Relax for Great Skin. I spent the weekend at a wonderful resort and spa on the James River in Virginia. A little relaxation can do wonders for your skin, not to mention good hair days! I highly recommend these pampering weekend getaways. Take advantage of them whenever you can, as they will do you a world of good.

Lead In Lipsticks

Click here for an article that talks about significant levels of lead in lipsticks.

Also, visit the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics site for more great information.

Accutane and Acne Issues. Wow, just saw a story about Hans Peterson's adventure with Accutane. He murdered the doctor who prescribed it to him and then fled to St. Maarten to be under the protection of France.
There's no reason for issues with Acne to be that complicated! Check out this page on solving acne problems.

Check out the Skin Care Talk forums. I hang out there sometimes and help answer people's questions, anything ranging from skincare to makeup to acne issues.

The Real Hustle - Organic Skin Care Scam

Prescription for Disaster? Just heard that between 1997 and 2005 prescription drug use was up by some 90%. This upset me just a little bit. I understand that a good portion of that is because of the aging population and their dependence on painkillers as they grow older. However, I'm not a fan of prescription pills. In my opinion they lead to skin problems and when people tell me they can't use anything on their skin my first inclination is to ask them what prescriptions they're on. I often don't do that because I don't want to be nosy about people's medical conditions, so what I usually do is tell them that some prescription drugs have been known to cause skin problems, which is the absolute truth.
I hate to think that people are suffering through all the side effects of these pills and not taking care of their skin the way they should. It's a shame.

Don't Rub Your Eyes. Not only should you avoid rubbing the eye area for reasons of a foreign object in your eye, you should never rub your eyes, period. If there's a foreign object in there, flush with water and pat dry with a towel. Don't rub! It will scratch the delicate surface of your eye.
Don't rub your eyes when you are tired because you will stretch the skin around your eye area and this leads to wrinkles. It's best to refresh your tired eyes by misting or splashing some cool water on your face and then gently pat dry with a towel. Or you can use eye drops. If you wear contacts, make sure you use the drops that are especially for contact lens wearers.

Is Your Face Running? Does your makeup just slide off your face in the heat and humidity of summer? You may not be able to use the same foundation year-round, you may just have to switch it up and opt for a lightweight tinted moisturizer during the summer months. These are great if you want sheer coverage for all those fun summertime activities. They work well year-round too.

Your Look To Go. What better item than Neckties by Belisi for that guy in your life, and a handbag for you to carry all your on-the-go cosmetics in? They also have scarves and pocket squares so they've got you covered, so to speak, as far as those items go. I remember watching old reruns when Flo from the TV sitcom "Alice" used to come in to Mel's Diner every day, take her scarf off her head and tie it around her purse strap. Since then I've always thought handbags and scarves were the coolest thing!
Go get yours today at Belisi! 25% off and free shipping with orders of $100 or more.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BLOG!
It was also MY birthday so it's a double celebration.
I look forward to another year of providing you with great information and tips on skin care (or skincare - one word)
glamour
beauty
nail care
makeovers
facials
and some health and fashion news thrown in too.
Don't forget to visit SkinCareTeacher

Look Good Feel Better I just applied to be a volunteer for this program. I live close to a couple of different cancer centers and I'm happy to do what I can to help out. Take a look at their site, there's a lot more to the program than I originally thought.

Check out this article which talks about using probiotics, a healthy bacteria in skin care and beauty products because of it's anti-aging abilities.

Places I've Lived:

Winzlar, Germany

San Diego, CA

Poway, CA

Redmond, WA

Richmond, VA

Solomons, MD

Places I've Visited

New York City

Las Vegas

Manchester UK

Dublin Ireland

Roslyn, WA

Orlando, FL

Palm Springs, CA

Dallas, TX

New Jersey

Phoenix, AZ

Duck, NC

San Francisco, CA

Tijuana Mexico

Sugar, Sugar. I've said it time and time again: What you put into your system has a lot to do with your appearance. You are what you eat, after all.
It's important to also stay away from dangerous food additives that can cause chemical imbalances in your system. Some of the worst are artifical sweetners.
Opt for natural sweeteners instead, such as stevia, organic sugar cane or honey.

Sister Sandal Pledge. I love this.

Just a friendly reminder; it's that time of the year again. Please raise your big toes and repeat after me.

"As a member of the Faux Pas Sisterhood, I pledge to follow The Rules when I wear sandals and other open-toe shoes:

I promise to always wear sandals that fit. My toes will not hang over and touch the ground, nor will my heels spill over the backs, and the sides and tops of my feet will not purge out between the straps.

