Category: Beauty

A special introductory offer for our readers

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More Than a Pretty Face blog is pleased to offer our readers 40% off Daniel Chinchilla Cosmetics. This is a special introductory offer for Daniel Chinchilla Cosmetics, which launched just this month.

Daniel Chinchilla Cosmetics features 3 types of foundation in 16 different shades, cover-up trios in 5 different shades, and bronzers in two different shades. There’s something for every skin tone and type!

To take advantage of this 40% off introductory offer, shop Daniel Chinchilla Cosmetics and enter the coupon code PRETTYFACE at checkout. This introductory offer is good from Tuesday, March 17 (that’s tomorrow!) through Tuesday, March 31.

Thanks to Jenn and Daniel Chinchilla Cosmetics for arranging this promotion!

A new way to rock the smoky eye

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I wrote on Twitter that I couldn’t rock martini olive eyeshadow. Mostly, I had been applying martini olive eyeshadow in the crease.

Today, I tried a different variant for the smoky eye, based on golden olive shades:

* I used Shu Uemura M Olive 499 eyeshadow (which appears to have been discontinued), a golden olive, in the crease. Eyeshadow in Chameleon, a matte brown with olive and gold undertones, from Zuzu Luxe would have worked well, too.

* For the lid, I used Zuzu Luxe eyeshadow in Absinthe, which is a lighter shade of golden olive than the Shu Uemura M Olive 499.

* I used martini olive green eyeshadow as an accent in the outer corner of my eye.

* For the eyeliner, I used my favorite black brown eyeshadow (this time, Sonia Kashuk single in Night). To create a smudgier look, I used a small chiseled eyeshadow brush: only instead of tracing along the lashline, I applied the eyeshadow with tiny strokes upward.

* For a softer look on the lower lashline, I dotted the dark brown eyeshadow from the CARGO Essential Eyeshadow Palette in Cool/Neutral with a pointed end eyeliner brush between my lower lashes, and then smudged to blend.

The look suited my brown eyes with green flecks.

Where to shop:

You may shop Shu Uemura from its website, boutiques, and specialty stores. Zuze Luxe is sold at some Whole Foods Markets; also Google Zuzu Luxe to find other vendors. Sonia Kashuk is sold through Target stores. You may shop CARGO at Sephora stores and Sephora.com.

LORAC Oil-Free Neutralizer

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LORAC Oil-Free Neutralizer

I’m prone to windburn, and I got a nasty case of it walking between the meeting place and the Metro stop on a particularly cold, blustery day last week. That’s when LORAC Oil-Free Neutralizer was a godsend. I applied this yellow-green lotion to my face, let it dry, and then applied my regular foundation over that. Redness covered!

Read what others think.

You may find LORAC Oil-Free Neutralizer at LORAC, Beauty.com, Sephora.com, and Ulta.

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Completely removing makeup before bedtime is absolutely essential!

TotalBeauty.com
Top 14 Makeup Removers

See which products easily stripped off eye makeup (and everything else)

Top 14 Makeup Removers

We makeup junkies need a good product to take it all off at the end of the day — no clogged pores or stained pillowcases for us! The makeup removers on this list left TotalBeauty.com readers with clean skin and without oily residue or dryness.

See products

No. 14: MAC Wipes, $25

TotalBeauty.com average member rating: 8.9*

No. 14: MAC Wipes, $25

Why they’re great: “These wipes are perfect for those of us who are too tired/lazy/intoxicated to wash our faces before bed, but who don’t like the idea of clogged pores and dirty pillow cases either…”

No. 13: Estee Lauder Take it Away LongWear Makeup Remover Towelettes, $17.50

TotalBeauty.com average member rating: 9*

No. 13: Estee Lauder Take it Away LongWear Makeup Remover Towelettes, $17.50

Why they’re great: “They clean my face entirely, leaving not a trace of dirt or makeup. They are extremely portable and come in handy on any trip…”

No. 12: Lancome Effacil Gentle Eye Makeup Remover, $21.95

TotalBeauty.com average member rating: 9*

No. 12: Lancome Effacil Gentle Eye Makeup Remover, $21.95

Why it’s great: “It is so gentle and does not burn or sting your eyes. It has absolutely no oily residue…”

Want to see what’s #1? Click here!

Introducing Daniel Chinchilla Cosmetics

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Daniel Chinchilla Cosmetics is a new line of cosmetics: it’s so new, in fact, that online shopping won’t go live until Sunday, March 8, 2009!

Daniel Chinchilla Cosmetics debuts with 3 different formulas of foundation (liquid, creme-to-powder, and dual wet/dry powder), each of which comes in 16 shades: in short, there’s something for any skin type and skin tone. It will also feature bronzer in two different shades and cover-up trio in five different shades.


Flawless Finish Liquid Foundation from Daniel Chinchilla Cosmetics

Daniel Chinchilla is a fashion, beauty, and editorial make-up artist. He was recently featured on Get Your Face On, TLC’s reality TV series starring Napoleon Pardis. By listening to his clients, Daniel learned that many of them still found it difficult to find makeup shades that suited their skin tone. Daniel sought to address their needs by starting his own cosmetics line.

