It Ain't Easy Being Blue. Check out this story about Paul Kerason who's skin has turned blue. He even had to move from Oregon to California due to people not being too nice to him.
Paul thinks that a colloidal silver ointment that he used on his face contributed to his bluish/purple facial skin condition.

Makeup, Mercury and Minnesota. Click here for a news report about Minnesota's ban on certain cosmetics which goes into effect January 1st because of levels of mercury in mascara, eyeliners and skin lightening creams.
Here's a slideshow in PDF format containing a report from 2005 on skin lightening creams and their effects in Africa. This link contains all you ever wanted to know about mercury.
The brand/line of cosmetics I represent does not sell a skin-lightening cream. As an alternative to eyeliners, you can wet your favorite shade of eye shadow and apply that as an eyeliner. To view the products, click here or contact your Beauty Consultant.

Nail Tips. Don't blow on your freshly painted nails to dry them, this will only dry the top and leave the layers underneath goopy. Clean the neck of your nail color bottle with nail color remover. Keeping it clean will ensure that no air gets into the bottle and turns your nail color all mucky. Don't shake the bottle of nail color prior to application. This only causes bubbles to form on your fingernails. Roll the bottle of nail color between your palms instead.

COSMETICS SEIZED: Jan Marini Skin Research Age Intervention Eyelash can cause eye damage. U.S. Marshals seized nearly 13,000 tubes of the product, considered by the FDA to be unapproved and misbranded. The product contains the drug bimatoprost, used to treat eye pressure and if someone is already on that drug and using Age Intervention Eyelash as well, the extra dosage can be harmful. The product may also cause swelling of the retina and loss of vision.
According to the FDA, you should discontinue use immediately and discard any remaining product.

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.