My grandmother had great skin. It was baby soft, luminous and smooth well into her 70's. When I was a little girl, I would go into her bathroom and smooth on her Oil of Olay. It was the old school bottle. The jar was glass back then and the lotion was pink and perfumed. When I appeared in front of her, thinking I successfully pulled off a secret makeover, she could smell the moisturizer. "You were into my Oil of Olay," she said. She told me that no matter what I do, if I don't do anything else for my skin, that I should always moisturize.
Perhaps it was what women were told in her time, but I took that advice. I've come to find elixirs and potions that suit my own skin by trying on what works best for me.
One of the advantages of living in New York is that in my travels, I come across professionals. It would be silly not to take the opportunity to ask them what their favorite products are.
Here are some tidbits I learned from Make-up artists and industry pros.
I was at a girls get together when I was just a fresh transplant in NYC. A make-up artist mentioned she worked in the tents during fashion week. Of course, this began the great inquisition by every lady in the room wanting to know what the artist thought was the most important part of the beauty regimen. She said "Curl your eyelashes. I can't tell you how much it opens the eyes up." And, surely someone asked, but what curler should we use? She told us the Shu Uemura eyelash curler was the best out there.
I've been drawing a solid, vintage style line on the top of my lids since I first discovered liquid eyeliner at the age of 16. Many of my favorite products became discontinued, leaving me scrambling for another liquid liner that wouldn't flake, glop, or run. I also needed a color that wasn't quite black, but not an obnoxious sparkling brown.
Krystle, a make-up artist that I worked with on a reality show told me about Artliner by Lancome. I admit, I haven't ever been a huge fan of Lancome products, but this liner is easy to use, has a natural color and stays put!
Sally Hansen Inspired By Carmindy All Over Brightener
Photo: sallyhansennaturalbeauty.com
My mentor and a stylist asked me to assist on a shoot for Carmindy. You know who she is: "What Not To Wear", AOL StyleList, Books, etc....The shoot was for her book cover and I was given a sample of Carmindy's All- Over Brightener.
I have super pale skin which means you can practically see every vein through my skin, including under my eyes. I dab this fast fix concealer under my eyes then top off with a my usual flesh colored make-up. It works great because not only does it cover my "inside out" appearance, but also it catches light, making my dark circles unnoticeable. Sometimes concealers can make me look like I fell asleep in the sun with those weird tanning goggles on. I love this product because it doesn't do that to me!
Her lip products are fantastic as well. All of the colors are so neutral or subtle, that its really hard to make a "make-up mistake."
Dr Bonners and Mr. Pumice
Photos: Sally Beauty Supply and Dr. Bonners
While neither my doctor or my sister qualify as professional make-up artists, both of their recommendations have done wonders for my feet.
No one wants to talk about gross scaly feet, alas, they exist.
On a trip to Las Vegas to visit my doppelganger little sis, I was complaining about harsh pumice stones that really didn't do anything to remove dead skin from my over-worked feet. She took me to Sally Beauty Supply and introduced me to Mr. Pumice. How do you do, Sir?!
The light foam rectangle gently buffs your skin, leaving it soft and smooth.
Then, my doctor introduced me to tea tree oil as a natural way to keep any nasty foot ailments away.
I started using Dr. Bonner's soap infused with tea tree oil. Okay, Dr Bonner looks like Dr. Strangelove and the bottles of his products are covered in a maniacal, stream of consciousness rants, but it's become a favorite product of mine for keeping my feet from falling victim to what you see in those horrid toenail monster commercials.
Shu Umera Face Architect Foundation
While I don't want to make this blog a love letter to Shu Uemura, I love this foundation. A beauty assistant at In Style gave me a sample that just happened to be the perfect match for my skin.
The problem that I had with other foundations were that either they were too oily and transferred onto my clothing and anything else it touched. I was occasionally embarrassed when someone would point out "Oh, you have a make-up line on your chin."
As I've mentioned, my face is pale and my skin is very thin. Finding the perfect color that stays put and doesn't break out my sensitive skin was a challenge, that is until the heavens parted and like an angel, the beauty editor's assistant, with bottle in hand said " Here, try this. Its good foundation."
This foundation may not be the best for dry skin because it is very matte.The plus side is that the range of colors are fantastic and realistic. It goes on smooth and dries very quickly making it a little harder to blend. But, I love that its only on my face, where its supposed to be and I have yet to have another girl call me out for a non matching face and neck.
