Blog Posts by Carol Belanger

Just like the skin on our face, believe it or not our lips age too. They lose collagen and the subcutaneous fat within the lips. Lips are also prone to damage from free radicals. The lips begin to thin and the Cupid's bow (the v-shape on the top lip) begins to flatten out. To prevent and/or reduce aging of the lips be sure to moisturize, exfoliate and protect.

Whether your lips have thinned from aging or just genetically thin, lip plumpers can plump up the lips. Full, well defined lips add so much to your overall facial expression and define the face. The lips in social settings are the most noticed features of our face next to the eyes.

There are many types of lip plumpers on the market, so before you run out a purchase a lip plumper, it is best to know the different types and how they work. There are vitamin based plumpers, collagen enhancing products, and plumpers that cause skin irritation thus causing the lip to swell.

Vitamin based lip plumpers are just that, they

We hear about antioxidants everyday and the benefits they provide to your overall health. Additionally, antioxidants get quite a bit of exposure in skin care products. So what are antioxidants and what exactly do they do?

Antioxidants are commonly found in Vitamins A, C, E, and beta carotene. These special chemicals in skin care products assist in skin repair, strengthen blood vessels and protect cells from sun, pollution, wind and other environmental factors known as free radicals.

Although there are many foods available with antioxidants, it is not likely they we consume enough foods that include enough antioxidants. Thus adding antioxidants in our skin care products ensures that we are protecting our skin to the fullest.

Selecting skin care products with antioxidants also aids in the in the production of collagen and elastin. Collagen keeps the skin firm and eleastin adds and maintains elasticity in your skin, thus reducing sagging skin and wrinkles.

Antioxidants

Well the summer heat is on, and we all know how hot nylons can be. So the question is - if you are wearing a dress or dress suit to an interview should you wear nylons?

My gut feeling is yes, you should wear nylons but I am kind of from the old school. What would you wear?

If no on not wearing the nylons, can anyone suggest a good tanning cream?

Thanks!

I have always used Secret deodorants and have always been pleased with the level of protection they provide. Secret's newest product Clinical Strength claims to be waterproof and will provide protection against wetness and odor all day. The instructions for application are to apply at night and in the morning. The premise behind application at night is that the active ingredients work best at the body's normal temperature. At first I thought it odd, but after I thought about it, most of us apply deodorant right out of the shower when the pores are open thus the deodorant absorbs right into the skin.

The fragrance was pleasant although I thought it to be a little strong. I usually use fragrance free deodorants. It also glided on smooth and didn't leave a "really wet" feeling like some deodorant do. I also noticed that this deodorant didn't flake or rub off on my clothes under my armpits. I never experienced any skin irritation from this product even though it is almost as strong

Did you know lipsticks and most other makeup for that matter are categorized into warm, cool or neutral colors? Additionally, your skin tone can be categorized into these three basic tones. Therefore, those people with a warm skin tone generally look best in reds that have a yellow undertone, and those with a cool skin tone look best in reds that have a blue undertone. What about a neutral skin tone, well lucky them, they can wear just about any color red, however neutral skin tones will have a predominant warm or cool tone. Also, no matter what your skin tone, everyone will look good in a true red.

If you are unsure of what your skin tone is, here is a general guideline to get you started.
Look at the inside of your wrist in a natural light, if the skin shows red or orange undertones your skin is considered warm, if the undertones are peach, yellow, or olive you have a neutral skin tone, and finally if your undertones are blue or pink this means you have a cool skin tone.

A facial is a cosmetic treatment of the face, which involves a variety of skin care treatments. They are:

1: Cleansing the skin
2: Exfoliation (removal of dead skin cells that cling to the skins surface)
3: A massage to increase circulation
4: A mask suited to your skin type see What is Your Skin Type?
5: An application of toners and creams

The purpose of a facial is to exfoliate and nourish the skin which will then bring about a clear and beautiful complexion.

Normally facials are performed in a beauty salon or spa at a cost of about $75. Furthermore it is recommended that you get a facial every four to six weeks for the best results. However, at a cost of $75 or more, both men and women have taken it upon themselves to give themselves a facial while relaxing in the comfort of home.

There are many good facial kits on the market but my personal favorites are facials kits made with natural ingredients such as herbs, salts and essential oils. There is

I loved the idea of achieving classic smoky eyes in just two simple steps and all packaged in one convenient product. Covergirl's shadowblast did just that except in a more understated way than I expected! It is a duo cream product that comes in a tube. One color of the tube is the highlight color and the other color for definition and lining. The definition color has a tapered end so that lining your eyes is pretty simple. I appreciated the instructions that came with the product and it proved to be a no fail way to create smoky eyes.

The color I had was Onyx Smoke, and at first glance I thought this would be really dark. However even though the color looked dark in the tube, it was actually very sheer and had just a hint of shimmer. Blending was easy due to the creamy formula but sometimes I felt like there was more on my fingertip than on my eyelids. In fact it took me several applications to get the depth of color that I wanted. My final look was very subtle and with a light

Nowadays in some form or fashion there is always an article or news release about another product causing cancer or linked to some harmful health issue. While I am not the type of person to take everything I read as gospel, I do consider the source and do my own research on the product at hand.

I do love skin care products, and it is disheartening to hear about all the cancer-causing ingredients. I tell myself that these cancer-causing ingredients are in such minute amounts that they somehow will not hurt me. However, it is disheartening that so many young girls are exposed to these ingredients and will be using these skin care products for a lifetime, and that being the case should we be concerned?

Most over-the-counter skin care products contain ingredients such as silicone, dimethicone and/or parabens-carcenogens. Research has shown that parabens have been found in the biopsied breast tissue.

Below are some other ingredients in skin care products and there suspected