We can’t look away…

This peel-off foundation is strange.

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The post You Can Literally Peel Off this Foundation appeared first on EcoSalon.

Striving for that sheer rosiness, super natural, lit-from-within glowing skin? It’s probably the most sought after beauty look of all. There is one thing that infuses the complexion with radiance. And you likely are not doing it.

A real lit-from-within glow comes from, well, within. If your inner radiance is refusing to shine through, this tip is going to change your life. Or at least, the liveliness of your skin.

As seen on spring runways, like Michael Kors, fresh, glowing skin is in. You apply foundation. You apply blush. If the look is more ordinary than wow, here’s what you do. Switch which product you apply first.

Confused? If applying blush before foundation seems like brushing your teeth before breakfast, think about this. A flawless complexion with vibrant color shining through? Promise you’ll love it. Here’s what you’ll need and how to go about getting a super natural looking glow.

Products and Tips to Lit-From-Within Glowing Skin

A cheek stain is the ideal product for getting the most out of this look. It is texture-less, non-greasy, stays put, and offers rich color. Try Bohemian Beatnik Organic Lip and Cheek Tint. Liquid and cream foundations, like Vapour Organic Beauty Atmosphere Soft Focus Foundation, work well over liquid tint.

Cream blush offers a more intense color. RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek in Beloved is spring-worthy. For best results over cream blush, use powder mineral foundation like W3LL People Altruist Mineral Foundation.

Application steps: (1) Apply your skincare and concealer to clean skin; (2) Next apply blush to apples of cheeks, and blend upward and outward; (3) Now apply foundation to your face over blush.

Another beautiful feature to this top secret beauty trick? You can do pretty much whatever look you want with the rest of your makeup because your glow looks like it’s all you. Statement lips, anyone?

*Disclaimer: Help support EcoSalon! Our site is dedicated to helping people live a conscious lifestyle. We’ve provided some affiliate links above in case you wish to purchase any of these products.

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Image of naturally glowing girl via Shutterstock

The post Want Glowing Skin? You’ll Love This Little Know Secret appeared first on EcoSalon.

Concealer is a game changer in makeup. Nothing brightens eyes, covers spots, and evens discoloration like it. But there are some rules to applying concealer that are a must to getting this step right.

Makeup is personal. We all like what we like and choose items to suit our skin tone, eye color, and so on. Concealer is not different and it is super important to choose the right product for you. It is also essential to know how to use this product in order to avoid those crazy reverse raccoon eyes or too-dark stripes.

So how do you go about choosing the perfect concealer shade? Follow these tips for ID-ing the right color for you and applying concealer like a pro.

7 Hard and Fast Rules of Applying Concealer and Choosing the Perfect Shade

1 Choosing Color: Like foundation, nothing wrecks a good concealer game like using the wrong shade. With foundation we go for the tone closest to our natural skin color. When picking out concealer go a half shade to one whole shade lighter.

2 Choosing Consistency: Yes, there are several different concealer formulas. You have pencil, stick, cream, and even a gel-like lotion. Lotions go on sheer and are good for oilier skin types or those with mild discoloration. A cream or stick is thicker but moisturizing, good for dry skin and covering areas on the face, such as around the nose. Green beauty creator and makeup artist, Rose-Marie Swift, even recommends using her cream concealer as a light foundation. Pencil is the thickest and also tends to be on the drier side. This one is great for covering dark under eye circles and blemishes.

3 First Step: Concealer should be the first step in your makeup routine, right after moisturizer and facial treatments. Applying concealer on top of foundation will look funky.

4 Light Touch: Concealer is not supposed to show. Taking a light touch with this step will offer best results.

5 Be gentle: When covering under eye circles and other areas of discoloration, apply concealer and gently dab with your ring finger. This presses the product into skin rather than smearing it around.

6 Spot-less: When hiding blemishes you are aiming to minimize redness, not make the sucker disappear. A zit caked with concealer looks just as bad as the pimple itself, if not worse. Dot on concealer and blend with a small makeup brush until the area is less red. A concealer with a bit of acne treatment will help to treat the blemish too.

7 Next steps: Follow up with your usual foundation and don’t forget a dusting of facial powder. Dry-skinned gals may normally avoid powder, but applying a light layer to only areas where concealer has been applied will help the product to stay put and takes away any shine.

Best Stick Concealer

Vapour Organic Beauty Illusionist Concealer

Best Lotion Concealer

Ilia Beauty Vivid Concealer

Best Cream Concealer

RMS Beauty “Un” Cover-Up

*Disclaimer: Help support EcoSalon! Our site is dedicated to helping people live a conscious lifestyle. We’ve provided some affiliate links above in case you wish to purchase any of these products.

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Makeup brushes image via Shutterstock

The post 7 Hard and Fast Rules of Applying Concealer for Amazing Results appeared first on EcoSalon.

