Monday Makeup Review- Kiehl’s Creme de Corps

Monday Makeup Review for Professional Makeup Artists and Makeup Lovers

Review: Kiehl’s Crème de Corps 

If you have never tried the Crème de Corp body lotion, then you are definitely missing out. I tried this for the first time a few years ago, and never really spread the news about this product. It’s one of those underrated, top performing products that people use, know it works great, but forget to share the information once they walk out of their front door.

The product is an all over body moisturizer that can be used at anytime during the day, after bath, shower, hand washing or before bed.  It has a slight thick butter consistency that smoothes over the skin and deeply hydrates. It feels silky smooth when you apply it and leaves the skin feeling soft. It’s unscented which is always one of those great elements, especially if you like to wear perfume without competing with a moisturizer’s fragrance. It is great for the makeup artist ki,t because the product is unscented and won’t cause fragrance overload with the clients in your chair. It leaves the skin with a nice soft hydrated appearance with out feeling or looking greasy or shiny. It does leave a subtle sheen to the skin but not enough for it to show up shiny on camera. Remember, no shine means a happy camera man and a happy director!

After using this product for years I have noticed that my hands and body have changed in texture for the better. After repeated use you will notice that any roughness and dryness will disappear with continued use. One of the ingredients that I feel straight away when applying is the Shea Butter. Shea Butter is known for its moisture retention properties, healing properties and is used on both hair and skin. There are a few different oils in this blend such as Avocado Almond, Olive and Sesame oil of which, soothe, soften and moisturize dry skin.

Although there are lots of good products in this blend, there are also some bad ones, Propylene Glycol, Methylparaben and Butylparaben. If you aren’t familiar with these I will quickly give you the information on what does what. Propylene Glycol is a petroleum derivative that keeps things from drying out and is a known skin irritant. Methylparaben is generally used as a preservative and is believed to be an endocrine disrupting substance. Butylparaben is also a preservative and is believed to be a hormone disrupting substance as well as a human skin toxicant. Now before you get worked up over my statements, its important to realize that the Food and Drug Administration has set guidelines for amounts that are safe for usage in food and cosmetics. Although many people disagree with some FDA findings, it is good to have the facts and determine where you stand on the issue about products. 

Now having said all that I still like the product for what it does and the change in the condition of my skin. But to be clear I am careful of ensuring that my toothpaste does not have parabens. I have drawn the line at topical usage is deemed acceptable at the moment but not acceptable for consumption. I try lots of different products and my thoughts may change as I try new products.

Now that I have really gone off on a tangent, back to reviewing the product. If you are dissatisfied with the condition of your skin and really want to make a change, then this is the product for you. It delivers its promise on changing your skin condition, texture and hydration level in a few as 10 days with consistent use.

The product is offered in 5 different sizes that range from travel size to back bar size. There is a price point for all pocket books so I suggest you give it a try and see the change in your skin for yourself. Let me know what you think. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Verdict: Keeping it for personal use and in the makeup kit.

Behind the scenes- Sandhill Corporate Print Shoot

 

Earlier this week I worked on a corporate shoot with photographers Rob Baker and Dan Diaz shooting for the client, Sandhill Global Advisors. It was a two day shoot, which was nice, since I knew I would be in the same place two days in a row. As most freelancers know, traveling from one place to another can be mentally exhausting. So two days back to back in the same location was great.

 

 

It’s not often that working on corporate shoots are enjoyable and run smoothly, but these two days at Sandhill were efficient and pleasant.

Jane Williams, CEO, founded Sandhill Global Advisors in 1982. Her company has one of the best corporate cultures that I have had the pleasure of working with as a freelancer. Her team of financial consultants and administrative staff are knowledgeable and savvy. I really enjoyed getting to know the people behind the company.

 

There were eight people a day, usually only one per hour, which made it run efficiently for each session. Working on location usually has its difficulties and this session was no different. Finding an area to place the client to keep them out of the sun, and a shady place for my makeup kit was on of my biggest challenges.

 

Here in California after a week of rain we were graced with a balmy 72 degrees.  Sandhill Global Advisors location has a beautiful courtyard. The basic concept for the photos for this company was set in the outdoor garden courtyard and provided a little shade but not in the areas we needed. The photographers set up a sun shade for their area and I found a spot tucked away in a corner for the client. My makeup case unfortunately stayed in the sun for a bit, but luckily I didn’t have product melt down issues. That would have been an expensive and messy disaster!

