I've been re-mixing beauty products since college and after lots of experimentation I have a few product re-mixes that I swear by. A few of drops of Benefit Moonbeam highlighter (left) mixed into a quarter-sized dollop of Clinique SuperDefense SPF 25 Moisturizer creates a foundation-free glow like nothing else. Equal parts Sebastian Potion 9 hair treatment (below right) and Sebastian Laminiates Gel makes for a super-straight blowout with glassy shine. I can't live without my customized beauty products. Do other women also have a few top secret beauty product re-mixes up thier sleeve? I hit up the Stiletto Jungle Girl Talk panel-- real world women with beauty secrets to spare-- for their favorite beauty product re-mixes.
"I am not sure that I re-mix any beauty products," says Tina, a 34-year-old San Diego attorney. "I guess the closest thing I can think of is using Cherry Blossom body wash and body lotion from Bath and Body Works and then adding Clinique Happy perfume. I get a lot of compliments from that combination. I also use Bath and Body Works Moonlight Path body wash and body cream and then layer with the Gap Dream perfume."
Sebastian Potion 9
Available at: CosmeticMall.com
"I think the closest I'm going to be able to come here, and it's not very close, is my Hard Candy lip pencil which is doubly sad because Hard Candy doesn't make lip pencils anymore," offers Hannah, a 31-year-old executive assistant and freelance writer. "It's a VERY dark mauve-- I'm sure any brand will work, but I think Hard Candy has the best colors. I carry this and about 5-6 different glosses. Since it's a pencil, you can really control the amount of color you put on. Full fill plus clear lip gloss and I'm ready for a night at the club. Very lightly line and shade plus a light pink lip gloss and I'm good for a date. Line and lightly shade plus a neutral gloss like a nude or 'latte' color and voila! Appropriate for the theater or happy hour with co-workers. It's hard to believe one color can be so versitile, but it works."
You're in luck, Hannah. Hard Candy did transition from lip pencils to a no-sharpener-needed lip liner. They kept the same colors, but that product has now been discontinued. You can find the discontinued dark mauve Hard Candy lip liner-- the shade's called TTYL-- on the Hard Candy website on sale for only $7.00 a pop while supplies last. I'd stock up, because it sounds like you have yourself a winner!
"I love to mix and match most of my beauty products," says Kim, a 23-year-old recent college graduate from La Jolla, California. "It is such a great way to personalize and adjust fragrances and make-up."
We're so on the same page, Kim! Tell me, what are your favorite beauty product re-mixes?
"The one thing I always mix and match is my fragrance," Kim offers. "I put on both Chanel Coco Mademoiselle (left) and Hanae Mori. The combination of the two scents leaves a beautiful smell. It lasts a long time and differentiates me from others! I also love to use bright red lipstick-- any brand-- with MAC Lip Glass. MAC Lip Glass looks great with any lipstick color or brand. The Glass stands out and makes anyone's lips look like Angelina Jolie's. Although the Glass is sticky, it's still worth it for the sexiness it creates. My ultimate favorite [re-mix], as I have mentioned before, is combining two different mascaras to get a vamp look. I put on L'oreal Voluminous Mascara and then layer it with Fresh Supernova Mascara-- now that's a vixen from every angle!"
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