Fall (mascara) has arrived!

I love this time of year!  Just when the dog days of summer are beginning, the beauty industry gives us a little bit of relief by anticipating fall.  Summer sales are ending and fall catalogs and shipments are arriving!  I love fall beauty for all of the richer textures and colors.

This week I had the good fortune of getting to try out two new mascaras that are being introduced this fall: Tarte's Lash Hugger and Fresh's Firebird.  

Firebird (in the blue tube shown above), is Fresh's answer to those clients for whom Supernova is too dramatic.  The press release for Firebird states that "Firebird mascara creates stunningly full, flirty, fluffy lashes for an alluring, feathery look.  Its uniquely shaped brush and ultra black formula delivers the gorgeous and lush feathered look of the 1970s.  In just one stroke of the wand, lashes are instantly curled and voluminous.  It's truly magical!  Plus, the ultra-nourishing formula includes restorative sea buckthorn oil and fortifying panthenol (vitamin B5) to help condition and strengthen each lash.  Supernova Mascara creates a dark, dramatic diva lash and Firebird Mascara delivers a full, flirty, fluffy lash."

You can see Firebird below on the right hand eye (my left eye; the one you see to the right).  It is a very lightweight mascara that is impossible to clump--I couldn't clump it if I tried! (and I did, with multiple coats).  The brush did an excellent job of separating my lashes into a feathery fan, which surprised me given that the brush's bristles are not that densely packed together.  I think that the finished effect is a nice combination of natural and dramatic; I'm not totally convinced that I like this better than my Tarte Lights Camera Lashes, which to date is my HG (holy grail) mascara, but it has potential.  The look is very demure, refined, and perfectly polished.  I would wear this to a job interview.  And I LOOOVE the tube!  It's so gorgeous!  Just the tube alone makes me want to pull this one out of my makeup bag.

You can check out Lash Hugger in the pictures below on the eye you see at left (my right eye).  The launch of this product reflects the Tarte brand's overall initiative to become increasingly more of a natural brand; in keeping with that effort, this mascara features no parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, propylene glycol, sulfates, synthetic dyes, and fragrances.  It's also eco-friendly; the tube is made of recycled aluminum, which prevents the clear cutting of trees which are used to produce bauxite ore, a component of aluminum.  It has a chubby, rounded brush not unlike the Smashbox Bionic Mascara brush, and the juice is a thick and rich black.  It was easier to create drama with this mascara; while the Fresh took multiple coats, just one coat of the Lash Hugger gave me drama.  The only drawback was that a little of this blinked off my lower lashes onto my under eye area immediately following application, a problem I didn't have with the Fresh.  Still, I would reach for this mascara again if I was going for a dramatic eye look or smokey eye because it has the potential to build upon itself and create more volume (for intentional clumping).  

I will update this post later today once I've seen how these mascaras wear over time!  Overall, based on the photos below, I'd say that the Fresh Firebird (seen at right) is the clear winner.  It's beautiful!  But if I was obsessed with natural products or going paraben-free, I think that the Tarte makes a great second choice.

Makeup for Guys

I am always so excited when guys come into Sephora looking for products.  Why not?  I promise you that every great male star in history has worn makeup, from Cary Grant to 50 Cent.  There are plenty of reasons why guys might need a little boost--from headshots to a TV appearance, but also just the average guy who wants to look his best.

Here are some of the products that I've found are a big hit with my male clientele, who want to look polished but will only use makeup products that are absolutely undetectable:

- The Balm concealer : the finish is neither too dewy nor too matte, so it looks just like actual skin.  This means that it blends perfectly on a face that has no other makeup.  This should be in every guy's bathroom just to cover up the occasional blemish or dark circles.  It offers great coverage and comes in six shades covering a wide range of skin tones--from the fairest porcelain to the warmest tan (works for all but the deepest complexions).  Deeper complexions should try Becca or MUFE, who also make fantastic concealers in every shade (the added benefit for everyone of MUFE is that it's waterproof--great for the guy who wants to wear concealer to the gym).

- A clear bronzing gel like these from Stila, Clinique, and Benefit : add a bit of mistake-proof color (without the commitment of a sunless tanner, and without looking powdery like a powder bronzer)

- Silicone-based mattifying primer: from Make Up Forever, Smashbox bronzing primer (or any of their other color correcting shades), Cargo (this one has a cool, techy name that appeals to guys: "Blu Ray High Definition Mattifier"), or Philosophy.  One makeup artist told me that nothing worked for one newscaster's shiny bald head except for the one from MUFE.  I sold the Cargo one to a male client who was going to appear on TV.  

- MUFE HD Powder : my one true love that can do no wrong.  Will take down shine in an instant and render pores and fine lines invisible to the camera; also, its cool, airy texture is interesting to guys.  Even my utterly product-phobic husband was interested enough when I showed it to him to stick his fingers into the jar!  This would be amazing for a groom who is going to be photographed on his wedding day.  Just tell him that you guarantee it has already graced the faces of Brad Pitt, George Clooney, or whomever... I bet they've even put some on Eli Manning before appearing on ESPN or something.  Hey, whatever works!  It's for his own good.

- Fresh Sugar lip balm : its hefty metal packaging and citrus flavor are appealing to guys; its not too shiny finish will give them moist lips.

- An instant lifting anti-wrinkle product : anything that smoothes fine lines for a temporary boost can be a great product for any guy--I realized this when my friend Guille asked me for something that would make his face look lifted "like Patsy's on Ab-Fab."  The ones from Fusion beauty are in a techy-looking silver package that won't look out of place in a guy's bathroom; anyone with sensitive skin or looking for a natural product will appreciate this one from Skyn Iceland.  My personal favorite is the Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle Serum because it contains loads of peptides and a muscle numbing synthetic snake venom.  Now that's manly!