2008 August : Beauty and Fashion Tech

Splendid Weekend Reading

From the Splendicity community, comes this week best in beauty, fashion and shopping.

SHOPPING

With the economy in bad shape, NY Spender is looking for new ways to save, from coupons clipping to smaller perfume bottles.

Shopalicious shares the scoop on surfer-cool Toms Shoes latest release: the ultra stylin’ wrap boot!

Style…a work in progress finds some haute couture inspiration in the high street when she tells us that Coco joins the Crew.

ShopDiary reviews Bond No. 9 New York’s latest fragrance, Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue.

Shoe Blitz adores the purple and black L.A.M.B. Miyagi.

Glamour Gift Guide suggests the gorgeous Marc Jacobs Ostrich Stam Satchel.

BEAUTY

Krizia from Beauty Match boldly states: Why I will NEVER gain weight

Viva Woman shares with you the beauty benefits of drinking milk.

Beauty Secrets Revealed shares a Hot Oil Hair Treatment Recipe For Dry, Damaged & Frizzy Hair

Beauty and Fashion Tech looks at a number of powder sunscreens, so now you can reapply sunscreen without ruining your makeup!

Beauty Blogging Junkie has partnered with Three Custom Color to provide 25 readers with TCC’s new Watercolours for Cheeks in Wallflower, a dewy beige. Click here for more info on how to enter.

Beauty Bento Box shares her thoughts on a recent experiment with the Nivea Visage DNAge Cell Renewal Eye Cream.

FASHION

Petite Fashionista knows that you have to feel your best, to look your best! Join Christa and the readers of PF as they do a 5 day RESET to have more energy and fit into their “skinny” jeans!

Her Accessories is looking at the horsey side of things with her top picks for equestrian-themed accessories.

Just A Formality loves these silk sandals from Oscar de la Renta - perfect for a formal event.

The Space Between My Peers is blogging her own comeback! Check out the before pictures and offer your suggestions.

Tops 2 Bottoms features one of the trends for Fall fashion, Checks and Plaids.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Anastastia Beverly Hills has come out with the Anastasia Brow Pen, and it is a really nice edition to their line of brow products. At first I worried that a pen would appear too dark, but the Anastasia brow pen has a very fine tip and puts out color slowly, so the amount is perfect. The pen comes in a universal color and essentially just lightly tints the brow hair.

When I tried the pen, I found that it filled in my brows, tinted them quite nicely, and it did so without the kind of fake look that a pencil will sometimes give. The pen tinted the brow hair just enough to make them stand out, and the look was quite natural. So I really liked this one and highly recommend it!

Comparison Shop for Anastasia Beverly Hills

Popularity: 9% [?]

Powder Sunscreens, Full Spectrum Protection That Won’t Ruin Your Makeup

Regular application and reapplication of sunscreen should be an essential part of any beauty routine, but it can also be problematic when wearing makeup. That sunscreen that you applied this morning needs to be reapplied part way through the day, yet you don’t want to ruin your full face of makeup. What to do? The answer lies in powder sunscreen.

Powder sunscreens generally consist of titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, or both. These are wonderful sunscreens because they provide physical blocking of the full spectrum of the sun’s rays. Unlike chemical blockers, they will not break down in sunlight, meaning that they last longer, and the full spectrum protection keeps you completely protected. Because they come in powder form, they also can be applied over makeup without ruining your look.

There are a number of good items out there. In particular, take a look at your favorite mineral foundation or finishing powder. Chances are, it has an SPF factor. So, most mineral makeup can be applied as a powder sunscreen. But since mineral foundations do not always have a listed SPF rating or are formulated for more coverage than a person might want to apply, a formulation intended purely for use as a sunscreen may be desired. Below are several recommended items. Many of these are fairly high in price, but I have found that so little is needed for an application that they last a very long time.

* Colorscience Sunforgettable Powder Sunscreen is packaged in easy to use tubes, complete with a pop-up brush. The powder is so fine that you barely notice it, and it is available in both Almost Clear and Perfectly Clear versions. It provides SPF 30 coverage. Read Previous Review.

