Light in a Palette-Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette

I’ve stayed away from using powder formulas on my face for years, but now that my face is settling in and not needing as much moisture, I’m taking a second look at powder.

I never really checked out Hourglass in Sephora or department stores. But at Nords, a make up artist that used to be with Laura is now repping Hourglass. I’ve always liked her because she demonstrates the product but does not over push me into buying something that doesn’t work. Just the right touch as a salesperson.

Hourglass has a trio of their Ambient Lighting powders in a palette for sale in department stores and at Sephora. When I checked it out online at their company website, I found that you can mix and match and make your own palette for $8 more. 

That’s pretty cool. Because the powders are made to reproduce different lighting situations.

For example, if you’d like to go around like you’re candlelit, you can choose the shade, “Dim light”.

If you’re sitting in the office under fluorescents there’s a shade for that, as well as highlighting shades too.

DIFFUSED LIGHT: A soft, warm, pale yellow powder that conceals redness and gives skin clarity—like a soft ray of morning light.
• DIM LIGHT: A neutral peach beige powder that blurs imperfections and highlights a radiant complexion with the perfect balance of warm and cool tones.
• ETHEREAL LIGHT: An opalescent sheer, cool white powder that mimics a moonlit glow—even in broad daylight.
• LUMINOUS LIGHT: A champagne pearl powder that creates a soft, incandescent candlelit glow—day or night.
• MOOD LIGHT: A soft, sheer lavender pink powder that mimics the softest, most forgiving light and brightens the complexion.
• RADIANT LIGHT: A sun-kissed golden beige that enhances overall complexion with believable, subtle warmth, and also extends a summer glow.

The come on is that these powders correct so you can put your best face forward with a flick of your fluffy brush.

And the best thing is, they work! After I apply sunscreen and maybe a pea size tinted moisturize for light coverage, I brush the powder(s) on and I immediately like the affect.

A high recommend, and with the mix and match palette found online even better.

k

Advertisement

I’m Somebody’s Mom-How Old Do They Think I Am?

There’s that moment in time when you realize and it is CONFIRMED that you are not the young hot babe you thought you were.

I got my new DVF dress a few days ago and I was hot to wear it with my high heel sandals, high pony and plum lips.

I reach into my gymbag and keep reaching.

I have to walk out in my shower slippers.

And such like that the rest of the day where ever I went.

I went to visit my client, and it’s kind of a end of the day just checkin in kind of visit.

The neighbor business are also on the younger side guys as is my client.

They wave him over and he comes back—

“They want to know if you are my Mom?”

I don’t get mad, but I sputter away thinking it must be the slippers. If I was in heels.

Anyway.

It obviously depends which target audience you are putting yourself in.

If I walk by any group of guys under 35, then hey I’m their Mom and I am invisible.

The more hair, lip, heel,dress I wear the more attention I get from 35-45. Which I think of them as pups so it’s just a nice vote of confidence.

But for guys my age and up.

I could wear a paper sack.

Have my hair in pony scrunchy bun.

Be in shorts and slippers.

Is it because they just appreciate me as I am?

A well-preserved 50+?

I like to think so.

k

Goodbye Michelle, Hello Lisa

No dis on Michelle Phan, I love watching her videos especially the early ones that had tips like how to clean your brushes, do it yourself masks etc.

Her makeup artistry creates great looks with a lot of emphasis on the eyes of course but  I find myself getting a little bored lately with super dark smoky eyes and dark lips to match.

Besides, I get that celebrities like to keep it sizzling with info on their love lives, but frankly it’s not that interesting. Maybe if you’re in your thirties like Phan is, but I’m not, I dunno – her love life bores me.

Anyway.

A while back I youtubed Audrey Hepburn Breakfast At Tiffany’s make up and one of the better videos featured this woman with an accent.  I watched it a couple of times and tried the technique which is pretty simple with a white/light base on the eyes and just really clean lines, soft color and winged liner.

I know it looks a little silly with the crown-but the look is classic.

I just had a bday a month ago and had a belated birthday lunch and my friend emailed the photos. That day I had forgotten my makeup kit and only had my eyes on-eyebrows, mascara and blue liner on the upper waterline. Lucky for me I had some sunscreen moisturizer and always have balm.

Really not enough makeup for photos tho.

So checking out videos for mature skin or aging eyes or whatever I found Lisa Eltheridge again. She’s a makeup artist out of the UK-she uses a range of US products from Max Factor and Revlon to department store brands like Chanel and Dior.

What I like about her techniques for aging folks or not, is her looks use a light hand for color.  This particular video emphasizes a glowy base, the model’s skin is quite wrinkly, but somehow the magic of makeup makes it less noticeable without heavy concealing, just moisture and light colors.

