When you’re exposed to so many new products and line launches, it’s inevitable that you’d become cynical. “Suuure, this product is going to work,” you think sarcastically, happy that as a beauty editor you don’t have to waste any of your own money to disappointedly discover that yet another moisturizer failed to live up to the hype. So when I first tried In An Instant, the new line that Heidi Klum created with industry behemoth Guthy-Renker, I wasn’t expecting much; color me shocked when I became immediately addicted. The line’s premise is that it marries sophisticated, effective ingredients (namely antioxidants and—ta-da!—those all-important, magical peptides) with instantaneous results. (Um, hence, the name.) Better yet, it’s affordable…and, oh, did I mention that it works?

I first used the products last year, while living in England, when my skin was waging war against me: breaking out all over, all the time, and also finally showing my age in the form of fine-lines and one angry-looking wrinkle down the center of my forehead. It wasn’t pretty. The products arrived, I tried them in desperation…and when I glanced in the mirror an hour later, said angry-looking wrinkle was noticable diminished…smaller…deflated. I started using the entire regimen (Gentle Foaming Cleanser, Instant Warming Scrub, Intensive Firming Serum, Instant Wrinkle Smoother, Instant Daily Tinted Moisturizer and the Intensive Eye Treatment) twice daily, and a few days later all my breakouts went away…and stayed away. My skin felt softer and looked clearer and more radiant. And that wrinkle? The Instant Wrinkle Smoother pen kept it at bay all summer…until I ran out, returned to the States, and desperate for my IAI-fix, turned to Botox. (It’s a slippery slope, folks.)

Guthy asked me how I liked the products, I wrote poems and sang songs about how obsessed I was, and they eventually asked me to appear in their new infomercial extolling its virtues. It starts airing soon (and In An Instant is finally available!), so keep your eyes peeled for ol’ Jolie, and I’ll post a clip soon.

Exciting news—I’ve finally had a chance to see an advanced copy of my Bare Minerals infomercial appearance, a half-hour segment completely devoted to the magic that is Bare Minerals foundation.  I pop up about twelve minutes in, yammering on about how obsessed I am…how crap my skin is otherwise…how it’s my number one beauty product ever, blah, blah, blah. The thing is, it’s 100% true—I wasn’t paid for my appearance in the infomercial, and agreed to it because I was thrilled to be invited to participate.  It’s damn near impossible to not become jaded by products; as a beauty writer, you test so many that they start to blend together.  So when you find something that really stands out, it’s a lightening bolt moment, and that Oh-My-God-You-Have-To-Try-This! love is what Bare Minerals (and all the Bare Escentuals products) inspires in me.

Why do I love it?  (Surely you’re sick of this by now!)  Here’s the five-second version: It’s weightless, it covers all my redness, pigmentation, zits and acne scars, and it doesn’t make me feel like I have paint on my skin.  Yeah, it has SPF, too, but even if it were SPF-free, I’d still want to make babies with it.

BTW, While most women who’ve tried agree wholeheartedly with Bare Minerals’ merits, occasionally I’ll get an email from somebody who questions my devotion.  (They’re all, “Jolie are you on crack?  I hate it–why are you so obsessed?”)  The most common complaints I’ve heard regarding Bare Minerals come from those with extremely dry skin, usually older women.  I always advise them to moisturize well before applying foundation, and also mention that the brush you use will determine the type of coverage you get.  (My favorite is the Handy Buki, which gives medium-to-full airbrush-worthy coverage.)  If you find that the foundation settles into pores, another complaint I’ve heard a few times, using a primer after moisturizing will help you look flawlessly smooth, dahlings.  The simple truth is that not all beauty products will work for all women; my favorite could be your least, or vice versa.  That being said, nearly every gal I’ve turned onto Bare Minerals has similarly fallen in love.  Hand over heart, Jolie pledges to (at least attempt to) always steer you right!  

