Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Ask OutInAPout:
Does the SPF in My Makeup Protect Me?

On my recent post on the new FDA sunscreen regulations, a reader asked a great question. Rather than just posting the answer back in comments (where it's bound to get lost in the shuffle for all but the most devoted readers!) I decided to share my answer with everyone.

Deb asks:

Is it important to wear [sunscreen] on the face? I wear mineral makeup that has titanium dioxide and zinc oxide in the base but there, of course, is no exact protection number for that.

My answer:

In short, yes, you definitely do need to wear sunscreen on your face in addition to your makeup.

As you mentioned, many mineral makeup companies do not label their makeup with an SPF, presumably because the cost of testing sun protection ratings for FDA approval can cost up to $25,000. There are, however, tons of products from larger companies- from bronzer to liquid foundation- that do boast an SPF. In either case, makeup shouldn't be relied upon for its sun protection because the typical user doesn't apply nearly enough product to benefit from the protection the product advertises.

In the case of mineral makeup (or any other powder sunscreen), you'd have to wear about 1.2 grams on your face to get the SPF stated on the product's label. To put that in perspective, you'd have to use about 1/6th of an ENTIRE JAR of your average mineral makeup every time you apply to get the correct coverage. According to cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Leslie Baumann, the average woman applies only 0.085 grams at a time, so you'd have to put on 14 times the normal amount! Ick!

Even though Deb's question pertained to mineral makeup, I do want to point out that the same issue exists for liquid foundations. According to Baumann, "SPF on the label of a...facial foundation is not an accurate reflection of how much sun protection these products offer. This is because the average person applies much less sunscreen product than is used in FDA testing".

Chances are, the idea of layering on even twice the foundation (let alone 14 times the amount!) probably doesn't sound like a great solution, so before you apply your makeup, make sure you apply a broad spectrum sunscreen. I like CeraVe AM; you can read my review about it here. Thanks for the question Deb, and keep them coming!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

This Week's Sales:
blinc, Cosmedicine, Tweezerman & More!

Monday: Designer Fragrances for Men
Wednesday: Whitening Lightening

Ends Wednesday: Designer Fragrances
Starts Monday: Tweezerman

If you're not a member yet, click here for an invite and we can both earn a £10 voucher!

HauteLook
Monday: blinc, Cosmedicine
Tuesday: Pixi & Pop
Wednesday: TruDerma, Senna Cosmetics

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation: Sneak Peek!

Illamasqua's newest addition to their coveted foundation range, Skin Base Foundation, is a western approach to the ever-expanding market of Asian BB Creams. Designed to be a one stop shop for skin perfection, Skin Base performs as primer, foundation and concealer with skin care benefits to boot!

One major innovation that Illamasqua has brought to the realm of BB creams is an impressive shade range. While BB creams notoriously come in just a few shades (most best suited to light-medium skin tones) Skin Base Foundation comes in a range of 18 shades, from pure white to a deep, neutral ebony.

Yesterday I was thrilled to find a little black envelope in my mail with 3 shades of the new Skin Base Foundations to test. I'll be wearing them a bit more before I render my final judgement, but for now, here are some swatches to give you an idea of what the buzz is all about!

From left to right (starting with the bottom most shade) these are shades 04 (Yellow/Pink Undertone), 03 (Yellow Undertone) and 02 (Pink Undertone). These, in case you can't tell, are heavily swatched and unblended. The magic with these is the ease in blending- the undertones are much more subtle when applied normally than they look in this photo. For instance, despite 02's pink undertones, when blended it's a great match for my fair neutral skin.

As much as I want to start sharing all I have about these, I'm going to reserve my thoughts for a full review- keep an eye on the site in the next week to see what I really think about Illamasqua's Skin Base Foundation.

