Christopher Drummond Beauty Blog

Güd Cosmetics From Burt’s Bees: Scratch and Sniff Ad!

Organic/All Natural Cosmetics No Responses »

Mar 062012

In case you haven’t heard, Burt’s Bees, a pioneer and leader in natural personal care for over 25 years, is inviting a new audience to discover the benefits of natural with a new brand: güd—natural beauty re-imagined for the millennial woman.

Güd—a bright, happy, expertly-fragranced natural personal care collection without parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals or sodium lauryl sulfate. With 97% natural ingredients and accessible price points, the collection offers a robust natural formula with the sensory appeal of a specialty collection.

See the scratch n sniff scented commercial below! It will introduce the four fresh, complex, and universally appealing scents that mash-up the traditional floral, citrus, fruit and gourmand categories.

Unlike most scented ads, the güd commercial isn’t all roses and sweet scents! Some of the scent bubbles duplicate some not-so-welcome smells that consumers experience on a daily basis: diesel exhaust, garbage, and urban storm-sewers.

Click below to watch the scratch and sniff ad, and to experience it with smells, please be in touch and we’ll mail you a scratch and sniff card!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FN_yn_RhvY&feature=player_embedded

Meatless Monday: Stella McCartney Cooks

vegan tips 1 Response »

Feb 272012

Fashion darling Stella McCartney wants you to say no to meat in WSJ. Magazine’s Women’s Spring Fashion issue, online now at WSJMagazine.com.

In the article titled “Stella McCartney Cooks,” McCartney, who has maintained high ideals while becoming a much-deserved darling of high fashion, gives her stylish fans food for thought. Inspired by her family’s stewardship of natural resources, she wrote a new vegetarian cookbook, “The Meat Free Monday Cookbook,” in which she offers delicious, seasonal recipes and shows people how easy it is to forego meat once a week.

Of growing up in rock-n-roll royalty, she tells WSJ.:

- “The kitchen was where we always were, chopping, chatting, and chomping.”

- “I had a weirdly modern upbringing. It was less about thinking about yourself and more about thinking about the world around you.”

Of the Meat Free Monday campaign she started with her famous father and sister Mary:

- “The importance of Meat Free Monday is about educating oneself and realizing that the way we ate 100 years ago doesn’t apply today. Most people don’t eat meat every day anyway, so it’s a simple idea!”

Shape Magazine: Makeup by Christopher Drummond-Get the Look!

Celebrity Makeup Tips, Get the Look / How To, Organic/All Natural Cosmetics 1 Response »

Feb 172012

Shape Germany 3/2012-makeup and hair by Christopher Drummond. Photo: Michael Reh

How to Look Like a Shape Model
by Christopher Drummond

On a recent shoot in Miami for Shape Magazine, I did the hair and makeup on the beautiful model Carolin Galler, photographed by Michael Reh. Here are the products I used to get her looking fresh and radiant:

Carolin with Equinox Trainer Jacqueline Kasen. Makeup by Christopher Drummond, photo by Michael Reh

The key to doing the makeup for this shoot was to do everything in layers. After all, it was very hot, and the model was sweating because it was early morning!

Apply new SkinPrep to prime and hydrate the skin
Duo-Phase concealer (mixed with SkinPrep) where needed
Duo-Phase concealer where needed “full strength” under eyes, around nose
Veludo Velvet foundation in #100. I applied this in 4 layers, so it wouldn’t sweat off
Cheeks: Alluring apricot Blush
Lips: Nude lip liner, Cosmopolitan Lip Stain
Eyes: Bege Eye Shadow, Aymee on the lid, and Marrom/brown in the crease. Cream to powder eyeliner in Espresso on eyeline and lightly on brow. CDB Lash of Luxury mascara-3 coats.
Finale Finishing Powder is used all over to “set” the makeup and give an airbrushed look.

Fun on the set with Shape Editor, Jennifer Strump

There you have it! All products can be found HERE, at Christopher Drummond Beauty
Christopher Drummond Beauty is a line of all natural, organic-based, vegan makeup that is has products free of titanium dioxide, and toxins.

Adele’s Makeup at the Grammy’s: Get the Look

Celebrity Makeup Tips, Get the Look / How To No Responses »

Feb 142012

Adele's Makeup Was a Winner on the Red Carpet

Adele was the belle of the ball at the Grammy’s last night. Not only did she sound amazing, but her makeup was flawless. Here is how to get the look that Adele sported last night:

Start with a clean, hydrated skin (use CDB’s NEW SkinPrep as a primer). Next, follow up with CDB’s duo phase concealer, then follow up with Veludo Velvet Foundation. To get the flawless airbrushed look, be sure to use Finale Finishing Powder, it will give you Adele’s all over matte finish. The light powder evens out your skin tone, minimizes pores and has anti-aging properties.

