InStyle has it. CEW has it. Self has it. Now Blinging Beauty has it.  My very own hand-picked list of winners — the Best of Blinging Beauty 2010.  A list of the best of the best of products that I have used and abused over the past year. I’m not going to recreate the wheel, but I will simply add to it.

Best in Foundation 2010

1. Best Liquid Foundation – Smashbox High Definition Health FX Foundation $38

Jam-packed with anti-aging ingredients, firms, moisturizes, contains an SPF 15 and has an sweet range of colors.

2.  Best Budget Liquid Foundation — L’Oréal True Match $10.95

Fabulous coverage, SPF 17, wide array of colors and oil free.

3.  Best Liquid Mineral Foundation– IMAN Luxury Radiance Liquid Makeup $15

Seamless finish, bronze and gold micro pearls for luminescence, vitamins and antioxidants.

4.  Best Pressed Mineral Foundation — Glominerals glo Pressed Base $39

Full-coverage, semi-matte finish, and colors that include the deepest brown. No crazy shine!

5. Best Organic Foundation – Vapour Organic Beauty Atmosphere Luminous Foundation $38

Antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, 70% organic ingredients, luminous finish, mineral infused, balances oil production…

6.  Best Tinted Moisturizer – Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer $42

The grand dame of all tinted moisturizers and in available in oil-free and luminizing formulas.  Flawless coverage, moisturizer and SPF 20.

7. Best Primer – Laura Geller Spackle $25

The price is right, it retexturizes skin skin while diminishing imperfections and is in a pre-measured air pump. Also available in bronze, which is ideal for brown skins.

All my best in beauty picks all deserve a whopping 5 Blings!

Check back tomorrow for the best in concealers.

A couple summers ago, I was renting a car for work, and the agent looked at my license and said “Happy birthday!” I replied, “Oh, thanks, it’s just another day.” Then he looked at me, and looked at the license and said, “Wow, I guess 50 must be the new 30.” Yes, he said 30. Now, I’m sure he was exaggerating a bit, but I’ll say it, I’m 52, but I don’t look a day over 40. Ok, 45. I know a huge factor in my youthful appearance my age defying looks are my genes. My granny is 97 and I don’t think she has a wrinkle. My mom died at 68 with skin that didn’t look older than 50. So I have a slight advantage. But, I do have a few tricks up my sleeve:

(more…)

I’m anti a lot of stuff. Like women who wear leggings and have no business in them. Or decaffeinated cofee. I just don’t get that one. But for the intents and purposes of my blog, I’m anti-aging. Yup. Who the heck wants to age “gracefully?” No such thing. I’m fighting it all the way. I’m working on a black belt in anti-aging. Which brings me to my latest rant on the anti-aging market — foundations. Good grief, there are a gazillion of them. You can find them in drugstore brands and in prestige brands. More magazine had their picks, but for women of color, the top of the line French brands seem to be a bit ashy. That’s been my experience at least.

Smashbox High Definition Healthy FX Foundation

I have two on my list of favorites right now. First up is Smashbox HIGH DEFINITION HEALTHY FX FOUNDATION .

An oil-free, weightless formula packed with anti-aging, revitalizing, and firming ingredients that work overtime to provide cellular nutrition for skin. UVA/UVB SPF 15 offers sun protection, vitamin C fights free radicals, and new cell-energizing Ribose renews the appearance of skin.

It works. Not only does my skin look perfect, but it feels like perfection. At the end of the day I don’t have that feeling like I just want to scrape my makeup off. And, what I love most, is that firming action. You can feel it and see it.

LORAC Breakthrough Performance Foundation

My second favorite is LORAC Breakthrough Performance Foundation

Oil-Free Anti-Aging Foundation with SMS Complex and SPF14 combines pre-aging, anti-aging, hydrating, and smoothing ingredients along with antioxidants to help skin appear youthful, rejuvenated, and radiant.

My skin is absolutely luminous with this foundation. The finish is skin-like, lightweight. and flawless. Only a half a pump is plenty for complete coverage. Combined with the Double Feature Concealer, my skin looks like it did when I was in my 20’s. The addition of anti-aging ingredients gives me confidence that my foundation is helping my skin, not hurting it.

Bottom line on whether anti-aging foundations work in the long run is difficult to determine. If you are a skin care addict like me, the foundation is probably like the frosting on the cake. It just adds a little somthing something. But, if you are a minimalist and need a boost, an anti-aging foundation may be just what you need.

Both LORAC and Smashbox foundation get 5 blings!

It’s all about the eyes folks.  I’m almost obsessed with keeping my dark circles disguised and aging well-traveled skin luminescent.  So yesterday I got to play with some makeup  from Smashbox at the REIGN event (Valley Fair Nordstrom) and tried out a product that was on my gotta-get-it list.  It’s called Photo Op.  This awesome under eye brightener is a multi-tasker, and you know my love of double-duty products right?  Apply Photo Op prior to concealer and the result is an amazing wake-up call for tired eyes.

So, Why do I love Photo Op?  Hmmm, let me count the ways…

1.  No color choices — one-fits-all.  Perfect for a makeup artist with too much stuff already.

2.  It’s lightweight and sheer.

3.  It adds moisture and good-for-your-skin yumminess like peptides, vitamin E, marine collagen and red wine extract. (Like At the Copacabana  Frederick said, who’d a thunk something that makes you dark and puffy– red wine– would actually do the opposite on the skin??? Sorry for the insider reference there)  So it’s anti-aging too!

4.  It multi-tasks by also taking on highlighting other areas of the skin.  They didn’t have to tell me twice — I had that stuff on every high point on my face — cheekbones, brow bones, down the center of my nose and at the outer corner of my eyes.

Smashbox Photo Op

Photo shoots often start at the crack of dawn when even models and celebs don’t look their best and dark circles loom. That’s why we created this innovative under eye brightener that immediately wakens and brightens skin while adding moisture to prepare for concealer application. Contains lots of skin-boosting ingredients too, like vitamin E, red wine extract, peptides and marine collagen, to help disguise and repair fine lines and wrinkles. PHOTO OP can be used on any area of the face to highlight and add radiance. Winner of Self Magazine Healthy Beauty Award for Best Highlighter.

Before concealer, apply PHOTO OP UNDER EYE BRIGHTENER under eyes and blend out using fingers. For a lifted and youthful appearance, highlight the inner corners of the eye and orbital bone. You can even fake a plump pout by dabbing PHOTO OP on the top of the cupid’s bow.

 

$18.

If you have a chance to check out the lovely ladies at the Smashbox counter in Nordstrom Valley Fair , you won’t be disappointed.  Big props to Amanda who invited me and has great PR skills!  The Smashbox REIGN event is going on today too!

I love Photo Op. It gets a definitely deserves 5 out of 5 blings.