I went into Sephora last week and searched high and low for an exfoliating wash. Last month, I kicked my Retin-A strength up a dose and my face is peeling left and right as a result. I needed a wash that would be able to remove the dead skin that’s on my face as a result of the Retin-A when I wake up in the morning. The Retin-A is not irritating my skin at all–no redness or rawness–I’m way passed that stage; rather, I’m just peeling (which is a good thing!! Dead skin be GONE!). I had been using my Obagi cleanser as well as the Burt’s Bees Garden Tomato Complexion Soap, but neither was doing the trick in helping me remove the peeling skin. Then, when I went to put foundation on, let’s just say it wasn’t such a pretty sight. As a result, I had been forgoing make-up until I found a cleanser that would do a good job removing the peeling skin.

Anyway, I asked a sales rep at Sephora for a few suggestions, and she only knew of one wash that is both an exfoliator and a cleanser. I, however, knew of a few others, but I didn’t bring it to her attention. I didn’t want to make her feel dumb…I was feeling generous that day.

In any case, she suggested Philosophy’s Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash. I said, “Oky-doky” and bought a bottle (well, I didn’t actually say, “Oky-doky,” but you get what I’m saying).

The wash itself is colorless and scentless–both qualities I like because it means that the company didn’t put in artificial dyes or synthetic fragrances, both of which can irritate the most sensitive skin types. The consistency is a little more fluid than what I expected. It’s definitely not as viscous as your traditional cleaner, but if it does the trick, who gives a shit, right? The exfoliating beads are rather small, so it doesn’t really feel like you’re rubbing sandpaper against your skin. The beads are so small, actually, that I wondering upon first using it, if they would provide the exfoliation I so required. Don’t get me wrong, you DO feel the beads, but I wanted something rough and tough–and while using it, I certainly didn’t feel it was rough and tough. Another thing about the Philosophy Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash is that it doesn’t lather. Those of you looking for suds on your face will be disappointed. Don’t even look here if you want suds.

So how did it actually work? Pretty damn decent. After drying my face, I realized that if the beads had been any more numerous or bigger (if the wash had been any more grainier or “rough and tough,” as I called it), it would have stripped my face and most likely done more damage than good. The amount of beads was just right–mild, but strong enough to remove the dead skin without stripping my face.

I used it three times last week, and I’m happy to say the wash is mild enough to use three times a week for my skin type. I wouldn’t use it more than three times a week, but I think if I wanted to use it more often, my skin would tolerate it.

This is definitely a product I will be using–and one I highly recommend for anyone who is also using Retin-A at night.

I am, in general, a fan of crazy nail polish colors. I’m well aware that these colors are never “in” for more than a season at a time. I don’t care–I almost always buy into the trend. I think it’s because I was a teenager when the nail polish “revolution” started (which I attribute to Chanel’s Vamp), and I just grew up with the fact that nail polish should be different, fun and trendy. Some of you may be too young to remember the Chanel Vamp craze about 15 years ago, but let’s just say it was kind of like the recent Black Satin craze multiplied by a hundred. Vamp was the first color that was both unorthodox AND so in demand that you had to either a) be a celebrity or b) give head to a Chanel executive twice (how do I know this? I don’t know) to get your hands on a bottle. I remember reading in a beauty magazine that even Demi Moore had to buy a tester bottle. So, let’s just say, everyone and their mother was wearing Vamp (if they were lucky enough to get a bottle somehow–and remember this was before ebay even existed, so you really had to have an “in” to get your hands on a bottle). Around that time, the company Hard Candy made waves for releasing untraditional nail polish colors with equally untraditional nail polish names (e.g. silver nail polish called “Trailer Trash”). I thought all the colors were pretty damn cool. I amassed close to 20 bottles of Hard Candy polish and a Chanel Vamp and Cosmic Blue (who remembers that one?) in close to a year…that’s a lot for a young teenager.

