Visa Goes Green

Visa is producing and entire new ad campaign to demonstrate their on-going commitment to the environment and the entrepreneurs that support it. We were shooting one of these commercials recently in Carbondale, which is 30 miles West of Aspen in the Raring Fork valley. A perfect location, given the commitment to the environment by the local population. The story for the commercial is about a local Carbondale woman who has based her business on straw bale construction.

Laura Bartel "fell" into her current business after being the first person on the Western Slope to build a certified, to code, straw bale home. Once her home was completed and other locals experienced the beauty and efficiency of her home, others followed suit. She was soon consulting and training others on straw bale construction including the building of the Waldorf School in Carbondale.

Given the nature of the content of the commercial and the commitment of the 'star' to the environment, I thought a break from my usual cosmetic brands was in order. This would be a good opportunity for me to experiment with some of the organic skin care and make-up lines that have been popping up across the globe. Laura and Visa agreed and requests were made for product. 

Since Laura is a simple girl and doesn't want (or need) to spend a great deal of time on her appearance, I wanted to keep things light and natural. 

We started off for a quick cleanse, by using a nourishing toner from Suki followed by the Osmotic Infusion Ultra Moisturizer from REN. These two products were relished by Laura's skin and really made her glow.

Given Laura already had a great complexion, I didn't need to use a lot to cover. We brightened around her eyes with a concealer from Nvey and also used it to cover some redness she had around her nose.  We followed this with an SPF 20 powder from Bare Escentuals to control shine during filming. and to provide some sun protection.

For color I used the Wildflower Face Palette by Josie Maran Cosmetics. I really liked the softness of the colors and the way they glided onto Laura's skin. To finish off the look I used a black mascara on Laura's upper lashes and a double ended lip pencil to define and add a  bit of color to her lips - both products by Tarte Cosmetics - and Origins Organic lip balm to keep her lips from appearing dry.  She looked fabulous and loved the way the products felt on her skin and we both liked the idea of doing something healthy for the environment by using organic products.

Overall I liked the texture and application of the products and think they are terrific for daily use in non-extreme conditions.  For the purpose of filming however, I wasn't happy with the wear-ability of the product. I felt I had to touch-up Laura much more than I did when I used my professional lines. So, I say, use the organic, natural cosmetics and skin care when going to work, futzing about or for that date with the hot new guy, and know you are doing something great for the environment, and I'll continue to use my professional products for movie making.