My Quest to Find the Perfect Summer Foundation, and My Holy Grail Discovery

Before I reveal my new Holly Grail summer discovery, I’ll share with you some pretty interesting things I’ve learned during my search to find the perfect foundation for my skin. Hopefully this would help you with choosing the right one for your skin.
 
As I’ve confessed in the past, I love natural makeup - I want my skin to look flawless, but without any trace of makeup, as if, “lucky me, I wake up like this” ;) So I was on the hunt to find a foundation that blends in perfectly, manages to cover all my imperfections, yet is completely seamless. 

This becomes even more challenging for oily skin like mine during the summer, when foundation ends up looking caky and, oh so very noticeable. On top of that in the outdoor light foundation ends up being pretty detectible and an SPF formula is a most not an option.

Guideline # 1 : Multitasking moisturizers/ bb creams tend to be too heavy during summer

Elizabeth Arden’s Pure Finish Mineral Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 15 was my go to ‘foundation’ for years. Number 1 was my perfect tone at the beginning of the summer and at the end it would be number 2. In between I would mix them both. It added a luminous glow and even though it’s a tinted moisturizer it provided just enough coverage.
The problem was that my skin would get shiny pretty fast and using it often I noticed  pores tended to get clogged. It was too heavy.

We instinctively swap our heavy-duty moisturizer for a lightweight option during the summer. Same should be with tinted moisturizers and BB creams. One of the primary functions of multitasking beauty balm is to moisturize, and added emollients that provide that moisture tend to make the formula heavy. Not exactly what we want in the summer when our skin is more likely to be oily.

For that reason there’s now a new category of makeup that serves as a serum foundation. It’s lightweight as a serum, provides skin tone correction (CC for Color Correction), SPF and smoothing effects of BB - basically without the heavy hydrators. If you’ve already tried CC creams you’ll be happy to know there’s a new veil generation that is even more thin and fluid. Think hot sauce, not ketchup.

Guideline 2: Avoid these pore clogging ingredients that are found even in foundations labeled oil free/ non noncomedogenic

If your pores are congested, it’s very likely that your foundation is one of the main culprits.
Cosmetic chemists historically have tried to mimic sebum, the skin’s own surface oil, in order to derive some of its assumed benefits. Now we know that seam’s various chemical components, such as wax easters and fatty acids, are troublesome. Yet many cosmetics contain these same highly irritating fatty acids such as lauric acid or myristic acid, or their derivative isopropyl myristate, which is even more potent than it’s “parent” fatty acid.
isopropyl myristate is an ingredient used as an emulsifier or surfactant which helps cosmetics apply more smoothly with a slicker feel. According to Dr. James E. Fulton, one of the developers of Ratin A and Benzole Peroxide gel, “this particular penetrating oils so aggressive that if left in a glass laboratory overnight, the substance will actually migrate down onto the tabletop by the morning. This compound penetrates deep into your pores just as aggressively”.
Lanolins are another form of heavy oils to avoid. Sadly oil-free claims on makeup are simply not true. They may contain no animal, vegetable or mineral oils but they contain synthetic oil.

Guideline 3: Undertones are more then just yellow and pink and color should be matched to neck in order to blend seamlessly. 

While most foundation colors range in a scale of light to dark with verities of yellow or pink, there’s actually some more to it. An undertone is the color that lies beneath the skin. So your skin can tan and become darker in the summer, with more melanin that is layering your natural undertone.  Undertones can vary from warm (pink), neutral (yellow) to cool (blue), yet very few cosmetic companies cater to cooler tones. So many of the foundations I’ve tried looked great in doors, but natural light revealed a yellowish or pinkish mask.

Due to my almost success with Elizabeth Arden’s tinted moisturizer, I decided to give their custom foundation service a try at Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa in San Francisco.  A lens of a spectrophotometer (an optical skin diagnostic tool) is placed on  makeup-free skin to measure it’s depth of color and tone, then calculate the pigment levels required to create a perfect match. You can then choose a preferred formula—sheer, medium or full coverage with either a matte or natural finish. Because of my experience with the tinted foundation being too dewy, I decided to go for the matt finish. While it was a perfect match color wise, it was a bit drying. Being a full coverage, I use it as concealer to cover any readiness or mix it with an eye cream for an under eye concealer. Blending invisibly I can used it just where I need it.

Then..
When Tiffany D, a beauty vlogger I love, talked about It Cosmetic's CC cream, I just had to give it a try. I went over the ingredient list, non of the pore clogging offenders. I searched the color on my hand and went outdoor to the light. The undertones are taupe. perfect for cool undertones!! Not that many like it in the market. If I apply it with my hands it would give a full coverage yet blend seamlessly. But if I layered it too much it would be more noticeable.

