Hot or Not Beauty

Mineral Makeup is all the rage right now. Since it’s natural, with built in SPF protection, and it’s non pore clogging properties, no wonder it’s so pupular. It seems that you can’t turn on cable TV without seeing a Bare Minerals commercial. But, there are so many more mineral makeup companies than Bare Minerals.

I love Jane Iredale. She has a huge business with dermatologiest and skin care clinics, as her product perfect for use after many skin care procedures. Be aware that this line doesn’t read well on darker skin. From medium to light tones, it’s a beautiful choice.

For savings this month, check out Therapy Systems line of mineral makeup. Therapy Systems offers a nice range of mineral foundations and powders. Get 20% off with code INSTYLE07 from Jan.12-Feb.28.

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Gone are the days of plastering and painting faces with layers of foundation and powder. Today’s complexions glow – they are radiant and fresh. Whether young or gracefully maturing, smooth luminous skin is universally sought after. With little effort, amazing results can be had by just adding a step or two into your daily skincare regimen.

Concern – Dull, flaky skinThis skin could be oily or dry. How to tell? If pores are large, you are an oily skin in need of exfoliation. No pores to speak of, you are dry with the same need of exfoliation. Once dead skin is lifted by exfoliating, clean fresh skin is revealed.

Exfoliants that get the job done:Awake Deep Purity Clay Wash – 2-3 times a week, great for normal to oily skins
Fresh Sugar Face Polish – Optimal use is 3-4 times weekly, but once per week is encouraged – for all skin types
Caudalie Grape Seed Buffing Cream – A gentle cream based exfoliant that uses jojoba beads and is great for normal, sensitive and drier skins. This gentle cream can be used daily.

Concern – Lackluster, no glow
Next to exfoliation, your skin may need a little pick me up with. Serums with active ingredients, botanicals, antioxidants and vitamins can revive skin with drink of nutrition.

Awake Serum Un-Sign Face Essence — Increases skins brightness in days, oil free version also
MD Formulations Vit-A-Plus Illuminating Serum — Balances uneven skintones
Murad Vitalic Energizing Pomegranate Treatment — a performance-boosting gel swirled with a skin illuminating cream
Chanel Radiance Revealing Serum — revives energy and boosts radiance instantly

Last but not least, be sure you moisturize with a product that has light reflective properties. Try:
Caudalie Vinolift SPF 12 Day Fluid — SPF protection, and an instant luminous effect due to its tiny golden pearlizers
Murad Resurgence Sheer Lustre Day Moisture — Luminescent minerals give dull skin a natural, healthy-looking glow, even without makeup.
Dior Vitalmine Radiance Activator — infuses skin with healthy-looking radiance and vitality

Here’s to glowing skin!

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M·A·C Cosmetics Honored Brunette Bombshell and Eternal Screen Siren, Raquel Welch, as Beauty Icon on January 17th. How hot is this woman? She’s approaching 68 and looks better than most of the young women in Hollywood today. And in her heyday, Raquel certainly was hotter than this current slew of wanna be hotties. Who can foget the infamous One Million Years BC poster?

And look at her today. She looks amazing, truly deserving of the beauty icon status.

Raquel Welch, HOT!

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Did you ever think that you could practically overdose on butter and not gain an ounce? Well you can. The only glitch is that you don’t get to eat it, you get to slather it from head to toe. Today’s beauty products boast a variety of “butters� with moisturizing, regenerating and healing properties.

The most popular comes from the Shea Tree, indigenous to Africa. The fruit of the Shea or Karite tree resembles an avocado, with shea butter coming from the seed of the fruit. According to Wikipedia, “Shea butter is known especially for its cosmetic properties as a moisturizer and emollient. It is also a known anti-inflammatory agent [1]. Shea butter can be effective at treating the following conditions: fading scars, eczema, burns, rashes, severely dry skin, and in lessening the irritation of psoriasis. Shea butter provides natural UV sun protection.�

So, It’s easy to see why Shea butter is so useful in cosmetic preparations. Let’s take a look at Shea butter’s uses from the top of your head to the soles of your feet.