Cosmetic Executive Women held their annual CEW Awards Luncheon today at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York; I’ve been lucky enough to attend myself twice, and it’s a huge to-do.  The ballroom is packed with tables full of beauty editors, high-profile executives and a smattering of B-list celebs, and everybody twitters and clucks and shrieks as the winners are announced.  (Yes, just like in high school when they announced Homecoming Court over the loudspeakers, only this time the role of Head Cheerleader will be played by Allure’s Linda Wells.)  Some of the the winners which also happen to be Jolie obsessions:

Scented Bath and Body - Prestige: Tom Ford Beauty Black Orchid Finishing Spray
I cannot express my love for this product enough.  I want to eat it.  I want to bathe in it.  I want to marry it and have all its babies.  It is so, so sexy—even more amazing than the already-fabulous Black Orchid EDT and EDP.  Tom Ford famously said when creating Black Orchid that he wanted it to smell like the inside of a man’s crotch, which is the very height of weirdness.  Apparently, the inside of a man’s crotch is also all in the world that Jolie desires to spritz on herself.  So, you know, that’s bizarre.

Facial Skincare - Acne Treatment: Bare Escentuals Rare Minerals Blemish Therapy
From my favorite beauty company comes a preservative-free, all-natural, mineral zit treatment that uses sulfur.  Dab it on at night and pimples will quietly flee.

Makeup: Eye Product - Mass: Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara
Somehow, I didn’t get around to using this mascara until this morning for the very first time.  Predictably, I fell in love; the raves are all true, and it volumizes, lengthens and thickens like a dream.  This just might upstage Max Factor Lash Perfection as my favorite drugstore mascara. 

For a complete list of winners, click here, or check out Jessica Anderson from Sephora’s beauty blog’s live twitter updates from earlier.

Okay, people, I’ve gone over this a few times, but judging from some of the comments (not to mention the messed up makeup bags of my own friends), there’s a lot of confusion over how to properly use Bare Minerals!  At some point in time, like seventy years ago (or, I don’t know, seven), I watched the video that comes with the introductory kit, but I can’t remember if it explains this most crucial step or not: when you’re opening the jar, don’t remove the tape inside.  Rather, peel it back the teeniest bit to allow visibility of just a few holes.  Tap the jar onto the inside of the lid, allowing a small amount of makeup to escape—much less than you think you’d need!—and then swirl your brush around inside the lid.  (Hence the whole “Swirl, Tap, Buff” thing, which you can see in action at the website.)  When you’re done, retape the opening, so it’s completely closed.  If you take the tape off or pull it back too much, then a mess is absolutely guaranteed; with the tape securely on, all will be well in Mineralmakeupland!

I just took a peek at Sephora’s website, and lo and behold, the home page is devoted entirely to mineral makeup!  As you probably know—mostly because I will not shut up about it—I’ve been using mineral foundation for years, and consider myself something of an expert on the matter.  Not all mineral foundations are created equal, however.  Recently, I’ve been working with two facial plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills (much more on this later!), and I’ve been tapped as their skincare expert to help create an in-office and online store.  If you’re getting your face hacked to bits (in the name of beauty, bien sur!), there are two fairly good assumptions one can make: 1) You’re at least a teeny bit vain; and 2) Your skin is going to need some post-procedural TLC.  The leap to mineral foundation is therefore a natural one, since the best versions not only cover skin better than traditional foundation, but are also weightless and won’t irritate all those nips and tucks.  When I found out we couldn’t carry Bare Minerals (unlike some other cult mineral makeups, doctors’ offices can’t carry the brand), I was gutted, to say the least.  So began a search for mineral foundation that we could feature…and which I could stand behind.  And…sigh…the search is still on.  Over the years, I’ve tried Jane Iredale, Glo Minerals, Colorescience, L’Oreal, Hourglass, and blah…blah…blah.  I don’t like any of them, for various combinations of the following reasons: the powders aren’t as finely milled; the coverage is inferior; the packaging looks like it was made from recycled diapers, etc.  I’m always amazed when women corner me and ask, with a slight edge to their voice, “But, have you tried (insert mineral makeup brand here that is not Bare Minerals)???  It’s so much better!”  Alas, my friends, I’ve tried them all…and the only one I can get on board with is Bare Minerals–people are obsessed with it because it works.  And a couple of months ago, when Bare Escentuals approached me to appear in one of their infomercials…I agreed to extoll its virtues for free.  Why?  Like I said: because I’m obsessed…and because it works.

