It’s always a real learning experience for me when model Angela Highsmith sits in my makeup chair.  Early on we discovered our shared passion for all things natural, and my respect for her body of knowledge grows every time we spend a day on set together.

At some point she told me that she brews up a tea for her daughter (this youthful beauty is a mom to a 10 year old) from an herb called Skullcap to ‘help chill her out before school’, and then went on to tell me about her herb garden and all the concoctions she makes to treat cuts and bruises from what she has growing in her own back yard. I recently introduced skullcap tea into my repertoire of ways to chill myself out and get ready for bed… and it actually does the trick!

Her knowledge of making her own medicines doesn’t stop there: she treats a variety of sensitive skin issues with oils, salves, and cold creams made with her own two hands, and a wealth of information she received during the many classes she’s taken at the New York Open Center, and in one-on-one sessions with herbologists.

When I asked her how she became interested in herbs, and the world of natural beauty products, she told me that she’d been interested in natural healing ever since she was a little girl, and that she used to make believe she was a Native American living off the land, with only what she found in her yard to eat, and to survive. As she’s gotten older, she explained, the natural products she uses become more and more natural: from using store-bought products with naturally derived ingredients, to focusing on searching out organic and edible products for skin and hair, to now making a good number of what she and her family uses, all by herself.  Very crafty and smart of you, Angela! Can I come over one day and see your garden?

On the day of this photo shoot I created a naturally glowing look with the following products – and even the most discerning green beauty aficionado would approve:

1.     Amala cocoa bean face oil massaged into Angela’s sensitive skin

2.     Vapour Organic Beauty liquid foundation used sparingly, starting from the center of the face, and blending outward

3.     Mineral Fusion concealer under her eyes very sparingly

4.     RMS cream eyeshadow in ‘Seduce’ on just her lids, applied with my fingers

5.     Onto curled lashes I applied a few coats of Honey Bee Gardens mascara in black

6.     Dr Hauschka bronzing powder swirled along her temples and across her cheekbones

7.     Burt’s Bees lip shimmer in Watermelon topped with a light coat of Burt’s Bees lipgloss in Spring Splendor

We both loved this fresh, gorgeous look (with just a pop of lip color) so much, that I thought to take a photo of her at the end of the day after she’d changed back into her street clothes. Can you believe this shot was captured at the end of an 8-hour day on set? Just beautiful, Angela, just beautiful!

I always look online the day before I work with a celebrity client to see what they’ve been up to since I last saw them. The night before I was to work with Susan for the event where the photo above was taken, I saw pictures of her wearing a beautiful ornately embroidered silk, floor length caftan, walking beside a man in a white robe, with a pink turban on his head. The caption beneath said she had attended the closing ceremony of an International Film Festival in the Omani capital.

I quickly calculated the time difference, and realized that when I was to begin getting her ready for that night’s event in NYC, she would have just arrived home from her trip – IF she flew direct. I so hoped that she’d been able to sleep on the plane.

Flying is one of the biggest culprits in dry skin and overall systemic dehydration. I made a promise to myself years ago: no alcohol while flying and LOTS of water (I generally stick to this promise).  I try to sit on the aisle so I don’t feel guilty about waking the person sitting beside me every time I have to use the loo.

As soon as Susan took her seat in front of me at her kitchen table, I began massaging one of my very favorite immediately hydrating products onto her face and neck: Tammy Fender’s Spontaneous Recovery Creme.  The texture is unlike any other, and the scent is so raw and delicious. I like to demonstrate on my friends with tattoos just how miraculous this stuff is; it takes a 15 year old ink drawing and makes it look new again.

Now I know that this  product line ain’t cheap, and because I’m pretty darn frugal, you have to believe me – these creamy lotions and potions really are great. I don’t advocate for spending your last dime on fancy beauty products, but if you’re saving up to splurge, this line is one to put on your wish list.

Needless to say, the spontaneous recovery creme did it’s job on Susan (who looked pretty amazing despite her trip around the world sans a good night’s rest) and I think she looked incredible as she walked in front of the paparazzi.

I’ve been using a number of Tammy’s products on myself the past few months and I LOVE what they do for my skin.  Disclaimer: I have incredibly sensitive, acne prone, rash prone, super temperamental skin, and I’ve never had anything but great experiences with the following regimen.

