I honestly don’t remember when I started obsessing over my eye brows. I vividly remember a horrible wax incident while I was in college, and I recall knowing enough about the process to realize where and how it went awry. So I am guessing the brow grooming started in high school.

When I went to esthetics school, I emersed myself in every tips and tricks on shaping brows. Some experts suggested a simplified process–measure the start and end of the brows, arch is in the middle. One book used a method that included several rulers and mathematical equations that would stoke NASA.

When the famous Anastasia (guru behinds famous brows like Madonna and JLo) offered brow kits at Sephora,building the perfect brow seemed a little too easy. Hollywood style brows in a kit?

So this video of Anastasia demo-ing her brow kit is an eye opener. First, I love that she uses what I call “the power of three” (using three areas rather than the typical two to find the arch). And the stencils seem to eliminate the goof factor. Finally, the inclusion of a brow powder means that I will actually use it. In case you have never tried it, filling in brows makes a huge difference!

I am officially growing out my brows so I can put Anastasia’s Beauty Express Brow Kit to the test. I’ll report my findings!

“Beauty Express” brow-kit instructional video from Anastasia Beverly Hills on Vimeo.

Check out this great news for yoga afficionados.

A study in the Journal of Sexuality reported that almost 75% of enrolled in a 12 week yoga program reported a more satisfying sex life at the end of the program.

What is it about yoga? Like any regular exercise program, the side effects are more energy and confidence, which certainly enhances romance.

Yoga also improves arterial blood flow, and studies point to this particular benefit for not only reducing the risk of heart disease, but  also enhancing sexuality.

Relaxation is also key. I have forced myself to do yoga once a week for the past 20 weeks and, I will admit that now I can get into the relaxation zone. Yoga reduces levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, which is beneficial all around (particular for the skin!). A relaxed body and mind simply improves sexual function.

I so get the desire to de-goop. That little blackhead burrowed into your nose looks like it has taken over your entire face (but trust me, you are the only one who can really see it). That huge pimple on your chin is begging to be popped. Keeping your hands off your face? It’s. So. Hard.

The self-proclaimed Cosmetic’s Cop Paula Begoun has extraction advice for her readers posted over at her blog The Beauty Bunch. Paula doesn’t have much use for estheticians, and she believes that we all can DIY our pimple popping and blackhead squeezing.

And, hey, maybe we can! But her advice is wrong.

First, don’t use a comedone extractor. This is a tricky tool to master, and I have had extensive damage done to my skin by a trained esthetician using one of those suckers. You are way better off using the sides of your fingers (no nails, and fingers clean and wrapped in cotton or gauze pads, please!) or two Q-Tips.

With sufficient skin prep, blackheads often slip right out with the fingers and some light pressure. But skin prep is not, as Paula suggests, a little bit of a water based cleanser scrubbed with a washcloth around the area.

You need to soften the oil, which is done by using a highly alkaline solution left on the area for several minutes with steam applied. A face wash in tepid water means you will have to exert more pressure to pop those suckers out. That can lead to damage.

You need good magnification to see what you are doing and to follow the pore’s direction.

If you pop a pimple, make sure it is fully drained. If not, it will come back with a vengeance.

Never, ever EVER try to pop a pimple without a head on it. Period. Do not try to lance it to get the goop out. Leave it alone. You can scar (and I have the ice pick scars to prove it from my wandering teenage fingers).

When you are done, swab the area with witch hazel or tea tree oil. That stuff you just took out is bacteria, and without this step, it can spread all over your face.

Self-extracting is not something I recommend, but I am also realistic and know everyone gives it a go at least once in their lives.

Do you see an esthetician faithfully? For clients who see me regularly, I am happy to extract a pimple and give a quick high frequency between appointments if a pimple is making them crazy. Yours may very well have the same policy. It’s worth finding out.

Would you wash your face with a Brillo pad?

That’s exactly what I thought when I finally pulled out the March issue from the unread stack of Allure magazines sitting next to my bed. The article that caught my attention, called “Tried and True,” was a piece on what beauty editors use on their own skin.

One of Allure’s editors uses the prescription strength retinoid Renova nightly. And every other night, she uses a 10% glycolic at-home peel. Plus, she puts the Renova on 30 minutes after the peel. It makes my skin burn just thinking about this.

She must have skin like leather, because Kids, there is way too much irritation and exfoliation going on. I don’t like the idea of a 10% at home glycolic mixed with an Rx strength retinoid. It just goes way against my better judgment.

