Tag: Burt’s Bees


Shop the shelves at Whole Foods for some of my beauty favorites!

February 11th, 2015 — 7:00pm

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Thank you to the lovely ladies at cupcakesandcashmere.com for asking me to share some of my favorite, less expensive, non-toxic beauty picks. Luckily Whole Body (the section of Whole Foods that doesn’t sell food!) stocks a ton of my go-to’s.  Below you’ll find a portion of the piece cupcakesandcashmere.com posted, and the link to read the full story.

When I first became pregnant, I started to make a conscious effort to incorporate more clean products into my life (aside from my candy addiction, which was the only way I could have survived those nine months.) I researched everything, from our household supplies to my beauty products, to see where I could make improvements. But since the world of ‘green’ makeup is still pretty foreign to me, I decided to reach out to an expert. Katey Denno is a makeup artist who’s passionate about clean products and is also the person behind Gwyneth Paltrow’s natural glow and Mindy Kaling’s perfect smoky eye. If you’re intimidated by your local health store’s beauty aisle, read on for Katey’s favorite picks:

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“Deliciously scented and non-stinging, this spray bottle doubles as perfume for me and my clients all the time.”
“The newest facial wipes from Burt’s are all natural, deliciously scented, and highly effective at removing makeup without drying skin or leaving a filmy residue.
”
“Easy to blend into foundation, face oil, and even leg moisturizer, this concentrate is a great bronzy shade that can transform so many skin tones into sun-kissed glow.
”
“I love this shade! it’s such a rich peachy pink that can be buffed into the skin to look like a glow from within.”
“100% natural, gorgeous rich pigment that’s super easy to apply (and long lasting!). I use them all the time on my clients and on myself.”

 

Click here to read the rest of the story!

 

Thanks again, ladies!

x

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Be perfectly on-trend with two of my favorite rich, classic, fall lip colors.

November 10th, 2014 — 3:44pm

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When my friend Jessie stopped by my house recently, I couldn’t resist asking if I could dress up her lips with some colors of the season. I knew she would look gorgeous in Burt’s Bees all-natural semi-matte lip crayon, ‘Napa Vineyard‘, and boy oh boy, did she ever. I topped it with just a bit of Burt’s Bees tinted lip balm in ‘Rose‘ to keep her lips feeling perfectly moisturized.

Later in the evening when we were getting ready to go out, I had a thought: we should add a few coats of Burt’s Bees all-natural lip gloss in my favorite deep, rich purple-tone, called ‘Starry Night’, and see what happens.

The result was so super pretty. A very different, but still deep, richly pigmented, multi-dimensional color, just perfect for falling temperatures, snuggly sweaters… and a hat.

If you’d like help finding the shade I think will look best on you, click here and here to explore the Burt’s Bees Lip Shade Finder and Lip Tip Library.

Thanks for showing off the lip colors so well, beautiful Jessie! xxx

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Burt’s Bees. The opinions and text are all mine.

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My super fantastic visit to the Burt’s Bees labs

June 16th, 2014 — 6:15pm

burts_lab_visit5 I know I’ve mentioned to you my affinity for the line of all natural lip colors made by Burt’s Bees – from their barely-there, super moisturizing tinted lip balms, to their richly pigmented lip glosses – on quite a few occasions, however, I don’t think I’ve shared with you the other component that makes the brand so over-the-top special to me. It’s the fantastic employees, and those who run the company, whose love for what they do, that is so contagious and inspiring.

Since we started working together nearly 2 years ago, I’ve really valued my visits to their headquarters in North Carolina.  The offices – which include their in-house lab- sit on a beautiful campus, and are staffed with forward-thinking, eco and health conscious, all around nice people, each of whom work extra hard towards the common goal of making Burt’s Bees the best brand it can possibly be.  They’re the kind of company you’d expect: with recycling stations on each floor so that ‘throwing something away’ is a thoughtful practice, with lovely, open, communal areas in which to meet, a large skylight over the cubicle areas, complete with ergonomically correct chairs and/or yoga ball seats, which are great for the spine, and for keeping stomach and leg muscles engaged.  They also host community volunteer days – building houses, cleaning up neighborhoods – that kind of wonderful stuff we all should be doing.

