Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010
For most of my make up wearing life I’ve taken cheek color for granted, focusing mostly on covering a zit or mastering liquid eyeliner. Not any more though. As I’ve aged I’ve learned to appreciate the lovely glow that blusher brings to the face. And can I just add that I love the word blush. Blush. It’s a soft and pretty word. Blush. And I like to speak it. Blush.
There are lots of thoughts on where to apply blush. I think in general that blush is for your entire cheekbone area. Not too close to the eyes both below and next to them, and not too far below the cheekbone. Be sure to apply color to the apple too (the part that pops out when you smile). Blush is NOT for the nose, forehead, hairline and chin. These places are for bronzer, not blush, and can create a sunburned look.
Blush color is only a big deal if it’s the wrong one. Choose a blush that is similar in shade to the color your cheeks turn when you … yep, blush! (sorry, couldn’t resist) There are thousands of colors of blush and plenty of sales people to help you find a color that works with your skin tone. Cheeks and lips should not match, but they should be in the same color. For example, pink cheeks with pink-toned lips; coral/peachy cheeks with tans and orangish lips; rosy cheeks with rose-toned lips. For red lips, I like a neutral, warm, toned-down cheek in whatever color this is for you.
Bronzer is nice for adding a little warm color on it’s own or along with blush color. If you are using bronzer, be very conservative with the color. Faking a tan with bronzer never works. Go only one shade or so darker than your skin color and apply the sheerest possible amount, adding more only as needed to achieve the look you want. Bronzer looks great on the cheekbones, along the temple and a tiny touch on the forehead, nose and chin. After bronzing, a swirl of blush on the applied to the apple of your cheeks looks very pretty.
I’m kind of in love right now with using a highlighter on my cheeks too. Once you’ve blushed, bronzed, or both, take a little highlighter and apply a sheer swipe on the top edge of your cheekbone for a nice little dusting of sparkle.
Blush, bronzer and highlighter come in powder, cream and even gel formulas. Powders are by far the easiest to work with and are the perfect choice for all but the most extremely dry skin types. A brush is essential for applying powder cheek colors and at the completion of color application, blend, blend blend to soften. Cheeks are no place for hard lines of color.
Cream, liquid, gel and cream-to-powder blushes apply nicely but not more so than powder. In my experience with cream blushes, they look dewy and pretty for about five minutes before they slide, smear or otherwise disappear.
Experiment to find what works for you. You know when you’ve done it right because your cheeks will look slightly glowy and healthy. Likewise, you will know when it’s gone wrong. If you aren’t happy or think it looks weird and off somehow, reach for a make up remover wipe and start over. It’s only make up.
Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
Ok gang, it’s time for more make up! I said last time that I would order topics in the make up mini-series according to my own must haves, but that’s not the case today. For me, eyebrows and cheeks come next, and then foundation with all it’s magical ways, but in the interest of what probably makes more sense, let’s do foundation. K?
I wish I didn’t need it, but I truly appreciate foundation. When it’s the perfect shade and formula, a face can be transformed to that of a happy eight year old … glowing, smooth, flawless. But therein lies the challenge. Even if like Amy you have perfect, crazy gorgeous skin, and don’t wear hardly any make up at all, know that if nothing else, foundation serves as a great base for bronzer and blush to apply more smoothly and adhere to throughout the day.
With regard to foundation at least, to the extent possible, the goal is for your made up face to not look like it is wearing a layer of foundation and so finding the right shade and formula for your complexion and skin is key.
The color of your skin and foundation must match exactly. NEVER a half shade or so darker in the summer, and NEVER more pale! Foundation should not be used to change the underlying color of your skin in any way. Even a slight difference in color between foundation and your true skin color will cause the foundation application look way more obvious, as will anything orange, peach, pink, rose or ash colored.
Look for a foundation that matches the “good” part of your facial skin, like your jawbone, cheek, or forehead, rather than the too red side of your nose, whitish scar on your chin, or the gray/brown melasma splotch. A lot of times the best place to work with for a great match is your neck because this skin almost never tans and is usually the same color as your face. In fact, the neck skin is a lot like facial skin in how it ages, so if you use a retinol or vitamin C product for wrinkles, for example, smooth some onto you neck as well. That being said, please don’t ever put foundation make up on your neck. Just, weird.
