Hot or Not Beauty

Do you love free stuff? Do you love makeup? Better yet, do you love Laura Geller Makeup? And the final question is do you love reading beauty blogs? If you can answer yes to all of the following, I have got the contest for you.

I am offering full sizes of Laura Geller’s best selling products to the winner of this contest. (This contest is in no way affiliated with Laura Geller Makeup Company, but it is the makeup line of choice that I am giving away because I love it!)

The top referrer of readers to my blog will receive the following:
1. Laura Geller Spackle
2. Laura Geller Balance & Brighten
3. Laura Geller Bronze & Brighten
4. Laura Geller Blush & Brighten in Golden Apricot
5. Laura Geller Powder Pencil
6. Laura Geller Lip Shiner
You can view these products at Sephora.com.

This total package is a retail cost of $135. What you must do to win:

1. Refer readers to my blog, Hot or Not Beauty.
2. The reader that you refer must write a beauty question addressed to Ms. Hot or Not.
3. The reader that you refer must include their name, email address and your name and email address in the comments section.
4. The person that refers the most readers who post a question to Ms. Hot or Not, will receive the goodies noted above. So it’s really important to have the email addresses for contact purposes!

In addition, the top 5 beauty questions will receive a full size Laura Geller Baked it, a $28 value.
The contest will run through June 1st, with a winner being announced by June 8th. (Give me time to tabulate!)

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Did you ever dream that cruises dictated a makeup trend? Well they do. Most major deisgners produce a cruise collection each year. You know, for those ladies who can afford to buy a complete new designer collection of cruisewear just for the occasion. While most of use get a new swimsuit, a pair of capris, a couple pair of shorts and a dressy gown for that special dinner night, cruise collections are extremely popular.

This brings us to makeup. Designers spend time in perfecting the makeup looks for their collection along with their makeup artist. Backstage at the Christian Dior Cruise 2008 Fashion Show, held May 14, 2007 showed the perfect looks to accompany cruise wear. Now a couple things to remember. One — maybe you aren’t going on a cruise, but cruise wear is in effect a type of spring clothing, so you may want to check out the spring trend in makeup as presented. Two– runway makeup or makeup done for fashion shows is exaggerated. Just look at what the focal point is in the makeup and then you can have an idea of what to emphasize in your makeup to step up to the trend.

Let’s look backstage at Dior:

Notice the bold brow. Do you want to wear a thick dark brow that brings back images of the beautiful Audrey Hepburn? Maybe that’s your style. Be careful, you could easily do the Groucho Marx look. But, the designer is trying to tell us to pay attention to our brows. Fill them in with a pencil or powder. Take to to acheive a beautiful full brow. Your eyebrows should be full, not necessarily thick, sculpted and frame your face. Check out how the eyes stand out even more prominently when eyebrows are defined.

In this next set of photos, look at how cheekbones are highlighted. What’s the message here? Well, a soft highlight on top of your cheeks is flattering and soft. Even if you think you don’t have cheekbones, they are there. Take a soft shimmer powder of a cream luminizer and dot on top of your cheek to achieve this look. I love NARS Multiples, try Cococabana. Laura Geller’s Beauty Dews which contains 3 luminizers to create a luminous highlight.

Last but not least, keep lips nude or neutral so that all eyes are on your eyes.

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Have you evertried to put foundation only to have it skip and tug on your skin? Or you notice that it seems to have vanished by mid-day? Or do you use moisturizer and feel a few hours later your skin feels like all the moisture has been sucked out of it? If you can answer yes to those questions — its time to check out an under makeup primer!\

So what exactly is an under makeup primer? It’s a lightweight preparation that helps makeup to go on smoother, last longer and look fresher for the day. Most primers have some sort of silicone derivitive in them to give them a nice finish on the skin. The silicone helps the primer to “float” on top of lines and large pores, creating a more even canvas for makeup application.

I find primers to indespensible for makeup application on my clients. They are paying me for meticulous makeup application, and part of that is having the perfect groundwork laid before I even begin application of the makeup. I have used practically every primer on the market and am constantly trying new ones.

