By Nita J., Virginia, Makeup Artist

Nita J is a strong advocate that true beauty lives in each and every individual. To her, makeup just enhances beauty and should never be used to mask the beauty that a person was born with. With her knowledge of makeup, cosmetic brands, marketing and the beauty industry, Nita J hopes to contribute as much as she can and instill in the minds of others that confidence and true beauty is soul-deep. You can check out her portfolio and her blog!

Transform Your Glow by Mixing Illuminators with Foundation

No matter what time of year it is, I find that most clients always want to accomplish a natural “glow” with their look. I personally have always liked a nice healthy, glowing complexion when doing my makeup on a daily basis, so I love trying out new products that would be me achieve this. An awesome tip that I tried once, fell in love with and kept it within my normal routine, is mixing a good illuminating product with foundation.

When you think of “glow,” most would reach into their beauty bag for a bronzer, which is perfectly fine. I tend to use an illuminating lotion rather than a bronzer because, for one, it blends into your foundation for a more seamless glow, and two, it looks more natural and tends to look a little more radiant.
When choosing and illuminating products, it’s best to use something that is sheerer (so that it doesn’t alter the color of your foundation), light, and doesn’t have a ton of shimmer, to give a more natural effect.

Think about it; when you “glow” naturally, your skin doesn’t produce large particles of glitter, right? Something with just a hint of shimmer will do the trick. There are many products out there that would help with this trick, but after trying numerous products, there are two in particular that I just love and can’t get enough of:

Smashbox Artificial Light Luminizing Lotion ($26.00) comes in three shades: Diffuse, which gives off a nice pearly effect, Flash, which has a hint of soft pink, and Glow, which is a soft, golden bronze. These are all great shades because of the lightweight feel and consistency of the lotion.  They also do not change the color of your foundation. I have found that “Flash” works on many of my clients, no matter their skin tone, and I reach for it all the time. All you need is just one to two pumps of the product and you get an awesome glow. I like to mix the lotion with foundation before applying to the face. This is definitely something that I keep in my personal kit as well as my professional kit.

This is another great product that will beautifully transform your foundation and give you a subtle glow, but make a great statement. This NARS Illuminator ($29.00) comes in four shades; a soft pearl shade called Copacabana, Laguna, which is a soft brown with golden shimmer, the best-seller, Orgasm, which is a peachy-pink lotion with a little shimmer, and Super Orgasm, also peachy-pink but with more of a golden, shimmery finish. All of these are great, but I have discovered that Copacabana and Orgasm looks amazing on just about anyone I apply it to. Just a very small amount of this product is needed to achieve a beautiful glow. Again, mix with foundation before applying to the face for maximum results!

With all of the illuminating products out there, what are some that you have tried and fell in love with? I’d love to know!

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This summer, Kanebo Sensai has launched a mattifying version of Lauren Conrad’s favorite Fluid Finish Foundation!

Like the original Fluid Finish, the new Kanebo Sensai Fluid Finish Lasting Velvet Foundation comes in a sleek 30ml glass bottle with an easy-to-use pump. It also contains the same ingredients – Phyto-Squalene, Rice Extract, 55% Fuji-Sensui Water, Koishimaru Silk and SPF 15 – to deeply moisturize skin while protecting it from the sun. What’s different is the new “Instant Fitting Oil” that evaporates off the skin’s surface in just 15 minutes so skin is left silky-smooth, moisturized yet matte.

Color selection-wise, there are 8 shades that will cover light to tan skin tones. I have FF 203 Natural Beige and FF 204 Almond Beige, two medium yellow-based shades that I can get away with for my NC30 skin.

FF 203 Natural Beige and FF 204 Almond Beige

The texture of the foundation is one of the creamiest I have ever seen, just like the Fluid Finish. It blends wonderfully with just fingers or a brush and never seeps into fine lines, highlights flakes or creates shine.

In addition, the coverage is divine! The foundation is so pigmented that one small pump (roughly a pea-sized amount) can erase any signs of flaws under my eyes, around the nose and the lips. Hooray for not having to even use a concealer!

The end result is velvety, not overly matte, natural-looking and light-weight – simply made for “non-matte” girls like me! Not to mention, the foundation wears well all day even without a setting powder and touch ups! More love for Kanebo Sensai ♥

Overall Rating:

Kanebo Sensai Fluid Finish Lasting Velvet Foundation is available at Neiman Marcus and for $50.

Disclosure: The products in this entry were provided by the manufacturer for consideration. Please see my Disclaimer for more information on my posting policy.

