Catch these additional videos from Sandy

Applying Flawless Foundation

Applying Blush

Perfect Brows

Getting Younger Looking Eyes

The first product I tried was the Pure Finish Mineral Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 15.  It’s their newest foundation and is available in four shades:  Fair, Light, Medium and Deep.  The Light shade matched my skin perfectly.   Now if you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you know I have a love/hate relationship with mineral products.   I love that they are good for your skin.  I hate how most turn color on my face and so many give me a weird shiny plastic look to my face.   This foundation did neither.   It’s a tiny bit thicker than many tinted moisturizers, which I like because it gives a bit more coverage that way.   Some tinted moisturizers are so sheer that you wonder where the tint is!  I’d say this gives you a sheer to sheer/medium coverage.  My skin also had a nice luminous glow – not a shiny, greasy looking glow, but a beautiful luminous glow.   See the link above to read about all the wonderful, good-for-your-skin ingredients, too. $30

Once I tried the foundation for a few days and liked it, it was time to try the Pure Finish Mineral Bronzing Powder, which you can see from the image above was chosen as one of the Oprah Magazine“O Awards 2010″.  I can see why this was chosen as a winner!  The powder is a super-fine loose powder that blends beautifully.   The Medium shade gives my skin a soft, pretty, warm bronze.  I really like the container.  It keeps the powder under control so there’s no loose powder mess to deal with.   Just turn the dial to get the right amount of powder comes out and you can close it up when done and not worry about spillage.  However, the one thing I don’t really like brush that’s included.   It’s a foldable brush that lies flat in the top and then you put it together to make it a round brush.   It’s too small to give you a flawless application and may even work better when left open.   I use a synthetic bronzing brush instead.   $35

The last product I tried was the Ceramide Cream Blush.  The Nectar shade is a soft peachy/pink shade, Pink (shown) is a medium pink, Honey is a neutral beige and Plum is a deep plum shade.   The blush is very sheer, so it goes on a lot lighter than what it looks like in the compact.  You can apply it with your fingertips or I like using my flat tipped blush brush.  It goes on so easily and smooth and leaves a pretty creamy flush to your cheeks.  This too is filled with skin care goodness like Vitamins A, C & E for anti-aging and Elizabeth Arden’s Ceramide Triple Complex.

I get emails and sometimes comments from my fabulous readers.   But, some of you are shy.   So I’d like to hear from you, what YOU would like to see more of on Fab Over Forty.  So just click the options below – you can click on more than one answer or leave a comment too.   I love hearing from you!

SORRY -  I HAD SOME TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES AND HAD TO CHANGE POLLS.  IF YOU ALREADY VOTED ON THE OLD POLL, PLEASE RE-VOTE ON THIS ONE.   I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!    YOU CAN CHOOSE MULTIPLE ANSWERS TOO.

It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, take advantage!   What is it?  20% off Kerastase!  It’s on sale now thru tomorrow – that’s July 28th, 11:59 PM EST.   Be sure to enter FAMILY at checkout to get your discount and FREE shipping!    You must check for restrictions (like this is only for the 48 contiguous US states).

The Fall makeup collections get me so excited for my favorite time of year!   And don’t Daria Werbowy (left) and Elettra Wiedemann (right) look gorgeous!  These colors have me begging for Fall to hurry up and get here, especially the look on Daria, love it! 

I saw bits and pieces of this collection at my local Nordstrom a few weeks ago – some pieces they were still awaiting to arrive, like the blush/highlighter and sparkling eye shadows and a few lip colors.  Other pieces were already flying off the shelves like the trio nail polishes and quad shadows.    From the pieces I saw, I loved the eye shadow quad and the nail color trio – I could see me wearing those often.    But I’ve heard the sparkling shadows are incredible, and the Plum Glimmer Artliner is one I definitely must try! 

Once I’ve seen the whole collection I’ll give you a better review.   But in the meantime, check out all the colors on Lancome.com and the fabulous tutorials on how to get Daria and Elettra’s looks. 

Zoya’s Fall 2010 Collection is here and it’s both Wicked (top) and Wonderful (below).  

The Wicked shades above are all metallic and come in a variety of fall colors. 

