Laying the Foundation!

For my very first post I thought I would jump right in and tackle the product everyone asks about.....Foundation!

We have all pondered the question, "Which foundation is right for me?" Whether we are standing at a department store counter, in the drug store aisles or online searching beauty websites, foundations are a mystery and can be costly if you purchase the product and then discover it was not right for you! I am always asked the question, "Which foundations do I use personally or carry in my professional kit?" So, here are the answers and reviews.

CREME FOUNDATION: Tricia Sawyer Beauty makes the best creme foundation I have used - the formula blends smoothly and won't settle into any fine lines or wrinkles. Invented by celebrity makeup artist, Tricia Sawyer, this foundation consists of two colors (a warm and cool tone) which can be blended together to achieve your exact skin tone match. It also has buildable coverage, which means you can use as much or as little as you need to achieve your desired look. I highly recommend purchasing Tricia Sawyer Beauty's Foundation Brush as well to insure the best application however, if you tend to have very oily skin using a cosmetic sponge to apply this product may work better. I use this product both personally and professionally. This foundation can be purchased in a number of places including: www.triciasawyer.com, online at Sephora.com or from QVC.



LIQUID FOUNDATION: Makeup Forever's Face and Body Liquid Makeup is an incredible product. It is light, fresh and leaves a slight sheen of powder on the skin for a very natural effect. Founder Dany Sanz is a total perfectionist and only creates products that work. I keep this product handy for use on all of my clients who prefer a liquid foundation over a creme. You can purchase Makeup Forever at any local Sephora.



I also love L'Oreal's True Match Foundation. If you mainly shop drugstore brands then this is the foundation you should try. It comes in a rainbow of colors with warm, neutral, cool & depth undertones depending on your skin color. Goes on smoothly with a sheer coverage. Doesn't leave your skin feeling dry or oily. Carried at all the major drug stores such as CVS, Longs, Rite Aid and Walgreens and also available at Target, Walmart and some grocery stores.



POWDER FOUNDATION: Nars Cosmetics makes one of the best powder foundations available to consumers. I keep the entire powder foundation line in my kit because I found that it performs well for film and television with incredible coverage and because men prefer this type of foundation over a heavy creme or liquid application. I also use it for contouring and for blush because of it's amazing pigmentation. Sold at Nars online, Sephora and other high-end retailers.



I also love MAC Cosmetics Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation and use it on several of my younger clients. Provides great coverage and comes in a variety of shades. Sold at MAC Stores, MAC online or Nordstrom.



TINTED MOISTURIZERS: I love Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturizer (Oil Free)! It is a wonderful oil free, lightweight, buildable foundation that works with all skin types, especially those with sensitive, oily or acne prone skin. It controls dryness, prevents excessive oil buildup and provides sun protection with a built-in SPF 20. Great for teens! I use this product personally and professionally. Sold at Sephora and Nordstrom.



MINERAL FOUNDATION: There are several products available to you if you prefer a more natural approach to your foundation. Bare Escentuals is the most popular of all the mineral brands and it does a great job in providing the skin with pure ingredients, free of preservatives, talc, oil, fragrance and other skin irritants. It also has a built-in SPF-15 and is a very fine, loose powder. I have used Bare Escentuals personally and enjoyed the feeling and coverage, but on a professional basis I can not use mineral product because of coverage needs when shooting film, television or print, as well as I have found that mineral makeup tends to have a reflective nature when used with flash photography.



ETHNIC FOUNDATION: If you are a person who has darker skin and have a hard time finding a foundation that matches your skin tone, here are a few cosmetic companies that might have a product to meet your needs:

MAC Cosmetics - has many foundations in creme, powder and liquid form that should have a match for you.



Black Radiance is a drug store brand catering to African American women. This foundation comes in a creme foundation form (in a stick-type formula). It is lightweight and has an SPF 15. You can purchase Black Radiance at CVS, Walgreens and other retailers.



Thevi Cosmetics is an online retailer representing consumers of the Asian, South Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, African and Mediterranean descent. They make an incredible liquid powder foundation with an SPF 15. This product is enriched with Vitamins E and C for anti-oxidant protection and Vitamin A for skin conditioning. You can purchase this product at www.thevicosmetics.com.



I carry the MAC Cosmetic brand in my professional kit and use it on all types of ethnicity's. I have found that in my line of work when I need a heavier type of coverage that this cosmetic line works the best however, I do know several women who swear by MAC for everyday use.

A few more foundation lines that I enjoy and use professionally:

Dior, Cle de peau, Era Cosmetics, Prescriptives, Chanel, Visiora, Bobbi Brown (these are all in my professional kit).

As with all foundation, concealer or powder, please make sure your skin is properly prepped with a good skin care regime and primer prior to applying coverage cosmetics.

TIP OF THE DAY: Creams on top of creams - powder on top of powder! In other words - if you are using a creme or liquid foundation make sure to set it with a translucent powder prior to applying any type of powder blush or shadow! If you are using a creme blush - use right after foundation or concealer and then powder to set!

Please remember that this blog is based on my professional opinion and all product reviews are based on product performance I have witnessed either from using the product personally or on my clients professionally. I hope I was able to provide you with concrete advice and help regarding foundation products and please let me know if you have tried another type of product I have not listed here. I am always on the look out for the next "best" foundation!

-- username FAIL

In my inbox tonight... look, if you're going to create a spam account, at least TRY a little harder!

