Tag Archives: Sephora

First impression: Josie Maran Vibrancy Foundation

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 I didn’t plan to blog today, but after a glance in the mirror prompted a “Dang, your skin looks good, girl!” reaction, it seemed a first impression review was in order.

I popped into Sephora a few days ago to pick up sunscreen for this weekend’s sailing to the Bahamas — a girls’ trip with my mother, sister and daughter. Well, we all know that leaving Sephora with only intentional purchases is practically impossible. I walked out with a new foundation (I’m on a constant search for the latest and greatest).

The foundation that called out to me was Josie Maran’s new Vibrancy foundation. My shade is called “Euphoric,” or light neutral. What’s different about it? It’s a medium- to full-coverage buildable foundation powered by 100 percent pure Argan oil. I’d never tried a Josie Maran foundation, but I’m pleased so far. After wearing it for three days, I can say it goes on smoothly and provides a nice, healthy-glow finish. My skin is combination and it doesn’t slide over into “greasy glow” for me, but oily girls (and guys) might have a different experience.

What I found most pleasing about Vibrancy is the way it settles into my skin as the day goes on.  The finish looks lovely right after the product is applied but becomes more dewy and, yes, vibrant as the hours pass. In fact, it looks better after a few hours. I haven’t found the need to powder and the only fading I get is at the corners of my nose, which is standard for me.

I checked the reviews on Sephora and Vibrancy currently has four stars. The most common complaint is that it clings to dry spots, which seems odd for a foundation containing Argan oil. I personally have not experienced this issue, but I did notice some streakiness upon application. I’ve overcome the issue by applying the foundation with my Artis Oval 8 brush, then pressing it into my skin with a Beauty Blender.

Josie Maran Vibrancy Foundation is available in 14 shades, $45, Sephora or josiemarancosmetics.com.

Photos, clockwise from left: Josie Maran Vibrancy Foundation, immediately after application, four hours after application

Shake your ‘Bum-Bum’ 

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I’m off to the Bahamas in less than a week, so I’m doing all the things one must do to prepare for fun in the sun. Tomorrow is set aside for a manicure, pedicure and waxing (Brazilian –ouch!). Then comes self-tanning: I’m super pale, so I don’t want to blind anyone on the beach.

One of my beach must-haves is a heavy duty moisturizer. I’m prone to dry skin, so moisturizer is one of my best friends. My cabinet is stocked with them, each smelling better than the last. This brings me to my point: While it’s not strictly a moisturizer, I’m completely addicted to a new moisturizing product — Brazilian Bum-Bum Cream by Sol de Janeiro.

My goodness, people, this stuff is seriously good. It leaves my skin feeling as smooth and supple as silk. I can’t stop touching it! And the scent is to die for. It’s a strong, summery, beachy scent with staying power. If they bottled it as a perfume, I’d stand in line to buy it. (If you’re averse to scents, steer clear.)

As I mentioned, Brazilian Bum-Bum cream works as a quickly absorbed, luxurious moisturizer that leaves skin silky with a slight sheen. But it serves another purpose: It’s a skin tightener for — yes — the Bum-Bum. And, of course, other body areas that could use firming.

Here’s what the makers have to say:

What it is:

A fast-absorbing body cream that helps tighten and smooth the look of skin.

What it is formulated to do:
Many Brazilian creams have a secret ingredient: guaraná, a native Amazonian plant whose fruit contains one of the most potent forms of caffeine on the planet. Brazilian Bum Bum Cream is also powered by a Brazilian blend of extraordinarily nourishing cupuaçu butter, antioxidant powerhouse açaí, and super-conditioning coconut oil for irresistible, touch-me skin. The fast-absorbing texture contains just enough mica to add a perfect Brazilian glow, as the formula helps your body look and feel its smoothest and tightest.

My summation: Whether you’re headed off for a beach vacation or just dreaming of one, Brazilian Bum-Bum Cream is a must-have for all of your body parts in need of pampering.

Brazilian Bum-Bum Cream by Sol de Janeiro, $45 for 8.1 ounces, Sephora.

Shake, rattle and Hum — and hyaluronic acid 

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I’m fascinated by makeup and always have been. As a little girl, I was entranced by my mother’s cosmetics — especially the miniature Avon lipstick samples that lived in her makeup drawer. And my Aunt Emily was a wonder. I’d watch as she drew winged liner as sharp as a knife’s blade with her old-fashioned cake liner. She’d add a bit of water to the powder and a few minutes later she was the epitome of 60s glamor.

In the years since, I’ve learned that while makeup works miracles, it’s the skin beneath that’s most important. Skin is the palette and makeup is the paint — and it’s critical to keep the palette as smooth, supple and line-free as possible. After all, paint applied to a rough surface often just illuminates its flaws.

