May
29
HyperLuxe Weekend Roundup 29-May-2009
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Affordable Fashion has spotted 9 bikinis under $50.
Brides and bridesmaids take notes. Beauty Junkies Unite has the ultimate bridal season survival kit.
Beauty Luxe has 5 gorgeous lip stains for you to try.
Diary of a Style Addict spotted a new trend: the slashed jean.
Dirt Cheap Beauty reviews Vaseline’s new Aloe Fresh line.
Hot Beauty Health discusses her new love for eau fragrance Fresh Mangosteen.
GIVEAWAY ALERT: Makeup Masala is giving away a $25 giftcard to TJ MAXX.
Noir Lace has the latest on a fashion tragedy. Christian Lacroix bankrupt?
Show off your legs in one of the 5 cute minis at Style Luxe.
Tres Chic Style has 10 more trends for Summer.
Workchic shows how you can go from the office to cocktails in style!
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May
29
Free Shipping On MAC Cosmetics
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For those who are lucky enough to be staying in Canada…
There’s free standard shipping on all purchases of MAC products from now till 6 June 2009!
No minimum purchase required. And no offer code either. You just have to enter a Canadian address!
May
27
Product Review: TRESemme Hair Conditioner
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I was delighted to find TRESemme Hair products on offer at my drug mart, and quickly bought a couple of its products to try. It didn’t disappoint, the was really a steal at just $3.99 for a 900ml bottle !
TRESemme hair products initially started as salon products, but later they wanted everyone to have the opportunity to experience and afford salon quality products, and so came up with this range, which is probably the best thing they’ve done for marketing!
I bought a bottle of its Pro Vitamin B5 and Aloe Remoisturize Conditioner. This hair conditioner was really moisturizing, which was great for my dry, dye ravaged hair! It was also lightweight and did not weigh down my hair, which is really important to me. Good enough for daily use! My hair was smooth and after it dried, it didn’t have as many flyaway or frizzy stands, superb!
The results were so much better than other hair products I’ve tried, some of them which were way more expensive. I love this product and have converted into a TRESemme fan! Now I want to try out everything they’ve put on the local drug store shelf!
May
27
HyperLuxe Midweek RoundUp May 27 2009
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Time for the midweek Wednesday Roundup on the HyperLuxe Network!
Beauty Junkies Unite took a trip to Kinara for a tanning treatment
BellaLuscious tells us how collagen can do wonders for your face.
Blaq Vixen Beauty is feeling a bit generous since her first blogoversary is coming up! Enter to win 1 of 15 Beautyfix kits!
Cult of Couture spotlights Lanvin S/S 09 as the collection of the moment.
Diary of a Style Addict has added some gorgeous new pigment samples to her online store.
Miss Whoever You Are takes a look at Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics.
Style Luxe has 5 sexy one-piece swimsuits.
Looking for something to soothe your dry skin? Vex in the City Reviews Origins Modern Friction.
To learn more about The HLMN or about becoming an affiliate please visit our website.
May
25
Eating Collagen As Face Food
Filed Under Aesthetic medicine, Beauty, Skincare | 8 Comments
Can food be the secret to making you more youthful and attractive?
Seems like the Japanese think they know something we don’t. The Japanese have been know for their longevity, forefront technology and strengths in their beauty and aesthetics industry. Have they come up with a way for eternal youth as well? Previously, there were health food restaurants which promoted healthier diets. Now there are beauty-food restaurants, the majority of which are in Tokyo, which propose menus to turn the sands of time. And the secret ingredient? Collagen.
COLLAGEN IN FOOD FOR BEAUTY
Collagen is a naturally occurring substance, present in all living animals and humans. Collagen is actually a protein, and is the most abundant protein in the body making up 25% to 35% of bodily proteins. It functions to support and bind body tissues- including skin, bone, tendons, muscles and cartilage. In particular, when discussing beauty, we are interested in collagen as a component of our skin. Collagen works with elastin and keratin to provide the skin with strength, flexibility, and resilience. As we age, collagen degrades, and the production of collagen reduces as well. This leads to the appearance of wrinkles. In areas where the skin is thinner and has less fat to buffer, the effects of collagen loss are more obvious. Hence wrinkles making their entry in areas of thin skin first especially around the eye.
