The Buzz about Birchbox

May 15, 2013

I have to stay up to date on new products and industry buzz; one of the easiest (and most fun!) ways to do this is with a monthly Birchbox subscription. Somewhere in the second week of the month a box of deluxe (and sometimes full size) samples are delivered to my door. There are always products from major brands, but many are smaller companies that are just entering into the market so it's a great way to be "in the know" before the rest of the world is. There’s everything from make up to skin care to hair care and a few extra bonuses like tea, chocolate, nail polish and hair accessories. Each box has a theme and the products are selected to complement it (ie back to school, spring break, the holidays, etc.). I’ve discovered there are times I try a product, love it and use the sample so quickly I have to order the full size product (like the SuperGoop City Sunscreen Serum – a skin care treatment, plus sunscreen. Amazingly perfect for the summer! Works great alone or under make up!).

If you want to know what’s new on the market or you just love beauty products, treat yourself to this monthly subscription ($10 a month and that includes the cost of shipping). It's such a treat when you open your mailbox and the hot pink box is just waiting to be opened!!!

Have you tried Birchbox or any other monthly make up subscriptions? If not, try this one and get ready to discover some great new products!

Jamie

Broken Eye Shadow? Here's how to fix it!

April 17, 2013

Has this ever happened, you open up an eyeshadow and it's disintegrated into small pieces?

I always I thought I had two options, pour the loose shadow into a small container or throw it away. Neither of those options were very appealing until I discovered this ... you can re-solidify your shadows.

Using rubbing alcohol fill the metal container 3/4 high (I prefer 99% alcohol, but 90% or 91% should be fine) .

Don't over fill, you can always add more alcohol if it's not full enough.

Gently press the shadow with a Q-tip mixing the shadow and alcohol together.

Make sure the shadow is completely saturated with alcohol even if this means the breaking the chunks of eye shadow into smaller pieces.

The eye shadow should be completely saturated.

Lift the container and tap it against the counter. You should see small bubbles being forced to the surface as the alcohol/eye shadow mixture settles back into the container.

Let the eye shadow container sit open so the alcohol can evaporate.

Voila!!!! Amazing that with a little alcohol an eye shadow can go from this to this!

Hope this little trick can keep you from needlessly throwing away a broken eye shadow.

Jamie

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for...Sunscreen?

April 2, 2013

Sunscreen, we know we need it, but do we really know what to use and why? When I began researching this topic I expected to gain a refresher about sun safety, discover a few advancements and present you with a brief summary. Boy was I wrong! The refresher part was easy, but the discovering new advancements was like opening Pandora's box. There are some very opinionated debates about what sunscreen you should wear, how you should wear it, and why you should wear it. Sun School 101

There are two types of UV Radiation being giving off by the sun, UVA and UVB and you need protection from both.

UVA - These are the rays that cause AGING. This is the dominant tanning ray whether tanning out doors or in a tanning bed and it is strong enough to permeate through glass and clouds. This ray penetrates the skin deeper than a UVB ray, thus causing cumulative damage to the skin over time. 1
UVB - These are the rays that cause your skin to BURN as they tend to effect only the superficial epidermal layer (or the top most layer). The intensity of these rays vary by time of day, altitude and season. 1

According to the FDA's new labeling rules for 2012, if a bottle of sunscreen just has an SPF + a number it will not block out a significant amount of UVA rays. To be sure your sunscreen is going to block both UVA and UVB rays, the bottle has to read "Broad Spectrum" and have an SPF of 15 or higher. Any sunscreen not labeled Broad Spectrum or with an SPF between 2-14 the product will be listed a warning “Skin Cancer/Skin Aging Alert: Spending time in the sun increases your risk of skin cancer and early skin aging. This product has been shown only to help prevent sunburn, not skin cancer or early skin aging.” 2

Types of Sunscreen

There are two types of sunscreen, physical blockers and chemical blockers. Physical sunscreen, titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, sits on the skin's surface and physically blocks both the UVA and UVB rays. A chemical sunscreen is absorbed by the skin so the sun becomes deactivated once the rays come in contact with the chemicals in the sunscreen. 3 There is much debate as to the safety of chemical sunscreens and every article and opinion you read will tell you something new. If you have used any major brand of sunscreen at any point in your life, you've used a chemical sunscreen. Two chemicals that seem to be least controversial are Avobenzone and Mexoryl (see here and here). 1 Oxybenzone and Retinyl Palmitate seems to be two of the more controversial (see here and here).

Application

Strip down, yep I said it, strip down to your birthday suit and apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before you go outside. Applying sunscreen in the buff will ensure your swimsuit won't get in the way and you can cover all the hard to reach areas. There is nothing worse than thinking your skin is covered, your swimsuit unknowingly shifts one way just a little too far and you end up with a lobster red sunburn in one small line.

