The Perfect Foundation for the Holiday Season

Hello Beautistas! Holiday season is upon us, and with that comes cozy cable knit sweaters, hot cocoa, mistletoe, and holiday parties!  In this insta-gratification culture, you will probably be showcasing that cozy cable knit sweater while holding a cup of cocoa under mistletoe at a holiday party on Instagram...am I right?  So how do you make sure you look like your glowing, confident, fabulous self in all of these #selfies and other pictures that crop up on social media? A good foundation is really what is necessary for a good, solid foundation.  Pun intended. But how to choose?! So many to choose from!  I'm here to give you my opinion from a cosmetic chemistry standpoint and a makeup artistry standpoint.  I spent so much time in a color lab putting patches of different foundations all over my arms.  Clinique, Bobbi Brown, MAC, Aveda, Tom Ford, Estee Lauder, you name it.  This taught me a lot about what makes a good foundation!  The most IMPORTANT thing that I learned - do NOT use a foundation that has SPF when you think people will be taking pictures with flash photography.  Ever taken a picture and your face looks lighter then the rest of you? It looked great in the mirror, but for some reason the flash made it all funky. This is called flashback, and it’s because the product contains Titanium dioxide.  Titanium dioxide is one of the ingredients that is used for SPF, but it is also what is used as a base color pigment when mixing colors.  Foundations are mixed with red, black, yellow and white pigment.   What's the white one? You guessed it, Titanium Dioxide.  It’s fine to have some in the foundation you are using, but just make sure the product does not say SPF.  If you have a favorite foundation that you love that has SPF,  it might mean switching it up to another on the days that you know a lot of pictures will be taken.  With that said, this shows up more on some people's skin than others, depending on complexion.  But at least now you know where the eerie white glow comes from! No room for that at holiday parties! There are so many good ones out there, but one of my foundation favorites is MAC Face and Body.  Some people have a hard time getting used to the texture, but I love this for all faces because it has a wide color range, is water resistant, you can use a little bit to get a natural look or add more for medium coverage, and it really lets your beauty shine through.   It’s really like your own skin...but better.   How to apply? You can use this technique to apply any foundation….no fancy brushes needed. Step 1: Apply Foundation Make sure you have moisturized your face (+neck) if your face is dry to normal.  For application, you can do the whole dot & blend thing that they teach you in makeup artistry school, but I just use my hands, put some on my fingers, and blend into my face. Face and Body in general is very unusually thin, so a little goes a long way.  For foundation, always blend downwards (not upwards like moisturizer).  Rub it in until it your fingers do not slide easily over the product anymore...you will feel it almost "binding" to your face.  This takes longer for some foundations versus others...(Face & Body takes longer).  Then, important step - press the skin from your hands to your face.  Bobbi (as in Bobbi Brown) is a big advocate of this….they say that this skin on skin contact helps fuse the foundation to your face to make it look more natural.  Step 2: Apply your concealer to the places that need it.  Notice I am saying to put on your concealer AFTER your foundation.  I always like this, I feel it glides on better. Step 3: Dust a loose powder on top of your foundation with a large fluffy brush to set your foundation/concealer.  Viola! Hope that helped Beautistas!  Apologies for my long hiatus...somehow, Instagram has become my personal life, Twitter has become my professional life, and Facebook has fallen somewhere along the wayside!  I will try to keep updating here and there, even if it's sporadic.  I know I have some requests - and I will get to them I promise!  But for now, enjoy those holiday parties ladies!

Take a Trip to St. Tropez....for under $50.00

Sound like a gimmick, yes? Well, slight clarification...you can LOOK like you went to St. Tropez, by using a little bit of self-tanner on your legs.  Now I know what you are thinking...bottle tan? How could you! But really ladies, this is a clever way to keep your summer tan going just a little bit longer. And we all know that legs look longer and leaner when they are that perfect golden brown color!

