Manna Kadar Cosmetics was the exclusive make-up sponsor of the 2013 LA Fashion week providing make-up for the runway shows last month. While some might think this was a daunting task (handling every show!), Manna of Manna Kadar Cosmetics takes it all in stride. This could be because of the long-wearing make-up she designed for the everyday woman. Says Manna, “The premise for the line is [that] all the items are long-wearing, double duty so once you put the make-up on, it doesn’t move, it doesn’t smudge.”
Manna got her foot in the beauty industry door at an early age as she owned seven cosmetic stores by the time she was twenty-two while attending USC. Operating cosmetics stores was the best hands-on training for her as she was able to truly test every product constructing her own analysis on what product performed well and what product didn’t. She would go on to take some time off and venture into the financial world as a banker for seven years. But her passion for beauty consumed her and she jumped right back in, acquiring a few more salons and spas. What did she gain overall from this experience? “I kind of learned both sides of the business…the combination of the two is what led to creating Manna Kadar Cosmetics,” says Manna.
AUDREY caught up with a busy Manna in between one of many shows during Fashion Week and we got the lowdown on her collaborative working process with fashion designers, one of her key products and how to achieve beauty “fabulousness” in a mere seven minutes.
If there’s one holy grail that I pursue relentlessly when it comes to skincare, it’s the GLOW. Call it radiance, luminosity, a glow from within. I want it all. And I want it all now.
Unfortunately, Glow escapes me. But that does not stop me. In my never-ending pursuit of Glow, I proffer myself as Guinea Pig Number 1. I will try them all until I achieve Glow. Here are some of my latest finds.
Hard Candy Moon Glow
Now, with a name like “Moon Glow,” you can’t go wrong, right? I mean, who doesn’t look good in moonlight, candlelight, or any other light that is one step away from no light.
I’ve finally come to terms with my pale face, so no more bronzers for me. Instead, I turn to Hard Candy’s Moon Glow to diffuse the splotches years of sun baking in the ’80s have left me with. It’s subtle but effective. I sweep it all over like a Photoshop’er gone beserk.
Hard Candy Moon Glow shimmery translucent powder.
Hard Candy Moon Glow, $8.
Rimmel London Lasting Finish Blendable Blush in Winter Glow
Another sort of Glow I covet is the youthful, pink-peachy, sculpted cheeks of so many a model. But as someone with an Asian skintone, it’s hard finding the right pink-peach that gives me a healthy flush, but doesn’t look too clownish.
Rimmel London Lasting Finish Blendable Blush & Highlighter.
The genius of Rimmel London’s blush in Winter Glow is the three tones. Sweep your brush over all three layers for a balanced flush, or focus on one side for a deeper or lighter finish.
Rimmel London Lasting Finish Blendable Blush & Highlighter, $5.
Primed and Ready for the Glow
M*A*C Prep + Prime.
One thing age has taught me — a good primer really is vital.
Yeah, sure, when you’re 19, a primer is waste of time. By virtue of your age, you’re naturally primed and probably have Glow pouring out of your ears. But if you’re not 19, the key to any Glow starts with a good primer. It not only reflects light and gives you a nice airbrushed base, it helps everything else (powder, blush) go on more smoothly, and keeps it there all day long.
Colorescience Let Me Be Clear primer.
For treatment primers, I like M*A*C Prep + Prime, $25.
For oily or acne-prone skin, nothing beats Colorescience Let Me Be Clear primer with salicylic acid, $50.
Sun-kissed Glow
I suddenly found myself on a last minute press trip to Hawaii last month. Which meant that my pasty, sickly legs needed a color boost ASAP. Now, while I may have accepted my official status as a pale face, I refuse to blind the world with my whiter than white gams. I’m just not a sadist that way.
Needless to say, no gradual tanning lotion was going to cut it. So I turned to the sample closet and found Mystic Tan’s sunless tanning lotion.
Mystic Tan sunless tanning lotion and shimmer powder.
I admit, I had some trepidation. After all, I remember Mystic Tan from the 2000s, and Paris Hilton-orange I did not want. I made sure to bring all sorts of tinted lotions and leg highlighters, just in case the Mystic Tan failed me.
I’m glad to report I didn’t use those lotions or highlighters once. My gams were golden and even, just enough to be believable on my otherwise pasty skin. And a week later, the color was still going strong. The best part? No sickly smell. Now that is hot.
Mystic Tan Perfect Tan Holiday Kit (includes the lotion and a bronzing shimmer powder), $29.
