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So what’s the big deal about Primers, anyway?

You may have noticed that “primer” is a big buzzword right now in the world of cosmetics. But if you aren’t already using a primer, all this talk can be a bit confusing, and leave you wondering: Does a primer really make that much of a difference? Should I be using one? Which one is right for me?

Don’t worry, we are here to help! We have created this handy guide to teach you all you need to know about Primers.

Primer 101

Alle Connel at StyleCaster.com explains: “Originally designed to protect performers’ complexions and extend the wear of stage makeup, primer has gone mainstream in a serious way. Primer’s main goal is still to make your makeup last a very long time, but increasingly advanced formulas also blur fine lines, fill pores, color correct, and reduce oiliness or dryness. The newest generation of primers also capitalize on the ‘hybrid product’ trend and can contain SPF, ingredients that promise to make skin healthier and more radiant, or promise temporary plumping effects.”

Think of it as a “base coat”: it helps your makeup do its job better, last longer, and maintain the flawless finish you want. Also, more foundation primers are now offering added skincare benefits, for a product that perfects as it performs.

Foundation primer came first, and quickly caught on: now primers are available for pretty much every cosmetic and beauty need: eyeshadow primers, mascara primers, and even nail and hair primers.

Prime Time!

Now that you know a bit more about primers, we know you will be as excited as we are about Merle Norman’s brand new 24 Karat Gold Firming Foundation Primer. This serum-like primer features suspended 24-Carat gold flakes to help energize skin and restore its youthful appearance and natural radiance. Patented biopolymers create a network that results in a tensor effect (firming sensation) that lifts and smoothes the appearance of skin and pores while extending the wear of foundation. An award-winning Copper Peptide is clinically proven to reduce the appearance of wrinkle depth and volume. An Amino-Acid rich protein immerses skin in moisture. Skin is left perfectly prepped for foundation and is transformed so it appears firmer, smoother and naturally radiant.

In addition to the new 24K Primer, Merle Norman offers several other foundation primers which provide various benefits:

-Anti-Blemish Foundation Primer: Ideal for acne-prone skin, contains salicylic acid to help fight pimples all day

-Anti-Redness Foundation Primer: An ultra-comforting, green tinted primer that soothes and instantly neutralizes redness

-Foundation Primer Plus SPF 15: Includes anti-aging peptides and vitamins to help perfect skins appearance, and SPF 15 protects against damaging UV rays

But wait, there’s more…

Foundation primer is only the beginning! Merle Norman also offers a mascara primer to thicken lashes and prevent flakes and smudges, and an eyeshadow primer to keep your lids crease-free all day (and night). Stop in soon, we would love to help you find the perfect primer (or two, or three…) for you!

 

I am so excited to announce our Winter 2016 Open House! It is this Saturday, November 12th, from noon until 6pm, at our store (Chelsea Square, 1617 Manheim Pike, Lancaster PA). We will be raffling off not one, but THREE different gift baskets, we will have beauty roulette so you can try your luck and spin the wheel for great prizes, and we will have all of the new Winter products available to try. Also, be the first to shop the limited-edition gift sets and experience the festive make-up looks! Light refreshments will be provided, and we encourage you to try out all the great new products!

In case you missed the last blog post, Merle Norman Cosmetics has introduced TWO new products to our permanent cosmetic collection: The Contour & Highlight Duo, and Kiss & Hug Lip Gloss. They are now available in our store!

With the Contour & Highlight Duo, you can easily master the art of light and shadow with two silky powders in a single compact. Ultra-flattering shades complement most skin tones and all face shapes. I have been experimenting with this for the last week or so, and I absolutely LOVE this product! I was always curious about contouring, but had never tried it. This makes it SO easy, even if you have never done contouring before. The two-in-one compact makes it easy and convenient to highlight your best features and achieve a sultry, sculpted look.

The ultra-luxe Kiss & Hug Lip Gloss kisses lips with stunning full-on color, mirror-like shine, and sensational moisture. The lipstick-bullet-shaped applicator hugs lips’ every curve, and delivers rich color in a single swipe. Available in three stunning shades!

We hope you see you this Saturday!

 

I’d like to start by giving a big thank-you to everyone who helped make the PINK event a huge success! There were so many great vendors, thousands of attendees, and the Lancaster Convention Center and Lancaster Newspapers did a fabulous job organizing everything. We are so grateful to have been a part of it, and we hope to participate again next year.

Our Winter 2016 products have just arrived, and we haven’t wasted any time trying them out. The limited-edition Eyecolor Couture eyeshadow palettes are my personal favorite: the neutral hues are flattering for any skin tone and eyecolor, and each one includes 4 different shades. You can create a truly custom look for your eyes, and the convenient 4-in-1 color compact makes it perfect for travel or to keep in your purse.