I use her Bulgarian Rose Water as a toner -right out of the shower – immediately before the Capillary Stregthening Blend serum, followed by her delicious Antioxidant Creme in Neroli and Orange. I also think her Firming Eye Gel (which is really creamy and does that perfect mixture of sinking in and still keeping the top layer of skin looking dewy) is one of my all time favorites. The scents of her products aren’t in any way sweet or perfumed – they’re just what you’d expect from the woman whose tag lines are ‘holistic skin care’ and ‘pure living energy’, and who serves up her products in light-protecting brown glass bottles and jars.

As a side note: the other day I arrived at Susan’s and she and a few others were gathered around her laptop watching the trailer for Cloud Atlas, the latest film from the creators of the Matrix, in which Susan stars along side Tom Hanks and Halle Berry.  It looks incredible, and Susan looks amazing – both when she plays a character in her own likeness AND when she plays a character of an older man of Indian descent. Now that’s some talented hair and makeup! I can’t wait to see it on the big screen.

You know when you find a product, or a few products from one company, that with barely any effort on your part, make you look GREAT? Great, in the way that everyone who sees you asks if you’ve been on vacation, or if you’re trying something different with your hair… that way in which you look so naturally good and polished that no one can tell what’s different?

Well, Vapour Organic Beauty’s multi-use cheek and lip color has been that for me for quite some time, now.

About two years ago I was lucky enough to receive some of their best selling cheek and lip stains and multi-use cheek and lip colors. I sorted through them, picked out my favorites for me and few friends – all of us with different coloring – and immediately put Courtesan 213 on my cheeks.  I looked like I’d just been in an hour and a half yoga class – alive, glowing, and somehow peaceful and happy. That’s a lot to ask of a cheek color, but I kid you not – that’s how I felt, and as the days (and now, years) have passed, I continue to get that positive reinforcement from those around me when I wear it – so I know it’s true.

I know that many of you are hesitant to use a cream cheek color. I know this because I get emails about it, and people will often ask me when I teach classes or am interviewed for articles: how do I apply it? Will the color stay throughout the day? Will it make me break out?

All great questions, and after many years of using cream cheek colors (from NARS’ multiples to 3-custom color sheer cheek stains, to those from the natural brands that are taking the cosmetic world by storm: RMS, Kjar Weiss, Revolution Organics, Isa’s Restoratives, and of course, Vapour), I know that cheek creams across the board are my personal favorite, both for work and on my own face.

I encourage you to try it on a well moisturized face (but let your moisturizer or oil sink in for a few minutes before applying your cheek color), with clean fingers, and just press the color into the apples of your cheeks – the part that perks up when you smile. Use your fingers or a brush or a sponge to tap and blend so that you can’t see the edge where the color begins to fade off your apples. I often set the cheek color with a sheer application of a corresponding powder blush if I know I (or my client) won’t have a chance to look in the mirror to refresh. That’s the only complaint that I have heard about cream cheek colors -particularly about those from the natural brands – that color tends to fade as the day wears on. My response: it’s a good thing we carry purses! Reapplying is not a bad thing! We should be looking in the mirror half way through the day to see how we’re presenting ourselves to others, no?

On the lovely Chelsea I used a very sheer application of Vapour’s Aura Stain in ‘Impulse’, and I applied it with my fingers to her very well moisturized cheeks, and then I used a brush to blend the edges seamlessly. Impulse is a very intense color and if you apply it from the tube, or more densely with your fingers, you’re going to get a lot of color deposit. My friend came over the other day wearing it as a lipstick and it was amazing – and very intense! It’s all about how you apply it, which is cool because you can personalize it, and create different looks with the same product. Two treats (or more) in one!

I topped off the center of each cheek with the most sheer application (this time applied with a wispy brush) of Vapour’s shimmer cheek color in Whisper. As you may know, I’m not much of a fan of anything with shimmer for real life, but in photo shoots, out at night, and on the red carpet, it can look awesome when applied sparingly, and camera flashes pick it up quite nicely.

One quick story: the day I received the package from Vapour about two years ago was a long and exhausting one, but when I got home from work around 10pm, I couldn’t help but open the bag and start trying everything. By midnight I’d sampled each piece, and I found myself doing something I don’t think I’d ever done before: I looked up one of the creators on Facebook and messaged him to tell him how much I loved the products. I sent him, essentially, a love note, at 1am! After I sent it I thought: he’s going to think I’m looney. Lucky for me, he must be a night owl, because I got the nicest message in response from him – at 2:30am!  Since then, I’ve had the pleasure to have spent time with the co-founder and formulator, Kristine Keheley. She’s one of those women who knows everything about ingredients, knows how to explain what she knows for the average person,and is both scientist and artist.

It makes me feel so good to have respect for, and actually like the folks behind the brands I use.