MAC Chenman Love and Water

MAC has done it again. Inspired us to try out the new spring trend of colorful makeup. I have been lusting over this new collection and I have an order on the way to try these intoxicating new colors. I have to admit I tend to shy away from bright vivid colors but these are just so gorgeous I can't resist. They are going very fast as some of the products are already sold out online. :( If you want to add a little pop to your makeup bag get to MAC fast! www.maccosmetics.com

Dreaming of the sun... Picking the perfect sunscreen for you

With all this rain we have been having lately I am really missing the sun. Despite the grey clouds and showers the first thing I do every morning after I wash my face is to apply sunscreen. I have fair skin and I have always waged a war against the sun. My first bad burn was when I was a kid while skiing. I got terrible snow blindness, who'd have thought that you can burn while on the slopes. That was a hard lesson to learn. I spent Mother's Day weekend with patches over my eyes and an awful sunburn on my face. Not very pretty. Then, when my skin peeled, it made a funny shape on the side of my left cheek. It kind of looked like a pathetic version of South America. I had to wear awful greasy Cornhuskers lotion to stop the peeling and I was teased by my classmates. I remember that moment being the first time I was embarrassed and self conscious about my looks. Luckily, the peeling faded and so did the jeers. But as I got older I became all too cavalier about using sunscreen. I spent many a day out in the rays never thinking it could lead to wrinkles or skin cancer.  It wasn't until I was pregnant and got the brown, "mask of pregnancy" as they call it or melasma that I began to really consider taking better care of my skin.  I turned to magazines and the internet for help. After my son was born the brown patches faded for the most part but slowly sunspots became more noticeable. It wasn't until last year that I decided to look into laser therapy.  It seemed that no matter how much concealer or foundation I placed over my sunspots they would always peek out and annoy me.  So I bit the bullet and for $150.00 I went to my dermatologist and she preformed a Fraxel laser treatment. It didn't even hurt, just slight quick snaps on my skin that felt like a easy rubber band snap. Boy was that worth it. After a few days the spots formed a scab and new skin was later revealed. The spots were hardly noticeable and it was then and there that I vowed to use sunscreen each and every day.  So far I have kept that promise and I have found a really great product that I would like to share with you.  It's called Elta MD UV Clear and it is SPF 45. My dermatologist told me that no matter what sunscreen I picked I should always reach for one containing zinc oxide. The zinc helps to physically block the light and makes the UV rays scatter, therefore, not allowing them to penetrate into the dermal layers of the skin. Sounds scientific, huh?  Well, the Elta MD UV Clear has 9% zinc oxide and helps to promote clear skin. So those of us who are prone to Acne, Rosacea and Hyperpigmentation benefit from this product. It helps to reduce the appearance of blemishes, discoloration and photo-damaged skin. I can attest to this as my skin has never been clearer. Yay! I have been using this product for about 6 months and I love love love it! It retails for about $30.00 but it is so worth it. You can find it online at www.eltamd.com or www.dermstore.com  Especially for the piece of mind that your skin is clear and safe from those evil UV rays. I will add another sunscreen that I have used in the past and really liked.  It is the La Roche Posay Anthelios SPF 40 sunscreen. It was actually a winner three years in a row in InStyle magazine as a Best Beauty Buy.  You can find it at CVS and it retails for around $30.00 or online at www.dermstore.com. It too contains a sun filter called Mexoryl which is an organic compound that filters out the suns rays. Both of these sunscreens blend very well into the skin. You can comfortably layer a primer over them as well as your foundation without any sticky or tacky feeling to your skin. Whichever sunscreen you pick just remember to apply it to not only your face but also your neck, décolleté, and the backs of your hands. This will keep you protected and safe. 

Grooming the man in your life

In keeping with my cleansing theme from yesterday's post, I thought it would be important not to forget the special guys in our lives. So I have polled my hubby about the product of his choice. The Art of Shaving for Men. I asked him why he started using it and he said it is the only skin product that he has used that has been able to tame his ingrown hairs from shaving. He likes the non greasy feel of the product and his skin is in much better condition than it was before.  He also likes the idea that if he wants the real feel of a barber he can visit one of the shops and feel as if he is transported a century ago to an old school barber shop complete with a straight blade, soft as a baby's butt shave. My words on the last sentence not his, just to make sure I haven't spoiled his macho self image.

