I hate what God gave me

All right well thank you all for welcoming me to the beauty blogosphere

2009-01-08T22:37:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately I need to say goodbye. One of my recessionista resolutions is to secure my future and I plan on Sephora being a part of that. As we all know it is patently impossible to like each and every product that the company sells and if I did come across something in the next little while that irked me, well I wouldn't be the type to lie or omit (btw, same thing if you ask me).

Sigh...conflicts of interest.
So I must say goodbye. I'd like to thank you all for your patronage.

I will certainly continue to be part of the beauty blog community and will continue reading and commenting. I'll be around.

2009-01-05T21:47:00.000-08:00

I just realized something...........
Would running this blog be a conflict of interest with my job at Sephora?
..................there are very few products there I don't like..........................

anyone....any feedback?

More favorite beauty bloggers

2008-12-30T13:27:00.000-08:00

Futurederm
Nicki is a wise woman. Not only is she training to become a pro derm, she's divulging all the things she learns along the way to all of us. That says a lot. Plus like myself, she is an ingredient list Nazi, which these day we all should be (Olay really does have great ingredients, save your money).

DivaDebbi
Debbi is one seriously fabulous female. Not only does she have many passions and hobbies, one of her main ones -beauty- is spotlighted on this blog. Time and time again I will read her posts, laugh, smile and wonder how this woman can be so smart. All the personal anecdotes really make the reader feel as if we're all her best buddies and she's divulging everything to us that makes her so glamorous.

Capitol Hill Barbie
The best place to go for Gossip Girl outfit breakdowns (they've finally caught my imagination too, I CONSTANTLY try to avoid obsessing about things everyone else does, and eventually fail. Watch, I'll read Twilight tomorow). She too appreciates the amazingness that is Blair. Plus, that one post, about department store cosmetic ladies. Yeah, you speak the truth (but do go to your nearest Sephora!).

Canadian beauty blog
It's good to know I'm not the only one. Here in Canada we have so few cosmetic choices. Only in the past few years has Sephora been introduced. Things like Target, with Sonia Kashuk....nope. It's pretty much a barren wasteland for the erstwhile cosmeticrack addict. Hence why I particularly love this blog, things that I KNOW are available and findable here.

Have you been missing Linda

2008-12-29T18:04:00.001-08:00

Here she is, adding a bit more chic to all our lives.

Even more favorite beauty bloggers

2008-12-29T01:02:00.000-08:00

Makeup and beauty blog
Karen is one of the great mother hens of the beauty blogging world, one of the originals. She and her kitty have been informing us of awesome online sales, showing us real product swatches from actual photos (instead of those dinky ones on shopping websites) and makes amazing lists (like things she would tell her 22 year old self). Karen here's a big warm fuzzy for you and your awesome blog.

Lipschtick
Pop culture news mixed with product reviews and personal musings make this one of the most entertaining beuaty reads in the blogosphere. That's right, there is a world outside of night creams perfume and eyeliner. Other things do exist. Do go learn about all this.

Killer Strands
Killer strands is the work of an LA based colorist that they call the hair color whisperer. For someone who's JOB it is to permanently damage hair, her obsession with hair health is truly outstanding. For those who REFUSE to pay 100$ and upwards at the salon ot color their hair, or like me who would but are broke, this site is a boon. It's like beauty school, in blog form. Her tutorials are so educational and pictorial and informative that I may actually one day take the plunge, bury my insecurities and color my hair again at home.

Hooked on Beauty
Carissa is a makeup artist who's product fiend tendencies are amazing for you and me. Why? Because she tries and reviews every single item that she comes across, from Monistat as a primer to all natural deodorants, her devotion to reporting to us all is immense.

Check out my beautiful!

2008-12-27T23:14:00.001-08:00

I only snagged one great deal this past Boxing Day, but boy was it a beaut.

Yes Siree, after complaining for months and lusting after so many, I got myself a brand new brush set, FOR A STEAL.

The lovelies you see to the right (including the very fun fluff brush :P) only cost me 80 buckaroos in Canadian dollars. Granted, original price for it was something like 200 (beacause of the beautiful faux croc case) so I can see why it didn't sell out last holiday when it was introduced. But happily it was half off this holiday and with my employee discount, well yeah.

Thank you Sephora, I am now a complete woman again.

Believe me, if you got a brush set for a young budding makeup addict this season, make sure you throw in a gentle brush cleanser as a stocking stuffer and emphasize the necessity of cleansing all the time, not stuffing them haphazardly into makeup bags and not leaving them all over floors and counters. Because SOME of us had to spend hundreds of dollars at the age of 14 and learn the importance of brush care the hard way.
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Product Review: Datura Noir by Serge Lutens

2008-12-23T23:05:00.000-08:00

I must be the only one who smells leathery notes in this. But on me somehow it smells like that, powdery, leathery with crisp fruity notes. I feel it should be work with a boyfriend`s shirt, a leather jacket and some pink pumps. That is the outfit I see when I wear this.

Mandarin Peel, apricot, lemon flower, datura flower, tuberose, osmanthus, coconut, heliotrope, myrrh, bitter almond, vanilla, tonka bean, musk.

I mean I`m in love. This is the scent I should have work when I was in my last two years of high school, when I rode in fast cars with bad boys and partied all night. I am FAR too timid for it now. It is definitely a bad girl scent (or maybe the way it settles on me makes me want to bring out my inner bad girl). Either way, I am now officially confused.

Image courtesy of: Luckyscent.com

More of the best beauty bloggers

2008-12-22T09:16:00.000-08:00

Mikaela's Jet Set Beauty
Both Mikaela and Shivaughn are flight attendants/estheticians, which means their knowledge of on the go, traveling everywhere beauty are unrivalled. Great reviews, advice and a constant stream of original information (I learned about Benev!). Give them a click.

Makeup Loves Me
Reviews galore. Reviews abound. For those of you who love reviews, here's a blog to check out.

Clumps of mascara
Brittany cares deeply about all kinds of cosmetic products, but appears to have the most passion for lashes (comrades!) and nails (her reviews are so good they almost make me reconsider my hate for nail polish). Plus her emphasis on real girl prose and realistic beauty goals is refreshing.

Makeup by RenRen
Ren is a pro makeup artist, lover of bright colours, queen of couture eye looks and one of those people whose skill is inspiring. Just check out her work!

Product Review: Skin Perfekt gel in Luminous

2008-12-17T00:54:00.000-08:00

Well, nothing will get me perfekt but this is pretty great.
The truly amazing thing is it keeps me matte for a loooong time, there's an absorbent clay in here. I find it thicker than most primers too, almost as thick as a balm, which I like because I found it to do a better job of filling in my pores and fine lines than anything else in the past. The tint is great, but no means enough coverage for all of my myriad of flaws, but for most AWESOME. My color is Luminous (sigghhh for no more tanning) plus they don't label it but this has a touch of sun protection so woooohooo for that.

The truly amazing thing is my mom randomly walked into my makeup room the other day (yes I took over my sister's old room to be able to spread out) was attracted by the blue packaging tried it on and came home raving. So much so that today at work, she actually BOUGHT a whole one to herself. Now for my mother, the woman who won't buy LOREAL because it's too expensive to spend 65 dollars on a single product is truly saying something. She noticed such a dramatic filling in of her lines that her coworkers kept asking if she had Botox (not my mama, she's the world's lowest maintenance woman, which is why this all in one appeals to her).

If it's lines and pores that bother you, and you don't have too much acne or discoloration, give this one a try.
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Isododecane - emollient highly suitable with silicones that has the ability to "waterproof" it's companions
Polysilicone - 11 - silicone, smoothing
Dimethicone - silicone, smoothing
Retinyl Palmitate - vitamin A
Tocopheryl Acetate - vitamin E
Montmorillonite - lightly absorbing clay
Thioctic Acid - chemical name for alpha lipoic acid/antioxidant
Titanium Dioxide CI 77891 - provides the coverage and sun protection
Iron Oxides CI 77499, CI 77492, CI 77491 - the color

Image courtesy of sephora.com

Product Review: Philosophy Purity Made Simple

2008-12-16T15:29:00.000-08:00

Ahhh, someone had to be the voice of dissent on this one. That's right, I don't like it. And I work at Sephora, people come in every day raving that it's the best stuff that's ever touched their faces.

I guess I'm one of the few for whom it caused HORRIBLE eye irritation. I mean my eyes were red and stinging for quite a while. But no wonder, check out the ingredient list below, all of those essential oils should not be used around the eyes at all. In fact black pepper oil, is so sensitizing, even in the smallest concentrations that it has been shown to cause contact dermatitis.

Now the majority of the ingredients are ok, the first 5 are cleansing and mild. But the bulk of the list ruins it. I'm sorry, I refuse to put this around my eyes anymore.

However on the rest of my face, it's pretty darn great. I can actually see it dissolve all the makeup I put on, my face immediately feels smoother and softer afterward. A lot of the EO's are potent antibacterials and therefore anti acne, such as the sandalwood and palmarosa, so yes I have noticed a fair bit of improvement on my horrible zit situation (but I HAVE been using it with Clarisonic so that's arguable). For me to feel dry and tight after something it would have to be like pure alcohol and witch hazel, but with most cleansers I do notice some discomfort in terms of how "stretchy" my skin is. None with this.

The only reason (besides the eye irritation) I won't repurchase is because it's not all that good at getting scrubby stuff off my face. I use aluminum oxide crystals every day to exfoliate (yes the microdermabrasion stuff) and always find them mingling with my skin oils and getting all over the place, in my eyebrows etc etc and they're very hard to wash off with just water, which is why it's important to me to have a cleanser that can help lift the suckers away. This does not.

Verdict, great as a makeup remover, awesome for acne, gentle on the face, feels hydrating but is NOT for the eyes.
The ingredient breakdown
Water, obvious
Disodium Lauroamphodiacetate - Mild surfactant
Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil - emollient
Coco-Glucoside - gentle detergent
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate - thickener
Aniba Rosaeodora (Rosewood) Wood Oil - looks good on the ingredient list, no skincare use
Geranium Maculatum Oil - balances sebum production
Guaiacum Officinale - fragrance, is VERY irritating to some, like myself
Cymbopogon Martini Oil - in other wordds palmarosa oil, sebum control
Rosa Damascena Extract - moisturizing
Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil - is a slightly less irritating version of Sandalwood oil
Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Oil - drying, irritating
Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil - some healing properties
Cinnamomum Cassia Leaf Oil - rubifacient, potent irritant even at this concentration
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil - chamomile oil, soothing
Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil - regenerative (though not in a cleanser and not this low on the list), sun sensitizing
Piper Nigrum (Black Pepper) Seed Extract - soooo should not be used around the eyes, potent rubifacient
Sodium Trideceth Sulfate - wetting agent
Hexylene Glycol - solvent, thins a formulation
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Alcohol - preservative
Polysorbate 20 - surfactant
Glycerin - humectant
Carbomer - solubilizer, emulsifier
Triethanolamine - emulsifier, PH stabilizer
Methylparaben - preservative
Propylparaben - preservative
Imidazolidinyl Urea - preservative
FD&C Yellow No.5 - color

Image courtesy of sephora.com

More of my favorite beauty bloggers

2008-12-15T21:56:00.000-08:00

Serge Lutens- Nearly all the facts
I think I have another soulmate. And it is the author of this anthology on the world of my husband Serge. This woman knows her stuff, and lives within deliverable range of the exclusive line...urr another reason to live in Europe. She also runs another hilarious site, where she basically bitches about idiotic and annoying things throughout her life, but is INTERESTING. I lauggghhhhed out loud.

Product Girl
Our gal here really knows her stuff when it comes to new product launches, awesome web sales and the like. Plus contests galore!

Pretty By Nature
Noel cares about natural. Though I will never fully agree with this widespread obsession, I do appreciate someone who is a)commited b)informed when they choose to make a lifestyle change. If you too want to commit and need information, I can't think of a better place to start dipping your knowledge toes.

Perfume Posse
The folks at Perfume Posse, Patty, March and Lee are the ABSOLUTE last word on perfume. Their reviews are not only extensive, inclusive and evocative, they really give you an accurate picture of a whole story around fragrance, the backstory, the personal story, the notes (clearly) and the final word.

Product Review: Serge Lutens A La Nuit

2008-12-14T21:39:00.000-08:00

I do love Jasmine, I do love Serge. I knew I'd love this.

The notes: jasmine (Egyptian, Indian, Moroccan), green shoots, cloves, white honey, benzoin and musk.

On me I feel a lot of powderyness. On my wrist it starts off a very tart jasmine, as if infused with vetiver. Then it settles to a nice powdery floral, with some sort of lemony citrus note. I do love the feeling. I find that sniffing it throughout the day makes me feel so womanly and grown up (actually I feel the same way about Serge stuff in general). And like all the rest of his fragrances, it has some musky, grungy sexual notes, which I always appreciate in a fragrance, seeing as how I am a big fan of that year round, all day. I find the level of muskiness in this church appropriate, which means by most people's standards, it's hot date appropriate.

And if my nose can smell it all day (my level of perception=lower than you can imagine) means it's POTENT!

Image courtesy of sergelutens.blogspot.com

So, a SCAM at a salon, going on in Calgary

2008-12-13T22:45:00.000-08:00

You KNOW I made a facebook group about this:

This girl comes up to me at the mall the other day, telling me she's running a promotion to get more people to the Lather salon. The deal sounds great, a haircut, 2 shampoos/blowdries, a 25min microdermabrasion and one round of laser hair removal on the face for 55 bucks. AWESOME right? Well I thought so. So I bought two, one for me, one as a gift.

Right away I call the salon and they tell me something interesting, the company they hired to do the marketing, Heightened Marketing, is not supervising what their employees are saying or claiming and is not getting back to the salon AT ALL! Their employees are offering whatever they want, whether the salon approves or not, just to close the deal. For example, the girl I talked to, told me I had till June to use my packages, but I only had till April.

The salon is NOT gonna cover any "agreements" we make with a promotion girl, so read the back, there's a WHOLE lot of conditions on there, including that there are absolutely no refunds.

Now I tried to contact Heightened Marketing. The number on the back, the voicemail is what you get (there's not even a hold function, as if there's actual operators working) and the voicemail is full. I go on their website, the customer service number on there is a WRONG number. And no one picks up on their new client hotline.
Really proffesional right.

The worst thing is, on my way out of the mall I see another girl talking to a group, and I go up to her to ask her why Lather salon can't get in touch with them at all? What does she say to me? "Whatever", says to call customer service!

I was about to lose my mind, but the kicker, I call the salon to DEMAND my money back, and they say they may not even fulfill the offers anymore, cause these people are literally making them look bad (it's like, stop paying the company and see how quickly they call you!). So off course I booked my time right away, I figured I pay for it, theres no refunds, I'll damn well do it. If they DARE to turn me away when I get there I'll be pissed.

I wanted to let you all know, don't get robbed, don't give your money to these people. If you see one of those girls, throw 'em a finger and say it's from Elena!

Spread the word, invite everyone to this group.

Email this post to everyone you know, becase Heightened Marketing Solutions works worldwide, and I doubt that they're doing this just in Calgary.

Bitchin' Ingredient: Butyl Avocadate

2008-12-12T21:26:00.000-08:00

This stuff is also known as "avocutine" the marketing-attractive way to describe it.
Let me try to put into words how excited I am about the research behind this stuff:

AHHHHHH! Something that actually teaches overactive oil glands to produce less oil. Now before my oily comrades pee themselves, let me backtrack.

It is extracted (with a lengthy process, so it is in no way natural by normal people's standards, by cosmetic company standards, very). What it does is actually COMMUNICATES to the oil glands (similar to peptides if that's a good analogy) to produce less oil. Um, yes. Actually.

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Fairly new discovery, so it hasn't been widely put into use yet. Kinerase is the leader, they have made it the cornerstone of their acne line (I have the clear skin moisture light and the regulating mask, will be reviewing off course). Dr. Obagi's main line (not the ZO) has a cleanser called clenziderm that contains it. Veda life sciences carries it in their oily skin moisturizer. And surprisingly, but logically, Mustela has it in their cradle cap formula (cradle cap, like dandruff and oiliness, is an androgen related issue, which means this ingredient holds promise in controlling scalp problems too).

I AM SO EXCITED FOR MY SKIN TO NORMALIZE PRODUCTION!

Image courtesy of sephora.com

GoSmile GoSmile GoSmile!

2008-12-11T23:06:00.000-08:00

So, I got some gratis from work on tuesday, YES it was GoSmile's B1!

GOD am I excited for it to start working. Though it was hard to capture it on camera, these pictures are my before in two different lights. When you take a look at the side teeth, compared to the front, I do have some yellow discoloration (occasional smoking and coffee drinking and a whole HECK of a lot of red wine).

This was two days ago, and concentrating the application on the worst discoloration, I have started to notice a tad bit less of a contrast. Once I've actually used up the whole set I off course will do the before and after.

BUT I AM SO EXCITTTEEEDDDD!!!!

Favorite fellow beauty bloggers Pt. 2

2008-12-10T22:23:00.000-08:00

More than a pretty face
Julie, like me and my soulmate Paula Begoun, is fond of denouncing the many many trickeries of the cosmetic industry. Her ascerbic wit and bottomless well of knowledge also helped her earn the status of Beauty Expert Maven on the ThisNext shopping website.

