Favorite Things!

As professionals in the beauty industry and ever since starting this blog, IMPO receives a ton of email asking us to let our readers know what skincare, makeup and personal care items are really in our bathrooms! What do the Pros personally use daily? What are our “go to” products?

So, we decided to channel our inner Oprah and comprise a list of “The Pro’s Favorite Things." Unfortunately, the “plugs” we will be providing to many beauty manufacturers out there will not reap the benefit of a swag (stuff we all get) bag for our readers! Sorry folks!

Hey, maybe someday IMPO will be as big as Oprah and our Fans, Followers and Readers could receive care packages like Oprah audience members do during the taping of her “Favorite Things” segments…a blog’s gotta dream y’all!

Now, putting together this post was not easy and it made the Pros really think about which products we “must have” daily and can’t live without ever, the kind of products that you have to take with you when you travel because you just can’t feel confident without them.

If you read IMPO regularly you are aware of the cosmetics and skincare lines that the makeup Pro uses professionally on her clients, but our readers ask, “do you also use those products on yourself?” and, “do professional products really cross the line over into everyday wear?”

The answer to those questions is a very simple…yes. Some products make the leap and others are manufactured specifically for television, film and photography.

To recap…here is a partial list of cosmetic products inside the makeup Pro’s kit: Nars, Dior, Eve Pearl, Smashbox, M.A.C., Tricia Sawyer Beauty, Three Custom Color, The Lipstick Queen, Bobbi Brown, Jan Marini and La Mer, all of which are consumer friendly beauty products found at major department stores and retailers or online. They work just as well “on” camera as “off” camera for her clients.

The makeup Pro’s kit also contains products found at industry specialty retailers such as Cinema Secrets, Naimes, Frends and Alcone, which work in both the professional makeup industry and for everyday wear. Please check the IMPO blog archive or use the “search” button at the top if you are curious about a particular product line.

It is also important to make clear to our readers that the Pros of IMPO do not “rep” or sell any particular beauty line. We do receive products to test personally and professionally and some we review and others we do not! Just like Bobby Brown: that’s our prerogative!

But, what you really want to know is which beauty care and makeup lines are in our shower, makeup bag and medicine cabinets and it may surprise you to read that as Pros in the beauty industry (and sisters in real life), we have different styles when it comes to our personal routines, so without further ado…

SKINCARE:

The makeup Pro is a firm believer in the Jan Marini Skincare line of products. With 42 creeping up on her door step, she felt it was time to start fighting back the signs of aging skin and the Jan Marini line came to her rescue! Starting with the BioGlycoloic Facial Cleanser both morning and night to cleanse and to remove makeup and bacteria. C-ESTA Serum, Age Intervention Peptide Extreme, Age Intervention Enlighten, Age Intervention Face Cream and Eye Cream. Twice a week she also uses Age Intervention Regeneration Facial Mask. Also used daily is the Jan Marini AntiOxidant Daily Face Protectant sunscreen.

The makeup Pro recently discovered the Talika skincare treatment line and has been using the Eye Dream product at night (on day 15 of the 28 day treatment) in conjunction with Jan Marini products, which has helped rejuvenate her over traveled, delicate skin around her eye area.

The marketing Pro is using Jurlique Balancing Foaming Cleanser once a day (in the shower!) followed by a spritz of Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist and Jurlique Sun Lotion with SPF30+. In the evening, she uses M.A.C. Wipes to remove all her makeup and a touch of Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado around the eye area.

HAIR CARE:

The makeup Pro changes up this product most often because she loves to discover and use different hair care lines almost as much as makeup. Currently, she is in love with the Ever Pure line from L’Oreal. Not only does it keep her color treated hair in tip top shape, it is full of more natural ingredients, which is better for the environment and our body!

The makeup Pro also uses the following styling products on her naturally curly hair: John Freida Frizz-Ease Original Serum, Straight Fixation and Dream Curls Curl Perfecting Spray. L’Oreal Vive Pro Glossy Style Non-Aerosol Hairspray, which provides great hold and shape!

