Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog

The Working Girl has spent hard-earned dollars and Mother Blogger has spent delightful mother-daughter time at their local Sephora store this week.  The smart staff at Sephora always educates them on what's hot and new on the beauty counters.

What's new and worth their dollars?

Kevyn Aucoin Radiant Reflection Foundation

What it is:

A sheer stick foundation.

Product Information: This creamy stick foundation is designed to even the skin's tone by disguising imperfections such as hyperpigmentation, acne blemishes and excessive redness. Formulated with vegetal sugars and orange fruit extract, it nourishes and hydrates the skin for a fresh, radiant and comfortable texture. Created with sheer, buildable pigments, it promises controllable coverage, making it perfect for all skin types and coverage preferences.

More golden-toned Working Girl and very fair Mother Blogger found that the color Linda worked for their skin tones.  It disappeared on their skin and didn't sink into fine lines.  Mother Blogger particularly liked that she could throw the stick foundation in her handbag for touch-ups during the day.  The Working Girl liked that she could build the coverage on her skin  -- starting with a natural look and layering on those hormonally-challenging preggers blemishes.

What else did the girls of the blog buy this week? 

Stay tuned.

Although this quiz told us otherwise, combo-skinned Working Girl and dry-skinned Mother Blogger are both using Paula Dorf Perfect Glo.  So weightless, so translucent, its natural for your skin. Transmitting and diffusing light. Refining all the way to flawless. And its lusciously light creaminess assures vital moisture.

But it's always interesting to learn what others think...As a result of the findings, we are going to give Shiseido a test-drive.

 

Take the quiz

Though women often fixate on wrinkles, a series of studies shows that evenness of skin color may be equally important for beauty.

Men find faces with homogeneous hues more attractive than splotchy faces, not that you should be concerned what men think!  But the authors concluded that smooth skin suggests youth and good health.

Stay tuned for Amanda, Girl-Woman-Brains-Blog's skin expert, and The Working Girl, who will fill us in on how to get rid of that uneven skin tone via cosmetic procedures or makeup.

Berhard Fink, Univedrsity of Goettingen, Pyschology Today

Mother Blogger Tests Avon's New SpectraColor Lipstick

Avon's SpectraColor Lipstick holds a light and dark version of your favorite shade in side-by-side chambers.

Created for the woman who loves to change her look from demure to dramatic, this is the first lipstick that lets you click to seven shades, allowing you to create just the right look for any mood - just twist the dial and slide on the shine!

Formulated with Vitamins A, C, and E, this lightweight, high-shine formula delivers beautiful color that lasts for hours, is never sticky and won't bleed.

The color Roses provided me with enough mood-changing colors to cover Manic Monday all the way to TGIF. 

With endless possibilities of lipstick shades that would stump even a famous mathematician like Fibonacci, Avon's New SpectraColor Lipstick is brains on beauty.

Introductory special:  $9.50 $7.50

 

Hi all y'all.  Even though we are in the Midwest, we are feeling our Southern roots on this gorg sunny Sunday and have our twang on.  So no matter what your roots -- Southern, blonde, gray -- get your beauty on with the Total Beauty Web Tour and get educated by 26 of the best beauty blogs in the blogosphere as to what's haute for summer 2009!

Beauty Up Now!

Get a chuckle and a review about Prescriptives' NEW All Skins Mineral Makeup with SPF 15

"I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb...and I also know that I'm not blonde."

- Dolly Parton

Since two of us are Dolly Parten blonde -- a Kevin Q blonde and a drugstore blonde -- no offense is meant to our real blonde readers, but if you can't laugh at yourself, you don't get the joke. 

A blonde walked into a review and sat down in front of the mirror to test Prescriptives New All Skins Mineral Makeup SPF 15 ($32.50).  Dipping the brush in the powder, the blonde swirled the brush all over her face and exclaimed, "This mineral powder is so natural, it looks like my own skin!"

The observer replied, "You forgot to take the little plastic thingy off that they cover the new unopened powder with so that the powder stays in the container!"

After the plastic thingy was removed and the brush re-dipped into the powder, the blonde once again swirled the brush all over her face and exclaimed, "This mineral powder is so natural that it looks like my own skin!"

All kidding aside, this Health and Essence magazine award winner comes in first place on Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog.  The makeup is weightless, and with 18 shades to choose from, women of all skin color -- and hair color -- should be able to find a perfect match. 

You know that any mineral makeup that contains SPF gets a high five from us, but All Skins Mineral Makeup gets a high ten.  We tested the mineral makeup on a hot and humid day in the city and discovered it was not only sweat- and humidity-resistant, but oil-controlling, too. 

With vitamins C and E, minerals that include calcite and mica, gems that include amethyst and rose quartz, and sun protection, too, Prescriptives New All Skins Mineral Makeup SPF 15 is definitely not a joke. 

Because laughter is good for your health:

Why did the blonde put lipstick on her forehead?

Because she was trying to make up her mind.

What did the blonde say when she saw the sign in front of the YMCA?

"Look! They spelled MACY'S wrong."

