Sep
28
Save Time Without Scrimping On Beauty!
Filed Under Beauty Tips, Skincare | Leave a Comment
Save time on your beauty regime without compromising on yourself! Try these tips from Good Housekeeping Magazine!
1. You Want: Smooth, Even Skin
Skip the heavy foundation. “In summer your face already has a nice dewiness,” says Gretchen Monahan, style expert on TV’s Bravo Channel andRachael Ray Show. To lighten up, blend equal parts face lotion and foundation in the palm of one hand, then press both palms together and apply the mixture like moisturizer. Get even better staying power by combining base one-to-one with water-resistant sunscreen. “The viscosity ensures it won’t slip off,” says Monahan. We like La Roche-Posay Anthelios 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid ($27.50, drugstores), a water-resistant matte formula with broad-spectrum protection.
2. You Want: Melt-Proof Makeup
Opt for feather-light formulations (the less makeup you put on, the less you have to worry about it sliding around). “In steamy weather, you’ll sweat through most makeup, even powders,” says Meredith Baraf, a makeup artist for Victoria’s Secret. Her advice: Switch to tinted moisturizer, or simply disguise any discoloration with a concealer or stick foundation. Try Prescriptives AnyWear Multi-Purpose Makeup Stick SPF 15 ($35, department stores) — it comes with two minis you can keep handy in your purse and desk. To enhance lashes without smudges, use waterproof mascara, or try Clarins Double Fix’ Mascara Waterproofing Seal ($21, department stores), which forms a clear, watertight seal over your favorite brand. If you’re fair or just a low-maintenance gal, lash tints safely darken eyelashes for up to four days, even through showers and swims. (However, they won’t add volume or length.) Try Tarte 4 Day Stay Lash Stain ($18, Sephora). On lips, try a sheer stain, such as CoverGirl Outlast Lipstain ($7.29, drugstores). Dab away excess shine with blotting paper or a tissue. “Face powder can look cakey on sweaty skin,” says Nicky Kinnaird, founder of Space NK beauty shops in the U.S. and England.
3. You Want: To Fake a Tan — Fast
Brush on a believable shade of bronze. “Pick a color within a couple of shades of your skin tone,” says celebrity makeup artist Mally Roncal. If you’re fair, try a tan shade with peach tones like Physicians Formula Bronze Booster Pressed Bronzer in Fair to Light ($15, drugstores), which has vitamins and moisturizers designed to enhance your color. If you’re medium-toned, go for caramels like Victoria’s Secret VS Liquid Bronzing Brush in Light to Medium ($22, Victoria’s Secret), a gel bronzer with a built-in brush. For already-tanned or brown skin, choose a deeper bronze: Lorac Tantalizer Baked Matte Satin Bronzer SPF 15 ($28, Sephora) can be applied wet or dry, depending on the color intensity you’re after. “Use a big, fluffy brush to apply the color around the perimeter of your face, then work it in toward the center,” says Roncal, who recommends adding a touch of blush on cheeks.
4. You Want: A Better Way to Tame Your Frizzy Hair
Silicone serums are the gold standard for reducing frizz, but they can weigh hair down and make it greasy. Living Proof No Frizz ($24; Sephora) claims to prevent humidity from penetrating the hair, via a lightweight, moisture-repelling, friction-reducing molecule (PolyfluoroEster) that was developed by an MIT professor and his team of scientists and hair experts. To see if it works, the Good Housekeeping Research Institute tested it against the leading frizz serum. In the lab, frizz-prone women applied one of six Living Proof products (each is for a different hair type and straightening or curl-defining effect) to half their wet hair and the control product to the other half, then styled as usual. They then spent 20 minutes in a climatology chamber set to 80 degrees and 80 percent relative humidity. The volunteers also used the frizz product at home as their sole styler for one week. The results: In the lab, the Living Proof products tamed frizz better than the control for half the testers, and at least as well for all but one of the rest. Over half the women also said Living Proof prevented frizz and improved the look and feel of their hair more than their current product. The highest marks came from volunteers who wanted to maintain their waves.
5. You Want: Sun-Kissed Strands
Shampoo your way to beachy-blond highlights: John Frieda Sheer Blonde Go Blonder Lightening Shampoo and Conditioner ($9 each, drugstores) both contain lactic acid to gradually brighten natural and color-treated blond strands without ammonia or peroxide, the traditional bleaching agents. You should notice a change after about two weeks of daily use, though you can keep using the products until you reach your desired shade. Two caveats: You’ll see a difference only on hair that’s already in the blond family, and you should skip it if your hair is prone to dryness, because lactic acid can further dehydrate it, according to New York City trichologist Philip Kingsley.