I have a couple favorites that are my consistent go to primers:

1. Laura Geller Spackle Under Makeup Primer. Takes down redness, calms and leave no residue.
What it is:One of Laura Geller’s signature creations - a sleek foundation primer.

What it is formulated to do:
This sleek undercoat smoothes and perfects skin’s texture, prepping it for foundation. Formulated with nourishing, soothing botanicals, it’s lush, lightweight, and suitable for all skin types.

What else you need to know:Spackle is 100 percent oil-free and comes in an “airless” pump so you can get every drop.
Fantastic Price point! $21.5 for 2 ounces.

2. PerFekt Skin Perfection Gel — My new discovery. This primer can almost double for foundation. It even comes in a variety of “skin” tones.
This multitasking miracle ‘per-fekts’ and enhances the skin offering an alternative to traditional foundation/primer. The all-in-one vitamin enriched, sweat-resistant and water-resistant formulation glides on effortlessly to instantly improve skin tone, reduce redness, and help minimize the appearance of enlarged pores and fine lines.

Enriched with powerful antioxidants including the universal antioxidant alpha lipoic acid, and vitamins A and E to help repair, protect, and fight future environmental skin damage, this lightweight gel helps maintain hydration leaving the skin with a healthy, even glow by locking in moisture and absorbing excess skin oils. Oil Free. Fragrance-free. $57.50

Go ahead and get primed! You will have HOT beautiful skin!

Primers — Hot!

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Well, most of you who read my blog know that I’m so girlie it’s really sick. I’m into the whole makeup, skincare, big hair thing. BUT, I happen to be a huge football fan. Raised on it. With that being said, I’m all Silver & Black. For those of you who are NFL newbies, that spells Raiders. I even got to write a piece for a fellow blogger about my favorite losers. Check out Talking NFL. Now mind you, we really stunk last year. I needed extra therapy coming off of that season. I mean, even my silver and black game day shoes and Raider thong didn’t even help. But this year, I’m optimistic all over again. New day right?

So with that in mind, I’d thought I’d talk about of my few favorite HOT silver and black things.

Makeup

Silver Lining Powder Pencil by Laura Geller is smokin HOT! If you want to look sultry without the drama, this is the pencil to use. It gives depth and definition and brightens the eyes at the same time. I love it.

When I do go for black, it’s Shu Uemura Liquid Eye Liner. Intensely black eye liner with a precise, pointed felt tip. Refillable liquid ink. An industry favorite.

Jewelry
Let me just say anything by David Yurman. Beautiful Silver Ice. His jewelery is comtemporary classic.

Last but not least — Shoes!
All black. Christian Louboutin grown up Mary Jane. Sexy, sexy, sexy. Just like me.

And I’m going on record with saying that I WANTED these shoes loooong before I saw Halle with them on this week.

Silver and Black — HOT! Go Raiders!

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I love the Spring 2007 makeup trends. They are wearable and reasonable. Trend #1 that I wrote about was the heavy metal influence. Wearable metallic eye shadows. Spring makeup Trend #2 was a bold lip. Now, mind you, each trend isn’t meant to be worn all at once. You would definitely be a victim for the makeup police. And remember, trends are just that — fleeting. So take your pick and wear it well.

There is no better way to look fresh for spring than to add a touch of blush to the apples of your cheeks. And fortunatley, pink blush is a easy-to-apply spring trend. Makeup brands are behind this trend, as well as designers. The flushed pink cheek was seen on runways and is being featured in spring editorial makeup. Michael Kors models sported a clean fresh face that featured pink cheeks.

Carol Shaw, founder of Lorac features a soft pink cheek using her Cheek Stamp blush in Hibiscus (glimmering rose) or Pink Paradise (vibrant pink).

The pink cheeck interpreted by Lorac. Notice the soft pink lips and soft pastel shadows that compliment the soft flush of pink on the cheeks.

