Episode 57 - Product Junkies June Edition With Celebrity Makeup Artist, Lauren Miller (Full Transcript)
This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 57 - Product Junkies June Edition With Celebrity Makeup Artist, Lauren Miller
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Amy: 0:06
Welcome to Nirvana sisters podcast where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman. And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation Welcome back to the show Nirvana sisters family. It's Amy and I'm so excited for today's June product junkies episode. We have special guests celebrity makeup artists, Lauren Miller. And for those that don't know her, she did episode 14 with us called inner confidence and outward glow. So definitely check that out when you get a chance. But she is back to give us all of her product records for the summer. Super excited to hear what you have. Lauren, welcome back to the show.
Lauren: 0:52
Thank you, Amy. I'm so happy to be here. As everyone has noticed, the weather is kind of changing. And I feel like it's time to reevaluate, you know, my kit and my makeup and my my client's makeup. So I just obviously always have I have new pics and fun products but I definitely was like focused on skin this time around. I mean, I really feel like lightening up the makeup. You know, just allowing the skin to breathe when it's warm out and humid is the way to go.
Amy: 1:25
So give us your first record Lauren.
Lauren: 1:28
Okay, so my first recommendation is this is what it looks like. It's called hydropeptide solar defense tinted sunscreen. I love the texture of this. It's a it's a completely physical hair job to hold it up. It's a completely physical sunscreen, so there's no chemicals in it. But I absolutely love it. It color adjusts. So it's a neutral like white. It's you know, it comes on the skin, I'll show you it's on the skin. It's like a I have for those who aren't watching, just are listening. It's like a white. It's a white satin screen. But as you blend it into the skin and as it warms up it kind of salt. It adjusts to the color of your skin and it's so interesting. What I love about it is not just that it gives a great glow. But you know, if you look at the ingredients, I mean there's just there's us ie green tea, aloe, hyaluronic acid, so if we're in the sun, it's just a really soothing, and like nourishing sunscreen. It smells amazing. And it just gives it just gives the prettiest glow. I love it but it doesn't feel oily.
Amy: 2:40
So is it really is it a sunscreen? Or is it a moisturizer? Like was it a moisturizer with SPF or justice? Nice
Lauren: 2:47
riser.
Amy: 2:48
Okay, that's what I did a new one.
Lauren: 2:50
Yeah, it's great. I like I like the fact that this you know, can go on every skin tone. And I also like that you can reapply and it doesn't feel heavy and it hasn't broken me out. So that's a huge, that's a huge thing. So I love this, this is my first pick the brand and this I should tell you this came from a facialist a local facialist but I believe it's hydropeptide.com
Amy: 3:16
you can get it there. Okay, so you can buy it online. Awesome. And how much is that?
Lauren: 3:21
I believe it's like 49 Okay,
Amy: 3:24
great. And let me ask you a question just about how you apply that do you just put on all your skincare first and then apply that last and then put your makeup on from there?
Lauren: 3:34
So it depends on what you're doing. If it's an active day, you can do a serum and then just use this as your as your moisturizer a lot of people are going to find they streamline their makeup routine come summer so this would be a perfect it really does it gives a lot of hydration so sometimes I just put a serum on and then I this is like my moisturizer slash primer. I can add makeup on top if I want. You don't you don't have
Amy: 3:57
to. Okay, that's good to know because it Yes, I feel like I've been experimenting lately with like different serums instead of moisturizer in the summer because it's getting warmer. Okay. So as we're talking about the sun, I found a really good I'm always on the hunt for good self tanner. Because I am like the palest person ever. So I randomly found the self tanner. It's called be tan like be dot tan. And there's all these different versions like depending on how dark you want to be, but this one's called which I think is hilarious. pasty to Tasty. Okay. And it says it's juiced up with niacin amide and peptides. So, and this one is like two out of five on the dark scale. It says mega hydrating tanning treatment for more strides smoother skin and darker tan results. So I think I found it on Amazon just like randomly searching. It's really good I normally don't like it's a moose formula. So when you spray it you know you spray it on the tin glove and put it on. It's a moose formula super easy to put on takes like two seconds and it doesn't dry out my skin it's not streaky. It's really good color. I'm wearing it out and if you can see it my arms but it's yeah your
Lauren: 5:10
color your color. I was gonna say you look you have a good glow.