• Edyta is a Fern Green shade
• Julieanne is a Byzantium purple shade (it looks more blue in the photo than it really is)
• Cherylis a Chocolatey Bronze shade
• Karina is a Garnet Red shade
• Carrie Ann is a Venetian Red shade (little more orange in it)
• Kym is a Cardinal Mauve shade (a little more burgundy in it)

But if you know me, you know I’m a little more conservative than the metallic polishes and tend toward the creamy texture as in Wonderful (shown above).   I literally was on my way out the door to get a pedicure for my birthday when these arrived from Zoya.  Of course I had to check them all out, and the one that instantly caught my eye and grabbed for my pedicure was Stacy, shown on the far left.  A deep plum/purple did feel right on my fingernails when it was so terribly warm outside, but perfect for my toes.    When the weather cools off I’ll be trying out several of these shades as they are wonderful Fall shades.

• Stacy a Mahogany Red shade (I think it has a bit of plum in it)
• Kelly a Gray shade that I am dying to try out next 
• Burke a Sienna Red shade
• Kristie a Crimson Red shade
• Cola a Desert Sand Red shade (I think of  this more as the mahogany red shade)
• Shawn a Myrtle Green shade

 Remember, all Zoya nail  polishes are free of harmful chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, and DBP’s that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

If you’re in the NYC area this Tuesday night – take advantage of Summer Nights Style by Elle and Aveeno Hair Care.    If you go, I’d love to hear all about it from you!

It was another exciting week in beauty blogging land – so many fabulous stories! Here are our recommendations for your weekend reading.

You are going to laugh out loud when you read Kelly’s Argan Oil, Poop and Goats: Things I Learned on Tuesday at Gouldylox Reviews.

Charlestongirl had an endorphin rush when she finally swatched the first of her new Guerlain eye palettes for fall. Find out why she loves Champs-Élysées at Best Things in Beauty.

Do you have a difficult time finding wide width shoes?   Check out The Budget Fashionista for the best sources for your shoe needs.

Find out how Gaia found true love with Tela Organic Shampoo and Conditioner at The Non-Blonde.

Like orange? You’ll want to read Chelsea’s fashion-forward and economical ways to stand out in orange this summer at BeautyXposé.

Just in time for this weekend’s heat wave, Cindy shared with use her top picks for great lightweight summer foundations at Prime Beauty.

Laurie got her hands on NARS new Douceur Blush. Check out Product Girl to see why most of us need it!

You have to read Shimmer Spray for Grown Ups at Beauty Info Zone Blog and find out how Lisa found her summer glow with Hampton Sun’s Serious Shimmer Cooling Spray.

Hope you have a beauty-full weekend!

Did you happen to catch Joan Rivers on The Letterman Show last night?   Or how about her movie/documentary “A Piece of Work”?   I saw the movie last week and watched her on Letterman last night.   Personally, I think she is funny and whether you like her or not, if you see the movie you will have a high admiration for her and her work ethic.   She is a work-horse and never likes to have her calendar empty.   At 77, when most people are either retired or thinking of retirement, she still wants to beat the competition and have her daily calendar completely filled.

One thing that comes across in the movie are some of her insecurities.   Obviously with all her plastic surgery her looks seem to be her biggest insecurity to those of us on the outside.   She has often joked that her mother used to call her ugly as a child.   It makes you wonder if that is true or just another one of her jokes.   Even last night Letterman asked her if she liked how she looked and what she saw when she woke up in the morning.    Her answer?   A laugh.  

From watching the movie you see that she knows people are always making fun of her looks, but it begs the question to be answered, then why keep on doing it?    Only Joan can answer that for herself and she really doesn’t owe us an explanation, even though it really would help us to understand why.  But come hell or high water she wants to be the oldest comic standing – beating out even George Burns who lived to 100.

Maybe she will have the last laugh. 

Trying to get my skin back to fabulous has been a journey.   We all have to remember that good skin doesn’t come overnight, things can be repaired, but the best thing for your skin is prevention.  I don’t want to try and look like I’m 20 or even 30.   I just had my 48th birthday less than two weeks ago and I just want my skin to look the best it can be.

On my first trip I told you what my dermatologist suggested I do for daily and weekly skin care.   On my second trip I talked about my IPL Laser treatment.   Three weeks after that I decided to have a Vitalize Peel done by Georgia from Uptown Dermatology and Skin Spa.   I’ll explain that procedure today.

