Beauty Product Junkie

Jennifer Aniston's Cellulite Spa Treatment

Andrea at INO — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:24:57 -0400

So there's a spa beauty secret behind the "bare-all bikini" attitude Jennifer Aniston has been touting lately?? (Well, kind of. Countless spa treatments wouldn't enable me to look like she does in a bikini).

While filming Marley & Me in Miami, Jennifer Aniston made regular visits to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel spa for its Contour and Firm massage (about $290 a session). The 100-minute lymphatic-draining massage and algae wrap aims, according to the spa, to reduce "the dimpled, uneven appearance of cellulite." Wow! (Not to the treatment, but to the $290 price tag!)

(Bauer-Griffin, US Weekly)

Beauty Product Junkie

Myth Vs. Fact

Vera — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:56:22 -0400

Myth vs. Fact

Experts spill the dirty little secrets behind the most common shampoo “truths”

"You need lather to know it's really working."
MYTH The more foam a shampoo produces, the cleaner your hair's getting, right? Not exactly. You may love working up a good head on your head, but those suds are mostly created for psychological effect (Oooh, it's cleaning!). Foaming occurs when surfactant molecules in the shampoo mix with air and create tons of tiny bubbles. Ideally, your head should have only enough lather to lubricate the hair and scalp, so a quarter-size blob of shampoo will usually do the trick.

"You should use a clarifying formula to get rid of buildup."
PARTLY FACT Unless you're using heavy-duty styling products, like pomade, mousse, or gel, regular shampooing prevents styling-product residue from collecting on your hair. If you do need a clarifier, don't use it more than once a week. These detergent-heavy cleansers, which do such a great job of removing buildup, will also do a great job of damaging the hair cuticle.

"Washing every day can be bad for your hair."
MOSTLY MYTH "Daily washing is safe and healthy," says Mort Westman, the cosmetics chemist. If you have oily hair, it's fine to suds up every day--but even oily types should use a gentle formula (translation: one with moisturizing ingredients, like silicones, shea butter, or panthenol). People with coarse or dry hair might want to be more conservative and wash every other day, says L'Oréal's Youssef. No matter what kind of hair you have, as long as you stay away from harsh formulas that strip natural oils and treat your strands with conditioner, regular shampooing won't do any harm.

"For best results, follow with a conditioner."
FACT No, this isn't a scam to sell you two products. Chemists can pack only so many ingredients into each bottle. And a shampoo can't clean properly and deposit enough conditioner to moisturize your locks. Using a separate conditioner will coat strands with ingredients that hydrate and protect. BTW: If your hair's super-oily, apply the thick stuff only from the ears to the ends.

"After a while, your hair gets used to your shampoo. That's why you need to switch to a new brand occasionally."
MYTH Honestly, where do people come up with this stuff? Let cosmetics chemist Westman set the record straight: "Hair is dead, period. So it can't 'get used to' anything. It's just your perception of how your hair responds to a new formula." So if you love your brand, there's no reason to switch.

Beauty Product Junkie

Beating the Sun Head-to-Toe

Vera — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:55:50 -0400

Beating the Sun Head-to-Toe

Scalp

Anyone who knows the agony of a fried hair part will appreciate the nongreasy Shiseido Sun Protection Stick Foundation SPF 35. Swipe the sheer protection anywhere you tend to neglect.

$24, macys.com

Lips

Since lips don't contain much melanin, they're super-vulnerable to sun damage. That's why we love Clinique Long Last Glosswear SPF 15. It's like Ray-Bans for your mouth.
$14, clinique.com

Chest

The coolest solution to a soggy bra: a thin layer of DriOff gel. It'll stop sweat so those puppies stay high and dry.
$23 for two 1.32 oz tubes, hillderm.com

Legs

When the sun and wind suck your skin dry, replenish it with Olay Body Quench Mousse, a moisturizer in foam form packed with hydrating glycerin and antioxidant-rich green tea.
$8 for 7.1 oz, drugstore.com

Face

No more makeup cakeup! The Body Shop Flawless Skin Protecting Foundation has a nearly invisible cream-to-powder formula plus the benefit of SPF 25.
$25, thebodyshop.com

Shoulders

Looking a little pink? We won't say "I told you so" (even though we sort of just did). Kiss My Face After Sun Aloe Soother contains cooling aloe gel to stop the sting.
$6 for 4 oz, kissmyface.com

Feet

The downside to spending a day in flip-flops: the grime that gets on your soles. Wipe away the nastiness with Earth Therapeutics Clean + Cool Foot Wipes.
$6 for 15 wipes, earththerapeutics.com

Heels

Make sure strappy sandals don't rub your feet the wrong way: Dr. Scholl's for Her Miracle Shield balm prevents friction that causes blisters.
$6, drugstore.com

Beauty Product Junkie

Decoding your shampoo label

Vera — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:55:17 -0400

Water
Usually the first item on a shampoo label, water is the base that keeps the other ingredients flowing. It accounts for up to 80 percent of what's in the bottle.

Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate/Ammonium Laureth Sulfate/Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
These surfactants--basically, a fancy word for detergents--are the muscles that do all the cleaning.

Cocamide DEA, MEA, or TEA/Cocamidopropyl Betaine
These milder foaming detergents are added to create suds. But they also moisturize and thicken the formula so the shampoo is easier to pour.

Sodium Citrate
This buffering agent keeps the shampoo at the proper pH level (slightly acidic) as you wash. OK, now in plain English: SC allows dirt and oil to wash off and helps cuticles (the overlapping scales on each strand) lie flat so hair looks smooth and shiny.

Glycol Distearate/Stearate
These waxes are kind of like hunky Swedish masseurs: primarily there for look and feel. They're what give the formula a pearly sheen and allow it to flow easily from the bottle.

Polyquaternium/Quaternium
These softening compounds--also found in some fabric softeners--thicken shampoos and condition hair.

Dimethicone/Cyclomethicone
Silicone oils that coat and smooth down the cuticles to add thickness, reduce static, and provide shine. Oh, yeah: They also make comb-outs easier. If you have coarse, curly, or damaged hair, make sure your shampoo contains one of these conditioning ingredients.

Panthenol
A form of vitamin B, this hard-working humectant (that's a substance that helps hair attract and retain moisture) works inside and out: It penetrates the hair cuticle to plump it up and coats it for added shine.

Beauty Product Junkie

Make sense of the fine print on your sunscreen tube

Vera — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:54:52 -0400

Chemical Sunscreens-Ingredients like benzophenones, salicylates, snd cinnamates form a protective film to absorb UV rays before they penetrate the skin’s surface.

Physical Sunscreens-These work by reflecting the sun’s UV rays. Look for zinc oxide or titanium oxide.

Photoaging-Skin damage caused by sun exposure—like fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, and the leathery texture seen on folks playing shuffleboard in Boca Raton.

SPF (Sun Protection Factor)-The number that tells you how much longer a sunscreen will keep you from burning than no protection at all. Say you normally turn pink after 1 0 minutes without sun block. SPF 15 would shield you 15 times as long as that—or for 150 minutes—before you start to burn.

UVA-Ultraviolet rays that penetrate deep into the skin and cause photoaging and skin cancer.

UVB-Rays that affect the outer layer of skin. Shorter than UVAs, they’re responsible for sunburns and contribute to skin cancer.