Interview and Q&A

Troy Jensen has worked on many a familiar face, including Amanda Bynes, Catherine Deneuve and Kim Kardashian.  He also provides his expert advice on MSN’s Style Studio as a member of the Glam Squad.  He has agreed to provide some tips and tricks for Spring and Summer beauty for Raging Rouge readers to enjoy!  Read on…

Self tanning tricks:  Troy suggests using fine mist tanner, which sprays on smoothly and evenly. Spray on body where tanning is desired and let it dry. Troy also suggests trying spray on makeup as an alternative to using self tanner. Simply choose a shade darker than your skin tone, mist all over your face, and then set with a powder.

Use a pearl highlighter or cream to highlight high cheekbones or create an angular jaw.

Sixties-inspired makeup colors that are all the rage on runways this spring. Choose a sixties-inspired color palette that matches your skin tone. For eyes, he recommends raspberries or purples for darker skin tones. For fair skin, he says sea foam green or periwinkle. Complete your modern sixties-inspired look with a pale, glossy lip color.

Tips for getting a youthful blush: For pale skin, Troy advises sticking to a soft pink or peach. Medium skin tones may choose bronzer and brighter hues. And for those with darker skin, he recommends using bronzer or a terra cotta color.

Enhance your Features. Troy explains how to use makeup to minimize your nose and make your lips look fuller. For the nose, shade across the forehead, bridge of the nose & cheeks with a bronzer or dark powder. For the lips, Troy suggests to line the lips just above the cupid’s box and below the center of the bottom lip. Make sure to blend the liner, and then apply a neutral lip color towards the center of the lips. For extra fullness, highlight the bottom center of the lip.

Want to know more?  Do check out MSN’s Style Studio.

My husband and I make every effort to be as earth-friendly as possible. This past year has seen two major changes in our household. 1) We installed a heat-pump. In our part of the country, this means our furnace rarely runs, even in the dead of winter. 2) We now compost all food waste. This has made a huge difference in our trash output. You’d be surprised at just how much "garbage" is reusable, in one way or another!

But there is still much more that can be done!  In honor of Earth Day, Raging Rouge has conducted a Q&A with Christina Marcaccini, the founder of RAW Natural Beauty… and an expert on environmental and safety standards in the cosmetics industry. She has some fantastic advice on how we can all strive to reduce the carbon-footprint of our beauty regimen!

Jen:  You’re an expert on safety in cosmetics, having gone as far as meeting with Congressional staffers to advocate higher safety standards in the beauty industry.  What are some ingredients consumers should avoid when buying cosmetics, and why?

Christina:  In 2004, scientists found pesticides in the blood of newborn babies. A year later, researchers discovered perchlorate, a component of rocket fuel, in human breast milk. Today, people are testing positive for a litany of hazardous substances from flame retardants to phthalates to lead.

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention have reports that reveal that Americans of all ages carry what they call a ‘body burden’ of at least 148 chemicals that should not be there, this is a result of what we put on our body and put in our body. Keep in mind that the average woman uses a dozen personal care products containing 168 chemical ingredients every day!

Here are some ingredients used in personal care that should be avoided:

Parabens– Methyl, Butyl and Propyl Parabens are used as preservatives in food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics products. Measurable concentrations of six different parabens have been identified in biopsy samples from breast tumors.  Check out this link to support what I said about parabens.

Petrochemicals– from non-renewable resources (by-products of oil), these can be identified on ingredient lists as PEG, buytlene glycol, propylene glycol, petrolatum, to name a few.

Phthalates– hormone disrupters.  These can’t always be identified by looking at the label as they are often part of fragrances. Look for products that claim to be “Phthalate Free”.

FD&C and D&C colors– from coal tar – can be irritating to the skin.

The below (about lead) is taken from the article titled  “A Poison Kiss: The problem of lead in Lipstick” from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Oct. 2007.

Lead is a proven neurotoxin linked to learning and behavior disorders. New Product tests released Oct. 11, 2007 by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics showed that more than half of 33 brand-name lipsticks tested contained detectable levels of lead and none of these lipsticks listed lead as an ingredient.

One-third of the tested lipsticks exceeded the US Food and Drug Administration’s .1ppm limit for lead in candy – a standard established to protect children form directly ingesting lead. Lipstick, like candy, is ingested directly. Nevertheless, the FDA has not set a limit for lead in lipstick – which fits with the disturbing absence of FDA regulatory oversight and enforcement capacity for the $50 billion personal care products industry.