So you have some issues with your skin. Who doesn’t? If you have tanned, scrubbed, stripped, and slathered, and still aren’t loving what you see in the mirror … may be time to embrace your face.

We all have things we don’t like about our skin. Too pink, too dark, too pale, too irritated, too many zits. Rather than nit picking (and actual picking) try getting behind the skin you were given and giving it what it needs.

Choose Products for Your Skin Type

Use products right for you, not your sister, best friend, favorite aunt, or pop star in the latest issue of Glamour Magazine. Your skincare is about YOU. Your skin. It is as personal as your diet. Identify your skin type and issues, and look for products geared toward them. Your skin, and attitude about it, will benefit.

Conceal the Right Way

Are you covering dark spots, discoloration, and blemishes with a thick layer of concealer and foundation? Well, stop! It is not good for skin and, really, looks worse than a lighter touch. Be sure you are using the right color concealer or foundation for your skin tone. This will help a lot in coverage and provides a more natural look. Concealer should be one shade lighter than your natural skin tone. Follow Spirit Beauty Lounge’s Color Guide to figure out which shade is best for your skin. Foundation can be tricky, yes. SBL offers a super useful Color Guide for foundation too, with several product options for each tone.

Own Your Skin Tone

We know tanning, whether in the sun or a tanning bed, causes skin to age prematurely and can even lead to skin cancer. Not cool. Self tanners are a safer way to get a bronzed look. But what about learning to love your paleness? Since my preteens I have tanned my fair skin every summer. I still love a great tan, but now I end up with more spots and freckles each year. Plus, I can tell it has aged my skin and am now envious of women with the creamy, even complexion. Protect your skin while you have it. Promise you won’t be sorry!

Get to the Root of the Problem

So you may be able to learn to love your pale skin. But what about acne or rosacea? Who is going to learn to love those? Try listening to what your skin is telling you. Unhappy skin is unhappy for a reason. Acne may be hormonal or because of an allergy or inner imbalance. It can even be something as simple as a hair product coming in contact with the skin or a dirty pillowcase. Deal with breakouts the gentlest way possible. Use products made with natural antibacterial ingredients that balance, not strip, the skin. Zero in on what causes your rosacea to flare up and steer clear of those things. There are even skincare products designed to treat rosacea and irritable skin conditions.

Hopefully these tips will help you learn to embrace your face. As with most things in life, being you is always the best choice.

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Image of woman with hand on face via Shutterstock

The post Embrace Your Face: How to Love the Skin You Have appeared first on EcoSalon.

It’s one of the most important yet intimidating tools in your makeup bag. How best to master the art of foundation?

For many of us, foundation is our siren. We love how we feel when we’re with it, but one false move and we’re suddenly  crashed up on the rocks. A bad foundation application can mean oranges for cheeks and a pancaked jawline that looks drawn in by Google Maps. What’s more, our base can settle in fine lines, highlighted so significantly as to be seen from space. And yet, when best applied, foundation grants us a flawless, irresistible skin tone.

So what are some fun, fast tips for applying foundation? And what are the best products to use?

Felicia Howe, Co-Owner and Stylist, Primrose Organics Salon

I asked an expert. Felicia Howe is the co-owner of Primrose Organics Salon, located in Hollywood, California. She’s worked as a hair and makeup artist for film, weddings, and editorial for more than 16 years, all the while operating as a pioneer in the organic and non-toxic salon movement.

It was Howe’s lengthy time in the beauty industry that first led her to natural products. After noticing the negative health effects of working in traditional beauty, she decided to research the growing trends in organic and non-toxic care. Today, she’s one of the foremost organic colorists in Los Angeles.

Recently, the makeup and hair guru shared with EcoSalon her best foundation tips.

EcoSalon: There seems to be a ton of great organic and non-toxic foundations on the market today. But between the primers, concealers, shimmers and liquids, it can be confusing as to what to use. What are the foundations that you include in your makeup kit?

Howe: My favorite foundation line comes from Jane Iredale. Hands down.

ES: I love Jane Iredale!

Howe: Me too. I have personally used her products for eight years. She offers up a natural look that’s free of dyes, talc, parabens, synthetic preservatives and other very bad things. I just restocked my entire makeup kit around her line.

ES: So what is your process for applying foundation and what are the products involved?

Howe: I always start with an organic moisturizer. In Los Angeles, this is especially important since we live in a dry desert. Then I use Jane Iredale’s Dream Tints. This vegan product is a very light primer that helps reduce fine lines while leaving a nice smooth finish.

For foundation, either pressed or liquid works great. I have found that it’s personal preference, and that either will perform well. Jane Iredale offers a liquid minerals foundation. Next, I apply concealer under eyes and anywhere else as needed.

