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

Fall Into Beauty!

Professional makeup artists are always on the edge of their seats this time of year! The fall season begins right after New York Fashion Week ends and the beauty manufacturers are bringing out this seasons “must have” products!

The Pros here at IMPO love this time of year and can’t wait to get our hands on all the gorgeous colors the fall season brings. This is the perfect time of year to update our kits and personally rock the latest in lipstick, eye shadow, blush and eyeliner!

Just like a new coat of paint brings an instant lift to the walls of your home, a new season’s makeup collection can renew your spirits and revitalize your confidence. Here is what we love…

Jewel tones are all the rage this fall and holiday season. Think hues of purple, teal, and deep red, not only for your wardrobe, but incorporated into your makeup bag. Achieve that luxurious satin finish using a combination of matte and shimmer eye shadows; best seen in a smoldering smoky eye. Deep chocolates, pewter and soft grays compliment skin tones and are versatile year round.

Bobbi Brown’s Nude Eye Shadow Palette is perfection when it comes to the ideal warm neutral shades. The palette is divided into three matte shades and three corresponding shimmer shades with a satin finish. The darkest matte shade can also double as a liner. Chino is a neutral matte that can be used as contour color for cheeks and forehead.

Combine this palette with Nars lipstick in Fast Ride to complete the sultry "fall" look. The deep mulberry shade is a semi-sheer wash so the color is buildable. Layer it with one of Smashbox’s Nude Lip Pencils (medium or dark) for a darker, more matte lip.

Make sure you snag up that Bobbi Brown Nude Palette and in October, grab Bobbi’s Earth Metal Lip and Eye Palette as well from her Holiday 2009 Collection. Meshing both palettes together by combining the matte shades, shimmer colors and metallic’s will give you hundreds of eye-popping options along with gorgeous creamy lip colors that can be layered and blended together to create a custom look!

Smashbox has unveiled the Reign Collection, featuring two truly decadent eye shadow palettes with three shades, each in a matte and shimmer. These shadows can also be worn wet for a more intense application.

The Majesty Palette from the Reign Collection has a warm vanilla, deep burgundy, and a black shadow. For dual use, apply the burgundy shadow to the high points of cheekbones using a fan brush for a gorgeous blush color. Avoid burgundy eye shadows with too many red or orange undertones, as it will bring out the redness in your eyes. Steer more towards the berry shades.

Pump it up a notch by dabbing gold eye shadow on the center of the eyelid to make the look even more regal. Our favs: Goldmine and Amber Lights by MAC, Ambient by Smashbox, and the Cheyenne Duo eye shadow by Nars, which combines gold and plum in one compact. Add a touch of Lancôme Virtuose Black Carat Gold Mascara, it is a rich inky pigment that coats and curls lashes to spectacular lengths and the formulation contains tiny gold particles!

If you love wearing a dark lip color, try OCC Lip Tar in Plum or Vintage. The stain will stay on all day and you can apply a clear lip gloss for added shine and va-va-voom!

Pair the dark lip with another hot, seasonal trend: gray eye shadow. Mix a matte slate gray like Illamasqua’s Feline with a satin charcoal color like Drama or Incubus, from the same line. Complete the soft look with the new Volume Effet Faux Cils Mascara from Yves Saint Laurent, which is gray mascara.

Insider Secret: If suffering from puffy eyes, apply eye shadow in a darker shade under your bottom lashes. Because dark colors recede, it will give the illusion of a well-slept, bright-eyed beauty!

The red lip never goes out of season, but this fall the colors have more of a red/blue undertone. Don’t know where to purchase the best red colors? Try Lipstick Queen! Feeling innocent? A sheer wash across your lips makes for a pretty pout, in colors Rouge, Wine or Red from the Saints lipstick collection.

Feeling a little more adventurous? Pick a matte finish lipstick from the Sinner collection in Rouge and Red and really step out in style by layering the Hard Core gloss to your pucker. It has an intense pigment and huge shine payoff. Red Sinner and Wine Sinner are our picks.

Lipstick Queen’s creator, Poppy King, says you don’t need much else when wearing a red lip. Opt for a sheer wash of foundation to conceal skin issues, powder to a matte finish, a little pink flush on the cheeks, tight-line the upper lash line only, add mascara and that is it!

The Pros love the look of a "teal" eye and can't wait to get our hands on the shades that Amanda Seyfriend is wearing in the September issue of InStyle Magazine. She has a classic smoky eye, but with a fresh mermaid twist; green! Create the look by using Cle de Peau Beaute Satin eye color in Emerald No. 109, which is a deep pine color that would be amazing layered over a teal Bobbi Brown eye shadow like Bash Metallic. Makeup Pro, Mariel Barrera says, "the key to this look is to blend to death! That way the two colors will melt together!"

The latest edition of Allure Magazine says "cobalt" eyeliner is hot for the fall season and the Pros love this look combined with dark brown eye shadows and a nude pink lip. This eye look is sultry and sexy, which means a filled-in, sculpted brow would be essential. Try Giorgio Armani Beauty’s Smooth Silk Eye Pencil in #3-Blue. It is a silky formula that allows for precise and easy application. Use to fully line both the upper and lower lash line!

Bump up that gorgeous blue eyeliner or a classic black liner by layering Givenchy’s Parad’Eyes Fluid Eye Liner in Elegant Pearl. It is a soft metallic color that will make your eyes bewitching! This is an eye opening liquid with major pigment and it contains a sprinkling of mother-of-pearl particles! Long-lasting intensity that will not run or flake!

Peach cheeks are a must and will work with any of the above mentioned eye looks. This season a bold eye or lip is all the rage, which means a toned-down warm cheek color is necessary to avoid looking overly made up!

We love Julie Hewett’s Cheekie + Shimmy Duo in Peachie/Goldie! This product is so versatile and can be used to highlight your face, eyes, lips and body. Gives a sheer hint of color that will warm your cheeks and freshen up your face. You can apply with your finger; sponge or the Pros recommend using Julie Hewett’s Chubby Cheekie Brush for perfect blending ability!

Don’t forget those nails! The IMPO Pros fell in love with OPI’s deep purple Black Cherry Chutney and shimmery pewter, My Private Jet. Go bold and wear navy blue, purple, gray and even taupe polish.

Whatever products you choose to add to your current collection don't forget that jewel tones add sparkle to any look. They are deep pigments of color not neon or bright! Purchase the right colors and your look will be up-to-date well into the upcoming Holiday Season!

PRO TIPS AND TRICKS:

Our "tip" for this post is to make certain that our readers see The September Issue! A film by R.J. Cutler featuring Anna Wintour and the making of Vogue! "Fashion is a religion, this is the bible!" "Juicy...A great on to watch," Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times, "Immensely enjoyable," Krista Smith, Vanity Fair. Don't miss it!

STAY TUNED:

Up next on IMPO: It's "back to school" time so listen up!!! You are purchasing new clothes and school supplies, but how about new cosmetics and skincare? It is time to clean out and throw out those nasty products that are "so last year!" Get your teen in tip top beauty shape and help boost her confidence at the same time!