Monday, June 20, 2011

New FDA Sunscreen Guidelines
and a Quick Tip:
How to Make Sure You’re Protected

Last week, the FDA announced new labeling guidelines for sunscreens in the US designed to help ensure that consumers are clear about the sun protection they're getting. Currently, sunscreen has is rated by SPF, which involves only protection from the sun's UVB (burning) rays, and largely ignores UVA rays, which contribute to skin cancer and are responsible for the aging effects of the sun. Though we may see updated labels sooner, by summer 2012 sunscreens labeled "Broad Spectrum" (a term that was, up until now, unregulated) will be required to pass a procedure to measure the product's UVA protection relative to its UVB protection.

Also soon a thing of the past: the terms "waterproof, "sweatproof" and "sunblock". According to the FDA, these terms overstate the effectiveness of such products. Likewise, the FDA is also proposing regulations that would cap SPF ratings at "SPF 50+". According to the FDA, there is not sufficient data to conclude that products with SPF values higher than 50 provide additional protection.

Until new regulations take effect, make sure you're using a true broad spectrum sunscreen. In combination with UVB protectants (homosalate, octyl methoxycinnamate, and oxybenzone are commonly used) one or more of the following UVA absorbers should be listed under "active ingredients":
  • avobenzone (aka. Parsol 1789 or butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane)
  • ecamsule (Mexoryl)
  • titanium dioxide
  • zinc oxide
  • Tinosorb (only available outside of the US)
Of course, the best sunscreen in the world isn't going to protect you if you don't use it correctly. Here's a quick tip to make sure you're protected. You've probably heard that one shot glass full of sunscreen is the necessary dosage for the average body. This means one ounce, applied every two hours (or more often if you're swimming or perspiring).

To make sure you're using enough product without literally toting a shot glass to the beach, take a look at the ounceage on your bottle of sunscreen and multiply it by two so you can see how long the bottle should last you. For instance, an 8oz bottle of sunscreen only provides enough product to protect one person for about 16 hours- less than 2 full days in the sun. If it lasts longer, you're not using enough! My last piece of advice: buy cheap, use lots, and stay safe!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

This Week's Sales:
Illamasqua 48 Hour Sale, YSL Friends & Family,
Creed Fragrances and more!

e.l.f.
50% off Studio orders $25 and over. Use code STUDIO50 at checkout. Palettes excluded. Offer ends Monday, June 27th.

Illamasqua
For two days only, use code JUNE48 and get 20% off of your entire order. Offer ends 11:59 pm GMT (7:59 pm EDT) on Wednesday June 22nd, 2011.

Create your own kit for just $35. Choose one of ten shades of Limitless Lip Gloss, one of eight Limitless Eye Liners & a black or blue Bionic mascara and Smashbox will pack them all up for you in a handy zip-up makeup bag. Everything is full size, so you save over 40% off of retail (plus the free bag!)

Take 35% off the complete Sonya Dakar Skin Care collection online, now through Tuesday, June 28th. Enter promo code PR/SSS0611 at checkout.

Yves Saint Laurent
Get 20% off (and free shipping on orders over $75) with the YSL's Friends and Family event, now through June 26th. Use code FRIENDS at checkout.

Monday: Clinique
Tuesday: Navajo Skincare
Wednesday: Women's Designer Fragrances
Thursday: Exuberance Beauty
Friday: Creed Fragrances

Tuesday: La Compagnie De Provence

If you're not a member yet, click here for an invite and we can both earn a £10 voucher!

Wednesday: Clarins, Tria Beauty

Monday: TanTowel, Actifirm
Tuesday: Luminess Air
Wednesday: Nutra Luxe MD
Thursday: bellapierre, Anthony Morrison Hair Care
Friday: Pamper Your Baby, Belvada

Tuesday: PangeaOrganics.com (and I have to mention Tarina Tarantino, even though it's jewelry and not cosmetics, because it's so supercute!)

Monday: MyFaceWorks
Monday: Bubalina, Kimiko Beauty, Comptoir Sud Pacifique (Vanille Pineapple is a summer favorite of mine!)

