Devon's Cosmetic Corner

As some of you who know me in real life may be aware, my greatest hobby outside of M*ing is makeup.  I have been doing freelance makeup jobs for several years now.  I began my training in dirt-basic theatre makeup, but found that my real interest lay in natural, flattering street makeup and elaborate, yet attractive performance makeup.  I've spent lots of time (and money) in my quest to find the Perfect Products.  Below is a list of some of my all-time favorites, from skincare to eyeliner.

1.  Cleanser

      A good cleanser is a necessity.  Actually, I recommend having two, because skin's balance changes throughout the year.  In the winter, a creamier hydrating cleanser is a wonderful thing.  In the summer, when skin is oily, a gel-type cleanser can get rid of excess oil. 

      If you only use one, I recommend Neutrogena Pore Refining Cleanser.  A creamy, AHA-BHA cleanser, it contains tiny exfoliating microbeads that help to slough off dead skin.  If you want two, I would recommend The Body Shop Passion Flower Cleansing Gel, or Tea Tree Oil Facial Wash for your gel cleanser.  If you have extremely oily or acne-prone skin, use one of these year-round.  They're both light, gel-type cleansers; the Passion Fruit doesn't lather much, and the Tea Tree Oil lathers reasonably well.  To find these or any other Body Shop product, go to www.the-body-shop.com . My absolute favorite creamy cleanser is kind of hard to find (I got it off the Home Shopping Network), but it's Signature Club A French Vanilla Meltdown Cleansing Creme.  It's a tissue-off type cleanser, and it's the first kind I've found that doesn't leave my face feeling like an oil slick.  It feels and smells like vanilla pudding, and it wipes out even the most stubborn makeup.

      Something else to look into are the new cleansing cloths on the market.  Basically soft, cleanser-laden baby wipes for your face, they're great when you're in a hurry, or you're dead on your feet but still need to remove your makeup before getting in bed.  I like the ones by Pond's.  They're soft, not too expensive, and they get rid of literally every kind of makeup.  Heavy or dark makeup may take two of them to remove completely, though.

2.  Toner

      Believe it or not, this isn't strictly necessary.  I will usually use one in the summer to sop up the last of that excess oil, and skip it in the winter when my skin is really dry.  Two I like and use interchangeably are The Body Shop's Tea Tree Oil Freshener and Neutrogena Pore Refining Toner.  A word of warning:  If you've never used AHAs before, use maybe one product (I'd recommend a cream) with AHAs until your skin adapts.  Don't use all AHA products all the time--it can cause redness and irritation.  The Body Shop product is a pleasant green liquid that won't overdry skin, and is especially good on oily complexions.

3.  Moisturizer

      This is an absolutely ESSENTIAL step.  I know a lot of folks who think that people with oily or acne-prone skin should skip moisturizer because it will clog pores.  WRONG!  If you skip moisturizer, your skin will actually try to retain excess oil, which in turn will trap dirt and bacteria and exacerbate the problem.  If you're acne-prone, you'll probably want to use an oil-free lotion or gel formula.  If you have dry skin, this is really important--you'll always have dry skin if you don't moisturize.  Pick a creamy formula.  I've probably tried every moisturizer on the market at one time or another.  A good notion is to use a moisturizer with an SPF factor.  My absolute all-time favorite is Neutrogena Pore Refining Cream, which is an AHA formula that absorbs neater and easier than anything else I've ever used.  If you're scared of thicker creams, try The Body Shop's Vitamin E Moisture Cream, which is a light, pleasantly-fragranced cream that's remarkably easy to absorb and good for all skin types.  Clairol Herbal Essences Oil-Free Moisture Lotion is a good choice for normal to oily skins.  If you have seriously oily or very blemished skin, I would recommend something from The Body Shop's Tea Tree Oil line--either their Moisturizing Gel or their Moisture Concentrate, both of which are oil-free.  If you have extremely dry skin (whether it be all the time or seasonal), try Almay's Moisturizing Creme Level 3 (it's pink), which is a very strong, very emollient face creme.  I also have been known to use it on my hands.  Another good all-around choice is Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisture Lotion, which also absorbs like a dream and can be used on absolutely everyone. 

