lisa johnson :: makeup artist’s weblog


Men’s Grooming Picks for Summer 2008

Men’s Grooming Product Picks Summer ‘08

These are some of my 2008 product choices for men. They have been tested by the men I know and love. Good skin and grooming isn’t just for the girls - and you don’t have to be on that side of metrosexual to like looking good, either.  The kit is a really great idea - and they make great gifts for any man that needs a treat, too. ~ enjoy!

 source:  www.sephora.com   

www.sephora.com

OLEHENRICKSEN - Clean Shave
An innovative, lightly foaming shave gel.  Ole Henriksen Clean Shave delivers a cleaner, closer shave while soothing and rejuvenating skin.  Formulated with natural ingredients such as aloe vera, chamomile, eucalyptus, and cucumber, it’s especially recommended for those prone to razor bumps and irritation. 7 oz.
28.00

www.sephora.com   

dr. brandt - Lineless Tone
A unique blend of green tea, chamomile, and witch hazel. Gently tones, soothes, and balances skin, leaving it with a fresh, healthy glow. Maintains the skin’s pH at the proper level protecting against bacteria, which can cause acne or infection. Use after shaving before moisturizer. 8 oz. 40.00

 www.sephora.com
  

ZIRH - Clay Mask
Used weekly, this mask will leave your skin feeling rejuvenated and deep-down clean. Natural bentonite clay detoxifies and balances the skin’s surface and pores by absorbing impurities and excess oils. 17.00

 

 www.clarins.com

CLARINS Paris - Clarinsmen Shine-Free Gel
This highly refreshing, moisturizing gel helps keep shine under control control throughout the day, helps prevent imperfections, soothes razor burn, and protects skin against pollution. Use after toner. 1.7 oz - 28.00

 

 www.sephora.com

LAB SERIES - Oil Control Towelettes 
Easy-to-use cleansing wipes for normal to oily skin.  Great for the gym!  Swipes away dirt, oil, and pore-clogging sebum. The refreshing formula tones, tightens pores, and leaves skin shine-free. 30 towelettes - 15.00

 

www.sephora.com

OLEHENRICKSEN - Men’s Kit ($88 Value)
A collection of essential skincare products for men.
The Ole Henriksen Men’s Kit is a set of highly effective, no fuss products tailored to meet the modern man’s skincare needs. This kit features some of Ole Henriksen’s best-selling formulas and is suitable for all skin types. Natural ingredients keep skin and hair looking their best.  The kit includes a 4 oz On The Go Cleanser, a 4 oz Natural Hair Wash, a 1.7 oz Sheer Transformation Creme, and a 1.7 oz Walnut Complexion Scrub. 70.00 (sephora only online)

 

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© 2008 lisa johnson :: makeup artist

 

 


My Product Picks for Summer 2008

Lighten Up for Summer 2008!
Pre-summer is the perfect time to pare down your beauty routine. Here are a few product favorites of mine to lighten up your skin care, color choices, and help you protect your skin from the elements.    ~enjoy! Lisa 

PETERTHOMASROTH

Clinical Skin Care - Sensitive Skin Cleansing Gel
This superb oil-free sudsing gel is ideal for sensitive, dry, mature, normal, or oily skin types that desire a soap-and-water, squeaky clean feeling without tightness and dehydration. 32.00

CAUDALIE Paris 

Grape Water - A 100 percent grape water toner enriched with moisturizing polysaccharides and mineral salts.  This 100 percent plant-based water - extracted directly from grapes during the harvests - soothes, refreshes, and hydrates the skin.  8.00

CARGO - Liquid Powder™
Liquid Powder™ is a luxurious formula that offers the mattifying properties of a loose powder in a slim, flexible, carry-anywhere tube.
This silky liquid turns into a velvety smooth matte finish upon application, and contains revolutionary light reflecting pigments that act as optical smoothing agents and help reduce the visibility of fine lines. Oil-free and suitable for all skin types.  22.00

Dior 

Skinflash Radiance Booster Pen
Professional “lightworks” - in a flash.
Just one click and stroke of this lightweight, skin perfector instantly diminishes shadows, fine lines, and imperfections. Skin glows with new radiance. Wear it under or over foundation - or on bare skin.  33.00

Tarte

Infinite Glow
A chic palette of Tarte’s bestselling glow-producing products
. Achieve a naturally radiant look with this essential palette from Tarte that has everything you need to tan, highlight and add rosy color in minutes. All of the products contain Tarte’s trademark skinvigorating™ ingredients, including vitamins A, C and E, mineral pigments, jojoba seed oil and beeswax.   30.00

Lancome

Sôleil Expert Sun Care® - SPF 25 Face & Body Lotion With Pure Vitamin E - Feels fresh and light. Keeps your skin covered with an invisible veil of broad spectrum, UVA/UVB protection from the damaging effects of the sun and other factors that may contribute to skin damage, premature skin aging and some types of skin cancer.  29.50

stila

Convertible Eye Color
These versatile, dual-ended eye color wands contain a smooth, easy to apply (thanks to the built-in applicator), powder eyeshadow on one end, and a matching automatic eyeliner pencil on the other, for perfectly color-coordinated lids in a flash.  20.00