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More than two years in the making, MAC introduces Matchmaster Foundation SPF 15, a new foundation that offers medium buildable coverage that reveals rather than conceals skin’s natural undertones with a seemingly undetectable demi-matte finish.

Available in 14 shades that covers MAC lightest and darkest foundation shades, the new foundation provides broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection with SPF 15 and is longwearing for up to eight hours. It is also formulated with Laminaria Saccharina Extract to calm skin’s sebaceous glands resulting in less oil production, along with soft focus powders and spherical polymers help to minimize the appearance of pores, lines and wrinkles.

1.0 Medium/Demi Matte
1.5 Medium/Demi Matte
2.0 Medium/Demi Matte
3.0 Medium/Demi Matte
4.0 Medium/Demi Matte
5.0 Medium/Demi Matte
6.0 Medium/Demi Matte
7.0 Medium/Demi Matte
7.5 Medium/Demi Matte
8.0 Medium/Demi Matte
8.5 Medium/Demi Matte
9.0 Medium/Demi Matte
9.5 Medium/Demi Matte
10.0 Medium/Demi Matte

MAC Matchmaster Foundation SPF 15 will be available at all MAC locations on September 22, 2011 for $32.50.

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I recently had the opportunity to interview Mikey Castillo, Director of Makeup and Education for Le Metier de Beaute. With my head spinning about what to discuss – the beautiful LMDB products and the million questions that could arise from that alone, or how to keep your makeup from melting in this scorching heat, I decided that the focus really needed to be on makeup looks and tips for women over 40. Mikey (over 40 himself) was the perfect person to talk to.

“Luxury speaks to performance – what will it bring to your life? It gives you the expectation to look beautiful and performance is the key difference”

He comes from a lifetime passion of art, beauty and makeup. Mikey has been obsessed with art since he was five, a subscriber of Vogue magazine since he was 11 and applying foundation to his face since he was in high school, a professional artist since 1989 and no doubt has perfected the flawless no-look foundation look over the years. Mikey said that since he’s over 40 too, he relates to what women over 40 are looking for – and that mainly is to look pretty. I must agree with him, I think we all get to a point in our lives where we don’t want to have the severe look of an 80′s super model, be a walking piece of art or imitate the latest Lady Gaga reincarnation. We just want a softer, prettier version of ourselves.

For someone hiring Mikey to do their makeup, he considers it his job to make them look 10 years younger. I think if I’m ever granted 3 wishes one of them may be to have Mikey do my makeup every day of the year! Applying your makeup too harshly can make you look 10 years older and we certainly don’t want that! One of the most important pieces of the makeup wardrobe is to have a great foundation. Le Metier de Beaute’s foundations contain hyaluronic acid – and if you’re a regular reader of Fab Over 40 you know that is an ingredient we look for in our skincare and now in makeup. Hyaluroic acid holds up to 1,000 times its weight in water, meaning it keeps your skin moisturized and plump instead of dehydrated like many oil-free foundations can.

LMDB Classic Flawless-Finish Foundation will give you “the beautiful fantasy of wearing full coverage makeup, but not look like you are wearing makeup” according to Mikey. This foundation formula was one of my very first LMDB purchases, along with a bonzer, blush and shadows. It truly does give a flawless fnish when applied with a foundation brush as thinning it out with a brush is key. Along with hyaluronic acid, it has an ingredient called Nylon 12 – which is an elastic-like molecule that expands and contracts with facial muscles and expressions. Therefore it never settles into fine lines and wrinkles. Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Complexe Tinted Treatment can be worn in a few ways according to Mikey. For a more “casual” makeup look, use it as your foundation – it’s easy to apply by using just your fingers to smooth out or use it under one of the other foundations. Either will give your skin an amazingly flawless look. Peau Vierge is made with .05% retinol and according to LMDB you can see a change in your skin in as little as 5-7 days with less redness, smoother, plumper skin and it has SPF 20.

In addition to the foundation, here are some more of Mikey’s tips to look softer and more feminine.