Once you’ve selected a foundation, the only way to know for sure if it is the perfect color match is to apply it to your whole face and view it in natural daylight. Wait at least two hours then head back outside with your big mirror for another look to evaluate how it wears over time (does it change color, become greasy or highlight flaky skin?). Keep trying foundations until you’ve found the right one.
Department stores and make up boutiques like Sephora and Ulta have testers everywhere. The make up is more expensive than the drug store but it’s worth it to get samples of foundations and get trained guidance. Most of these places have a good return policy if you can’t bring a sample home to try or because of their awful lighting you’ve chosen wrong. I believe that even Walgreens and RiteAid allow you to return cosmetics.
In addition to the perfect color match, a foundation formulation needs to be right for your skin type. Are you dry? Oily? Have scars and spots to cover? It’s a big bummer when an otherwise perfect foundation turns your face into a grease slick or ends up settling into and spotlighting lines. Ask me how I know. Ugh!
As you can image, there are many formulations to choose from.
Oil-free and matte liquids – these set to a matte finish with no shine or dewy appearance. These last a long time on oily skin like mine, and are also good for normal skin too. They aren’t suitable for dry or flaky skin. I love NARS Sheer Matte foundation.
Water-based standard liquids – This is regular old foundation and is good for normal to dry skin and is great to wear without a moisturizer. They do not work for oily skin types, even with a finishing powder. I have heard that the emollient in standard foundation give women with dry skin and women of color a nice glow preventing dark skin from appearing dull or ashen, I guess for the latter whether they’re oily or not. Hmm. Any comments ya’ll?
Loose and pressed-powder foundation- they look and act like a powder but have more coverage and stay on. They have a silky feel and blend on easily and provide light coverage and a smooth, fast application. They are good for all skin types except maybe dry-very dry skin. Be careful with very oily skin, as powders in general tend to thicken and glop up as oil reappears. I was and then wasn’t a fan of bare minerals powder foundation. The coverage and performance was really great but I could never get a good color match.
Cream-to-powder – in the compact cream to powders have a creamy appearance but when applied the creamy part disappears to a medium coverage, slightly matte, powdery finish. Cream to powder can apply thick and so isn’t great if you want a sheer natural finish; and as well is usually too creamy for oily skin and too powdery for dry skin.
Liquid-to-powder – like cream to powder these go on wet and dry to a smooth, sheer satiny, slightly matte finish with sheer to medium coverage, yet feel much lighter on the skin than cream-to-powder and tend to last longer on combination and oily skin. It is unsuitable for dry skin due the powdery finish and once applied set quickly, so don’t dawdle with blending.
Stick foundations – basically these are cream-to-powder foundation in a fat twist up stick. Sticks come in a wide range of sheer to full coverage and either creamy or matte texture.
Ok, you have the right color and best formula for your skin. Now, for application. I use clean fingers to dot on and smooth evenly over the areas that need coverage, like my forehead (thanks melasma), nose, and cheeks. If I’m doing a full face of make up for a night out or photos or whatever, I’ll use foundation around mouth and chin too. Avoid going too close to the hairline and ears. Occasionally I’ll use a stippling brush to smooth around after dotting on foundation. These are those weird looking brushes with black bushy bristles and much longer fine white hairs sticking out of a long handle: simply swirl and smooth on the dots of foundation. Natural sponges get a lot of good press although I’ve never been able to get it together with a sponge. I don’t love the little white sponge wedges for foundation application or blending because they tend to drag and grab too much product (probably a user error), but for that reason I like them for dabbing off excess foundation or concealer from lines, corners of the nose, eyebrows, etc.
Once smoothed on evenly, blend. Blend, blend, blend! Please don’t skip this step. Blend with a gentle buffing motion going out from the center of your face. Blend using your sponge or a make up buffing brush (I love and totally recommend the Botan Brush by Nars). Blend/buff before applying any touching up make up later in the day too.
Less is best when it comes to fine lines and foundation settling into them. Be meticulous about blending and remove any excess product from the areas you have lines (usually the eyes, forehead, marionette lines around nose and mouth) with a damp make up sponge. Allow the very little bit of moisturizer used here to fully set in before applying foundation or concealer. And be sure your foundation and concealer are not too heavy or emollient (greasy).
