Mineral magic

Mineral makeup is all the rage, especially among those with redness or uneven skin tones from rosacea, micro-dermabrasion, chemical peels or plastic surgery. It's often recommended by dermatologists and aestheticians because it contains healing minerals such as zinc, as well as titanium dioxide that blocks UVA and UVB rays to protect the skin from sun damage.

Quality mineral makeup does not use low-grade fillers such as talc, which can clog pores. All the lines we found are in a similar price range: $30-$40 for foundation, $12-$18 for eye shadows and $20-$30 for blush.

Leomana Cosmetics is a line of mineral makeup designed for Pacific Island women. Owners Maureen Scanlan-Freitas and Jocelyn Gottesman custom blend foundations and powders to match a client's skin tone. They can also create custom textures by adding thinners or thickeners. Appointments are necessary at the 1311 Kapi'olani Blvd. salon. Call 591-6595.

The Wellness Institute at 1440 Kapi'olani Blvd., Suite 102, stocks two lines of mineral makeup: Mineral Essentials and Jane Iredale. While both have similar properties and are composed of 100 percent minerals, aesthetician Renee Ane likes to have more colors with which to play, so she uses both.

The Ward Warehouse shop As Seen On TV now carries the mineral-based line I.D. Bare Escentuals. You can try the testers instead of ordering it "blind" from the TV infomercial. Be sure you take a mirror outdoors to check the color before you buy, as the light in the shop is not ideal.

J Salon in downtown Honolulu searched for a year before settling on the right mineral makeup to make their signature line. They have qualified staff to provide makeovers — from foundation to eye shadows. This line is made of pure pigment, so a tiny bit goes a long, long way.

Almost like eating

The new LUSH store in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center smells — and even looks — like a grocery store. In fact, they call their stores "beauty delis." The line, which originated in England, tries to use as many organic products as possible and to leave out preservatives in its hand-made products with cutesy names such as Back for Breakfast shower gel, Honey I Washed the Kids soap and Karma Komba solid shampoo bar.

Groceries are a recurrent theme in cosmetics right now. Blush in Kahala Mall recently introduced "Fresh," a line featuring clever packaging. The milk bath looks like a miniature gallon of milk, while bath soaps and gels are packaged as pints of ice cream and pots of fruit smoothies. The pumice stone looks like an ice cream sandwich.

High-end miracles

So-called "miracle creams" used to take a while to reach Island shores. However, Neiman Marcus Ala Moana tries to make a point of getting these as quickly as Mainland counterparts. Recent additions:

• Inhibit-Dermafill from Natura Bisse, touted as an alternative to injectables such as Botox. The Spanish company holds a patent on Octamioxyl, which they claim relaxes facial muscle contractions, as well as Dermafill Complex that plumps the skin like the fillers injected into facial lines. While a bottle will normally set you back $135, Neiman Marcus is offering a generous sample of this cream in its Beauty Event bag Sept.17-25, but you have to spend $85 to get the bag stuffed with samples from lines such as Kiehl's, Laura Mercier and Frederic Fekkai.

• Sisley, the iconic (though expensive) French line that's a fave among Neiman Marcus customers, rallies the properties of vitamin C in its Phyto-Blanc line of products designed to brighten and clarify sun-damaged skin. Clearing Essence, the signature product, comes in eight vials, each lasting seven days. The vitamin C powder is mixed with a serum to ensure freshness, purity and stability of the vitamin content ($230 for a two-month supply).

Specialized systems

Dr. Ci:Labo, a Tokyo-based skin care line, was introduced last month at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort & Spa. They created Aloe Enriched Aqua-Collagen-Gel exclusively for Hawai'i folks with sun-damaged skin. The moisturizer contains hyaluronic acid, seaweed extract, marine collagen and, of course, aloe ($45).

Lucie Talbot-Holu of Hale'iwa had read about Environ products and was anxiously waiting for them to arrive in Honolulu; she found them at the Wellness Institute (see above). Environ is a skin care system that ranges from topical moisturizers to peels that require a specially trained physician; dermatologist Dr. Julie Kenner at Castle is the Hawai'i expert. Environ originated in South Africa, where a plastic surgeon specializing in melanoma researched a different method of delivering fat soluble vitamins A and C to the skin.

Of course, we don't have it all yet. We're still waiting for Kevin Aucoin's makeup line.

— By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer

Both movies at Waimanalo Sunset this weekend have Hawai'i ties

Sunset on the Beach heads for Waimanalo this weekend for all-day festivals of food, entertainment, movies, a children's center of rides and games, health expo, classic car display, marketplace, a boxing exhibition and more.

