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I know how much you love natural & organic makeup…and I know the one thing you don’t love is when it doesn’t last or look as good an hour after you’ve applied it.  While I’ve heard some great tips (some listed here), I’ve also heard, and tried, some not-so-great ones that just didn’t work.  Here are the five things I’ve found make the biggest improvement in the overall performance of your natural and organic makeup:

1. Always start with clean, properly hydrated skin and always wait at least 5 minutes (after applying your moisturizer) before  applying any makeup. Clean, moisturized skin is the best canvas for makeup.  Apply too soon and the moisturizer may prevent the makeup from staying put.

2. Prep the face, neck and lids with a base layer.
If you have fine lines or uneven texture, use a smoothing primer like Vapour Organic Beauty Stratus Instant Skin Perfector.
If your application tends to go all shiny after a couple hours, prep with a mattifier like Amala Purifying Mattifier.
If your color always seems to evaporate or absorb after a couple hours, use a durable base layer like Vive Sana Solar To Polar Ultra.

3. Use blotting papers after applying oil or wax based products –they’ll lift the excess oil but leave the color.  These work surprisingly well on cream eyeshadows too!  If you have the time, experiment with a layering technique – apply cream shadow, blot, apply a tiny bit of powder over the cream, blot, apply more cream shadow, blot.  It sounds more step-y than it is.  If you need extra long eyeshadow wear for a special occasion, give it a try!

4. Always set powder with a facial mist to avoid looking chalky.  A fine mist will form microscopic water-color capsules and create a naturally dewy airbrushed effect.

5. Reapply!  No one here is going to tell you that reapplying isn’t part of the natural makeup routine.  Without icky synthetic fixatives and colorants, you’re not likely to get  24 hour wear but with nourishing, skin-loving  natural ingredients instead of harsh, disruptive ones, you can think of every touch-up as a pampering beauty treat, not a chore!

What tips and tricks have you discovered with natural makeup performance?  Share them with us on Facebook!

 

Her new line of luxury lip conditioners, ILIA BEAUTY,  flies off our shelves and can be found in nearly every green girls’ clutch.  I caught up with Ilia Beauty founder and creative director Sasha Plavsic in between jets for a girl-talk and thought you’d like to meet her!

SD: It seems like every time we talk you’re in a different city; Montreal, Bali, NYC, Hong Kong…Is it business, pleasure or both?

SP: Lately it’s been mostly business, but definitely not without a little pleasure mixed in. I’ve been told I have the nomad disease, and having lived in a several cities I’ve met some great friends around the world. Over time its made it easy to go somewhere, and know there will be a someone to spend time with outside of working hours, and why not let that place be Hong Kong or Bali!

SD: How do you stay radiant with the stress of travel, different climates, air quality, water quality…It must be hard to maintain a beauty routine?!

SP: Its especially tricky the past few months since there’s been more travel than expected and the shift of starting a new business to boot. Near the end of last year, I was sick with a strange flu for two months. There were many planes, trains and automobiles involved. As well, long days and long nights. It really highlighted the fact that it is important to take care of ourselves. Being run down and sick, isn’t much use to anyone. Taking extra sleep, and eating well go a long way.

SD: What are your travel essentials?

SP: Bee Propolis to help fight off viruses on the plane, Emergen-C – to keep immunity up, and homeopathic No-Jet-Lag pills to help ease the time transitions.  Kahina Giving Beauty Toning Mist - very refreshing during travel times, Lotus Wei Joy Juice Energy Mist - the perfect pick-me-up when you’re worn down.  A favourite purchase from last Fall was a huge scarf from Denis Colomb that doubles as a blanket. Its been my saving grace on the plane, or when it feels cold a night.

SD: Where does the name Ilia come from?

SP: It’s a family name and stems from my Great Grandfather. He owned a shoe boutique in Belgrade at the turn of the century and was known for his attention to detail and customer service. It was important to have a brand embody these qualities and hold some tradition.

SD: Why did you start the line?