A lot of foundations contain sunscreen, however I don’t recommend relying exclusively on sunscreens in foundation to protect you from the sun and it’s damaging, and very aging effects. Be sure to read the ingredients to avoid chemical sunscreens or ingredients that you have sensitivities to. To ensure complete protection, use a separate sunscreen product before applying foundation. I’ll take the opportunity here to stress again that you must be vigilant about sun protection on your face, neck and décolleté (fancy for chest).
I’d love to know what you use and do and love about your make up rituals. Tell me about techniques I may not know about. If you use an adored and favorite product, I want to know! Let’s hear about it in the comments. Thanks!
Monday, June 7th, 2010
I got rear-ended on the way to yoga tonight. Perhaps the very act of driving to yoga gets me all Zen because I wasn’t that perturbed by it—the damage, the long phone calls with insurance companies, having to reassure the freaked out 21-year-old who hit me that it was all fine, she and I were okay and that’s all that matters… I think the only perturbing factor was being late to yoga, really. (Yes, I still went.) But, as I sat down to write this–fender bender headache being kept at bay momentarily by OTC meds–no other topic could come to me as I settled in other than perspective and how it may have shaped my reaction to something I might have otherwise flipped out about at another point in my life.
Just makes you want to strike a tree pose and meditate, doesn't it?
In addition to my blood pressure not changing one iota during my little accident, I’ve been trying new stuff lately and renewing my enthusiasm for past interests. It’s timely since we’ve been throwing around the notion of defining the word and concept of “athlete” here at MP4 lately. As far as I can tell, I’m not trying to earn that title by my actions. Rather, I’m mostly doing things because I can. Pretty simple. You see, I have a lifelong habit of letting the DUMBEST things keep me from trying stuff, such as thinking I’m “too fat”, “not talented enough”, or whatever. You know the drill. Fill in the dysfunctional thought of your choosing. In the last 39-1/2 years I’ve had most of them, I’m sure.
Why the change? I’m sure turning 40 this year has to have something to do with it. After a while you figure out that you aren’t going to suddenly transform into a gifted athlete supermodel genius if you have not been one previously. At the very least, you realize that self-limiting thinking sucks and causes you to miss out on life. But it’s also because, as time goes by, you have experiences that make you realize you ought to try something out if you want to “because you can”. (Disclaimer: Can we all be grown ups and assume what I’m talking about is new places, new outfits, new hobbies, new hairdos, new sports, new ways of doing things? Not dangerous, harmful, immoral, unethical, cruel, and/or illegal things. Good, thanks.)
Something happens as certain birthdays close in when you realize that your age is not “old” like you thought it was when your parents were turning those numbers. Mind you, I need more time to recover and I hurt a LOT more when I do things. One of my physical tendencies is arthritis. It’s annoying, but I feel better when I’m moving. (Seanna always mentions that Kas and I are in perpetual motion. Little does she know that once I’m warmed up it’s the only time I don’t hurt. 
I’ll let her continue to be impressed, though.) And when my husband (physical therapist) comes home with a heart-breaking story of a patient’s disability, or I think of a patient of my own who is experiencing a loss of function, I lose any thoughts of skipping cardio. Why? Because I can do it. He and I will park in the back of parking lots and look at each other and say: “Because we can”. Like it’s some sort of protective pact that will karmic-ly keep us from ever being gimped up.
On that note, part of my “because I can” comes from the fact that some people I know “can’t”. I have a dear friend really duking it out with an advanced stage of cancer. She is the embodiment of bravery and peace, routinely undergoing painful and nauseating treatments in the hope that she’ll get more time with her husband and 1-year-old daughter, yet still being able to pull off some of the best conversations about spirituality and other deep topics. I leave those conversations utterly transformed, eagerly awaiting the next one because I grow another level with each one, I swear it. This friend was one of my training regulars. Not only could she hold her own, she did it looking fabulous, even throughout her pregnancy. I train partly because I can, and she can’t right now.