Two brand new products have also been introduced to our permanent color collection: Kiss & Hug Lip Gloss, and the Contour & Highlight Duo. Kiss & Hug gloss provides stunning full-on color, mirror-like shine, and sensational moisture. The Contour & Highlight Duo makes it easy to master the art of light and shadow with a split powder compact that complements most skin tones and all face shapes. The lightweight, silky powder makes it easy to get the exact look you want, and it has a flawless matte finish. It sculpts, defines, and highlights- to bring your best features forward.

We also have several limited edition gift-sets that will only be available this holiday season, so be sure to get yours before they’re gone!

As a follow-up to my last blog, I have been using our Aqua Balance makeup for a few weeks now, and I absolutely LOVE it! I was a little skeptical that it would actually help control oil and shine yet also moisturize dry spots, but it really does. Merle Norman products never cease to amaze and impress me! It gives me excellent coverage yet it doesn’t feel heavy on my face, and it stays put all day long. If you are like me and have skin that can be oily in some places while getting dry in other spots, I highly recommend Aqua Balance. Stop in to try out this truly multi-tasking makeup, and we’ll help you find your perfect shade.

I hope you all have a safe and happy Halloween, and remember, Merle Norman has all the perfect shades to compliment your costume. No tricks, just treats!

I am so excited that we are participating in Lancaster’s PINK event on October 1st! Honestly, I’d be going even if we weren’t participating, so the fact that I get to be there helping to run one of the pop-up shoppes makes it even better. It is a day-long event that is the ultimate showcase to highlight the latest products and services for women, and it looks like there are going to be lots of great things to see, do, taste, and try! We will have various products available to try at our shoppe, including many of our fabulous lip colors. We also will be giving away a Spa Package valued at $275!  Be sure to purchase your tickets for the PINK event, because you definitely won’t want to miss it. Here is a link to the event website: http://pink.lancasteronline.com/

In other news, I found out yesterday that we will soon be carrying Aqua Balance Makeup in stock here at our studio, and I am looking forward to trying it. It is Merle Norman’s only foundation designed specifically for normal to oily skin types, and from what I have read about it, it really is a multi-tasking product! It contains enzymes and seaweed extract which are designed to inhibit oil production and control shine, but also contains humectants and emollients to help moisturize dry areas.

I am excited to try this foundation and put it to the test to see if it really is all it’s cracked up to be (although Merle Norman products have never let me down yet). I have been having more issues with oil/shine lately than I ever had in my teens, which certainly confuses me, considering I am now 30 years old. But I certainly do still have some dryness in certain areas of my face, so this foundation certainly sounds like it will be a perfect fit for my needs. I will be sure to post updates to let you know how it works out for me!

 

We have been trying out the new fall products for a few weeks now, and we are absolutely LOVING the new eye shadow sticks! They are super versatile, and can be worn alone, layered with primer or our powder shadows, or even used as an eyeliner. They blend easily, so you can layer them for a bold, dramatic look. Or if you prefer a more subtle look for your eyes, use just one shade for a sheer wash of color. They are designed for long wear, so they stay put all day long! Personally, I love the combination of Glow and Bronze Age for a shimmery, earthy version of the smoky eye.

And if you are anything like me, you don’t want to spend hours putting on makeup, which is another reason these sticks are so great: you can apply them directly from the stick to your eyelid, and blend using your fingertips! If you are someone who prefers to use makeup brushes for application, we recommend either Face #6 or Face #8 from our brush collection.

These new shadow sticks are truly a must-have, and are available in 10 shades (5 matte and 5 luminous). I definitely recommend them for a beautiful fall look that is quick and easy to do!

Hello! We hope everyone is doing well in this intense heat! While you are trying to stay cool, our thoughts have already “FALL”(EN) into cooler weather! Hard to believe the Autumn season is right around the corner, especially since we are still in July! So, we want to introduce the newest colors of the 2016 Fall Collection! They are here and ready for YOU to come in and try! These Bohemian inspired hues include warm and cool tones that mix to create balance and harmony. Smokey grey, truffley brown and rich burgundy for eyes, coppery hues for cheeks and spiced nudes for lips make for effortlessly chic looks. AND, all but ONE of these beautiful colors are not only permanent and here to stay, some of them arrive to us in an exciting new item! The new SHADOWSTICK is so versatile and easy to use.  With ten  colors with which to experiment,  its almost impossible NOT to find something to wear them with!