SP: It was a happy accident. I was doing some freelance packaging design for a larger cosmetic company in California right when the recession hit. Taking a closer look at the product and the market made me realize there wasn’t much being offered in the organic realm that appealed to myself or my friends. Reading ingredients labels became a new hobby and when I couldn’t understand what most of them were on the back the box, it brought some questions to mind about what I was blindly buying. The line was created with full transparency and I would like people to like ILIA for how it  feels, and performs. All the other details about being organic and sustainability are my responsibility as a creator of product. If a customer chooses to support those ideals, all the better.

SD: What are the future plans for Ilia?  More colors? Different products?

SP: We are growing! For Spring 2012 we will have a new Lipstick formula which is more matte in 6 new shades, 2 new limited edition Lip Conditioners, 4 Multi-Sticks for lips and cheeks, and 2 Illuminators. From here we will continue to grow gradually over the course of this year with new products and shades.

SD: Can’t wait! What are your favorite eco/organic spots (shops, restaurants, juice bars, resorts?) around the world?

SP: For food, my hometown has loads of eco/organic options. Axe in Venice is one of my favorite places to eat. Great, local organic food, and the atmosphere is also very nice. For resorts, Asia Spa magazine has great coverage on different eco spots in and around Asia, which is always a nice place to go!

SD: What’s your eco sin?

SP: I am notorious for forgetting to bring a bag to the grocery store. So, I try to jam my purse full instead and then carry the rest out with my arms. Oh and seaweed snacks – its mind boggling to think that those snacks can dissolve down to the size of a dime yet come in packaging with dimensions like that of a brick. Final note – sushi packaging. Someone please come up with a better alternative, you could have a lucrative business!

SD: Are you one of those women who puts on lipstick to take the garbage to the curb?

SP: Yes and no. The conditioners were created to replace an old tinted lip balm I’d been using for several years. Usually before leaving the house in the morning, I would use the balm, which was subtle and kept my lips feeling good! As for lipstick, I do love a bright shade when in the mood for some extra punch and leaving the house with a little lipstick in tow can make just about any woman feel good.

SD: What is your guilty pleasure?

SP: I am something of a clothes horse, yet like to believe less is more and quality prevails: Rag & Bone, Isabel Marant,.. and of course wine and chocolate after dinner…repeated too many times over the holidays with a follow up of coffee and Baileys in the morning.

SD: What is a charity or non-profit organization you’re passionate about and why?

SP: Oceana is a non-profit group that works to protect and restore the world’s oceans. Did you know we have managed to destroy over one third of our coral reefs since the early 80′s?  It took thousands of years for these coral reefs to grow and in only 30 years we’ve managed to nearly wipe out half of them from existence! It’s something I am very passionate about, and believe we have a limited amount of time to salvage what is left. ILIA is looking into setting up its own program to help educate and bring awareness to this cause.

SD: Why are natural and non-toxic ingredients important to you?  Have they always been or was there an epiphany?

SP: It was always there in the background growing up. I was raised on the west coast and had a little brother who was very sick as a kid. Ingredients in food and cleaning products were commonly questioned at home. Moving back to the West Coast in 2005 rekindled that awareness which grew into a desire to know what I was putting in and on my body. It was a domino effect and I hope ILIA will inspire people to question what they are using in their day to day lives.

SD: Any New Year’s Resolutions?

SP:  keep a clear mind, an open heart and balance it all out as best I can!

See more of Sasha’s eco-beauty essentials featured at Spirit Beauty Lounge!

Exfoliating is fun, easy, and yet a total mystery to many of us.  When do I do it? How often?  With what?  And the underlying question is; do I even need to exfoliate (or is it just fun)?  Well, essentially, no, you don’t need to. Your skin is an amazing, living thing and does a wonderful job of sloughing, protecting, purifying and regenerating on it’s own!  Contrary to popular belief,  exfoliating once or twice a week should simply improve, not substitute, your skin’s own ability to slough and renew.

So why exfoliate?  Taking exfoliation into your own hands means your skin is clear to evenly absorb good stuff like your organic face serum, while relieving it of bad stuff like built up waxes from cosmetics that trap dirt.  So since you’re dying to get to it,  let’s talk about methods and types of exfoliants and which one is best for you:

There are two basic ways to slough debris from your skin and infinite variations af the basic two:

1. Mechanical – where abrasives are mechanically ground against the skin to remove debris or clays create a vacuum suction effect over the skin.
2. Chemical – where enzymes or acids dissolve debris from the skin.