Anyway, why am I rambling about all this? A couple of weeks ago, I saw a photo of Natalie Portman (who is my hero, by the way–love that girl), and she was sporting yellow nail polish…I started thinking about nail polish colors and the fact that yellow is simply a “no-no.” Here are a couple of photos:

The yellow polish is not just loud–it’s unexpected (in a bad way) and incongruous. It’s like making love while the song “76 Trombones” is playing.

Under what circumstances would I support yellow nail polish? Zip. Zilch. I think yellow is the only color I have blacklisted from nail polish colors. One of those 20 bottles of Hard Candy polish I owned as a teenager was a color not very different from what Natalie is sporting in these photos. It was called “Taxi Cab,” (I still have the bottle–I didn’t use it much for reasons you will find out in a few seconds) and I don’t think they even make it anymore. Anyway, I was wearing it on my toes one day, and some kid in school pointed out (I was in middle school, so you can imagine how loud he said it) that it looked like I had jaundice. Then another kid said his grandfather’s toe nails were that color. Then, I heard a chorus of “eww”s.

And that was the last time I ever wore yellow on any of my nails.

And seeing Natalie Portman wearing yellow nail polish did not make me want to give it another try.

I had heard of Burt’s Bees and seen their products here and there, but I never really took them seriously. I never even bothered buying anything of theirs. Why, you ask? I hate to say it, but it’s because their price point is so damn low. 5 bucks for facial cleanser, 2 bucks for chapstick…If the products are so dirt-cheap, then how good can they really be? Yes, I need a good bitch-slap from devoted Burt’s Bees users. I need a lecture on how just because beauty products cost over $100 for an ounce, it doesn’t mean they’re any good. I need to stop being such a beauty snob.

So why the epiphany? Two weeks ago, I placed an order with drugstore.com (which, if you haven’t checked it out, is a pretty sweet online retailer) for a couple of Burt’s Bees products–the Burt’s Bees Garden Tomato Complexion Soap and the Burt’s Bees Garden Tomato Toner. My acne was flaring up more than usual, and I was desperate to try something that worked. My usual regimen was not cutting it. I read good reviews on these Burt’s Bees items, specifically in regard to acne, and so I bit the bullet and joined the ranks of cheapo beauty product buyers.

A few days later, my items arrived. I was hesitant to use anything that had tomato in it (or smelled like tomato or was called “tomato”) on my face. Tomatoes are delicious in sandwiches…and that’s where they belong. But, again, I was desperate.

In any case, I tried the products and I have to say I’m a big fan. The soap doesn’t smell like tomatoes the way I expected. I expected to smell like food after washing my face, but the scent is more like a fresh summer garden than a BLT sandwich. This soap is probably the mildest facial cleanser I have ever used in my life. That said, it did wonders to calm my skin. I also noticed that my skin wasn’t as oily or tight after cleansing. The cons, you ask? I’ll tell you. The only con is that the soap is so mild, it cannot effectively take off makeup. So, if you decide to go whoring-it-up at a club one night, do not come home and wash your face with this soap. You will still have traces of whore makeup on your face. My suggestion is to use this soap in the mornings–when you wake up and not at the end of the day.

As for the toner, I used it for a week in conjunction with the soap. Then, I stopped the toner and kept on using the soap. The verdict: the toner can be a tad too abrasive for the most sensitive of skins. If you have ultra-sensitive skin, fresh break-outs or a recent glycolic acid peel, do NOT use this toner. It will burn like hell. On the other hand, if your skin isn’t as anal retentive as mine and you have only the smallest of breakouts, then I’d recommend trying this toner. It does control oil better than any toner I have tried thus far, and it most certainly removes any impurities that your soap fails to remove (if you don’t believe me, use a white cotton ball when applying this toner to your face. After you’re done, look at the white cotton ball again. It will look like you wiped your ass with it).

