Misadventures With Bobbi Brown

Today I went to a Bobbi Brown event at Bloomingdale's where they'd do my make up and teach me about their products. I was super excited and jumped at the idea because I've just started getting into their products and I've read all of Bobbi's books on make up, so I know she's the foremost advocate of making make up to fit a wide range of skin tones. Not to mention the event was free.

I went in with high hopes that I'd be made to look naturally beautiful, since that is what I got from Bobbi's book. Your make up isn't supposed to change you, it should still be your skin, just a little better.

Well, when I got there I met up with my make up artist and was really excited because she was a Latina and has a very similar skin tone to me. However, all I can say now is that it all went down hill from there. I was hoping to get fitted for shades that would look great on an everyday basis. What ended up happening was the make up artist not listening to what it was that I wanted and instead doing whatever she pleased. It all started out alright, with concealer and foundation but those are easy since I already knew my shade. Once we got into blush and eye shadows it was evident that this make up artist was either bored and wanted to try something new or really had no idea what she was doing.

In any case, by the end of it my skin looked ashy, the blush looked too dark and she used a dark moss eyeshadow paired with a lilac shimmer that was, to put it lightly, extremely unflattering on my skin tone. I hated everything she'd done. When she was done she looked super proud and asked if I wanted to purchase any of the products she'd used on me. The only response I could muster was that I had to think about it.

All in all that visit was a bust, but I wont let that stop me from discovering more about the brand. From me looking around after my "make over" I could see that there were many shades that I knew would look great on me, even lipsticks shades. So, I'll be back, because I honestly do believe that the brand is versatile for different skin tones, I just need to either find someone who is better at selecting shades for my olive skin or just root around the counter until I find what is right for me. So, for now I will stick to what I know; their corrector (pictured left). Their corrector in "peach" is a godsend for my never ending under eye circles.

More updates on the brand once I get some more products to write about it.

Benefit, For White Girls Only?

While shopping at Sephora this past week I was looking at Benefit cosmetics when a consultant approached me and let me know that the brand, "Wouldn't have anything that would fit my skin tone."

Not sure who asked her, but I want to set the record straight. While Benefit Cosmetics is most often geared toward fairer skinned women (like most make up brands, what else is new?) it does not mean that it will not fit Latina skin tones. I can attest to this by saying that I have been using Benefit make up for some time now and while all of it is not flattering to more Olive complexions there are still some amazing finds in this line. So, I'm going to let you in on the secrets.

Let's start from the beginning. You want your skin to be moisturized and healthy before you put on any make up. The best thing I've found for my skin is Benefit's "That Gal" it's pink and ever so slightly shimmery, it also smells delicious! You think this primer may not fit your skin tone, but really, it does. It may be pink but it's not opaque and it adds that little bit of a healthy rosy glow to your skin. You can wear it alone or under make up.

For foundation and concealers they actually have some pretty good options for us cafe au lait ladies. As a lady with some dark under eye circles I can honestly say that the combo of "Boi-ing" (this one goes first) and "Erase Paste" is pretty magical for my "darkness" as I like to call it. I use the shade "medium" for both of them, but they also have a "light" and a "dark" option.
"Erase Paste" is a little hard to get the hang of at first, but after learning it is so worth it! "Boi-ing" is also a little hard to use at first, but just understand that you need a light finger (ring finger) patting of this product and then pat it in, don't blend it.

Next, when it comes to foundations I've found that Benefit may not have many different types but the two that I have tried have been great. I like nice, even and light coverage when it comes to my foundation, so this brand is fabulous for that kind of thing! I started out using "Hello Flawless!" in the summer, it's a powder foundation, is light and keeps me matte. I use the color "All The World's My Stage" it's a great beige shade that blends in nicely with my skin color. When the colder season rolled around I needed something a bit more moisturizing I switched to "Some Kind- A Gorgeous" and also loved it. It comes in light, medium and dark shades as well and I like to use the medium shade. Once again, this was a nice, light (but build-able) foundation that evened out my skin tone and looked natural. It's nice and creamy to begin with, which is nice for dry winter skin but then turns into powder, which is also nice for oily skin.

My favorite of their blushes for us more medium skinned girls is called "Sugar Bomb" because it's so versatile. If you look at the picture on the left you'll see that it comes with four shades. I like to swish my brush around in a circle to get all four colors and then put it on, it's a wonderful shade and smells amazing.

Another option the brand has for blush is a stain called "Benetint" from looking at it in the bottle you wouldn't think it'd look good on Olive skin but believe me, I have tried it and it is universally flattering and the best part is that it can also be worn on lips!


If you're going out for a night of dancing (or just feel like your skin needs a little extra oomph) I like to use their highlighter called "High Beam" it's also a universally flattering color that really does give you nice healthy "glow." The great thing is that it's not "BAM! glitter," it's more like "Ooooh shiny!" I really like using it on the apples of cheeks, on the bridge of my nose and under my brows. I look instantly healthy.

