The Best Beauty Products, According to Michele
January 6, 2008
If you've known Michele for a long time, you will know that she has been a cosmetics addict for a while. Lipsticks in particular. Nail polishes, too (always looking for the "perfect red"). Strangely, she doesn't wear much makeup but she tends to hoard it. She's like a child attracted to pots and sticks of color, lotions and potions. She's trying to kick the habit.
However, her addiction may prove a benefit to society, as she has thought about the products that she uses regularly and would highly recommend to friends and family. I sat down with Michele one Sunday afternoon and got the exclusive scoop. No hype here, just good products. So, without further adieu...
Michele, the day of our interview. She wasn't presentable.
But check out that lovely shade of red OPI nail color!
("OP-I Love This Color"—a nearly perfect red)
Face cleanser:
You know you aren't supposed to use plain soap on your face, right? Right?!? But Michele has an idea that is just as cheap, but is gentle. She's admitted to me that she's been using it to wash her face for literally 15 years: Johnson and Johnson Head-to-Toe Baby Wash. She once read online that this is almost the same, ingredient-for-ingredient, as Johnson and Johnson Purpose Face Wash (which my sources tell me was once recommended to her by her dermatologist). But, Head-to-Toe Baby Wash is much cheaper. You can buy two big bottles of this from Costco for under $10, I think.
Face cream for night:
Sadly for the diva, Michele has started to get dry skin. And creams with fragrance drive her crazy. At worst, it irritates her skin. At best, it is distracting and she has a hard time falling asleep. She has finally found a cream for night (as in, no SPF) that she likes: Neutrogena Light Night Cream. No scent. Seems to be good for sensitive skin. Just basic hydration—doesn't clog your pores, doesn't claim to reduce wrinkles or exfoliate or lift or firm or whatever, doesn't stink, doesn't make you a supermodel, doesn't make toast, and doesn't cost a lot.
Face lotion for very overcast days:
Scandalous! Michele has a confession: she doesn't wear SPF every day. She knows that's sick and wrong and she hopes her child never finds out. But she hasn't yet found a daily SPF face lotion that she really likes. She currently owns Eucerin Extra Protective Moisture Lotion SPF 30 but she can't say she thoroughly recommends it because it seems to feel strangely sticky on her face (not a pleasant thing, my dears!). While she's sure it works, in that it provides SPF and is indeed fine for sensitive skin, she's just not in love with it. So, she will try another SPF product, in time...
However, she can recommend a sensitive skin face lotion that doesn't have SPF: Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion. She uses this a lot to provide moisture during the day. It sucks up into her skin nicely and doesn't feel or look greasy (or sticky!). She uses it alone or under makeup. Again, doesn't clog pores, nor have a scent. She sometimes wears it before bed, too, but it isn't as thick as night cream. (I've let her know that Cetaphil has a lotion with SPF. Maybe there's her SPF lotion answer for the future!)
Tweezers:
Michele admits that this is a weird, random thing to have an opinion on. But, hey, she's brunette and has to monitor her eyebrows with diligence. And most tweezers don't work well. You should be able to grasp a hair and pull just once! Her Tweezerman tweezers are the best. She has owned two pairs of them in her adult life. One pair got dull (she guesses now that she shouldn't have used them to scrape some crud off her hair dryer). Tweezerman offers to recalibrate and sharpen them through the mail, but she was too lazy to take them up on their offer. So she bought a second pair. They are still going strong!
Eye shadow:
While Michele doesn't tart it up and wear artfully blended fancy eye makeup, she likes a wash of neutral color most days. Most every beauty product she uses can be found reasonably-priced at the local drugstore for low prices. However, eye shadow is one of two things that she splurges on (foundation being the other), because she has found a brand that makes the best, in her opinion. That would be MAC Cosmetics, a line that you must buy online or at the mall. (Boise, by the way, has a MAC store outside the Macy's at the Boise Town Square Mall). Don't be scared by the overly hip, overly made-up sales ladies or the bright array of shades (RuPaul was one of their spokespeople, after all). Within the...lots...dozens at least...hundreds? of shades of shadow you will find her neutral favorites. MAC eyeshadow is stellar because it's highly pigmented (a little goes a looong way) and it blends well. That cannot be said for many drugstore brands. Basically, if eyeshadow isn't of particular interest to you, go for the drugstore brands. But if you have a hankering to use a high-quality product, give MAC a chance.
Her favorite shades:
Era, a soft muted golden beige with subtle shimmer
Satin Taupe, a taupe brown with silvery bronze shimmer
Follow this link if you're curious. I wasn't able to grab any images off the web.
MAC eye shadow shades
Foundation:
Another MAC product makes the list: Studio Fix (powder, not the cream-to-powder version). This is a powder and foundation in one, that combines good coverage with easy application. It has a lot of pigment and actually covers flaws and evens out skin tone, rather than "just" absorb shine like a basic pressed powder would. Michele finds it worth the price, since a little goes a long way and you get a professional salesperson telling you which shade is best for you. She also likes the powder formula since she's wary of possible pore-clogging liquid foundations.
Lipstick:
Michele has had one-night stands with countless lipsticks she thought she was in love with. And she's had her heart broken by true loves that have died (fabulous shades that have been discontinued). I will not specify any of these (because what's the point, if you can't find it?)
But one lippie that is still available in drugstores, is cheap, and that she finds herself constantly reaching for (and owning multiples of) is Maybelline Moisture Whip Rum Raisin (300). It is, as the online beauty addicts would say, YLBB (your lip but better) in color. Well, at least Michele's lip, but better.
If you know of any products that you'd like to recommend, feel free to leave a comment!
