Tattoo? Acne? Rosacea? Flaws? Banish Them With Cover FX

For most people, choosing a foundation can be daunting, but if you have acne, or a scar, or a tattoo, or any skin condition that is visible, choosing a foundation that can conceal without causing additional problems, can be a nightmare!



Cover FX is a company was designed by Lee Graff (a corrective foundation artist at the CosMedical Clinic at Toronto's Sunnybrook & Women's College Health Science Center who reminds me a bit of actress Linda Gray) in conjunction with Dr. Neil Shear, Chief of Dermatology at the Sunnybrook & Women's College Health Sciences Centre, and Chemical Engineer Jenny Frankel (the most gorgeous engineer you'll ever meet) after Lee couldn't find the types of products that could really help patients suffering emotional and physical pain from skin conditions.



The company has a variety of different concealing products that work for a variety of different types of skin and give matte, full, luminous, or natural coverage. In fact, there are more than 30 colors of the signature product, Cover FX (also acts as a fantastic concealer). Cover FX is the most opaque with the maximum coverage, used to conceal even hard to cover tattoos (apparently Angelina Jolie was covered with this during the filming of 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith"). It's used in Hollywood a great deal, and there are plenty of stars that swear by it.



There are three "PREP" products: Skin Prep FX, ClearPrep FX (new, matte and anti-acne) and Matte FAX (blotting power primer). There are five foundation/cover products: Cover DX (total coverage and spf 30), Natural FX (water based liquid SPF 15) , Powder FX (SPF 10), Skintint FX (spf 30 tinted moisturizer) and Mineral FX (pure minerals spf 15). The costs range from $32.00 for the Powder FX to $42.00 for the Cover FX and Skintint FX. All of the products have good-for-your-skin ingredients.



There's a translucent Setting Powder "Setting FX" and Finishing Touches such as Radiant FX (pearlized mineral highlight) a Bronzed FX (bronzer in a compact), Blushes, and a Lip Cover (plumper). The line has several brushes and a brush cleanser and an alcohol and fragrance-free Cleanser.



A color wheel helps you choose the right cover foundation, based on your basic coloring and offers you several options in terms of coverage based on your needs and skin type. In truth, I found the process of choosing the right color and the appropriate formula for my skin, a bit daunting. You can purchase these products online, but it's really to your advantage to go to a store where Cover is sold, and let a pro help you select just the right products. For example, I was told I was a C30 ("C" meaning "cool) although my skin is almost always categorized as warm. I never would have picked that color. But when the makeup artist dabbed the skin on my neck with the Natural FX Water Based Foundation, it blended right in. So who am I to argue? In summary, when you find the right one for your skin type and tone, it will cover flaws and not look obvious. TIP: For all of the FX products, a Cover FX Skin Prep Primer (in a pump bottle) helps keep the foundation smooth and fresh all day.







This may all seem a bit dizzying, but all you really need are three products, no matter what type of skin or coverage you are seeking: Prep (with Cover FX Skin Prep Primer), and then either Cover first with your foundation and Set, or Blot and then Cover. Here's a photo of one of the Coverage in a Kits from HSN showing three coordinated products.






Visit: http://www.coverfx.com/ or Sephora or Nordstrom online. Look for Coverage in a Kit products (dark, fair, medium-light and medium at HSN.

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Fall 2007-ARAKS

I wondered what time the PR staff from People's Revolution had to get up to be at the front of the Altman Building. There they were, and all smiles too, when I arrived at 9:45 A.M. on Super Bowl Sunday. More amazingly, as always, the PR people were beautifully dressed up, even though it was ever chillier today than yesterday and they were sitting right behind the front doors. Since I already knew where backstage was from Gustavo Arango's show on Saturday, I immediately made my way downstairs to the back stage area, to interview James Boehmer, the lead makeup artist for NARS Cosmetics. I met Rachel, my friendly, helpful contact from NARS, and she introduced me to James. I guess I got there a bit later than usual, because many of the models were already "done," but there were still some being made up. James graciously stopped what he was doing to chat with me, stopping our interview only occasionally to check one of the other makeup artists' work.

As you can see from this close-up, this look for ARAKS for Fall is about a balanced, fresh feeling on the entire face. It's not just eyes, or cheeks, or lips. James said the look was inspired by Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice (and that was totally in keeping with the romantic nature of the clothes, too). I loved the slightly flushed, "English rose" cheeks and soft pink lip and you will too, it's just about perfect to add some life to your complexion, especially since you'll be wearing a lot of soft and subdued colors this Fall. The Fall ARAKS look is all about the skin...a flawless but fresh face, NARS "Turkish Red" Cream blush and "Desire" pink powder blush adding a hit of color, but not harsh or brash. "Blend, blend, blend" advises James. On Eyes was part of a new shadow duo that won't be available until the end of August, but worth the wait. "Calahari" is a soft brown" that was blended with another new color "Voyage," a soft fawn with a bit of glitter. On lips, NARS"Tempest" lip gloss --a pink with a bit of mauve, but softened so that it will be universally flattering. It looked beautiful on all the models. This is less about "drama" or making a "statement," and more about bringing your own, natural, glowing, beauty. I'll be posting more photos of makeup and hair, and the clothes, of course, shortly on the Advice Sisters web --- check our FEATURES page http://www.advicesisters.net/Features/Features.html for all the latest after Fashion Week, along with "do-the-look" makeup instructions, courtesy of NARS.

After speaking with James, I wandered over to Peter Elofsson and his artistic team from RUSK. Peter did the hair for ARAKS last season, too. When I arrived, he was busy using a straightening/smoothing iron on a model. Peter explained that his look for ARAKS was inspired by the elegance of the clothes--a soft of Catherine Deneuve feel, but with more "street" (meaning; texture) in it. You'll see that in my photos. Nearly all of the models had long hair, so the "texture" was added by "bending" the hair a bit (you can see this clearly in my photos, which I'll be using in my photo essays on the Advice Sisters Web Site. Hair had a side part and some models had a tiny silver barette holding a few pieces back to the side. Then, hair was sprayed with a RUSK hair spray to keep it in place, but still swingy. For Fall, Peter says long hair isn't just going to "hang" anymore, but will have a sharper edge and more details.

FYI: Creative Nail design (they did the nails for ARAKS last season, too) did the model's manicures with "Fedora," a very dark polish, and "Decadence," a translucent red.


and the ARAKS collection clothes? Unlike the Spring season's diaphanous clothes, these were more substantial for Fall, with soft movement from rich wools, silk and cotton fabrics. There was some color in this collection, although it was still subdued and mostly dark shades of blue, berry, green, and silver (plus the usual black, ivory, coal, and white) One that I particularly liked was a wool/cotton double face dress with bell sleeves that was in a color called "Night," just a shade lighter than the color of the sky just before all the light dies after the day is over. Another was a coat in a color I'd call "Raspberry" but I think it was called "Gooseberry" in the show description. It was tailored, but with gathering in the back, so it looked dressy, and elegant. A pine silk twill drop shoulder dress with drop puff sleeve was fresh and young, and very pretty. The fashion critics may disagree with me, but the only "miss" for me were the outfits with knickers or shorts, paired with lace-up boots. "Hot pants" or long knickers are "stage-y" and cute for a party, but not flattering on everyone. A cute look that is easy to wear and modern, were the lace-up ankle boots with traditional "oxford" detailing shown with many of the outfits.