I know I need to wear a daily SPF on my face and neck to avoid the damaging effects of the sun. Further more, I know that you need to be hyper-vigilant about using sunscreen while using retinoids, or after using facial skincare products with BHA or AHA’s. Even so, sometimes I still hesitate using a facial sunscreen.

Here is a list of some of the “excuses” I use to justify not using a facial sunscreen:

• the smell, many sunscreens have a chemical smell that really bothers me
• the feel, greasy and difficult to use with my existing makeup
• breakout factor, sensitivity to some sunscreen creams can cause breakouts
• the shine, even a little bit of moisture can add to my already summer oily-shiny skin
• sting my eyes,  don’t get a sunscreen close to your eyes or you’ll be teary all day long! (more…)

Wanted to entice a few more of you to enter our Get Baked! Urban Decay Giveaway.  The deadline is coming up this Thursday, May 21st.

What we’re giving away:

Urban Decay’s New Get Baked Eyeshadow Palette

Our universally flattering collection delivers three neutral favorites from our best-selling “Baked” collection (Baked, Half Baked, and Twice Baked), an electric shade of teal (Flipside), and a travel-sized 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Bourbon

It’s the first time we’ve offered our long-lasting 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils or Sin Eyeshadow Primer Potion as part of a palette! Sin is a shimmery, champagne version of our classic Primer – try it alone or under a shadow.

(more…)

May is heating up and we are extremely pleased to announce another amazing Urban Decay giveaway!   One lucky person will win:

Urban Decay’s New Get Baked Eyeshadow Palette

Our universally flattering collection delivers three neutral favorites from our best-selling “Baked” collection (Baked, Half Baked, and Twice Baked), an electric shade of teal (Flipside), and a travel-sized 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Bourbon

It’s the first time we’ve offered our long-lasting 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils or Sin Eyeshadow Primer Potion as part of a palette! Sin is a shimmery, champagne version of our classic Primer – try it alone or under a shadow.

Big Buddha Kabuki Brush

With fibers this luxe, and a brush this large, the Big Buddha Brush is SOOOO soft… you’ll catch yourself absently running the brush up and down your arm for no reason at all!

Baked Bronzer in Gilded

An ultra-smooth, sheer-finish bronzer that can be used wet or dry and always goes on streak-free.   The Gilded shade is a bronze colored shimmer w/veins of gold.

These three UD products (Palette, Brush and Bronzer) retail for $88 at the urbandecay.com site.

To Enter: fill in your name and email address in the contest machine box!   One entry per person and the deadline is Thursday May 21st, 2009. One winner will be announced on at the Mythbuster Beauty site, PRIZEY.Fetch, and contacted via email.  MBB will not share your email address with anyone, and only uses your email address to contact you if you are a winner.  This giveaway is open to residents of the USA and Canada only.  The winner will receive one Urban Decay Baked Bronzer in Gilded,  Big Buddha Kabuki Brush, and Get Baked Eyeshadow Palette that has the total retail value of $88.

I idolize Ginger Rogers.  So this year I am attempting a Starlet look for Halloween.  I think I still need to kick it up a notch and possibly run to the store for some false eyelashes and a feather boa! 

Classic Starlet Features:  Precisely defined eye brows, flawless skin, dark matte lipstick, black mascara with dark top eyeliner, and beautiful cheekbones.  Its all about Glamour!

My Starlet Look:  Laura Mercier’s Bleu Marine Eye liner applied with a flat eyeliner brush, L’Oreal’s Telescopic Mascara in Black, Cargo’s blu-ray Pressed Powder (all over face and on eyelids), ECO Nvey Lipstick in Dark Ruby,  Anastasia’s All About Brows Kit, Sugar’s Blush and Bronzer duo (used extra bronzer in hollows of cheeks to emphasize cheekbones). (more…)

For the next month Tarte is offering a FREE sunburst face beaded bronzing lotion ($28 value) when you spend $50 at tartecosmetics .com.

VALID:  June 20, 2008 – July 20, 2008
CODE:  BRONZE

Forego the sun and get a healthy, natural tan with this antioxidant-rich, moisturizer-meets-bronzer! Notice in the picture the little bronzing beads that are in this lotion, how cool is that?!  I just read a less than enthusiastic review of this product on TotalBeauty.com, the reviewer said the bronzer beads don’t rub in and distribute the color evenly on the skin.  If this is true, BUMMER!

Let me also remind you of my two favorite Tarte Cosmetics: Smooth Operator Foundation with SPF 20, and Tarte’s fabulous Cheek Stains.

