Beauty Tips

Liquid Eyeliner Makeup Tips from Brett Freedman

The very talented makeup artist, Brett Freedman, has a video for Temptalia readers featuring Laura Vandervoort all about liquid eyeliner and how to make it work for you!

Got a question? Now’s the time to ask it!

Long-time readers will remember Ask Temptalia sessions, and they’ll also note that there haven’t been any in recent memory. I’ve created a Formspring account, which is essentially a place where you can ask someone (aka me) a question, and then I see your question and can answer it. I want to give this a try for now to see if can help me give you an opportunity to ask questions and me a way to answer them gradually and over time rather than attempt to answer 300-500 in one go. We are also hoping to build a very robust FAQ/support section through some of the questions asked.

You can ask me a question here! Do NOT ask questions on this post!

Skincare Tips from Renée Rouleau: New Year Skin Resolutions

Savvy, smart, and always knowledgeable, Renée Rouleau is my go-to for all that is skincare. She’s a celebrity esthetician with her own line (I love her AHA/BHA Cleansing Gel!), and she also regularly updates her blog with skin care tips and tricks.

Make this the year for healthy, beautiful and glowing skin with these 10 New Years’ Skin Resolutions from skin care expert, Renée Rouleau.

1. ALWAYS WASH YOUR SKIN AND MOISTURIZE AT BEDTIME

Research indicates that the skin repairs itself most effectively at night, so you want to put your skin in the best possible condition for its repair. For those who are too tired to wash off their makeup at night, try this! Your nighttime routine doesn’t have to be done minutes before you hit the bed. Wash your face when you get home from work, or even after dinner. Do it earlier rather than later! Washing off the day’s dirt and grime and nourishing your skin with good moisture and nutrients will give your skin a chance to renew while you sleep. And remember, quality moisturizers (without clogging ingredients) will not suffocate your skin.

2. WEAR A MOISTURIZER WITH SUNSCREEN DAILY

Studies indicate that 78% of the sun exposure we get in a lifetime is incidental exposure. You may say, “I’m not out at all during the day.” Just working in your home or office near windows, walking to your car, and even driving in your car will subject you to unnecessary UV damage. Windshields do nothing to protect you from UV rays. Daylight exposure is the #1 cause of premature skin aging so a minimum of SPF #15 should be used 365 days a year, rain or shine, inside or out.

Check out eight more resolutions worth making! Continue reading →

Skincare Tips from Renée Rouleau: Undereye Bags

Savvy, smart, and always knowledgeable, Renée Rouleau is my go-to for all that is skincare. She’s a celebrity esthetician with her own line (I love her AHA/BHA Cleansing Gel!), and she also regularly updates her blog with skin care tips and tricks.

The skin under the eyes is extremely thin and fragile and can have under eye bags, puffiness, lines and wrinkles. Of all the areas of the face the eye area can be the most problematic.

What are under eye bags?

The term “bags” refers to loose, sagging skin under the eyes that has lost its firmness.

Why do bags appear?

Bags start out in the early years as under eye puffiness and over time, the connective tissues that attach the skin to the orbital bone deteriorates resulting in loose, sagging skin. Bags start to show around the age of 50, when the skin naturally starts to lose its tone. For many individuals, bags are hereditary and for others it can be from years of allergies that caused them chronic puffiness around the eyes.

What can I do to help reduce bags?

Since bags are loose skin, it’s impossible to restore that loss of elasticity once the bag is formed. Cosmetic surgery will give you the most noticeable improvement.

What can I do to prevent bags?

• To prevent bags, you must prevent puffiness and keep the skin from losing tone:
• Get your thyroid checked. Under eye bags may be related to a thyroid function. Hypothyroidism (an under active thyroid) causes myxedema which makes changes to the connective tissues, which causes a loss of tone in the under eye area. Consult with your doctor.
• Get plenty of sleep. Being tired at night results in yawning and yawning makes the eyes tear. The excess fluids around the eyes will cause puffiness which weakens elasticity under the eyes accelerating under eye bags.
• Control your allergies. One of the biggest contributors to under eye puffiness (and eventually bags) is from allergies.
• Avoid smoking. Smoking inhibits circulation and is the major cause of oxidative stress in the body resulting in a weakening of collagen and elastin fibers.
• Use eye care products containing skin-firming peptides. Peptides renew skin’s firming mechanisms to return skin to a more youthful-looking appearance. Use Renée Rouleau Firming Eye Therapy—a new and improved formula!

