I read How Not to Look Old after reading Andrea Robinson’s Toss the Gloss. Charla Krupp’s book is more extensive, as it covers fashion in addition to make-up.
Charla Krupp begins this book by saying that looking old negatively impacts you both personally and financially. Not a very upbeat way to begin a book.
I disagree with Krupp’s aversion to nude pantyhose: I feel undressed without hosiery. Krupp also advocates shimmery pink gloss (see the back cover), something that Robinson opposes.
Krupp’s best chapter is on bra fitting. Did you know that the band should provide more support than the straps? For more tips about bra fitting, I recommend reading How to properly measure from my favorite lingerie store Trousseau.
Had I not read Kathy Shaidle’s humorous 50 is the New Crappy, I would not have known that Charla Krupp died in 2012 at age 58. She did not get to live to old age.
I’m culling my makeup collection as Andrea Robinson recommended in Toss the Gloss. As I go through my collection, I think of the wonderful creative entrepreneurial people that I’ve met over the years through The Style Page. Their pieces hold special memories for me, and I’ve kept them.
Then there are the products that are no longer around (except in my closet):
reflect.com, an abortive attempt by P&G to create “customized” palettes (actually, the options were pretty limited). My item is not a custom palette, but a limited edition face palette that reflect created for Chico’s (yes, Chico’s)
M Professional, an inexpensive line (not tested on animals except boyfriends 🙂 that featured eye shadow singles with the screw-top lids that MAC made famous in the 90s
Lisa Hoffman Beauty skin care (before she focused on fragrance)
B’Box, which featured eye shadow and lip color matchsticks
Vital Radiance, which was Revlon’s disastrous venture in creating a cosmetics line for women 50+
L’Oreal Paris True Match liquid bronzer: it came in a mini-me glass bottle and looked like malted milk!
FYLO (For Your Lips Only), which featured lip gloss cubes that you could snap into a palette. This brand was created by Heidi Harris, who is now associate concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Hometown hero! Yay!
Calvin Klein, a color cosmetic line sold at Sephora that predated his CK Calvin Klein line from Markwins International and his current line CK One from Coty, which is sold exclusively by Ulta stores and ulta.com. I miss Calvin Klein: no gimmicky or cutesy stuff, just sophisticated shades for grown women, and the Lucite packaging made this line stand out among color cosmetics lines.
Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy, which predates her current line Carmindy & Co. There was a commentator on my old blog whose hatred of Carmindy came across as pathological.
There was the Givenchy make-up that a PR person gave me to thank me for a story I published about a charity auction for the Somaly Mam Foundation. Alas, Somaly Mam proved to be a fraud.
I couldn’t find those little plastic spatulas (great for scooping out loose powders and creams), but by going through my makeup collection, I found a lot of them. Likewise, I couldn’t find nail boards and I’d pester the folks at the local TD Bank branch to get nail boards that they give away. Again, by going through my collection, I found lots of nail boards.
I’m thinking about buying this Tabletop Spinning Cosmetic Organizer by Lori Greiner to organize my newly edited and curated (cough, cough) makeup collection. Do you own one? What do you think?
Tabletop Spinning Cosmetic Organizer by Lori Greiner
I’ll never get my collection down to the size of a Prada black nylon cosmetics bag, as Ms. Robinson suggested. I had a perfectly good knock-off where the emblem looked like the Prada emblem.
Andrea Robinson has had a storied career in the beauty industry, both as a magazine editor and cosmetics executive. She created The Nakeds product line for Ultima II in the late 80s/early 90s, predating both Bobbi Brown and the UD Naked palettes, which has had numerous knock-offs: see http://www.pinterest.com/thestylepage…. More recently, she was the brains behind Tom Ford Beauty, but was later fired.
First, the negative aspects of Toss the Gloss:
* I find it implausible that Robinson, who is 73, looks that young. This negatively impacts the credibility of the book.
* This book will become dated fast, as cosmetics companies will discontinue products listed as “best bets.”
* The make-up techniques are poorly described and illustrated, no matter how “charming” the illustrations are.
* You can find more extensive coverage of “non-invasive” techniques such as Botox and fillers and cosmetic surgery in Paula Begoun’s The Original Beauty Bible and Allure magazine.
