Foundation Freak-Out: When You Can't Find The Right Makeup Shade

Foundation. We love it and we hate it.

And yes, just about every girl needs some, unless your skin is almost perfect. Foundation helps to balance your complexion and give it a healthy, sheer glow.

But when you can't match the right makeup shade for your skin tone, we call that, foundation freak-out!

Surely, with all the gazillion gallons of foundation makeup out there, you would think, that finding a shade that blends evenly with your skin color would be a piece of cake.

But sadly, that isn't so. Ask any women with olive skin, or a women of color, and they will tell you, that selecting the perfect foundation match is almost impossible. The color is either too light, too dark, too pink, too ashen, and so on. Many women with darker skin color often feel left out by the gigantic cosmetics industry.

Even superstar Jennifer Hudson admits she uses 2 Mac Studio Fix Fluids, NC45 and NC55, to get a beautiful makeup base:

"I blend two together to get the perfect shade," Jennifer says.

But should we all have to work that hard, just to get a decent foundation for our face?!

Apparently, some of us have to. With our own skin tone (Mediterranean background), which falls under the light olive range, we have tossed out many bottles over the years, even after being 'matched' by a dept. store makeup pro to get the so-called right foundation color. Well, the one she gave us, wasn't a great match.

We finally settled upon Revlon's ColorStay Soft-Flex liquid foundation in Nude. For some reason, this one has been our best match, and we picked it out ourself. No, the shade isn't absolutely perfect, but it's the closest we have come to a good makeup base. And that's the key here----don't look for perfection, just a foundation that closely resembles your own unique skin tone

So then, how do we match a foundation to our face?

A famous makeup artist, Sandy Linter gave us this tip a few years ago:

“I apply a swipe of color near the neck. On the face under the cheekbone. It has to blend into the skin, not exactly match it. But it should cover. Apply it on broken capillaries or something you need to tone down, like ruddy cheeks. See how the foundation sits on the skin.”

Most women don’t think about this, but a wonderful aspect about wearing foundation, is its ability to fight the elements like sun, wind and cold, harsh winter air. Wearing foundation, even without an SPF icluded, still provides a protective barrier, especially against sun damage.

If you have to go through a few bottles of foundation just to settle on one, so be it. Our complexions go through changes in tone over the years, and maybe you need a lighter base this time around. Experiment. Don't be afraid to try another brand.

30 Rock's Jane Krakowski Uses This Beauty Product 365 Days A Year

Guess you could call television's Jane Krakowski a makeup hoarder.

The very funny and very pretty 30 Rock star and new mom, ia giving out a special beauty tip, one she she uses in her daily makeup routine:

Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder ($22, at Sephora).

In fact, Jane cannot live without this particular beauty item. She once had a major freak-out about it:

"I own a lifetime supply of Laura Mercier's Secret Brightening powder," Jane says. "I use it all the time, so when I heard it was being discontinued, I rushed out and bought 15 of them. Turns out, it was only a rumor."

Amazing story. And we understand Jane's panic. It's like a favorite skin care product or lip gloss suddenly being discontinued. Aaargh! Sometimes you lose it.....Now what are we gonna use?

The Laura Mercier brightening powder appears to have a cult following, because it does incredible things for dark, undereye circles.

The product is special, because it sets your undereye concealer and adds a luminous boost to the eye area. And the Secret Brightening powder comes in 2 shades:

Color #1: for fair to medium skin tones.
Color #2: for medium to tan and darker skin tones.

This powder is so light, like a pixie dust, if there ever where such a thing. The powder contains micronized pigments that will not settle in fine lines or accentuate shadows and instantly delivers a soft, weightless finish. The texture of the powder is unbelievable.

This stuff is like beauty magic. Your eyes come alive. You look rested and awake.

Great beauty tip, Jane Krakowski!

Megan Fox Turns To Laser: Best Way To Get Rid Of Marilyn Tattoo

Maybe you should, "Think before you ink."

Actress Megan Fox is trying to make her big Marilyn Monroe tattoo disappear for good from her right forearm.

You can see from the top photo that the tat of the iconic blonde beauty' is now almost a ghost on the slender arm of the 24-year-old movie star, who was in NYC for an event last week.

In the other photos, take a peek at Angelina Jolie's back and the stunning tiger tattoo. The gorgeous film actress has more than a dozen tats. And she, too, once wanted to get rid of one of her tats. It was the big Billy Bob in ink on her left arm. Following their divorce, Angelina had the memory lasered off.

Speaking of tattoo removal, unfortunately, when the ink covers a large area of skin, and is done in heavy black ink like Megan's Marilyn tattoo, one can expect several visits to the dermatologist for some major lasering.

And the procedure isn't cheap. Tattoo laser removal can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars up into the thousands of dollars, depending on the size and location of the tattoo, the number of visits involved, and so on. The lousy thing, medical insurance will not pay for tattoo removal since it is considered cosmetic in nature. Plus the procedure is a bit uncomfortable.

During laser tattoo removal, the procedure causes the pigment in the ink to fragment, or break into smaller particles that are then removed by the body's immune system.

We suppose you could say, 'Good-bye, Norma Jean.'

We're not sure if Megan Fox has any more ink ideas up her sleeve.

VS Angel Miranda Kerr: Beauty By Noni Juice And Coconut Oil

Victoria's Secret angel Miranda Kerr owes her amazing body and flawless skin to 2 key foods she cannot live without:

Noni juice and coconut oil.