Some great makeup products that were shared with me on set from one of the employees at Sandhill were by Urban Decay. The blue really looks different in the case compared to on the skin. I really like it. I think I might have to put it on my makeup shopping list! Another great product was the Stila backstage palette. Great colors for people with brown eyes.

 

Because the company is rebranding, I will only add photos that are associated with production and will not add photos that contain the employees at Sandhill Global Advisors. To protect their rebranding process you can check them out when they reveal it on their scheduled marketing timeline. Otherwise enjoy the photos!

 

 

Monday Makeup Review – Makeup Remover Wipe

Product –

Make-up Cleansing Tissues by Absolute! Vitamin C Extract and 

Make-up Cleansing Tissues by Absolute! Green Tea Extract

If you wear makeup, then of course you need to take it off, at sometime or another. Always on the search, for an easy way to remove makeup for my clients as well as myself, I found a new company called Absolute! They sell two different options, of the make up cleansing wipe, Vitamin C Extract or Green Tea Extract. The Vitamin C Extract has an orange – lemon scent and the Green Tea Extract smells like subtle green tea with a hint of jasmine.

The product claims to thoroughly remove eyeliner, eye shadow, lipstick, blush and waterproof mascara without causing irritation. The company didn’t mention anything about removing foundation, and I’m not sure why they hadn’t thought to include foundation removal. The wipe is about 5×7 in size, which is large enough to remove a full face of makeup. The wipe itself is actually really soft and both scents are wonderful. So far the product seems good.

The first wipe I tried was the Vitamin C Extract and it removed foundation, lipstick and blush really well. It did not however remove my eyeliner or waterproof mascara without a serious struggle. I tried circular motion, back and forth in a straight line and came away with a big mess around my eye. It removed only about 40 percent of my eye makeup, which mainly included the eye shadow and still left a lot of dark residual liner and mascara. Needless to say I was not happy. What I thought was to be a quick makeup removal process turned into an ordeal involving eye makeup remover AND a separate makeup cleanser to get a clean face.

The Vitamin C Extract makeup remover wipe I believe is only good for people who are light makeup wearers and those who don’t wear makeup but want to refresh their face throughout the day. This is not a product that I will carry in my kit for professional use. But I do think it is suitable for refreshing throughout the day. My suggestion for this one is keep it in the beach bag or the gym bag for days you don’t have much makeup to remove.

Still on the quest for a good makeup remover wipe a few days later I tried the Green Tea Extract cleaning wipe. You might wonder why I tried the Green Tea Extract makeup cleansing tissue, after knowing the Vitamin C Extract tissue didn’t meet my requirements for removal. Well, let me shed some light on the reason for you. Every product is not made the same. More often than not it isn’t just the scent that makes the formulation of a product change. Manufacturers also change the ingredients and the ratio of products.

Strangely enough, that is exactly what happened with this product. The Green Tea Extract works wonders for removing all face makeup, including waterproof mascara without a struggle and without irritation and the scent is heavenly! It’s a keeper and made up for the double face cleaning duty I had to perform a few days ago. One piece of advice I want to share, is after using the makeup wipe rinse your face with water to remove any cleansing residue from wipe. Your face will feel clean and prepared for the remainder of your beauty regimen.

This is a keeper for both my professional kit as well as for personal use when I travel. (Just to be clear about this, I have not accepted any type of compensation for this review.)

Verdict: It’s a no go on the Vitamin C Extract wipe except for the beach and the gym.

 Keep, love, buying more of the Green Tea Extract, so those of you I work with, you have a choice of the unscented makeup remover wipe of the Green Tea Extract.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Behind the Scenes- 24hour Fitness Video Promotion

Last Friday and this past Monday I worked on the 24 hour Fitness promotion video.  Yes it’s true, our whole crew worked on Memorial day. I didn’t even realize that it was Memorial day, when I booked it, since I had been working so much the days sort or ran together.  In the TV/Film/Video industry sometimes working weekends, early mornings and 10-14 hour days isn’t unusual. So forgetting it’s a holiday wasn’t out of the range of normal for me and so I worked and all was well.

Our spokesmodel Monique V. has been the person of choice for the past few years for 24hour Fitness. She is not only the spokesmodel, but also a fitness and figure champion as well as a fitness trainer with an extensive clientele in the San Francisco Bay Area.  It’s always great working with people who are professionals in their industry. It makes the day go smoothly because they take care of the preparation work on their end and come ready to work and get the job done.

