2018 Winter Cosmetic Picks – Lesley

Hello, lovely hackers and hacker adjacents! It’s the dead of winter here in Chicago – the absolute best time to counteract winter blues and chills by feeling great in your skin. Even if you’re fortunate to live somewhere blissfully warm during the winter months, these products will lift your spirits and feed your skin on even the shortest days.

#1 – Lush Body Conditioner – LushUSA.com

Battling dry skin in harsh winter weather? Is lotion alone just not cutting it? Consider a new approach – natural skin conditioners by Lush. Applied similarly to hair conditioner, you apply these lotion-consistency creams in the shower, then rinse off and pat dry. Available in a variety of scents, they’re a super easy, low maintenance fix that will leave you feeling moisturized but not greasy, all day. We love a good skin care hack!

#2 & #3 – Fenty Beauty Foundation and Pro Filt’r Primer – fentybeauty.com

Okay, so I have to confess I’ve absolutely fallen in love with Rihanna’s new makeup line, Fenty Beauty. Fenty has made a name for it’s immense range of shades which fit nearly any skin tone. It’s no joke, and absolutely fantastic. As a pallid NW15,  I have a really hard time finding foundations in a warm or neutral tone that are pale enough to match my ‘monitor tan’. I was stunned to discover that the lightest Fenty shade, 100, was significantly too pale for me. I actually ended up being a balmy shade 120.

The foundation itself provides flawless, soft matte coverage using only a couple pumps. It feels light, and I’ve had no problems with creasing. The matching Pro Filt’r primer is also utterly fantastic with foundation or by itself, and one of my empties for December. I highly recommend testing these products in person at Sephora to find a great shade match for you.

#4 – Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel – neutrogena.com

I was heartbroken when Target decided to stop carrying AmorePacific’s Laneige skin care products. South Korean beauty products have a reputation for being ahead of the curve scientifically and performance-wise, and the Laneige Water Gel was affordable and pretty ideal for dealing with dry, thirsty winter skin. So, in a pinch, I had to find an alternative product that was affordable and on shelves. I wanted something non-greasy with lots of hydration, with similar olive oil components. I could not be more pleased with Neutrogena’s new hyaluronic acid “Hydro Boost” line – specifically their water gel facial moisturizer. It’s light enough to wear under makeup, and moisturizing enough to put on before bed. The best part – the whole line is quite affordable and available at most drug stores!

[The only product in the Hydro Boost line I’ve been a little disappointed with is the day cream with SPF, which doesn’t seem to hold up through the day to me.]

#5 – Body Shop ‘Oils of Life™‘ Revitalizing Facial Oil – thebodyshop.com

So, tried everything else, and your face or lips are still impossibly chapped? ‘Oils of Life’ from Body Shop is my last ditch suggestion before you see a dermatologist. A bit pricey for retail skin care at $55 for 1.7oz, I recommend testing this product in store before shelling out. For me, it is a miracle fix. Applied daily, it’s the only thing that keeps my skin from peeling after a bad sunburn or windburn in the wintertime. It’s lightweight and great for sensitive skin – I’ve had no problems with breakouts despite it being comprised primarily of seed oils.

---

(Neither I, nor VanitySec received any compensation or products in exchange for these reviews.)

Best Nail Designs for the Conference Circuit

A lot of people want to wear something special to security conferences, be it a witty new t-shirt, a flashy electronic badge or a creative homemade wearable. Nail designs are a fun, feminine way show off your technical interests.

Circuit Board Nails

Nothing says ‘hardware hacker’ like populating a circuit board while sporting circuit board nails. Several nail bloggers have posted different designs for circuit board nails.

More Nail Polish has posted this design made with a nail stamping kit.

Meanwhile Break Rules, Not Nails upped the ante by adding real components to the design.

(But be careful, the metals in components can harm you if you put your nails in your mouth and are sharp too!)

Finally, if you want to save time, Espionage Cosmetics sells circuit board nail wraps with easy application.

Super cute circuit nails!

Vulnerability Logos

Want to show your enthusiasm for the latest vulnerability disclosure? Want to make an ironic statement about the proliferation of vulnerability names? Either way, vulnerability name nails are for you!

I wore these nails to BlackHat in 2014 and saw a lady with Stagefright nails the next year. Sadly, I didn’t take a photo.

Krome Nails

Want nails that emanate cyberpunk? Try Krome It gel nails. Krome it is a powder that your manicurist layers over a regular gel polish to give it a multicolor sheen. Green powder over purple polish is my favorite. Super futuristic!

Pre-painted Acrylics

Don’t have the time, skills or cash to do your own nails? Pre-painted acrylic nails can be the solution. They come ready to glue onto your natural nails, and can be reused up to ten times. Perfect if you want cool nails for just a few hours!

UPG is a great source of pre-painted nails, including these unicorn talons.

Static Nails also has a number of excellent pre-painted acrylics. The gentleman in the photo is wearing the Red Bottoms style, a stylish twist on Hacker Black.

Magnetic Nails

At 32c3, I met a lady who gives leading-edge manicures. She is a jeweler who spends a lot of time thinking about questions like “what jewelry will we wear as technology makes our bodies less relevant?” She gave me a magnetic manicure, which essentially gives you an extra sense as it allows you to feel the pull of metal objects near your hands. It’s also convenient for picking up small objects. Pretty and useful, this is the manicure of the future!

 

Quick Tricks for Working Incognito

InfoSec and the corporate, non-security-focused world sometimes have difficulties seeing eye to eye when it comes to “office acceptable”.

After working for half a decade in DC, I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks on how to fly under the radar in Suitsville without sacrificing your own personal style.

