And It Only Takes Me 10 Minutes

I'm not sure if it's the approach of summer or what, but there has been a lot of buzz on the interwebs regarding skin care and recommended products. The always radiant Natalie listed her favorites and has been blogging a lot about beauty in general lately (she's definitely worth checking out)! I wrote my own take on a "Dear Abby" in February answering the most common questions/complaints I received as a make-up artist.

So, who am I if not an amateur bandwagon jumper?

***NOTE: This is what I use and may not be appropriate for your skin type or concerns. I have normal to oily super fair skin. My main concerns are even skin tone and texture, sporadic outbreaks, and age prevention. If you have different skin or concerns, you may need different products (which I will be happy to recommend), just let me know!

[side note: The first step to developing your own skin care routine is knowing what type of skin you have (or combination there of): Dry, Normal, Oily, Damaged. To determine your skin type, wash your face as you would normally and do not apply anything afterwards. Start checking to see how it feels at 2, 5, and 10 minutes later.

DRY skin is often described as dusty in appearance (not flaky) and may feel tight even with moisturizer. It will begin to feel tight and uncomfortable immediately following cleansing and will not feel better without moisturizer/serums.

NORMAL skin may have areas of oily or dry skin (there are those pesky combos), but will overall feel comfortable. It may feel a bit tight after cleansing but will start to feel better after 10 minutes.

OILY skin is often described as shiny or flaky in appearance. On the positive, it is the least likely to wrinkle! It will begin to feel comfortable after cleansing in 2-5 minutes.

DAMAGED skin is any one of the above with additional concerns like deep lines/wrinkles, sun spots, acne, etc.

AM ROUTINE:

Face Scrub: Clinique 7 Day Scrub (a couple times a week)

Cleanser: Neutrogena Oil-Free Redness Soothing Cleanser

Serum: Clinique Total Turnaround

Eye Cream: Kiehl's Abbyssine Eye Cream

Moisturizer: Clinique Superdefense SPF 25 Normal-Dry ( I also like Neturogena Healthy Defense SPF 30)

Sunscreen: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch SPF 70 (for everyday), Coppertone Sport SPF 50 (for poolside)

PM ROUTINE:

Same as above except Cleanser: Laura Mercier Cleansing Oil Light

Make-up Remover: Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Make-up Remover or Almay Oil-Free Eye Makeup remover pads

Acne Spot Treatment: Neutrogena Rapid Clear Acne Eliminating Spot Treatment

MAKEUP:

Foundation: Estee Lauder Camouflage Makeup (doubles as concealer) or Bobbie Brown Smooth Skin (if I know I'll be photographed)

Eye Concealer: Laura Mercier secret concealer

Eyeshadow Base: Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eye Shadow (also comes in a sateen version)

Shadow: All of them! Mostly Laura Mercier (Whiskey, Sherazade), Urban Decay (X, Heat, Mary Jane), Stila (Kitten, Golightly)

Eyeliner: pencil- YSL Kohl crayon, cake/liquid- Laura Mercier cake liner, creme- Stila smudge pot

Mascara: CoverGirl LashBlast (love!) and LashBlast Length

Lash Curler: Shu Uemura

Powder: Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder (only under eyes and to set liner)

Brows: Laura Mercier Eye Brow Pencil (go a shade lighter than your natural color)

Blush: NARS Orgasim, Bobbie Brown Pale Pale Pink or Tangerine

Lip Liner: Clinique Sheer Lip Liner

Lipstick: I love MAC, Estee Lauder, Laura Mercier, and Chanel

Lip Gloss: Laura Mercier Lip Glace and Kiehl's #1 Lip Balm

My Secret: Estee Lauder Spotlight (super expensive but adds a glow to any skin tone! For a less expensive version, try MAC Strobe Cream)

* Everything is applied with my hands or a brush- never a sponge!

Eye of the Beholder

We judge people constantly- I'm thinner than her, taller than him, better looking than their last girlfriend/boyfriend. First impressions count as much as we try to deny it. We are biased people.

As children, we're told judging people is wrong. However, sometimes you should judge a book by it's cover: I don't care how nice looking he is, never take candy or drinks from strangers. As I always say, Ted Bundy was a nice looking guy, so you never know! Instead, we should teach children that this is a natural biological response. The key is not to act negatively or impulsively toward these imperfections (except in the case of what I call the "crazy vibe". Then you should just run away).

I asked some of my male friends what kind of guys they were: tits or ass. Personally, I keep going out with ass men which is funny as I don't have one to speak of. Every one of them answered, "face". Is that wrong? Should they be admonished for it? I found it refreshing. Honesty, it's amazing how often we deny ourselves that.

I had to agree with them. If asked what my favorite male feature was, I would respond "shoulders". I love broad shoulders and a strong back. See: Burt Lancaster. However, if you asked me what I noticed first, it would be face and skin. Men look at the same thing. Clothes can hide a multitude of sins. Modern fashion can give you bigger breasts, thinner waist, longer legs. Make-up can only cover so much. Every women's magazine talks about the importance of "radiance" as a turn on. When shown a set of pictures- one plain, one with a bit of highlighting cream/power on- of the same woman, they picked the highlighted one. Radiance equals health, which equals fertility, which equals babies, and not an early death. This is biology.

As much as we may try to deny it, that we are "better than that", we aren't. We want to find the best possible mate, and that isn't found in the cerebellum. Personality (it goes a long way you know), is secondary to attraction. Of course, what we find attractive differs slightly from person to person. I don't care how charming he is, if you don't like the look of him, you wouldn't stick around long enough to find out. Fact.

So, what's my point? No idea actually. It just got me thinking. Why do the guys I like never seem to like me? How do I avoid the "friend zone"? Why can't I get asked on a date? It's easier to think they just don't find me attractive than to think there's something actually wrong with me. I'm not attracted to everyone I meet. Hell, it's been a while since I was attracted to anyone (thank you Bolsa for ending that dry spell).

I guess in the end, I'm thankful this holiday season for my friends and their brutal honesty. I'm even more thankful that they keep that honesty to themselves unless provoked.