The Beauty Essentials According to Alexander pt 3 :: FACE ::

Hey kids!

I'm back for the final installment of my current favorite Beauty Essentials posts. What's the subject du jour? Your face! Americans are totally obsessed with beating their mugs, and I've gathered what I believe to be the best and easiest-to-use products on the market right now.

You always want to start off with a clean palette, so let's start with cleanser, toner, and moisturizer.



I've just recently started using this new M Lab Anti-aging Cleanser, and I have to say, it's changed my life. Very rarely do you find a product that changes your skin immediately, but this stuff really does! M Lab's claim to fame is it's unprecedentedly high percentage of active ingredients. The cleanser packs a whopping 45% active ingredients, which means you have to use very little for every wash--the instructions say a dab 2mm in diameter. That's a ridiculously small amount of product, considering the bottle is a full 6 ounces. Should you be interested, the science of this wonder in a bottle can be found here.



Large pores are the devil, followed closely by oil shine. I know it, you know it, everyone knows it. So let's do something about it. This Nars Balancing Toning Lotion gently balances and moisturizes your skin, controls oil, and actually visibly reduces your pores. Hot.



Typically, I wouldn't go to Dior for skincare, but this moisturizer really works quite well for me. Since I've moved to the city, My skin gets extremely dry, and if I use this every time I cleanse, I don't have to worry about it anymore!


Now, admittedly, I don't have a very intensive makeup routine, but I do have two products that will provide you with a quick way to sharpen up your look with absolutely minimal effort.



This stuff saves my life. I absolutely hate getting up early, and when I'm forced to, I come up looking as pale as an albino dropped in white paint. For those instances, I find myself struggling through sleep-crusted eyes and the stupor of an interrupted REM cycle to apply Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer. It gives just that little bit of color I need to really glow and, um, not look like a corpse. So that's nice. Also, there's one with oil, but I don't really know what the point of that is.



So I loooove me some eyeliner, and I've gone through my share of them, but this tops them all. I love the Stila Smudge Pot because you can apply it as lightly or as heavily as you like with the sponge tip applicator. I also find that this just lasts longer than your typical stick liner.



This is the black dress of lip balms. Kiehl's Lip Balm goes on smooth and sheer and you can actually feel it soak into your lips in about a minute or two. Plus there's an SPF of 15, and you can't go wrong there.

So, those are my recommendations for now, but check back often, because you know this is one of the fastest cycling industries in the world, and fabulous new things come every day!

Until then,
Alexander

The Beauty Essentials According to Alexander pt 2 :: BODY ::

Hey guys!

I'm back with part two of my Beauty Essentials series--Body! Here I'll show you my favorite products for all your 2000 parts.


Exfoliant:



Sabon's Body Scrub is fantastic for those days when you get home feeling like soap just won't do the trick. This sea salt scrub is loaded with almond and macadamia oil to leave your skin refreshed, moisturized and glowing. Now, this scrub comes in five delicious scents, but i favor the lavender apple, because I love the soothing scent of lavender (perfect for relaxing shower time), which is delightfully accented with the fresh sweet scent of apple. The overall impression is of a wild country garden coming to blossom.


Cleanse and Condition:




Ted Gibson Prosperity Body Shampoo and Conditioner just smells like money. Infused with ginger root and rose extracts, this combo is a finely tuned formula aimed at combating free radicals in your environment--which if you live in the city, are EVERYWHERE. While you do have to leave the conditioner on your skin for about 30 seconds to get good nourishment, the moments out from beneath the waterfall are well repaid with silky soft skin all day!


Lotion:



I have to say, I am positively addicted to this stuff, especially during summer. Bliss Lemon+Sage Body Butter is a lifesaver for people who spend a lot of time in the sun, and I always make sure I have some for after I've spent all day on location for a shoot, or out tanning in the park after brunch. We all know the sun dries you out like a Pilsbury cookie left in the oven 20 minutes too long, but this ultra creamy lotion with bounce you back to full saturation in not time. There are several scents (original, vanilla+bergamot, lemon+sage), but I stick with lemon+sage because I like how fresh it is, and lemon is probably one of my favorite scents in the world.

In fact, speaking of, I have to go reapply. My sunburn is crying.

Toodaloo!

Alexander

The Beauty Essentials According to Alexander pt 1 :: HAIR ::

Hey all.

So, I've been meaning for a while to put down all my beauty essentials for the public to see. I like to think I've gleaned the best of what I can off the beauty market that I've encountered.

So here goes.

Part One: Hair

Cleansing:




Ted Gibson Clarity Shampoo and Daily Nourish cleanse your hair gently and leave your hair silky, shiny and--thankfully for us color divas!--color preserved! The shampoo is pleasantly pear-scented, and gives that satisfying lather that we know we all secretly delight in. The Nourish is scented with the decadent blood orange, and while you do have to leave it on about a full minute, it's worth every second (and possibly a few extra!). Even thinking about it has me hankering for a blood orange martini.


Styling:



Ted Gibson Build it is a fantastically light root building spray to boost up the volume on any lifeless locks. And a little style secret: you can spray this over your lengths and blowdry your hair in twists for a great beachy wave style.



Everyone knows your hair always looks better on that second day. This is that second day in a canister. Redken Rough Paste 12 is great for "dirtying up" your hair. I love this for those punked out 'dos when you kind of want to look like you haven't washed your hair in two or three days.



Following in the theme of dirty hair is Umi Hair Powder. Hair powder is a mystery to most of the world... kind of one of those senseless words that your hairdressers throws at you mid-service without explanation. Hair powder is a lifesaver for those people that don't like to wash their hair every day, but always seem to get grease-slicked approximately 4.3 minutes after they step out into midday heat. The translucent powder absorbs the oils on your hair and then can easily be brushed or shaken out. Be careful with application though! You can easily end up with a big clump of white if you don't watch yourself!



Man, if you want shine, this is way to go! This finishing spray comes out in a fine mist to layer your hair in spot-you-from-space shine. Simply mist in a circle into the air above your head and allow it to settle. Don't spray too close, or you may get greasy spots! It can also be used to define ends by spraying directly onto your hands and running them through your lengths.


Treatment:



As of right now, my favorite treatment for all hair types in the Ted Gibson Treatment Sheets. The facewipe-esque sheets are loaded ultra-nourishing polymers and come in a cute little travel friendly packet! yay! They are applied post-shower, and after leaving them in for a couple minutes, you can even blowdry your hair without even rinsing them out. Fabulous.


Alright kids, that's all for this edition. Up next: Body! See you then!

Alexander