While I don’t want my makeup to look or more importantly, feel heavy in the summer - I still want to feel polished and pretty.   Here are a few of my favorite tips and products to get that picture perfect summer party look:

1. Lose the foundation! Choose a light tinted moisturizer with SPF to set the stage for your look.  I love Laura Geller’s Barely There Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 ($30).  It’s a featherweight formula that still delivers a hint of coverage, along with essential sun protection.
2. For a dewy and fresh look, switch your tried and true powder blush for a creamy formula.  I dig Three Custom Color’s bright Poppy Lip & Cheek Stain ($22.50). The versatile hue works on warm or cool skintones and it does double duty as a creamy lip stain.
3. Embrace the sheer, pearlescent finish of an Eye Gloss ($15). Jane Iredale makes a gorgeous assortment of colors – best of all, no brush is needed. Justs swipe on lids with your finger for a slightly imperfect, summer-perfect look. My favorite is Lilac Silk – it looks particularly gorgeous with blue or green eyes.
4. Last but not least, ditch the powder.  Set your makeup with a cooling vitamin and mineral enriched mist like the Minerals in the Mist sprays ($22) by Youngblood. You’ll get the same staying power but with a refreshing blast of moisture and aromatherapy instead of a dry powder finish. Refresh is my favorite of the three blends - it’s a citrusy blend of tangerine and grapefruit.

Do you have any favorite summer-specific beauty looks? If so, leave a comment and share!

This post was sponsored by Neutrogena skinID™ – The only Personalized Acne Solution made just for you. Guaranteed Results or your money back.

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These clever, one-time-use, pre-measured makeup remover swabs erase any mistakes easy-peasy, leaving no residue. Best of all, the botanical formula is gentle, alcohol-free and safe for contact lens wearers and those with sensitive eyes and includes calming Lavender flower water, hydrating Algae extract and skin-conditioning Aloe leaf extract.

These are a morning makeup must! To snag your own, visit www.janeiredale.com.

Image via Jane Iredale

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A fellow beauty blogger, Lianne from TheMakeupGirl, Samara and myself. We were at an Italian restaurant (IL Menestrello) that as Lianne put it, “Was real gangsta!” I had a great time at dinner with these ladies and we certainly laughed a lot.

I was invited to an event at Estee Lauder with Total Beauty and The Beauty Blog Network. We were given a tour of Mrs. Lauder’s office, intact the way she had it while she was still alive. The room was gorgeous, although I remarked on the fact that her bathroom was all mirrors, which kind of freaked me out. Loved the view from her office out to the skyline of New York City. This is the event where I also got a picture with Bobbi Brown.

These are Mrs. Lauder’s antique compacts–aren’t they beautiful?

These were some of the items designed for Runway to Change, which I wrote about on my work blog. And we all know how much I adore Isaac Mizrahi–so when I was paying the cab driver when we pulled up to the event, Isaac was leaving the VIP portion of the party with Russell Simmons in front of him. I tried to make the cab driver move a little faster getting me my change so that I could talk to him, but Isaac was quick and got in his car and left. I was so disappointed, but at least I can say I saw him in person and he has such a bright smile as you see in all of his pictures.

This is Pamela Pekerman, who attended Runway to Change with me (and was also at The Budget Fashionista party where I met Carson Kressley). In full disclosure she is a Pierce Mattie PR client, but nevertheless, she is exceptionally nice and we had a really great chat that night.

Here’s just a small video of what it looked like inside Runway to Change:

This is me in my hotel room a few hours before I had to speak at the HBA Expo (and later that night met Jane Iredale.) Leandro Bare from Lancome came to my hotel room to do my makeup (because he is amazing like that!) He had fallen asleep on the bus ride over and left his whole makeup kit on the bus. So he used what I had. Just goes to show you what an incredible talent he is!

Then this is just me in the last few hours I was in the city hanging out at Pierce Mattie’s Media Oasis.

Of course, look through the archives here and at A Girl’s Gotta Spa! and you’ll find more photos from backstage. I look forward to going back again next year!