On to the eyes! I can rave on and on about their eye primer called "Stay! Don't Stray" it is truly amazing for keeping your under eye concealer and eyeshadow on all day without creasing. The shade it comes in works well for my medium skin tone, though if you're a little darker than that this shade may not work for you. In any case, using the primer under their concealer and "Creaseless (Really!) cream eye shadows"(my favorites are "R.S.V.P" and "Get Figgy") really does the job, your make up wont crease or go anywhere all day.

When it comes to mascara I have to say that "Bad Gal" is amazing but only in the waterproof version, otherwise you end up with raccoon eyes (trust me, I did it). Their "Bad Gal" eyeliner, which is waterproof, is also great. Be warned though that you have to sharpen it, nonetheless it's great for smudgy looks.

My go to for eyebrows is "Brow Zings," I haven't found anything that works better than this. I use it in the color "dark" and it's perfect for my skin tone/hair color. I really recommend it.

That about does it for my recommendations. I use a lot more of their products, but I can personally recommend these for a wide range of medium skin tones.

Finding A Good Red Lipstick

I have read and been told that Latina women should not wear red lipstick because it doesn't fit out skin tone and because it makes our already full lips look bigger. Well, you know what I have to say to that? Que churro!

Latina women most definitely can wear red lipstick. I own several shades (from MAC) and I find that red lipsticks can go from everyday to dramatic you just have to know what to look for.

For a nice everyday fall look I like to wear "Hot Tahiti" (right) it's a little more crimson, and it's a nice red without being too in your face. For spring and summer I like to wear "Lady Bug" (left) as my everyday shade. It's on the lighter side of the red spectrum. In the tube both these shades look a little scary, but these shades are of the "lustre" type, which means that they are actually a little on the sheer side and therefore not true to the tube, pero, son colores hermosos para piel cafe con leche.

If you want to go a little more wham, bam, thank you ma'am! Then Mac also has you covered. One of the best shades I've found is Viva Glam I (which can be seen on the right.) It's an intense deep crimson red and looks fabulous on olive skin and dark hair.

If you really want some MORE oomph, then go for a very true bright red. The best shade for Olive skin is "Russian Red" seen here on the left. This is as true to red as you can get. It's definitely an "in your face" shade , pero con confianza any Latina can pull off this little number.

So, que esperas? Go find try some of these at the counter, and find the one that makes you feel bonita.

"People don't understand Latina beauty"

Maria Cristina, the founder of Para Me (a for Latinas make-up line) understands the Latina woman's struggle for the right make up. This article, brought to my attention by a coworker, rings so true within Latina culture. It has some really interesting statistics, "Some 88% of Latinas use lipstick or lip gloss compared to 82% of women overall. And 66% of Latinas use foundation compared to 58% overall, according to Expose magazine."

We're obviously a huge demographic for the make up market and yet we struggle to find the right shades for our skin. It's great to see that someone is trying to fill the void that exists for Latina make up. I can attest to the fact that it is hard to find the right shades of most things; foundation and lipstick especially are a constant struggle. I find that foundations are too pink and lipsticks are too yellow. As of right now Maria is still struggling to get her cosmetics line in stores, but it looks like she is making baby steps towards getting these shades out there to all Latinas.

If you see this woman's make up line in your area support a struggling Latina entrepreneur, who is testing the Latina make up waters, and perhaps find a make up line that finally caters to what your skin needs. "Para Me"cosmetics are currently found in the San Jose Valley Fair Nordstrom, her smaller drugstore line can be found in Sav-Ons across California and some in Nevada under the name "Maria Cristina."

Another article on Maria Cristina can be found here.






Ph: Dominick Guillemont Hair: Maria Makeup: Luis Styling: Brett McCall

Counteracting Under Eye Darkness

I feel that this is a constant concern of mine: under eye darkness. It's the dreaded part of my whole make up routine, and why I wear glasses more often than I'd like to admit. However, all is not lost, there are ways to get rid of the horrible patches under your eyes if only for the day.

There are three tried and true steps for covering up "the darkness"

1) Corrector
2) Concealer
3) Powder

Corrector brightens, concealer lightens and powder sets all your work.

Now, for color choosing, if you're a light skinned Latina then you want a pink color corrector, if you're medium skinned then you want a peach based corrector, if you're a little darker skinned then look for a darker peach base. Start from the inner most corner of your eye, apply a generous amount with a brush; enough to block out the darkness. Blend by gently tapping with your fingers.

When choosing concealer you want to pick a yellow based color that is two shades lighter than your foundation color. This is on purpose, concealer is meant to lighten. Start from the inner most corner of your eye and apply it generously with a brush, cover the entire dark area under your eye and blend the concealer by using your fingers and pressing lightly into the skin.

Once you have applied concealer set your under eye make up with a little yellow toned loose powder.

And Voila! Normal person looking eyes.

Best,
Liz