Monique had 17 scripts over two days to prepare for and most of the time she captured what was needed in one take. Yes…she’s that good.

Their has only been one shoot where I wasn’t able to work with her on a 24 hour fitness shoot because I was booked somewhere else so it was great to catch up and try out some new looks on her for this shoot.

Primarily this video is to promote the 24hour fitness clubs and their amenities so the focus had to be on both Monique as well as the spoken content. Making sure that she has a look that is both captivating and healthy but not too overly made up is what we aimed for an achieved.

I’ve included a few pictures in this post of what we used on Monique to get her look.

And once again since it was shot over 2 days we had to maintain continuity. (I wrote about this in another post titled “How makeup continuity helps your beauty workflow”.

Another tip regarding continuity that I may not have included in that post that I want to share with you is about lipstick. Because the shirt for 24hour Fitness was red we needed a lipstick in the same tone.  I mixed a few different reds together with a hint of brown to get the color we needed and then obviously saved it in a lip container for use on the next shoot. Keeping the color is an instant time saver, since I didn’t have to remix what I used nor try to remember to get the right ratio of color mixtures.

So when you know you are shooting over a few days mix enough for several applications as well as touch ups for all the days. The other option is to use 1 color from the tube and use that tube for all the shooting days. But remember unless you were a part of the preproduction meeting you may not have the time to get a lipstick dedicated to this shoot. Which was my reason for mixing a color.

Here is a link to one of our video’s from last year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1ePhMX-ofc&feature=relmfu

 

Thanks for following the recap of my workday with 24hour fitness.

Monday Makeup Review-“Chanel Exceptionel Mascara”

Chanel Exceptionel Mascara performs it’s magic!

Lately I have been on a quest to find my favorite mascara and I have gone through half a dozen in the past week alone. My other mascara makeup review yielded a good product but I need something that works with disposable brushes, which led me to purchase another product to see if it would get the job done.

Exceptionnel de Chanel Mascara is the latest review worthy product of the week.   I’ve tried Chanel products before and love the quality, colors, and performance which makes this mascara particularly special to review.  This products claims to lengthen, separate, volumize, curl, is water resistant and flake free. Whenever a product claims to do so many things I am immediately skeptical and feel compelled to check out the facts. So here is my latest fact checking post…

Lengthen- Yes it lengthens and has buildable coverage that makes your lassh long and your eyes sparkle. I like what it does so far but let’s keep checking…

Volumize- Yes! The product creates a plumping effect on the lashes individually without clumping or causing the lashes to stick together. Overall the lashes look lush and full and this is with one application initially and then I tried it again with two applications of mascara. So glad there is no clumping, Chanel is staying in line with producing a quality product.

Curl- The masacara does give a slight curling uplift to my lashes without having to use a lash curler.

Water resistant- it does resist water from both a casual occurrence such as rain and a deliberate action such as splashing the face. (I wouldn’t swim in this makeup. It won’t stay on. I tried rinsing one eye with water and it smeared which it should since it is not claiming to be waterproof, it is only claiming to be water resistant. I will cover the debate between waterproof and water resistant and regular mascara and their purpose in a different post.)

Flake free- The formula hasn’t flaked, smudged, or left residual product on my eyelids from blinking or rubbing.

Removing the product takes only a minimal amount of effort which is nice because the less tugging and pushing on the eye the better it is in the long run to keep the skin taut, firm and line free. This is definitely a great product for a professional makeup kit since there is minimal amount of work required for removing the product at the end of a shoot if necessary.

The color I tried is a deep black, but it is available in three colors, Smoky Noir 10, Smoky Brun 20 or Smoky Marine 30. (There used to be a fourth color the Smoky Plum but they discontinued it, which is really sad because it was a really pretty color and would make brown eyes lighten and stand out.)  The mascara has a smooth creamy consistency that yields a nice soft but dramatic look to the eye. The product applies the same with the brush provided in the tube as well as the disposable brushes which is a plus. I am using the really fat disposable brushes, not the square head brushes, and this makes a difference with application. I just wanted to point that out.

