The Beauty Sleuth

Recently, I have been thrilled to see more and more of my all time favorite models gracing the pages of many well-heeled magazines. I admit to being a product of the 90’s, but I came up in the fashion/beauty business when there were these über-beings called Super Models. While they were not your typical super being, you know the kind that buzz around cities, saving people and such, they definitely had a major effect on how we women felt about ourselves. They came in many shapes and sizes, from reed thin and tiny (think Kate Moss) to curvy like Cindy Crawford or long, lean and athletic like Naomi Campbell to name a few. It made us feel like we could fit in somewhere and in almost every magazine, you could find a model you could identify with.

It was also a time when photographers like Herb Ritts, Peter Lindberg and Matthew Rolston were really kicking it big time and created some of the best fashion moments of that era. Liz Tilberis was at the helm of Harpers Bazaar and Fabian Baron was blowing us away with his vision, showing us what true innovative creative direction was all about. It was the time of U2 rocking it and musicians like Axel Rose starting the new again trend of model + rocker ( but I am not really sure that trend ever went out away) by making it a point to date the hottest Super model of the lot, Stephanie Seymour. On the flip side, Cindy went for the suave and eternally handsome, Richard Gere and they became the IT couple of that decade. Oh, but I am waxing poetic of an era long gone, because nowadays, its all about the Celebrity of the Moment. I am using this term very loosely here. While there are legitimate celebrities around promoting fashion and beauty brands, we are currently being inundated with quasi-celebs who are capitalizing on the current IQ of television and promoting reality show road kill. Personally, I detest having it all shoved down my throat at every corner. But I digress.

I want to celebrate seeing Christy Turlington in a recent Italian Vogue edition, and also seen as model for several high end fashion brands—She looked as she always does, perfect, serene and just amazing. Eva Herzigova as herself for Janet & Janet, and Helena Christiansen in English Elle editorial and advertising, looking as dark and mysterious and just plain sexy. It made me happy to see the girls in these magazines— it offered my eyes and brain a break from the usual celebu-fodder I see everywhere. I know I sound like I don’t like them. I do, I really do. But I think there is a place for actors and celebrity folk. Like in movies or on a TV show or something more visceral, like a stage. Leave the glossy pages of women’s fashion to the models and give them some room for a new breed of Super Model to emerge. They work hard for it and deserve their own place to shine. It’s about time they had their stage back.
Here’s to the Super Model!

Ashleigh Ciucci, the dynamo behind Black Haired Sis, shares one of her favorite beauty items: “I DIE for this spray toner. Kerstin Florian’s aromatherapy neroli water soothes with bitter orange flower water and the scent is reminiscent of star jasmine. I stock it in my makeup kit and my medicine cabinet!”

Ashleigh Ciucci / Makeup Artist
BlackHairedsis.com

One trend you’ll see coming this Fall, (as seen at the Miu Miu F/W 11 show) are happy, sugared almond color eye shadow. At Miu Miu, at the show and for the ad campaign, the models are seen wearing bright Kelly green and vivid violet around the eye. Kind of a pastel Panda eye look, that went all the way to the (non)existent brow area. The texture had a matte, velvety look with lots of black mascara on the upper and lower lashes. To finish: a hint of pale rose hue for the cheeks and lips.
The noticeable absence of an eye brow made the models look kind of alien-like and was the only thing I didn’t think translated well for the real woman on the street, but if the brows are kept light and feathery ( brush with a small children’s toothbrush coated with hairspray to keep them in place) the look will be easy to recreate.

There are several brands to choose from so I have compiled a few items to make things even easier. Like all the recommendations on this site, I test drive every product and only select the items I feel stand up to my standards. Here are my choices for creating this hot of the runway look for Fall 2010:

Eyes-
NARS liner in Parrot Cay, $20.00 and eye shadow single in lavender,$26.00
Smashbox limitless eye liner in Black Violette, $19.00
Make Up For Ever’s Aqua color crème color in #19 Purple, $22.00
Make Up Forever Light green and lilac matte eye shadow singles, $19.00 each
MAC eye shadow singles in Sassy Grass and Swimming, $14.50
Face Stockholm Matte eye shadow in Skön, Foolish and Demanding, $20.00
A healthy lashing of Dior’s DIORSHOW mascara, $24.00 or Lancome HYPNÔSE DRAMA , $24.50

Cheeks:
Benefit Dandelion Pink Powder, $28.00
Jouer Mineral Powder Blush in Blossom, $24.00
Smash Box Blush Rush in Chiffon, $24.00
Bobbi Brown Blush in Pale Pink, $22.00

For Lips:
Jouer Hydrating Lipstick in Meredith or Gigi, $22.00
Chanel Aqualumiére Sheer color shine in Montega, $28.50

Now that you’ve got the list in hand, go to those makeup counters, armed and ready, ladies and get your Candy girl look on. It puts a smile on my face just thinking about it!

