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Health and Beauty - October 2007

They get free samples of new beauty products before they hit counters and their reviews on what’s hot and what’s not are lapped up by the many beauty and age-defying-obsessed. Want to know what beauty editors have stocked their bathroom cabinets? Here are 10 of the beauty editor must-haves, according to NY Daily News :

Cetaphil Face Wash
Cetaphil Face Wash
The fact that the packaging isn’t the most attractive (virginal white with a pump and a blue label stuck to the front – very no frills), it only shows that the manufacturers are confident that the product actually does the job and doesn’t need the fancy get-up to garner sales and positive reviews. The face wash was originally formulated for dermatologists’ use. It’s gentle, soothing and fragrance-free. Suitable for all skin types (even babies!) but especially for those suffering from dry, sensitive and/or acne-prone skin.


Cost : AUD$14 for a 500ml pump from E Pharmacy. Check out cetaphil.com.au to get free samples!

Kiehl's Lip Balm #1
Kiehl's Lip Balm #1
Lip Balm #1 is Kiehl’s best-selling product. Like Cetaphil, this product comes in plain white packaging but with black writing all over it. It helps relieve chapped or cracked lips and from the drying effects of the wind and frigid weather and lasts longer on your lips than your average lip balm. The lip balm feels and smells a little like Vaseline but glides more smoothly on your lips.


Cost : While you can buy this product in a jar for AUD$16 from Mecca Cosmetica, I think I’ll stick to my Vaseline, thanks.

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler
Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler
Beauty editors have raved about this eyelash curler in their magazines since it came out. Does it live up to the hype? According to the reviews I’ve read online, yes it does. Stainless steel, sturdy with a black rounded rubber pad, it fits snugly at the base of the lashes and to the contour of the eye for a long-lasting curl. Touted as a ‘wonder’ eyelash curler, it works better than the heated ones and suits all eye shapes.

Cost : AUD$17.95 from www.fountaincosmetics.com.au

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion
Containing a blend of calamine and salicylic acid, a tiny dab of this lotion on an unsightly pimple (particularly that one on the tip of your nose) will soothe it and clear it up overnight. Overnight! Sounds almost too good to be true. Where was this when I had to stay home from a ‘disco’ and missed the chance to make out with my Polish crush because of that unsightly pimple?

Cost : AUD$22

Phytodefrisant Botanical Hair Relaxing Balm
Phytodefrisant Relaxing Balm
Using only a minimum amount to damp hair, this relaxing balm takes away those nasty-looking frizz (that makes you look more stressed than you are) and tames even the most stubborn stand of hair. The result, after it’s dried, is like coming out of a hair salon – silky, shiny hair that ripples through your fingers like water. Voted as #1 haircare product by Allure magazine time and time again, the balm doesn’t leave residue so it doesn’t make your hair look flat and oily by the end of the day.

Cost : AUD$26 from strawberrynet.com for a tube that can last up to 6 months

Bumble & Bumble Does It All Styling Spray
This medium-hold hair spray keeps your locks in place without making your hair clumpy and stiff that can rival a hedgehog. It leaves your hair shiny and glossy and you can use a heat-styling tool straight after without hearing that sizzling sound of your strands being cooked.

Cost : AUD$30

Nars Blush in Orgasm
For the fairer-skinned woman, this blush reputedly gives you that peachy shimmer flush that apparently creeps up to the cheekbones after…well, read the product name.

Cost : AUD$32

Lancome Definicils
Another bestseller by Lancome, this mascara goes on your lashes smoothly, lengthening them and leaving your new glamorous-looking lashes clump-free. It doesn’t smudge and washes off easily. The mascara won’t give you the dramatic-looking eyelashes that are huge in Hollywood right now and supposed to be THE trend for summer but go for this one if you’re after a low-maintenance mascara you can wear everyday and can give some attention to your eyes without the others looking at them and thinking spiders have crawled up and settled on your lids.

Cost : $48

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Radiant Touch
Yves St Laurent Touche Eclat Radiant Touch
Make-up not doing anything to hide those dark circles under your eyes after a long night of tossing and turning? This ‘miracle’ highlighter contains light-reflecting particles that deflect any attention from shadows and blemishes on your face, instantly brightening your skin. So who needs foundation then, eh?

Cost : AUD$48

Lancome Instant Colour Self-Tanning Leg Gel
Give yourself that healthy, shimmering, sun-kissed glow for summer without even stepping a foot outside your house. The gel dries on your skin within one hour of application, giving you an overall, natural tan.

