Real Beauty 101

Counterfeit Cosmetics

I recently read an article that scared the heck out of me.  Allegedly, at a spa in Washington state, the owner was injecting counterfeit Botox and Restylane into clients' faces!!  Good grief. 

Here are the details:

Xin “Faith” He, 46, illegally injected customers with counterfeit Botox, a prescription wrinkle remover, and prescription cosmetic filler Restylane, authorities said in a three-count indictment unsealed Aug. 25. He could face up to the three years behind bars.  Authorities said He had been injecting patients with the substances since November 2004. Customers paid for misbranded drugs, the indictment states.

In April, agents searched the Bellevue salon, Natural Beauty, where they discovered vials labeled with Chinese characters. There are no similar products manufactured in China that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Agents also discovered receipts and other documents indicating He had imported the drugs from China, the indictment states.

 

He, a licensed esthetician and manicurist, was not authorized to prescribe or administer Botox and Restylane. Hoewver, she had been performing these procedures for the past 15 years in China and the US.

 

Here's the deal:

• DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT purchase cosmetic procedures from a spa that does not have a doctor on staff.  In fact, it is illegal for an esthetician to inject anything into someone's body.  Estheticians are only allowed to provide topical treatments (those that are administered on the top of the skin).  Other procedures may be administered under the supervision of another medical professional.
• If you are receiving an injectible, ask to see the vial that will be used in the treatment.  The vial should be in English.  Both Botox and Restylane are brand names of products.  These brand names should be present on the label.  Here are pics of what the packages should look like.

   

  

• Its OK to ask the salon where they receive their products from - should be within the US. I would be wary of spa/salons that ship in products form other countries.  They should also be familiar with which pharmaceutical company manufactures each product - Allergan makes Botox and Medicis Aesthetics manufactures Restylane in the US.

• Ultimately, be careful when selecting a medical spa.  Check references and ensure that all of the proper licenses and personnel are in place.

Ewww, what's on your lipstick??

Mintel (a leading global research organization that publishes studies on the beauty industry) recently published a report that highlighted the dangers associated with using outdated cosmetics.  We all know that as beauty products age, they lose their efficacy but did you know that outdated products can actually be hazardous to your health??

Alexandra Richmond, Mintel's senior beauty analyst, said: "These latest findings highlight a lack of information available on cosmetic sell-by dates. Repeated exposure to bacteria from the mouth affects lip colour cosmetics, while out-of-date mascara and eye pencils can raise the risk of infections. Natural and organic products containing fewer or no preservatives have a shorter shelf-life than conventional products and therefore potentially harbor higher levels of bacteria."

Interestingly enough, Dr. Oz (of Oprah Winfrey show fame) kicked off his new TV show with a segment on the dangers of using yucky (unclean) or old cosmetics.  The bacteria found in cosmetics can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and even meningitis!

Dr. Oz shared the following tips:

1. Absolutely, under no circumstances, should you share lipstick or lipgloss.  These products harbor bacteria which can be transmitted from person to person.  You can actually catch Herpes from using an infected person's lipstick and since some people show no signs (i.e. no cold-sores), you wouldn't even know you were immediately infected.
2. To kill bacteria on your own lipstick, dip the lipstick in ispropyl alcohol for 15-20 seconds.
3. Do not "pump" your mascara.  This actually introduces more air into the product and creates a breeding ground for bacteria. To kill bacteria, Dr. Oz recommends freezing mascara tubes overnight. Who knew?!?
4. To clean pressed powder, take a plastic butter knife and scrape off the top layers of the powder until it looks (in both color and texture) like it did when you first purchased it.
5. Regularly sharpen eye pencils.  Sharpening discards old layers, revealing fresh product underneath.
6. Wipe down your make-up bag with sanitizing or alcohol wipes at least once per week.

For more information on when to toss your cosmetics, check out my earlier post on this topic.

All-natural products for men...finally!