How do I reduce puffiness?

Place a bag of frozen peas over the eyes. Cold temperatures constrict blood vessels, preventing the flow of fluid into tissues and diminishing puffiness in the process.

So if you are someone who has many, many skin care products that leave you without any real results, it’s simply it’s very difficult to entirely reverse bags using topical products. So prevention is key.

Skincare Tips from Renée Rouleau: Reducing Blackheads

Savvy, smart, and always knowledgeable, Renée Rouleau is my go-to for all that is skincare. She’s a celebrity esthetician with her own line (I love her AHA/BHA Cleansing Gel!), and she also regularly updates her blog with skin care tips and tricks.

My 3-Step Plan for Reducing Blackheads by Skin Care Expert, Renée Rouleau

Of all the skin questions that I get asked, “How do I get rid of my blackheads?” has to rank near the top of the list. Blackheads are a fact of life; almost all of us have them and we all hate them.

What is a blackhead? Blackheads are large, open pores containing oil that has oxidized from the air causing it to turn black. Contrary to what most people believe, it’s not “dirt”, it’s simply oxidized oil. You can remove the blackhead but once the oil fills back up in the pore, the air will cause the oil to oxidize again and now the blackhead is back.

Here’s my three-step plan for removing blackheads and keeping them away:

Step 1: Remove the blackheads

Whether you remove them yourself (gently, of course) or have a professional facial, they must be manually extracted.

In a professional facial, your esthetician will raise the temperature of the skin by applying warm steam to the skin and performing a facial massage to “melt” the hardened oil within the pores to make for easier extractions. When the skin is properly prepared, extractions shouldn’t leave the skin with significant red marks. A cooling mask post-extraction will help to calm the skin and reduce any visible redness.

For do-it-yourself extractions, it’s best to remove blackheads after a shower since the skin temperature has been raised. After showering, apply a thin coat of the heaviest moisturizer you have to the skin. By using a rich moisturizer, it will create a temporary occlusive seal to keep the heat trapped in the skin, which for extractions purposes is necessary. Next, cover the area with cellophane/plastic wrap and apply warm, damp towels for five minutes. Remove the plastic and wrap tissue over each forefinger and gently squeeze to remove blackheads. To avoid creating squeeze marks, be sure to relocate the position of your fingers. For example, position fingers at 3:00 and 9:00 and then 5:00 and 10:00. You can then apply a cooling gel mask to reduce any redness.

Step 2: Use acid-based products to keep pores clean

Once the pores are clean, it’s important to incorporate products into your routine that use acids, such as AHA’s and BHA’s to keep them cleaned out and prevent the oil from filling back up so quickly. Skin care products with acids might include cleansers (such as Renée Rouleau AHA/BHA Cleansing Gel), serums and peels (like Renée Rouleau Triple Berry Smoothing Peel). Be sure the products are gentle and do not contain SD Alcohol 40 or Denatured Alcohol. Note: Do not use any acid-based products for at least 24 hours after manual extractions.

Step 3: Prevent oil from oxidizing

This part is key in lessening the appearance of blackheads. As I mentioned, a blackhead is oil that has oxidized and turned black, so if you can prevent the oil from oxidizing, the oil will not turn black (or at least as quickly).

Antioxidants used in skin care products have many benefits such as encouraging collagen production, lightening discoloration (brown spots) and slowing down the production of skin-damaging free radicals, but one surprising benefit is their ability to prevent oil from oxidizing, hence the name antioxidants meaning ‘anti oxidation’. When choosing antioxidant products, look for formulas containing Vitamin C, however be sure it’s stable, doesn’t sting or irritate the skin or change color (such as brown) in the bottle over the course of time. Renée Rouleau Vitamin C & E Complex uses three forms of stable, no-sting Vitamin C which makes this product not only suitable for preventing blackheads, but for sensitive skin too.

So there you have it – my professional plan for removing blackheads and keeping them from being so noticeable and re-appearing so quickly.

Note: Blackheads will slowly re-appear over time, so it’s important to get regular monthly facials to get the pores manually cleaned

Lipstick Comparisons: $13 to $25 (Part 2)

In this price range, lipsticks tend to be more pigmented, have less synthetic scents, and wear an average of four hours. I’m not typically disappointed beyond belief with a lipstick formula in this price range. Brands from MAC to NARS to Smashbox fall into this price tier, while designer brands like Chanel, Dior, and YSL are in the next tier. There are really SO many brands and formulas to choose from in this category that I had to split this post into two parts!

