Tan in 60 Seconds

Don’t have 3 to 4 hours to wait for your self-tanner to develop? Try some Instant Miracle Tanning Mousse – you’ll be tan in 60 seconds. This Instant Miracle Tan produces water-activated sugar protein-based foam that gives the perfect illusion of suntanned skin!

Apply to wet skin using gloves in the shower. Rub product onto shoulders, arms, bust and back, tummy, lower back, derriere and thighs, knees, back of legs, calves and feet! Count to sixty, keep working product into the skin. Rinse off and pat dry. May be used every day for more color. And instead of the usual self-tanner scent, this product is scented with chocolate truffle, coconut, and almond.

Is it good? In The Makeup gathered reviews and found that some users love the product and others thought it was messy. In favor of the product – it received Redbook’s MVP (Most Valuable Product) award in 2008.

Let us know if you try it, and how you like it!

Hottie Dots

If you weren’t born with a beauty mark, just get a Hottie Dot. Hottie Dots are peel and stick beauty marks. Pick a spot that you like, firmly press the hottie dot in place for a few seconds, and you have an instant beauty mark that won’t smudge or smear. Find them at www.hottiedots.com

Here are some celeb photos for beauty mark inspiration..

Rouge G de Guerlain

Rouge G de Guerlain ($45) will make lipstick your most chic accessory. To design this lipstick, Place Vendôme jewelry designer Lorenz Bäumer drew inspiration from a bar of gold, but placed the lipstick horizontally and added feminine curves. Carrying through the vision for elegance, the jeweler created a magnetic mechanism to reproduce the air-releasing effect of an antique powder case. Click, and the white-gold coated case reveals a mirror and a lipstick nestled within. Rouge G unites the qualities of a powder case, a jewel and a precious lipstick. Available in 25 shades at fine department stores.

We’ll just say it…. We lust for this.

Clear Skin…A Pillowcase Away

Have you tried everything to keep your skin clear? In The Makeup has found a new trick! Change your pillowcase every night. Bacteria only takes one to two nights to grow in your pillowcase.

We all know that too much sebum and too many dead skin cells will clog your pores. But did you know that bacteria getting trapped inside the pores and multiplying is what causes a lot of the swelling and redness that you see in a blemish? Bacteria is so much a part of blemishes that antibiotics used to be a popular method of treating acne, but fell out of favor because the body develops a resistance to antibiotics, making them ineffective.

So get yourself 5 or 7 pillowcases so you can use a new one every night.

Can You Put Lotion In Your Clothes?

What if you could put a firming body lotion in your clothes?

AhRT Cosmetics has a way to do it. They made three lotions – one for slimming, one for moisturizing, and one for refreshing effects. The lotions, which contain hemp oil, caffeine or menthol are to be used during machine or hand washing as if they were mere fabric softeners, and the technology that makes it work is called micro-encapsulation.

Micro-encapsulation is a process in which tiny active particles or droplets are surrounded by a coating, in this case a silicone coating, that allow them to spread around when the coating is crushed, during the contact between clothes and the skin, for instance.

The products are available online, through Ahrt’s website (www.ahrt-cosmetics.com). Products will soon be distributed in mass retail and speciality stores in France.

Think its worth a try?

In The Makeup’s Spring Cleaning

We’re always talking about acquiring makeup, but in this post we’re talking about throwing it away. Not your new makeup – your expired makeup. Not only can expired cosmetics contain bacteria, they also perform poorly after an extended period of time. THROW IT AWAY!

Here is how to know when…

Lots of products now have whats called a PAO labeling system. PAO stands for “Period After Opening” and looks like an open jar of cream. You will also see a number and the letter “m” printed inside the POA image. That is the number of months the product is good for from the time you open it. The PAO is generally reliable but also has its exceptions and limitations; there is no way to take into consideration how each person uses, cleans, stores, or shares their products – all of those factors can significantly reduce shelf life. Companies have tried to make an educated guess with this number but you’ll have to be smart and pay close attention.

If anything smells weird, has changed color, or has developed an odd consistency or texture, then  it is time to toss it – regardless of whether you have used more than a drop.

