WIN IT! Sephora: The Ultimate Guide to Makeup, Skin, and Hair

I had the pleasure to recently receive a comp copy of the hardcover Sephora: The Ultimate Guide to Makeup, Skin, and Hair from the Beauty Authority published by HarperCollins.  I'm a total Sephora fiend - I can spend hours in that store playing with make-up, but sometimes a store full of beauty products can be so overwhelming in determining what products work best for me. 

The book is a great mix of make-up advice from beauty experts on techniques like shaping your eyebrows, blow drying your hair to get a salon-style blowout, applying fake lashes, fixing mascara mishaps, perfecting smoky eyes, and so much more!  Best of all, after each advice and tips & tricks, the book names products that will help and why. 

Here are some of my favorite tips from the book:

• "If you have a bad breakout, don't wear red lipstick, because you'll be repeating and bringing out the color of the blemishes.  Wear a soft brown or neutral color instead."
• "A great way to find your perfect lip shade is by looking at the inside of your cheek and find a color that's two shades darker.  That color is the most natural match for your lips."
• "Dab a luminizer on the cupid's bow of the mouth and lips will look instantly plumper."
• If you have a break out, "put some Visine on a spoon, pop it in the freezer for a bit, and then place it on the pimple.  It eliminates redness and reduces swelling like magic!"

Terrific book - really!  If you love beauty magazines, this is like all the great tips and products squeezed into one handy, beautifully photographed book.  If you're learning about make-up, then this is definitely a must-have.  $18.45 at Amazon.

Yep, one lucky Rare Bird Finds reader will score a copy of Sephora: The Ultimate Guide to Makeup, Skin, and Hair from the Beauty Authority.  All you have to do to enter is leave a comment to this post telling us your own personal favorite beauty tip. One winner will be selected at random and notified.  Make sure you put your email address on the line for email address.  Although we publish comments your email address will not be shown. You have until 11:59 p.m. PST tonight (5/20/08) to enter.  Must be a resident of U.S. or Canda. 

Congrats to Devon T. from Comox, B.C.!

Comments

[best of sephora winners]

It's nice to see all the best products and it's importance in one article. I have tried some of the products, they produced very good results. Thank you

[MisT]

Smile.

[Ky]

One tip that I have not seen here is when your eyes are puffy use preperation H like an eye cream. It will reduce the swelling in a short amount of time.

[Jenn]

My favorite beauty tip and the one I always tell my friends: ask if you don't know! I know it sounds silly, but most of my friends don't really know how to apply makeup so they go to the store and just pick up whtever they like and then don't know what to do with it. Then it stays in the drawer unused because they never bothered to ask.
So, I encourage all the women out there who don't know really know makeup very well to use your voice and ask, "What goes well with my tone?" I'm sure you'll get a ton of answers from people who are more than willing to help! After all, that's what sales associates are there for!!!

[Jill F.]

My beauty tip is to use aloe vera gel instead of hair gel. It leaves your hair soft but held in place, and it much less expensive!

[Samantha Cheung]

Wear sunscreen everyday - it's the best thing you can do for your skin as sun damage is the number 1 cause of premature aging. It's the best investment you can make for the future.

However - if you know you're going to be photographed, then skip the sunscreen for that occasion. Mechanical sunscreens like Titanium Dioxide can reflect a camera flash, giving you a white face in pictures. This includes foundations that rely on titanium dioxide for opacity and also mineral foundations.

[Morgan]

Neosporin for pimples! Also, I moisturize my neck every day. And, of course, sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen!

[Kimberly B.]

I have really long hair (to my waist) and my beauty tip is to use a satin or silk pillow case to prevent tangles. Apparently cotton, being rougher, snags the hair, but it slips right off my satin pillow case. Though it's difficult to keep the case on the pillow!
I also have a beauty trick similar to Abbey's. I twist my hair way up in a loose scrunchy bun while I sleep. I look like a total dork at bedtime, but it creates lots of volume and soft waves when I take it down in the morning.

[HG]

Use a small makeup brush to put foundation on blemishes. It covers and blends better than fingers or sponges.

[jody waters]

putting perfume behind the knee will "waft" up and keep you sexy all night.

[Rachel]

My best tip is for facial waxing. After you wax, put an ice cube that is wrapped in a cloth over the spots. It soothes the burn and helps the pores close and the redness go away like magic!

[Catherine]

I like to use vegetable oil (grapeseed is great) as a makeup remover. Not only does it work amazing, even for shimmer eye shadows and liquid liner, it doesn't sting, and it's a little extra conditioning for your skin. (Vegetable oils are really good for you! They're the original moisturizers. They don't clog pores like mineral oils.)

Also, sunscreen! Formulas like DDF's Enhancing Sun Protection are great b/c the physical sunscreens (zinc and titanium dioxide) provide a literal physical broad spectrum barrier on top of your skin, the pigmented formula gently evens skin tone and because titanium and zinc oxide basically have to be formulated in silicone carrier oils, it acts as a primer too.

