For the Love of Prescriptives!

Beauty junkies everywhere received a bit of bad news in September – Prescriptives, a cult favorite line revered for its custom blend products, fantastic skincare and iconic Calyx fragrance, will cease department store distribution at the end of January 2010.

But there’s still a little bit of hope for diehards! The brand wants to ensure that you, yes YOU, are able to secure your favorites for as long as they’re available, so they’ve launched a Twitter channel.

By following Prescriptives on Twitter, you’ll receive quick answers to product-related questions. You’ll also get the inside scoop on their Lustre Holiday color collection (think luxurious, shimmering color and gorgeous glimmering golds!) and as well as the latest news on Jillian Veran’s (Prescriptives Director of Artistry) upcoming QVC appearances.

Click here to follow Prescriptives: http://www.twitter.com/Prescriptives – and be sure to ask them your product-related questions .

If you’re not down with Twitter, you can also reach Prescriptives via their toll-free number, 1-877-819-2968.

What Prescriptives products will you be stocking up on?

Makeup Minute Asks:What Do You Travel With?

Last weekend, I took a quick weekend jaunt to Nashville for a pre-birthday celebration with a girlfriend. (Yes, my birthday. Let’s not talk about which # it was.) 

As I packed my bag that morning (at the very last minute, of course), I found myself being very selective about the makeup I was taking – I wanted to bring only the bare essentials.  I also thought long and hard about makeup that could be applied with my fingers, as opposed to tools (hence the cream blush!)

Here’s what I was able to pare down to for three days away:

Packed into my Paul & Joe makeup bag was:

Clarins Instant Light Complexion Perfector in Rose Shimmer (applied under tinted moisturizer, this brightens and evens skin tone to the naked eye)

Dermalogica Sheer Tint Moisture SPF 15

Prescriptives Groom Stick for Brows 

Tweezerman Animal Print Tweezers

Revlon Brow Scissors

MAC Technakohl Liner in Brownborder

Prescriptives False Eyelashes Mascara (GWP size shown)

Estee Lauder Pure Color EyeShadow in Petal

Le Metier de Beaute True Color Eye Shadow in Mulberry (a taupe-ish purple)

Vox Angled Crease Brush

Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish Maximum Coverage Concealer in Light

La Prairie Cellular Radiance Cream Blush in Rose Glow

MAC Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder

MAC 169 Brush (no longer available)

MAC See Thru Lip Color in Secret Crush (no longer available)

Neutrogena Deep Clean Oil Free Makeup Remover Cleansing Cloths

So, that’s me! Now that it’s all typed out, it actually FEELS like a lot though when I shared the picture above on Twitter, everyone said I was a makeup minimalist!

I’m curious. What makeup do you travel with?  Leave a comment and share!

Fall 2009: Prescriptives Well Suited

Tailored menswear-inspired looks ran rampant for Fall 2009 collections. Prescriptives latest collection is a perfect match.  Meet Well-Suited, a Fall Color Collection that translates the edgy, yet feminine menswear trend into a range of sophisticated hues for eyes, cheek and lip.

 

Prescriptives Director of Color Artistry Jillian Veran says of the collection, “We all love a good lip gloss, but there is something incredibly feminine about the bold statement of a lipstick…in this collection the look of a creamy nude lipstick is accentuated by a strong eye liner…create a sharp straight line or a smudgy, sexy look, but either way you will want to line the inside rim for extra drama.”

The collection includes:

Well-Suited Eye Color Compact
Available in Warm, Neutral and Cool
$40.00 U.S. / $48.00 Canada

Well-Suited Finishing Powder
$28.00 U.S. / $35.00 Canada

Longwear Kohl Liner
Available in Black Kohl, Slate Kohl, Brown Kohl, Blue Kohl
$17.50 U.S. / $21.00 Canada

Colorscope Lipcolor
Available in Posh Nude, Posh Pink, Posh Honey, Posh Ginger
$17.50 U.S. / $26.00 Canada

Now, I haven’t  had a chance to test the collection, so if you snag any of Well Suited at your Prescriptives counter, be sure to leave a comment and share your thoughts!

Quick Tip: Applying Mascara

I had a nice little chat a few nights ago with Francesca Roman,  resident makeup artist at Butterfly Studio Salon, a really beautiful space in New York’s Flatiron district.

In addition to the applications and lessons she does at Butterfly, Francesca’s done a ton of editorial work and was even Mariah Carey’s makeup artist for a time, so she really knows what she’s talking about. Among the many words of makeup wisdom, she mentioned that most women don’t apply mascara correctly and gave me a great tip that I wanted to pass on to Makeup Minute readers.

When applying mascara, start at the base of the lid, as close to the eye as possible – this will give you the effect of eye liner without the effort! Wiggle the brush through the lashes and don’t be afraid to use a few coats for your desired length and thickness.

If you’re looking for a new mascara to try, I’m loving Prescriptives False Eyelashes ($19.50), which came at the recommendation of the gorgeous blogger Shana, over at mayk all day every day. It’s a great formula that lengthens and thickens lashes without clumping.

Do you have any mascara tricks? Leave a comment and share!

Handy! Prescriptives Groom Stick for Brows

I’m in the process of packing for my big move on July 1. After living in the same apartment for over 7 years (an eternity for a renter in NYC), I’ve accumulated what can only be called QUITE a makeup stash. So, in the effort to lighten my load, I’ve been sorting through my beauty goodies gradually – donating products to charity (battered women’s shelters love getting unused products), gifting them to friends and of course, tossing the stuff that just won’t work.  Along the way, I’ve discovered some long lost gems.  Among them? Prescriptives Groom Stick for Brows ($18.50).

