Beauty That is Skin Deep

Photo via The Selby

A couple weeks ago, I was browsing the archives on TheSelby.com and stumbled across Julia Restoin-Roitfeld’s New York apartment. Julia is daughter of Paris Vogue editrix Carine Roitfeld. While Julia’s shoe closet was of particular interest, I couldn’t help but fixate on her beauty products. I know I have my faves (scroll to end of post), but I haven’t covered beauty in over five years so thought I’d check in with three gorgeous girls (whose business it is to know these things) and get their favorite product picks:

Robyn Brown, freelance beauty writer/editor and former Senior Beauty editor, Allure

EYES: I know I’m a pusher with the falsies, but none of those creams will wake up your face half as much as a set of eyelash extensions. Daniel Dinh for Longmi Lashes is the best on both coasts.

MOISTURIZER: Neutrogena Oil Free SPF 15

ANTIAGING: Skinceuticals C E Ferulic, an antioxidant serum. Boosts the effectiveness of sunscreen and slows aging.

BODY LOTION: Truthfully? Almond oil. Which speaks more to my inability to remember to buy body lotion than anything else…But it does give skin a nice sheen, and doesn’t have that cheap, perfumey body lotion smell that drives me so bananas.

SUNSCREEN: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer. I just reported on sunblocks for Allure this summer, and  nothing touches Neutrogena, Aveeno, or L’Oreal. Right now, they’re the only ones that have patented formulas with stabilized avobenzone, which makes them effective for several hours. Everything else breaks down much too quickly.

CLEANSER: I use a salicylic cleanser by Neutrogena because I still break out like a teenager. But for normal skin, I just interviewed a derm who said Cetaphil or cleansing oil by Shu Uemura or Laura Mercier. It’s about maintaining the skin’s lipid barrier…

TONER: Forget it. And P.S., the tooth fairy isn’t real, either.

MAKEUP REMOVER: I’m a beauty writer. We don’t wear makeup.

SECRET WEAPON: My hairstylist, the insanely cool and talented Allissa Teitgen of Neil George salon, turned me on to Rene Furterer Shampooing sec, a dry shampoo. A few spritzes under the bangs can revive a blowdry a full extra day, or fake clean hair (which embarrassingly, I need to do far too often). Actually…now that I think about it, Alissa is the real secret weapon. That girl does bangs better than anyone. Anyone.

Kim Friday, senior fashion editor, Women’s Wear Daily

EYES: Estee Lauder Time Zone Eye Crème with SPF 15 (I keep it in the refrigerator so it gives me a real kick in the a.m.). Visine – As Tom Ford once said, nothing ruins a perfectly made-up face quicker than red eyes! I agree, so I use Visine when needed + it reduces redness on the skin too.

MOISTURIZER(S): Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturizer with SPF 15 – I use this every day year round. There is also a tinted version which I use in the winter in lieu of foundation. Josie Maran Argan Oil – I use this for so many things. During the winter it’s great to put under your night crème for really dry skin, I typically put it under my eye crème at night year round as an added boost as well as on laugh lines and my neck (I’m getting older now – we can’t forget about our necks!). It’s also good for dry lips, elbows, even cuticles.

EXFOLIANT: St. Ives Invigorating Apricot Scrub – I don’t really get facials (too rough on my gentle skin), this and the mask following are my substitutes.

ANTIAGING: Shiseido Future Solution Total Revitalizing Crème. This is my night crème, it’s thick but not greasy. Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask – I use this a couple of times a week, it really perks up tired skin.

SUNSCREEN: Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturizer with SPF 15

CLEANSER: Cetaphil cleanser (I have sensitive and dry-proned skin, so this is super gentle). Available at drugstores.

BLEMISH CONTROL: Tea Tree Oil – if I do get a blemish, this is what I use. Dries the blemish, not your skin, out in a jiff.

SECRET WEAPONS: The key things are to wash your face + moisturize morning and night; take an extra dose of Vitamin C; SPF, SPF, SPF; drink the recommended 8 glasses of water a day (it REALLY makes a difference)

Booth Moore, fashion critic, Los Angeles Times

EYES: Aida Thibiant Moisture Eyes Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream

MOISTURIZER(S): Aida Thibiant Smart Defense Protective Moisturizer SPF 15 or La Roche-Posay Toleriane, and La Prairie Cellular Firming Hydralift Mask every week or so.

BODY LOTION: Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturizing Lotion and B. Kamins Bio Maple lotion

SUNSCREEN: Skinceuticals

CLEANSER: Refinity Purifying Cleanser

ANTI-AGING: Aida Thibiant Vita Source Multivitamin Repairing Serum

MAKEUP REMOVER: Lancome Bi-Facil

SECRET WEAPON: Clarisonic scrub brush

And The Foodinista’s picks…

EYES:
Right now I’m using a serum from Elemis that my sister-in-law gave me and I just dab a little on in the morning to smooth lines. My favorite is La Prairie Anti-Aging Eye Cream with SPF, however I’m feeling too poor to splurge right now.

