Bobbi Brown Cream Eye Shadow

Everyone owns this stuff right? I mean if you don't then please do yourself a favor and go to the BB counter immediately!

BB cream eye shadows set the bar for long wear and crease resistance. Many cream shadows claim to last all day and look good doing it but fall short of the mark. Not this one.

I wear this alone or use it as a base for powder eyeshadow. When used as a base it helps to intensify the color of powders and also keeps your eye liner locked in place. There are few products that I will recommend without ANY reservations but this is one.

BB recently came out with 5 matte colors that are all neutral without any shimmer and join the lineup of 14 existing colors. Most of the existing colors have slight shimmer which I happen to like. It keeps the cream from looking too flat or heavy on me.

My favs are Bellini a peachy pink, Sandy Gold a golden beige and Ballet Pink is the same color as the slippers with slight shimmer.

All pots are $22 and last a long time....you don't need much product at all. Using a synthetic brush to apply these is best or your finger to blend out the edges.

Guerlain Blush & Sun

This is one my all time favorite bronzers. Guerlain's Blush & Sun ($39) comes in 3 shades and I like and use every last one. The best thing about these little compacts is that the shades are blendable and forgiving, especially on those who avoid the sun.

I remain pretty pale throughout the summer with a combination of sunscreen, my favorite Kaenon Georgia sunglasses and my Helen Kaminski hat. But with a little help from Guerlain I can look summer appropriate without any help from the sun.

These bronzers combine a sunny glow with a blush pop of color. The powder is silky and has the a pleasant fragrance. I apply this with a fluffy brush for a soft wash of color that is healthy looking and isn't as scary as most bronzers when you are fair skinned.

Also check out Sephora's 30 Days of Bronzer for other great ideas.

MAC Cool Heat Collection

Hello there! Would you just get a load of MAC's upcoming Cool Heat collection! For those who are riding the turquoise/blue train this summer, this is the collection for you.

Cool Heat is due in stores June 12 and I am really looking forward to the new Slimshine lip colors which range from a bright pink to orange and red sheers. Yum!

MAC Tendertone Lip Balm

I loved this gloss/balm combo last summer and am thrilled by its return with 10 limited shades.

Tendertone Lip Balm is not sticky and has a nice sheen. Like a balm it does a good job at keeping lips soft. The hint of soft color is flattering and beach bag ready.

This balm has a sweet strawberry kiwi flavor but it wasn't overpowering when I smoothed some on today.

My picks are Pucker a sheer berry with pearl, Hot N' Saucy a sheer cherry, and Sweet & Nice a sheer red grape with shimmer. The pots are $14.50 each and will only be around for the summer.

Rescue Your Nails - Ji Baek

This is a great book and I loved every minute. I picked this little book up over Memorial Day weekend right after getting my own fingers and toes done and read it cover to cover.

Ji Baek, the owner of Rescue Beauty Lounge, has written a practical and easy to use reference for everything from how to mani/pedi yourself into perfection, salon etiquette and cleanliness, to picking a nail color that you will love.

While she does not give any product endorsements, other than her own brand, she gives great tips on what to look for when shopping for the best tools and even what may be hiding in your kitchen or bathroom arsenal that is just right for the job.

Rescue Your Nails answered nearly ever question I had about how to get it right when I want to do my own nails at home and reinforced my standards for what to look for at a nail salon. Ji Baek makes the point that nail salons are everywhere but they are not equal. I personally would rather pay a bit more for my nail services and get the attention to cleanliness that is important to me. One of my favorite local nail salons uses the greenest products available from polish removers to the polish itself and I really notice a difference in the look and health of my nails.

At $12.95 this is a wonderful addition to your beauty library and a fun read as well.

As a side note, some of the best products that my salon has introduced me to are Butter London, Zoya, Orly, and Spa Ritual. Zoya's Remove + is my go to polish remover because it is a mild acetone and doesn't leave my nails looking like the Sahara....it also has a pleasant lavender scent. There are many good non-acetone options out there that use fruit acids instead and are worth checking out if you are interested. No-Miss is a good place to start.

Aveda Foot Relief Lotion

Ahhhh.....my aching feet looked like a dried up lizard before I found this lotion. I am ashamed to admit that drastic measures are required each spring when I want to break out my flip flops to transform my callused paws into sandal ready feet.

My husband by contrast has the softest callus free feet of any man, make that person, I have ever met! I think it is some kind of freak gene he has because they are perfect. He has complained on more than one occasion that my feet are scratchy...not the kind of thing a girl wants to hear.

That is where Aveda's Foot Relief Lotion came in. This lotion is refreshing and cooling due to Rosemary and Lavender oils and transforms tired, slightly smelly feet into sweet smelling beauties. It also absorbs quickly so you don't have to walk around with greasy feet. Foot Relief also has fruit acids that gently exfoliate to keep the calluses away.

This really gained some street cred in my household when the husband mentioned that my feet felt nice and he was later caught rubbing some on his own flawless feet!

Foot Relief is $18 and available at Aveda.

Makeup as Metaphor

I am often asked the question...why I do I love makeup so much. To be candid, I can usually detect just a little bit of scorn from the person asking this question. Something along the lines of makeup being equated with vanity and vanity being shallow.