Please check you sunscreen against the Skin Deep database (google it) - they have a comprehensive list of sunscreens rated by UV spectrum protection and toxicity. A lot of sunscreens out there only protect against UVB and then only weakly and the FDA doesn't regulate UVA protection. You'd be amazed at how many sunscreens (even some of Neutrogena's!) claim broad spectrum protection but don't actually deliver.

[Devon T.]

My favorite makeup tip is great for making any lipstick longwear. First apply your lipstick, then dust your lips with a translucent powder, then apply a final coat of your lipstick over top. I don't know how it does it but that powder just locks on the lipstick, you can even eat and drink and it will still be there.

[Danielle M.]

I have inherited several tips from my slightly loopy, always wonderful, grandma.

1.There is the standard putting tooth paste on blemishes – we are a Crest family through and through – so I don’t think it ever worked as well if we had used a toothpaste with more baking soda – but I always loved that my face smelled minty – and I continue to do this well into my late 20’s.

2.Brush bronzer on your chest between your “bosoms” – this creates a shadow – and makes them appear larger.

3.*This one is kinda gross* Whenever you have a mosquito or ant bite- spit on it and then put salt on top of that – this pleasant concoction is supposed to “draw the itch out” of the bite and thus keeping you from scratching – and saving you from unsightly scabs and then scars – which is helpful because I am a notorious bite scratcher – I think it was mostly a mental thing but it helped me through many long summers.

4.The last one, is intended to be a wellness tip, but it has a wonderful side effect- whenever you feel a cold coming on – right before you go to sleep - slather your feet up with Vicks vapor rub, and wear the thickest wool socks you own – this is supposed to starve the cold – but when you pull your socks off - your feet are so wonderfully moisturized – you smell arthritic for a little while but your tootsies will be very very soft.

[Holly]

A fine misting of water after you apply your makeup is great for setting it and making it last all day. You can buy facial sprays but a better way is to buy a plant mister or an atomizer and make your own. It reduces packaging waste and you can add your favourite essential oils.

[LB]

My fave beauty tip is to use a light dusting of bronzer on the days you don't have time to do makeup. It gives your face a little color.

Also, I like to wear clear "sticky" gloss over my lipstick to keep it from cracking and to make my lips look better.

[Erin]

My favorite beauty tip is to apply a dab of eye firming cream on your eyebrows to get rid of any flakes. It's super hydrating and lasts all day :)

[Kat]

My favorite beauty tip is to put a little shimmer under your eyebrows, at the inside corner for your eyes and on your cheekbones. This little bit of sparkle makes you look luminous and younger! I love Benefit's High Beam for this, btw.

[Victoria]

Favorite beauty tip: Don't wash your hair every day. It dries out your hair! I only wash my hair every 2-3 days. You can switch it to every other day if your hair is esp greasy.

[amanda]

my favorite beauty tip is putting plain old white toothpaste on a zit overnight-
it usually works pretty well.

also- when i dye my hair i ALWAYS line my hairline with vaseline to stop seepage of the hairdye....

[Hol]

A friend's grandma told me about putting Vaseline on my lips and fine lines at night. It leaves my lips feeling so soft in the morning!

[molly]

When it comes to makeup, sometimes less is more.

[Carolyn]

I am really terrible at doing lipstick, so my favorite beauty tip is to use lipstick sparingly on my lips, and then spread it out in cleaner lines with a light gloss. It helps me avoid clown lips.

[Abbey]

My favorite beauty tip is to mix moisturizer and foundation together to blend your own tinted moisturizer. Great for the summer months when you want something lighter!

[Kim]

Most of my beauty tricks revolve around hair, since I’ve always had more of a knack in that arena versus make-up or skin. If you know that you have a big night out planned, but you also know that you won’t have time to shower later on in the day, after work, etc---take a shower in the morning, run a little texturizing glaze through your hair, and pull it back into a ballerina-inspired bun. Let your hair air-dry in the bun throughout the day, and once you are home, take it down, run a some more texturizing glaze (mixed with water) through your hair, and allow it to dry completely. (Should take about 15 more minutes.)

I love this method because it tames frizz and fly-aways, leaving the hair closest to your roots and hairline smooth and shiny. Once your hair is dry, you’ll be left with natural looking waves that are ideal for styling. I usually take a ½-inch barrel curling iron to smooth out and curl the top layer of hair, making it look a little more polished.

This works great for me, because I have curly hair but I’m disastrous with a hair dryer. But I think it would work for girls with wavy/straight hair as well. It leaves me with a much more relaxed/romantic look than if I tried to style my hair curly right out of the shower, and I love being able to go about my daily tasks without worrying about messing up my hair for later in the night.