The 25 Days of Christie: Day 21

Throwback Thursday! So Calvin has mysteriously slept in this morning and enabled me to spend my time doing a bit of research for today’s post. It will be mostly photos but I won’t lie, I had a blast with this one. I am taking a trip back to the 70’s, a nice stark contrast to our last two 1950’s-60’s ladies. Beauty seemed like it was so much more natural in the 70’s, a less-is-more kind of thing. It is always fun to check out the trends of yester-years and recognize how they’ve influenced our trends today.

Alli MacGraw– Center part, straight, natural hair. Strong, natural brows. Fresh faced.

Jacqueline Bisset– Are those freckles I see?? Clean, natural skin with some natural freckles showing through.

Ferrah Fawcett– Okay, maybe her hair required some work. But Still fresh makeup. Natural and glowing. Muted lip.

Stevie Nicks

Hope you loved these as much as I did this morning! Bear in mind that I am not a child of the 70’s, so I cannot speak from experience. But if you were there and have some trends you loved (promise I won’t call you old) or see coming back around, feel free to comment below.

 

A Few of My Favorite Things:
Day 1: Tweezerman Tweezers
Day 2: Josie Maran Argan Oil
Day 3: Christian Dior Cuticle Cream
Day 4: L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream
Day 5: MakeUp Forever HD Primer
Day 6: Benefit’s Benetint Tinted Lip Balm
Day 7: Buxom Full Bodied Lip Stick
Day 8: Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm For Lips
Day 9: Benefit’s “They’re Real” Mascara
Day 10: Essie Crystal Nail File
Day 11: Benefit’s Watts Up
Day 12: OPI Nail Lacquer
Day 13: MAC Brushes
Day 14: Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask
Day 15: MakeUp Forever HD Powder
Day 16: Smith’s Rosebud Salve
Day 17: Missha Signature Real Complete BB Cream
Day 18: Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler
Day 19: MakeUp Forever HD Foundation
Day 20: Hot Tools Marcel Curling Iron
Day 21: Cinema Secrets Brush Cleaner

I have been using it for years and years! I have tried many others, mainly out of desperation because I ran out, and they are no where near what this is. It is so important to clean your brushes (if you’re a professional, you need to be cleaning them after every use). Even if you’re not a pro, you should be cleaning your brushes. Your makeup is a breeding ground for bacteria, but more than that (as if that’s not enough) you are not getting the best outcome with dirty brushes. Your eyeshadow/blush/foundation/etc colors will be mixing together and create a muddy appearance instead of having a distinct difference in shades and colors. This brush cleaner cleans the product off the brushes, disinfects and dries extremely fast. It is truly brilliant and a life saver in every situation. I am always doing multiple people whether for bridal, photoshoots, fashion, commercials, etc and I need my brushes to be clean and dry. This cleaner delivers outstanding results, and I can rest assured that they are indeed CLEAN. I am not in the business of spreading germs…

So, that’s all for today folks! I hope you are having a great Thursday!

 

The 25 Days of Christie: Day 20 + Contest WINNER!

Wisdom Wednesday!! Ahh, time for me to once again impart some type of makeup wisdom upon you all. I know I have posted on this before, but I might as well make a blog post about it.

BB Cream!

What the heck is BB Cream?! I get asked this question at least once a day. Seriously. I will brief you all on BB Cream and what it’s all about. Get ready for this.

BB Cream stands for Beauty Balm or Blemish Balm. The word on the street is that BB Cream was originally formulated to heal scars from plastic surgery by a dermatologist in Germany. The thought being– if you will be putting foundation, concealer, whatever to cover up the scars you have– why not create something that both conceals, heals and protects??? Brilliant. So simple, yet so brilliant. Now of course, we’re always the last to know but Korea took this and ran with it when it was introduced in 1985. There was, at first, just one or two brands making BB Cream and everyone was using it. Then word got out about how amazing this stuff is and how marketable and everyone jumped on the band-wagon. It has been huge in Korea for a while before we, in the US, decided, HEY! I want that too. In 2012 just about every cosmetics company in the US created some variation of BB Cream and they’re all massively different.

