While the other moms wore Gucci sandals to the music recital, my feet were decked out in my fave skull sneakers. They may be slip-ons but they're not slippers!

Anyone who meets me now basically laughs their ass off that I once had the words “Fashion Editor” in a title (full title was Beauty and Fashion Editor). And while fashion was the least favorite part of my job, I always managed to look the part–slightly trendy and put together.

Then life exploded. Between my job, marriage and a kid, any cool hunting I managed to do in my 20s became simply an expensive pain in the ass in my 30s. Thus much of the decade has been spent in some form of yoga pants.

This really hit home when my kid asked me to attend her day camp music recital. But on one condition. I couldn’t wear my jammies.

Now, in fairness, I don’t wear my “jammies” to drop her off! I am in jeans and a T or tank, and yes some mornings I am in workout gear. But in her head, apparently, I am always in my jammies.

Guess it’s time to ditch the jammies and get a style overhaul.

Luckily, my friend Heather just launched a fantastic new site 365 Days of Style, a really cool online community that’s all style related. Not fashion. Style. Big diff.

Fashion is what designers drape over living clothes hangers. Fashion is what critics dissect, with the good stuff being so “in the moment.” Fashion is an art. And also an industry.

Style, on the other hand, is personal. Simply wearing clothes will definitely keep you from getting arrested for indecency. But style is unique to you and your personality. It allows you to feel comfortable in your own skin.

So my personality probably doesn’t scream yoga pants. At my most relaxed, I am pretty easy-going with a splash of whimsy! I’d love my style to reflect this.

Heather and the 365 crew has put together a fantastic, complete free resource to help me on my quest to add a little more style, and a little less jammie, into my appearance. Their 12 Simple Separates guide breaks down 12 closet essentials that, like magic, can transform into upwards of 80 separate outfits.

Mind blowing, isn’t it?

And did I mention, it’s completely free? No opt in, no strings attached.

My favorite part of the guide is that it will help me edit out pieces of my existing wardrobe that just doesn’t “go” with anything. Nothing is more frustrating than a closet full of clothes that can’t be matched.

This will definitely cut down on the colorful language that echos from my closet when I have to pull myself together for a professional function.

Yes, BeautyOlogy has had a total body makeover! Still the same fun content, but in a much prettier package! Hope you enjoy the new site layout.

One new feature I am stoked to point out is the brand new Product Junkie newsletter. Product Junkie is exclusive content, product reviews, special offers, giveaways and more that are available only to BeautyOlogy subscribers. And to kick this off, I am offering the free weekly series “7 Skin Care Myths.” So for the next 7 weeks, expect a new myth in your in box!

Check the sidebar to the right–you can sign up right there! (I will not do anything naughty with your email address. You are my subscribers and I hate to share.)

And this is just the start! I have more fun stuff planned for this blog through the rest of 2010. (And Product Junkie readers will be the first to know when it’s about to launch!)

So, poke around, sign on up and let me know what you think!

And, finally, I guest posted this week on Wedd Lady‘s insanely informative wedding planner blog. I share a little advice to brides-to-be about planning spa treatments pre-wedding.  If you are getting married, or know someone who is, please pass the post on to them!

My two professional words collided last week, when my friend Leonard announced the launch of my new PR related blog project on his crazy high trafficked site The Clyde Fitch Report. It was a really nice shout out, and he even mentioned my work over here at BeautyOlogy.

In his comments section, someone disagreed with my post (I suspect without having read it, but I digress). And this person decided  that instead of a real conversation an insult would better serve his purpose, as happens all too often in the blogosphere.

The comment was “Methinks the beautician should go back to blogging about nails.”

Ummm, sexist much?

Disagreeing with the post is fine, but with that one sentence he called into question my professional experience not only in PR but also within the beauty industry. To suggest that as a “beautician” (a loaded term already) I had nothing of consequence to say, and that my sole purpose should be to write about nail polish (and let’s be honest, I doubt he was talking about blog posts related to nail health), smacked of both a sexist and elitist tone.

The beauty industry primarily employs women. Hair stylists, nail techs, and estheticians are mainly female. It can be a lucrative industry for many women, whether they are straight out of high school or in a career transition. The fact that our work as professionals is so easily dismissed is infuriating. And would it be if it were an industry dominated by men (on the front lines, at least)?

Glass ceilings abound in loads of industries. And while this industry is not immune to the glass ceiling effect, it is really only within the beauty industry that women have launched multi-million dollar brands–Bobbi Brown, Trish McEvoy, and Sally Hanson are just three of the many names that immediately spring to mind.

