Spring Pick: Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush

I adore blush.  I always have.  It was my go-to product when my mom let me rummage through her makeup drawers at age six, and my appreciation continues (though thankfully, I've learned to properly apply it!).  Lately I've been wearing NARS Orgasm blush and I love it, but I've been searching for a perfect shade of pink, too.  I also want a blush that lasts as long as my foundation does.  Is it too much to ask?

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I thought this was too high an order to fill, but it seems Tarte read my mind with their brand new Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush.  The Amazonian clay is said to minimize oil on your cheeks and in your pores, so the blush balances your skin and lasts much longer than other brands. It's also rich in Vitamins A, C, and E to protect your skin against dreaded free radicals and signs of aging.   Best of all, it comes in a perfectly pink shade called Amused, as seen above.

Eyebrow Threading 101

Today's guest post comes from the super cool and lovely Chandra, who is busy making a name for herself in the world of magazines!  She moonlights as a fabulous girl-about-town and loves trying new restaurants.  She's also an expert on eyebrow threading, so I invited her to share everything she knows.  I think I'll be booking my own threading appointment soon enough!

I have always been very particular and perhaps slightly obsessed with how I want my eyebrows to look. When I was younger, I remember noticing how the eyebrows could flatter a person’s entire face and bring out your best facial attributes.  

From the time I was a kid, my mom taught me how to shape my eyebrows naturally with just my fingers. After I took a shower, my mom always told me to shape my eyebrows because over time they would begin to look more defined. She was right as usual. Once I hit my teens, I begin noticing my eyebrows taking on a more defined appearance.

I didn’t start threading my eyebrows until I started high school mainly because when I was in middle school; I dealt with a lot of skin problems that would have made threading or even waxing a tortuous process. Waxing was something that I actually wanted to try first before threading, but after much persuasion from my mom, I opted to do threading.

Just to give you a little background about threading…It’s a technique that originated in the Middle East and parts of India. A cotton thread is used to remove the hair. The cotton thread is essentially twisted and rolled along the skin’s surface, which allows the hairs to be lifted from their follicles. It’s a very precise way of removing hair and attaining that “perfect brow” that can ultimately transform your face.

Like waxing, the first time that I had my eyebrows threaded was a little painful. I remember wincing every time she pulled my eyebrows. However, by the time she was done, I felt like my face had been transformed. My eyebrows had a lovely arch that really brought out my eyes. My overall face just looked brighter and less tired. 

What I love about threading is that if you are particular about your eyebrows, then you can specify how you want your eyebrows to look. I tried this with waxing and I didn’t get the same results. Keep in mind this does vary with every person.

A word of caution, remember to find an aesthetician who is experienced at eyebrow threading. Inexperience in this technique can result in uneven brows, hair breakage, and ingrown hairs. Also, if you do decide to try threading, make sure you apply some moisturizer around the area that was threaded to keep the skin from peeling.

Some benefits associated with threading include:

*No redness

*More defined eyebrows

*Typically cheaper

*Usually lasts longer (once again this varies with every person) for me, it lasts about 2 ½ weeks.

*No chemical ingredients involved

*More sanitary compared to waxing

*Takes years off complexion

*Long-term process of permanent hair removal

Inspiration: Marie Antoinette

She passed through the palace of Versailles with scented gloves, gowns as wide as twelve feet, and a tower of blonde curls atop her head, leaving a cloud of perfume in her wake.  Over two hundred years later, the name of French queen Marie Antoinette is still synonymous with luxury, indulgence, and a certain je ne sais quoi that continues to captivate the populace.  How did La Reine keep a step ahead of beauty trends in her day, and what products might she use in 2011?  Applied Glamour explores...

 Delightful Fragrances
In spite of the grandeur, 18th century Versailles was not a pleasant-smelling place.  Put lightly, there were hardly any restrooms for the hundreds of peasants and aristocrats who visited the palace daily.  Standard operating procedure was to sneak behind a curtain and hope for the best, regardless of your class or station.  Can you imagine?!

It's no surprise, then, that Marie Antoinette surrounded herself with fresh flowers and fragrant herbs and oils.  More than a luxury item, fragrances were a necessity for daily living in Versailles.  Marie was partial to orange blossom, rose, violet, lemon, and lavender scents.  She also loved to take baths, which was unusual in her time.  She even had a special bath mat filled with almonds, pine nuts, linseed, marshmallow root, and lilies. Finally, she always slept in gloves lined with wax, almond oil, and rose water to keep her hands silky and soft.  How glamorous!

A little Versailles glamour can be yours with these gorgeous perfume bottles.  Betsey Johnson's signature eau de parfum is housed in one of the most beautiful bottles I've ever seen and has notes of citrus fruit, black currant, pear, freesia, apple, lily of the valley, sandalwood, amber, and praline.  French couturier Jean Paul Gaultier's Classique eau de parfum is described as "sensual and sophisticated" with notes of vanilla orchid, rum essence, bourbon vanilla, rose essence, amber, tonka bean, sandalwood, and daffodil.

For a lovely soak, fill your bathtub with Philosophy's Vanilla Birthday Cake three in one shampoo, shower gel, and bubble bath.  (Side note: Marie never actually said "Let them eat cake," but she was fond of the confection!)  To moisturize your skin just like the Queen would, try L'Occitane's Peony Beauty Milk infused with shea butter, grape seed oil, and an exclusive peony extract imported from France.  For extra indulgence, sleep in these gloves lined with moisturizing gel from True Blue Spa.

The Regal Look
Before applying any cosmetics, Marie Antoinette would first cleanse her skin with Eau Cosmetique de Pigeon (if you reeeally want to know how it's made, ask!) , then apply Eau des Charmes as an astringent derived from grapevines (a precursor to grape seed oil?).  Finally she would use Eau d'Ange to gently whiten her complexion.  Today, I'll wager Marie would choose skincare products from luxury French brand Clarins.  The products are botanical based and the company is motivated by a love of nature and the environment, something the Queen would undoubtedly appreciate.  I also imagine she'd be into foundation from Givenchy, and maybe even tinted moisturizer.       

After whitening her skin, Marie would use scented powder on her face, lightly line her eyes with kohl, and dust rouge on her cheeks.  Scented pomade sticks were used as lip color, to tame eyebrows, and darken her eyelashes.  The beauty industry has come a long way since 1783, but Guerlain still used Marie as inspiration for their incredible Meteorites powder.  It's lightly lavender scented and the container is modeled after one of her own jewel boxes!  Of course today she would use DiorShow mascara for her eyelashes, and a gorgeous pink powder blush from Chanel.  Marie would probably add extra radiance to her complexion with YSL's Touche Eclat, and finish with Guerlain Kiss Kiss pink lipstick.  All French luxury brands, naturellement!

 

That Famous Hair

Marie Antoinette's legendary hair could easily be the subject of an entire blog post (this one is long enough!).  More than a fashion statement, her hair was used to impart current events and even political messages.  There's a reason she wore a miniature ship on her head and tiny American flags in her pouf!  The responsible party for these creations was Leonard, her very own hairstylist who was always at hand.  Leonard supposedly even used a mechanical pouf so the height of Marie's hair could be raised and lowered as needed to pass through carriages and doorways!  

Today the Glory of Big Hair is achieved with a good teasing comb and L'Oreal's Elnett hairspray.  It's a staple at every fashion show and red carpet event, but has only recently been available stateside; people used to smuggle in this cult favorite!  I think Marie would also like the gold package, don't you?