Dove and Eucerin: Solutions for Sensitive Skin

How I long to be one of those women with a bathroom filled with scented cakes of soap. I would have bars galore of lemon verbena, lychee, grapefruit and, to be daring, cinnamon bun-scented soap! But, alas, I am not. For some strange reason, my facial skin can tolerate all the peels, scrubs and liquid nitrogen treatments(as performed by my dermatologist) imaginable, but when I rub a dollop of coriander scented lotion on my body, all hell breaks loose. After hearing endless praise over Fresh's Hesperides Soap, I decided to try it, knowing full well what the consequences would be. This nonsensical action would be equivalent to someone who was lactose intolerant eating a large bowl of yogurt, finishing it off tall glass of chocolate milk. Let's just say that the soap waged a war on my body. Welts and irritation flared up on both my arms, putting me into state of panicked frenzy. I had to immediately toss the culprit and go back to my lifetime go-to body cleanser, Dove beauty bars. My skin wasn't only irritated, it was super dry and flaking. Eucerin Calming Creme nursed my body back to health. It's super rich formula intensely hydrated the dry patches and soothed my skin by taking out the redness and stopping the itch. The calming cream contains natural oatmeal, dimethicone (which seals in moisture by creating a glove-like barrier) and, just what my skin needs, no fragrance. Perhaps one special perk from lacking an arsenal of scented bath products is that it keeps those friends, also known as bathroom snoopers, from spending twenty minutes in my bathroom!

Kiehl's Eye Alert Is In This Week's Favorite New Product Alert

So much to discuss in the beauty world of late! Sorry it has taken a while for a new post, but we've been battling a nasty case of the flu and have been bound to bed, feeling very unglamorous and wishing we could practice with the new tips we learned from Gina Brooke, head makeup artist for Madonna during her "Confessions" tour. But before we get into the juicy details of that experience, we have to name Kiehl's Eye Alert as the winner of this week's Favorite New Product Alert! This delightfully lightweight eye cream is packed with cucumber extracts, vitamin E and caffeine to combat dark circles and puffiness. It also works like a dream underneath concealer. Apply a tiny amount of the product to your ring finger and pat ever-so-gently along the orbital bone (do not apply too close to the eye area since it may cause irritation). We can't wait to use it on our upcoming 11 hour flight to Hawaii!
*Tip: Try putting your eye cream in the refrigerator for a cooling and refreshing way to reduce puffiness.

An Evening with Gina Brooke

There are times when golden opportunities come about and you would be a complete and total fool not to take advantage of them. A few nights ago, my friend Sheila and I attended a "Master class" held at the Shu Uemura boutique in Soho. The highlight of the evening would be a lecture and demonstration orchestrated by Gina Brooke. Ms. Brooke is a titan in the world of beauty. Her list of clients include Madonna, Katie Holmes, Reese Witherspoon and Eva Longoria. She's also doing a stint as the Artistic Director of Shu Uemura, where she revamped the eyelash curler and is developing a slew of new products.

Sheila and I arrived at the pristine boutique nice and early, making sure we had the kind of seats that would allow us to see every brush stroke and highlighter application. Amy Winehouse was blaring throughout the colorful palettes of shadows and false fantasy lashes, champagne was flowing, fashionistas were air-kissing one another and an array of Shu workers were scurrying about, making sure each brush and palette was in place for Gina. Then she arrived. Wearing a simple, flowing brown halter dress with new Gucci espadrilles she took the stage. The first thing I noted about Gina was her flawless, radiant olive skin. You could hear women in the audience whisper to one another, "Wow, she's really pretty!"

Parallel to Shu Uemura's philosophy, Gina began her seminar stressing the importance of good skin care habits. "You can have the best makeup on the market, but if your skin isn't taken care of properly, you're makeup isn't going to look good," Gina emphasized. The first step was cleansing the model's skin with the company's cult favorite Cleansing Oil. Gina then sprayed the skin down with the Depsea Water Facial Mist and applied a light facial moisturizer, "The skin is most susceptible to moisture when it is wet."

