April 2007 Archives

There is nothing worse than being sick except that once you are better, you still look dreadful with dry dull skin. I was homebound and in bed for 2 weeks and when I finally felt good enough to care to inspect myself in the mirror I was horrified to find the years of regimented beauty treatments had seem to all go down the drain. I quickly went through my inventory of products to see what would revive me and to my delight I was spot on in choosing the Natura Bisse Glyco Peel followed by the Chantecaille Jasmine and Lily Healing Mask. I figured the Glyco Peel would exfoliate the 2 weeks of dead skin cells and the mask would rehydrate and give back the life my skin needed. As soon as I put on the Glyco Peel, I could feel the effects and see the flush come back to my skin. The healing mask did wonders by giving me the moisture I sorely needed (I actually developed fine lines throughout my face from dehydration). After this one-two punch, I was glowing and feeling like new again! And I don't have to tell you what this did for my spirits! Looking better immediately made me feel better! This is now going to be my new bi-weekly at home treatment in between facials. Natura Bisse Glyco Peel is $170 at Neiman Marcus. Chantecaille Jasmine and Lily Healing mask is $65 at eLuxury.

Post by Michelle
All winter long I painted my nails an inky purplish black color. I loved it. I endured confused jabs from most of the men in my life who didn’t get why I was painting my nails to look bruised, but the multiple compliments I got from random females throughout the day more than made up for it. (Sometimes I think women dress more for each other than anyone else!) Now that warmer weather is here, I need to lighten up. Dark colors aren’t appropriate this time of year. I’m turning to whites and silvers for the summer. My favorite two are OPI’s Fit for a Queensland and Hard Candy’s Trailer Trash. Fit for a Queensland is a new color out of their Australia collection and it’s a shiny pearlized white. I love it because the white looks so different and shocking this time of year, but the iridescent in it saves you from looking like you painted your nails with white-out. For some fun, top it off with a coat of Trailer Trash from Hard Candy. It’s fun color, loaded with silver sparkles. It’s the perfect color to compliment your summer glow. OPI avaliable at salons everywhere. Hard Candy $7 at Sephora.com Hard Candy Vintage Nail Polish Trailer Trash

Post by Michelle
With summer coming, everyone is doing their best to get ready for the warmer weather. On thing that many people often forget about is their feet. There is nothing grosser than seeing someone really well dressed with awesome sandals on and seeing a cracked and peeling white heel sticking out. If you’re like me and you’ve neglected you’re feet all winter, getting them presentable for those awesome Chloe wedges you have, is quite a task. One of the many steps I have in my ritual is L’Occitane’s Shea Butter Exfoliating Foot Scrub. This is step one. It has poppy seeds, walnut powder and clay in it to help scrub away the dead skin on your feet while the shea butter helps moisturize so you don’t get too dried out. It has lavender and mint oil in it as well, which makes it smell really good while it’s doing the job. I use this to prep my feet for the heavy stuff, but if you’ve been good and taken care of your feet all winter, it should be able to do the job by itself. $26 at Sephora. L'Occitane Shea Butter Exfoliating Foot Scrub

Post by Michelle
Summer’s coming and during the summer, everything gets lighter and smaller. Your hair, your makeup, your clothes and your perfume all lighten up to help your body adjust to the heat. I lighten up my perfume during the summer as well. I wear a vanilla based perfume most of the year, but it’s just too heavy to wear in the warmer months. So, I’m on the search for a lighter, floral based scent to wear in the long, hot months I know are coming. One of the scents in the running is Fresh’s Sugar Lychee perfume. It’s light and flowery with just a hint of sweetness. It’s not overwhelming in the scary way that floral perfumes can tend to be. The notes of citrus in the perfume cut the floral down. It’ll be a refreshing change and a welcome light note in the heavy, hot days of summer. $65 at Sephora.com Fresh Sugar Lychee 3.4 oz Eau de Parfum

What a treat I have for everyone this week. My sweet friend, the beautiful Teresa Hill has agreed to share her beauty secrets with all of you! Some of you may remember her as one of the stars of the show "Models. Inc.", an Aaron Spelling production in the '90s. And you soap opera fans will definitely remember her as Eden of Days of Our Lives. If you've been wondering what this beauty has been up to since leaving the show, you'll get the scoop right here!

Post by Michelle
I have a new addiction. It’s called Elemis. It’s a skincare line out of England that was created as a “lifestyle brand of aromatherapy products.” They’re fantastic and it traces back to the fact that 17 years after they were created, they still stick to the company philosophy that they want to make products that are good for you skin and a pleasure to use. I’m obsessed with their Skin Nourishing Milk Bath. Firstly, it smells AMAZING! It’s like a newborn baby right after they’ve been all cleaned up and dressed and baby-powdered, and before they start spitting and smelling funny. (I don’t have kids. Can you tell?) And then on top of that, it actually works, and works well. It’s meant to go in the bath, or you can use it directly on very dry skin. I tried it both ways and I can’t decide what I like more! In the bath it creates a soft, sweet smelling bath experience that leaves your skin amazingly soft. As a lotion, it’s a little runny, but use sparingly and your dry skin will vanish. My hands are softer right now then I ever thought they could be! I can’t wait to try everything from this line! Bonus: Who doesn’t like samples? When you checkout online, you can pick four samples that come free! $66 at www.timetospa.com