The Scented Life
This blog, though an awesome source for fragrance information and reviews (could you tell from the title), is not just that. No, Michelle knows where to shop online for deals and her holiday gift giving guide is more extenseive than one you would find in a shopping magazine.

The beauty alchemist
Another fragrance fanatic here (these ladies are starting to inspire me). However she also hosts great contests.

More...

The anti hair slave
Our girl here is obsessed with finding the most minimal route to healthy hair (she relaxes, so we know she understands damage) and is there not a lot we can all learn from that? The difference with her: she tantamountly refuses to let her hair take over her life (where I have looong given up on that idea)

Skin Deco
Connie, compared to a lot of us is fairly new to the beauty journey (it starts with believing that pores can be tightened and ends with bankruptcy trying to tighten them, this I know). But the amount of knowledge and blend skill she has amassed can amaze the most jaded of us. Girl is skilled. Not only that, she is beautiful, kind and works at MUFE!

Savvy Skin
Jeni is a skincare obsessive bar none. She, who like myself found that in her 20's she had to deal with fine lines and acne at the same time, has actually achieved the elusive.....perfect skin. Yes, actually 100% baby's butt/poreless/fine line free. Wanna know how, well she chronicles in GREAT detail.

ProductWhores
The name says it all, Stacey and Kris LOVE their products. All kinds, all persuasions. All colours, they have tried 'em all. ABSOLUTELY the place to go and get updated on what's new in the world of cosmeticrack.

Favorite fellow beauty bloggers Pt. 1

2008-12-09T22:25:00.000-08:00

Hi folks, well here I am giving some credit where it is due, my fellow beauty bloggers. These ladies (and gentlemen) are bottomless wells of knowledge and experience and every time I read their blogs I find myself inspired and filled with at least one tidbit of new knowledge. Here is my dedication to a few of them:

Leodora.com
I have met my ingredient dissecting match in this blogger. In fact, the entire blog is about ingredients. Each entry is a quick look at a common cosmetic ingredient that tells you what it is, what it's used for and any other concerns (like questions about safety and likelihood of clogging pores). If you are a novice to cosmetics and often find yourself mystified by an ingredient label, check this out.

Beautynomics
Juliet of beautynomics really looks at the cost of being a beauty addict...and disregards it (where as I for some reason have it ingrained in my head that all this is FREE). Her blog is an amazing place to visit for when you're looking for beauty deals (girl has the inside track) .

VivaWoman
Sesame is your source for investigative reporting (nanoparticles in sunscreen, rhassoul clay to wash with, and whether or not we truly need night cream are just a few of her recent topics of discussion). Now there is a super sleuth!

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Virtuous Blue
Kenya and Teneasha are the beautiful team behind Virtuous Blue, two best friends whose musings on inner beauty leave even the most cold-hearted and superficial (I need not point to myself) with a warm fuzzy feeling in the tummy. Plus, their eyeshadow skills trump the work of many makeup artists.

Bluenotes
Marla Malcolm Beck is the founder of BlueMercury, beauty addict heaven, and she is the writer of this blog. The woman talks about skincare with near dermatological expertise (the kind that is only gained by being a beauty curator) and she is wonderful for recomending specific products for specific conditions. Also a frequent traveler, awesome bet for in flight beauty tips.

Truth in Skincare
One of the few men in the beauty blogosphere, but his opinion comes highly appreciated. Not only is he starkly honest (read his treatise of parabens, you will never be the same) but Dr. David is yes, an actual dermatologist. All hail to someone who actually went to university to study antioxidants, and yes probably knows far more than the majority of us.

Thisthatbeauty
Felicia is a bona-fide product addict (and how we all sympathize) and writes about all her experimentations in such a humorous way that I've had several occurences of the chuckles. And take her skincare ideas seriously, cause girl is LUMINOUS!

Ahh, it is time to subject you all to my face....bare

2008-12-08T22:01:00.000-08:00

Notice the horrible cystic honkers, the constellations of comedones (my fine lines are looking better than usual thanks to the Clarisonic) the enormous pores, and yeah, this is actually better than usual. I also started using Philosophy's Purity cleanser in the past few days, and though I don't feel it cleans any deeper than anything else, I have yet to see it's long term effects. So far, almost a month into the use of my Clarisonic, I am beyond impressed. Usually my face look like a bunch of craters surrounded by mountains of zits. That thing makes a difference. So yeah, here begins my skin chronicle. Stay tuned because I will continue to visually update as I slowly weave other products into my regimen.

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Also other things to look forward to:
1. Mini-profiles of my favorite fellow beauty bloggers.
2. Full ingredient breakdown reviews on the following products:
-MakeupForever HD makeup and HD powder
-Skinperfekt gel
-Philosophy purity wash
-Frederic Fekkai protein Rx shampoo
-Rene Furterer Curbicia scalp treatment gels
-Oscar Blandi dry shampoo
-Frederic Fekkai technician mask
-Sephora face eye makeup remover
-Almond oil as an eye makeup remover
-Tanda acne system
-Sephora glass nail file
-Benefit brow zings
-Sephora 4 sided buffer
-Guerlain Shalimar
-Stila Creme bouquet
-Robert Piguet Fracas
-Bvlgari pour Femme
-Gaultier 2 perfume
-GoSmile B1
-And various different Serge Lutens fragrances

Sigh, Dark Circles, LOT'S of fun

2008-12-07T21:36:00.000-08:00

All right ladies, the often misjudged, misunderstood and misery causing commonality between most women. Dark Circles, almost ALL of us have them, and for the vast majority of us, they are unfortunately genetic and we need to embrace our concealers. There are some methods of treating them, but any and all results will be a slow progression, and you may never get to a completely dark circle free existence.

However, not all dark circles are the same. No not at all, there are 3 types:

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1. Those caused my shadows when eyes are puffy (or bulbous like mine). You can tell if this is you by tilting your head upward, so you see inside your nose at a mirror. Do your dark circles disappear? Fabulous, handle the puff, the circles go away.

2. Hyperpigmentation circles. Yes, eyes can overpigment too! This is very common among women of color (just like other pigmentation issues) and cannot be treated the usual way. If your circles appear more brown than blue or purple, and do not lessen no matter how much sleep you get, this is you (white girls don't discoutn it, it happens to us too, my aunt has a TERRIBLE case of these kinds of circles) First off all, the #1 thing is a strong broad spectrum sunblock. My favorite is the Shisedio SPF32, it's the gentlest I've ever come across for eyes and is mostly physical/mineral blocks. Also, embrace your concealer, the higher coverage it is (read, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, just because it doesn't have an SPF rating doesn't mean it won't help) the better. Your second step is to use lightening products similar to the types that you may be using on the face. Arbutin and liquorice extract are effective gentle ingredients for under the eyes (but do be careful) however if you can handle hydroquinone, by all means go for it.

3. Skin thinness circles. This is what I have, and my mom does, and my sister. These are circles that look bluish or purplish (depending on your skin undertone) and for some, downright greenish. They get much worse when you don't get enough sleep, and they are a sign of many other underlying health deficiencies (Vitamin K, Iron, Folic Acid, B6, get these into your diet in plentiful amounts and report back on the details for me). Again this kind of skin thinness, just like the thinness that happens on the butt and allows cellulite to show through, is often genetic and you can thank your mama. But you can do something about it. Like with any other skin condition, embrace your sunblock around the eyes too, to avoid future collagen breakdown and further thinness. When looking for eye creams look for things that help repair veins, something with Vitamin K perhaps, and things that thicken the skin (so the blue shows through less) like peptides and kinetin (the only common anti-aging ingredients I would ever put around the eye, fear retinoids, AHA's and fancy newfangled herbal extracts like the dickens, you don't want to experiment with your vision and your very easily accessed blood vessels).

This is why I believe most women have trouble with dark circles and give up on trying to treat them. All those myriad eye creams with newfangled fancy bum plant extracts are only really, basic creams. No one looks to target their specific circle issue and is therefore stuck trying new things just for the hell of it. REBEL, get circle educated!

Image courtesy of indiculture.com

Linda Linda Linda

2008-12-06T21:28:00.000-08:00

God, do you know what I want for Christmas? To BE Linda.
Image courtesy of levangelista.net

Product Review: Neutrogena Body Clear Body Scrub

2008-12-05T01:45:00.000-08:00

Nothing clears up the backnes, buttnes and boobnes faster than this potion. The grains are nice and hefty and really do the job, and honestly after each wash I feel so much smoother. This is in no way a moisturizer, and even the oiliest gals need a moisturizer after this medicated scrub, but it foams, it cleans in a jiffy and it gets me in control.
In emergency situations I've used it on my face too (my skin is TOUGH!) and it's pretty good for ingrowns and KP (nothing sees a difference quite like my back though).

Image courtesy of drugstore.com

The breakdown

Salicylic Acid (2%) - BHA, gets inside the pore and cleans it up
Water - obvious
Sodium C14 16 Olefin Sulfonate - surfactant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine - creamy surfactant
Disodium Cocamphodiacetate - anti-static surfactant
Polyethylene - the grains
Glycerin - humectants
Acrylates/Aminoacrylates/C10 30 Alkyl PEG 20 Itaconate Copolymer - surfactants
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate - mild surfactant
Linoleamidopropyl PG Dimonium Chloride Phosphate - surfactant
Matricaria Flower Extract (Chamomilla Recutita) - soothing
Citric Acid - preservative
Propylene Glycol - humectant, moisturizer
Butylene Glycol - humectant moisturizer
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract -green tea, soothing, anti-oxidant
Yellow 6 - color
Red 40 - color
Blue 1 - color
Red 33 - color
Yellow 5 - color
Fragrance - duh

Product Review: Shiseido shimmering lipstick in SL7

2008-12-04T01:39:00.000-08:00

DEAL! A shimmery, ultra moisturizing lipstick with as much color payoff as a traditional satin finish...LOVE it.
SL7 is a slightly pinky/coraly red.
Lasting power with Nars lipliner is somewhere in the vicinity of 9 bright, moisturizing hours.

Feels almost like a cross between a balm and a lipstick in terms of lip comfort (usually I dislike lipstick, too uncomfortable). Shiseido really doesn't get a lot of credit for some of the amazing products they have.

Product Review: Smashbox Bronzing Primer

2008-12-03T01:25:00.000-08:00

Oh, where has this stuff been all my life. Creates THE most realistic bronze I've ever seen from makeup. One coat takes me one shade bronzer, and on. I found it actually felt WAY less greasy and slippery than the original photo-finish (which I'm not a fan of), more like a thick mousse. I seriously put it on at noon today and here I am 14 hours later, still perfect (I actually have it on my chest too, to match my face). LOOOVE this stuff.

The bronze is so natural looking that even around my lips (usually a huge no-no) it still looked like I had been just baking. The tint evens skin out very well too, almost like a tinted moisturizer. GREEAAAAT stuff.

The breakdown
Cyclomethicone - silicone
Dimethicone Crosspolymer - polymer, silicone
Isopropylparaben - preservative
Retinyl Palmitate -similar to retinol, anti ager
Tocopheryl Acetate - vitamin E, antioxidant, emollient
Ascorbic Acid - vitamin C, antioxidant, collagen stimulant
Carthamus Tinctorium (Safflower) Seed Oil - moisturizer
Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract - antioxidant
Cola Acuminata Seed Extract - similar to caffeine, depuffing
Propylene Glycol - emollient, humectant
Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract - astringent
Isobutylparaben - preservative
Butylparaben - preservative
Water - I can't believe water is last?? why even bother?

Image courtesy of sephora.com

Product Review: Nars Lipliner in Jungle Red

2008-12-02T01:22:00.000-08:00

I love the names nars comes out with. This is traditional lip pencil, feels very creamy when warmed and is INCREDIBLE for making lips last. Of all the lipliners out there, using this I found that even after eating a whole lot of the color still stayed on (and stayed absolutely perfect if I didn't eat). Jungle red is a warm, classic red (I can't imagine who it would look bad on). My favorite lipliners.

Product Review: Lancome Color Fever Gloss in Mercury Rising

2008-12-01T01:14:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this applicator. It looks like a fuzzy extraction lance and is AMAZING to apply with. Mercury rising is a true neutral red with gold flecks, the color payoff is about halfway through, not lipstick level, and not sheer.

Lasting power is actually super impressive considering this is a creamy gloss, definitely not nearly as sticky as most, and WOOT! Moisturizing and glassy shine.

Awesome, addictive stuff.

Product review: Urban Decay shadow potion

2008-11-30T00:40:00.000-08:00

There's a reason a cult has formed around this stuff. The sheer tint slicked on before the application of shadows does the lasting job like nothing else. For years I used regular face primers and just extended to eyes, thinking I REFUSE to get something separate, that is actually in all reality the same. My shadow would last, usually about 5 or 6 hours, good, but I wanted all day. No matter what.I finally caved and tried this stuff and all I can say, it's my junk. Also, I find it's much easier to blend shadows over it (even with fingers) and I figured out that extending it over my brows too kept them from straying all day, and helped keep my brow pencil on (not something easy with oil slick me).

The breakdown....
Isododecane - flexible polymer/lasting
Talc - mattifier
Cyclopentasiloxane - silicone
Disteardimonium Hectorite - thickener, tint
Trihydroxystearin - thickener, barrier agent
Triethylhexanoin - moisturizer
Isopropyl Lanolate - emulsifier, lubricant
Sorbitan Sesquioleate - surfactant?
VP/Eicosene Copolymer - polymer
Dimethicone - silicone
PEG-40 Stearate - cleanser??
Propylene Carbonate - solvent
Phenoxyethanol, Cera Alba (Beeswax) - thickener and emulsifier
Trimethylsiloxysilicate - film former
Propylparaben - preservative
Methylparaben - preservative
Ethylparaben - preservative
Butylparaben - preservative
Methicone - silicone polymer
Isobutylparaben - preservative

Image courtesy of sephora.com

Beauty books that changed my life

2008-11-29T23:06:00.000-08:00

Though beauty blogs, websites and your local cosmetic girl are very informative, there's nothing quite like a lovely hefty tome of knowledge. I am a beauty book hoarder and have read HUNDREDS, all the way from those old 80's tomes that help you figure out which colour "season" you are to the latest research. There is a lot to learn from everyone, but I most certainly have a few favorites. The ones I've read several times are listed here.

Oh Dr. Murad, how do I worship thee. Those who know me, know how much I respect this man. It was reading this book that changed my whole outlook on my body, and the potential to heal cellulite. The one book I recomend to each and every woman I know.

This one a FABULOUS for decoding all of those mystifying ingredient labels. And after comparing it to every product I've bought over the years, I consider myself a bonafide cosmetic expert. Fabulous reference.

All images courtesy of amazon.com

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The best possible introduction to the often intimidating and scary world that is Sephora. Even seasoned beauty shoppers have been mighty mystified when first walking into a store. This book immediately makes it clear, which products are all time favorite best selling and beloved. Plus, there's a whole lot of tricks compiled from faithful clients and the regular every day Sephora workers.

Oh Paula Begoun. The only way a person could ever be more critical of the cosmetic industry would be if they were entirely against creams in every way. You've got to love her for calling bullshit on a whoooole lot of cosmetic companies claims, but yes she does take it too far. Of her thousands of reviews, she's only actually put a few on her own skin. The rest, she dissects the ingredient list and deduces from there. In my experience, the ingredient list is a great way to get an understanding of why a product does or doesn't do the job for myself and others, but can never replace actually putting the product on. The way that ingredients work synergistically, along with how they feel on the skin and off course, the ever present placebo effect, also have a huge hand in how a certain cosmetic works.

Here is her overall dissection and dissertation. Not so much about reviewing products, as it is her overall opinion on all the anti-aging trends, all the consumer fears about things like parabens and etc etc.

Nadine is the original beauty blogger and the girl with the infamous backstory (her blog, in a way was her demise in the beauty editor world but she singlehandedly created our way of being involved in the industry). This adorable book is part memoir, part dissertation of her favorite products and best knowledge. Plus the way she writes is just plain funny and real, as she puts it herself, no preaching no lies. Yes she says picking pimples is bad, but she cops to doing it too (sigh, me too).

There are too few people who appreciate the beautiful features of all the different races there are (the satiny hair of Asian women, the full lips of black women, the amazing eyes of Middle Eastern women, the perfect bodies of Latina women, and the ridiculously beautiful mixes that happen when multi-racial women are born). I read this book first when I was about 15 or 16 and went out there looking at everyday beauties I'd never before appreciated. Though I am most definitely white and was born with the traditional blonde hair and blue eyes (I'm darker now) I've felt an amazing sense of jealousy whenever meeting women with the amazing features common to their ethnic origin. SOMEONE needed to celebrate these differences.

Bobbi is the queen of natural makeup. I personally would never and will never have the confidence to do my whole face the way she does (though I do take lot of her tips and mix it for what works for me). For those looking for a book which teaches them makeup techniques that are quick, simple, look natural and flatter their unique features, Bobbi's philophy is perfect. She does come off preachy, but follow her sermon and you will wind up with a you but better face: natural, healthy, glowing and simple. This is not about trends, looking like a photoshoot or being perfect to start off with. This is about making the best of what you have.