On the plus side, Robinson offers many affordable options as best bets. She also blows the lid off the beauty industry, surprisingly, as she is a long-time beauty insider. Or could she have been bitter after her firing from Tom Ford Beauty?
As for me, I’m acting on Robinson’s advice to cull my make-up collection, but I can’t bring it down to the size of a cosmetic bag.
When I go to the salon to get my hair colored, I ask my hairdresser to tint my eyebrows; however, a couple of weeks before I go to the salon (I go every 5 weeks), the grey hairs begin appearing on my brows.
Both 1 Day Tattoo Real Lasting Eyebrow and TouchBack Brow Marker are good for covering individual hairs.
Paula’s Choice Brow Tint – paulaschoice.com
However, my favorite brow product is Paula’s Choice Hair/Brow Tint. It comes in a tube, much like a mascara, and has a brush that it is flat on one side, enabling it to act like a comb. I like it because I can groom and tint my eyebrows in one step.
From Korea, where trends (BB cream, face masks) in skin care begin, comes the latest innovation: BB cushion!
What is BB cushion? BB Cushion is a sponge that is soaked in foundation. To apply, you press a flat pad (included) in the sponge to pick up the foundation and then press or pat onto your face.
I understand that IOPE, one of Amore Pacific’s brands, was the first to bring out BB air cushion. When I was at the Amore store within Super H mart (see Asian beauty stores in the DC Metro Area), one of the saleswomen patted a bit of IOPE Air Cushion on my hand. She said it replaced primer, foundation, sunscreen, and powder. The finish of IOPE Air Cushion suggested the presence of silicones. It also had a white-ish cast, but then, whitening products are popular in Asia.
As I mentioned, Target has entered the premium skin care market. One of the brands that it is now carrying is Laneige, yet another Amore Pacific brand. Not surprisingly, Laneige has a BB Cushion product.
Laneige BB Cushion – target.com
So why do I say that Laneige BB Air Cushion is not worth the hype or hassle? It is difficult to apply, and it’s hard to know how much foundation to pick up. For the first couple of times that I used, I applied too much: it was obvious to my husband, who joked about it. Also, the pad doesn’t provide precision in covering spots and other detailed work. I’ll stick with my IT Cosmetics YSBB™ Your Skin But Better™ CC Cream with SPF 50+ and Beautyblender.
You may purchase Laneige BB Cushion for $34 (taxes & shipping not included) from target.com and Target stores (check online for availability in store – that’s how I found mine)
Let’s face it: lip liner is usually obvious, even if you match your lip liner to your lipstick.
That’s where It Cosmetics Reverse Lip Liner comes in. A reverse lip liner, occasionally called a barrier lip liner, is a waxy crayon or pencil that goes on clear.
It Cosmetics Reverse Lip Liner
I line my lips with It Cosmetics Reverse Lip Liner just outside the lip line. It provides definition to the shape of the lips and prevents seepage of lip color in fine line.
My only quibble is that it requires sharpening. I would have preferred a twist-up mechanism.
Select the link below for an article on positive habits for airline travel. I also suggest wearing compression stockings to prevent swelling and using saline nasal spray to keep your nostrils moist on long-haul flights. Bad Beauty Habits To Ditch When You Travel – Beauty Tips
The Style Page is excited to host a giveaway of two Rouge Bunny Rouge cosmetics assortments.
Rouge Bunny Rouge logo
What is Rouge Bunny Rouge? Simply put, it is a high end cosmetics and fragrance brand, but there’s more to it than that. Alexandra de Montfort founded Rouge Bunny Rouge in Moscow (yes, Russia) in 2006 and subsequently moved her base of operations to the UK. It has a romantic back story, featuring Princess Rouge, a rabbit (of course!), and the Enchanted Garden – something that you’d associate with a fragrance rather than a cosmetics line. This is the first time that I’ve tried Rouge Bunny Rouge, but beauty bloggers in the know, know. 🙂
Each Rouge Bunny Rouge assortment comprises 8 pieces and may include:
eye liner
lip pencil
lip gloss
eye shadow
eye liner
mascara
Enter the giveaway to win an assortment of luxe products from this cult brand. I’m hosting the giveaway via Facebook: to enter, go to http://tinyurl.com/nftdzez.