ES: Speaking of under eyes—how best to avoid emphasizing fine lines and wrinkles when applying foundation?

Howe: That comes when you apply your final product, which is your base. Just make sure you avoid your eye area. This will eliminate creasing and give you the smooth look you want.

ES: Are there any other final tips you’d like to share on achieving that flawless, natural look?

Howe: Yes! Always use blotting papers after using creams and primers before apply your base. This will help you avoid that cakey look. I also finish with a balancing mist from Jane Iredale. This will set your foundation with a soft finish.

Photos courtesy of Felicia Howe and Jane Iredale.

photo credit: Idhren via photopin cc

The post The Foundation of Using Foundation Makeup…Flawlessly appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnThis summer, get carried away with warm ocean breezes, and add a blue hue around the eyes.

It’s easy to incorporate a vibrant color because you still get to use the usual palettes of neutrals for the rest of the face to keep it “safe.” (Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to take the neutral security blanket away from you entirely.) Let’s start by saying the look we are going for isn’t reminiscent of the frosty blue eyeshadow that punctuated the late 70’s.  This is a modern take on a color that can enhance any eye without looking overdone, out-of-date, or tacky.

First in our makeup application we need a golden base to set the stage for softly vibrant blue tones. The goal is to look sun-kissed, but that’s not to say you should forgo sun protection. In fact, there’s lots of way to get that sun-kissed look without ever putting your face in the sun’s eye with fake tan moisturizers and makeup that gives you an immediate tan or builds up over use.

How to create a realistic looking bronze glow:

1. Choose a foundation shade slightly darker than the one you’d pick for the winter or add in a bronzing liquid like Jane Iredale Dream Tint in Warm Bronze.

2. Go for a bronzer to sculpt your face and give it depth. To keep a tropically moist look to the skin, try Revolution Organics Freedom Glow Beauty Balm in Bronzed.  With your (clean) finger, place three dots of color into the hollow of your cheekbones and spread them out using two fingers in an oblong motion from the apples of the cheeks out to the hairline near the ear.

Pro tip: Add more realism to your faux bronze by putting a little dab of bronzer on the bridge of the nose (not the tip), along the forehead hairline and just above the temples of the face.

3. Create even more dimension and glow by highlighting the tops of your cheekbones with a few dots of a creamy highlighter like RMS Beauty’s Living Luminzer.

Now, those tropical eyes: A strong, yet natural, brow is very important to add a frame for the eye that doesn’t read as a lot of color and adds definition to the face. Add color using a powder or pencil to thicken your natural shape. Keep brow hairs swept upward to achieve an island goddess vibe.  Check out this video tutorial on exactly how to achieve this look that I made it while working in the Caribbean.

Pro tip: Fill in your brows with a color that is not quite as dark as your hair color. One to two shades lighter is the general rule.

Creating the blue line. Get yourself a blue hue with a touch of sparkle that inspires you like Alima Pure eyeshadow in Aegean.  In this case, I prefer the control of a powder used with a short, thin angled brush. Dampening the brush before you dip into the shadow will give it extra impact, or you can leave it dry for a softer effect. Use the brush to create a tight line along the upper and lower lashes, from corner to corner. Don’t start getting overly creative; just keep the blue tight into the lash line. If you feel like adding a bit of extra definition, take a black pencil and line inside the water line of both the upper and lower lashes.

Pro tip: Hold a folded tissue under your eye to avoid getting shadow all over your face.

Let’s move onto giving contour to the eyes because you don’t want to have them bare with just a blue line (that would be tacky). Use a medium brown eyeshadow in the crease of your eyelid. If your skin is dark toned, you will need to use a darker brown to get the same affect. This wash of color should be blended perfectly with no obvious start and stop points. Using a big, fluffy eyeshadow brush will help with that process.

Finally curl your lashes, swipe on one or two coats of your favorite mascara and pop on a beige-gold lip color.

Now your gorgeous-tropical-self can go takeover the island!

I’m not a “Do as I say, not as I do” kind of makeup artist so this Memorial weekend, I felt it was my patriotic and fashionable duty to honor the sailors flooding the island of New York with a makeup homage to the red, white and blue, specifically the blue.  My version was a bit softer and only went on the upper lid. The best thing about makeup is that you can always wipe it off. So get inspired and have fun!

Editor’s note: Got a celebrity look you’d like to copy or a trend you’d like to see incorporating healthy, non-toxic makeup? Send your questions to High Definition columnist Kristen Arnett at beauty@ecosalon.com

New York City based Kristen Arnett is an internationally renowned makeup artist and founder of the Green Beauty Team, styling high profile celebrities and runway models as well as a sought after beauty expert, educator and teacher for other makeup artists.

Image: Allure Magazine June 2011, photo by Michael Thompson

The post High Definition: Tropical Eyes appeared first on EcoSalon.