Both Renova and glycolic are super irritating to skin. And glycolic is a “degreasing” agent, which means it eats away your skin’s oil. Prescription Vitamin A formulations are super exfoliating, and you can experience redness and flaking when you use them. To put both of them together, and it could over strip your skin of its natural barrier function, leaving skin dry, damaged and chronically inflamed.

Careful estheticians require peel candidates to stay off their Rx Vitamin A topicals for a certain amount of time before they will peel a client. And peeling more than once a week is incredibly excessive. When we do a peel series for clients, they are generally spaced out anywhere between two and four weeks, depending on what we are treating. Even a weekly peel doesn’t give your skin time to repair.

The cover tag for the Allure article was “Get Great Skin.” Based on this Allure editor’s personal regime, the only thing you’d get is damaged skin.

Truth In Aging called out a very small cosmetics company for overcharging for a serum. They found the exact same ingredients from another small brand for half the price. And they let out the industry’s “dirty little secret,” Private Label.

Since sarcasm can’t be detected in print, I need to point out that the “dirty little secret” part is dripping with it.

I think that Truth In Aging should have done a little more research before slapping down this tiny company. And they need a better understanding of Private Label as well as the costs associated with product formulation.

Private Label? Is that like Members Only (heh remember those jackets)?

Private Label is essentially when a cosmetic company purchases and fulfills their products from an outside lab. The products are branded with cosmetic company’s logo and information, and to consumers it does not appear to come from any source other than the company they are purchasing from.

Because the costs for R&D are astronomical and many companies–from well known brands to tiny start ups–need the Private Label manufacturers to curb the outsized costs of product development and fulfillment.

Private Label can mean many things depending on your budget. You can work with the manufacturer to create a custom blend, which is pretty expensive but guarantees that the product is uniquely yours. Or you can purchase whatever stock blends they carry, clearly a much cheaper option.

Back to the bruhaha

I don’t know either company involved in this little bruhaha, or this particular product. That they use Private Label, or that they use the same Private Label source, is purely speculative. However, I found a Private Label source offering the formulation  found in both the products. And I found other brands that are using the formulation. And if TIA found the 100% markup shocking between the two brands they cite, they should have done a bit more sleuthing. I found the same formulation retailing for $80.

So, what’s the deal?

My best guess: packaging.

Most Private Label companies offer their own consumables for bottling. Or you can send them your own containers to fill, which is subject to additional charges for all sorts of testing. They need to ensure compatibility between the product and the packaging.

Repackage and your liability goes up

This particular Private Label company apparently also sells their product in wholesale containers. Companies buying from them could repackage on their own. By not having the original manufacturer bottle the product for them, this opens up the cosmetic company to law suits should something go horribly wrong. Companies that do their own packaging must carry their own insurance as a safeguard. And liability insurance on cosmetics products is damn expensive. When the Private Label company packages the product, the liability is remains with the Private Label company doing the packaging.

Was the $25 price outrageous?

The median price for this formulation appears to be in the $20 – 25 range, so I don’t think the “overpriced” company was trying to screw over their customer. Often Private Label companies give a “suggested retail price” based on whatever costs the cosmetic company is incurring.  Since the norm was in that range, my guess is the company went with the price suggested to them. All of the bottling with the products that fell in that range were rather unique, and did not look like standard “Private Label” issued packaging, which would bring the cost down.

Incidentally, I do feel like the $80 bottle was overpriced, but that’s not the company that was called out publicly.

The $25 product that Truth In Aging cited did not have product images available, so I could not see the packaging. But based on TIA’s original (and favorable) review of the product, it would appear that this company offered something unique–they put the serum in two smaller bottles rather than one large.

Why would they package this in two bottles? Oxidation.

The main active ingredient in the formulation is Vitamin C, which is highly unstable and oxidizes quickly. Vitamin C, even in ester form (and this formulation uses both), will turn a brownish color when exposed to air. By packaging in two separate bottles, this company is at least attempting to minimize the oxidation process. Oxidation does not necessarily impact efficacy, but it certainly would lead consumers to toss out the product when it discolors. My best guess is that they is trying to curtail that, as well as the costumer complaints and bad word of mouth that accompany tossing a product into the bin.

Back to the price gouging question

It does not appear that TIA tried to contact this company to get to the bottom of the situation. There are endless of factors that go into product pricing beyond the cost of the product itself.