I was doing an advertising shoot today with Brazilian beauty and funnygirl, Pricilla Monroe and took the opportunity to test drive Redken’s Wax Blast (http://www.redken.com/products/styling/texture/wax-blast-10)
It had been a bit of a long-ish day and her hair was showing signs of wear and fatigue. I had wanted to get just a little bit more texture and volume on her hair, which was quite long (she was in need of a cut and some layers as it had grown out a lot since we’d last worked together) for our final shot of the day. I sprayed a light coating of this aerosol -spray wax all through her hair and gently finger teased the roots back to life. I was really amazed with the results. Not only did her hair look amazingly voluminous but it had a wonderful texture and sheen as well. Bonus was it held even with the set fan blowing it around.

My only regret?? That I didn’t pull out this can of wonder at the beginning of the day. I can only imagine what fun we could have had! But not to worry, I have Pricilla back with me tomorrow for another day and we have agreed that I will Wax Blast away right from the start of our day. I would show you pics but I can’t, as these images won’t run until Christmas, but I wouldn’t wait til then to give this a test drive of your own. You won’t be disappointed, Promise!

Oh, Beyoncé, you know how much we all love you. That face, those lips… we covet them! And now, we can all have a little bit of you ( well, not really, but via your favorite lip color, Beyoncé’s Red from L’Oreal’s  Infallible Never Fail Lipcolour Compacts collection.)

It’s a great shade of red— Not too blue, not too orange, it seems just Right!

Now, I have to confess that I have not personally tested this product, so I really can’t say if it does what it says it does but I would be willing to give it a whirl and at $10 bucks for two tubes (one color, one top coat all housed in a snazzy, canister with mirror) it’s a pretty sweet deal.

You can see Ms. Knowles here, in her new commercial spot for L’Oreal. I for one, thinks she’s looking pretty gorgeous.

It been pretty hot these days, and if you live anywhere from the Midwest to the East Coast, you really know what I am talking about. Living in New York, I have gotten used to the upper 80’s + 95 % humidity as a regular summer time occurrence but when the mercury busts out over  the 100 degree mark and has a total humidity meltdown, it becomes just too much! Not only do I feel like I am a puddle of sweat the minute I hit the streets but my hair seems way BEYOND control.  In desperation, I turned to a few of my fabulous beauty pro friends and using the supernova social network system I put out a simple yet pleading S.O.S., asking for recommendations and solutions to getting that  Good Hair Day feeling even in the humid hotbox we call home.  Here’s what the girls had to say:

The very talented shutterbug, Diane Vasil (http://www.dianevasilphotography.com) says: “the only thing that helps me not turn into a totally bushy girl is Sebastian potion #9, Gerald taught me that one..” (She means the wonder hair guru: Gerald De Cock…. )

http://www.folica.com/hair-care/hair-treatments/sebastian-potion-nine-light-five-ounce?s_cid=paffk232270

Brazilian Beauty Danielle Nogueira de Så  being the minimalists and model has this to say: “Rubber band:) it works every time!:) ”

http://www.rickysnyc.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=hair+elastics&x=0&y=0

One of my favorite hair dressers and Green girl, Mara Schiavetti (www.agreenbeauty.com) says this: ” Max Green Alchemy pomade, Wholefoods, or Aveda control paste. xox”

http://www.maxgreenalchemy.com/item–Scalp-Rescue-Pomade–MGAPOM.html

http://www.aveda.com/product/CATEGORY14954/PROD6054/Styling/Texture_Define/index.tmpl?PSID=true&cm_guid=1-_-1000000000000007764

London Makeup maven Kavita Kaul (http://www.kavitakaul.com) thinks: ” Label M – The Toni& Guy range – souffle is brilliant on wet hair for reducing frizz once it’s dry. It’s my secret weapon.”