After prepping the skin, the makeup application began. Gina did not use foundation on the model. In fact, if Gina uses foundation at all on her clients she'll always mix two or three shades to perfectly match the skin. The company's Pro Concealer was applied with a foundation brush only to the areas where the skin is prone to redness (think the areas around the nose, forehead and chin). Brooke mixed the concealer and highlighter with moisturizer before applying to the face. Mixing and blending these will allow the makeup to go on smoother and will look so much more natural. Mixing concealer with eye cream is crucial to avoid the makeup from filling in fine lines and wrinkles.

If you have oily skin, invest in some blotting paper. Gina's model had an oilier complexion and she kept blotting the t-zone rather than adding powder on the oily areas. Blotting the skin as opposed to powdering is genius because you're actually getting rid of the oils that can cause breakouts, rather than clogging your pores with heavy powders. Feel free to lightly powder your face to "set" your makeup after you've finished applying makeup, but never use a lot of powder.

Using highlighter properly can be the difference between a mediocre makeup job and an outstanding one. At the event, I purchased Shu Uemura's Base Control Complexion Enhancer in Gold. Remember, mix a little bit of highlighter with moisturizer on your hand with a brush before applying. While Gina was applying the complexion enhancer, she said that "highlighter must highlight high points." Think brow bones, bridge of the nose, cheekbones, shoulders and collarbones. Don't underestimate the power of a good highlighter!

Perhaps the biggest difference-maker in Gina's demonstration was the false eyelashes she used on the model. Instead of using an unnatural, dated strip of lashes, Brooke chose individual ones to apply. She used about four of them on each eye. A few on the end, some in the middle and voila! The moment the lashes were applied, you could hear the "ooh's and whoah's" in the audience. Before the seminar, I loved wearing false eyelashes to achieve a dramatic evening look, but Gina demonstrated to us that they can look so natural. Once the individual lashes were applied to the model, it just looked like she was born with incredible lashes! If you have access to a Shu Uemura, make an appointment at their Tokyo Lash Bar. A professional will help you choose a pair of lashes, whether it be a full strip or individual ones, and instruct you on how to apply them. Gina kept telling us to never apply mascara on them; they'll last longer and be a lot more sanitary if they're the last thing you apply on your eyes.

After Gina's hour-long lecture, Sheila and I spent a few hours with a Shu Uemura makeup artist named Tamaria. While the Shu Uemura artists were making over women, Gina went around to each person, critiquing the makeup application performed by the artists and advised each woman on the looks that would be best for them. When Gina came over to Sheila and I, it was pretty surreal. I mean, this is the same woman that works on Madonna's iconic face! She praised our pale skin, which was great being that we're both fanatical about taking proper care of our complexions (during our twenty-minute walk to the Shu store, we kept crossing over to the shaded sidewalks, avoiding the sunny streets at all costs). Brooke reminded me that I have a cool complexion and would benefit most from products with blue undertones. Blue-red lipsticks, pink blush and any color eyeshadow were things she advised me to wear. She even lined my lips with the Drawing Lip Pencil in Red 192 and applied the prettiest, brightest shade of red, Rouge Unlimited RD 134.

After Gina and Tamaria finished my look, some serious shopping was involved and Sheila and I left the store with two colossal shiny, black Shu Uemura bags. We were back on the grimy, cobblestone sidewalks of Soho. She had to go back to Queens to walk her Fox Terrier, Dax, and I had some laundry to attend to. The glamor of the evening was gone and real life had caved in. I hailed a cab and perused through all my new goodies, seeing future images of myself at that party wearing this purple eyeshadow...at that theatre show donning those false eyelashes.

Crazy About Carmex

Sometimes the best beauty buys are staring right at you while you're deciding between Crest or Colgate. Carmex is unassuming in its simple yellow-and-white pot, but nothing soothes and moisturizes my lips better. The balm (which is little more than $2!) contains a cooling mix of menthol and camphor with a touch of salicylic acid to remove dead skin cells. Although the packaging clearly states that it treats cold sores, many find it works best healing and preventing dry, chapped lips. Use it every night for the softest, most kissable lips around!