This is what I think, Burt’s Bees Garden Tomato line is delicious for those with acne-prone and sensitive skin…unlike other products, there is no hype with these AND they actually work. Their price point is unmatched for the performance.

I am now officially a Burt’s Bees convert.

Clinique holds a very special place in my heart. I heart Clinique…and I’m not just saying that because I’m trying to court the company to advertise on the site or to send me and Sadie free stuff to review (ahem).

You see, the first skin care line I ever used was Clinique. I had their whole 3-Step regimen (the yellow bar soap in the cool green soap holder thingy that slid open, the purple toner and the yellow moisturizer). I would also sneak a little of my mom’s Turnaround cream every other night and noticed it helped dry and clear up blemishes overnight. I was in high school, and I loved it. 

Enough about me…what I like about Clinique is that they’re not constantly changing their skincare line–adding new products that are completely novel only to take them away after a year to replace them with something new. Seriously, every product I used in high school is still available in their skin care line. That says a lot. I also like that they don’t need big, famous, shiny celebrities to market and sell their products. I have serious reservations when a skin care line needs to hire a big movie star (who clearly has had plastic surgery and gets monthly Restylane shots) to convince people to buy their products. Companies that have to hire big celebs to sell their products remind me of guys who have to drive expensive sports cars to get the chick. Both have major insecurities–the company: my product can’t sell itself; the guy: my penis is not big enough. See where I’m going with this? I hope so, because I completely lost my train of thought after I wrote the word “penis.” Sadie is going to kill me.

Back to Clinique…since they aren’t popping out new products left and right, any launch of theirs deserves attention. Clinique’s latest creation is a patent-pending moisturizer that not only slows down the signs of aging, but also boosts the skin’s innate ability to repair the damage already done. And, like any moisturizer that’s worth using, it contains UVA/UVB SPF protection (after all, the sun is, hands down, the most pervasive cause of skin aging and skin damage). More uniquely, the Youth Surge moisturizer contains a special anti-glycation technology that helps protect the skin’s collagen and elastin on a molecular level, thus slowing down their breakdown and, consequently, the aging process. With time, the skin will feel and look firmer.

Clinique is offering the new Youth Surge moisturizer in three formulations based on skin-type: very dry-dry skin, dry combination skin, and combination oily-oily skin types.

The product just came out last month, and I’m eager to hear and read reviews on it. If you need incentive to buy now, Clinique is running a promotion that runs until 11:59 EST March 8, 2009. Use the promotion / offer code YOUTH at checkout on Clinique.com to receive free standard shipping and a free Turnaround Concentrate Visible Skin Renewer (0.51 oz).

Now THAT'S hot!

Is it just me or are thick eyebrows back–bigger and bushier than ever? It seems that eyebrows on celebs and even runway models are thicker than usual these days. So many celebs are sporting a rug above their eyes that I think it’s fair to say thick eyebrows are back in vogue. The thick brow is not a new phenomenon…it’s been in style before: think Audrey Hepburn in the 60’s and Brooke Shields in the 80’s. Hmm…seems like every 20 years or so, women decide it’s time to grow out the hair above their eyes. Now it’s the 2000’s and the brow is back with a vengeance.

Personally, I’m all for the thick brow. As a young girl, I had eyebrows that would put Martin Scorcese’s to shame. I mean, we’re talking massive millipedes above my eyes. In 6th grade, there was a girl in my class who would make fun of my eyebrows. I still remember the stupid bitch’s name. I hope she has long saggy boobs now. I should have just told her to go fuck herself, but instead I felt humiliated. I asked my mother if she would allow me to pluck my eyebrows. She said no. Being the defiant little brat that I am was, I thought I’d trim a bit off my eyebrows using a pair of scissors…you know, just a couple innocuous snips. Two snips later, more than half of my right eyebrow was gone: Mom is going to kill me; Kari is going to make so much fun of me; Should I snip half of my left eyebrow off too to even it out? Maybe no one will notice?