Among the top brands testing positive for lead were:

L’Oreal Colour Riche “True Red”

L’Oreal Colour Riche “Classic Wine"

Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor “Maximum Red”

Christian Dior Addict “Positive Red"

I would encourage readers to check out this site which lists safety ratings for both individual ingredients and products: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/.

Jen:  Packaging is increasingly a concern among consumers, and more brands are offering recyclable packaging or recycling programs as a result.  What brands do you feel are "greenest" and why?

Raw Natural beauty uses 30% post consumer recycled paper in our unitcartons. This is important as it creates a need for recycled material that might end up back in the landfill otherwise.

Pangea Organics– Boulder, Colorado based company, uses product boxes made with a zero waste process using 100% post-consumer paper and organic seeds. Click HERE for store locations.

Nude Skincare– (Bono and his wife Ali Hewson are co-investors) Their packaging is entirely recyclable and 40% of our bottles are made using post industrial recycled plastic. For a list of stores that carry the product (mostly Barney’s) click HERE.

Jen:  Tell Raging Rouge readers more about RAW Natural Beauty.  What void in the market does your new line fill?

Christina:  Three words – performance – safety – prestige.

First, let me give you our philosophy on performance.  We are approaching the category with a completely new and fresh perspective.  Traditional “natural” brands have developed the category from a linear approach only – making products with “natural” ingredients with very little emphasis on how the products perform.  I have been working in the traditional, prestige beauty industry for years as a product developer.  Through this time, I have conducted extensive research to determine what women want from their beauty products.  First and foremost, it is performance.  Right now, the natural category has a negative reputation to overcome.  I have surveyed literally hundreds of women and the overlying opinion is that they want “natural” products but the ones that they have tried do not function well.  My mission is to develop natural products that perform better than traditional beauty products.  This is the first level of performance – immediate results but there is also the second level of performance that is important to us – long term.  I conduct extensive ingredient research to seek out new, efficacious ingredients sourced from around the world.  Every product in the Raw Natural Beauty line contains these exotic, natural, active botanicals clinically proven to improve the skin over time.  This is something I have not seen yet from any other brand, natural or not.  In addition, we believe in giving back.  In sourcing these ingredients, we seek out suppliers who practice sustainable agriculture, help support fair trade and give back to the local economies.

Secondly, we make ingredient safety a priority. If you ask people why they want to buy natural products, it’s because they think that these products are safer for them to use.  Just because an ingredient claims to be natural does not make it a safe.  In fact, there are numerous natural ingredients that we would never put in our products because of this.  Every one of our ingredients is evaluated according to the safety ratings established by the EWG’s database Skin Deep.  We have also signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, meaning we are committed to using ingredients without any known human toxicity. We really feel as more and more data emerges concerning the fact that we all carry man-made pollutants in our bodies (scary!), the safety of the ingredients found in our daily products is going to become more and more of a factor in consumer purchasing decisions. We have to remember that our skin is our first line of defense against the environment, but it’s not a perfect barrier and we need to be aware of what we put on it.

Finally, prestige – it is our “eco-luxe” positioning, which was really important to me when creating this line.  Our packaging and brand imagery is gorgeous, sexy and modern, which was not previously seen in the natural category.  We want our customers to be proud to showcase our products in public and in their homes.  Cosmetics are a luxury item, so why not make them look and feel that way?

Jen:  What are some habits cosmetic consumers should break for the benefit of our planet?

Christina:  Just switching to more natural products is a good start! It will keep you from washing potentially toxic chemicals down the drain and into our environment. Also, try to cut down on the number of products you’re using, across all categories! This is especially hard for me, as I love to buy and try everything. But we need to think of the bigger picture.

Look for packaging that contains Post Consumer Recycled waste/paper. This creates a need for recycled material, unfortunately now a lot of recycled material goes right back into the landfill.

Recycle your beauty products that come in glass bottles – every month, we throw out enough glass bottles and jars to fill up a giant skyscraper And guess what? All of these jars are recyclable!

I have long, thick hair, so this was a great tip that I’ve been implementing: Use a strainer on all drains to catch hair and prevent drain clogs. If you do get a clog, use a metal snake to work the clog loose, not toxic drain cleaners! I also let my hair air-dry whenever possible!

Also, turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving. Running the water continuously for just two minutes can waste three gallons of water! Fill a cup with water when brushing your teeth and fill the sink bowl to rinse your razor instead of running the water.