Living beauty is Bobbi's ode to women, not teenagers. Though I, at 20 years old am FAR from her target audience in this book, I found so much inspiration in the way she thinks of aging. Wrinkles, gray hair and sagging are not the end of the world. In fact they increase positivity. I say, by the time someone hits 40, it's much more flattering and positiveto embrace what's going on and make the bets of it, than it is to constantly try to look 20 years younger. Though a fancy cream, a push up bra and some highlights can make anyone feel better about themselves the only way to ever achieve peace with oneself, is to embrace their flaws (this does not apply to me, I am 20 and I look worse naked then my mom at almost 40 does, that is not acceptable).

Rona Berg is one incredibly intelligent woman. If you are the reader who completely fears cosmetics in every way, yet wants to absorb as much knowledge as humanly possible from one book, this hefty tome is the way to go.

Oh Kevyn. Now HIS makeup philosophy suits me. No rules, no preaching, all inclusive. Kevyn WORSHIPPED women, all women. From the world's most glamorous (Linda!) to those who had never met a lipstick or a perfume before. He saw the beauty in all of us, and worked tirelessly to help us uncover it too. His contour work is ridiculous and beautiful and he created an entire generation's philosophy on makeup. The way he talks about his early experiences making up his sisters and worshipping Barbra Streisand always, without fail brings me to tears.

This is Kevyn's portfolio of work brought to all of us. Though his other books were either focused on his best tips, or the cult of his personality, this is pure, inspirational eye-candy.

Kevyn's second instructional book focused on bringing more of the amazing makeovers he does plus giving us his best interpretations of the past's defining looks and his ideas of what is to come.

Kevyn's original book. I first read this at the tender age of 12 and it inspired my whole obsession with the power of makeup that to this day continues to absorb so much of my attention. This is a book that should be gifted to any young girl starting off in those pesky teenage years that has an interest in cosmetics.

Linda Wells knows her stuff, after all, being the editor of Allure, you DO pick up a few things. Her tone and philosophy on the whole subject strikes the perfect balance between adoring cosmetics and being a hoarder, and being realistic about the claims that companies make.

Products that changed my life Pt. 4

2008-11-28T20:48:00.000-08:00

Ahh, makeup. Completely the #1 most important category of beauty, and the only one that can cover such a wide prism of flaws. I love makeup.

Image courtesy of maccosmetics.com
Mac studio pot
I am a fan of concealer. I have more flaws than anyone else I know. And they are stubborn. It takes a truly high coverage item to cover it all with me.

Image courtesy of maccosmetics.com
Mac studio fix
A girl with a myriad of ridiculous flaws, looking for medium matte coverage and a skin finish. I know, SO hard to accomodate, but it was until I met this. One foundation fueled an insane MAC addiction (let me say, I redeemed for a lot of lipsticks) and kept me off sephora.com at least makeup wise, which is saying something. I cannot believe they provide that sponge with it when a nice powder brush provides a much better, sheerer and more realistic finish.

Image courtesy of maccosmetics.com
Mac prep and prime
And then I got introduced to primer with this illuminating priming cream. I learned that foundation DOESNT have to emphasize pores, that it doesn't have to be cakey and it doesn't have to fade or oxidise within hours. I also learned the time-saving power of multitaskers. This stuff was my moisturizer, primer, and illuminator. LOVE IT! It got me so addicted to primer that I have since tried DOZENS in order to try to find something that does all that this does + the most important thing, forms a thicker film for my brand new fine lines, acne scars and even worse pores.

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Image courtesy of sephora.com
Talika Lipocils
If there is one product on this earth that I will never allow myself to be out of, it is this. I used to wear fake lashes every day, and I would use semi-permanent lash glue. The day I realized it was ripping off half the lashes I did have, I was almost prepared to lock myself in a basement and never leave my house again. Until I remembered I had a sample of this lying around. Within 2 weeks I started noticing a difference. And now, 2 years later my lashes are longer than they've ever been and continue to grow. Thank the lord for Talika.

Image courtesy of sephora.com
Shu Uemura eyelash curler
There was once a girl whose curl would never stay. It would curl so well, and then suddenly wilt away. She then met a curler whom so many others had raved about, and within an hour of pumping, was ready to shout. The curl STAYS ALL DAY!!!

Image courtesy of sephora.com
Diorshow Iconic mascara
My brand new favorite mascara (yes it's replaced Inimitable). This stuff lengthens like the dickens and volumises about as half as the original diorshow (exactly what I wanted). The separation is perfect, fo flakes no smudges....could a mascara possibly get better?

Image courtesy of sephora.com
Nars Orgasm Blush
Ah, the very best. One and only. Orgasm. The blush that suits me whether I'm as white as my sheets or tan as my couch, one bit looks like a sheer tint, it builds to a true orgasmic finish. There are very few products out there that have inspired a cult. Here is the original.

Image courtesy of sephora.com
Nars Laguna bronzer
The very best, most natural looking bronzer on earth. Buildable colour, true bronze tint. I don't even know why I would bother with others.

Image courtesy of sephora.com
Cargo powder eyeshadows
When I was just a fledgling beauty addict, I thought the eyeshadows at the drugstore were equal in quality to what you could get at Sephora. I told myself I will never spend 20 dollars on a pot of plain colour. Until, one lonely day I was at the mall, dipping my fingers into various pots (I had not yet learned the virtues of sanitizing). Spreading some of this gorgous powder across my eyes, was almost like an entirely otherworldly experience. I blends like a dream, feels creamy, loaded with pigment and shimmer, and lasts ages. Sadly these days, for some reason they sell only one colour through Sephora. I guess there aren't that many gals like me who appreciate the underappreciated.

Image courtesy of sephora.com
Dior skinflash
There is one cult beauty product I have yet to dry, Touche Eclat. I have tried dozens of it's imitators though and this is the hands down winner. Adds such light and luminosity, that after pulling 2 all nighters in a row, a few swipes of this and it was like I was back from a vacation.

Image courtesy of sephora.com
Clinique superbalm
The world's bets, most quenching, longest lasting and shiniest lip balm. Enough said.

Image courtesy of sephora.com
Clinique Almost Makeup
The only sheer makeup/tinted moisturizer my coverage loving face has liked. Has a bit more coverage than a traditional tinted moisturizer, and a true satin finish. Lasts WAY longer than most. Great stuff.

Image courtesy of sephora.com
Bare escentuals bare minerals
Ah the introduction to my mineral makeup addiction. This has more shine, slip and oxidization ability than I would like, but it's still the second best mineral makeup I've ever tried, and the only truly natural. And you can't argue, with hentle, non irritating, non sticky SPF.

Image courtesy of sephora.com
Clinique black honey almost lipstick
Less than even a year ago I had a deathly fear of dark lipstick. Another Sephora sample very very wisely chosen. This sheer, moisturizing, long lasting and truly universally flattering lipstick has led me to trying more daring lip looks ever since. And I haven't looked back.

Image courtesy of sephora.com
Duwop Payoff
Now I'd been using water to "transform" my shadows for years, but would do it only rarely due to the fact that it destroys the entire pot if I spread it around enough. Once I tried this, I became a believer. I can experiment to my heart's content, and maintain the original texture of my favorite colors. GREAT stuff.

Image courtesy of sephora.com
Urban Decay Shadow potion
Now, regular primer does work pretty darn well over the eyes. If a quality shadow, concealer and setting powder are used, it won't budge on my crazy oily lids. But using this stuff, I can truly put anything and everything over my eyes, and it will last like crazy (actually, I want to see if it will work with vaseline/glossy eyes, if it does, it will become irreplaceable in my makeup bag).

Image courtesy of sephora.com
Laura Mercier Cashmere touch finishing powder:
I am a setting powder maniac. There is only one, that makes skin feel like silk, looks completely sheer, airbrushes the skin and provides ultra long lasting mattification and staying power. It is this.

Products that changed my life Pt. 3

2008-11-27T11:34:00.000-08:00

Hair product edition. A girl born with ultra frizzy, coarse, curly, violently thick, plentiful and long hair that winds up damaging it to the point of no return with coloring and heating, yes, winds up trying a lot of hair products. Here are my super stars.

Image courtesy of sephora.com
Ah, my beautiful beloved GHD. I have waxed poetic about it many many times now, but let me say it once more. I LOVE this thing.

Image courtesy of sephora.com
I am the undisputed frizz queen. There are very very few who outfrizz me. So when I FINALLY after years of lust, dropped the sum on this, I found it to be even more than I expected. I did expect it to dry my hair quickly, which it does, to minimize damage, which it does and to cut down on frizz to some degree. Not only did it cut down, it cut down entirely. I can now go on a humid day, all day, just blowdryed (even without the assistance of GHD) and not have to carry serum with me. This thing is THAT amazing.
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Image courtesy of sephora.com
A small detail that should never be overlook in the fight against split ends, is what we use ti tie our hair back. Now if you're like me, the vast majority of time, work, casual, whatever, you've got a ponytail in. In fact my hair is so violently thick, I can't use bobby pins when doing updos, etc, so I sub with these. These little buggers stretch to three times their size, without breaking, slide straight out of hair as if in a Pantene commercial and I have not noticed a single split end from them (I have become so sensitive to breakage I can actually feel and count when I get new split ends. It chills me to the bone).

Image courtesy of sephora.com
Frederic Fekkai glossing cream: Probably the ultimate styling multitasker. Leave-in when hair is airdrying. Check. Styling cream when heating. Check. Detangler for emergency 100 brush stroke sessions. Check. Post styling finishing cream. Check. Emergency de-frizzer. Check. One of modern beauty's greatest products, adds shine and softness without weighing hair down. MIRACLE!

Image courtesy of aveda.com
Aveda Damage remedy intensive reconstructor: This stuff made me a believer in protein. When I started blonding my hair (I would go from a level 2 to a level 9 ladies) my stylist would leave me under the bonnet with this for an hour each time afterward to help regain some health to the hair after such abuse. I would walk in with softer, bouncier more manageable locks than before, even if I had bleached and toned. And let's just say, that when I stopped using it, the split end count multiplied exponentially. If you chemically process your hair, protein is a must. I also love Kerastase's Ciment Theramique and Frederic Fekkai's proteinRX lines.

Image courtesy of viewpoints.com
Well, I am a sulfate free believer. When hair is not subjected to the ultra foamy shampoos of days of yore, it comes out feeling so much healthier, with much less frizz and it's so much easier to brush (in fact, I of the ultra damaged curly hair, can brush wet when I use this, hat is saying something). As the company says, it also makes a fabulous leave in. And yes, it REALLY does clean (but you must rinse like a maniac!).

Image courtesy of oscarblandi.com
The shampoo of those in a hurry, those who love foaming shampoos but know it's bad so they have to cut down, the styling trick of the fine haired or ooily scalped, Pronto dry shampoo. A few spritzes of this and even the lankest locks spring back to life, bounch, movement volume all that good stuff. And nothing even approacing a powdery finish or dulled locks. This stuff is amazing. I use it even on clean hair when blowdrying in order to get amazing lift at the roots.

Image courtesy of folica.com
All Kerastase products: It's too hard to pick a favorite from this ultra pricy ultra effective line. Masquintense, changed my life. It healed my hair from a bleach from black situation. MIRACLE! Same goes for Ciment Theramique, it's like a fake it for split ends. Plus there's nothing I love more than being bale to heat style my hair and calling it a treatment. Voile nuit cream is my hands down favorite deep moisture treatment and makes an AMAZING detangler. Nutri sculpt serum gave me hope when I had none. It had been years since my hair had felt elastic, bouncy and truly healthy upon heat styling (plus, BLINDING shine) until my stylist had used that stuff. It seems like every Kerastase product I try, I LOVE. If the pocketbook allows and you have truly hard to deal with hair, bolt for this line.

Image courtesy of amazon.com
Frederic fekkai shea butter hair mask: When hair just plain needs MOISTURE, not silicones, not proteins, not hot oil treatments, MOISTURE this is the stuff to go for. Many many products say they use shea butter but usually it's like a 5% concentration which is nothing. It is one of the first imgredients on the label in this potion, and the hair can tell. The softness and luxuriousness that happens afterward is immeasurable.

Image courtesy of amazon.com
Biolage detangling solution: This is my hands down, never has been beat favorite when air dyring my hair and letting it go curly. This lovely smelling blue gel says it's just to detangle hair without weighing it down, but it provides almost as much conditioning power as many masks, yet really does let curls go into Shirley Temple formation and BOUNCE. My hair feels incredibly soft when I use this.

Image courtesy of matrix.com
Biolage hydrating shampoo: The old standby in my books when just NEEDING the suds, but still wanting gentleness. This was one of the first shampoos I used where I could actually run my fingers through my hair when wet. It was my first salon shampoo too, so I think that may be a contributing factor in my ongoing love for it. One of my favorite products ever, for just plain straightforward gentle moisturizing washing.

Products that changed my life Pt. 2

2008-11-26T11:06:00.000-08:00

The body edition. One of the thoughts I despise most is that of getting naked. My gym will is not exactly stellar, and I have been cursed with the kind of genetics that lead a 20 year old girl to have more sag, pooch, cellulite and stretch marks than her own mother. I can't WAIT for varicose veins. When it comes down to it, and it's a big night with a new boyfriend, these are all the stops I pull out.

Image courtesy of lorac.com
Lorac tantalizer: Never in my life did I ever expect to find a body bronzer that looks realistic, slims, provides some foundation like coverage and LASTS! A friend introduced me to this as we were about to go to a bar one night, and I was more than pleasantly surprised to find it still looked perfect at the end of a sweaty, humid night. Not a touch on my clothes, not a single streak. As if I were born with those legs. I've been a devotee ever since.

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Image courtesy of st-barthelemy-cosmetics.com
Biotherm Cellulichoc: Though I've tried dozens of instant firming potions, nothing does the job quite like this lovely chocolatey smelling gel. If I were to go into percentages, after about an hour's wear, I notice my dimples looking about 60% less noticeable. Alas, the effects are only temporary. I'm sad that they've now discontinued it for their Cellulilaser line, but am curious to try that. Will report back ladies.

Image courtesy of tranql.com
Prescription retinoids: I consider myself the pioneer of using this on the body (pat on back). My doctor thought I was insane when I said I wanted to see what it would do for my cellulite and stretch marks (it all comes back to collagen, and what is better at rebuilding it than tretinoin...NOTHING! though I do want to try Prevage's body serum...). A few months later, I am proven right. Just check out my before and afters (combined with a supplement regimen too).

Image courtesy of neutrogena.com
Neutrogena Body clear scrub: Nothing does the job quite as efficiently when it comes to my backne. I take a synthetic dry brush, scrub myself down with this in the shower, and come out with half of what I had going in. Continued use has at times ALMOST gotten me entirely clear. In a pinch it's even worked on my face, though I don't recomend this to everyone, I am a lizard, I can handle anything.

Image courtesy of lush.com
Lush buffy the backside slayer: Though this does a fairly decent job on the area that it's designed to (bottom) the real magic is in it's effects on KP. After one use my arms get almost smooth. Big caveat, one big bar of this lasts me like two weeks, and at 25 bucks a pop, it ain't cheap. However, I have never been one to put a price on beauty. Those of you who do, check out online merchants of cosmetic ingredients, get some aduki beans and cocoa butter. Make it at home. On the cheap.

The beauty products that changed my life Pt. 1

2008-11-25T00:11:00.000-08:00

I go on and on about about great products, bla bla blabbity bla. Sometimes I allude to the greatest, but have never before compiled them all. Now a true beauty addict has more than a handful of must haves, so I decided to split them up for you. I present my absolute hands down love 'em love 'em products for the face:

Image courtesy of Walgreens.com
Prescription Clindamycin: this stuff comes in different forms, and it is your pimple's worst enemy! It is twice as potent an antibacterial as Benzoyl Peroxide, yet has none of the drying, bleaching or makeup caking effects.
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Image courtesy of skinstore.com
Neutrogena At home microdermabrasion: Ah, my first and to this day favorite foray into the world of ultra harsh microdermabrasion. For a scrubphile like myself, the tool is a joke. No I want the full hardness of the crystals, and I want to rub hard. I loveddddd the effects of this from the first day and never did stop. Does amazing things for instant smoothing, but is really for the toughest skins.

Image courtesy of makemeheal.com
Creme de La Mer: You may be asking yourself, what in the world is a crazy oily girl, with ridiculous horrible cystic acne, doing putting on CDLM?!?
Ahh, you underestimate me and my willingness to experiment. And boy was I happy I did this one. After the initial shock to my skin (I could just imagine my oil glands having a heart attack at the confusion, what did she put on? Creme de La Mer???? HALT PRODUCTION!!! And the foreman just says, sorry boss, we already put out a months worth of oil just last night. It's too late. There will be zits.) After the initial "shipment" as I like to call it, my oil glands got the hint. They needed to cut down. They could afford to lay off a few workers. I wanted them to concentrate on downsizing (not just production, but also their plants, as in, my pores). One thing my poor empty wallet always misses.

Image courtesy of sephora.com
My new boyfriend, the Clarisonic. Let me put it this way, this thing gives me the glow of a 100 orgasms (not counting the blush, the blush is my entire existence). Plus it makes pores look smaller, lines look blurred, skin feel softer and smoother, and is making an unprecedented difference in my #1 enemy. The zit. Clarisonic, how do I love thee.