I like to treat situations where I’m interacting with office people as an undercover field exercise. How far from my visual self can I get with minimal effort and maximum payoff?

So, let’s get sneaky.

Hair – Whether you have a ton of it, or none of it, people use hair as a distinguishing feature when they assess you visually. It may sound surprising, but changing your hair is one of the easiest ways to change your appearance and throw people off. Of course you can cut or dye it, but why commit when you can fake it?

A good wig is absolutely necessary when it comes to going undercover into the belly of Corporate.

Things that you want to look for in a wig:

• Bangs – Does this wig have a good fringe of bangs on it? Bangs will allow you to conceal any hairline issues you might be facing
• Realism re:scalp – Does your wig have a “skin” top part? Some wigs do and some don’t, so be careful when you’re buying. A skintone part makes it look like the fibers come from an actual scalp and not a doll’s head.
  • For folks with darker complexions and thereby darker scalps, check for a wig that has a darker skintone in the root section. If you can’t find that in the style that you want, you can always attempt to darken up this area with makeup, either eyebrow powder or in drastic situations, alcohol based ink, though with platinum blondes, you’ll want to be careful of the bright blonde.
• Styleability – Is your wig “heat friendly”. Synthetic wigs that are “heat friendly” are great if you need to reset your style or just feel like adding/subtracting some texture.
  • When you’re styling synthetic wigs with heat, be sure to not apply heat directly to the fibers, cause you will melt them.
• Hairline – This is less of a high point and more of a factor to keep in mind. Some wigs are sold as lace front, which means they’ve literally got a little bit of lace along the edges of the wig. This creates a more realistic hairline, but they’re also way more expensive than your standard wig. If you can stand the fringe, look for a wig with a good set of bangs so you don’t have to worry about attaching/adhering a lace front.
• Realism – For this exercise at least, you want your wig to look like every other person on the subway’s hair, so keep it natural, toned down style-wise and visually unremarkable.

I tend to go with Forever Young wigs when I’m looking for my “basic” hair.

When you’re going for an undercover style, think of what your current appearance is and try to go for the exact opposite. For instance, if you have long hair, go for a shorter hairstyle since most people won’t consider that you might be wearing a wig, so the change between the two ends of the spectrum helps build the illusion of another person.

After the recent premier of ‘Atomic Blonde’, people blew social media up with their desire for a platinum Lob (Long Bob) or Parisian Bob. For the Atomic Blondes out there, I recommend Forever Young’s Refined Curls in Color 613. This wig gives you good cut, not too crazy, not too bland. The platinum blonde is super popular right now, but it also comes in myriad other colors (I recommend Cappuccino as a good brunette).

Once you’ve got your new ‘do’, you’re going to want some accessories to make it bearable to wear.

• Wig Caps 

When you’re wearing a wig, you want all of your hair to stay in one place, preferably where you put it originally. Wig caps help keep your hair from sliding around and help the wig grip onto your head a little better. I highly recommend the mesh nets, but any kind you have on hand will do.

• Wig Band

Optional, but can really help if your wig cap is a little tight. These come in a couple of different options, velvet, squishy silicone, etc. You pop this on like a headband after you’ve got your wig cap on and it’s supposed to help take any pressure off of your head while wearing. (Disclaimer, I have one and I hate it. It slides around, and makes it feel like I’ve got a snake under my wig, but I’m just one person, so give it a shot if you like.)

• Dry Shampoo

Great to have anyhow. Dry shampoo will allow you to give your wig some volume, reduce on the fake shine that synthetic fibers get and help if you feel like your wig’s getting a little less than fresh. You can either get the shaky kind or aerosol kind, but either version works wonders.

• Hair Pins

These are an absolute must. Wigs are going to shift and move. Use some hairpins or even special wig clips to keep that thing in place. I recommend two clips on the back of the head at the base of your scalp and maybe one at the front of the wig, where the hairlines are going to meet.

I love these wig clips, they’re cheap and they work wonders.

• Wig Brush

Any kind of wide toothed brush or comb. Be kind to your wig. The synthetic fibers will begin to get frizzy and gross if you treat it harshly.

• Wig Stand

Optional. When you take a wig off, it’s going to need to air out. You can use the stand as a drying rack for when you do wash your wig. Double points for scaring any significant others who see a disembodied head in the dark of your home. 

Now that you’ve got your hair and accessories sorted, it’s time to try everything on and get a feel for how you’re going to react to having something on your head for hours. I recommend throwing everything on over a weekend at home, so if you do need to take anything off or rearrange anything, you’re good to go.

Though the photos online always show the wig models looking flawless and effortless, chances are you’re going to need to style/arrange your new hair before it sits/looks the way you want it to. Take some time to gently style your wig and figure out what looks best on you and it.

Once you get comfortable with your new look, you may find yourself obsessively buying new wigs, you know, just in case.

Tune in next time, for the various tips and tricks I’ve learned to cover up distinguishing marks, tattoos, piercings, etc and how to make your coverup last all day while looking as natural as possible.

 

 

 

Red Lips for Red Teaming

Look fierce while red teaming with these stunning red lip colors.

#1 Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick – Matte Fire Engine Red

#2 NARS – Fire Down Below

#3 LANCÔME Rouge in Love Lipstick – Rouge Valentine
(shout out to @malwareunicorn)

#4 MAC – Ruby Woo
(shout out to @tarah)

#5 NYX Cosmetics Plush Gel – Deep Red

#6 Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Conture Lipstick Collection – Rouge Neon Bright Red

#7 MAKEUP GEEK Iconic Lipstick – Elegant

Welcome to VanitySec

Many of the fashionistas in the InfoSec industry has come together on VanitySec to provide both fashion, beauty, and infosec content that appeals to other fashionistas. Enjoy.