burts_lab_visit1 On top of all of that, one additional, very unique feature that sets this personal care/beauty product company apart from most others is this: their open-air laboratory, in which in-house chemists create, develop, and test new products, and seasonally work with staff to update, add to, and tweak the range of lip colors.  With no toxic fumes from scary chemicals to pollute the air, the chemists are free to tinker and mix and cook to their hearts’ content, with no worry of noxious chemicals invading their coworkers’ noses or eyes. I met with two lovely chemists,  Cheryl Hilll and Abena Antwi, who invited me into their workspace to become intimately acquainted with the process of creating a tube of Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm. They even let me experiment with pigments, and create a shade of my very own. burts_lab_visit2 Witnessing the mysterious back-end of product development has meant so much to me. Seeing the beakers and saucers filled with the raw ingredients that, when blended together just right, result in the perfect tube of what I press into my lips, and into the lips of my clients, has made me feel even more certain of my decision to ‘go green’. I love that I can share a glimpse of my experience with you, here. Below are some shots I took while in the lab on my most recent trip. Is it what you’d expected the lab to look like? One last thing I’m excited to share with you: I helped pick the shades for an upcoming launch of lip color. Eve Fusco, the Product Development Manager at Burt’s Bees so generously welcomed me into the mix and taught me how it’s done. It’ll be a while before these new products hit the shelves, but oh boy, was it fun to be a part of the process. I’ll keep you posted. burts_lab_visit3

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Look Perfectly polished in nothin’ but the basics.

April 15th, 2014 — 6:02pm

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Every season, fashion and beauty magazine editors and bloggers ask me “ What are the top 5-10 things every woman must have in her makeup bag?”

My answers vary slightly, depending on the age of their readership, but overall I’m known to favor keeping makeup rather simple and timeless.  To me it’s always been about enhancing ones’ features, which can be done with just a few simple products.

Please don’t mistake my short list of musts for a lack of support for those of you who want to experiment with wild eyeliner hues and bold, trendy lip color. I’m a big fan of that sort of thing, as well. But first I think it’s important to iron out the basics, and find what works best to enhance your favorite features, keeping your every day look as fresh-faced and minimally made up, as possible.  Once that’s established, playing with extras is a breeze.

In writing this post, I’m assuming you’ve gotten your skin care regimen down, and are starting with hydrated, nourished faces. This is not such an easy feat for so many of us, and if you’re having difficulty in this venue, the good news is, there are countless treatment options in the green beauty world for every skin type. It just takes some research and often a bit of trial and error.

So… what do I think no woman should live without (I really don’t feel that you couldn’t live without makeup – or things in general – but I think you know what I mean).

  1. A good eyelash curler. My favorite has been the one by Shu Umera because of the texture and shape of the pad, and overall shape and sturdiness of their handle and the part into which the pad fits.
  2. A creamy, neutral eyeliner. Depending on your hair and eye color, as well as your skin tone, and personal preference, this could be a pale taupe, a deep brown, a medium gray, or a deep, dark black.  Keep some cotton swabs on hand to smudge the line you draw, buffing it out ever so slightly.
  3. A mascara that gives the look you favor, whether that’s longer, thicker, darker, or all of the above. (I prefer all of the above)
  4. Tweezer. I can’t emphasize the benefit of a good tweezer enough. Shaping your brows and whisking away unwanted hairs from other regions of the face where they begin to show up – it’s  a necessity.  I’ve been a fan of  the Rubis for years, but it’s really all about finding one that feels right in your hand.
  5. Two cheek colors: one that makes you look warm and glowy, and one that mimics the color your cheeks turn when your heart rate has been pushed. I generally favor creamy cheek colors, but this is a personal preference thing.
  6. Two concealer shades: one with a bit more peachy/orange undertone to cut the purple inherent in under eye circles.  Then, one concealer that matches your skin tone and texture perfectly to cover spots as needed. I always like to finish a concealer/tinted moisturizer/ foundation application by pressing a slightly dampened beauty blender sponge into the skin to ensure that the texture of the product matches the texture of your skin. Don’t skip this step if can help it.
  7. 3 lip colors. Most women I know have many more than this, but honestly, if you have limited funds, a desire to keep your purse as light as possible, or become overwhelmed at the thought of keeping up with lip trends, three shades is perfect. I’d start with a sheer, tinted lip balm in a color that’s pretty similar to your lips, add a similar shade in a proper lipstick formulation that’s somewhere in the satin range – moist, not matte, yet not glossy, and finally, a color that you love, and that gets smiles from others when you wear it – could be a bright pink, an orangey red, or a deep berry.
  8. A sheer gloss. I lied – having a fourth lip product that feels good and has a bit of a moist look is always a good idea. This can be layered over any of the above, or worn alone when you’re feeling glossy.
  9. An eyebrow brush/pencil/powder/gel: When we’re young, our brows are usually at their fullest. You may want to brush them into a lovely shape in the morning and forget about them. As we age, however – even as early as in our early 30’s, our brows may start to look a bit less full, particularly towards the tails. Finding a brow pencil or powder that looks super natural is the way to go. Light strokes, mimicking the hair growth pattern is all you need, along with good lighting, to create a frame for your face. I’ve just recently found Eco Brows, a richly pigmented brow gel product in a pot, and really like it. I also love the fine point and ease of use of the brow pencils from MAC.

