A great question came my way recently:

Hi Jen, I’m searching for a natural/organic SPF face day lotion. Is the Alison Raffaele primer moisturizing enough for a daytime use?  I don’t have dry skin; I’m oily T zone, acne prone on cheeks, and can have sun spots pop up if I’m not extra-over-zealous with my SPF in summer.

Also, I’m trying a new natural/organic skin care regimen by Sophyto and they recommended a more natural SPF lotion to go with. So here I am.

Recommend something for me MBB!
Jami aka Bionic Beauty

Gotcha Jami.  You need an SPF day lotion that blocks the suns rays without causing your skin to shine and makeup to slide off.  You would also prefer an organic sunscreen lotion. (more…)

1. Like Mo or DecoDiva, you can express yourself in St. Patty’s Day fashion with beautiful green color on your eyelids!

2.  You can go green by buying eco-friendly skincare or haircare products:

Like trying one (or several) of Herbaria’s green soaps in:  Triple Mint Oatmeal “Just in time for refreshment in warmer weather, we invite you to enjoy the natural menthol tingle and scent packed into this new bar,” Lime Coconut Aloe, or Spearmint Orange!

(more…)

Here is something beyond fabulous from Urban Decay, and this week Mythbuster Beauty is giving away two of them!  Urban Essentials contains three Urban Decay must-haves. . . . an exclusive, oversized bottle of the coveted Eyeshadow Primer Potion (60% more!) and TWO full sized Eyeshadows—Midnight Cowboy and Goddess.

Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion is a cult-favorite product that gives you vibrant eye shadow color that lasts all day – without creasing!   It’s brilliant and I couldn’t wear my eyeshadow any other way.  UD’s Primer Potion was a top ten favorite at MBB for 2007:  Top Ten of 2007: Urban Decay’s Eye Primer Potion.

The two full-size eyeshadows are in Goddess (midnight blue w/ lots of electric blue microglitter), and Midnight Cowboy (subtle golden-beige w/ gold glitter).  They look beautiful paired up together and even better when using UD’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion.  The Urban Essentials Set retails for $39.00. 

Official Rules:  To enter this giveaway enter your name and email address in the contest machine box below, and subscribe to Mythbuster Beauty at the sidebar Feedburner link.  One entry per person and the deadline is at 1 am (EST) Thursday, November 27th, 2008.  TWO winners will be chosen at random and will be announced on Mythbuster Beauty, 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.

Do pre-foundation primers make a visible difference?

Pro makeup artist Molly Stern says primers are meant to serve as a layer between skin and foundation to create a more even surface. But not everyone needs them. “The best candidate for them would be someone who is very oily or has a lot of scarring from acne,” she says. But do primers actually make a difference? We had two women of different ages each test a top foundation primer geared toward their skin type. Find out if their makeup looked better … and if anyone noticed.
See primers

Laura Mercier’s Flawless Face Kit looks like a fabulous makeup kit and at a pretty decent price.  Allie from My Wardrobe Today mentioned that she purchased this kit for herself, and I couldn’t help but drool when I read all that is included in it. (more…)

While browsing through Raging Rouge’s site, she mentioned that Alison Raffaele is running an online 20% discount code through Friday, August 15th. This code is only good for one more day, but better late than never.

You can receive this discount by entering the promotional code ARC20 at checkout at www.alisonraffaele.com!

My favorite Alison Raffaele products include her Face Forward Primer (Age and Acne Response) and her True Concealer (feels silky smooth and offers fantastic natural coverage). Earlier this year, MBB gave away several Alison Raffaele products in a shine busting giveaway. Alison’s line is 100% paraben, talc, oil, gluten and fragrance free.

And be sure to hop over to Raging Rouge’s site to read her Alison Raffaele Cosmetics recommendations and reviews.  Don’t miss out on this opportunity to try this truly wonderful cosmetic line! Thanks Raging Rouge!

“Not to Prime is a Crime!”- Napoleon Perdis

Okay, that statement is a bit dramatic, but if there is one cosmetic product that I would recommend you add to your daily makeup application, it would be a primer.  And Why?  Glad you asked.

