Wanna know the truth about the five statements below in regard to acne?

1: Poor Hygiene Causes Acne
2: Squeeze Those Pimples
3: Junk Food Causes Acne
4: Acne Goes Away on Its Own
5: Tanning Beds Clear Up Acne

…then read The Truth About Acne on Everyday Health.

The Cosmetics Cop Paula Begoun gives the lowdown on stretch marks. Check it out:

It isn’t a stretch (pun intended) to say no one wants stretch marks on any part of their body. Once these grooved, tread-like marks show up, the quest to find something, anything, to get rid of them begins. As a result, bogus products for stretch marks abound—and lots of consumers end up disappointed.

If it Sounds Too Good to be True… Continue reading

P.S. Don’t forget to enter the FSL Cosmetics Lipgloss Giveaway! Entries must be in by Thursday, March 11, 2010.

Happy Monday, ladies!

This past weekend was spent getting some necessary beauty renovations done. After hoarding the money in my beauty fund, I decided I had to let it go when I started to look like James Brown’s mug shot (RIP).

So I hightailed it over to my salon of choice (Aveda Natural Look Salon) and had my nails done (I did the OPI Axxium Gel Manicure again) along with a Brazilian and a brightening facial. I’ve got to say that I’ve had bikini waxes before—and without getting into TMI–I’ve never been able to go all the way for a Brazilian because I could not take the pain. But thanks to Ruby over at Aveda Natural Look, I was able to get through it with very minimal pain (I could say it didn’t hurt at all, but I did have some brief ouch moments). I am not one to take any kind of pain so you know Ruby did a great job. The brightening facial saw a slight difference in my skin, but since it was a mini-facial, I’m going back next week for the full blown out treatment and will report back.

After that, I headed over to the hair salon after months of co-washing and air drying at home and got a relaxer touch-up. After hearing rave reviews about Phytospecific Phytorelaxer, I decided to give it a whirl. My hair is super-thick and an Index 2 is suggested for my hair, but since I was so nervous about trying a new relaxer, I went for Index 1 which is formulated for fine hair. I’m only a few days in so I’ll have to give my final thoughts on it after a few weeks, but I do love that my hair isn’t super flat and lifeless like it usually is after a relaxer. I feel like I should have gone for the Index 2 because my roots still feel a bit kinky, but we’ll see after a few weeks.

Then I also picked up Phytospecific Vital Creme Bath (my second container), a weekly treatment that will seriously transform dry, brittle hair into something soft and shiny and ordered Phyto Huile d’Ales Pre-Shampoo Intense Hydrating Oil Treatment, a pre-shampoo oil treatment (as its name suggests) that you leave in for a minimum of 30 minutes before cleansing. It’s supposed to revitalize and restore healthy radiance to the hair, so I’ll report back on my findings.

How about you? What did you do this weekend?

P.S. Don’t forget to enter the FSL Cosmetics Lipgloss Giveaway! Entries must be in by Thursday, March 11, 2010.

Thank goodness it’s finally March—even though it’s still officially winter and spring surely won’t actually be “springy” until mid-April, I feel comforted that winter will soon be dunzo. I’m tired of the dry skin that winter’s harsh temperatures torture me with–blah. But thankfully because of the good folks at LUSH who sent me a beauty gem, I now have something to help soothe away winter’s drama that not only smells good, but makes my skin feel good.

Granted I didn’t use LUSH’s The Comforter Bubble Bar as it was intended (until they make proper waterproof laptops, I do NOT have time for a long luxurious bath), it still delivered. The bar is made to mimic the look of a big comfy scarf, but to me looks more like a big piece of candy (yum!). Once it hits the water it dissolves creating a spa worthy experience. When you use it in the shower like I did, you can rub it against your skin and it will leave a very creamy covering over your skin while unleashing a very calming scent. At first the scent was a bit bothersome to me, but now that I’m out of the shower and dry, it’s actually very pretty—like a flowery, candy sort of scent that’s subtle and not overpowering.

While the bar is not going to solve problems like uneven skin tone, it is a welcoming treat to help you relax and luxuriate. I look forward to when I have the time for a bath so I can fully experience The Comforter Bubble Bar, but even if it’s just in the shower, I’ll take it…lol.

Like many LUSH products, The Comforter Bubble Bar is made solid so minimal packaging is used to help protect the environment from extra waste. It’s also vegan and contains 100% non-animal tested ingredient plus you can grab it for only $8.75. Great for the environment and great for your pockets, too.

If I could gather a bunch of Make Up For Ever products together and take a bath in them I soooo would!

It seems every product I try from the French brand is a hit. And with no exception, I tried out their Aqua Lip Waterproof Lipliner Pencil in 12C (dark plum purple) and 17C (bright tangerine perfect for this season’s orange lip) and was in love with the vibrancy in color and how this stuff seriously does not budge until you’re ready to take it off. I tested the color on my hand and it stayed there for HOURS and even made it through a 15 minute shower without disappearing. When you use this to line the lips or as a lip color base, it goes on creamy and so pigmented. And the line come in 18 perfect shades to match most natural lip colors and lipsticks/glosses.

$17 may seem steep for a lip pencil, but you get a great amount of product and since one application lasts forever, you definitely get your money’s worth.

After I finish humping the Make Up For Ever display, I’ll be patiently waiting for the debut of their HD Blushes. They’ve already hit Sephora.com and have made appearances at The Makeup Show LA to rave reviews.