Buttered Up Lips for a Great Holiday Gift!

L’Occitane Shea Butter Lip Balm Stick .07 oz / 2g

My Beauty Match In-house beauty junkies swear by L’Occitane Limited Edition Shea Butter Lip Balm to keep your sexy lips hydrated all Winter long! Shea butter is the fat from a nut and therefore provides intense moisturization. L’Occitane’s limited edition Shea Butter comes in a gorgeous chic tube! This is great as a holiday gift (under $20) or just a gift for yourself!

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OPI What’s with the Cattitude Nail Polish – NLB90

A Sea of Blue!

Trend alert: All over the runway this past week at New York’s fashion week blue was seen everywhere! On the nails and the eyes, every shade of blue was represented. For a really fresh but sexy looking eye try a thin line of liquid blue liner across the top of the entire eyelid. Try drawing it out into almost a cat eye for a dramatic night effect. On the nails try a darker navy blue with a hint of sparkle! Check out OPI for the nails and Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner (See all Eyeliner) for the eyes.
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Review submitted by our product reviewer Eleni

I didn’t know what to make of this bottle of primer in an overly-pigmented apricot shade when I first got it.

I knew I had to test it in many situations – day, evening, office and exercise, but I was very reluctant to paint a layer of what could only be described as tanning salon fake’n'bake on my face.

I could just imagine walking into my office one Monday morning only to have the cute young 20-somethings snickering behind my back…and my favourite one – Lia, leading the pack and demanding to know why I looked that way! It’s not like she hadn’t already laughed uncontrollably at an early ‘80s pic of me on the beach with a perky figure (back then) and a mahogany tan. It was hilarious trying to explain the SPF only came in a 4 at the time and we actually sat out in the sun for hours.

The Smashbox website was my first stop for information. I got all the goods on this primer and WOW, there are many great features packed into one little bottle: color correcting, wrinkle reducing, and dark spot defying – talk about a miracle product. It claims that you can create a perfect canvas for foundation application and even out your skin tone with this silky, lightweight blend of antioxidants, vitamins A & E, and soothing botanicals like lemongrass, aloe and orchid complex.

The formula is oil-free formula and promises to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and pores. It can be worn alone or under any foundation. It comes with a new square airless pump that retains freshness to the last drop. I was ready to pump it out and get going.

Testing Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer:

Testing was quite straightforward. I cleansed my face and applied my usual light serum. Then I pumped out enough Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer and smoothed it on over my entire face (it can also be used just on problem areas) and I blended it lightly with my fingertips. Guess what? No streaky orange! My skin looked smooth and my color tone was even (and completely natural). On a Saturday afternoon, I could definitely go out for errands with just the primer on. I then applied my pür minerals foundation (which I LOVE) … and voilà!

The Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer really gives me soft, smooth finished looking skin!!!

Just to be thorough, I also tried a liquid foundation and a cream foundation a few days later and found that all formulations work well with this primer. I’m sold!!!

Did I see any results?

I got more of a poreless look than I’ve ever had in my life. It even softened the darker spots above my chin. My sister didn’t know that I was trying something new and commented on how good my face looked that evening at dinner.

This Color Correcting primer also comes in ‘BALANCE’ which is lavender-toned to brighten dull or sallow skin and ‘ADJUST’ in a green-tone to reduce redness.

Would I buy it? Absolutely, YES

Would I replace my current foundation primer? I haven’t really used a primer before, but I liked this product a lot and will definitely buy it. That’s a BIG recommendation from someone who didn’t think she even needed a primer!

The retail price for the Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer is $42 CAD/ $38 US.

OVERALL REVIEW:

4-star13

We love products that beautify and disguise all at the same time.

One thing about getting older that’s not so hot is looking tired even when you feel great. It’s even worse when people comment on how run-down you’re looking. Anything that can hide and improve that scenario all at the same time is absolutely welcome in my arsenal of cosmetic tricks.

