Lost your glow? Stressed out?  Too much work and not enough sleep? Maybe too much partying and not enough sleep? New baby and not enough sleep?  Or maybe age has crept up on you and robbed you of that youthful glow.

All of the aforementioned can rob us of our natural glow.  Don’t fret — faux glow options are plentiful and can help your fake a beautiful, rested, illuminated, fresh and best you!

Top 10 Glowgetters

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So you love to rock the smokey eye, do you? Well, it’s summer, so you need to rock it with a lighter touch.   Instead of deep grays or blacks, try a shimmery light metallic silvery gray.

Check out gorgeous Ciara’s sexy summer eye makeup at Marina Abramovic’s “The Artist is Present” hosted by Givenchy at The Museum of Modern Art on June 1, 2010 in New York City.

Ciara attends the closing of Marina Abramovic's "The Artist is Present" hosted by Givenchy at The Museum of Modern Art on June 1, 2010 in New York City. Getty Images

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I have some goodies to give away.  And I’m not below using it gain new readers!  So this is the deal:

Refer your friends to my blog, either with google connect or Facebook.  Be sure they leave a comment saying who referred them!  They also must sign in to follow my blog.  To win this contest, you must be in the continental U.S., and you must leave a comment as well as to why you love Smashbox makeup.  An email address and name helps too…

Here is what you get:

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I recently received a goody box filled with all sorts of beauty booty. And I have to say that the Illamasqua products I recieved are beyond awesome.  For those of you who are not familiar with the London-based  line Illamasqua, newly transplanted in Sephora stores, it’s a candyland of color and texture.  For the makeup artist in me, Illamasqua is a dream to work with.  It’s pretty rare that I fall in love with everything I try within a line, but I have NO complaints about Illamasqua.

llamasqua is the product of a heady mix of influences. Its roots stem from the dark and illicit 1920s club scene, and combine a rich heritage in the manufacture of make-up for film and theatre. It also takes inspiration from members of the ‘alternative scenes’ for whom self-expression is paramount. Alternative cultures have always dared to be dramatic. They have an emotional attachment to making up. It’s an expression of their darker side, a release for their alter ego.

Illamasqua is for the bolder person hiding inside all of us. It is an act and an attitude. A symbol of tolerance. A celebration of idiosyncrasies. A confident statement of self-ownership.

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Megan Goode Photo by Ronnie Wright

Heavy Metal. I’m not talking head banging music, I’m talking banging style.  Fuse your Friday fashion finesse with some metallic makeup and accessories for the fiercest Friday yet.  It doesn’t matter if your metal of choice is gold or silver, there is a metallic look for you.  From eyeliner to eyeshadow, mascara to lipgloss and blush to bronzer, there is a bit of “Metallica” for every fierce chick.

I love this look on Megan Good because it emphasizes everything “good” about her luscious looks.  Her eyes, her lips, she is just oozing yumminess.  Try these 5 steps to get your metal glow.

5 Steps to Maximize your Metallic Makeup know-how

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Snapfire Image

So you partied a bit too much over the weekend. Or maybe your sick child kept you up all night. Whatever the case, your face is proof positive that you had a hard night. No worries. Save face with these simple fixes for face fatigue. Remember, fake it till you make it – to bed tonight that is.

1. Dull, lackluster skin.

Whether it’s from too much alcohol or from sheer exhaustion, nothing says night of the living dead like a complexion without life. Don’t cover up with a heavy foundation. Instead infuse life to your skin with a tinted moisturizer. Triple duty products that provide color (check), moisture (check) and SPF (check) you will have instant glow. You can even find tinted moisturizer with illumination.

Brands that work:

• Almay
• Laura Mercier
• Stila

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In an era when China is buying up all the gold it possibly can to solidly back its paper currency, those of use who are reduced to acquiring gold in the beauty aisles need to step up our game. One of the many, many makeup trends for Fall 2009 is working your personal bling style in heavy metal — gold to be exact.  The trick of course with any “trend” is to not overdo it.  Check out  how to incorporate the gold makeup trend into your everyday looks as well as how to rock it while having a night on the town.

Every brand from prestige to mass market drugstore has some gold bling that can be easily worn day into evening.  The key of course is application technique as well as knowing when to go all out and when to keep your look understated.

So let’s work it ladies; let’s get our gold digger in full effect.  Here are my top 5 choices for best in Gold.

LORAC Luminzer Gold

1.  Face
 
Let your face glow with the gold. I’m not talking greasy shine, but a natural lit from within glow.  I know, it sounds corny, but it looks beautiful.  Your friends will ask you what you have been doing….Get this look by adding a subtle sheen to your skin with a liquid liminizer.  Use under foundation or mix with your foundation.  You can also apply on the top of cheek bones for highlight.   Be sure you use a light hand, you don’t want to look halloweenish.  I love LORAC Luminzer in Gold.  This Luminzer is gorgeous on all skins, but is particularly gorgeous on tanned, olive and brown skins.  Only $28 and lasts forever.

2. Blush

Try a blush that boasts double-duty properties  with a touch of gold shimmer.  For a glowing complexion or to create shimmering accents, NARS The Multiple in South Beach  is your go-to product.  A creamy stick of apricot shimmer that dries down to a velvet finish, it’s the perfect pick for subtle gold highlight and color for your cheeks. $37  I should also mention that while the price may seem steep on the Multiple, these makeup sticks from heaven last a lifetime! 

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You’ve worn their jeans, now wear their makeup. Rock & Republic has the hottest, sexiest most worthwhile makeup on the planet right now.  Okay, I’m more than a little excited obviously.  I was a virgin to the line until last week when an awesome “counter girl” hipped me the line which features blinging compacts and pigment overload.  OMG, I’m in love.  Of late I have had an aversion to spending too much money on makeup, but R&R has changed my attitude.

Why I love Rock & Republic Makeup:

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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.