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Fancy Fingers Weekend Giveaway!
Winner Announced!

Congrats to Shabby makeup who won the giveaway, and thanks to all who entered and tweeted! I have a few more giveaways planned soon, so stay tuned!


Thanks to Broadway Nails and Kiss USA, I have a tidy little set of nail goodies to give away. I've been holding on to them for something special, but today I decided, every day is special if we make it so, thus, why wait? This 7 piece giveaway includes 2 pairs of Broadway Nail Dress wraps, a set of 3 nail paints, 2 packages of nail art stickers, a pack of stick-on rhinestones and a set of 2 Fine Art Pens. I used the white pen to do what my three-year-old decided were "firefly" dots on her toes:

Super-cute huh? Anyway, here's what you need to know:
  • Contest will run today, Friday June 10th and will end at Midnight EDT this Monday, June 13th.
  • You must be a follower of this blog. It's easy- just click the little button with the colorful "g"!
  • Contest is open internationally, pursuant to the rules & regulations of your individual place of residence.
  • To enter, leave a comment on this entry, saying pretty much anything you want. No "enter me please" comments though...make it a little more personal. Tell me your plans for the weekend, your dream date, your cat's name, whatevs...and make sure you leave an email address where I can contact you :)
  • One comment/entry per person, please...additional comments will be deleted.
  • You may earn ONE extra entry by tweeting the following: Happy Weekend! Visit http://bit.ly/FSCWK and enter to win a #fancyfingers prize pack from @outinapout!
  • Winner will be chosen at random and announced by noon EDT on Tuesday, June 14th. Winner will have until midnight EDT on Thursday, June 16th to claim their prize. If the winner fails to respond in time, an alternate winner will be selected, with 48 hours to claim their prize.
So there you have it- good luck to all!

The products featured in this contest were submitted for promotional consideration by a representative of the company. What does this mean? I didn't pay for them. My commitment is to you- my readers- and to myself (it's called integrity, I like to have it). Products included in giveaway do not necessarily imply endorsement by myself, unless implicitly stated.

Monday, June 13, 2011

This Week's Sales:
Bare Escentuals & Philosophy Friends & Family, Supergoop, Temptu...and more!

Bare Escentuals Friends & Family
Get 20% off this Thursday, June 16, 2011 through Sunday, June 19, 2011 (ends 11:59 pm PDT) at Bare Escentuals boutiques in the U.S.A as well as BareEscentuals.com and mdformulations.com only. Use coupon code LOVE at checkout.

Wednesday, June 15th at 1AM EST. Not exactly a sale, per se, but there will be exclusive sets offered, like a full-size set of 3 Aqua Eyes liners for $34 (that's about 37% off!)

Philosophy Friends & Family:
25% off all orders through June 16, 2011 with code philosophy25

Monday: Sea Tone
Thursday: Designer Fragrances for Him, Beauty Boutique feat. Lancome, MAC, Smashbox, Urban Decay, Philosophy & more.

Tuesday: Rio Salon Solutions

If you're not a member yet, click here for an invite and we can both earn a £10 voucher!

Tuesday: Temptu Retouch

HauteLook
Monday: Carol's Daughter
Tuesday: Smashbox (select items from the even will be available to Facebook fans starting Monday at 12 PM PST)
Wednesday: 360 Skincare, Ginger & Liz Colour Collection
Thursday: Rock & Republic Beauty
Friday: Beauty Gadget Event

Monday: DermaNew

Friday: Corioliss

Tuesday: Supergoop

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Crackling Surf Nails

Though I didn't buy anything from MAC's recent Surf Baby collection, seeing the beachy summer mix of aqua, coral and shimmery golden shades did inspire me to bust out some similar shades on my nails. I've also been meaning to do something with my China Glaze Crackle Glaze, so this was perfect!