Still I was in love. Until.. the folks at It Cosmetics out did themselves and came out with a lightweight ‘Veil Fluid’ serum version for summer (SPF 50). It’s a liquid cushion compact that goes on so ingeniously like second skin. Covering every imperfection yet feels and looks like you got nothing on. Ha! I do wake up this way.. if I keep this compact next to my bed ;)


Wishing you flawless skin,

You Never Tried this Trick that Melts Away Blackheads. No. Really. It’s Life Changing!!

Nothing beats the bliss of a perfectly popped blackhead. LOL!! That feeling of concur when you look at that blackhead strip and see it in all it's glory. Nothing until you try this simple trick. 

Heavy metals in our everyday tap water reacts with and convert oils in the skin into a waxy, gland-blocking substance that can lead to blackheads. 
The calcium in hard water is especially blamed for this interference, as it changes the nature of the sebum from a free-flowing oil to a sticky wax. Dead cells begin to stick together and form a mass down inside the pore.

Citric acid associates itself with minerals and metals easily. It bind’s with excess calcium and and melt away that sticky wax. It is one of the alpha-hydroxy acids and also works as a great exfolient melting away dead layers of skin.

The lemon salt (crystalized Citric acid) acts as a defoliant, and with Citric acid’s ability to chelate calcium, it easily lifts away waxy plugs, clearing the pores and removing impurities and toxins. 

I massage the lemon salt with worm water. The heat speeds up the reaction. Most of the blackheads will be gone by the time I wash it off. If there’s any presky left, I follow with a clay mask like Glamzone, or a blackhead strip. After the lemon sallt scrub those are much more effective.

Welcome to completely clear pores. Clear from every. single. blackhead!!
 Bliss!!

Italian Essential Bronzer

I'm back, loves!! I took a brief hiatus from sharing a new post because I was on a full-on vacation!! Well…. That didn’t mean my quest for all things beauty really stopped. I traveled to Italy, enjoyed beautiful Venice, stunning Riva Del Garda and Milan. When I travel I always hunt for unique local beauty finds. It makes me happy, like I'm on to some secret LOL

While in Venice I discovered one of the best bronzers I’ve ever (!!) tried.
Kiko Make Up Milano, Summer’s collection for 2014, Essential Bronzer.
I struck gold (literally) with this one and all the orange-averse ladies who thought they could never successfully use a bronzer would feel me. LOL. Most of the bronzer’s I’ve tried end up being too orange or brownish for my complexion.
This Essential Bronzer (in 02 Gold Mélange) is a stunning marbled of light honey tone enriched with golden pearl effects. It’s super soft, highly pigmented but not too brown or orange.
Definitely in the caliber as Guerlain Terracotta, but think more golden tan, with a lit from within glow, than a terracotta bronzed tan.

Wishing you ethereal glow,

Mother's Day: What's the Best Beauty Lesson You've Learned From Your Mom?

The biggest beauty lesson my mom taught me, is that I’m beautiful. At the end of the day, nothing makes a woman more beautiful, then the belief that she is beautiful. And if anything, that’s what I hope to inspire with my blog.  Then there were some other useful beauty tricks!!

I remember as a little girl I was always fascinated watching my mom get ready to go out.
My mom used to style and straighten her hair without heat!! Way healthier for hair, she would let her hair air dry in a hairdo that was then very popular among Israeli women - Abuagela. Here’s how you do it: Divide freshly washed and combed hair into two even sections. Lift the left section and wrap it over your head, across the right section. Coil it around your head and secure it in several places with hairpins. Lift the right section and wrap it over your head in the other direction, securing it in several places with pins. When your hair is completely dry, remove the pins and voila -  brush your hair straight.

My mom has been using Cover Girl Lipsticks Lipgloss in Daring for years, bringing a stash to Israel every visit to America. It’s a very sheer moisture rich lipstick that adds just a hint of red tint. She uses it on it’s own or under a red lipstick to soften lips first so lipstick goes on smoothly after.

Your turn! In celebration of Mother's Day, what's the best beauty lesson your own leading lady has taught you over the years??

Happy Mother’s day,
I love you Ema!!

These Beauty Essentials are a Force of Nature

In Honor of Earth Day, Here are My Top Eco-Friendly Beauty Essentials

 

Some products can leave harmful residue during disposal into the sewer, then circulated into our eco system. For example, microbead in some scrubs are coming from particles of plastic that rinse down the drain and eventually show up in lakes and oceans. In addition to polluting the water, microbeads can accumulate other toxic chemicals such as PCBs, be eaten by fish and wind up in the food supply, according to the Attorney General's office. If you aren’t sure if your scrub contains the offenders, check the ingredients list for 'Polyethylene'. From my experience you are better off anyways, as they tend to be too harsh. The gritty beads can break the skin and spread bacteria, causing breakouts.

Here are my favorite beauty products with sustainably harvested ingredients, and eco-friendly packaging:

Tarte - Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush
It's a long-wearing blush that really lasts up to 12 hours!! The fade-free flawless finish is due to natural clay, harvested from the banks of the Amazon River. The Amazon River flows for 4,000 miles and as it flows it collects highly nutrias plant and fruit matter.  A lot of brands market their blushes as long lasting, but with this one I really found it to be the case, and the color payoff is fantastic!!