There you have it.

Here are some of my current favorite all natural products you can use to create this very pretty, basic look I did on my friend, the gorgeous model, Michele Alvez:

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What’s in my handbag?

March 26th, 2014 — 12:24pm

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Last month when i was in London, the very cool girls from the UK’s well-known site: What’s In My Handbag paid me a visit in my hotel room.  They arrived just as I was thumbing through the latest issue of the UK’s Clique magazine, featuring the beautiful US model (and amazing cook, and plus-size swimsuit line designer) Robyn Lawley in their cover story. I love working with Robyn and seeing her beautiful mug on the cover was such a nice treat.

I was in the UK  to help Burt’s Bees launch their beautiful line of color lip products in Europe and had such a wonderful time meeting countless editors, beauty bloggers, makeup artists, and Burt’s Bees distributors from numerous countries.  I loved doing lip makeovers (I think I did nearly 80 in one day!), and introducing everyone to my favorite layering techniques.

It was a whirlwind trip, but during the one hour of down time I had, I took a little walk around a shopping district not far from the hotel. At some point I stopped to tie my shoe and when I stood up, I noticed I was standing in front of the best all-natural beauty product store in the UK: Content. It was one of those: ‘I can’t believe this’ moments, and that feeling only intensified when I entered the store and found so many of my favorite green brands, and green brands of which I’d never heard. That’s not where the ‘wow’ stopped for me: one of the shop keepers asked if I needed any help, and when I told her that I was just so excited to have stumbled upon her store, seeing that I was a makeup artist from the US, interested in the world of green beauty, she said: ‘is your name Katey?’

It turns out that the shop keeper was actually the owner of this, the first ever green beauty store in London! The lovely Imelda  then showed me around the shop, introduced me to locally made, and sold-in-the-UK-only products, and then the amazing entrepreneur even walked me to the first ever organic juice shop that had just opened up nearby.

In the photo above, you’ll see the hand cream, eye cream, and pretty glass nail file that I picked up while in her beautiful boutique (that not only sells the best products, but also offers beautifying and relaxing services in the little treatment rooms in the back).

In addition to my new purchases, in this pic  you’ll find my favorite products I keep close at hand, particularly while traveling.  Also pictured are my favorite bamboo utensils from togoware, and my go-to, easy to travel with, thick and rich body (also serves as hand, and sometimes hair) cream from Pai Organic Skincare,

I love knowing what treasures other women are toting around in their hand bags and toiletry kits, so i felt it only fitting to share what I had in mine.

Click here to see the full piece on the whatsinmyhandbag.com site.

Thanks again, What’s In My Handbag, for snooping through my purse. It was so much fun! x

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The first of three weekend ‘Burt’s Bundles’ Lip Color Giveaways starts NOW!

February 8th, 2014 — 5:56am

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For each of the next three weekends, one of you will receive all of what you see above (except for the teeny picture of me!).  At the risk of sounding like an infomercial, that’s TWELVE fantastic lip products, and all you have to do is enter to win via my Facebook page.  You’ll have 24 hours each weekend to submit your entry, and I’ll announce the winner at the end of the weekend.

In three different color families, you’ll get a tinted lip balm, a light reflective, color-packed lip shimmer, an intensely pigmented lip gloss that’s the perfect level of shine and never sticky, and a deliciously scented and lightly flavored gorgeous lip shine in an easy to apply squeeze tube.

I’ve put together these three unique packages of lip color  because I think that a lip wardrobe is something every woman should have, but I know how daunting it can be to pick out for yourselves. Each giveaway contains:

  •  Red bundle consists of Red Dahlia Tinted Lip Balm, Pucker Lip Shine, Raisin Lip Shimmer and Ruby Moon Lip Gloss.
  •  Pink bundle consists of Hibiscus Tinted Lip Balm, Blush Lip Shine, Rhubarb Lip Shimmer and Spring Splendor Lip Gloss.
  •  Neutral bundle consists of Caramel Daisy Tinted Lip Balm, Whisper Lip Shine, Peony Lip Shimmer and Fall Foliage Lip Gloss.