Cost : AUD$50


Out of the above, I’m quite keen on trying out Cetaphil Face Wash (simply because it’s excellent value for money, compared to what I’m paying for my current cleanser), Phytodefrisant and the YVES Highlighter. But with the exception of Cetaphil, the other products seem just a bit pricey to me, despite the glowing reviews I’ve read online. And since I’ve vowed from last week on to curb my spending habits on beauty products, I might have to put this on my Xmas wish list for 2007.

Any of these tempting you to buy?



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How much do you spend to look good?

October 25th 2007 01:50
According to a research conducted by Co-Operative Insurance, an average woman will spend £180,000 on skin care, hair and nail products, spa treatments, perfumes, cosmetics and dietary regimes, all for the sake of looking good and appearing younger. This is money, Co-Operative Insurance insists, that is better off as a contribution towards retirement and when you think about it, that’s a whopping AUD$412,000!!!

Cosmetics
How much do you think these all cost?

After I read this, I thought, this couldn’t possibly be true which got me to add up all the expenses I’d incurred on beauty stuff just for this year. And to my horror, with the year not even over yet, I discovered that I had already spent close to $5000 and on what? An atrocious haircut where the hairdresser didn’t even cut my hair evenly that I spent the next week tilting my head to the side and red highlight fill-ins that only made my hair dry and brittle? Hair salon shampoo & conditioners that provide the same results as Pantene? The plethora of SKII products that caused my skin to break out? Those tiny, expensive boosters that are supposed to make your skin glow but don’t? And to think this was the year I made the conscious effort to spend less on beauty products! Calculating the amount I’d spent in the past years since I got that bee in my bonnet to try and look like one of those white-toothed girls (and don’t get me started on those darn teeth-whitening products) in magazines, it horrifies me to know that the amount I’d spent all up could have been a sufficient deposit on my dream house or three first-class trips around the world!

I’m all for indulging myself once in a while – getting massages and facials for de-stressing and relaxation and that is something I’m not ready to give up. But I can no longer justify spending thousands of dollars a year on products that, let’s face it, probably only 15% of which have delivered what were promised.

Does this mean that I will be stopping by pharmacies en route to a party to utilise their cosmetics testers? Or registering on various websites so I can get free samples of cleansers and moisturisers? Probably no to the first one and yes to the latter. But from now on, I will venture into a hair salon not to while away two hours of a Sunday but because I have six months’ worth of split ends; bypass perfume counters that only make me sneeze for scented body lotions; scoff at eye creams and lip plumpers because there is no way I am ever going to look like Angelina Jolie without undergoing cosmetic surgery; and scour the web for home-made recipes of scrubs and masks. Call me a cheapskate but I do have my retirement to think about after all.
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My sister had a haircut the other week, full of hope before she went into the hair salon because she had been dreaming about the Posh Spice bob for weeks now, thinking the hairstyle would give her that glamorous and sophisticated look that Posh is so much known for. Unfortunately, sis didn’t take into account that her face shape is wide and round and the result was akin to a pumpkin head with a bob hairstyle and longer scraggly strands at the front.

I’m sure my sister isn’t the only one who’s realised too late (and $60 poorer) that certain hairstyles just don’t do anything for them. I remember insisting on the Kelly Taylor look – the short, wavy bob that made Jennie Garth look girly and fun in 90210- and realising afterwards that the haircut only made me look like my dad. Magazines giving you tips on which hairstyles best suit your face shape and going by your hairdresser’s suggestions aren’t enough for me so I was glad when I came across Beauty Riot Instant Makeover.

The site allows you to upload your own photo – just pick out one that has you facing straight ahead, and lets you try out not only the latest hairstyles but make-up options so you can pick out which style and look best suit your face shape and colouring. Registration is free and takes only a couple of minutes. Adjusting your photo so your image fits within certain outlines can be time consuming but after that, you have access to around 30 different hairstyles (some celebrity styles), 50 hair colours and highlights, 25 eyeshadows, 55 lipstick shades, among other things. The site is constantly being updated, adding more styles and colours so it’s worth checking out every so often or if you’re itching for a new look. You can also print out your desired look to take to the salon to prevent any miscommunication there.

Virtual Makeover
Me in Ashlee Simpson hairstyle - yek!

