Skin Care

Say bye-bye to inconvenient hair appointments! Last night, I got a taste of the new Blowout Bar at the Argyle Salon & Spa (located inside L.A.’s landmark Sunset Tower Hotel), where hours are being extended to accommodate clients in the morning and evening.

I stopped by the salon after work to check out their blowout menu, which features four types of blowouts: the Argyle Signature ($40), the Hollywood Blowout (glam volume!, $40), the Beachwaves Babe (finished with a curling iron, $50), and the Polished (finished with a flatiron, $50). (more…)

Move over Michael Kors… 16-year-old Canadian teen heartthrob Justin Bieber is apparently looking to add beauty mogul to his resume (you know, because pop singer, dancer, actor, hair icon, “Bieber or Die” comedian, and rumored MTV “Punk’d” host apparently wasn’t enough).

The new face of Proactiv, Justin has also joined forces with Etoile Nation Beauty to launch “My World,” a unisex fragrance slated to hit Wal-Mart stores on Black Friday. (The $10 scent, embedded in resin, comes in four different, mix-and-matchable designs of dog tags and wristbands, with top notes of bergamot, lychee, an pomegranate, a heart of cedar glimmers, and a drydown of musk, according to WWD.)

Add a bright, glittery, Bieber-inspired line of Nicole by OPI nail polish aptly titled the “One Less Lonely Girl Collection,” coming out in December and January at Wal-Mart (then Sears, Target, and ULTA), and seriously, what’s next… fashion? (Actually, just wait. That’s coming.)

To get a firsthand look at Bieber mania (OK, fine, I’m guilty), I will be joining a host of giddy beauty bloggers tonight at the Proactiv VIP suite for his L.A. concert at the Staples Center. Stay tuned to Twitter @Proactiv and #ProactivVIPSuite for real-time updates!

Nail polish peelers—this mask is for you.  If you secretly get a thrill out of peeling off your nail polish, and live for when you can remove one long strip in a swift, uninterrupted motion, then you will love Boscia’s Luminizing Mask.  A mineral-rich, black pigmented no-rinse face mask designed to improve skin clarity and radiance through deep-pore cleansing and exfoliation, the mask is pure fun in a tube.  The peeling comes in at the end, after the mask dries on your face and you get the fun of peeling the whole thing off your skin.

Easily squeezable out of the tube, the mask comes in a soft, black clay formulation made out of kaolin clay and phellodendron bark, which you spread in a generous layer across your face for about 5-7 minutes until it dries.  Be careful not to make the layer too thin, as it will make it difficult to peel off.  And yes, the mask comes out of the tube pure jet-black, so it’s not best to test this mask in front of a new boyfriend just yet, unless he wants to join in on the peeling fun too.  The peeling off is admittedly addicting–it’s not painful at all (nothing like pulling off a Band-aid), and the texture isn’t sticky, so you remove dead skin, toxins, and impurities with ease as you peel off the mask. There might be a few little pieces of the mask remaining after you peel as much as you can which you can easily rinse off with water. (more…)

I have never taken to a hand cream/moisturizer as fast as the new Honeysuckle Rose Hand Creme by Olivina Napa Valley. Olivina uses a blend of hand-pressed olive and grapeseed oils in its products, along with other essential oils to create a highly moisturizing blend of ingredients. Plus, all of the products are free from chemical parabens, preservatives, sodium lauryl-sulfate and cruelty free.

I was first taken by the scent. Not normally a fan of rose-centric fragrances, I make an exception for this light and positively addicting scent. But what I loved about the Honeysuckle Rose Hand Creme was the incredibly lightweight formula (without it being too liquid like a lotion). It also was highly hydrating and absorbed into the skin within a minute or two after application. Plus, the scent lingers softly if you’re just looking for just a light scent to perk up your skin (and senses). The hand creme is only $18 for 2.5 oz at olivinanapavalley.com. I personally can’t wait to try out other products from this line!

As the daughter of skin care legend Sonya Dakar, Mimi Dakar Berry was born into the beauty business and has been working closely with her mom since she was a teenager. She’s now the Vice President of the company and handles (among other things) all of Sonya Daker Skin Clinic‘s special events, like the new rooftop treatment space. (Such a great idea! There is nothing nicer than getting pampered in such a relaxing space. I highly recommend it). We decided to check in on her and see what she’s obsessing over right now. Check it out below! (more…)

Great news for fans of the prestige skin care line, Elemis–two of its amazing body and facial spa treatments will be available at Bliss Spas starting in August! I love Elemis products (we’ve featured them several times on TDO) and am so excited that the spa treatments are going to be more accessible now–at all of Bliss’s US locations and internationally in its London and Hong Kong spas. Yay!

Bliss will feature Elemis’ Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial and Exotic Lime and Ginger Salt Glow treatments. The Tri-Enzyme Facial has been clinically shown to resurface the skin by up to 75% after just one treatment by stimulating the natural exfoliation of the top layer of skin. It smooths your skin and reduces fine lines, as well. The Lime and Ginger Salt Glow features a light body brushing, warm oil application, exfoliation, and moisturizing–using great Elemis products, of course.