I started with a 2 coats of Revlon Siren. It's a limited edition from the Fire and Ice collection that I was lucky enough to win on Twitter last fall. I'm so glad I did- I likely would have passed it up in the store, but it's a great creamy saffron color that has great opaque two-coat coverage. I also adore the vintage bottle- it reminds me of a 1950's Barbie!

For my second step, I decided it might be a fun contrast to the rather matte finish of the Crackle if there was a little glitz peeking out, so I painted on 2 coats of China Glaze Golden Enchantment, which is clear with fine, golden holographic glitter.

I really liked the way this looked, and was tempted to leave it without the Crackle for a few days, but in the end my vision in blue won out, so I went ahead and topped it all off with a coat of China Glaze Crushed Candy, a pastel aqua shade of Crackle Glaze. Here's the finished look:

So what do you think? I'll be honest- I was bummed that there wasn't more of the orange and sparks combo showing through the crackle because it was so stunning on it's own. China Glaze says that a thin layer of crackle results in a smaller crackle, where are a thick coat will result in larger fissures. Try as I might, though, I just can't seem to replicate the nice piecey crosshatch pattern we see in all of the promotional pics. Oh well, I guess that's part of the fun with these types of polish- you never quite know what you're going to end up with!

Monday, June 6, 2011

This Week's Sales:
Lancome, Benefit, Urban Decay & More!

Monday June 6th: Lancome


Ends Tuesday: Designer Cosmetics featuring Benefit, Stila, Couleur Caramel & more.
Starts Tuesday: Rose & Co.

If you're not a member yet, click here for an invite and we can both earn a £10 voucher!

Monday: Urban Decay
Tuesday: FHI Heat & Olivina
Wednesday: 29 Cosmetics
Thursday: Valera Haircare Appliances & Terax Hair Care

Ends Tuesday: Tweezerman, Upper Canada Soap, Lava Flo, Beauty Must Haves featuring 360 Skincare, Biotherm, Boom! by Cindy Joseph and more.

Ends Tuesday: Bodyography, My True Nature

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Product Review:
Crazy Rumors Lip Balms

I have dry skin, so I'm always on the lookout for a great lip balm. When the folks at Crazy Rumors offered to let me try some of their Fresh Squeezed balm how could I resist?

As some of you may surmise, I'm picky when it comes to skincare- and lip balm is no exception. So I was thrilled when I looked at the ingredient list on my Pink Grapefruit Juice balm and found tons of skin friendly ingredients. Skin-identical jojoba and olive oils and shea butter add moisture and help to reinforce the skin's protective lipid barrier. The olive oil and shea butter, along with vitamin E, also provide antioxidants to protect against environmental damage. Also of note is what the balm doesn't include- annoying irritants like peppermint, menthol or camphor. Crazy Rumor balms are cruelty free and vegan too, for those of you who keep track of such things!

I love the way Crazy Rumors balm feels on my lips- it's the kind of balm you want to keep applying all day because it's just so soothing. It applies easily- the balance of oil and wax is perfect and allows the balm glide on easily without feeling overly greasy or at all waxy. The flavor is lightly sweet and very subtle (almost more scented than flavored, in my opinion) and comes in TONS of varieties- from the Fresh Squeezed that I tried to ice cream & tea inspired. The finish is moist but not shiny- so even your best guy can get in on the goods. Best of all- at just $3.49, Crazy Rumors is a totally reasonable indulgence!

As if finding a great balm isn't exciting enough, Crazy Rumors is offering 15% off all orders now through June 15th, just use the code FRESH at checkout! Have you tried Crazy Rumors yet? I'd love to try the HibisKiss lip colors, and just about all of the flavors sound super yummy!

The products featured in this post were submitted for review consideration by a representative of the company. What does this mean? I didn't pay for it. My commitment is to you- my readers- and to myself (it's called integrity, I like to have it). The opinions expressed in my product reviews are my own, based on my own research and experience; I am not paid in any way nor is the final outcome of the review influenced by the featured company.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...