Taken from the original posting at The Chalkboard Mag.com :

 

WANT TO LEARN a few tricks of the trade from a woman who preps A List gals on both coasts for award shows and light night fashion – I mean, talk – shows? Perfect. We’re talking to celeb makeup artist Katey Denno about all things natural beauty, and this one knows it all.

Katey is one of our go-to beauty consultants here at TCM and with good reason. She paints the faces of gorgeous gals like Christy Turlington (get the look), Isla Fisher (get the look,) Mindy Kaling, and Amanda Seyfried with her “mostly” natural beauty kit and creates looks so luminous she’s got half of Hollywood calling.

Recently we joined Katey for an evening inside West Hollywood’s The Detox Market for a green beauty workshop extraordinaire. Along with a dozen wellness-minded ladies ready to take thorough notes on paper and face, we sipped on Pressed Juicery mimosas and watched as Katey created look after look with some of our favorite natural brands.

Katey means business when it comes to beauty. Below we talk honestly about what’s going on in natural beauty and a few of her favorite things. Our thanks to the Detox Market for hosting the kind of event that pushes green beauty one step further – and teaches us to properly curl our lashes. Here’s Katey…

THE CHALKBOARD MAG: In the workshop you talked about ingredients to avoid. What are the 3 that top your list? 
KATEY DENNO: Fragrance/parfum; sodium lauryl sulfate/sodium laureth sulfate (SLS/SLES); and oxybenzone.

TCM: We’ve talked about this many times: performance and non-toxicity are just about equal in our minds! If a lipstick is non-toxic but awful, why even put it on? Talk to us a little about the brands that are making the cut for you right now…

KD: I absolutely agree. We’re fortunate to be alive in a time in which a number of (mostly women) decided to forge ahead and find ways to make beauty products safely – and the options from which to pick are growing daily. My current go-tos include: Lina Hanson body oil – this blend is deliciously fragrant and has transformed my skin. I use it on my clients before they walk the red carpet all the time; YULI face oil – another oil blend that’s transformed my sensitive, outbreak-prone skin beautifully; Tammy Fender eye cream – I’ve been an eye cream user since age 17, and this one is one of the best I’ve ever tried. Tammy’s line is magical; Burt’s Bees lip crayons are super pigmented and rich in colors that are both classic, and right on-trend; and Kjaer Weis eye shadows – they’re the most blendable and incredibly beautiful of all shadows I’ve tried, with just the right amount of shimmer.

TCM: You’ve got a ton of celebrity clients. Are there any products your girls are really loving right now?

Click here to read the rest of the interview.

Thank you so much for coming to class, and for having me on thechalkboardmag.com!

xxx

 

Special thanks to our beautiful model, Anna Crysell.

 

 

A friend recently tipped me off to this really neat store in the west village here in NYC. It’s called Enfleurage, which loosely translates to a process by which the fragrant compounds exuded by plants are captured and preserved.  I’d always wondered how that was done! A little research informed me that it’s quite a complex process developed by the French in the 19th century.

This small boutique offers a range of hands-on classes designed for anyone who wants to learn more about aromatherapy and essential oils. Why would I want to do that, you ask? Because then you can:

• Stop using synthetic fragrances in the home
• Stop using artificial fragrance for personal scent
• Get rid of an upset stomach or headache without drugs
• Use essential oils for basic first aid
• Naturally build up your immune system
• Naturally regulate and balance your mood
• Start making your own beauty and household cleaning products
• Save money and reduce manufacturing and packaging waste
• Alleviate the effects of stress, anxiety, and depression without medication
• Transition to a more eco-friendly lifestyle

I attended a free Sunday morning class with two others and loved every bit of it. Christina, our instructor, was incredibly well informed, really good at sharing information, and let us smell, touch, and feel everything. I, of course, asked a bunch of questions, and the lovely woman answered every last one and gave us each a handout she’d made with information about carrier oils, essential oils, astringents and toners, and talked to us about how to use them if acne is your issue, dryness is your concern, or you get eaten alive by mosquitos and need help stopping the itch. I can’t say enough good things about the class and the info with which I came away.

Upcoming classes (that aren’t free) include: Natural Beauty Products for the  Body, Natural Beauty Products for the Face, Essential Oils for Detoxification, and this past weekend the class was on Aromatherapy for the home, and taught attendees how to switch from synthetic to natural home fragrance, reduce or eliminate the use of harsh commercial cleansers, discover strategies for natural odor, insect and pest removal and control, and how to change their atmosphere and mood with fragrance. Students were allowed to make two customized essential oil blends to take with them. So cool, right?

Even more cool – in addition to her NYC aromatics shop, the owner has her very own distillery in Oman, where she specializes in aromatics from the natural world like frankincense and agar wood, in particular. I would love to visit her Oman shop not just because I’d love to see that part of the world again, but more importantly because she makes ice cream infused with various oils and sells them to local businesses! Amazing.  I keep up with her super cool life on her blog:  www.absolutetrygve.com

A few things I learned during the class:

1. Franincense is most useful in skin care for its wound healing and cell regeneration properties. It plumps up the skin, which makes it good for anti-aging products. It’s also great to heal fresh scars.
2. Tea tree is a very powerful anti-viral, anti-fugal and anti-bacterial oil, but still gentle enough (for most people)  to be used straight on the skin (although I’d keep it away from mucous membranes – ouch!) I’ve been using it on blemishes with great success.
3. Geranium has a balancing effect on hormones internally as well as astringent properties when used externally. Because most acne is a result of hormonal fluctuations and the excess sebum our skin produces because of that hormonal ebb and flow, a geranium hydrosol (water/botanical face spray) would be great for those of us suffering with acne to add to our regimen.
4. Sea Buckthorn Oil is known to combat dryness and wrinkles because it contains high levels of vitamins A, C, and E, which means it does a great job repairing skin and regenerating cells. A+ for those with eczema, psoriasis, burns and sun damage.

What exciting information will I learn next time? I can’t wait!

 

 

 

A bowl of frankincense! I had no idea that it’s resin from scraping a tree that’s unique to Africa and the Middle East.

 

A box of sandalwood sticks.  I never thought about the fact that that delicious scent comes from actual wood!

 

A nice welcome from some greenery in the window.

 

Sweet little Buddha sitting next to an aromatic oil-heating bowl.

 

I had so much fun teaching my first class at Whole Foods on Houston and Bowery here in NYC a few months ago that I’ve scheduled another one for next week. I’m sorry I didn’t post this sooner, because I hear it’s nearly sold out, but if you’re free on Monday, May 14th from 7-9, I’d love to see you!

The class is held in the kitchen where cooking lessons are given, and it’s a good thing because in addition to discussing the best in clean** makeup and skin care – and not just those sold in Whole Foods – we’ll also make one or two of our own facial treatments with products found right in your kitchen, and we’ll package them up so you can try them for yourself in the comfort of your own home!

**I can’t figure out which word to use to best describe products that are as free from potentially harmful chemicals as possible: green? non-toxic? healthy? natural? you get the picture?

You can click HERE to register.

My friend photographed and shot video of the last class (thank you, Michelle!)  and the most fun images were taken during the eyelash curling session. I love watching the delight on each person’s face when they see how wide open their eye looks after I teach them how to curl.  It was such a hit that I’m sure we’ll do it again on the 14th.

Some shots from my makeup/skincare table:

…and a little video for your viewing pleasure (again, thanks to my good friend Michelle for shooting and editing). Does anyone know how to keep the advertisements from popping up along the bottom of it? Darn ads!

Another big thank you to my friend, and model, Tanya Sweet, who looks amazing in a red lip!