Blush vs. Bronzer

With more fun in the sun (and a richer glow to show it), it’s time to rethink how we wear blush and bronzer in the summer months. The light pink blush and barely-there bronzers that carried us through winter and spring are no match for summer’s vibrant color palette and naturally sun-kissed skin. It’s time to get down to business.

Bronzer is a subtle way of adding color and warmth to the skin for a healthy, sunlit glow. Think of the difference as warmth versus revitalization. Blush is more for revitalization. It adds color that makes you look energized. Bronzers, like All-Over Glow, can be used all over the face, neck and chest area. Blush is confined more to the apples of the cheeks and occasionally the forehead. Peachy/coral shades, like the Polynesian Pink Blush in Nature’s Paradise, add the perfect touch of summer color to beach bronzed skin.

Application
Apply blush to the apple of the cheeks with a fluffy powder brush in sweeping circular motions. This makes you far less likely to end up with big round circles or lines that run from your ears to your nose. Always apply half of the blush that you think you need. You can always add more, but it’s really difficult to tone down once you’ve applied.

You can apply bronzer in one of two ways: 1. Using a big, fluffy powder brush, you can apply it from the forehead to the chin and cheek to cheek for a very subtle glow that works effectively on fair skin.  2. The other method is by sweeping circles all over. This is great for skin tones with a little more color, or if you’re applying to the neck as well.

A Cut Above: Cutout Sandals Are Pure Summer

Summer is the undisputed season of the sandal, and while glads and flops have their place, this year we’re crazy for cutouts. Unlike their strappy cousins, cutout sandals offer a wilder design selection than simple twists and braids. From floral filigrees to elegant curves and swirls, they’re an easy way to dress up (or dress down) your summer look.

For: A Day at the Beach
We love the swirly sophistication of Nine West’s “Tali” flat in vintage red ($89 at Nordstrom.com). The simple design is versatile enough to wear with either a maxi or capris (jeans might be pushing it though), while the faded hue adds the perfect splash of color—not too soft, not too loud. Just zip them on and away you go!

For: A Night on the Town
For a more dressed up look that still has some summer flair, Kate Spade’s “Maribelle” pump takes the cake ($298.00 at Nordstrom.com). We love how the patent leather slingback adds an element of elegance, while the geometric cutout is pure breezy fun. The perfect pair for late night summer beach and block parties alike.

Creating the Perfect Smoky Eye with Jackie Gomez

Few looks are more dramatic than a sultry smoky eye—and few are more intimidating to apply. As anyone who’s ever overdone it knows, there’s a fine line between runway glamour and “raccoon eye” territory. That’s why we turned to the pros.  In this video from Latina.com, Pür resident makeup artist and celeb beauty guru Jackie Gomez shows how you can easily create this classic look. No sweat. No surprises.

Brow Shaping: the Bold and the Beautiful

Gone are the days of pencil-thin arches. This season demands volume! You may have noticed this trend thumbing through the latest beauty rags, but in case you missed it, bold brows are in. If you don’t already have one, now is the perfect time to add the 3-in-1 Universal Mineral Makeup Pencil to your beauty arsenal.

Before pumping up the volume, it’s important to make sure your eyebrows are properly shaped. Hold your makeup pencil (or any straight edge) vertically along the right side of your nose so it forms a line from where your nose and cheek meet to the inside corner of your eye. Your eyebrow should start where this line crosses the brow line. (Repeat for other side.)

To find your arch, simply turn the pencil to form a line from the nose position to the outer edge of your iris. Your arch should peak above it. Turn it again to line up with the outer edge of your eye to find where your brow should end.

If you have naturally thin eyebrows, use the pencil’s liner to sketch the outlining shape and then prime brows with Pür-ly Abundant. For the fuller bunch, take a brow brush to our Mineral Brow Perfection shaping wax and, starting from the inner corner of the brow, brush against the grain to “fluff” eyebrows. Add definition with the brow powder or pencil liner. Be sure to complement your bold brows with equally bold lashes. A few coats of Triple Impact Mascara, and the eyes (and brows) truly have it!

Summer Spice Tutorial

How do you make your summer look sizzle? With sultry spice colors, that’s how! Save the bright colors for the day, and let the darker side of summer heat up your nights. Need a little inspiration? Here are a few tips to spark your imagination using Pür Minerals' Spice It Up Kit. Better step back—things are about to get hot.

Buy the Spice It Up Kit Now!

Summer Blush (and then Some)
With a mosaic blend of copper, cinnamon and pearl tones, Pür’s Spice Marble Powder adds multidimensional warmth to cheeks, eyes and lips. Why is now the perfect time to wear it? Because the rich spice tones complement summer sun-kissed skin better than lighter springtime shades. Wear it as a blush or an eye shadow, contouring with the darker shades and highlighting with the lighter ones. You can also dab it over your lip gloss for a coppery shimmer.

Smoldering, Smoky Eyes
One of our most versatile eye shadows, Spiced Mica looks fabulous any time of the year—but summer is when it really shines. A rich coppery brown with a velvety finish, it adds much needed depth and dimension to skin that’s naturally darker in the summer. Use it to contour your creases and create a smoky effect for instant nighttime drama. For added intensity and shimmer, highlight eyelids with the pearl shade of the Marble Powder.

Sizzling Summer Lips
Our Spice It Up Kit features two perfectly paired lip products to put the final touches on your summer look. Line and fill in lips with the Spiced Amber Mineral Lip Pencil and play off your spiced eye look with a layer of Pout Plumping Lip Gloss in Spiced Barite. Lightly dab or dust on a hint of Marble Powder for added shimmer that’s ready for a night out on the town.

Interior Design Meets High Fashion in Atlanta

I am addicted to Project Runway. So when I heard that the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) was hosting a DIY-style fashion show right here in Atlanta, I had to see what all the buzz was about.