The gorgeous model married to actor Orlando Bloom, has maintained a super body following birth to son Flynn Christopher, who is now 7-months-old.

Miranda Kerr really got generous with her beauty tips in a new interview with the Australian issue of Cosmopolitan magazine. Here it is, ladies:

Noni Juice: “I’ve been drinking it since I was 14, and when I’ve got a long day ahead of me, it’s the one thing I can’t live without,” Miranda says.

With claims that Tahitian noni juice “supports your immune system, delivers superior antioxidants, increases energy, and allows greater physical performance levels,” she doesn't mind paying $38 for a liter of it.

Coconut Oil. “I personally take four tablespoons of coconut oil per day, either on my salads, in my cooking or in my cups of green tea,” the model explains.

“I will not go a day without coconut oil,” Miranda adds.

Of course, supermodels with super bodies also hit the gym.

We think Miranda Kerr has never looked better! And we are certain that the sale of noni juice and coconut oil will sky-rocket after this supermodel revelation.

OMG! Courteney Cox Has Fave Nose Hair Trimmer: Panasonic Swing Head

We LOVE when gorgeous celebrities give us beauty tips and favorite makeup brands. But favorite nose hair trimmer?

Thank you, Courteney Cox! We adore your honesty and advice. And yeah, we will listen to you about nose hair trimmers.

It isn't TMI, or too much information. Actually, Courteney is like a breath of fresh air. The Cougar Town actress is a style blogger for xojane.com. And believe it or not, a good nose hair trimmer is one of the dark-haired lovely's beauty essentials:

"Jane asked me about the best nose hair trimmer,” Courteney Cox says in her latest column. “Embarrassing, but the Panasonic Swing Head is great for that and for eyebrow trimming.”

Great. Thanks, Courteney. We found one at Amazon.com for $17.85. Plus....the customer reviews are very high on this nifty,feminine nose hair trimmer.

Hey, sometimes, these little hush-hush beauty gadgets come in handy. And it's available in pink. Cute!

Paparazzi Seem To Be Obsessed With Photographing Celebs' Less Than Pretty Veiny Hands

Paris Hilton. Angelina Jolie. Meg Ryan.

These celebrities share something we also share-----veiny hands and veiny arms.

We are a bit sensitive about our own hands, because the paparazzi for some reason, think it's cute or fun to point out whatever part of a woman's body that isn't perfect.

And the British press, like the Daily Mail, really enjoy revealing all the sinewy hands and arms they can find. Today, the photogs pick on poor Paris Hilton.

This is so ridiculous! Are women supposed to feel ashamed because their hands and arms show more veins than others?

Well, apparently, the paparazzi seem to think so.

We're not sure exactly what causes some women to have veiny hands and veiny arms. It probably has something to do with genetics and/or a strong work-out routine, or slim build.

We can say for ourselves, that we have always had skinny arms and slender hands. We also have used small weights to exercise our arms for years now, and continue to do so.

We haven't gone for hand rejuvenation, but darn it, it DOES exist!

We've heard about injecting filler into the backs of hands to re-volumize the lost fat, but no....we haven't gone there, and apparently, neither has Paris, Angelina, or Meg.

Look at the tidbit we found on RealSelf.com by NYC Dermatologic Surgeon Nelson Novick, MD:

Hand Rejuvenation: Beating Those Bulging Blood Vessels and Stringy Tendons

"Even if your face looks great, bulging blood vessels and prominent stringy-looking tendons on the back of your hands can betray your age. Sure, you could fade brown spots and remove small growths from the hands, but up to not that long ago, there was little that could be done to otherwise improve them. Happily nowadays that's no longer true.

The safest and most effective means in my opinion is to revolumize the backs of the hands, i.e. to restore the volume lost over time mostly due to wasting away of the fatty tissue that once masked the underlying veins and tendons.

Bulky hyaluronic volumizing materials, such as Juverderm Ultra Plus and Perlane have been used successfully to accomplish this. However, my favorite material for replenishing lost volume in the hands and for achieving a smooth and even result is Radiesse.

Radiesse is composed of calcium hydroxylapatite, a bone-like material that provides more volume per syringe and lasts considerably longer in this location than its hyaluronic acid counterparts."

The procedure is actually quite simple. A mixture of Radiesse and a bit of lidocaine (a local numbing agent) is injected between the tendony spaces on the backs of the hands and then literally molded like clay into place."

Hold That Perfect Plank Pose And Tone Entire Midsection

It's all in the plank pose, ladies.

If you are tired and bored, and in pain, from doing all those back-breaking crunches and sit-ups, then get into another position.

If you do yoga, like Jennifer Aniston, and many other body beautiful celebrities, then you know what the plank pose is. And although it looks easy and not really effective, you are so wrong!

If you want to tone up that tummy, along with the other flab above and below it, then you need to plank, because this yoga position zeroes in on the entire midsection. Add some regular push-ups in your routine, and together, you will also firm up your arms. So this is key for women, especially when we all hate the dingle-dangle under the arms.

How To Do It:

1. Begin on your hands and knees, with hands directly under shoulders, keep knees under hips. 2. Move feet back until the legs are straight and you’re balancing on your toes, feet together. 3. Keep the shoulders pulled back and down, with arms straight. 4. Don't let belly sag--contract muscles. This is the Plank Pose.

Hold for 30 seconds, 3 times, with a 30-second rest in between. As you get stronger, hold the plank position for 1 minute, 3 times, with the 30-second rest in between.

Give the plank pose a chance. You WILL see results.