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10 Skin Care Tips from Dr. Rey

June 13th, 2009 by Karen 28 Comments

dr-rey-3
Dr. Robert Rey, celebrity plastic surgeon and star of E! television’s Dr. 90210, was on hand at the Nordstrom Summer Trend Show in San Francisco this morning to talk about Sensual Solutions, his new line of 13 anti-aging skin care products for face and body (exclusive to Nordstrom).

I stole a few minutes of the handsome doctor’s time to talk about Sensual Solutions, plastic surgery and overall skin care and health.

1. Be religious about sun protection

“Aging today is a choice,” says Dr. Rey. By focussing on preventative measures, like wearing sunscreen, “You’ll age only if you want to…”

2. Support “the girls” at all times, even while you sleep

To keep breasts from sagging, the doctor suggests wearing a bra while you sleep. “At night… your breasts are falling into your armpit, which pulls at the ligaments and causes sagging.”

sensual-solutions-1

3. Consider plastic surgery as a last resort

Dr. Rey calls his Sensual Solutions line “plastic surgery in a bottle.” He designed it for women looking for a non-surgical approach to anti-aging. All 13 products contain an anti-aging complex called AActive6-Exotics, a combination of compounds from the jungles of Brazil (Dr. Rey is Brazilian) and anti-aging ingredients from Western medicine.

A few of his favorites from the line?

  • Eye Promise ($85): With a hectic schedule — long hours in the operating room and frequent cross-country flights — Dr. Rey depends on his Eye Promise cream to decrease puffiness on the skin around his eyes and reduce the appearance of dark circles.
  • From Your Lips ($40): A plumping gloss to firm, to increase volume and to smooth creases and lines on lips while simultaneously delivering a glossy, natural tint.

    When we first sat down to talk, Dr. Rey reached across the space between us and applied From Your Lips on my pucker. Within about 10 minutes my lips looked and felt noticeably bigger, with a color a few shades darker than usual (but still my natural tone).

  • Inhibitox ($150): The doc developed Inhibitox — what he calls “Botox in a bottle” — after growing tired of administering Botox (!) on himself before television appearances. The penetrating cream gets deep into the skin to relax the underlying muscles.

sensual-solutions-2

4. Do your research if you decide plastic surgery is right for you

Not all doctors who perform cosmetic procedures are plastic surgeons. Follow these tips to find a good one, and avoid someone who’s merely taken a weekend course:

  • Look for a doctor trained as a general plastic and reconstructive surgeon.
  • Make sure the doctor is licensed and in good standing with your state medical board (click here for a list of links to state boards).
  • Listen to the buzz in your community, and chat with other women to find out which doctors they’re talking about.
  • Listen to your gut. You shouldn’t have a bad feeling about your doctor. If you walk into an office and the doctor makes you feel uncomfortable or creepy, move on.
  • Plastic surgeons often have books filled with before and after pictures of their work. The more documentation and pictures they can show you, the better, so look for thick books and stacks of pictures at the office.

5. Stop (or don’t start) smoking

Smoking destroys the skin, and Dr. Rey sees the evidence all the time in his medical practice. When two sisters or twins visit and one of them smokes, it only takes a second to guess which one’s the smoker.

6. Drink lots of water

Drinking water plumps the cells and flushes toxins from the body.

dr-rey-2

7. Give up caffeine

According to Dr. Rey, “It’s the number one cause of cellulite.”

8. Exercise!

It promotes mental and physical well being, and for those reasons and more, it’s a great anti-aging tool.

9. Cut back on stress

Stress is a major ager. Dr. Rey suggests daily meditation and regular exercise to keep stress under control.

10. Nourish your inner beauty

“Your spirit matters. Go to church, go to temple, whatever you do — you’ve got to do something spiritual. Or, simply help out in your community. This builds inner beauty, and beauty really starts there.”

karen-and-dr-rey

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 28 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Beauty Tips, News, Skin Care

What Lipstick Index?

June 13th, 2009 by Karen 15 Comments

The makeup unicorn

I’m not sure who coined the phrase, but an economic indicator known as the Lipstick Index has long held that purchases of color cosmetics were inversely correlated to economic health, and that in bad economic times, women skipped big-ticket luxuries in favor of little treats like lipsticks and gloss.

