Beauty Blog » 2008 » June

The smart folks at New Beauty magazine have come up with an ingenious idea! They are offering a program called “Beauty In A Tube.”

Every 3 months, you will receive a tube filled with sample sized beauty products. Beautiful. I consider myself a smart consumer, and I want to spend my money on products that work, not the ones that claim to work. As we all know, price point does not always guarantee results. Some drugstore products are superior to their more expensive cousins in the department store. This is a great opportunity to sample products that might be out of your price range or products that you may have just been curious to try.

Here is a list of products that have been given out in the past:

• Obagi
• GoSmile
• Estee Lauder
• Colorscience
• Aveda
• Dr. Brandt
• Bioelements
• Babor
• Jane Iredale
• Lancome

You not only get skin-care products but also make-up!

Check out: New Beauty Test Tube “The World’s Most Unique Beauty Sampling Program”

Editor’s Note:

Just so you know, that post I just wrote, the program…is $29.95 every 3 months.

It’s not free– i don’t want to mislead anyone…

Sorry about that ladies!

Smarter Beauty Staff

Celebrity Hairstyle Alert - I feel a thousand copy cats squirming in excitement! Well not to toot my own horn but this was the hairstyle I had before I cut bangs so I guess I am ahead of the curve for once?! Hee, hee…

This is my dark haired version?

(Source: Glamour.com)

Whilst in the land of Smarter Beauty Blogging …

The Legend of Kevyn Aucoin

Bumble & Bumble Hair Products

Myth Buster! - Does drinking the bottled water you leave in your car cause cancer?

Want to become a Clinique Insider’s Club member? Find out how by clicking here…

We’re excited to tell you that Clinique is starting up an awesome program called the Clinique Insider’s Club! They just started accepting applications.

Clinique will be selecting 20 women from the submitted applications to be “Clinique Insiders.”

As “Insiders” the women will get an exclusive sneak peek at the latest Clinique Skincare, and Makeup products and will have the opportunity to give product reviews and opinions which will be seen, heard and read on Clinique.com!

Insiders will also have access to special upcoming events and will receive a special welcome kit which includes full-size Clinique products and a Flip Video digital camcorder!

If your interested apply here:  Application to become Clinique Insider

Good Luck Girls!

Well I usually immediately delete all the novellas and prayers my Mom sends me but this one sparked my interest because I have heard that heating up food in certain types of plastic or styrofoam releases toxins that when consumed are carcinogens. So it seemed plausible, here is the email I got from my Mom:

Subject: IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WARN YOUR WIVES/FRIENDS AND DAUGHTERS

Bottled water in your car…..very dangerous, woman!!!!
This is how Sheryl Crow got breast cancer. She was on the Ellen show and
said this same exact thing. This has been identified as the most common
cause of the high levels in breast cancer, especially in Australia ..

A friend whose mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. The Doctor
told her: women should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car.

The doctor said that the heat and the plastic of the bottle have certain
chemicals that can lead to breast cancer. So please be
careful and do not
drink bottled water that has been left in a car, and, pass this on to all
the women in your life. This information is the kind we need to know and be
aware and just might save us!!!! The heat causes toxins from the plastic to
leak into the water and they have found these toxins in breast tissue. Use
a stainless steel Canteen or a glass bottle when you can!!!

Well bottom line I hit internet engines fast and hard to figure out whether this email was bogus. Mainly because it seems logical and I happen to be a frequent sipper of left over bottled water in my ol’ car. Here is what I found:

IT IS FALSE!  - Drinking bottled water left in your car will not give you Breast Cancer

(Source: Snopes.com)

So there you have it gals, you will not get Breast Cancer from drinking the warm water you left in your car. Whew! 

Now that it’s summer, I go a bit blonder. It’s sweet. I like to think of myself as a fey surfer girl with 70’s love sensibilities. While everyone is wearing flip flops, I choose suede booties and light dresses. I keep my hair simple. I use the classic Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray. It gives that sexy, salty wind-tossed texture to your hair. And the smell is delicious. Exactly like the beach and waves. Spray it into damp hair (not wet) and let air dry. Twirl a few pieces with fingers to let set, put in loose bun and later on in the day, after you’ve gone on your morning walk with your honey, let it down and be the hippie goddess you are.

If you want to check out all of the other excellent Bumble and Bumble Products, go to:

(click on image to visit site)

Reinvent yourself as the Hippie Heiress, The Surreal Socialite, the Mid-West Mademoiselle, or my favorite: The Rhinestone Roadie.

