03.04.2013
St. Patrick’s Day Beauty Products! (Irish Girl-Approved)



Growing up with fair skin wasn’t easy, to say the least.  I can’t even tell you how many summers I spent in the shade, slathered in sunblock, watching my friends rub baby oil on their skin and soon after get the sexiest golden tan that you could possibly imagine.  It’s a simple fact: being pale with freckles wasn’t desirable when I was a teenager; however, now, at almost 30, I am SO GLAD that I was born with freckled, Irish skin that I was given.  Why?  Well, for one, I look way younger (and age slower) than everyone else and it’s really just now that I’m starting to appreciate that little fact.  Sure, a nice tan makes you look thinner, but that’s what spray tans are for…I digress.  With St. Patrick’s Day coming up, I got to thinking about my fair-skinned beauty tricks that I’ve learned over the years, mixed with a little Irish makeup fun.

Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel! My manager has been giving me tips and my videos are definitely getting better, if I do say so myself, haha.

Featured in the video:

Neutrogena Beach Defense Water + Sun Sunscreen SPF 30: a MUST for everyone. Learn more about their Helioplex Complex HERE.

Fusion Beauty PrimeResults Anti-Redness Primer: This primer is great for fair, Irish skin since rosacea is quite common.  The primer has claims that show 50% reduction in overall redness after only six weeks.

Lancome Flash Bronzer Anti-Age: Every pale-skinned girl needs a good self-tanner!  I’m a longtime fan of Lancome’s tanning products; they don’t streak and they give a natural bronzy glow.

Sue Devitt Hydrating Marine Minerals Eye Palette in “Green Isles”: Probably the prettiest green eye palette that you’ll ever find.

COVERGIRL Liquiline Blast eyeliner in “Green Glow”: If you want a subtle green eyes look for St. Patrick’s Day, this bright green eyeliner is the way to go.

Physician’s Formula Shimmer Strips Glam Hazel Eyes mascara: Gold mascara? YES.  It reminds me of the whole “pot o’ gold” thing that used to make me so excited as a little kid.

05.21.2010
CEW Beauty Awards 2010

So back in my Johnson & Johnson Beauty PR days, I was lucky enough to actually attend the Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) Beauty Awards which, if you don’t know, is to beauty industry what the Oscars are to acting.  They’re always hosted by the hilariously funny Mario Cantone (Anthony from Sex & The City) and have many celeb guests- this year Kim Kardashian, Whitney Port and Estelle presented at the event so needless to say, I’m sure it was a great one.

When I got the email announcing this year’s winners, my heart skipped a beat and I laugh to myself about the fact that I still get excited.  Here are my favorites among the winners and you can check out a full list of winners here.

My top winners:

  • ColorMetrics TouchBack By ColorMark
  • Living Proof Full Thickening Cream
  • CoverGirl Smokey ShadowBlast
  • Clinique Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Powder
  • Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Sunblock Lotion SPF 60+ with PureScreen

05.17.2010
Skin Cancer Awareness Month

So if you don’t already know, May is national Skin Cancer Awareness Month.  This is something especially near and dear to my heart, as my closest Aunt passed away of skin cancer when she was only 43 years old back in 1996.  Luckily, more and more people are becoming aware of how harmful the sun is to our skin and health but it’s still not enough.  One in five Americans will STILL get skin cancer every year and even though it’s the most preventable cancer, it’s also one of the most deadly.  Can you even believe that 50% of Americans don’t even use sunscreen?!

Skincare giant La Roche-Posay created this great new public awareness campaign called “Save Our Skin” in hopes to increase awareness. For every person who signs up for the campaign, La Roche Posay will donate money to The Skin Cancer Foundation and The Women’s Dermatological Society.  In the meantime, here are my current SPF favorites.

Too Faced Love Lisa Luxury Lip Balm SPF 15 – People often forget that, yes, even your lips can sunburn.  This product is inspired by the brand founder’s sister, Lisa, who is battling stage 4 melanoma (and kicking it’s butt).  A huge portion from sales goes towards the Love Lisa Melanoma Research Foundation Grant to help find a cure.

La Roche-Posay Anthelious 45 for Face -My complexion is tricky at best.  I’ve tried a lot of “for the face” sunblocks and this one is by FAR my favorite.  It’s super light but you still get excellent protection from the sun, with out the breakouts.

Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Body Mist Sunblock SPF 70 – I already listed this cooling mist as one of my Coachella essentials but I use this on my body pretty much any time I go to the beach.  As a freckled white girl, the sun gets me hot faster than most and this is the perfect cooling agent.

04.12.2010
COACHELLA Essentials

So I’ll be attending my very first COACHELLA this weekend and I’m simply so excited I can barely think about anything else.  One, I’ve never been to Palm Springs and two, my friends and I rented an amazing mansion and I’m looking forward to a long weekend of relaxing by the pool, parties and, of course, plenty of sun.  I’ve been asking around what I should be packing for my little trip to the desert  and everyone’s been telling me that for one, it’s H-O-T hot and also kind of hippyish.  Here’s what I’m thinking:

 

Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Sunblock Spray SPF 70 – No explanation really necessary.  The desert sun is super strong and what I love about this sunblock is that the spray actually cools you off, making the re-application process even more enticing.

Epicuren Aloe Vera Gel – No matter how many times I apply and re-apply sunblock, I always seem to miss at least a little spot of skin that results in a burn.  This luxurious aloe vera gel soothes the skin and promotes faster healing.

Green Ruffled Forever21 Romper – A birthday gift from my friends Kelley and Gil.  It’s really perfect and very me.

Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Q Hillier bag – I just purchased this bag from my beloved Shopbop.com and its already sold out in black on the site!  It’s a perfect Coachella bag because of the great strap that can also make it a messenger bag.

A87 solid fedora – LOVE this hat and it’s super cheap.  It’s important to protect my scalp and hair color (it fades in the sun!) from the sun’s harmful rays.  Plus, I like how I look in hats.

Seychelles Layover gladiator sandals – I bought these gladiators a few months ago and I wear them at least 4 times a week.  They’re super comfortable and I love their slightly edgy look.

 

10.28.2009
Reader Question: What’s a great (and cheap) face wash for acne-prone skin?

So I’ve been getting a lot of questions about skincare lately.  My reader, “C”, says:

Hi Jamie,

I loooove your blog!  You always feature amazing products!  Lately I’ve been breaking out a lot but I’m completely broke.  What’s a good face wash for my skin if I break out a lot?

Personally, I’m a believer that a classic is a classic for a reason.  Neutrogena’s Oil-Free Acne Wash is a long time favorite of beauty editors, bloggers and consumers alike.  The packaging isn’t pretty or flashy but this stuff really does the trick with it’s pimple-fighting ingredients like 2% salicylic acid.  Even though most acne fighting products are made to destroy oil and will usually dry out the skin, my normally dry skin stayed moisturized and zit-free while using this.  However, the trick to fighting acne is finding a good skincare regimen and STICKING to it.  So C, if you decide you like the Oil-Free Acne Wash, make sure you use it consistently to see results!  Good luck and let me know how it goes. =)

Xo,

Jamie

01.25.2009
Sunday Funday: Lip gloss

So if there’s one beauty product I have waaaay too much of, it’s lip gloss. I’ve had a long-running obsession with Neutrogena MoistureShine Lip Soothers with SPF 20 and I don’t see my obsession going away anytime soon, lol. This cooling lip gloss not only moisturizes your lips, but it also makes them super glossy AND has SPF 20! Plus, it’s a cool $6.99. Can’t be beat.

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