Allure's Best of Beauty 2011

Fall is my favorite season! It’s a time of new beginnings, red foliage, cider, holidays, and cozy fall fashion (in Austin it won’t actually get cold enough to wear it until December, if we’re lucky, but we still get to admire it in shops).

Of all my favorite things there is one that is like Christmas and my birthday rolled into one – Allure’s Best of Beauty. Every year the editors at Allure test thousands of products, select their favorites in a range of categories and then publish the results in an amazing October issue! Awards are given in the following categories: eyes, lips, skin, nails, base (foundations, concealers, primers…), hair, scent, tools and a couple of smaller categories (sensitive skin, top splurges, natural wonders and guys’ stuff). There are also articles about the Hall of Fame, Breakthroughs and Cheap Thrills.

I spend as much time as possible delaying the gratification of reading the awards section – I read the entire magazine before I go there – and then spend hours examining the awards, looking at the gorgeous pictures and thinking about which products I’m going to try first. Can’t imagine anything better to do on a quiet Sunday morning like yesterday…

Check it out for yourself here and let me know which products get your seal of approval and which ones you can’t wait to try! I’ll write my own post about it this week.

Fundamental makeup brushes - recommended brands

Several makeup brands offer great brushes. As you can see from my last post, I managed to collect my makeup brushes from 6 different brands (and that’s before I explored my drawers and found 3 others…). Depending on your needs and level of investment you’re willing to make, here are three brands that are good across the board!

$ Sonia Kashuk Tools – everyone who has spent some time perusing the beauty aisles at Target knows these soft brushes. They are favorites of magazine editors and women everywhere. You really can’t go wroing - great quality at a great price.

$$ Sephora Collection Classic Brushes – Sephora is the ultimate makeup wonderland. The store’s brand products and tools are a good starting point. The selection is impressive and many of their brushes are double-sided, which I really appreciate.

$$$ MAC Brushes – These are the standard. I dare you to find a serious makeup artist that isn’t carrying at least one of these. Top quality, huge selection, every need covered. Follow the link to their interactive brush finder. Select your need from the menu on the right and have fun with the combinations!

Fundamental makeup brushes

The previous post (where I talked about the eyeliner brush that changed my life) got me thinking about brushes. If you’ve ever seen a makeup artist operate, you know that they can use 20 different brushes while doing one person’s makeup. It makes you wonder, “Do I really need all that?”. The answer is, probably not.

What are the basic brushes you should have in your set, if you’re trying to create a natural no makeup look? Here’s my list of “can’t imagine living without them” brushes. Depending on the brand they’ll have slightly different names but you’ll be able to recognize them nonetheless:

1. Large fluffy powder brush

Honestly, you can’t apply powder in a natural way without a brush like this. This one is an absolute must have. Use it to set your makeup with a little powder, to apply bronzer or powder blush (I like to do that with a big brush) and to give a good once over blending when you’re done. It’s the ultimate multi-tasking brush.

2. Medium sized eyeshadow brush

When I first applied eyeshadow with a decent brush, I knew I’d never go back. This brush allows you to apply your allover color and it is small enough to that it will work on the crease as well. I also use it to blend all eyeshadow colors together and eliminate any hard edges. I must have another 5 eyeshadow brushes - different sizes, shapes, tightness of bristles - but I use this one 90% of the time.

3. Pointy eyeliner brush (bonus points if double-sided with smudge brush on other side)

It was the subject of a recent post and it was the reason I started thinking about basic brushes in the first place. I love it because it turns my entire eyeshadow collection into eyeliners. I can use it dry or wet, I can draw anything detailed, I can smudge pencil eyeliner, I can use it for gel eyeliner… Endless possibilities.

Those 3 brushes are my essentials, come rain or shine, at home or on the road, whatever style of makeup I’m wearing. I’ve got an additional 3 that depend on day, need, mood and product.

4. Mineral foundation brush

If I happen to apply mineral foundation rather than a tinted moisturizer, I’m going to need one of these. They’re sturdier than a fluffy powder brush and they are much better at achieving the buffing effect needed.