Amy: 5:14
Yeah, and it's an it's from this. It's so easy. I haven't streaked. It doesn't smell because I'm super sensitive to smell, it doesn't smell and it hasn't transferred to any clothes and it dries super quickly. So it's kind of like an amazing product. And it's also vegan and cruelty free. So they have all different ones like I saw online, they have one called Dark AF. So all the names are just super funny. And I love a brand with a good personality. So anyway, this one btn PC to tasty. I found it on Amazon at $17. I'm already like going through this bottle so quickly. But it's a really good one to order whenever I haven't used it on my face because I don't know I'm a little bit weird about that. But I have been using it on my arms and legs and you really have to apply like once or twice a week depending on how tan you want to be. But it's it's great. I really love it.
Lauren: 6:00
I will give you a tip on face. self tanner for the face. As long as you I would skip any kind of vitamin C or any serum any any treatment. You if you want to apply self tanner to the face. You You can either mix it with your regular moisturizer, or just apply a really good coat like exfoliate your skin. Apply a really good coat of moisturizer and then put your tanning product on.
Amy: 6:23
So you would just use like a mousse like this, but just put a little bit on over and
Lauren: 6:28
like if you didn't want to have to buy another product then you could do Yeah, they're my personal favorite for face self tanning is little drops. You can drop it in. Yeah, I have that. Those are great.
Amy: 6:39
What brand do you have?
Lauren: 6:42
Hmm, that's a good question. I have to look in my medicine. Yeah,
Amy: 6:45
I have. There's two that I've tried. There's one called isle of paradise, which I've been using for years that are dropped that I like and then there's another one called I think it's tan locks. They're both really good. Like that's what I Yeah, yeah, it's really good. So I it's funny because I use that a lot during the winter because it's more of like that buildable situation which is good for your face. So it's not so drastic. So I like kind of use that in the winter for my arms and legs and whatever and just like gradually get a tan but this one's like as soon as you put it on your tan, which is good for the summer. Okay, what's next Lauren, what else you got for us?
Lauren: 7:22
Okay, so my next product is such a good multi use product. I I discovered this actually like a month ago. It's called it's by Westman, ads Lea, and Gucci Westman. If anyone you know, has heard of her. She's a famous makeup artist. She's I've actually never met her. But I absolutely have been following her for years and love her technique. And this is a I'll tell you the official name of it. It is called lit up highlight stick. Hmm. And it has a cute little magnetic top it is the most beautiful highlighter. It has a really Dewey quality to it. So I I mean, let's face it, we're all getting a little bit older and a dry you know, I used to use a powder highlighter that was like my go to same particularly, particularly in the summer, when either you're going to be in the heat or you're going to want to touch up a creamy product is always so easy and I think preferable to use. So this is the most gorgeous if you can apply to the cheekbones, the bridge of the nose, the cupid's bow on the chin, but it's just it's really sheer, it doesn't have a ton of glimmer to it. It's just enough so it's like that golden sunkissed look, and I absolutely love the texture. So it's a stick man.
Amy: 8:51
It's like a cream,
Lauren: 8:52
it's a stick. Okay,
Amy: 8:54
and when you let me ask you a question, how do you apply that because I have a few highlighters that are sticks, but I probably do it wrong and I find them like tacky because I put them right to my face. So how what's like the best way to apply it?