You may have heard of this company in articles and press and it really is an interesting story. It was founded by a couple who moved from Miami to NYC. She began studying Eastern medicine and he had a background in business.  One day in their apartment she created a gentle and natural oil that could be used before shaving. It helped to soothe his sensitive skin. They pooled their money and sold their car to purchase a store on a side street in New York City. Six months later they began generating a lot of press and the rest is history. Now, The Art of Shaving has over 50 plus stores and can be found at Sephora as well as online. Their philosophy is pretty straightforward. They have 4 elements to the perfect shave.  Step 1 is Pre-Shave an oil that is created with botanical and essential oils. It aids to prep the skin prior to shaving. Step 2 is Lather up, The Art of Shaving offers shaving cream and shaving soap in a wooden bowl. Both are amazing according to my hubby. But he prefers the cream.  Step 3 is Shave. The Art of Shaving has many razor options ranging from the Gillette Fusion razor or the Gillette Mach razor. They even have straight blade razors as well if your guy is feeling brave, hopefully not as bold as Sweeney Todd.  Step 4 is moisturize. This may be hard to get men to do but The Art of Shaving's After-Shave balm is a perfect combination of shea butter and grapeseed oil and leaves the skin feeling soft, hydrated, and non greasy. It blends in very fast so guys don't feel like they are packing on Pond's cold cream. I have to admit, on a recent vacation I forgot my moisturizer and yep, I totally stole some of his and it worked like a charm. Thank you Art of Shaving for making my hubby's skin so smooth and for saving my crocodile skin during my beach vacay. 

So if you are looking for a gift for your guy we highly recommend you give this product a try. You can purchase full size kits complete with all the four steps and a badger brush from $100-$150.00. They also have a starter set that is very handy for getaways or maybe if you want to give The Art of Shaving a try without the $100 price tag.  They offer the line in five scents. Unscented, Lemon Essential Oil, Sandalwood Essential Oil, Lavender Essential Oil, and Ocean Kelp.  My hubby generally goes for Unscented, but he is also a guy who loves vanilla ice cream at 31 flavors.

If you are interested in checking out The Art of Shaving visit www.artofshaving.com

Happy Shopping and Shaving

If Dr. Seuss wrote a complexion book...it would be called, You, Me and CeraVe

Ok, enough with the rhymes, even though I always have a good time... Seriously, if you have been wanting to ramp up your facial cleansing routine have I got the product for you.... You might expect to pay well over $50.00 for a product touted by dermatologists. Nope, guess again. It's the foaming facial cleanser from CeraVe and it's only $12.99. That's right folks and if you act now you can have youthful glowing skin that will be enhanced by the ceramides and hyaluronic acid in this product. You will be rewarded with softer smoother skin without any dryness or tight feeling that you might experience from many other cleansing products.  I first came across CeraVe in a Kmart of all places. I read a review of it in a magazine and thought I would give it a try. After all, with the reasonable price tag, I knew it wouldn't break the bank. But wow, I was super impressed. My love of this cleanser grew even more when I purchased a Clarisonic Mia last fall. Ok, wow again, the Clarisonic really gave the CeraVe a chance to penetrate into the skin giving me a clean feeling close to that of a mini peel. It's very gentle on the skin but not recommended for eye make up. For that I stick to Neutrogena eye make up remover. The Neutrogena leaves a slight residue so I always remove my eye make up first and cleanse my face second. Then I place some of the CeraVe on the Mia and prepare to be amazed by how well it removes all my make up. I am currently using a sensitive skin brush on my Clarisonic now but I have also used the normal and it works just as well.  A few weeks ago I began visiting my dermatologists office for monthly facials. I call it heaven on a lunch break since all my appointments are during my lunch break and I come back to work feeling like a clean gummy bear.  To my amazement while I was in the office she suggested I use the CeraVe. Well, feeling very proud I announced that I was already using CeraVe and that I found it at Kmart. Woo Hoo! Score. I was able to walk out of there feeling like I had some inside knowledge. Plus, saving my pocketbook a pretty penny. 

One last note, I also discovered that CeraVe has a wonderful pm moisturizing lotion that is perfect after cleansing. It works wonders by plumping your skin and masking those pesky fine fines that us ladies get as we age. It retails for $12.99 as well. 