Well, chalk this up as another example of just how bad the global recession is, but the Lipstick Index no longer applies.

In both 2007 and 2008, sales of premium color cosmetics were down in all major markets worldwide, with the exception of Latin America, where overall makeup and beauty sales have done all right. Moreover, the global rate of decline doubled between 2007 and 2008 (from 2-4%).
source

What’s it mean?

Probably that this particular recession, now in its 19th month, is worse than the average downturn, something most people already knew. Since 1854, the US has gone through 32 cycles of economic expansion and contraction, with each period of contraction lasting an average of 17 months. And that’s including the 10-12 years of the Great Depression, which kinda throws the whole curve out of whack.
source

It may also mean more unemployment (and the anxiety that comes with uncertainty in the job market), as businesses continue cutting costs by laying off more workers; more consolidation among companies in the beauty industry; and, hopefully, lower prices.

Do you think makeup and beauty prices are falling? I tried to think of some big lines that have dropped their prices lately and couldn’t come up with a single one.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Just a reminder, but MAC is holding a much-needed Friends & Family Sale June 16-18. It’s online only, and the coupon code is SUMO, which is good for 25% off purchases made through maccosmetics.com (valid in the US and Canada).

There are 15 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: News

S.O.S. Skincare: Clarins Skin Beauty Repair Concentrate

June 13th, 2009 by Karen 10 Comments

Today reader Christine shares how an oil-based product finally soothed her highly sensitive, naturally oily skin.

clarins-skin-beauty-repair-concentrate

Oil for oily skin??

Lately, I’ve been intrigued by the idea of using oil on my skin… It’s a scary thought, after all, since I already have oily skin.

I joined the cleansing oil band wagon after a recent discovery, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it to say the least. 🙂

I made my new discovery a few weeks ago after suffering a terrible breakout. I’d picked at my skin out of desperation, going the whole 9-yards…steaming, extracting, exfoliating — you name it, I did it!

I decided to venture out to the mall to search for something to gently calm my sensitive skin. Without having anything particular in mind, I aimlessly wandered around Macy’s just browsing the skin products.

Clarins to the rescue!

That’s when I came across the Clarins counter and their sensitive skin section. Though their day and night creams sounded great, I was more interested in their Skin Beauty Repair Concentrate. At $59 USD for 0.5 oz, it was quite a hefty price.

The bottle says: “Apply to face or to sensitive areas, using light, sweeping movements.”

On Clarins’ website they state: “An emergency S.O.S. skin care treatment for sensitive skin. Immediately calms irritated skin, decongests and reduces a red appearance. Its ultra-soothing formula contains 90% plant extracts to help restore weakened tissues.”

For the record, my skin was in bad condition prior to giving Skin Beauty Repair a try.
[Continue reading…]

There are 10 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Product Reviews, Skin Care Keywords: guest post

Redken Layer Lift: Big Hair Dreams *DO* Come True

June 12th, 2009 by Karen 7 Comments

redken-layer-lift-1

Heya, ladies. How was your day? What was the highlight of your Friday?

I’ve been sort of out of it today… I spent way too much time in Photoshop trying to design those pink and green thumbs for the MAC Naked Honey Review Roundup post this afternoon.

Time flies when you’re having fun with Photoshop.

Now I’m just browsing the web, looking for hair tips to create voluminous, *va-va-va-voom!* Victoria’s Secret hair.

Ever since my last haircut, I’ve been wanting to utilize these long layers for something dramatic.

Unfortch, there’s a fine line between good-looking big ass hair and hot mess hair.

big-hair-gone-wrong

Luckily for those of us obsessed with big hair, there’s Redken’s Layer Lift Spray Gel ($15), a non-aerosol, volumizing spray with a summery, lemon scent that fades in minutes.

Layer Lift adds body while providing hold, enhancing shine and packing frizz-fighting power.

To use it I spray enough on wet hair to lightly coat the top layers and ends.

The product doesn’t feel goopy or sticky like most tube gels, and that’s nice. Perhaps because of it, the pump doesn’t clog, so it’s always ready to apply in a jiffy.

redken-layer-lift

Once dry, my hair rocks mad volume all the way from mid-shaft to the ends, and because Layer Lift also helps to keep frizz under control, my mane avoids looking like a hot mess.