Bobbi Brown, the Grand Dame of natural beauty also does the pink cheek justice. Again, notice the soft eyes and mouth that accompanies this makeup trend of soft pink blush.

Long time frangrance house Guerlain does the updated pink cheek in it’s spring makeup collection.

My favorite pink blushes:
NARS Desire blush A yummy cotton candy pink. Perfect for porcelain to medium skin tones. Nars blush in Sin is ideal for deeper skin tones, olive to chocolate.
Laura Geller Pink Grapefruit Baked Blush — a sheer pink with golden luminescent light diffusers. Good for all skin tones, light to deep.
Cargo blush in Catalina for all skins tones. Lyon for deeper tones.
Smashbox blush Radiance (radiant fuschia) — perks up all skin tones, in particular deeper tones.
MAC Powder Blush in Desirious or Frankly Scarlett. Both are awesome on all skins.

Flushed pink cheeks are a HOT Spring makeup trend!

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Have you ever put on makeup, foundation in particular, only to remnants of it on your favorite piece of clothing. Or worse yet, lay your face on your guy’s shoulder and leave a face print? (He better be YOUR man with that kind of tell tale evidence). Well I have recently discovered a foundation that does not only is a beautiful product, but is non-transferable.

Laura Geller Phenomenal Foundation works a world of wonders.

What it is:
A phenomenal liquid foundation that’s rich in botanicals.

What it is formulated to do:
It glides on smooth; has buildable coverage (which means you can wear it sheer or layer it for added perfecting); it looks perfectly fresh for hours; and stays put but can be removed easily.

What else you need to know:
Loaded with damage repairing botanicals including white tea extract and centella asiatica. Oil-free and comes in an “airless” pump so you can get every drop.

Why I love it:
It’s easy to color match. Available in Fair, Light, Medium and Deep. It blends down without that awful “line of demarcation”.
And with Black and White being the fashion colors for spring and summer, you certainly don’t want to take any chances with makeup on your beautiful white shirt!

Application tips:
This foundation needs manipulation to blend into the skin. You need to use your fingers to apply or use a makeup sponge. A foundation brush doesn’t cut it. Take it from me, I’m a pro.

$35, available at Sephora.com and selected Sephora stores.

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Bronzer has become a year round makeup staple. Where once it was used to just give that aura of having sunned in the tropics, now women (and) men use bronzer to look refresed and to fake a tan. I have worked with many many bronzers, and have my favorites.

My Top 5 Bronzer Picks:

1. NARS Bronzer in Casino or Laguna
Okay, you all know I love this makeup line, and the bronzers are beautiful. Never orange, but just the right amount or warmth. Casino is the perfect bronzer for darker skins and the best countour powder I’ve found. With the slight shimmer, skin always looks luminous.

2. Cargo Bronzer
Generous sizes and light, medium, dark and matte finishes. These pretty bronzers warm the skin without streaking or looking artificial. The option of a matte finish is ideal for those who don’t like a shimmer in their bronzer.

3. Laura Geller Bronze and Brighten
Not only is this a beautiful bronzer that works on all skin tones from light to dark, but the bronzer works double duty as an eyeshadow, eye liner, contour powder or “foundation” for darker skin. Balances the tone of ruddy and yellow skins. It’s actually a baked liquid — pretty awesome technology.

4. Guerlain Terracotta
Terracotta has been a mainstain bronzer for years. Guerlain was making bronzer long before other companies even thought about it. While their earlier versions tended to make skin look a tad orange, of late this bronzer has just gotten better and is the Grand Dame of Bronzers. I like the matte finish in particular.

5. Stila Sun
My favorite is the original, but now there are sheer and matte versions of Stila’s lovely bronzing powder.

Application tips:Use a big fluffy brush. Lots of brands sell a bronzing brush at a ridiculously high price. Sephora has a retractable brush for $19 which is a good buy for your bronzer brush. If you can find one cheaper, let me know.

Brush bronzer over the points of the face where the sun would naturally kiss it with color — forehead, cheeks, chin and across the nose.

For more intense color, buff the color into the skin.