My skin isn’t perfect, but it’s in pretty darn good shape for my age. Why? Because I pamper it. I have a thorough skin-care routine and I stick to it every day without fail.  Right now, my skin is looking particularly peachy and I credit the skin-care supplements I recently added to my routine.

Every day, I consume two tablets of Youtheory hyaluronic acid and four capsules of Hum Arctic Repair. Hyaluronic acid is an anti-inflammatory that benefits joints, tendons, ligaments and skin. Arctic Repair contains oil from wild organic lingonberry seeds and promotes itself as “clinically proven to rejuvenate the skin.” All I can say is that after two months of regular use my skin is clear, smooth and even. I look better without makeup than I have in years.

I’m particularly impressed with the Hum brand. In addition to Arctic Repair, I’ve been successfully using the company’s Flatter Me, which supports healthy digestion. I’m about to try two new Hum products — Red Carpet Ready, which promotes glowing skin and healthy hair, and Skinny Bird, which purports to help with weight loss. I’ll share my thoughts on those after a month of use.

Youtheory Hyaluronic Acid Advanced Nutritional Supplement, 120 count, $19.50 at Amazon.com.

Hum products are available at Sephora.com.

February beauty: Favorites and flops

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 The first week of the month and it’s already been crazy! There must be something in the air, because my world’s been full of drama, drama, drama. I hate drama. It’s exhausting, really, so let’s focus on something much more pleasant — and that’s this month’s favorite and flops. First, the good stuff:

  • Cover FX Custom Infusion Drops — Skin care should be easy and I’m enjoying these concentrated drops that can be used alone or mixed with foundation. I prefer to do the latter because it turns my foundation into an easy, all-day treatment. There are four versions: camomile for calming, neroli for hydration, lemongrass for radiance and my personal choice, jasmine for anti-aging.
  • Cover Girl TruBlend Blush — Spring is almost here and this marbled, baked formula will leave your cheeks glowing like a just-bloomed rose. Even better: The flush of long-lasting color is available at a drugstore price.
  • Coloured Raine liquid lipstick in Classy — The formula goes on smoothly, opaquely and is surprisingly nondrying, but it’s the color that’s the selling point. It’s a cool lavender with just a hint of gray. Top it with Lorac’s Alter Ego lip gloss and people will admire your pout all day. I posted a pic on Facebook and even my boss wanted to know what I was wearing.
  • Natasha Denona eye shadow palettes — Beauty bloggers are buzzing about this richly pigmented brand from Israel and rightly so. The shades are intense, blendable and oh-so-pretty. My favorite is palette No. 8, which features a blend of metallic and matte peaches, roses and browns.
  • Artis Elite Oval 8 and Oval 6 brushes — These unusual, oval-shaped brushes are super-soft and densely packed. Because of that denseness, less product seeps into the synthetic bristles. That’s a money-saver in the end because you use less foundation and other liquid products. Ever noticed how much product goes down the drain when you wash your makeup brushes?

And now, the things I wasn’t wild about:

  • Physician’s Formula Murumuru Butter Bronzer — This came highly recommended but it didn’t work for me. It made me orangey like an Oompa Loompa, and I was using the lightest shade.
  • MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lip Color — I love MAC’s “regular” lipsticks, particularly Velvet Teddy and MAC Red — but the liquid versions were a big bust for me. They weren’t as long lasting as, say, the Anastasia and Kat Von D liquid lippies and the application was patchy. Also, the nude I chose, Lady Be Good, was markedly orange-tinged.

That’s it, y’all. I hope your March is going well. Remember, brighter days are ahead and the spring flowers will soon be in bloom. Stop and smell the roses — and don’t let the drama-lovers get you down!

From the foundation test lab

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 Hey, y’all. I thought I’d give you a quick first impression of two new foundations I tried this week. One was Tarte’s Empowered Hybrid Gel Foundation ($39) and the other was Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Foundation ($44).

As a bit of background, I’m always looking for the newest and best foundation — one that gives my skin that perfect coverage and texture. Since skin is ground zero for any makeup look, the right foundation is critical and I’ll go to great extremes to find it.

