Holiday 2013 Finds: Gleam and Glam, Best New Glowing Skin Must Haves!
Holiday 2013 Finds for Beauty don’t come much more amazing than American made, cruelty and paraben free cosmetic line, Gleam by Melanie Mills.
The story of Gleam is the brainchild of one Local 706 IATSE makeup artist and single mother who had a great idea while working inside the crowded makeup trailer for ABC’s Dancing with the Stars as the department head.
Every foundation that Emmy award winning makeup artist Melanie Mills used on the celebrity cast transferred onto costumes after the rigorous rehearsals, and made skin appear “flat” and lifeless on camera. Not to mention the fact that face and body makeup in the deeper ranges for stars who were Latina or African American were always “off.” It was a vexing situation.
The “beta” product Melanie cooked up of what was to become Gleam Body Radiance was so popular, A-listers were calling up Melanie and coming to her home for the magic potion that hid all their spider veins, scars, discolorations and uneven skin coloring. “When I started getting calls around award season and the holidays at all hours of the day and night, I knew I was on to something,” Melanie tells Monsters and Critics. “Word of mouth and celebrities raving about it to their friends and families…and other actors and actresses made the line explode out of the gate!”
Melanie Mills’ inventive spirit and knowledge of what worked on different skin tones and types was the beginning of a great, small American business story. Gleam by Melanie Mills – the product and company – was born in 2010 out of her garage in Southern California, and she has since expanded her business into a bigger remodeled space and employs a small and tight group who personally handle orders and requests.
Her fame has grown too on the beauty trade show circuit and in markets like Miami, Houston, Scarsdale, Dallas, Chicago, New Orleans, Los Angeles and New York where a devoted following of Team Gleam fans come to see her in action. Beauty Bloggers love her accessibility and advice she freely gives.
“The beauty bloggers make or break any line, their enthusiasm and love for makeup is infectious and fun to read, they want to know real tips and tricks to look great, plus they are on the same page as I am when it comes to keeping the line safe and healthy for skin by being cruelty, paraben and sulfate free,” Melanie tells us.
Melanie’s personal journey to becoming a makeup artist, plus makeup tutorials and a portrait gallery of her makeup artistry were published in 2013 by Penguin Publishers in her first book, “Glitter & Glam.” The book is a stunning visual feast of every day makeup to “out there” glamazon gorgeous, with famous icons recreated on today’s hottest young stars like Ariana Grande and Liz Gillies. Melanie has since grown the line slowly but selectively to include must-have items for lips, face and body, with one must-own tool: The Face and Body Brush.
This goat hair angles all-star is perfect for applying Gleam Radiant Dust (4 shades) all over, or any powder for that matter. The brush has heft and looks gorgeous on any vanity. More importantly it is designed to carry the right amount of powder to properly finish a face or make that collarbone or décolletage gleam like velvet in soft light. Meet the other new star, Gleam Radiant Dust. This pure luxe, loose powder imparts shimmering glitz and glam in a sexy understated way. Radiant Dust is the most luxurious face/body loose powder; it is ultra fine and infused with Gleam’s signature moisturizing botanical ingredients to leave skin feeling like silk.
Radiant Dust was created to address the hotter months when you may not want to cover yourself in a lotion. It is also a fantastic eyeshadow, blusher and color enhancer.This all purpose powder can be used as eyeshadow, blush, bronzer, all over body with or without Gleam Body Radiance, the original body perfecting cream makeup that Melanie created. It is available in the same four shades as the Gleam Body Radiance cream counterpart but is easily applied with Melanie’s Face and Body brush. Light Gold, Rose Gold, Bronze Gold and Deep Gold are the core colors and the Radiant Dust comes in generous sifter jars with the light natural scent of pure vanilla blossom, which is Gleam’s signature scent.