Developed by plastic surgeon, Dr. Michelle Copeland, this perfect under eye concealer contains Dr. Copeland’s Rewind Eye Formula, which has an exclusive blend of age-defying ingredients for the eye area and has been successful in reducing the appearance of wrinkles and puffiness around eyes.

Testing Dr. Michelle Copeland Ageless Skin under Eye Concealer with Anti-Wrinkle Complex:

A couple of little dabs with the applicator under the eyes … blend lightly with your ring finger and that’s it. The formulation merges perfectly into the skins and disappears while hiding dark circles at the same time. It also leaves the under eye area supple and not dry or overly lined.

I used the medium shade and thought it might look dark on me, but it actually blended beautifully. When I run out of this one, I think I’ll buy the light shade just to see if it’s a better shade for my skin tone.

One problem with this concealer that I didn’t like is that a lot of the product is lost when it escapes from the container and builds up around the wand and neck. I had to tissue it clean often and I don’t like losing that much product.

Did I see any results?

The only result I was hoping for and got was good coverage for my dark under-eye circles. The skin really does get thinner under the eyes as we age and the underlying blood vessels take on a dark look. It’s good to cover up a bit just so as not to look tired all the time. The beauty of this concealer is that it also contains Dr. Copeland’s Rewind Eye Formula – an anti-wrinkle complex.

The skin under my eyes looked refreshed and soft!

Would I buy it? YES – I liked it a lot.

Would I replace my current under eye concealer? I will use this product which retails for $34 USD on a regular basis, but when I need an industrial strength concealer, I’ll have to go with the amazing Boi-ing by Benefit. I also like a light dusting of my mineral foundation under the eyes using a targeted utility brush to apply it when I’m in a rush and want to do a quick, natural face.

OVERALL REVIEW:

4-star13

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I was asked to do a review on a blush from a cosmetic line that I had never heard of – Micabella and I said “why not?” Blush is normally a straightforward product to play with. I would say I’ve used it every day since the age of 15, so I know what I like and what works for me.

Before beginning the review, I wanted to read a bit about this company and found out that Micabella products consist of all natural powders which are made of 100% pure mica and minerals and that sounded great to me. They don’t pack their products with any preservatives, chemical dyes, talc, oils, or other fillers so all skin types should do fine with this makeup. In addition, Micabella claims that “their makeup has a high antioxidant level to help protect skin from future damage, premature aging and reduce the appearance of damaged skin.” I liked that and I was ready to give it a go.

Testing Micabella blush:

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Did I see any results?

I had a nice soft glow and colour that looked really good with my skin tone. It was not at all a drying or clogging powder and it lasted all day long. The colour didn’t change throughout the day even when my face became a bit oily later on.

Would I buy it? Yes

Would I replace my current blush? I would use it in rotation with a couple of other favourites to create different looks for day, evening, casual and business.

So, how much is the Micabella blush?

It retails for $44.95 CAD/USD (but we’ve seen it on some sites as low as $34.95 USD)

OVERALL REVIEW:

4-star16

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I was asked to do a review on a blush from a cosmetic line that I had never heard of – MicaBella and I said “why not?”

Blush is normally a straightforward product to play with. I would say I’ve used it every day since the age of 15, so I know what I like and what works for me.

Before beginning the review, I wanted to read a bit about this company and found out that MicaBella products consist of all natural powders, which are made of 100 per cent pure mica and minerals and that sounded great to me.

They don’t pack their products with any preservatives, chemical dyes, talc, oils, or other fillers so all skin types should do fine with this makeup. In addition, MicaBella claims that “their makeup has a high antioxidant level to help protect skin from future damage, premature aging and reduce the appearance of damaged skin.” I liked that and I was ready to give it a go.

Testing MicaBella Blush:

The colour I tried was Autumn Sunset – a healthy, neutral blush that looked absolutely soft and natural. I used a good blush brush to apply this product which is sold in a loose powder format. It went on well. I did the apples of the cheeks and also a bit on the temples and I thought it looked warm, glowing and youthful. The next time I tried it, there was more powder than I needed on my brush, so I got more colour than I’d normally apply but I buffed it down with a foam sponge and a touch of loose mineral powder and it looked great that day too.