I’m not sure how to tie this all up. I’m not usually the one on the MP4 doing a “pondering” sort of post. But my own transforming perspective is not random. It’s not coincidental that our collective MP4 Team consciousness lately, as we define ourselves and our offerings, surrounds the concept that we train for per4mance AND for beauty because we (“we”=all of us) can. We shun little pink dumbbells while pumping big ones with pink manicures because we can. We pull off a grunt-fart-spit workout, shake off the sweat, and slug down our PWO while heading out for a facial because we can. We choose not to make per4ming well and aging gracefully mutually exclusive concepts.
And that opens up a LOT of “cans”. 
I’d like to dedicate today’s post to my late cousin, Lara Spencer Bunce . A star student-athlete, she could have been the poster-person for MP4: rock star at her sports, mentally determined, gorgeous inside and out. Her too-short-but-packed-tight life inspires me to keep pluggin’ and chuggin’ with a can-do attitude… because I can.
Awesome on the field...
...and off.
“Life is too short to be anything but happy.”
~Lara S. Bunce
10/27/90-6/12/08
Thursday, May 20th, 2010
When I was younger I would sit at the kitchen table with my mother and my closest older sister and we would watch Wimbeldon from beginning to end. We followed all the players and many of those names were household names to me growing up: Everet, McInroe, Connors, Borg and so on. I knew them all and loved them all. And I remember my mother saying something to the effect of, ‘You could play here if you wanted to’ alluding to the fact that if I tried harder I could be as good as them. And it was then that I remember thinking, “No thanks, I like being a girl.”
Now, don’t get me wrong here. I was a tomboy growing up. I wasn’t adverse to getting dirty. I was a track girl through and through and I was a rough houser. I would climb trees just because, jump off things because they were there and run to everything that I was going to (which is different than being a runner). The best way to describe me is if I was growing up now, I would be part of Parkour. In fact, it annoys me now that they have a name for it when I called it ‘getting to school.’ Whatever.
But women in sports to me had no appeal. Aside from the fact that I am an athlete, I am also a girly girl. I love make up and anything that glitters (not to be confused with Seanna who just downright loves glitter;); I enjoy a great workout session of sweat and calluses capped off with a pedicure and a massage. In other words, as much as I want to be athletic, I must be a woman as well and when I was younger, they did not seem to go together to me. My role models at the time were Billy Jean King and Martina Navratilova who, as awesome as they were as players, were not winning the hottest women of tennis awards any time soon. Who was cute and played against them was Chris Everet and she was depicted as this waif who would never be able to beat Martina’s power and prowess so she should just give it up. Basically we were forced to choose between looking like a man to be good at our sport or being feminine and being considered less of a force.
Man she had skills!
Essentially the message to me was, if you wanted to be considered as an athlete you needed to look like a man. If not, you were just a cute chic who had a nice racquet (pun totally intended). Umm, yeah…no thanks.
Hubba hubba!
Clearly times have changed when you think of athletes like Anna Kournikova, Amanda Beard and Christine Aaron who have made names for themselves and their sports for being athletes and being hot at the same time. They have made it ok to be cute and talented and we at MP4 want to know, “Why is that so bad?” From modeling to being in commercials, these women have made a stance saying, “Hey, I am hot AND good at my sport!” Now how you like them apples?
—Where the Vain Go To Train
This is a huge mantra here at MP4. Not only are we here for you as an athlete, we are also here for you as woman. We provide different insights into your training, try to keep it lively with our own struggles as athletes, prove to you that you are an athlete whether you believe it or not and then tap into your girly side at the end by sending you off with a recommendation for the “best” mascara (right Joanna?).
Yes!…you are a woman. Yes!…you need to be tough to keep up with the guys. But no!…you do not have to forsake your birthright to do so. Recently there was a photo that was released of a high school pole vaulter that nearly rocked the nation. 
Why? Because she was GORGEOUS and yet, still an athlete. She made it cool to be stunning. We want to clink our foundation bottles with hers and say, “Congratulations, girl. You just pushed us girly-girls ahead 10 years in terms of acceptance and we love you for it.”
