Category: cosmetics

The Style Page Joins The Mineral Makeup Revolution

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I was running low on loose powder (Clinique translucent, which has been my standby), so this seemed to be a good time to try out mineral makeup. I succumbed to buying the starter kit from the most aggressively marketed of all mineral makeup brands – i.d. Bare Escentuals, which is hawked via informercials, 30-second TV ads, shows on QVC, and retail outlets including Sephora, Ulta, and its own Bare Escentuals boutiques.


Bare Escentuals Get Started Kit

The starter kit I selected includes mineral foundation in Light and Fairly Light (which, as I discovered, didn’t mean “somewhat light” but in between Fair and Light), Mineral Veil finishing powder, Warmth all-over color, a face/blush brush, a fluffy kabuki brush, and a concealer brush. This kit also contains MD Formulations Facial Cleanser and a DVD showing makeup application, but as I have not used these products, I cannot comment on them.

I was skeptical about the claims, as the “before” and “after” pictures shown on TV looked fake – if anything, the “after” pictures showed how eye makeup can really brighten one’s appearance. But I found that the application helped tone down the ruddiness of my cheeks. The application of Swirl Tap Buff® (yes, it’s a registered trademark) is simpler than my routine of dotting on liquid foundation and blending, and then applying loose powder, and there is no obvious demarcation. The mineral makeup finish was matte, but not dry and flat. I used the Light mineral powder foundation as my base color and the Fairly Light mineral powder foundation as a concealer.

The foundations are formulated with titanium and zinc oxides (yes, the same stuff in the white ointment favored by lifeguards), occlusive agents that serve as physical barriers to sun exposure. While the products are rated as SPF 25, it’s unclear how much one should apply to get that level of sun protection.

As the mineral foundations give a nice matte finish, I don’t know if the Mineral Veil finishing powder really adds anything, although I do apply it. The principal ingredient in Mineral Veil is cornstarch, which does blot up oil; also, baby powder is often formulated with cornstarch, as it is soothing to the skin.


Cornstarch – the principal ingredient in Mineral Veil

The Warmth all-over color is the color of rust, which suggests that it contains iron oxides. I’d rather stick with my regular blush, which is Aveda’s Tesserae, which features 3 shades of different intensities that I can blend together.

Am I a convert to mineral makeup? I expect to continue to use liquid foundation, but I am pleased with the results of mineral makeup. Mineral powder foundation is a nice alternative to liquid foundation and great on those days I don’t want to fuss with blending liquid foundation into my skin (I’d rather spend the time on eye makeup application). As the weather gets warmer, I will probably be relying more and more on mineral makeup. All things considered, mineral makeup was a pleasant surprise to me.

CG Queen Collection – Cover Girl launches collection for women of color

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I have never been a fan of Cover Girl. I resent Cover Girl for upholding the beauty ideal of the blue-eyed blonde for so long: Cybill Shepherd, Cheryl Tiegs, and most enduringly, Christie Brinkley have all been the faces of Cover Girl.


Christie Brinkley for Cover Girl, 1984

In the last ten years, however, Cover Girl has used models of color such as Lana Ogilvie and Tyra Banks (no, I won’t dish about Tyra’s talk show). Now it’s launched the CG Queen Collection, a line of powder foundations, lipsticks, lip glosses, mascara, eye and lip pencils, nail polishes, and eye shadow quads for women of color, named for its spokesmodel Queen Latifah.

The particular strengths of this line appear to be the shades of powder foundation and the variety of lip colors.

The CG Queen Collection is not widely available – consult the web site for store locations or shop online at Cover Girl’s eStore. Mostly, retail outlets are confined to those areas where there are high concentrations of potential customers – I browsed the collection at a KMart located in an area with a high concentration of Hispanic residents.

