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.

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.

 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. 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.

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!

On the heels of my first televised interview (I’ll post a blog with the video in it soon) describing how I made my way from my previous career as a social worker to the world of makeup, I thought it fitting to share with you this bit of my back story… as well as what I’m currently carrying in my own personal makeup bag, as I told it to Sarah Howard, of beautybanter.com. 

“My first real intro to makeup started when I was 8. I was going to a friend’s house for a sleepover party, and out of the blue, my mom gave me a big ziplock bag of all sorts of products from the back of her makeup drawer. The ones that still stand out in my mind consist of a super shimmery grey eyeshadow, electric and pale frosty blue eye shadows, intensely pigmented peachy pink liquid cheek color, and an orange lipstick in a gold tube that I doubted she ever wore. I packed that ziplock full of tricks in my overnight bag and I was the hit of the party.

Soon thereafter it was my birthday and my mom invited her friend, who I vaguely remember was a makeup artist – maybe at a local department store counter – over to do makeup on all my friends. We still have the photos, and it was the first time I saw my blonde/red eyelashes with mascara – and I LOVED it. I couldn’t believe I had eyelashes like everyone else’s- dark and thick and framing the shape of my eye! That was the beginning of me begging to wear makeup, and my interest in all things beauty.

I got sidetracked for most of my early career-life, devoting my time to being a social worker  – which couldn’t have been the furthest thing from the world of beauty or fashion- my own wardrobe not excluded. The one thing that I did insist upon was introducing ‘beauty days’ to my clients – particularly around special days like mothers’ day, or valentines’ day – where I’d either collect products to pamper them, or bring in makeup or hair artists to give on-site makeovers to the lovely ladies who came in to my office for help.

I had the most gorgeous clients – of every skin tone, hair type, and ethnic background. I remember there would be times when I was floored by the beauty of a mother and daughter from west Africa, both with amazing skin, draped in gorgeous fabrics of rich color, or the stunning Latina clients with deep dark eyes and features that women pay plastic surgeons to recreate on their own faces. I was also really lucky to work with a large transgender population, and in particular, male-to-female transgendered folks who frequently dressed as women. It was from those clients that I learned the fantastic transformative power of makeup, and I knew I wanted to make a switch to try my hand at the beauty industry full-time.

I didn’t know enough to be scared, so I marched into all the different agencies and eagerly told the agents who would speak to me that I was willing to work for cheap, and that I wasn’t a kid who would screw around on set – I was there to work! It all happened so quickly, and after assisting some of the best for about a year, the agency that I love – The Wall Group – offered to sign me as their first makeup artist on their brand new emerging talent board.

That was nearly 6 years ago, and I can’t believe how far I’ve come, and how much I love this industry. I began my career in social work helping women feel better, and I love that I still get to do just that, every single day. I’m extremely passionate about the burgeoning green beauty component, and love finding out about new products made with ingredients that are safe enough to eat.

This year I decided to leave NYC and spend awards season in LA, rather than flying back and forth. Plus, I hate the cold so it wasn’t a difficult decision. Award season is full of excitement for me. I love working with the beautiful and funny Isla Fisher, and got to switch up her look a lot for the Golden Globes (pictured) – and she loved it. Doing makeup on the gorgeous and talented actress, Amanda Seyfried, is always such a treat as well. I like doing all kinds of makeup, but what I like most, is making a face we’re all familiar with really dazzle on the red carpet. Nothing is better for me than when I hand my client the mirror after finishing creating her look and seeing her eyes widen and a smile spread across her face as she takes in her reflection.

• My makeup bag is from Kahina Giving Beauty. They make fantastic products and give back so much to the Berber women in Morocco who make them. The products in my bag are simple but contains exactly what my staples are when doing a red carpet look.
• Dr. Alkaitis Universal Mask: I carry the sample size in my purse just in case I travel and forget to bring the full size! This green mask is truly therapeutic – it soothes, nourishes, and calms my skin when it’s inflamed or broken out. The key is to keep it damp while it’s on your face – spritzing with water or hanging out in the shower, letting the steam keep it damp.
• Vered Organic Botanicals Balancing Face Oil: It’s an herb infused oil that contains anti inflammatory and anti bacterial components. My skin is so sensitive, and I love that this one never irritates it and I think, calms my breakouts. I use it day and night, and I’m never stingy with application. I only use oils on my clients, too which I know is why they always glow on the red carpet.
• Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler: Simply the best. Change the pad every 6 months, and get a new one every year, if you use it daily. Clamp it as close to the roots as you possibly can and your eye will instantly open. Every actress I work with knows I’ll be curling the hell out of her lashes.
• Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara Very Black: I’m obsessed with lashes. This is my favorite, despite it not being a ‘green’ beauty product. I don’t care – it does the job and gives long, thick, lush lashes that stay all day- and I use, like, 10 coats.
• Kjaer Weis Lip Tint in “goddess”: I love this deep rich color, and that it’s sheer while still well pigmented. I love to use it on my cheeks, too! It looks awesome on so many skin tones, as well, and the color is totally buildable.
• Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Sweet Violet: this is my go-to for every day, all day. I have a zillion of them. It’s 100% natural and such an awesome color. It’s also what I like to give my clients for the after party when I know they’re not going to be interested in keeping up their precise lipstick look that I created for them. This is easy, moisturizing, and full of color, and there are a number of other colors, so I can pick the one that matches each client best.
• Zoe Organics 100% Organic Everything Balm: I use this delicious little stick on everything – scrapes, rashes, bites, rough cuticles- you name it. I have one in my work makeup kit and use it all the time when I want to moisturize shoulders and upper arms, but can’t risk getting any oils from lotion or cream into the hair (or the hairdresser will kill me!)
• Ilia Beauty Balmy Days Lip Balm: When I don’t feel like having any color on my lips, this is my favorite. It’s full of coconut oil and feels delicious. I give them out to clients to use at night leading up to red carpet events because they’re so penetrating and rich – they get a pout ready!
• Tata Harper Aromatic Stress Treatment Roll-On Oil: I keep this with me at all times, both to bring immediate relaxation to myself and my clients. I always roll some on my wrists before I start a makeup application so my client can enjoy the effects of aromatherapy – particularly before stepping out onto the red carpet. They generally ask to have some put on their wrists before leaving the house, too!
• Roots Rose Radish: The pretty little open shell on the right of the photo is another scent that I love from a really cool company started by a woman who’s a trained herbalist – and a doula! – and she makes everything she sells. This one is freakin’ delicious: rose, franinscense and patchouli – but not *that* kind of patchouli. It’s warm and earthy and rich and makes men go nuts in the best way when they smell it!
• Celsius Bio Intelligence Scar Cream: My friend Spirit, of the best ever green beauty product website: spiritbeautylounge.com, gave this to me to try when I told her I’d gotten a bad burn on my finger. It’s full of healing ingredients and is all natural… and it worked! I keep it on me just in case anyone has a healing cut that needs a little TLC.”