1. Remove hard lines on eyes, lips and cheeks
2. Create intensity without visible liner
3. Soften the blush – no hard streaks to the ear
4. Gloss can soften the lips and make them appear more youthful

Here’s how he removes the hard lines on the eyes, but creates intensity. His favorite liner is the Precision Liquid Liner. (Again I own this too) but instead of drawing a thick line along the top of the lash line – buff it into the lashes. Don’t point the pen, but instead lay it flat and press it into the lashes and it will make your eyes defined and “pop”. It also doesn’t transfer to your lower lash line when you blink like regular pencil liners do. It’s not dehydrating so it won’t crack off like some lienrs to, as it isn’t made with plasic molecules – only water and pigment from clay. Do not draw beyond the lash line or “wing” it out past the eye. That just makes people say “Oh, she’s wearing an intense eyeliner” instead of “Your eyes look pretty” like we want to hear. To brighten the eyes you need contrast. If you have a warm colored eye, use a cool tone to contrast and bring it out. If you have brown eyes, use a blue shade and blue eyes use a warm bronze.

Don’t draw an intense eyebrow, it’s too masculine. Definitely fill in and define, but use a shade that is 1-2 shades lighter. Even if you have really black eyebrows, use a lighter shade than black – no one should be using black. Softer doesn’t mean boring. it means “pretty”.

When using blush it looks theatrical if you create that stripe from the cheek to the ear, no one blushes there. Apply blush to the apples of the cheek, but not right in the center of the apple. Apply it to the top of the apple just under the eye, it optically raises the face. Children blush higher on their cheeks than adults do, so try to imitate where children blush. And as for color – right now coral shades are “hot”! Even if you typically wear a pink blush, try and find a shade of coral – it warms the face up more than blue-based pinks.

For women over 40 red matte lipstick is too harsh and aging. Instead try wearing a gloss, it’s more modern and gives you shiny, full and youthful lips. There’s no need to wear a liner with a gloss unless you want to elongate the life of the gloss. Gloss is a great way to play up the eyes and to look sexy.

I was so thrilled to speak with Mikey and get these wonderful tips and I wanted to speak to him for hours! I couldn’t wait to try them out right away! The next day at work I had used my eyeliner in the manner in which he spoke and right away someone commented that they liked what I had done to my eyes. They asked me what I had done differently and I explained the technique that Mikey uses and they agreed it does make the eyes look softer.

Around three years ago I met Dustin at the Le Metier de Beaute counter at Bergdorf Goodman on one of my many NY trips I used to make. From that first time I have been a die-hard LMDB fan and have never, ever been disappointed in their products. From my original purchase to my latest with some brushes they are quality all around. Surprisingly though, I had never used any of their lipsticks and only recently purchased a lip gloss, which confuses even me, the die-hard lip person to this day. The company was very generous and sent me some of their lipsticks, glosses and pencils and I will be sharing those with you in the near future. But in the meantime I will let you know that I, of course, was not disappointed.

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British makeup artist Samantha Chapman, aka YouTube guru pixiwoo to most of us, has launched Real Techniques, a 10-piece makeup brush collection that claims to help you look pixel-perfect even in harsh light.

Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Travel Essentials Makeup Brush Set
I have the Travel Essentials Set, which comes with an Essential Foundation Brush, Multi-task Brush, Domed Shadow Brush – all made with 100% cruelty-free, hand-cut synthetic taklon bristles- along with a panoramic black brush case that doubles as a stand.

The Essential Foundation Brush is about the same size as my favorite MAC #190 Foundation Brush. Just like the MAC, the bristles are very dense yet soft to the touch. It works beautifully with both liquid and cream foundations without soaking up too much product and always leaves behind a streakless finish.

Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Foundation Brush

Real Techniques Essential Foundation Brush vs MAC #190 Foundation Brush

The Multi-task Brush is a medium-sized fluffy brush, again with really soft bristles. Since I prefer a smaller brush for the cheeks, I save this for applying powder/bronzer all over and to sweep off excess product and it does a brilliant job.

Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Multi-task Brush

The Domed Shadow Brush is a medium-sized brush with a tapered design to smoothly shade and define the eyes. The bristles are similar to that of the foundation brush – dense yet gentle on the skin – and work great for applying both powder and cream eyeshadows on the eyelid.

Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Domed Shadow Brush

Another cool thing about these brushes is their extended aluminum handles. Not only do they feel light and rest nicely on my hand, they are color-coded to correspond to the key steps of makeup application. Orange is for creating a flawless base, purple is for enhancing the eyes and pink is for adding the perfect finish. You can also find the name of each brush printed on the back of the handle, making them perfect for newbies as well.

Finally, despite the super affordable price tag (everything is under $18!), these brushes are very durable. They do not shed or splay and still look brand new even after a few washes. Thumbs up overall!

Overall Rating:

Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman is available at Ulta stores and Ulta.com.

Disclosure: The product in this entry were provided by the manufacturer for consideration. Please see Disclosures and Policies for more information on my posting policy.

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