You probably didn’t know this, but in my previous career I
was a Makeup Artist. For 12 years, I had
a glamorous (well, not so glam when you are opening 100 boxes of stock in the
back room, or taking inventory counts, etc.) job of working for one of the
nation’s top specialty stores (Nordys) for makeup brands Lancôme and Clinique
(4 years each) and then worked in Downtown Seattle at the premier Salon Spa
where I helped clients by custom creating/blending/mixing everything from
foundations, concealers and powders to lip glosses and lipsticks. I loved being in the beauty industry—working with
colors and pigments has always come naturally to me, and I absolutely adored
helping women learn how to enhance their personal beauty and seeing the
transformations that followed. When I
was “in the zone” with one of my clients, only an earthquake could interrupt
our fun and learning (um, actually that did happen once---with the Nisqually Quake
in 2001, a 7.1 on the Richter scale!) so focused was I on meeting their needs.
Then, at the age of 35 I got pregnant—my husband and I were
thrilled! I was fortunate to have a
rather easy pregnancy and worked on my feet until month 8, when I then went on
leave of absence. That was 10 years ago,
and that was the last time that I officially worked as a Makeup Artist. I have since branched out into other
interests (mostly interior deco), but Cosmetics will always be an easy language
for me. And no, I don’t look at every
woman I see and want to “fix” her.
Unless it is egregious on the order of Tammy Faye Bakker (Messner) or something…in
which case, I think almost anyone would want to give a little helpful advice
along with a wash cloth.
What I have noticed, though, is the resurgence of the so-called
“Mass” brands. This is industry speak
for cosmetic and skincare brands that are given Mass distribution, as opposed
to specialty or 'Prestige' brands that are only available in boutiques and department stores. In the past, the quality was the biggest
difference, with the Mass brands having much less to offer in the areas of
pigment selection and “pay-off” (“pay-off” is the amount of product that is
used to get the desired effect), as well as efficacy (the ease of use &
wear). Plus, in the department store
there were lovely helpers to guide you to your most beautiful self (me, in a
past life)…but then something happened…the Mass brands woke up and figured out
that they needed to step up their game.
The underlying secret power of the Mass brands, was that they were usually
much larger companies, and could bring to bear a lot more resources to
research, development and sourcing of ingredients. And so they did. Mass brands realized that consumers would pay
a little more, if in exchange they had access to better quality products with a
wider range of attractive colors and targeted uses. I no longer felt like I had to shop the “expensive”
lines to find good quality products that fit my needs. No more $26 mascara for me.
So, from time to time, I will share with you readers my
latest “finds” on the cosmetic and skincare front. I am not an expert with a PHD in chemistry,
or a licensed aesthetician, so I will not pretend to be one—however, I am a fairly
knowledgeable consumer with a deep background in cosmetic sales.
Currently, these are the “Mass” products that I use on a
regular basis: (over the years, I have
found replacements for nearly all of the ‘prestige’ brands that I used to
represent)
·
L’Oreal: Lipsticks, Eyeshadows (especially from the
HiP line), Lipliners, Nail Polish
·
Sonia
Kashuk (private label line at Target):
Lipgloss, Concealer, Brushes & Tools, Brow Pencil
·
Revlon: Foundation (PhotoReady), Concealer
(Colorstay), Camouflage for blemishes (Colorstay), Face Powders (PhotoReady
& Colorstay), Colorstay Eyeliners, Colorstay Lipliners, Nail Polish
·
CoverGirl: Mascara (Lashblast Volume…orange packaging in
Very Black)
·
Maybelline: Lipstick (Colorsensational; Pink Quartz is
particularly nice for cool blondes or for layering onto deeper shades to soften
them. I have many other colors too.)
·
Garnier: BB Cream in Fair (I mix this with the Revlon
PhotoReady in lightest shade…then I have the exact color I need)
·
Other
products of note: Bronzer/Contour
Powder (a brand I found in Germany, but have not seen in the states…my runner
up is Lancôme’s Star Bronzer), Blusher (cream stick which has been discontinued…so
I am searching for a replacement that has a creamy/powdery texture and not a
neon color…will keep you posted or would love any suggestions.)
Just a couple of days ago, I found a wonderful new brand
(which is crazy cheap) and has OK packaging, nice colors and good “pay-off”….it
is called Essence. The parent company is in Germany (did you
know that Germany is a powerhouse in color cosmetics production? Check out nearly all of your eyeliners and
lipliners for confirmation!) and was started about 10 years ago. I first spied it in the states a couple of
years ago when I bought some trendy fingernail polishes (lime green, orange,
yellow etc) for 99cents and was hooked on those for my home pedicures…they wore
great and who could complain at the price?!
So when I was shopping at my local store (Fred Meyer for
those in the Northwest) a couple of days ago, I was intrigued because I was looking in ALL the lines
for a matte taupe/grey color to use as eyebrow powder filler (this is often a
softer and less harsh option than a pencil, for making eyebrows look more
uniform)…but came up empty until I saw this set from Essence: Over the
Taupe, a quad set of eyeshadows.
Now, I am a natural dark blonde with a tendency to mousy (so, of course,
I highlight to blondish) and finding a light taupe-y brown brow color that does
not look orange-y or yellow-ish is harder than you would think. Nothing
looks more artificial on a highlighted blonde than eyebrows that look like they
are for a ginger or brunette. At
any rate, I was correct that the color in the top right hand (on the photo I
have taken) of the set of four is practically perfect…there is a teensy bit of
shimmer, but not enough to make a problem at all! Use an angled stiff brush and stroke this
color following the direction of the hair growth (toward the temples) to fill
in any sparse areas and just generally make the brows show up more. The “no-brow” look (or more accurately, the “bleached-brow”
look) has been very popular (model Lara Stone, I am looking at you girlfriend)
of late for editorial spreads (in fashion magazines), but this is a
beyond-challenging look for mere mortal women because it makes you look like an
alien from outer space. Check out photos
of yourself….if your lashline (eyeliner and mascara zone) shows up more
noticeably than your browline, you probably need to help your brows out with a
little more color---they are the frame to your eyes, and thusly, the frame to
your face…trust a Makeup Artist, for heaven’s sakes! BTW, this quad is also fantastic used as a eyeshadow set (the lightest goes on your browbone, the shimmer taupe in the lower left corner is a nice crease color, and the darkest shade makes a nice powder eyeliner.)
For fun and giggles, I also splurged on an eyeliner (Taupe
22) and shimmery single shadow (Back to Khaki, metallic effect) for $1.99
each. They were both keepers too! (Note:
I have sensitive skin which sometimes reacts badly to eyeshadows…but no
redness or itching this time….plus I wear contacts, and there were no problems
with that either!) As I need (or want)
new color items, I think I will keep experimenting with more items from this
line…goodness knows the superlow price points mean I can make mistakes and
still come out ahead! (And no, they don't give away free stuff to bloggers who plug their line....it's just me, sharing the knowledge-love to help make the world a little more beautiful, on the cheap.)
That’s it for today….(I might need to find a better sign-off....)
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