1. As with blue eyes, use the color wheel to enhance your color.  The opposite of green is red, so shades with a red undertone will accent the green.  The easiest way to wear a red-toned shadow is to wear a purple.
How to wear it:

• Highlight with Cassis Pearluster, Nigella or the more neutral Paris Luminous Shimmer .
• On the lid try Plum Luminous Shimmer, Amethyst or Grace Pearluster.
• At the outer corner/crease, use a bit of Aria, Aubergine, Milan Luminous Shimmers or Lilac Satin Matte Shadow.
• Line with Carnevale or Black Cherry Luminous Shimmer Eyeliner.

2. Greens can work with green eyes!
How to wear it:

• Highlight with Opal Luminous Shimmer or Champagne Pearluster.
• On the lid try Bayou Satin Matte, Eden or Meadow Luminous Shimmer.
• At the outer corner/crease use a bit of Sphinx or London Luminous Shimmer.  (It will depend on the lid color which crease shade will look best.)
• Line with Denali Satin Matte Eyeliner or Masquerade or Mystique Luminous Shimmer Eyeliner.

3. Try warm neutrals.
How to wear it:

• Highlight with Prosecco Pearluster or Venus Luminous Shimmer.
• On the lid use Sand Satin Matte, Palomino Luminous Shimmer or Camel Pearluster.
• At the outer corner/crease use a bit of Chestnut or Java Satin Matte.
• Line with Illusion or Paparazzi Luminous Shimmer Eyeliner or Espresso Satin Matte Eyeliner.

4. Do a smoky eye that leans towards plums for maximum drama.
How to wear it:

• Highlight with White Satin Matte or Meringue Luminous Shimmer.
• Use Ingrid Luminous Shimmer or Quartz Pearluster on the lid.
• At the outer corner/crease, use Ombra or Twilight Luminous Shimmer.
• Line with Onyx or Black Violet Satin Matte Eyeliner.

This week we’re pleased to introduce the lovely Terri Bly of The Nature of Beauty. You can find Nature of Beauty in Saint Paul, Minnesota at Ecotique, and also online through her wonderful website.

Hi Terri, Can you tell us a bit about your background and past experience?
I come from a pretty eclectic background, especially for a natural beauty retailer – the two jobs that really inspired me to what I do now have nothing directly to do with the environment, chemicals, or beauty! I was a licensed clinical psychologist working part-time for two different organizations. In one, I was conducting assessment and providing counseling for gastric bypass surgery patients, both before and after surgery. Through this work, I saw the devastating health effects our environment was having on so, so many women. It wasn’t just that these women were “lazy” or lacked willpower. Their environment was clearly set up to promote the destruction of their bodies, and I suspected there was more to it than just cheap, fatty foods. My other job was as a consultant for a human resources consulting firm, where I helped companies like Target hire their higher-level corporate employees, for jobs like Buyer, Merchandise Planner, Marketing Director, and so forth. It was through this work that I developed an understanding of retail strategy and business. I really enjoyed it, too, much to my surprise. When I learned about the chemicals in the environment – and in beauty products – that interfere with estrogen, I knew I had found one of the missing links between women and the health problems that were so prevalent with my gastric bypass surgery patients. I decided to start my own business in order to not just educate women about these chemicals, but also to offer them beautiful, high-performing alternatives to what they were using.

How do you define beauty?
I think about this a lot. I don’t know as I have a definition, or maybe I differentiate between “beautiful” and “attractive.” I can look at a celebrity like Megan Fox or Jessica Alba and recognize that these are beautiful women. But I’m not necessarily attracted to them. I can definitely say that I have yet to find any woman attractive who has clearly had the various anti-aging procedures done. They look like plastic people, with no character, nothing interesting about them to draw me in. Kate Blanchett wouldn’t have necessarily been on the covers of magazines or on the boxes of perfume had it not been for the way she carries herself, as well as her presence, her confidence, and her talent. She is beautiful because of who she is, and I think that is what defines beauty for me. It’s not the features on someone’s face. It is how she or he uses those features, the warmth in their eyes, the ability to accept and work with their features, not fight them.