The best known use for collagen is to pack it into lips for the bee-stung Angelina Jolie-esque look. Other uses of collagen in the beauty industry is to rub it into skin in the form of creams and ointments. But in food? In Japan, its apparently becoming another food additive, appearing in everything from yoghurt to candy!
However, the collagen in food is derived from animal collagen. It can be eaten as a part of tendons, or drunk as a soup after simmering collagen rich animal parts like tendons, pigs feet and fish cartilage.
When eaten, it promises skin rejuvenation, resilience and smoothness. The most popular collagen dish is a meat and vegetable hot pot known as the nabe. It promises ‘puru puru’, a Japanese phrase for the quality of soft skin which a collagen fix supposedly imparts. Collagen has been put into and cooked with more ingredients featured on Iron Chef- you can get it in salads, sauces, soups, toufu, desserts, sweets… The collagen, when cooked well, is soft to eat and imparts a thickness to the soup its in.
COLLAGEN AS MEDICINE FOR BEAUTY
Collagen injections are popular as soft tissue fillers and augmentation. They can be used to plump up lips, and also to fill up superficial wrinkles, fine lines around the eyes and mouth, and sagging thin skin. There are also creams around which contain collagen, and professes to work by applying it to skin. Don’t buy this just yet: collagen is a large molecule, and is unable to be absorbed by the skin, so its direct benefits are questionable. However, collagen is able to hold moisture well, and would make a good base in moisturizing creams to hydrate your skin. Also, many companies are researching into how to link up collagen onto other molecules to be transported into and under the skin for maximum benefits, so it may not be long before we see collagen working miracles!
SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE FOR COLLAGEN CONSUMPTION
As much as we would like to believe the wonders of consuming collagen, there aren’t any research studies to support the effects of consuming collagen on eternal youth.
CONCLUSION
There doesn’t seem to be any harm in eating collagen and collagen based food. But more research will be needed to investigate whether collagen is useful when eaten or applied directly onto the skin. But a healthy balanced diet and adequate hydration would definitely benefit the health of your skin.
May
24
How To Choose An Eyelash Curler
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Some of the hot favourite brands are
PLASTIC EYELASH CURLERS
The plastic ones don’t curl as well as metal ones. But they are lighter, and some smaller or foldable which make them convenient for travelling. Otherwise, I would prefer metal eyelash curlers.
But some plastic eyelash curlers you can consider are theTweezerman Super Curl Lash Curler, or the Japonesque Go Curl Lash Curler.
Tweezerman Super Curl Lash Curler
Japonesque Go Curl Pocket Lash CurlerSPRING OR NON SPRING CURLERS?
The spring in the curler can give firmer control and more precision. But many top curlers do not have springs in them.
HEATED EYELASH CURLERS
Heated curlers can give more defined eyelash curls, and at the same time have a longer lasting curls as compared to non heated curlers. Many makeup artists and celebrities love heated lashes for this reason.
Using a heated eyelash curler is easy, and is gentler on the eye if you’re the sort that keeps pinching your eyelid when you use the traditional kind of eyelash curler. Some heated eyelash curlers can be used even after you have applied your mascara, making it convenient if you decide you need more curl after your mascara has gone on. You could cheat and use your hair dryer to heat up your normal metal eyelash curler to achieve the same effect. However, if you desire to have longer lasting curvy-er lashes, you might want to consider investing in a proper pair of heated eyelash curlers which regulates the heat better so you don’t burn yourself or damage your lashes.
Try the Hot Lashes Heated Eyelash Curler which has been raved about by makeup artists, celebrities, magazines such as InStyle and Allure. This eyelash curler comes in a kit together with a primer for lashes, and a mascara for $59.