 

Along with three new eyeshadow compacts, two powder blush colors, and three new shades of Lip Pencil Plus, we MERLEGIRLZ know that this makes for a FABULOUS color collection!

Below is a sneak peak-check it out!

 

 

Did you know that your beauty products can expire?  Beauty products that expire won’t necessarily make someone sick but they can cause troublesome problems like breakouts, skin irritation and eye infections to name a few. So how long can we keep our beauty products??

Every 2-3 months replace:

–         Mascara

–         Face peels and masks

Every 6 months- 1year replace:

–         liquid eyeliner

–         liquid foundation

–         concealer

–         acne cream/washes

–         eye cream

–         face wash

–         serum

Every 1-1.5 years replace:

–         lip gloss

–         cream eyeshadow

–         face cream

–         eyebrow gel

Every 2 years replace:

–         lip/eye pencils

–         lipstick

–         nail polish

–         eyeshadow/blush

–         powder foundation

You can remember when you purchased something here at Merle Norman by asking and we can look it up in your history or you can put a sticker on the product with date to replace on.  Hope this helps!

Hello everyone!

Our July campaign here at Merle Norman this month is called RED WHITE AND YOU.  AND we have something excited to announce! We are getting in a new line of colors that are PERMANET! So if you find that shade of lipstick that is just perfect or that mascara color it is here to stay!!

SO what exactly are the new products?

We have 5 new creamy lip colors ranging from a neutral to red and a blue as well as brown wicked lash mascara!

What else is new? We also have a new lip polish that is great for everyday wear and a new liquid shimmer color!

We also have a beautiful light weight scarf just in time for any of your patriotic events for the 4^th of July!

So let’s see these new products shall we? Also make sure to stop into the store to try on our new products!

Hello everyone, father’s day is just about here and we have the perfect solution for you! Here at Merle Norman we have a men’s line that is perfect for a father’s day gift! Also right now when you purchase any TWO MN for Men products you receive a FREE shave bag. We have a cleanser, post-shave balm and a moisturizer.

The cleanser dissolves excess oil and impurities without drying out your skin, it also has astringent botanical extracts that help to tighten pores, as well as firm the skin! The moisturizer is lightweight, and helps to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The post-shave balm has allantoin to help protect cuts while aloe Vera help soothe any redness or irritation from razor burn! So come on in and pick up the perfect gift for your father or spouse!

Hello everyone! Today’s post is going to finish up the mini-summer series and we will be discussing the makeup bag part of your beach bag. When we are out in the sun all day the last thing we want is a face full of makeup so here’s to giving you a few ideas that won’t feel like you have a face full of makeup!

We all want a little coverage out in the sun so our face can look flawless but we don’t want the caked on feeling of a foundation which is where our CC cream comes in! The CC cream makes your uneven skin tone and fine lines disappear! CC cream has multi-benefits with a complexion corrector sunscreen and light foundation! This foundation has watermelon rind, lentil fruit and apple extracts. These ingredients are clinically proven to help give hydration to your skin. It also has a tripeptide to help improve the appearance of any fine lines and winkles. Lumiesse is also in the ingredient list which is a version of vitamin C to help give a youthful appearance. CC cream is a lightweight formula and has the highest level of sunscreen of SPF 30! CC cream is fragrance-free, oil-free and non-comedogenic.

Next in your makeup bag you might want to have a lip conditioner in your bag to put on in between or instead of a lipstick or gloss. The lip conditioner has a SPF of 15 to help protect your lips in the sun and gives a chapstick like feel. However if you want a lip color to add to your bag a lip polish is most definitely a good choice to add. It is a creamy lip gloss and comes in fashionable shades that gives you hydrating benefits. The lip polish glides on smoothly with a brush applicator and is long wearing and anti-feathering.

If you’re going swimming in the ocean, day at the pool, special event  or just going to  be out in the hot sun all day we want something to put on our eyes that won’t give us the raccoon effect!! Our waterproof mascara is the best choice for this occasion. It comes in two colors a black and brown color. The formula can even last through tears for those summer weddings!!

Next to add summer color and shimmer to your face our liquid shimmer is the perfect companion to add to your makeup bag.  The liquid shimmer can enhance and compliment all skin tones, is multi-dimensional to naturally catch and reflect light with an added ingredient of apple extract to make it feel silky smooth. 

The last thing to add to your bag is our facial cleansing wipes. It can be used for all skin types and is an oversized cleansing towelette to give you a refreshed feeling if you’re on the go or to remove any makeup. The wipes are alcohol-free, fragrance-free and oil-free.

I hope this helps anyone get an idea of things to put into their beach bags. I hope everyone enjoyed the mini-summer series!