Now I have to say, this was my first experience with self-tanner.  I have grown up hearing horror stories about terrible bottle tans gone wrong – streaky, orangey, and smelly.  Being born tan of skin already, I never thought that I would find use for a self-tanner.  Boy was I wrong! 

Enter St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse. 

I started using this product in June, before my legs got any sun.  Working in an office job where I rarely see the light of day, this happens!  So I kick started my leg tan before I got an actual tan as the summer progressed.  St. Tropez is THE celebrity self-tanner of choice, and has become a cult classic.  It's a virtually fool proof lightweight mousse that dries instantly and gives you the perfect golden glow based on how your skin naturally tans.  How does it work? It contains a colorless sugar that interacts with the amino acids on the surface layer of your skin to produce a temporary color change.  Since it is working with your skin, your skin will actually darken to the color it would actually darken if you had a real tan.  Genius, right?  And you know what happens when you tan your legs….there go stretch marks, varicose veins, hockey bruises, mosquito bite scars, <insert your leg ailment here>!

I know you are feeling hesitant so let me take you through this journey step by step. 

1. Go to your nearest Sephora and purchase this product.  Also purchase the buffing mitt that comes along with the product line.
2. Wait until night time and then take a shower.  Yup, I'm going through this in excruciating detail.  
3. Exfoliate your skin in the shower.  Use a skin exfoliator if you have one handy, if not use exfoliation gloves from the dollar store, or a bath pouf.  You want to get rid of any uneven skin so that the tan develops evenly.
4. Dry off, and moisturize areas and joints where the product might accumulate, like knees, toes, elbows, etc. 
5. Shake up the mousse - it doesn’t say to shake it but I like shaking it, and you are reading my blog after all.
6. Put the buffing mitt on your hand. Pump some foam on your mitt.  Brace yourself, it looks like a dark, scary foam blob.  And then get over it and evenly apply it all over the area that you would like to tan.
7. You will see a "guide tan" when you apply this product.  This is not the actual color that your tan will develop into, it is just there to help you see where you have applied the product.  Buff the product into your skin (buff = smooth circular motions).
8. Wash your mitt to keep it looking nice and clean. Wipe up any residual product from the pump so that it doesn’t dry goopy and ruin the pretty bottle.
9. Wait about 60 seconds for it to dry, and then you can go to bed! Even on white sheets - this stuff does not transfer! The tan will take around 4 to 6 hours to develop.  
10. Wake up and take a shower to wash off the residual product...and then take a look at your gorgeous, glowing gams! If you would like more color, repeat (but do not repeat the exfoliation step).  Warning: this can get addictive.  If you need help, contact your nearest GTL representative.

And that’s your 10 step plan to a golden tan that will let you hold on to summer just a little while longer!

Musings from the Other Side of 30

My dear Beautistas, I am so so sorry for my utter neglect these past few weeks!  I have received many messages wondering if there is a reason for the beautista hiatus.  Fear not my ladies, I am back.   Things have just been a little crazy the past few weeks.  Among other things, I have been spending my time pondering the other side of 30.  I have been running through some very serious and existential questions like: are these frown lines or laugh lines? Are these forehead wrinkles or deep-in-thought introspective wrinkles?  The day after I turned 30, my brother in law told me that my eyes have finally grown into my head.  Coming from him (he has known me since I was 9) it was truly the most sincerest compliment! 

No but really, my new mantra is to embrace age and everything that comes along with it.  I slowly see my skin changing and my hair changing, but I want to try to appreciate these small changes as they signify the wisdom and growth of the divine feminine inside of me.  Sounds a little hokey I know but hey, it works for me.  I wouldn’t change my experiences and the risks that I have taken for the world!  And now they reflect in my skin, hair and eyes.  With that aside...how to deal with these  introspection lines on my forehead?