Another heated eyelash curler to try is the Blinc Heated Curler. This curler looks different, and is used differently compared to your usual squeeze type curler. As seen in the picture below, the curler looks like a comb instead. The way to use it is to first wait for it to heat up, then when its ready, put it under your lashes (before mascara), lift the lashes upwards and gently press it towards your eyelids and hold for a while to curl.
FOR SMALL/ ASIAN EYES
Asians tend to have heavier eyelids, and shorter eyelashes that are stubborn and harder to curl. If you fit into this catagory, you may want to consider getting a smaller eyelash curler so you can reach all your lashes, especially the innermost and outermost lashes.
Try the Shiseido Eyelash Curler, or SANA eyelash curler. Both have received rave reviews from Asian girls.
FOR THE ELUSIVE INNER AND OUTER CORNERS
There are eyelash curlers designed just to crimp a section of your eyelash, which is especially useful for the hard to reach corners of the lashes which is essential to complete your look.
Try the Sephora Detail Eyelash Curler, which will help you reach those corners to complete your look!
WHAT’S WITH THE HUGE PRICE DIFFERENCE IN EYELASH CURLERS?
There are so many different eyelash curlers out there, with a huge price difference. There are cheap drugstore products at the cost of a few dollars, while beauty counters sell theirs for $20 or more! Why is there such a huge difference? The difference in prices can make a difference in the results you get. A more expensive curler is likely to be better made, giving a better curl especially for stubborn lashes. It can also be more precise, gentler on the lashes, and technology like heating makes a price difference too.
CONCLUSION
After deciding on which curler to get, curl your lashes well to get the desired effect. And top it off with a few coats of mascara, and you’ll have fabulous, seductive lashes!
May
21
MD Skincare on HauteLook
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MD Skincare by Dr. Dennis Gross delivers immediate results for all skin types by combining the best of what nature and science have to offer! The multifunctional products provide dermatologist-quality results without a prescription. As a welcome surgical procedure alternative, all products work synergistically, making them an indispensable part of your beauty and wellness routine.
Dennis Gross, M.D., is a practicing dermatologist and board certified dermatological surgeon in New York City. Dr. Gross received his dermatologic training at the prestigious New York University Medical Center, earning a medical degree with research distinctions. Dr. Gross has trained, taught and performed research at world-renowned institutes such as Memorial Sloan Kettering and Rockefeller University, published numerous scientific reports on skin cancer and was actively involved in pioneering research on Interferon and Cancer Immunology.
Dr. Gross believes in a synergy between medical treatments, professional services and retail products for effective at-home care. When key ingredients are applied as Topical Supplements™, you can slow down and reverse the active aging process, and prevent sun damage. MD Skincare® by Dr. Dennis Gross utilizes carefully engineered, breakthrough ingredients and delivery systems which help the consumer achieve results comparable to a doctor’s office treatment.
Gross is highly regarded as the first to develop a 2-step at-home peel gentle enough to be used on a daily basis (Alpha Beta® Daily Face Peel ) Dr. Gross explains:
“I evaluate data from around the world in order to decide what ingredients to use. Every formulation is unique. My goal is to use cutting-edge technology in all of my products and to serve my patients—and the consumer—by filling any voids that exist in the market. You may not be able to visit a dermatologist everyday, but you can use the same formulas I use.”
Gross has a reputation for formulating breakthrough products with advanced technology. He received accolades from Women’s Wear Daily Beauty Biz for developing the Breakthrough Product of the Year with the innovative Hydra-Pure® category. This technology consists of a unique Hydra-Pure Chelating Complex™, the first of its kind, which effectively addresses free radicals from environmental aggressors such as impure tap water, sun and pollution. Gross was the first to incorporate chelators, which prevent environmental aging and inflammation, into a skincare line.
