Monday, August 31, 2009

the pay-offs of being pale

I am so proud and impressed with myself. For the first time in my 26 years, I can safely say I did not get a "tan" this summer.

I read yesterday that we only got 3 sunny weekends in June, July, and August combined (that is beyond depressing), which obviously contributes to my tanlessness right now. But that's not the only contributing factor - I have been SO much more mindful of my skin's safety, even when just going outside for walks in the sun. And you know what? It shows - my skin is smoother, less blotchy, and most important, less leathery and aged-looking. This newfound skin glory is thanks to my favorite sunscreen right now: Kate Somerville Protect SPF 30 Sunscreen. Every day before going outside, I slather this on my chest and arms. It's non-sticky, non-greasy, non-chalky, non-everything-you-hate-in-a-sunscreen. I also love that it doesn't smell like sunscreen, because let's be honest here, who wants to smell like the beach when they're actually running errands in Manhattan? Grossest feeling ever.

Another star product participating in my anti-malignant melanoma plan is Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral Powder SPF 30. The stuff is brilliant for former SPF-phobes like myself. You literally uncap it, brush it on your face (over makeup or under), and you're protected from the sun. It's so lightweight and feels like you're not wearing anything at all.

The downside to my newfound paleness is that I look like someone's albino sister in every photograph this summer. But I suppose it's a small price to pay for retaining my skin's youth for as long as possible. And not dying from skin cancer. Go me!

Friday, August 28, 2009

rando hair tip of the day

Last weekend, I was doing some errands when I strolled into Delacqua Salon in Brooklyn - a hair salon that also carries an amazing stock of high-end hair products (I also get my Essie and OPI nail polishes here) to pick up a new deep conditioning treatment for my newly colored strands. I chatted up a looong convo with the salon owner, Alex, about hair, coloring, damage - things I'm no stranger to, and he gave me this great tip: don't rinse conditioner completely like you would your shampoo. Instead, let the water run over your hair for a few seconds - leaving some "slip" in your hair will give it weight, preventing frizz and adding extra moisture. I've done this for the past week, and I must say that my hair is softer and not as fro-y as before.

If you're wondering which treatment I got that day, it was my beloved Kerastase Masquintense (for thick hair). Love, love, love...

Clinique's new vitamin C lip smoothies

After months of seeing ads for Clinique's newest addition - Vitamin C Lip Smoothies - I finally got to try them out yesterday. I love the concept of a "lip smoothie" since it evokes a feeling of sweet, juicy, healthy nourishment for your lips. Standing in front of the display of colors (there are 8 shades), I didn't know which to pick first. I decided that all of them looked really similar in their pinkish plum glory, so I decided to go with the lightest of the bunch, "Pink Me Up". Not a success - it looked like I had been either making out with the Pink Panther or was considering a new career in the adult film industry. Very frosty, very pink, just... no.

Next - Fig-A-Licious. Should be called Fig-a-Luscious because that's exactly how my lips looked after applying. I adored the color - it was like a slightly amplified version of my natural lip color and I could swear it made my lips look bigger (although the product doesn't claim to have plumping properties - maybe I was delusional).

What I don't like about this product is the click-pen packaging. Those things are so deceiving. You never know how much product you've got left, and I personally always end up overclicking too much product out, so it goes to waste. If that doesn't irk you, these are worth a try - pretty shades, and they last a pretty long time for a gloss, thanks to the thick texture.

Kim Kardashian's new venture


And now, for some Happy Friday fragrance news. According to WWD, Kim Kardashain (love her, and love Keeping Up With The Kardashians - one of my many guilty pleasures) is teaming up with Lighthouse Beauty to create a fragrance launching in Spring 2010. I'm a sucker for celeb fragrances - Britney, Halle, Mariah, Paris, yes, I've worn them all at some point - so I can't wait to smell this one. Kim says that the fragrance will "really capture who I am". I'm so curious to see what this concoction is going to smell like.

Until then, I'm DYING to get my hands on a bottle of Marc Jacobs LOLA. I'm stalking every Sephora in NYC for it!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

a brand i adore

Sure, I spend quite a lot of time at Sephora, but sometimes I can't help browse the aisles of Target for my fix of Soap & Glory. Ever hear of it? Many of you Target enthusiasts might have - it's best known for its cute pink packaging and quirky, cool names, like "Clean On Me" and "Return To Slender" (brilliant). Not only do the play on words give me a good giggle, but the products themselves are GREAT. Come to think of it, I've never met a S&G product I didn't like. I should also mention that one of my most memorable events as a beauty editor was for a Soap & Glory launch where I got to meet Marcia Kilgore, the brains behind the brand (Marcia also started Bliss!). She was so sweet, and talked about the inspiration for naming the products, as well as why packaging is as important as the results the product delivers.