And remember to buy quality products that will last, not cheap disposable items (like disposable razors).

Here are some other tips I follow. These are listed on the EWG website under their Skin Deep site:

Use the What Not To Buy list to avoid especially problematic ingredients — like mercury, lead, and placenta — and the products that contain them.

Use fewer products. Is there something you can cut from your daily routine, or a product you can use less often? By cutting down on the number of chemicals contacting your skin every day, you will reduce any potential health risks associated with your products.

Use the Advanced Search feature of Skin Deep to find products that have fewer potential health issues. Choose a product category and exclude the hazardous ingredients — carcinogens and neurotoxins, for instance — and Skin Deep will generate a custom shopping list for you.

Read labels. Marketing claims on personal care products are not defined under the law, and can mean anything or nothing at all, including claims like organic, natural, hypoallergenic, animal cruelty free, and fragrance free. Read the ingredient label carefully to find evidence that the claims are true.

Use milder soaps. Soap removes dirt and grease from the surface of your skin, but also strips away your body’s own natural skin oils. Choosing a milder soap may reduce skin dryness and your need for moisturizers to replace oils your skin can provide naturally.

Minimize your use of dark hair dyes. Many contain coal tar ingredients that have been linked to cancer in some studies.

Cut down on your use of powders;avoid the use of baby powder on newborns and infants. A number of ingredients common in powder have been linked to cancer and other lung problems when they are inhaled. FDA warns that powders may cause lung damage if inhaled regularly.

Choose products that are "fragrance"-free. Fragrances can cause allergic reactions. Products that claim to be "fragrance free" on the packaging may not be. They could contain masking fragrances that give off a neutral odor. Read the ingredient label — in products truly free of fragrance, the word "fragrance" will not appear there. Find "fragrance"-free products with advanced search.

Reduce your use of nail polish. It’s one of the few types of products that routinely contains ingredients linked to birth defects. Paint your toenails and skip the fingernails. Paint nails in a well-ventilated room, or outside, or avoid using nail polish altogether, particularly when you are pregnant. Browse our custom shopping guide for advice on nail polishes that contain fewer ingredients of concern.

Jen:  What are some best-practices we should employ in our beauty routine to reduce our carbon footprint?

Christina:  Along with the tips above, here are some other recommendations:

Step 1: Change your lightbulbs. Replacing three incandescent lightbulbs with three compact fluorescent lightbulbs will reduce your carbon footprint by 5,000 pounds over the life of the bulbs.

Step 2: Use rechargeable batteries to reduce your carbon footprint by 1,000 pounds over the life of the batteries.

Step 3: Replace your existing showerheads with low-flow showerheads to cut your carbon footprint by as much as 7,000 pounds.

Step 4: Convert your hot water heater to a solar hot water heater, which will eliminate nearly 200,000 pounds of carbon over the life of the water heater.

Step 5: Drive a hybrid car, and reduce your carbon footprint by approximately 500,000 pounds over the life of the car.

Step 6: Buy local. Goods and services that are produced locally eliminate untold thousands of pounds of carbon by slashing fossil-fuel-reliant transportation demands. Plus, everyone knows a tomato from the local farmers market is a lot tastier than the styrofoam ones your grocery store trucks in from 1,000 miles away.

I had the opportunity to ask a question of Chase Aston, international makeup artist with The Body Shop!

Jen: What are some tips for achieving the perfect Spring glow, without looking too glittery or shiny?

Chase: While the emphasis was on warm, iridescent opulence last autumn, this spring is about brighter colors for a more feminine elegance. Eyes take center stage this spring, from sheer to smoky, and teamed with swipes of eyeliner from blue, green, brown and black, all complimented with a wash of denim blue toned mascara for both day and night.

In order to create the look for Spring 2008 eyes I suggest the following:

Take The Body Shop Shimmer Buds Palette 01– and using shade: Green Water Lily, blend from the lash line up to the brow, and under the lower lashes all around the eye using the The Body Shop Eye-Shadow Blender Brush. Now using the Silver Maple shade from the same palette, blend from the inner corner to the outer corners, and up to the crease of the eyes, and underneath the lower lashes all around the eyes, softly smudging to a sheer wash of color.

Then take The Body Shop Limited Edition Shimmer Cubes: Shade: Green Meadow, and using the Slanted Eye-Shadow Brush, dip into water, then sweep across the shimmer cube, then line along top lash line, for a rich contrasting eyeliner shade.

