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Beauty and fashion blog Hello, Pretty! had a launch party, and I got one of the coveted VIP gift bags reserved just for bloggers (yes, I am special). There’s a ton of stuff in there, so I haven’t had a chance to try all of it out, but a couple of beauty products have produced satisfying effects so far.

Jan Marini’s Antioxidant Daily Face Protectant is a 30 SPF, waterproof sunscreen that Hello, Pretty!’s editor, Bren Lee Gomez, personally recommended after I complained about a different brand’s sunscreen clogging my pores and making me break out. As I have oily skin, finding any kind of sunscreen or moisturizer that won’t make me greasier is next to impossible — until now. Jan Marini’s face sunscreen is not greasy at all and gets as close to a matte feel as you can in a sunscreen. And it smells nice!

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Sara (pronounced “Sah-rah”) Strand says she has always had an eye for color, even as a young child. Originally from Sweden, Strand moved to London as a teen and started doing makeup by day and sang in a band by night. After nabbing a deal to develop Pop Beauty with Top Shop, Strand, now 27, has made the leap over the pond to the United States, where her very affordable line can be found in Beauty 360 and Ulta stores, as well as on Sephora’s Web site. Oh, and if you attended the What Comes Around Goes Around party at Space 15 Twenty in March, you saw Strand’s handiwork on the models.

Sara Strand

Q: How did you get into the makeup business?

A: I was kind of born into the business. My older sister is a skin therapist, and my other sister is a makeup artist. Personally I’ve always been obssessed with color, what it can do to your mood and your look. When I was 12, I was signed to Sony and had a record deal and learned the importance of makeup for stage and TV.

Q: What kind of music did you make?

A: It was kind of funky with a rap twist and rock ‘n roll fusion. I was a very cocky 12 year old.

Q: When did you start doing makeup?

A: When I was 16, I moved to London and became a makeup artist and had my first shoot with Vogue. I just wanted to get out of Sweden and go somewhere more cosmopolitan, more of a melting pot. And I felt like I wanted to do something else, get away from what the music producers created for me, the image they created for me. So I joined a band in London and played all over for 10 years. So it was like makeup was a day thing, and music was my night thing.

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