Dita Von Teese to perform striptease at Paris revue

Burlesque star Dita Von Teese is set to take the French audiences by storm as she returns to perform striptease at Paris' most famous nude revue.

The 36-year-old star has been booked in for a two-week run at the Crazy Horse in the French capital, where she also plans to show off musical skills.

"I feel that Paris is a place that still appreciates its showgirls. I feel I have to raise the bar," The Sun quoted her as saying.

"I've always had a real fascination with the Crazy Horse ever since I was a teenager and I found a picture of this line of nearly nude toy soldiers standing at attention. (I want to) combine the Crazy Horse style with what I do, which is classic American burlesque," she added.

Von Tesse will be performing at the songs she has recorded. The show will begin on February 1 and run through to Valentine's Day.

Tags: Dita Von Teese, Nude

Lily Allen snogs twin sisters

Lily Allen has confessed she kissed identical sisters during a trip to the US.

She told the Gay Times magazine: "I did once kiss identical twins in San Diego. I was on the sofa and I had them both. I was dancing and shoving my a**e on one of them."

While the singer says this was her sole sexual encounter with women, she admits to having lesbian fantasies "a lot".

She added: "I do have wet dreams - lesbian dreams - quite a lot."

Lily - who has previously been romantically linked to DJ Seb Chew and Chemical Brothers star Ed Simons - recently claimed her fame is ruining her sex life.

She said: "I have had a couple of times when I've got to know someone and we've had a really great time at my London apartment, just watching TV and having sex.

"And then I get paranoid because I get like, 'I don't want to leave the house with you because I don't want us to be photographed together and for us to suddenly have to justify our relationship, when we don't know what it is yet'."

Tags: Lily Allen, Sex, Ed Simons, Lesbian Dreams

Dita Von Teese French fancy

Maybe Paris isn't so gay after all.

Not judging by their latest stunning celeb guest anyway.

Busty Burlesque beauty DITA VON TEESE is set to titillate French audiences after booking a return to perform striptease at Paris' most famous nude revue.

The pint-sized star, who has boosted the popularity of Burlesque with her inventive striptease act - using larger-than-life size martini glasses, carousel horses and rhinestone-encrusted bubble baths as props, has been booked in for a two-week run at the Crazy Horse in the French capital.

And she plans to show off her musical skills during the shows, which begin on February 1 and run through to Valentine's Day, by performing songs she has recorded.

Although, you'd have some kind of couple to go to a strip show on Valentine's Day.

Von Teese, who was married goth rocker MARILYN MANSON, said: "I feel that Paris is a place that still appreciates its showgirls. I feel I have to raise the bar.

"I've always had a real fascination with the Crazy Horse ever since I was a teenager and I found a picture of this line of nearly nude toy soldiers standing at attention.

"(I want to) combine the Crazy Horse style with what I do, which is classic American burlesque."

Better get that Eurostar ticket booked then, eh lads...

Tags: Dita Von teese, Marilyn Manson

Gwyneth Paltrow strips for Two Lovers

Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow has stripped for the first time in her career for a raunchy phone sex scene in her latest movie “Two Lovers”.

Thesun.co.uk reports that the actress bares in a scene in the film to entice a neighbour, played by actor Joaquin Pheonix.

Set in New York, the film centres around Phoenix's character Leonard, who after splitting up with his long-term partner moves back in with his parents.

His parents attempt to set him up with a family friend Michelle, played by Paltrow, who lives in the same apartment block.

Michelle attempts to lure Leonard with saucy antics, including phone sex and in another scene with some bedroom action.

“Two Lovers” is expected to release in March.

Paltrow has earlier been photographed ripping to her lingerie for a photo shoot to promote the DVD release of her 2008 movie "Iron Man".

Tags: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joaquin Pheonix

-- interview with filmmaker Joe Falcione (part of my interviews series)

In last night's post, I muttered something unintelligible about being restless over many unfinished projects. Well, one of them has just been completed: interview with independent filmmaker Joe Falcione about his current movie in production, Despondent and his previous projects.

I'd always wondered what it takes to produce a movie -- it's so complicated. You have to come up with the script, actors, location, cameras and equipment, and that's not even including the funds or the know-how to write, act, operate everything and use computers and software... the whole production just sounds so impossibly intricate to me. And yet Joe wears all the necessary hats -- from writing to acting to editing and still somehow manages to do all this while working many hours and juggling a beautiful family. He was kind enough to answer my many questions about what it's like to be a filmmaker.

See interview with Joe Falcione -->
Joe Falcione has won several awards at various independent film festivals including awards for the music he helped produce. The music for his movies mostly have been composed by Roger Hooper. Read on for more, and to see the trailer of his latest upcoming film, Despondent.

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that I have a special interest in social documentary. Basically this means I love stories about people.

It started when I discovered Po Bronson some years ago, falling in love with his book What Should I Do With My Life? about varied career paths people have chosen; what it's like to embark on one plan only to find your passion lies elsewhere (like the one woman who had gone to medical school only to find she hated being a doctor). And then what if you don't know what your passion is?

It was a fantastic read; between that, Ira Glass's This American Life, the birth of StoryCorps (an independent project of ordinary citizens interviewing eachother, stored at the Library of Congress), and my inherent love of questioning, my own citizen documentary hobby was born.

I have a few other interviews posted online as well. If you know me, chances are I have even thought of interviewing you one day!