Product Placement

It's after midnight. I'm sitting here with a cup of lightly sweetened decaf (Timothy's Fair Trade for Keurig) with a slight shot of half and half. I've been intending to blog about some products I love, and it isn't a Friday, so I shall call it Wednesday Wonders.

Recently I purchased some eye shadow designed by tattoo artist Kat Von D. I really like her show on TLC, LA Ink. But, not for the drama that TLC insists on playing up--what I really like is hearing the stories behind people's tattoos and watching the artists design and apply the tats. Anyway, Kat came out with a line of makeup for Sephora, so I used some pocket money to buy her Ludwig palate. After I purchased it, I was aware that my makeup skills are minimal, so I jumped on You Tube to search through tutorials. There I happened upon the makeup artist named Kandee Johnson. She has a skillion videos on all things makeup and beauty related and I've been watching them ever since.

Kandee introduced me to some products that I now love and I feel like sharing the wealth. I've never been a person obsessed by outer beauty, but I have some problem areas and wanted to know more about skin care and makeup. I love makeup. I'd do full on drama makeup every day if I had the chance! She has videos on skin care, every makeup look imaginable, costume makeup, hair coloring and even some food stuffs to help with skin and hair.

First up, skin care. When we moved to Lubbock, my skin had trouble acclimating to the dry climate--understandable since I was basically living IN the ocean in Houston. My skin ITCHED. And I don't mean a little bit. I felt as if there were bugs under my skin! In addition to upping my water intake, Kandee recommended several products for glowy happy skin. They are:

Mychelle Fruit Enzyme Cleanser-beware, it is not cheap. A 2oz bottle was TEN BUCKS and, I had to buy it in Houston because I haven't found a distributor here in Lubbock. I use it only at night. For morning cleansing I use Burt's Bees Orange Oil cleanser. It is sooooo great too. Both cleansers are 100% natural and contain no phosphates or petrochemicals.

Alba Unpetroleum Jelly-this stuff is amazing. You can find it in the natural section of Whole Foods or Central Market or most drug stores. It is around $5 for a tube. I use it only in the evening. After washing and applying Burt's Bees Moisturizer for Acne with Willowbark I apply a thin layer of the Unpetroleum jelly to seal everything in. I have to say, it has been wonderful. My skin feels so smooth and fresh! The itching has stopped! I still get the occasional little pimple and a quick shot of salicylic acid gel clears it right up.

Next up--home teeth bleaching. I drink coffee and tea. I do not want to stop drinking coffee and tea. Kandee recommended a bleach called Plus White 5 minute bleach. I purchased mine at Wal-Mart for about $5. If you are averse to Wal-Mart, check Target and Walgreens. She advises to apply the gel directly to your teeth, getting in all the cracks and crevices. She also recommended heading over to the sports department and purchasing some .98 football mouth guards that you can mold to your teeth, creating custom trays. This method has lightened my teeth by at least two shades, and it is simply to apply and I brush it off with my toothbrush and toothpaste after the 5 minutes are up (it tastes NASTY).

Now for the fun stuff-MAKEUP!!!! For foundation, Kandee recommends Laura Mercier, available at Sephora. For a cost friendly option, she loves L'Oreal True Match, available at most drugstores. This is what I use and it is really light and nice. For concealer, I use MAC. I also use Mac Studio Fix powder to set it all (my color is NC 30. A MAC consultant can help you find your shade). All these years I had been applying these products in the wrong order. Correct order is foundation, concealer, powder.

Kandee adores MAC eyeshadows, as I have for years. I have several colors including: Trax, Shroom, Sketch, Embark, Pfoof, Juxt, Vibrant Grape, Espresso, Naked Lunch, Expensive Pink, Typographic and Stars N Rockets. Most of these I purchase in the less expensive pro palatte form, which fit into my magnetic compact. Other eyeshadows I use are the previously mentioned Ludwig palatte by Kat Von D, and and Urban Decay palatte of which I can not find the name. En route to me via ebay (because it is sold out EVERYWHERE) is Urban Decay's Naked palatte. I'm also using a couple of Sephora's store brand eye liners, a black gel liner from Avon, and a brown stick liner from L'Oreal (being sure to set them all with powder so they don't end up on my eyebrows by the end of the day).

For mascara, I'm using another Kandee endorsed product, L'Oreal's double extend and an eyelash curler. One thing I was never into was coloring my eyebrows. Well, I do it now! I use a powder by Clinique (but anything matching your hair is okay). It was bizarre at first to see how much they gave my face shape, but I've gotten used to it.

For blush, I use a cream blush by MAC called Posey. If I'm not into a blush, I use a highlighter and bronzer by Benefit called "10" also recommended by Kandee for all skin colors and types (available at Ulta).

Lips are nude, nude, nude! It's so mod and I love it! I didn't realize how nude lips can be done right. I use a primer by Pop Cosmetics. The lipstick I'm loving was another recommendation by Kandee by Mac called Creme de Nude with a gloss by Nars called Orgasm. I also like a lip liner by Urban Decay called Naked.

So, that's a lot of makeup and you can definitely tell where my pocket money has been ending up these days. On a regular day, I don't even wear much makeup, but it sure has been fun trying some new stuff out. Maybe in another life I could've worked in cosmetology! This blog is pure fluff but it was fun. Hope you like it and maybe find something new to try!

Kandee's blog: www.kandeethemakeupartist.blogspot.com