FGW: Mo Mentions Fantastic Beauty Finds

This episode starts with not just a product, but the great little boutique that introduced me to it.

I had the pleasure of visiting Milwaukee with my husband for a few days and we stayed in the historic Third Ward District. On our last day in town we wandered down the street from an incredible pub we’d eaten at the night before (seriously, Milwaukee has great food) and happened across Blush.

Blush is a beauty boutique with an open, welcoming atmosphere. It is well lit and airy, with thoughtfully placed decorative touches and plenty of shelves and tables packed with products just begging to be explored. They have a few major anchor lines, most notably Laura Mercier, and several other lines that are slightly less known but clearly well chosen. A Laura Mercier event was starting the day we were scheduled to leave town, of course, and an artist was teaching the staff how to apply LM’s holiday looks, but everyone was still very kind and attentive. I was assisted by a lovely and helpful woman, and I asked if she was the store’s owner. She informed me with a justified glow of pride that it is her daughter’s store and she just “helps out”. It really is a family affair, with mom Jodi supporting her daughters, Sarah (owner) and Nikki (Skin care specialist). I am dying for the chance to return and try out their brow bar! If you find yourself in Milwaukee, stop in to say hi, see what they have to show you, and tell them Mythbuster Beauty sent ya! Since I can buy the major lines here at home, I asked Jodi to show me the best kept secret in their store. She didn’t disappoint, and this is what I found:

beautyblender Blender Sponge & Cleanser Kit ($39.95 at Beauty.com). I have never really liked makeup sponges, even back in the day when I got paid to use them. This latex free, odor free, non allergenic sponge changes all that. Thoroughly wet the sponge and then squeeze as much of the moisture from it as you can. The egg shaped applicator will have doubled in size to a super soft, super smooth sponge. A simple stippling motion leaves even the heaviest of foundations with a smooth, even finish every time and does wonders with my under eye concealer. I bought the double kit and use one for foundation/concealer and one for cream or gel blushes/highlighters. Throw in the lavender and soy cleanser that gently removes dirt and oil from the sponge and I am hopelessly hooked.

Some of my other recent fantastic finds:

Benefit’s Lemon-Aid ($20), a color correcting eyelid primer. I have fair skin with dusky eyelids and most “skin tone” primers make them look darker. This primer leaves a perfect brightened prep color and holds eye shadow really well. No shimmer added, just evenly prepped, radiant eyelids.

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Olay Regenerist Night Recovery Moisturizing Treatment (around $20, drugstores everywhere). A cream that gave me good results with diminished wrinkle appearance, great night time moisture, no added breakouts, and it certainly has the price point many of us are looking for. However, this comes with a plethora of caveats. Like many drugstore brands, this is packed with dimethicone, which is the beauty equivalent of smoothing a silicone wall over your face. This means that any impurities are trapped under this layer until you remove it. Hopefully it hasn’t helped clog your pores and cause skin problems in the meantime. It’s not necessarily a harmful ingredient, but it has potential to make a lot of people’s skin quite difficult. Along with the usual parabens, this also has a TON of fragrance. Like, ‘a wave of scent so strong I could hardly stand it’ strong. I have a good friend with severe sensitivities so I try to pay closer attention to fragrances to avoid causing her an asthma attack every time I visit and this doesn’t pass muster. A decent basic line trying to make itself feel and smell more exclusive, when the concept is pretty sound without all the added bells and whistles. If you aren’t sensitive to fragrance and dimethicone this may well be worth a try.

Make Up Forever Microfinish Powder ($30). Tracy mentioned this product and I had to try it. This truly translucent loose powder softens and smoothes skins appearance just like perfect candlelight would. A small amount applied with a good kabuki brush covers your whole face and leaves your skin feeling velvety smooth all day long. This is a fantastic product for oily skin and I think it’s well worth the money considering how long it will last you. Another beautifully executed product from Make Up Forever. Make Up Forever also has some of the best lash adhesive I’ve ever found. Buy yourself a nice pair of false lashes ($14) for the holidays and then pick up a few decent pairs of human hair lashes from the drugstore and use what’s left of your lash adhesive for everyday wear at a fraction of the price. Don’t think lashes are for everyday wear? I beg to differ…