Searching for the perfect foundation? Well, here it is....

I know it is hard to find that perfect foundation for your skin, trust me I have searched for a very long time.  Especially when your skin can be too dry or too oily, you just want something that gives you a nice flawless finish.  Since I model, I wanted something that would look amazing in pictures but also look great during the day while having lunch with friends or heading out on a dinner date.  I remember watching a video on Kim Kardashian and noticing her makeup artist using Makeup Forever HD foundation on her skin.  I tried it out and even snapped pictures of myself with my flash to make sure I didn’t get that white look on my face and I couldn’t believe how amazing it looked.  What I love about the foundation is that even though it is a Medium to full coverage, it doesn’t show.  NOT CAKEY, buildable, and if you want it to look more sheer, add a touch of water and the foundation will sheer out on your face (trick I learned from a makeup artist at Barneys).  I have been using this foundation for a couple of years and every time I try to switch, I can’t. It is oil free, which is a bonus because I have combination skin and I like more of a matte finish with my makeup. I like how this foundation also covers my redness on the cheeks and my tiny broken capillaries on my nose.  You can purchase this foundation at Sephora for $40.00. Here are some pictures of me with the foundation on. 

Myself with Makeup Forever HD foundation on #128

Another snap shot of me during the day with Makeup Forever foundation on #128.

Close up of me running around all day with the foundation on, still looks good and still lasted! #128 Makeup Forever.

Myself during New Years Eve with my gf wearing Makeup Forever Foundation #128

Sephora notes:

What Makeup Forever HD foundation does:
This foundation creates a soft-focus effect, which is designed to meet the coverage concerns of those in the spotlight. It leaves your complexion with such a flawless finish, it can withstand bright or harsh lighting.

Makeup Forever HD foundation bottle.  $40.00 at Sephora stores ONLY.

Also, the foundation comes in 25 shades to find that perfect match on your skintone.  Make sure you consult with a colorist at Sephora to match you with the correct color.  Currently, I use number 128 Almond for medium skin with beige undertones. 

With this foundation, I like to pair it with a primer beforehand.  It is important to use a primer before a foundation because it will last longer throughout the day and it will set your foundation better and give you a more smooth finish.  The primer will also fill in fine lines and even out skin texture. One that I really like, especially because it diminishes the red on my face, is Smashbox’s corrective primer in green.  It gives your face a silky finish, which helps to spread out the foundation when you are applying it. 

Smashbox Primer, Green on the left is what I use.  Different colors correct different issues.  $32.00-$49.00 at Sephora stores

Sephora notes:

What Smashbox Photofinish Foundation Primer is formulated to do:
The silky blend of vitamins and antioxidants smoothes and perfects skin, while the unique formula helps to inhibit the destruction of collagen, and fills in fine lines and pores for a flawless finish.

A few Ingredients in Smashbox Photofinish Primer which are great:

Vitamin C
Vitamins A, C & E: Provides antioxidant protection.
Grape Seed Extract: Provides antioxidant protection.
Green Tea: Provides antioxidant protection.

You can purchase this at Sephora for $32.00-$49.00.  This primer even won Best of Sephora Winner 2008. 

Lastly, make sure that you have a good foundation brush to apply your new foundation with.  Currently, I use the MAC 190 foundation brush.  I have been using this brush for awhile and absolutely LOVE it.  It gives my foundation a nice, smooth, and flawless finish.  You can purchase the brush at MAC stores for $32.00.  If you clean it properly, this brush will last you a few years!  It is important to invest in good tools for your makeup and my next blog will discuss which brushes work best! 

MAC foundation brush #190.  I love this brush!

Thanks for reading, XOXO Lara

Corals are my new obsession!!

Ladies, I can’t tell you enough how much I love corals, from coral blushes to coral lip glosses.  Especially for the summer, it looks good on everyone, especially with that tan skin!  Currently in my purse, I have my four favorite coral lip glosses which give me a nice, moisturized, and pretty shade for the spring/summer.

1.       Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Glow #236 (pretty light coral shade, looks good when you pair it with Nars Belle De Jour lipstick as a base.

2.       Nars GIZA…My number one favorite coral lip gloss right now.  Looks good when paired with the Kevyn Aucoin lip liner called MEDIUM (at Barneys).

