Makeup Mon—er—Tuesdays: My Basic Setting Tutorial

I’ve been promising to work on several hair tutorials for awhile now, and Doug Monce and I finally got around to filming a couple! My intention was to post this yesterday, which is supposed to be Makeup Monday day--oops! Oh well, better late than never!

At any rate, this video shows the basic set I use. I’ll be following up with a triple roll tutorial shortly, so stay tuned! I do hope you enjoy these videos and that you find them useful!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Makeup Mondays—The End of the Cold Cream Era

Some time ago I posted about my favorite beauty secrets, which included the generic version of the vintage favorite Ponds cold cream. Alas, the urge to wander off in search of bigger and better and more magical things struck once again, and so over the last few months I tried a number of cleansers that all promised to work miracles. My skin, of course, reacted by going a bit haywire. Eventually my logical side spoke to my frivolous side and said “Hey! Why are you trying to fix something that wasn’t broken?” And off I went to pick up a new jar of my beloved favorite.

Except something was different this time—very different, in fact. I didn’t think to check the ingredient label; aside from my recent skincare shopping spree I’d been happily purchasing generic tubs of cold cream for ages. It did seem like the texture was a touch different and the fragrance a little off, but I honestly didn’t give much thought to either of these things. But oh, within days my skin was a red, irritated, broken out mess. I didn’t immediately clue into the culprit, instead chalking up the reaction to some recent stresses. But one morning I decided to read the label on the jar—and was horrified to see that the generic version now included a myriad of unfamiliar ingredients. I promptly threw out my jar and headed off to the drugstore.


This brings me to my review of the week for Albolene Moisturizing Cleanser, an utterly amazing product. In fact, I think it trumps even the original cold cream formula! I wish I’d thought to try it sooner, as it really is a treat to use. In the jar it resembles Vaseline, but once you scoop up a glob, the heat from your skin liquefies the product. I massage it into my skin for a minute or two before removing it—and every last bit of makeup and dirt along with it—with a warm washcloth. I find Albolene to feel very soothing, and it actually does a better job of removing makeup, especially stubborn mascara. It leaves my skin feeling very soft and moisturized, so much so that I could skip a separate moisturizer if I chose to. The ingredient list is nice and simple as well—mineral oil, petrolatum, paraffin, ceresin, beta carotene—and it’s fragrance free as well (another big plus for the sensitive skinned.) The price is quite reasonable too; around $11 for a huge tub.

After a month of using Albolene I’ve become a complete convert, and this time I won’t be straying again!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Makeup Mondays--Creating Glamour with Pan-Cake Makeup

I think it’s fair time for another review here on Makeup Mondays, so today I’d like to talk about a very retro makeup—the cake foundation. We’ve all heard of Max Factor’s Pan-Cake Makeup, the very first of its kind and the first foundation to crossover from the film market into the real world.

It was created in 1937 as an answer to the problem the previously used makeups presented when color film came into play—though fine for black and white film, they were garish and harsh in Technicolor. In fact, these products took on whatever color the actor was wearing—green, red, blue—as the makeup reflected whatever was near it. Max Factor’s glorious invention, a dry cake applied with a moistened sponge—looked wonderful natural and realistic, both on screen and off, and was an instant hit. And so, despite a name that conjures up images of thickly applied, garish makeup (the name merely described the form the product came in—a cake in a pan), we had a foundation that provided a lovely, natural coverage, and was comfortable to wear to boot!
Sadly, Max Factor is no longer sold in the US; I had never really used their foundations, as I couldn’t find a color match, but several years ago I did test drive it for a short stint and found it to be a lovely product. Luckily, water-activated cake makeup is still made by a number of “pro” brands, including Ben Nye and Kryolan. Being that these products are designed for use by professionals, the color ranges for both are quite immense—truly, there will be a match for everyone in either line!

I use the first product, Ben Nye Color Cake, in the shade Bisque. Though appearing quite dark and yellow in the pan, when applied it is actually a soft cream shade (a cool, pink-based alternate shade would be Geisha). It provides wonderful coverage, is very long wearing, and dries to a smooth, matte finish—a very vintage look, in fact. I also find it to be a very comfortable product to wear, especially with oilier skin and on hot days—this is one product that doesn’t feel heavy and greasy (a horrid feeling, especially when you know your makeup is sliding off your face as you walk from your car to the office in the hot summer sun.) The color chart is reasonably straightforward as well—the skintone shades are arranged from lightest to darkest—though it is best if you can test this product out in person. Just remember that the shade will appear quite a bit darker in the pan than it will on your skin, so don’t go too light!