For products without a PAO, here is a general guideline:

Liquid and Cream Foundation: 2 years

Powder Foundation: 2 years

Concealer: 2 years

Powder Blush: 2 years

Cream Blush: 2 years

Lipstick: 12 to 18 months

Lipliner: 12 to 18 months

Eyeshadow: 2 years

Eyeliner Pencils: 12 -18 months

Mascara: 6 months

Now…Go out and get youself some brand new makeup – and designate a page in your planner for your monthly beauty inventory – you’ll never not know when something has expired.

Jessica Simpson Hair

Are you always trying to get Jessica Simpson hair? Here are the four steps and the two products you’ll need to get her January 09 Marie Clair cover hair…

1. Jessica Simpson Hair U Wear Extentions (human hair, dark blonde)

2. Wet your hair and add Ken Paves Healthy Hair Volumizing Spray to the roots, then finger tousle it while blowing it dry

3. Twist and coil (without clamping) hair around a 1” curling iron.  Leave the ends of your hair out of the iron.

4. Rub Ken Paves Healthy Hair Shine Serum onto your palms and then use your hands to stretch out and loosen your curls.

Voila! Now all you need is Jessica’s closet.

Makeup At Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2009

For Dolce & Gabbana, makeup artist Pat McGrath re-created Scarlett Johansson’s look from one of the ads for the Dolce & Gabbana new makeup line.

Here is how to look like Scar Jo…

COMPLEXION

D&G Powder Foundation

LIPS

dark crimson lipstick called Ultra

CHEEKS

pretty pink blush in Roses

EYES

pale pink shimmery Stromboli eye shadow

Stromboli black gold-flecked eyeliner

On top of the penciled line, McGrath used black liquid liner and curled false lashes.

Makeup At Nina Ricci Spring 2009

“Approachable Gothic” was look for the Nina Ricci show on March 5 2008. “It’s classic with a touch of kooky darkness,” said Peter Philip, creative director of Chanel.

Here is how to do this look…

EYES

Eye shadow in Ebony from Chanel’s Ombre Essentielle range in the inner corners of the eyes.

Lids were filled with a brownish-purple shade called Magic Night.

“A touch of clownlike sadness” came from a black kohl line added to the center of the models’ bottom lids, then smudged.

CHEEKS

A beigy-apricot color called Fresque.

LIPS

Philips “blended a clear lip gloss with glints of red, purple and bronze.” In The Makeup suggests a dab of Chanel Glossimer in Giggle to mimic the look.

Ask ELF

Learn how to do the glossy eyelid trend, read Achelle’s report on a 2 hour M.A.C makeup artistry class, or watch a video on how to make your own illuminizer -  on the newly launched www.AskELF.com website.

The big brand e.l.f. (with a tiny name) has launched AskELF to bring you up-to-the-minute info ranging from new and existing products, peer reviews, discount coupons, YouTube videos, blog content and Twitter conversations.

In The Makeup Says: We’ve noticed the unemployment rate and beauty mustn’t discriminate. We are sure that beauty that comes in all prices. So, we’ve tried a few e.l.f. products and we like e.l.f. Shimmering Blush in Glow (a NARS Orgasm type of color), e.l.f. 4-pan palette compact (fits M.A.C. eyeshadows or you can scoop out product from lipsticks that are almost gone and make your own lip color palette), and e.l.f. Super Glossy Lip Shine (gloss in a squeeze tube).

Are there any budget products you love?

Naturally Dahling

Finding gluten free cosmetics and eco-friendly beauty products just got a whole lot easier with NaturallyDahling.com. The site reviews and links to natural, gluten free personal care products and recommends only the personal favorites of green beauty and gluten free expert Kristen Campbell. The site was created to share personal research and findings for the purest, most effective, natural gluten free makeup products, and reviews smaller lines like Afterglow Cosmetics, W.S. Badger and Pangea Organics as well as the products of skin care giants Dr. Hauschka and Jane Iredale.

Naturally Dah’ling boasts all products recommended as free from:

-gluten (protein in wheat, barley and rye)

-phthalates

-parabens

-fragrance (artificial)

-FD&C colors

-petro chems

-lead

-mercury

-sodium lauryl sulfates

-formalehyde

-carmine(bug-derived color)

-bismuth oxychloride