Did I see any results?

I had a nice soft glow and colour that looked really good with my skin tone. It was not at all a drying or clogging powder and it lasted all day long. The colour didn’t change throughout the day even when my face became a bit oily later on.

Would I buy it? Yes

Would I replace my current blush? I would use it in rotation with a couple of other favourites to create different looks for day, evening, casual and business.

Retail Price: MicaBella Blush is one of the most expensive blushes we’ve tried at Beauty Match. It retails for $44.95 CAD/USD (we have seen it as low as $29.95 online at Amazon.com), so it’s not exactly a recession-proof option. If you are shopping for a new blush and if you are on a budget, this might not be the option for you. If you want to splurge, than that’s a different thing. Since there are many other options of mineral makeup on the market that are much cheaper, you might want to shop around if you don’t want to drop that much on blush.

OVERALL REVIEW:

4-star16

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I know Paula Begoun, author of “Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me”, snubs primers and thinks that you should only need a good moisturizer, but I bet you a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes that the makeup artist who prepped her for the “CityLine” Show I saw her on surely used a primer.

You can read more of my beef with some of Paula’s views here: I don’t agree with Paula Begoun author of “Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me”.

I don’t know too many professional makeup artists who don’t swear by primers because they see what it does for their clients’ skin and as long as a primer helps my skin look flawless … I’ll be the first one to whip out my credit card to buy a tube.

Primers are fantastic and they actually do make a huge difference in not only how easily you apply your makeup by they also make a difference in how smoothly your makeup stays on throughout the day.

I would never dream of applying makeup before an important event without using a primer first (PERIOD!).

Ladies, as we age, anything we can do to hide or conceal fine lines that doesn’t involve pain or disfiguration is good in my book. A product like primers will help prevent makeup from sitting in your fine lines. No gal wants that because makeup that sits in your fine lines screams: look at my wrinkles!

I found two new primers recently, but I wanted to highlight a few other primers that are incredible. I’ve tried a lot of primers and they all work well. That said, I do have a preference for Laura Mercier, NARS Cosmetics and Smashbox.

I’ve found that primers ranged in price between $27-$42 USD and $30-$44 CAD. NARS Cosmetics and Laura Mercier and Smashbox were at the higher end of the spectrum.

7 primers that will help your makeup look flawless:

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3)  Smashbox Photo Finish Primer: Smashbox’s Photo Finish Primer is the company’s signature product. This silicone-base primer was also voted “2007  and 2008 Winner Best of Sephora“.

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5)  Lorac AquaPrime^TM: Lorac AquaPrime primer does not use silicone in its formulation (which other brands do use). Instead it’s a water-based makeup primer.

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I’m a woman who usually does the oh-my-God-I’ve-got-to-run-five-minute-makeup job before dashing off to events or to a meeting with a friend so you can imagine how much of a thrill it is for me to sit down with a renowned makeup artist and get the same treatment models get backstage during Paris … or Milan … or London … or New York fashion week!

MAC Cosmetics’ Senior Artist Jane McKay is a whiz with her makeup brushes and she’s one hell of an educator as well!

Last month, I highlighted my first meeting with Jane. If you missed all that incredible information and all those makeup tips for women over 35, you can still catch the posts here:

Should women over 35 continue to wear MAC Cosmetics makeup? (part 1)

Should women over 35 continue to wear MAC Cosmetic makeup? (part 2)

Since this IS the party season of the year it made perfect sense to me to sit down with Jane and talk about makeup tips for the holiday and also play with MAC’s Holiday 2008 “Red She Said” collection.

I had two requests to Jane: I wanted her to show me how to apply false eyelashes and I wanted to learn how to do a perfect tight line (apply a line of eyeliner on top of my eyelid).

