From tinsel and glitter to sequins and shimmer, the holidays are a flashy time of year.  For many of us that includes adding some pizzazz to our usual makeup routine. The good news is you can have fun, look glamorous and use natural makeup.  Read on and I’ll show you how I achieve a simple but classic party-perfect look using natural skin care and cosmetics from our Whole Body department.

Skin

I start by swiping a toner soaked cotton pad across my face.  Using a toner is optional, but I find it gently exfoliates skin and helps close pores.  For combination to oily skin, I like Burt’s Bees Garden Tomato Toner.  If your skin is dry you can skip the toner.  Next, apply a light moisturizer like Earth Science Almond-Aloe Moisturizer.  The fragrance-free version is non-greasy and a great option for almost any skin type.  Finally, apply Mineral Fusion face primer all over your face including on your eyelids and under your brows.

After prepping your skin, start your makeup application with your eyes.  Doing this before the rest of your makeup allows you to clean up any loose eyeshadow or smudges without messing up your foundation and concealer. I swear by a good set of makeup brushes for the best coverage, but you can follow these techniques with any applicator you have at home.
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We’ve all heard or seen stories about young girls sneaking into the bathroom and putting on their mother’s lipstick. For many of us, lipstick was the first cosmetic we experimented with. As we grow up, we go from borrowing Mom’s stuff to making our own choices about which cosmetics to use. We also grow into being able to research and educate ourselves about what we want to put on our bodies.

Lipstick is frequently mentioned when talking about dangerous cosmetics. While all cosmetics can be absorbed into the skin, lipstick sits on your lips. Do you ever think about what happened to your lipstick as you’re reapplying it after a meal? Some of it may come off on your cup or fork but much of it is ingested along with your food.

Knowing that the ingredients in your lipstick will end up inside your body, it makes sense to pay close attention to what’s in the products you choose. That’s why I recommend seeking out the product lines in our stores that carry our Premium Body Care symbol. These are the most exceptional personal care products available. They meet the strictest standards for quality sourcing, environmental impact, results and safety.

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Summer days are dwindling and it’s time to think about going back to school. As you’re purchasing new supplies, clothes and shoes, don’t forget about an important part of your look — makeup! Changing your makeup colors and your routine is not only essential as the season changes, it’s also a fun and easy way to update your entire look for a new school year. Just as I love picking out new dresses in the spring and colorful scarves in the fall, I eagerly anticipate the opportunity to switch out my makeup palate.

As the only girl in a family of five children, I didn’t get much exposure to makeup while I was growing up. Even my mother was unconcerned with appearances, so when I took an interest in makeup at an early age no one could understand why. I’d been drawing and coloring since I could hold a crayon, so I attribute my curiosity in cosmetics to a desire to branch out into a new medium. I put my makeup interest on the back burner for many years while I completed an art degree. Last September I began working for Whole Foods Market as a graphic artist in a Washington, DC area store. Shortly after, I decided to see how I could make a career out of my long-time hobby, so I completed an 8-week course to become certified in makeup artistry. The course taught me the basics, like choosing colors and matching foundation, along with advanced skills I had never attempted — like contouring the face to make it appear differently in photographs.

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