Lauren: 9:06
Yes. Okay, so you certainly you could apply it to the face but it will give you that very thick feeling what I like to do is I just sweep the stick across like my three fingers or two fingers and then I just kind of tap it into the skin and just keep moving my my fingers around and just keep tapping and sort of melting it into the skin. When you apply product and you take it out of its it stick it helps to break it down and break down some of the oils and get get it a little bit more shear. So I always like to take and that goes for concealers as well. Stick concealers I sometimes cry I see if I'm doing a makeup lesson I see someone say this is how I do my concealer and they take it and it's like right under there. Yeah, yeah. While that can certainly give you a very good color pay off, you need to be really hydrated and really blend it out. So in terms of highlighters, yeah, it's best to use it apply with the fingertips, you can kind of move it around and just remember creamy products are forgiving you know you can blend them into the skin a little bit they're a little bit more forgiving in terms of texture but if you go straight to the face you're gonna get a lot of pay off too much I
Amy: 10:22
want to try that it looks so pretty what and where can you get it? Is it
Lauren: 10:26
this where do they sell this? You can order Well, I got I picked this up when I was in New York, but you can certainly I believe you can get it at Sephora, or multiple. Oh, this color is actually called nectar. There's a few connectors when it's factor. Yeah. I should find out.
Amy: 10:49
Yeah, no worries. I just didn't know if it was like if they sold it at Sephora or if it's just direct through the website.
Lauren: 10:56
I believe you can do direct or I think Bergdorf Goodman like any of the department stores. This is definitely a splurge product but I think it's really worth it and these sticks last a really long
Amy: 11:08
I was just gonna say that looks like it's a good amount like that could last like years. It looks like it's really sick.
Lauren: 11:14
Her products are clean. They don't have a ton of they have don't have parabens, they are cruelty free. It's important that it be clean. I know it's something that I I never thought about before but I started
Amy: 11:27
started. Yeah, that's great. So speaking of highlighter, my next reco is this Fenty beauty highlighter. This is a powder highlighter, it's called the kilowatt freestyle highlighter. I don't know if you know this one, Lauren, this particular color is lightning dust and fire crystal. It's like a combo here. Let me just show you I'm sure you've seen it, but so pretty. So I just started using this and I agree I kind of like a cream highlighter, but I always to the point I was just making like I don't always apply it right. And so I've tried liquid too. And I like that I have all different kinds of highlighter depends on like the mood and the vibe. But this one, I probably use to your point like more at night, not necessarily during the day with the powder. But this one I actually use more for my eyes. So I'll do it like at the top of my eyes, like right underneath my eyebrows and I'll do it in the inner corners. And I find that it just brightens the eye a little bit so I don't I sometimes use it as a traditional highlighter but not as much because I feel like it's not that maybe it's like a little bit noticeable, but I think it's really noticeable when you do it around your eyes. So it's just such a pretty highlighter neutral colors. And again, Fenty beauty, Sephora, and this one is $38 It's such a good one and lasts a really long time.
Lauren: 12:42
Yeah, that's a great product.
Amy: 12:44
What's next?
Lauren: 12:45
Okay, so we'll go on this is something that I have been struggling with. And I don't know if you get dry eyes or you know, have a problem with like makeup residue, I discovered and I know we've spoken about Kodaly as a really great skincare line. I found their toner, their new rose water toner, it's actually safe for face and eyes. And so once I do, I actually double cleanse and then I use that toner, and particularly in the summer because I actually use an SPF eye cream. And I use a lot of SPF just everywhere and I feel like nothing ever fully comes off. And so I use that toner I have been a huge fan of that toner because I can put it on my eyes and lips as well. And do
Amy: 13:31
you put it on like after you clean your face at night or use in the morning to
Lauren: 13:36
know at night. I like it at night I use it with a cotton. It I just it really cleans the skin and pulls off every trace of makeup. So that's something I've been super excited about using because and also I've noticed that like because of allergies, my eyes have been really dry and it's really soothing. And it's hard to get that area right around the eye that's dry it's hard to like moisturize it but that's something that it just gives like a little bit of moisture but but it's safe around the eye area. So that's a really good product.
