New + Notable: Spring Eye Palette Love

I love a good palette. They just make life easier. Compact, easy to travel with, and beautiful to look at - here are three of my newest favorites:

1. The By Terry Sun Designer Palettes in No. 1 and No. 2 are very Missoni.

2. The NARS Laguna Tiare Bronzer actually smells like Tahitian Manoi, so you get bronzed and feel like you’re on a tropical island at the same time.

3. The Laura Mercier Extreme Neutrals Eye Palette is full of neutrals but also has the beautiful lavenders – which wear well with ethereal white for summer time.

 I love spring!! Share your spring looks with me on Instagram: @marla.beck

Vacation Solutions: Healing Miracle to Treat Windburned Skin

Last week I went out to Aspen skiing with Barry and the kids for spring break. I always bring a ton of products for the cold, dry weather and this time I packed almost a whole suitcaseful – who knows what I would need in my toolkit.

For the first two days I used the basics – SkinCeuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense SPF 50 on me (I like the tint to even out my skin tone), and SkinCeuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50 on the kids and Barry.  Everyone was also armed with either Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15 or Fresh Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment zipped into their ski jackets for chapped lips (it works on hands and noses too, by the way). 

By day three it was windy and we all came back with windburned, red cheeks and noses. It was worse than a sunburn! Digging through my cosmetics first aid toolkit, I went back to old faithful: La Mer's Crème de la Mer, the original. Created by Max Huber, an aerospace physicist on a mission to heal a burn he experienced in his laboratory, this cream is IT.  It was the only thing the whole family used on our faces post-skiing. A miracle cream for sure.

We also all switched to La Mer's The Reparative Face Sun Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 30. Although it provides less coverage, it has the same Miracle Broth super-healer in the cream – and we all needed that daily. Many of you know I love La Mer creams and serums. This past week, the whole family loved La Mer!!!

Truth in Aging: Have you seen my brows?

Big, strong, bold brows are hot – as evidenced by my trip to the Marchesa show with Bobbi Brown two weeks ago.  

Beautiful brows at the Marchesa Show by Bobbi Brown

I used to have dark prominent brows, but recently I’ve been looking in the mirror and they seem to have disappeared. No, my hair is not falling out – my brows are sprouting grey hairs which makes it look like I am losing my brows. 

Thank goodness there is a quick fix to this – the trusty brow pencil. Over the years I have owned many brow pencils and thought of them as a superfluous step in my busy schedule. Now, they are a necessity! Here are some of my favorites (pictured above). 

1. Chanel Sculpting Eyebrow Pencil (in select stores only)
2. Trish McEvoy Precision Brow Shaper 
3. Hourglass Brow Sculpting Pencil
4. Bobbi Brown Natural Browl Shaper & Hair Touch Up
5. Laura Mercier Eye Brow Gel 

 So many things that no one tells us about aging...

Skincare Innovations: Cholesterol in Skincare?

SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 cream recently hit my desk, and I was surprised to see on the very front of the box it says 4% cholesterol. Honestly – I have never seen cholesterol called out on a product. Talk about innovation!

Inside Cosmeceuticals reports that the skin matrix is often likened to bricks-and-mortar, where the skin cells are the bricks and the matrix is the mortar. The matrix is made up of three primary lipids: cholesterol, ceramides and fatty acids, which are the mortar. So cholesterol actually soothes and plumps up the skin, providing great anti aging benefits. This cream is 4% cholesterol, 2% ceramides, and 2% fatty acids, it is lightweight in texture and while hydrating, does not look shiny on the skin. 

While the formal restores lipids, it shows improved skin smoothness, fullness and evenness. 

I learn something new every day!

New + Notable: On My Desk Right Now

1. Heavenly Scents

I am in love with the new Jo Malone The Herb Garden scents. Fresh, light and original, my favorites are Lavender & Coriander and Sorrel & Lemon Thyme!

2. Lip Line Fix

Patchology Flashpatch Lip Gels: Five-minute hydration that helps with my aging lip lines. I am sold!

3. Raw Beauty 

Sometimes I toy with a detox raw diet, so why not raw skincare?  Raw is Everything Raspberry Seed Oil is deliciously nourishing and protecting. Not to mention one of my newest and most favorite indie entrepreneurs - coming soon to bluemercury.com! 

4. Spring Lip Perfection

NARS always wins. I love these new neutrals - Instant Crash and Vida Loca.

5. Illuminating Bronzer & Strobing Powders

The latest trend and Bobbi Brown is right in there – these are my favorites: Bobbi Brown Nude Finish Illuminating Powders.

