Shayna Punim

I know it's been a while my lady friends, but please don't make like you forgot me.
I could not help but post these pics of this gorgeous bat-mitzvah mama I had the privilege of ungepatchking today (you'll remember I like to invent verbs).  But genuinely from the inside out, it was a geshmak pleasure working with Dena.
And she gave me free reign!
It was like having your herring and eating your kichel too.
Her daughters, with whom I also got to work, were so gracious, polite and spoke so sweetly to each other. Just when you thought sweet kids were an extinct species...
A beautiful and fabulous experience all around. Hope she gets bat-mitzvahed again next week.
P.S. An excellent beautyschmooze student as well. Dena's eyebrows were perfection upon arrival. Kudos to Rut at the place formerly known as "Epilogic"

The Gall of my Haul

BS"D
Now what's she talking about now? You're curiously cogitating.

Wait till I share the serious
damage I did overseas during Sephora's annual VIB (very important beauty insider) event last month. My lovely niece graciously schlepped this chazerai to this side of the Atlantic for me.

One only reaches VIB status yearly after taking out a second mortgage on one's home or selling one's extraneous organs to spend on cosmetics at Sephora (mega-beauty store for those who- gasp- might not be familiar with this European born chain).

Both very reasonable sacrifices to get a whopping $25 off a $100 purchase and get a Barbie-sized lipstick annually. Gets me every time.

I come to share some of the highlights of said haul.

Begin our vicarious makeup binge with Benefit's Rockateur box o' blush. This enticingly packaged gem of a colour is a deep rose gold hue with just the right balance of shimmer and mattneness. Stayed on nicely for about 7 hours before fading around edges. Alive looking. Nuff said.

I refilled on my Dior Extase mascara. Best. Mascara. Ever. I prefer the non-waterproof formula because it doesn't rip out my eyelashes upon cleansing.  It lengthens, darkens, volumizes, separates, curls your lashes and even does your dishes when you're not looking. Okay I haven't confirmed the last bit, but you get the drift.

Urban Decay Primer Potion. My magical pre-Shabbat fairy eyemother. The ONLY eye primer that keeps my eyeshadow and liner going for 24 hours plus. Even though it sounds gross, I have kept it on for longer. Judge me, go ahead. But it still looks fresh. Nanananacouscous. A Moroccan jeer.

Gosh! Where to continue? I refilled my supply of St. Tropez self-tanner
See Faux Glow
http://beautyschmooze.blogspot.co.il/2016/01/my-faux-glow.html?m=1

And my number one liquid foundation currently, Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. Please pause for a moment of skin-perfecting silence....and I thank you for humouring me. I wear a yellow-undertoned shade, number 4 for reference.

Wait...it gets better. I bought the Sephora PRO Full coverage air brush foundation  brush #53 to apply my liquid magic on a whim (my makeup whims don't take too much prodding) and just when I thought I couldn't like this base more, BAM! Call me the makeup matchmaker.

Laura Mercier baked highlighter. Softest, most natural, prettiest, glowiest, restiest (?!) highlighter for forehead, browbone, upper cheekbones, mid nose, angel's kissy place on upper lip, mid chin and most children's art projects.

Oh, and I mustn't forget the Anastasia Beverly Hills brow primer in chubby pencil form. My new best friend. I create my eyebrow shape using this zaftig baby, and then using my ever-favourite Smashbox eyebrow brush, I brush on my Anastasia Beverly Hills eyebrow powder in Taupe (a universally flattering shade in the light to medium range).

Hack: I have used a clear lip pencil in lieu of the brow primer and it works well too.

Nars Laguna bronzing powder. My forever go to bronzer. Lovey love love.

I'll stop soon.

Too Faced Chocolate Bar eye-shadow pallette actually contains "antioxidant-rich cocoa powder" and smells like a Hershey's bar. Besides for the divine smell, the neutral to fun colour options have a buttery, smooth, and rich application and pigmentation. Blends like a dream. Stays on maximally especially with the Urban Decay Primer Potion. With decadent names for each shade, it's not hard to see why I'm plotzing for this mouth-watering pallette.

Whew! Over and out. And highly-glammed up and faputzed.
The way I like it.

Sephora.com for products.

Rodan and Fields Unplugged

Rodan and Fields Packaged Goodies

Who doesn't plotz over skincare samples? Especially from one of the hottest up and coming brands in the industry. 