Review of MAC “Beauty Icon 3” collection Catherine Deneuve – Color

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I had become disillusioned with MAC after it discontinued its Satin foundation several years ago. MAC Satin was the best foundation I ever used, and even better, its price point was more comfortable that prices for foundations from other department store brands. When I wanted to buy another bottle, the makeup artist told me that the foundation had been discontinued and tried to sell me on the merits of peach-toned foundations. I couldn’t believe it. MAC became famous in part for its array of neutral-toned foundations!


Catherine Deneuve – fabulous at 62
(AP Photo/ Markus Schreiber, File)

It was the allure of Catherine Deneuve and MAC’s selecting La Deneuve as its Beauty Icon that brought me back to MAC. I visited one of MAC’s mall stores to test products from the Catherine Deneuve – Color collection.

The Catherine Deneuve – Color collections features two shades of blushing crème, two shades of nail polish, four different shades of Lipglass, four different shades of lip Lacquer, four shades of lipstick, and two eye shadow quads. For the most part, the shades are pretty and wearable (not the adjectives that typically spring to mind with MAC).

I will focus on the lipsticks and eye shadow quads. A Rose (a deep rose) is the most vibrant shade of the lot, while Strawberry Blonde is a pink/coral – not too cool, not too warm – and Sharp Beige is a nude pink. I ultimately opted for Bourbon, which MAC describes as Rich brown/red (Amplified), but it’s more like intensifying the natural color of my lips and giving them a nice polish.

The two eye shadow quads are Laze and Thunder. Laze features two light shades appropriate for all over lid color and two dark shades more appropriate for the crease or for lining the eyes. All shades coordinate well together. Thunder features more dramatic shades that mimic the chartreuse/olive/plum/pink color motif used in the brush handles and compacts of the Catherine Deneuve – Face collection. As I prefer to use tonal shades, I found it difficult to coordinate all shades from this quad together – and judging from the “Looks” on MAC’a web site, neither could MAC’s makeup artists.

Catherine Deneuve collections by MAC now out

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MAC’s third “Beauty Icon” collection is now available at maccosmetics.com and gloss.com and in the stores. Each “Beauty Icon” collection pays tribute to a particular celebrity. The two previous honorees were Liza Minelli and Diana Ross. MAC has always been unconventional (recall that female impersonator RuPaul was the spokesmodel for MAC’s first print campaign), but what was MAC thinking by selecting Liza Minelli and Diana Ross? I discussed Ross in a post on on this blog from last year. Liza Minelli’s career after her breakthrough role in the movie Cabaret (1972) has been plagued by addictions, lousy vehicles to showcase her talent, and four marriages that ended in divorce: the last marriage, to producer David Gest, ended with a lawsuit claiming that she abused him. Both Minelli and Ross are also plagued by lasting associations with Michael Jackson.

The current collection honors Catherine Deneuve, who is not only working steadily (she’s now 62), but who also has become the model for aging well. She eschews cosmetic surgery, and chose to keep an extra fifteen pounds rather than incur wrinkles.


Catherine Deneuve for MAC (2006)

This is not the first time that Deneuve has modeled for a beauty product. In the 1970s, she appeared in an ad campaign for Chanel no. 5. She is more sensual at 62 than she was in her 30s!


Catherine Denueve for Chanel no. 5 (1970s)

L’Oreal HIP High Intensity Pigments

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L’Oreal has a new makeup line called HIP High Intensity Pigments now available at drugstores and mass-market retailers. I was struck by the outre makeup on the models that looks like something to be found on a MAC display. Even the typeface for HIP looks like MAC’s.

The collection comprises 61 shades of creme blush, base, eyeshadow, lipcolor, lip gloss, bronzer, and eye color.