Image courtesy of sephora.com
Can I just say, the formulator of this deserves some sort of skin Nobel Prize. Not only is the SPF equator high (55, and 3 broad spectrum pluses), but it blends into skin without creating a white cast, moisturizes and was the only block that didn't irritate my skin when I was on Renova. My only caveat, very very oily within an hour (is this not what blotting papers are for though). To this day I have not found anything better.

Image courtesy of sephora.com
Jonathan's shower purifier was my very first gadget purchase, and one of my favorites to this day. The effects on hair are immeasurable, I always wish it had a universal nozzle so I could use it in Europe too, because the purified water leaves my hair so much softer, bouncier and shinier than without. Truly a must-have.

So this is my shoutout to Dr. Murad

2008-11-24T23:51:00.000-08:00

Would you like to know what these pictures are?

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Before and afters....OF ME!

Ladies I kid you not, this is a few months work. The more yellow toned pictures were taken at the beginning of August, and the more bluish, today.
You may have noticed a measurable difference in say CELLULITE!!!
I know, I amazed myself. Yes it still looks like more in natural light then it does in these pictures (believe me, plenty noticeable) but just to look how far I've come in the course of a few months is incredibly encouraging.

I know you may be pooping yourself and asking what I did. It's called pills, and prescription retinoids. This summer, frustrated with being unable to hit the beach (yet again) I finally broke down and got Dr. Murad's "The cellulite solution". I read it, and well....monumental at the very least. Dr. Murad got down to the very root causes of cellulite, and began to tell us how to relieve them. One of his ways is inside out. That means either eating, or supplementing, the nutrients that skin lacks in order to be able to behave how it should. The other component was treating the skin from the outside, with the correct topicals.

Now I am definitely not the most ardent follower. I stuck to the diet for about 2 weeks (though that IS when I saw the most difference, what we eat ladies, makes a HUGE difference). You cannot get my butt out of bed in time to be able to dry brush myself every morning. I certainly haven't done any healing yoga, or been hitting the gym (um yeah, max 10 times in the last few months). Massage...PFFT! What I did do, was somewhat consistently take the supplements and apply a prescription retinoid cream to the area. This was supposed to alleviate my stretch marks, and it certainly has been helping, but the effects on the celly are much much better.

Dr. Murad, you are my hero. And those of you who haven't read this book, get your hands on it. It may change your butt forever.

I Gotta give you more Linda

2008-11-23T23:07:00.000-08:00

Ann Taylor WISHES! This is Linda in a campaign for the brand in '04. Yes, she looks like that at 40. Yes it's Botox, but I would wager to say, this time it was done right!

Image courtesy of levangelista.net

All of my best hair growth tips

2008-11-22T22:38:00.000-08:00

Sigh, hair. Is it not the bane of all our existences.

If like me you have colored and heat styled your strands into oblivion, your obsession with growing new hair (to ruin fresh strands) is constant and some of us even measure our hair growth (I am at 19").

Now my hair naturally grows fairly quickly, about an inch a month, but alas, we always want more don't we? So through my years of obsessive coloring, I've also worked on a definitive guide for encouraging fast healthy growth. Wanna hear it? Here goes:

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Get your vitamins: Making sure you have enough iron, zinc, biotin, and silica will encourage your hair to grow, and grow strong enough to withstand whatever tortures you may inflict. I have noticed a great difference since I started taking these supplements in the quality of hair growth. It's less coarse, frizzy and dry. Embrace your food groups ladies!

Embrace the 100 brush strokes. And make sure you get a brush that mixes boar and plastic bristles (or like Frederic Fekkai's, the base is boar and the tip is plastic, AMAZING for detangling and upshining). There's nothing quite like good old fashioned manual stimulation to get the blood flowing and the hair growing (have you ever wondered why the hair on the legs grows so fast, we're always SCRUBBING it). This also goes for the scalp massages at the salon (I tip the shampoo girl big so that next time she feels extra generous with me) and the kind that you can easily do at home. Heck I do them at my desk, so refreshing!

Essential oils can be a miracle. Stimulating ones like rosemary, cedarwood, lavender et al are also known for increasing hair growth (Neal's yard makes a serum based on them that some people worship like a religion). I am also a big fan of tea tree oil, not only does it control my dandruff (I will never, not for anything use a dandruff shampoo) but again, it's toning and stimulating for the scalp. For those with very little sensitivity, it's ok (and expensive) to apply them straight, however, those who are sensitive, better embrace the watering down (combine it with your hot oil treatment!) because essential oils are POTENT!

Maintain the hair you do have: Do your protein and your hot oil treatments. Be gentle with the brushing and heat styling and make sure you're using heat protectants and detanglers. For god's sakes, dye you hair back to your natural color and give it a break for a while (yes dyeing, especially bleaching and dyes, does stimulate and irritate the scalp into more hair growth, but what does it matter when the hair isn't good quality). Remember, the gentler and more split end proactive you are now, the happier you'll be in the end.

Don't believe the gimmicks, all those hair growth pills, or that cutting the hair makes it grow faster (it makes it break less because you remove split ends, but hair is dead, what you do to it at the end is in no way communicated to the scalp).

When I've implemented all these methods on a regular basis I've noticed my hair grows measurably faster (like twice as fast, literally, in the month of september it increased 2"). So guve them a try. Any methods you know of that I haven't covered? Comment away!

Image courtesy of worth1000.com

Fabulous money saving tip

2008-11-21T22:11:00.000-08:00

Oh, I think of you all folks in the States during "these economic times". If you haven't yet gotten the latest issue of Allure (get on it, there's an amaaaazing article about the latest anti-agers....isn't there always though?:P) you probably haven't heard about their new program Allure Experts.

It's their consumer review group and it's how they plan to partner with beuaty companies to help them produce, study and release products that are relevant to the beauty addict consumer (sigh, isn't every beauty product relevant to us). If you sign up, live in the States (those of us in Canada are less fortunate) meet their qualifications (there are already lot's of panelists of my age group which is 18-24, so I didn't get in) and participate in the activities, you get free pre-released products to try.

I sooo wish I could participate, what better way to placate my addiction to trying new products while making my wallet happy. You lucky ducks down south, go sign up before your age group fills up! And send them a stern letter that they should allow voracious 20 year old Canadian beauty consumers to participate.

Kiss!
Join up!

Image courtesy of allure magazine

Stalk me

2008-11-20T21:59:00.000-08:00

So, for those of you who like my blog (hi mom!) you can visit me on my other methods of communication:

MakeupAlley
Facebook

Or alternatively you can email me at : lela.elena@gmail.com

If you have any questions about my experiences with beauty (10 years of unwavering obsession leads to a loooot of products tried) you can do it like that or simply leave me a comment here.
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Bitchin' ingredient: Ferulic Acid

2008-11-19T10:30:00.000-08:00

Ferulic acid is an extract from the simple fern and there's been a FASCINATING study published about it recently.

It is your skin's best friend let me say.
One day while randomly surfing blogs, there was a great post about this study so I went to investigate.
The published study here.
The gist is that adding Ferulic acid to a concentration of vitamin C and E stabilizes the ingredients long enough so they can actually have a visible and measurable antioxidant effect on the skin (much simpler and faster than doing vitamin C powder masks, no?). The study is very convincing and makes sense. Everyone knows that C and E are great for skin, but many don't realize how quickly they degrade and the fact that after they have degraded, they no longer have any effect on the skin.

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Now I had remembered an inkling that a few of my fellow beauty bloggers were in love with a certain Skinceuticals serum, and I remembered something about Ferulic. So I went a-searchin' and YES they do have a serum concentrate that is C and E enriched with ferulic. It's actually been around for a while and has a devoted glowing following (hmmm, maybe they had a hand in the study?). I did hop around and looked at other brands to see if they carry something similar (maybe something UNDER 100 big ones, I'm happy to spend on quality skincare, but believe you me I check around first to see if there's something cheaper that works just as well). Alas no, Skinceuticals are the pioneers on this.

Now here's my plan, rather than shell it out big time, I'm going to customize. I'm going to hit up my favorite cosmetic ingredients sites and the health food store and customize my own serum for a fraction of the price.
I'm gonna do a concentration of 15% L-ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)
5% alpha tocopherol (Vitamin E)
1% Ferulic (you only need a little, which justifies the expense in my mind)
And put it all in a base of phytonadione (Vitamin K) to help with my blotchiness, broken capillaries and dark circles.

Hot darn for customization!

Image courtesy of skinceuticals.com

So I have spare skincare

2008-11-18T10:19:00.000-08:00

I have the three Clarisonic mini cleansers that comes with the set, and the Tanda acne cleanser and moisture gel that come with that set.

I seriously don't want to mess up my simple consistent skincare mantra that I've got going so I don't want to use them. But throwing them away seems so wasteful. They're all unopened and unused so I have a wide variety of options on what to do with them.

Gimme your vote!

More Linda

2008-11-17T10:10:00.000-08:00

Sigh, even the cheapest clothes look like couture on Linda. FABULOUS! This was part of an American Express campaign back in the day.

Image courtesy of levangelista.net

Gratis loot./ILOVEMYJOB

2008-11-16T18:41:00.000-08:00

So at Sephora we get makeup, free makeup. Lot's of it.

I KNOW! In addition to being paid for giving people skincare advice and putting makeup on them, they actually, no shittin' ya, give us makeup.

The more training sessions we attend, the more goodies we get.
Now I don't get ingredient lists, so I can't give you my signature breakdowns, but hey I've got thoughts for you on each product:

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GoSmile AM/PM toothpastes: YUMMYYY! Not only do these taste amazing, smell amazing (the whole wakes you up/puts you to sleep thing really does have an effect). Plus they contain silica, so the polishing action on the tooth is incredible, it feels like I've been to the dentist each time. But I gotta say, my favorite feature has to be that they're so concentrated. Rather than containing largely water, they contain lots of the good cleansing polishing stuff (including flouride, so if you fear that...not this stuff). You need the tiniest little blob, instead of just covering the whole toothbrush. This is what makes it worth 30 odd dollars to me, those two toothpastes are going to last AGES!

Murad Perfecting Night Cream: You veryvery rarely encounter something so mooisturizing, plumping and softening without it being greasy and sticky. This is apparently intended to balance skin out (don't we all want that?) by adding lot's of non-pore clogging moisture. Not that I'm using it all the time (I find it's great as a base for makeup so I've used it like that a few times). I did sneak a peek at the packaging and it's largely fatty alcohols and thickeners, which means....safe for crater pores such as mine. WootWoot!

Smashbox focal point mascara: So uh, even though it's supposed to be lengthening and thickening....not enough for me. Yes off course it did increase what I got naturally, but compared to the false lash look I usually achieve with some other mascaras, this just looks...natural. Now for some, adding a little extra volume and length, while maintaining the lash softness, pliability and separation (I will say this I went up to 6 coats trying to achieve a false lash effect, and not a single clump...yahooo) is all they want out of a mascara. For those people, give this one a try.

Cargo Blu-ray concealer: So I like everyone else was fascinated by all this HD stuff, natural looking...but flawless in every light? SIGN ME UP! So this concealer was my first foray and I am veryveryvery impressed. The coverage is what I would call a medium, not as light as say an undereye diffuser, not as dark as a pot cream concealer. However, it is fully buildable if you need more. In fact on my acne scars I often do. I have to say, it really does look flawless in all lights (my beloved MAC studio pot would be sooo obvious in natural light). I consider it an amazing flaw eraser. What really set me off is the fact that it's amazing as an undereye concealer too. Now that needs to be appreciated.. Seriously, as if my eyes have never heard of the words puffy or dark circle. In fact I will continue to repurchase it (and will try the rest of Cargo's blu-ray line) just based on that one wonderful fact. In terms of color selection, only two. Unfortunate, I hope they add more. However 002 is almost perfect on me and with a powder foundation on top, looks invisible. Lasting power is completely dependent on what primer and powder I use with it, like any other concealer.

Cargo reverse lip liner: Bitchin' idea, really more for those worried about lines and bleeding with lip gloss than someone like me who just tries everything in front of her. What you do with this nude toned liner is fill in on the outside of the lip, leaving a barely noticeable waxy finish that shouldn't allow any gloss to bleed into lines (though I thankfully dont have lines there yet so I can't honestly say much for bleeding). I liked using it traditionally over lips to cancel out my own color in order to get a really clear (and very long lasting) result with whatever color I used.

Bare escentuals buxom lips full color gloss in Carmen: Gorge, lovely, slightly golden shimmer on top of a dark, purpley halfway burgundy red. Love the color, great amount of pigment and well, I'm not a tingle maniac so I can't say I love the tingle (though it is cooling) but I definitely see and feel slightly fuller (but off course, fades soon).

Bareminerals primetime for lids: My very first lid primer try (I loved the results of regular primers and always thought, well these do the job, why go with something else). I was wrong. DEAD WRONG! Having that tint (and whatever it is that makes it sticky) makes alll the difference. I can see someone with less dark circle than me being able to use this as a concealer too. The most impressive thing however, is how well this made eyeshadows work. I've been working on using up my Maybelline shadow quad, which I absolutely no matter what, detest and I think this will help. I mean without it those shadows are so veryvery poorly pigmented that they fade within an HOUR, but with, well I've been working 14 hour days lately, and yes I head home with perfect eyeshadow. Something I didn't expect: The one time I put it on in a hurry and rubbed it over my lashes too, VAVOOM lash, I mean like 1.5 times the length I otherwise had. YES!!! Lashgasm! Give this one a try.

Bareminerals extreme glimmers colors: In the set you get a super shimmery golden brown, a super shimmery purple and a super shimmery silver. My favorite is the golden brown, SUPER versatile but I like the others too. This is not even shimmer or frost, this is GLITTER. Thick chunky glitter, which is why I like it. However, The glitter winds up everywhere. Even with primer and powder and layering with cream shadows, it always winds up everything. Only super glue could keep glitter this heavy where you put it. But in a way that's appealing to me, because at the end of the day I wind up with a girlish, imperfect smattering of glitter across the tops of my cheeks. Plus the set comes with a cute little mini brush (and the aforementioned primer in a sample size) which is good for crease work in a pinch.

Dior deep hydration radical serum: I really liked how smooth soft and plump (but not greasy) I felt after this. Definitely some addictive stuff. I put it on before bed last night and woke up GLOWWWWY!

Diorkiss luscious lip plumping gloss in chocolate shake: A. I've always liked the angled tip applicator for gloss, I find it the easiest to use on the go and without a mirror so this already had points going for it. B. The pigmentation is somewhere in medium to full, and the color is a gold flecked brick. Not sticky, so for those looking for a creamier thick lipstick feel, this is a good one. But, not a whole lot of lasting power off course.

Dior 2 colour eyeshadow: I got the plastic case for this so I don't know the color, but it's the one with a bright turquise and a light champagne. Really cool unexpected combo. Both have great pigment and lasting power like all Dior shadows, and the feel is reaaallly creamy between the fingers so I imagine there's emollients in there.

Dior Diorshow Iconic mascara: My absolute FAVORITE of the whole lot. My veryvery favorite mascara now. The brush is the same as Chanel's exceptionnel and the formula is the same thickness as the original diorshow. Combine the two and you get one of my patented LASHGASMS!! There's nothing quite like mascara and lash stuff to make my heart pitter patter and I must say.....lifechanger. I don't think I would change a thing about this mascara, lengthens to false proportions.

Lorac perfectly lit oil free luminizing powder in Luminous: lovely sheer champagne shimmer (but definitely not a shiny shimmer, the subtlest I've seen yet). Really does "uplight" whatever area you put it on and a GREAT bet for those that have feared highlighters before, application is foolproof, color is foolproof (they have two others two, for medium and dark skin tones).

Guerlain Kiss kiss gloss in 741: Definitely a new favorite. If you want a super high pigment (I mean as much as like a traditional matte lipstick) super sticky yet moisturizing feel and the longest wear gloss available glossy shine, yeah, this one. 741, I think has been discontinued but the color is an amazing traditional November-like brick red. Definitely makes me feel fall like and special.

Sephora brand lip gloss pencil in coppered coral and bronze: This looks like a chunky lip liner but it's actually a moisturizing lasting gloss (not very shiny though, can't have it all). Coppered coral is almost like MAC spice in it's universal neutralness while bronze is definitely a fabulous foil for my Laguna bronzer. Surprising stuff for sure.

I took 'em all home and played. The lips are Guerlain, the eyes are Dior, I highlighted with Lorac and mascara-d with Smashbox.

GADGET BONANZA

2008-11-15T18:24:00.000-08:00

Booyah, check out my electronic family. My GHD 2", My T3 Evolution, My Clarisonic and my Tanda.

I have yet to review the Tanda because I haven't given it very much time yet, my last post was my ode to the Clarisonic and I gave you me, my hiar's and my GHD's life story not too long ago.

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I have not yet devoted my words of love to my T3. Let me put it this way, to have my hair stay frizz free and smooth, past 3 sleeps.....nothing short of miraculous. I have approached the level of smoothness that I achieve with T3 alone, only when using my sister's babyliss, nozzle, smoothing technique, cold shot, and a variety of products, from protein stuff, to serums. Still not even as close to as smooth as with the T3 (let me put it this way, what I would have gotten with a 100$ straightener, which in my books is freakin AMAZING for a blower).

But the true worth of the evolution is how quickly it achieves the job. 30 minutes.

Yes on MY hair (I weighed it not long ago, and let's just say without it I would be around 5 pounds lighter, I AM NOT JOKING I HAVE THAT MUCH FRIZZ PRONE HAIR).