Jane chose to use the new Red She Said eyeshadows as the base for my holiday look. The eyeshadows in this collection are all metallic, but that should NOT deter women over 35 from delving in with much confidence. It’s going to be a balancing act so that you aren’t wearing too much glitter.

The six palettes range from blues, to purples, to plums to even red (the Dangerzone palette)!

Jane chose the Inter-View palette which she felt would complement my complexion quite nicely because of the perfect blend of medium red brown, copper pearl and shimmering dark blue (this is a very dark blue that’s closer to being a blue-black).

I have to say that I was a bit hesitant when I saw the blue because I usually shy away from blue and chose purple instead because I find blue brings out my dark under-eye circles.

I’m happy I was wrong and I let Jane do her magic because the dark blue in the Inter-View palette is dazzling!

It’s an incredible experience sitting in front of a mirror and seeing your face being transformed by someone else. The experience of having a makeup artist do your makeup has nothing to do with doing your own makeup because you don’t know what they have in mind and you don’t know how they see your face and which features they want to focus on.

Jane chose to focus on my eyes and she gave me the kind of look that would literally stop traffic and cause people to talk (and it did!).

Here are the most memorable moments from my supermodel makeup session:

* I saw her apply the blue shadow from Inter-View on my eyelid in small and gentle strokes to create a perfectly straight line that extended past my eye.

* I watched Jane apply the false eyelashes (what a job that is) and then I looked at myself in the mirror and I noticed how much bigger my eye looked (she applied the mascara on my lashes before gluing on the false eyelashes).

* I took mental notes when she played with the metallic copper and shimmer dark brown colour from Inter-View on my eyelids.

* I also took mental notes when she suggested darkening my eyebrows with black instead of my usual dark brown to add drama to my evening makeup.

* I also noticed how she chose a plum coloured blush and not a hot pink because she wanted to match the warmth of the makeup with a blush that was appropriate and a blush that would also look good with the bronze colour lipgloss she selected for me (Miss Dynamite from Red She Said).

The look was really incredible and people around me commented on my makeup all afternoon and evening long.

I unfortunately didn’t have a big red-carpet event to attend, so I headed to the gym with my full on makeup and let me tell you that got everyone talking since I never wear makeup to the gym. I had men and women asking about my makeup.

At the end of my workout I stopped to chat with some of the staff at the front counter and I also started chatting with Dominique another gym-goer. I was lamenting on the sophisticated process of applying false eyelashes when she told me that she had a waaaaaaaaaaay easier way of applying MAC eyelashes. Dominique smartly books an appointment with a MAC beauty expert and for only $15, they will glue on eyelashes that you have already purchased to get you ready for your evening! Considering these beauty experts are trained to do this perfectly, I would entrust my lashes into their hands before I attempted to gluing this on myself … and for only $15!

Jane’s tips to taking your makeup from day-to-night for the holidays:

I asked Jane some of her tips to take your makeup from day-to-night and she had these practical tips to share:

1) Use a black pencil and smudge it around your eye or inside the rim of your eyes.

2) Use false eyelashes to glam up your look.

3) Use two coats of mascara to make your eyelashes stand out.

4) Use a bit of shimmer on your lips.

5) Shake things up by going for red bold lips and a more neutral face.

Here are photos of my final look (my skin is flawless) … I look glamorous, but not overly made up … imagine my hair done (think Halle Berry) and a nice dress and I’m ready to go!:

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Here I am half way through with no lipgloss and no blush:

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Here’s a close up so you can see my fake eyelashes … that was quite the glamorous experience!

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Posing with MAC Cosmetics’ Senior Artist Jane McKay:

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Red She Said makeup collection:

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Red She Said EyeShadows:

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Red She Said Lipstick:

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Red She Said Lipgloss:

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Photo from Beauty Match and MAC Cosmetics

Color On EyeEnvy is a very smart idea and it really only takes about five minutes to apply the little colour pads on both eyelids and before you know it … you’ve got a smokey eye in your favourite shade of colour.