Amy: 14:08
And do you see you double cleanse and then you just spray that all over and like you can keep your eyes open and
Lauren: 14:13
well it's actually it's like a regular toner liquid so you would put it on a cotton and just close your eyes and use it everywhere.
Amy: 14:20
Oh, okay, I'm thinking it's one of those sprays.
Lauren: 14:23
Yeah, yeah, it's okay but it's it's very rare to find something that's safe for the eye area.
Amy: 14:29
Yeah.
Lauren: 14:30
Okay, that's it that's that's a great one.
Amy: 14:33
And say the name again it's called a rose toner.
Lauren: 14:37
It is a the moisturizing toner. Moisturizing water.
Amy: 14:41
Okay, love that good to know. Yes. My I've been noticing that too that my eyes and like the inner corners of my eyes like everything's so dry from this weather. I mean, I have drives too. But yeah, this time of year. I feel like I'm so dry. Okay, so if we're still talking about eyes, then I will talk about I guess I'll kind of do a two and I'll do I'll do a three in one because they all kind of go together. So I've been for those that follow us on Instagram like testing out many concealers because I'm always on the hunt Lauren knows for like a good concealer. So I've tried a bazillion and then I'm realizing that now because I watched so much of like beauty talk and all this stuff that like a lot of people do different concealers depending on where they're going or what they're doing or like whatever So anyway, this is one that I posted recently about which was like blowing up I think it was on Tik Tok the Milani super supercharged brightening under eye tint and this one's in peach. And it's $10 I think you can get it at Ulta or wherever. And honestly this is great. It's almost like it's a concealer but talking about moisturizing the eyes it's very very moisturizing so it's almost like skincare, that's a concealer but what it does since it's peach, it kind of takes out like the darkness and any red or dark you have under your eyes. So like I used it today. I mean it just sort of like evens everything out and then like if I was going out maybe I'd put like a brighter concealer with it. But it's just a really nice under I 10 I mean it's $10 and like the bottle is nice and big and it lasts a long time. But it just feels really good. So it's almost this like, I feel like I mean they call it an under eye tint they don't really call it a concealer because I feel like it's like a skin slash concealer situation. So I love it. So I've been using this a lot like on an everyday it's kind of like a good everyday throw on concealer. And what I'll say and Lauren knows I love this brand. We've talked about it a lot. I use the ENISA it's just the ENISA concealer brush which is going into my holy grail territory because this is literally the best brush for concealer i finds I mean I use like a beauty blender to do my face and stuff and sometimes they use it under my eyes but I find that this is so much better. It like doesn't stray you just like it gets right into that corner and all the way around and it's just like so soft. It feels so good and it never gives you those like bumps or creases it just like really smooths out your eyes. So this is like literally my favorite concealer brush and
Lauren: 17:20
it's three of these are my kit. I do yeah,
Amy: 17:24
they're so right. It's like the perfect size. It just hits the right area. Yeah that's so funny you have that go ahead that
Lauren: 17:32
nice that makes such a it's such a well made brush it's it's really dense and it doesn't it doesn't fall apart.
Amy: 17:40
It doesn't it's such good qualities such a good such a good products and then rounding out my eye series. I have this which I think I got this in like for free when I ordered something with Sephora like a long time ago. It's the Sephora color colorful crayon contour. It's just like a it's like a waterproof eyeliner. I guess that you put it's just it's white or white ish. I guess I don't know what color this is actually it just says contour eyepencil 12 hour aware. I think this color is I'm just looking to see oh it's called Blonde Ambition. And I just put it in the water lines that was called was yeah, I just put it right there. And it really brightens my eye. So between doing the concealer, this and a little highlighter my whole eyes brightened because I find that like if I do a liner under my eye or like eyeshadow on on my eye can like make your eye look smaller but this just kind of like gives a pop and I love it and I remember Lauren we were talking about this once and you said that you also have like a nude eyeliner like this that works nicely. So I don't know that's a little trick I've been using lately which I just feel like makes my eyes look alive. And that's I don't know how much it is but I got it I literally feel like for free at Sephora but I'm sure they they have them and sell them and they're not expensive.