It’s the age old question of anti-aging.  When to start?  The answer is….wait for it...it depends.  It depends on your skin, whether you spend a lot of time in the sun, whether you use sun protection, your genes...etc.  But if I had to be quantitative (which I am until my last breath), I would say its probably best to start in your mid twenties, maybe around 24.  Haven't started yet and past that ripe young age of 24?  When the world was your oyster? Are you on the OTHER side of 30? You can still start, its not to late.  I will write another post on anti aging prevention but the focus for this post is a fantastic product that makes your wrinkles just disappear.  Poof!

GoodSkin Labs Tri-Aktiline™ Instant Deep Wrinkle Filler

This stuff works like spackle to fill in any wrinkles, scars, large pores, or remnants of piercings that you may have in your wild youth.  Just take some and tap it into your skin where you have the wrinkle/scar/area you are trying to fill, and you will seriously see the wrinkles disappear.  Wait a bit for it to dry before you apply makeup on top of it.  The first time I tried this I did a double take and almost hit my face in the mirror from looking at the disappearing act.   Poof! They were gone!  People would never know that I think so hard!

One of the downsides I have noticed is that the product doesn’t necessarily last all day.  Depending on your skin, you will probably have to reapply in the evening if it’s important to you. But really...no one is noticing your wrinkles except for yourself so as long as you feel good walking out the door I think it does the trick.  Also, if you are using it to fill a deep wrinkle, depending on the area, it might get a little cakey.  Tap on a little at a time to put just the right amount you need to reduce the look of the wrinkle. 

Now for the Sciencey facts, from the chemical engineer in me:

The product instantly fills using spherical powders, tightens using a polymer network to give the visible reduction of wrinkle depth, and uses a soft focus technology to minimize the look.  Over time, it claims to stimulate natural collagen to reduce the appearance of lines/wrinkles. 

This product was tested through clinical trials and 100% of subject demonstrated improvement in the appearance of lines and wrinkles instantly.  After 4 weeks, 89% showed a significant visible improvement in lifting and firming.  After 8 weeks, 49% had a visible reduction in length and depth of lines and wrinkles.   Now this all sounds super exciting but we don’t know how many people were in the clinical trial. 10? 100? 10,000? So take this with a grain of salt...or spackle. 

Ok ladies (and some gents I'm sure) - hope you enjoyed this post and let me know if you tried this product and what you think!

Kajal Face-off Round 1: Himalayan Herbal Kajal vs Hashmi Kajal

Product Descriptions

Himalaya Herbal Kajal: This creamy herbal kajal is infused with damask rose, almond oil and triphala (an aryuvedic herbal rasayana churna that has equal parts of Amalaki, bibhitaki and Haritaki…uh…what?? Let's just say it’s a mix ...of 3 super berries, herbalicious and good for you). Can be found in India or on eBay.

Hashmi Kajal:

This is the old school kajal all Indian girls used growing up. It has a chalky consistency, may or may not contain lead (still remains unknown), and boasts supreme staying power. This tried and true kajal can be found in the back of your grandmaa's closet or at your friendly local Indian grocer.

I wore each one of these for a week to take a look at 3 factors on the Meena Kajal Scale (MKS):

1: Jet blackness, 2: Smudgyness, 3: Staying power

Below are my findings!

1: Jet Blackness - Himalaya kajal is definitely more of a deep, dark black compared to the Hashmi kajal. Its smooth consistency makes it look like it has more depth, whereas the Hashmi looks flat and almost powdery. Himalaya: 9/10, Hashmi: 6/10

2: Smudgyness - Himalaya smudges more in this category just because of its creamy texture. Hashmi definitely gave less smudgyness around the eyes. However, the caveat is that this smudgyness factor can be different based on your own eyes…it is dependent on eye sensitivity, how much your eye waters naturally, how much you rub/touch your eyes, and eye shape. Himalaya: 6/10, Hashmi: 8/10.

3: Staying Power - Given the Hashmi consistancy (it "feels" waterproof), I thought that Hashmi would last longer than Himalaya. However, after walking around for a few days with Hashmi on one eye and Himalaya on the other (and then switched for a truly controlled experiment), I realized that both have a very similar staying power. Himalaya: 7/10, Hashmi: 7/10.