Color On EyeEnvy was designed by a celebrity make-up artist, the ColorOn Professional EyeEnvy Smokey Kit contains peel-off mineral cream eye shadows that are 100% hypo-allergenic, long-wearing, and crease-proof.

Color On EyeEnvy is extremely user friendly and if you follow the well explained instructions, this should give you fool-proof results! Each box contains five pairs of eye shadow appliqués, one jar of GetSet setting powder, one powder application brush and step-by-step instructions with application.

The kit costs $25 USD so it’s about $5 USD per pair of eye shadow appliqués. It’s not inexpensive in the sense that you can only use each colour eye shadow appliqués only once, but if you are doing your own makeup for a special occasion, this is far more cost effective than hiring the services of a professional makeup artist.

Overall, I thought it was a very creative product that was quite easy to use. The only complaint I have is perhaps about the intensity of the colours. If you have a light complexion, then the colours should show very well, but I found that on my skin tone the colours were more subdued than I would normally wear.

Would I buy it? Yes. If they had a more intensive palette of colours because I found it was quite easy to use.

Would I replace my current eyeshadow? No because it would be way too expensive to only use the Color On EyeEnvy. This is ideal for special occasions, but not for everyday use.

OVERALL REVIEW:

4-star16

Color On EyeEnvy is sold exclusively at Sephora and on Sephora.com.

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Spending time with Senior Artist Jane McKay from MAC cosmetics is like sitting down with an encyclopedia of makeup.

Her knowledge is so vast that I could barely keep up writing all tips she was sharing with me.

I hope you read part one of this incredible feature and here’s part two!

5) What about ethnic beauties? How can Asian women, Latinas and darker skin beauties work with makeup trends as they age?

* It’s very important that you choose a concealer and a foundation that will help achieve an even look. Ethnic beauties usually have a hard time at it with dark spots on their face and it makes such a huge difference when you even out the skin.

* Ethnic beauties MUST invest in the right foundation and the right texture for their skin.

* Ethnic beauties usually have a yellow undertone and using pink will seriously brighten and open the face.

6) Can you give us three easy tricks so that women can turn their daytime look into a nighttime look in five minutes?

It’s so easy to go from daytime makeup to nighttime makeup in a few easy steps:

* Wear fake eyelashes because it adds instant glam factor.

* Use a black pencil inside the eye and add a black line on top of the eyelid – if you don’t like black pencils, don’t be afraid to use grey or dark brown instead … this will give your eyes a lot of drama.

* ALWAYS wear gloss when you go out at night.

7) As a makeup artist, what are the three things you see that women do with their makeup that drive you crazy?

It really comes back to what I had said earlier. Woman of every age group have a problem with

* Choosing the right colours for their skin tone.

* Properly blending colours so you cannot tell one colour starts and the other ends.

* Not overdoing it when it comes to makeup … you don’t have to wear a lot of makeup to look good.

#8) At MAC you offer a consultation service. Why are those consultation services so important at providing some guidance to women when it comes to applying makeup properly for your face?

* Our beauty consultants have years of experience.

* The recommendations are suited to your specific needs.

* With each new season, you should really consider getting a makeup-bag-tune-up.

* A makeup consultation is fun and playful … it’s the ideal way to get a great new look that will enhance your features.

* When you book a consultation with a MAC beauty expert, your fee is deductable against products you buy. So in the end you get great advice and you get products that you’ve tried on and feel comfortable wearing.

Jane also recommends bringing in your makeup bag so that the beauty expert can guide you with what you have and you don’t end up buying the same colours you already have at home.

9) What are some of the hottest makeup trends for fall 2008?

* The burgundy lip is very popular this season. “At MAC Cosmetics we call it Devine”. ***Krizia, do you mean “Divine?”**** Women over 35 can still wear this trend, but instead of wearing a heavy burgundy lip, you might want to use burgundy as a stain and top it off with a clear gloss … that way you get the burst of colour, but the colour is not wearing you … you are wearing it.