MOISTURIZER: Dr. Hauschka’s Quince Day Cream, available at Whole Foods. I mix a little with my SPF for face in the morning and apply before leaving the house.

EXFOLIANT: Remede Sweep. It’s made out of super-fine marble powder, and is gentle. I use it once a week in the shower.

ANTIAGING:
Caudalie First Wrinkle Serum. I’ve just started using this, but so far I like it a lot. Very light.

BODY LOTION:
Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Nourishing Oil, which is essentially almond oil. I put it on just before getting out of the shower. It absorbs easily and smoothes skin.

SUNSCREEN:
Aveeno Continuous Protection SPF 30 for Face. I use this religiously on my face, neck and hands—every day, rain or shine. (Tiny G uses Aveeno Baby SPF 55 every single day—it’s fragrance free and gentle.)

CLEANSER: Shu Uemura Skin Purifier Cleansing Beauty Oil. I’ve just started using this to cleanse at the end of the day and so far so love!

MAKEUP REMOVER:
Klorane Cornflower Soothing Eye Makeup Remover. I started using this when I lived in Paris a decade ago—it was (and still is) available at every corner drugstore and now you can get it here. It’s super gentle, but also effective at removing that stubborn Shu Uemura Ultimate Expression Mascara I’m addicted to.

SECRET WEAPONS: Use SPF, every single day, and drink tons of water!

Guac the Walk

Okay, we are a little more than 24 hours out from the long-awaited Guac Off. I can’t believe it’s really here! To get my head in the game, I dusted off an old pair of guacamole-colored Manolos to wear to work today—just to intimidate my friend/foe/colleague Katie, who had done one better and had her nails painted a truly vile OPI hue of guacamole. We suffer for our art. 

I think I might have the edge though. This evening, Tiny G and I were strolling home from Larchmont Beauty Center, where I had tried on three different shades of green eyeshadow, settling on Belly Dance by Nars—when we ran into two of the neighborhood doyennes, who were far too polite to say anything. C’est la guac. Still, I like to think I can carry green eyeshadow at 5 o’clock in the evening, better yet at 1 pm tomorrow. Here’s to hoping I take tomorrow’s trophy—a bottle of Casa Noble Reposado Tequila! Guac On!

I’m a Pepper

Last December I tucked a bottle of Molton Brown Re-Charge Black Pepper Body Wash into my husband’s Christmas stocking just to mix things up with his favorite Hermès Eau d’Orange Vert, which is woodsy and citrusy. I’m not usually one for strong scents or cologne on a man, and neither is he. Which is perhaps why three and a half months later he had yet to break into this spicy, peppery body wash. Feeling sorry for the shunned bottle, I cracked the seal myself last week and it’s divine. The lather is lovely, and it is—as advertised—recharging. I love the way it smells, which is pleasantly subtle post-shower though admittedly very masculine. I wonder if continued use will improve my golf swing?

Glossy Finish

Without doubt, I’m a gloss addict.

All gloss is not created equal. There are several considerations to take into account, the obvious of course being hue. But beyond that are the crucial nuances of tackiness (as in how sticky it is), endurance, the wand and flavor. The best gloss ever to grace the planet is no more for reasons I can’t begin to comprehend—and that was Lorac’s high shine gloss in Frolic, a luscious raspberry pink. It was in a little pot the size of a nail polish, complete with a tiny wand. It was heaven.

The closest I’ve come to anything that sheer and glossy is Chanel’s new “Aqualumiere” sheer high-shine concentrate line that comes in 12 hues. I have Party Red, and am loving it. I also have a couple tubes of classic Chanel Glossimer in Glaze, which looks like you’ve just licked your lips—no discernible color and perfect for everyday use. I’ve tried some of the shimmery tinted Glossamers and they’re terrible and don’t stay on. But for some reason Glaze works a treat.

For a sheer with a hint of shimmer I’ve bought tube after tube of Dior Addict Ultra Gloss in A Pinch of Ginger, which looks pale yellow in the bottle but goes on sheer with a warm golden shimmer. Sometimes I dab a bit on over lipstick. When I need something a little darker, another favorite Dior Addict is A Feast of Plums—a burgundy gloss that adds sophisticated color that’s still sheer enough for daytime use. Sadly, I haven’t seen either color around in sometime, and the packaging has since changed. And finally, I’ve saved the best for last: YSL Golden Gloss in Golden Peony, a pale pink with a hint of golden shimmer. It’s really pretty and very subtle. It’s what I wore at our wedding. Doesn’t hurt that it smells—and tastes—delicious!