Long story short, my naturally thick eyebrows caused me a lot of grief growing up. I was ready to file a lawsuit against my mom for not allowing me to pluck my eyebrows (that’s child abuse, right?) when suddenly I started getting compliments on my brows the moment I got to high school. Girls would actually tell me they wanted my eyebrows. 

Now that I’m much older, I still keep my brows on the thicker side (though shaped and well-groomed), and I’m thrilled that thick eyebrows are back in style. It’s my opinion that thicker eyebrows instantly make a woman look younger. Thick brows, to me, are demure and sexy. Here are a few celebs who look beautiful with a thick brow:

The Original, The Trendsetter

Brooke Shields kept her brows thick as a teenager...

...and still as an adult (I said look at her brows, not her boobs, you perv)

Not sure which Olsen twin this is...I never could tell them apart

I heard Camilla Belle and her boyfriend, Jo Jonas, swap brow stencils

Thick eyebrows don't have to be dark to look great

The always demure Jennifer Connelly

Keira's eyebrows are perfection

Nothing says “WASP-y Princess” like perfectly French manicured nails. I’ve long believed that women secretly envy other women who have French manicures. And don’t even try to tell me that women don’t check out or notice each other’s nails…they do, and whether you want to admit it or not, well-manicured and well-groomed nails indicate that a woman 1) cares about her appearance and 2) has the means and the money to go in every week and have her nails done by someone named Chin-Hwa.

I’ve always been a big fan of French manicures. The French manicure is clean and classic…plus it makes other women jealous…what else could you ask for?

I’ve had so many French manicures that I’ve picked up every trick and tactic of applying the polish. I could give myself the perfect French manicure if I wanted to, but giving yourself a French manicure if you’re a woman is probably akin to giving yourself a blowjob if you’re a guy: you get the job done, but it’s just not the same…it’s so much nicer when some one else gives you one.

But, I digress…I am writing today to tell you that I have found the most perfect French manicure color ever. The color is Tender Pink Touch (Nail Touch #5) and is part of Yves Saint Laurent’s fabulous Spring 2009 collection. Tender Pink Touch is a sheer soft pink color that provides just the right coverage to tint the nail bed in one layer. And the white tips still look white. YSL’s Tender Pink Touch is a little deeper than what I would classify as “baby pink”–the color is much like what I would expect the natural color of a healthy, never painted, unadulterated nail bed to be.  If you do more than one coat, however, you will increase the opacity of the polish on your nails and bring out more of the pink. I would do one coat for a French manicure and two coats if you’re doing a regular mani. Here are a few photos taken by yours truly of my own nails after using YSL’s Tender Pink Touch:

YSL Tender Pink Touch as base color in French manicure

A closer look for those of you with vision problems

Just YSL Tender Pink Touch on the nail bed

The color Tender Pink Touch is only sold in a click-top brush pen applicator instead of the traditional brush-in-a-bottle-oops-I-just-spilled-polish-on-my-leather-sofa-quick-grab-the-acetone. I’m extremely wary of change, so when the YSL rep told me the color is only available in their Nail Lacquer Brush Pen, I immediately shook my head. I told her I’m quite happy with the traditional brush-in-a-bottle method of nail polish application that women have been using since the caveman days. She coaxed me to try the pen, so I conceded. Within 30 seconds of trying the pen, I had completely, perfectly and evenly applied polish to all the nails on my left hand. I was hooked. Whoever came up with the Nail Lacquer Brush Pen should win the Nobel Prize in Beauty (Oh, they don’t give Nobel Prizes in beauty?…Oh, the inhumanity…). Here are a few photos taken by yours truly of the packaging and look of Yves Saint Laurent’s Nail Lacquer Brush Pen (in the color Tender Pink Touch, no less):

That better be 24 Karat gold for the $26.00 I spent...

