Decisions Decisions

Doesn't it sometimes feel like we are all always looking for that one perfect product? I have one friend who is always buying new blush- striving for the perfect glow. I have another friend who has a trash can filled to the brim with discarded mascara in search of the best lash. And of course- the ideal concealer is something that eludes many.

Well lately I have a new product I am constantly hunting. For the first time in my life - I need foundation. Now truth be told, I have dabbled with foundation in the past. But I have always been lucky enough to use it only on special occasions or for when I really wanted to look polished. However with my twenties further and further in the rear view mirror - the reality is that my skin needs a little help.

Now mind you, I know that I am lucky. For the most part, I am not dealing with super deep lines or sun spots or acne scars or any of the other myriad of skin issues that women face. My biggest issue is splotchy skin. I crossed 30 and all of a sudden I was a little more red around the nose and a little uneven overall. Suddenly, my usual powder and concealer combo was not working. It was time for something a bit more serious. I have used mineral foundation in the past and had great success but I am feeling liquid is my future.

So here I am - in search of something that will allow my skin to show through but will still even me out.

The first thing I purchased was this...

Stila One Step Correct - $36 (Sephora and online at multiple sites)

I have been using it for a couple of weeks. I like that it is a primer that addresses many skin issues. However, I am not totally impressed. I think that there are better primers out there for less money. I don't feel it evens me out all that much and while I do like the moisturizing feel - I am not loving its work on lines or pores. Regardless, I am willing to stick with this primer for a bit longer. At least until I can see what this primer mixed with the right foundation accomplishes.

Now for the real issue....

The reason I am in a deep quest at the moment is because I cannot get my hands on this....

My long time favorite. But Prescriptives, alas is no more and my shade of Traceless is sold out on line and everywhere else I have checked.

So in a quest to find a new fave for natural coverage - these are the two new foundations I am going to try:

1 - Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation SPF 15 - $45 (Sephora and online at multiple sites)

This little bottle promises exactly what I am looking for - "invisible, lightweight coverage that looks like skin, not makeup." If that statement is true - I have found my new best friend.

My second option if good ol' Bobbi Brown fails?

2 - Smashbox High Definition Healthy FX Foundation SPF 15 - $38 (Sephora and online at multiple sites)

I love Smashbox and am currently a huge fan of this...so I have high hopes for this foundation as well - even though I am going to give Bobbi Brown the first draft slot.

So wish my luck BGNDers....and tell me what products are you constantly hunting for?

And of course - check back in with me to see how these foundations held up....

Keep looking fabulous,

BGND

Old but still sad news...

So this information has been out there but I still wanted to address it now that I am back to blogging...

Two of my go-to makeup brands are going out of business! They have been staples for years but unfortunately we all know that in this economy no business or individual is really safe!
In case you don't know who these companies are....

Max Factor and Prescriptives...so sad.

Now Max Factor has been around forever...If you want some background on the company - check out their Wikipedia page here. They have made countless innovations in nearly every field of cosmetics - umm...they created foundation, lip gloss and waterproof mascara for goodness sakes!

And Prescriptives, while not as old as Max Factor was seriously formative for me in middle school and high school and they are a current favorite of makeup artists and celebrities. They have done amazing things in many areas of cosmetics and skin care including being the first company to really come out with any kind of cream highlighter or reflective makeup with their *Magic line. ( Some day I will share with you my nightmare black light experience with one of their early reflective lotions!)

Anyhoo - the saddest part for me of both of these companies going out of business (besides the obvious real world concerns of job loss etc..) is that these two companies carry two of my ultimate go-to products.

Max Factor makes the AMAZING Lash Perfection Mascara. A perfect separator, lash-coater and darkener for each and everyone of your lashes. Plus it is UBER affordable at $8.99!!
I will be going out and purchasing many many of these tubes of mascara...They are amazing and will be sorely missed! If you go out to buy this - just remember LASH PERFECTION- sometimes the packaging is different.

Prescriptives makes more than one product that I have used over the years - from eye shadows to concealer to fragrance. One that I have purchased over and over is the awesome Traceless Foundation. It is light, smooth as silk and provides great coverage without looking like you are wearing foundation. It literally just makes your skin the very best it can be. I am SO sad that Prescriptives is going away- this is THE ONLY liquid foundation I buy. Not surprisingly - Traceless is totally out of stock on line. You are going to have to hit a Prescriptives counter if you want a container of this gem.

Both of these companies are being shut down and pulled off the shelves in January 2010. So if you are a Max Factor or a Prescriptives fan- get your goods now!

