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BEAUTY BUZZZZZZZZZZZZ
By Deborah Gregory
I’ve never met a beauty product I wouldn’t try, test or talk about. Here, a few of the latest, greatest look-fab, feel-fab goodies to hit your ‘hood‘
LAURA LIVES FOR YOU TO LOOK GOOD
In case you haven’t heard, Laura Geller is a 20-year veteran makeup artist with her own boutique in the Big Apple. As of late, she has also managed to snag prime shelf life at Sephora stores as well. But before you start to think, this is an East Coast thing, take note of the fact that many women in the Midwest and Southern regions have gotten a taste of Geller’s high-wielding expertise from her brand offerings on the QVC channel over the years. The heart and soul of Laura Geller cosmetics are her foundation double-duty products. As a matter of fact, the most popular primer on the planet: Laura Geller Spackle ® Tinted Under Make-up Primer in Bronze. Now the regular Spackle primer was good-to-go for most complexions, but now women of color can also get in on the primer act. Spackle is a unique under makup primer that creates a smooth palette for your makeup. That’s right. Ever get the feeling when you’re wearing foundation and a "full beat’’ that the blemishes and discoloration "hot spots" in your complexion were still "overexposed". You’re not being paranoid—it’s probably true. The only real way to combat complexion flaws is with the highest amount of opacity you can muster. In other words, create an impenetrable ``field’’ on your face. Now naturally, you won’t be needing this kind of coverage to win the 80-meter high-heeled race (no I’m not kidding—245 hot-panted—high-heeled sprinters did that deed in Australia recently—and they were looking good doing it, so don’t sell yourself ``short’’—you may, indeed, want to try that one day!) At any rate, when you really feel like you want to ``cover all your bases’’ for chic reasons (or corporate climbing ones), then turn to a foundation primer like Spackle. Geller’s new formula contains white tea and centella asiatica which helps your skin retain moisture, feel softer and look smoother. It’s also has faster drying time than original Spackle. The cost for looking flawless? Laura Geller Spackle Tinted Under Make-up Primer in Bronze 2 ounce bottle: $23.50
 
Way before the mineral revolution, Geller got her groove. Laura Geller Balance –n-Brighten Kit in Fair and Laura Geller Bronze-n-Brighten Kit –both come with retractable brush is the original and most popular Geller glowing product. The compact contains a liquid-baked-into-a-powder product with swirls of color provide creamy coverage without the mess. Like it sounds, Balance-n-Bright not only brightens your complexion, but it evens out discoloration too and has decent coverage as well. Like I said, this was around before the mineral foundations hit the hard line sell. Bronze is the darker color and for medium to dark complexions. (Fair is for light to medium complexions). The goal: to say goodbye to redness and ruddiness (yes even warmer complexions have it). Best of all: you can wear this in place of your foundation, or on top of it. Choice is yours. Laura Geller Balance-n-Brighten with Brush: $35.00
Pressed for perfection? Finishing your foundation with powder is still the best way to set it off. The new generation of pressed powders—which contain minerals—offer the subtle opalescent finish that simulates glowing with the fresh flow. Laura Geller’s Powdered Silk compact contains SPF 8 ($21) but alas only comes in two shades—luckily for me, the MEDIUM shade suits my café au lait complexion. Those darker can turn to Mac’s mineral version: Mineralize SkinFinish Natural (the shade I wear: Medium Dark). Both have a featherweight finish (I mean it) that I dare you to detect. Laura’s, however is absolutely perfect for sensitive skin and provides coverage without irritation.
   
Before you’re ready for "prime time’’ you should take your time to plump up your foundation: in other words, the surface of your skin should be as smooth as possible before you apply any makeup. No matter what your age, the best way to boost the skin’s surface is by applying exfoliating or antioxidant serums after you cleanse. It’s a pricey way to glow, but the radiant results will be like the gift that just keeps giving: Cosmedicine ™ MegaDose Skin Fortifying Serum available exclusively at Sephora or their fabbie website (my favorite internet-escaping activity) is a multivitamin and nutrient-enriched face serum that gets the surface-smoothing job done efficiently albeit pricey. ($80 for 1-fluid ounce bottle). What it’s formulated to do: Intercepts stress and environmental assaults; creates a healing environment that enables skin to repair past damage including fine lines and wrinkles, pigmentation, and loss of elasticity and helps stimulate collagen and elastin production to restore skin's quality, tone, volume, and texture. In other words, it’s your daily defense against UV radiation, stress, smoke, and other environmental pollutants which increase skin's free radical burden and is a leading cause of premature lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and loss of elasticity. Antioxidant protection is an important defense against this damage and vital to skin's healthy appearance. It's great for even the most sensitive skin. Okay, did you get all that? Good. Now there are oodles of serums soaking up the beauty market, but I chose this one because: clinical trials using state-of-the-art high resolution tools measured 63% increase in protection against free radical activity induced by UV radiation . Let’s just say, I’m very results oriented.
Naturally someone was going to realize that skin shades could play a part in your priming product choices. Scientifically it can be said that paler skins show signs of aging quicker than brown skin but make no mistake, this does not mean that darker complexions should not be handled with kid gloves. Enter an exofiating serum to the rescue: Dr. Susan Taylor’s RX for brown skin: Absolute Radiance Intensive Exfoliating Serum ($36 for 1.7 fluid ounce bottle). It can be your free-radical fighting solution for 2-3 times a week. After cleansing, saturate a cotton ball with serum and apply liberally to skin. Follow, of course, with moisturizer. Then you can be ready for ``prime time’’—foundation primers, mineral foundations, or fluid foundations of your choice always followed by a poof of powder.
Another priming perfector: facial masks—guaranteed to remove dull skin surface. If you have normal to dry skin, however, you may be hesitant to indulge in such a skin resurfacing solution. I found a mask that matched my concern for hydrating my skin: Comfort Zone HydraMemory Mask Profound Moisture ($32 for 1.18 fl. Oz tube). A rich and soft mask which in a few minutes restores perfect hydration and vitality of the skin. Recommended to use at least weekly for particularly damaged and dehydrated skin. Apply to face and neck and leave for 10/15 minutes. Remove and residual gently with a wet sponge. Complete with either hydramemory fluid 24h or cream, according to skin's needs. Now you’re really ready to serve face…
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