I will go polish-free or vow to keep the polish fresh, intact and chip-free. I will not cheat and just touch up my big toe.

I will sand down any mounds of skin before they turn hard and yellow.

I will shave the hairs off my big toe.

I won't wear pantyhose even if my misinformed girlfriend, coworker,mother, sister tells me the toe seam really will stay under my toes if I tuck it there.

If a strap breaks, I won't duct-tape, pin, glue or tuck it back into place, hoping it will stay put. I will get my shoe fixed or toss it.

I will not live in corn denial; rather I will lean on my good friend Dr.Scholl's if my feet need him.

I will resist the urge to buy jelly shoes at Payless for the low, low price of $2.99 even if my feet are small enough to fit into the kids' sizes. This is out of concern for my safety, and the safety of others. No one can walk properly when standing in a pool of sweat, and I would hate to take someone down with me as I fall and break my ankle.

I will take my toe ring off toward the end of the day if my toes swell and begin to look like Vienna sausages.

I will promise if I wear flip flops, that I will ensure they actually flip and flop, making the correct noise while walking and I will swear NOT to slide or drag my feet while wearing them.

I will promise to go my local beauty school at least once per season and have a real pedicure (they are about $15 and worth EVERY penny). I say spend another $15.00 and get an even better one.

I will promise to throw away any white/off-white sandals that show signs of wear...nothing is tackier than dirty white sandals."

Rock and Roll All Over Again
OK, I'm having flashbacks to my former life when I was a rock journalist, back before I got into the skin care biz.

Back in the early 80's when The Police were huge, I must admit I was headbanging with the likes of Def Lep and Quiet Riot. I do like a lot of The Police's songs, though and I remember being so envious of hearing people talk about seeing them in concert and what a great show they put on.
I am eagerly awaiting their big reunion tour! I'm planning to see the show on November 3rd in Atlantic City. That's my backup in case I can't make the August 4th show in Baltimore, MD. I've heard only great things about it and I'm so excited to be able to see them live. Most of the shows are SOLD OUT so get your tickets TODAY! Don't wait, or you'll regret it. Remember what I said earlier. You don't want to hear people talking about how much fun they had at the show - the one you didn't go to! I'm bringing my copy of the police cd to the show because you never know! I might be able to get it autographed!

I'm so happy that they're participating at the big Live Earth event on July 7 in New Jersey. Sting and the boys are so good about helping out a great cause.

If you haven't already gotten your hands on a copy of the new police cd, you simply must do so - and now! Release date is June 5th! I absolutely cannot wait to hear "Can't Stand Losing You" because that is one of my very favorite songs. It's track #2 on Disc 1.

Oh my gosh, and I'll never forget the episode of "Sledgehammer!" where they were chasing the bad guy into a recording studio and the cops told the receptionist as they were running by, "We're the Police!" and she told them they'd have to pick another name because there's already a band called The Police.

A Healthy Within will get you Beautiful Skin. I know you've heard it before, you are what you eat. So why ingest anything that's not good for you? So many skin problems can be traced back to bad eating habits, so go organic, get off any drugs you're on and quit smoking if you smoke. You'll be amazed at the results and you'll be so much more healthy. YOU are the only thing you've got, so take care of YOU!

D.C. is the Sun Smartest! I'm proud to live in the DC Metro area and now I have another reason to be proud. I just heard that residents in the DC region scored the highest in a Sun Smarts quiz, correctly answering questions such as
Is it good to get a base tan?
Are tanning beds safe to use?
DC was ranked 1st in Sun Smarts - even over sun-drenched cities like Tampa and Los Angeles!
Remember, May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month! Go and soak up some knowledge about how to stay safe in the sun.

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Take the time to learn the dangers of sun exposure. You owe it to your health and your self. Make sure you stay sun safe this summer. Sunscreen, long sleeves and limit your time in the sun. See my earlier post in this blog about wrap-around sunglasses. Those will protect your eyes from the sun as well as help prevent fine lines from forming around the eyes.

Vision Correction with Lasik. Years ago, in the early '90's I worked with a woman who had the laser eye surgery performed. I was surprised because at the time she was in her late '70's. She was thrilled with the results, though and recommended the procedure to others. I had often thought of having eye surgery performed to correct my vision. I don't much mind wearing my contacts, though and that's probably my main reason for not having it done.