3.       Chanel Glossimer #146….found it in the chanel store and is a fairly new color that came out.  Gives a pretty glow. (Around $30-35$).

4.       Kevyn Aucoin lip gloss (comes with a cute brush) called Molasses—found in Barneys.  Love that it comes with a travel brush so that you can apply the gloss without using your fingers since it comes in a jar. 

Left to right: Chanel #146, Nars GIZA, Dior #236, and Kevyn Aucoin MOLASSES

Love to pair this nude Nars lipstick called Belle De Jour with my coral lip glosses!  Looks amazing!

The Kevyn Aucoin lip gloss comes with this cute travel brush to apply the gloss on properly.  Love it!

Lastly, I am obsessed with coral blushes, looks amazing on bronzed skin for the summer.  Since I have a tint of redness naturally on my cheeks, I don’t like using reds or pinks as blushes since it brings out the red more.  So I began using coral blushes and have used that shade since!  Here are some favorites of mine.

1.       Givency Le Prisme Blush Powder Blush—Color 25 In Vogue Orange (gives a pretty orange/coral shade when applied).  I love how it has four shades that you mix together!  (You can purchase at Sephora for $44.00)

2.       Kevyn Aucoin Blush in DOLLINE.  (At Barneys but sells out a lot). 

3.       MAC blush in COPPERTONE (Peach/brown and matte).  This is my favorite one I have!

4.       MAC blush in MELBA (Soft coral-peach).  Roughly $19.50 for each blush from MAC.

5.       Laura Mercier blush in ORANGE BLOSSOM. (high shimmer apricot with golden pink pearl).  $24.00 for each blush from Laura Mercier.

Kevyn Aucoin DOLLINE $37.00 at Barneys ONLY.

Alright girls, hope you enjoyed my segment on my favorite corals for the spring/summer.  I have tons more that I will continue to add for coral colors!

-Lara

A healthy and natural alternative to a beautiful, sunless tan

One night one of my girlfriends in Beverly Hills had a lady come over to spray tan us as part of a girl’s night in by a company called Chocolate Sun.  The owner (Kimmie) came in and discussed how Chocolate Sun was “an all natural, organic sunless solution that was similar to getting a body treatment for the skin”.  It made my skin silky smooth and my color came out so natural looking, a nice bronzed color like I came off of the beach in Miami.  I am very picky with spray tans because I see a lot of women looking orange and I hate that, so when I saw how this product made my skin look naturally tan, I was in love and bought a package so that I wouldn’t sit in the sun as much.  The tan lasted around 10 days for myself but I would moisturize everyday with their Chocolate Sun moisturizer, with is an all natural and organic product as well, and it helped keep my tan from fading.  I recommend to all of the ladies and men who live in the LA area, if you need a spray tan check out Chocolate Sun.  The ladies are extremely nice, helpful, and have a great product. 

The day after having my Chocolate Sun spray tan.  Chest and arms look very natural and tan!

Chocolate Suns Mission which made me fall in love with their product:  “Chocolate Sun’s immediate task was to develop a sunless solution that could be, first and foremost, a skin care treatment with the benefit of tanning the skin.  The solution had to be one that was made with organic, natural, and wild crafted botanicals, herbs, and antioxidants.  Most importantly it had to be free of harsh chemicals.”—www.chocolatesun.net/about.htm



Chocolate Sun candles, body scrub, and moisturizer (love this scent, cranberry and vanilla).



My favorite products by Chocolate Sun:

1.       Candles (Smell AMAZING and last for a good amount of time.  Crème Brule is my favorite)

2.       Body Scrub (I use before my tan to exfoliate—very important)

3.       Moisturizer (lightweight, has an SPF, smells good)

All of these products are natural, organic, and good for your skin!



Chocolate Sun products (store in West Hollywood) http://www.chocolatesun.net/



Mission for one of their product lines “Flowers” which I love and use: “…A skin care line made entirely of botanicals, herbs, vitamins, and minerals was the result.  This product line is called Flowers.  It is the high concentration and purity of ingredients. “  

Chocolate Sun body scrubs

Please remember before your spray tan to exfoliate so that you get rid of the dead skin, which will make the tan last a lot longer. 

