It’s Friday! This week FLEW by–what about you?

I am afraid I didn’t find a whole lot of bombshells this week out in beauty blog land, so I only have one post to share.

Over at the Huffington Post, Delia Ephron has a pretty interesting read about the messages adolescent girls are getting from moms that have plastic surgery. She uses Heidi Montag, the 23 year old reality TV star whose over-the-top plastic surgery exploits have left her looking 10 years older and fair game for gossip columnists, as a kicking off point. Ephron talks about how in researching (not sure how scientific) her latest novel, she saw loads of self loathing among young girls whose moms were obsessed with perfecting their own image.

One girl talked of “competitive dieting” with her mom. One mom likes to point out that her daughter’s frown lines will lead to permanent wrinkles–particularly when they are in the middle of an important conversation. And she turns me on to a study by the Girl Scouts of the USA released this week that criticizes  the fashion industries use of super-skinny model. The study links the perpetual use of skinny fashion icons leads to body image distortion in young girls. (I can be cynical here and point out that the Girl Scouts have a financial stake in women eating lots and lots of cookies.)

Read through the comments as well, and you will find some pretty insightful stuff (along with the requisite crap). In particular, OnTheCuff shares a piece of advice a woman once gave her: “At any given age, you are far more beautiful than you think you are.” I think this is worth highlighting.

Since I have a young daughter, issues of positive body image are always on my mind. I work hard to hide my own insecurities from her. And it just about drives me around the bend when I catch my mother in law mention that she’s not eating a Thin Mint because she’s dieting in front of her. I try to show The Kid that all the beauty products I play with, while they serve a purpose, are also fun. And that the treatments I give are about reducing stress and making the body and mind feel better and more energized.

But yeah, some days it feels like I am fighting a losing battle.

Because while I totally get Ephron’s point that good self esteem starts at home, I think laying total blame at the mother’s feet is pretty unfair. Kids, as we know, are cruel. And they also yearn to be accepted. A cutting remark from a peer can send a (particularly sensitive) girl’s self esteem into a downward spiral, no matter what her home situation.

If you ever have an opportunity to build up a young girl’s self esteem, do it, even if she oozes confidence. A small kind remark may make a world of difference.

Depending on the source, Kelly Cutrone, founder of fashion PR firm People’s Revolution and reality TV star, is either the uber bitch of the Aughts, or a hard working, no-nonsense, say-it-like-you-mean-it professional. But everyone seems to agree that she could use a little makeup.

TV viewers first met Cutrone on the MTV series The Hills, where she laid into the privileged stars, cementing her reputation as a loathsome boss. Tonight, Bravo TV airs Kell On Earth, their new reality TV show that follows the salty Cutrone as she produces fashion shows, promotes her client’s brands and breaks the spirit of her 20-something interns.

No matter her high octane personality, I have to admire her. Having spent 15 years in PR, I can assure you that the stress is high, the hours are grueling and the compensation is slightly better than meh. So when Cutrone says that the television show is her retirement fund, I believe it.

Now add a child into the mix. Cutrone is a single mom, and by all accounts, she’s a good one. She eschews nannies and is a hands on parent, devoting time out of the office (and hopefully off camera) to raising her seven year old daughter. That pretty much explains why Kelly looks like she just rolled out of bed. With a plate that full, who has the time?

Cutrone calls Kell On Earth a cross between Survivor and Rhoda, which is awesome. I think she is whip smart and very funny (she’s said that having interns taught her that “I don’t want to send my daughter to college”) and I am looking forward to the show’s debut.

With her own program, she does not have to play the foil to a bunch of bubble headed blonds. This ostensibly will be a look into her world, without the interlopers. Based on this promo clip from Bravo, she doesn’t want to make anyone cry, she just needs them to do their jobs.

From the outside, the fashion, beauty and entertainment industries look glamorous, lighthearted and fun. But the stakes are high and the egos relentless. It’s an exhausting way to make a living.

The reality genre thrives on trial controversies that make great TV at the expense of intelligence. I hope that Cutrone’s business acuman is as impactful as her edge.

A version of this story was first published on Technorati.com

What a week for Reality TV, or more specifically Jersey Shore. America’s favorite guidos brought notoriously cheap Viacom to their knees, and MTV caved to their demand of $10,000 an episode for a second season. (And no, I still haven’t seen it! But I’m working on that).

Fascinatingly, Jersey Shore has already inspired the intellectual set to ponder the meaning of it all–and specifically ethnic ideals of beauty. Jezebel posts here about it, right on the heels of the NY Times Magazine getting all smarty-pants here.

Of course, US Weekly just gave us the straight up beauty buzz here, as Snooki demos how to create her “pouf,” a fascinatingly modern take on my grandma’s bouffant.

And Inked Magazine has a profile of tattoo artist turned reality TV star turned cosmetics mogle Kat Von D here, as TLC gets ready to air the 2nd half of the new season of LA Ink.

TGIF this week! It’s been nutty around here. I did a guest blogging post for the awesome pop culture site The Critical Condition on the Nick hit iCarly. And I just started an online blogging class. Plus The Kid’s bus didn’t show up this morning (uh oh,break down) and I have meetings for my day job all day (boo). So I need a homework free weekend. Even if my little “assignments” are about taking care of yourself, sometimes even the pressure of that can kick off a stress session.

Be good to yourselves!

It’s Friday! And we’re jetting to Blighty! Well, OK, in our roundup. Here’s what our Brit counterparts were blogging about this week.

