FRIDAY THE 13th

On a day when we shouldn't walk under ladders and behind black cats, when everything that could go wrong, usually does, I like to stick with some things I know won't fail me.  starting with my face.

I love my purity cleanser by Philosophy.  It creams without drying and it removes even the toughest of makeup, like mascara.

 I love my Boots eye cream after cause it does everything the expensive eye creams do but it's really inexpensive.  You get it at Target if that's any indication of cost for you.

I love my Le Kohl duo shadow by L'oreal.  It smudges, defines the eye with the pencil and then the other end has shadow to brighten.  Then I top it off with a coat of my fav mascara-voluminous by L'oreal.

For my face I use my NARS concealer in custard.  Perfect coverage and trusted to work.

I use a Multiple by NARS to complete my natural look.  It can be used on eyes, lips and cheeks.  It comes in 14 shades all of which are great but Malibu is my all time favorite.

So that's it.  My tried and true favs. They work even on the unluckiest of days!!

Find Philosophy purity cleanser here

Find Boots eye cream here

Find Loreal's products here

FInd Nars products here

PERFECT BLEND

Matching foundation to your skin tone is really hard to do.  I totally understand.  It definitely takes a certain skill set.  Plus, what kind of foundation do you use for your skin type?

I'm a big fan of the tinted moisturizers and BB lotions but most women feel they need more coverage.

What I like to do is take three colors that closely resemble the tone of the skin on my face stripe all three on the cheek.  Whichever one blends in the best is the one to get.

By stripping the cheek as apposed to the jawline or god forbid hand, is because the color on the cheek is where you have the most color.  It is truly the most accurate area of color.

If you're still feeling it challenging to find your true color try L'oreal Paris True Match Foundation.  It really does match your skin tone.

It has technology in it to calebrate the color and match your skin.  It's super blendable and it actually has vitamins A &C in it to protect your skin.

Once you've found your foundation apply a concealer after that.  Use a shade 1-2 times lighter than your foundation.  It will add 10 hours of sleep to your appearance.

Who couldn't use that?

Find L'oreal Paris True Match Foundation here

LARGER THAN LIFE

I'm loving these new NARS Larger Thank Life lip glosses.

First off, personally, I'm a lip gloss girl.  I don't have very full lips and I haven't invested in blowing them up.  Yet.  Also, I just like the look of gloss.  It's soft, pretty and easy to use.

So when I found these new NARS Larger than Life glosses it was like the heavens opened and the angels sang.

They come in 9 glorious shades full of color and high impact shine.  They don't slip off and they gilde on so smoothly and evenly.  The best thing about them is they stay on!

Yay!  My new bestfriend. So simple.  So beautiful.

Find Nars Larger Than Life Lip Gloss here

TARTE MARACUJA OIL

I use my Maracuja oil every night especially coming out of winter when our skin is at it's most dull and flakey.

What's so great about this oil is it nourishes the skin but soaks right in leaving a soft, moisturized complexion.  Not an oily greasy one.

It comes from the Maracuja fruit and is 100% pure which I love because it doesn't have any parabens or petroleum to clog pores. Chock full of essential fatty acids and vitamin c.

I add just a couple drops to my night cream and in the morning all the flakiness has miraculously disappeared.

Maracuja oil can also be added to your hair and body to create radiance everywhere.  Simply and beautifully.

Find Tarte Maracuja Oil here

PRIMER FOR LUMINOUS SKIN

I would agree with most that some beauty products are unnecessary and a waste of money.  But some actually do aide in creating, well, more beauty.  One is a primer.

Face primers work great because they actually prep or "prime" the skin for foundation.  Therefore making even the novice of foundation applications look flawless.

There are different primers for different purposes as well. If you have larger pore, The Present by Philosophy, lays a nice veil over your skin to smooth  and protect textured skin.  Smashbox makes a green primer to combat redness in the skin.

My personal favorite is by KohGenDo because it adds a beautiful luminosity to the skin.  Their new one for spring actually combines lavender and pink which actually work in conjunction with each other and form a perfect shade to brighten and reduce redness alternatively. There are no artificial colors, fragrances or parabens so you get beautiful, flawless skin simply and naturally

Find Philosophy primer here

Find Smashbox primer here

Find kohGenDo primer here

ENHANCE WHAT YOU'VE GOT

Some of us mere mortals aren't born with perfect features. Our lips are small. Our eyes are small or close together. Maybe you're one who feels their nose is too big or long. 

Well that's ok to feel that way. We are all Gods children but you are entitled to your opinion. 

Im here to let you in on the little tips that will make you feel better about those perceived flaws. 

If you feel your eyes are too close together try using a lighter or highlighting color of shadow on the inside corner of your eyelid close to your nose. That will give the illusion of wider eyes.  

If you feel you have no cheekbones use a medium to dark brown contouring color that has no red in it right below where you feel your cheekbones.  

What if you feel you have small lips? Take a nude lip pencil and draw over your natural lip line before applying color. That will give the illusion of fuller lips.  

All of us have things we don't like about our appearance. My philosophy is to focus on the things that we do! Try these tips to get that stuff out of the way so you can get to the real deal.