The second product in my kit is Kryolan’s Cake Make-up, a nearly identical product to Ben Nye’s. I find Kryolan’s offering to be a bit creamier and moister feeling on the skin (though again, it dries to a soft matte finish), and it also is fragranced with a very vintage, powdery scent. Though I find the fragrance to be very mild, more sensitive noses may not like it. Kryolan’s color chart leaves much to be desired as well; the numbered shades are not neatly ordered from light to dark, and it’s quite confusing to order this one online. My original choice was TV White—a perfect match for me in the TV Paintstick, but in the cake makeup the shade is exactly as the name describes: a bright, faintly pink-tinged white--not at all a natural skin tone! I then ordered the shade Natural 1, figuring it would be a yellow-toned soft beige. My guess was right on the money, though unfortunately it’s about a shade too dark for me. At any rate, it is possible to mix the shades to adjust the color (though of course, the process isn’t as convenient as it would be to mix to liquid products. Ah well, sometimes a little extra effort is worth it!)

Now, on to application: one applies cake makeup with a dampened sponge (a hydra sponge or sea sponge work well, though a foam foundation wedge or disk will do the trick too.) Simply moisten the sponge, squeeze out the excess liquid, and then swirl it in pan. Then, apply it to your face using a light stippling motion, following by buffing in the foundation with a dry sponge. This gives the skin a lovely airbrushed quality; you can also finish with a very light dusting of loose powder to further set the makeup.

Well, there you have it—a very thorough review on cake makeup! Both the Ben Nye and Kryolan makeups are under $10, and a pan will last approximately forever, so both are an excellent investment if you can find a color match and master application!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Makeup Mondays—Beauty on a Budget

I’m no snob when it comes to the products that I use, and I have both drugstore and higher end brands in my beauty arsenal. In fact, I love it when I come across an inexpensive product that does the trick—and my latest find is a real steal at only $3!

As you know, I have color treated hair that can be a bit temperamental at times, and depending on the weather and its ‘mood’ I may have to combat dryness, frizz, and static. Because of this, I tend to lean towards products by the likes of Redken and Biolage, as I often feel like drugstore products aren't heavy duty enough. However, a few weeks ago I picked up a bottle of Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Fortifying Conditioner on a whim as I was getting a bit frustrated again; I had read good reviews on this product, and I’m already fond of the Triple Nutrition spray they make, so I figured it couldn't hurt to try it out. I have to say that I was quite impressed with the performance of the conditioner after just one use—my hair was smooth, moisturized, and completely free of frizz and static (which is always an issue because of the extremely dry air here.) The conditioner has a light pleasant fragrance, and left my hair feeling soft but not too slippery or weighed down. It's also free of silicones, which can coat hair and cause it to become more dry over time (if one doesn't clarify every couple of weeks. I tend to avoid products with silicones now as I find my hair behaves better without them.) Following application, my hair was easy to set and style, and remained that way until the next washing three days later.


I have to say this product is worth checking it out; it has definitely earned a place in my hair product rotation and I plan on checking out other Garnier offerings in the future :-)

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Makeup Mondays—Kryolan Cream Liner

I’ve been a long-time user of Joe Blasco Ultamattes, as these liners work very well for me—both Midnight Brown and Eddie Leonard are excellent rich brown shades well suited for fair blonde complexions, and the formula is wonderfully water resistant and non-irritating to my sensitive eyes. However, when I bought a new tube of my favorite foundation, Kryolan TV Paint Stick, I couldn’t resist trying out a pot of the cream liner (I was almost out of my current liner, so it was a justifiable impulse buy.) I’m glad I did—the color Cacao is a lovely chocolate brown (a wonderful shade for pale blondes and redheads), and the formula has proven to be just as budgeproof, if not more so, than my favorite Ultamattes. I’ve been wearing this liner for the past several days, and it wears like iron—no smudging or fading, and best of all, no irritation (I have very sensitive eyes, and many products cause them to water like mad.) The texture is that of a firm gel/cream, and as it is highly pigmented, you only need a little to create that sought-after vintage cat eye. I apply it with a small sable filbert brush (Cinema Secrets #2)—the formula is creamy enough to apply smoothly, but not so creamy as to smear about as you apply it (like the formula of Clinique and Bobbi Brown’s cream liner options—I found both of these to be a royal pain to apply.) I have to say that Kryolan’s cream liner may be edging out my standby! So, if you are in the market for a new eyeliner, or looking to try a product that delivers what it promises, I highly recommend checking this one out!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Lana's Look

Yesterday I posted the next installment of my Makeup Mondays vintage face series over at AlleyKatsStore --this week's look is all about Lana. I hope you enjoy it; I'm looking forward to reading your comments and suggestions for stars to feature!

xoxo,

Amanda

The Icing on the Cake

Today's installment of vintage makeup how-tos is on our favorite topic--lipstick! Check it out here, and let me know what you think!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Makeup Mondays—The Eyes Have It - Part II

The next installment of Makeup Mondays, which discusses period perfect eyeliner and brows, is up at Alley Kats--I hope you enjoy it!

xoxo,

Amanda Lee