Facial Primers:

•  Allows your foundation to glide over the skin (so you actually use less foundation)
•  Soothes the skin and fills in fine lines and imperfections for a more flawless complexion
•  Helps makeup last longer and stay in place
•  Generally contain soothing ingredients like chamomile, and antioxidants that can protect and hydrate the skin

I recently met with the Napoleon Perdis Team at Cosmoprof and was given their Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Primer to try.  I am already a believer in using pre-foundation primers, and Napoleon’s formulation has earned a top contender status, among my other favorites like Alison Raffaele’s Face Forward and N.V. Perricone’s Ceramic Skin. 

Some of my favorite aspects of this primer is how light the consistency is.  Many primers (like Smashbox’s) feel a bit too heavy on my skin because of a high amount of dimethicone.  Napoleon got it just right here.  I also like the slightly floral and natural fragrance.  Napoleon’s primer added chamomile, yarrow extract, and vitamin e to soothe and add moisture without giving your face a lot of silicone slip.  This primer leaves my skin feeling soft, natural and looking even.  Sorry Bionic Beauty, NP’s primer adds glycerin.  Now that I have been aware of people with glycerin sensitivities, I have been watching for it in ingredient lists and am amazed how many times I find it!

Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Primer sells for $39.00 for .24 fl.oz

And don’t just take my word for it; Teri at Beautiful Makeup Search gave NP’s primer a great review as well:  http://www.beautifulmakeupsearch.com/beauty-blog/2008/7/15/not-to-prime-is-a-crime.html.

No matter what your skintone, you can rev up your summer with color from Urban Decay.  Here are four great color combinations that will compliment your specific complexion type.  Get creative!

Light:  Glow.  Gilded Baked Bronzer on apples of cheeks and lids, and Big Fatty Mascara in Indigo

Medium:  Contrast.  Covet (teal) eyeliner and Flash (deep purple) eyeshadow

Olive:  Metallics.  Smog Liquid Liner on entire lid and lower lash line, smudge loose eye pigment in Baked on inner corners of eyes

Dark:  Pinks/Purples.  Fetish Afterglow Blush on cheeks, Asphyxia Loose Eye Pigment on lids.  Complete this look by using Purple Haze Big Fatty Mascara.

You can use any color combination regardless of your skintone, and other brands to create these looks.   I also highly recommend using UD’s Eye Primer Potion before applyling any eye makeup because it enhances your eye shadow color and its staying power.   It also keeps my eye shadow from creasing on my lids, a big bonus!

Tarte just released a new exclusive at Sephora including some of Mo and my very favorite tarte products. 

Tarte’s skinvigoratingâ„¢ Complexion Collection, (retails for $54 and is a $153 value)

What it is:
A Sephora.com exclusive collection of Tarte’s skinvigoratingâ„¢ complexion essentials.

What it does:
Unlike products that simply hide the problem, Tarte’s skinvigoratingâ„¢ Complexion Collection includes products that help treat the problem while concealing it.  The result?  A healthy, glowing complexion–because natural beauty is always in style!

What else you need to know:
This exclusive kit includes Tarte’s Clean Slate Primer, Smooth Operator Foundation with SPF 20, The Eraser Smooth Concealer, Provocateur Pressed Mineral Powder with SPF 8, and a glam-on-the-go Kabuki Brush.

Between the Clean Slate Primer and Smooth Operator Foundation this is a fabulous deal.  I have also read fantastic reviews about their concealer, and haven’t had a chance to try their mineral powder.  But as Mo says, “Can tarte do no wrong?”  I really don’t think so!

I just noticed that this complexion kit in “light” is temporarily out of stock, but you can request to be contacted by email when they are available.

Only one week left to enter Alison Raffaele’s Shine Buster Giveaway.  Alison Raffaele Cosmetics has come up with a fantastic set of products to offset the slippery effects of the summer skin oil slick.  3 people will be awarded a set of amazing Alison Raffaele Shine Busting Cosmetics!