*Photo Credit: All photos (c) Shannon Nelson

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This week sure has felt like an eternity and was quite a struggle. After Brody was born, I found that I was experiencing some pain that on a scale of 1-10, was an 11. I blew it off, as I absolutely hate doctors. However, by Friday I was to the point of sobbing and made my way to the doctors…who then sent me directly to the hospital for a 2 day stay on some heavy IV antibiotics.

I was a complete mess, as Brody couldn’t be with me in the hospital and the potent antibiotics meant no nursing. Depressed that my son may only want a bottle after the weekend was over and being away from my husband and children that I adore, I sat in my hospital bed lonely and sad.

After a few visits from my family, my boss (and friend) Steve from PMPR called me at the hospital and then graciously bought me an Avent pump system (so that if Brody only wanted the bottle he could still have breastmilk). I swear I adore Steve and his generousity prompted me to think of a way to lift my spirits. My husband happened to pack me some of my favorite beauty and makeup products that I took along with me to the hospital when Brody was born and I decided a nice shower and some makeup would do the trick.

Let me tell you, after using some great beauty products in the shower, then doing my hair and putting on some makeup really boosted my mood. I certainly didn’t look like a glamour doll, but put on enough makeup to no longer look like I was trying out for a part in Night of the Living Dead. Suddenly I felt a weight lift off my shoulders, I felt less stressed and definitely more beautiful. It made me wonder why there isn’t a program at hospitals for long term patients to get pampered. I think something like this would really do a world of good to lift the spirits of those depressed by hospitalization.

Has there been a time in your life when just the simple act of putting on makeup really made a difference in your mood? Tell me your story in the comments.

The makeup products that made all the difference:

Kiss My Face Tinted Moisturizer
Lumiere Mineral Cosmetics Loose Powder
Urban Apothecary Supernatural Sheer Radiance (review to come)
Jane Iredale PurePressed Blush
Tarte Cosmetics Inside Out Lip Gloss
Tarte Cosmetics Lights, Camera, Lashes

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Some of my favorite mix and match products are:

* Lumiere Mineral Makeup’s Lavender Pearl along my lower lid with Jane Iredale’s Think Pink eyeshadow trio on my upper lid and brow bone.

* NYX Comsetics Super Volume Lip Plumper and Lulu Beauty’s Velvet Lip Lustre.

* Max Factor Volume Couture for thickness and length and Imju Fiberwig Mascara for even longer lashes.

* Besame Cosmetics Chocolate Kiss Lipstick with their Chocolate Lip Glaze over top.

* Jane Iredale’s Carmen PureMoist Lip Colour with Besame Cosmetics Shimmer Peach Enriched Lip Glaze over top.

* Urban Apothecary’s Super Natural Mineral Powder as foundation and tarte’s tipsy cheek stain as blush.

* Kiss My Face Tinted Moisturizer as moisturizer/light coverage foundation and Lumiere Cosmetics Light/Med. Beige Mineral Powder Foundation as a finishing powder.

I’m sure I could come up with a much longer list, but I’d love to hear which products you like to mix and match to give you a fabulous look!

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Here’s what Jane says about this product:

A subtle, versatile eyelid primer and highlighter that doubles as a shadow for a smooth, fresh look, day or night.

• Maintain smooth, soft color for hours.
• Lend lids a moist, shimmering touch.
• Smooth, neutral color is compatible with a wide variety of shadows.
• Multi-purpose primer doubles as a highlighter and shadow.
• Advanced, durable technology won’t crease or smear.

A reader on Beauty Pro inquired how this lid primer measured up to Benefit Cosmetics Lemon-Aid. So here is the breakdown:

Jane Iredale’s Lemon Lid Primer had a creamy thick consistency to it. It applied very easily, going on smooth. Although it was thick when I swiped my finger over the jar, it did not appear thick at all once applied. The lemon color immediately muted my red eye area.