She’s like Bobbi Brown but a lot less screechy-Bobbi tends to use natural color and really too much pop.  If you look at Bobbi’s books, her models use so much concealer that all you see is concealer and a big thick gel liner line. Her shadows are beautiful but too sparkly for aging lids.

Lisa recommends getting away from using all neutral beiges and such on aging eyelids and adding soft color, “defining” the eyes.  She also uses gel blush for softness.

I particularly liked this one because the look is professional and polished.

In any case, I spent a good part of the morning watching her vids.

Check it out!

k

Madonna Lift-Free Workshop

For those who have heard about the Madonna Lift, and have questions, than Dr. Melanie Tantisira’s workshop on 9/26 is the place to be.

I attended one of Dr T’s informative sessions a few months back, and the best part was the Q&A.  In the cozy setting of her office, attendees shared their concerns, and it was nice to have some interchange.

We’ve all been to workshops where the presenter says,, “any questions?”, and then everybody hits the street.

In any case, Dr T will talk about the Madonna Lift, share before and after stories, and talk about Botox and dermal fillers such as Radiesse and Restylane and how using them with the procedure, enhances the results.

She will probably include info on the Accent XL-it’s a radio frequency treatment that tightens skin and smooths cellulite.  I’m thinking I would like to have my little bit of skin under my neck treated, and possibly my décolleté.  I’ve preached about SPF on my face, but neglected my decollete and neck, so there you have it. I’m seeing aging of my skin if I did not use SPF all these years.

Like I said, it’s cozy, so if you’re interested, sign up by calling 808-591-9111. That means, seating is very limited.

k

I Didn’t Get the Memo!

This past Saturday and then Sunday were off to a really late start as I went to ballet class and came home, ate lunch, took a nap and then was ready to do something.  Sunday, we all decided to do a few errands, and maybe go to Ala Moana shopping mall.  So we were dressed pretty casually – me in my pink Billy Elliot London t-shirt and shorts and slippers, and everyone else something like that.

We park over by Neiman’s and pretty much right away run into  family friends-who look nice-pretty blouse, heels and her hair done. Then her daughter comes by, just as smartly put together.

Feeling like a booger, I go to the ladies room and in there a haughty woman in a sweater dress and platform shoes with the telltale red sole, looks down her nose.(All the while I’m thinking, Babe, I know where you got that outfit from) – plus she’s too old for that sweater dress without military strength Spanx!

Anyway.

Walking around toward the Apple store-I begin to notice that we are on a fashion runway.  The younger women – 30 and under – are all walking around Ala Moana’s extremely hard on your bones cobble stone tile, in full mating dating regalia of high heel stilt platform shoes, short-to-long dresses, full make up and hair sprayed flat-ironed hair!

Since I am out of the age range and the mating dating game – I shirk it off.  I split with my shopping party to cruise on my own.

An hour or so later, I meet up with them and my bf has his previously untucked t shirt, tucked in.  He said ” I feel more put together.”

I guess he felt the same.

I guess were not in Kaneohe anymore Toto.

k

 

 

Tweak Me

I’ve written about this before, but it’s definitely worth a revisit.  As friends the same age as I am have their under eye bags done, I admire the work of their plastic surgeons.  Usually under general anesthesia, they are magically given back 5 years or more, or at least, they look like they’ve had a great night’s rest!

Though the examples of the surgeon’s work is pretty spectacular-I’m not quite ready for surgical steps.

I noticed in the last 6 months or so, that I have fine lines around my eyes, and instead of being “wrinkles in motion”, they were starting to have some staying power, and becoming “lines at rest”.

In other words, crow’s feet.

I’ve been a lot happier overall in the last year, so I’ve been smiling more.

Thus, crow’s feet.

So many months back, we had dinner with a business associate whose wife is a very Barbie-like, LA style type. Not a wrinkle in sight, but obvious signs of dermal fillers and cosmetic denervation aka Botox.

I might have thought she was in her early 40-s, but the tell-tale signs were there  over her cheeks-the signs appeared and gave her away when she smiled.

Obviously I speak from experience.

I would never let a non-MD inject me no matter how many years of experience they have, or how many times they watched a medical doctor inject.

Add to that, I’d seriously reconsider if the physician didn’t have facial plastics or cosmetics cred. I mean seriously, I recently heard of a dentist offering Botox!

I’ve used a plastic surgeon, an oculoplastic surgeon and an ophthamologist to do my Botox injections.  This makes sense to me, because they have specifically learned how the muscles in the FACE and around the eye area works.

My most recent visit was to do just around the eyes–I went to Dr. Melanie Tantisira, an ophthalmologist who has been injecting for nearly 25 years.

I want to look natural and still have expression around my eyes.  Also wanted to address my drooping brow-which when I haven’t had enough sleep actually goes the other way- meaning up- it makes me look like I’m doing a Spock impression. I have trained myself to not furrow my brow – but I can’t help it when I have a headache and end up furrowing in my sleep.