Apply 1 ounce (equal to 2 tablespoons or a shot glass full) of sunscreen to your entire body. 1

Reapply every 2 hours. "Waterproof" sunscreens have been approved to last for 80 minutes, but may need to be reapplied sooner when swimming or with heavy sweating. "Water Resistant" sunscreens have been approved to last for 40 minutes. 4

Don't forget to apply sunscreen to your ears (front and back), back of the neck, back of the hands and any exposed areas in your hair (like where your hair is parted - you do not want that to burn and then turn into a peeling, flaky scalp). 4

Guidelines

Always choose a broad spectrum sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 15. 1

Sunscreen can loose it's potency over time so be cautious using sunscreen that has changed color, smell or consistency. 4

If you are concerned about potentially toxic chemicals avoid any sunscreens containing oxybenzone and retinyl palmitate. 5 For a list of sunscreens without these chemicals, see here.

Remember this phrase from the American Cancer Society: "Slip, Slop, Slap and Wrap". Slip on a shirt, Slop on sunscreen, Slap on a hat, and Wrap on sunglasses. 4

My Recommendation...

The two companies that I have trusted for the last few years is EltaMD and La Roche-Posay. Unbeknownst to me they were the top two selling sunscreens of 2012 (see the list here - I cannot guarantee that the products on this list are free of some of the aforementioned chemicals.).

The sunscreen that I use almost every day...yes I don't wear it every day...is EltaMD UV Facial Broad Spectrum SPF 30+. If I know I'm going to be stuck in side all day without being in the sun at all, I don't wear sunscreen. This product is wonderful under make up. It soaks right into the skin and leaves no greasy residue. It's a constant in both my personal and professional make up kit. This product is only found in a dermatologist office, but this link will tell you where it's sold in an office near you.

La Roche-Posey is a company that I recommend for multiple products (I've used one of their face washes for years and I love it!). Their sunscreens are some of the best on the market because of the Mexoryl SX technology. The Anthelios SX Daily Moisturizer with Sunscreen is one of their best sellers. This product is usually found in the dermatologists office, but in the last few years CVS has started carrying this line. If it's not in a store near you then the products can be found on the CVS website.

So as I told you in the beginning, what I thought was going to be a simple post was anything but. Hopefully this gave you a refresher about information you already knew and introduced you to some new information about what's currently on the market. I'd love to know what your favorite sunscreens are.

Happy Safe Sunning!!!

Jamie

1. www.skincancer.org

2.www.fda.gov

3. www.nytimes.com

4. www.medicinenet.com

5. www.cnn.com

Lovely Layers, how to make a color you might be missing!

March 8, 2013

There are many times that I'm applying make up and I don't have the exact color I need. With lipsticks it's quite easy to blend a few together to make the color I'm missing, but did you know it's just as easy to do that with eye shadow? All it takes is a little layering. For this particular look I wanted an eyeshadow color that mimicked the reflection of the sequins on my shirt.

Follow these steps as I show you how I make the exact color I was needing.

Lid color #1, Silver, was applied to the eye lid and the Brow Highlight was added to the brow bone using the 242 brush.

Lid color #2, Pink, was brushed on top of the silver using the 242 brush.

A warm, red based brown was blended into the crease with the 217 brush.

I lined the top and bottom lid with a gel eyeliner using a 263 brush.

Using a black eyeshadow and the 266 brush, I gently smudged the eyeshadow into the gel liner.

Add mascara.

Using the 263 brush and the gel eyeliner, paint the inner water line of the eye for this finished look.

I'd love to help you create a color that you're missing. Let me know if you have any questions!

Jamie

Gel Eyeliner that lasts all day, to good to be true? (I think not)

February 28, 2013

I'm always on the lookout for products that will last, but will still look fresh when my day is over. When I heard this new company, Inglot Cosmetics, had a gel eyeliner that outlasts any other on the market my interest was peeked. The official product name on their website is Matte Collection AMC Eyeliner Gel. I used number 77.

The test was a 15 hour day (applied at 7AM, removed at 10:30PM) and the application was a 50's style winged eye liner. This application requires exact precision, with this look no mistakes can be made and covered with with a smudged line. I used a synthetic bristled, angled brush to apply this product, similar to the 263 brush referenced in my essential brushes post.

Review

-Budget friendly - There's a large amount of product for the price. (0.19 oz vs 0.1 oz which is about the average size)

-Tons of matte colors (as well as metallic colors not shown on the website)

-Simple, easy packaging.

-Opaque, velvety color.

-Paraben free and no animal testing.

-The texture is great! This is my ultimate test for gel liners. It's has a nice slip to it when painting it on the skin and it's not too thick.