Jolie Nadine’s London correspondent considers natural products — specifically what they “won’t” do. (Consider this a primer for our next toxic beauty post–there are points that I strongly disagree with. Can you guess which ones?)

Beauty Junkie London is not a fan of Nars Orgasm. And neither are her commenters. (GASP! Oh those wacky Brits!)

Get Lippe gives readers some dry skin tips. (And I agree with them!)

And, reporting for The Guardian in fancy MP3 style, Hadley Freeman thinks Vivienne Westwood’s new collection is both disgusting and unimaginative. (It’s OK Hadley, I still love you.)

Since we are being all Britannia today, did you know I am a huge Sex Pistols fan (Amazon affiliate link)? And no, I don’t play them in my treatment room (unless requested!). I love it when no one’s home and I can blast the iPod and sing along loudly and horribly to Anarchy in the UK and God Save the Queen. It just feels good. It helps if you jump around like loon while you sing it–which makes it aerobic too. Exercise points!

Seriously, try it this weekend. Punk rock is good for the soul.

I have been so busy these days, what with working the day job, trying to lay down my spa concept (someday I will share, but not yet) and toxic kindergarten, I have not kept up on the comings and goings of my muse Hadley Freeman. And she’s been in NY for fashion week! And I missed her!

Here’s a rundown:

Hadley reports that Madonna and Gwenie’s beloved personal trainer (and alleged deadbeat) Tracy Anderson has absconded with the head of Madonna’s Malawi charity. The man has abandoned his post at the charity to come to NY to be with Tracy, who must be wherever Madonna’s biceps are located. According to Hadley, Madonna is disappointed but apparently needs Tracy to keep her a size 0 more than this dude to take of her charitable escapades.

She thinks that Fashion Week doesn’t make sense anymore. Her point is that since everything happens at the speed of the internet these days, showing clothes six months prior to their arrival in stores doesn’t do much but cost money. The designers a drop a huge chunk of change to do the show, the publishers of glossy mags to drop a wad to send their editors to cover the different fashion weeks around the globe, and the knock-off industry has six months to do what they do best. She found the clothes this year uninspired, but she likes Tory Burch’s collection (scroll to the bottom).

I can’t tell if she loves or hates Mark Jacobs.

She definitely hates Glenn Beck.

She answers a reader query about what she calls “the decade that taste forgot.” Best takeaway: “how totally awesome that dressing like one’s batty aunt was apparently no impediment to being the hottie of one’s high school.”

Finally, she once again proves why she rocks, writing about fashion’s dirty secret: the sexual abuse of models (many of whom are just children).

Hadley, I love you and promise to come back more often.

Twice this week I have read about non-new agey yoga. This month’s Yoga Journal is all about doing it to music, and today’s NYTimes profiles LA yoga guru Vinnie Marino, who was lead to teaching yoga by Grace Slick and kicks off his class with Led Zeppelin (maybe they are so old, they now qualify as new age?).

Vinnie trains the requisite celebrities and devotee Heather Graham is quoted, “Yoga people on the whole are super cool…I don’t find any creepy people in this class!” 

So this reminds me of my friend Jaene, who turned me on to NamasteMoFo, which is just filled with t-shirt awesome-ness! Their mission: “We at NamasteMofo believe that human beings are complex and can honestly embrace holistic ideals and still be totally punk rock.”

Check out the Yoga Bitches t-shirt designed by Jaene, in honor of her play of the same name.  Ladies, I sun salute you!

I couldn’t sleep last night so I did a late-night viewing of
Tabatha’s Salon Takeover. I am not a reality TV kind of girl (gave up on them
after the late Anna Nicole’s fabulously trashy show was canceled on E!). I had
never watched Sheer Genious, so I was a total Tabatha virgin.

It is not the best reality show I have ever seen, but
Tabatha, apart from her unfortunate eyebrows, was a delicious blend of
compassion and bitch.  The salon
she took over was filthy, though it appears like it may be one of the cleaner ones
based on teasers for next week’s episode. Some real ewww inducing moments
included a stylist who never cleaned out his brushes and an area of the floor
littered with old nail clippings under the manicure station.  And there was petrified dog shit on the
floor the owner’s office.  Nasty!

Cleanliness in salons and spas is pretty much the most
crucial part of running an upstanding business. Particularly when waxing or
extracting…. Bodily fluids, people!

If you are getting a service at a new salon or spa, and you
don’t think it’s clean, walk out. If you are getting waxed or extracted, your
tech should be wearing gloves to protect both of you. If you are getting waxed
and you see the waxing tech double dip, walk out.  I don’t care what anyone says, double dipping is not
safe.  Some argue that the stick
never touches the skin, but that’s patently false.  If you are being waxed properly, the stick will touch the
skin. 

Many many years ago, before I knew better, I got my bikini
waxed at a small spa in the Village that was recommended to me by a
friend.  At the time, I did not
think anything about the double dipping, but after a few months of regular
waxes, I had the absolute worst in-grown hairs imaginable. They were everywhere
and so badly infected that they turned into actual boils all over my bikini
area. In addition to being horrific, it was incredibly painful.

I did not understand how it happened, since I used TendSkin
daily.  It turned me off waxing
until I went to school in February. 
That’s when I realized that the problem may not have been ingrown hairs,
but some sort of infection from a lack of sanitation…

There is just way too much nastiness out there to take any
chances.  If it makes you uncomfortable, walk away.