What inspired you to start Nature of Beauty?
I knew that for many women, if their only options for safer beauty products were grocery stores and health food markets, they wouldn’t make the switch, so my hope was that if I created an inviting retail space, with a staff of beauty experts, and lots of make-up and skin care to try, they would likely be more inclined to give it a try. I had learned from my gastric bypass surgery work that just educating wasn’t enough: If women were going to change what they had been doing for years and years, it had to be a fairly easy process. Make it too complicated, and they’ll give up.

What do people love about The Nature of Beauty?
Well, when talking about my storefront, my customers love that I am the one place they can do in Minneapolis/St. Paul and find the non-toxic beauty brands that they read about in the magazines. We have a ton of co-ops and Whole Foods, but as I suspected, women want to try new makeup and skin care in a boutique, somewhere they can play with the products, sit down and have a makeover, or ask questions and get knowledgeable answers from women who loves makeup and skin care as much as they do!

With the website and the store, I think customers appreciate our efforts to maintain a balance between luxurious and accessible. Yes, it’s lovely to look at high-end products and get packages wrapped in pretty papers and bows and fancy cards and all of that, but we also want to make sure that every single woman who wants to buy safe, high-quality, beautiful products can find what they need, at a price they can afford. I don’t want The Nature of Beauty to be exclusive. I don’t want it to appeal only to women who would otherwise shop at Nordstrom or Barney’s. I think we get a lot of customers who appreciate that about our store and our website.

What are the other ‘don’t miss’ gems in your neighborhood?
Grand Avenue in St. Paul is one of the primary boutique streets in the Twin Cities! It’s about two miles of mostly locally owned businesses, and many of those are owned by women. Picky Girl is a great store for hard-to-find designer brands that are unique and fashion-forward. Next door to me is Shu Global Footwear, where they carry shoes, sandals and boots that are very fashionable, but also good for your feet (many of them are European brands you rarely find elsewhere). And I can’t leave out Wuollet’s bakery, a dangerous little pastry and cake shop right across the street, where they make the most amazing cinnamon rolls I’ve ever add. Oh, and they also happen to be the top location for chic wedding cakes in the region.

Anything else you’d like to share?
As the industry changes, and women become more aware of what is going on with beauty products and their health, I think The Nature of Beauty will continue to evolve as well. Case in point: This fall we plan to move our store a couple of miles south to expand the business and include spa treatments! Now that women realize that getting rid of chemicals does not mean sacrificing effectiveness, I think they want to replace as much of their beauty regimen as possible, including their facials, with healthier options. The spa was meant to be a place where women can go to detoxify, relax, re-energize and renew their bodies. It just makes sense that the products used to impart this sense of health and well-being should also be healthy and pure. Plus, there are just so many gorgeous spa treatment lines now that use primarily organic ingredients, adding a spa was perhaps of the easiest decisions I’ve made so far!

The project consists of entertaining videos with a very specific perspective on production and consumption.  Educational materials are available to go with the videos, which are suitable for everyone from grade school-aged children and up. The first video, “The Story of Stuff,” has been viewed by more than 12 million people according to the Project’s website.  The Project has also produced similar short films about bottled water, “Cap and Trade” and now, cosmetics.

Like “The Story of Stuff,” “The Story of Cosmetics” is entertaining and reduces a complicated topic to a few basic ideas.  These include:

• We often don’t know what is in the products we use on our bodies, hair and faces.

• Some common products have scary ingredients

• Anyone can label anything “natural” or “herbal”

• The U.S. Government polices the personal care industry less than you might imagine

• We should ask it to do more

“The Story of Cosmetics” has garnered more than 230,000 views since it was released on July 21^st.  It has also enraged industry groups such as the Personal Care Products Council, which called the video “harsh and unscientific.”

Personally, I like Annie Leonard’s videos. She is not afraid to talk about the “elephant in the room.”  In the case of “The Story of Stuff” the elephant is that a lot of us consume too much without giving thought to where products come from and where they go when we are done with them.

She uses an upbeat tone. Instead of tapping into guilt, Leonard taps into our can-do spirit with a cheerful sort of, “we got ourselves into this and we can get ourselves out of it” message. This, I think, is the right way to start the discussion with the generations who will be inheriting this situation.