Gross’ expertise and products have consistently been featured in fashion and beauty consumer magazines including Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar, and he has appeared as a guest on national television outlets such as The Today Show, The Early Show, Entertainment Tonight and Extra! Dr. Gross travels the country lecturing and speaking to professionals and consumers regarding skincare and he is a regular contributor to numerous articles in magazines and dermatologic textbooks. Dr. Gross’ book, Your Future Face, focuses on a customized approach for individual problems.
Gross currently resides in New York City with Carrie Gross his wife (and business partner) and their four children, he runs a busy medical practice, interacting with patients every day. He serves the Skin Cancer Foundation and is a current fellow and active member of the American Academy of Dermatology, New York Dermatological Society, the Society for Dermatological Surgery and Oncology and the American Cancer Society.
Products from MDSKincare that are on HauteLook at fantastic prices:
- Intense Hydra Mask $31 (usual price $62)
- Alpha Beta Daily Body Peel $39 (UP $78)
- Renew & Maintain $95 (UP $170)
- Instant Beautification Eye Area Firming Patch and Firming Eye Cream $44.10 (UP $104.40)
- Instant Beautification Lip Area Firming Patch $24 (UP $48)
- Serious Lip Treatment $29 (UP $58)
- Hydra Pure Mist $16 (UP $32)
- Hydra Pure Redness Soothing Serum $42.50 (UP $95)
- Hydra Pure Radiance Renewal Serum $47.50 (UP $95)
- Powerful Sun Protection SPF25 Lip Balm and SPF 45 Sunscreen $30 (UP $60)
The sale for MDSkincare products on HauteLook has started, and will run till the end of tomorrow, so check it out asap!
HauteLook is a private, member’s only club that organizes 24-48 hours online sales of premium brands. HauteLook sells premium brands for 50-75% off of retail prices. HauteLook is free to join and there are no commitments or charges for being a member. As a member, HauteLook will send you an e-mail every morning to announce the brand(s) on sale that day. If you’re interested, you can click through the e-mail and shop. If you’re not interested, simply ignore the e-mail.
To join HauteLook, click here to get to their website, then go to “Sign Up,” enter your name, zip code, e-mail address and choose a password. After you click “Submit” you’re immediately registered and can start shopping right away!
Just to give you an idea of other great stuff they have on sale currently:
- Just Cavalli
- William Rast
- Andrew Marc Women’s
- Andrew Marc Men’s
- DEARCashmere
- Gordon Rush
- Whiting & Davis
- Purebaby Organic
And coming up soon
- Alexis Uospny
- Caden Lane
- Amrita Singh
- Acne
- Lara Kazan
- Martin Gordon
- OnGossamer
- Heidi Klum Jewellery
What are you still waiting for? Check out HauteLook today!
May
20
Kiehl’s Green Rewards
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Kiehl’s has introduced an environmentally friendly program. The Recycle and Be Rewarded Program gives you freebies in return for you being so eco friendly!
Everytime you bring back an empty Kiehl’s bottle to any of their stores, they give you a stamp on a Recycle and Rewards Card. And when you accumulate a certain number of stamps, you are rewarded with goodies! For example, 1 stamp will get you a their lip balm, 5 stamps a choice from their Kiehl’s Travel Collection, and 10 stamps will get you any Kiehl’s product up to $25 in worth, excluding items from their Flagship Exclusive Items or charitable products. Isn’t that a great incentive to go green? Check out more on their commitment to the environment here!
May
18
Perfect Facial Proportions: The Eyebrow
Filed Under Aesthetic Procedures, Beauty, plastic surgery | 1 Comment
The saying goes’ the eyes are the windows to the soul’, and the eye brows are the window frames. It is important that these frames are fitted correctly and aesthetically pleasing.
MEASUREMENTS FOR A PERFECT EYEBROW
Look into a mirror when you are totally relaxed for best evaluation of your own eyebrow. Tense facial muscles will affect the position of your brows, so it’s best to close your eyes, take deep breaths for a minute or two to relax those forehead muscles, then open up your eyes again.