I love Kevin Aucoin! One fine Summer in the 1990’s my best friend Mark showed me the Kevin Aucoin book “Making Faces” and it has been my virtual Beauty Bible ever since.

The book laid the foundation for my makeup regimen and taught me a few tricks of the beauty trade. A few years later I purchased “Face Forward”, I reveled in his artistry. How he could magically transform even the most beautiful of celebrities into untouchable goddesses. Tell you the truth the books were quite humbling, it shed light on the fact that while I was passionate about cosmetics I was nowhere near as gifted as Kevin in application. The man was a magician with a makeup brush!

Which made his loss on May 2, 2002 all the more tragic. Luckily Kevin Aucoin’s beauty legacy still lives on in his fans and countless celebrity clients. He also has a cosmetic line called: Kevin Aucoin Beauty.

I have heard good things about the Sensual Skin Enhancer. In short it mimics the appearance of healthy, radiant skin and could be used for spot treatments or all over. Price - $45.00 

I can’t help myself, I am going to try some of his products. He shines too bright in my mind, I will keep you lovelies posted if it’s any good. Hopefully they live up to his reputation!

Also, in case you guys are interested here are the books I mentioned:

Kiyah Wright is an Emmy award winning celebrity hair stylist who created the signature looks for stars like: Tyra Banks, Mary J. Blidge, IMAN, Brandy, Jennifer Hudson, Faith Evans, Gabrielle Union and more.

Kiyah Wrigtht discusses her experiences in celebrity hairstyling especially being Tyra Banks long time hair stylist.

Finish reading at: Talking Makeup

Whilst in the land of Smarter Beauty:

New Club Drug hits NYC! Supposedly Shrinks FAT!!

Read about the Benefits of Exfoliating and the pitfalls and lures of Beauty Cosmetic Marketing!

Summer heat making your hair GREASY!!! Read a few of my sure fire quick fixes for De-greasing the Do!

Ahhh, The PURPLE STUFF, ha! Try great fresh products from The Body Deli…

So recently I got this Blueberry Fusion Facial Polish as a gift from a friend who actually frequents the store The Body Deli in Palm Desert, California. All their products are super fresh and made of fruits, veggies and other natural ingredients.

So anyhow back to my gift or what I now affectionately refer to as “the purple stuff” because although it is made with BLUE-berries the concoction is well purple. First impression, stuff smells great! How great? So great, it smelled like a lovely fruit puree of some sort, blueberry sherbet? According to the marketing its suppose to be all “natural” and such so I tasted just a touch. Doesn’t taste great but smells great.

I liked the packaging and after use it left my face feeling smooth and soft. Not unlike a lengthy facial treatment at a day spa.

One thing that was both a blessing and a burden was that it needs to be refrigerated. Which meant I loved how it felt cool on my cheeks when I would apply it, but the drawback is I sometimes would forget to use it because it was in the fridge. Plus, I dunno I like to keep my fridge cosmetic free. The last thing I need is my crazy Grandpa spreading my blueberry face wash over a piece of toast! (He would soooo do it!)

But when I visited their website seems it’s the nature of the “freshness” of the ingredients and necessary to maintain the product.

Here’s their official concept:

The concept is simple – to offer a healthy menu of “fresh food for the skin.” All products are handmade in small batches, designed to maximize their freshness and potency. Each unique formulation addresses the basic nutritional needs of the body, face and hair by utilizing raw, fresh,
natural and organic ingredients, including organic yogurt, tofu, fresh fruit and vegetables, and all-natural plant oils.

Final thoughts: If you are hankering for a fresh, and re-freshing reprieve from the Summer heat and feeling sticky icky all the time check out their site and products. Two thumbs up!

Site: The Body Deli

Well I may have already mentioned that I have fine hair, so greasy tends to be an issue! One that I have mastered with the help of the following quick fixes!

Anyhow now that it’s super hot, my hair tends to look weighed down and greasy when I start to sweat or when I skip even one shower! Ugh!

So after much trial and error I have come up with the following quick fixes. These should work and help all gals and pals who suffer from the occasional bad hair day or greasy root Monday!

Quick Fixes for Greasy Hair:

1. PONY TAIL - I know sounds retarded right, but in absolute honesty if you don’t have any time or patience to deal with your greasy tresses my best advice is to pull your hair into a pony tail, spritz down strays with hairspray, or shiny serum stuff you have lying about and dash out the door. The hairspray/shiny serum lends your hair a sweeter scent and gives a touch of “I wanted my hair shiny, it’s not grease, its shine!” (Bonus tip: Put on some red lipstick, makes me feel less gross and mentally I feel it draws attention away from my hair and onto my face.)