I take issue with this and I think all of you out there who really love makeup should too.

Makeup is democratic in that it is the great equalizer in the fashion world. Makeup does not favor a body type, a height, or weight. Makeup always fits and never makes your butt look big!

Makeup allows you to be as trendy as you want one day and to start all over again the next with a little soap and water. It allows for transformation and makes it possible to try on a new identity and is forgiving if you change your mind.

Makeup, well applied, makes most people look better. It graciously hides our imperfections and highlights our assets making it possible for some to concentrate on the best of their physical selves.

A great example of my own is red lipstick. I am not talking gloss or some sheer version, I am speaking of true blue red, opaque lipstick. My husband loves it and is just thrilled when I wear it. Maybe for him it is evocative of some racy image and although I don't wear it all the time when I do it never goes unnoticed. When I wear my favorite shade of red I don't feel like myself for a few hours. Instead I feel Old Hollywood glamorous and capable of pulling off a couture gown with a plunging neckline.

For the confidence it can inspire in some people alone, I think to dismiss the power and benefit of makeup is silly. And if you just don't buy into all these high minded ideals, then rest assured makeup is just good clean fun too!

p.s. my favorite red is Guerlain #525 Folie de Grenat a deep blue red fantasy.

Mineral Makeup - Friend or Foe Part 5

Hourglass is a luxury line and according to the creator Carisa Jones is supposed to be all about extravagance and style. I generally like this line a lot and I find the eyeshadow palettes and lipsticks to be pricey but worth it. So I was very excited to test drive their mineral product to see if it really is a rival to what I have tried so far.

Oxygen Powder Foundation is $46 and comes in 4 shades. While the fair to medium skin tones are covered someone with a darker complexion would be out of luck here. The compact on this powder is really interesting in that it has a mirror that turns 360 degrees so you can position it for the best face view.

The thing that struck me right away was the lack of a sunscreen in this product. Most mineral foundations include titanium dioxide or zinc oxide but not so here. I generally look for well formulated broad spectrum SPF but decided I'd give it a whirl to see if the texture warranted a separate sunscreen.

So how did it feel? It was okay. I sound super lackluster right.....well that's how I felt about this powder. In general I am very giddy about Hourglass stuff but this powder just didn't work for me. It was streaky and tough to blend and I was pretty darn shiny faster than I care for. I always like to make sure that I mention I do have pretty oily skin and so what fails on me may be your godsend but this would not be my first suggestion for mineral makeup.

On that note, my favorite mineral powder is Laura Mercier. That powder is a work horse and is truly the hands down winner! It controls shine, gives good coverage and looks luminous and light doing it. The lid that closes over the sifter alone won some serious points. Plus the Mineral Primer may seem silly but to my own amazement it really worked.

It was great fun doing this series and it is really something to see what used to be a niche segment of cosmetics grow to have such a huge selection. I encourage you to try again, as I did, if at first your mineral makeup wishes did not succeed.

MakeUp Forever Aqua Eye

Howdy from Hades! I swear I totally get the wicked witch when she was shrieking, I'm melting!

MakeUp Forever Aqua Eyes Bronze Collection is my new best friend. Not only do you get 5 lovely colors to choose from for $35 bucks but the dang stuff stays in place when I am certain I can sweat no more.

The limited edition kit includes a metallic brown, copper, gold, silver and black! These babies really stay put even when I rubbed my eyes due to the aforementioned melting and darn it if they didn't move! Now that is makeup genius in my humble opinion.

The set is available at Sephora.

Sunscreen Smarts

As you might have noticed from past posts, I tend to be pretty tough on products that claim to have sun protection and lack the right ingredients or foundations that don't have SPF altogether.

I admit that I do avoid prolonged sun exposure and do wear a SPF15 minimum everyday, rain or shine. I also am a little militant about the fact that I think everyone should be doing this as well. In this day and age when skin cancer is prevalent and being found on more young people than ever before, I just can't understand why wearing an effective SPF isn't a given and tanning beds aren't banned. Not to mention the aging and yucky hyperpigmentation that unprotected sun exposure visits upon your face.

If my soapbox attitude on this one bugs you, then I sincerely apologize, but must warn you that I will never relent where sun protection is concerned. As any friend of mine can tell you who has returned from a weekend or vacation sunburned, my scorn is swift and terrible.

Most sunscreens have UVB (burning rays) protection but fall short when it comes to UVA. So what are the ingredients you should be looking for to determine if a product has UVA (aging & cancer rays) protection?

Here they are:

Titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, avobenzone (Parsol 1789), Mexoryl SX, or Tinosorb.

These ingredients must be listed as an active ingredient and sunscreen should be applied liberally 30 minutes before you go outside. And just what does liberally mean.....well it means a shot glass amount of sunscreen for your entire body and a teaspoon amount for your face and neck. Don't forget your hands either....nobody wants granny hands!

A great way to try a variety of sunscreens is the Sephora Sun Safety Kit for $25. The kit includes 11 products and goes a long way towards making it easy to find a sunscreen you like. Plus all the profit is donated to The Skin Cancer Foundation.

If you prefer the drug store for your sunscreen needs I recommend Neutrogena in general. Nearly all of their products are well formulated and very reasonably priced.