* The perfect-flawless face is important. “At MAC Cosmetics we call it Honed”. Skin is the most important part of makeup. It doesn’t matter what colours you wear or how expensive is your makeup … if you don’t have beautiful skin … then nothing will really look quite right.

* Purple is an undeniable trend for the season and it’s a PERFECT colour for ethnic beauties. When it comes to purple, don’t have to use it on the entirety of the lid and you don’t have to use too much of it. Just a dab of purple will open your eyes!

* This season is all about the sexy eye and using eyeliner is key. “At MAC Cosmetics we call this 7tease” (aka 70s) and it really elongates the eye. That said, it’s still important to keep the eye liner soft and not hard.

Contouring is THE secret of celebrities!

During my makeup session with Jane she showed me how to contour. She revealed that many of the Hollywood stars have A-list makeup artists who use contouring with powder to really help define, minimize certain features or sculpt the face.

She used one darker bronzer on the outer part of my face and a lighter colour of Mineralize Skin Finish on the bridge of my nose, around my mouth and under my eyes to soften lines or any hollow effect I might have.

It was incredible to see the difference. That said, contouring is an art and that’s the kind of question you should have for your beauty consultant. They can show you to contouring your face and then you can practice at home and do it yourself.

My MAC Cosmetics face!

It took Jane about 20 minutes to do my face and that included the contour and also miraculously hiding all my hyperpigmentation marks with the MOST incredible concealer I’ve come across.

Here’s the list of colours Jane used on my face:

* MAC NC 50 Select Cover Concealer

* Medium Dark Mineralize Skin Finish Pressed Powders

* Dark Mineralize Skin Finish Pressed Powders (she used this as a bronzer on the outer parts of my face)

* Antique Gold Cream Colour Base (this is one of the best gold shades I’ve ever tried)

* Espresso (this is the perfect shade of brown)

* Parfait Amour Eye shadows (this is an incredible shade of purple)

* Lingering brow pencil

* Pink Swoon blush (this such a beautiful bright shade of pink … it instantly brightens and opens my face)

* Viva Glam 1 lipstick (this is a lipstick with a cause)

* Fix+ Spray (this is a spray that fixes your makeup and it’s a great hydration tool when you have to be on an airplane)

It was interesting when she said that she did exactly what she had done on her face that morning on my face, but she simply used shades that were appropriate to my skin tone … since she was a fair-skinned blonde and I’m not.

Here’s the finished look:

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I’ve been wearing MAC Cosmetics for a long time now. I mix some MAC colours with my other makeup items and I cannot remember when was the last time my makeup bag didn’t include at least three to four MAC products.

Lately, I’ve been wondering if MAC Cosmetics was a line that was still appropriate for women over 35. When you look at a cosmetic line like Bobbi Brown where all the colours are greyed down it’s easier to see how women of a certain age would gravitate towards that line.

MAC Cosmetics has much brighter and bolder colours and I wanted to understand how women needed to approach the line as they age.

I met with Senior Artist Jane McKay for a little MAC education.

During my meeting with her, I had some precise questions and she in return had very precise answers. She also managed to give me a 15-minute face that completely hid all of my hyperpigmentation spots (you’ll see the photo at the end of part 2).

Senior Artist Jane McKay from MAC Cosmetics makeup and beauty tips:

1)  What are some of the top essential makeup products women over 35 should NOT be without?

It’s all about the face. Before even thinking of makeup products, women over 35 need to focus on having the perfect canvas (aka the perfect face). The reality is that:

“Skincare is 90 per cent of the end result … every women should strive to have beautiful, translucent, natural looking skin”

This is very easy to create when you know the steps:

1. Exfoliant: This is an absolute necessity once or twice per week – as you age your skin will not rejuvenate its self as quickly. MicroFine Refinisher is a cleanser from MAC that contains an exfoliator to help your skin glow.