And while TIA may be doing a service to their readers by finding the same product at a cheaper price, I don’t think it was terribly fair to call a company out as a price gouger. In my opinion, just about every company that sells any product is guilty of that. I would have loved to see a response from any of the companies TIA called out for “duping” consumers with Private Label.

Private Label is done by many well known brands

TIA treats Private Label companies like a big old cystic zit on the face of the cosmetics industry. However, several of the top niche brands in the market come out of Private Label labs. (And I am not talking about the celebrity lines either–the famous industry faces behind these companies aren’t cooking up formulations in their kitchens!) One of the largest personal care manufacturers in the US offers a Private Label service.

How do I know?

I have been researching Private Label companies off and on for the past two years. For smaller spas and estheticians, Private Label is becoming an important and viable option for cost effective retail products. Cosmetic companies that once sold exclusively to spas and salons are expanding into the mass market. These companies often sell their products at a discount to large retailers, which allows the large retailers to discount to the consumer with no effect on their bottom line. Smaller companies cannot financially compete with what is essentially the WalMart-ization of the beauty industry.

Competition is healthy, and important

Private Label is not the scourge of the beauty industry. Are there shoddy labs out there? Sure there are. But there are some seriously kick ass labs out there as well. With the right lab, Private Label can yield some spectacular products.

Plus it keeps competition going with the big brands by offering aspiring brands a cost effective opportunity to bring products to the market– and this competition is healthy and it matters. Over the past 10 years, these large brands went on a buying spree and snatched up a lot of the boutique products that were gaining market share. Without competition in place, your choices on products would be limited. And less competition means more opportunity for the biggest players to raise their prices.

I decided to withhold the brand names cited in TIA’s original post. If you are curious, you can find the names on their site. I don’t feel comfortable calling any company out in a public forum without knowing beyond a reasonable doubt what they are or are not doing in terms of their formulation and pricing. And, frankly, price is ultimately based on what the customer is willing to pay. There are clearly consumers out there willing to pay $350 for Cream de la Mer, and more power to them.

And with that, I leave you with this Dirty Little Secret. Enjoy!

Jurlique's Age Defying Night Lotion contains licorice to fade discoloration

Manly Man Husband emailed me a link to a website that sent me into a rage. It was selling Obagi C-Clarifying Serum, and a quick google search showed that loads of internet retailers were doing the same.

What’s the big deal, right, it’s just a serum. The big deal is that it contains 4% hydroquinone, which is a prescription strength cosmetic ingredient. Seriously, my friends, you don’t want to play around with this stuff without consulting an MD.

The Skinny: What Is Hydroquinone?

Hydroquinone is a highly effective skin lightener. For those with the tell-tale signs of sun damage (dark spots), hydroquinone is certainly a miracle in a bottle. However, most OTC formulations with hydroquinone use 2%. To obtain a topical with 4% or above, you need to see a doctor.

What’s So Bad About It?

In scientific circles, there’s the usual argument about the safety of the ingredient. Some say it’s a proven carcinogen, others say that it’s never been proven to cause cancer. However, it does appear that long term use of hydroquinone causes cytotoxicity. Hydroquinone is banned in several countries, including the EU and Japan.

An Appeal to Vanity…

Health matters aside, let’s appeal to vanity. Misuse of hydroquinone can cause dermal pigmentation, and you so don’t want that.

Wait, let’s go back for a second and talk sun damage…

The usual, run-of-the-mill sun spot damage is generally epidermal hyperpigmentation, which is on the surface (dead) layer of the skin. Regular topical treatment with natural products (or yes even hydroquinone) inhibits the melanin production in that area.

Dermal pigmentation, on the other hand, is discoloration at the dermal level, the area of live skin. In addition to the discoloration, dermal pigmentation eats away at the collagen and elastin fibers. Dermal pigmentation is spectacularly difficult to treat. And studies have shown that extensive use of hydroquinone creates exactly this sort of damage.

Other options.

Personally, hydroquinone makes me very uncomfortable, particularly when there are other fantastic, completely safe yet effective ingredients to use, although the results may take longer to achieve. I have had fantastic results lightening sun spots with just regular AHA-based peels. For your everyday skin care products, look for ingredients like azelaic acid, kojic acid or licorice extract (found in Jurlique’s Purely Age-Defying Night Lotion). (Amazon Affiliate Link)

It’s important to note, once you stop using either any of the natural lighteners, or hydroquinone for that matter, the hyperpigmentation will return.