6. Instant Sleep

The By Terry Crayon Khôl Terrybly in White Wish on the inside of your lower lid creates the illusion of immediate sleep.

7. Between Blow Dry Help

Yes I over-process and over-blow dry. My ends are fried. But Living Proof comes to the rescue with the Fresh Cut Split End Mender. Right on dry hair – it fixes my ends before I blow out the front door in the morning. 

Guest Blog: Craft Your Perfect Foundation

Laura is one of our Bluemercury Beauty Council members - our store experts who bring you expert advice, tips and trends every day. Here are a few key tips and tricks to keep in mind about texture, finish and color to help you put your best face forward.

Laura Fischer Grillo

Bluemercury Beauty Council

Shrewsbury, NJ Bluemercury Store

Finding your perfect foundation match can be overwhelming. When choosing a foundation, you first want to ask yourself:

What type of look am I going for?

I always ask Bluemercury clients this question before discussing skin type because there are a lot of women with oily skin who still like a dewy foundation, and women with dry skin who prefer something matte and shine-free. It's all about the marriage between your foundation and primer, so any look is achievable despite what type of skin you have. Once you've decided on your signature look, we can find out what products might best suit your needs.

What is your skin type?

If you are dry or dehydrated from climate change, opt for a moisturizing formula that you can build on for additional coverage. If the formula is too thick and dense, it is more prone to settle into dry patches. The right primer can help to fill in pores and provide a smoother canvas for the makeup to glide on seamlessly.

Beauty Council Picks for Dry Skin:

PRIMER: HourglassNo. 28 Primer Serum 

YSLFusion Ink Foundation
Lune + Aster CC Cream

Bobbi Brown Nude Finish Tinted Moisturizer

If you have combination to oily skin, think about foundations that either have a "satin" finish to let your natural glow shine through, or formulas that are "matte" if you want to keep shine at bay. Either way, an oil control primer is your best friend. This will ensure that your natural oils will not separate the makeup on your skin and leave it looking patchy.

Beauty Council Picks for Combination Skin:

PRIMER: Rodial Instaglam Airbursh Primer

Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation
NARS Vevet Matte Skin Tint

LauraMercier Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide

If you have mature skin and are looking for a foundation that can multitask, there are a lot of great formulas that infuse makeup and skincare, containing peptides for firming, antioxidant protection, brightening agents and hyaluronic acid to plump up fine lines and wrinkles.

Beauty Council Picks for Mature Skin:

PRIMER: Lune + Aster Hydralift Primer

Trish McEvoy Beauty Balm

Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation

ByTerry Terrybly Densiliss Foundation

How do I choose my shade?

Visit your local Bluemercury store to try out some different shades - one of our experts can make great recommendations. I tell women to look at the skin on their chest to find their true color match. Often times yellow-toned foundations are the best for camouflaging redness. Pick three different shades you feel are in your color range and try a swatch against your collar bone. Whichever shade is almost invisible will be your best match.

Show us your foundation finds on Instagram: #bluemercury

Behind-the-Scenes at New York Fashion Week Fall '16 with Bobbi Brown & NARS

It's been a whirlwind week of incredible fashion and beauty at New York Fashion Week! I was thrilled to attend my favorite shows being styled by some of my favorite beauty brands and artists: Marchesa with beauty by Bobbi Brown and Rodarte with beauty by NARS.

Being backstage at the Marchesa show with Bobbi Brown is energetic and inspiring! Bobbi's natural, elegant looks were feminine and subtle with flawless skin and pink cheeks.

In action with Bobbi backstage showing me her new not-yet-released correcting powders. She is one of my all-time favorite entrepreneurs! 

Bobbi Brown for Marchesa. Her brows are perfection!

Bobbi Brown pink palettes with not-yet-released tone-perfecting powders!

 Bobbi's behind-the-scenes workstation 

Bobbi Brown for Marchesa (Photo: Harper's Bazaar)

Marchesa Fall '16

Get the look: Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Burnt Red,  Retouching Powder in Rose and Pink, Eye Opening Mascara, Skin Foundation Stick

I loved the gorgeous dark ombré lip from Nars at Rodarte. The dark burgundy lip complemented by brushed-up, full brows is perfect for the fall season!

Nars for Rodarte (Photo: NARS)

Pre-Rodarte show with the ever-so-chic Julia Restoin Roitfeld 

Get the look: Audacious Lipstick in Liv, Velvet Lip Pencil in Train Bleu, Luminous Moisture Cream, Soft Velvet Loose Powder, Highlighting Blush Powder in Miss Liberty

xo, 

Marla