There have been numerous claims that the mascara dries quickly and dries out quickly. You absolutely must close the tube tightly to keep the product creamy. If you purchased a tube that is clumpy before using it once or if it seems dry before using it, you have a defective product and should return it. Yes the product does dry quickly on the eyes which is a good thing because this is how you create buildable coverage. Letting your mascara dry in between coats helps volumize and thicken the lashes, but be careful when adding layers so you don’t create clumps. It takes a skillful hand to add layers without clumps. Thus one of the reasons so many people complain that their mascara is clumpy. Two coats of this can go on with no clumping if you take the time to apply it carefully.

The price is high for this product but it delivers what it says it will deliver. After all it is Chanel and they are known straight away for a high price tag.  So if you have the cash then by all means get this mascara, it’s a great one.

VERDICT: Purchasing one for the kit and keeping one for myself.

5 recommended products for a 5 minute makeup look

5 Fabulous Favorites

Everyone knows, most mornings, especially Mondays can be hectic.  As a makeup artist your first impression with a client may very well be a lasting impression. So I’d like to share with you a piece of simple but savvy advice. Establish a quick morning routine for when you are limited in time. My quick routine involves 5 products in 5 minutes. I limit my choices and focus on my two best features, my eyes and lips. Narrowing my focus to my best attributes ensures that I spend my time applying it carefully. Trying to put a little of all your beauty products on in such a short amount of time, generally ends up in mistakes, smudges and feeling rushed. Or worse showing up to set late, unprepared and unkempt!

It’s always smart to have a beauty routine that can get you out the door and still make you feel great about how you look. First impressions can never be repeated. Those crucial five minutes can help you achieve a polished and pretty look that will hold up for the rest of the day.  Here are my fabulous five favorites and the favorites of the female crew that worked on the UPS shoot with me earlier this week.

Suzette Mariel-Makeup Artist 5 recommended products

La Mer Moisturizer

Peter Thomas Roth- Lashes to Die For The Mascara

Bare Escentuals Mineral makeup

Bare Escentuals Blush

Kiehl’s tinted lip balm

(Actress) Laurie Burke’s 5 recommended products

Mac Foundation Studio Fix

Tarte Blush

Mac Lipliner  or lipgloss

Loreal Eyebrow powder

Mac Eyeshadow/Liner

(Script Supervisor) Mary G.’s 5 recommended products

Arbonne Foundation Face Powder

Eyebrow powder by Origins

Arbonne Lipstick

Sunscreen/Moisturizer

Arbonne Blush

Everyone’s beauty routine is different and usually highlights what most people believe is their best feature. For some people it’s their eyes and for others it’s the lips. It’s a smart move to pay extra attention to the area you believe is your attention getter. Focusing on your best attribute can give you a sense of feeling pulled together even when running late. Share with us your 5 Recommended products for a 5 minute makeup.

Bonus-As a special treat, if you leave a comment with your 5 recommended products AND like my facebook company fan page – Suzette Mariel  AND follow me on twitter @suzette_mariel 5 lucky winners chosen randomly who do all three will receive a special beauty product. Winner will be chosen on June 1st, 2011. Good Luck!

Behind the Scenes-UPS shoot

Today was a 2 actor shoot for the company UPS produced by Left Coast Productions. Our Director was Barbara Murray on the project and our two actors for the day were Laurie Burke and Jeff Handy. The actors read from a tele-prompter which made it a fairly easy day for shooting the scenes. And even though there were only two actors there was no shortage of touch ups that needed to be attended to. It seems sometimes what would appear to be a light and easy day with only two actors can be deceiving. My suggestion for days like this is COFFEE!!! Lots of coffee! Ok maybe coffee isn’t the fix but it sure helps get you going on days where you are constantly on your feet running all over set avoiding cables and C-stands.

Laurie’s Corporate makeup look today:

RCMA Foundation

Mac Blush in Mocha

Smashbox eyeliner in black

Rimmel Glam Eyes Lash Flirt Mascara in Black

Mac Shadows in Jest, Star Violet and Plummage

Free Brow Arching on your birthday.

Get free brow arching on your birthday at Benefit Beauty Bar in ULTA. 

http://www.ulta.com/benefit-cosmetics/browbar.html

Free stuff from AVEDA

We all love free! I just came across a free coupon from Aveda. Print out the coupon and take it to your nearest store and redeem for your 3 piece sample pack of Smooth Infusion Shampoo and Conditioner and Style Prep Smoother. Just so you know it is a small sample but great for traveling.  It expires I believe on June 30th.