Curl lashes, then apply 2 coats of The Body Shop Define & Lengthen Mascara– Shade:Blue to the top lashes. Using this deep denim blue mascara will ensure your eye shades pop!

Shape and shade brows using The Body Shop Brow & Liner Kit in the correct shade, then comb through Brow & Lash Gel 01 – Shade: Clear, to set.

To open and brighten the eyes, Line the inner rim of the lower eyelid, using The Body Shop Eye Definer 05- Shade: White.

Many thanks to Chase, for sharing this expert advice!  Check out the Eye-Shadow Blender Brush, pictured above.  Is that the sleekest looking brush you’ve ever seen?  Gift idea for Mom:  buy her the products selected by Chase, then pass along a link to this post… for her to follow his advice!

Jen:  Alison!  Thanks so much for joining Raging Rouge in a Q&A session!  I read you once worked for the famed Bobbi Brown.  When you left Bobbi to launch your own makeup line, did she send you a single black rose?

Alison:  «laughing»  No!  However, my friend and I used to jokingly call anyone who fell out of favor "Brown Sheep."

Jen:  Seriously though… Alison Raffaele Cosmetics was inspired when you failed to find a high-quality, high-performance undereye concealer.  Are there any current holes in the market that you plan to fill?

Alison:  Well, I developed the new Alison Raffaele line to bridge the gap between makeup that is good for you and makeup that gives professional results.  And I’m going to be working along those lines for the forseeable future, because there’s always room for improvement, always something that can be done better. That’s what being an artist is all about – growing, learning, pushing the limits of what you can do.

Jen:  I was very excited to sample some of the new natural formulas your company launched this Spring.  I am especially smitten with the Age Response Primer, free of parabens, oil, talc, gluten and fragrance!  What can we expect next from your line?

Alison:  Currently I’m working on a new Mineral Powder and a new mascara, but as they say, "If doing a good job takes time, perfection takes just a little bit longer" – so hang tight!

Jen:  What are your favorite beauty products, both from your own line and other brands?

Alison:  Skincare: Cleanser- Dermologica foaming face wash, Exfoliant- Caudalie Savignon Scrub, Moisturizer- Caudalie Pulpe Vitamine, Eye Cream- the basic one from DHC.

My everyday face begins with my Face Forward acne response primer because it keeps my skin clear without drying it out, Reality Base #3 to even out my complexion, and of course my True Concealer #3, which is my Holy Grail.  I set under my eyes with a bit of Transparent Finish using a velour powder puff and then add some Graceful Inner Glow (from my original line, Skin Alison Raffaele) to the apples of my cheeks.  Also from my original line, Soft Shadow in Bittersweet (as liner) and Taupe (for shadow).

Then it’s onto other peoples stuff…  liner for under my eyes- Pencil Me in Metorite (a shimmery light brown), eyelash curler- Shu Uemura or Billy B, lip stain- 3 Custom Colors’ ski bunny, and to fill in the the clear mole in my left brow- black tattoo "ink" I got at Namies in LA (it has an ultra fine tip).

Hair Stuff: Conditioner- Moroccan Oil (its an oil that you leave in – it really helps straighten my hair), Mop’s Pear Spray in Detangler and Lemongrass Lift Root Spray (to keep my hair sleek – puffy hair is BAD!).

Jen:  You also happen to be a makeup artist extraordinaire…  Any tips for Raging Rouge readers to achieve the ever-elusive eternally youthful dewy skin that is so hot this Spring?

Alison:  Dewy skin is easy if you remember the following…

Step 1: Exfoliate and moisturize.  Foundation can’t meld with flaky skin properly, so getting rid of the dead layers is crucial.  Moisturizing afterwards will keep the skin supple.

Step 2: Apply a satin finish foundation, such as Reality Base, lightly all over to even out the complexion

Step 3: Conceal any blemishes and around the bottom of the nose

Step 4: Finish by working a bit of loose powder into a velour powder puff and pressing it lightly under the eyes and anywhere else you concealed to set those areas.

That’s it!  Add a bit of gel or cream blush, lip gloss, and mascara to curled lashes and you are good to go 😉

Jen:  Alison, thanks so much for the great information!  I look forward to sharing more about your products with Raging Rouge readers!  Readers, do check out Alison Raffaele’s newly redesigned website for information on her fantastic line of beauty products.