http://www.labelm.co.uk

Cecilia Parnin’s not a beauty pro but she is a client who LOVES beauty products as much as I do says this: ” I use Burt’s Bee Avocado Pre-shampoo hair treatment as a curl controller. I use it after I wash my hair and leave it in for a deep, deep condition. It controls the frizz and my curls keep their shape. I LOVE it!”

http://www.burtsbees.com/natural-products/hair-treatments/avocado-butter-pre-shampoo-hair-treatment.html

I have been on the hunt for a great liquid eyeliner for as long as I can remember and have tested out so many over the years that I have almost given up on the possibility of one that didn’t involve a serious amount of expertise to use properly. Not to say that my liner application skills fall short, but I am often asked by clients, models and regular people alike for good recommendations and they don’t always have all the makeup artist paraphernalia at their disposal. Recently, with so many catwalk shows featuring the new “Cat’s Eye” liner look this burning question has become an almost weekly query.   I want to be able to recommend something that I know everyone will be able to use easily and without too much one-on-one coaching.  In a perfect world, I want a product that has great pigment, doesn’t smear or flake during wear, and makes application EASY!  My previous experiences with liquid liner in a tube and thin skinny brush applicator is that it makes getting that fine tapered end almost impossible. The brush usually runs dry well before you get the whole eye done and so I usually go back to my handy cake liner ( preferred choice is Make Up For Ever cake liner in Black or deep Charcoal)  and a fine eyeliner brush to create a sharp elongated Sophia Loren eye. Well, my perfect  liner moment may well have arrived because SMASHBOX has created a product to answer all my  (and your) liquid eyeliner needs! Part of the Heart Break Collection, this Liquid Liner Pen ($24.00) resembles a Sharpie more than a traditional eye liner, is an amazing product that makes it so easy to create a perfect line, every time. The taper on this pen is very fine and firm, the pigment stays fluid at the tip so you don’t have any problem of running dry mid-line, making liner mishaps a thing of the past. It dries quickly and does not move until you take it off, so there is no chance of getting, DES otherwise known as  Droopy Eye Syndrome!  It only comes in one color,  Jet Black  (who needs any other color?) which is inky-black and rich. So if you want to give liquid liner a try, I would make this your one and only purchase but do it quick as with all SMASHBOX collections, it’s only available for a short time and then, sadly, it’s Gone, baby, gone. Why do makeup companies torture us in this way, I have NO IDEA, but when and if I find out, I will be sure to tell you!

***** PRODUCT UPDATE: 07/15/10 : I just heard direct from the source that this fabulous liner will be re-introduced as part of a permanent collection in the Spring! You can pick some up at  Sephora, Nordstrom and Beauty.com

And what of the one-one one Makeup lesson? There is always room for one of those, but in this instance, it’s no longer a total necessity!

The Guerilla Stylist recommends: 7 Cream (manuka honey, aloe, avocado, calendula, neem, coconut, and shea butter). All natural, anti-bacterial, regenerating healing cream. Great for the face (but originally formulated for burns). It’s anti-aging, and anti acne at the same time. 🙂 She gets it at: http://www.manukahoneyusa.com/manuka-skin-cream-7-product-info.htm Celine Griscom is the Guerilla Stylist www.guerillastylist.com

Subscribe to The Beauty Sleuth and Win a Sothys“Beauty GardenGiveaway” package including professional skin care products from Sothys worth over $100!

Helianthus and Walnut Shells Exfoliant

• A “GREEN” alternative in skin exfoliation, this delicious face scrub is formulated with walnut shells and sunflower oil for a visibly smoother skin. Soft grains eliminate dead cells, leaving the skin soft and glowing. Price $34

• Floral Water with Angelic and Hawthorn
  • A soft and fresh lotion that’s ideal for completing make-up or mask removal, as well as tone the skin gently and evenly. Price $30

• Milky Body Lotion with Cherry Bud and Lavender
  • A fresh and melting texture for a smooth and quenched skin, this body milk envelops the skin with a veil delicately scented with lavender essential oil. Price $36

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About Tonic
Tonic hair care provides a line of quality, organic, environmentally-friendly products designed to protect hair from nature’s harsh elements. Developed in 2007 by avid surfer Lauren Otonicar, Tonic products cater not only to those who love the outdoors, but to the environment as well. Each product is completely non-toxic, never tested on animals, and free of parabens and sulfate. For more information on Tonic hair products, please visit www.TonicShop.com.