L’Oreal Hip High Intensity Pigments Flawless Liquid Makeup, Sand 802

In her article on determining your skintone, Paula Begoun noted that “The goal is to use foundation to neutralize whatever overtones are present with a neutral- to slightly yellow-toned foundation, thus matching the skin’s natural undertone. … There are a few exceptions to this guideline: Native North American or South American women, a tiny percentage of African-American women, and some Polynesian women do indeed have a red cast to their skin.” L’Oreal Hip High Intensity Pigments Flawless Liquid Makeup comes in a variety of shades appropriate for women of color with reddish casts to their skin (select the link to find other shades other than that pictured). The HIP Cosmetics website states that there are “violet perles” in these bases, but I don’t know how they affect the shade or the shininess of the makeup.


L’Oreal Hip High Intensity Pigments Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss, Tempting 378

L’Oreal Hip High Intensity Pigments Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss are packaged in the same tubes used for L’Oreal Colour Juice Sheer Lip Gloss (a favorite of The Style Page BTW). They come in both pearlized and non-pearlized shades.

Overall, this is an impressive debut. L’Oreal is the leader among drugstore brands when comes to innovative product offerings – by comparison, Revlon’s recent product offerings are uninspired.

Beauty update and a special offer

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We’ve updated our Beauty pages and added many new links, especially to our Cosmetics and Fragrance pages.

Di Kennedy Studio Colour from Australia is one of the new additions to The Style Page. Di characterizes her range as “professional quality, ultra girlie.” I am impressed by the range of products and shades that she offers.

I am pleased to announce that Di Kennedy Studio Colour is offering a 10% discount exclusive to readers of The Style Page. To take advantage of this offer, please enter STYLE in the comments box upon checkout.

Prices are given in Australian currency, so readers outside Australia might want to use a currency converter such as FXConverter from OANDA to estimate the purchase amount of their order.

Estee Lauder ups its hipness quotient with Tom Ford, Gwyneth Paltrow

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The Estee Lauder Companies are working hard to re-energize their flagship Estee Lauder label. Last April, The Style Page noted Tom Ford’s venture with Estee Lauder. In June, I noted Gwyneth Paltrow’s contract with Estee Lauder to appear in their advertising campaigns. Only now are we seeing the results of these two ventures.

I was at Nordstrom in Tysons Corner last week, and a visiting makeup artist from Estee Lauder told me that only Neiman-Marcus and Saks are carrying the color products from the Tom Ford Collection. I then went to Saks, where the saleswoman told me that the Estee Lauder company was giving only small quantities of the products in the Tom Ford Collection to individual stores: for example, this Saks store received only one compact of solid perfume in Youth Dew Amber Nude (selling for $175!). The Eau du Parfum spray is strong enough to curl your toes, although Youth Dew Amber Nude is supposed to be lighter than original Youth Dew. I tested five lipsticks from the Tom Ford Collection ranging from a shimmering champagne to a shade that looked like malted milk to a deep plummy brown. The Tom Ford Collection also offers a subdued pinkish bronzer. I didn’t find anything I wanted, thanked the saleswoman for her time, and walked away.

I have not been able to find the Tom Ford Collection sold online on esteelauder.com. I also tried saks.com, as the Tom Ford Collection premiered at its Fifth Avenue store, but all I could find available was the Eau du Parfum spray. With the way that Estee Lauder is limiting supply of the Tom Ford Collection, it’s no surprise that these products are up for bid on eBay!

Calvin Klein to launch a new cosmetics line – in 2007!

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It was a disappointment for me when Calvin Klein Cosmetics were discontinued a couple of years ago. In a market awash with glittery glosses and wild colors addressed to teens, it was refreshing to have a cosmetics line geared toward women.

Unilever, the Dutch consumer goods conglomerate, distributed Calvin Klein Cosmetics, and I called Unilever consumer relations to verify that they had discontinued the line, in response to an email from a reader of The Style Page. Unilever has since sold its fragrance business to Coty.

Now comes news from Cosmeticsdesign.com that Calvin Klein is partnering with Markwins International, best known for its Color Workshop palettes, to launch a new cosmetics line, but we’ll have to wait until spring 2007. Sigh!