Summer may not be official yet but it has already made its entrance in this part of the world! Even if you aren’t into the bronze goddess look, you can still enjoy the summer makeup trends. Here are the 5 great products to get you into the summer spirit:
With the extreme heat alert issued in Toronto since a couple of days ago, you know that summer has arrived! And early! It’s hard to explain this kind of excitement to people living on the other side of the globe where they enjoy warm weather and sunshine all year round, but here we soak it up like there is no tomorrow!
Summer makeup is all about bronzers. It’s a little tricky on people with fair skin like me though – most bronzers are either too orangey or too dark. If you have very fair skin and don’t want to have a dark face and light neck and body, you can always use the bronzer as a blush to give your cheeks that healthy, summer glow.
Here are 5 reminders on how to use sunscreen properly:
1. An SPF15 lotion + SPF40 sunblock don’t add up to SPF55
The SPF (Sun Protection Factor) is about how long the protection against burning lasts while you are in the sun, not absolute blocking. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends a minimum of SPF30 and there is little incremental value above that number. For example, SPF50 blocks just a bit more of UVB rays than SPF30 (99% v. 97%).
Thank goodness that due to elevated levels of eco-conciousness, there are more and more healthier choices when it comes to skin care. Another great brand I have tried that doesn’t use petrochemicals, silicones, PEGs, parabens and phthalates is LAVANILA, a US based company that specializes in the delicious scent of vanilla.
The search is officially over!!
As much as I was impressed with Too Faced’s Shadow Insurance, I was even more impressed with LORAC’s Behind the Scenes Eye Primer. The ingredients are very similar to Too Faced’s, except LORAC’s is more moisturizing and I liked the texture (very soft and creamy consistency) even better than Too Faced’s Shadow Insurance. Neither one contains fragrance or parabens by the way, which is good for sensitive skin and eyes, but LORAC’s doesn’t contain Bismuth Oxychloride (Too Faced’s does), which at times can irritate my sensitive eyes so it is a plus.
The Too Faced Shadow Insurance has a souffle texture – neither too runny or too rich, but just right for my dry eyes. It doesn’t feel drying at all, and actually holds out very well. I had shadows on from 8am and they last without creasing till 11pm, and that’s through rough patches of me sneezing and at times, watery eyes too. Even my eyeliner stays put longer without smearing. It is not very pigmented (and it’s super concentrated – use sparingly!) so it won’t show much on your lids but it will even out the skin tone without too much coverage. I like that about this product because it will be suitable for a variety of skin tones, whereas Benefit’s and Urban Decay’s eyeshadow primers are too light and will work better only if you have lighter skin tones.
After trying Benefit’s Stay Don’t Stray and not completely satisfied, I moved on to Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion – Eden, slightly cheaper than Benefit’s and seemed to have a devoted following – hoping to find my staple eye primer. This is not the original version by the way – the original version seems to have a better reputation among users. This one comes in one shade called Eden, listed as a tawny nude shade that leaves a matte finish.
Ever since Paula Begoun began exposing the meaning of ingredients in skin care and makeup products, people have been paying more attention to what they put on their skin. Sadly, our governments still do not regulate the skin care industry, so it is totally up to the consumers to be vigilant about what they use on their skin, since the skin is the largest organ in our bodies.
Recent Comments