Hair: In shampoos and conditioners, Shea butter moisturizes hair and because of it’s natural sun protective qualities, is ideal for color treated hair. It also revitalizes, repairs and prevents breakage. Phillip B African Shea Butter Shampoo or Phytospecific Optimal Hydration Shampoo and Phyto Phytokarite Ultra Nourishing Conditioner or Korres Shea Butter and Vitamins Nourishing Hair Mask

Face: Due to it’s regenerating properties and emollient characteristics, Shea Butter is the ideal ingredient in anti-aging and dry skin moisturizers.
Stem Organics Hydrating Face Fluid for Dry Skin or Eris Young & Unique Perfecting Day Cream SPF 25. Lips need protection too: Davies Gate Cocoa Bean Lip Balm

Body: With it’s ability to heal and hydrate, no wonder shea butter is a favorite ingredient in bath products. It softens skin, leaving it smooth and hydrated.Cleanse with soaps from Karen Klein, Abhana or Seda France. Effervescent Archipelago Botanicals Brown Sugar & Vanilla Bath Cubes makes bathing a necessary luxury. Follow with with Korres Body Butter, June Jacobs Body Balm or elegant Tocca Body Cream.

Hand and Feet: These areas tend to get extra dry, especially in winter months. Pamper yourself a bit by giving your hands and feet an extra dose of care. Keep them protected with Davies Gate Lemon Made Hand Salve and Foot Cream.

So go ahead, indulge!

All products can be found at Beauty Exclusive.

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Who watches the Golden Globes to see who wins? Not me. I watch to see what everyone is wearing. I really do love to see the stars dressed to the nines, but it does my spiteful side some good to see them look terrible too. I mean with an entourage of stylists, makeup artists and hair stylists, they should never step out looking below average. But in true Hollywood fashion, some of our favorites look a HOT MESS.

Beyonce’ continues to shine. Even though she didn’t get the gold, she was definitly a golden girl, and HOT!

On the other end of the spectrum was Cameron Diaz. What’s up with her makeup and dress? She looks like an old lady who’s heavy handed with the red rouge and lipstick. That dress looked like Is she having style issues since she broke up with Justin? The girl was just a Hot Mess!

On the other hand, Justin Timberlake, looked quite dapper with his tux and SHOES. Not sneakers, dress shoes. Way to grow up JT! Justin Timberlake — HOT!

Jennifer Lopez has continued to dazzle us with her style quotient. She looked sexy and elegant is a backless black evening gown. And we know, her backside is her good side. With her return to back hair she looks amazingling beautiful. J Lo — sizzling HOT!

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Sales of over the counter acne preparations exceed $100 million annually. Hundreds of millions more are spent on prescription treatments. Acne is a non life threatening disease, but nonetheless a disease that takes a psychological toll on it’s victims. 85% of the population between 12 and 25 are plagued with mild to moderate acne. With over 350,000 US residents seeking professional treatment for acne, it’s no wonder it’s turned into an infomercial driven business.

What causes acne?
In brief:
1. Hormones
2. P Acnes Bacteria
3. Excess Sebum (oil) production
4. Hyperkeratinization (build up of dead skin)

For more information about acne click here.

Other causes can be anabolic steroid use and medications. While it’s difficult to control hormones (certain birth control pills seem to help some women). So in short to for relief of acne the following must happen:

1. Kill Bacteria
2. Control Oil production
3. Control Inflammation
4. Exfoliate dead skin cells
Some brands such as Peter Thomas Roth rely on ingredients such as benzoyl peroxide, glycolic acid and salicylic acid to clear skin. Others like Naturopathica rely on botanicals for their healing powers. Sample skin care regimens:

Nautropathica:
Cleanse: Aloe Cleansing Gel
Tone: Lavender Hydrolat
Hydrate: Protective Moisture Cream (oil-free)
Spot Treatment: Moss Extract Blemish Remover
Lighten Acne Scars: Botanical Skin Brightener
Weekly Mask: Pore Refining Clay Mask

Peter Thomas Roth:
Cleanse: Medicated BPO 5% Acne Wash or for Beta Hydroxy 2% Acne Wash for extremely oily skin
Tone: Glycolic Acid Clarifying Tonic
Treat: AHA/BHA Acne Clearing Gel or for more serious breakouts 10% BPO with sulfur
Weekly Mask: Sulfur Cooling Mask

Tip: For a serious eruption that you need to deflate overnight, try this: Ice pimple for 5 minutes. Apply spot treatment. Cover spot treatment with a thick layer of mask. Leave on overnight. You should see a marked difference in your zit come morning!