Mineral Makeup Meltdown

The buzz being generated by mineral makeup is utterly overwhelming. It seems like at every corner I turn, there's an advertisement for a mineral powder foundation. Flip on the ultimate brainwashing, zombie creating device (commonly known as a television) and don't be surprised if you spend a hypnotic half-hour watching an infomercial for more mineral makeup. "Make two easy payments for $29.99 and the foundation set is yours!" It's as if I'm in David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" diner scene. You know, the one where a character is explaining to another his recurrent nightmare about seeing a monster out behind the garbage at the diner they're frequenting for breakfast. The individual decides to face his fear and see if this nightmarish creature really exists, and it suddenly pops out of the trash! His frightening dream is a reality. Replace the hairy monster with a powder brush and a jar of mineral foundation and perhaps this best explains my feelings on the endless attention mineral cosmetics is garnering these days.

However, as a beauty journalist who encourages and reminds herself to review the latest and most talked about products, I placed these views aside and jumped on the bandwagon to see what all the commotion is about. Instead of trying a foundation, I thought I would take a little baby step and try an under eye concealer. I've heard praise-filled reviews of Jane Iredale makeup, so I purchased her Active Light Under-eye Concealer. The creamy concealer has a hefty list of skin care benefits that would make any dermatologist proud. It's packed with vitamin K, a key ingredient that actually lightens dark circles, cucumber extract to soothe puffiness and white tea extract to defend the eye area from free radical damage. The convenient pen and brush packaging allow for easy application and touch ups. The actual skin care benefits are phenomenal, but the product, in terms of camouflaging darkness and general "yuckiness" isn't so stellar. I had a difficult time blending the product and when I glanced in the mirror mid-day, the concealer had settled into fine lines and creases, making them more noticeable! Now, I see that Iredale has a full line of beauty products, ranging from eye shadow to blush. Perhaps I just had a negative experience with one of her many products. What are some of your experiences with Jane Iredale cosmetics?

The Beautiful People

There exists a small tribe in Central America, called the Tawira tribe, where its inhabitants are known as "the people of beautiful hair." Could I put on my new Ray Ban Wayfarer's with a crisp pair of khakis, hop on a plane and travel to this exotic haven? Upon my arrival, I will release my ponytail from its Goody tie and toss my blow dryer, flat iron (or any heat device that I continually fry my hair with) and Clairol hair color into a fire, while embracing my newfound hair freedom. Instead of flying to Central America to attain luscious locks, I opted for a simpler solution and tried Ojon's Ultra Hydrating Shampoo. It contains Ojon oil, the tribe's solution for their coveted hair, and intensely moisturizes dry, damaged and chemically treated hair. The first morning I tried the shampoo, I strolled into work and found my hair being stroked and ogled by a few of my co-workers. My hair was super shiny that morning and felt healthy! The shampoo not only repairs my hair from the day's damage by infusing it with a ton of moisture, the fragrance is incredibly fresh and lingers all day. So, although I desperately wish that I wouldn't blow dry my hair every day and continually color it to the death, I can use that curling iron without remorse knowing that I've got my Ultra Hydrating Shampoo in the shower waiting for me. Since I'm ecstatic over the shampoo, I can't wait to get my hands on the daily conditioner and weekly masque. Rest assured that we here at Monkeybaby Beauty will fill you in on all the details!

Benefit's California Kissin' Is In This Week's Favorite New Product Alert

Blue lip gloss? Yes, the concept seems a bit strange, but wearing a blue lip gloss alone or on top of your favorite lipstick is a great way to brighten your teeth and complexion. Benefit's California Kissin' is a non-sticky, breath freshening (it has the most refreshing mint scent) lip shine that tops this week's Favorite New Product Alert. Don't worry, the gloss is very subtle and won't make your lips turn blue! Last weekend, I dabbed a bit of California Kissin' on top of MAC's Ruby Woo and was impressed with how much whiter my teeth looked.