Tonight's featured film is "The Rundown," an action adventure starring Hawai'i's own Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (pictured at right). Tomorrow's is the filmed-in-Hawai'i comedy "50 First Dates," starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Each movie begins screening at 7:30 p.m.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. today and tomorrow at Waimanalo Beach Park. Admission is free, but donations to the Hawaii Foodbank, for Waimanalo families in need, will be gladly accepted.

Oh, where to park? At Bellows, it's a $2-per-car donation to the Waimanalo Football Association. Then take the free shuttles to and from the beach park.

Francis Haar took this picture of 'Iolani Luahine in 1961.

A one-hour slide lecture on the work of distinguished Hawai'i photographer Francis Haar will begin at 4 p.m. tomorrow at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa's Art Department auditorium.

Tom Haar will discuss his father's career, with emphasis on work that was done in the Islands.

Francis Haar died in 1997.

The event is free, and parking is free, too. 735-5095.

The day that changed it all

It was three years ago today that terrorists changed the way we look at ourselves as a nation and as members of the global village.

Our lives go on, but let us pause for a moment of silence today and, perhaps every day, to remember those who lost their lives in 2001 and those around the world who are victims of terrorism.

Savory scents, entertainment, fun will cap annual Taste of Lahaina

Oh, to be on Maui today! It's the final day of the 13th annual Taste of Lahaina, where restaurants will offer enticing food for every palate. Among the eateries participating are Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar, Big Wave Café, Pioneer Inn Bar & Grill, Cilantro, Maui Community College, Lahaina Fish Co. ... the list goes on and on.

On the entertainment lineup: Maurice Bega, Uncle Richard Ho'opi'i and Reiko Fukino, Nuff Sedd and Ho'onu'a. There's a Keiki Fun Zone, too, with shave ice, cotton candy, inflatables and games.

Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. at the Lahaina Recreation Center Park II, mauka of Honoapi'ilani Highway, behind the Aquatic Center and Lahaina Soccer Field. Admission is $5 general, free for kids under 12; proceeds go to community organizations. You'll need scrip to purchase food and drinks. (808) 667-9175.

Paddlers setting out to clean up O'ahu shorelines

The first Paddle for Clean Water event takes place from 9 a.m. to noon tomorrow at Magic Island, Ala Moana Beach Park. The noncompetitive event, presented by the O'ahu chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, hopes to bring awareness to the pollution along the island's shoreline.

Other Surfrider chapters, including those in New York, Florida, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, will take to their hometown waterways in support of clean water.

The event is free, and all ocean enthusiasts are invited to paddle, using surfboards, boogie boards, kayaks and paddling devices of all kinds. All you have to do is show up. And if you don't paddle, you can still cheer on the paddlers from the beach.

After the paddling, there's a potluck barbecue and a beach cleanup. 638-7341.

VW Beetles and more go head to head for Hawaii Foodbank

Once again, the VW Club of Hawaii is sponsoring a Volkswagen car show/competition and fund-raiser for the Hawaii Foodbank, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow at

Ala Moana Beach Park, near the tennis courts.

It's the third year of the event, in which vintage and custom cars will compete in several categories. And there's entertainment, free refreshments and door prizes all day long. Admission is free, but bring along canned goods for the foodbank. 721-7464.

Aloha Festivals entertain in Waikiki today with flowers and falsettos

We all love a parade, and today's Aloha Festivals floral parade will be no exception.

It begins at 9 a.m. at the 'ewa end of Ala Moana Beach Park, travels along Kalakaua Avenue, and winds up at Kapi'olani Park. Don't forget to bring your camera and lots of sunscreen.

Where to park? Try Ala Moana Beach Park, the side streets off Kalakaua, and Kapi'olani Park.

And if you're attending tonight's 10th annual Frank B. Shaner Falsetto Contest — an official Aloha Festivals event — at the Hawaii Ballroom of the Sheraton Waikiki hotel, here's a list of singers and their songs:

• Joseph Ahia, "Pauao Liko Ka Lehua."
• Michael Rennebu, "Makee 'Ailana."
• Lawrence Pau, "Ke Ahi Wela."
• Charman Leoiki, "He U'i."
• Windsor Alapa'i "Ka Beauty A'o Manoa."
• Noah Campbell, "Nani Kaua'i."
• Van Jon Paio, to be announced.
• Charles Gouveia, "Kahealani."
• Joshua Pele Tandal, "Lepe Ula Ula."
• Bill Wynne, "Ida's Hula."

Shaner emcees. Guest performers include last year's winner Imipono Cabrinha, Maui winner Kamaka Fernandez, the Honolulu Boy Choir and Barry Flanagan and Nathan Aweau of Hapa.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $25, $35, $45, at the Sheraton's special- events desk. Call 931-8178 or 922-4422.