To highlight your eyes, start with long dramatic false lashes. Adele’s fake lashes gradually get longer towards the outside of her eye to intensify the cat eye effect. Next add a very thick layer of liquid liner on your top lids for that sexy look. She did darken her eyeshadow for a grey smoky eye when she stepped up to perform.

First, grab your liquid liner. Adele’s eyes were a smokey masterpiece on Sunday night, but they still had definition achieved with a cat’s flick of eye liner over silver-grey shadow and a double layer of false lashes. Adele’s makeup artist traced the liner from the inner corners of her eyes to the outer ones, crescendo-ing the thickness of the liner at the ends and giving them a little upwards flick. Lash density was also built in the outer corners: the makeup artist amplified this area to lift Adele’s eyes.

Paint the picture:

• Liquid liner – most liquid liners don’t dry quickly enough leaving an imprint on your upper lids or browbones. However, use CDB’s Cream to powder brow/eyeliner, and you won’t have that problem!

• Shadow – one that doesn’t crease and holds liner like primer. Try CDB in Beige and Momo. Be sure to use Duo Phase Concealer under the shadows to keep them there for the duration of the night.

• Lipstain – vital to the look is a high powered lip-colour. Try CDB’s Creamy Lip Stain in Arouse. The color is long lasting, the ingredients are all natural, and the color is the perfect red carpet “red”.

To find the products mentioned, click HERE

Christopher Drummond Beauty is a line of all natural, organic-based and Vegan makeup

Parabens in Food and Cosmetics: Should You Worry?

Cosmetic Ingredients, Organic/All Natural Cosmetics 2 Responses »

Feb 102012

Should we worry about Parabens in our creams, food and medicine?

Here are some great statistics and info about Parabens. And in case you didn’t know it, YES parabens are in the food you eat (they are also used quite a bit in pharmaceutical drugs!!!) Christopher Drummond Beauty is specifically formulated to be free of parabens and other artificial preservatives, so you don’t have to worry….

Parabens in cosmetics
Parabens individually, or in combination, are employed in all cosmetic product categories, with reported use in over 13,000 formulations. Products containing parabens may contact the skin, hair and scalp, lips and nails. Parabens are non-irritating and non-sensitizing when applied to normal skin. However, application to damaged or broken skin may result in sensitization. Parabens formulate well because they have no perceptible odor or taste, do not produce discoloration, and are practically pH neutral.

Parabens in pharmaceuticals
Parabens were first used in pharmaceuticals in the mid-1900’s and a variety of drug formulations – including pills, syrups, injectable solutions and contraceptives – are known to contain them since. The concentration of parabens used varies from product to product, but seldom exceeds 1%. Combinations of methyl and propyl parabens are often used in aqueous formulations, due to observed synergistic effects. Methyl and propyl parabens have been classified as inactive ingredients in several over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. However, the FDA has determined that parabens are not suitable as preservatives in OTC ophthalmic products, because they may be irritating to the eyes.

Parabens in food
Parabens have been added to food for more than 50 years and their usage steadily increased to include more food categories, like soft drinks and frozen dairy products. Methyl and propyl are the most extensively used in foods, and FDA has affirmed them as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) for direct addition to food at concentrations below 0.1%. A 30-fold increase in use of parabens was noted from 1960 to 1970.

Paraben absorption, metabolism and excretion:
Parabens are rapidly absorbed through the intact skin and partially hydrolyzed by specific enzymes in subcutaneous fat tissue. Ingested parabens undergo complete hydrolysis to p-hydroxybenzoic acid, which shows little preservative action. Final metabolites are excreted in the urine as glycine, glucuronic or sulfuric acid conjugates.Some studies have shown no evidence of accumulation of parabens or their metabolites in the body, but others have shown accumulation in breast tissue.

Are parabens toxic?
In the past, parabens were considered to be practically non-toxic by various routes of administration, based on acute and chronic animal studies. However, some studies have shown accumulation of parabens in breast tsissue and leading to cancer in long term use. The popular use of parabens as preservatives arises from their low acute toxicity, broad spectrum of activity, inertness, stability over the pH 4.5 – 7.5 range, biodegradability, low cost and worldwide regulatory acceptance.

