Argus Leader -- 04/04/08
Web site consultant has tricks for a flawless face
ARGUS LEADER
Web site consultant has tricks for a flawless face
While I don’t consider myself a high-maintenance diva by any means, I like to look nice. I don't want to look like I should be running on the treadmill when I’m out having dinner with my husband.
So even though I'm a natural beauty (naturally), that means spending a little time wielding a mascara wand, brushing powder across my eyelids and dabbing a bit of color on my lips. When you look good, you feel good.
That's the philosophy behind a new Web site called TotalBeauty.com. It's been billed as the smart girl's secret weapon – the place you go for all your answers about beauty questions, with unbiased product reviews, quick tips, interactive tools and more. In short, it's worth some of your Web surfing time to check it out.
I talked with Beth Mayall, the site's editor in chief, for more insight from a beauty insider.
QUESTION: What beauty product can't you live without?
ANSWER: Lancome Definicils mascara. It's the secret beauty editor staple because it defines each lash without clumping, and it never runs. I try others, but I keep coming back to this one.
Q: How can you update your makeup look for spring?
A: Either replace your red lipstick with a pop of fresh pink, or replace your black or brown eyeliner with a rich jewel tone, such as emerald green or sapphire. Don’t do the pink lips with the jewel-tone eyes, though – it'll be too much. Go for a nude glossy lip instead.
Q: What's the most surprising beauty tip you've ever heard?
A: That Preparation H really does shrink under-eye bags.
Q: Are expensive products really that much better than drugstore brands? When should you save and when should you splurge?
A: Many drugstore brands contain the same active ingredients as the pricier brands, and the products sometimes are even made at the same factories. With prestige products, you sometimes can just pay extra for fragrance, packaging and marketing. To know which is which, become a label reader. Look for the ingredients you read about – a hot one right now is vitamin C – towards the beginning of the ingredient list, which means there’s more of it in the product. If you have dry skin or hair, watch for products with alcohol toward the beginning of the ingredient list, because the will be drying and a bad value no matter how much you spend on them.
As for when to splurge, there are a few cases where it’s worth the money, such as high-tech antioxidants that are difficult to make (idebenone, superoxide dimutase), and retinols, which need to be packaged in an aluminum tube, since exposure to air or light make them ineffective.
Q: Can you get a consultation at the makeup counter and not buy anything? And are you a total cheapskate if you do?
A: Yes, it’s possible to do this – as long as you follow a few ground rules. The general etiquette rule is that if you receive service that takes more than 10 minutes of her time, be ready to pay about $1 a minute for products.
If you just want a free makeover or to try products without buying, be honest up front so the makeup artist can keep an eye out for potential customers while she hooks you up (which she will). They'll understand you may not buy today, but tomorrow, you might.
If you're looking for good excuses to use to extricate yourself, you can try, "I have sensitive skin, so I need to make sure I don’t react to any of the products." Or, "I'd like to see how this wears before I commit to buying more.”
Farley, Janna. "Web site consultant has tricks for a flawless face." Argus Leader. 4 April 2008.
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