-At the inner corner of my eye, on the bottom near the tear duct, a small amount of product that transferred to the skin midway through the day. This is not an uncommon place for a product to transfer/run because of the amount of moisture near the tear duct. I simply used a q-tip to remove the product.

Final Judgment

-This is a product I will use both personally and professionally. This product wore for 15 hours without budging. All the pictures here were taken at the end of the 15 hour day!

*Because this product is so new it can only be found in select markets. Nigel Beauty Emporium is the only place that I know of in LA that sells this line of cosmetics. This store one of the amazing make up stores that I use when I'm purchasing products for my kit. You can use the Inglot Cosmetics website to research their products. If you're local, head on over to Nigel's or place an order because they literally ship make up supplies all over the world!

If you try this product, let me know. I'd love to hear your reviews on it!

Jamie

Fresh faces rule the red carpet at the 2013 Oscars!

February 24, 2013

Spring is in the air and that was very apparent tonight on the Academy Award's red carpet! This awards show never disappoints with all the glamour and the fashion. There seemed to be a light, freshness in all the beauties that graced the red carpet as neutrals and pastels were the color du jour. Subtle plums created sweet, but statement making smokey eyes; while nude lips provided a lovely complement to their overall look for Jennifer Lawrence and Jennifer Garner.

Their ashen grey smokey eyes, though light in color never lacked any drama for both Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. Both ladies kept the skin youthful and fresh with hints of pink on their cheeks and lips.

Continuing with the neutral trend, but adding her own flair to it, was the lovely Jessica Chastain. She was my favorite of the evening oozing old Hollywood glamour with her make up, hair and dress. The eyes were kept very simple with a shimmery nude eyeshadow on the eyelid, a warm, but very faint contour in the crease and a clean but dramatic black eyeliner on the upper eyelid only. Her skin was flawless and her cheeks had a soft pink glow. The finishing touch to complete her look was a perfectly, classic red lip.

Below are a few products to help you recreate this look.

Eyelid Color - Chanel OMBRE ESSENTIELLE Eyeshadow - Lotus (Champagne shadow with a slight shimmer)

Crease - MAC Eyeshadow - Soba (Gold Brown with Gold Shimmer)

Eye Liner - Bobby Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner - Black Ink

Lashes - Ardell - #123

Blush -MAC Cosmetics Sheertone Blush - Pinch O' Peach (Warm Peach)

Lips -MAC Cosmetics Pro Longwear Lipcreme -Prolong (True Red)

Let me know if you had a favorite red carpet look and you want to recreate it!

Jamie

Blooming Brushes, what are the essentials?

February 21, 2013

Hands down (pun intended), my brushes are the most important tool in my make up kit. The right brush with right product can achieve beautiful results! This is one item that I will tell you DO NOT scrimp on your brushes. Bite the bullet and spend for QUALITY; the results are well worth it. It's a small investment with a major payoff. There are brushes that I've had for 10+ years and they are in just as good of shape today as they were the day I bought them (now this is also because I'm meticulous in taking very good care of them, but that is for another post coming soon! :) The 5 basic essentials ...

193 Angled Foundation Brush

This brush is a synthetic bristle perfect to be used for a cream or liquid. I like that the over all shape of the bristles are wide enough to be used over the whole face, but because they come to a slight point it can double as a concealer brush for a little spot concealing when needed.

129 Powder/Blush Brush

This is a natural bristle brush perfect for a pressed or loose powder. The bristle shape of this particular brush is large enough to be used as a powder brush or small enough to be used as blush brush. (Either use the brush for blush or powder. Trying to use the same brush for both could have a disastrous ending.)

266 Small Angled Brush

This is one of the most multipurpose brushes I own. This brush is a natural bristle brush. It's perfect for using a powdered product to line your eyes, smudge your eyeliner or even add a little color to fill in your brows. There is a synthetic version of this brush (263 Small Angled Brush) that is ideal when using a cream or liquid liner.

242 Shader Brush

This has been a staple of mine for years. It can be used for any make up product that is powder, liquid or cream. The bristles are stiff enough to give a bold, intense payoff of color, yet soft enough to you could lightly brush product onto the skin to get just a hint of the color showing. I use this to apply color to my eyelids or brow highlight, to smudge eyeliner for a smokey eye or even use it as a concealer or lip brush. (As stated above with the powder/blush brush, you must designate what this brush will be used for. You can't jump between smudging eyeliner one day and then using the same brush for concealer the next.)

217 Blending Brush

I've saved my favorite brush for last! This is a blending brush for the crease of your eyes. It's a natural bristle so it's best used for powder products. The dome shape of the bristles are perfect for flawlessly blending colors together and achieving that airbrushed look.