Keep looking fabulous,
BGND

Happy Halloween!!

Well it is official! I'm back (and with any luck - for good this time!)

Things have been C-R-A-Z-Y around here but now as they seem to be settling down again, I have been re-invigorated by some awesome new finds and am so excited to blog!!
Before I jump right back into today's post let me just tell you a few things. In the next few months there will be some awesome and fun new changes here at BGND. We are getting a new look, a new layout and more fun columns and features. I hope you guys are as pumped as I am....

So what you may ask brought me back from my blogging slumber? A FABULOUS new product by Lancome that has me thinking about and looking at my skin in a whole new way. I had recently been feeling a bit lost when it came to my powder and foundation. I am getting older (aren't we all..sad...) and while my skin still looks pretty good, I have felt lately like I needed something a little bit more involved than what I had been doing in the past. I wanted something light but with enough coverage that I would be evened out but not caked over. And what did I find?

Lancome Oscillation Powerfoundation SPF 21 - $48





This is the new IT product. I had seen little mentions of this here and there and thought ultimately this might be just what I was looking for. I headed straight for the nearest Lancome counter, got a fabulous tutorial and walked away with a new lease on my skin. This product is simply put, a wonderful vibrating powder puff that gently applies mineral powder foundation, while softly buffing and smoothing your skin along the way. It gives me great coverage (which like all mineral make-up I can customize) and blends seamlessly. And hello - SPF 21!! Overall a killer new powder foundation that I think will be hanging around my make-up kit for quite some time.

Now of course (as with most new products) there are downsides...

1 - The PRICE! YIKES!
$48 is insane for a tiny little container of powder but I guess that lovely motor causing the puff to vibrate does not come cheap.

2 - The Amount of product/durability of the motorized puff
The nice sales associate at Lancome was a pro with application of this new wonder but could not give me a straight answer as to how long the motor in the puff with last. You can't replace the battery so when the motor dies it dies. Also, you cannot buy the powder separate from the motor so I see imbalance in the future.

If you buy a new motor before you have used all your powder you will have a surplus of powder continually. Or if you use all the powder before the motor runs out you will end up with extra motorized puffs. Annoying and a downside but not a huge issue since a) you can always apply your extra mineral powder with a traditional kabuki brush and b) we all do not replace our applicators when we should so the motor dying causes us all to throw out the bacteria filled old applicator and get a new one.

Regardless of these two downsides, I am loving this new Lancome beauty. Hey- it brought me back to the blog so you know I am seriously into this thing!

If you decide to try it out - make sure you check out the online tutorial at www.Lancome.com or talk to a sales rep - there are a few techniques to know for application.

Have a great Halloween and keep looking fabulous!
BGND

P.S. If you do any fun Halloween makeup tricks on yourselves or friends or family - send me the pics and I will post them!

Perricone does it again!

So I don't know if any of you BGNDers out there have ever used Perricone MD products- but in a word- they are fantastic! Expensive but fantastic....

Well our good friend Dr. Perricone has a new item on the market (exclusively at Sephora) that I am dying to try....

No Foundation Foundation - $50 (Exclusively at Sephora and Sephora.com)
I am so totally intrigued by this new product. It is designed and formulated to do exactly what the name says- make it appear that you have the smooth foundation perfect face you have always dreamed of, but that you have that look without foundation. It is chock full of anti-oxidants (of course), specifically Alpha Lipoic Acid - designed to smooth out those fine lines and wrinkles, make your skin glow, reduce the appearance of pores...the list goes on and on. Pretty much it claims to make your skin look 16 years old again! To top it all off, it comes with a non-chemical form of SPF 30. Now I am not sure what "non-chemical" means when it comes to sun-care....however, an SPF of 30 is an SPF of 30.

I would say this is the ideal product for anyone who wants to give their skin a healthy dose of anti-oxidants while also protecting and evening out skin tone. It is like the wonder woman of foundation. A multi-tasker's dream!

Definitely worth a pick-up on my next trip to Sephora.

Have a great Monday and keep looking fab,
BGND

Product of the week - March 6th, 2009

This week I decided to treat myself to just a little something. I have been doing really well with my New Year's resolutions and now that I have reached one of the goals I set for myself- it seemed time for a reward. I decided I was going to head into the world on mineral makeup. Now don't get me wrong, I have of course tried minerals before. But only in the store and never have I been fully committed. I don't wear foundation on a daily basis so I didn't want to invest a chunk of change in something I wasn't going to get my money's worth from.

Well, this week I bought my first mineral foundation and I love it. I went with a drugstore brand (since this is a time for cutting corners it was easier to swallow $13 than $30). And you know what? I absolutely love it. I have already used it everyday since I have had it.