T3....marry me.

The beginning of the skin chronicle/Initial Clarisonic Product Review

2008-11-14T23:29:00.000-08:00

I recently decided to turn over a new leaf with my skincare. No more complicated regimens, no more varied emergency spot treatments, no more obsessive overloading.

I will SIMPLIFYYYY. Say it with me.. like a mantra.

What I have begun to do is slowly weed out every single step from my regimen. So for the past week I have used only my brand new Clarisonic with my Liz Earle cleanser (and then my usual makeup routine). That's it. I will continue until I use up the cleanser (I'm close to the end) and then switch to Philosophy's purity.

The plan for trying new items will go like this:
1st 2week period: Just Clarisonic and Liz Earle
2nd 2week period: Clarisonic and adding Tanda
3rd 2week period: Switching to Purity as a cleanser
4th 2week period: Adding Help me by Philosophy to my nighttime routine

When my skin adjusts to that I want to add pure tea tree oil to my day routine, and when it adjusts to that, add my aluminum oxide crystals to my cleanser.

........and we'll see from there. But don't let me put you off anymore

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The clarisonic comes with three of the brand's cleansers to try out, along with the charging unit and a plastic cover for the brush. I got the BCA pink one where part of the proceeds went to breast cancer research and felt the warm fuzzies before I even took it home.

But I began to feel even fuzzier after using it. This thing cleeeannnsss deep. I mean deep. I mean you notice a difference the first time. Let me illustrate my point:
My face cleansed with just the Liz Earle. I know, zit city, but bear with me:

This second row is after using the clarisonic, just once, right after.

That's not just a miniscule difference, that's a serious difference. After one time. Not only that, but in the past week rather than getting 2 or 3 brand new zits per day, which is my usual, I got 5 for the whole week. Which, yes averaged out, less than one per day.
If I were capable of speechlessness, that would be a moment in which I would achieve it. And check out the lovely fine lines on my forehead, take a look. See them? Now do you see them in the second picture....that's right! Minimizedddd!

I am all over this thing. I am a convert ladies and ladygentlemen. A CONVERT!

Image courtesy of sephora.com

Dr. Obagi's new no moisturization rule

2008-11-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

Dr. Obagi, one of the world's premier dermatologists, has never exactly been a subtle man. After all he did create Nu-derm, according to anyone that's ever tried it, the strongest stuff available over the counter to exfoliate (and for an exfoli-maniac like myself, pure skin porn).

At a recent beauty industry event, while introducing his new ZO skin health line, he presented (the nicest way to put it) his new philosophy.

We shouldn't....that's should NOT....moisturize.
To an audience of seasoned beauty addicts and experts, well you can imagine what kind of effect a statement like that had. But when Dr. Obagi speaks, people listen. He's truly in a class of his own when it comes to recognizded derms. Though I personally am an ardent follower of Dr. Murad (and his moisturizemoisturizemoisturize philosophy, ironic how people who are considered upper echelon experts in their field can disagree so strongly) I can understand and somewhat agree with Obagi.

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What he is trying to tell us, is that when we try to heavily moisturize in order to fight aging, we may think it helps because our skin looks plumper and healthier immediately, but in reality it causes retardation of skin's own exfoliation process in the long term. What he advises instead is to use incredibly heavy exfoliation and skip the creams and after the initial shock, redness, peeling and sensitivity, a new skin will come out that moisturizes itself.

Now I have inadvertently practiced this method throughout my teenage years and have griped on and on how it's destroyed my skin. My regular routine would be to scrub with the harshest scrub I could find (when home microdermabrasion products came out, I was more than elated) layer on an AHA and a BHA. Add an oil free lotion with retinols and not even give a second thought to moisturizing.

After years of doing that, yes my skin does moisturize itself (I have a feeling that it would have done so on it's own anyhow due to it's crazy oiliness) but you know what it doesn't do at all? Exfoliate itself. Yes the whole teach your skin to behave how you want it's responsive thing applies to renewal also. If I skip even a day of crazy strong scrubbing and adding on some sort of acid, my skin goes hog-wild, I get little dead skin cells literally GLUED to my face with my oil (this is what he means, oil/skin's own moisture literally glues dead skin cells to itself to temporarily protect itself from the sun, which is why sunblock is of tantamount importance when exfoliating) that are nearly impossible to get rid of after a while. A few months ago I threw out all my scrubs and went cold turkey on exfoliation to see if treating my skin gentler would help it get in better shape.

However, after years of overstimulation it's been permanently damaged and cannot exfoliate itself, at all. What I got from that experiment was agonzo beginning of puberty style breakout that I am still attempting to fight. No it wasn't a sea of cysts, blackheads or redness. What I got was a sea of colorless comedones across my entire face, so that I literally have the skin texture of a lizard. They are impossible to extract or treat with benzoyls or salicylics because nothing can get past the layer of of rock hard dead skin over them. I think my face created a new category of acne. This past month while gently working myself up to more and more exfoliation, I have finally begun to notice improvement.

But do you really want to know what, of all the myriad of treatments I've tried, has made the most positive long term difference on my skin? Creme de La mer, as in yes, one of the heaviest most moisturizing creams on the market. And yes, I am crazy violent oily. But again, it's reverse psychology for the skin. After years of crazy undermoisturization my skin had gotten the impression it didn't provide enough moisture to protect it's top layer, and decided to overcompensate by going crazy on the ooze production. It is natural for it to want to protect itself, which is why it stopped exfoliating itself too, because a thin layer of dead skin PROTECTS it from God knows how many environmental aggressors, including the sun. When I began daily use of CDLM it immediately broke out, because off course you're adding lord knows how much oil to an already oily face. But I was a believer and I stuck it out. After using up my whole jar, which lasted me roughly a year, my skin reoiled itself 25% less and had many less breakouts. In fact it was in the best condition it had been since childhood. Applying something heavy and occlusive told it, hold on, you've got LOT'S of moisture, stop making more. I am convinced that had my pocketbook allowed me to continue with CDLM I would have been able to re-normalize my sebum production and end my dependence on mattifiers, blotting papers and loose powders.

So you want my experienced and heavily researched opinion on what you should be doing to your skin.

If it's oily like mine, and lacks any sensitivity whatsoever, but isn't as permanently scarred from overexfoliation: Use a low-foam cleanser, a gentle scrub every day. If you wear liquid makeup skip the day moisturizer and use a cold cream or something with similar properties at night. If you wear no makeup or powder makeup, use the heavy moisture during the day. Do not do it day and night, you want the skin to breathe some of the time and re-orient itself while you're introducing it to new things. What this will do is make sure your skin is clean and help it along JUST a bit in it's own exfoliation process, while giving it enough moisture to tell it that it can cut down on it's own production. Overall, it will help-renormalize your skin and teach it to become less dependent on cosmetics in order to do it's own work that it naturally would.
If like me you have destroyed your skin with exfoliants, use all these elements, but include a heavyheavy strong exfoliant daily. There is nothing on earth that will ever teach your skin to renew itself, you have permanently damaged it. To keep it from going entirely haywire, exfoliate.

If you have normal skin with few problems, thank your lucky stars and keep doing what you're doing. For your own good please don't experiment with crazy complicated skin stuff. And use SPF.

If you have dry skin that isn't sensitive, what I say now will shock you. Stop using creamy cleansers. Use something that says it was designed for normal skin, just the simplest foaming cleanser you can find. Exfoliate with an AHA at night. The AHA will bring out your plump moisturized cells, but make sure it's the mildest concentration in order to avoid being acid-dependent like myself. During the day, get this, use an oil free moisturizer. Why, because when you stop putting on heavymoisturize items, your skin will eventually (I don't know how long) get the hint and start moisturizing itself. You may one day be able to cut your dependence on petroleum balms. Think about it.
If you have destroyed your skin with overexfoliating (let me put it this way, 90% of beauty addicts have because almost every new miracle skin cream or treatment has an exfoliating agent in it) unfortunately like with oily skin, the damage is done. Embrace your scrubbing hand.

And now the poor muffins that have sensitivity issues. I have a solution.
I took my skin from a normal amount of sensitivity to lizard-penetrability simply by gradually increasing my use of irritating agents. Figure out a combination of products that gives you just a small amount of redness, tingling and peeling. Nothing that will make you look like an excema victm, just a bit. Keep using it (I KNOW, shocking huh). When your skin stops reacting to it, add a bit more irritation. On and on, and eventually you will get to a midway point on the sensitivity scale. Make sure all your irritants aren't exfoliation agents, because you will destroy your skin permanently like I did. Add in an astringent, a benzoyl or newfangled/strange/exotic anti-aging ingredient (hey it might work, maybe copper stuff).

And EVERYONE, use your SPF. If you really really hate sunblocks like myself, use them in your makeup (look for titanium dioxide and zinc oxide to be in the top 5 ingredients and you're ok, even if it doesn't say it's active).

Final thoughts: Exfoliation does bring out "new" skin. But this skin will not behave differently from your old skin for years, and the new effects may not be what you want. Your own oil production and exfoliation rate is genetically predetermined, and the only thing you can do to change oil production is to trick your skin into producing how much you want it to. As for exfoliation, most people have a simple 30 or so day period before new skin comes out (which is why the new zits starts 30 days before they come out/give all new skin care products 30 days before giving up on them rules apply generally). It can be helpful to encourage it a little bit by adding a light touch of exfoliation on top of everything else you do, but be careful lest you wind up like me - permanently dependent on aluminum oxide crystals. I think Dr. Obagi is wrong in that he says your "new" skin will regulate itself and do what you want it to, it comes the from the same place and the same genetic structure as your old skin. All you do by overexfoliating is make it look immediately betetr (or redder, depending on your sensitivity) while telling it over time, don't worry about renewing yourself, I'll do the work and pay the big bucks. You just sit back and rest.

Any thoughts, anyone tried any crazy fad skincare programs or gone a little bit overboard on the srubadub? Throw me a shout, maybe your experiences will prove me wrong.

Image courtesy of obagi.com

Product review Liz Earle cleanse and polish hot cloth cleanser

2008-11-12T10:42:00.000-08:00

This is Liz Earle's star and original product. It's been raved about by countless UK beauty editors and addicts, it's non foaming, gentle, moisturizing and effective (to a degree). Yes it actually IS mostly natural or naturally derived (all those esters and glycerides in the ingredients are direct derivatives of coconuts and the like). But is it as miraculous as some say....nooooo.

Don't get me wrong, after a month of use I have more positive things to say than negative. It really is crazy gentle (I wear contacts and have had no problems using it as a makeup remover, except that I wish it was quicker). When I use it I notice a much better clarity of skin tone and a bit of a glow. The effects seem to be cumulative because I'm definitely in a better place than I was. It is so soft and moisturizing that most of the time if I was in a hurry I could skip moisturizer (although I am oily). However the process takes so long that all the all in one talk is kind of silly.

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Basically what you do is wet your face, moisten the cream between your hands and massage it all over, including eyes. Then you take the muslin cloth and gently polish off the cleanser. The muslin cloth to me is the real superstar, because if it weren't for that it would take eternity to wash off the cream (it's veryvery thick). The exfoliation effects are for my standards mild, which means for most people would be just enough if used with the right amount of abrasive movement. And off course this means it cannot be used to tissue off the makeup and cleanser around the eye area, because it's too delicate around there. This is the truly frustrating part for me. To get the ridiculous amount of eye makeup I wear off, I either do my usual sweet almond oil routine or spend 10 minutes massaging and rinsing this stuff off. After use my skin does feel soft and clean, which really is the ultimate goal for any cleanser, and why I'm a fan of this one (but I will not be worshipping at the altar anytime soon).

Ingredients:
water, obvious
caprilyc/capric triglyceride, emollient
cocoa seed butter, moisturizer, film former
cetearyl alcohol, fatty alcohol, thickener and moisturizer
cetyl esters, thickener, helps create that lovely smooth cosmetic feel
sorbitan stearate, binder, humectant
polysorbate 60, emulsifier
glycerin, humectant and slip former
beeswax, thickener, film former
propylene glycol, humectant
hops extract, natural preservative, mild strength
panthenol, moisturizer
rosemary extract, some cleansing and toning properties
chamomile extract, soothing properties
eucalyptus oil, warming, astringent
limonene, citrusy fragrance (is VERY mild in the product because there's so little, it's just there to mask the industrial smell)
citric acid, to help adjust PH balance, natural preservative
sodium hydroxide, lye, caustic soda...yeppp
phenoxyethanol, broad spectrum preservative
benzoic acid, preservative
ethylhexylglycerin, disinfectant
dehydroacetic acid, preservative
polyaminopropyl biguanide, preservative

Image courtesy of brownsfashion.com

More tribute to Linda

2008-11-11T22:40:00.000-08:00

Sigh, does she not make you so painfully disturbingly jealous? This was part of a campaign for Alberta Ferretti A/W '90 shot by Meisel.

Image courtesy of: levangelista.net

Serge Lutens....my husband

2008-11-10T17:16:00.000-08:00

Kill me now, I have found the man I want to marry.
SERGE LUTENS IF YOU EVER READ THIS I WILL BE THE BEST WIFE EVER TO YOU!

....brace myself.....
Ladies I need to tell you, though my beauty addiction is all encompassing and truly multifaceted, I never really paid very much attention to fragrance (or nail care, I just hate nail polish).
I had a few favorites and I've been deeply attached to my mom's vintage bottle of No5 since childhood but I never found myself obsessing or dreaming of fragrances quite like I did blowdryers and blushes (yes, these are the things I dream about....I recognize it's not entirely healthy).

Until at work a few days ago I drifted over to fragrance and started sniffing left and right.
I then met Ambre Sultan.

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Rarely rarely does my mouth water, my heart beat, or my eyes cloud over except in the presence of new mascara.
It is the most sophisticated twist on a traditional amber, which I tend to like anyways. I think this amber is far more womanly, Parisian and intelligent than any other fragrance I`ve ever smelled. And off course DROP DEAD SEXY! Adding powdery notes, bay leaf, spicy coriander, sandalwood, patchouli.....I mean pure fragrance sex. And I thought black orchid was pure sex. I knew nothing.

Ummm, Christmas is coming up...anyone feeling generous.......

So my curious heart spritzed the rest too. And my love was cemented.

I found Clair de Musc to be almost a churchy oriental. Usually the very light, girlish, virginal scents don`t do it for my naughty heart, but with this. Well Serge took the naughty (musk) and made it powdery and floral, without being as obvious as just adding flowers or citruses to a musk.

And ironically, Louve, combined some of my all time like them in anything notes, like jasmine, powderyness and musk, and again made them light. A perfect perfect only slightly naughty day fragrance. The kind of fragrance you wear to a job interview for a reallyreally conservative company, barely permeable. But then when your interviewer comes close enough to you to shake your hand, they get knocked out thinking...does she have a showgirl past?

Vetiver Oriental I expected to absolutely hate, because I find foresty snowy uber fresh notes in women`s fragrances incredibly manly. Not this one. Again because it has oriental notes (benzoin and sandalwood, amongst others) it knocks the whole scent out of the park. Just plain ridiculously offensively fabulous. I can even imagine it on a man (that I may jump....Serge himself perhaps) and being equally classy, unexpected and sexy.

Un bois vanille surprised me most. Now I enjoy gourmand and I have always found vanilla tempting. However most fragrances make it smell stereotypical and take me back to my 14 year old days (case in point, Angel, smells gorge and makes me hungry, but I'm too afraid of attracting pedophiles when wearing it) when I thought those Calgon vanilla body sprays were the epitome of sophistication (a time I am not proud of) which is why I`ve avoided WEARING them because I feel like a little girl. This one is a woman vanilla, a very old woman. In a good way, this woman is seasoned and wise and she knows (and taught me) about the many many seductive elements of gourmand scents. This is black vanilla, and black liquorice adds the half spicy half minty note to it, which makes it so unique, and it`s yet again warmed by coconut milk and sandalwood.

The verdict on Serge: whatever style he tries, Serge adds his signature pornographic notes (I now think of all these fragrances as adding a little bit of a pornographic note to any situation) and then somehow modernizes them so they never smell like what you expect them to smell.

Oh I would DIE if I had a full set (and there`s so many more I want to tryyyy, I`m so curious about A la Nuit).

Anyone feeling generous....:P

Image courtesy of Theperfumeshoppe.com

The roundup: Everything you can do to minimize acne

2008-11-09T09:24:00.000-08:00

So I've already griped and moaned about all the trouble I've gone to over the years for clear skin. Oh if only if only I had something to show for it.

So now I will lay out every single type of treatment I've attempted and will tell you my thoughts.

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1. Toners, astringents, cleansing foams: These are of the "dry it up" variety. Basically what they do is temporarily sap all oil from the skin surface, which can help minimize comedones in the short term. However, long term they make the condition worse, because any time the skin is so stripped, it receives a signal to porduce more oil to moisturize itself. And off course more oil leads to more zits. This is part of how I have so permanently destroyed my skin.

2. Sulfur: For some it's a godsend, for others like myself, after each and every sulfur mask and treatment, there is just plain disapointment afterward. Sulfur is also a dry it up type of thing, but it's more common in spot treatments (Proactiv's refining mask, Mario Badescu's drying lotion, DDF's sulfur mask) because it REALLY absorbs oil. But for some reason only on certain people. It has never done a single thing for me, besides smell really bad. However you may luck out so definitely try it at least once, because it irritates very few people.