If you would like more information on this product, check out the website www.chocolatesun.net

Thanks everyone for checking out my blog on sunless tanning.  I think it is important to give your skin a break from the real sun and use an alternative like this. XOXO Lara

Wednesday afternoon at Barneys in Beverly Hills...

Alright ladies, I am extremely excited to blog about my trip today from Barneys in Beverly Hills.  I stopped in to see my lovely makeup artist Alex Mendoza who is the counter manager of Kevyn Aucoin (cosmetics).  I love to come in and have him show me new tricks with contouring, hi-lighting, and so on.  By the way, if you live in LA, go see him because he really will sit down with you and give you the best colors and products specificially for your skin tone, texture, and so forth (he rocks, MWAH!!).  Below is a picture of Alex and myself messing around in Barneys after playing with Kevyn Aucoins makeup!!



Alex Mendoza (Kevyn Aucoin makeup artist) and Myself at Barneys playing around with makeup!!

 He showed me this amazing foundation that all three of the Kardashian sisters come in and buy for themselves (I was super excited because I love how Kim Kardashians face always looks flawless and I begged him to tell me everything she gets from Kevyn Aucoins line haha!).  The foundation comes in a small round container but since the consistency is a bit heavier, he said it will last for a very long time.  The foundation is called "The Sensual Skin Enhancer" and he matched me up with two colors that I need to mix together.  The colors are SX08 and SX13 ($45.00 for each color) (one is a lighter yellow undertone and the second one is a darker shade to mix in so it matches perfectly).  No joke, my face looked FLAWLESS---I was blown away and everyone knows I am EXTREMELY picky with my foundation.  **ATTENTION: foundation is key to having a flawless look---so please invest in a good quality foundation**  So Alex had me take a dab of the lighter foundation and a tiny dab of the darker foundation and mix it together on the back of my hand.  Then I simply used the foundation brush (I use the MAC 190 foundation brush) and blended the color from the middle of my face and outward.  Then after, I took a sponge and dabbed any excess foundation that was left on my skin and then blended the rest with the tips of my fingers and BAM I had a flawless base! 


SX13 and SX08 "The Sensual Skin Enhancer" foundation by Kevyn Aucoin (at Barneys).  I mix both of these to get my perfect shade.  **please have a professional makeup artist match your color to achieve the most flawless and flattering look!! $45.00 for each shade at Barneys.

 Next, he showed me Kevyn's Scultping powder (medium shade).  I absolutely love it, especially because it is extremely mattifying and is perfect for contouring the cheekbones and jawline.  Sculpting powder was around $42.00 and is the perfect consistency and shade for getting that amazing "Kim Kardashian" sculpting look.


The Sculpting Powder by Kevyn Aucoin $42.00 at Barneys



I absolutely LOVE Kevyn's eye shadows (consistency and the pigmentation blow me away) and I picked up a very pretty neutral to place as a base on my eyelid called Tusk.  What I also liked about the color and even Alex mentioned is that it brightens the lower lid just a tad.  The other day I picked up a color called Aubergine and I will place that color on the crease of my eye.  Tusk and Aubergine are the perfect shades to play with together and give a very sophisticated and sexy look!  Both shades are a matte finish as well. 

Aubergine and Tusk Eye Shadows from Kevyn Aucoin ($28.00 for each eye shadow at Barneys)

Lastly, I wanted a new lip gloss so Alex showed me this pretty Coral color (I am obsessed with corals because it goes well with my tanned skin tone and is perfect for the summer time) made by Terry called Rose Peche Sinful Rose #2 "Tinted Replenishing Lip Care".  It has a very glossy consistency, SPF 15 which is a plus, and has amazing ingredients to help protect the lips from aging and keep the lips moisturized.  The price is around $46.00 for the lip gloss, I know it is a bit steep but with ingredients such as Baume de Rose lip care, rose essential wax, lipid-replenishing floral oils, and anti-aging biotechnological ceramides, it is WELL forth it (I mean it is your lips...pucker up ladies!!) 