2. BABY POWDER - Okay this tip has circulated for eons now, but if you haven’t heard it here I go. Sprinkling a touch of baby powder or even Corn Starch from your kitchen directly to your greasy spots helps absorb the oil and gives your strands a fighting chance of not looking completely stringy. I have tried this and it actually works.

HOWEVER, at the time my hair was blonde! Now that it is back to black this trick no longer applies. White powder obviously does not bode well for us raven haired ladies, makes the roots all chalky. Plus let me emphasize again that you should use a “sprinkle” a “squiget” if you will of baby powder or cornstarch, otherwise you could end up with a pasty scalp. Sprinkle a pinch onto the greasy area, work it around with your fingers or palm so it absorbs the oil, shake your hair out and if you have the time, blow dry your hair on cool getting rid of the excess powder. Your hair should look fuller, dry and not greasy anymore.

3. Bumble and Bumble Hair Powder - My friend recommended this product about a year and a half ago and now I “always” have a travel sized bottle with me. How it works is you spritz the greasy zone and it emits this powder that not only absorbs the oil but is also most excellent of cloaking your grown out roots in-between dye jobs. Also, you should know that a little goes a long way and don’t get carried away with the spritzing. It’s mean to absorb oil and to refreshen your fading dye jobs, not to dye your hair all over again.

The best part about this stuff is it comes in an array of colors. Since I frequently change my hair color it’s never an issue trying to match my roots with the hair powder. When I first started using this product it came in this little bottle of real powder, they recently started selling the spray version. I kinda liked the powder bottle version better. I feel I got a lot more use from the original powder form in lieu of the spray, but like I said I use the spray too.

If you genuinely suffer from greasy strands, it’s a must have. You’ll thank me.

Price - $18.95 (1 oz.) $40.00 (4 oz.)

Boo! It’s pricey, which is why I recommend using it sparingly, in case of greasy emergency only. Also, that’s why I mentioned preferring the powder bottle version, it was cheaper at the time and lasted me forever. Alas, I can’t seem to find that version online or in stores anymore. The stuff really works though, if you need it!

Hope that helps…

I know hearing about exfoliation is akin to flossing your teeth, but let’s be honest. Flossing makes healthy teeth, exfoliation makes healthy skin. Or, as Paula Begoun aptly put it: “Would you get a pedicure and ask the manicurist to keep your scaly heels?” Yuck!

Paula Begoun wrote the book, “Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me.” and has an excellent skin care line called “Paula’s Choice.” She really knows her stuff.

YouTube - Watch Cosmetics Cop Paula Begoun: Cosmetics Industry Mythbusting

So, there are 2 important reasons why you need to exfoliate:

1. The outermost layer of your skin contains dead skin cells called the keratin layer. Keeping this layer of skin can interfere with the penetration of creams and any type of serums. So, if you do take care of your skin and invest in worthy products, shouldn’t you work on a surface that is receptive to repair?

2. The keratin layer not only contains dead skin cells but also sun-damaged skin cells. This layer can also inhabit abnormal sun damaged skin cells, or, pre-cancerous cells called actinic keratoses. (Double Yikes!) You need to slough that layer off in order to reveal the fresh layer of skin underneath.

3. Ok, there’s a third reason: Exfoliation makes for shiny new skin! Skin that glows, skin that’s fresh and new. It smooths and softens fine lines, evens out your skin tone and lightens hyperpigmentated areas (due to sun damage, sun-spots). And to top it off: Exfoliation encourages collagen renewal and repair.

So, here’s the solution: you can use glycolic acids (fruit acids, AHA’s) or lactic acids (found in milk). In ancient times, Egyptian women took baths in sour milk(lactic) and French women in red wine(tartaric acid). Product lines like Philosophy’s Hope In A Jar contains lactic acid. Caudalie contains grape extract or tartaric acid. But for me, glycolic is the way to go. One product that I stand 100% behind is DDF Glycolic Exfoliating Moisturizer at 10%. 10% is right at the mark of being effective enough without going to a dermatologist. The higher the percentage, of course, the faster the renewal rate, and the deeper the penetration. If you go to a dermatologist, you can get a glycolic peel, but for everyday use, try DDF 10%. You can benefit from gradual repair which is gentler to the skin. Also, it is formulated for dry skin types and actually increases moisture levels! If you have oily skin, DDF also makes a glycolic product for your skin type. All in all, LOVE IT! After a month of applying this at night, I had glowy, beautiful new skin. A definite must!

But be aware, girls. Newly exfoliated skin is baby skin. Protect it with sunscreen, as always.