Mimi Porter, Beauty Editor at the.Porter-Reporter.com
If you've known Michele for a long time, you will know that she has been a cosmetics addict for a while. Lipsticks in particular. Nail polishes, too (always looking for the "perfect red"). Strangely, she doesn't wear much makeup but she tends to hoard it. She's like a child attracted to pots and sticks of color, lotions and potions. She's trying to kick the habit.
However, her addiction may prove a benefit to society, as she has thought about the products that she uses regularly and would highly recommend to friends and family. I sat down with Michele one Sunday afternoon and got the exclusive scoop. No hype here, just good products. So, without further adieu...
Michele, the day of our interview. She wasn't presentable.
But check out that lovely shade of red OPI nail color!
("OP-I Love This Color"—a nearly perfect red)
Face cleanser:
You know you aren't supposed to use plain soap on your face, right? Right?!? But Michele has an idea that is just as cheap, but is gentle. She's admitted to me that she's been using it to wash her face for literally 15 years: Johnson and Johnson Head-to-Toe Baby Wash. She once read online that this is almost the same, ingredient-for-ingredient, as Johnson and Johnson Purpose Face Wash (which my sources tell me was once recommended to her by her dermatologist). But, Head-to-Toe Baby Wash is much cheaper. You can buy two big bottles of this from Costco for under $10, I think.
Face cream for night:
Sadly for the diva, Michele has started to get dry skin. And creams with fragrance drive her crazy. At worst, it irritates her skin. At best, it is distracting and she has a hard time falling asleep. She has finally found a cream for night (as in, no SPF) that she likes: Neutrogena Light Night Cream. No scent. Seems to be good for sensitive skin. Just basic hydration—doesn't clog your pores, doesn't claim to reduce wrinkles or exfoliate or lift or firm or whatever, doesn't stink, doesn't make you a supermodel, doesn't make toast, and doesn't cost a lot.
Face lotion for very overcast days:
Scandalous! Michele has a confession: she doesn't wear SPF every day. She knows that's sick and wrong and she hopes her child never finds out. But she hasn't yet found a daily SPF face lotion that she really likes. She currently owns Eucerin Extra Protective Moisture Lotion SPF 30 but she can't say she thoroughly recommends it because it seems to feel strangely sticky on her face (not a pleasant thing, my dears!). While she's sure it works, in that it provides SPF and is indeed fine for sensitive skin, she's just not in love with it. So, she will try another SPF product, in time...
However, she can recommend a sensitive skin face lotion that doesn't have SPF: Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion. She uses this a lot to provide moisture during the day. It sucks up into her skin nicely and doesn't feel or look greasy (or sticky!). She uses it alone or under makeup. Again, doesn't clog pores, nor have a scent. She sometimes wears it before bed, too, but it isn't as thick as night cream. (I've let her know that Cetaphil has a lotion with SPF. Maybe there's her SPF lotion answer for the future!)
Tweezers:
Michele admits that this is a weird, random thing to have an opinion on. But, hey, she's brunette and has to monitor her eyebrows with diligence. And most tweezers don't work well. You should be able to grasp a hair and pull just once! Her Tweezerman tweezers are the best. She has owned two pairs of them in her adult life. One pair got dull (she guesses now that she shouldn't have used them to scrape some crud off her hair dryer). Tweezerman offers to recalibrate and sharpen them through the mail, but she was too lazy to take them up on their offer. So she bought a second pair. They are still going strong!
Eye shadow:
While Michele doesn't tart it up and wear artfully blended fancy eye makeup, she likes a wash of neutral color most days. Most every beauty product she uses can be found reasonably-priced at the local drugstore for low prices. However, eye shadow is one of two things that she splurges on (foundation being the other), because she has found a brand that makes the best, in her opinion. That would be MAC Cosmetics, a line that you must buy online or at the mall. (Boise, by the way, has a MAC store outside the Macy's at the Boise Town Square Mall). Don't be scared by the overly hip, overly made-up sales ladies or the bright array of shades (RuPaul was one of their spokespeople, after all). Within the...lots...dozens at least...hundreds? of shades of shadow you will find her neutral favorites. MAC eyeshadow is stellar because it's highly pigmented (a little goes a looong way) and it blends well. That cannot be said for many drugstore brands. Basically, if eyeshadow isn't of particular interest to you, go for the drugstore brands. But if you have a hankering to use a high-quality product, give MAC a chance.
Her favorite shades:
Era, a soft muted golden beige with subtle shimmer
Satin Taupe, a taupe brown with silvery bronze shimmer
Follow this link if you're curious. I wasn't able to grab any images off the web.
MAC eye shadow shades
Foundation:
Another MAC product makes the list: Studio Fix (powder, not the cream-to-powder version). This is a powder and foundation in one, that combines good coverage with easy application. It has a lot of pigment and actually covers flaws and evens out skin tone, rather than "just" absorb shine like a basic pressed powder would. Michele finds it worth the price, since a little goes a long way and you get a professional salesperson telling you which shade is best for you. She also likes the powder formula since she's wary of possible pore-clogging liquid foundations.
Lipstick:
Michele has had one-night stands with countless lipsticks she thought she was in love with. And she's had her heart broken by true loves that have died (fabulous shades that have been discontinued). I will not specify any of these (because what's the point, if you can't find it?)
But one lippie that is still available in drugstores, is cheap, and that she finds herself constantly reaching for (and owning multiples of) is Maybelline Moisture Whip Rum Raisin (300). It is, as the online beauty addicts would say, YLBB (your lip but better) in color. Well, at least Michele's lip, but better.
If you know of any products that you'd like to recommend, feel free to leave a comment!
Mimi Porter, Beauty Editor at the.Porter-Reporter.com
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