Mechanical

Mechanical exfoliants include things like face brushes, scrubs, drying clay masks, microdermabrasion and  exfoliating pads.

SYMPTOMS OF OVERUSE: I’ve seen it many times – Clarisonic Brush abuse!  Just like the “apricot scrub” of my day, skin brushes can be addictive.  The first time you get deeply exfoliated you’re hooked because your skin never seems to feel clean again when it’s not “sparkling clean”  In reality you may be thinning your skin, reducing it’s natural ability to filter toxins and pollution and making it hypersensitive.  If you’re brushing once a day or even more, you may be making your skin dependent on mechanical exfoliation and unable to function and renew as it’s meant to on its own.  Just taking a few days off, you may start to feel like your pores just aren’t as clean and sanded down as you’d like them to be.  You may even experience breakouts as your skin struggles to rebalance until it has regulated but try, try to hold off and let your skin be skin!  As we now know is true of many skin products that make us look amazing at first, overbrushing can actually speed up and exacerbate sensitivity and signs of aging over time.

Scrubs can also sometimes have the effect of causing the clogged pores to become deeper impacted.  To avoid this, be sure you are always only gently massaging the surface of the skin with your scrub.  Tempting as it is to get “deep clean” by grinding harder, you may actually be grinding debris into the pores rather than out of them!

Clays don’t just suck the dirt and debris out of your skin, they suck the moisture out too.  Always hydrate the body by drinking plenty of alkaline water when using a clay mask – and rehydrate the skin thoroughly after removal.  Drawing too much moisture out of the skin can provoke rebound breakouts and imbalance.

SYMPTOMS OF UNDERUSE: Wash your hands and run your fingers along the surface of your skin at the end of a day when you’ve worn no makeup.  Do you feel scaly patches?  Can you scratch the gunk off the surface with your fingernail?  Is it overly oily?  Do you have normal sized pores (not enlarged) but uneven texture and/or dullness?  Mechanical exfoliation will work  beautifully for you since your buildup sits on the surface of your skin – gently sloughing it away with a brush or scrub once or twice a week will keep you in perfect, glowing balance.  Only use drying clays where the skin is most congested, pores are visibly clogged, the skin is greasy, or where pores are enlarged and gaping.

DO NOT USE:  If your skin is sensitive, avoid abrasive cleansers.  If your pores are congested, skip the scrubs, use masques to exfoliate until they are free and clear and begin to shrink.

BEST IN CLASS:  Acure Organics Brightening Facial Scrub A base of  organic ingredients you’ll want in your smootie and on your face; like berries, lemon peel granules, cocoa powder and chlorella, make this the perfect bi-weekly skin treat to stimulate cell growth and leave the skin looking bright

ADVANCED EXFOLIATING: Whole Truth Solutions Clay Therapy Masque Cranberry Lemongrass French Yellow Clay literally draws impurities out and away from the skin with a force of suction you can feel as it dries. This magic masque actually becomes a mechanical/chemical crossover by also adding natural alpha hydroxy acid from organic citrus orange.

Chemical

Chemical exfoliants include things like alpha hydroxy acid, glycolic acid and malic acid, papaya enzyme and pineapple enzyme peels, masques and cleansers.

SYMPTOMS OF OVERUSE: It’s easy to overuse mechanical exfoliants without even knowing it.  If you’re overusing a chemical exfoliant – chances are you’ll know!  Your skin will burn, become inflamed, or even peel if you’ve used a chemical exfolant that’s too strong or you’ve used it too frequently.

SYMPTOMS OF UNDERUSE: Blackheads, enlarged pores, congested pores and  dullness are all instantly reduced by a once or twice weekly enzyme mask or fruit acid peel.  If yo experience any pore congestion, deep or surface, start masking ASAP!  Generally enymes are underused.  Some are gentle enough to even use every day.

DO NOT USE: Never use chemical exfoliants on abraded, broken or sun damaged skin.