Always make sure you have a consultation before you have any peels or procedures done.   Again, be honest about what products and medications you are using as they can affect your skin and possible reactions greatly.   I had taken a week off from work for some vacation time and decided it was a great time to have my very first peel.   I had my procedure done on a Thursday at noon, which it took about 30-45 minutes from start to finish.  

I had been told that with the Vitalize Peel it is left on your skin and you will have a yellow tinge to your face.   Honestly, I was rather freaked out about how yellow I would be and how I could escape to home without being seen.  I even brought a baseball cap and extra large sunglasses with me – just in case!   I was envisioning my face being the shade of a manila envelope!   But luckily no, it’s not that discolored.   It mostly looks like a slight tan.

When I arrived Georgia went through everything again about what to expect, etc.   She also made sure I hadn’t use my Retin A product for about a week before proceeding.   I then put on a lovely surgical cap to keep my hair out of  the way and hopped up on the table to begin.  

First Georgia cleansed my face with a SkinCeuticals cleanser using a Clarisonic Classic to make sure my face was very clean.  (I arrived makeup-free.)  After this, Georgia then applied some type of gel around crucial areas so no chemicals seeped into them, such as near the eyes and mouth.  Then a solution with both alpha-hydroxy and beta-hydroxy acids is applied to the skin.    This just feels like a medium weight gel which help prepare your skin for the best results on the peel.  This is left on for several minutes before applying the last layer.  They gel is kept on, too.  While waiting for the gel to work it can cause your face to “heat” up, so she was nice enough to hand me a fan to cool my face down.   Honestly, my face wasn’t that hot, but if you have more sensitive skin then I’m sure it can be bothersome.  Then the retinoic acid is applied to your face.   Once it’s on you are ready to leave – minus the oh, so fashionable head gear. 

The chemicals did not irritate my skin at all, and I was pleasantly surprised when I looked in the mirror and didn’t look like that manila envelope I had expected.   I didn’t even need my incognito gear on.    I should mention, she did apply a sunscreen on top as your skin is very sun-sensitive, especially that first week.  

By the time I returned home 1/2 hour later, my husband didn’t even notice I had anything on my face.  I was told not to do any exercise that day or anything that would cause me to work up a sweat and make the peel come off.   I also was advised not to wash my face till the next morning, which I did.  

I guess I was expecting to see my face peel by morning, but it was a good 28 hours before my first flake showed up.   I had very minor peeling on Friday evening/night, but woke up Saturday morning shedding skin like a snake!   It was not that bad, but it was the day with the most peeling and I was concerned what I’d look like as we were supposed to go to a birthday party that evening.  

Leave your skin peel without pulling any skin off.   Throughout the day I would gently brush my face to remove some of the flakes.  By evening as I got ready to go to my party, I brushed off most of the flakes and applied a heavy-duty moisturizer.   It was barely recognizable  that my face had any peeling by doing this.   I put a little moisturizer in my handbag to bring along and run to the restroom to check and make sure I wasn’t peeling everywhere, but I never needed to apply it.   Saturday was definitely the day with the most significant peeling.    By Monday when I returned to work my only peeling was around my chin and jawline area.   On Tuesday there was a tiny bit around my hairline and by Wednesday I was all done peeling.  

During the peeling process you will probably have to use a heavier moisturizer than normal and apply more frequently.   My skin is smooth and my forehead is wrinkle free (for now!)   Georgia also gave me a few samples to try – SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic to use first after cleansing, (benefits explained in 1st story) then SkinCeuticals Phyto + for a little bit of hyperpigmentation and to calm redness.   For my eyes she gave me a sample of iS Clinical Youth Eye Complex to try.   These are products she recommended for my skin.   So far, I like them all.  

I think my skin short term looks better, and long term the peel will help in collagen build up and with a peel it allows the products to penetrate your skin better, giving you long term benefits.    There are several benefits in doing a series of peels for things like acne and hyperpigmentation to name a few.   If you are considering a peel, consult with your dermatologist first to determine which type of peel will best benefit your skin and course of treatment.   For now, I’m pleased with my results after one peel.  

Service was paid for by me.