Of course, her video aimed at kids isn’t a highly scientific, nuanced or even thorough exploration of that problem. It just starts a conversation. The ways in which the Industrial Revolution brought profound gains in terms of health, safety and living standards for the average citizen would be a large part of that conversation, I hope. How can we keep what is good about our system and fix what’s bad?

In “The Story of Cosmetics,” the elephant in the room is that we love personal care products but we don’t know enough about what is in them.   Our conversation can start with how we can learn to read labels on shampoo and makeup.  We should also talk about what to ban, what needs more study and how to help individuals decide what level of safety certainty is important to them.

Of the areas administered by the FDA – food, drugs and personal care products included – only pharmaceuticals have rigorous safety testing for every product. It’s what makes them slow to market, extremely expensive and an industry dominated by enormous corporations.  Even then, as we know, giant pharmaceutical companies still seem able to get dangerous products on the market. I don’t really want a world where we get all our food and makeup from giant pharma-type corporations and I doubt this is what Leonard has in mind.

I am looking forward to the complicated conversation.  What do we want to see on labels? How can we educate ourselves as consumers without being frightened of everything? How can consumer groups and the industry work together with the government to get better science that doesn’t just benefit a few multi-nationals?  I hope that in the final analysis Leonard’s videos help move us forward instead of dividing us.

In the meanwhile, I make the kinds of constant educated guesses and judgments that life requires.  I am grateful for the wealth of information available on the web that makes it easier to eat, wash clothes, garden and keep house in a greener, safer way.

Plus, of course, I use only Alima Pure mineral makeup.

Cheryl

Recent hire and enthusiastic customer

Keep in mind that what looks good on one person with blue eyes won’t look good on everyone with blue eyes; skin tone and hair color do contribute to the overall look.  But with that caveat, there are a few guidelines that lead to combinations that will work for most everyone with blue eyes.

1.  Use the color wheel as your guide.  Opposites enhance!  Have you seen two colors that, when placed next to each other seem to almost pulsate?  Those colors are true opposites.  Blue is opposite of orange on the color wheel, so orangey shades will work beautifully for most blue eyes.  If your eyes lean towards lavender-blue, then your shadow can lean towards yellow (gold).  If your eyes are blue-green, you should use oranges with more red.

How to wear it:

Highlight with Champagne or Silk Pearluster.

On the lid try Mohair Satin Matte, Toffee Pearluster or Brown Sugar Luminous Shimmer.

At the outer corner/crease use a bit of Martinique Luminous Shimmer.

Line with Paparazzi Luminous Shimmer Liner or Espresso Satin Matte Liner.

2.  Neutrals work for most everyone.  With blue eyes, your neutrals lean towards golds.

How to wear it:

Highlight with Glow Luminous Shimmer or Vanilla Satin Matte.

On the lid try Camel Pearluster, Cocoa Satin Matte or Leone Luminous Shimmer.

At the outer corner/crease use a bit of Pyrite Luminous Shimmer or Java Satin Matte.

Line with Paparazzi Luminous Shimmer Liner or Espresso Satin Matte Liner.

3.  If your hair is blonde or light brown; and/or your skin is light-to-medium depth, you can probably wear cool colors very well.

How to wear it:

Highlight with Ballerina Pearluster, Daphne Satin Matte or Lana Luminous Shimmer.

On the lid try Viola Pearluster or Danube Satin Matte.

At the outer corner/crease use a bit of Navy Luminous Shimmer or Lilac Satin Matte.

Line with Carnevale Luminous Shimmer Liner or Nightengale Satin Matte Liner.

4.  A classic smoky eye is gorgeous with blue eyes.  Use a light hand if you are not used to this look, but you can really glam it up with the darker shades if you dare!

How to wear it:

Highlight with Meringue Luminous Shimmer or White Satin Matte.

On the lid try Zen Pearluster or Ava Luminous Shimmer.

At the outer corner/crease use a bit of Noir Luminous Shimmer Liner or Charcoal or Onyx Satin Matte Liner.  (Use these as shadow, not liner.)

Line with Black Satin Matte Liner.