The Lemon Lid Primer worked great both with powder eyeshadow and eyeshadow that is applied wet, such as Kiss My Face’s 3 Way Color. My eyeshadow, no matter which kind, did not smear or crease.

For a few days, I tested both Lemon-Aid and the Lemon Lid Primer, one on each eye, to see if there was a difference. Both worked well to mute redness, both worked well with powder eyeshadow. The only differences I noticed was that Lemon-Aid was a thinner product that didn’t apply as smooth as Jane Iredale’s. The 3 Way Color also came off within a few hours, while with Jane’s it stayed on. The only other obvious difference is that Jane Iredale’s is a mineral makeup and Lemon-Aid is not. Other than that, I really didn’t notice too much of a difference between the two products.

Do I prefer one over the other? It’s hard to say. Both are really good products. I do find myself reaching for the Lemon Lid Primer over Lemon-Aid just because I like the smoother application and knowing that if I feel like using 3 Way Color on my lids, that it will stay put.

Have you used this product? What did you think?

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Oh fabulous jane iredale. I recieved her Cream to Powder Eyeliner in Black Plus, which is quite nice. It has 3 colors: Black, a greyish blue and a slate color.

Application is super easy, as you don’t have to wet your brush to apply them. Actually, I sometimes even use my finger to give my eyes that smokey look to them. The cream glides on smooth and quickly turns to powder. No muss, no fuss…just the way I like it.

While I do love pencil liners, I’m starting to think this is a bit easier to use. Have any of you used it? What do you think of it?

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1. Twisted Fayte’s Mega Minerals

2. Bourjois Metallic Eye Liner

3. tarte’s Jake and Samantha lip gloss

4. jane iredale’s Pure Moist Lip Colour

5. Esthetic Plus Slanted Tweezers

6. Max Factor Lash Perfection Volume Couture Mascara

7. NYX’s Tinted Lip Spa

8. Benefit Cosmetics Lyin Eyes

Yes, 8 is an odd number, but those were the products that stood out most as my favorites this year. What were your favorite makeup must-have’s for 2006?

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By now I am sure you are rolling your eyes and begging, “Not another jane iredale review!” Ladies, ladies…I’m telling you, her products are so worth the review. So please bare with me, because beyond this one, there is still more to come.

Ahh the joys of pregnancy. That does not include pregnancy acne. Nope. Not at all. So when I first read about Disappear in some literature I was sent with previous products, I snuffed it off thinking it was to cover scars or tattoos. I thought maybe it was more for makeup artists than for my retro-teen skin not-on-purpose look.

Thankfully, I was wrong. I hadn’t even asked for this product, yet I mysteriously had it sent in the mail to me. Almost like someone knew I’ve been cursing at my reflection these days. So I very curiously and with great skepticism, tried it out.

As you may know, when you are pregnant you can’t use anything chemically related to treat this new found acne that has taken up residence on your face. So we pregnant moms have to suffer in silence. (Waiting for your empathetic awwww’s.) However, I will suffer no more. No more I tell you! Disappear if chock full of natural ingredients that help treat acne while covering it up.

I was skeptical that it would look cakey and wondered how it could possibly conceal the redness…but it did. I just followed the directions of creating thin layers and feathering the edges. It blended with my skintone (I used Light) and once I applied my jane foundation and powder, you couldn’t even tell there was any acne at all. Fabulous!

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This is lipstick my friends. Not just any lipstick, either. I’ve been wearing glosses for so long, I forgot what it was like to feel more than just pretty in a good lipstick.

I received jane iredale’s PureMoist LipColour in Carmen. The color looked great, and somehow even made my lips appear fuller (are my eyes playing tricks on me?) What I loved most though, was that this lipstick was so silky smooth and never feathered. PureMoist LipColour contains ingredients to moisturize your lips, something other lipsticks are definitely lacking. Even after the color has worn off, my lips feel amazingly soft.

I also received the PurePressed Blush in Barely Rose, which simply highlighted my cheeks giving me a more natural hint of color. It was so pretty and the pigment was wonderful, so I only had to use a small amount to achieve a fresh look.

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