The claims of the BB Cream in general are almost near magical– and leave us cynics feeling skeptical at best. It is a formula designed to be an “all in one”, something to replace all the products we use regularly. It is said to heal scars and discoloration as well as cover them, protect the skin from sun damage, hydrate, prime, etc etc etc. Some brands have different purposes, claiming anti-aging properties as well. Sounds wonderful but is it true?! Well… that brings me to…

In my research I found that there are many that claim the US BB Creams just don’t stand up to what the Korean ones pioneered. They are selling it under the name BB Cream, but are tinted moisturizers at best– essentially lacking all the wonderful skin treating and healing properties a true BB Cream is meant to represent. Have I tried every single BB Cream? No. Will I? I seriously doubt it. Can I vouch for this claim? Meh. But I can say what I have found in my searching.

I have tried Urban Decay’s BB Cream and Christian Dior’s BB Cream among the US brands right now and I am absolutely stunned at the massive difference. UD’s is barely even a tinted moisturizer, it comes in one color and has little to no pigmentation. No coverage. It is hydrating… but so is my moisturizer. I don’t get it. Christian Dior’s had better coverage and was hydrating, but still not heavy enough to where I’d consider wearing it without foundation. It was bordering a tinted moisturizer. Literally, vastly different formulas under the same name of “BB Cream”. I needed to see what the hype was about with these Korean brands so I did. I ordered my Missha Signature Real Complete from Amazon, one of the top names of the Korean BB Cream market. I’ve noticed a huge difference between the few that I’ve tried from here and my Missha. It has way more coverage, enabling it to be worn alone as a foundation substitute. It is hydrating and healing, I feel like I’ve seen huge improvements in my skin overall. I have to say I am a huge fan.

What I have concluded from my research is that, fortunately, BB Cream is not a hoax or a scam. While it sounds too good to be true, it lives up to its name and with anything it’s about finding the right brand for you. If you have tried any BB Creams, US or otherwise, feel free to share your opinions! Love to hear ’em.

A Few of My Favorite Things:
Day 1: Tweezerman Tweezers
Day 2: Josie Maran Argan Oil
Day 3: Christian Dior Cuticle Cream
Day 4: L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream
Day 5: MakeUp Forever HD Primer
Day 6: Benefit’s Benetint Tinted Lip Balm
Day 7: Buxom Full Bodied Lip Stick
Day 8: Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm For Lips
Day 9: Benefit’s “They’re Real” Mascara
Day 10: Essie Crystal Nail File
Day 11: Benefit’s Watts Up
Day 12: OPI Nail Lacquer
Day 13: MAC Brushes
Day 14: Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask
Day 15: MakeUp Forever HD Powder
Day 16: Smith’s Rosebud Salve
Day 17: Missha Signature Real Complete BB Cream
Day 18: Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler
Day 19: MakeUp Forever HD Foundation
Day 20: Hot Tools Marcel Curling Iron

I love my irons, I have four– a 1/2 inch, 3/4 inch, 1 inch, and 1 1/2 inch. They’re all marcel, except the 1 1/2 inch and they’re all gold plated. They heat fast and create some bangin, long lasting curls. The tools are extremely important when it comes to getting a good, long lasting style. A marcel is when an iron doesn’t have a spring clip, so instead of feeding it through the bottom and rolling it up and waiting, you feed it through from the root and pump it with your fingers. Takes some getting used to but it’s pretty wonderful.

Last but not least… the winner for Makeup Monday Giveaway!!!

Ohhhhh this brings me so much joy! Congrats to ELIZABETH COOK for winning the Makeup Monday Giveaway!!! I love Makeup Monday! Send me your info girl! Christiecaiola@hotmail.com

Thanks for playing along my friends!!!!! This upcoming Monday is the last giveaway and the final day in the 25 Days of Christie! It might be a big one ;). I hope you all have been having as much fun as I have with this goofy excuse to post as much as I have heh.

Happy Sunny-But-Chilly Wednesday!