5. Liquid foundation brush (synthetic bristles)

Definitely less essential … I don’t *need* a foundation brush but I admit it achieves a beautiful effect and it’s easy to use. I wouldn’t carry it with me if I were traveling, I’d just use my fingers. Choose a synthetic one that isn’t porous, picks up the right amount of product and is easy to clean.

6. Small concealer brush (synthetic bristles)

I’ve seen two essential styles for concealer brushes – one is a larger brush meant to create a more “airbrushed” result and another one is a small pointy brush meant to reach inner corners of eyes and cover pimples or other imperfections very carefully. While I’m all about the airbrush, I find that I achieve that well enough with my fingers, so I rely on my concealer brush for detail work. Again, I could live without this on a desert island or most occasions, really. : )

1 to 6, left to right (just noticed that all my brushes are from different brands!)

What are the brushes you can’t live without??

One brush = endless eyeliner options - pic

I took this pic right after I wrote the previous post but never got around to sharing it.

So here's the effect I achieved using the Stila's wondeful brush and the darker shade of L'Oréal's HIP concentrated shadow duo in Dynamic - a beautiful metallic antique gold and a shimmery dark olive bronze. It doesn't really qualify as a forgotten eyeshadow because I actually use it a lot.

I got my bonus points by smudging it and I achieved a very natural look with a just a hint of color. I left my lashes bare so the eyeliner effect was clearer in this photo, but would normally have added mascara.

One brush = endless eyeliner options

While my goal is to pretend that I’m not wearing any makeup and just look naturally polished, eyeliner is my weakness and the only place where I get a little “showy”. We’ve established that in my previous three posts about different levels of eyeliner intensity, especially in that last one (read all about it here).

Eyeliner pencils are great but my eyeliner philosophy was greatly augmented when I discovered this magic brush – Stila #28 Smudge Pot Brush. On one end it’s a pointy (rather than flat) eyeliner brush and on the other end it’s a tightly packed smudge brush.

Though it was designed to be worn with Stila’s Smudge Pots (and I’ll surely write a post about them at some point), the really interesting thing is that you can use it to turn just about any eyeshadow into gorgeous, custom eyeliner!

Start slow and easy and pick up any basic old eyeshadow that you haven’t used in a while. Maybe it’s a basic brown that you’re not crazy about because it doesn’t go on evenly or a forest green that you bought after reading about it in a magazine, but can’t imagine wearing it all over your lid. Find it and let's get started!

Now dampen the pointy side slightly with tap water, wiggle it in the eyeshadow a couple of times and carefully draw a line as close to your eyelashes as possible. Pick up more eyeshadow if needed until you’ve completed both eyes. If you are worried that you’re not enough of an “artiste” to make this work, let it go. It’s honestly super easy and forgiving, nothing like liquid eyeliner.

You can leave it at that or turn the brush around and use the other side to slightly smudge the line. When you’re done admire your work and then go unearth all the forgotten eye shadows you can think of – you have just breathed new life into your eyeliner options!

  XQ2RU7SDRR6S

Eyeliner pencil – intensity 3

Well, once we go into eyeliner intensity 3 we are straying a little from our “no makeup look” ideals, but it’s worth it. Check intensity 1 and 2 for more natural styles and stick around for the heightened and smokin’ version of just eyeliner, as we line the inner rim of eye. I like this slightly disheveled and bohemian approach to eyeliner and enjoy sporting it in the evenings and even during the day on the weekends.

Start by adding concealer to dark circles and to the lid itself. Use something like bareMinerals Well Rested (check out my post about it here) or a creamier concealer applied with a brush and set with a little bit of powder. 

Now that the canvas is ready, take a kohl eyeliner such as Lancôme’sLe Crayon Khol in Brun or Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero (a really inky and black liner) and sharpen it slightly so that you expose untouched product. Using your finger pull your lower lid down and show the inside rim. Line the inside rim of your eyes, both on the bottom rim and upper rim. Blink a few times and repeat the lining process.

For extra bonus run the pencil over the roots of lower lashes, working it in carefully. Do the same at the roots of the upper lashes, working from the top. Once you’re done, take a q-tip and smudge any excess around the roots of the lashes.

Add mascara and go show off this smoldering look!