"Dr. Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields founded Rodan + Fields Dermatologists in 2002 to extend their vision of bringing dermatology-based skin treatment to everyone. Originally available as a top-selling clinical skincare brand in high-end department stores, the company realized the Doctors' vision could never fully materialize when confined to the department store counter. In an unprecedented move, Rodan + Fields became the first premium skincare line to exit the department store for the world of direct selling. R+F is now one of the fastest growing skincare companies and is poised to dominate the anti-aging skincare market in the coming years." yada yada yada

In plain Yinglish, a mama or a maidel who is a Rodan+Fields maven directs you to her personal website to indulge in nosh for your skin.

Enter Rachel Ratzersdorfer: an entrepreneurial and savvy mama of four including a set of triplets (poo poo!), from the New Jersey state (look it up, it's near the New York one), and a consultant for Rodan+Fields Dermatologists.  Rachel graciously sent me the depicted skin treats because she knew there was a pretty good chance I'd like them. She was right.

I began my foray into the wonderful world of  R+F skinceuticals beginning with the Lip Microdermabrasion.  With no detectable chalushis scent, this innocuous little stick began to work its magic right away, sloughing off and defeating the gross dry skin debris on my lips. As I tissued (verb?) it off, smooth, even-looking lips emerged; calling, nay, screaming for a juicy lip colour.

My "mini-facial" really picked up steam with the Microdermabrasion Paste. Like its lip counterpart, this powerful exfoliant must have taken off a few sheetrock layers of skin as I massaged it on my face for about a minute as per directions.  I feel like this could double as oven-cleaner. It tingled, but not in a bad way. Did you realize there were nerve-endings all over your face?? I noticed a refreshed, clearer, and tighter version of my punim.

Then, I got to the shiny blue adorable little capsules.  The Redefine Night Renewing Serum it was called. Such a big name for such a pitzkele thing.  I was skeptical about its ability to serve my entire facial landscape. There was no need to be.  The consistency of this retinol-containing serum was divine. With beautiful slip, it slid around and covered my entire face and neck area in seconds. I avoided the eye area because of the retinol, but my skin lapped up the moisture instantly.

My lips were jealous, so I gave them the contents of the even-teenier silver capsule, the Redefine Lip Serum. With a glossy, indescribable, non-sticky but substantial texture my lips got happy rather quickly. In fact when I woke up the next morning, they were still shiny and uber-moisturized. 

The Redefine Eye Cream nicely finished off the facial and gave some much-needed lubrication to the eye area. It also released any tension left over from the Microdermabrasion Paste.

All in all, quite the pampering spa-like experience right in my very own postage-stamp bathroom. Encore for the this outstanding performance.  

How do I get my hands on this fabulosity?? you're asking yourself.  Please, just relax...I'm getting to it.

First, hop on this website for Rachel's personal consultant website:

/https://rratz.myrandf.com/

Then, click on the links below to snag the products in my bloggitation:

1. Redefine Eye Cream

https://rratz.myrandf.com/Shop/Product/AAEY015

2. Microdermabrasion Paste

https://rratz.myrandf.com/Shop/Product/ENPS125

3. Redefine Night Renewing Serum

https://rratz.myrandf.com/Shop/Product/AASR060

4. Redefine Lip Serumc

https://rratz.myrandf.com/Shop/Product/AALS060

5. Lip Microdermabrasion

https://rratz.myrandf.com/Shop/Product/ENLM015

Be sure to mention that you heard about these beauty-helpers from beautyschmooze.blogspot.com to claim your free gift with purchase. I personally plotz for free gifts much like skincare samples. 

In conclusion, I feel like Rodan+Fields and I could become very close friends. After all, "friends don't let friends do bad beauty". (Oy, I'm quoting myself, how tacky, but you can handle me by now.)

My Faux Glow

Hi Girls. I feel the urge to divulge one product that would certainly be the ONE thing I could not live without (Oy, I'm such a drama queen).

 Ready for it....
Self. Tanner. It's so important I gave each word a capital letter.

You see, I am a professed Woman of Pallour and I just look a whole lot better when my skin has some warmth to it.

I know you're thinking, um, hello has this meshuga beauty-occupied tzatzke not heard of bronzer??

Maidels, please be patient, I'm getting there. I actually use self-tanner AND bronzer. You read correctly.

Three days per week in the summer and two in the winter, I slap this moussey gold on my face at night
and wake up with a faux glow.

Besides for the inherent and well-documented dangers of baking in the Mediterranean equatorial solar rays, my face simply did not get the memo that sun exposure=tanning.

I therefore err on the side of epidermic caution whilst upholding vanity by employing this aesthetic ritual.

I remained loyally steadfast to Mystic Tan OBM which immigrated with me, but, tragically, it was discontinued. (Editor's note: Mystic Tan is available in the US in self-tanning spray booths, but not in DIY packaging as in days of yore).

