During Spring Break, I went to a lunch hosted by Johnson’s Baby Oil. It was a GirlTalk Cause Party in conjunction with Essence Magazine. They had a beauty lounge with mini manicures, massages and such, but I didn’t get a chance to do any of that. The one thing that I did get to do was take a picture with celebrity makeup artist Sam Fine. He was so warm and gracious. I didn’t know it then, but he ended up being the highlight of the lunch for me.
After the beauty lounge, there was a panel discussion while lunch was being served. The focus was on beauty tips for African American women, but some of the tips apply across the board. Basic beauty tips included the following:
-Be sure to clean your face on a regular basis – especially before going to bed.
-Exercise and drinking water is good for the skin.
-Sun protection/SPF is important for all skin (types and tones).
-Change your skin products with the seasons. In the summer, use lighter cleansers and lotions. In the winter use creamy cleansers and lotions to trap moisture. One of the panelists (Tia Danzler) also mentioned that she uses baby oil on dry areas while her body is still damp – not on the face and sensitive skin areas though!
When attending events, I try to walk away with something that I didn’t know before (for myself and to share with you!). This time, I walked away thinking, “I didn’t know…” that:
-Vaseline and bronzer combined are a great (almost stocking-like) look for legs.
-Foundation mixed with baby oil (when lightly tissued off) has a simlar effect.
-Bronzer looks great on Black women/gives them a glow.
-When current beauty trends were being discussed, I really liked that Sam Fine was so practical. He said (and I agree) that trends come and go, but you have to figure out what works for your life and personality. The example of bright, fluorescent “Rihanna-like” makeup was brought up. He quipped, “Everybody is not Rihanna!” That is so true! Rather, he encouraged us to try trends in small doses – like on our nails or toenails. (FYI: Sky blue is a trendy nail color of the moment.)
-Some drugstore brands are just as good (if not better) than department store cosmetics. Iman Cosmetics and Cover Girl’s Queen Collection were specifically praised.
Overall, it was a fun informative lunch. My favorite quote of the evening was courtesy of the fabulous Sam Fine: “Spackle before painting”. It was in reference to concealing imperfections before putting on foundation. (Immediately after leaving the event, I put Sam Fine on my twitter “Daily Peeks” list – he drops some gems on his twitter feed. Also, as “in demand” as he is, he answers a lot of questions from “everyday folks” like you and me. He is @SamFineBeauty.)
It was also nice that Johnson’s gave a $10,000 donation to Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network (WEEN), a non-profit organizations that focuses on positive portrayals of women of color in the entertainment industry. At the very end of the lunch, the attendees were given a gift bag with some Johnson products. I was so busy speaking with my bloggy friends that all of the parting bags were gone by the time that we left. Oh, well. I already have some Johnson’s products in my home anyway…
I was so inspired by the health and beauty tips, that I set up some time with my great friend/an amazing makeup artist “Solame” to do a makeup purge/buy some Spring/Summer makeup. That’s a pretty big deal because I don’t like a lot of makeup. I had a lot of fun and learned even more with my friend. I’ll share more about that later this week on Part II…