Things you should know: I’m 56 but don’t have serious issues with wrinkles; I’ve just a few fine lines. I have combination skin — occasionally slightly oily in the T-zone but normal everywhere else. So let’s get to it:

  • Tarte Hybrid Gel Foundation: I’m going to be honest, I didn’t like this one bit and it’s going straight back to Ulta this weekend. According to Tarte, it’s made with “skin-loving ingredients wrapped in a luxurious, creamy gel.” It may have loved my skin but my skin didn’t love it. The initial application was fine but within a couple of hours, it was breaking up and looking patchy. It didn’t provide that smooth, flawless look I prefer, even when it was freshly applied. It’s a no for me.
  • Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation: Unlike Tarte’s new entry into the foundation game, this one applied quite nicely with my Artis Elite Oval 8 brush. It gave me the good-skin look I crave. Coverage is nice, but not quite as full as, say Make Up For Ever’s Ultra HD. I had a video conference call today and received a number of compliments on my makeup, so it clearly looks good on screen. I’m going to keep this one in my foundation rotation to see whether it becomes a permanent fixture.

Note: I’m wearing Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation in the photo accompanying this blog. The photo has been cropped but it has not been edited or filtered. It was taken in natural sunlight on my front porch.

Super six: July beauty and skin care favorites

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unnamedI try a lot of beauty and skincare products. Some are swings and misses, while others are home runs. The home runs are the products I like enough to repurchase — and, trust me, that’s a relatively limited number. If I had to put it into perspective, things would shake out this way:

  •  40 percent of the products I sample I would never purchase again. It’s not that most of them are patently awful; it’s that the bulk of them are nothing special and, thus, don’t warrant another penny from my pocketbook.
  •  40 percent of products fall into the solid performer category. They work well, but not well enough to convince me there’s nothing better out there. I’ll repurchase if the mood strikes me, or if I try something else that doesn’t work as well.
  • 20 percent of products are what I’d consider home runs. They either perform so well or are so unique that nothing (at least for the time being) can compare.That said, let’s talk about this month’s star products:
  • Lotion P50W 1970 from Biologique Rechercher: Wow, that’s a mouthful, isn’t it? Let’s get to it: This product is a game changer. Although it’s billed as a lotion, it’s actually an exfoliating acid toner. There are several versions, but the P50W 1970 is for drier and more mature skin. It’s applied with a cotton pad after cleansing and before serum and moisturizer. According to Biologique Rechercher, Lotion P50 “gently exfoliates the skin, regulates excessive sebum secretion, moisturizes and helps maintain the epidermis’ acid pH.” Here’s what I say: It makes my skin look darn good! This product is relatively hard to find. I ordered mine from Shop Rescue Spa.
  • Bobbi Brown Art Stick in Hot Orange: This shade all but screams summer. It’s both matte and creamy (a rare combination) and the chubby stick delivery system means there’s no need for a separate lip liner. Despite its name, I wouldn’t say it’s an all-out orange; it’s more like a face-brightening coral-red. Pop it in your bag and go. But buy it sooner than later — it’s part of the summer Hot Collection, which I don’t believe is permanent. I got mine at Sephora, but you should be able to find it wherever Bobbie Brown is sold.
  • Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick in Craft: This deep berry liquid lipstick is one of the most in-demand shades from the crazy-popular line of stay-put liquid lipsticks from Anastasia Beverly Hills. It’s very long-wearing, which is perfect for someone like me who doesn’t like to pause to reapply lipstick throughout the day. It’s a bit drying, but ABH is altogether one the most comfortable liquid lipstick formulas out there. Craft is currently sold out on the ABH website, and the only other place to purchase it is at Macy’s.
  • Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso: Beauty fanatics on YouTube and Instagram have been raving about this shade of blush for months now, so I finally picked it up at my local Walgreens. The makeup lovers weren’t wrong. It’s a highly pigmented, luminous peach that’s just perfect for summer and beyond. Luminoso has a hint of shimmer, but it doesn’t spotlight pores.
  • Marc Jacobs Re(marc)able Full Cover Foundation Concentrate: I’m always looking for my holy grail foundation — trust me, I have a drawerful of them that promised nirvana but didn’t deliver. I’ve found the right one (or at least the right one for now) with this full-coverage, not-quite-matte but not-quite-luminous foundation. It’s one of the new concentrated foundations that require just a few drops for complete, my-skin-but-better coverage. Foundation is not one size fits all (skin can be oily, dry, dehydrated or combination), so keep your receipt if you try it and don’t like it. Better yet, ask for a sample at Sephora.
  • Indeed Labs’ Hydraluron Moisture Serum: Will I repurchase? I already have! This post-toning, pre-moisturing serum is a little miracle worker. One of the primary ingredients is hyaluronic acid, or sodium hyaluronate, which holds 1,000 times its weight in water. It makes my skin feel soft, moisturized and supple, but not the dreaded sticky. I love this stuff! You can purchase it at Ulta.

That wraps up my July favorites. We’re into August, which I recently heard described as the Sunday of the summer. There should be lots of new things to sample, because the big brands are introducing fall makeup and skin care products at a furious pace.