Lauren: 19:05
I loved I always loved the freebies. There. I know they tend to I oftentimes that's how I discover new products because you know, they definitely give them out like strategically because they are they handpick those products that they give out the white eyeliner to extend the whites of the eyes or a good nude. Usually like on a darker skin tone. I say do like a peach or a nude pencil or just if you want a more subtle look but I love that trick. That's such a great trick. I want to talk about contouring and bronzing for the summer. Yes, as much as I love and I know I've mentioned in the past some great powder bronzers moving to again like a cream form. And I feel like even people who have oily skin can benefit from using a creamy bronzer. I believe this product is oil free but it's the Soft sculpting stick from Mario makeup by Mario. And he has several shades. If, if anybody knows Mario, he is like a long time. He's he's been in the makeup world for a long time with Kim Kardashian and various other celebs. But he has a flawless technique. And he finally came out with these, this makeup brand. And I just love the soft sculpting stick. It's like it's almost like this, it's actually in my kit upstairs. I should, I should bring it down. But it is that he has the most beautiful colors and you can again do soft contouring more you can go in and blend it on if you go onto the high points of the face to give a little bit of color like a bronzer. So it's just an easy you know, I like to use it on the perimeter of the face you can do under the nose, or on the bridge of the nose on the sides to narrow it's just it's it's Think about it like your contour but it just has the most beautiful texture. It's so blendable and again, if you are running out the door or if you're just want a really natural look for summer and for hotter, you know, warmer weather. It's a great product. I love it.
Amy: 21:14
And what do you apply it with? Do you play it with your hands or what kind of brush
Lauren: 21:18
fingertips or, or you can use any kind of synthetic brush I actually have to check because I have the blush sticks from him as well. And those have an abrasion on the end. It's like one end is product and one. But you know, I didn't even open it up to see it may have a brush.
Amy: 21:37
Yeah, because sometimes I find when I'm using those kinds of products, obviously I'm not a makeup artist and I don't really know how to do it well but it's like the brush is so important. Like is it like do you use like a tighter I don't know what it's called
Lauren: 21:51
like a tighter you wanting or like you want it tightly packed tight. Now you right either angled or flat, tightly packed flat brush that you can go in and you can draw, you know, draw your contour, you want to feel your cheekbone go right underneath. You can go on the jaw line, a little bit on the tip of the nose. And essentially, wherever you would want to contour your face, you know the perimeter of the face. Yeah, anywhere where you want to warm up warm up the color.
Amy: 22:25
But I n would you also use that. Sorry, would you also use that as just like, a bronzer to like you just wanted to put it on your cheeks.
Lauren: 22:33
That's what I love about it. It's really the colors are so beautiful that you could kind of skip a bronzer and just use that just use a little more generously.
Amy: 22:41
Okay, and does that come in different? shades? Yes,
Lauren: 22:45
it comes in all different shades. I love that it's for every skin tone. And he has nailed the colors because a lot of these broads or sticks are very orange. The have a little bit more of a bricky like just they're muted, so they don't read orange like they don't they're just beautiful tones. So check those out. You can get those at Sephora.
Amy: 23:07
Yes, I love makeup by Mara a few of his products and they're just gorgeous. I mean the the quality is really, really great. I've been actually testing out speaking of bronzer as the say, I think it's a beauty bronzer. I forgot exactly what it's called, but I ordered the wrong shade. And so it's too like dark. So I need to go in and exchange it for a lighter shade. But yeah, I'm always experimenting. So that's good. I'm going to try that one for sure. So speaking of browsers, and lightning and making the face look dewy and lovely. My last product recommendation is the drunk elephant. It's called de bronzey anti pollution sunshine drops. And if you know of these comes in this little never use
Lauren: 23:56
them but I've heard of them and they look really interesting.