The stuff would be my new hair stylin’ crush if it weren’t for the price…

The 5.7-oz bottle seems small for $15, and I’m going through it quickly. After only two weeks, I’ve used about a third, but I bet that has something to do with the length of my hair. If you have shorter and/or thinner hair, you may be able to use less.

Redken Layer Lift Spray Gel

Price: $15 for a 5.7-oz spray bottle
Use: A frizz-fighting, shine-enhancing, volumizing spray gel
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B+

You might like Redken Layer Lift Spray Gel if…

  1. …you want big hair with lots of volume,
  2. …you don’t mind paying a premium for hair care products,
  3. …you’re looking for a one-stop-shop volumizing gel.

Here comes the weekend!

Woot, woot, we made it to the weekend! Do you have any plans?

Tomorrow is Nordstrom’s Cosmetics Summer Trend Show in SF. I’ll be there with my trusty camera and notebook, of course, trying to figure out what’s what.

Enjoy the rest of your Friday night. Tabs says “Mmmrow!” 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MeIf you think you’d like to write a guest product review, tutorial or other article for Makeup and Beauty Blog, shoot me an email at karen@makeupandbeautyblog.com (or use my contact form) with an overview of your idea. I’ll get back to you right away.

There are 7 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair, Product Reviews

Review Roundup: MAC Naked Honey

June 12th, 2009 by Karen 12 Comments

MAC Naked Honey43%
Consensus: Bronzed beauties may find more to like in Naked Honey than lighter-skinned lovelies. Don’t miss the Skin Salve or Buckwheat Eyeshadows, though; they’re getting rave reviews! 🙂

Makeup and Beauty: Thumbs Up“The color palette features warm and shimmery brown, copper, pink and gold shades that should look gorgeous on warm skin tones and tans. There’s nothing here too out there or arty, nor are the colors apt to induce naps. They’re straight-up pretty (but wearable) products, and I’m a big fan.”

Full Review | Makeupandbeautyblog.com

Makeup and Beauty: Thumbs Down“Anyone who expected very honeyish scents will be a bit dismayed, as most of the scented products are more floral/spicy and less honey. The skin salve is the most honey scented product, but it is still quite floral-honey. I liked several items, but I felt like you could miss this launch and not live to regret it.”

Full Review | Temptalia.com

Makeup and Beauty: Thumbs Down“Over all this launch was not my favourite. Although it did have some winners. If you want to save your money for the next few MAC launches you won’t miss much here. I like the shadows and glosses along with the highlighters, but as far as ‘NEED -MUST- HAVES’ there are only a few…”

Full Review | Pursebuzz.com

Makeup and Beauty: Thumbs Up“I’ve got to tell you, this is undoubtedly the freshest, most exciting collection MAC’s come up with in a looong time. Along with Buzz Lipglass, I’m also kind of addicted to Naked Honey Body Wash ($19.50).”

Full Review | Tiawilliams.net

Makeup and Beauty: Thumbs Down“I dont think I have been excited about The Naked Honey collection since I saw it on Specktra. The shadows in the collection felt like repeats of ones I already have.”

Full Review | Themakeupsnob.com

Makeup and Beauty: Thumbs Up“…if you’ll excuse the pun, I’ve succumbed to all the buzz. The collection is half-makeup, half-body-stuff, and though the makeup portion is small compared to other releases, I think MAC did well with what they created.”

Full Review | Karlasugar.blogspot.com

Makeup and Beauty: Thumbs Down“…there was nothing that stood out enough for me to peel off some greenbacks. I have so many similar colors already that I can’t justify buying anything from NH. I have been lusting over Pollinator e/s for months but it is so much lighter than I thought.”

Full Review | Butterfly08, Longhaircareforum.com

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I’d like to update this post with as many Naked Honey collection reviews as possible. Let me know if you find any more or if you’ve done one yourself, and I’ll update the score up at the top. 🙂

There are 12 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: MAC Makeup, News, Product Reviews

Who’s the Most Glamorous Person You Know?