The marketing Pro colors her brunette locks and to maintain that healthy chocolate color, she uses Pantene Pro-V Brunette Expressions shampoo and conditioner. When she wants to blow-dry the curl out of her hair, she uses the best blow dryer ever, the Revlon 1875 Ionic Ceramic Blow Dryer and Redken Satinwear 02 blow-dry lotion. When the hairstyle demands hairspray, her fave is a tried and true brand: AquaNet Extra Super Hold (flash back to the 80’s – she’s with the band man!).

PERSONAL CARE:

The makeup Pro likes to keep it simple when it comes to body lotions because she doesn’t like heavy fragrances competing with her favorite perfumes. Johnson and Johnson Baby Lotion (the one in the pink bottle) is wonderful and keeps this Pro’s skin feeling soft and smooth! Neutrogena Body Wash and Gentle Exfoliating Cream work wonders on dry skin and invigorates her senses after a long day on set! LAVANILA Laboratories, The Healthy Deodorant, in Vanilla Coconut (also because it doesn’t compete with the makeup Pro’s fragrance) is a natural choice to traditional anitperspirants and it works!

The marketing Pro, unlike the makeup Pro, doesn’t mind a light scent in her body lotion and she loves Jaqua’s Pina Colada Body Butter. A must have for the shower is Skintimate Shave Gel for legs and bikini area.

MAKEUP:

The makeup Pro is opening up her personal makeup drawer to our readers! There are staples in her collection that never change (foundation, face powder, eye shadow palettes, mascara) however, frequently she will replace and try new products such as lipgloss, blusher, bronzer, eye liner and lip pencils. Here is a list of the current products that she uses daily:

Primer: M.A.C., Prep & Prime Foundation: Eve Pearl High Definition Dual Foundation/Medium & Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Sand and Nude (she mixes these colors together to achieve the perfect skintone match) Concealer: Eve Pearl Salmon Concealer/Medium Brow: tarte comsetic’s emphasEYES/Taupe & Medium Brown Face Powder: Purely Cosmetics Diamond Powder Palettes: Tricia Sawyer Beauty's Essential Palette & Essential Pretty Palette, Eve Pearl The Eye Palette in Ultimate & Natural Blusher: Eve Pearl Blush Trio in Sassy Bronzer: CoverFX Bronzer in Gold Eye Liner: M.A.,C., Liquidlast Liner in Coco Bar Mascara: CoverGirl Lash Blast Mascara in Black Noir, Diorshow Mascara in Black Lips: La Mer Lip Balm, tarte comsetic’s Vitamin-Infused Lipgloss in Liquid Sunshine & OM, Laura Mercier Lipgloss in Bare Beige and Blush, The Eve Pearl Lip Pencil in Caramel, Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflect in Rose Satin 657 and Linen Beige 317 Remover: M.A.C Wipes.

The marketing Pro’s collection; Primer: LORAC aquaPRIME™ Primer Foundation: combination of CoverFX M30 & C30 foundation with 30SPF Concealer: Georgio Armani High Precision Retouch 3.5 Face Powder: SmashBox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder in Light Brow: Laura Mercier eye brow pencil in Soft Brunette Palettes: Eve Pearl Au Natural Eye Palette, M.A.C. custom palette for eye in various colors, Smashbox Cream Eyeliner Palette in Backstage Eye Liner: Eve Pearl Black Pearl Smudgeproof Liquid Eyeliner Mascara: tarte mascara and for those lower lashes, Bottoms Up™ Blusher: NARS Orgasm Tint: CoverFX SkinTintFX with sunblock in E Light and tarte tipsy cheek stain Lips: NARS glosses in Orgasm & Bad Education, Sally Hansen’s Lip Inflation in Sheer Mocha, Laura Mercier Natural Lips lip pencil.

PRO TIPS AND TRICKS:

To save money, the Pro’s recommend shopping for personal care, hair care and some cosmetic products, like mascara and lip gloss, at your local drug store, but when it comes to skin care and makeup such as foundation, concealer or powder, splurge on high-end manufacturers to insure that your skin is receiving the best quality plus those product lines tend to last longer throughout the day!

STAY TUNED:

Up next on IMPO: Hitting the spa with our Marketing Pro! IMPO was invited to try a facial featuring the Clarisonic! Discover how this technology has made a difference in the cleansing of the skin!