Beauty Tips

Just got a tip from green celebrity nail stylist Jenna Hipp that she used HIPPxRGB Nail Foundation F2 topped with Nail Tint T1 on the lovely Scarlett Johansson at The Avengers premiere this week. (See “More” for a photo of Scarlett’s nails.) The result? A perfectly matched nude polish.

If you’re as deeply in love with nude nail polish as I am, this is amazing because it’s often really hard to find a nude polish that matches your skin tone. This is also why I’m obsessed with the HIPPxRGB collection. It’s the first line of skin-tone specific, full coverage, all nude nail color, conceived with the idea that nude polish should match your nails—kind of like foundation or tinted moisturizer matches your face. (more…)

A good daily skincare routine helps keep your skin well maintained, moisturized and healthy, but it can’t perform miracles on its own.  As your body’s largest organ, your skin’s condition is closely tied to your lifestyle such as how you eat, drink, sleep and exercise. Below we share some tips on how you can keep your skin healthy by making good lifestyle choices.

1. DONT DRINK ALCOHOL EXCESSIVELY

According to some studies, excess alcohol consumption can deplete Vitamin A levels in our bodies. Vitamin A is responsible for promoting cell turnover which keeps our skin fresh, youthful and healthy. In addition, Vitamin A is also important to helping our skin defend against free radicals, molecules that cause aging and damage by breaking down collagen fibers. Thus the result is that when our Vitamin A level goes down, our skin is unable to fight the bad stuff or renew itself, making it dull and damaged. Too much drinking can actually lead to faster aging.

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Never thought I’d say this … in fact, I’ve held out for several weeks. I’m still pinching myself. Kiehl‘s has done it again. Their new Double Strength Deep Wrinkle Filler, $39, is truly a scientific breakthrough. OK, OK, before I talk it up to the point of no return, I shall disclaim. For the first two weeks of using this product, I saw little to no change and lamented the fact that I had run out of my beloved Kahina Eye Cream. I still miss Kahina, but for now, I’m content watching the miracle that is Kiehl’s slowly unfold before my eyes. And now I’m upset that I haven’t taken before-and-after photos. (more…)

Yesterday I attended a Bobbi Brown event where I got to see first hand what she meant when she stated “all women are pretty without makeup- but with the right makeup can be pretty powerful.”

Bobbi  Brown has just relaunched her popular concealer and corrector- now with an improved formulation and a wider range of shades.  According to Bobbi Brown, using the right concealer and corrector is her “Secret of the Universe.”  I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t really use concealer- not because I don’t have any but because I didn’t know how to apply it correctly to see a big difference.  (more…)

I don’t really have rosacea, but I do get occasional red, patchy areas when my skin gets dry in the winter. And there hasn’t been much I can do about them short of covering them with concealer. I recently heard really good things about Ole Henriksen Black Currant Complexion Oil, $32, and since I’m a fan of essential oils as moisturizers, I thought I’d mix it into my routine and see if it helped even out my overall complexion. Surprisingly, the extra step works!

Simply rubbing three drops (no more!) between my hands and patting on my face before applying moisturizer or foundation has helped even out my skin tone and bolster my usual moisturizer for winter. I dare say I could even go without foundation if I was feeling up to it. Infused with apricot kernel oil, black currant oil, cypress, geranium and lemon, this little potion is engineered to do a variety of things including moisturize (with vitamin E), protect your skin from environmental damage, soothe, sanitize, tone and energize by boosting your skin’s metabolic activity. The only caveat I’d throw out there is the scent; a cross between rose geranium and tea tree oil that I don’t mind, it could be a downside for those who don’t like strong, floral or herbal scents.

I finally got the chance to try the new CoverGirl LiquilineBlast eyeliners in Green Glow and Violet Voltage, $7.99 each (above right). While they’re not as intensely pigmented as say, MAC Fluidline, $15, they are very colorful and easy to work with at half the price. I am especially in love with the Green Glow as it really shows up really well on my fair olive skin and has a pretty, shimmery sheen — great for a day-friendly pop of color. Each pencil also comes with a handy smudger tip, which I was able to watch Celebrity Makeup Artist Molly R. Stern use on “Parks & Recreation” star Rashida Jones (above left), just before the 2010 MTV Movie Awards last Sunday.