Above all, remember that makeup should be fun, and it is about expressing your personal style and creativity, not about doing what is “right” or “wrong.”  If it looks good and makes you feel great, it can’t be wrong!  If you still feel tentative about what looks good on you, take advantage of Alima Pure’s $1 shadow samples, invite some girl friends over and try out different looks on each other.  You’re sure to find some new looks that enhance your natural beauty!

Thanks for joining us, Emily. Can you tell us a bit about your background and past experience?
Before I moved back to Portland in 2000, I worked for the Environmental Working Group (home of the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database) in Washington DC as a research analyst.  I worked mainly on corporate accountability issues, but learned a lot about toxins in the products and food we consume every day.  The years I spent working there made me realize how important it was to have alternatives available. People would always ask, “I shouldn’t use this, but what should I use instead?”  Now I have plenty of answers to that question, at least as far as makeup and skincare go.

What inspired you to start Camellia?
I have sensitive skin, fragrance allergies, and high performance standards for my cosmetics. It was difficult to find products that were safe for me to use and that I really liked using.  I was tired of playing roulette in the personal care aisle of the natural foods store.  So I put my research skills to use and found many promising product lines that had to be ordered over the internet.  There was no way to try them without buying full sized products and paying for shipping. I realized there is a need for a brick and mortar place to try and buy non-toxic (but beautiful!) cosmetics as people become more conscious about the junk in their personal care products.

What do people love about Camellia Pure Beauty?
The thing people most often comment on is how good it smells when they walk it.  The boutique smells very refreshing and non-overwhelming because I only stock products scented with essential oils.  They also love that they can try all the testers. People often joke about how they have run out of room on their skin to try another product.  I think they also appreciate that they don’t have to think too hard about what the label says because I have already screened the ingredients to make sure the product doesn’t contain parabens, petroleum, artificial fragrances, phthalates, or harsh detergents like sodium laurel sulfate.  Even if they have a specific allergy or sensitivity, I usually have a pretty good idea of which products to look at first because I know what is in everything I sell.

How do you define beauty?
You are beautiful when you know and respect yourself and live with passion.  That kind of beauty radiates deep from within and nothing on your visible surface can diminish it.  But I still love Alima for improving my visible surface.

What are the other ‘don’t miss’ gems in your neighborhood?
Fremont Street in general is an undiscovered gem in Portland.  There are great little shops and restaurants all up and down the street.  I especially love “Found on Fremont.”  It is a continually changing treasure trove of handmade items and secondhand furniture, jewelry and clothing.  Then there is always the sour cream coffee cake at Jim and Patty’s Coffee.  I don’t know if it really is world famous, but it should be.

Anything else you’d like to share?
Just how much I love and appreciate my customers. My customers make going to work every day a joy, and many have become friends over the years.

Camellia Pure Beauty
4759 NE Fremont St.
Portland, OR 97213
503.287.4645

Step into fall with a versatile color collection that will look fabulous with a wool suit or your favorite hoodie and denim.  Two of these shades are of our new “almost matte” formula, so they appear matte in low-light situations, but have a touch of shimmer in sunlight.

• Jacquard – a pale cream with the softest touch of shimmer.
• Brocade – a completely matte medium grey.
• Tulle – a super-sheer wash of golden shimmer, beautiful worn as a wash over other colors.
• Velvet – a lush, smoky purple with a hint of shimmer.

Business Lunch Look –Apply Jacquard from lashes to brows, then accent outer 2/3 of lids with Brocade, fading into the cream towards the bridge of the nose.  Sweep Velvet into the crease, then line upper lashes with the same shade and a dampened brush.  Finish with Bordeaux Satin Matte Blush on apples of cheeks and Holly Berry Nourishing Lip Balm.

Fall Fete Look – Apply Jacquard from lashes to brows, then sweep a light wash of Tulle over the top of this.  Blend Brocade into the crease. Line upper and lower lashes with Velvet, either damp or dry.  Highlight cheeks with Demeter Luminous Shimmer Blush and finish with Fig Nourishing Lip Balm.

We all know the scene: lots of sitting around in the plane’s desert-dry, re-circulated air, reading bad magazines, watching so-so flicks; lots of restless naps, carried forth within the echo of unhappy infant screams and dry-air aggravated coughs and sneezes. Had I thought less about the persnickety task of organizing my carry-on toiletries and more about the logistics of sitting in this skin-adverse environment for 6 plus hours, my skin might have not suffered a set-back.