He is the personal barber to Shawn "P.Diddy" Combs. His celebrity clientele include rappers Nas and Nelly, professional basketball players Dwane Wade and Dwight Howard, and singer Lyfe Jennings just to name a few.  He's been hailed as the men's answer to Carol's Daughter.  His name is Curtis Smith and his line is called Xotics by Curtis Smith.

I'm excited about this line of products because (1) Curtis is finally making these available to the public after previously only creating them exclusively for celebrities, (2) the products are all naturall, and (3) the products target men.  Currently the line features two products:

• Sweet Jamila Shea Glaze is made from a mixture of shea butter, avocado butter, jojoba oil, coconut oil and essential oils.  What's missing from this product are the waxes and binding agents typically found in hair products targeting African American consumers.  The product is very light and can be used as a leave in-conditioner or hair/scalp treatment.
• Shave Therapy is formulated to combat Pseudofolliculitis Barbae, commonly known as razor bumps. This product is made from shea butter as well but also includes lemongrass oil, peppermint oil, tea tree oil, orange extracts, and lavender.

The products can be purchased from the company's website - http://www.xoticsproducts.com/.

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.

"Real" Women in Glamour

Glamour magazine is receiving rave reviews for printing this image of  a model Lizzie Miller in the September issue.  The picture has sent the internet abuzz over the past few weeks and Glamour says it will change how it will select models in the future.

Personally, I do see this as a step in the right direction.  She has a small tummy, some stretch marks, and her hair is pulled back in loose bun which could be held together with a scrunchie - looks like the everyday woman to me! 

However, I think its interesting that a slimmed down Jessica Simpson appears on the issue's cover.

What do you think?  Think this will last or fizzle away like the Dove Real Beauty campaign feature "real sized" women?

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.

Quick Tip - Moisturizing Foods

A study published in the October 2007 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who ate more foods containing vitamin C and alpha linoleic acid (Omega 3) were less likely to suffer from dry skin later in life. 

If you are finding that you skin is constantly dehydrated and dry and you're drinking more water than you can stand, then try to incorporate some of these natural hydrators into your diet.  These 10 foods will actually aid to moisturize your skin from the inside-out. 

1. Olive oil
2. Avocado
3. Watermelon
4. Kelp
5. Pumpkin
6. Zucchini
7. Lentils
8. Coconut oil
9. Stevia
10. Kelp

Remember to also keep your soda, caffeine, and alcohol levels in check!  These drinks are hydration robbers and will exacerbate your skin conditions.

I'm Baaack!

Well, I hope all of you beauties have had a wonderful summer!  I took a bit of an extended summer vacation, but I'm back.  I know the weather has been less than stellar in most parts of the country but it has been super hot here in Atlanta.  Today, however, is so gorgeous that it inspired me to get posting again.

So much is going on!  The website renovations will be done soon (yaaay!), the latest edition of the newsletter will be completed next week (so sign up on the right if you haven't done so), and I'm working a big project that will hopefully be released this fall!  I can't divulge ALL of the details now but over the coming weeks, I will share more information so stay tuned.

For all of you on Twitter, make sure you follow me - realbeauty101.  I would love to chat with you.

Ok, on to the good stuff....

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

Summer Soup - Melon Melange

Saw this recipe in Redbook and it looked so yummy, I had to pass this along.  Ever try a cold summer soup?  They can be sooo refreshing.  I'm dying to give this one a try.

This recipe is from  Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico.

1 medium cantaloupe, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/4 cup lime juice
1 (14-oz) can light coconut milk
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 medium seedless cucumber, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 cup additional melon (honeydew or cantaloupe), cut into small cubes
2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
1 Tbsp agave syrup or honey, to taste

1. In a blender, puree chopped cantaloupe, lime juice, and coconut milk. Pour into a large bowl through a sieve. Discard pulp.

2. Whisk chili powder and cinnamon into cantaloupe puree. Stir in cucumber, melon cubes, and mint. Season to taste with syrup; chill for one hour.

Makes 6 (1-cup) servings.

Let me know how it tastes!