Quick Tip: Choosing the Right Illuminator

If the impending fall/winter season has you scrambling to pick up something to restore your skin's glow, here's something to bear in mind. Despite being touted as skin tone perfectors, many iridescent illuminators and skin brighteners can actually call attention to the very thing you're trying to correct.

If redness in the skin is a concern for you, whether it's something chronic like rosacea or just a few inflamed pimples, be aware that many illuminators (like MAC Strobe Cream, Estee Lauder Spotlight, or Benefit High Beam) have pearly particles that will actually emphasize red or pink tones in the skin. While they might be a great choice for brightening some skin tones, putting this type of opalescent shade on skin that it already plagued with redness is likely to bring about a glow that's more stoplight than spotlight. Many moisturizers that are billed as "luminous" also have this added pigment. While this red cast is quite apparent in some products, it's much more subtle in others. If you're not sure, put a good sized dab in the palm of you hands and rub it it. The particles are likely to settle into the fine lines and become more obvious.

A better bet for ruddy skin is a white or champagne shade, like Benefit Moon Beam or Illamasqua Illuminator in Odyssey. For an all-over glow, mix a pea sized drop into your foundation or moisturizer, or just pat it on key areas. Keep in mind, if you wear foundation, choosing a dewier formula (rather than a matte or satin finish) may eliminate your need for a separate illuminator all together. I love Face Atelier Ultra Foundation for it's fresh, natural look on the skin- it offers good coverage and allows my skin to retain that "just applied moisturizer" look without feeling heavy or greasy.

Product Review: Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation

Last week, I brought you part one in my review of the Illamasqua foundations. Now, continuing the "series", here's my opinion of the company's other liquid offering, which they call Rich Liquid Foundation.

I have the Rich Liquid in shade 135, which is a fair, very yellow based shade.

This has the same light, cake-batter scent that the Light Liquid has to it, and it's one that I quite enjoy. The plastic squeeze bottle is perfect to travel with- shatter-proof, yet sturdy enough that it won't accidentally squirt out all over the bottom of your bag!

The name "Rich Liquid" is very suitable for this formula. It is very thick, about the consistency of peanut butter thinned with honey (or so I imagine.) For any of you familiar with middle eastern cooking, I'd say the molecular weight of this foundation would have to be somewhat close to that of tahini. Please notice my lacking description, and feel free to take it to mean that this makeup is quite different than any other liquid foundation I've ever tried. Consequently, it has to be applied differently, but when done right it creates a flawless matte canvas, suitable for day or nighttime.

I will admit, it took me a few applications to understand this formula. You really need to work this makeup into the skin, but when you do, the full coverage is impeccable, yet unbelievably lightweight on the skin. Because of the texture of the makeup and the fact that it really needs to be spread and then worked into the skin a bit, I found that more delicately bristled brushes, like the MAC 187 or 131 had no chance. A traditional, stiffer synthetic foundation brush, like MAC's 190, will work, but the circular buffing motions that best blend this foundation will damage to this type of brush. After trying an arsenal of different application methods, I found that I prefer a dense, flat topped, natural bristle brush, like a small kabuki. An old school latex sponge wedge works well also.

Despite the thick texture and great coverage, Rich Liquid didn't feel even a bit heavy on my skin- it blended down to a powdery texture and a very matte finish. I will say that I feel this is best suited to those with normal or slightly oily skin. As I said, it has an extremely matte finish, which on dry skin (like mine) can call attention to any fine lines, flakiness, or uneven skin texture. I should point out that I do not feel that this product was at all drying to my skin- it just made my existing dryness more apparent.

I feel like I should also mention that the Rich Liquid Foundation is actually NOT designed to be a daytime makeup, as I was reminded by Illamasqua artist Aga, who works at the brand's Selfridges Oxford Street location in London. She mentioned to me that the full, opaque coverage is ideal for stage and night-time looks, and ensured that I was aware of what I was getting. Though I have used the Rich Liquid by itself, I have actually started mixing it with the 0- by Face Atelier and LOVE the results- it still gives fantastic coverage, but blending the two foundations gives me a much better color match, thins out the texture and gives it more of a satiny, natural skin finish.

I give this product a 7 out of 10, and honestly, if I had the correct shade the score could be higher. Indeed, if I was a fan of matte foundations, I'd likely rate this an 8 or 9. I like this foundation, and will be purchasing it again in an attempt to find my correct shade.