Print a large size coupon from the link:

Coupon print link:

Monday Makeup Review-PTR Lashes to Die For MASCARA

Monday Makeup Review for Professional Makeup Artist and Makeup Lovers

Review: Lashes to Die For THE MASCARA –Peter Thomas Roth

I bought the PTR kit Wink and a Kiss set for $65.00 but really wanted to review each item separate so today I am concentrating on just the mascara because there was a lot to cover here with just this one product.

It has long been said that the eyes are the window to the soul. And if that is the case the lashes are the velvet curtains we want framing that window.  Initially I thought this was just another mascara, but what I discovered, is this formula really does give you “Lashes to Die For”. Don’t get this confused with the product Lashes to Die For which claims to dramatically enhance natural lashes over time with the use of the product.

Lashes to Die For-THE MASCARA is a deep intense BLACK, Jet Black to be exact as it is labeled on the product. It has a smooth consistency typical of other mascaras but what is different is the formula. The product claims to be:

Clump Free

Provide even separation

Dramatic length

Enhanced curl

Soft Lashes

Buildable drama

Quick drying

Smudge-proof

Long lasting

Water-resistant

With all of these claims I had to put it to the test. So here is my analysis of each claim.

Clump free- Yes and No. If you apply it carefully it is clump free. I tried this product using disposable mascara wands AND the wand that came with the product. Obviously as a working professional I use disposable on my clients and this is primarily how I will use it. With the provided applicator it was clump free on one eye and slightly clumpy on the other eye using the disposable wands.

Even separation-I do believe that it provided even separation using the provided wand. But not so much for the disposable wand.

Dramatic Length-Yes for both.

Enhanced Curl- Yes for both although using a lash curler would make more curl than what I got just using the product.

Soft Lashes- Hmmm…I really had to think about this one because putting a product on your lashes coats them and therefore it really isn’t soft. I have to disagree with this one. I will say that throughout the day they didn’t feel hard as a rock like other brands. But soft I have to disagree with.

Buildable drama-I wholeheartedly agree with this. The product performs great in this department. You can layer it on but I suggest not more than a couple of coats unless you are using the brush that comes with the product.

Quick drying- Yes. It really is quick drying. I noticed that right away. It’s shall we say Fast and Furious Quick!

Smudgeproof- Yes again! Smudgeproof!

Long Lasting- Yes again to this. It stayed all day. I did notice at the end of the day after wearing it for 10-12 hours that there were little flecks that came off on my hands if I touched my lashes. I have sensitive eyes and tend to wipe underneath or near the lashes and noticed that miniscule mascara bits were left behind. So contact wearers be warned!

Water Resistant- Ok so here is were it drove me crazy. It is water resistant. And at the end of the day when I went to take the mascara off it took several eye make up remover applications and lots of rinsing to get a very clean eye. On the one hand that means the mascara is great probably for brides and maybe a rainy day. But knowing a lot of my clients like to take of their makeup after acting it would take longer than what they would feel comfortable sitting around and waiting for to get their eyes to be clean. After a 10 hour day, who wants to wait another 10 minutes to get just the eyes clean?

I want to mention few points about the brush in this mascara. I love the brush. It has two types of bristles, a long set and a short set. The long set is there for lengthening and the short set is there for volumizing. It’s a good combination and would be great if we could buy those in disposable wands. Anybody up for the challenge? Let me know because I would definitely buy a case.

Another point that is important for me to mention. So listen close! There is macadamia nut oil in this product so if you are allergic to nuts be warned! I haven’t heard of any other company using nut oil in a mascara so this is a first for me. But I definitely want to point that out. For that reason alone I have to probably say I won’t keep it in my kit unless I am sure my client does NOT have an allergy to nuts. I don’t want to take that chance. There are a few other key ingredients such as Bamboo, Silk powder, Aloe Vera, Vitamin A, C, and E as well as Pro Vitamin B5. Cosmetically, Pro Vitamin B5 or panthenol as it is also commonly known, is used to soften and aid dryness in hair, skin or nails. Nothing else stands out as a warning factor for allergies that I noticed, but check to make sure for yourself.

So overall it’s great mascara and I have to say that I love it, keeping it BUT only for certain types of shoots and certain clients.

VERDICT: Love it! Keeping it but only for certain things.

A big thank you to OneRiver Media for their photos and use of the studio. Check them out at www.onerivermedia.com .