Face: March 2008 Archives

The name of this product reminded me immediately of Stewie from "Family Guy" - remember when he got himself a wonderful tan? As everybody knows, with the tan comes the "tanned person" attitude and Benefit Cosmetics also knows that full well. So, one of their best sellers is this product from the "Girl of Ipanema" collection.

The difference between "Talk to the Tan" and one million other self-tanners out there is that with Benefit's product, the results are immediate and you don't have to wait a few hours just to know if you applied a little bit too much of the self-tanner - you will know right away. Which brings us to the second and probably most important difference: you can wash it off immediately with a cleanser. So, if you start looking like a BBQ'ed chicken, you don't have to look like that for a week!

To apply, you just have to smooth this sheer facial tint evenly over face & neck-colleté for an instant glow.

The price is $26

Nothing wrong with companies headed by men, but it gives my feminist soul a great pleasure to see women succeed in business. Which is the case of The Balm - a company founded and headed by a woman, whose staff includes seven beautiful women, one lucky guy and three dogs (the Chief Pet Officer, the Pet President and the Director of Pets: nice titles!)

I also love their retro-sexy packaging and products.

Today I would like to introduce to you their anti-shine translucent powder with tiny oil-absorbing spheres, "Sexy Mama"..

I am one of those people who won't leave the house without putting mascara on (ok, sometimes I do, but rather unwillingly). Which is to say that I love long, curly, black eyelashes. And that is why I am excited about 2V Mascara from Red Earth Cosmetics (an Australian company whose products are now found around the globe). So, what is special about this mascara?

First of all, the formula contains Carnauba Wax and Beeswax to thicken and lengthen the lashes. When used in eye makeup, these waxes stiffen but do not harden the product to facilitate application. The former, known as the "queen of waxes", is extracted from leaves of a Brazilian plant, Carnauba palm. It also contains sweet Almond Protein that prevents mascara from clumping and ensures smooth application.

Urban Decay are no strangers to progressive trends. All their products are cruelty-free (not tested on animals), many are vegan (not containing animal-based ingredients). So it makes sense that they are on top of their game with another important trend: mineral makeup. Mineral makeup is based on a hypoallergenic loose powder and contains no perfumes, talc, alcohol, dyes, mineral oil or preservatives.

The Loose Pigment eye shadow comes in a range of colors ranging "bold brights to pretty neutrals" and from "Asphyxia" to "Yeyo". (If this doesn't accurately describe the colors to you, check the illustration below).

The powdery-fine shadows are supposed to deliver more intense color than pressed or cream eye shadows...

I'll be frank with you: I am a big fan of both lipstick and ecology. Combine the two and you have my attention (actually, puppies will work, too).

The folks at Cargo Cosmetics did just that: they launched their PlantLove lipstick collection which not only uses natural materials for the product and packaging (resulting in less greenhouse gases), but also promises to donate $2 from each lipstick sold to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital...

I am sure you've heard this opinion before: all those so-called "beautiful people" would not look so beautiful with their makeup washed off. As much as it remains a stereotype, there is some truth to it - I mean, can you imagine how you would look if you had the best products, the best stylists and  all the time in the world to take care of your looks?

Unfortunately, for most of us, this is just not realistic. But there are shortcuts and there's no reason not to use them to your advantage.

Take, for example, the famous "sculpted cheek bone" look, or the slim "model nose". What if we could get them in just a few minutes? Well, now we can...

Stila Cosmetics has recently put on the market a new product that promises "larger eyes, sculpted cheek bones and slimmed-down nose", not to mention a better-defined jaw line - in just ten minutes...