Pros:
-Wide shade range available (25 shades)
- caused no irritation to my sensitive skin (despite the yummy cake batter scent!)

- Provides excellent coverage (no concealer needed, even on my worst days!)

- Absorbs excess oil and shine

- minimizes the appearance of pores

- long wearing

- feels light and soft on the skin

- blends well with primer or other mediums

Cons:

-Limited availability; Illamasqua is currently only available in the US at the Sephora Times Square store, though 26 other Sephora locations in major cities will begin to carry the brand this month. Also available online at Sephora and Illamasqua's websites.

-not transfer resistant- I didn't detail this elsewhere simply because I can't think of a foundation that I've tried that was completely transfer proof, plus I can't know for sure that my custom blending of the product didn't produce this result.

-can emphasize fine lines, flakiness and uneven skin texture.

-Contains added fragrance, which is a known irritant. Not to mention the fact that you may not want to smell like baked goods (Neither were problems for me!)

-even for a pro artist like myself, it's virtually impossible to choose a shade online. Illamasqua's website offers no individual shade descriptions (not even a warm/cool designation), and shades do not necessarily appear to be arranged in a light to dark manner.
-after shipping, the price tops $43, making this pricey even amongst prestige foundations. (If you're a professional, Illamasqua does offer a discount.)

This Week's Sales: Cover FX, Smashbox, Tarte...the list goes on...

This week, we start off bright and early (8am EDT) over at Billion Dollar Babes with Skyn Iceland on Monday morning. If you're interested in being as green as you can be, this is the place: Skyn Iceland products are 100% Vegetarian, PETA certified cruelty-free, and their products contain no parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, petroleum, formaldehyde or paraffin. Wow, that was a mouth full!

HauteLook has two heavy hitters this week, beginning with DDF on Tuesday the 8th, then Cover FX on the 10th. This DDF sale could not come at a better time, I'm down to the last bit of my Glycolic 5% Exfoliating Wash (I'm eking out a few extra days from a travel sized bottle I got for free with a previous order!) I'm also excited to see what kind of deals Cover FX has. I'd jump at the chance to pick up the #160 Cream Foundation Brush- it looks like just the thing I've been looking for to apply my Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation! Both sales start at 11am EDT.

Over at Gilt Groupe this week check out the designer fragrance sale featuring scents by Herve Leger, Judith Leiber, Jil Sander, and Karl Lagerfeld. As if that weren't enough, Gilt will be hosting Smashbox Cosmetics the same day: Wednesday, Sept 9th. I would be doing you a disservice not to mention that the Smashbox website itself has some pretty good deals right now- tons of items are 25-50% off, plus Smashbox offers free shipping on any online order, and 3 deluxe-sized samples to boot! If I were you, I'd check out both sales to make sure you're getting the best deal! Then, on Thursday the 10th, check out Dr. Brandt Skincare. Dr. Fedric Brandt is board certified not only in Dermatology but also in Internal Medicine, and is all about advanced solutions that allow you to "take the doctor home with you." All Gilt sales start at Noon EDT. I did notice there are no sales posted yet for Sat and Sun, so make sure you're following me on Twitter so that you don't miss out on any last minute sale additions. (Not to mention my charming daily antics and zippy wit!)

Finally, my new personal danger zone, The Fairest, graces us with Cosmedicine, Tarte, Korres, Juara and Bodyography this week. Though dates for the sales aren't listed, it seems as if they keep at least two or more rolling at a time, but be sure to check daily or you're likely to miss something!

Product Review: Illamasqua Light Liquid Foundation

Thrilled by the incredible shade selection offered by newcomer brand Illamasqua, I jumped on the British company's website and ordered both versions of their liquid foundations, each in a different shade. (The Light Liquid is not available in the US, even on Sephora's website, so if you want to try it, you'll have to pony up for the international shipping!) Stay tuned later this week for my review on Illamasqua's Rich Liquid Foundation.

I ordered the Light Liquid Foundation in shade 105, a pink based white.