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I love a deal. I think most people do. Especially those of us who are makeup junkies, we in particular love a deal. So, I’m here to pass on a great deal. Laura Geller Baked Beauties is an awesome beauty buy. A $100 value, yours for $55.

What it is:
Three richly-hued compacts of multi-toned marbleized pigments ranging from blush to bronze hues, swirled together into a radiant liquid, poured onto terra cotta pans, and baked for 24 hours into a soft, creamy powder - plus lipstick, mascara, and Spackle foundation primer.

What you get:
Set includes full-size Blush ‘n’ Brighten in Golden Apricot (bronze, gold, and rose); a Balance ‘n’ Bronze Split Compact (half in pink, tan, cream, and bronze, and half in soft tan, peach, and cream); Baked Eye Shadow in Unearthed (bronze, chocolate, and champagne); plus a Creamy Mascara in Black, Lipstick in Peach Melba (bronzed rosy peach), and a 1 oz Spackle foundation primer mini in a clear, zippered travel bag.

Why I love it:
The Balance and Bronze practically eliminates my need for foundation. My typically sallow skin is evened out and brightened. Something I learned from Laura is that whether you are ruddy or sallow, this bronzer evens your skin. Thanks to that swirling technique of all the colors.
The Blush and Brighten works perfectly with my yellow tones. Everyone needs blush, and this is a lovely everyone-can-wear-it blush. The Baked Eyeshadow in Unearthed I apply over my entire lid. Because of the way the colors are in the dome, you can apply the lighter tones under your brow bone, or use the darker ones in the crease. Or, just swish your shadow brush across the entire dome for a color wash to the entire lid. Spackle is the ulimate primer. And the lipstick and mascara are just the icing on the cake.

Laura Geller Baked Beauties — Definitely HOT!

Available at Sephora.com.

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Now’s the time to stock up on discontinued favroites at BeneFit.

50% off sale items can’t be bad. Check out lipsticks, shadows and glosses.

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Halle Berry and Carmen Electra both graced the red carpet at The 33rd Annual People’s Choice Awards - ArrivalsJanuary 9, 2007 - Shrine Auditorium Los Angeles, California United States.

Halle’s 40, she no longer sports her signature short hari look. Her hair is longer but lord knows she still got it. I’m sure no photo op can compare to her arrival on the beach as Jinx in the James Bond franchise, but this is a woman who has iconic beauty no matter what her style.

Carmen is younger, relies heavily on makeup and artifice to complete her look. But she’s viable for a beauty crown.

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So what do you think? Carmen or Halle?

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Get it while it’s hot!
Jut got this email notice from Nordstrom.
This darling Train Case full of goodies.

With your online beauty purchase of $95 or more, you’ll receive a fabulous
blue train case and deluxe samples from the following beauty brands:

Bvlgari
Clarins
Clinique
DuWop
Erno Laszlo
Frederic Fekkai
GoSmile
Juicy Couture
Kinerase
Lancôme
Origins
philosophy
Prescriptives
Smashbox

Online only. One per person, while supply lasts. Gift will be added automatically
in Checkout and can only be shipped to the same destination as your order.