A. writes:

I bought Bare Escentuals bareMinerals foundation and am still a little shaky applying it.  I’ve read the brief primer on Sephora’s web site but find steps like ‘buff the bareMinerals into the skin in a circular motion…’ (huh) a little hard to visualize.  I emailed Sephora to suggest that they offer a video demo.  Since you’re a pro with mineral makeup, I thought maybe you could offer some tips.  I was a little heavy-handed in the bathroom this morning (on only my second day wearing it) and had to start one side over again.  I think I might look like a ghost!  Thanks.

Hi. A!  Thanks for the question.  BE can be a little tricky to apply at first (and, seriously, what the hell does “buff it into your skin” even mean??) but it really is very simple once you learn how to do it.1) Take off the sticker from the jar (either fully remove it, or peel it back about halfway.)  You’ll see about twenty tiny holes, and that’s where you’ll shake out the makeup from.2) Sprinkle a little of the powder from the exposed (or half-exposed) holes onto the inside of the black jar lid.3) Take your brush and put it on the makeup in the lid, then move the brush around the inside of the lid, until you’ve swept up all the visible makeup there.4) Tap the brush against something (your wrist, the sink, whatever.  Anything will do!) to let the extra makeup on the outside of the brush float into the air.  (Don’t do this two inches away from your new black or white shirt, as you will then be covered in tiny particles of makeup!)  The point of the whole lid swirling/tapping exercise is to get the makeup on the inside of the brush, rather than sitting on the edge of the bristles.  This is so the makeup is applied better and more naturally, rather than glopped on.5) Spend about five minutes lightly applying the makeup to your face with the brush.  I like to start on my cheeks, working my way to the nose, go around the crevises of the nose, get my eyelids, go up to my forehead, work around the edges of my face, then go onto my chin and the area under the chin.  Take your time.  Buff, paint, press, insert-whatever-verb-you-want-to-use-here…just put the damn brush against your face and apply the stuff!6) Repeat steps 2 -5 as much as is necessary to get a good application.  Doing it once or twice will give you light, tinted-moisturizer-esque coverage; doing it several times will make your skin look as flawless as a china doll’s.  Have fun!

Beauty Question: Complexion Luminizers

Friday, August 19th, 2005

C. writes,

I would LOVE it if you would write something about luminizers (if that’s the right name for them). It’s obvious that every model/celebrity in every magazine is wearing it, yet the accompanying text will inevitably only mention a blush color–are they trying to perepetuate the illusion that celebrites actually just naturally sparkle and glow? I want to know what is really on Naomi Watt’s cheeks! 

Very astute observation, C.! Yes, most celebrities have liberal amounts of luminizing powder, gel or cream applied just so to make their already blessed complexions look magical, like they’ve been kissed by fairies or something. (Obviously impossible, unless Colin Farrell counts. I have heard rumors.) Anyhow, there are several great products you can use for the same effect, and some of them are dirt cheap—no Hamptons home required for a gazillion-dollar glow, I swear. Try Wet ‘n’ Wild Mega Glow Face Illuminator, which is under $3 and works just as well as pricier luminizers. Dab it in the inner corners of your eye, under your eyebrows on the browbone, and on the apples of your cheeks, blending slightly. Just be careful not to get it near your nose or in the area between your eyebrows—both are high-shine zones, and you might end up looking like an oil slick. If you’re more of a powder-lover, try Bare Escentuals Clear Radiance ($18 and worth every penny). I’ve spoken at length about my love for this product, which makes your skin look healthy and glowy. (Apply a very small amount with a brush in a C-shape around your eyes and up to your temples.) Voilà! Now you’ll be Beyoncé-on-the-cover-of-Dangerously-in-Love’s twin.

My latest obsession

Friday, July 1st, 2005

I know I can’t shut up about Bare Escentuals makeup (truly the best foundation and concealer in existence), but I just discovered another Bare Escentuals product recently, and I’m hooked: Clear Radiance. It’s one of those shimmery powders that reflects light, and it has a slightly pinkish tone—which sounds garish and horrible, like something Christina Aguilera might wear, but is actually lovely and pretty—that brightens up the skin and makes everything look gauzy and fuzzy in a great, 1930’s-movie-closeup kind of way. My skin’s not bad, but definitely not gush-worthy; whenever I use this as the last step in my makeup routine, though, people fall over themselves to ask what I’m using or what my secret is. And, by the way, I promise I’m totally unbiased and aren’t secretly working for the company. I just love all their stuff that much.