6. You Want: Sandal-Ready Feet
Try this express “spa” pedicure: Shape uneven nails by filing them straight across the tops, then smooth feet with a mixture of salt and lotion or olive oil — or try Barielle 60 Second Mani-Pedi ($25, barielle.com), an exfoliating treatment combining hydrating oils and Dead Sea salts that smells like a day at the beach. Rinse and dry thoroughly (push back cuticles with the towel as you dry). To get out the door faster, use shimmer polish; any mistakes won’t be quite as obvious, and the mica in shimmer adheres better, says CND cofounder Jan Arnold. Try N.Y.C. In a New York Color Minute Quick Dry Nail Polish in Bryant Park ($2, drugstores).Originally published on May 13, 2009 Related content on goodhousekeeping.comGet Ready for Summer Outsmart the Sun See the 5 Best Hairstyles of All Time Get a Virtual Makeover Find Makeup That Does MoreTry this express “spa” pedicure: Shape uneven nails by filing them straight across the tops, then smooth feet with a mixture of salt and lotion or olive oil — or try Barielle 60 Second Mani-Pedi ($25, barielle.com), an exfoliating treatment combining hydrating oils and Dead Sea salts that smells like a day at the beach. Rinse and dry thoroughly (push back cuticles with the towel as you dry). To get out the door faster, use shimmer polish; any mistakes won’t be quite as obvious, and the mica in shimmer adheres better, says CND cofounder Jan Arnold. Try N.Y.C. In a New York Color Minute Quick Dry Nail Polish in Bryant Park ($2, drugstores).
Originally published on May 13, 2009
Sep
14
All About Lasers
Filed Under Aesthetic Medicine, Aesthetic Procedures | Leave a Comment
Back in the ’90s, blasting wrinkles meant horror-flick-like oozing and months of redness as “ablative” lasers burned off the skin’s surface and a younger-looking version grew in.
Not so with the new generation of smarter lasers, which target the hallmarks of aging—creases, brown spots, broken capillaries, sagginess—without destroying the skin you’ve got. The result? Faster healing, so you can get back in makeup and return to work with smoother skin in as little as 24 hours. Still, any searing laser beam has the potential to scar or damage pigment (especially for women of color), so treatments are best left to an M.D., who can adjust the intensity to work with your skin tone. And sun-worshippers beware: Because many lasers target pigment, give the beach a four- to six-week break before your first session. Here, a laser-by-laser guide to the treatments that’ll suit your trouble spots, budget, and schedule.
THE TREATMENT: Nonablative (i.e., surface skin is left intact) Fractional Resurfacing
WHAT IT’S FOR: Smoothing fine-to-moderate lines, evening out brown spots, and improving overall glow with quick weekend recovery. (It’s often referred to as “Fraxel,” the brand that debuted the device in 2004.)
HOW IT WORKS: Heat generated by the laser penetrates deep into the skin and stimulates collagen production without annihilating your epidermis (translation: no oozing or rawness). It’s typically performed over a course of three to five 25-minute treatments, one to two months apart, under topical anesthesia. And it’s safer for ethnic skin types than ablative lasers, but even women as light in tone as Lucy Liu should proceed with extra caution (your doctor can calibrate the laser at a lower intensity to minimize risks, but you may need extra sessions).
HOW IT FEELS: Less painful than ablative procedures, these treatments give the sensation of heat rather than pins and needles. Feels like a bad sunburn for about 10 minutes post-procedure; afterward, skin is pink and sandpapery for three to five days but can be camouflaged with concealer.
PRICE: $600 to $1200 per treatment
THE TREATMENT: Ablative (i.e., skin-wounding) Fractional Resurfacing
WHAT IT’S FOR: Smoothing fine-to-deep lines and evening out brown spots in a single treatment. Can also help tighten lax skin and carpet bomb broken capillaries if they fall in the laser’s direct path.
HOW IT WORKS: The laser beam strikes the skin in thousands of places, destroying tissue a millimeter deep in those microscopic spots only (think perforated paper). Surrounding skin remains intact, allowing for faster recovery than the original ablative devices but more intense results than the nonablative fractional laser. The hole-punching fires up the body’s wound-healing response, which generates collagen and smooths wrinkles. It’s ablative and therefore riskier for women of color, but can be executed successfully at a doctor’s discretion.
HOW IT FEELS: Generally performed with local anesthesia similar to what you’d get in a dentist’s office. After 15 minutes of post-treatment discomfort and an application of ice packs, pain is minimal. For 24 to 36 hours, skin oozes and bleeds (just as pretty as it sounds), followed by five days of crustiness. Once crust peels, new, pink skin emerges and makeup can be worn; complete healing within two weeks. (FYI, this laser comes in three varieties: CO2, Erbium, and YSGG. CO2 is harshest, while YSGG offers the quickest, easiest recovery.)