Amy: 24:00
So I had seen this online and I'd been wanting to try it and it's great. So I just put like a little bit I guess you could do it without moisturizer for I just mix it in with my moisturizer and like just a little dot and it just gives the face like a really nice glow Abrons like if you don't want to do self tanner on your face that day or whatever it's just like an instant. Pick me up bronze I love it make sure your face look really healthy and glowy and again just for like the summer running out through our moisturizer on with this and an SPF and like little concealer you're good to go. So this is a great product. It's drunk elephants. Sunshine drops $36 Sephora, and I actually just saw recently that they came out with another version of this and it's like, more like blush color like a like a rose color. So it's almost like a pinkish so maybe it's more of like a blush situation. So I want to try that too. Anyway, really good product and I don't have a lot of drunk elephant products but this one is great and it goes a long way. It's a small bottle but you just need a little a little bit
Lauren: 24:59
more Yeah, they have beautiful products. I feel like we're out of clean beauty kick today.
Amy: 25:05
i We are well there's so many good ones now.
Lauren: 25:08
So I know we haven't talked about lips my absolute favorite I just tried and I love I've now purchased all of them for my kit is Ilia beauty philia balmy gloss tinted lip boil. Oh, it is so beautiful. They're I think they're like six colors. I love the I'll tell you because I wrote down the neutral nude, and Linga which is like a berry mob. They are. And they have a little bit of lip plumping in them. But they're all I love that girl. And I you know, especially I don't know, I just love I love lip oils. I'm like really into lip oils. They are the one
Amy: 25:50
who initially told us about lip oils because I never heard of it until your honor episode and then ever since I've had I've gotten like, I think the Mac one or the Nars one that you suggested and now there's another one to try. Love it.
Lauren: 26:05
Yeah, so I'm glad that yeah, I forgot I mentioned that last time. But this one is Yeah, Ilya Yeah, I mean, I think you can find it at any Yeah, maybe
Amy: 26:15
four Yeah. And they come You said there's six different colors and you have them all.
Lauren: 26:21
Yeah, I have all of them there they have like a coral a pink a bright pink. I mean they're all different colors. I just love the there's just enough color but there are so nourishing and I love the plumping factor and personally with lip products now I'm getting really excited about using natural products because that's something obviously that's right by our mouth like we yeah you know we had sweet we like our lips we have we have it you know it gets inside our bodies so I really love to go clean with blood products so that's a that's a and
Amy: 26:54
is it just like a shear or is the color like
Lauren: 26:58
it's very sheer pigment but there are there are a couple of bright colors I mean there's you'll definitely see color on the lips especially with the bright pink are the coral but I just love it gives a really pretty hydrated and like glossy look without being sticky or yeah it's just super natural it's It goes well with any of these products that like give you that really soft kind of effortless look.
Amy: 27:20
Yeah, for so good summer. So good. And can you feel any of the plumping in hell sometimes with this plumping lip lip glosses, you can feel it like I mean, I liked the feeling but you know that feeling where it's like Monday or whatever
Lauren: 27:34
it does have I think it does have a little bit of like minty this but it's not a burning or singing.
Amy: 27:39
Yes. Okay. I love that. Well, we have done a full face and I feel like these are such good products when we've done biotics we talked about self tanner too but like these are really good products going into the summer. So hopefully this was helpful for everyone in our June product junkies what we're loving what we're loving lately episode. Thank you so much, Lauren, for sharing all of your recommendations. You always have the best ones every time. Every time I talk to you I'm like okay, I need to go get this I need to go get this but you always kind of master that like no makeup makeup like neutral, beautiful glowy look so thank you so much for being on the show and giving us some good summer recommendations to try.
Lauren: 28:19
Thank you so much for having me and I feel like I need to go out to the store. I like your recommendations too.
Amy: 28:24
Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes please subscribe and leave us a review. also find us on Instagram at Nirvana sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana sisters will continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.