Products of the Month - September

Is it Fall already?  The Pros at IMPO think it still feels like summer, at least it does in So Cal!  Fall is our favorite time of the year because not only is it time to add to our boot collection and put up our Halloween decorations, it’s also time to shop for new makeup!

This is a good time of year to consider purchasing a new bottle, tube or compact of your foundation because the stuff you have been using since Spring is getting old and skanky!

It is also not a bad idea to invest in a new concealer and powder too and if you have a powder puff in your pressed compact…it is way past the gross, stinky stage and has collected enough of your DNA to make even the most sturdy FBI agent or crime scene investigator cringe! Time to chuck that and invest in a powder brush and blot papers for on-the-go touch ups!

So to help you embrace the Fall Season (even if you still have summer weather in your neck of the woods), here is a list of products the Pros love for the month of September:

Orlane Paris Anagenese 25+ Serum – statics show that aging begins at age 25 and becomes visible towards age 35-40.  By effectively fighting against signs of aging, you can delay the transformation of the skin.  The youngest member of the IMPO Pro team, Cathi Singh, swears by this product and thinks that it is an ideal product to begin your morning skincare routine with, plus it gives off an immediate healthy glow effect.  This serum will also help to even out skin tone and texture.  Try mixing it into your liquid foundation and then apply, Cathi swears this application trick works to minimize large pores!

Osmotics Blue Copper 5 Firming Eye Repair – another favorite in Cathi Singh’s Pro skincare arsenal is this creamy-gel formula product that contains peptides and anti-aging proteins that help boost collagen levels lost due to aging.  Big bonus: it even helps makeup around the eyes stay put!

Smashbox Eye Beam Double-Ended Brightener – this innovative brightener delivers the look of big, bright eyes quickly and easily!  Use the “highlight” end inside corners of the eyes and beneath the brow to make eyes appear bigger and wider.  Use the “rim” end on the lower waterline to brighten the whites of the eyes and make them pop!

Senna Cosmetics Eye Shadow – in Fixation and Blend are amazing colors from Senna’s Fall 2010 collection.  IMPO Pro Celeb MUA, Melissa Street, can’t get enough of these colors!  To achieve Senna Cosmetics' creator, Eugenia Weston's bold eye look below apply Fixation (a deep green hue) to the outer corners and in the crease, while using Blend to blur edges, infusing the colors together.  Gorgeous, sexy, sultry and perfect for Fall!

Illamasqua Precision Ink – this liner is incredibly pigmented and long lasting!  The fine tip applicator allows for perfect line drawing along lash line, waterline areas (tight lining) or for creating artwork on the body.  Totally waterproof and dries in seconds, this product comes in two colors a deep black called Abyss and an antique gold called Alchemy.

Smashbox Cream Eyeliner Palette – in Proof this palette is packed with 10 shades of mini cream liners.  Colors include: Lava (deep slate shimmer), Picasso (deep ink blue), Midnight Purple (deep violet), Midnight Brown (dark chocolate), Putty (medium brown), Caviar (true jet black), Thunder (mossy gray), Midnight Green (deepest chalkboard green), Deep Bronze (chocolate shimmer) and Cameo (russet brown).  Great for all eye colors!

Maybelline The Falsies Volume Express Mascara – all the Pros agree that Maybelline has knocked it out of the ballpark with this mascara.  We love a false lash and this product helps create length without the hassle of applying an actual full-strip false lash.  Two coats on upper lashes are recommended and check out the unique brush!

Smashbox Brow Tech To Go – the geniuses at Smashbox created this amazing portable, travel-friendly version of their iconic Brow Tech.  Double-ended component includes an angled, longwearing, waterproof pencil for precise filling and defining of the brows and a soft hold gel with a brow brush applicator to groom brows perfectly into place.

NARS Douceur Blush – another Pro fav, this blush is a flawless soft pink-brown hue that can be used to pop the cheeks, contour or warm up the forehead, jaw line and nose.  Sheer, natural hint of color that gently adds a delicate kiss to the cheeks!

Bobbi Brown Lip Color - in Black Maple from Bobbi's new Black Velvet Collection is a stunning, deep, rich shade of black, red plum!  This lipstick is Bobbi's original formula that treats lips to color with a soft-matte finish.  This is a limited edition color so stock up!

OPI Lincoln Park After Dark nail color - to match those sensuous lips try a dark plum nail color for both your fingers and toes!