(illustration from the Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America)
For proportions fitting a pleasing eyebrow:
- The inner brow should start at an imaginary vertical line positioned at where the flares of the nose join the face (the alar-facial junction).
- The outside of the eyebrow should then taper and end at a point where a line extended from the alar-facial junction passing through the outer corner of the eye meets the brow. (see diagram)
- The inner and outer corners should lie in the same horizontal plane (but individuals may have their own preferences).
- The inner edge should have a club head appearance, and the outside end tapering to a point.
There are also differences between the male and female brows.
The arch in a female brow should lie at least 1cm above the upper eye socket rim, with the highest point positioned above the outermost edge of the iris (coloured portion of your eye) when looking straight ahead. In men, a lesser arch is preferred, and should be in a more horizontal plane along the upper rim of the eye socket.
Other interesting measurements for a aesthetically pleasing eyebrow include
- a distance of 2.5cm between the midpupillary line (a horizontal line passing through the centre black portion of the eye) and the lower edge of the brow,
- a distance of 5cm from the upper edge of the brow to the hairline (although this may not be possible in all individuals), and
- the distance between the two innermost edges of the brows to be the same as the distance between the alar-facial junctions on either side of the nose (also corresponding to one-fifth of the face and the size of the eye)
THE AGING BROW
In aging, the brow undergoes many changes and can end up with the problems such as eyebrow thinning, drooping of the eyebrow (sigh, the effects of gravity!), wrinkles and lines in the glabellar region (the area between both brows).
SHAPING YOUR BROW
You may realize that your eyebrows are not symmetrical, but relax, that’s normal. Here’s where shaping of your brows can help to balance both sides. It’s best to get the job done by someone professional to achieve the look and shape that fits your style best. Thereafter you can continue the maintainence yourself, with the occasional upkeep by a brow specialist. The above measurements are a guide to an aesthetically pleasing brow shape, but you may make adjustments as your face and natural brow shape just doesn’t fit into the measurements above.
A brow site I’m totally in love with is The Model Brow Blog by Elke Von Freudenberg. She does an amazing job and her blog and brow tips are succinct and easy to follow. She gives great advise too, like ‘once the arch has been tweezed too far on the outside of the eyes, it can make the eyes look cross-eyed’ and commenting that ‘problem with arching [the brow] too high is that it creates the dreaded ‘happy face’ brow’.
WHAT YOUR DOCTOR CAN DO
- Asymmetrical brows- brow lift, brow correction
- Droopy brows- brow lift, forehead lift,
- Thinning brows- eyebrow hair transplants
- Wrinkles- botox, face/partial face lifts
May
14
Botox versus Dysport
Filed Under Aesthetic Procedures, Aesthetic medicine, Beauty, plastic surgery | 3 Comments
Here’s another piece of news which will cheer you up: there’s a new wrinkle removing drug on the market called Dysport, distributed by Medicis Pharmaceuticals and its partner Ipsen. Dysport was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in April 2009, and it became the second drug to compete in the anti-wrinkle market which till now has been dominated solely by Allergan’s Botox.
Don’t be too quick to make the change yet. Despite both drugs being botulinum toxin type A, they both behave quite differently, according to Allergan’s Chief Executive David Pyott. Both are not interchangeable because both drugs are dosed and injected differently.
COMPARISON BETWEEN THE 2 DRUGS
Similarities between both drugs:
- Both contain the same active ingredient Botulinium toxin type A, so producing the same effects, which act to temporarily paralyze facial muscles, hence reducing the appearance of facial wrinkles and frown lines. There is another similar drug, Myobloc produced by Solstice Neuroscience, which uses botulinum toxin type B. Myobloc is currently restricted to medical uses and not approved for cosmetic use.
- Both are locally injected into the problematic site.
- Both have been in use for many years. However, Botox was the sole anti-wrinkle drug in the US market, while Dysport, although not available in the US before, was used in Europe, South America and New Zealand since the 1990s.