I am very impressed with my results! I don’t look different at all, but when I smile I don’t crinkle quite as much. My brow has just enough lift.

Finding the right person to inject is kind of like the Three Bears story.

Someone who gets it just right!

k

The Only Road Leads Back To You

So, I zigged when I should have zagged, meaning I should have just stayed with my true blue Kiehl’s Rosa Artica moisturizing cream.

I veered off a steady course of superior moisture and purchased a jar of Origin’s A Perfect World – which at some point, I had had a sample of enjoyed the fragrance so much I wanted more.

In reality, the white tea anti oxidant based formula left me wanting for more.

More moisture that is.

Now that it’s getting a little cooler, I’d like more please.

Plus, I’m off to chillier regions via aero plane, so yes more please.

My heart leads me back to you,

sigh.

k

Picture Perfect!

The last time a camera and I met professionally I did my own make up.  I had the idea that I would put on false eyelashes and even practiced.

But the morning of the first call, I just couldn’t see getting the stiff band of lashes on and skipped them.  I did get a couple of layers of primer and foundation on, made for HD, but when I see my face blown up, I can still see things that bug me.

So when it came time to renew my headshot for a talent agency, I called on Dorys Foltin of Maleana Cosmetics.

I’ve used Dorys over the years for my talent’s make up -Dorys can make anyone look absolutely flawless!  Her years of experience helps her choose the perfect colors that make the talent, like you, but better.

For myself, I went in bare-faced, except for a little sunscreen of course, and freshly washed hair.

Dorys started with my hair, smoothing it out with a flat-iron, teasing it a little bit around the crown.  She shared a tip – take dark or black powder shadow and dust it into your hair’s part.  This takes the attention away from the “bald”, white spot in your part so it’s less distracting.

After hair, Dorys blended her own Maleana Cosmetics cream foundation so it matched my complexion. It’s amazing how the right color foundation-that matches your face and neck, helps in creating a more youthful appearance.

I mentioned to her at the start that I would be considered for “mom” or “business woman” roles, so the makeup should be natural.

The colors she chose enhanced my features instead of shouting out.

In the end, I was very happy with my look!

k

The Defender-Or, How to Get Your Man to Use Sunscreen

Okay, you may or may not know that I am Asian, and have some natural sunscreen in the form of melatonin in my skin so I tan but don’t burn over-easily.

But I wear sunscreen everyday, faithfully since I live in Hawaii.

So…..not to name names, but I know of more than a few men with blue eyes, freckle skin, red hair, or blonde or some variation on the theme, who do not wear sunscreen.

Not only do they not wear sunscreen, but they refuse to wear sunscreen.

I’ve heard it from my friends whose husbands can’t stand to put anything girly or creamy on their skin, and other significant people who just don’t think it’s manly.

Eh–what’s manly about skin cancer, moles, irregular shaped funny-looking, crusty-crispy stuff, apparently growing on your face, body, head, arm, leg etc.

Ok, a little ruggedness wrinkle edges  or scratchiness is okay, but skin cancer is not.

So…..

I’ve found the perfect product that all concerned women and readers of this post can offer up to any man or young man to use to protect their skin.

I give a high recommend to Clinique‘s Super Defense, SPF 25.  It comes in a few combinations for dry to normal, normal-oily etc. It not only protects their facial skin from the sun’s very harmful rays, but shhhhhhhh – it’s also skincare.

It has moisturizing and anti-aging ingredients, but don’t tell them that.

Just tell them – it doesn’t smell girly, in fact it barely has fragrance.

It’s texture is less frothy-it’s typical Clinique-it has an almost plastic feel to the cream.

It comes in a uni-sex colored jar – I call it Clinique minty-green, with silver lettering.

Clinique does have the M line for men, which comes in a dark gunmetal gray packaging, but for a funny reason does not have this same product. In fact, the men’s line really isn’t very developed.

So ladies, moms, girlfriends, wives and friends – get your man putting on this sunscreen-tell him it’s a cream version of your love and affection.

hehe

k

A New Do?

I don’t know what men always look at when they are checking somebody out – or nevermind.

On our flight to LAX last week, I was amazed at how long and wild looking both flight attendant’s hair was.

I had always thought that their hair uniform was neat, groomed and in-place at all times.

I swear one of the flight attendants at the end of the red-eye flight, looked like she just got out of bed. Not the good-kind of bed-tosselled sexy hair-seriously, she looked like she just woke up after a very hard night.

Walking through LAX-I saw another pair of attendants for the same airline (unnamed) who were a bit older, maybe 15 years older than the first two.

They both had every hair in place. And, you know, I think that looked a lot better.

Like I said, men don’t notice that stuff, but when I pointed the mussy hair to the bf-his comment was typical for him.

Ewgh-how can they have that hair and handle food?

Ick.

k