Bronzer can keep your looking fresh in the midst of winter, so go ahead and give yourself a little warmth.

Bronzer — Hot.

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Winter skin with the blahs is just not cute. Ok, so it’s been a few months since you have seen some sun. That’s no reason to look like you need a vacation in St. Barts. Trying looking like you just returned from a lavish sun drenched vacation and are oh-so-rested. Just a few little makeup tips will do the trick.

1. Exfoliate and Moisturize.
Get your skin glowing with a good scrub and a drink of water. Exfoliate dry dead skin with a powerful scrub. Try Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion. What it is: Magnesium oxide crystals that polish away dead skin cells, leaving skin radiant.

What it is formulated to do: Diamond shaped crystals exfoliate evenly without scratching or irritating the skin to smooth fine lines and wrinkles and improve the overall texture of the skin.

After exfoliating, plump up skin with a good moisturizer. My new favorite moisturizer for day is Laura Geller Moisture Compound SPF 30.
What it is:
The best of all worlds: daily moisturizer formulated with nurturing shea butter with an airy, whipped texture, and antioxidant vitamin E, plus a UVA/UVB sunblock of SPF 30.

What it is formulated to do:
This lightweight moisturizer helps maintain the skin’s moisture balance and contains important ingredients that help impart a younger, brighter appearance to the skin.

What else you need to know:
Vitamin E has been added for antioxidant protection and an SPF 30 sunscreen keeps your skin shielded from the sun’s harmful rays. Fragrance-free and oil-free and comes in an “airless” pump so you can get every drop.

2. Get Blushing
Fresh rosy cheeks make all the differnce in a blah or ohhh la la appearance. Try a blush with a hint of pink or rose to do the job. Try NARS Outlaw or Cargo in Mendocino. These are the perfect powder blushes to give that hint of life to your cheeks. For creamy color I love BECCA Cream blush in Amaryllis or Lotus which is the perfect complement for darker skin tones.

3. Luscious Lips
Keep the rosiness going on the lips too. Try a rich lipstick on rose tones (they make your teeth look whiter) or a ultra shiny gloss in the same color family. Try Vincent Longo Lipstain SPF 15 in Genasai, a fresh raspberry or Tarte 24/7 Lip Sheer SPF 15 in Friday, which is gorgeous on all skin tones, light to dark. For perfect poutable lips, try Stila Cherry Mint Plumping Lip Glaze.

Apply these few tips and your skin will go from blah’s to aaaahhh’s in a matter of minutes!
Fresh radiant winter skin, definitely HOT!

All products available at Sephora.com and select Sephora stores.

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I love a deal. I think most people do. Especially those of us who are makeup junkies, we in particular love a deal. So, I’m here to pass on a great deal. Laura Geller Baked Beauties is an awesome beauty buy. A $100 value, yours for $55.

What it is:
Three richly-hued compacts of multi-toned marbleized pigments ranging from blush to bronze hues, swirled together into a radiant liquid, poured onto terra cotta pans, and baked for 24 hours into a soft, creamy powder - plus lipstick, mascara, and Spackle foundation primer.

What you get:
Set includes full-size Blush ‘n’ Brighten in Golden Apricot (bronze, gold, and rose); a Balance ‘n’ Bronze Split Compact (half in pink, tan, cream, and bronze, and half in soft tan, peach, and cream); Baked Eye Shadow in Unearthed (bronze, chocolate, and champagne); plus a Creamy Mascara in Black, Lipstick in Peach Melba (bronzed rosy peach), and a 1 oz Spackle foundation primer mini in a clear, zippered travel bag.

Why I love it:
The Balance and Bronze practically eliminates my need for foundation. My typically sallow skin is evened out and brightened. Something I learned from Laura is that whether you are ruddy or sallow, this bronzer evens your skin. Thanks to that swirling technique of all the colors.
The Blush and Brighten works perfectly with my yellow tones. Everyone needs blush, and this is a lovely everyone-can-wear-it blush. The Baked Eyeshadow in Unearthed I apply over my entire lid. Because of the way the colors are in the dome, you can apply the lighter tones under your brow bone, or use the darker ones in the crease. Or, just swish your shadow brush across the entire dome for a color wash to the entire lid. Spackle is the ulimate primer. And the lipstick and mascara are just the icing on the cake.