 This too was for the best, as I discovered the fast-drying non-orange self-tanning goodness that is St. Tropez (www.sephora.com). Love.

Some Golden Rules for Self-tanning:
1) Exfoliate- use a scrub like Neutrogena Daily Scrub, St. Ives, or sandpaper (kibbitzing on the last one) to remove any dead skin cell schmutz.
2) Rub in circles (you can use a special self-tanning mit, but truthfully I never got the hang of it). Do not neglect your hairline, ears, and neck. They are all members of your face. Be an equal-opportunity tanner.
3) Do wash your hands immediately and well after use. Remember your cuticles.
3) Do not get wet for at least 4-8 hours after.
4) Do apply a moisturizer with SPF after it dries as your assisted tan will not provide any sun protection whatsoever.
5) Do apply before Shabbat or when you want extended glow.
6) Do apply makeup over your fake bake including a bronzer for a lit-from-within healthy radiance that your mama would approve of.

Glossary:
Uch I don't have koiach to write one. Just Google it, my friends.

http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/ask-the-experts/self-tanners

Foundation. Found.

My girlfriends: I would now like to help you get started on redeeming yourselves from my "Natural Schmatural" rant (refer to link below).

http://beautyschmooze.blogspot.co.il/2015/12/natural-schmatural-lets-talk-foundation.html?m=1

Temptalia.com is my go-to resource to review just about any cosmetic product available in North America and beyond. I'm on it ALL THE TIME...for a friend. Ahem.

I feel you judging me again. Yes, even across the Atlantic.

Getting back to business, I've bequeathed possibly the best cyber tool ever created to assist you in selecting either inter-brand shade matching or to find your (oy vey-this is hard to kvetch out) very first foundation. Please ignore my obnoxious cyber-wincing.  Ok, enough schmoozing, more perusing.


http://www.temptalia.com/foundation-matrix

P.S. I'd appreciate some feedback about this foundation-finding tool. Hint: leave a comment in said area of blog.

Have a complexionally-blessed and bright day.

Natural Schmatural- Let's Talk Foundation

Please sit down, my lady friends.

This might be hard to swallow, but 99.999% of women over 25 years of age do not look better or more "natural" (uch, feh such an overused word) without foundation; just more tired and/or unwell. These findings are based on a double-blind control study that was never conducted and is totally my less-than-humble opinion.  This is not about skin-shaming, but rather to fill an insatiable need of mine to help my fellow females look and feel their best in an area that I am mildly obsessed with.

As far as I'm concerned, "natural" is only a description of a foundation finish, nothing more. I'm sorry, mammalehs.  If it makes you feel better you can use "tinted moisturizer" or the more in vogue, "bb" or "cc" creams.

I'm not heaven-forbid suggesting you wear cakey, horrible spackle, just respect the fact that you don't put windows in your house before you lay the foundation.  This possibly should have been the eleventh commandment of beauty (refer back to my very first post on this blog).

http://beautyschmooze.blogspot.co.il/2015/12/your-kosher-style-international-beauty.html?m=1

I implore you not to accost me at the grocery store with excuses for why you are not wearing some form of facial skin-enhancer, but rather to simply take action and wear thy product of choice.  Keep it in your glove compartment if no time in the morning. I have been known to do this myself.

I tend to mix it up based on my skin's mood and weather. Included in my repertoire are mineral, cream, stick, and liquid foundations as well as tinted moisturizers and bb cream. And then there are those days when I'm asked if I feel tired and/or unwell...when I didn't follow my own stinkin' advice.

I have more to say on this matter so stay tuned.....because I care about your beautiful selves.

Below is a link for Allure Magazine's end-of-year beauty wrap-up for best foundations. It includes both luxury and drugstore brands, to accommodate a range of budgets.

http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/best-of-beauty/2015/best-foundation-winners

Eyeshadow Palette Review- Gade

Although this Israeli company spells its name a little funny, I have been impressed with a number of their products.  Please note logo on the outer box (fig. C) which is NOT a "J". It's a very fancy " G" that has prostrated itself over the other letters. My being blonde (natural and/or otherwise) required an explanation of said logo. In Hebrew, no less.

I was overall pleased with this cute palette that comes with a mirror (I never complain when they add this feature). I believe the description "matte" is getting a bit carried away. It does contain some subtle shimmer as evidenced by fig. A- my left eye.  Pigmentation was more gezundt in the darker shadows. The light ones were a bit "meh"and chalky, but not "feh".

The colors blended pretty well, not buttah, but acceptable.  I did appreciate the range of cool and warm neutrals so there's something for everybody. 

Thank you to my Superpharm lady friends for pointing me towards this sweet and useful palette.