beauty product addict I’m also an ‘any new product I can get my hands on’ girl!) The latest range of summer colors from Chanel are as gorgeous as ever, and the fantastic ‘Flamingo Pink’ and sultry ‘Antilope’ are the new seasons must have nail polishes.

‘Flamingo Pink’ is exactly the color you would imagine it to be – a bright bubblegum pink that harks back to the candy floss shades you loved as a child. My personal recommendation is to pair this with the luscious Rouge Hydrabase lipstick in the bright ‘Rose Flamingo’ pink. If you are more a lip gloss than a lipstick girl – then my next choice would be to try the Glossimer Lip Gloss in the new shade ‘Gazelle’. This is a hot pink that comes with a little extra sparkle and goes great with a sunkissed summer complexion.

Now I don’t want to recommend a lot of time out in the sun – let’s face it wrinkles and skin cancer are NOT hot! But these colors do lend themselves to a sun kissed look and this season there are a total of 5 different types of bronzing products available in the Chanel range. I like the limited edition Collection Essentielle, which offers an all in one palette for the eyes, cheeks and lips. There are also both liquid and powder bronzers that can give you a golden glow and set off your bright pink lipstick to perfection.

If eye makeup is more your thing then you will be loving Chanel this season! There’s a fantastic range of bright and colorful eye shadows, eyeliners and mascaras. If you are keen to try out the pink and khaki green eye shadows, then my suggestion would be to pair these with the ‘Antilope’ Le Vernis nail polish. This golden brown frosted polish is more subtle than the ‘Flamingo Pink’, and goes really nicely with the nude brown ‘Curious’ Rouge Allure lipstick.

What will I be wearing? Well being a huge fan of pink lipstick, my choice for this summer will be to give the liquid eye shadow in ‘Atoll’ a go. This golden brown color is more subtle than some of the other options for the eyes, and a much more attractive option if you are going to try out the bright lipsticks. I was also really taken with the vert bronze color eyeliner that I tried. Whilst I’ve long favored a dark brown eyeliner – I received a number of compliments about how green my eyes looked, so I’m keen to continue with this product that brought out the color in my blue-green eyes.

A word to the wise for those of you who love bright colors. This season is definitely going to be the one for you to let loose, but don’t overdo it. By that I mean don’t wear everything at once – a splash of color is great, but if you are wearing green or pink eye shadow, then go for subtle lip colors. Like wise, a muted eye shadow is best with a bright lipstick. That said – go out and have fun! This summer is all about bright colors, so find the one you like and make it hot!

With this year’s fall trendy being all smoky, alluring and mysterious, contour is back with a vengeance. Although it’s a technique that I prefer strictly for night-time when the lights are forgiving, however many people still wonder what products they should be wearing to create the illusion of more sculpted features. So here are a few guidelines:

Contouring creates false shades that help reshaping your face, so just because you have a darker shade of blush or a bronzer, it doesn’t mean that it’s suitable for contouring.

Here are the rules of thumb for contouring and then a few suggestions:

Whatever you purchase for contouring it has to be of a matte finish, whatever you purchase that has shimmer to it will defeat the purchase because it will attract the light and reflect it and it won’t look like a shadow at all. So blushes with shimmer, Mineralize Skinfinishes and the like are definitely a no-no, you might love them to pieces but it will defeat the purpose just by being there.

Bronzers are not a product to contour with in my opinion, reddish, orangish terracotta like pigments are not the color of any shadow on your face, so it will look too artificial and incredibly fake.

To me, the best type of product you can for contour is pressed powder in a darker shade than your own color, although some people use powder foundation I think that it gives too much coverage and if you want to be subtle, the pigment concentration can actually make your job harder.

You don’t need a contour brush and to layer the product on your face, you use the side of a blush brush pick up some powder, pat the excess away and softly smooth it on the areas that you want to contour. An advice be sure that the area that you’re going to contour has been dusted with loose powder so the pressed powder won’t smudge and end up making you look dirty.

To highlight you need a powder or highlighting product that is lighter than your skin tone and this one can have shimmer and sparkle, however if you have problems with enlarged pores, the shimmer can enhance them and end up making you look worse, so if you don’t want too much attention brought on to the areas you want to highlight, so in that case stick to a lighter shade of pressed powder and fear enlarged pores no more.

If you have a light to medium skin tone, feel free to try “Make Up For Ever“’s Compact Modeler, the darker shade has a wee bit of gray pigment that helps to further create the illusion of shadow on your face.

For an example of this Fall’s polished flawless look, take a look at my post regarding Yves Saint-Laurent’s Fall Collection

MAC’s Holiday Brush Sets are out and in my opinion they’re a good option if you want to have decent brushes or want to try them out but don’t have the money to invest.