MAC Lipstick ($14.50)

• PROS: Ridiculously large shade range, variety of finishes, wears from 3 to 6 hours (depends on finish/shade)
• NEUTRAL: 0.10 oz., Depending on finish, shades range from sheer to opaque; similarly, more matte shades are drier while lustre shades are more moisturizing, vanilla-scented
• CONS: If you’re not familiar with the MAC range and finishes, it can be overwhelming and difficult to choose the right shade; not all shades are great or consistent against other shades within a finish family
• MY REC: I like MAC lipsticks quite a bit. I think they have some incredibly flattering shades as well as fun colors in their permanent line, but without having some MAC product knowledge, I can imagine it being daunting trying to figure out which shade is opaque, which is sheer, what finish might be best, and so on. There is a lot of variance between shades and even within finishes. Lustres and glazes tend to be sheerer, while amplified cremes and satins are creamier and more opaque. Mattes are on the drier side with some being exceptionally so (Ruby Woo, I’m talking to you).

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick ($19.00)

• PROS: Long-wearing (5 to 6 hours on average), pigmented, wide range of shades
• NEUTRAL: 0.12 oz., range includes wearable shades as well as out of the box shades, scent0free
• CONS: Shades are a bit one-note, texture is a little dry (but it’s not drying)
• MY REC: If you have pigmented lips and struggle to find true-to-tube color translate onto your lips, Rouge Artist Intense is a good line to try out, because the colors really are opaque.

NARS Lipstick ($24.00)

• PROS: Long-wearing (4 to 6 hours on average), moisturizing, creamy, good shade range
• NEUTRAL: 0.12 oz., scent-free, some really sheer shades while others are opaque
• CONS: Can smell waxy, lighter/sheerer shades fade in 1 to 3 hours
• MY REC: Though NARS’ lipsticks are unscented, sometimes the waxiness of the lipstick itself comes through, and it’s not so pleasant. It’s a more moisturizing lipstick than your average lipstick, though if you have ultra dry lips, you may still want to prep lips with some balm. I’ve also found that their sheerer or lighter shades don’t last nearly as long as their medium to dark shades.

Shiseido Perfect Rouge Lipstick ($25.00)

• PROS: Creamy, moisturizing, glossy, semi-sheer to opaque, wears 2 to 4 hours, good shade range
• NEUTRAL: 0.14 oz., scent-free
• CONS: Numbering system can make it difficult to determine colors
• MY REC: I feel like I rarely see mentions for Shiseido’s Perfect Rouge lipstick line, and it’s really a top notch line. They’re creamy, smooth, and richly pigmented.

Smashbox Photo Finish Lipstick ($22.00)

• PROS: Creamy, glossy, moisturizing, semi-opaque to opaque colors, wears 3 to 4 hours
• NEUTRAL: 0.12 oz., vanilla-scented
• CONS: Limited shade range
• MY REC: It’s a shame that Smashbox doesn’t expand their lipstick range, because I’ve liked several of the ones I’ve tried from it–but there just aren’t many colors available. These are moisturizing with a glossy finish and creamy texture. Similar to Laura Mercier Stick Gloss and Korres Mango Butters.

Urban Decay Lipstick ($22.00)

• PROS: Creamy, moisturizing, wears 3 to 5 hours
• NEUTRAL: 0.13 oz., burnt sugar scent (“caramel” or “creme brulee”)
• CONS: Sheer to opaque variances make it difficult to buy online or sight unseen, sometimes has an off-taste
• MY REC: I know that one of the biggest drawbacks to Urban Decay is inconsistency in the scent and taste of their lipsticks. The more shimmery shades seem to have a stronger averse taste than creamier shades. I don’t notice the scent when I wear them, so it’s not a deal breaker for me.

The Lipstick Comparisons series is designed to provide a quick reference summary sheet for some of the many available lipstick formulas. It seems like most brands have at least a couple of formulas, if not half a dozen, and it can be difficult to find the formulas that will work best for your budget, coloring, style, or taste.

This is not necessarily a best of list, and it’s not exhaustive–it is based on actual lipsticks that I’ve tried; they are all, however, decent to excellent lipsticks. (And perhaps, some day, it will be an exhaustive list.) I have summarized my experience based on pros and cons, but also some “neutral” factors that may be pros or cons, depending on your preferences. I will update this series as I try new lipstick formulas.