Related Articles:

• Mineral Sunscreens We Love
• Raise Your Beach Fashion IQ
• Ageless Beauty on Brains:  4 Sunscreens to have in your Beach Bag
• Clothes with UPF
• 12 Ways to Protect Your Skin from the Sun
• How To Camouflage Brown Spots
• How To Get Rid Age Spots
• Lip Shtick for Sun Protection 

 

Happy anniversary, L'Oreal. To showcase its rich history and amazing achievements over the last 100 years, L’Oréal Paris is offering special deals on some of its iconic products available at your local drugstores.

You can also enter a sweepstakes online at www.lorealparisusa.com surrounding the anniversary.  The sweepstakes includes 100 days of prizes to be given away including a grand prize of a makeover in Paris!!

Run to your nearest drugstore now and pick up your fave L'Oreal products at a discounted price:

• True Match Super-Blendable makeup collection
• EverPure haircare collection 
• Revitalift skincare collection  
• Voluminous Volume Building Mascara 
• Colour Riche Lipcolour   
• Excellence Haircolor

 

Brains on Beauty:  Ulta has a Buy 1, Get 1 50 % Off Sale through June 27th.

Get Current Headlines on Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog

These hits, from channels like QVC and HSN, have us dialing at all hours of the night

We've all done it: you can't sleep, turn on the TV, watch a spokesperson rave about some new makeup, and the next thing you know you're pulling out your credit card. Problem is, not all of those late-night impulse buys are that great. However, after checking out this list of the top "as seen on TV" makeup, you'll know what's worth the splurge.

See makeup

No. 12: Dior Mascara Diorshow, $24

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.4*

"It gives me the most dramatic and thick lashes, and makes them look so long..."

No. 11: Pur Minerals 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup/Foundation, $24.50

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 9*

"It is a snap to apply, lasts a long time, doesn't look cakey or dry and really appears natural..."

No. 10: Laura Geller Balance & Brighten Compact, $29.50

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 9.2*

"This is my go-to foundation whenever I am in a hurry and... don't have time for a full face of makeup..."

 

Speaking of QVC, legendary makeup artist, author and entrepreneur Bobbi Brown is scheduled to make three one-hour QVC appearances Saturday, May 30 at midnight, 11 AM and 5 PM (ET) to share her unique beauty philosophy, revolutionary cosmetics and expert advice. Her signature line of wearable, natural looking makeup - Bobbi Brown Cosmetics will be showcased throughout the day offering QVC shoppers a selection of new and best selling items.

Want to see what's no. 1? Click here!

Health and Wellness Wednesday:  Mirror, mirror on the wall, which lipstick is the most toxic of all?

That's the question Tampa-based Tara Lee has for the Food and Drug Administration. Lee, 37, runs Best in Beauty (http://www.bestinbeauty.com <http://www.bestinbeauty.com/> ), a Web site that sells natural makeup, fragrances, and skin- and hair-care products. The site is built around the belief that some cosmetics contain dangerous concentrations of chemicals. Its "Message on a Mirror" campaign -- waged via Facebook and e-mail -- urges consumers to write a message to the FDA in lipstick, snap a picture of it and send it to Lee. She will gather the photos and forward them to the agency.

 Lee has received more than 100 such notes, including ones that say "I'm not a chemist I have 2 trust u!" and "ingredients 4 pretty people should not be ugly."

 The lipstick issue heated up in 2007 when the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics tested 33 lipsticks and found that 61 percent contained lead, a neurotoxin that accumulates in the body over time. An FDA spokeswoman said via e-mail that "FDA scientists have not found levels of lead in lipstick that would be considered harmful to humans." Lee suggests that women read the ingredient lists on their cosmetics -- as one would with food -- and choose products with short lists and pronounceable words.

Source:  Washington Post

Related Articles:

• Beauty and the Beast:  Breast Cancer
• 8 Ways to Deal with Toxic Chemicals in Beauty Products
• Warning:  11 Most Dangerous Ingredients in Beauty Products
• 11 Most Harmful Ingredients Hiding in your Beauty Products
• Are Eco-Friendly Beauty Products Really Friendly?

 

For current articles on Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog click here. 

Skindinävia Makeup Finishing Spray Review ($39)

Reviewed by Jamie

Save your makeup. 

Save your money. 

Skindinävia's unique cooling technology chills the makeup surface to resist melting, smearing and color loss for hours. Can be used all skin types.

Skindinävia Makeup Finishing Spray not only provides a hold for foundation, eye shadow, blush, and concealer but also gives you a refreshed feeling.  With one spritz, my skin felt cool and moisturized.  Aloe, one of the oldest medicinal plants known to mankind, left my skin feeling cool and moisturized.  

How to use:  Apply makeup as usual.  Hold bottle 8 to 10 inches from face.  Close eyes and mouth and mist away. I put it to the test and went eight hours without re-touching my makeup.  I spritzed with Skindinävia once in the morning and once around lunch. 

Results: This is a product worth the investment.  It will save you trips to the bathroom mirror during your workday and keeps you looking great during your weekend happenings.