      A separate night cream is not a strictly necessary step.  A thicker application of your normal day creme will generally suffice.  If you find yourself needing an extra boost for nighttime, though, try one of the aforementioned creams or lotions, and get a heavier formulation than you normally use.  A nice product is L'Oreal Plenitude Turning Point Instant Facial, which is a night creme used maybe three times a week.  It delivers a powerful BHA blast, so it definitely isn't for sensitive skins.

4.  Exfoliant

      I wish I could convince every person in America to exfoliate their skin.  It's an instant pick-me-up, and it's essential to slough off all those dead skin cells and deep dirt that build up despite your best efforts.  A gentle grainy scrub is your best bet for this.  My personal favorite is Freeman's Beautiful Skin Apricot and Sea Kelp Facial Scrub.  It's a medium-to-fine scrub that lathers nicely, and again, I've been known to use it on my hands.  If you have more delicate or sensitive skin, you can either use the Neutrogena Pore Refining Cleanser twice a day, or use Clinique's 7-Day Scrub Cream, which is a tissue-off exfoliant gentle enough for everyday use.  Exfoliate at least once a week, and twice a week is better.  No more than three times a week, though--you don't want to scrub your face off.

5.  Masque

      Again, this isn't an essential step, but I find that masques are a wonderful energizer and a boost to my spirit.  I like a clay mask, which tightens pores and sops up excess oil like a sponge.  My favorite is The Body Shop Blue Corn Mask, which is a kaolin clay mask containing blue corn powder, so it can also pull double duty as an exfoliant.  Origins' Charcoal Mask is also nice for this purpose, although it lacks the exfoliating properties.

6.  Body Care

      It would be silly to put all this effort into your face and ignore the rest of your body, wouldn't it?  The necessary elements here are Cleanse, Exfoliate, and Moisturize (note to self-tanners: this is VITAL before applying self-tanner).  For cleansing, I'll admit--my favorite product is my very own homemade soap, which lathers tons and is jampacked with wonderful moisturizers.  Since I don't sell the stuff, though, I'll plug Bath & Body Works' Shower Cream (at least I think that's what it's called), which is a body wash meant to be used with one of those little nylon poofies.  It comes in a plethora of scents and is laden with great moisturizers.  For exfoliating, daily use of one of the aforementioned poofies will do a great job, but a once-a-week all-over scrubbing is still a good idea.  Salt scrubs are great for this, especially since most of the best ones are chock-full of emollient oils and other goodies as well.  Bath & Body Works' Salt Glow is good, especially if you want to smell nice (in this one store, you can get all three of these steps in the same fragrance), as is Garden Botanika's Salt Glow (which also comes in a variety of fragrances, including Mint, which is nice in the morning or before a big occasion).  Garden Botanika products can be purchased at www.gardenbotanika.com .   For moisturization, I'm a firm fan of anything with cocoa butter in it.  I'd rather overmoisturize than skimp.  If you're into layering fragrances, Bath & Body Works makes both lotions and Body Creams in scents to match the cleanser and exfoliator.  I prefer the Body Cream over the lotion.  My favorite stuff, though, comes from The Body Shop in the form of their Cocoa Butter Hand & Body Lotion and Nut Body Butter.  The latter smells so impossibly good you'll be tempted to eat the stuff.  For extrasuperultradry skin, try either The Body Shop Mango Body Butter (it's kind of grainy and oily, but it smells great and it works), or Queen Helene Cocoa Butter Creme, which is a German import and available at most drugstores.

