A New York City Health and Beauty Blog

3 Splurge-Worthy Beauty Products to Recommend

What is the latest and greatest in beauty? As an esthetician you probably get this question a lot — from friends, family and clients. What do you tell them? The beauty industry is constantly introducing new products, from luxury lashes to designer brushes, here are three splurge-worthy products totally worth recommending to everyone in your little black book.

Silk Lash Extensions

When you are in a rush, your morning makeup routine might entail grabbing your favorite mascara off of the vanity and applying in the car. Mascara is often a must for women, no matter the a.m. beauty routine. Now, women can take their lashes to the next level with silk lash extensions. Soft and silky, these beauties can create a bold yet natural look that can be worn all day, without messy application. Extensions are created to look like real lashes and are applied professionally with three different lengths to give the appearance of a real eyelashes’ natural growth cycle. And while we may have a serious love affair with mascara, we can tuck our trusted wands and tubes into our makeup pouches. They require no additional makeup application to look fabulous.

Luxury Sunscreen

Sunscreen should be an essential part of every woman’s daily beauty routine. No, not the white goopy varieties we slather on when we are at the beach, a sophisticated sunscreen. Today’s sun-protecting products often do more than just protect our skin against the sun’s harmful and damaging ultra-violet rays. In addition to protecting from sun damage, luxe products like Cle de Peau Beaute’s gel oil foundation tout further beauty benefits like moisturizing and blurring capabilities. With just five dabs of the foundation, applied to areas including the chin, forehead and cheeks, women can achieve medium coverage with a soft focus finish. Housed in an eye-catching chiseled glass container and infused with natural rose essence, this foundation provides SPF 21 and is available in 12 different skin tone shades. Cle de Peau Beaute Foundation is available for $250 and would no-doubt make a fabulous addition to your own retail area.

Designer Brushes

As an esthetician you already know the importance of cleaning your beauty brushes regularly. But do your clients? Bacteria could be lurking in those dirty makeup brushes. Regularly cleaning brushes is highly advised to keep skin looking its best and there are a variety of luxury brush cleaning products available today, ranging from designers like Dior to beauty brands like Trish McEvoy, MAC and Clinique. The right type of brush can also keep skin at its best. Forget bristly brushes, soft, smooth types are key. Designer brush sets provide an array of brushes for each area of the face and the beauty products used, so there’s no double-duty required. Check out Marc Jacobs brushes —a must for the stylish woman.

Now, when you are faced with the question “What’s the latest and greatest in beauty?” you can answer confidently with three answers: silk lashes, luxe sunscreen and designer brushes. So, which will you recommend first?

Lashes: Fake It Till We Make It

Lashes: Fake It Till We Make It

When they say the eyes are windows to the soul, I can’t help but feel the need to enhance the beauty of our sight-seers. Unfortunately, not all women are blessed with doll eyes, but thanks to the innovation of beauty, there are new ways that can make our eyes pop without dropping major dollars on surgery (yes there is an option to surgically enhance the size of your eyes)

fake eyelashes

Enter,  lash enhancements. Eyeliner can only do so much, and to be frank, there are many time where women tend to look like a raccoon or a masked bandit. Eyelash curling and mascara does help, but for some of us with naturally straight lashes, they are not as effective or long lasting as we would like. So the best bet is fake lashes.

Now, there are any kinds of fake lashes out there, from the cheap plastic lashes (what I call “made for Vegas performers” ) to the more luxurious mink lashes ala J-Lo.

Truth to be told , I am one for subtlety. I want fake lashes to look real, au naturel. Although salon service does take you back quite a bit in comparison to DIY, it is definitely worth the money. Consider this:  DIY would usually last you one day, and the ones available make it blatantly obvious that they are fake once you’ve put them on.

Furthermore, it is a pain in the ass trying to put these on and usually the outcome is not as nice. So, safe bet is to  invest in some salon service and get it done. From my experience, having my eyelash extensions done at the salon usually cost a range from $40-$100 depending on the thickness of the lashes as well as the quality. No matter which you choose, know that these lashes tend to last for 2-3 weeks, and it is worth the investment for those of you who simply find that mascara and eyelash curlers are not enough.

What do you prefer to use on your eyelashes?

The Royal Wedding and Bridal Beauty

The blogosphere has been pretty much consumed by the upcoming wedding of Prince William and the currently less royal Kate Middleton. The bride-to-be’s wedding look is as of now a carefully guarded secret, but it will be fun to dissect it and pore over what potions were used for one of the few real modern-day princess stories when we commoners finally get a glimpse.

While everyone is experiencing a little bit of monarch-envy, part of the fun of following the festivities is putting yourself in the future Princess Kate’s (probably impossibly unaffordable) shoes. The royal engagement ring has already sparked a replica frenzy, and wishful brides the world over will probably look to this Friday’s massive shindig for inspiration for their own weddings. (As well as bridesmaids, mother of the brides and guests that get to get all dressed up.)

So what guidelines always work for traditional bridal beauty? Here are some tips ahead of the fete:

1.) Create a clean canvas: The line between airbrushed and spackled can be thin, but if you’re going to be subject to a bevy of photo-ops, a good balance is important. (Luckily for us plebes, we get a lot more editing privileges and our worst wedding shots won’t be printed in OK!) Actual airbrushing is popular with brides- many makeup artists provide this service, but if you’ve got a few bridesmaids, you might want to invest in your own kit. Sephora carries the TEMPTU AIRbrush Makeup System, which is reasonably priced and provides comprehensive yet light skin coverage.

2.) Soft and blushy tones always work: A heavily bronzed, heavily lined or generally heavily made up look may not epitomize the “blushing bride” stereotype. Pink and pink-nude tones work really well for bridal beauty, and always look fresh, clean, and enhance natural beauty. Stila’s Convertible Color- Lilium and Gerbera are gorgeous pink hues- has been a best seller for years because it blends beautifully and creates a blushy glow. Tarte’s Blushing Bride Cheek Stain looks intense in the tube, but it was actually created for a blushing bride.

3.) But some extravagance is totally fine: While you may not want to go all out Vegas for wedding makeup- unless you’re getting hitched in Sin City- a few super-fancy tricks can totally be pulled off for wedding beauty. Shu Uemura’s Diamante Lashes are a subtle bit of sparkle, but lash extensions from a service like Bling Lash will keep your look going strong through the reception and honeymoon.

4.) Practice and prepare: For a planned and special occasion look, longevity can be a concern. Most brides test-run their look, but a few touch up tools can ensure you know what’s likely to smudge, shift or fade and at what rate. A product like Benefit’s She-Laq can help maintain your look throughout the reception, and Bobbi Brown’s Blotting Papers will soak up shine and pat away excess or shifted pigment.

Do you have any bridal makeup tips or tricks? What do you think Kate Middleton will choose for her big day?