And now, for a few of my personal favorites from the line:

1. Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Gloss: A VERY slight tingle lets you know it's plumping, and the sublte peachy/pink shade leaves lips looking juicy. And with a name like that, how could you not love it?

2. Slimwear Body Cream: Did this eliminate cellulite? I freakin' wish! I could, however, see a major difference in the smoothness of my skin after slathering this on my arms and legs. I also love the minty, cool feeling it leaves behind. I swear by this in the summertime because it's so refreshing.

3. Easy Glistening Body Spray: Oh my GOD, I love this spray. Smells clean and yummy (like cocoa butter mixed with a slight fruity smell) and leaves my limbs all glowy and sexy-looking. Another plus is that it gives a subtle sheen without making you look sweaty or like a greased pig.

Next time you're in good ol' Tar-jay, pick some of this stuff up. You'll like!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

would you wear red eyeliner?


Red and eyeliner aren't two words that most people would put together in a sentence but I'm seriously considering MAC Foxy Lady as my next purchase. Rumor has it, this frosty cranberry shade looks phenomenal on blue or green eyes and really makes them pop. Bummer for me I have hazel, but I'm willing to try anyway. I'm getting so tired of my usual brown-for-daytime, black-for-nighttime liner routine.

This is definitely a try-before-you-buy shade - that said, I am now off to the MAC store. Fingers crossed that I don't come out looking like I have pink eye...

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

how to not look dead tired

No matter how much shut-eye I get, I always look exhausted, thanks to my dark circles (damn genetics!) and attractive fine lines that are starting to form. This is why I've become quite the master of making myself look alive and rested with makeup. With a little dab here, a sweep there, you'll be bright eyed in minutes:

1. Moisture is KEY: Hydration is so important, because it makes your makeup go on nice and smoothly. I love Olay Regenerist Eye Lifting Serum. It might just be an optical illusion (no pun intended) but I swear my dark circles are getting lighter by using this stuff.

2. Invest in your concealer: It's a recession, we're all broke - I know. But concealer is super important, and the great ones tend to be high-end. You need a peach or yellow based (not pink) shade, and it's gotta be thick but not too creamy, otherwise it'll come off. Make Up For Ever concealer is my fav because it's matte and stays on, uh, forever.

3. Pick shadow wisely: With eye makeup, less is actually more when trying to look awake. Brush a shimmery taupe eyeshadow on your entire lid, then highlight the inner corners with a very shimmery peach shade - NARS Bohemian Gold is gorge for this. Dip a Q-tip into the shimmery peach color and swipe along your lower lash line. Skip eyeliner, curl your lashes, and apply two coats of mascara.

rando hair tip of the day

Ever try to curl your hair with a curling iron, only to be left with weird ridges or bends where the clamp meets the barrel? Solution: instead of wrapping hair around the barrel, then clamping down, keep the clamp closed the whole time and simply wrap your hair around the clamp and the barrel. The end result is a more flow-y, natural wave. Much better!

the best reds


Call it a lipstick kick if you will, but I'm really into red lips lately. BRIGHT stop sign red. Unfortunately, the right red is really hard to find - especially for me, since I have lips that turn everything hot pink.

Even if you don't share my fair-medium, freckled complexion, these shades might work for you as well, since they're neutral, true reds, meaning they're neither too warm (orange-y) or too cool (blue-ish). Here are my top three, so you don't have to scour Sephora with 30 shades of red on your hands like I did:

1. NARS Red Lizard
2. Laura Mercier Truly Red
3. YSL Rouge Pur Opium Red 131 (can't bring myself to spend $35 on this, but I still love)

Another benefit of getting a true red is that it'll make your teeth look REALLY white. See how nice Katy's color is? (ignore the crazy long lashes, which I don't love with the lips...but that's crazy Katy for you.)

Monday, August 24, 2009

beauty lessons from YouTube

I was skimming through the ginormous September issue of ELLE when I came across an interesting little story that I have to share with you guys because it was so life-changing and fabulous. Girls on Film (pg. 362 for those who have an issue handy) highlights four of the best beauty lessons on YouTube. I myself have always been doubtful of these YouTube how-tos. I mean, who are these people and what do they know about makeup and hair?