Why it doesn’t last forever…

These ingredients (hydroquinone included) are known as tyrosinase inhibitors. Tyrosinase is an enzyme that causes an oxidation reaction that, for example, turns fruits brown when exposed to air. In the skin, tyrosinase has the same effect. So these inhibitors block the oxidation process that leads your skin to create pigment. Once you remove them from your regime, the tyrosinase is free to oxidize it’s heart out, and generate pigment again.

Where would we be without a little SPF wrap up?

And sunblock? Very important when treating hyperpigmentation, particularly if you are using hydroquinone. But I don’t really need to remind you because I know you are wearing your it religiously, right? Right? Just in case, please wear your SPF. You can’t beat the hyperpigmentation without it.

I am guessing ya’ll heard about those new FCC rules re: bloggers and disclosure? So for the record…

At this point, I buy all of my product. I am not swanky enough to get inundated with swag (please oh please click the link PLEASE), and I am not chasing it either. Although it would probably be more financially responsible for me to ask  for free product to try. But I have never been terribly responsible.

You will notice I don’t  product review much these days. Times are tight at the mo, and I can’t buy as much product as I would like to try. It’s hard for me to justify buying something right now that may very well end up in the trash.

If it’s a free sample, or something I received as a gift (yes family members buy me product!), I will disclose that.

I try not to blog about the product that I use in my treatment room and/or retail, which is hard because I obviously adore those products but I am not here to be all sell-y. If I do mention any item I professionally work with, I disclose it.

Since this blog is a free WordPress blog, I can’t accept any forms of advertising. If I migrate to my own site someday, that may change. But for now, we are ad free (though I think WordPress may stick their own ads up from time to time-these have nothing to do with me). This includes “sponsored posts.” I wish I had someone who would sponsor me for just being fabulous, but I married for love, not money, which was, once again, irresponsible (see paragraph 1).

So, basically, I don’t make money from this and I don’t get free product or invited to swanky lunches, product launches, or press junkets to exotic locations.

I think disclosure is fine, and I was doing it anyway. But I am not terribly thrilled that the government thinks this blog may require federal oversight. Where’s the oversight on the health insurance companies who jack up rates and deny claims? Where’s the oversight on Wall Street? I really don’t understand why, with all the flailing around going on in this country right now, they decided that the bloggers need a babysitter. But whatever. Disclosure is easy enough.

However, if the FCC is really interested in crack downs, I would recommend they do not forget that traditional media has an awful lot of pay-for-play that going on as well. When I worked at the glossies, companies that advertised always had their product first in line for an editorial mention. And when it came time to ID the makeup worn by the cover models, we used a rotating list of advertisers. We would send them the cover image and asked them to color match everything with their products and give them the credit, regardless of what the makeup artist used. Just sayin…

So thank you FCC. I hope I am in compliance. Please don’t fine my ass.

There was another beauty event today at CVS, and this time I was THERE when it was actually going on! And apparently I was the only one. The cosmetics aisle was deserted.

A person who I think was one of their famous beauty advisers walked past me while I was poking around, pleasantly said hello, answered the phone and then promptly disappeared. Perhaps she was a beauty mirage?

Once again, CVS, a big old marketing fail.

Been sick. Very very sick. Day job nutso and then Spa Week hit. I am crappy blogger once again, but real posts to come soon. One worth reading on tips for Spa Week. I PROMISE. In the meantime, love on this puppy!

With 80s beauty on my mind since this post, I looked up the Queen of Punk Fashion, Vivienne Westwood, who recently had her Red Label Fall 09 ready to wear show in London, to see what she was up to. And there is no better time to discuss Westwood than the kick off of  Tartan Week here in NYC.

Her Fall 09 collection was a “school girl” theme, with the usual Westwood flair. The make up and hair was a pretty modern take on the punk-era looks that Westwood and Malcom McClaren made ubiquitous in the 70s and early 80s. Some hair was in a sort of punky half up-do, other hair was left long and messy, in a just-rolled-out-of-bed look (my absolute lazy favorite).

The real story was the lips. Her makeup artist followed the prime makeup rule with bold lips and barely there eyes or vice-versa.  She used two pretty bold lip colors–a super bright pink or a dark goth chocolate.  There also appeared to be more contour to the cheeks, with a dusting of darker blush just under the cheek bone, a look I have not tried for well over a decade, and something I would be willing to if I could find the right color.

Fashion-wise, Westwood knows how to rock the tartan. Tartan heir apparent is Howie over at 21st Century Kilts in Edinburgh. If you have not seen his designs, get a ticket for  Dressed to Kilt, happening tonight. It’s a rowdy time!