GET THE SKINNY ON SOFIA VERGARA'S IN STYLE COVER LOOK

I love Sofia Vergara. Well, probably not as much as my hubby. He has a mad crush on her. I just really like her look and her comic sensibility.  She looks great all done up or dressed down and natural.  

For her cover shoot for "In Style" she found a great balance between glamorous and approachable by keeping the eyes simple yet adding a dramatic flair and natural lips.  You can create this same look by using a smudgey eye pencil blended out to a thick line accentuating the eye. 

I love Le Kohl Pencil Smooth Defining eyeliner by L'oreal because it glides on smoothly and is easily smudged to desired thickness. Top it off with my fav, Voluminous mascara by L'oreal, for sexy lashes.  For the lips I like Nars sheer lipstick in all 29 shades but in particular Dolce Vita.  It gives great natural color while conditioning and nourishing at the same time. 

So simple. So beautiful!

Find Le Kohl Pencil here

Voluminous Mascara here 

Nars Dolce Vita here

 

GIVE YOUR FACE AN ORGASM!

Ok, well not literally but look like you did with Nars Orgasm blush. I LOVE this blush!!  

It works on all skin tones for one because it has flecks of both pink and apricot in it. 

It brightens the skin and warms the tone giving that flushed glow you can only get after, ah hum, well, you know.  

And if you're super daring and heading to Vegas try "Super Orgasm.". All the super shimmery warm effects of the original packed with even more sparkle! 

If ever my look just ain't right I say "give me the Orgasm!"

Find Nars Orgasm Blush here 

VITAMIN C

 

So yesterday we discussed the benefits of Retinol on the skin.  They reduce fine lines, wrinkles and dullness by promoting cell turnover or sloughing of top layer of skin.  Today I'm gonna talk about Vitamin C.  

Not only is taking vitamin C great for your immune system topical vitamin c is an anti-oxident and skin brightener.  Here's how it works.  

There's these crazy little guys called "free radicals" that float in the air that harm your skin by breaking it down. Vitamin c used on your skin forms a protective shield hence keeping those buggers at bay! 

The vitamin c acts as a melanin blocker to stop the spots. There are two products I love that actually work. 

The first is Philosophys vitamin c powder. It is 99 % pure vitamin c in powder form that you just add to your moisturizer. The other product is L'oreal Paris Youth Code Dark Spot Corrector and Illuminating Serum which works great under moisturizer.  

Both promote brighter, younger skin, simply and beautifully.

Find Philosophy's Vitamin C Powder here

And L'oreal Paris Youth Code Dark Spot Corrector and Illuminating Serum here

RETINOL OR RETIN-NAH

Anti-aging, Anti-aging, Anti-aging. We talk the topic to death. Why? Because it is so important! It's ok to grow old and to me "gracefully" is by excepting that but taking the best care of our skin as possible.  

Retinols are great in aiding that because they speed up cell turnover.  Hence new baby skin faster!  They have a built in time clock in them that helps monitor the turnover process thus avoiding red, raw skin acquired by the use of Retin-a.  

Retin-a works great but only in very small doses because it can be too harsh by removing that top layer of skin too quickly. 

A great regime that I follow is using " Help Me" by Philosophy. It's a mild yet effective Retinol treatment I use at night. Followed in the morning by my Clarisonic brush. Reducing fine lines, wrinkles and dullness. Simply and beautifully!

You can find Philosophy Help me here

And You can find yourself a Clarisonic brush here 

APRIL FOOLED

Don't let that cakey overdone makeup look have you fooled into thinking that's beautiful! No Sir! There's nothing more beautiful than natural skin.  You can't buy that in a bottle.  A little gloss, concealer, mascara and there you go. You look 16 again! Well, sorta.

Now if you need more than that, and quite frankly most of us do, try using a light illuminating foundation like Armani Cosmetics "Luminous Silk" foundation. Get all the glow youth brings. It's like stepping into a time machine. The effect is light diffusing, soft and subtle. Like silk. Perfect for all skin types. Simply and beautifully.

Tip: no makeup look.

After exfoliating your skin try using one of the new BB lotions on the market. I love Too Faced. They moisturize, protect, work on anti aging and even out skin tone all-in-one.

You can find Armani's luminous silk foundation at this link.

VOLUMINOUS!!!

There are more mascara’s out there than I even want to think about and just about as many opinions about which one is the best one. There is such variation in price as well.  From $4 to $24. I know for a fact though that my favorite is the best!! Voluminous by L’Oreal Paris. It volumizes (hence the name.) It lengths. It separates and is not clumpy at all. It doesn’t flake.  But the thing that I like the most about it is that it doesn’t smell bad.  So many mascaras just plain stink! I can’t have that for myself or most importantly, my clients.  The price is right too. Around $7 depending on where you shop. This mascara is as good or better than any high priced competitor. You get the look of high end without putting a dent in your pocketbook. Simply and beautifully!