OSIS by Schwarzkopf Freeze Super Hold Pump Hairspray – we don’t normally talk about a ton of hair products on this blog, but we just had to let our readers know about this product.  A very high performance hair spray that is long lasting and can perform under adverse conditions of temperature and humidity.  It won’t leave your hair feeling crunchy or leave you with a layer of white build up when you brush it out!

TIGI Wax Stick – do you all get those crazy flyaway hairs from static or when there is low humidity or when you pull a sweater on over your head?  Us too!  The Pros have found the perfect hair wax that, when used sparingly, concurs bed head, static head and unruly hair in general!

PRO TIPS AND TRICKS:

We know we don’t need to keep telling our readers this, but…you should be cleaning your personal makeup brushes at least once a week or more.  IMPO Pro, Melissa Street, keeps ColoreScience Brush Cleanser right next to her brush holder for a quick and easy clean.  Sanitizing your brushes means that your skin will be healthier too and this product will help prevent build-up of bacteria and makeup residue on brush bristles!

* Photo credit - V Magazine Fall 2010

Body Electric!

I sing the body electric

I glory in the glow of rebirth

Creating my own tomorrow

When I shall embody the earth...

Remember Fame? This was a very important and inspiring movie to this Pro back in 1980! I wanted to be a dancer, singer, actress and musician. I wanted to attend New York’s High School for Performing Arts!

However, like many young teenagers, I had a warped sense of what a healthy body should look like and spent many hours pouring over the pages of Vogue, Glamour and Cosmo! Skinny models looked amazing to me and I didn’t understand why I couldn’t look like them!

When I became a makeup artist I worked with tons of professional models and I discovered something…they have a very hard job. They have to stay thin (sometimes abnormally thin) in order to work. They don’t eat! They don’t indulge in a craving! They are not “normal!”

No offense to anyone; it just became very clear to me that my body type was not that of a fashion model even though I had the height! I was happy that I chose a different path by making those models even more beautiful through the art of makeup.

We can’t all have a dancer’s body even if we spend 5 days a week in the gym! Dancers are gifted and use different muscle groups when they “work out” and getting on the machines at the gym just doesn’t do the job! You have to move your body and dance like no one is watching!

Through the natural process of aging our skin looses elasticity and muscle tone if we do not exercise and we have to watch what food we put into our body as well. When this Pro was young, eating the occasional Hostess Twinkie was not a big deal, but today I would feel incredibly guilty if I allowed myself to taste that delectable treat.

Why? Because I know myself and I can’t have just one Twinkie, I must have several and that is bad for the body! Plus, do you know how far you have to walk on the treadmill to burn off the calories in just one Twinkie? Yikes! I don’t have that kind of time!

When you are a Pro MUA and you work on a movie or television set, there is an area that I try to stay away from as much as possible…that area is called “Craft Service!” Now, craft service is made up of amazing chefs and other crewmembers, whose full-time job is to provide the cast and other crew with food. Sometimes healthy and sometimes not!

You can get almost anything your little heart desires from craft service; grilled chicken, steamed veggies, fresh fruit, Ding Dongs, donuts, ice cream…see what I mean? Combine that food with the amount of stress a cast and crew is under while making that next big blockbuster film and you can imagine how out of control a person’s eating habits can get!

Celebrities have personal trainers and nutritionist that helps them stay fit, but what about us? It takes a village my friends and support from others for this Pro to control her cravings and to put those Ho, Ho’s DOWN!

Thank goodness there are many incredible beauty products on the market that can help your body look hot even when you have skipped your routine work out days at the gym or if you happen to be a complete couch potato!

This Pro thinks that all women are beautiful regardless of size, shape or color and it is time we all took a good look in the mirror! We need to appreciate ourselves and love those things we can’t change and take control of those we can!

Self-discipline is the name of the game, but there is no harm in purchasing those little body “helpers” invented by smart people who understand that sometimes we just don’t want to exercise or that we love to eat bread with loads of butter everyday (thank you Spanx)!

When this Pro is feeling lazy or like my body could use a little…makeover, I reach for the following products:

Clarisonic - this unbeatable skin care system comes with a brush head for both your face and body. Use it to say sayonara to dry spots and dead skin cells on your arms, legs and decollete!

Orlane Paris – S.O.S. Abdomen Firm & Reshape – "the must-have bodycare product to help remodel your abdomen and control sagging skin." Ladies!!!! Have you recently had a baby or have lost weight? Does your abdomen need a little tightening? Then you should try this product! Your skin will appear firmer and better toned!