Thanks again ladies for checking out my post on what I bought today at Barneys.  I can't wait to share about Kevyn Aucoins number one selling eye brow pencil which is always out of stock!  Keep reading to see what products I will be using next and what I decide to pick up at Barneys!  XOXO Lara

Basics for your skin

I am extremely excited to begin my first post on skin care.  I decided that it would be a good start to address what basic products you can use to achieve great skin.  First, it is extremely important to have a good daily cleanser.  I was recently as the Bliss Spa at the W Hotel in Los Angeles and one of the skincare experts told me it is good to have two cleansers to switch on and off with because your skin can get used to a product to where the product won't work as effectively with getting rid of bacteria, makeup, and cleansing the skin. 

Two cleansers that I am currently using as of now is a line called SkinCeuticals and it is the Foaming Cleanser.  What I enjoy about this cleanser is that it is very gentle to the skin, doesn't give you that "squeeky clean feeling" to where you feel your skin is dried out, and effectively gets rid of makeup, dirt, and excess sebum.  It is great for sensitive skin as well (I have extremely sensitive skin with a bit of roscea and it works very well with calming my skin).  Second cleanser I like to switch with is the Bliss Spa's Fabulous Foaming Face Wash ($28.00).  It is extremely calming to my sensitive skin even though it has tiny exfoliating components in the product and has very good ingredients such as rose hips, chamomile (very calming), and passion flower.  What I also like about this cleanser is that Bliss Spa sells a travel sized container of it for 10 dollars so if you need a good cleanser on the go, this is your product! 

Something that can be optional for you ladies but I believe is a must have is a good repairing serum.  Serums are wonderful because they really penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin and can help with reversing sun damage to adding more vitamins and nutrients into the skin to get more of a glow.  I am currently using a serum from Jurlique called "Soothing Herbal Recovery Gel" which I love because it helps to put back certain nutrients that people with sensitive skin need.  Extremely light weight, soaks right into the skin, a nice light scent, and is botanical (groomwell and sichuan peppercorn--main ingredients).  The product is roughly $65.00 but very worth it.  They also have a Recovery Gel for normal skin as well. 

The next important item to have is a good moisturizer.  This is where I become extremely picky because a lot of moisturizers can be greasy, too heavy, or too drying and the ones with SPF can make the skin look white in pictures (which has happened to me numerous times).  So I decided to get the Peter Thomas Roth SPF 45 powder stick to place all over my face with my moisturizer (it is extremely important to have SPF on during the day, especially in sunny California!).  I am currently using a moisturizer by The Bliss Spa called The "Steep Clean Mattifying Moisturizer" (roughly $46.00).  I have combination/oily skin so for me I need something mattifying but not to where it completely dries my skin out.  What I like about this product is that its very lightweight, works well with my sensitive skin, and doesn't dry me out at all.  I still feel moisturized after using this product but no oil or grease. 

Lastly, it is extremely important to have a good eye serum or eye cream.  The eye area is the most delicate area on the face and needs to be hydrated to prevent crows feet or wrinkles.  An eye serum which I very much enjoyed was a line called Arcona (can be found in Nordstroms) and they have a product called Peptide Eye Serum for around $54.00.  What I liked about it was the consistency was very lightweight and the product soaked right into the eye area to where I could apply my foundation on right away.  I am now using SkinCeuticals A.G.E Eye Complex ($85.00) and it is amazing!  It is from the SkinCeuticals "aging" line and helps to diminish dark circles, puffiness, and effects of glycation.  It is a bit heavier than the Arcona eye serum, but I noticed the SkinCeuticals eye complex gives my eyes a nice brightening effect.  It is expensive, but it has amazing reviews and is a good product to keep!

**Pictures of products here:

Fabulous Foaming Face Wash (Bliss Spa) $28.00



SkinCeuticals Foaming Face Wash $35.00 (Bliss Spa carries this product)



Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral SPF powder 45 (Sephora carries this product) $30.00



Bliss Steep Clean Mattifying Moisturizer (Bliss Spa or Sephora) $46.00

Jurlique Herbal Recovery Gel $60.00 (Sephora)

Arcona Peptide Eye Serum $54.00 (Nordstroms)

SkinCeuticals A.G.E Eye Complex $85.00 (Bliss Spa/Various Spas)

Well ladies, I have so much more good tips and advice to share on skin care so I will be posting more but I hope that this gave you a bit of knowledge on what basic products you might need for your bathroom shelves!  XOXO Lara