Oscar Worthy Nails!

Julep nail polish has released a 7 color collection of polishes in honor of Oscar Nominees in 2012!



Although all the shades are captivating (especially that coppery shade for Rachel Weisz!) I especially love the "Oscar" shade, which is a gold glitter that can be worn alone, or as an accent with the other shades!


The navy shade for Marisa is incredible as well


To purchase, go to
http://www.julep.com/nail-color

Go for a sleek pony tail

Fashion Week just came to an end, and one trend that I can't get enough of is the pony tail!  Designer like Jason Wu and Anna Sui sent their models down the runway with several versions of the classic hairstyle - and I'm loving it!

The classic sleek:


The teased and low pony (retro)

Low Pony





I also loved Nicole Richie's take on the retro "pony tail" from an awards show in January

How to prevent racoon eyes

Although Marc Jacobs had his models sporting the 'morning after' makeup look (otherwise known as raccoon eyes) on his fashion week runway two days ago, most of us are NOT interested in having our makeup run under our eyes!


I wanted to share a couple of quick tips that you may not have thought of:

1.  Remove your remover!  Wait...what?  You need to make sure that if you are using a makeup remover to polish away yesterday's eyeliner/mascara, that you re-wash the eye area with a gentle cleanser to remove the oily residue that the q-tip or makeup wipe left behind.
The wipes are the WORST residue offender, because the oily residue from the cloth soaks into the eyelashes, which causes the coat of mascara you are about to put on not adhere to the lashes as well.
Think of it like this, the moisture and the oiliness that you feel on your hand after using the wipe is all over your lid and lashes:


My recommendation:  dip only the tip of a q-tip into makeup remover when using in the morning.  Swipe over the makeup and then swipe with the clean end of the q-tip, hopefully removing the oily residue.  To be sure that you're removed all traces of oil, gently cleanse skin


2. When applying eye cream, don't get too close to lower ashes, and do not apply eye cream to the lid (where it can 'slide' down to the lash line, lifting your eyeliner and mascara slowly throughout the day!!!!)

Lightly dab and pat eye cream away from the lash line:


As you can see, the theme of #1 and #2 is to keep oil and residue off the lash line and lashes, so that your makeup can adhere properly. 

3. Don't over-coat lashes or over-apply eyeliner.  The more product you apply, the more that is available to slide down under your eyes during the day.  Also, avoid applying 2 coats of mascara.


When you apply eyeliner (for all types except liquid) its best to trace over the line with an eyeliner brush, this will distribute the liner, and remove the excess.


Instead of lining the bottom lash line with the eyeliner pencil, you can use the excess color on your eyeliner brush to smudge the outer part of the lower lash line, therefore achieving the look you want, without excess product to run down your eyes!

4. Use water-resistant (not necessarily waterproof) products and avoid touching the eye area for any reason (especially with unclean hands!)

Follow these tips to keep your eye makeup in place, and avoid a meltdown!

Hold of on buying L'Oreal Lipstick!

For now....

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics did research on over 400 lipsticks on the market right now, and found that MOST LIPSTICKS TESTED POSITIVE FOR LEAD!!!!  Oh no!

The CSC co-founder says that there is no safe amount of exposure to lead, and that women need to protect themselves!  Yes we do!

The FDA used a new analytical method to look for lead in lipstick.  The FDA’s first study, released in 2009, found lead in 20 samples of red lipstick at levels up to 3.06 ppm. An expanded analysis of 400 lipsticks by FDA found lead levels up to 7.19 ppm – more than 70 times higher than the FDA’s limit for lead in candy of 0.1 ppm, a limit set by FDA to protect children from lead exposure. The candy limit is based on the reasoning that 0.1 ppm is the lowest lead level that can be achieved in candy.

The most terrifying part of the study was that five of the top nine worst offenders were L'Oreal lipsticks!  L'Oreal defends themselves by saying that the FDA says there is no need to panic over these levels.  I can tell you, the CSC and MYSELF?  We disagree!!

So, should you ditch?  Well - you may want to!


I grabbed some Q&A from CSC's website about lead, and what I found most terrifying is how lead stays in your system and builds up over time, which is a huge concern of women in child-bearing years, because they can expose their unborn and young children, which is extremely hazardous!

Q: If lead is dangerous primarily for children, why do we have to worry if it’s in products marketed to women?

A: In order to protect children from unnecessary lead exposures, it is necessary to protect pregnant women, and all women of childbearing age. Teenagers and young girls using lipstick are exposing themselves to lead, which builds up in the body and stays in their bodies for years.

“Lead builds up in the body over time and lead-containing lipstick applied several times a day, every day, can add up to significant exposure levels. The latest studies show there is no safe level of lead exposure,” according to Mark Mitchell, M.D., MPH, president of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice.

Lead is also linked to infertility and miscarriage

Q: Why does lipstick contain lead?

