Bikini Wax Health Concerns

This past weekend my cousin and I were talking about our concerns about bikini and Brazilian waxes. Strangely enough I see an article pop up on my MSN page this morning. Beware of the Killer Bikini Wax! Things like 'double dipping' can be a major cause for concern when going for a routine wax, and no I'm not talking about dipping some veggies into ranch dressing.

When an aesthetician reuses the sticks while waxing, it leaves clients open to various bacterial infections. The article on MSN recounts one woman's experience after an unsanitary waxing. She says she had hers done in a reputable salon, which means it is possible it can happen anywhere. This doesn't mean you should stop your beauty treatments, but you should definitely take precautions before your next appointment.

The article gave a few suggestion before you let anyone wax you down there again.

• Choose a facility carefully - See the place before you make an appointment. Make sure aestheticians are licensed.

• Ask about the wax - Hard wax and sugaring are the best options.

• Keep an eye on hygiene - No double dipping!

• Prevent irritation - The days after your waxing make sure to apply cream to the treated area.
  

• Know the signs of infection - If redness, itching, swelling, or burning occurs consult a doctor.
  

Scarlett Johansson's New Bob

Scarlett Johansson is sporting a new look these days. For her the Fall 09/ Winter 10 ad campaign for Mango Scarlett Jo now has a shaggy bob. I think the new style suit her and the brand which promotes the sexy, independent, urban gal.

It suits Scarlett because she has the perfect face shape for it. Someone with a rounder face should stay away from any cut close that close to the jawline.

What do you think of the new do?

Let Out Your Curls

For most of my life I have struggled against the tousled curls on my head. I have tugged, pulled, ironed, pressed, dried, all but ripped them out, in order to get the sleek look I desired so badly. The early nineties were the worst! Stars like Jennifer Aniston had the sleekest of locks and there was no way that I could match that. As a child no one taught me how to take care of curly hair, so when I combed my hair, like every other girl did, but what resulted was a big old mess. Think Diana Ross, really really big hair. That is enough to scare off any child away from curly hair. Naturally I became very proficient with a blow dryer.

There are many style proponents of curly hair who are doing their best to convince the world of the beauty of natural hair. Salons like Devachan and Ouidad in NYC and Batia & Aleeza in Beverly Hills, are making waves in the industry (I couldn't help the pun.. It's just too easy). There are websites like naturallycurly.com that encourage girls to hide the blow dryer. It wasn't until a couple years ago that I finally got the hang of my curly hair. I always received compliments on my thick curly hair, but I had spent so much of my life trying to tame it, it was hard to finally let them loose.

Taking care of curly hair requires a different mindset than our straight hair friends. First of all curly hair is much drier than any other type of hair. For this reason it is very important that your hair is well moisturized because basically sucks up all the moisture it can get.

A Few Tips For Curly Hair

- Moisture! This is hard for some people to realize but you shouldn't be shampooing your hair everyday. You can wash your hair everyday if you'd like but only use conditioner. The friction of scrubbing the conditioner against your scalp will clean your hair. Excess shampooing only strips your hair of its natural oils and creates frizz. Some stylist even suggest never using shampoo (only conditioner) but I find for my hair shampoo isn't harmful, just don't use it everyday.

-A great haircut can make all the difference. You need to go to a stylist who has experience cutting curly hair. Do not go to someone who wants to give you the latest cut and trend because most likely it won't suit you. Layers to break up the curls and avoid triangle head. You do not need to go to one of the fancy and expensive curly salons in order to get a great cut. Stick with a stylist you trust and you will never be disappointed.

-Clip your hair at the crown of your head in order to get some lift. Curly hair us usually heavy and can weigh down the hair on the top of your head. Lift and pin your hair at the roots.

-Use a diffuser when drying your hair. Also a little trick that I like to do is dry my hair upside down. Bend over and blow dry from underneath. This will create big hair which I love. It also prevents your hair from getting flat.

-When you are finished washing your hair seal in the moisture by pouring colder water on your hair. This will help prevent frizz.


Corkscrew Curls
These curls are the tightest. They tend to be in the shape or a corkscrew. Because they are tight they are also the driest and need the most moisture.






















Botticelli Curls
These curls vary in shape and are not as tight as the corkscrew curls.













Wavy

Some hair isn't completely curly but it has a slight wave to it. It is the least dry of curly hair however still needs moisture.

Winter Breakouts

Have you noticed a few breakouts this winter? No doubt the weather and all the layers we start to pile on are the culprit. The constant contact with scarves and hats against the skin cause flare ups now and again. In order to prevent this, you need to make sure you take a bit more care of your skin. You should be washing your face everyday regardless, however now toner is a necessity. The cheapest option, and my personal favorite, is Witch Hazel. You can find Witch Hazel at your local convenience store, and the best news is that a bottle seldom costs more than $5. Certainly your grandmother kept a bottle of Witch Hazel in her medicine cabinet. It is a natural astringent that comes from the Witch Hazel plant, therefore it is the most natural toner you can find. You can reapply during the day with a cotton swab. Not only will it keep your breakouts in check, but it is extremely refreshing.