Kate Moss at the Ritz for Vogue

Wow!  On so many levels this story is amazing.  http://www.vogue.com/magazine/article/checking-out-kate-moss-at-the-ritz-paris/#1 The hair, makeup, styling, and most importantly the location.  I mean how can you go wrong when you are shooting at the Ritz in Paris?  I love the attention to every detail and the photography is so pure and adds history and a sense of mystique to the piece.  It’s editorial pieces like this that give me so much inspiration.  So beautiful.

One of My Favs

I have mentioned Maracuja oil before and I want to talk about it again.  This time of year when the weather is changing and it's warm one day, freezing the next our skin really takes a beating.  The one thing that keeps mine nourished and consistent is Maracuja oil. Tarte makes the best composition of it.  It's non greasy and extremely hydrating and moisturizing.  They also are using it in their divine shine lip glosses. So you get all the benefits of the oil in a plumping, hydrating gloss.  Simple and Beautiful!

Love the Chub!

My new obsession for spring and summer are these chubby lip pencils. The texture is creamy like a lipstick or balm due to the vitamin E but it comes in these oversized pencils.  The convenience factor is to die for.  I also love how they have great staying power like a stain. These are gonna be my new go to for the next few months. Clinique makes a beautiful one in eight great colors. As does NARS. You gotta check them out! Add a snap of color simply and beautifully!

Good Enough To Eat

My new favorite product line for the body is Jacqua. Both me and my BFF Camille L-O-V-E our BFF Buttercream Frosting Lotion.  It also comes in a body butter which is really good right now when the weather makes everything so dry.  They have a wide variety of products from pumpkin face scrubs to bergamot body wash to pink champagne hand cream.  All of these wonderful flavors and scents are good enough to eat!  They don’t add pounds but they leave your skin feeling smooth and hydrated. You can find them online at Abeliabathandbody.com.

Lip Butter Balms

So the latest trend in lips are these moisturizing lipstick/balm combos. I love them because you can add color like a lipstick but moisturizing like a lip balm. I’m one of those girls who always likes to have something on my lips even if I’m not wearing any other makeup. Especially for summer. I have found two that I like. For the higher end girls I like Gorgio Armani’s.http://www.giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com/rouge-d%27armani-sheer-lipstick/A1353,default,pd.html?dwvar_A1353_color=300&start=1&cgid=lipstick&cgid=new-products Beautiful colors and really hydrating.

If your budget is restrictive try Revlon’s butter balm http://www.revlon.com/Revlon-Home/Products/Lips/Lipcolor/Revlon-ColorBurst-Lip-Butter.aspx. For about $4 these balms really moisturize and I love the colors, especially Cotton Candy. Perfect for summer. Simple and beautiful!

Jennifer Lawrence-The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games premiered last night here in Los Angeles and although I did not get to do Jennifer Lawrence's makeup I wanted to say she is on my "hot" list this week.  I thought she looked stunning. I loved her dress and especially her makeup and hair.  I always love a good smokey eye and nude lip and with her beautiful skin and gorgeous features, the look was flawless. In my upcoming videos I teach an easy way to achieve a smokey eye so stay on the look out for that.  Remember when playing up one feature, like eyes, it has more impact when you downplay another. Such as a natural or nude lip.

Summer Shimmer

Since we have officially done Daylights Savings time I thought I'd introduce some thoughts on summer to you.  For summer I always love to pare down on the makeup routine. Keep it simple and light. One really awesome way to do that is by using tinted moisturizers instead of our heavier counterpart, foundation. This summer is no exception and with the introduction of the new Beauty Balm simplicity takes on a whole new meaning.

First off let’s talk about tinted moisturizers. I love them because they add just a bit of color, enough to even out the skin tone but not enough to give the impression you’re wearing makeup. This summer NARS has come out with a beautiful one in 9 shades that also has illuminous properties to really give you summers healthy glow.

http://www.narscosmetics.com/complexion/foundation/~/pure-radiant-tinted-moisturizer-spf30-pa

Several Companies are also making beauty balms. Beauty balms are moisturizers,  primer and tints all in one. So it’s great for travel because it’s only one product that you need to pack. Too Faced makes a great one in 4 shades that also has anti-aging properties. 

http://www.toofaced.com/p-1118-tinted-beauty-balm-multi-benefit-skin-care-makeup.aspx

Both the NARS and the Too Faced products have spf 20 and higher. That is the most important tip for summer. Sunscreen. The best preventative, anti-aging tool you can do for your skin.

IF you have...

 Dark Spots or HypoPigmentation there are many, many products out there on the market for them.  Unfortunately most are bleaching creams and really don’t work.  They bleach out the skin around the age spot but not the spot directly. Philosophy makes a product that I like for age spots and it doesn’t contain bleach,Kojic Acid or Hydroquinone that creates sensitivities in skin. It is their Miracle Work Dark Spot Corrector.  It works in 5 ways to lighten the spot as well as treating the skin underneath the spot, the surrounding skin and possible spots that haven’t occurred yet.  It contains 2 lightening agents and 2 antioxidants. These all form a cocktail that works well, miracles. I like it because it’s one product working 5 ways. So you get beauty simply.