The key to preventing skin problems while flying is to plan ahead. This means avoiding less-than-gentle skin products for a day or two prior to your flight. On the day of travel, wear the richest moisturizer that your specific skin type can handle, followed by the most moisturizing, high SPF sunscreen that you can tolerate. All of this is accomplished most easily by donning the minimal amount of makeup possible (particularly foundation, powder and blush). You might wish to wear your hair back, so you can more readily pamper and protect  your skin.

The next goal is to keep your skin’s moisture level constant throughout the course of your flight. Again, this is easier without a lot of extra goop on the face, but it is possible, even with the inclusion of makeup. Every hour, simply tap more moisturizer along dry areas of your face–under the eyes and along the cheekbones, in particular. Using this tapping motion will lessen the risk of upsetting makeup or removing sun block. The application of extra moisturizer also has the benefit of bringing a glow back to plane-parched skin. If extra lotion doesn’t do the trick, try adding a layer of mist spray to your skin. This product is often available in carry-on size through various skin product retailers.

If possible, keep the window shade nearest to you closed. This, along with sunscreen and sunglasses will reduce high- altitude sun exposure. Most neighboring travelers will be only too happy to close their window shade, if asked. In fact, flight attendants often issue a general request to close shades for the benefit of those watching the featured film. Note that the plane’s dry air is likely to dry your eyes, as well. Lubricating eye drops can help with this.

Finally, drink as much water as possible. I understand the desire to avoid standing in line for the plane’s tiny bathroom, but the better hydrated you stay internally, the better hydrated your skin will be. Similarly, avoid dehydrating beverages like alcohol and caffeinated coffee, tea, and soft drinks. If you really want to get into the nitty-gritty, bring your own healthy, carry-on snacks: nuts, fruit and instant oatmeal are all easier on the skin than cookies and pretzels.

Sunscreen, moisturizer, spray mist, lubricating eye drops, sunglasses, and healthy snacks, will all take up surprisingly little space in your purse or carry-on. It makes sense to keep your skin essentials together, in one easily reachable plastic bag, to make this modest degree of travel-oriented TLC as convenient as possible.

Traveling can be a challenge on many levels, but with forethought and preparation, most skin problems can be limited or avoided. Now, rental car problems, that’s another matter.

All the best, Adriane

• Sand Dollar – a sandy pink shimmer
• Sea Star – warm golden shimmer
• Beach Glass – softly faded blue-green shimmer
• Agate – rich copper brown sparkle

Day-at-the-Beach Look

• Sweep Sea Star from lashes to just above the crease, then gently fade up to brows.
• Apply a smudged line of Agate along the lashes.
• Warm the complexion with the appropriate bronzer for your complexion, then  accent apples of cheeks with Pink Satin Matte Blush.
• Apply Mango Lip Balm and head outdoors!

Night-at-the-Resort Look

• Apply Sand Dollar from lashes to brows.
• Apply Beach Glass to the lid, using a damp brush if you desire a more intense look. Emphasize crease and outer corner with Agate, then line upper lashes with Agate using a damp brush.
• Line lower lashes with a smuded line of Sea Star.
• Apply Carnation Blush to apples of cheeks, blending back towards ears.
• Highlight cheekbones and collar bones with Dolce Luminous Shimmer Powder.
• Apply Pomegranate Lip Balm, blot and re-apply.

If you are a “Kind Lifer” welcome to Alima Pure! Everything is vegan except our lip balms, which contain beeswax (and which you have us talking about!) We do not use Bismuth or Carmine. Our brushes make applying mineral makeup a joy and are cruelty-free. We have 60 shades of foundation (we really want to help you find that perfect match!) If you would like help selecting a shade please email our makeup artist – she has almost magical matching abilities.

Along with our foundation and brushes, our eye shadows and blushes are our most popular products. We sincerely invite you to try some $1 samples and try some new colors.

Welcome! We’re very glad you’re here.

If you have any other questions or comments, please ask the artist or contact us, we love hearing from you.