7.  Foundation/Concealer/Powder

      If you don't need to wear foundation, consider yourself blessed.  Most women (myself included) wear the stuff as a matter of course.  Again, I've tried everything on the market.  I've found two wonderful products that I recommend without hesitation.  Clinique's Work Out All Day Wear makeup is bar none the best stuff I've ever worn.  It has a slightly mousse-y texture as opposed to straight liquid or creme, offers natural-looking medium coverage, and Doesn't Come Off.  It also doesn't blotch or streak, like far too many 'waterproof' or 'sweatproof' foundations can.  For everyday wear, my new favorite is Avon Hydra Finish Foundation Stick.  The stuff goes on like cool whip, it blends beautifully, and it dries perfectly even.  The high water content hydrates all day long, and feels marvelous, especially during the summer.  It also comes in a huge range of shades.  You can find it here:  www.avon.com

      I try to keep my skin good enough to avoid wearing concealer, but sometimes (especially after a late night) it can't be helped.  I like to use Max Factor Pan-Stik foundation as my concealer.  I dab it on, then brush with a semi-firm eyeshadow fluff brush.  For major jobs (as well as wonderful, absolutely wear-proof, absolutely opaque stage makeup), I'll use Dermablend Cover Creme.  Dermablend can also be used to cover scars, tattoos, and birthmarks with relative ease.  Dermablend can be found at www.eve.com .

      Powder is how you set your makeup to keep it in place all day long.  There is no such thing as too much powder (well...okay, maybe there is).  If your makeup travels, you didn't use enough.  I set the Dermablend with its own Setting Powder.  For everything else, I'll use Ben Nye Loose Powder, usually in a combination of Fair (since I'm pale as heck) and Banana Visage Luxury Poudre (a yellow-toned powder).  Yellow is, amazingly enough, almost a universal powder color.  Almost any woman can wear it and look great.  A bonus for using Ben Nye:  since it's theatrical makeup, it comes in every skin tone imaginable.  Ben Nye makeup can be found at www.wyb.com/makeup.html .

 8.  Blush

      Never underestimate the power of blush.  A little bit can make a woman look healthy and happy, all with the stroke of a brush.  A good blush brush is essential.  Look for a natural-hair brush with a lot of fullness, but less full than a powder brush--not the little things in compacts.  They just give you stripes.  My favorite powder blushes are Garden Botanika Powder Blush in Cinnamon (a discontinued color, alas) and Ben Nye Powder Blush in Pink Blush.  The second is literally the Miracle Blush.  I've used it on every skin tone imaginable, and it just doesn't ever look bad.  Amazing stuff.  My; favorite everyday blush, though, is a cream blush.  I use Avon Hydra Finish Cheek Color and Highlighter in Dewy Peach.  The stuff is wonderful.  It dissolves when you put your fingertips to it.  It looks brightly colored and opaque on your fingers, but it spreads wonderfully into a sheer veil of healthy color.  The highlighter is a pale, subtly sparkling cream that you can use anywhere to highlight anything.

9.  Eyes/Brows

      I won't go into the details of shaping brows here.  Suffice it to say that brows are so important to a woman's look.  Get them shaped professionally if you can, then use a brow pencil or powder (I usually use both--Maybelline Expert Eyes Brow/Eye Pencil in Medium Brown or Auburn and a taupe eyeshadow, applied with a stiff brow brush) to fill in the bare spots.  The secret to Eternal Brows is BeneFit She-Laq.  This stuff will seal over browcolor, eyeliner, eyeshadow, lipstick--just about anything--and have it stay in place all day long with no mishaps whatsoever.  You can get it at either www.eve.com or www.sephora.com .

      Eyeshadows--what color you use is entirely up to you.  I like Maybelline Eyeshadow Trio in East Mystique (frosted pale yellow, medium bronzy shimmer, and deep bronzy shimmer), L'Oreal Soft Effects Eyeshadow Duo in Mocha Buff (extremely natural taupes), La Femme Ultra Pearl Eyeshadow in Champagne (I wear this all the time, by itself, no contouring necessary), and Clinique Pair of Shades in Down To Earth (neutral beige and brown).  Neutral taupes and browns are the easiest to wear.  For everyday use, I like one medium-light color over the entire eyelid and up into and slightly above the crease.  Lots of times I won't contour at all.  If I do, I'll use a small eyeshadow brush and stroke color into the crease of the eye and over the outer third of the eyelid.  Clinique products can be purchased either at a department store or at www.clinique.com .