3. Benzoyl Peroxide: Benzoyl is an antibacterial that is particularly effective on p.acnes and is used in a wide variety of over the counter and drugstore acne products (the Clean and Clear line is pretty much based on it). It is effective and the results are quick, however for some of us there are too many down sides. It's not preventative, it's a spot treatment. I've used it in face lotions to prevent and I found it creates a horrible texture on the skin and makes any makeup cake. However it also bleaches sheets (and your eyebrows). Over time it leads to oxidation in the skin and dehydration, which encourages skin to age prematurely. For the vast majority of people it is also irritating and leads to some degree of tightness, redness and inflammation. It is available in concentrations between 2 and 10%, however past 5 it just irritates more than it does disinfect.

4. Salicylic acid: One of my personal favorite ingredients. It too works very quickly to reduce any current pimples however it also prevents. It's a BHA so it is actually capable of going inside the pore to exfoliate and clean it out (Neutrogena's acne line is almost entirely based on it, which is part of why Neutrogena is my favorite drugstore brand). It is also used in some anti-aging formulations because of its exfoliating and clarifying properties. However many people find it irritating in the usual 2% formulation, which is why it may be worth it to look for 1% concentrations. For those who like me are lizards and react to nothing, layering salicylic products may be the solution, starting with a cleanser, than a spot treatment and then a lotion. I have found this to help me at times. However this BHA is also somewhat drying (not nearly as much as Benzoyl or toners) so I would only layer in emergency situations.

5. AHA's: These are primarily used in anti-aging formulations because they increase sluggish cell turnover, brighten skin tone, deliver moisture to the skin cells and over time increase collagen production. The most common ones are Glycolic and Lactic acids. I blogged about Mandelic Acid recently and I am very excited to try it because it's an AHA but also an anti-bacterial. Their use in cleansers can help acne sufferers too. A cleanser with exfoliating properties can be a great way to skip a step in the morning and something that overall cleans up the dead skin on top of the skin is a great pre-cursor to a moisturizer with another acne ingredient. AHA's too can be irritating and I've actually found that skin gets "addicted"to them. As in after constant use for an extended period of time, skin becomes dependent on it's exfoliating action to renew itself and seems to get confused and disoriented trying to exfoliate itself. I am a personal testament to this, even though I've switched to scrubs a year or so ago, without a lot of aggressive cosmetic help, the dead skin cells just pile up on top and seem to glue themselves with my oil and stick there. I am still trying to get rid of the horrible breakout spree my skin went on when Neutrogena's Microdermabrasion cream was temporarily taken off the market this past year. So if you're going to try AHA's tread lightly unless you want to be dependent on them for the rest of your life.

Retinol and prescription Tretinoin: Both are derivatives of Vitamin A that are useful for both aging and acne, because again, chemical exfoliant (but also one of the very few cosmetic ingredients that have been proven, time and time again to increase collagen production, which is why all of Olay's various lines are based upon it). Retinol is the over the counter version found in a wide variety of lines, from dirt cheap to astronomical. Tretinoin needs to be prescribed by a doctor in the form of one of the many many different types of treatments (Renova, Retin-A, Differin, etc etc). My skin just says pfft to retinol, it's too tough for that, though many many people find it very irritating. Prescription Renova is the ONLY thing that's ever caused a reaction in me (I was so scared that I immediately threw out the tube, my skin reacts to nothing, seriosuly) and it was a bad one. Redness, peeling, tightness, inflammation. The worst thing was the fact that I could not use anything on top to moisturize unless it was a pure oil, because any tiny little thing set off the burning (for a moment I knew what it was like to be one of the unfortunate women who react to anything, preservatives, sulfates, synthetic sunscreens). Both retinol and tretinoin cause ridiculous photo-sensitivity, which requires a broad spectrum sunblock with as high an SPF as you can find, with only physical blocks (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) because synthetic sun products are very irritating to spuer sensitive skin. If you have tried everything else and are desperate, go see a derm for a tryout of a tretinoin product, it just may save you. But be veryveryvery careful with every other product you use.

Topical prescription antibiotics: These are basically ultra strong versions of OTC antibacterial products. My favorite is clindamycin because it's clear, absorbs like water and has no side effects besides slight stinging and irritation (and on me, nothing). They are very potent against bacteria themselves, but may be drying for those with normal or drier skin. Still worth a try, because it's the most side effect free prescription treatment.

Accutane: Another prescription product and the only one that has ever completely cured acne. How? Because it is a pill that you ingest and it saps up every single little bit of oil in the body. If there is no oil, skin cannot clog. It is also the only acne treatment on earth I have never tried. This is because it's been strongly linked to increased depression and thoughts of suicide (and many actually HAVE killed themselves while on it). Considering I've been battling depression since the age of 12, I thought it best not to do anything that might send me over the edge. I will never recomend this, to even the happiest person. Nothing is worth the torture a family goes through when someone close commits suicide, least of all something as trivial as clear skin, and the risk is just too high. Try something else.

Laser skin resurfacing: A type of treatment available at a derm's office that is most frequently used to fight aging, but is also commonly targeted to acne. There are many many different types of lasers and only a proffesional can determine what kind would be most appropriate for each type of case. What they all do however is exfoliate, renew collagen formation and basically let you start out with a new face. The side effects are many, like prescription retinoids, skin can have a red, tight, burnt, flaky finish and find itself irritated by anything and everything. However, for many people the benefits are worth it. This can get veeeerrrrryy expensive, because it is literally thousands of dollars and it needs to be repeated. If you have a bottomless pocketbook (adopt me?) try it out at least.

Light therapy: There are certain wavelengths of light that can have different effects on skin. Blue light has been proven to kill p.acnes and help prevent future accumulation. This is the technology that the Thermaclear, Zeno and Tanda acne systems are based on. It is available in derm's offices and certain medical style spas and it is one of my favorite treatments due to the low incidence of irritation. I mean it's literally gliding a light over the face and the light kills zits. The results can be very fast, when I had a facial which incorporated the light I walked out with half the zits that I came in with. Which is part of why I want to get the Tanda or the Thermaclear system at home

Chemical peels: These are derm level AHA treatments. There are varying strengths available but all of them exfoliate to a ridiculous degree. Off course the side effects can get pretty bad too, like all the other exfoliating treatments I described there will be redness, sensitivity, peeling, tightness etc etc.

Manual exfoliation/scrubbing: This is my favorite method of treatment (my skin was at it's very clearest when I scrubbed day and night with Neutrogena's Microdermabrasion cream and then applied prescription clindamycin, while moisturizing with primer). There are vary vary varied levels of treatment. The harshest would be getting proffesional microdermabrasion, then at home microdermabrasion products, than hard grain types such as apricot kernel and the gentlest being buffing/jojoba bead additives in cleansers. The great thing about scrubbing rather than using acids, is that there is less of a chance of skin addiction and pressure can be controlled. If there are particularly rough spots, that's where you would concentrate your scrubbing efforts and only lightly graze anywhere more sensitive.

Tea tree oil and other essential oils: Any essential oil that has antibacterial, cleansing, clarifying, detoxifying or antifungal properties can help with acne, but tea tree oil is the most famous and beloved because it's the strongest. Like any synthetic acids or treatments it should never be applied to the skin on it's own because it can cause severe reactions. But when diluted with moisturizing ingredients it's potency is still strong, however the incidence of irritation goes waaayyy down. Other essential oils with similar properties include rosemary and all the citruses. Adding a few drops of one of these to an inflammatory and moisturizing cream is my recomendation for anyone that considers their skin sensitive. Experiment with different concentrations and see what your skin likes best. If this doesn't make a big enough difference see about some other options, but always make sure to monitor reactions very carefully.

I hope I've helped de-mystify some of these treatments for the un-initiated and reminded others like me (long time cosmetic obsessed sufferers) of some treatments they haven't yet tried.

And don't do Accutane.

Image courtesy of bam.gov

Product Review: Liz Earle Brightening Treatment Mask

2008-11-08T23:33:00.000-08:00

I found this one odd. The texture is somewhere between clay and gel, it's lumpy and as it dries (which takes forever) it absorbs into the skin and leaves a whitish cast. One reason I stopped using my formerly beloved clay masks was because of the tight stripped feeling afterward and the main reason I like this and gave it a fairly favorable rating is because it contains emollients that soften skin. I definitely noticed it even out skin tone, minimize pores and minimize current zits, however not quite enough to make it a re-purchase. Overall, a good perker upper though.

Ingredient Analysis...
water, obvious
aloe juice, moisturizing
montmorillonite, absorbent
witch hazel water, a gentler way of having witch hazel's absorbing qualities
peg20 stearate, cleansing, mixes oil water and dirt to make it rinsable
silt, useless, filler product
sweet almond oil, emollient
panthenol, moisturizing
cetearyl ethyhexanoate, lubrication, spreadability
cetearyl alcohol, emollient, emulsifier, thickener
camphor oil, soothing
fragrance, obvious
citronellol, fragrance
hexylcinnamal, fragrance
hydroxyisohexyl 3 cyclohexene carboxaldehyde, fragrance
butylphenyl methylpropional, fragrance
linalool, fragrance
lactic acid, at this low a concentration, just an emollient
potassium sorbate, preservative
phenoxyethanol, preservative
methylparaben, preservative
butylparaben, preservative
ethylparaben, preservative
propylparaben, preservative
isobutylparaben, preservative
sodium methylparaben, preservative
sodium propylparaben, preservative

Image courtesy of ciao.co.uk

More Linda tribute

2008-11-07T23:30:00.000-08:00

Chic,chic,chic. The woman is the embodiment of chic
Image courtesy of levangelista.net

Product Review: OCM cleansing method

2008-11-06T21:15:00.000-08:00

OCM is yet another skin thing the ladies at MUA turned me on to. Basically it's a kitchen mix. You take Castor oil and EVOO or any other emollient oil. You mix them according to skin type (more dry, less castor oil, etc etc) massage all over face, for 5min at least. Then you take a hot wet washcloth and rub 'er off. The others reported an amazing purging of pores (music to my ears) and amazing glow and tone afterward. So you can imagine my curiosity.

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Now I gave it a fighting chance, I promise I did. I tried it several times, with different carrier oils and different concentrations. I guess my pores are JUST that stubborn.

Oh I wanted this to work soooo well. What can I say I am just unfortunate I guess. I did 50/50 sweet almond and castor and really massaged like a maniac. No pore gunk coming out (boy was I looking forward to that) no amazing improvement. In fact what happened was 4 enormous cystic monsters the next morning (I knew they were on their way, but I only get them that big and horrific when I underexfoliate, which has not been the case lately). It's definitely the OCM.

Frankly it is a cheapie, and if it works for you you're a lucky gal. As for me, I'll go back to paying 40 dollars for cleanser.

Image courtesy of oldenwisdom.com

Product Review: Baking Soda as an exfoliant

2008-11-05T23:13:00.000-08:00

The great ladies at Makeupalley are always creative with their cosmetic quests and manymanymany of them love baking soda as a cheap exfoliant. Those that dislike it, find it too harsh and drying.

Off course I have to be the voice of dissent on this one too. Unlike other reviewers I am of the unfortunate lizard skin variety. Yeah, this stuff is too GENTLE (however when I had a small cut on the side of my nose, it stung really bad). Does not exfoliate nearly as well as I had hoped. As for mattifying it's great for that, but in the end I don't want too many items stripping my skin and driving it even more nuts than before. Yes it does a halfway job of exfoliation on me which for most people would be plenty. So another one for me to turn down.

Image courtesy of thefinalsprint.com

Things you could do to worsen acne that you never thought of

2008-11-04T22:01:00.000-08:00

I call a lot of things the bane of my existence. Living in Calgary, my hair, living in Calgary, my cellulite, living in Calgary, my poverty, living in Calgary, everything about my body.

What is truly the bane of all banes is my acne. It was that first fateful zit that sent me into the cosmetic coma that I am still suffering from (and clearly now blogging about). I still have a scar on the middle of my nose that I can attribute to a thousand incidences picking that zit.

I get zits everywhere, face, neck, chest, back. I am even fortunate enough to be extremely prone to their cousin, the ingrown, wherever body hair may grow (so prone that I paid for laser hair removal on my bikini line, and am at least free forever in that zone).

I have had times when they get horrible, times when I get almost clear. But for 9 years I have not been without a single one. So you can imagine the amount of bogus treatments I have tried (all astringents, let me say this, I despise you) and the amount of myths I have heard. Here is my definitive list of all the things you and I need to stop in order to get clear:

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The classic: STOP PICKING! Oh I know, it is my #1 beauty sin that for some reason is to this day a compulsive sickness of mine. The only thing that stops me is having a full face of makeup on, because I fear ruining it. Other than that, there is truly nothing on earth that will control my wily fingers. Tell me, if there is a home hypnosis product that can make me stop.
Overusing drying stuff. Alchohols, benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, AHA's, toners, highly foaming cleansers, lack of moisturizer, prescription acne treatments, bogus acne "systems", clay masks, sulfur. All things that I and any other acne sufferer have employed in great amounts. For so long I refused to give up on this method of acne treatment that to this day, 3 years later, my skin is still suffering the after effects. What these types of products do is temporarily relieve acne which makes you think that the effects will be cumulative. But what they actually do is strip skin's natural protective acid mantle (sebum, what we most definitely suffer in excess) which actually CAUSES more zits in the future because it "tells" the skin it needs to produce more oil to protect itself. STOPPP!
Not considering skin's sensitivity when exfoliating. Overexfoliating or underexfoliating is one of the toughest balances to pinpoint, but believe you me, it's necessary. The only thing I can recomend is to watch you There was a time when my skin was normal except for all the zits. But after years and years of all of the previously mentioned treatments on top of all the over exfoliation I would employ manually has led me to crocodile territory. At this point my skin's natural cell-turnover and oil regulation is so wonky that I am completely dependent on harsh scrubs and drying washes to get it looking somewhere close to normal. If I skip even a day of vigorous manual scrubbing, I wake up to a horribly rough texture, full with hard comedones, especially across my forehead and a reflector shield instead of a complexion. I have tried for the past few months to go the more gentle route, which I still recomend for almost anyone else, but it has for me returned the face of being 14 -translation-COVERED in zits. Cysts, whiteheads, blackheads, hard comedones, pustules and scars galore. But if you like me, have permanently destroyed your own face, break out the at home microdermabrasion scrubs.
Not moisturizing enough. It sounds counter-intuitive but I am telling you right now, Creme De La Mer was the second most effective acne treatment I have ever tried. How, because after the first month of crazy mad inflamed cysts, my skin started to get this...calm down.... No joke, applying such a heavy heavy cream, day after day, taught my crazy skin to regulate some of it's own production. Skin is a living organ, it is responsive to any treatment you give it. I swear to you hand on heart, to this day, more than a year after my bank account discontinued my use (no not me, my bank account did) my skin is still 25% less oily than it was. That's 25% less reflector shield. That needs to be celebrated, because I promise you my hormonal production and teenage insanity is no less than it was two or three years ago, it's just chanelled into obsessions that aren't boys and parties now.
The sun. There it is again, aging's #1 culprit is also not good for those suffering from acne. Yes, dipping in salty sea waters and baking in the sun can feel incredibly relaxing (and we all know that stress causes EVERYTHING, but especially acne) and provides temporary relief. But guess what, the sun also dries skin. And as we saw above, drying the skin temporarily will only tell it to produce more in the end.
Germs, bacteria. The icky grossies. Yes you get them from touching and picking the face (I know I KNOW) but there are also a 10001 other sources in life. Pillowcases that go more than a week withut laundering. Makeup brushes that are not regularly cleaned. Bacteria in cosmetics themselves (pot creams are the worst for this, ALWAYS wash hands before using one). Dirty phones and cell phones. Greasy hair products. And I don't think I should have to tell you to wash your hands (and get underneath the nails) each and every time you go to the bathroom or use your hands for any other icky tasks (washing frying pans...remember your gloves). Eliminate these and any other unhygenic practices you can think of and I can promise you a difference.
Comedogenic cosmetics. Here is when I get contentious. There are certain ingredients that CONSISTENTLY make me break out. And there are some that never do. You will be amazed that my list is opposite of everyone else's. Mineral makeup always makes me break out. Everytime (but boy am I addicted to the glow). What doesn't, is what everybody else blames, heavy petroleum and oil based balms and creams (my skin LOVES these). Silicones, yes in primers and almost everything else. They have such an anti-inflammatory action. Anti-aging products (actually I have found most anti-aging creams and serums to HELP with my acne, go figure). The moral of the story, everyone's skin is different. In the lifelong battle with teenage and adult acne, one cannot simply buy a kit and hope for salvation. Each and every step of the way must be carefully monitored and controlled, with each change in season, climate, age, prescription medicine, etc etc, the skincare routine must be tweaked.

I hope to have enlightened you with at least one of these points.

Image courtesy of nataliedee.com

Things you could do to worsen cellulite that you never thought of

2008-11-03T20:34:00.000-08:00

Ah, cellulite. You bane of mine and 95% of women's existence. WHAT in the world have I done to God in order to have more cellulite than my own mother?