Finding just the right lip color for yourself -no matter which color family you’re looking at – can be difficult, and I’m not suggesting that each of these bundles will be perfect on all women. However, one thing in which I have complete confidence is that you can create your perfect shade of lip color by mixing and matching and making your own blend of colors that makes your eyes pop, your teeth look their whitest, and your cheeks rosy. That’s what the magic of the right lip color can do for each of us.  Click here to watch some videos of lip color suggestions I’ve made to help other women find their perfect shade with Burt’s Bees!

You can check out the Lip Shade Finder that I created with Burt’s Bees to find out more about which colors will best suit you, based on your skin tone, eye, and hair color, here.

Have fun with it!

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The Beauty Of It Is + Spirit Beauty Lounge + Burt’s Bees bring you three weeks of ‘for the love of green beauty’ gift giveaways!

February 6th, 2014 — 6:31pm

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Happy Valentine’s Month beautiful readers!

I’ve never won anything. (At least not anything that I really wanted.) Have you? Spirit Beauty Lounge and I have teamed up to make it happen for 18 of you! Let the ‘for the love of green beauty’ gift giving begin!!

Every weekday for the rest of this month you have the chance to win one of the beautiful gifts featured above.  There’ll be a mixture of our favorites in green beauty, from skincare and haircare to makeup and nail polish from brands like Lina Hanson, Kjaer Weis, Tata Harper, Ila, W3LL people, Rahua, RMS, Mun, Strange Invisibles, Maya Water, Vapour Organic Beauty, Soapwalla Kitchen, Chocolate Sun, Alima Pure, Tatcha, Dr. Bronners, Kure Bazaar, BKR.

It’s super simple to enter; just click through the prompts on my Facebook page. The first giveaway is the delicious face oil from Mun… you won’t be disappointed!!!

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

 

 

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The super beautiful Lizzy Caplan at the 2014 Golden Globes

January 14th, 2014 — 5:12am

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Have you seen ‘Masters of Sex’ on Showtime?  This beautiful woman stars in the groundbreaking series, and although it didn’t win a Golden Globe this year, I’m quite sure it will in years to come.  Lizzy Caplan is all around awesome, and WOAH – that face! I’ve wanted to paint on her since Bridesmaids, and I was lucky enough to have the honor to get her red carpet ready for yesterday’s Golden Globes awards show.  I’ve learned that in cases like this, when my client is just as gorgeous as can be with a naked face, my job is to keep her makeup as simple as possible.  Hear that? It’s not about the makeup, and I’m okay with it! Particularly when the dress has such a high wow-factor; a gold beaded gown from Pucci does not need to compete with my desire to give everyone a dark smokey eye and magenta lip.

So here’s the rundown on how I accomplished this beautiful minimalist look:

This is a little behind the scenes shot of my makeup set up (Lizzy’s freshly painted nails typing away in the upper right corner) just prior to starting getting her ready:

 

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get Olivia Munn’s glowing skin and smokey bronzed eye

July 13th, 2013 — 9:04pm

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This image was taken the first time I worked with Olivia a few months ago. I’d always admired how great her makeup looks on the red carpet, and always thought she was one of the most beautiful actresses around. Olivia definitely knows how she looks her best – from the shape of the eyeshadow, to the angle of the eyeliner, and the placement of contour and cheek color. She shared with me that she’s worked with a fantastic makeup artist in Los Angeles for many years, and from the pictures she’s shown me from the events where she’s done her own makeup, it’s obvious that she, herself, seriously knows how to paint her own face – and put on false eyelashes better than anyone else I’ve ever known!

Before I tell you how to recreate this makeup look for yourself, I want to share with you this story:

Recently I arrived at Olivia’s hotel room to do her makeup for a TV show appearance. Before taking a seat in front of me, she reached into her purse and pulled out small bag containing a bottle of nail polish and a bottle of polish remover she’d just picked up at Whole Foods.  I was so excited (as only a green makeup artist can be) by what I saw.  Of all the options she had between the equally as close in proximity drug store, mainstream grocery store, and beauty supply shop, she made it a point to spend her dollars on nail products that are made by companies that have made a concerted effort to be as toxin-free as possible. The color was a killer shade of red, and the remover worked extremely well to remove the polish she started out wearing.  It’s the little purchases like this that say a lot. Companies that attempt to do better for the environment and for their consumers need our support.