How much is considered to be safe?
The total consumption of parabens from all sources (via cosmetics and personal care products, food and pharmaceuticals) is estimated as about 77.5mg/day, with food accounting for approximately 2.5mg/day, cosmetics and personal care products 50mg/day and drugs 25mg/day.For an individual weighing 60kg (132lb) it correlates as about 1.29mg/kg/day.kg. The recommended Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for methyl-, ethyl-, and propyl parabens combined is up to 10mg/kg body weight/day (For an individual like me weighing 170lb, this means the ADI is 77.11mg/day).

*****So, if you were to cut paraben use in your cosmetics, this would significantly decrease the amount of daily intake of them, keeping you under the suggested ADI.

Recent safety concerns
In recent years there has been a growing concern about human exposure to synthetic estrogens from the environment, including chemical exposure from body-care cosmetics (lotions, moisturizers, deodorants, sun screens). Several studies on the estrogenic activity of parabens have been published, which generated a debate on the role of parabens in the increased incidence of breast cancer. Detection of parabens in breast tumor tissue samples has provoked controversy over the continued use of these substances.¹⁷Because of their good skin-permeability and reasonable lipid solubility (especially the higher esters) parabens from body-care products applied to the underarm as deodorants undergo direct dermal absorption and may concentrate in the skin fat tissue before being metabolized. The term of “endocrine disrupters” – embracing parabens and other environmental estrogens – was coined to refer to synthetic chemicals that mimic or block hormones and affect the functions these hormones control.

In a very recently published report, parabens are shown to elevate estrogen levels through inhibition of estrogen-metabolizing enzymes in the skin. Although the assessment of possible paraben estrogenic hazards on the basis of current studies is still equivocal and more research is needed, it seems to be an intelligent choice to avoid parabens by choosing foods and paraben-free personal care products.

http://www.christopherdrummond.com is makeup that is free of parabens

Cosmetic Ingredients: 5 Ingredients to Watch Out For

Organic/All Natural Cosmetics No Responses »

Feb 092012

If you are on the fence about “natural” cosmetics vs. additives used in “non-natural” products, read on. I have compiled a short list of ingredients that are both used in traditional cosmetics, but are also used for industrial applications (machines and furniture cleaner, etc).

I’m not saying everyone should use 100% natural products, but you should also be educated about what you are putting on your skin. Here is a list of my top 5 ingredients that I always make sure the skincare I use is free of. After all, I don’t want ingredients that are used in Liquid Wrench on my skin. Do you?

Isopropyl Myristate
Isopropyl Myristate is a synthetic oil used as an emollient, thickening agent, lubricant or moisturizer in beauty products. It is most often seen in aftershaves, shampoos, bath oils, antiperspirants, deodorants, and various creams and lotions (Source). Although it is a popular ingredient, in more than 5% of formulations it can cause skin irritation and clog pores; for this reason, it is considered a comedogenic and is aggravating to acne. it is also an ingredient in a well-known rust remover, Liquid Wrench

Propylene glycol
Propylene glycol is widely used as a vehicle for topical medicines, cosmetics, lotions, and antiperspirants. In addition, it is widely used in industry in automotive brake fluid, in antifreeze formulations, and as a humectant for tobacco formulations, as well as in the food chemical industry as a solvent for food colors and flavorings. Valium contains 40% propylene glycol.

Petroleum
Petroleum, or crude oil, is recovered mostly through oil drilling. It is refined and separated into a large number of consumer products, from petrol and kerosene to asphalt and chemical reagents used to make plastics and skincare. Petroleum is used in manufacturing a wide variety of materials, and it is estimated that the world consumes about 88 million barrels each day. The use of fossil fuels such as petroleum can have a negative impact on Earth’s biosphere, releasing pollutants and greenhouse gases into the air and damaging ecosystems.

Propylene glycol
Propylene Glycol is a colorless, ordorless liquidis mainly used as antifreeze for water systems and heaters because it is less toxic. It gives off fumes in smoke machines and serves as vaporizable base for diluting nicotine liquid in electronic cigarettes. Moreover, it is added to other household items like furniture polish and glass cleaners. Photographic chemicals use propylene glycol as a solvent as well.

Propylene Glycol is known to exert high levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) during degradation in surface waters. This process can adversely affect aquatic life by consuming oxygen aquatic organisms need to survive. Large quantities of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the water column are consumed when microbial populations decompose propylene glycol.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
SLS is mainly used in detergents for laundry with many cleaning applications. SDS is a highly effective surfactant and is used in any task requiring the removal of oily stains and residues. It is found in higher concentrations with industrial products including engine degreasers, floor cleaners, and car wash soaps, and has been shown to irritate the skin of the face with prolonged and constant exposure. A study suggested SDS in toothpaste caused the recurrence of aphthous ulcers, commonly referred to in some countries as canker sores or white sores.