This handy, dandy SUPERSLIM pencil is a dual ended threat, housing a spoolie brush to keep brows tidy (I like to coat it with a teeny tiny bit of Aquaphor for some gloss and hold) and a non-smudgy, easy-gliding brow pencil on the other side.

The best way to use the brow pencil is to use short, feathery strokes on any area of your brows that might need a little filling it.  The Groom Stick delivers a nice, natural looking finish as long as you can find a match in the four colors available. It’s also waterproof and virtually sweat proof (important as July approaches!)

To shop Prescriptives, visit www.prescriptives.com.

Image via Prescriptives.com.

Makeup Minute How To: Get a Bronze Glow!

Though I’m pale and proud, as warmer weather approaches, healthy looking skin equates to glowing skin – even in my eyes.  An easy cheat to glowing skin is, of course, bronzer.  But applying bronzer and achieving a natural looking glow can be tricky. Luckily, Jillian Veran, Prescriptives‘ Director of Artistry, gave Makeup Minute some easy, breezy tips on creating a summer perfect glow using bronzer.  Check out the steps below! 

• Never apply a powder or cream bronzer to an un-prepped skin. Bronzer is rich in color and will grab onto dry or un-exfoliated skin creating a choppy and dirty look to the skin.

• Powder bronzer will adhere smoother to a skin that has a slight base, if you want to go sans foundation, wait for your moisturizer to dry, very lightly dust a sheer translucent powder over entire face using an oversized powder brush. Follow with powder bronzer, using a bronzer brush over entire face

• If you wear a liquid foundation in the summer, mix a drop of liquid or cream bronzer with it to create a sheer glow on the skin with out being too dark.

• Bronzer should always look like its coming from your own skin not a bottle. Go for a bronzer with a satin or matte finish during the day, keeping luminosity very sheer. However using a bronzer with shimmer at night will add depth and glow to the skin – try Prescriptives Mineral Bronzer (available in Warm or Cool.)

• If your skin is tan naturally, avoid a flat look by adding a liquid or powder low level shimmer in gold for warm and rose for cool, this will brighten the skin and enhance your natural tan.

Image courtesy of Prescriptives

Coming Soon: Prescriptives Motor Eyes

Hot on the heels of Estee Lauder Turbolash and Lancome Oscillation (both vibrating mascaras debuted last year), Prescriptives new Motor Eyes Mascara debuts at counters this month!

While I haven’t had the chance to test this one out yet, the patented vibrating brush is said to volumize, lift and curl – all without clumping or smudging.

Motor Eyes is relatively expensive for a mascara – $32/tube, so hopefully, it’ll be worth the splurge!

It debuts on April 15 at www.prescriptives.com and counters nationwide.

What do you think of the vibrating mascara trend?  Are you tempted to go high-tech for gorgeous lashes? Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Image courtesy of Prescriptives.

Have It Your Way at Giella

Seeking the perfect matte forest green eye liner? A creamy bronze lip pencil to match your favorite lippie shade? Giella Custom Blend Cosmetics has the answer – Custom Blend Cosmetic Pencils.

While it’s pretty simple to get a custom-blend lipgloss or foundation via brands like Prescriptives or Three Custom Color, Giella is the FIRST line to offer custom eye, lip and brow pencils ($25 each). A unique molding machine the size of a pocket camera is used to fill empty pencil barrels with all-natural ingredients including mineral pigments and a vegetable based emollient.

Beyond color, you can customize your pencils with shimmer in silver, gold, copper or bronze and skin conditioners.

If you’re tempted, be sure to check out Giella at Henri Bendel in New York City or at www.giella.com. For $10 off your first order, enter code GM1007 at checkout.  Happy Blending!

Product Review: Prescriptives Photochrome Compact Makeup

Wow, do I have a fabulous foundation for you all to try: Prescriptives Photochrome Light-Adjusting Compact Makeup with SPF 15!

I must say, I am a mighty picky chick when it comes to foundations, and I’m willing to bet many of your are too, no? And that once you find a great product, you’ll stick with it forever and ever, right? Well, as a die hard fan of tinted moisturizer paired up with a pressed powder, I am now singing the praises of this Prescriptives makeup and am even willing to go so far as to chuck my old stand-bys in the garbage. Seriously.

First off, the compact is absolutely gorgeous, which I’ll admit, is a huge selling feature to me. When something that makes me look beautiful looks beautiful on its own, that’s a great start.

Second, the makeup itself goes on beautifully, provides fabulous coverage, lasts for ages and does not clog my easily-clogged pores. I was very, very afraid that now that I have my skin under control and looking great, trying a new makeup would make it rebel, but I’m happy to say that after a week of use, I see no signs of breakouts at all. Hallelujah!

Here are a few selling points:

• Suitable for all skin types
• Natural looking in all types of light
• Minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Minimizes the appearance of pores
• Oil-free, fragrance-free, and non-acnegenic

This is a cream-to-powder makeup with light-reflecting properties. It’s available in 12 different shades, so you’re sure to find the right one for you. It’s a fabulous product any way you look at it.

Interested? You can snatch this up for about $35 by vising Prescriptives.com or by stopping by any Prescriptives counter nationwide.

Upcoming Product Reviews: Stay Tuned

Wondering which products are going to be right up your alley and which ones are total flops? Well stay tuned because in the next few days and weeks I will be reviewing some of the hottest products around.

Here’s what’s on tap:

* Maybelline Stiletto Mascara

* Products by Prescriptives, including a Face Primer, Blush, Eye Cream and more

* DEX loose mineral pigments

* The newest formula of Crest Whitestips

Exciting stuff, huh? I can hardly wait to dig into all this stuff and share my impressions with you.

Have you tried any of these products? Care to give us a sneak peek of what I can expect? If so, let us know. If not, stay tuned for the whole scoop.

Have a great weekend!

Image: Drugstore.com

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