June 12th, 2009 by Karen 35 Comments

Glamorous Tabs

Everyone has that person in their life — you know, the one always impeccably dressed from head to toe.

For me that person’s my ninang (the word for godmother in Tagalog).

She’s never without her makeup, and she always looks hella fierce!

Who’s the most glamorous person you know? Someone in your family, or is it a close friend? Let me know in the comments!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 35 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

I’m Sweet on MAC Naked Honey

June 11th, 2009 by Karen 72 Comments

mac-naked-honey-tabs-1

Now that I’ve seen MAC’s new Naked Honey collection up close and personal, I think I know how bees must feel, ripped on honey and sunlight, dancing in the sky above fields of blooming wildflowers.

Not since Cult of Cherry have I been so moved by a MAC collection…

Available now, the 13-piece release of eye and lip makeup, skin care products and fragrances ($14-25) is a sensory feast! The colors excite me, the scents entice me, and the skin care hydrates the mutha’ effin’ crap out of my alligator dry bod.

The color palette features warm and shimmery brown, copper, pink and gold shades that should look gorgeous on warm skin tones and tans.

There’s nothing here too out there or arty, nor are the colors apt to induce naps. They’re straight-up pretty (but wearable) products, and I’m a big fan.

Eyeshadows

mac naked honey eyeshadow creme de miel
Creme de Miel Eyeshadow

mac naked honey eyeshadow pollinator
Pollinator Eyeshadow

mac naked honey eyeshadow buckwheat
Buckwheat Eyeshadow

Creme De Miel ($14.50), a shimmery, lemony gold, gets the frost just right. It’s my favorite of the three eyeshadows — a perfect color to brighten up the eyes. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

Pollinator ($14.50), a peachy pink, applies sheer with a semi-matte finish. It’s like a peachier version of MAC Expensive Pink Eyeshadow, sans the golden shimmer. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B+

Buckwheat ($14.50), a shimmery taupe-ish brown, is the coolest of the three shades. I had to look closely to spot the little flecks of gold glitter it hides. So pretty! Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

mac-naked-honey-swatches-creme-de-miel-pollinator-buckwheat
Swatches from left to right: Creme de Miel, Pollinator, Buckwheat

Lipglasses

mac naked honey tinted lipglass buzz she's a star queen bee
Tinted lipglass from left to right: Buzz, Queen Bee, She’s a Star

Don’t the Lipglass shades look like the eyeshadow colors? Neat, huh?

She’s a Star ($14), a shimmery lemon-gold, looks like a lip gloss version of Creme De Miel eyeshadow. I can’t wait to layer it above lipsticks in bronze, brown or red. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Queen Bee ($14), a shimmery, peachy gold, looks neutral enough to pair with smokey eyes but packs enough color to make bold statements on her own. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Buzz ($14), a shimmery, warm copper, applies with intense pigmentation and sparkle (for a full lip photo, click here). Love! Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

mac naked honey swatches tinted lipglass buzz she's a star queen bee
Swatches from left to right: Buzz, Queen Bee, She’s a Star

High-Light Powders

mac naked honey high light powder honey light
High-Light Powder in Honey Light
[Continue reading…]

There are 72 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: MAC Makeup, Product Reviews, Skin Care

Lauren Conrad: Her Best Hair?

June 11th, 2009 by Karen 12 Comments

lauren-conrad-hair-poll

Born Lauren Katherine Conrad on February 1, 1986, Lauren “LC” Conrad’s recent departure from The Hills signals the end of a cheesy reality show era!

I’ve followed her since her old school Laguna Beach years (“Let the rain fall down… and wake my dreams!”). She was my favorite part of The Hills, and now that she’s gone I don’t know if I’ll stay tuned…

The whole Heidi/Specer/Kristen trifecta might be a little too much hot mess for me to bear, yikes!

Over the past few years Lauren’s style has evolved from So Cal beach casual to Chanel-loving fashionista, but one thing’s stayed the same — her signature blonde locks.

Even though she doesn’t do dramatic changes to her hair color, she’ll still keep things interesting by switching up her styles with an updo, curls or her signature side braid.

Which of Lauren's hairstyles do you like best?

View Results

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 12 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair, Just For Fun

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