CoverBlend – Corrective Leg & Body Makeup SPF 18 – an opaque, natural finish makeup developed to correct any imperfection on the hands, legs and body. Smudge and water resistant treatment makeup that moisturizes and protects the skin from the sun! Can cover tattoos and other discolorations (age spots, varicose veins, bruises, birth marks).

Talika – Bust Serum – this serum is a comprehensive beauty package giving volume, lift and firmness to the breast. It can prevent the tissue from sagging and improves bust appearance.

Lucy B – Frangipani Bronzer – pour a small amount of this incredible bronzing oil into your hands and apply to decollette, face, arms, and hair to add shine and shimmer! Has an amazing tropical fragrance of frangipani and coconut! Hello summer!

Clarins – Extra-Firming Body Care Replenishing Cream – gives your body nourishment and moisture. Helps to firm and revitalize skin everyday. Overtime skin can become more supple, softer and silky-smooth.

fresh – Umbrian Clay Treatment Soap – this bar can be used on your face and body to dramatically improve the overall quality of your skin. I use this daily in the summer to clean off sunscreen residue after a day at the pool or the beach!

It Cosmetics – My Beautiful Breasts – can't afford a "boob" job? Now you can and the best part about this amazing product...no pain! This ket contains everything you will need to make your breasts appear full and lifted instantly. Plus this is a waterproof formula so you can exercise or swim and this product will not fade. Comes with a handy step-by-step instruction guide and this kit works on all body types and skin tones!

Carol’s Daughter – Almond Cookie Sea Salt & Body Scrub - what I love most about all the products from Carol's Daughter is that Carol's Daughter is really making, mixing, blending and testing all of those incredible products herself! This body scrub is perfect for smoothing rough or dry skin and it contains pure ingredients. Your body will be glowing!

Tarte Cosmetics – celluFight – this product does double duty! You can get a great tan and get taut in one easy step! This product helps to hydrate the skin and gradually tans your skin overtime, which can help to minimizes the appearance of cellulite. Also, it is formulated with skinTIGHT complex which will firm and tone the skin increasing elasticity.

Mdskincare Dr. Dennis Gross – Alpha Beta Daily Body Peel – designed with all skin types in mind, this product is first a peel formulated for daily at-home use. It is a unique two-step system with ready-to-use pads that contain a precise blend of alpha-hydroxy and beta-hydroxy acids, as well as many other ingredients that will smooth and moisturizer your skin making it appear healthier and more vibrant.

Orlane Paris – Refining Arm Care – this product was created to target the arm area and to effectively fight against sagging skin. Used properly this product will help your arms regain their toned, defined and firm appearance. Make sure you follow directions and use for the recommended 45 days of treatment for the best results.

Sampar – Dew It Again Shower Gel – when this Pro needs a little pick-me-up I reach for Sampar's shower gel. This product completely indulges all of your senses and will make you feel renewed and invigorated. Plus it removes toxins and pollutants from your skin while reinforcing a natural barrier of defense helping to keep your skin smooth.

Laura Geller – Body Frosting – this is an extremely fine, silky smooth powder that adds warm luminosity to the body. Use to add a sexy shimmer to your arms, legs, shoulders, back and decollette.

Me! Bath – Shower Sherbet – when it is time to have a little bit of "fun" in the shower (no, ladies, not that kind of fun!), I reach for this Shower Sherbet! It smells just like a weekend afternoon when the dark clouds are rolling in and you get caught in a huge rain storm. Jump into a hot shower and let this product energize your body!

These products don’t exactly make me a Dolce & Gabbana super model, but they make me feel like The Body Electric song says…”and in time, and in time, we will all be stars!”

PRO TIPS & TRICKS:

If you suffer from chest wrinkles then you are going to love what this Pro discovered at the recent IMATS Convention back in June. Nothing is more aging than wrinkles on your once beautiful chest! Decollette Pads were designed to correct and prevent chest wrinkles caused by sleeping on your side, sun damage, aging and gravity! These pads are made of 100% medical grade silicone and are reusable for up to 30 days! To place an order for Decollette Pads visit them online at www.decollettepads.com.

STAY TUNED:

Up next on IMPO: Cover up! Got a tattoo or other skin issue? Tired of people commenting on it or need to cover it up for work or special occasion? Our next post will take you through step-by-step instructions on how to disguise your body art or birthmark!