Thanks to this site, I’ve realised that a fringe, the current rage, is not the best style for me and going blonde is a no-no – which saved me $60 and six months of trying to grow my hair back.
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Jennifer Lopez Glow
5. Glow by Jennifer Lopez
Fresh, Sexy, Fun - Glow was born in 2002 when Jennifer Lopez apparently walked out of her shower, pointed to her own bathrobe and said, “This. I want it (the perfume) to smell like this”. The scent features a blend of orange blossom, soft musk, pink grapefruit and vanilla and has been said to smell like refreshing floral soap that doesn’t overwhelm. In its first year, it raked in over US$100 million in sales and despite releasing six other scents since then, including Glow ‘spin-offs’, the original Glow remains a top-seller with sales of US$47.1 million at the end of 2006.

Britney Spears Curious
4. Curious by Britney Spears
With notes such as Louisiana magnolia, golden Anjou pear, lotus flower, jasmine and sandalwood, Curious, curiously enough, smells nothing like musky trash. Released in 2004, it was the number one fragrance across department stores and was voted Best Woman’s Fragrance by Fragrance Foundation in 2005, raking in US$55.4 million in sales by 2006. Methinks the girl would have better luck sticking to perfumes than reviving her music career if her latest song and live performance were anything to go by.

Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely
3. Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker
SJP’s first fragrance and released in 2005, Lovely’s notes include lavender, orchid, amber, apple martini and musk. Ultra feminine but without that overwhelming sharp floral scent that really goes up your nose and gives you symptoms of hay fever, Lovely just beat Britney Spears’ Curious with US$57 million in sales in 2006.

Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds
2. White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor
White Diamonds continues to be listed among the top ten-selling fragrances (not just celebrity fragrances), every year since it was created in 1991 and earned US$60.7 million in sales in its 15th anniversary. With a blend of Amazon lily, Turkish rose, oakmoss and sandalwood, White Diamonds is a sensual, sophisticated and feminine scent to Ms Taylor encourages us to ‘wear it anywhere you would wear diamonds”.

Sean John Unforgivable
1. Unforgivable by Sean Combs
Now, this is a total surprise to me. A scent endorsed by a joke of a singer-rapper whose slogan for the product is “Life without passion is Unforgivable” and whose reason for endorsing the scent is because “There are millions of men taking my lead, and I have to take them to the promised land of sexy”, is the number one best-selling perfume in 2006, raking in US$74.9 million in sales. Notes feature tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, juniper and sandalwood. I’ve never had a whiff of Unforgivable but I really hope it is a genuinely nice scent because I refuse to believe there are millions of men out there who want to emulate someone like P Diddy, Puff Daddy, Dee Dee Do, or whatever he’s calling himself these days.
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They’ll put a significant dent in your Xmas budget so here’s hoping they actually do work, although a couple look like they could join gadgets like the Ab Force belt or the Thighmaster in my cupboard of useless things I’d bought for vanity.

Fusion Beauty GlowFusion AirGlow

[ Click here to read more ]
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According to the survey conducted by 7000 film buffs on Lovefilm.com, Princess Leia’s saucer-like buns on either side of her head in the Star Wars trilogy is the most iconic hairstyle of all time with 35% of the votes.

Princess Leia

[ Click here to read more ]
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Whether you came across them by accident, your favourite celeb swears by them or your friend strongly recommends them, there are some beauty tricks that actually work and don't break your budget. Here are some of mine, what's yours?

Body model
1. This one I found by accident when I had a slight shaving mishap and had to stay in the bathroom for a while. Directly after showering, rub moisturiser all over your body and stay inside the bathroom for 10-15 minutes (brush your teeth, wash your face, sit in the toilet, etc). I find that the warm, damp air makes my skin absorb the moisture, making my skin softer and more supple.

[ Click here to read more ]
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Bizarre Beauty Products - from Japan

October 2nd 2007 01:24
I’ve noticed people have stopped asking me for advice on how to lose the weight they’ve put on during winter because they hate hearing that dreaded word : exercise. So I’ve decided that the next time they ask me for tips on how to tone and shape up for summer, I’ll refer them to some bizarre beauty products from Japan I discovered through uniquedaily.com and have fun seeing which ones would be gullible enough to purchase one of these online-

Jawline Slimmer
Getting conscious of your double chin that you make an effort to always keep your chin up? The Jawline Slimmer can take the excess fat from your massive jowls. No exercising but it does involve some sweating. The aluminium guard is placed under your jaws and under your chin. All you do is add water and wait for the sweat to come out like you would in a sauna and voila, slimmer jaws!

[ Click here to read more ]
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