Hair and the clash of cultures

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March 2009 issue of Allure

The March 2009 issue of Allure features an article The Locks Market about the global trade in human hair to make wigs and hair extensions. It focuses on the Tirumala temple in India, where Hindu women have their hair shorn as a gesture of humility and thankfulness.

Tirumala

The article describes the process that the hair undergoes from being shorn to being made into extensions. The hair changes hands from temple auctions to Indian hair brokers who sell it to Indian factories that sort, clean, and fumigate hair, which in turn sell it to wig and extension makers in Italy or Tunisia. Then the finished products are sold to distributors all around the world.

We gave our hair to God, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India credit: weblogtheworld.com

It’s a fascinating read, but it’s only part of the story. Orthodox Jewish women often cover their heads with a wig. A rabbinical ruling forbade the purchase and wearing of wigs from hair that came from Hindu temples such as Tirumala, which are regarded as polytheistic and idolatrous. These rulings also apply to getting rid of the wigs – one cannot sell them, as it only perpetuates the trade. When Orthodox Jewish women in New York discovered that the human hair in their wigs came from Hindu temples, they destroyed the wigs by burning them.

This article is cross-posted at Mera Bharat Mahan.

Best Mineral Makeup

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My article on Mineral Madness elicited unusual response from readers of this blog (see More Mineral Madness).  Nonetheless, it appears that, from my stats, people are interested in finding the best mineral makeup:

These reviews tell which foundations and powders are best in their class

Readers' Choice: Top 18 Mineral Makeup Products
From powders to liquids, these mineral makeup formulas were voted most impressive (and least irritating) by TotalBeauty.com users. Find the perfect match for your skin — and your budget.
TotalBeauty.com average member rating: 8.2*

No. 18: Joppa Minerals Morning Dew Foundation, $16
Why it’s great: “It doesn’t make me itch and it stays in place all day long…”
TotalBeauty.com average member rating: 8.2*

No. 17: Mary Kay Mineral Powder Foundation, $18
Why it’s great: “It is easy to apply, it blends in with my skin, it stays all day, and it looks natural…”
TotalBeauty.com average member rating: 8.2*

No. 16: Arbonne About Face Mineral Powder Foundation, $34
Why it’s great: “I have some issues with acne scars and this covers [them] right up. There’s a good selection of colors as well so you’re sure to find your color…”

You’ll be surprised!

After you’ve filed your feet, then what?

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I apply butter LONDON‘s Rock Away callus remover and wrap my feet in Saran wrap, as the technician in Seattle did. Potassium hydroxide is listed as the second ingredient after water, so this is a caustic solution.


butter LONDON Rock Off Callus Remover

At bedtime, I then apply butter LONDON’s Stiletto Stick to my feet and put on socks. Other options are thick creams enriched with urea such as Eucerin Plus.


butter LONDON Stiletto Stick

Repeated treatment leaves feet smooth and uncallused.

You may find butter LONDON at Beauty.com and Eucerin Plus at beauty.com’s sister site drugstore.com, major drugstore and supermarket chains, and “big box” stores such as Target and Wal-Mart.

Revlon® Pedi-EXPERT™ Pedicure Kit

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Ped Egg has received good press, despite the cheesiness of its “As Seen on TV” ads. To my knowledge, the first product of its kind was the Microplane Foot File. Now I’ve found a foot file that I like even better than Microplane: it’s the Revlon® Pedi-EXPERT™ Pedicure Kit:


Revlon® Pedi-EXPERT™ Pedicure Kit

Why do I like the Revlon® Pedi-EXPERT™ Pedicure Kit? There’s a lifetime guarantee, unlike the Ped Egg, which sells replacement graters. What are the advantages of Revlon® Pedi-EXPERT™ over Microplane? I particularly like the ergonomic shape that you can cradle in your hand (like a good computer mouse); also, there’s a finishing file built in to smooth your feet after shaving them with the grater. For the budget-conscious, Revlon® Pedi-EXPERT™ Pedicure Kit costs half of what Microplane costs.

You may find Revlon® Pedi-EXPERT™ Pedicure Kit at major drugstore chains, “big box” stores, and Ulta.

Get Trae’s "Bronzed Goddess" look

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For spring 2009, Trae Bodge Napierala of Three Custom Color Specialists has created the “Bronzed Goddess” look. The Mood Lighting Shimmer Cremes that Three Custom Color Specialists developed in consultation with makeup artist Dina Gregg are key to the look.

The Mood Lighting Shimmer Creme in On Fire is used as a bronzer to be applied to the parts of the face where the sun hits, for example, the cheeks and the ridge of the nose. It may also be used in the crease of the eye.


Mood Lighting Shimmer Creme in On Fire

The Mood Lighting Shimmer Creme in Afterglow is used as a highlighter on the brow bone, the top of the cheek bone, and inner corner of the eye.

Trae has also created lipstick and lipgloss in Whisper, a shimmering nude for her Bronzed Goddess look.

The best part is that you can enter to win one of three Mood Lighting Shimmer Cremes in On Fire from Three Custom Color Specialists!

IMPORTANT By entering this contest, you consent to adding your email address to Three Custom Color Specialists’ mailing list. While you may opt out later, you’ll want to get notices about special offers and new product launches – I’m very fond of Three Custom Color Specialists’ sheer lipsticks and while I usually don’t care for wand lipgloss, I’m a convert to their version, which is not sticky.

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