For those of you who haven’t seen the popular Bravo program (gasp!), here’s how it works: a group of designers is challenged to create forward-thinking outfits using non-traditional materials (i.e. recyclable materials, found fabrics, flowers, even food). With each challenge, a group of judges eliminates a designer until a winner emerges.

Strapless evening gown made of carpet strips, by Miller Zell Inc. design team.

For the IIDA event, the Georgia chapter tested designers’ imagination and fashion mettle with—fittingly—everyday interior products, like carpet swatches, flooring materials and wall coverings. Set to the lush backdrop of the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, “Dressed in the Garden of Eden” featured a wild collection of one-of-a-kind outfits—from a dress made of plastic tiles that rattled down the runway to an evening gown sewn entirely out of carpet strips (my personal favorite).

Hosted by Atlanta Housewife, Cythia Bailey, the event drew attention to the city’s wealth of creative talent. And while my carpet-clad fave didn’t walk away with the $1,000 grand prize—that went to a one-strap dress constructed of multicolored rosebuds—it did clinch the no. 2 spot, much to the crowd’s delight. I guess you could say they were pretty “floored.”

A Friday the 13th Mudd Masque Tale

Happy Friday the 13^th, everybody! I hope you’ve had the best of luck today. I have a story of the Mineral  Mud Masque to share on this freaky Friday!

I noticed earlier this week that I had a bite by the base of my neck near my jaw. No, it wasn’t from a sexy  vampire that sparkles in the sun. (Darn!) It looked like a mosquito bite, but after a day or two, it was still there. Usually, mosquito bites disappear for me quickly; the bite didn’t look unusual or serious, and I assumed it was from a bug with venom of which my body is not accustomed. This sparked a thought.

Pascalite, a key ingredient in Mineral Mudd Masque, was formed eons ago. Native Americans used it for medicinal purposes, and it’s still a popular folk remedy today for insect bites and stings, including that of the brown recluse spider. (I saw one of those once, and it was super creepy.)

Anyway, I slathered a dab of the masque on my bug bite. A while later, it was gone! Wow. I already loved this masque for deep cleaning my pores, and now I’ve learned it can help with minor bug bites. Who knew?

Pür Minerals Prom Makeup Tips

Prom is a night of magic, captured in photographs and memories treasured for years to come. That means that you want to look your best, choosing the perfect dress, shoes and hair style. Blending these elements with the right makeup effect is vital to creating a flawless look.

Before using any cosmetics on your face, you should always wash it thoroughly and use a skin healthy moisturizer such as Pür Minerals Mineral Moisture Complex. Next, apply a light foundation to achieve a soft, flawless complexion. On a night as active as prom, it’s probably best to skip heavy liquid foundation and instead go with something light and less likely to clump or cake, like the 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Foundation from Pür Minerals.

One of the most basic prom makeup tips is choosing where to focus your color. Highlight either the lips or the eyes, but not both. This lets you concentrate on one feature, allowing the other to act in a supporting role.

If you choose to highlight your eyes, then you want to find an eyeshadow color that complements your complexion, while also drawing attention upward. Don’t make the mistake of trying to match your eye shadow to your dress color. Alternatively, if you choose to focus on your lips, apply a Pür Minerals Pout Plumping Lip Gloss to make them really stand out, while using soft, subdued shades for your eyelids.

Get Tan for Summer Fast

Want a great tan for summer without sunbathing for hours on end or costly (not to mention harmful) trips to the tanning salon? Today’s sunless tanning alternatives offer natural-looking, nearly instant results to help you look tan for summer fast.

Let’s face it—no one wants to hit the beach looking like a ghost. Next to achieving that bikini body, one of the biggest warm weather concerns women face is how to tan for summer. Unfortunately, with the myriad demands of modern life, finding time to dedicate to a bronze body is often easier said than done.

Luckily, advanced bronzing makeup and skincare, like Pür Minerals All-Over Glow and Get a Little sunless tanner, make getting a flawless tan for summer fast, easy and—most importantly—natural looking. Gone are the days of streaky tanners and orange looking skin. With Pür’s award-winning skin bronzing formulas, you’ll not only get a tan that looks real, but one that won’t fade or streak at the first touch.

The key to creating a lasting tan for summer is to exfoliate before bronzing. Use an all-over exfoliator, like Pür Polish, to slough away dead skin and prime the skin for bronzing products. Once you’ve exfoliated, apply Get a Little by massaging the self-tanning lotion over your face and body. Follow with a dusting of All-Over Glow for the ultimate summer glow.

The Catwalk’s Getting Catty

Attention, fellow cat people. Great news! Cats are totally in style right now. This kitty couture craze started with Rhianna and Diane Kruger's  black, one piece, panther face swimsuits, and recently, cat-themed clothes have been spotted on Paris runways. I suppose designers finally realized that kittens are truly the cat’s meow.

Cat lovers, feel free to pick-up a cute top, swimsuit cover-up or accessory in the name of feline fashion. You will also find geometric and tribal prints are big this summer, including leopard print (my favorite color!).

These prints are everywhere, from shorts to swimsuits to bags to dresses, and the more natural themes are not just subtle and earthy.  Enjoy splashes of color on a tribal print, or show your bright and wild side with a colored animal print, like the beautiful green, leopard print dress Kate Hudson sported last week at the premiere Hawn Foundation event.

Japanese company Neurowear is taking cat fashion to the next level with Necomimi, a headband with cat ears that read brain signals and move in response to your mood! The oversized, fluffy, kitty ears flop down when you relax and perk up when you concentrate.

 

 I honestly want a pair, even if they seem a bit silly. I mean, these cat ears are no stranger than some of the hats seen at the royal wedding, right?