Apparently some of this stuff:

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Using temporary tightening products: What, cellulite products can actually worsen it? Yes, if they contain caffeine or any other diuretic. While these certainly do temporarily create the look of tighter skin by absorbing the water surrounding the fat cells that let's the come up close to the surface of the skin, over time they exacerbate the problem in just the same way. They absorb water. Instead of figuring out a way to have skin cells absorb the water and learn to strengthen themselves against fat cells, we take teh water away, over time weakening skin's own processes and structures? Sigh. Biotherm's cellulichoc is by far my favorite but ever since reading Dr. Murad's cellulite solution book (seriously check it out) I have relegated it to only the most special occasions. This same rule applies to drinking too much coffee, yet another reason to put away the cup and embrace tea. And B12.
Those old old culprits, too much sun and smoking. Yes, they weaken collagen in the face, but also in the body. Leading to skin's weakened ability to protect against sag (let me tell you about that one) stretch marks, wrinkles and yes, cellulite. A few more reasons to stop.
Sitting too long/crossing legs/any action that cuts circulation at the legs....How? Blood vessels are the wonderful little workhorses that bring any nutrient you may eat or supplement with to the skin and nourish and save it. Better blood flow really does encourage collagen production, fat metabolization and overall cell health. This is half the reason we exfoliate. If only every time I sat at the office for 15 minutes I could go take a quick dry brush break to reawaken the blood flow. WHEN will employers be forced to consider women's cosmetic needs :P
Forgetting your eggs and shrimp. Egg yolks contain a lot of Lecithin, the human body's favorite nutrient for cell strength. What it does is literally help repair cell walls, thereby leading to less water retention around the cells themselves and more inside the cells, thereby helping increase cell strength. I've noticed since I've started taking a Lecithin supplement my eyes are much less puffy and I bloat a lot less around the time of the month. And off course my cellulite has gotten a bit better. Shrimp contains a lot of Glucosamine, which is largely used by Arthritis patients because of it's ability to lubricated joints. But it also lubricates every other non-tissue zone within the body. Which includes the fluids surrounding and supporting skin's own collagen and elastin proteins. And we all know what a lack of those leads to.
This one will surprise you: Oral contraceptives/any female hormone therapy. What, how? Well why do men rarely get cellulite, I'll tell you why, a lack of estrogen. Estrogen is the hormone that causes thinned skin around the danger zone for most women and this is the component of cellulite that is genetic. Your mother's hormone balance, is probably a lot like yours. Mine, well my mother lucked out. I'm not about to go check out the backsides of my other female relatives but I bet I got these elevated levels from my grandma (who is also the one from whom I got my chesticles). Switch to Progestin only if your doctor permits. I promise you from personal experience, as soon as I went off the Pill my cellulite actually improved (not to supermodels levels, but visibly better).

I hope to make you think of what your daily actions may be doing to exacerbate any current body issues (the most stubborn of which is off course celly).

Image courtesy of: monstersandcritics.com

Woot, kudos to the folks at Living Proof!

2008-11-02T14:51:00.000-08:00

Check it out I'm famous!

Big clap for everyone at Living Proof that they're so open and honest about their product. They actually posted my ingredient analysis on their own blog. You've gotta hand it to them for not hiding anything.

BTW thanks for the plug.

Check out my beautiful miraculous GHD

2008-11-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

Now if there is a single person on this planet that can plug GHD without the slightest hesitation or exageration that person would be me.

The GHD styler has changed my life.
Now I am high maintenance, I make no buts about it. I shut up, get up an hour early and make my best effort to look fabulous. One thing that has always left me frustrated is my hair. I have a lot of it, like you think YOU do, no, you have no idea whatsoever. Each shaft itself is ridiculously thick and on top of that there's a lot of it. It also grows like crazy so it always gets long (which I like, I've got it down to my bra strap. In August it was at my shoulders, if that's a good illustration).

So styling my hair has always been a long and arduous routine. It never used to take under 3 hours. EVER! I mean blowdrying itself, after about an hour of airdrying would be at least 45 minutes. Than PAINSTAKINGLY ironing each section would be another 1:15.

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Until my sister bought herself the original GHD styler (I took her pink babyliss with me to Europe and she was FURIOUS, but you cannot imagine the humidity in Belgrade in midsummer. I NEEDED it!). When I got home, hair ravaged, but so very well rested, I spotted it almost instantly. Now I was the one who turned her on to GHD (she is a hairstylist, but nevertheless, she's very much behind on new product launches). After all I had been trolling drooling and lemming it at Sephora since it first came out. My permanently broke state however made it hard to afford one. So I was very happy to snatch from my sister. Now I need to put in a testament here:

-GHD is a miracle.
-GHD has cut my ironing time 40% from 1.25-1.5 hours to 45 min flat.
-When I use it, no matter what other products I smear on, my hair winds up twice as soft, smooth, tangle free, shiny, bouncy and voluminous than if I would use anything else.
-And I swear, I promise you, it smoothes the look of about half my split ends (not the extra extra bad and old ones because nothing on earth can, but the newer ones oh yeah).

I cannot put into words how warm and fuzzy I feel towards it. So for about a year my sister and I fought like maniacs over her straightener. She has this horrible possessiveness where if you borrow something of hers, you're gonna PAY for it. It really is like we're both 12 and 11 again and fighting over the remote. Except no remote can ever cause as much joy as the GHD. So this year, she finally broke down. She bought me a 2" GHD as an early Christmas present (let's put it this way, with teh 2" half an hour, half an hour on MY hair, is beyond miraculous).

It just arrived the other day and I am so over the moon in love with it that I felt I just HAD to post about my love. If you have unruly just plain bad hair and you watch Pantene commercials with jealous tears in your eyes, you need to try a GHD. It will change your life.

More on the beauty routine of the world's most beautiful 1 year old

2008-10-31T11:04:00.000-07:00

Here is Olga again, to inspire us all with the ridiculous levels of cuteness she embodies.

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A big fan of oral hygiene, even if she likes to brush with necklaces.
She loves to dip her hand in everything.
And she is big on the 100 brush strokes.
Like and cosmetics carnivore she adores samples.

She says bye bye for now, see you all later.

More Linda Tribute

2008-10-30T10:57:00.000-07:00

Sigh, who else could have brought such a level of sophistication to the 80's?

Image is originally from "Hits Nach 6" a German Magazine, found on levangelista.net

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Bitchin' Ingredient: Mandelic Acid

2008-10-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

So you've probably heard of Glycolic and Lactic Acids, they are wildly popular AHA's in use in cosmetics these days. Mandelic acid is far less well known, partially because up until recently it wasn't studied much for effectiveness. In 1999 The Gateway Aesthetic Institute and Laser center published their conclusion. It wasn't a double blind controlled study (the gold standard) but it was conducted over the course of 3 years with a myriad of patients.

The reason they decided to study Mandelic Acid in the first place was not just because of it's AHA action, but also because it's been shown to be very aggressive toward gram negative bacteria (which includes p.acnes, the bane of my personal existence). So I can definitely see how they went into it expecting the best, because other AHA's have been shown to be excellent exfoliating, collagen creating and moisturizing agents. When combined with an natibacterial property, well you have an ingredient that rivals Retinol in it's treatment of a broad scope of conditions.

What they found was the following:

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-It improved fine lines in the face much like Glycolic acid does, but with less irritation and peeling
-Used as an in office Chemical Peel it again produced similar results to Glycolic acid with less irritation, crusting and peeling. The onset of it's effectiveness was more gradual (read, slower) and therefore more predictable
-It improved abnormal pigmentation as much as 50% (as a 10% solution in a simple algae gel) and hastened the resluts of traditional bleaching agents like Kojic Acid and Hydroquinone with less irritation
-The biggest deal was that they had found remarkable results with patients of darker skin tones, for whom other bleaching agents had failed or caused adverse effects. Mandelic acid proved helpful in alleviating their pigmentation issues without causing additional issues.
-Acne was markedly relieved as long as it was inflammatory pustular, comedonal and papular acne (which includes the regular pizza face zits, little underbumps that feel like ingrowns and for that matter ingrowns and inflamed whiteheads, does not include cystic acne, small whiteheads or blackheads).
-Patients who were resistant to topical and oral antibiotics showed a good response to Mandelic acid and many patients responded extremely well to using Mandelic Acid products alone (so they got great results without Salicylic or Benzoyl).
-It also helped prevent infections in post Laser Resurfacing patients and aided in gentle cleansing procedures.

So what is this wonderful stuff? It's an extract of Bitter Almonds that has also been shown to interfere with melanin transfer, oil production and buildup of dead skin cells. So who is the lucky ideal candidate for this stuff. Well it would make the biggest difference in a mildly sensitive, darker skin toned woman who suffers from mild acne and signs of aging. If this is you find yourself some Mandelic Acid and report back with the results.

The only products I've found with Mandelic are the following, and only available on the web:
Nucelle available from Dermstore.ca
Vivant 15% serum available from Diannayvonne.com
MaMa (malic and mandelic) available from Skincarerx.com

Image courtesy of vivantskincare.com

Bosoms, breasts, buzongas and boobies

2008-10-28T22:49:00.000-07:00

I'm currently watching a movie on television with my mother. It's about the men who invented implants. I am off course, as a vain female, riveted.

Not that I am considering implants. Lord help me it's the only area I don't need help with (lifting, another matter). I got it from my momma, who got it from hers, who got it from hers. So as a family of women with far above average size, we are morbidly fascinated with WHAT kind of person would pay to do this to themselves.

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For some odd reason boobs have been on my mind quite a bit lately. Besides the fact that it's breast cancer month, I read an article about a woman whose family history of cancer was so significant and such a huge risk, that she had a voluntary mastectomy and a set of implants before ever discovering a lump to get this....save herself from the insanity of always worrying.

Things don't often strike my cold blase heart, but after reading that article I cried. I am a lucky creature, no one close to be has ever had breast cancer (amongst Eastern Europeans all cancers are much rarer than in the west anyhow, but it's not like it doesn't happen). Being large, cancer is definitely something I fear because let's face it, the more tissue there is, the more space there is for cancer to spread. Luckily it's not an immediate worry because I have no family history, so the gene is not in me. But every mutation starts from someone. I started to wonder to myself if I would ever do it, maybe down the road.

What do you all think, does anyone have direct ancestors who have had Breast Cancer. Would they ever consider a voluntary mastectomy and then augmentation in order to prevent the cancer happening at all? I would love to know your opinions.

Image courtesy of spikybras.com

MAC halloween looks

2008-10-27T22:07:00.000-07:00

MAC totally posted a bunch of great halloween face charts, but I was struck by one in particular:

She is called a space diva and amazingly, it's neither pretty, predictable or easy, in my mind entirely what halloween makeup should be.

Oh it almost makes me want to dress up but REALLY, do I have the funds to go get myself a whole bunch of new products when I fully need to pay for makeup school in a few months and really I make about...nothing.

So I will simply fantasize and hope next year to go this fabulous.

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Product Review: WEN by Chaz Dean cleansing conditioners

2008-10-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

This is to review all the different scents/formulations of the cleansing conditioners.
The ones I've tried are fig, tea tree and lavender.
I must say there's really no difference between the three except the scents -none of which I liked by the way, I find them too cloying and artificial smelling-.
The only other thing I didn't like about these was how they weighed down my curls, but since I rarely let my hair go natural, that's a small price to pay.
Everything else well let me start:

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-Cleaned very well, it takes a while to rinse but if you do it properly hair will be squeaky clean, so don't be afraid of the no-foam
-Definitely keeps and preserves color
-When air-dried I found myself suffering very little frizz (and I didn't leave any in as a hair cream just as a test)
-My hair turned out INCREDIBLY soft and shiny compared to the level of crunchiness and strawlike-ness I otherwise suffer if I stray from Kerastase
-I really feel like it ACTUALLY moisturizes hair rather than coating it or overproteining it.
And here goes the ingredient analysis for the tea tree version:
water - obvious
aloe vera - moisture, film former on hair
glycerin - humectant, slip-creator, moisture
cetyl alcohol - emulsifier, emollient, thickener
rosemary extract - cleansing, astringent, stimulating, oil-reducing
wild cherry fruit extract - no cosmetic benefit, filler for making the ingredient label look better
chamomile extract -useless on hair except to lighten naturally blonde hair
calendula flower extract -also useless on hair, again good for the label
behentrimonium methosulfate -best and highest quality conditioning ingredient on the market, very detangling, no buildup, very very mild for sensitive people
cetearyl alcohol - same properties as cetyl alcohol
panthenol - very well known conditioning ingredient, smooths and helps remoisturize hair shaft
primethylsilylamodimethicone - conditioning additive that helps detangle wet or dry, adds softness, helps minimize damage
stearmidopropyl dimethylamine - emulsifier, hair softener
polysorbate 60 - emulsify essential oils with water products
menthol - cooling effect, and even though it's this far down the list, you still really feel it cool the scalp
essential oils - I wish it was illegal not to specify which ones, consider how many people may be allergic to a certain extract and it's not required to be specified on the ingredient label
peg60 almond glycerides - helps create mildness, conditioning, emulsifier
hydrolized wheat protein - when used with heat, helps temporarily repair some split ends (the less horrible ones) however at this concentration it would be a very small difference
methylchlorisothiazolinone - preservative
methylisothiazolinone - preservative
citric acid - preservative

The grooming routine of the world's most beautiful 1 year old

2008-10-25T22:30:00.000-07:00

My baby cousin Olga. Girl loves her creams and hairbrushes. It's incredible that she's not my child.

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Olga understands the importance of keeping hair out of face when engaging in beauty routine.

What better advertisement for an anti-aging cream.

She can get a tad overwhelmed at all the choices in front of her too.

But like any budding beauty addict understands the appeal of a cornucopia.

She loves to accessorize too and is a pretty inventive stylist.

And she, like you, may feel a little bit blue when it's all done

I hope that was a good little dose of sunshine for everyone.

Tribute to Linda Evangelista Vol.1

2008-10-24T22:25:00.000-07:00

Linda is my absolute favorite super of all time. Not only because she was the first, but because she was the best. And so begins my tribute to her and all her fabulousness with a Vogue promo shot from '84. Before her legendary haircut, before the George Michael video, before all those glamorous Versace walks, before the 10,000 quote, before everything.

The woman was BORN fabulous.

Image fromVogue UK, courtesy of levangelista.net

Product Review: Clairol Perfect 10

2008-10-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

Can't say that I'm mega impressed.
Off course the speed is a wonderful thing, you have to appreciate that, but I wound up splashing my entire bathroom trying to cover everything evenly and quickly. -believe me I'll pay for it big time in bathroom renos-.
As for gloss can't say it leaves me any glossier than any other type of color.
I did wind up with the shade I wanted allthough it was a tiny difference from what I started with (my natural ashy dark brown w/ some old highlights showing through a semi-perm color). I did wind up with a reddy/chocolatey dark brown where there is really very little highlight definition.

More...The conditioner included may actually be the worst part -I can't believe I'm saying this about an at home haircolor kit- I found it incredibly resistant to rinsing...it's like sticky oil. And even though I spent 5 minutes on the rinse I still have some waxiness and greasiness around my roots.
I actually found the comb very tough to handle because my hair gets so tangly that it was impossible to do it all the way.
Check out the results:
The color I used was 6G light golden brown.
It definitely turned out a few shades darker than that, more like their 6-light brown shade, which is less golden and more chocolatey.

First image courtesy of Clairol.com, second image courtesy of me

Upcoming posts

2008-10-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

Here are the posts I am currently working on and you can look forward to:

Product reviews of Clairol perfect 10 color, wen by Chaz Dean cleansing conditioner-tea tree oil, Liz Earle cleanse and polish cleanser, Liz Earle brightening treatment mask, OCM cleansing method, baking soda as an at home scrub.

I plan on purchasing the following products to review: TRIA at home laser hair removal system, The solution antiaging treatment

-My philosophy of tanning, melanin, sunblock and all related issues
-Things you could do to cause zits that you never thought of
-Things you could do to worsen cellulite that you never thought of
-Body perfecting progress reports
-Tribute to Linda Evangelista
-Hair growth tips
-Makeovers and my makeup work on others
-Dr. Obagi's new no moisturizer rule and my thoughts

I got a job at Sephora!

2008-10-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

Oh I thought it would never happen!
I applied for a seasonal cashier position at Sephora a few weeks ago, after all where else would I use an employee disocunt more. Nevermind that it's a good first step into my future makeup artistry career.

Now my devotion to Sephora has been a years long commitment. When I was 12 I had my first pimple. To a girl who had spent her childhood being the most adorable/queen bee of the playground a FLAW was the worst thing that could ever happen [sigh, the myriad flaws I have had since...]. Once I realized that the drugstore did not hold much promise for my face [my face, my hair, my body, everything DEFINITELY has a taste for the expensive, and yes i know it's just psychological, but the placebo effect works for me].

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Around this time I discovered Makeupalley.com a looong time addiction. The women constantly spoke of a store called Sephora [this was Canada in 2000, it's like speaking a foreign language]. So my curious mind went internet searchin'. And Sephora with it's ridiculous amount of sheer CHOICE -nevermind the fact that there's so many brands you would have a tough time finding elsewhere- was pretty much like the end of the world to a gal like me. At the time sephora.com didn't even deliver to Canada so I suffered in silence. When I turned 15 is when they started giving us the option. I would beg my mom to use her credit card, but for a woman as inherently low maintenance as her the limit was not high. Within a year I got my first job so I could GIVE her cash to help feed my obsession. The moment I turned 18,, the first thing I did was get my own credit card. And guess what my very first purchase was, an massive order on sephora.com
The very first sephora store in Calgary opened when I was about to turn 19. I applied to work there as soon as I heard, but as the day came near and I got a call back, they were gonna have all the training and the open date while I was in Europe. Once I came back I had it set in my mind that I was going to be practical.
And it took this long to come back around...but boy am I glad.