Now, of course the brushes won’t be the same quality as the regular size brushes, but you’re paying $50 for 4/5 brushes of reasonable quality and in my book that’s a great deal. I got them last year because I wanted short hand brushes for personal use during my travels and I have to say that I haven’t regretted my purchase.

This year’s theme is “Heirlooms” and they come in medium sized gold or silver cloth clutch bags (I personally don’t like them at all and preferred last year’s collection) that house the brushes.

I think the Face Set is definitely one to look forward to, although the quality isn’t the same as the regular edition brushes (who are partially handcrafted and the brushes in these sets are not) you get the 168 an angled contour brush, the 187 (the love-it-or-hate-it duo-fiber brush), the 190 who is fairly decent as a foundation brush and the 194 which is a simple concealer brush and all for a rather appealing price of $50.

I would definitely prefer the 129 instead of the 168 because the 129 is versatile enough to be used both as powder and blush brush, but three great brushes out of four remains a great deal. Speaking of the 129, the Basic Brush set is a great gift for a mother or a friend who wants to get into makeup but has no tools whatsoever.

Sometimes I want to splurge on one makeup item that just exudes exquisiteness, so Yves Saint-Laurent’s Temps Majeur seemed like a perfect opportunity. I probably am going through a Yves Saint-Laurent phase but this rose has its thorns, and this foundation was one of them.

All of Yves Saint-Laurent’s makeup is strongly scented, the fragrance however has practically no staying power and doesn’t bother you. The perfume on this foundation is delicious however that is not my problem with it. My problem is the coverage and finish.

This is not meant for sheer application, it just sits there, whether applied with a brush or a sponge, it just doesn’t work if you’re going for a sheer look. So, OK, fine we’ll do it Medium-Full and it doesn’t look for me, it ends up looking cakey, incredibly heavy and OBVIOUS that you’re wearing foundation. In this day and age with all the advances in cosmetics this is something I wasn’t expecting for a $100 worth of foundation it just didn’t work for me at all.

Not only that, there was definitely something in the components that made me break out within a half an hour of putting it on my face.

I was so glad that I had previously asked for a sample of this to try out before I went out and bought it on impulse and left with yet another item for my “you-want-it-you-got-it” bag.
After so many hazards in my makeup shopping, I became a lot more careful about my purchases specially if it goes over $50 in price, it’s just not practical to have tons of makeup sitting because it didn’t either live up to my expectations or was just a bad product.

After falling in love with “Poudre Sur Mesure”, I wanted to love Temps Majeur as well, but definitely couldn’t and sported the war wounds for a few days until my skin cleared up.

MAC’s Beauty Powders enjoy a great deal of popularity, it’s one of those items that accompanies a Color Collection, whether it being a Beauty Icon or something like Barbie Loves MAC and used to highlight and give a soft glow as a multi-purpose pressed powder kind of thing.

Due to its incredible rave by MAC fanatics and makeup consumers everywhere, they decided to toy with the idea of changing the formula and turning into a loose powder product.

Designed to sculpt and highlight the face for a highly sophisticated contrast look. Some of the shades can be used as a soft blush, we all know the lingo and how it works, but the question is: “Does it work?”.

MAC’s shimmered iridescent powders always had a problem for me, they weren’t daily wearable. Silver Dusk is a gorgeous iridescent loose powder but upon application leaves your skin with a sort of artificial metallic glow to it which many women shy away from and that is my concern with MAC’s Beauty Powders in Loose form, can they subtle enough for day-to-day wear? The fact that all the powders have gold or copper shimmer makes me just wonder. I prefer a pearl-like shimmer because it can become a lot more natural and flattering even if it doesn’t have that “BANG” effect but it can translate into day and night wear.

I do welcome back Studio Lights with a passion, it’s incredibly wearable and it can be subdued and the light reflecting properties can help make your dark circle less noticeable rather than tons of coverage that can crease and make you look bad.

It’s one of those collections that can translate into limited edition items becoming permanent or will they continue to be limited in order to boost sales whenever they pop-up?

While this isn’t exactly news off the press, it’s something I couldn’t just let it pass by.

A very ornamental and shining collection I must confess that didn’t exactly peak my interest, the photographs are gorgeous it’s true, but while examining the products launched my reaction was “meh”, for lack of better wording.

If you haven’t figured out by now, I’m not “Uuuuuh, shiny!” kind of person, so all frost finishes whether on eyeshadow, lipstick, lip gloss in general don’t exactly catch my attention (at least not in a good way) and while they may be used for gorgeous and creative looks, I don’t see them as something I regular consumer needs in her or his makeup collection.