2. Moisturize: That’s so important at any age, but more so as you age in order to keep your skin protected against dryness.

3. Use SPF Protection: You really should never leave your home without at least an SPF 15. I’d recommend the MAC Studio Moisture Fix with an SPF 15. We also carry products with protection as high as SPF 50.

4. Foundation: Use the right shade of foundation for your skin tone. If you’ve been using the same foundation since your teens, you should get a makeup consultant to make sure the shade and the consistency is appropriate for you.

5. Use a concealer: you’ll be able to hide a multiple of sins thanks to the magic of a concealer.

6. Use powder: One again, you want to use the right shade of powder to finish your makeup. Mineralize Skinfinish from MAC comes in different shades and it’s perfect to set your foundation.

7. Use a bronzer: A bronzer that is NOT too dark will do wonders at contouring your face. You really want to only use bronzer on certain parts of your outer face and you should NEVER use bronzer like you use a finishing powder.

2)  What are some of the three biggest mistakes women in their 30s, 40s, 50s make when it comes to their makeup?

* They chose the wrong colours for their skin tone

* They do a poor job at properly blending colours

* They wear far too much makeup

You have to remember that after the age of 35, it’s no longer about colours but it’s about intensity. You want to choose the right colours for your skin tone and you want to make sure you’re not using too much of anything.

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* Fake eyelashes are great to intensify the eyes and give them that instant pop.

* The best way to use false eyelashes is NOT to choose a pair that is too thick.

* You want to choose ones that aren’t full and you want to cut them in half.

* You want to really only glue the fake eyelashes at the outer part of the eye.

* As women age, their eyes will droop downwards, fake eye lashes will help lift and open the eye.

4) What are the three “must-dos” women in their 30s, 40s, 50s should take into consideration when approaching makeup.

In my opinion you MUST:

a) Moisturize

b) Use a natural looking foundation

c) Use bronzer in a shade that’s not too dark

I’ll add a fourth one … it’s important to use blush because as you age your circulation slows down and you need blush to bring some brightness to the face.

I’ll also add to ALL women should wear pink, gold and coral shades because those colours do such a good job at illuminating the face.

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Review submitted by our product reviewer Eleni

I checked out this product recently and immediately noticed that it felt light and the colour was a natural, believable shade of sunny sand (I tried #430 in Shimmering Sand).

This loose mineral powder can be used all over or just as a natural-looking blush on the apples of the cheeks.

You’ll never get great results by using the puff/applicator that comes with any product, so please forego that and always use a good brush – it does make a difference.

If you decide to use the powder for an all-over glow, just remember to tap off any excess powder from your brush. This mineral blush powder should just illuminate your skin – use a light hand. It also looks quite good over powder foundation as well as liquid foundation. Just stroke it across the forehead, nose, cheekbones and décolletage, or keep it on the cheeks.

TruBlend mineral blush contains natural minerals. Although I don’t have any details about what these natural minerals are and where they come from, I still think the product provides lots of impact at a great low price.

Packaging is on the “cost-efficient” side – a round, clear, plastic loose powder container with sift holes in top and a powder puff/press under the lid. It’s not really a portable container.

Work with a tissue or two on your dressing table/makeup table because just like any other loose powder, you’ll invariably get spillage.

I thought it might be just another “young girl” product but it looked great on me as blush and I’m 50!

That made me happy because I’ve been a fan of CoverGirl since the 8^th grade when all the girls in my grade received their very own, first make-up – and it was from CG. It didn’t even matter that we all got the same colours – a little bottle of beige foundation, a tiny compact with beige pressed powder, and a mini-lipstick in coral. The set was our very own and I have had a soft spot for CoverGirl ever since.

Would I buy it? – Yes – It provides a good “pick-up” for the complexion and good value. Would I replace my current mineral products with this? No.

CoverGirl TruBlend Minerals Blush retails for $11.99 in Canada and $6.99 in the US (yes, there is a huge difference in price here).

OVERALL REVIEW: Better than average

3-star