CoverGirl TruBlend MicroMinerals Foundation - $12.99 (Drugstores nationwide)

This is super affordable and works. It is light and smooth- goes well on your skin and just looks natural. You can layer it to whatever amount of coverage you want. Honestly perfect for the days when I want to have as few steps as possible in my morning routine and when I want to look fresh faced. This mineral foundation has provided that and more. I have been using it without my concealer and it still looks amazing. This is a new permanent staple for me and has paved the way for perhaps a more expensive mineral related purchase in the future. But for now, this lovely budget friendly CoverGirl gem is the way to go. It comes in 10 natural looking shades and is chock full of good for your skin minerals. Perfect for anyone who wants to save time, wants something that is good for your skin and for anyone who wants to look great. In other words- everyone!!

Keep looking fabulous,
BGND

Trend alert!!!

Sometimes it is near impossible to keep up with all the new products on the market. I mean seriously! Things get so over saturated with the newest and greatest that it is hard to keep your head about you. How are you supposed to know what to buy? Is this a staying item or just the new soon to be disposable trend?

Well my answer to the overwhelming product craziness that I often feel is I look out for something that has a new twist on things. What new products offer something the others don't? And not only that- is that "new thing" something I think is worth my hard earned dough. Lately I have noticed a new trend that I think could be AMAZING if it actually works.

The last real big trend? Minerals of course! But as with everything in life, there is always something new on the horizon. The new trend du jour? Anti-oxidants mixed in with cosmetics. The concept isn't totally new but the level of sophistication the cosmetics companies have taken it to is. Lately two separate products have caught my eye in a great way - they have been saying "I am such a great product I am going to eliminate another one from your routine"...what?! A time and a money saver?! Sign me up!!

The first of these new potential standouts?

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer SPF 15 and Dermaxyl Complex - $42 (Sephora nationwide)

Now all you BGND readers know that I am a huge fan of the Smashbox primer. There really is nothing out there like it to smooth fine lines and prep your face for your make-up. It truly makes a world of difference. This new incarnation is even more exciting to me. Not only does it have all the same fab qualities as the original primer, it is now coming to bat with 2 huge additions.
1 - An SPF of 15! Hooray! Perfect for those folks who prefer a non-SPF sunscreen or are looking for a way to work that VERY needed SPF into their daily routine. 2 - It is chock full of antioxidants. So now not only is it working to smooth out those lines, it is working to prevent them and fix the ones you do have! Add the sunscreen element and this is a no-brainer! My current bottle of Smashbox primer is almost empty so you better believe this is what I will be buying as the replacement.


The second newbie to catch my eye?

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Make-up SPF 20 (Not available yet so I have no price point- but look for it at drugstores nationwide very soon)So even though I recently had to break up with my Neutrogena sunscreen - I still have faith in the folks over there. They generally do good work and this new foundation is pretty exciting. I don't wear foundation everyday (only for the special occasions) but this is a foundation I could see myself getting behind. Available in 12 great shades, an SPF of 20, lightweight and sheer - the list of attributes goes on and on. That alone might be enough to get me to try this but on top of all the other wonderful things- this foundation also has a fab blend of antioxidants. Yet another product to fix the minor skin flaws while smoothing them out. Love it!

So these are the two new products I am dying to try but you know that just like the minerals bandwagon soon everyone will be hopping on the antioxidant train! But honestly when you can eliminate a step from your routine -whether it be facial sunscreen or serum - that is a time saver (and money saver) worth investigating!

Keep looking fabulous,
BGND

Product of the week- October 16th, 2008

Well BGND readers...I have a confession. In general, I do not like foundation. I find nine times out of ten it is too dark or too light or too cakey or too thin...and in a lot of cases, I find that the person wearing the foundation does not need the layers of make-up they have on.

However, I do see the merits of a good foundation and what it can do for an uneven skin tone and for someone who is needing a boost of confidence. Well, today's product of choice is a foundation and a fantastic one at that.

L'Oreal True Match Foundation - $10.95 (Drugstores nationwide)

This foundation is FANTASTIC. As I explained above, it is hard to impress me with foundation. However, I recently had an occasion for which I HAD to wear foundation so because of the Allure endorsement I decided to give it a try. I was blown away. This foundation goes on smoothly, covers without being too thick or streaky and really does blend into your skin better than some counter foundations I have tried. Oh and by the way - it only costs $10!!!

This is now a permanent member of my make-up bag - a foundation- who knew?!

Keep looking fabulous!

BGND