      Eyeliner--I like pencils.  They're less problematic than liquid--unfortunately, they're also less dramatic.  My absolute favorite pencils are Revlon Timeliner for Eyes, which have all the incredible intensity of liquid liner in the ease of a pencil.  I usually only line the top lashline, drawing a very thin line and making sure it's as close to the lashline as is humanly possible.  For a dramatic effect, I'll use Ben Nye Creme Color Liner and a small flat brush.  This is especially good for creating things like Cleopatra or cat eyes, and is also good if you're after a totally off-the-wall eyeliner color, since it comes in just about every color you could ever possibly imagine.

      Eyelashes--CURL YOUR LASHES!  This is the #1 way to make your eyes look sparkling and wide open, even if you're running on two hours' sleep.  Get a good eyelash curler and hold it at the base of the eyelashes for about five seconds--and do get as far down to the base as you can without pinching yourself.  Then walk the curler out to the tips, squeezing periodically for about one second.  Then repeat the whole process, this time only holding the curler in place for about a second in any given spot.  This way you get curled lashes without getting right-angle crimps.  The Shu Uemura curler, available at www.eve.com, is the greatest eyelash curler ever.  If you can't get your hands on one of those, the Revlon one works just fine.  My favorite mascaras are L'Oreal Voluminous in black and Clinique Gentle Waterproof Mascara in black.

10.  Lips

      Ah, lipstick.  Every girl's first item of makeup.  I've been known to wear almost every color imaginable (I haven't tried green yet, though).  I'll break off my lipsticks and smush them up into pillboxes, and apply them with a brush.  It's more fun that way.  I'll line and fill in my lips with pencil first, and it'll be a neutral lip-colored pencil unless I'm dancing, in which case I'll use a deeper pencil color.  I like Wet 'n' Wild Creme Lipliner in 714-Naked.  My alltime favorite colors--and formulations--of lipstick are as follows:  Clinique Superlast Creme Lipstick in Deep Red (what it says) and Honeybunch (a nice neutral light pinkish brown), Avon Hydra Finish Lipstick in Toffee (a medium warm peachy brown), Garden Botanika Lipstick in Alexandrite (THE ultimate red--a deep rich red with golden glittery overtones), Wet 'n' Wild Liquid Lipstick in Bronze Berry (a peachy bronze shimmer--worn by Christina Aguilera, if you're interested in such things), NYC Liquid Lipcolor in Natural (a shimmery beige), and Clinique Longwearing Creme Lipstick in Baby Kiss (a soft, pinkish berryish neutralish color).  For the deeper colors, I'll usually line and fill in my lips in the neutral pencil, then line again in a deep pencil that matches the lipcolor before filling in with the lipstick.  A wonderful product is philosophy's the supernaturals, which is a cheek and lip stain and lip lacquer.  The stain can be dabbed on the cheeks and blended for a natural flush, and used to give lips a ruby tint, while the lip lacquer is a great, ultrashiny, clear lip gloss.  A favorite trick of mine is to apply Clinique Deep Red lipstick, then smooth the supernaturals lip lacquer over it, which thins it out a bit and creates wonderful glossy red lips that don't look too dark and overpowering.  You can get the supernaturals at www.eve.com .

In Conclusion...

      As I scope out new products, I'll put little vignettes up on these pages.  Anything I didn't specifically mention a website for can be obtained at a drugstore (with the exception of Bath & Body Works products, which can be purchased at their stores in malls across the country) near you.  If you're having problems obtaining a product, or you have makeup and skincare questions, feel free to email me at maeveth@yahoo.com or day_tripper23@hotmail.com -- one of those two will get through to me.