Our Latest Event: The Lodge at Woodloch

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Feb 092012

Here are some pics of our successful event at Woodloch, a beautiful spa resort in the Poconos. Meryl and I had a great time doing over 15 makeovers!!!!!

Our Team! Ellise, me, Meryl and Ruth

Ellise, me and Meryl

Ellise, my makeup assistant from Woodloch

http://www.christopherdrumond.com

we are a line of all natural, organic, and vegan makeup with products that are titanium dioxide free and free of harsh chemicals and toxins.

Beauty Bowl 2012: The Best Beauty Tips

Celebrity Makeup Tips, Get the Look / How To, Organic/All Natural Cosmetics No Responses »

Feb 022012

Top 10 Beauty Tips by Christopher Drummond

Beauty Bowl "Super Beauty Tips"

Christopher’s Top 10 Beauty Tips of all Time

1. Always put sunscreen on your hands and neck. They’re just as important as your face, and they show aging the fastest! Your hands and neck tell the most about your age, and the sun is the most damaging thing to your skin!
2. Eat cheese, nuts, garlic and onions. They contain vitamins that are good for the hair and nails.
3. Rub the pith of a lemon peel on very dry hands. It will sting, but they’ll heal up immediately, like magic.
4. Masks are an important part of Indian culture,” says Indian beauty pro Richa Purohit, creative director of KeSARI skin care. For oily skin, she mixes 1 tablespoon of sandalwood powder (at organic markets or online) with a pinch of turmeric and a few tablespoons of orange juice. Apply it to face and neck, let it dry and rinse with cool water. For normal skin, use rosewater, not juice.
5. Try using A spritz of floral water or tonic in the morning to awaken the skin. It works like magic!
6. Mix a dab of powder foundation (Like Veludo Velvet Foundaton) into your favorite organic beauty cream to perfect your complexion. It is better than any tinted moisturizer and absolutely undetectable.
7. Add a peeled and chopped clove of garlic to your bottle of clear base coat. This surprising bit of wisdom will actually help to strengthen your nails.
8. Coconut milk helps the hair grow long and thick,” says Indian ayurvedic skincare expert Pratima Raichur. (The kind from a can is fine.) Rub it onto the scalp, leave it on for an hour or so, then wash it out. To see Herbs you can take for your skin, see Amazon Herbs. I swear by them!
9. Be sure to wear lip products that are free of petroleum. This ingredient is a biproduct of gasoline, and actually can dry out the skin, rather than hydrate it. Use natural oils instead.
10. The best way to fight aging and prevent pimples is to use a retinoid (pure vitamin A). You’ve likely heard this, but have you tried it? It is honestly the one thing that will make a huge difference in the appearance of your skin

http://www.christopherdrummond.com

organic-based, all natural and vegan makeup for the everyday woman

CDB Beauty Bowl Weekend: 25% off all products, contests, and more!

Organic/All Natural Cosmetics No Responses »

Feb 022012

Here is a sneak peak for our 2012 Beauty Bowl….
One lucky winner will get a one-on-one consultation with Christopher via Skype, Live event, and much more! Christopher will be tweeting live from the Lodge at Woodloch!

Feb. 3-5 Only...the first annual CDB Beauty Bowl

http://www.christopherdrummond.com

CDB Natural Makeup Gift Set: Exclusive Offer From Sophie Uliano!

Organic/All Natural Cosmetics, Product Reviews No Responses »

Jan 302012

Sophie Uliano's CDB Makeup Set on Open Sky

If you are part of the Eco-Living movement, don’t forget about your makeup! Celebrity Eco-expert and bestselling author Sophie Uliano hasn’t!!!!! She is offering an exclusive deal on OPEN SKY of Christopher Drummond Beauty

Many makeup brands are filled with toxic, harmful ingredients that are not only bad for your body, but bad for your skin! This is why we created Christopher Drummond Beauty: we wanted to provide the highest quality all natural/organic-based cosmetics that were far more superior than the traditional mineral makeup available today.

Eco-Living Expert Sophie Uliano has discovered our makeup line, and has been working with our company to introduce it to all of her fans on Open Sky! Sophie is a leader in the Green Movement, and only recommends products that she truly believes in. In fact Christopher Drummond Beauty’s Veludo Velvet Foundation was named “Foundation of the Year” by Sophie’s Gorgeously Green Beauty Awards

Eco-Expert Sophie Uliano

According to Sophie, “It’s great to have found a safe mineral brand (and many of them aren’t), which delivers a silky feel and a soft, youthful look.”