BEST IN CLASS: Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask  This award-winning mask gives us all the gain, but none of the pain of a professional peel.  Pomegranate Enzyme gently eats away trapped gunk from the pores while French Clay has a purifying effect. You’ll get immediate results despite how gentle it feels.

ADVANCED EXFOLIATING:  Dr. Alkaitis Organic Exfoliating Enzyme Mask Leave it to the Doc – all the organic enzymes you can attempt to pronounce in one jar – ready to be activated by a little water and eat anything trapped in your pores like a dermatological Pac-Man!

Still wondering which technique is just right for your unique needs?  Give one of our specialists a buzz on Live Chat for a free beauty consultation today!

This is the perfect low-maintenance makeup look for an elegant dinner party (especially one you’re hosting!) because the eyes make the statement, while the lips are free to nosh and gab!

TIPS:  The key to this classic, elegant look is expertly applied liner.   The most common mistake with this look is going too neutral with the cheeks and lips.  While you really want the eyes to pop, you still need a touch of color on your cheeks and lips to avoid looking washed out.
TOOLS: Nvey Eco Eyeliner & Brow Brush #7, Nvey Eco High Definiton Cake Eyeliner, Vapour Organic Beauty Atmosphere Soft Focus Foundation, Kjaer Weis Cream Blush Compact, RMS Beauty Lip Shine.

The Classic Vamp look will never go out of style and is always appropriate for black-tie formal affairs.

TIPS:  The key to getting  this look just right is finding the perfect hue and depth of lip color – not too dark, not too bright, and right for your skin tone.  Imagine Julianna here swapping lip shades with Julianne – not quite the same is it?!  You’ll also want to strike the perfect balance between the lips and the rest of the palette – too much eye and you’re more clown than gown.  Too little and your lips might wash out your face, making you look 5 years older.

TOOLS: For deep warm tones, try RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek in Rapture or Ilia Pure Lip Care in Arabian Nights.  For fair porcelain tones, try Vapour Organic Beauty Siren Lipstick in Ravish or Revolution Organics Freedom Lip Gloss in Freedom.  For light to medium olive tones, try Vapour Organic Beauty Aura Multi Use Stain in Impulse or Lure.

You don’t want to show up at the office party looking like a different person.  Make your co-workers jealous by looking like you just had a vacation instead!

TIPS:  The key to this sexy, understated look is great skin!  If you’re fortunate enough to be able, consider getting a professional microcurrent + oxygen facial (see: Ildi Pekar or Joanna Vargas in NYC) or DIY at home with the Tata Harper Skin Care Mini Facial Set.

TOOLS: Rose Marie Swift, the makeup magician behind RMS Beauty, is the queen of creating this glowy look so it should be no surprise you can get it using entirely RMS Beauty products. RMS Beauty “Un” Cover-Up – only as needed – let the skin glow, RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek in Muse, Promise or Smile, RMS Beauty Cream Eye Shadow in Lunar, and the Hallmark of natural radiance: RMS Beauty Living Luminizer.

If there’s ever a time to play with color, why not New Year’s Eve?!  Try something you’ve always wanted to but never had the guts – the experiment may even embolden you in the year ahead.

TIPS: You can be wild and still pretty but wild can go too far.  Pick one area to play with color (lips, cheeks or eyes), but leave the others in the natural realm.
TOOLS: For Jennifer Hudson’s look, try a metallic eye with Kjaer Weis Eye Shadow in Onyx and Divine or RMS Beauty Cream Eye Shadow in Magnetic and make the lips pop with Revolution Organics Freedom Glow Beauty Balm in Blushed.  For a look like Olivia’s, neutralize the lips with Kjaer Weis Lip Tint in Dream State or Nvey Eco Advanced Care Lip Colour in 356 and make the eyes come vividly alive with Alima Pure Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow in Aubergine and Amethyst and Vapour Organic Beauty Mezmerize Shimmer Eye Treatment in Lyric.  For a slightly down-played (unless you are getting an MTV Award) kaleidescopic eye like Katie’s, play with Vapour’s Vapour Organic Beauty Mezmerize Shimmer Eye Treatment in Dream, Stealth & Night.

For more custom color reccomendations, tips, tricks and advice, hit up one of our beauty-obsessed product specialists on Live Chat today!