The mineral eyeshadows don’t do much for me, although they can be layered for a more intense look, none of the color selections catches my eyes and says “You need this.”, actually no, you don’t need most of them unless you’re highly into silver, golds and frosted finishes. If you are, then by all means splurge on this collection because it’s definitely up your alley. If you are like me, then you’ll like the pretty pictures but will wait for something less… golden.

The Fluidline in Uppity is interesting, but it’s not a wearable color for your everyday looks. I’m not imagining someone going out everyday with golden eyeliner on their top lids, but I’m pretty much a rather conservative look regarding eyeliners. It’s a matter of personal preference but apart from blue, black, grey, brown and white there aren’t that many colors that seduce me eyeliner wise, so although Uppity sounds interesting in concept it just doesn’t cut product wise for everyday use.

One could argument that a Holiday collection is just that, something for special occasions for that special look that you want to cause an impression. Sparkle oomph and all that, I actually prefer accenting details with little bits of extravaganza that can make all the difference, a good example is Guerlain’s Golden Lash Mascara Top Coat.

I’ll be reviewing the brush sets and offers for the season in the future.

For some reason, this was the foundation that I kept pushing to experiment with, I don’t know why, it was just one of those things, until I finally caved in and decided to get match and take it for a test drive.

My goals when searching for a foundation is sheer-to-medium coverage a natural semi-matte finish and that it really is non-comedogenic and doesn’t oxidize. At first glance, a name like “Luminous” makes you think that it will make someone of an oily complexion look like a grease slick and I was weary, but I got the lemmings and bought it anyway.

And thank goodness that I did, this is my favorite foundation right now and I use it everyday.

First, I cannot rave enough the pump dispenser, it dispenses a decent amount (I need two pumps) and makes sure you don’t waste any product. This is a foundation that you would definitely benefit from applying over a primer, currently I’m using a Shiseido Very High Protection sunscreen as my primer and it glides a lot better than if I don’t use it.

It lasts a good 8 hours on me and does a great job evening out my complexion without making me look caked-up or obviously “Hey, I’m wearing foundation” that I detest.

Also, luminous doesn’t mean “shimmery” or “glittery”, it just imparts a soft glowing feel to your complexion that doesn’t subsidize even when set with loose powder. I do need the midday touch-up, but it’s something that I’m used to and this foundation doesn’t have oil-controlling properties, so you get what you buy, right?

There is one thing I do not rave about and that is the foundation brush, for the price you don’t get what you’re paying for. It streaks like mad and actually can make you consider not purchasing the foundation. I use a MAC #190 brush and get a lot better results, the supposed airbrush finish that the Armani Blender Brush is supposed to give you, so save your bucks and buy something else instead.

Armani offers you a good color selection in their Luminous Silk line, so it’s ethnically friendly unlike other major brands.

After being unimpressed by Stonewashed Nudes and the Metallics collections, a new palette is launched under the chocolate theme. I know what you’re thinking “Didn’t she release a chocolate palette last year?”, yes she did, but this year’s seems a lot more appealing.

The palette consists of 4 lip glosses and 4 eyeshadows and although I love the finishes and color selection (I’m a sucker for neutrals), I do think that the palette could be a lot more versatile than it is.

First, if you’re not into lip gloss, then half of the palette is completely useless for you. What possessed them to put 4 shades of the exact same type of lip product in this palette? Talk about putting all your eggs in one side of the palette. Definitely a way to make this palette a lot more versatile would be to put one lipstick on one pot and a pot rouge on another pan and keep the two lip glosses to enhance your lipstick or to top the pot rouge if you apply it on your lips.

Again this is one of those items that you buy if you don’t have anything like it in your makeup collection. A palette is one of those “to-have” items because it’s great to put in your bag and go on a business trip and not having to take 7 different eyeshadow pots because the palette has it all neatly put away.

This collection if for neutral fans, if you like ‘em great, if you don’t, go look for something else.

For the more attentive boyfriends this can be a great present for the coming holidays. I don’t think this is something to give to your mother as sometimes mature women frown at gloss. So, allow yourself to indulge on some chocolate.

This has to be one of the most talked about Kohl pencils out there. It’s smooth, creamy and comes in a wide variety of colors and finishes and I am bound to have at least one on me in my makeup bag and can whip up a look with just one of these and some creativity.

These are tested and meant for waterline use and here are my favorite colors:

“Smolder”, “Prunella”, “Teddy” and “Fascinating”, I like these Eye Kohls so much that I buy them all, even if I’m not pleased with the result because the color sometimes isn’t flattering (for me).

So, if you like a decent kohl for a decent price, this is your baby, Smolder is considered a staple in makeup. I wish MAC released some more colors.