Clearly, the answer is a freakin' LOT. Two of these videos recently taught me how to do things I've wanted to learn for years. YEARS, people. The first is creating that glamorous A. Jolie cat eye with liquid liner, and the other is making mermaid waves using a flat iron.

Check them out:

Sarah Victor "Cat Eyeliner" - http://www.youtube.com/user/SarahVictor#play/search/0/ff6O-nlPv_c

Lindy Tsang "Mermaid Waves" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szYycW64fU4

Love these gals!

Sunday, August 23, 2009

inappropriate salon signage


Seriously?

This is a real sign that lives in a local nail salon. Yes, that's right - I was so humored by this that I took a picture. Perhaps waxing school didn't teach these folks the correct body part terminology. I'm just sayin. 

the highs and lows of highlights

I've had a rough two months. Actually, my hair has had a rough two months. I get bored very easily, and have always felt as if coloring my hair would make things a little more exciting. Part of me feels that with every foil, every bottle, every drip of hairdye, I'm changing myself for the better. Shallow, perhaps, but I like to think of it this way: your hair is an outfit you have to wear EVERY DAY. You need to love it. Feel good with it. It has to flatter your face and fit your personality - if it doesn't, you feel like something is...off. It's impossible to be in a good mood with bad hair.

Ok, so all of that said, my hair has seen quite a few colors this summer. After doing the box thing for months, I decided to haul my cheap self into a salon and get REAL color. Sure, it was expensive and time-consuming, but the colorist had to undo months of crappy color that I had inflicted on myself. Salon #1: took 5 hours and hundreds of dollars, but the redness of Natural Instincts Spiced Tea was officially gone.

Back to medium brunette. Now what? I felt boring. I felt like I blended in. I felt blah and unattractive. Highlights were calling my name. I spent a week scouting out inspirationalyet realistic pictures from magazines and Victoria's Secret catalogs. Time for salon #2 (I'm a salon whore - rarely go to the same one twice). Armed with pictures of Shenae Grimes - who, by the way, I think might be 15 years old but has unbelievably gorge hair - I told my colorist I wanted soft caramel or honey highlights for an overall lighter look. An hour later, I sat there with fine stripes of Big Bird yellow throughout my hair. Another day, another color screw-up. F me.

Instead of buying a box to conceal my streaks, I decided not to be stupid. I went about my daily business and waited for them to somehow blend together and look half decent. They never did. That's when I called Cutler, a NYC salon I read a lot about on CitySearch, to once and for all, give me a decent head of highlights. Prices weren't too extreme, but the reviews were glowing, so I knew this would be a good match for me. My colorist here miraculously made me much lighter - a feat no other colorist has attempted successfully - however, my hair was flirting more with the strawberry/reddish blonde family than the light honey brown one. 

I was only half happy with the results. Look, my skin is pink. I'm slightly freckled. Combine the two and essentially, my hair matched my skin, which is not a pretty picture. Again, I waited it out and hoped the color would "grow on me" because, let's face it, it was a big change, but it wasn't necessarily an ugly color. However, the turning point for me happened yesterday at around 2PM on a sunny Brooklyn street, as I was going about my daily business.

A-hole, early 20s: Hey, sexy!
Me: (no response)
A-hole, early 20s: Yo, redhead, over here!
Me: (no response. getting annoyed. Is he making fun of me?)
A-hole, early 20s: Hey, firecrotch, I'm TALKIN to you!

It was at that point I re-routed to the nearest CVS and bought myself the ashiest damn boxcolor I could find in an attempt to get rid of all evidence I might indeed be a firecrotch (I cringe as I type that). I knew that Natural Instincts, being a semi-permanent color, washes out in 24 shampoos, and tends to not produce a dramatic color like other dyes would, so I grabbed a box in Tweed, a light ash brown. After ten minutes, the magic potion transformed my light copper highlights into a less, uh, attention-getting light brown. I'm not as light as I would have liked to be, so I'm heading back to the store to pick up some Prell today - the stuff works wonders for fading too-dark haircolor. 

Will I ever be 100% happy with my haircolor? Doubtful, seeing as how I'm this color chameleon. But at this point in my life, all I want is to a) not look like Big Bird, b) not look like a zebra, and c)not be called firecrotch. I don' t think that's too much to ask.