We love Smashbox Cosmetics. How can you go wrong with a makeup line created by the great grandson’s of the legendary Max Factor.  Smashbox is a brilliant makeup line and full of glamour.  Now check out the new Smashbox Green Collection an environmentally friendly makeup collection made with biodegradable or recyclable packaging.

With the purchase of every Green Room Collection, a Moringa tree will be planted in a developing country by Trees for the Future.  The seed of the Moringa which is also know as The Miracle Tree, has significant nutritional values and is a source of food for people in need.   You can choose from the following products: Smashbox Green Room Collection Hybrid 2-in-1 Color & Shine Gloss in Azalea, Marigold, and Pink Lily, $19.  Smashbox Green Room Collection Hybrid 2-in-1 Luminizing Primer, $32.

Smashbox Green Room Collection Eye Shadow Quad in Bamboo and Blossom, $32.

Smashbox Green Room Collection Bronzer in Deep Bronze and Golden Glow, $28.

Seasons Greetings from the team of Talking Makeup to all our loyal and fabulous readers!  Hope 2008 will be your best year ever:)

Elke Von Freudenberg is a celebrity makeup artist who worked with Kate Moss, Angelica Huston, and Jamie Fox.  Elke also has her own blog called: The Beauty Blog Network and is very passionate about her work.  In a recent interview with BeautyInterviews.com Elke Vov Freudenbeg talks about her world of makeup. 

When did your fascination with makeup begin?
You could say when I was six years old. My mom remembers me applying watercolor paint to my face while trying to copy the makeup from her Vogue and Bazaar magazines when I was six. She knew before I did really. But it didn’t hit me until high school when I started doing friends faces for high school dances and proms, and realizing I had way more fun doing their makeup than my own. So I went to modeling school and started doing makeup for the weekend photo shoots we would do and that was it. A photographer there said I could do really well at it and that’s how it all started. I didn’t even think I could make a living from it until then.

How did you get your first big break as a makeup artist?
My first photo shoot ever was headshots for an actress that was on All My Children, with a photographer from that modeling school. I made $30, which at the time, was a lot of money to me. And that was the start. I worked on my portfolio and started working with better photographers and better models and just kept at it.

What is your makeup philosophy?
To me, makeup, or what I do, photography makeup, is all about perfection. Creating the perfect skin, the perfect lip, etc. Because I see photography as an art form, like painting, sculpting. Great photos of their time record the style and image of that time. So I try to make my work as perfect as possible. But for everyday life? My philosophy is perfection but quick!

What is the best aspect of being a beauty blogger?
I would say getting my beauty knowledge out there. I’m still surprised when I get an email from someone saying this makeup trick or tip helped them. It’s great to know that other beauty fans are reading and learning and having as much fun with it as I am. Also, I’m seeing that the blogging industry is getting taken more seriously, so as a voice in the beauty blogging niche, I’m honored when others refer me or recommend me. It is a lot of work and it’s truly appreciated.

What can we find in your makeup bag?
Personally or in my makeup kit? My makeup kit has everything, from MAC, to Wet & Wild, Tarte, Lancome.. goes on and on. Personally, I’m a huge fan of Bare Escentuals mineral makeup, Maybelline’s Lash Discovery Mascara, Laura Geller Blush, Wet & Wild and Black Opal’s eyeshadows (their pigment is amazing…) and lip gloss. Tons of lip gloss (Wet & Wild is the shiniest, love Lancome’s and Mac’s…)

What is your number one beauty secret?
Oh, I have way too many… only one??? My favorite (because it does work!) is getting the perfect mascara. It’s the hardest product to find and we truly ask a lot of our mascara’s. So if you want major lashes, take any two mascaras, and apply 1 coat of each. You’ll find that you’ll get the perfect lashes that you were looking for.

To read full Elke Von Freudenberg interview click here!

Stacy Provines is the founder of TINte Cosmetics.  In a recent interview with Beauty Interviews Stacy talks about how it all started, the best part of running her own cosmetics line, and Miami Beach. 

How was the concept for TINte Cosmetics born?
I have loved cosmetics and lip gloss forever. However, I could never find a lip gloss that could moisturize my chapped lips, and tasted good. I would find an amazing color that looked great but had a waxy or perfumed taste. It was at this point that I realized I had to create a gloss that healed my chapped lips, tasted great and looked beautiful. From this need TINte’s Flavored lip glosses with Shea Butter were created.

What is TINte Cosmetics philosophy?
Our Philosophy is to offer the customer an amazing high end product in cute nostalgic and unique packaging.

TINte’s Vintage Lip Color is getting rave reviews by many beauty editors. Why is the Flavored Lip color So popular?
My very first lip gloss came in a similar slider tin. I remembered those amazing flavors like root beer, bubble gum and cream soda. I could not wait until a new flavor arrived. I created the line from a feeling of simpler times and cherished memories. I wanted the women of today to apply our products and remember those simpler times. The memory of a scent can transcend you from your stress filled days, back to a sweet memory of childhood and innocence. This collection was also created to grab the attention of the younger generation, the up-and-coming girl, and allow her to create warm memories of her own. TINte Cosmetics was my creative way to reinterpret the past and bring it into the future. I think many of the Beauty Editors remember these tins and have that same sweet feeling.

What is new this year at TINte Cosmetics?
This year is going to be great for us! We have some exciting new products launching including our new brown sugar lip scrub and lip conditioner. We have also recently launched onto The Home Shopping Network and our international business has really taken off. So you will see some great additions to our product line very soon……

Which celebrities are fans of TINte?
We are lucky to have a great following of celebrities including Fergie, Nelly Furtado, Sarah Jessica Parker, Tyra Banks, Eva Longoria and Drew Barrymore just to name a few.

To read full interview click here!

MAC Cosmetics announced today “Are You a MAC Original?” contest to launch their new limited edition collection of The Originals.  The new MAC Originals collection  pays tribute to popular shades both discontinued or existing that consumers covet and can’t live without.

The contest is a celebration of one’s individuality and originality-qualities intrinsic to the MAC brand.  Launching nationally through the MAC website the contest will also run regionally in 6 key cities across the United States: New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Houston.

National  Contest-How to Enter? visit MAC website beginning December 26th, 2007 to submit a picture of yourself wearing your favorite MAC products, along with 50 words on what makes you a MAC Original.  The winner will be determined by votes online.  The prize: $1000 MAC gift card and the complete Originals collection.

Regional Contest-How to Enter? MAC will hold the contest in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Houston on the weekend of January 4th-6th, 2008. Visit MAC  designated locations for a complementary makeup application and get a professional photo taken. You can then enter to be the MAC Original winner of the city and will also be automatically entered into the national contest.  The regional winner will receive $250 MAC gift card, the complete MAC Originals collection and a story in a local publication. (Source: MAC Cosmetics press release).  

For contest rules and regulations visit MAC website: www.maccosmetics.com