It was a close call (Himalaya: 22/30 & Hashmi: 21/30) but based on the scores and overall feel, I vote Himalaya Herbal Kajal as the winner. Bonus points for the warm fuzzy feeling of putting roses on your eyes instead of lead.

Stay tuned for Round 2: Himalaya Kajal vs. Shahnaz Husain Kajal!

It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's SUPERFOOD!

Ok Beautistas, its time to put antioxidents IN your face, not on your face. Nowadays, almost every skincare product claims to be a free radical fighting, antioxidant containing, super cosmeceutical.  What are we, in a cosmetic comic book warp zone??

If your skincare product claims that it contains antioxidants, that’s great!  But do you need to spend oodles of money on these products? Not necessarily….why not just eat your antioxidants instead? 

What you may be spending on expensive products, you could get much more beauty and health benefits by changing around your diet instead. Some of you might be asking, what are antioxidants anyways?  To put it simply, antioxidants can help prevent the effects of free radical damage in the body - they basically neutralize the process of oxidation and cellular damage which contributes to aging and disease.    Some foods are incredibly high in antioxidant content and they are very easy to add into your current diet.  Superfoods can can considerably reduce the signs of aging, reduce blood pressure and help prevent various diseases.  I'm not going to bore you with all of the things your parents told you ("eat your broccoli, its good for you") but I will list some of the best foods to introduce into your diet if you haven't already!

• Berries - who doesn’t want berries in their diet?? Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries - they all offer so many antioxidants that can help prevent cancer and heart disease.  Eat blueberries as part of your 3:00 work snack instead of chocolate, buy frozen berries and throw them into your smoothie, or start growing a blackberry bush (on my bucket list)!
• Chia Seeds - I started eating chia recently after being introduced to them by my sister and now I put chia in EVERYTHING.  This is a superfood that was an important part of the Aztec & Mayan diet.  Not gonna lie, that’s what sold me on this, because underneath it all I just want to feel connected to my Aztec homegirls.  Anyways, chia seeds are super rich in antioxidants, and you can put them in just about anything.  They have a mild nutty flavor and can be sprinkled in a smoothie, in yogurt, oatmeal, in banana bread, chia chocolate pudding, cereal, salads, I could go on and on.  Chia needs its own blog post - just go to your nearest health food store and pick up a bag of this superfood!
• Green Tea - This should be an easy addition to your general diet because green tea is everywhere!  Try substituting your morning coffee with green tea instead...or if you are drinking 2 cups of coffee a day, try substituting at least one of those with green tea.  Green tea has been shown to be preventative against cancer, heart disease and high cholesterol.  It has a high concentration of catechin polyphenols which work with other chemicals in the body to increase levels of fat oxidation.  If regular green tea bores you, make a quick stop to DAVIDS Tea and prepare to be amazed by all of the green tea options available!
• Tomatoes - If I could name a favorite vegetable, this would be it.  All I need in life is a good tomato and good cheese!  And its sooo easy to put tomatoes in everything!  Tomatoes are the richest source of an anticancer agent called lycopene.  For optimal absorption to occur, lycopene needs fat!  What does that mean for you? Include some healthy fat olive oil when cooking with tomatoes to help increase levels of lycopene. 
• Broccoli - Yup I just wrote that.  Ok who am I kidding, I don't eat broccoli.  But if YOU want to, it’s so good for you, I promise!  It has more calcium than a glass of milk and more vitamin C than an orange...now say that in a super hero announcing voice...

It's true what they say...you are what you eat.  So in simple terms, really I'm just hoping you turn into a free radical fighting, antioxidant containing super woman instead of relying on your skincare to save you! 