Better off red: Why you can (and should) wear bright lipstick

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redlipstickIf you follow beauty trends, you know that there are a lot of unique lipstick shades out there. Blues, greens, sepias, grays — they’re all available for the adventurous to try, and the advent of stay-put liquid lipstick makes them more wearable than ever.

Wearable or not, the truth is that those off-the-beaten-track colors are for the brave, the young and the Instagram beauty gurus. The average woman, and particularly the working woman, won’t be sporting Anastasia Beverly Hills’ “Paint,” a new cobalt shade, this fall.

‘I can’t wear red’

But enough about the out-there colors. One of the things I hear most often from friends and coworkers is, “I can’t wear red lipstick.” I can understand their aversion, because not so long ago I thought the same thing.

Red lipstick has been around for thousands of years — Mesopotamian women in 3,000 BC wore a concoction of crushed gemstones and Cleopatra created a shade of red made of crushed ants and carmine mixed with beeswax. With that type of history, why are so many women today afraid of red?

As a child of the (ahem) 70s, my theory is that red was our mothers’ lipstick color. In the 40s, 50s and even 60s, reds and orange-reds were the rage. Think Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner. Their crimson lips conveyed glamor, sophistication and sex appeal. Fast forward to the 70s, and the makeup game had changed dramatically. False lashes, dramatic eyeliner and bold lip colors were out, replaced by simple mascara, more natural eyeshadow, and nude or beige lipstick — or none at all.

Return to glam

In recent years, the pendulum has swung back. Today’s young women, perhaps in defiance of their own mothers’ barelymarilyn-marilyn-monroe-979536_1025_768 there cosmetics style, are using products that echo the age of Hollywood glamor. They’re embracing vibrant lips in shades of red, fuschia and orange and pairing them with false eyelashes and winged liner that would make Sophia Loren feel right at home.

As for me? I’ve joined the peacock parade. As recently as a few years ago, I avoided bright lipsticks as a matter of habit, instead selecting the nudes, peaches, pinks and corals I’d always favored. Then I discovered YouTube. After watching dozens of gorgeous young women create makeup looks featuring complexion-brightening, in-your-face lipstick shades, I purchased a vibrant rose, then an intense coral, then a Barbie pink. But those were just gateway drugs to the real deal: an intense blue-red. I bought it. I wore it. I loved it.

Tips and tricks

If you’re on the fence (or hiding behind the bushes) when it comes to vibrant lip colors, here are a few reasons to give them a try:

  • Have you seen the commercials featuring the guy who won’t sample almond milk because he doesn’t know what it tastes like? A lot of women are like that about red lipstick.They’ve never worn it, but they’re certain it won’t work for them. Ask yourself whether you’d accept that sort of reasoning from a child who doesn’t want to try a new food or learn a new skill. Buy it. Try it. Wear it around the house until you’re ready to make your public debut.
  • Are you worried red won’t complement your skin tone? Good news: There are reds for everyone, from blue-reds to orange-reds to brown-reds. If you’re not sure which undertone is right for you, visit Sephora or Ulta or MAC or any makeup counter and ask the experts to help you choose a shade. If that makes you uncomfortable, buy a few inexpensive tubes at your local drug store and sample them to see which looks best. Take selfies. Sometimes photos can help you decide.
  • Are you too old to wear red? Absolutely not — as long as your lips haven’t lost considerable volume with age. It’s true that dark colors can sometimes make lips look smaller, but you can work around that with the judicious use of lip liner. Use it to line the very outer edge of your lip (or even slightly — but only slightly — outside of your natural lip line). It will give you volume. Or the illusion of volume, which in the makeup game is same thing.
  • Are you reticent about going from your usual nudes, pale corals and pinks to red in one swipe? Gradually go deeper, starting with more intense versions of your current lipsticks and working  your way up to red.
  • Do you worry about lipstick bleeding or feathering into fine lines? Pick up a lip primer and a reverse lip liner. The primer will help your lipstick stay in place and reverse lip liner — which is nude or clear and is applied just like tinted liner — will create an invisible ring around your lips to ensure color doesn’t travel.
  • Speaking of traveling, do you shy away from reds because they fade, leaving your lips patchy and blotchy? The solution is liquid lipstick. Liquid lipstick comes in the same type of tube that houses lip gloss, but it colors your lips with long-wearing, fade-resistent, full-coverage color. Seriously, it stays in place for hours!

My final tip for those tempted by red is this: If you’re going to wear it, you have to own it. Red is not for the shy; it’s a power color that attracts attention. Once you break through the barriers that have you reaching for your usual nudes, you’ll find that intense reds (and other bright, can’t-miss-them shades) brighten your skin and make you look more alive.

The bottom line: You CAN wear red.