Ask anyone doing working in the field, and you will learn that our jobs are not only cutting hair or doing facials. We are also armchair psychologists, our clients often share their troubles when they are in our chairs. We are community builders–at my old spa, countless clients would “drop in” to say hello or share a coffee and a chat, even if they did not have a booking. We are where women can convene, have a laugh or a cry, and feel supported and nurtured. This is something that can not be sniffed aside.

With my own work, I see women’s health as a priority. A high stress lifestyle degrades not only skin but also health. There is also the very real issue of self confidence, which sorry to say, physical appearance does indeed come into play. A teenager faced with severe acne wants to hide her face. Much as I would prefer to fix the taunters, I can fix the acne.

This does not and should not dismiss the harm that the industry inflicts on women–the implication that invasive surgery can fix your all your problems. A face lift, a Botox shot, or a tummy tuck will not make everything OK. And often this sort of invasive beauty definitely undermines a woman’s self confidence. We are told that our bodies need to be “fixed” to a younger, tighter version of ourselves.

And whose definition of beauty is that anyway? Where did the promise of some sort of a youth do over for women come from? And is this not a problem of society on the whole? Where youth culture is celebrated and “the olds” are seen as out-of-touch? Experience counts for nothing.

I get the cosmetic surgery allure, I have pangs of it myself, but these pangs come mainly from my work in the public relations field. In my other career, where I am employed primarily by men, I have lost jobs because I was pregnant, and have been harped on by clients for not losing pregnancy weight fast enough or for going too long between hair cuts and colors. I have been called to task for not wearing makeup. After I was married, I was called to task for wearing makeup, as though I was tarting myself up for a good cheat. And when negotiating my fees, there is always an expectation that because I am married, my husband foots the brunt of the bill.

Like any industry, the effects of the beauty business on women is problematic and often highly conflicted. But there are plenty of smart women doing excellent work, making a difference and earning a living wage by making women (and men) feel good about themselves. The majority of us are not in the field to smack down someone’s physical appearance to our own benefit, financial or otherwise.

But dismissing the workers in this industry so easily needs to be called out. Turning up a nose at the women who populate this “blue collar” industry is sexism. Period.

It’s Friday! Here’s your weekly blogosphere round up!

Styleite has a really good, pretty thorough post on Spring nail polish trends. And they are super pretty. Makes me sad I can’t paint my finger nails.

Make up artist Carissa, who blogs at Hooked On Beauty, has a fantastic video on contouring and highlighting the face. This is not an everyday look, but great for special occasions, or for photography. Watch it all the way through–the beginning stages of the contouring and highlighting will definitely freak non-makeup addicts out.

And I am hanging with Lisa Johnson again this week, as she examines the soda industry’s new lobbying efforts towards stocking “healthier” sodas in schools.

Finally, transition into the weekend with this inspiring fitness post from Fitarella on giving your body the praise that its due.

Have a great weekend!

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!

It’s Friday! Let’s do this!

The ladies at The Gloss tried out skin enhancing beverage additive Glowelle. In their words, “beautiful skin tastes awful.”

Fitness pro Lisa Johnson blogs about Oscar fashion in an entirely unique way. She spots the trends that bare certain body parts and matches it with  exercises to buff up the area. Fun!

Another great post on Lisa’s blog. She rants about Biggest Loser Jillian Michaels’ lack of fitness credentials. Like every other industry, celebrity sells, even if the “guru” has no education or experience. The problem with the marketing tactics of the fitness industry (and to a certain degree, the beauty industry) is that bad advice can be downright dangerous.

This time of year I am always so excited about the prospect of warm weather that I start dressing like it’s 70 degrees. Of course, I spend the day like a shivering fool. So hold off on your warm weather skin care regimen for a few more weeks. (You do have one of those, right? Right?) While we may not see below freezing temps for another 6 months, the weather is still just cold enough to dry out your skin.  Candy Dye has an extensive post about winter dry skin. She breaks down the causes and offers some solutions.

Have a fantastic weekend! Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead on Saturday night. Longer days are finally coming!

Yeah yeah. I know Valentine’s Day was last weekend, but the sites in today’s Bombshell Blogger round up will help you keep your sexy on.

Vintage Beauty Blog is uber sexy. She has retro beauty tutorials! And she has video of Jane Russell. Visit immediately.

Confessions of a Lingerie Addict knows her nighties. I am hoping she joins us here at BeautyOlogy for a guest post, ’cause I sleep in sweatpants and old t-shirts and could desperately use her advice.

Fitarella has a beautiful story. After conquering an eating disorder she went on to train for body building competitions. Celebrating your strength? Totally sexy.

Another non-stop crazy busy week. I have been working non stop for the past few weeks and it’s starting to show. I have to kick myself into gear this weekend and force myself to find the time to work out. And I definitely need to get some more sleep.

Curious–do you make time to take care of yourself? What’s your favorite way to recharge? Share in the comments!

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.

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.