Perks of Working at a Magazine

I met the Creative Director of Coach, Reed Krakoff, who was in town to promote the new spring/summer line, as well as talk about the flagship opening this summer in Hong Kong. Most press events have gifts from the company at the end, but they normally aren’t that great. This time I was expecting a lil coin purse or a keychain, so imagine my surprise when I received a pair of black Marilyn (name of the style – can’t find a pic) sunglasses! They actually look good on me, as well. Score!

The day before that I went to a press luncheon for a makeup brand from Australia, called Becca. After the lunch they handed out bags with a lipgloss (in a colour I would never use) and a cheek tint thing (also which I wouldn’t really use), so I was like “Psh, lame – especially since they kept going on about how famous they are for their foundations.”

Later I looked in the bag and went through the leaflets and things, and found an envelope containing a coupon for HK$3500 worth of makeup at the counter!!! (Roughly US$430) I went today to go pick out what I wanted. I took my mom with me since I never even spend that much money in like 5 years on makeup, much less all in one go. haha We ended up getting (links on the product names):

Mineral SPF Primer – the one thing I knew I definitely wanted, since I’m a huge fan of mineral makeup!

The Ultimate Mascara
(Got 3 of them: one for me, one for my mom, and one cause we didn’t know what else to get at the end!)

Brow Powder in Ash, and Angled Brush #9

Sateen Palette (pour moi!)

Velveteen Palette (pour ma mere, cause I already have all those colours pretty much!)

They didn’t have the primer or the angled brush in stock, but said they’d hold one for me once they came in. Yay! I didn’t get foundation since I already use the Bare Escentuals foundation, plus my friend found the makeup bag I thought I’d lost under her bed in NYC which has my Bobbi Brown foundation in it, so I don’t really need any more right now!

My colleague does a beauty product shoot every issue, and for the March issue she decided to feature blue nail polish, so polish has been arriving at the office nearly every day this week, including Chanel’s latest hot colour, Blue Satin (left). So of course we painted our nails this week (well, if we’re gonna get technical, I painted our nails!) and they look HOT! Next one we’re gonna try is the OPI blue from their latest India collection, which is launching end of the month. (Can’t find the name online since it isn’t out for retail yet, but will update when I find out tomorrow at the office!)

So, while I complain about writing boring advertorials, or having to chase after interviews with people, or write wedding-related crap (especially the groom section – although March’s was pretty fun since it was advice on how to pick the perfect engagement ring for your gf! – but previous topics included what shoes to wear, and what to wear to daytime weddings – gag), the perks of it keep me going. (Plus that paycheck every month!!)

What do you love about your job? (If anything! Or, tell me what you hate about your job, or what you would like to do instead of what you’re doing now…go on, tell me something about your job/aspiring job/career goals!)

Talkin’ Bout a Good Foundation…

I may be clueless about life and careers and things, but one thing I’m not clueless about, is makeup.

Lately I’ve discovered mineral foundations. It actually happened when I was at Fashion Week in NYC, at The Daily Suite in the Bryant Park Hotel. One of the sponsors was Jane Iredale, and a makeup artist there did my makeup – just foundation, some blush, and a little bit of eye makeup. The effect? Natural, but positively radiant. So much prettier and more natural than other foundations I’ve used, including the one I had at the time, Bobbi Brown’s Moisture Rich Foundation.

I don’t have any “Before” pictures, but here’s an “After”:

Mineral makeup contains all the most natural, non-chemical stuff, and is actually said to improve your skin quality over time. It also has a natural SPF of 20, and NO talc, preservatives, oil, fragrance, fillers and binders (normally found in pressed powders to bind the powder together), and it’s easy to adjust how much coverage you want simply by how many layers you put on. (For more information on the benefits of mineral makeup, go here or here.)

On the way from NYC to San Francisco, I somehow lost my little makeup bag, and with it the latest Chantecaille palette, my mascara, my favourite eyeliner (Bobbi Brown’s Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink), and my foundation. As upset as I was, I took it as an opportunity to try the mineral foundation out myself.

As Jane Iredale is only sold at spas and salons and thus more difficult to track down, I stumbled upon Bare Escentuals’ Bare Minerals, and went in to try it out. The Starter Kit is fabbbbulous! I know it looks like a lot of work to apply, but they give you a How-To DVD along with the kit that explains how to do everything step by step. It only took me maybe 3 times to get the whole process down to 5 minutes, and I never need to apply a separate blush or SPF 15! (I realize that I now sound like a Bare Minerals spokesperson, but really, I’m an advocate of all mineral foundations generally – it just happens that I use this brand!)

Anyway. The effect, like I said, but has to be re-stated simply because I love it so much, is an absolutely radiant, glowing complexion, totally appropriate for my age – I look young, fresh, healthy, and, I daresay, pretty! And isn’t that what makeup is meant to do?