Some people express concern over lining the inside of the eye – is it safe? Run a search online and you’ll find pros and cons. I’ve done it all my life, and though I’m a contact lenses wearer, I’ve never had any trouble. Here are a few tips that have helped me stay that way. Wash your hands with soap. Then sharpen your eyeliner slightly to expose new, clean surface. Don’t share eyeliners and discard if yours comes in contact with any kind of eye infection. Lastly, be careful when applying so you don’t accidentally scratch your eye (this is really not the makeup technique for a moving car…). If you wear contact lenses, you may notice a small amount of product accumulating on the edges of the lens. Remove and clean if it feels uncomfortable, and always clean extra well when you take them off at the end of the day.

Er... no makeup toes?

Ah, we finally come to the exception that confirms the rule! I love a beautiful pedicure and can’t imagine going the no makeup way on my toes. Depending on the time of the year and my mood, I pick from 3 different types of nail polish: brights, darks and neutrals.

Brights: when it’s hot outside my toes scream for brights. I love a dazzling red like Essie’s Lollipop. This type of highly pigmented colors requires a base coat and extra care upon removal (yep, go ahead and do a second round with a new cotton pad drenched in nail polish remover so that your cuticles regain their natural color…). While I love these colors they’re higher maintenance than I’d like so I tend to alternate with easier to apply and longer lasting neutrals.

Darks: so chic, so edgy, such great contrast! While I love a classic burgundy, these past months I’ve been drawn to dark browns and greys. My recent discovery and current favorite is Sally Hanson’s Tyin’ the Knot! The color is a shimmering warm pewter that goes with everything and lasts forever.

Neutrals: thought the above categories are great, neutrals remain my favorites. I love effortless metallics with a hint of shimmer that don’t require base or top coats, brush on evenly and look great with just one coat if I’m in a hurry. They also come clean with just one swipe of nail polish remover. Truly easy peasy!

3 neutral favorites:

Gold/bronze – Sally Hansen Salon Complete Manicure in Gilty Pleasure. Beautiful, understated color that looks great with olive skin. Recurrently admired on my toes, I’ve started giving bottles of this polish away to family and friends.

Silver – Milani Nail Lacquer in Ms. Milani. It is a gorgeous color described at the Milani website as “chromed silver gold”. If that doesn’t make you want to see it on your toes, check for a pulse. : ) It’s warm, flattering and easy to wear. It goes with both my gold sandals and my grey peep toes, and that’s a feat!

White – Borghese Nail Lacquer Vernis in Luna Pearl. I absolutely love this color but it’s apparently no longer available for sale (except on eBay, where you can find just about anything if you search carefully enough). I tried many pearly whites until I found the right one, with just enough warmth mixed in. It was the nail polish I wore on my toes at my wedding! A similar shade would be Essie’s Show Me The Ring (which I guess would have been even more appropriate at a wedding). I love how clean and distinguished it looks on my toes.

Makeup Artist crush: Laura Mercier

If I could have a makeup artist come to the house every morning and prep me for the day, it would be Laura Mercier. I know that I would leave the house looking just like myself, only a 100 times better! People would stop me in the street to comment on my fairy tale complexion! (you just got a glimpse into my weird fantasy life…)

A lot of makeup artists concentrate on delivering wow, being creative and modern. I respect how that would be great for a lot of people, for celebrities on the red carpet and just for fun on magazines. Laura Mercier has a different approach – she focuses on flawless skin and a natural effect. I hate to say something as cliché as this, but she is a quintessential French woman in that aspect, and understands that looking great is very different from looking made-up.

Naturally, her makeup line has that same goal of creating perfect skin and bringing out natural beauty. The large majority of her products are tools for creating beautiful skin – primers, foundations, creamy tinted moisturizers, powders, concealers that combine different colors and textures. I’ve recommended a few on this blog already, and I am sure to recommend at least a couple more. She has recently started a skincare line that I haven’t had the chance to test yet, but look forward to.

So pay her website a visit! Check out her Flawless Facephilosophy and her beautiful looks. Enjoy!