Laura Geller Baked Beauties — Definitely HOT!

Available at Sephora.com.

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No doubt you brought the year in with a bang, so why not go out with equal impact? For some, New Year’s Eve Partying is non-stop — music, dancing and drinking. For others, the evening may be more intimate, with dinner and a toast to the new year. Either way, here are some makeup tips to help you sparkle and shine as you bring in the new year.

For the party girl who plans to get her groove on way past midnight, makeup longevity is key. So not only not only is long lasting makeup of importance important, but how you apply it is too.
New Year’s Eve this year falls on a Sunday, so you are able to get plenty of rest, eat something and drink plenty of water before that ball drops in Times Square at midnight.

Everyone can start with the basics:

1. Prep skin well with moisturizer and primer. Laura Geller Spackle and Smashbox Photo Finish.

2. Apply Foundation. Keep it light, only applying to areas that need coverage. Usually under eyes, around nose and mouth. Feather out to cheeks. Try a foundation brush for airbrush quality coverage. $24 at Sephora.

3. Set with loose powder. I prefer a velour puff to set powder.

4. Apply a blush with shimmer. My favorites are by NARS. Bump it up a notch from your usual day times application. Take your loose powder over your blush again to set it. (using a big powder brush)

5. Try Smoky Eyes. Click here for step by step.

6. Finish with shimmery, glossy lips. For long lasting gloss, try Laura Geller Lip Stay in Pucker or Pout. These dual sided lip colors have stain on one end and gloss on the other. So your lips shine and you have color for hours.

Final tips for long lasting makeup:
Set Eyebrows, eyeliner and lipcolor with BeneFit SheLaq. Makeup won’t party!
Carry a compact for shine touch ups.

Go ahead, get your party on!

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Elizabeth Arden set the model years ago for makeup sets by giving their loyal customers a ridiculous amount of makeup in kit form one time per year. That set had more makeup than one person could actually use in a lifetime, but still customers return year after year for that fun filled kit overstuffed with makeup goodies.

Every woman in your life deserves a kit that does it all. Here are my favorites:

1. Teen Princess
Hard Candy Take Out Makeup Kit – $25 at Sephora

Kit includes: Layer 1: Lip Glosses in sheer cherry, clear with blue multi glitter, champagne with glitter, sheer peach, sheer rose with glitter, and clear with pinky-blue multi glitter, plus two lips brushes. Layer 2: Shadows in golden pink, lavender shimmer, black with silver glitter, shimmering lime, white pearl, medium brown with shimmer, apricot shimmer, and vibrant turquoise with shimmer, plus a black eye pencil, mini black mascara, and two shadow applicators. Layer 3: Two shades of concealer, a neutral rose blush, and a bronzer.

2. Delicious Diva
Smashbox Beauty A-Go-Go Palette and Brush Kit – $50 At Sephora

Set includes eight .29 oz Eyeshadows in gold shimmer, ivory sheen, champagne shimmer, charcoal sheen, rich gold shimmer, taupe shimmer, plum with gold glitter, and matte black, four .07 oz Lip Glosses in golden pink shimmer, rose, nude, and berry shimmer, two .06 oz highlighters in rose sheen and nude champagne and an eyeshadow blending brush and lip brush with houndstooth handles.

3. South Beach Babe
CARGO 10th Anniversary Signature Collection – $45 at Sephora
The oversized, signature tin includes: Bronzer in Medium (an award-winning CARGO favorite), BeachBlush in Coral Beach (a soft, blendable bronzer), Lip Gloss Duo in Soho (two shades of sheer rose), Reverse Lip Liner (holds your gloss in place all day as it enhances the appearance of fullness), and Liquid Powder 01 (wear alone or over foundation for a gorgeous finish). All products are full size and limited edition.
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