Now the differences:
- Although the active ingredient is the same, and side effects are similar like muscle weakness or paralysis, respiratory difficulties and infections, swallowing and speech impairment, nose and throat irritation, pain and injection site skin reaction, eyelid swelling or drooping, headache, vision problems, nausea. There is a risk that Dysport appears to spread further around the injection site, which may be a good thing as a larger facial muscle area like the forehead can be targeted for antiwrinkle treatment, but may not be so good for small muscles. Along with it is a higher risk of disseminating and having effects elsewhere in the body.
- The preparation also differs- Dysport can be diluted and the concentration intended for use adjusted, unlike Botox. This may translate into more affordable anti-wrinkle treatment.
- Dysport is also supposed to show results earlier (in 2-3 days opposed to 1 week for Botox) and have a longer lasting effect as compared to Botox, and patients required just two treatments per year in contrast to four times per year for Botox.
Generally, the doses of botulinum toxin used in cosmetic medicine is in smaller doses than those used for medical purposes, and are usually safe when used as directed. The danger lies in patients who receive multiple injections in cosmetic use to treat wrinkles. Along with the announcement of the approval of Dysport, the FDA also announced the requirement of a black box label for all botulism based drugs, including Dysport and Botox, to warn users of the rare but potentially serious and life threatening complications in the event of the drug spreading from the injection site to other parts of the body. This came about in light of reports of hospitalizations and deaths attributed to botulinum toxin poisonings in adult and children receiving botulinum toxin A for treatment of abnormal muscle movement diseases, and petition by the Public Citizen (a health advocacy group).
The black box label is a safety alert, which requires
- users to be informed about the potential for the drug to spread to distant sites in the body and having undesired effects there
- warn doctors and patients about risks associated with substituting one botulism product for another. The products have different dosing units, and may lead to overdosing if not correctly administered.
- Follow a group of children and adults using Botox, Myobloc or Dysport off label to treat involuntary muscle movement and submit the safety data to the FDA.
DYSPORT RESEARCH
Clinical trials involving about 2900 people were conducted. A study showed 93-95% of participants noticed an appearance of forehead wrinkles within 7days after treatment, and multiple treatments produced effects that lasted more than 13months.
Dysport has been used and reviewed clinically. A retrospective study of 4103 treatments in 945 patients showed a favourable safety profile and effectiveness of drug usage.
Comparison of Botox against Dysport has also been done, with a mixture of resuts- some show botox being longer lasting, others point to Dysport having a longer effect. In a study comparing the two drugs for glabellar (the area between the eyebrows) lines (at dose of Botox 20U and Dysport 50U), both produced similar efficacy at weeks 8 and 12, but Botox offered a significant duration of activity at week 16. However, it was a small study with 62 patients. Another study with 26 patients (dose Botox 12U and Dysport 36U) for forehead wrinkles found Dysport to have longer lasting effects between weeks 10 to 20. The
MEDICAL USES OF BOTULINUM TOXIN
Botox is the most commonly performed aesthetic procedure in the USA, with over 2.5million injections in 2008 alone. It has a large following and a high satisfaction rate among users. Originally developed in 1968 for use in the field of ophthalmology for strabismus (crossed eyes), it is now also used for
- cervical dystonia
- muscle spasms in cerebral palsy
- eyelid spasm
- severe underarm sweating
Dysport is targeted for use not just for cosmetic purposes to treat wrinkles. It is also planned for usage for cervical dystonia. It should be available for cosmetic use in the next 2-3months, and for medical purposes in the second half of this year. Word is that the new botulinum drug will be marketed at a lower price than Botox.
There’s talk of botulinum toxin in the form of a cream- after all, if the injections have been met with such success, imagine if it can be administered as a cream! But there’s controversy over the efficacy and absorption of a cream based botulinum toxin, and more research is required. And that’s another article altogether!
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