Even as a company we will struggle as the years pass to get the same recognition as our male counterparts. Because we are not VO2-maxing you to death, speaking for hours on end on lactic threshold (because we love to hear ourselves speak;) and comparing performance studies side by side for the latest trends in agility training, we are not taken anywhere near as seriously as we would be if we were male dominated. Honestly, we could do better in terms of letting you know what we know and that is on the way in the form of podcasts, webinars and articles but would it bother you to know that we recorded and wrote them all while wearing high heels and false eyelashes?
“To believe in something not yet proved and to underwrite it with our lives: it is the only way we can leave the future open.” Lillian Smith
I want to make it clear that we are not complaining here. We love a good challenge. Somehow we need to stay true to ourselves and be girly girl while we convince you that the best trainers out there only know a smidgen more than we do (hi, I’d like a diet coke with my piece of humble pie. Thanks.). We get it and we’re up for the challenge. Since outward appearance is as important to us as inward drive and determination, you will soon find out how we nurture and enhance it through nutrition as we tell you exactly what ‘performance nutrition’ means to us. And as we roll out our new assessment tool that will help you to be better at your sport by assessing your imbalances, we will also highlight how it will help you to stand taller and appear slimmer just by fixing you. Lastly, we must provide you with some hearty theory, good old training facts/tips and rock solid examples of our work so that you can see that being girly is not like it used to be and you can still be the athlete you have always wanted to be while celebrating the girl in you. Here’s to a good make up application! Woop woop!
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
By Seanna K. Metzger
Since you’re reading this post, I’m going to take a leap here and assume a few things. One, you’re into having a fit mind and body. Two, most likely you’re a woman, and so think about your appearance often. And three, you understand that health and fitness, along with tending to a few additional details will bring out the best in your appearance.
All of the above assumptions apply to me, but especially assumption #2. I think about my appearance a lot. I want to feel good about the way I look as much and as often as possible. Of course, this doesn’t fly right out of bed, after yoga (Amy, I moved up from beginners to power and was able to hang in there! Yay!), while training or when I’m sick, and of course on those days when there just isn’t any time and I have to get over myself. I’m human after all and real life sometimes trumps being well put together.
Feeling good about your appearance means different things to different people, but this is the formula that has worked for me: vibrant health that shows itself on the outside, confidence born from taking control of my physique and health, combined with finding my own personal style. Maybe it can work for you too. Check it out …
Health:
Humor me please and allow me to spout yet another statement to the beautifying effects of robust health. A healthy, fit body is how you live up to your appearance potential. Not the perfect body, but your best body. Is there anything worse than being uncomfortable in your own skin? Hating your flabbed out arms or lumpy butt? Hiding even the good parts of your physique behind frumpy clothing because you aren’t confident? It’s demoralizing, defeating and miserable. Ask me how I know. Blessedly, it doesn’t have to be like this. Putting forth the daily effort to eat well and train hard feels incredible because you’re putting a priority on yourself and your emotional needs. Due diligence not only makes you better at your sport, improves your physique, health and looks, but wow!, what a feeling of accomplishment. Seriously, for my fellow not-quite-sure-if-I-actually-qualify-as-an-athlete ladies, this is huge! Don’t let your health, physique and sanity get lost in the shuffle of a career, boyfriend, marriage, children, parents, and every other demand of life. It’s the little things that add up to mean a lot more than you could have ever guessed.
Confidence:
So you’re in the trenches, sweating it out in the gym, spending a lot of time in the kitchen, schlepping food everywhere you go, and peeing constantly. Basically, you’re getting all those little things done. This is awesome because you’re totally feeling it too. It’s massively empowering to feel good about what you can do with your body, to find out how strong your body and mind you really are. It’s more than ok to feel good about yourself for working hard towards a hot body, the right weight, and improved performance, and getting good health to boot. Accomplishing control of my physique gave me confidence in an area of my life that I had none. Or what I did have was slipping away because I wasn’t in control of what was happening to my body (age, babies, poor eating, life)! Ok, I knew that I’m a good person, a devoted mother, wife and friend, but somehow the confidence-pieces didn’t fall into place for me until I did something really important – for me. Empowered doesn’t do justice to what I felt since gaining control of my physique. In its own way, doing this for myself was life changing. The power of confidence is that great. Confidence in your body, whether it’s in the way it looks or what it can do for you out on the field (track, arena, rink, court, stage, studio, etc.) carries over into every other part of your life. And even better than that, when you feel good about yourself, other people feel good about you too, and that let’s them relax and feel good about themselves. So much positive comes from the effort to make yourself the best you can be.