Friday Follies in Film: Fringe Benefits

Friday Follies [n., pl.] postings on Fridays about fashion and food in film from guest bloggers with impeccable taste.

Much has been made of the vivid, pop art-inspired color palette and collage-like cutting in Godard’s 1965 film, Pierrot Le Fou. But really, the film (like Alphaville and A Woman Is a Woman, and, well hell, really all of the Danish-born French actress Anna Karina’s films), is a movie about heavy bangs and kohl-lined eyes. Long after you’ve forgotten all about that Brechtian breaking of the fourth wall business, or that film critics consider the film a paradigm of postmodernism, you’ll remember how helplessly charmed Jean-Paul Belmondo looked as Karina batted those thick lashes at him from underneath her schoolgirl-sexy brown fringe. The first time I saw Pierrot Le Fou at the Nuart, I booked a haircut and lash extension appointment while driving home on the 10. (Should you also find yourself seized with an immediate and uncontrollable need for falsies after viewing, trust me: Beverly Hills aesthetician Daniel Dinh.)—Robyn Brown

Robyn Brown has written and edited for several women’s magazines including Glamour and Allure. Currently she works as a freelance writer in Los Angeles, and is nearing the completion of her first novel. 

Valentine’s Day Presents, Part III: Purple Reign

Before hitting the road for Vegas yesterday morning, we exchanged presents and noticed something of a color theme. My husband had gotten me a bottle of the Chanel nail varnish in Vendetta, which I’d been eyeing from the Bohemian Fantasy collection, and I’d gotten him a pair of purple floral boxers from Façonnable. Here in our suite at Encore, there is a beautiful vase of magenta orchids to continue the theme. Check back for photos of the room, and what we’ve been eating….oh, and one more shopping update. Both Louis Vuitton and Chanel boutiques at the Wynn and Encore were PACKED last night around 11:15pm—Hermès and Manolo Blahnik, not so much. But if the number of large Chanel shopping bags floating around this casino is any indication, not everyone is aware of the recession.

Recession Luxe

I was cruising around my friend Hillary’s highly addictive beauty blog, Jack & Hill, and got deep into comment-land on a somewhat contentious thread from a couple years ago about Stila’s eco-friendly packaging. (The issue is moot now, as the packaging has changed.) Which got me thinking about Stila founder Jeanine Lobell, who is one of the most talented makeup artists I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. Her Stila Convertible Colors ($25) are total genius—it’s a lipstick-and-blush cream in one compact. The result is a monochromatic look that’s fresh and glowing in the most subtle way (I love the gladiola tint). Dab on your cheeks. Press onto your lips. I even dab a little under my brow for a bright, natural daytime look. Need help crunching the numbers? Point out to your husband that your favorite Chanel Joues Contrast powder blush in Rose Caché is $42 alone, and if you throw in a tube of your beloved Chanel Hydrabase Crème lipstick for $28.50, you’re looking at a 65% savings!

Caviar Dreams

I can’t decide what I’m more excited about—the rich, salty Siberian sturgeon caviar we had for dinner the other night, or this limited-edition nail varnish from Laura Mercier that I unwrapped in my Christmas stocking. It’s called “Caviar Dreams” and indeed it’s the same gorgeous dark gray as the caviar, but with a hint of dark plum and teal (like an oil slick—in a good way) and metallic shimmer. It’s a must for a New Year’s Eve manicure!

Joker’s Wild Red Revisited

 

About a week ago, I had posted about red lipstick, specifically wondering what color the Joker wore in The Dark Knight. Today, I was delighted to open the mail and find that the GENIUS behind Heath Ledger’s phenomenal look—makeup artist John Caglione, Jr.—had sent me a fresh tube of Maybelline Moisture Extreme in Passion Red #49 ($5.59), leftover from his stock from the set of The Dark Knight. It’s the color he used on Ledger, and it’s fabulous! Thank you, Johnny!

Let’s Put A Smile On That Face…

I woke up this morning and was shocked to read the headlines that THE DARK KNIGHT had been all but shut out of the Golden Globes, especially after watching it on BluRay two nights ago. Of course the only performance that mattered, Heath Ledger’s, got a best supporting nod. And I had to wonder how much a role lipstick played in the decision? StyleFile mused on the topic earlier this year, and I have to agree with Lipstick Queen that Ledger’s rouge is very “post-post feminist” chic. The color reminds me of a discontinued classic: Chanel Star Red (No 22 Rouge Star), which is now only available overseas, and sadly I’m down to the end of my very last tube. However, Greg at the new Chanel boutique on Rodeo mentioned that several snazzy new reds arrived today—Fiesta, Fuego and Gypsy Scarlet (which he thinks is pretty close to Star Red). It’ll be a couple weeks before these reds are available at department stores, but they were unpacking them at the boutique this afternoon, so head on over if you want to get a jump on painting the town red.