Molly did an awesome take on a smokey eye, using a rainbow of CG Smoky ShadowBlast shades like Citrus Flair (lime green/copper) and blending the green liner in at the inner eye corners. (more…)

If you follow TDO or any one of our Twitters, you’ll know that we are huge fans of beauty and style guru Jenn Falik.  There’s often a ton of chatter amongst TDO editors about Jenn, and what we love about her (everything!) We were super excited when she launched her own show on MSN, Beauty BFF, since as far as we were concerned-the more Jenn the better!  A few weeks ago we had the chance to chat with Jenn to learn more about her show and to get some fashion & beauty BFF advice for ourselves (and get a peek into her fabulous closet)!

TDO: How do you come up with segment ideas for Beauty BFF? Can viewers submit questions?

JF: Segment ideas are inspired by the things that I personally am curious about- I look at every segment I do no matter what it is for as an excuse to do research and master something new. For example- we have a segment on hair extensions because I am dying to get them and want to know what my options are. I also can’t blow my own hair out for the life of me, so I went to Oscar Blandi to learn his technique. I also wanted to do segments that give a peek inside the industry- especially sharing stories behind products I love. Maybe I’m a beauty nerd, but I always find the stories behind brands and what goes in to product development and even packaging decisions to be completely fascinating! Additionally, viewers are invited to submit questions to beautybff@microsoft.com and hopefully I can answer them in a future episode. (more…)

After a fun-filled week of Oscar events like the 7th Annual Global Green Pre-Oscar Party (attended by Jessica Alba, James Cameron, Benji and Joel Madden, Nicole Scherzinger, Serena Williams, and more celebs), I finally get to pick the brain of makeup artist to the stars Bruce Grayson, whose work we’ll be seeing all over our TV screens tomorrow at the Academy Awards.

As head makeup artist for the Oscars, Bruce is responsible for touching up every A-list mug in town before he or she goes onstage to present or backstage to accept an award. He has worked on Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Brooke Shields, Rosario Dawson, Kate Walsh, Denzel Washington, Sarah Silverman, Hayden Panettiere, Sarah Rue, the Clintons … the list goes on! (Fun fact: Bruce’s father, David Grayson, perfected the faces of Hollywood legends like Lauren Bacall and John Wayne.) Here, Bruce shares his red carpet predictions and his favorite get-glam-quick tips for special events:

The Daily Obsession: So, Bruce, what are the big trends we’ll be seeing on the red carpet this year?

Bruce Grayson: It’s always about picking the best feature, eyes or lips, and creating a glowing complexion, which makes up most of the face. Getting your skin in shape does the work for you. We’re going to see a more transparent smoky, sultry eye, not too much darkness around the eye, and more shades like slate gray, beige and brown … with a soft, pinky-coral lip, which makes lips look bigger. For red lips, we may see bright, matte, unique colors like the coral shade that January Jones wore to the Emmys.

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Over the weekend, yours truly had the fortune of visiting Make Up For Ever’s station at the 2010 Grammy Style Studio in Hollywood, where Kesha, Adam Lambert, Keri Hilson and Colbie Caillat all stopped by for a little celebrity pampering (see below). Make Up For Ever makeup artist and regional educator David Hernandez went to town on my bare face, going for a bold red lip with a bright poppy orange center (created with Make Up For Ever Aqua Lip Waterproof Lipliner Pencils,$17 each). To compliment them, he did a clean eye with black Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes waterproof liner (also $17) on the bottom rim only. The finishing touch: false lashes, specifically Make Up For Ever Strip Lashes #14 ($15/pair), which were long and glamorous yet not too feathery or Cirque du Soleil-ish. (Tip: Snip off the outer edges for a wide-eyed look, and to save the “tips” for later use!)  I happily fluttered these babies all day long.

In other news, Make Up For Ever was busy promoting their bang-up makeup jobs on Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning and the rest of “The Runaways” cast. Unbelievably gorgeous colors transformed both famous faces to the point where I could barely recognize them! Check out the trailer for a quick preview.

Photos above courtesy of Jana Williams and Make Up For Ever.

It’s awards season, and with the Grammys and the Oscars around the corner, you know what that means — skin treatment specials galore!

Now I must confess, I love spas but I’m not a plastic surgery & medi-spa guru … at least not through firsthand experience. I’m still trying to stomach the idea of injecting a filler into my slowly hollowing face. Thankfully, I’ve been able to live vicariously through others by tagging along on their Botox visits, post-surgery checkups and laser treatments. And after visiting beautiful medi-spas all over L.A., I can tell you — if this magical courage were to come — where I would go: Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery, Inc., featuring the talented and very personable Dr. Gabriel Chiu.

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