PRICE: $1500 to $5000
THE TREATMENT: Ablative Carbon Dioxide Resurfacing (i.e., the original ’90s procedure)
WHAT IT’S FOR: Still the most aggressive fix for hard-core lines and acne scars; can also tighten loose skin but is safe only for fair skin types (olive tones and women of color risk permanent pigment loss).
HOW IT WORKS: By blasting away the skin’s top layer, this aggressive single treatment bulldozes wrinkles.
HOW IT FEELS: During, like needles across the face (it’s sometimes performed under general anesthesia). Recovery-wise, think burn victim on day one as open wounds ooze and bleed, followed by five to 10 days of rawness while your obliterated epidermis regenerates (sorry, no makeup for up to two weeks). Overall pinkness persists for two to four months.
PRICE: Approximately $4000 to $8000, depending on size of area treated
THE TREATMENT: Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)
WHAT IT’S FOR: Eliminating brown spots and other sun-induced discoloration and spot-treating broken capillaries. When performed with nonablative fractional treatments, can amplify skin-tone-evening benefits–but it has no effect on wrinkles.
HOW IT WORKS: While not a “laser” per se, IPL devices work similarly. Short pulses of bright white light pinpoint brown pigment cells and redness, which are damaged when they absorb the light and the heat it creates. Safe for most skin types, but a doctor may dial down intensity for darker skin tones to avoid slim risk of de-pigmentation.
HOW IT FEELS: Sunburn-like. Patients experience slight swelling and pinkness the day of the procedure, but there’s no downtime, which is why it’s often categorized as a “lunchtime” treatment.
PRICE: $400 to $600 per treatment.
Originally published on May 21, 2009, Feature from “Marie Claire”
Sep
7
The Nonsurgical Nose Job
Filed Under Aesthetic Medicine, Beauty, Plastic Surgery | Leave a Comment
Wish your nose could be different? Smoothen out irregularities? Correcting an downturned nose? There are some ways that a doctor can improve the appearance without you having to go under the knife.
Currently, there is a trend towards using injectable fillers to correct nasal features. For contour irregularities, hyaluronic acid fillers like Restylane, Juvederm, Perlane and Radiesse are most frequently used for injectable nose jobs to smoothen out irregularities.
Botox injections can also be given to relax the facial muscle that pulls the tip of your nose downward to create a more upturned appearance.
Injections can also be given around the nose, to soften the lines around the nose, giving an appearance of a younger looking nose.
However, its best to discuss with your doctor whether your nose is suitable for corrections by using injectables, and which injectables to most suitable for use taking into account your skin features and thickness. For example, Radiesse is injected deeper to fix contour irregularities, while the hyaluronic acids are great for fine creases at the bridge. Also, if it’s your first nonsurgical nose job, your doctor will probably recommend a hyaluronic acid filler since it can be dissolved with an injection of hyaluronidase if you don’t like the results. Radiesse lasts longer, but it costs more, so your budget may also help determine which filler is used.
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Sep
3
Aging Effects On The Nose
Filed Under Aesthetic medicine, Beauty, Plastic Surgery | Leave a Comment
The nose, as with the rest of the face and skin, is also susceptible to the aging process. Commonly, changes to the nose include drooping of the tip of the nose, contour irregularities, lengthening of the nose, a decreased nasolabial angle, narrowing of the nasal valve, and obstructed nasal breathing.
Drooping of the nasal tip is the one most precalent and distinctive features of an aging nose. It is caused by the weakening of the lower cartilage of the nose, and other supporting structures in the nose. Sometimes, the drooping tip may result in a illusion of a hump on the nose, and perceived septum prominence which is not physically present. Some ways a doctor may help correct the drooping is by using strut grafts in the columella, tip grafts, and various stitching techniques to increase tip support, projection, rotation and correction of contour deformities.
Nasal valve obstruction is common in the elderly, and it’s surprisingly under-recognized as a factor which is important in improving the quality of life. The weakening of the nsasal cartilages and the surrounding support mechanisms can cause collapse of the nasal valves resulting in nasal obstruction, worsened at rest or on breathing in. Surgery may be necessary to correct the problem.
As you age, the nasal bones also thin out and become fragile, making you more susceptible to nose fractures and trauma. The overlying skin also thins out, leading to greater visibility of even minor contour and tip irregularities previously concealed by the thicker nasal skin of youth.
Find out what a non surgical nose job can do for you in my next post!
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