A: Lead is a considered to be a contaminant in lipstick, and therefore it is not listed on labels. Lipstick can become contaminated with lead in two ways: raw materials used in the lipstick may be contaminated with lead, or the pigments (paints) used in the lipstick contain lead.

FDA noted that the lipsticks containing the most lead came from three manufacturers. The CSC study also found that a few manufacturers consistently had the highest lead levels. This indicates that some companies are using better manufacturing practices than others.

Q: What can people do to avoid lead in lipstick?

A: Unfortunately, there is no way to know how much lead is in your favorite lipstick. We must call on FDA to immediately set standards to require manufacturers to reduce lead to the lowest achievable levels, and call on FDA to make public the full results of its study, including the brands tested and how much lead they contained. 


Q: Are there government standards regulating lead in lipstick?

A: There are no standards in the United States limiting lead in lipstick. It is legal for lipsticks sold in the U.S. to contain any amount of lead, without any notice to consumers.

Lead is banned from all cosmetics sold in the European Union.

Lead is listed under California’s Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects, meaning that manufacturers of products containing certain levels of lead must notify consumers of risk. The state has said 5 ppm is the actionable lead level in lipstick. However, the Prop 65 calculations do not include the latest science on neurotoxicity, which shows that lead can cause brain damage in children and fetuses at extremely low levels.

Canada has a draft recommendation to allow up to 10 ppm lead in lipstick. This level, which is only a draft and has not been finalized, is much too high. Obviously, manufacturers can do much better than that, and government standards should require manufacturers to make lipstick with the lowest achievable levels of lead.
Q: What’s next?

A: The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, with your help, will continue to pressure FDA to require best practices of manufacturers and require them to make the safest lipstick with the lowest possible levels of lead. We must also pressure FDA to fully disclose the results of their lead in lipstick study, including the names of the brands tested matched with lead levels found in each product. Get involved by writing to L’Oreal to demand cleaner products, and joining our action network.
It would seem that because lead is a contaminant, the presence of lead in a lipstick has much to do with the manufacturing facility.  It would appear that as of right now, these brands are considered 'safe' from lead exposure based on their manufacturing processes:

Avon
Bare Essentuals
Body Shop
Clinique
Dior
Estee Lauder
MAC (matte only)
Tarte

There are certainly more, but these were the ones that passed several studies since 2007.

You can get more information about the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics here, on their website:
http://safecosmetics.org/

Raid your office supply closet for beauty finds?

In this case - yes!  What can I do with hole punch reinforcement stickers?


How about a fabulous and trendy 'reverse manicure'?!?!


OH YES!

You can use these 'stickers' at the base of the nail bed on the [completely dry] base color then paint your second color over the top, peel and let dry and finish with top coat!  This was a great how-to image I found:


2 ways to wear the look:

MATTE vs GLOSSY look  (you'll need a matte top coat!!)
the look combines a glossy or metallic shade against the contrast of a very flat, matte finish!


The other look is the LIGHT vs DARK

Louboutin Manicure - What its about

Any woman that loves shoes knows and loves Christian Louboutin and his incredible red-soled masterpieces


But now you can sport a similar look with your nails, called the "Louboutin Manicure" which is a black polish on nails, with a red "soled" nail underneath!


Start with a great black polish (I like China Glaze's "Liquid Leather") and then paint the underside of nails with a red (or paint the underside of a fake tip prior to gluing it on!)


Celebrities like Adele (at the Grammy's 2012) are rockin' this trend, and you can too! 

Do the red first!  For shorter nails, try a nail pen like Sally Hansen's Color Quick - and do several coats to make the red very bold!

Then follow with 2 coats of black polish on nails, complete with a glossy top coat!  Amazing!


What do you think ladies?  Hot new nail trend?

Hey, its better than girls painting phony Chanel or Louis Vuitton logos on their nails - gross!

(Just don't, ok?)

Stockings that Slim and Tan You?

Can it be true?!  Finally, science and research has found a way to make wearing pantyhose worth it!

First of all, let's talk SLIMMING

Brand "caffeine stockings and shape wear" contain micro capsules of caffeine, which is known to fight cellulite and firms skin (most anti-cellulite creams have caffeine in them).  Right now they are sold in the UK (but you can have them shipped to the US)

http://www.tightsplease.co.uk/brands/skinkiss/caffeine-tights/

 

Now, onto tanning tights (what a genius idea!)  Skinkiss also makes a pair of stockings that contain the DHA chemicals in fake tanners.  The first time you wear the tights, they tan your legs (as shown below)

 

After that initial wear, you wash the tights and wear them as regular stockings (read: they only tan you once)

You can buy them here for about $20:

http://www.tightsplease.co.uk/brands/tightsplease/fake-tan-tights/

 

Very interesting, and worth trying!