Hair Loss Isn't Only A Male Problem

Hair is very important to woman. It symbolizes sexuality and youth and everyone knows how important those qualities are in our image driven society. Rogaine surveyed 500 women 24% of which equated hair loss to loosing a limb. Yes you heard correctly. That means 120 out of 500 women would be just as devasted if they lost their hair as if they couldn't walk again. Now the participants may have been exagerating a little but nonetheless it makes the point that hair is very important to women.

I decided to read up on female hairloss because many of my friends have complained about thinning hair. Not to mention the countless articles I have read in women's magazines. Many of my friends as early as 22 years old, have complained about loosing the thickness of their hair. Many people are unaware of how common female hair loss is. About 30 million American women are experiencing thinning hair.

Women are willing to pay anywhere from $50 to $300 for a hair cut and blow dry, so it goes without saying that many would pay big bucks for hairloss prevention as well.

Possible reasons for lossing your hair:

• Genetics/ Female Pattern Alopecia
• Autoimmune Disorders
• Medications such as birth control pills, antidepressants, blood thinners, chemotherapy
• Thyroid Disease
• High Stress or Anxiety
• Poor Nutrition or eating disorder
• Sudden change in diet
• Anemia (low blood count and iron)
• Fungal infections of the scalp
• Hair damage. Excessive pulling and tugging of hair. Dying and bleaching frequently.

Toothpaste - Old School Remedy For Breakouts

The past couple of weeks I have been very stressed at work, and like clockwork my skin started to show the signs. Even though I hardly breakout normally, my face started to react to the stress. Not only was I breaking out but I was running around all weekend and didn't have any of my products with me. I stayed over a friends house and decided to try an old remedy for pimples I used sometimes as a kid.

Do you remember using toothpaste on blemishes? Come on admit it, we've all done it before. Since then though I have become much more conscious with the ingredients in my products. A lot of toothpaste products have chemicals in them, that's why I recently started buying Trader Joe's Peppermint Toothpaste.

Some of the ingredients include peppermint essential oil, baking soda and flouride. The baking soda is the magic ingredient that will clear your sking and zap the blemish. The best part is that there is no sodium lauryl sulfate and propylene glycol which can irritate the skin. These ingredients are often found in toothpaste so make sure to check your tube.

Take Time For Yourself

It is important for people to take care of their bodies and visual appearance. Not only are we judged by our appearance each day, the way we feel about ourselves is also affected by it. You can argue and claim that you feel great when you look disheveled, or your eyes are bloodshot and your clothes are dirty, however people looking at you will make judgements, despite your feelings. It may seem vain to worry about such things, however it is a fact of life. Anything in excess can be a problem and the same goes for excessively to worrying about your physical appearance. On the other hand, taking care of your health and investing in yourself as a person is a necessity to living a fulfilled happy life.

Study after study shows that people, especially women, feel much better about themselves when they are comfortable and confident with their appearance. The beauty industry is a big business. Women spend lots of their money on beauty products and many women opt for plastic surgery to alter their appearance. It can be very easy to get carried away, especially since are society has become so obsessed with celebrity gossip and instant gratification. Privacy is limited not only for celebrities, but also for anyone who may find pictures of themselves (or put themselves on there) on social sites such as facebook or myspace. It is important to keep balanced.

For overall health it is important to take care of one's needs and when our needs are met, we are better equipped to live happily as well as affect the lives of others. Once you start worrying more about what other think, instead of doing things for yourself, it becomes a problem. As important as it is to take care of our physical selves, often time people neglect to take care of themselves. With busy schedules it is hard to devote time into your appearance and well being, especially those for people with children, a long commute, or demanding jobs or family. It is important to try and dedicate some time to yourself.


Buy clothes that are flattering to your figure
Save up and splurge on an item you may not need but makes you happy
Take the time to do yoga, meditate, read, or whatever it is that you need to relax
Say no every once in awhile
Create a skin care routine and stick with it
Get a massage every once in awhile

Burt's Bees Radiance Eye Creme - With Royal Jelly

It's been a long running joke in my family that honey can cure just about anything. When I was young, my grandmother would give me a spoonful of honey when I wasn't feeling well. My grandfather had bee hives and harvested honey each season. He would put the honey in huge jars and give it to all of our family members. I remember eating the honey straight off of the honey comb and chewing on the wax.