DuWop       

Lash Lacquer - This mascara that can be layered, also conditions lashes with an exclusive resin-free formula suitable for sensitive eyes. It comes paired with a clear topcoat to separate lashes and to provide an ultra-glossy, water-resistant, and smudge-proof finish.  19.00

   skyn Iceland 

Bio-Intense Healing Night Serum with Biospheric Complex - A soothing, lightweight serum that helps promote healing while reducing redness and signs of aging.  This light-as-air gel formula promotes healing with antioxidants, collagen boosters, and skin-soothers. A powerful new weapon in the fight against stress-induced skin damage and premature aging, Bio-intense Healing Serum helps improve tone and texture and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.  75.00

 

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© 2008 lisa johnson :: makeup artist

 

 

 


You CAN Have Great Brows! www.lisajohnsonmua.com

You Can Have Great Brows!

As a professional makeup artist,  I get a lot of questions about brow shaping.  Nothing ages a face more than thin, overplucked brows - here are some general guidelines and tips to help you get a more perfect brow.                                                ~ lisa johnson :: makeup artist

Determine the Correct Shape

Start the eyebrow shaping process by determining the correct design for your face and features. You will need an eyeliner pencil to start. First hold the pencil against the side of your nose, vertically, straight up to where it meets the brow. This is the spot where your eyebrow should start. As a guideline, make a small mark with the pencil there on your skin.

Next you will turn the pencil at an angle, holding it against the nostril, so that it crosses over the center of your eye. Notice where the pencil now intersects the eyebrow, this is where the peak of your arch should start. Make another mark on your skin as a guide here.

Lastly, keep moving the pencil at an angle against your nostril until it meets the edge of the outer eye. Where the end of the pencil now meets the eyebrow is your eyebrow’s ending point. Make another mark on your skin here.

Using these three marks on both eyes provides you a general guideline on how the shape of your eyebrow should be based on the shape of your face.

The other consideration for the correct eyebrow shape is the thickness. Ideally, the impact of your eyebrows should balance with the rest of your face and hair. If you have thick hair with larger facial features, your eyebrows should be thicker and more dramatic. In contrast, if you have thin hair and petite features, your eyebrows should be more subtle.

Tweezing

Before you begin your eyebrow shaping, gather all your tools – tweezers, brow brush and small scissors. Preferably, you should begin by checking to see if your eyebrows need a trim. Eyebrow hairs are longer than most people realize, and simply trimming them can be enough for some faces. When the hairs are lightly cut, not only will it decrease the brow density, it also helps the hairs to lie flat - instantly creating a clean line to your brow.

Always trim before tweezing, not after, as you might end up removing some hairs that just needed to be trimmed. Start by brushing the eyebrow hairs straight up with your brow brush, and then trim any stray hairs that extend past the upper brow line. Next, brush all the hairs straight down and trim the hairs extending past the brow line underneath. After you have done your trimming, brush all the hairs back into place.

Tweezing can be a painful process for some, so to ease the discomfort, you should pluck after a steamy shower or a warm face washing. This will help the pores to open and enable the hairs to remove easier. If you are particularly sensitive, slightly numbing the area with ice before tweezing will also help.

Always make sure that you have good lighting when eyebrow shaping. Using the previous method for ensuring the proper shape, follow the marks and tweeze the hairs in the direction they grow. Move back and forth between the brows after every couple of plucks, to ensure proper symmetry.

Filling in the Brow Line

For those of you with sparse eyebrows, tweezing is not necessary. Instead, you will need to build your eyebrows back to a proper shape. Selecting an appropriate pencil color is crucial, so test a few at the makeup counter to be sure the color is right. One of my favorite brands of pencil is Lancome Le Crayon Poudre.  Many artists prefer to use an angled brush with brow/eyeshadow powder, myself included.  You can also find eyebrow stencils and kits to help guide you with the correct line.  These come in many shapes and sizes - Eyebrowz  makes great stencils and kits for this purpose.

Specific Tips

  • For pale or thin eyebrows, try tinting as it looks more natural than an eyebrow pencil. Just be sure to use a professional, licensed cosmetologist, and never try tinting at home. You don’t want to risk your eyesight, just for beauty!
  • Embrace the natural shape of your eyebrows and don’t try to change them completely. You are born with the correct eyebrow shape for your face, so let it guide you.
  • Preview the look of your eyebrows before shaping by hiding the hairs with a white eyeliner pencil.
  • Avoid overdoing eyebrow shaping, as less is truly better. Thin eyebrows tend to make your face look instantly older.
  • Tweezing is usually more effective than waxing as the wax process can lead to a change in the hair direction and skin texture if overused.
  • Ultimately the point of eyebrow shaping is to adjust the viewer’s focus away from your eyebrows, to your eyes instead.
  • While it is not preferred to completely change your eyebrow structure, you can make minor changes to what nature recommended in order to alter some eye appearances. For example, remove a few extra hairs from your eyebrows at the starting point to make close-set eyes appear wider. 

Hire a Professional

If you are still nervous about eyebrow shaping, consider a professional brow session. The technique is not usually an expensive procedure, depending on the thickness and amount of hair to groom.  At the very least, you can pay for one session and then simply pluck the stray hairs at home for maintenance. 

lisa johnson :: makeup artist        www.lisajohnsonmua.com