Light Liquid #105 (Left) Rich Liquid #135 (Right)

It is lighter, by FAR, than any other shade I've tried (and I've tried literally hundreds of foundations.) According to Illamasqua, this is their lightest skin tone shade (the lightest shade, 100, is pure white) but I would caution anyone considering this shade as skin tone match. If you are totally unable to wear main-stream brands like MAC, Estee Lauder, Lancome, etc...then the sheer coverage that the Light Liquid provides might make this shade an option for you. Having said that, I myself am about 2 shades paler than MAC NC/W15, and this shade is still considerably lighter than my natural skin tone. This shade in one of the fuller coverage formulas (certainly the Rich Liquid, but the cream too, I suspect) would be best reserved for theatrical uses, or perhaps as a mixer to lighten deeper shades. Basically, if you can wear ANY other brand's lightest shade, then 105 will be too light for you!

I had actually ordered this with the intention of blending it with the Rich Liquid, but the two formulas do not seem to be compatible- when combined, they produced a gel-like texture that almost seemed to congeal as I was mixing! I'd have to guess that the Light Liquid and it's odd texture were mostly to blame. I found that even applied alone, it had a filmy, plastic-like feel that did not blend well into the skin. As I tried to blend, the makeup just seemed to move around until it dried down a bit, at which point it actually began to roll off! The film clung to my hairline quite obviously, and only seemed to stick to my skin where it had found a comfy resting spot- in my pores!

I tried this foundation with and without primers, and applied it with a variety of applicators- MAC 187,190, and 131 brushes, a sponge, and then finally my fingers. I did get a somewhat passable result using my 190 brush on moisturized, unprimed skin, but still found the texture unappealing. Though the formula's primary ingredients are all good moisturizers, it also contains kaolin (clay) and talc, which I think explains the chalky, mask-like feeling.

As I mentioned, this shade is too fair for me right now, and I'll admit, I'm curious to see if the blending issues would be as obvious if the shade was correct. I actually like the soft, cake-batter scent and the easy to dispense, unbreakable plastic bottle. I even think the odd texture is something I could get used to, if only the foundation looked right on my skin.

In all honesty, I actually wondered if there might be something off about the foundation that I received; perhaps it was old or had gone bad after sitting in a hot delivery truck for too long. I did contact Illamasqua, who graciously told me I could send the product back for inspection, despite the fact that I was well past the return period. If the foundation was not as it should be, they would, of course, replace it free of charge and refund my shipping on the original order. In the end though, after talking to a few other people who have tried the makeup (some who love it, mind you) I decided that, though odd, the foundation I recieved was most likely the intended texture. Since shipping it back to the UK would have cost me $12, I decided to just keep it. Though the texture and finish are a bit strange, I do think this will have some uses for editorial and theatrical work, so in to the kit it goes.

I give this foundation a 2 out of 10. If I say odd again, I think I'll shoot myself, but the texture certainly left something to be desired. While I would never re-purchase this shade, I would be curious to try another shade, just to see if that would blend out differently. The 2 points I am giving it are for the possibilities it may have as a mixer or theatrical product, and for the off chance that some of the major problems I had with this makeup could be corrected with the correct shade.

Pros:
-Wide shade range available (25 shades)
-moisturizes with squalane, an ingredient derived from olives that is almost identical to skin's natural oils
- caused no irritation to my sensitive skin (despite the yummy cake batter scent!)

- did not settle into or accentuate creases or fine lines.

Cons:
-Limited availability; only available at Illamasqua's UK based website.
-left a plastic-like film on my skin that rubbed off in a chalky residue.

-settled into pores and clung to my hairline
-Contains added fragrance, which is a known irritant. Not to mention the fact that you may not want to smell like baked goods (Neither were problems for me!)

-even for a pro artist like myself, it's virtually impossible to choose a shade online. Illamasqua's website offers no individual shade descriptions (not even a warm/cool designation), and shades do not necessarily appear to be arranged in a light to dark manner.
-after shipping, the price tops $43, making this pricey even amongst prestige foundations. (If you're a professional, Illamasqua does offer a discount.)

Beauty Only Sale Site!The Fairest Launches Today withStila and Coola Suncare

As I promised in this week's members only sales post, BIG things are happening in the world of beauty sales. The first members only sale site devoted exclusively to beauty products opened today! I found out about the site several weeks ago and, of course, wanted to tell everyone right away, but as wary of a customer as I am, I decided I should check it out before I passed it on to you.