Doing Ombré the Easy Way

Ok some of you might be asking…how do I do this ombré  trend without looking like a slave to the next new trend? Others might be saying...why are people letting their roots grow out so much???  Whatever your view, here is a quick post on Ombré : how to say it,  what it is and how to include it into your fashion repertoire!

How do I say it?
Ombré (not to be confused with ombre, a card game) is pronounced "ohm - bray"… now say it casually with a flick of your hair like you regularly use this term in conversations at the water cooler.   There, that’s fabulosity at its finest ;)

What is it?
Ombré is anything that goes from light to dark in graduating shades, and this trend is hitting the streets like a storm.  Canada is generally a smidgen behind on these types of things so I'm guessing this trend will likely last well into summer.

How to wear?
Hair - Ombré Hair is all the rage and your instagram/pinterest/instyle magazine will give you plenty of ways on how to do it.   One way is to go to a trendy salon and get this look done.  They will dye your hair in graduated tones so you end up with a look where the color goes from darker to lighter.  If you are brave enough, you can also DIY at home - there are tons of youtube tutorials on doing this look yourself.  I've also read of some people using Sun In (remember that product?) to lighten their ends the low maintenance way and produce this look gradually. The easiest way?  Just let your roots grow out!  I have leftover light ends from a sunny trip in December, so I figure if I let my roots grow I can rock a subtle version of the ombré hair trend.  How it will turn out, who knows but I have never been one to shy away from a fashion experiment!

Nails - Here is an easy, non-committal way to try this trend!  This can be done in a few ways, ombré  on each nail (this is a bit trickier and will require a lot of patience) or a different shade on each nail so your whole hand has a monochromatic ombré look.  Sephora has the cutest little nail packs (can be found here) with teeny ombré colors so you don’t have to go out and buy a whole bunch of random fullsize colors!

Clothes - This is the easiest and most non-committal way to wear ombré! For my crafty ladies, you can even DIY a dip-dye look.  For all my Bollywood Beautistas, I also threw in a picture of some Manish Malhotra saris because he sure does love his ombré!

Thirsty Skin? Drink Up!

Lingering winter weather making your skin thirsty for some moisture?

Origins Drink Up Intensive  Overnight Moisture Mask is perfect for those nights when your skin feels tight, tired and dehydrated.  This thirsty feeling can be caused by so many things - low humidity environments,   fluctuating temperatures, too many flights jet setting around the world (lucky you!), you name it.   Your face just loses moisture throughout the day in general when exposed to the elements, which is why it is important to build back that moisture into your face before you go to bed.  This product is perfect for dry skin or normal to dry skin.  It’s a mix between a gel and a balm and smells super yummy & delicious.  Your skin needs moisture to stay youthful, so this is a product that can really work with the rest of your routine to prevent signs of premature aging.

As an added bonus, this will introduce you to the Origins brand philosophy, which is so divine.  The Origins Mission is "High Performance Skincare Powered by Nature and Proven by Science" and they use natural and certified organic ingredients and 100% essential oils to make their products.  The mask has avocado and apricot kernel oil  to replace the moisture in your face, and also has Japanese seaweed to repair skin's barrier and prevent future dehydration.  For more on Origin's ingredient listing, take a look here.

How to use?
This product will last you forever as you only need the size of a pea.  To use, massage the pea sized amount into your face before you go to bed.  Avoid your eye area, but don't forget your neck!  It may or may not absorb into your face, depends on how parched your skin is.  If it does not absorb, tissue/towel the residual off.  This will work overnight to quench your skins thirst and you will wake up with skin that feels soft, supple, plump and hydrated.  It really feels like a spa treat for your face! It also works well on skin that is flakey.  This is a staple by my bedside and I generally use this about 2 times a week in the winter and anytime my face is feeling dry in the summer.

Where to buy?
Origins counters are generally located in department stores like Hudson's Bay.  You can also order this product online.  Price is around ~$27.00, but you might be able to try out a sample before you invest or buy it as part of an Origins gift set.

If you try this product or have tried it in the past, let me know what you think!