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Vitamins have increasingly become an integral part of skin care formulations. Without an adequate supply of vitamins skin can appear blotchy, dry or oily. Healthy skin needs a variety of vitamins to maintain resiliency.
What:
Vitamin A. The vitamin for healthy skin. Also knows as retinol, retinal, retinyl palmitate. The most popular form is tretinoin (retinoic acid), the active ingredient in Retin A and Renova. Research in the March 2000 Journal of Investigative Dermatology shows that a 1% preparation of retinol is partially converted by the skin into retinoic acid, which results in collagen growth and reversal of some aging signs. However, cosmetics usually contain preparations of retinol at lower strengths than those studied by researchers.
When:
At night, use a Vitamin A product that rejuvenates as you sleep. PM is the perfect time to use Vitamin A serum like Peter Thomos Roth Retinolique Forte or a Cream like Dr. Brandt A Cream. For day, look for a cream that includes retinol. Try June Jacobs Intensive Age Defying Hydratiang Complex.
Why:
Retinol increases cellular turnover, which slows down as we age. Studies have shown that the new cells produced by Vitamin a usage are healthier and plumper.
Retinol visibly improves the appearance of:
• Fine lines
• Wrinkles
• Hyperpigmentation, age spots
• Skin texture, smoothness, refines pores
• Skin tone, color
Who:
Anyone with mature skin, lines, wrinkles, discoloration. Also good for acne sufferers because of the exfoliation properties. For someone who desires to begin an anti-aging skin care regimen.

skincare, beauty, anti-aging, wrinkles, discoloration, hyperpigmentation, retinol, retin a, acne, renova, vitamin a, peter thomas roth products, june jacobs products, fine lines

One thing I’m fanatical about is mascara. I really border on trashy with my mascara tastes for myself. I like my lashes unnaturally full and long. Not quite your Tammy Faye Baker caterpillar look, but I like them as close to fake without being fake.

To that end, I have used dozens of mascara brands, and I always come back to my tried and true favorites.

1. Best price, best thickening mascara:

Loreal Voluminous. Found at drugstores everywhere. It regularly sells for about $7.99, but when it’s on sale, I stock up on it. I use the waterproof version on my clients. Color – always Blackest Black. Why even bother if you’re not using black?

2. Looks like Fake Lashes:
Bourjois Pump up the Volume Mascara – $13.50 at Sephora. Two coats and your lashes look like you just put on a pair of fabulous fakes. The Metallic Bronzed Plum is pretty on green eyes.

3. Curl Power
CHANEL Extracils - Super Curl lengthening Mascara
Cream formula curls and holds.

4. Longer is better
Urban Decay Big Fatty lengthens and thickens. The addition of hemp oil conditions and softens lashes.

5. Comb don’t brush
Rimmel Volum’Eyes 5 X Volume Comb Mascara. Thanks to my teenage daugher, I’ve been turned on to Rimmel. One of the many products that Kate Moss is the face for. And I love this mascara. The comb individually coats each lash, works wonders.

Some mascara application tips:
1. When you pull your wand out of the tube, bend it slightly, so you have an angle. Professional makeup artist use their wands this way to get as close to the lash line as possible.

2. When you notice your mascara getting clumpy, clean off theexcess by wiping your brush on a tissue.

3. If you use mascara everyday, you should toss it in about 6 weeks.

4. Don’t pump your mascara — air gets pushed into the tube, causing bacteria to harbor.

5. Don’t share mascara.

6. Don’t think you can add life to your mascara by adding water. This just makes it easier for you to get an eye infection.

There you have it. From high end to low end mascaras. Go ahead, bat those lashes.

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Ever notice the beautiful skin possessed by women in the Mediterranean? Does Sophia Loren who has aged ever so gracefully come to mind? Perhaps credit should be given to two botanicals that have been cultural standards for years: figs and olives. Both are packed with antioxidants and olive oil is abundant in essential fatty acids. Cleopatra and the prophet Mohammed both enjoyed figs and the Roman writer Pliny the Elder praised them for their power to get rid of wrinkles.

Recognized traditionally for their healing properties, figs and olives are the new buzz in skin care. The fruit of the olive tree has been touted as a youth elixir. And no wonder, olive trees can live up to 1,000 years. Packed with polyphenols olive oil itself is a wonderful moisturizer, cuticle cream and hair conditioner. Incorporated into beauty products, it packs a bigger punch.

Greece devotes 60 percent of its cultivated land to olive growing. It is the world’s top producer of black olives and boasts more varieties of olives than any other country. Straight from olive oil country, Greek manufacturer Apivita makes a Deep Face Scrub with olive grains that purifies and exfoliates. Rich in natural emollients, olive oil, when added to soap skin moisturizes and cleans in one fell swoop. Apivita’s Olive Oil Soap fills the bill.