My 5 in under 5

If you are like me and have yet to adjust to the spring forward time change then I have your perfect get ready in a hurry picks. I also call these my desert island make up bag musts. I found myself racing around the house today in a frenzy. I completely forgot to set my alarm clock last night and with no sun in sight this morning, I was completely out. Low and behold my trusty 5 got me ready in no time.  Drum roll.... Here they are in no particular order.  Benefit They're Real mascara, in one word, Awesome! I have looked and looked and there is not a better mascara out there on the market.  This helps my Latisse deprived lashes look full and lush. Dior Show runs a close second but I have tried them all, MAC, Mary Kay, Lancome, etc etc. I promised you won't be disappointed is what the sales girl told me at Macy's and she was right! Ok, product number two is Too Faced primer. It  provides your skin with a wonderful base for foundation and powder to adhere to. It masks pores and leaves your skin feeling refreshed and soft.  This in combination with my number three pick helps give me a quick base and evens out my skin. So the number three pick is Mary Kay mineral foundation. I know, I know, I am usually just a Sephora junkie, but I went to a Mary Kay party a while back and tried this product on and when I looked in the mirror I was amazed.  It covered everything! Even my freckles and sun spots. It works like a buildable foundation in that you can apply with a brush and use more as needed. It does not dry out my skin and it provides all day coverage. Seriously, it looks just as good at 10pm when I cleanse my face than it did when I applied it.  I have tried to find a better quick foundation and so far this one takes the cake. So now I have my base and my mascara picks done although I generally apply them in reverse order so next is my eye shadow pick.  I  love the Too Faced collections. Specifically, the Naked collection. I can stick with the lighter colors on the brow bone and add one mid tone on the lid for a quick eye look or glam it up if I decide to to a quickie smokey eye.  The possibilities are endless, and Too Faced always know just how to select the perfect shades that pair oh so well together.  Love it, and not to mention they include handy tutorial cards inside the box for eye inspirations. Ok, my last pick would have to be Nars Orgasm blush.  I had to think about this... would I pick lipstick or blush, but I figure once I get to my destination I can find a way to swipe on my MAC gloss in underage. It's a sheer pink slightly peach lipglass that gives you a light sheen. Ok so back to Nars... I just love the large selection of shades this company has to offer. Very natural and wearable and so many options. The orgasm blush falls between a pink and peach erring more on the peach side. A quick swipe of this baby and I am good to go. It gives my cheeks a much needed pop of color instead of  looking like an extra in a zombie movie. So that's my five. A quick review, Benefit They're Real mascara, Too Faced Primed and Poreless, Mary Kay Mineral Foundation, Too Faced Naked shadow collection, and Nars blush in Orgasm. I always keep them handy and ready at a moments notice because you never know when your significant other may surprise you with a trip to Paris, oh wait, that was the dream I was having when my alarm clock didn't go off. Au Revoir!

Wake up your makeup!

Watts up! That's what all your friends and family will be saying when you walk into the room. Thanks to the magicians of make up at Benefit. Watt's up is the perfect way to illuminate your skin and hide any small wrinkles and imperfections with the ethereal glow of a goddess. Well, ok it isn't Botox but for $30.00 it's pretty darn amazing. I recommend highlighting above and below the brow area and on the upper apples of the cheeks and under eye. You can add some to the inner corners of the eyes to give you that fresh just slept 10 hours look. Don't forget a small swipe down the bridge of your nose and blend blend blend and ta da, you will be radiant and glowing. Fabulous.

NAKED 2..... No this isn't an inappropriate movie title, it's the latest and greatest shadow palette from Urban Decay. I gave this little beauty a test spin and this was my result... Wow, you sure look tired today, did you not sleep well last night? Ugh, not the review I was going for but apparently my co worker decided it was her place to tell me that I was less than desirable that day. But never fear, I am planning on giving this another spin. But this time I will make sure to line my under eye area with the darker shades to give my blue eyes a bit of a pop of color. Overall, I really like the Naked 2 in comparison to the first edition. The shades are still a fair amount of bronze shades but the darker shades are more matte than shimmer which makes for a more sophisticated look rather than a prom queen sort of sheen.  I highly recommend the urban decay shadow primer as well. It is the best I have found and will not allow the shadow to crease or budge a bit. I recently picked up the nude primer in Eden and so far I am amazed at how well it works. They also make a shimmery primer in Sin as well as a plain/no color one, Original. The Naked 2 palette is $50.00 at Sephora and Urban Decay online and is really a small price to pay for so many richly pigmented shades. So many options and so little time. Go Naked!

Coming clean....

For my first post I thought it was important to highlight the basis behind the title of my blog. Cosmetic Fanatic. Well, judging from this picture I bet you get the sense that I kind of have a thing for beauty products. I call it a healthy obsession. One that won't get me arrested or embarrass my family. At least I don't think so. :) I call this blog my journey through the jungle that is a multi-billion dollar business, Beauty... I am always on the lookout for a new potion or shadow or shade to try and what a great way to share my finds and report about my favorite ones.  So enough chit chat oh wait isn't that what a blog is about? Ok, enough about the fanatic part and let's get to the fun part... Products!