Tarte - Smooth Operator™ Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder
This translucent, silky finishing powder keeps makeup in place without ever appearing chalky and mattifies skin by removing excess surface oil.
Aside from the Amazonian clay, It contains a special clay called Kaolinite, which can absorb 75 percent of its weight in sebum as it hydrates the skin, leaving a long-lasting matte finish that won’t make breakouts worse. Perfect for oily skin like mine!!
Another impressive ingredient is - Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a phospholipid derivative with the ability to stimulate cell proliferation. It visibly reduces pores thanks to a stimulating cell differentiation, promoting the tightening of skin, effectively shrinking oversized pores.
This powder really makes my pores less noticeable. I can count on it when I go to on camera auditions and don't want my skin to be oily and shiny in an unfaltering way. 


 
Josie Maran - Argan Oil Hair Serum
If you've read this post, by now you are aware of my obsession with hair serums, and this one shines in my endless stash, delivering instant and long lasting shine.
A recent study has shown that only some oils will actually penetrate the hair. Mineral oil and sunflower oil for example, will not penetrate. But Argan oil will filter deep into the cortex because it is so similar to hair's natural lipids. Straight chain glycerides will easily penetrate, while polyunsaturated oils, like jojoba oil, are more open in their structure so they don't pass through the layers of cuticles very well.  When I use it, my hair looks and feels healthier, silkier, and extraordinarily shiny. Biosilk serum is my top pick, but if it's a more curly look I am going for this adds shine and smoothness, yet curls hold well with it.

Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel Sensitive
I mentioned this gem when I wrote about my favorite peels (you can read the post here). Since then, this has become my #1 favorite peel!! This peel toned them down my acne scars completely.  I use it two ways--as a mask and also as a spot treatment on any zits on my face, which will tremendously reduce them. A combination of acids tends to be more potent at melting away dead layers of skin and this is formulated with: malic acid from organic apple juice, citric acid from lemons, tartaric acid from white grapes, glycolic acid from raw cane sugar & lactic acid from organic milk.

Happy Earth Day,

A Berry Delicious Treat (with Beauty Benefits!!)

The vibrant, beautiful colors of many fruits and vegetables are Mother Nature's way of telling us that those foods are loaded with antioxidants. The rich hue of blueberries and strawberries, is a signal that they are packed with an antioxidant system called Polyphenols, that help protect skin and act as an anti-inflammatory, improving skin texture.

Polyphenols from blueberries may also have a slimming effect, a study suggests. Researchers at Texas Woman's University treated mouse cells with either blueberry polyphenols (in three different doses) or a control solution. The active compounds blocked the growth of new fat cells and the buildup of lipids inside cells, reducing total fat by up to 73 percent at the highest dose.



This super easy DIY Popsicle is high in antioxidants, high in fiber, low in sugar.
Simply blend fresh: Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, then fill an ice pop maker,
like the one by Ikea (CHOSIGT Ice pop maker, $1.99, )
For the mold to easily loosen, rinse with lukewarm water.

Beteavon!! (Bon Appetit in Hebrew),

Green Tea, Clearly.

The next big breakthrough in acne treatment may be the humble bag of green tea sitting in your kitchen cupboard!!
Recently, a University of Miami study showed that applying a two percent green tea lotion twice a day for six weeks reduced the number of acne lesions in subjects by more than 58 percent. Green tea contains antioxidants that are proven to reduce inflammation, which is likely the reason behind this anti-inflammatory effect.

Topical antioxidants save cells from a significant amount of environmental damage by free radicals. Free radicals are insatiable molecules that form in the body when we are exposed to UV light and other environmental assaults. I compare them to 'pirates'; In order to stabilize themselves they steal electrons from other molecules leading to damage. Antioxidants work their magic by turning free radicals into 'friendly' compounds, stopping them from causing inflammation, DNA damage, and collagen loss. That's why topical antioxidants can also help prevent wrinkles.

EGCG is the predominant antioxidant in most forms of green tea, and it’s also the most potent. It's over 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times more powerful than vitamin E at neutralizing free radicals. 

Here is how I like to treat my face to some Green Tea TLC:

Option 1: For dry to normal skin. Make your green tea, then soak a compressed facial mask sheet (or use paper towels), letting it absorb the green tea. Wait until cool, then spread out the mask and place on your face for about 10-15 min.
Muji Compressed Facial Mask Sheets (5 sheets /set for $2.95)

Option 2: For oily skin. Use as a clay mask. Mix the powder with a little water to form a past and apply to face. Take off as soon as dry. My favorites Teuksun Powdered Green Tea (see picture) available in some nature stores, and Evanhealy Green Tea Clay Mask. At $24.95 at Whole Foods Market.

Wishing you clear skin,