When a regular part of a diet, figs are touted to lower cholesterol, help stop strokes, control blood pressure, promote weight loss, battle diabetes, and combat cancer. Valued for their warm, unique scent, figs have been often used to fragrance soaps and candles. Acca Kappa’s Fig Soap gently cleanses and moisturizes with a lovely soft scent. To bring the fresh clean scent of fig to your home, try Archipelago Botanicals White Fig Home diffuser or candle.
So, aside from that occasional Fig Newton and a drizzle of Olive Oil on your salad, add some figs and olives to your beauty routine. The beauty of Mediterranean skin awaits.

Beautiful skin — definitely HOT!

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Does your hair recoil at the very thought of humidity? Do you fight to get a comb through your tresses after each shampoo? Does a blow-out leave you looking like you stuck your finger in a light socket? If so, you are no doubt fighting a major case of the frizzies. You can easily tame frizziness with a few products that will leave your hair smooth - even on the dreariest day.

Stacey Miller, of DiPietro Todd Salon in San Francisco is a stylist who specializes in cuts. Stacey has first-hand experience in working with frizzy hair. Her choice product line is Rene Furterer. She became so familiar with Rene Furterer hair products that she was named the in-house educator for her salon.

According to Stacey, “All Rene Furterer products that I use leave the hair feeling soft and natural. Each shampoo is specifically engineered for specific hair textures, types, and/or scalp issues, so it is very important to choose the proper one for your individual scalp and hair. If you choose the proper products, you will find your hair feeling healthier and more manageable. Part of the [Rene Furterer] secret is that they work to keep the scalp healthy; and if the scalp is healthy, then the hair will grow in healthier.�

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Major women’s magazines are telling us out with the old and in with the new. That we need a major overhaul because it’s a new year. Maybe it is a new year, but do you really want a new you? I maintain that last year’s model is pretty darn good; a little tune-up may get my motor purring like new though.

Sure I could shop till I drop for a new wardrobe, cut, color and otherwise change my hair, or plunk down the equivalent of a down payment on a two-seater foreign import to a plastic surgeon for major overhaul, but I think that’s pretty extreme. My closet is already busting at the seams (As I am in those clothes. Make note: use gym membership). My hair is great condition – nothing that a flat iron, comb and brush won’t cure. And as far as that plastic surgeon is concerned – I’d rather have the two-seater. So with that in mind, I’m taking care of my own maintenance.

You may want to do the same. Take time to consider where you may need maintenance. My tune-up is focusing on two main areas – above the shoulders and below the shoulders. I’ve got to conquer the jiggle factor. My neck is starting to get that jiggly turkey thing. I have examined it from every angle in the mirror and the jiggle has to go. I’m sure it’s only obvious to me and my high powered mirror with 10X magnification, but nonetheless, it’s there.

Second area of jiggle concern– thighs. I won’t even get into that scenario. But, if I use my gym membership in conjunction with some miracle jiggle stopper stuff, summer swimsuit shape is a possibility. Since I am a bit obsessed with magic potions, aka beauty products, I have decided to apply my twisted preoccupation with eye creams to conquering the dreaded neck and thigh jiggle.

Here is my list of anti-jiggle stuff that I’m trying for the next 3 months.
1.Eris Fortessimo Neck & Decolette Firming Cream.
This cream claims to firm and add elasticity to the delicate tissue of the neck. A proprietary blend of Coenzyme Q10 and other ingredients work their magic. I’m desperate, so I’ll apply day and night. And maybe keep some on my desk for intermittent day time applications…

2. Apivita Express Firming Face Mask with Grape Seed.
Since it’s made with Grape seed, known to be an antioxidant (fights free radicals which accelerate age aging process) and Coenzyme Q10, another antioxidant, I have great expectation of this product. Recommendation is to use 1-2 times per week. Sunday afternoon will be for masking.

3. Santica Beauty Recipes Facial Firming supplement. Grape seed extract is showing up again. Which leads me to believe this supplement has to be a good thing. Attack the jiggle from the inside out.
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