Just one more reason why I’m so stoked to work with Olivia. Plus she personally makes the rounds to say thank you, and shakes the hand of every single person that had even the smallest roll on whatever photo or video shoot she’s working on. Who does that?! Olivia does, and it makes everyone feel *so* good.

Okay, back to telling you how you can make your own face glowy and bronzed:

FACE:

  • I favored a really dewy complexion for this glowy look. I started with a tiny bit of La Bella Figura’s Rainforest Hydration Treatment and thoroughly massaged it into her face and neck. A little goes a long way to intensely hydrating skin. I waited about 20 minutes until it had fully absorbed to begin perfecting her skin, which works out well since I always start with eye makeup first.
  • Once I finished her eyes, I used Vapour Organic Beauty’s Atmosphere Luminous Foundation Stick, applied with a small foundation brush, and worked it into the areas in need, patting it into place with a damp – but not at all wet to the touch – beauty blender sponge.
  • I started building the bronzed glow by first laying down a layer of cream highlighter from RMS beauty (living luminizer) on the areas of her face that I wanted to reflect the most light in front of the paparazzi: the bridge of her nose, her cheekbones and her cupids bow.
  • It wasn’t until I was nearly finished with the rest of her makeup, that I went back and mixed two colorful shades of Vapour cream cheek stick color in Torch and Courtesean  on my small, fluffy brush, and swirled them around the apples of her cheeks, just to give a brightness to her face.
  • Then I went to work with my favorite Dr. Hauschka powder bronzer, placing it onto her skin with a large, fluffy, super soft powder brush. The trick when powdering on top of cream is to make sure the cream has set as much as it can, and then place the powder color on top with a large brush. If you buff it too much you run the risk of smearing the cream below and creating streaks.
  • To finish her cheeks, I went back with a matte brown bronzer called Mauna Lao, from Alima Pure to add more definition to her cheekbones, and I softly placed the powder underneath them with a small eyeshadow blender brush, to really make them pop.

ON HER EYES:

  • I love Kjaer Weis’ eyeshadows and use them all the time. Here I placed ‘Charmed’ under her eye, and then over her entire lid, blending it upwards for a sheer application from crease to brow. Then I used my same Dr. Hauschka’s matte bronzer with a fluffy eyeshadow blending brush to create a little depth in her crease, particularly towards the outer edge.
  • It’s no secret that I love some serious lashes, so I curled the heck out of hers, and then applied 400 coats of covergirl lash blast, in very black (and a few individual fake lashes from Ardell for a little extra depth)
  • I filled in her brows with a deep brown brow pencil

ON HER LIPS

Et voila.

Thanks to Glamour magazine for calling Oliva’s look out in July’s issue as a beautiful way to bronze!

Just look at that face! Gorgeous!

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Get this soft, yet polished look I gave funny-lady Isla Fisher

June 20th, 2013 — 3:30pm

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Isla always makes me laugh. She’s definitely one of  the funniest woman I’ve ever worked with, and I love that she can crack up the room with a joke, a story, or simply a look.

During the many days of press for one of the recent films in which she stars – The Great Gatsby – I convinced her that she needed to branch out from her usual nude lip color because she looks  FANTASTIC in a bold lip.  From that day forward, she let me experiment, painting her mouth with bright pinks, deep berries, and bold reds.  Since then, every time I arrive to get her ready to walk a red carpet, shoot a picture for a magazine or make an appearance on TV, she points to the outfit she’ll be wearing and says with an excited smile: what do you think? Should we do a lip?

For the shoot above, however, we opted for a more neutral palette, one that every woman can feel beautiful wearing, and easily accomplish on herself . This is what I used:

ON HER EYES

To make her brown eyes smolder, I pressed two shades of shadow from Neal’s Yard Remedies cosmetics line in Barley and Cocoa, and into the inner corners I lightly pressed Kjaer Weis shadow in Cloud Nine to add even more dimension.

I used Dr. Hauschka Kajal eyeliner in 07, Mellow Sienna Brown, (which was just a seasonal release, so I apologize – it may be hard to find if you don’t want to order it through the link above) to smudge along the inside of her lash line, on both the top and the bottom.

On her lashes I used multiple coats of Korres mascara in Obsidian Black.

TO READ THE REST OF THIS HOW-TO, PLEASE CLICK THROUGH TO ONE OF THE BEST ONLINE MAGAZINES I KNOW: 

thechalkboardmag.com

talk to you soon! xxx

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