Have sensitive skin that gets irritated by sunscreens?  Avoid so-called “chemical blockers” containing ingredients like Mexoryl, Parsol 1789, Helioplex, PABA and Oxybenzone, and instead pick a “physical blocker” sunscreen that relies on titanium dioxide or, even better, zinc oxide.  Not only are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide effective against both UVA and UVB rays without irritating skin, they’re also considered safer by green watchgroups like the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.

Two great physical blockers you might try: Blue Lizard Australian Suncream Sensitive Formula SPF 30 (with 5% titanium dioxide and 10% zinc oxide) and Neutrogena Sunblock Lotion Sensitive Skin SPF30.

Photo from Untouchable Britney

Last month, I mentioned that Britney Spears was shooting her new video at the polo club, and the finished result is finally here!  She’s back in fine form — check it out, and tell me if you don’t understand why I think polo is the sexiest, most awesome sport in the world.  For those uninitiated in Jolie-lore, after I left the magazine industry in 2005, I spent nearly 2 years in Palm Beach and England working with Carlos Gracida, the winningest polo player in history–who happens to be the Queen of England’s favorite player!  (I literally have a photo in my possession of the Queen gazing up at Carlos with a goofy grin on her face.)

It’s reported that the video was shot at the Bacara Resort and Spa in Santa Barbara, but I’m pretty sure it was actually shot at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club in Carpinteria.   (Dude.  Jolie knows her polo.)  I think it’s time for a primer for my fair readers–it definitely looks like the polo trend is hotting up!

Watch Britney’s On The Radar polo video here. 

This past weekend, I was invited to a party for high-end makeup line Le Metier de Beaute at Studio BeautyMix.  (Le Metier is a chic superbrand popular with makeup artists and beauty insiders.)

At the party, I met up-and-coming singer Kristinia De Barge, who recently performed on So You Think You Can Dance, is James De Barge’s daughter, and is opening for Britney Spears on tour!  Kristinia and I chatted about beauty, and she kindly submitted to a Jolie interview–answers coming soon!

Back to the makeup: I was impressed with Le Metier de Beaute’s textures and colors.  They’re rich, finely-milled, and highly pigmented.  I personally find it hard to shell out a lot of cash on makeup items unless they’re the best of the best, and even I found myself craving the Le Metier lipglosses.  I wouldn’t advise purchasing the entire line unless you have money to burn, but their gorgeous lipglosses or the multi-level eyeshadow palette are definitely worth a one-time splurge.

I don’t know how much the handcrafted Kaleidoscope Cosmetic Trunk costs…but I’m sure it’s not cheap!

Maybe the title of this post should read, “Why in the world would I want to wear green eyeshadow?”  The hesitation is understandable–green is trendy, it feels young, and it doesn’t exactly go hand-in-hand with quiet sophistication.  Would Audrey Hepburn wear green?  Methinks not!

However!  Take it from ol’ Jolie: a few swipes of green in the right places will liven, brighten and freshen up your face, without making you look garish or silly.  It’s an easy way to have a little fun with your makeup, especially when your clothes, for whatever reason, are on the more conservative side.  I created this look for a friend who needed to wear a basic black dress, but still wanted her makeup to pop.

Let’s do this thing!

Step 1: Create a smokey base
Green goes best with a slightly more dramatic eye.  Keeping your makeup dead simple and then adding, say, a random ka-boom! of green all over your lids will only accentuate the fact that you are dipping into the Crayola.  By sliding green into an already sexy eye, you’ll actually get away with the unexpected color more easily.  I’m a fan of the smokey eye combo of bronze plus rusty brown.  (There really is no wrong with it comes to smokey–experiment and see what works for you.)

Step 2: Line your eyes in black, brown or grey
Create an anchor with your eyeliner.  We’ll be adding the green later. Stay as close to the lash line as possible, using a well-sharpened pencil, or a brush dipped into either powder or gel liner.  Avoid liquid liner; it will steal the show.

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Jolie considers herself an expert on various and sundry topics: mineral makeup, Kate Middleton’s hair, the hottest polo players, and lychee martinis, to name but a few.  But eye cream?  Total beauty neophyte.

Every beauty gal has one or two areas that she’s a bit weak in, and eye creams are truly my Achilles heel.  When a friend emailed me requesting a recommendation for a great eye cream, I didn’t even try to pretend I knew what I was talking about!

I took it to Twitter, asking my Tweeps for their suggestions, and I received excellent answers in spades.  Here, some favorites from other beauty writers:

@EmilyLFoley: Ole Henriksen’s Visual Truth Eye Cream in the African Red Tea collection is super rich and great for crow’s feet!
@retrodiva: Have you tried Freeze 24-7? I personally think it works miracles.
@TheIMakeupMaven: Garnier’s daily eye cream SPF 15 is great.
@Carleenp: I use regular Creme de la Mer as an eye cream. A sample size from ebay will last for months.
@beauty411: One of my HG eye creams = Zelens Intensive Triple Action Eye Cream; expensive, but worth every cent.

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