* Jane Iredale Powder-Me SPF 30 Dry Sunscreen comes in both Translucent and Tanned versions. This one has a sponge application and includes a mirror.

* iS Clinical SPF 20 Powder Sunscreen - Translucent (pictured) provides SPF 20 coverage and comes with its own pop-up brush. A medium tinted version is also available.

* Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral SPF 30 is another one with a prepackaged brush and SPF 30. Available in translucent.

Looking for some more options? Comparison Shop for Powder Sunscreen.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Hair Play Set and Seal

Hairplay Salon Set and Seal Hairplay Set and Seal is a product combo that consists of a setting lotion and shine serum. Created by Fritz Clay of Hairplay Salon, the set is great for all hair types and textures. Set also comes in three different forumlas: light for straight or wavy hair, medium for curly hair, and extra for unruly hair.

I gave both a try and liked them. Both work well at controlling frizz and Set worked well for me both when using a flat iron and when I curled my hair. It basically gave me a nice amount control, without feeling like I had a ton of product in my hair. I also particularly loved Seal, which is a nice basic shine serum that left my hair looking great when I used the flat iron.

Overall, this a is a nice duo for just about any type of styling.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Beauty and Fashion Tech in the August Issue of the Beauty Ideal

If you haven’t had a chance yet to check it out, look at the August edition of The Beauty Ideal, the magazine of the Beauty Blog Network. I have a short feature in there: Don’t Let Your Makeup Age You!

Popularity: 6% [?]

Weekend Reading From the Beauty Blog Network

For your weekend reading, here are some of the week’s best posts from around the Beauty Blog Network.

Find out what yummy scented body souffle The Makeup Divas is all excited about.

Losing sleep over your dark circles? Beauty Junkie in SF has found a little tube from Smashbox to help brighten those eyes and make them camera ready.

Roselyn from Makeup Makes Me Happy counts down the 10 most wacky beauty tips, that actually work!. You may just be surprised to see what they are!

Katharine Towne of HBO’s hit show, Tell Me You Love Me reveals her beauty tips **exclusively** to Beauty Banter!

Find out why the Muse is excited about Urban Decay’s New Lipsticks with a detailed review and swatches of four shades!.

A Touch of Blusher brings you Fall 2008 Makeup Trend Report.

Beauty Anonymous reveals her travel-friendly beauty goodies.

Beauty411tells you about a product that will help you rewind lines and wrinkles. And it’s completely painless!

Beauty and Fashion Tech looks at Five Great Uses for Creme de la Mer and tells you how it can actually be a good value.

Girl Gloss tries out lip balm made with beer!

How’s your summer skin doing? Cybelesays suggests one that is made just for this seasons hot temps.

makeup loves me reveals the details of what promises to be fall’s most talked about (sought after) limited edition product!

The girls over at Beauty in Real Life are loving Avon’s new collection with Jillian Dempsey. Check out the collection here.

Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog gives you swatches and product shots of the entire Cult of Cherry collection, the newest release from MAC Cosmetics.

Kyle at Face Candy suggests 2 new face oils to try.

Product Girl is having a giveaway and you can enter to win Essie’s 6-piece fall collection. Good luck!

Find out what Beauty Blogging Junkie is using to hydrate her chlorine-ravaged locks here.

Popularity: 6% [?]

CoverGirl Lash Blast Mascara

cover girl covergirl lash blast mascara CoverGirl LashBlast Mascara is a fairly good volumizing mascara, but watch for clumping! The picture on this one is also a bit deceiving. The brush really is thicker than it appears.

When I tried Lash Blast, I had pretty good luck getting a ton of volume from the mascara, but not as much length as I get with others. I also found that I ended up with clumps if I was not extremely careful. Often I needed to wipe the brush twice before use. But I tend to have that issue with most larger brushes, so at times I think it is just me whenever I get clumps from a fat brush! Regardless, if you are a fan of fatter brush mascaras, and are looking for volume, this is one to try.

CoverGirl also has some fun new eyeshadow shades out. Watch for an upcoming post on that in the next week or so!

CoverGirl products can be found at most drugstores and big box retailers.

Comparison Shop for CoverGirl Cosmetics

Popularity: 6% [?]