You won’t be your most beautiful, you won’t be your best, and you certainly won’t feel your most confidant until you are diligently taking care of yourself. Period. Train hard, sweat every day, challenge yourself, eat well, eat often, eat colorful, eat good fats, protect your precious skin from the sun (but not so much as to inhibit vitamin D production – that’s for you Heather), drink pure clean water, sleep restfully and often, love with your heart wide open, and be at peace. You’ve more than earned it at this point. (Do I sound like a LuLu Lemon bag or what?)
Style:
The personal style part has been an evolution, developed along side all that new baby confidence. While thinking about your style, it kind of comes down to knowing who you are, what’s important to you and what you love. For me, at almost 42, I don’t want to look old but not too young either. I’ve worked very hard for my best physique and have the confidence and desire to show it off a little, but I’m a lady first and all showing off must be tasteful and stylish. I work at home so no dress codes to consider, but I have a husband whose approval I need and children that I don’t want to embarrass. I want to make a positive impression and for people to be comfortable when they’re around me. I simply want to look like me, the best me, and feel fabulous all at the same time.
So where does that leave me? Well, I tried lots of stuff out, made a few mistakes, but I feel like I’ve developed a comfortable style that’s all me.
I love heels, so weather permitting, I’m almost always tottering around in 3” or higher. Silly and impractical, yes, but who cares! I have a stupid amount of gorgeous shoes so I wear them whenever I can. Even while running errands, I throw on a platform wedge because they’re sky high and comfortable. Really, give them a go. It’s the only high-heeled shoe that doesn’t sink into grass. Try them at the next barbeque and let me know.
I love make up and I’ve played around with it enough to know what works for me (and what doesn’t) and make time each day to put it on. I cherish these 10 or so minutes – doing my make up is like meditation for me. We’re re-doing the master bathroom, and yeah, I’ll be making sure a to-die-for vanity is a part of it.
I also love big shiny hair. My real hair is almost all white; in another ten years the brunette me will be with us no more. I can’t imagine that I’ll be recognizable with white hair. (My daughter says to go fuchsia! I just might.) I get it colored every three freaking weeks to its former natural shade of dark brown. I do love it though. It’s worth every penny and every minute every three freaking weeks to get it done. It being a part of me, you guessed it, I do something with my hair every day, usually loose and curly, but for sure, it’s big. Not Snookie big because that’s not at all me, but biggish. I don’t love hairspray any more and there’s only so much you can do volume-wise with out it.
As for clothing, I like it pretty basic. I favor solid color tops and t-s and good jeans. However, I’m not afraid to wear a fitted white blouse with jeans that make my butt look great with one of those high heel sandals to show must-have pedicured toes, or the va-va-voom red dress with the deep cut out back and gravity defying platform mary-janes. (Don’t worry because I totally get that a look like this calls for seriously subdued hair, make up and jewelry. Sexy, check. Ladylike sophistication, double check.) Why hide anymore? Event, companions, age, and modesty appropriate are a must. I’m just saying that when it feels good and it’s right for me, I rock it with my head held high. And can I add that I don’t live in Manhattan or LA so I get a few sideways looks at the grocery store. But that’s ok. I’m confident in who I am and what I’ve accomplished. Oh, and the ultimate test I passed with flying colors, my husband approves and my kids aren’t embarrassed in the least. In fact, my 13-year-old daughter is my biggest fan, supporter and shopping buddy. She’s got a cool style that’s all her own too. Love that.
What got me here has been a true labor of love. I’m more comfortable with myself, who and what I am than I’ve ever been, and I’m having fun with it. Life is much too short to not feel amazing about yourself every day. Put your beauty out there and make the world a more beautiful place.
What about you? What do you love, what look or thing do you secretly want to try out? Step out of any self-imposed boundaries. Be confident in yourself and your accomplishments. Own the beauty you’ve earned. If there’s anything you want to do, anything you want to try, I say do it! It may just work for you and even make you feel good too. I hope it does. Oh, and have fun!