These Elemis treatments will be launching at Bliss Spas on August 1st. You can find a complete list of Bliss locations at blissworld.com.

A good multitasking product, especially in skin care, is hard to find. However, the Miracle Skin Transformer just may be the exception to the rule. It a) moisturizes your skin, b) enhances your skin tone, and c) protects your skin from the sun with SPF 20. The company sent me a 5ml sample to try of the product, and after trying it a few days in a row, I believe it does all 3 things pretty well.

The Miracle Skin Transformer is basically a tinted moisturizer that is packed with SPF and natural active ingredients. It has a naturally derived silicone formulation that smooths out your skin and improves your skin texture and pore size. Though I can’t vouch for the long-term effects of this moisturizer, each time I applied it, it evened my skin tone considerably and my face felt soft and smooth. It’s very lightweight, which is a plus, though I’m not sure how well its moisturizing effects will hold up in the wintertime. To find out out more, check out miracleskintransformer.com, where it is available in 4 different shades (Medium was perfect for me)!

All of my friends know how completely obsessed I am with wearing sunscreen.  I never leave the house without putting it on my face and I’m constantly on the hunt for the next great one that will fulfill all my requirements.  (I’ve spent many, many hours of my life pursuing this quest, so I better look damn good when I’m middle-aged.  If my sister, who never wears sunscreen and spends her entire summer at the pool, has less wrinkles than me when we’re older, there really will be no justice in the world.  And I might have to cause her bodily harm).

My new favorite is Sonya Dakar’s Daily Face Shield.  For those of you who don’t know, Sonya is a world-renowned skin care expert so it only makes sense that her sunblock would be great, and it definitely lived up to my lofty expectations.  It goes on smoothly and is easy to rub in.  (My number one pet peeve with sunscreens is when they just sit on top of your skin and never entirely disappear.  That’s the worst, right?)  It’s also very moisturizing, so it won’t dry your skin out or cause your makeup to apply unevenly).  It gets bonus points from me for not being greasy at all – once you’ve blended it in, your skin is just soft and ready for any other products.  (This is my other big pet peeve with sunscreens.  I tried one once that seriously made my skin so shiny that I looked like I’d just done a 5 mile run on the treadmill.  I mean, come on!  Did no one test it before they put it out?  Who wants that?)  With an SPF 30 and UVA/UVB protection, it will keep all the sun’s harmful rays away from your skin, but it also has this really pretty lemongrass scent (no chemical or harsh smells to make you recoil in horror).  I’ve been using it every morning since I got it and I’m definitely a convert.  I might very well have found my holy grail sunscreen.  I think the quest is finally over!

Even though I tend to carry a big bag most of the time, I’m trying to be better about packing it so full that my shoulders hurt  after carrying it around all day.  (It is kind of a theme in my life that I have trouble packing light.  You should see the trauma I experience when packing for vacation!)  Recently though, I’ve tested out two new products that promise to help me pare down my product content.

DuWop’s new Flight Stick is kind of a genius invention.  Although it’s technically for travelers, anyone who needs a quick pick me up can use it.  Sephora calls is a “skin-enhancing, hydrating stick” and that about sums it up.  It’s a twist up stick that you apply to your face and then blend in, allowing the antioxidants and bit of caffeine in the formula to perk up your skin.  It does have a tiny tint to it, but I don’t notice any color when I apply it to my skin, so I think it would work equally as well on any skin tone.  What I do notice is a nice, cooling feeling that would be perfect on your descent into your destination, but I’m enjoying it on a regular basis as I run my errands in Los Angeles.  It just makes my skin look a little more awake and alive and the cooling effect is a nice bonus in the hot weather.  It’s also the perfect size to throw into your bag or carry-on and it has the added bonus of not needing your fingers or a brush for application, so it’s great for on the go. (more…)

Summertime means that it’s swimsuit season, which is both fun and dreadful. Who doesn’t love lounging at the beach or pool? On the other hand, who actually enjoys shopping for a bathing suit and being forced to examine your body from every possible angle? Blech. No matter what your body type, we all have those problem areas with cellulite, dimples, or just plain flabby skin.

Nude Skincare reached out to me to try a sample of their Smoothing Body Refiner, a lotion that aims to smooth and firm your skin, especially in the thigh, hip, and waist areas. It contains no parabens or sulphates, and instead uses a combination of peptides, amino acids, fig, mountain ash, green coffee, ginger, and natural probiotics. Independent clinical trials have actually shown that using the Body Refiner regularly over 3 months may result in weight loss and inches off! I jumped at the try it and have been using it for about a week now. So far, I can report that it does make my skin appear tighter and smoother, though it does have a bit of an unusual smell (maybe like clay?).

The Nude Skincare Slimming Body Refiner is available for $70 at Sephora–as well as at nudeskincare.com, where you can get a second bottle free by entering in the code SLIMDOWN at checkout! Let me know how it works for you if you decide to try it, too.