Last summer I became a fan of Tarte’s makeup after trying their Smooth Operator Foundation and falling in love with it. I listed it as my, “Without this product, I’d have to start drinking at noon …” on Megsmakeup.com:

I have been searching for a foundation like this my entire life and I have tried several. My main objectives: natural looking coverage without the cakiness/deposits some foundations can have, applies smoothly without too much work, & won’t cause breakouts. My most crucial question: Can it live up to the lighted “magnification” mirror test? It is true, I am a bit obsessed with my skin, but I notice so many ladies with horrible foundation, and then ask myself the question, “Am I one of THEM?” With this foundation and a superb primer, I can confidently respond, “Not me!” The SPF 20 is a bonus, love it, love it, love it!!!

Recently I read an interview from Oprah’s “O” Magazine of Tarte’s founder Maureen Kelly, “Success Story: How She Did It.” Maureen literally built this company in her kitchen, and has faced some pretty enormous personal obstacles in her life. Maureen’s story has made me extremely proud to be a Tarte Cosmetic Fan.

Many cosmetic deals come my way via email, and several get dumped directly into the trash can. This one you might want to consider. Yes, I am dangling the carrot (or in this case the cosmetics) in front of you!

I’m what most people call pasty.  Any paler and I’d be clear, ya know what I’m saying?  Thankfully, pale is coming back in style, but many a summer of my youth was filled with laughter at my brightly shining gams poking out of a pair of shorts. Never one to conform, I went out and bought just about every self tanner I could find from the moment I learned what it was. I was kidding about the non-conforming part, I wanted to look like everyone else. Back in the day I ended up looking more like a distant cousin to the carrot, but self tanners have made a lot of progress since then.

Urban Decay’s Santa Tanita Body Bronzer is unlike anything I’ve tried before. For starters, it’s a light airy mousse that comes from a unique spray can. A nice poufy blob covers your lower leg or most of your arm. The lightly colored mousse gets a little darker as you rub it into your skin, leaving a perfect guide to see where it’s been applied, reducing the chances of streaking. It also leaves a subtle shimmer all over and adds to that “sun kissed” look. 

There are a few things that set this bronzer apart from others. One is the smell. Lightly scented and not at all chemically like some. I’ve actually had people remark on the scent of some of those gradual tan lotions when I put them on before work or a day running errands. I’m sure my friends know my tan is fake, but I’d rather not announce it to the rest of the world. The best feature this bronzer has to offer, by far, is the speed with which it sinks in and dries. Once you’ve got it all rubbed in you can tell, there’s no slick or greasy feeling left and you can put your clothes on immediately! There is nothing worse than putting on self tanner and then sitting on the edge of your bed or couch half naked for the next 15-20 minutes waiting for it to dry so that you don’t stain your outfit.

But your real concern is all about the color, right?  Does it make you orange? Do you look tanorexic? Please tell me it won’t turn me into George Hamilton!!  Well, decide for yourselves:

On your right is my leg au naturel, on the left is one quick application of Santa Tanita. I was happy with the subtle color change. Anything too dark on me would look funny. The color is buildable and it’s so quick and easy to use that getting a little extra color is a snap.  Ghost white is totally hot right now, but should you want a dash of sun-kissed bronze without  exposure to all those harmful UV rays, Santa Tanita just might be the perfect product for you!

P.S.  The night I sent this post out I applied a second, more liberal, amount of Santa Tanita Body Bronzer. The yellowish-orange cast on my legs led my husband to remark that it looks like I went to a tanning salon and went a little overboard.  The lesson to be learned here is that a light hand is the way to go with this product!

My good friend and neighbor Karen is an extremely busy Mom of three kids: Scott (13), Megan (3) and Ben (16 months). Quite a gap between the first two, and little Ben came quickly after Megan. Karen does an amazing job keeping up with all the needs of her family.

Karen makes time to read the local Salt Lake Tribune paper; it is her one big indulgence. I recently found out that she has a photographic memory. Whatever she reads; she retains! It is eerie what facts she has stored in that brain of hers! Karen and I also share a passion for chocolate.

It was Karen’s son Scott who convinced my daughter Sarah that she would have to get a pet Bearded Dragon.  One of Scott’s “Beardies” just laid eggs, anyone want a lizard?

Karen recently confided in me that she is need of some new makeup and skincare products. She has used Mary Kay and Lancome products in the past, but they are running out, and she is ready for something different. As a very busy and sleep-deprived Mom, she has little to no time to figure out cosmetics that are good and well suited for her specific needs.

 

 

 

 

Karen’s Profile:

• Skin Type: Combination, dry cheeks, oily T-zone
• Face Palate: Fair Skin, light brown freckles, light brown hair, and beautiful blue eyes
• Age: 38
• Foundation Preferences: Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer, Dual Coverage Powder Foundation, Sheer and Natural Feel
• Skin Concerns: Redness, Sensitivity to AHA’s, occasional breakouts
• Time Issues: Needs to be Simple, not too many steps
• Makeup Style: Minimalist, Natural
• Budget: definitely

I want to enlist collectively our beauty smarts to help Karen achieve her goal of having a simple yet effective beauty routine. I definitely have my own recommendations, but would like to give her a variety of choices.