photos from timetospa.com

Post by Michelle
NARS has a new lipgloss and I’m obsessed. I guess, from the comments I’ve read on this site, that a great deal of you are as obsessed with NARS as I am. You have every right to be. I’ve never heard of anyone who had any complaint about any of their products. Just when I think I’ve tested every color, I stumble upon something I’ve never tried before and fall in love all over again! The new color is called Striptease and it’s an awesome shimmery beige color. It’s the perfect color for the spring/summer months. Almost nude, and with just enough pearly shimmer to make you walk through your day as if you’re at the hottest club in town. For an extra naughty giggle, Sephora.com is paring it with their Deep Throat blush, a complementary peach shade and one of their best sellers! Don't you love it when the makeup company picks out matching shades for you? (And actually does a good job with it!) It's avaliable for a limited time only. $45 Nars Deep Throat Blush & Striptease Lip Gloss Set

Other than missing my family and close friends in LA, I really miss my longtime facialist Crystal Klug. Crystal has been taking care of my skin since I was a college student at USC! Even through my travels around the world and seeing other facialists, I'd always go straight to Crystal the minute I landed in LA. I've often shown up at her door jetlagged and dirty haired with suitcases. She used to work for Finer Skin Institute but is now working out of her apartment. If you live in LA, go see her, I promise you will get the best facial of your life (it's not the most glamorous of locations but who cares, your skin will be flawless)! (My other skin guru is Annie in Taipei, but that is another post all together).

One of the products Crystal turned me onto is the H2T pumpkin enzyme mask. I use the 5% on my face and the 20% on my body. It's really really messy so I usually stand in the shower while I do this and feel like a slimy creature from hell but it's so worth it! The pumpkin enzyme will sting for a few minutes or longer depending on your skin's sensitivity but enzyme is a bit less harsh than glycolic and the results on my face and body are stunning! My whole body literally glows afterwards and my skin is so soft! Celebs pay a fortune to have whole body enzyme peels but you can do it at home if you have time. You can buy it online here or Email Crystal to schedule a facial and buy it from her (although I am not sure she sells the higher strength one for the body). Tell her I said hi and I'll be seeing her in June :)

Post by Michelle
We all know that a good night’s sleep is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Did you also know that what you’re laying your head on can make a difference as well? I’ll only sleep on silk pillowcases because they’re the best for you. If you’re a curly haired gal, who blow dries your hair, a silk pillowcase will help you hold your hairstyle longer. Silk minimizes morning facial creases from your pillowcase, which in turn, minimizes wrinkles. Plus, they’re super comfortable. Unlike cotton, which will wrinkle, or stiffen or can be scratchy to sensitive skin, silk pretty much always stays nice. And, as a bonus, how luxurious will you feel sleeping on silk? I like the silk charmeuse pillowcases from Ideal Beauty. They’re $75 at shopintuition.com. I pick the pink one of course, but they come in four other colors. If you’re feeling really decadent, pick up a set of sheets to match!

Do not be afraid of lip liner, you don't have to look like this! I've had my face done by different make up artists around the world and almost every one of them used lip liner. Used properly, there is just nothing that will define, shape, and plump your lips as naturally (not even restylane!). It also helps your lipstick and lipgloss last longer. And for older beauty snobs, lip liner will help prevent the bleeding of lipsticks into the fine vertical lines that sometimes develop with age. Here are a few tips I've learned throughout the years:

1. Line only the middle 2/3 of your lips. If you extend it from corner to corner, you'll look like a clown or the joker, neither is a good look.
2. Don't just draw a line around your lips, fill in half of your lips on top and bottom so when you apply lipstick or lipgloss afterwards, there is not an obvious line.
3. Stay within the contours of your own lips, if you want to extend outside the line for nighttime, make sure you choose a soft shade of liner and blend it to the middle of your lips.
4. Matching lip liner to the color of your lips (choose one shade darker than your natural lip color) is most natural. And when your lipgloss is worn away, you're not left with a tell tale line.
5. Blend Blend Blend

My favorite natural hued lip liners:
1. Chanel Precision Lip Definer- Nude $27.50 - I've used this since college. There is a brush on the other end I use for lipgloss pots and lipsticks. It's very creamy and easy to blend into lips. Best for medium-dark toned complexions
2. Nars - Rosebud $19. This is a gorgeous color and a creamy blend, best for fair - medium complexions.
3. Wet 'n Wild $0.99 #666 liner - I discovered this at Thriftys on Beverly Dr. when I was in high school. It's still one of my favorites. For 99 cents you get a nice lip liner with good consistency. Best for medium - dark complexions.
4. Stila Lip Glaze Liner in Nude $14 - This is a color that looks good on almost everyone! It's very neutral and you can go a little bit nuts and draw bigger lips if you want without looking like Tammy Faye.

Lastly, never, EVER, get your lip liner tattooed. It's gross and obvious and no, you're not fooling anyone.