Christy was the first ‘celebrity’ face I touched. Early on in my makeup career I was fortunate enough toassist her long time makeup artist, Pati Dubroff, a number of times.  One year Pati was double – or maybe triple- booked for a red carpet event, and because of traffic, she just couldn’t make it back to get Christy ready in time. When I got the call asking me to head to drop everything and head to Christy’s house, I was over the moon excited. One of the most beautiful and iconic faces of my time – and I was getting her red-carpet ready!  It hardly seemed possible.

My disbelief continued, when, a few days later, my buzzer rang, and there at my door was a gorgeous purple orchid plant in the delivery man’s hands. The card read something along the lines of: I’m so grateful to have you in my life. Thank you for making me look and feel so pretty.  With love, Christy.

Since that time nearly six years ago I’ve had the pleasure of doing her makeup on many occasions. I’ll forever be grateful to Pati for trusting in me that day.

To get Christy’s look, I used these products:

Eyes:

• I blended three shades by Kjaer Weis: Cloud Nine served as the base, and I buffed it into the lid from lash line, nearly to the brow bone, and into the inner corner. I blended Earthy Calm into the crease, and under the buttom lashes and Onyx – a slightly shimmering slate, along the lash line.
• A minimum of 5 coats of Nvey Eco mascara in black gives her amazingly full lashes.

Face:

Christy’s skin was prepped with May Lindstrom Skin, The Youth Dew facial serum, and then I massaged Roots Rose Radish BLue Chamomile Face Cream into the parts that needed a little more moisture.
I perfected her skin with Vapour Organic foundation sticks, and swirled Desired Glow-a deep tan cream blush – from Kjaer Weis onto her cheekbones, and blended it down.

Lips:

• A blend of Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick in Zivoli and Zin.

 

 

While I was in Los Angeles in January I spent the day with the creator of the all natural skincare, hair oil,  and fragrance line, Roots Rose Radish. She wears a lot of hats: from herbalist to doula (soon to be a midwife!), RRR founder and creator, Christian Toscano, really knows her stuff when it comes to plants. We started with a hike in Griffith Park, where she pulled out her shears and wild crafted ingredients that she uses in her product line and around her home. I should have brought a notebook because my brain couldn’t keep up with all the ‘oh my gosh, I had no idea!’ information she shared with me about nearly every plant, tree, grass, and flower we passed.

I met Christian earlier last year when she came to NYC to introduce her  handmade-in-small-batches line of products to magazine editors. The first thing she said to me when I picked up her honey pecan rose face cleanser was: here’s a spoon -” you have to taste it.”

I loved that we share the belief that what we put on our bodies has to be safe enough for us to eat. Our skin is our largest organ, and as Christian says: “it does the most ingestion and elimination for the body, and  plays an important part in the immune system – protecting against pathogens and harsh chemicals. We have to nourish it with only the best!”

So far my favorites from her line are the Wild Grains Face Exfoliator made with French green clay,  the Citrus Face Oil Cleanser (which doubles as a face oil- which makes it the perfect two-in-one for traveling, her Rose Face Oil -the scent is surreal, and nothing like that synthetic rose smell we’ve all come to associate with rose scents, and her Rose, Frankincense and Patchouli solid perfume that’s so beautifully housed in a shell. I keep one in my purse, and one by the front door so I’m sure to always waft a trail of deliciousness as I walk past you. I can’t tell you how many people comment that they love the way I smell!

A few years ago when I stopped wearing synthetic fragrance (and now they make me really grossed out). I’d read that when you see the word ‘fragrance’ in an ingredient list – whether it’s in a cosmetic, a room spray, a candle or your perfume, it’s pretty much always synthetic, and the exact chemicals used to formulate it aren’t required to be divulged.  Synthetic fragrances often contain petrochemicals, which have been shown time and time again to be irritating and toxic to the body and to the environment.

Back to my day with Christian: we got lost in the trails and had to slide on our bums down some really steep hills until we found our way back down. During our adventure, these are some of the things we saw:

White sage trees (how cute is Christian in that hat?):

This is the castor plant, and its’ seeds are where castor oil comes from. I had no idea. Have you ever tried using castor oil on scars? It’s fantastic. Christian recommends soaking a washcloth or muslin cloth in castor oil and sitting with it on your lower abdomen when you have period cramps. I’ve heard of this before, and seen it used to topically treat other pain happening inside the body. I think it’s pretty miraculous.

Leaf tagging – Christian had told me about this, and that it’s just like the spray-paint-on-the-side-of-a-building tagging we see all the time in NYC. To me, it’s way less cool, although an interesting phenomenon:

Back at Christian’s house, where she brewed up the most delicious and thick hibiscus tea (doesn’t it look like coffee?), I learned a lot about various ingredients she likes to use and what she grows in her garden:

These are loofahs she grows on a tree outside her home, dries, cuts to an appropriate size, and then uses as body scrubbers and dish scrubbers. Imagine how funny the tree looks with these things growing off of it. They’re NOT small.

Christian showed me one of her cabinets of ingredients. Here’s a jar of calendula blossoms.

I still haven’t tried her tinted lip balm, but this is how she gets it to be that beautiful deep berry color:

I had such a great day with my new friend, Christian. In addition to her product line that’s sold online at Urban Outfitters – and numerous other places – she also sees private clients for herbalist treatments, providing tinctures to treat everything from emotional health to intestinal health. I got some digestive bitters from her to try and stave off acne breakouts, which she says for me, probably stem from my liver.

One last visual to leave you with: I’m allergic to cats, and have taught myself not to like them. Christian’s cat was so cute, though, that I couldn’t stop taking pictures of him sniffing, and then nibbling on, the flowers

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.”