The Fairest opened it's metaphorical doors today, with Stila and Coola Suncare on sale at prices 50% lower than retail. Refreshingly, shipping from the fairest is the most reasonable I've seen from one of these sites; their 3-5 day UPS shipping costs just $5.95! Other sites charge around $10 to ship a purchase which , if you're only buying one or two items, can just about negate the discount you're getting.

The Fairest offers new beauty brands every 2 days, and promises prices up to 75% off. Another great difference between The Fairest and other members only sites is that apparently, returns are given in the form of a full refund. Other sites often do not allow returns at all on their beauty sales; when they do, your money is refunded to you as a CREDIT to the site. To me, this says that while other sites need to give you a credit to ensure you'll return to their site to shop, The Fairest seems confident you'll return, even if you have that money in your pocket to spend elsewhere. Of course, since the site launched TODAY, I have not had any experience with their return process or customer service, so please read the return policy on their website for full details!

So where is The Fairest? How can you become a member? If you're in a hurry, you can hop on over now, BUT if you'd like to save $5 on your first order, and thank me by helping me earn $5 too, then CLICK HERE for a personal invite from me. If you take the latter option, thanks, but regardless, have fun shopping!

This Week's Sales: Erno Laszlo, MD Skincare, Borba and more!

This one is gonna be short and sweet folks, the few hours I spent today restoring the hard wood floor in my daughter's room kicked my butt! Be that as it may, I would feel simply horrible if anyone missed out on a great deal because I failed to keep y'all in the loop, so here's the scoop!

The week starts out pretty quietly this Monday, August 31st as Rue La La hosts anti aging skincare line Freeze 24-7. Then on Thursday, catch MD Skincare when it goes on sale. Both sales begin at 11am EDT.

Gilt Groupe is only slightly more happening this week, starting on Tuesday with the rescheduled Erno Laszlo sale, followed by Antica Farmacista fragrances on Wednesday Septmember 2nd.

Also on Wednesday, check out Borba Skincare over at Billion Dollar Babes.

Apparently, the action is over at Haute Look this week, with visits by Cosmedicine on Tuesday September 1st, Neil George haircare on September 2nd, and Lollia by Margot Elena on Friday the 4th.

If this week seems suspiciously quiet to you, make sure you're following me on Twitter so that I can keep you updated on all of the last minute info (including last minute sale additions!) I also may have some exciting news to share on the beauty sale horizon, so stay tuned this Tuesday for an update. If you don't already know, these sales are by invitation only. Don't fret though, this is your personal invite! It's totally free, and you can join now- just follow the link by clicking on the from name of the site! Hope your favorite is on sale this week! Have fun shopping and I'll see everyone (everyone, right?) later this week for a review and picture tutorial of Sleek Makeup- coming soon to an internet near you!

Localized Breakouts: Is Your Skin Trying to Tell You Something?

If you're plagued by localized breakouts, your daily activities may be more at fault than your skin care routine. If a particular area of your face seems to constantly erupt, analyzing your daily habits and making a few quick changes could be all you need to have clear skin.

For instance, if your breakouts tend to prefer your jawline or chin area, be aware of whether you habitually prop your head up on your hand while you're sitting at your desk during the day. It's highly likely that oil and dirt from your hand could be transferring onto your skin and causing irritation. If that's not your issue, ask yourself if your job (or your gossip habit!) has you on the phone a lot. The receiver of a phone can harbour dirt and bacteria and is constantly exposed to germs from the multitude of people touching and breathing into it all day (eww, right?) Try to keep your hands off of your face as much as possible, and wipe down your telephone receiver each morning with alcohol or an anti-bacterial cleansing cloth (you can buy wipes specifically for this purpose!)

Is the inner bridge of your nose a problem area? Do you wear glasses? Using an alcohol wipe each day to wipe off the part of your glasses that rests on your nose can help to eliminate the problem.

Is your forehead prone to bumps, no matter what you do? If you wear bangs, the oils from your hair, not to mention any hair product you use, could be exacerbating the condition. Try pinning your bangs up for a few days to see if the problem begins to subside. If you decide that your bangs are part of the problem, don't go for the scissors quite yet. Try spraying your fringe with a bit of dry shampoo to help absorb excess oil and keep it from transferring onto your skin.

So, you can see, with just a little Sherlock Holmes style observation and a few easy remedies, you may just find that the answer to your most mysterious breakouts was right there the whole time!