This weekend I decided to try a new eye cream. Burt's Bees is a company that believes in selling truly natural products. The Radiance Eye Creme is a blend of many natural oils and extracts including sesame oil, chamomile, cucumber and rose hips. The key marketable ingredient is royal jelly. Royal Jelly is the substance that bees feed the young bees that will become the queen bee. Queen bees grow to be much larger and live 40 times longer than other bees. The Royal Jelly is very nourishing but let's see if it works wonders on skin as it does with queen bees. I am going to test the eye creme out for two weeks to see if I notice any considerable difference in my eye area. Despite the miracle substance in the creme, I love all the other natural ingredients.

Take a look:

Ingredients: water, sesamum indicum (sesame) seed oil, glycerin, ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, stearic acid, palmitic acid, royal jelly, lecithin, symphytum officinale (comfrey) leaf extract, cucumis sativus (cucumber) fruit extract, euphrasia officinalis extract, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract, rosa canina (rose hips) fruit extract, hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) leaf extract, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel oil, citrus medica limonum (lemon) peel oil, cananga odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil, kaolin, sucrose stearate, sucrose distearate, fragrance, glucose, lactoperoxidase, glucose oxidase, sodium chloride, xanthan gum, sodium borate, mica, titanium dioxide, iron oxide

Standout Lipcolor

I have always been a fan of color. Bright colors, the pinks, the teals, the bright oranges and reds I love them all. There is nothing like the feeling of standing out.

Spring 2008 makeup is all about standing out. The runways were full of crazy colors. Take a look at Louis Vuitton. At the hands of Marc Jacobs you can expect nothing but excitement and breaking the mold. I realize these looks do not translate well to everyday wear. Who would be able to pull off blue lips at the workplace? However high fashion always works as inspiration for what is possible for women to wear and experiment with.

Louis Vuitton Spring 2008 Ready To Wear

Below are a few way to wear standout lip color everyday. They are great attention getters for a night out.

Neutral Nails

Put away your dark nail polish because spring is all about neutral and feminine nails. Dark, short nails were on trend for quite some time now, but if you are looking for something fresh this is a great warm weather alternative. Essie nail polish has a new line for spring, the Mood Collection. As you can see the colors are softer pastels. This morning I applied the Great Expectations polish and I'm loving the softer look. Try one for yourself if you're tired of the dark purples from the winter.

Nars Shanghai Lily Collection

Lydia Hearst, part time model part time publishing heiress, is the newest face of Nars Cosmetics. Her great-grandfather William Randolph Hearst founded the Hearst Corporation, a media conglomerate that owns such magazines as Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan. Fashion and beauty is the family business and one could argue that Lydia is one of the few heiresses with a legitimate modeling career.

Nars Orgasm is my favorite blush. It matches a variety of skin tones and creates a natural looking flush. Nars lipglosses are also great, in particular the Greek Holiday lipgloss which is a great neutral lip color for the Spring. Nars eyeshadows go on smooth and come in a variety of colors. The colors in the Shanghai Lily Collection make a natural face and pop of color on the lips, very on trend for the Spring.

Academy Awards 2008 - Cascading Curls

Many of the stars on the red carpet at this years Academy Awards 2008 had side swept hair. Marion Cotillard and Amy Adams had very similar hair styles, both swept to the right side of their face with loose curls cascading down the side. The look is extremely feminine and fitting for the award show.

Academy Awards 2008 - Bad Hair Day

Renee Zellweger's expression looks absolutely painful and with one look at her hair we can see why. Quite frankly her hair looks like a hair piece. It was messy and dishelved, completely inappropriate for any award show, let alone the Oscars.














Katherine Heigl looks happy and beautiful but her hair is something else. I feel like a thunderstorm couldn't get that hair to fall out of place. The short curls make her look older and outdated. For a woman so beautiful like Katherine Heigl she would have looked much better with natural and soft hair rather than looking like she used a whole bottle of aquanet on her head.

Trends on Sephora - Beauty As Art

Insider Tip - Bobbi Brown 10 Step Makeup Application

Bobbi Brown uses an easy to follow guideline on how to apply a full face of makeup. She makes it easy for anyone to do, even makeup amateurs. The best thing about Bobbi's collection is that it is very natural. All these steps may seem like they would make you overdone, however they only cover up imperfections and emphasize your strengths and beauty.

1 Concealer
2 Foundation
3 Powder
4 Blush
5 Lipstick/ Gloss
6 Lip Liner
7 Brows
8 Eye Shadow
9 Eye Liner
10 Mascara

Of course you can skip a step if you feel you don't need it.
Below is the full list with picture guides that are found on the Bobbi Brown Website.


Pre-Makeup
1- Concealer












2- Foundation
3- Powder












4- Blush
5- Lipstick/ Gloss

6- Lip Liner

7- Brows

8- Eye Shadow

9- Eye Liner

10- Mascara

Final Look!