I have been a fan of Bobbi Brown’s makeup for years. Her philosophy: less is more; accentuate your unique features. The result is her products look good on all skin tones, for all ages.

Bobbi Brown is the pioneer of makeup for women of color in the United States. She started the whole trend towards using yellow-based foundation (for Asian women), offering a huge variety of dark foundations for women of African and Indian descent, and creating eye, cheek and lip colors that make women look elegant and respectable. After her, everyone else followed. She sold her company to the Estee Lauder Group many years ago, but continues to work for the brand and spread her philosophy.

Now she has a book called Beauty Rules filled with tips and examples on how to apply makeup that enhances one’s natural beauty. She uses real women – not impossibly gorgeous fashion models – and provides very timely advice for women of different ethnicities. It’s really a wonderful book and one that is sorely needed in an age when women, even in their teens, find it difficult to ignore the mass media messages that constantly tell them they are not pretty enough.

You can get Beauty Rules from the Bobbi Brown website.

If you are looking for a skincare regime that uses high quality organic ingredients and does not contain nasty chemicals, consider Dr. Alkaitis. I came across this relatively new product line recently when I received a travel kit containing the purifying facial cleanser, herbal toner, soothing gel, treatment oil, day creme, night creme, eye creme and mask. Dr. Alkaitis products differ from other skincare lines in the following ways:

• the products are biologically active, certified organic and are edible (indeed, I wanted to eat the mask, which contains strawberry, blueberry and raspberry, because it smelled like a strawberry shake);
• they do not use chemicals or synthetic materials;
• they use 100 percent certified organic Aloe Vera gel as a product base; and
• they do not test on animals.

Enough of that. What are they like?

All the products smell lovely without the overwhelming fragrance that accompanies mass market skincare products. They just smell fresh and delicious. The cleanser leaves the skin feeling fresh, but not tight and dry. The toner, which I use in the morning, wakes up my face with its wonderful zingy scent. The cremes are the star products. Both the day creme and the night creme resemble whipped mousse and when applied on the skin, absorb immediately. You don’t have that greasy, slippery feel. The eye creme is also very good and does not irritate the eyes (very important for someone like me who wears contact lenses). I used the soothing gel on a couple of warm days when my skin felt a bit too oily. I used the treatment oil on rough dry patches on my elbows and that worked wonders, although if your face feels very dry and raw (after skiing or sailing), that will work very well. I use the treatment oil on dry cuticles, too. Dr. Alkaitis has other products: mascara and eye makeup remover (the cleanser does not remove stubborn waterproof mascara), body washes and shampoos, and a lip balm.

In summary, I love these products and will continue to use them. It’s difficult to find good skin care that uses organic ingredients instead of harsh, harmful synthetics, and this one actually performs well. Best of all, Dr. Alkaitis does not make any outlandish claims that his products will suddenly erase the wrinkles from your face, like the mainstream beauty brands. He just delivers very good skincare products that work: they cleanse gently, moisturize effectively, and give the skin a good healthy glow. After a week of using these products, my skin looks much better.

A good way to try out the products is to order the travel kit ($45) which contains enough product to last for seven to twelve days:

Eye shades include:
Ivory Eye Shadow, Bermuda Pink Metallic Eye Shadow, Seashell Metallic Eye Shadow, Bonfire Metallic Eye Shadow, Tan Eye Shadow, Burnt Sugar Metallic Eye Shadow

Lip shades include:
Cabo Coral Lip Color, Salmon Lip Color, Shell Lip Color, and Coral Reef Metallic Lip Color

You can find the palette at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman for $60. I have not seen it for sale on the Bobbi Brown website.

MAC is best known for its flamboyant, dazzling ads showing models with lots of bright, sparkly makeup. But occasionally, the cosmetics company brings out color collections that are more suitable to daytime wear. MAC’s latest – All Ages, All Races, All Sexes – is one of those. In a way, it’s misleading because MAC already has a range of colors that suit nearly every skin tone and age group on the planet. But who can complain about the gorgeous eyeshadows in shades of taupe and brown, and new lipglasses in baby pink and sheer taupe?

It’s that time of the year when we have to attend a lot of holiday parties and galas. We’re tired, have too much to drink and not enough sleep, and our skin may not look as bright and cheerful as the holiday decorations around us. My skin rescue secret is none other than Clarins’s brilliant Lisse Minute (Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch Makeup Base). You apply it before you put on your foundation. The result is visually stunning. Every time I use Lisse Minute, my skin looks radiant, smooth, and dare I say, “photoshopped”.

But once you get used to the magic of Lisse Minute, you’ll find yourself using it everyday, not just for parties. Sometimes I use it alone (without foundation) just to give my skin an instant boost.

Click on the image below to buy Clarins Lisse Minute:

But if the colors are too “cool” for your skin tone, or if you already have too many shadows like these, try the Earth Metal Palette below which has warmer colors.

Go to www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com.

(1) Borghese Essentials Holiday Set: this includes the Fango Active Mud, Tono body cream, Bagno di Vita foaming bath gel, two facial moisturizers (the moisture intensifier and day lotion with SPF 15) and more. This was already being offered for $47 at Drugstore.com and now it’s on sale for $34.99. If you were to purchase these products separately, it would cost you more than $150.

(2) JimmyJane Massage Candle: originally $55, this is on sale now for $38.50.

(3) Avalon Organics Hand and Body Lotion, Lemon: on sale for $8.24.

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Please click on the link below on Black Friday to get even more amazing deals.

There’s something reassuring and comforting about rituals. Instead of rushing around, mindlessly going through the motions without paying attention, how about slowing down and focusing on each movement, as in a Japanese tea ceremony? During these darker, colder days of winter, I’ve revived the beauty cleansing ritual with Clarins Crème Douce Démaquillante (Extra-Comfort Cleansing Cream). Although the label says “for dry or sensitized skin”, this cleansing cream works very well on my (normal) skin. It feels like luxuriously soft pillows of whipping cream, yet it effectively takes off all makeup. I love using it in the morning and evening, followed by the Eau de Confort cleansing water which has a slight hint of peach. Clarins has a rather unusual instruction on how to use this cleansing cream but I’ve come love this daily ritual:

Warm Cleansing Cream to skin temperature in the palms of the hands. Apply by gently placing the flat of the hands over the face. Hold for several seconds without pressing. Briskly lift the hands off the face. Repeat 5-6 times, including on the neck: the milk will gradually thicken and create a suction effect to lift off make-up and impurities without irritating or pulling the skin. Rinse with water or remove with a tissue.

If you are using the cream to remove makeup, you will discover that you don’t need a cleansing water or toner afterwards. There’s no residue to mop up. You might need mascara remover for certain types of waterproof mascara.

You can buy Clarins products in most departments stores or online at Clarins.com.

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