Real Beauty 101

You don't need an eye cream?!

As a licensed esthetician, I am going to say something very controversial.  I respect Paula Begoun.  I don't always agree with her, but I respect her.  There, I said it.  For those of you who are not familiar with Paula, she is dubbed "The Cosmetics Cop".  She wrote the immensely popular "Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me" which exposed the cream of the crop from the crap in the world of beauty products.  She has appeared as a beauty expert on countless TV shows ranging from CNN to Oprah.

Its controversial to respect Paula because many estheticians truly believe that the best products are "professional" products.  Its not hard to understand why since "professional" products can only be sold in spas and dr. offices and if we, as estheticians, endorse over the counter products, that's taking money straight out of our wallets. And as you can imagine, many in the beauty industry (i.e. cosmetics companies) have issues with Paula, especially when she pans their products.  But what Paula attempts to do is separate fact from fiction - distinguish the actual performance of a product from its claims by consulting with cosmetic chemists, analyzing the latest medical research and testing each individual product.

In this video, Paula addresses eye creams.  Paula asserts that there is no need for eye creams because, for the most part, they contain the same ingredients as face creams and claims for the need for eye creams are bogus.  I challenge you to read labels and see if Paula's assertions are true.  Let me know what you find!

Paula Begoun - You Dont Need an Eye Cream
Uploaded by CosmeticsCopTV. - More college and campus videos.

Extracting Blackheads The RIGHT Way!

As an esthetician, I see the after-effects of many clients who have picked, plucked, and scrubbed their faces to death, trying to "pop" their zits.  Usually, by the time they get to me, they have done so much damage that at times, its irreparable.

So, I was a bit skeptical about this video from TotalBeauty.com - which shows how to extract your own blackheads - before I saw it.  But I have to say, this video outlines exactly how I perform extractions, even down to the "finger knits" used to cover the fingertips during the process.  Its a very effective procedure utilizing stretching and rolling.  The video features an instructor from the International Dermal Institute, which is an organization that provides post-license training for estheticians.  I encourage you to ask your esthetician whether they have taken post-graduate/post-license classes at IDI, which may shed some light on their skills.

The only problem I have is the angle at which extractions should be performed.  One of the reasons why estheticians are so successful at extractions (besides proper lighting, proper procedure, and product selection), is because we are able to perform the extraction at the right angle.  We view the face straight down and apply the proper pressure which will result in a much easier extraction.  It's a lot harder to perform the procedure on yourself due to the angles involved.  Its like trying to do your hair at home one week after a salon visit. For some reason, that blow-out just doesn't look the same!!

So, I encourage you to NOT attempt to "pop" your own pimples, but if you must, this video is a great tutorial.

Check out BestInBeauty.com

Love the concept behind this site.  Concerned mom launches her own retail site for non-toxic beauty finds.  She has a quick tutorial on how to read product labels.  She even created a phrase to help consumers remember which substances to avoid - very clever!  And I am a huge fan of Indie brands and most of the brands featured are smaller, niche brands such as Ecco Bella, Holy Mud, and Pristine Beauty.

Check it out - www.bestinbeauty.com and follow on Twitter - http://twitter.com/Labels4Life

Awesome Makeup Tricks

Jamie Kern of IT Cosmetics shows how to enhance cleavage, slim thighs, and define abs - all using make-up tips and tricks.

While you can achieve the same looks using regular make-up, IT Cosmetics is waterproof, meaning you can swim in it.  You have to see this to believe it.  You can purchase IT Cosmetics on the website or though HSN.

Beauty Buzz with Jennifer Walsh

Great video featuring Jennifer Walsh, noted beauty expert, speaking about some of the hottest new skin care products.  Featured products include:

• Best of Skintentions by Bliss - super vitamin enriched moisturizer
• Freeze and Go by Freeze 247- Botox-like topical moisturizer for face
• Brazilian Peel - first medical strength glycolic peel (30%) available OTC
• Morpho Slim by Lorac - topical slimming solution

The skinny: Topical solutions have temporary effects so if you choose to purchase these products, expect to keep using them to achieve and maintain desired results. But I have to say that I am VERY curious about the Brazilian peel.  It appears to contain a neutralizer that "shuts it off" so that home users will not get burned.  However, users should expect the same recovery conditions associated with glycolic peels such as the potential for redness, flakiness/shedding of skin, and increased sensitivity until skin has fully healed.  Also, if you choose to use this product, remember to slather on the sunscreen!!  As is the case with all peels, your skin will especially susceptible and vulnerable to penetration of UVA/UVB rays which will increase chances of sun damage.

Tweet with Jennifer! - @behindthebrand

Featured Esthie - Renee Rouleau

I love featuring esthies that are doing their thing!!  This month's featured esthie is Renee Rouleau.  Her skin care center has been rated as the top spa in Dallas according to Allure readers.  Renee's celebrity clients include Ashlee and Jessica Simpson, Lisa Rinna (not her plastic surgery, just skin care!), and Cheryl Ladd. 

In the following video, I love, love, love that she recommends that people stick with a new product regimen for at least 3 week to evaluate its efficacy (unless it is causing an allergic reaction such as redness or irritation).  Too many times, people jump from product to product after only a few uses.  Remember, skin care is a topical treatment and will need some time to produce results.

You Are What You Eat!

Whether you have clear, glowing skin or you're battling with severe acne, there is no denying (as I've said before)  that there is a skin-food/nutrition connection.

A documentary that was released last year exposes the "business" of food and the vested interests of all of the players (transportation companies, farmers, the medical community, pharmaceutical companies, fast food companies, etc.). Its amazing and very informative.   You can view the film online here.