A clear plastic casing lets you see the polish in the tube

So THAT'S what a Nail Lacquer Brush Pen looks like!

Unlike the other beauty bloggers out there, I can’t honestly say I’ve been a beauty addict my whole life. Some bloggers make it sound like they had a tube of lipstick in one hand and a bottle of nail polish in the other when they popped out of their mother’s womb. I wasn’t like that. You see, I was your typical tomboy growing up. I wanted to do what the boys did and to wear what the boys did. Wearing makeup, to me, was akin to…well, to put it lightly, having a root canal; it was torture. I had no interest in shaving my legs (in fact, I was proud that I had hairier legs than some of my brother’s friends), and I had no interest whatsoever in plucking my bushy eyebrows. All this, however, changed. To spare you my life story, I realized that I was an attractive girl and that nurturing my attractiveness was not a sin–it was actually fun. I also realized that boys weren’t going to find me attractive if I had hairier legs than them.

The very first real beauty purchase I made for myself was a tube of lipstick (Chanel, in the color Miss Fizz) at the Neiman Marcus in Copley Place in Boston, and the rest is history…

My personal philosophy when it comes to makeup is: do what’s good for you and only you. Don’t just follow trends. If the trends work for you, more power to you. If they don’t, move on. Don’t force a smokey eye if it makes you look like a ghoul.

For my very first post, I wanted to list only five items that I think should be in every woman’s beauty armory. If this were a fashion blog, my list would read like this: little black dress, Judith Leiber crystal clutch, black pumps, a pair of jeans that make you feel like a million bucks when you wear it (yes, there’s one of those out there for everyone…you just have to find the right brand and style), and a fitted trench. Since this is a beauty blog, my list reads like this:

1. Retin-A: Hands down, the most important weapon in your skincare armory. Retin-A will not only smooth out your fine lines, but also slow down the skin’s natural aging process by boosting collagen production. Long-term use is key with Retin-A, as is the cardinal rule, “less is more.” Don’t start with a high dose or you’ll look like a beet and you’ll hate me. Start with the lowest dose and use it every night. You’ll thank me when you’re fifty and have the skin of a twenty-five year old.
2. Vitamin A+D Cream (A+D Ointment): Not a glamorous product in the least, but very necessary. Use it on chapped lips, dry hands, dry feet, sun burn or any area of irritation/eczema. I also use it on my lashes in lieu of mascara for instant thickness and length and on my eyebrows to set the shape and any stray hairs in place.
3. Obagi Foaming Gel Cleanser: What beauty armory would be complete without a cleaner? Clean skin is the basis for healthy skin. Finding the right cleanser is trickier than what you would think. Is your skin naturally dry or oily? Do you have acne prone skin? All this matters when you choose a cleaner. I, personally, need a cleanser that’s not going to break me out. If I am getting pimples, I know I’m not properly cleansing my skin.  For my skin type, I’ve found that Obagi’s Foaming Gel Cleanser works consistently and consistently well in keeping my skin clear and clean. Though it’s technically part of Obagi’s Nu-Derm regimen, I use it in my own beauty repertoire, and I highly recommend it for any woman with combination, acne-prone skin.
4. Remergent Barrier Repair Formula: I can’t say enough about this moisturizer. It’s soothing on the skin and makes my skin feel baby soft. I tried ReVive’s Intensite Volumizing Serum once and loved it, but it broke the bank. The feel and effects of Remergent Barrier Repair Formula on my skin remind me a lot of ReVive’s volumizing serum…but at a much lower cost.
5. Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect: My go-to lip gloss. Beautifully packaged; I feel like the princess that I am when I whip it out. Not only that, this gloss will give you color as well as moisture. My lips look healthy and pouty with this stuff. I have seen the array of colors it comes in, and would be surprised if everyone couldn’t find a shade that worked well with their complexion. My current color of choice is Clutch Pink (#517)–possibly the most perfect shade of pink lip gloss ever made.