Let’s Makeup

When’s a good time to try new makeup? A) When the dermatologist tells you the ridiculously itchy, scarring rash on your elbows, knees, shoulders and shins is dermatitis herpetiformis, an autoimmune disease linked to celiac disease; B) when the gastroenterologist tells you the DH diagnosis is spot on because the biopsies of your small intestine plus the blood tests all say celiac disease; C) it’s the holidays; or D) you’re getting married.

I go with E) all of the above.

When dermatologist said I had DH, I had no idea how radically my life would change. When the GI doc handed me the celiac disease diagnosis–wait, he didn’t hand it to me or even tell me face to face. I got the happy news in a form letter sent by snail mail: “the results are consistent of a celiac disease diagnosis. Start the gluten free diet,” was all it said.

Given no guidance by the doctor, I dug up everything I could about the two diseases on the Internet. I ordered books from Amazon. I subscribed to magazines like Living Without, the Gluten Free Living, and Simply Gluten Free.

I learned that I had to change not only my diet, but also every pot, pan, utensil, and dish with which I cooked and ate.

After a month of constantly being glutened and having no idea how it happened, I realized I had to change all my health and beauty aids, too. Some posts and pamphlets I read said not to worry about your soap, shampoo, body lotion, facial moisturizers and even makeup, except for lipstick, because you don’t ingest them. Others said absolutely be fanatical about them because, honestly, how many times a day do you touch some part of your skin or hair without even thinking about it and how many times do those same fingers put something into or touch your mouth?

Plus, how do you keep the rinse water away from your mouth when you cleanse your face or wash your hair? I can’t.

If there’s a chance that even tiny bits of something could end up inside me, it has to be gluten free. End of GF soapboxing.

I was excited about getting new makeup for my wedding. My tried and true Juice Beauty staples were great for everyday, but I wanted waterproof makeup because I knew I was going to cry during the ceremony (I was right). The Juice Beauty Lash Defining Mascara I regularly use is nice, but it runs as soon as I even think about tearing up. Same for the Afterglow Organic Infused Eye Liner, which no longer is available in the green shade, Planet, anyway. With less than three months to plan and execute the wedding, I had little time to spare.

Juice Beauty had been sending me lots of emails saying their new line of makeup developed in collaboration with Gwyneth Paltrow, Creative Director for Makeup, would be available Fall 2015. As we fell further into fall, however, no new products. By early December, I had to look for alternatives. (Note: Juice Beauty’s new makeup line didn’t debut until January).

I re-discovered a longtime player in organic makeup, Gabriel Cosm Makeup all etics, and its Zuzu Luxe line, which you can buy online or at Sprouts and Whole Foods. Products are certified cruelty-free, gluten free, vegan, and NPA natural. No waterproof mascara or eye liner, alas, so I also tried Tarte Cosmetics, which does make waterproof eye makeup that’s gluten free, cruelty free, vegan, and all natural.

I now am a fan of Tarte and Zuzu Luxe/Gabriel and their products, which I use alongside Juice Beauty. I get nothing from them for reviewing their products and I paid for everything I bought. They don’t know who I am, other than some online customer.

Here’s what I used on my wedding day (and days before and after. I really love these products!)

I always start the day with Juice Beauty’s CC Cream in Natural Glow. It’s like a light moisturizer that feeds my face and kisses it with a little color.

I then used Zuzu Luxe’s Color Correcting Primer for Anti-Redness. Its yellow hue is startling but it works! I have dark bluish circles under my eyes and redness from being an allergic person with pale skin (or so that’s what the allergist and dermatologist told me). I also have returning actinic keratosis (sun damage) on my nose. This primer neutralizes them without settling into the laugh lines around my eyes. It’s amazing. A little goes a looooong way so be careful.

Over my primed skin, I dusted Zuzu Luxe’s Dual Powder Foundation, which I especially love because it offers people like me with fair complexions options based on skin undertones. So many times the fair or ivory shades are too pale or too sallow for me and the next level up with pinker undertone is too dark. Zuzu Luxe’s Pale Ivory Skin with Pink Undertones doesn’t make me look like a wax museum escapee, but, rather, gives me a healthy, even glow that doesn’t rub off.

My makeup artist, my honorary niece Emily (I’ve known her since she was a toddler), then took over to perfect my eyes while my biological niece, Kaley, gave me an awesome hair style. These lovely ladies are fantastic people with big hearts and good eyes for what looks good. I felt very special being in their care, as the pic above shows.

We used Zuzu Luxe’s four-shade eye shadow palette Plume, which no longer is available (boo); I think it was a holiday special. The shadows are lovely and long lasting. The single shades eye shadow also are nice.

We lined the upper and lower lids in Tarte’s skinny SmolderEYES Amazonian Clay Waterproof Eyeliner in Jade, which perfectly matches my green eyes. This liner stays where it’s put but can be smudged with the soft sponge on the other end of the pencil for a smoky eye effect or for blending. It washes off with soap and water and some rubbing. I love it! The only downside is after you wear down the initial tip, you have to sharpen it a lot to keep a point because the liner is very soft. I’ve scraped my eyelid more than once because I didn’t sharpen the pencil part down enough to leave the tip exposed all around.

Tarte’s black Lights, Camera, Splashes waterproof mascara nicely coats the lashes and stands up to tears and sweat. Over two coats of it we added a coat of Zuzu Luxe’s Mascara in Midnight Violet to make my green eyes pop. Looking at the wedding pix, I think I should have added a few more coats of mascara to really plump up the lashes. Live and learn.

A skirmish broke out over the blush, with the honorary mother of the bride wanting to smudge my cheeks with her department store stick blush and my niece preferring the Juice Beauty Glowing Cheek Color powder mineral blush in Fig. I rooted for Fig and Fig won.

I gave my lips a nice coat of Juice Beauty’s Reflecting Gloss, which is my favorite lip product, in Fig. The classic gloss has a nice sheen and isn’t thick or goopy. It tastes pretty good, too, like a sugar cookie. The best deal is to get the set of four gloss colors for $28 because 1 gloss is $15. They don’t always have the set of four, though.