We're Making Up Like the Stars

[Amy Warren, LMHC / WQ Mag Columnist]

Imagine how thrilled Kim and I were when Rhonda Gorham took time out from lunching with George Clooney and meeting with the likes of Clint Eastwood and Annette Bening to send us some of the cosmetic line that the stars themselves are wearing. Yes, Rhonda who used to own Simply Spoiled here in Sarasota is now hanging out with celebrities in Beverly Hills, but she hasn’t left behind her love of quality cosmetics. Rhonda was so taken in by the cosmetic line of Julie Hewett, who has been makeup artist to the stars for over 20 years, that she made it her mission to spread the news. Fortunately for us, now Kim and I are the proud recipients of some of the cosmetic line. Yeah, we would rather have been invited to lunch with George…but hey, we’ll take what we can get. And we’re actually quite happy wearing the same makeup that’s worn by stars like Nicole Kidman, Debra Messing, and Mandy Moore (who even has a palette named after her). The only predicament we had was figuring out who got to keep what…and I wanted it all.

From the moment the cosmetics touched my skin and lips, the clean, fresh and luxurious feeling made me wonder if the cometics were made from natural ingredients. Sure enough, a little bit of research proved that Julie Hewett cosmetics are made from the highest quality natural ingredients and scented with essential oils. The standards are cruelty-free as well, meaning no product is tested on animals.

I’ve always been partial to a dewy versus matte look for my face, and the Cheekie Cheek and Lip Shine fit the bill, creating a natural-looking glow. This petroleum-free cream blush is made from camellia oil which is renowned for its hydrating qualities. I tested the Jami color, a soft rose color with a tinge of mauve. The subtle shade created a natural look. As the name implies, I suspect that Cheekie was developed for use as a blush and the use on the lips was an afterthought. I'll be using my Cheekie primarily on my cheeks, but that's partially because I like the lip glosses so much (more on the lip glosses later).

Cheekie can be applied to the lips with a lip brush or a dab of the finger for a touch of color and shine. For cheeks, the makeup brush is phenomenal! Since I wasn’t savvy enough to figure this out immediately, I initially used my fingers to dig the blush from the jar. But once I found out the brush was for the cheeks, I was smitten with the silky feel of the brush tracing my cheekbones. Clearly, this is a more economical way to apply the shine, too. The brush had plenty of stain to apply with simply a gentle glide across the top of the cream, and barely a trace was missing from the jar. This is truly an extraordinary makeup brush with its soft and silky bristles.

Feels good, looks good, good for you…what more could you want? Well, maybe lunch with George Clooney.

We've got more products to test, so stay tuned for more reviews of Julie Hewett cosmetics. If you want to try it yourself, Simply Spoiled carries the Julie Hewett line of cosmetics.