What I Am Loving Right Now – Julie’s Must Haves
There are always new products coming into the market place, and being the make up junkie that I am, I try so many of them worthy of a go. From time to time, I also come across something that may have been around for a while that has been overlooked or that is under appreciated and very worth mentioning. Suffice it to say, I have pretty much tried every mascara, foundation, powder or liquid formula out there! There is always an appetite for the newest, greatest make up component that gives that flawless, polished look without looking made up.
I am a consumer of make up, so the good news is, you don’t have to be! Just enjoy the products I recommend knowing that they won’t make my list unless I use it on myself, on my clients, or both.
WHAT I AM LOVING RIGHT NOW
MOISTURIZER:
Still looking for the cure-all, but my requirements for a moisturizer are anti-aging properties, and mega hydration without feeling greasy. Hydration is in effect an anti-aging property, because if your skin is hydrated it is less apt to pull, and wrinkle. If I come across a moisturizer that is not hydrating enough, the simple fix for that is adding a little pure vitamin E oil directly to it. I love the CLARINS Instant Light Natural Lip Perfecter line of moisturizers. They have everything from basic hydration, to more intense anti-aging moisturizers both for day and night. Another great product is the DIOR ~ Creme de Rose Smoothing Plumping Lip Balm.
FOUNDATION:
Right now, I am absolutely loving a product I never thought I would, for two reasons: it’s price point, and it’s formula. It is about $20 more than I usually spend on foundation at $72, and also that it’s formula a powder and not a liquid. Being in my thirties, I have always thought a powder formula may enhance the fine lines on my face. Au contraire! this formula is a dream! It is so soft and silky, it is like if cream could be in a powder form. This product is called, SMASHBOX Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder. It is a formation of gold, 48 minerals, and 11 amino acids. With actual gold particles mixed in the formula, you would not believe the finish! My skin glows without looking like I was plugged in, and it is matte enough that I do not need the extra step of applying pressed powder. It is so fine, and the coverage is fantastic. You can start with a light coverage or build it up to a full coverage without it looking cakey in the slightest. It blends beautifully over a moisturized face. I have used it on my clients of all ages, and it looks great on all skin types. This Halo Powder is Heaven sent.
If you are not willing to go for the price point of the Halo Powder, or just are not going to budge from your tried and true liquid foundation, the products I love are DIOR Forever Liquid Foundation, and MAKE UP FOREVER HD High Deifintion Foundation. These products give such a beautiful finish, with wonderful, long lasting coverage.
EYES:
Tired of your eyeshadow creasing after only wearing it a couple of hours? Tired of seeing your eyeliner transfer onto your upper eyelid later in the day? My must have for a base on the eyelids before eyeshadow is a dream come true. With this creaseless shadow base these issues are a thing of the past. This product is BENEFIT Creaseless Shadow Liner. The colour I like for a base is Recess, as it is skin tone and perfect for all colours of eyeshadows you follow it with, or to be worn as a natural colour on its own. Use your fingers to apply it, and apply your eyeliner and/or eyeshadow afterwards.
EYESHADOW:
I would recommend for colour variety, good pigmentation and staying power, MAC, DIOR, and NARS.
MASCARA:
There is always the splurge versus the steal debate with mascaras. I have always been the splurge kind of girl in this area as I have always had great success with the prestige lines of mascaras. Until recently. I had one huge disappointment in a prestige area, and one shocker of a great mascara in the mass produced cheaper lines (which I list below!). My recommendations for a great volumizing mascara would definitely be LANCOME Hypnose Drama Mascara, and DIOR Diorshow Mascara. For a great lengthening and curling mascara I would choose, DIOR Diorshow Unlimited, and believe it or not, RIMMEL Sexy Curves Full Volume and Curve Mascara at a great price point this mascara gets top marks. A great all around mascara I would recommend YVES SAINT LAURENT Mascara Singulier.
How do you know what kind of mascara you need? The answer is simple. If you have shorter lashes but a decent amount of them, go for a lengthening/curling mascara. The wands of some of the volumizing formulas are quite large and if you your lashes are not long enough to take the size of the wand, it won’t do you much help. It you have long lashes but less of them, then you should use the volumizing formula to add density and fullness to your already long lashes.
EYEBROW PENCIL:
Do I need this you ask? With out even seeing you, there would be a 95% chance that my answer would be a yes. Most of us need a little filling in here and there to help with making both brows symmetrical, and with a good number of us, our brows are a little lacking in density or fullness that need a little help. Do not underestimate the eyebrows and the roll they play ladies. This is a step not to be overlooked; the brows frame the face in such a huge way as I am sure you have heard before. The two products I recommend are DIOR Diorshow Brow Styler, and MAC Brow Pencils in the fine tipped formula. Follow the diagram below to get the ideal shape. Don’t worry if your brows are not this shape, this is the ideal, just try to get as close to it as possible even if your brows are thinner, rounder, or shorter than this ideal shape. On occasion, we have done a little over-tweezing and some time needs to go by where you make your eyebrows a ‘no tweezing zone’ for a few months to let them fill in again, as hard as it is! Fuller brows look much better than a couple of thin lines above the eyes. Trust me! You can also get some great eyebrow stencils to either help with the filling in of the brows, or the help you may need to guide you when growing them back in. They can be found at EYEBROWZ.COM.
CONCEALER:
Not enough can be said for a good concealer. It’s a God send so cover a multitude of evils, only you have to know what they are! The ones I love are, DIOR Diorskin Nude Skin Perfecting Hydrating Concealer, LANCOME, MAKE UP FOREVER HD High Definition Concealer, and for serious coverage I would recommend COVER FX.
MAKE UP BRUSHES:
My favorite brushes are two professional lines called ARTLINE and VE NEILL BRUSHES at VESFAVORITEBRUSHES.COM. My other favorites are the MAC brushes. There is one brush however, that is the ultimate powder, and powder foundation brush. It is the LANCOME Mineral Powder Foundation Brush. The bristles of this brush stay in the brush! This sometimes seems to be an anomaly with make up brushes, and this one never disappoints. This one is a must have for your make up kit ladies.
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Next Month:
Eye Lashes 101
Eye Brows 101
And much more…
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