Terms & conditions:
Giveaway ends Saturday, May 9, 2014 11:59 PM Eastern (UTC – 4h). Open to US residents only. You should be 18 or older to enter. Winner will be selected at random and will be notified by email. Winners have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. The companies responsible for media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, etc.) are in no way associated with this giveaway. By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to me alone. I do not share or sell information and will use information only for the purpose of contacting the winner.
PR for Rouge Bunny Rouge sent me a huge assortment of RBR products, and I’m sharing the wealth with you!
Makeup Artist Margina Dennis shares her picks for a Radiant Orchid look:
Radiant orchid is a great color for the season because it is a universally flattering color like coral. What makes it work for everyone is the hint of red that is in it. The key to keeping this color looking fresh is to use it as an accent color or soft muted. If the lips are the focal point I like to use it as gloss, lip stain, or hydrating lip color.
OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE COSMETICS Lip Tar – Matte in Hoochie is a soft matte look.
Pur Minerals Chateau De Vine Lipstick – Show Off is a great option for deeper skin tones.
Then keep the rest of the face simple. A nude eye or just a bit of black or grey liner as a simple wing eye or lots of mascara. For a muted look use Benefit Lolli Tint- a cheek and lip stain that is a universally flattering sheer wash of color. Pairing with soft pink in a sheer wash can be an instant fresh look.
Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colors in Soft Iris and Violet Orchid, work for most skin tones. Again, keep the rest of the face muted. If you want to go a bit bolder with the trend and wear a radiant orchid inspired eyeliner, like STILA Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner Royal, this can look great as a winged or dramatic cat eye, just keep the rest of the face simple and let the liner be the focus.
For eye shadow you can use MARC JACOBS BEAUTY Style Eye-Con No.7- Plush Shadow as a great palette for a radiant orchid smoky eye. Keep cheek and lips in a pinked nude tone to keep the focus on the eyes.
While I was disappointed with IT Cosmetics Hello Lashes mascara, I was delighted with IT Cosmetics YSBB™ Your Skin But Better™ CC Cream with SPF 50+. I received a sample of the CC Cream in the package containing Hello Lashes and the reversible lip liner and liked it so much that I took advantage of the recent F&F event to buy the full size.
It Cosmetics YSBB™ Your Skin But Better™ CC Cream with SPF 50+
When I first applied IT Cosmetics IT Cosmetics YSBB™ Your Skin But Better™ CC Cream with SPF 50+, it felt very soothing. Redness is my main skin complaint, and IT Cosmetics CC Cream covers the redness beautifully. It makes skin look radiant, but not shimmery, as many luminizing foundations do. The CC Cream also blends seamlessly with my skin: too often, when I use liquid foundation, I get edges that don’t blend, no matter how much I tap-tap-tap with a dampened Beautyblender.
In addition, IT Cosmetics YSBB™ Your Skin But Better™ CC Cream with SPF 50+ s a UVA/UVB broad spectrum physical barrier sunscreen, with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, but it doesn’t have a whitish cast. While it’s rated SPF 50+ , you probably won’t apply enough to get those benefits. I recommend wearing a colorless sunscreen under the CC Cream: I use LaRoche-Posay Anthelios 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid, which is a chemical sunscreen.
In short, IT Cosmetics YSBB™ Your Skin But Better™ CC Cream with SPF 50+ delivers on what a BB/CC/DD cream (these sound like cup sizes! 🙂 should be: sunscreen, makeup, and skin care in one multitasking product.
While I’m often typed as “light,” I actually went against the received wisdom and chose Medium. MUA Robert Jones actually recommends slightly deeper makeup for older (cough, cough) women.
IT Cosmetics YSBB™ Your Skin But Better™ CC Cream with SPF 50+ comes in 5 shades (Fair, Light, Medium, Tan and Rich) and costs US $38.00 for 1.08 fl.oz. It is available online from itcosmetics.com, qvc.com, beauty.com, and ulta.com. IT Cosmetics has recently announced that it is now in all Ulta stores.
Have you tried IT Cosmetics YSBB™ Your Skin But Better™ CC Cream with SPF 50+? How did you like it? Do you have a favorite BB/CC/DD cream?
Cold Cream 'n' Roses 
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