Tamed baby hairs

Maybe your hairline is super clean and there is an easy transition from forehead to normal hair. Maybe your baby hairs are the cute kind, where you pull your hair into a ponytail and have just a few even wisps. If you belong to the above categories, skip this post.

If you have ever struggled with your hairline, keep on reading!

In my case I have unruly baby hairs that stick out in every direction. They also commit a crime that the rest of my hair doesn’t dare! They… frizz. If it’s rainy or very humid, my baby hairs rebel and frizz, which makes me look (and feel) unpolished and a little frazzled. 

While hairlines are mostly unimportant, a frizzy hairline looks really messy even if you can’t single out what’s wrong. Correct it and it becomes unnoticeable again, like it was meant to be in the first place.

If you’ve ever tried to fight this problem with hair products, you’ve probably also found that it’s not easy to control. Hairspray on a toothbrush makes baby hairs stiff, while serum turns them greasy and slick. But there’s a fairly simple solution. Take the same product we used to tame unruly brows, the cheap clear mascara, and run the brush lightly through your baby hairs until they are coated and arranged in a nice way. Clear mascara dries quickly, stays put, adds no gloss or crunch, and does the job.

Perfecting skin – level 2

Skin is of supreme importance to the no makeup look. Like I discussed in the level 1 post of this series, our goals are to achieve a more even tone, less noticeable pores and a finish with a slight glow to it. In level 2 we’re looking for a little more coverage, which will help with the correction of any flaws. The type of product we will talk about is mineral makeup.

Much like millions of women, I am a fan of bareMinerals. When I first heard about it a few years ago I thought it was a marketing gimmick, just a new name for powder makeup, loose instead of pressed into a compact. Then I picked up a small amount of the stuff, rubbed between my fingers and was surprised by the almost creamy, silky texture. I remain a believer to this day.

You can visit their website to choose the right color for you. Stick with the original formula rather than the matte formula to better achieve the luminous finish.

Application is a cinch. Use one of their brushes – I prefer the Full Flawless Face brush – to pick up a small amount of product (less than a penny-sized amount of powder) that you’ve tapped onto the lid of the foundation pot. Swirl the brush around the lid to spread the powder evenly into the brush. Then use the brush to buff your skin using light round motions. There is really no way to go wrong with this technique. Start with just a little bit, take your time with buffing and add more if you feel it’s needed.

Skin looks perfected but entirely natural. Foundation does not settle into fine lines and the gentle buffing makes sure everything looks even. If your skin is oily, finish with hint of pressed or loose powder on your forehead, nose and chin. Two minutes and you’re done!

Natural looking manicure

Nails are an important part of a polished look and very important to me. My dad cares very little about beauty and makeup but always told me it’s the one thing he always notices.  That said, I’m unwilling to spend hours taking care of them. I have written about how I like to buff them but there’s a couple more tricks to it. My goals for beautiful nails are: good shape, clean whites, healthy cuticles and a hint of shine.

Good shape – I like to see nails rather short, with the white edges under 1/10 of an inch (3mm or so for the metric system fans). Find a good proportion to the size of your nail, don’t try to compensate a short nail with an over elongated edge. While there are different nail trends every season – square! Claw shaped! Oval! Squoval! – I have come to realize that my favorite is the one that follows the natural shape of the nail, generally the same as the moon (the lighter semi circle at the base of your nail). Manicurists call it round, but it really depends on the shape of your nail.

File them while they’re dry so they’re less likely break. You don’t need to use those old fashioned grainy paper files that file huge bits at a time. Look for fine grain files at your drugstore and you’ll see that there is a bigger selection than you probably knew of, allowing for more precise filing and less errors.

Clean white edges – 2 words: nail brush. Ok, 1 additional word: regularly. : ) If you notice a little yellowing, you can also slice open a lemon and run your fingernails through the flesh. Keep them there a few minutes (or alternatively, soak them in fresh squeezed lemon juice) to naturally whiten them.

Healthy cuticles – this aspect contributes greatly to beautiful nails and is the hardest one to achieve. Try to keep your hands hydrated, rub a cuticle oil or cream often – I like Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream – and try wearing rubber gloves when doing chores around the house. Avoid cutting your cuticles and try to push them with an orange wood stick or your nails after a shower or bath. Cut only the ones that are sticking out on the sides. I find that leaving my cuticles alone is the best way to keep them healthy and looking neat.