Product Review: Sephora Immediate Wrinkle Filler

2008-10-20T00:40:00.000-07:00

NEW PRIMER HG!
This stuff is amazing. I have found it makes my makeup last longer than anything else, any primer, any powder and combination of the two. Literally like 10 hours, eye makeup too, with no powder.
It also performed all the other functions I expect from a primer, improving skin texture, mattifying, making my makeup look more natural, porelessness, definitely fills in the few fine lines I've started getting and old pitted acne scars, check check check.

The texture is almost like a silicone wax hybrid and like all primers feels amazingly silky. The little pot really doesn't contain a lot but off course, you need very little.

And just for fun, an ingredient analysis:
-Cyclopentasiloxane - emollient, nongreasy, evaporates from skin,
-Isododecane - film former, help other ingredients last,
-Dimethicone Crosspolymer - stabilizer, thickener
-Silica - absorbent, anti-cake,
-Dimethiconol - improves appearance of scars
-Talc - absorbent, shine controller
-Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer - film former, skin conditioner, skin protectant
-Cellulose - film former, emulsion stabilizer
-Titanium Dioxide - opacifying agent, sunscreen
-Iron oxides - impart color

So some superfantaclysmic news

2008-10-19T11:13:00.000-07:00

I GOT INTO MAKEUP SCHOOL!
Now let me give you a quick backstory of my constant struggle with my career choices. In the last 5 years of my life I was entirely set on getting married, having a baby and becoming a housewife before the age of 20. In my mind there is nothing on earth more fullfilling or wonderful for someone for me to do. I've always been happiest when with kids and I cannot even tell you how much I love baking (my thighs will tell you how much of my baking I eat). Once I realized at 19.5 years old, after my last breakup, that my housewife dream was kaput, I embarked on a "practical" career.

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I took a job as an assistant at a staffing agency planning on working my way up the corporate ladder. Although I loved the fast pace, client relations and the fact that I was helping people each and every day at work, I realized after a while I couldn't handle such a position for the rest of my life. The stress is incredible, you can never really relax and worst of all, your schedule and avaction time is completely at the mercy of others (a deal breaker for someone whose entire existence is situated across the planet-literally unless I go back to Serbia for at least a month every year the stress and torture of living here starts to show up in my attitude and definitely on my face).

So I took on a temporary position at the place where I am working now, to have a low stress position with a steady income while I save money for a car and re-evaluate what to do with myself. The answer came to me while on a weekend trip to Ontario during August long weekend. The people we stayed with had a 14 year old daughter who basically took one look at my makeup process and begged me to do her. I was also the very first to pluck her eyebrows, to me a great honor. Then she told everyone, her mom, her friends -even tried to convince her brother- that I am gifted at makeup and should start doing everyone else. On the airplane back to Calgary I realized, WHY aren't I a makeup artist. It is one of the few skills that comes naturally to me, I LOVE doing it, while freelancing I would be the one in control of my own schedule and when I take time off and let's face it the income potential is pretty astronomical if I fin myself amongst a very specific group of in-demand artists.

I then started doing research on various schooling options in Calgary. There are only two schools here. Marvel college is an established hairstyling school that also has a makeup program. Like their cosmetology program, their makeup class is focused on outdated techniques and style (I saw a few students' portfolios online and no joke, half the photos had blue eyeshadow and or 80's blush contouring.....if I was going to be taught that was the way to go, I refused.) The other choicewas Artist's Within. It's a private school established by Tara Anand, one of Western Canada's most successful freelance artists. Looking at their student's portfolios, I saw a marked difference. The photos looked like the ones I see all the time in my beloved fashion magazines, interesting, innovative and modern. So I figured of the two choices, mine was clear.

So a few days ago I went in, filled out some forms, handed over a deposit check and as of March 11th of 2009 I will be a makeup student. My course will last 8 weeks and after that I will have a piece of paper telling me what I've known all along, I have the skills to become a proffesional makeup artist. Obviously I look forward to learning even more techniques while studying and help form some important relationships.

Yayyyyyyyy!

The current state of my bathroom

2008-10-17T23:32:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce you to aall the crap clogging up my bathroom:

Lancome Maquiriche Quad - coquille, petite fauve, gardenia, taupe vert
L'Oreal wear infinite quad in green envy
Oriflame petroleum balm
Makeupforever white shimmer

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Aveda gloss in celestial quartz

BE clear radiance

Sephora Immediate Wrinkle Filler

Arbonne Mineral Powder foundation

Loreal telescopic mascara in black/brown

Maybelline mineral powder foundation

Inglot corrective illuminator

Duwop Payoff

Nars Powder shadow in Bellissima

Nars laguna/orgasm duo

Annabelle kohl in Charcoal

Lancome Rouge sensation in champagne

7 cheap gift lip glosses

Marcelle vit-a-lip gloss in nude

Arbonne Brow wax in Blonde

BE warmth

Arbonne Virtual illusion makeup primer

Tarte flush

Maybelline Eyeshadow quad in time for wine

MAC studio concealer

Arbonne shadows in heavenly, sugarbeet and cream shadow in sheer genius

MAC paint in graphito

Sephora eye makeup palette in sheer underwater tones

Arbonne virtual illusion eye definer in eclipse

Dessert beauty deliciously kissable body gloss in chocolate

Nair Cire Divine

Cheap gift nail polish

Opti-free eye drops

Venus embrace razors

Physician's formula organic wear powder

Sephora anti-bacterial daily brush cleanser

burt's bees raspberry scented lip balm

biotherm drain choc spray

Oriflame cellulite roll on

Biotherm cellulichoc

QOD brazilian keratin

Cheap gift soap

S-factor dream drops

Cheap gift body lotion

Nelum Sandalwood talc

Kerastase Ciment Theramique

Designer skin hemphatic lotion

KMS flatout spray

Cheap gift bath salts

Sample Australian gold all day moisturizer

Bandaid tough strips

Proactiv refining mask

Bonnebell bubbleyum lip balm

2 tube sof Talika Lipocils

Prescription Clindamycin

Garnier pure-a moisturizer

Nature's essence acne blend

Prescription Stieva A tretinoin cream

Baking soda

Castor oil

Sweet almond oil

Arbonne intelligence daily eye cream

Johnson's floss

Garnier fructis sleek and shine serum

Aveda brilliant damage control spray

Pureology super straight relaxing serum

Biotherm Abdo choc

Olay touch of sun overnight

Crest vivid white toothpaste

St. ives microdermabrasion

Dessert beauty deliciously kissable body shake

4 different cheap gift perfumes/body sprays

Skin Biology breasts nipples and decolletage cream

Kerastase voil nuit for thick hair

Life brand bronze up cream

Pantene time renewal replenishing mask

Cheap gift scrub

Cheap gift body wash

Arbonne intelligence self adjusting conditioner

Aveda Smooth infusion shampoo

Chaz Dean cleansing condiitoners in fig, tea tree and lavender

And let me subject you now.....

2008-10-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

Here comes the long list of things I dislike, starting from the top:
1. My hair: It's naturally curly, coarse, ridiculously thick and there's lot's of it. I do need to give it props that it grows quickly, usually an inch a month, but this month it grew 2 because I've been making so much effort on it's growth. However, it is truly beyond damaged. Let me give you a quick overview. I have about 18 inches of growth. The last 2 inches have been through the following: Being bleached to a level 1 at home and then tinted. Being darkened and then highlighted, Being bleached and tinted back down to a level 3. Having bleach taken through every 3 weeks. Being double process darkened back to my natural dark blah brown color. Being dyed black. Being home dyed black a thousand times. Being bleached from black back down to a level 3. Being darkened with Natural Instincts again. The worst was definitely the bleach down from black and that is really 14 inches of the length so I really only have 4 inches of decent hair and 2 inches of virgin. In addition until recently I was never a big fan of heat protectants despite blowdrying and straightening almost every time I wash (very rarely do I let it air dry and go natural). It is truly depressing and an endless battle with unmanageability.
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2. My face: I have really puffy eyes, with horrible circles. My eyes themselves are completely blank and non-descript until I cake on tons of makeup. My nose is huge and misshapen and just looks bad. My lips are just plain boring, somewhat thin, just non-descript. I have this fugly mole on the bottom underside that looks like a raging case of herpes when my lips get pale for some reason. My teeth are yellowy and stained, jagged here and there and still have ridges on the bottom like babies do. And let's not even begin with my skin. I have had horrible acne since I was 12. I have so many scars, so many blackheads, so much unevenness. My pores are crater like and truly distressing especially on my cheeks and forehead. I have tons of red veins and no joke, at the age of 20 I have started getting my first fine lines on my forehead (there's no doubt that's due to my tanning addiction but nevertheless). My skin is my constant fight.
3. I have Keratosis Pilaris on my arms and a few small stretch marks from weight gain. My elbows are crocodile-ish and the hairs are blonde but really long.
4. My bosoms are basically just about to hit the floor. In addition I am breakout prone there too, and again, horrible stretch marks. Every once in a while I get these small white millia like bumps in y cleavage that pop at first touch and release water. God only knows what those are.
5. Then there is the belly pooch. It has plagued my existence for years. There it is, sticking out like a chunky slug from what should be a nice flat feminine tummy. Instead it looks like i'm in my second trimester of pregnancy and my baby is extra heavy. The sad thing is the skin there is easily the best patch on my entire body, in fact completely perfect and holds a tan extremely well but it hasn't been on display since I was 13 and the pooch manifested it's evil self.
6. My back basically looks like a minefield. So many old backne scars and I get really really bad cystic ones during the time of the month that are literally horribly painful. Again, a nice bout of the stretch marks on my love handles and these are the most obvious of all the ones on my body.
7. My butt is a cellulitey, offensive mess. It basically looks like not even a butt, just a mound of cellulite. Cellulite cellulite cellulite.
8. Before I had laser hair removal done on my bikini line I used to get HORRIBLE ingrowns from waxing (which is what led me to laser in the first place). The scars from the ingrowns are still there...yepp.
9. My thighs are easily my most hated body part. After all there's enough square footage to cover every single skin flaw there ever could be (literally, they take over my lower area entirely, my butt and calves are like little specks compared to my thighs). I have the world's largest population of stretch marsk, cellulite covers every last centimeter, I get ingrown hairs that look like pimples, the skintone is uneven, I'm starting to get my first varicose veins, the hair is incredibly stubborn and stubbles within 2 hours of shaving (and I couldn't laser it because it isn't dark enough, however it is still dark enough to be noticeable). To put it mildly, if I could have anything in the world, my first choice would be to have Linda Evangelista's thighs.
10. My lower legs also suffer from cellulite, stretch marks, varicose veins and tough red ingrowns. My knees have old old scars and are rougher than chicken skin. However the worst feature may be the body hair. In this area it is so offensively dark that even when I get a perfect even shave and I am as tan as can be, the roots literally show through my skin. Funnily enough, if I choose not to shave it for more than a week, it all looks lighter and blonder (no one believes me on this, but it really really does). However it also feels like I am part porcupine because it's SO coarse. I think part of the reason I have such a hard time getting a perfect shave is also because my pores are GINORMOUS and actually look like concave lenses. There is a little dryness and flaky white skin around each one and through the middle comes a hair, framed like a work of the Devil's art.
11. My feet as cute as they are, are prone to corns and calluses, in addition to the dry skin that happens on bottom.

Looking like this, you too would be bitter and on a constant quest for cosmetic solutions.

A formal introduction

2008-10-15T22:37:00.000-07:00

I think it's about time I introduced myself in all my cosmetically flawed glory. However, I have a face mask on and just got out of a long bath so I am in far too positive a mood to start thinking about ALL my flaws.

Therefore I will start off with the good news - so here goes all the things I like about my physical appearance:

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1. My hands- They are very small, delicate, my fingers are long, the skin is almost perfect, my nails are ridiculously strong and healthy and I very rarely wear nail polish.
2. My feet- Like my hands they are tiny and delicate. They're between a 35 and 37 size usually and they're very slim. My toes are kind of wonky, but really pretty cute. Because I've always liked my feet, I have neglected the soles and any moisturizing, which really should change soon.
3. My eyebrows- The only facial feature I like. My eyebrows have good natural arches, a decent amount of thickness except toward the end and really very little unrulyness to pluck. I can honestly say it's one of the few things I'm low maintenance about. I always shape them myself, pluck out little strays when they grow out and apply brow color when making them up. That's all.

Ok, it's not a lot, but it's something.

Beauty Innovation That Excites Me

2008-10-14T22:16:00.001-07:00

The No Frizz Line by Living Proof:

Everybody's been buzzing about this line violently! Up till now silicones have been the only cosmetic way to fight the frizzies and they are far from an ideal solution. It takes a lot of finesse to avoid overdoing it with silicones, never mind that constant use overtime actually dries out the hair. This stuff is a brand new technology pioneered by Dr. Robert Langer and a team of scientists. Cosmetic industry vets were at a minimum.

The premise is that this stuff leaves a light, waterproof coat on the hair, which actually REPELS water and even more miraculously oil (which is what dirt holds onto, with the need for washing obviously related). They have a straightening and a curling product for fine, medium and thick hair. And apparently the effect is cumulative, overtime hair's own frizz prevention system is strengthened!!! The molecule they have created is called PolyfluoroEster and I can tell you I haven't heard of it before (which is proof it's actually brand new instead of the beauty industry just trumpeting it as new).

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Each curly/straight duo can be bought online at QVC.com for the introductory price of 38.52 which is erring on the high side but considering that you have to use it rarely, the effect is cumulative and again you get two products.

This is akin to promising the hair lottery to folks like myself with naturally curly, overprocessed, ridiculously thick and frizz prone locks. Positive indicators: It's not actually silicone. They actually posted the ingredients up on the website. The majority of the team that formulated the products is not involved in the cosmetic industry itself. I mean, all positive indicators right? My personal quest for good hair is one that has never met a credit card limit it wasn't willing to go past. And soon enough, given positive reviews on MakeupAlley, I will most likely be trying this stuff and reviewing.

And off course, since I'm me and I care, An analysis of the ingredients in the curly formulation for medium hair:

Water - Obvious
VP/VA Copolymer - Helps hair hold it's style by repeling moisture and forming a thin layer over hair (and nails too actually). This is one of the older fashioned polymers.
Polyfluoro Ester - The new more advanced polymer that really does the job.
VP/Dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate Copolymer - binder, emulsion stabilizer, film former, hair fixative
Glycerin - humectant, slip former, moisturizer
Myristyl Alcohol - fatty alcohol, emulsifier, moisturizer
Polyacrylate-13 - Similar properties to the other polymers

Halfway point: Past here are all the ingredients that act as fillers and preservatives, they really have very little effect on the overall efficacy of the product itself becasue the concentrations are 1% or less.

PEG-8 Stearate - Help water mix with oil and dirt to help wash hair and skin ???? That one I am baffled by, these are styling products.
PPG-2 Myristyl Ether Propionate - non oily emollient
Polyisobutene - lubricant that thickens oily products, dries to for a thin coat, helps hold together other ingredients
Phenoxyethanol - broad spectrum preservative
Caprylyl Glycol - humectant and preservative
Fragrance - Obvious
Polysorbate 20 - emulsifier
Sorbic Acid - preservative

Image courtesy of youarelivingproof.com

Product review - Pantene Time Renewal Mask

2008-10-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

Pantene - Pro-V Restoratives Time Renewal Replenishing Mask

What it is: Treatment mask, super thick cold cream type, with a lovely florally citrusy scent. What it promises: "Dramatically quenches parched hair, leaving hair supple and restored while shielding it from damage." What I was hoping for: LOTS of moisture, frizz fighting. What I got: Frizz fighting was very good, but after having my hair drenched in Masquintense for the past month, in terms of softening the straw bush it just didn't compare. I will keep looking for a good drugstore mask. I was really hoping for tons of moisture though...
Ingredients: Water, bis-aminopropyl dimethicone, stearyl alcohol, behentrimonium chloride, cetyl alcohol, panthenol, panthenyl ethyl ether, fragrance, disodium EDTA, benzyl alcohol, sodium hydroxide, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone.

Image courtesy of: meijergroceryexpress.com

Product review - Duwop Payoff

2008-10-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

DuWop - Payoff Eyeshadow Intensifier

VERY IMPRESSED! Ok What I expected: Something to intensify the pigments of all my unused eyeshadows and turn powder into liquid or cream. In addition, length of wear was very important to me. Met my expectations and beyond. It doesn't even ruin a shadow like water does, I can decant it over an entire pot and by day 2 it's just regular powder shadow. The great little dropper lets me control how much I put in, either having a cream or a liquid as a result. It REALLY intensifies even very very poorly pigmented shadows like Maybelline ones. And makes it last all the day long. I am a faithful.
Water, Propylene Glycol, Isododecane, Polysorbate 80, CyclopentaSiloxane, Methylparaben, Cyclohexasiloxane, Propylparaben, Cellulose Gum

Image courtesy of Sephora.com