Hint of shine – this brings us back to the buffing post I shared earlier.

Enjoy your beautiful and carefree manicure!

Exfoliating your way to better skin

If beautiful skin is at the heart of the no makeup look, then a great skincare routine needs to be part of it too. I’m sure there will be plenty of posts about skincare in my future. I just love the stuff – pretty bottles, amazing promises, great textures and scents… There’s only one problem: for most products it takes time and patience to see results. I like to say that I have many great qualities. Patience just doesn’t seem to be one of them!

So if you want results and you want them right now, you’re going to love exfoliation! This refers to all the types of products out there that get rid of the dead cells on the outermost layer of skin to give you a brighter and smoother complexion after just one use! Exfoliation can be mechanical – where you use grainy textures, loofahs or any other kind of abrasive – or chemical – where you let fruit enzymes  or acids such as salicylic acid or do the job for you. Both can be gentle or harsh so take the time to find what's right for you. Here are a few of my favorite things!

St. Ives Fresh Skin Invigorating Apricot Scrub – this is a US favorite and best seller. It comes in a decent sized tube or pot, it’s cheap and it does the job. Since it’s a little harsh on the skin (walnut shell is pretty rough) I use it mostly on my chest and back.

Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream – another award-winning favorite! This one is much gentler thanks to its tiny micro-beads and creamy base. Clinique states that you can wear it every day but I recommend that you space it out to whatever makes sense to you (3x a week worked great for me).

Clarisonic Mia Brush – if there is such a thing as love at first scrub, this would probably be it. It’s incredibly gentle and recommended for all types of skin (even people with rosacea) but it’s very effective and pleasurable to use. Clarisonic states that “Mia cleanses so well that products absorb better, pores appear smaller, and fine lines and wrinkles appear reduced.” Use it with a gentle cleanser like Cetaphil and see your skin get better looking every day. Since it’s not that cheap consider it… an investment! “You’re worth it” and all of that! You can get a demo at Sephora and see what all the hype is about.

These were all different types of mechanical exfoliants. Let’s finish up with a chemical one for a little diversity!

Origins Brighter By Nature Brightening Peel with Fruit Acids – these pads are super easy to use. Just take one out of the pot, run it over your face until you’ve hit all the areas and you’re done! Follow with some moisturizer and be sure to wear SPF during the day. Not only will your face be smooth and clear, you should also see some improvement in your sun spots. Win win!

The important thing to remember about exfoliation is not to overdo it. I don’t currently wear all of these, but have had great results with them in the past. Try one of these for your face and see how it behaves before adding anything else. Start by doing it one or two times a week and increase as needed. Also, discuss what’s best for your skin with your dermatologist – they really do know best!

Eyeliner pencil – intensity 2

For this second eyeliner post (see the first one here) we will focus on more definition and a hint of smokiness. Since we are going for a natural effect, I recommend using colors such as brown, grey or black. This application technique is one of the most traditional for eyeliner and is appropriate for most occasions. My favorite product ever, Lancôme’s Le Crayon Khol in Brun (or Black Coffee), is once again the recommended product.

Make sure that your eye pencil is reasonable sharp, pull at the outer corner of the eye to make eyelid taut and carefully draw a fine line from the inner to the outer corner, as close to the eyelashes as possible. Since this is not liquid eyeliner, you don’t have to do it all in one line and can go bit by bit until you’ve lined the whole upper lid.

Don't worry about getting it just perfect because we are about to smudge it. When you’re done drawing the line, run a fingertip over it until the edges are gone. Go sideways rather than up and down, so the eyeliner stays concentrated at the lash line. You can use a q-tip for more control and to clean up any smudges that have strayed too far.

You should have a smoky lash line right now with no hard edges. For extra credit, take your eyeliner and draw a very fine line right at the base of your lashes. Don’t smudge this last line, which should blend beautifully into your slightly wider smudged eyeliner. Add two coats of lengthening mascara and go show off your gorgeous eyes!