Ok so all of you know that I am a local at the Topanga Mall, and I can’t WAIT until the Neiman-Marcus store opens September 5 (that’s right around the corner!!). I’ve seen a new Jimmy Choo store in the works, and a new Tiffany’s store located right on the corner outside of the new Neiman’s which has a cute corner-like appeal and is right across the way from Salvator Ferragamo. It’s kind of weird that if you go down that corrider of the mall you will end up at Sears but whatev. Who goes down that corridor anyway?

Anyway, My favorite time of the year is around the corner…I’ve seen Bath and Body Works prepping to put the pumpkin scented candles on the shelves and before you know it, Fall will be in full swing - WOOT!

Here are the lists of Fall events at the Topanga Nordstrom - but don’t forget for all you Ventura County fashionistas that the NEW Nordstrom’s is going to be having a grand opening at The Thousand Oaks Mall too this fall! That will have to be it’s own post later. Ok here we go with August’s Events in Woodland Hills:

Clarins Skin Care 40 Minute Complementary Facial
August 12-14, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
818.884.7900 Cosmetics

Dr. Zein Obagi Personal Appearance
Friday, August 15, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday, August 16, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Space is limited, so book your appointment today.
818.884.7900
Cosmetics

MAC Cult of Cherry Collection Launch
August 22-24
818.884.7900
Cosmetics

Technorati Tags Clarins, fall fashion 2008, MAC Cult of Cherry collection, nordstrom, obagi

Technorati Tags bath and body works, BBW, Home Spa, pedicure, true blue spa, youtube

When I first heard the commercial for Olay’s Body Transform Age Serum, I was half asleep and thought that perhaps I was dreaming, because the though of an anti-aging BODY serum sounded fabulous for the whole battle against the cleavage-crows feet has continued to ensue. I went to my local CVS to check it out, and sure enough, it was true, PLUS it was under 10 bucks! It lasted me around 2 months and I just finished my bottle and have a pretty good idea on how mediocre it is - my crows feet are still winning the battle, and my skin doesn’t look any more transformed.

One thing I DID have to do though, is put it in my downstairs bathroom because the perfume scent was SO intense, that it was giving me a headache when I put it on before bed and didn’t have enough air filtering. After moving the bottle downstairs to the bathroom, I did use it after my shower to keep my skin softened, which it did, but I’m not sure I will shell out another 10 bucks to get it again. Actually, you can find coupons in the paper for this at least once a month, but honestly, it’s not really a product that I’m lemming for anytime soon. These days, every dollar counts and when you actually go to buy something, its going to have to be something great, IMO. The economy doesn’t have room for expensive ‘try mes’.

Technorati Tags aging skin, cleave crows feet, olay body age transform serum, perfume

Something fishy is going on here…LOL omg I totally couldn’t help the uber-cheese factor in that line. But anyway, here’s the deal. As if people in Washington wasn’t stressed out enough, now a trend in the DC & Virginia area where fish eat old skin during your soak session pedicure.

Since you can’t get a good slough session these days due to totally gross public health sanctions, these Doctor Fish will gnaw off all your gross dead skin. Before the health department got involved, up to 8 clients at a time would soak their feet in a community type Fish Pool, some issues did arise: At times the fish would flock to the feet of an individual with a surplus of dead skin, leaving others with a dearth of fish, and if your paying 35 bucks for fish to eat your dead skin and all the fish are all over the gross person next to you with dead skin hanging off their feet - is that really fair?

Oh it gets better. John Ho, who runs the Yvonne Hair and Nails salon with his wife, Yvonne Le, said 5,000 people have taken the plunge so far.

In addition to offering pedicures, Ho hopes to establish a network of Doctor Fish Massage franchises and is evaluating a full-body fish treatment that, among other things, could treat psoriasis and other skin ailments. Now if that isn’t organic, I dunno what is.

Don’t forget that there are alot of nature’s beasts that offer alternative healing, umm, like the maggots that are used for infection, leeches for detoxing and Kirsty Alley’s favorite - tape worms for weight loss.. LOL. If you have gotten a Dr Fish pedicure, we would SO love to hear from you, because I don’t know anyone personally who could be convinced to give it a test run, for research purposes, of course!

Technorati Tags dr fish pedicure, fish eat dead skin, fish pedicure, flesh eating fish, organic, pedicure

Dare I say this?? I think I might have experienced the first successful eye treatment! Skinceuticals - through a fabulous swap thru MakeUpAlley.com seems to be eliminating the pigmentation under my eyes. Say it isn’t so!! I still have some hollowing, but that is so minor compared to an evening skin tone - and after doing a quickie google search on the product, I’m seeing that it’s only 33 bucks for a full size. That’s pretty competitive pricing considering that the Olay products at the local market are in the $27 price range. Plus I already know it works.

I also acquired a bottle of the Antioxidant serum from Skinceuticals, but good grief, it smells absolutely AWFUL…parallel to racoon urine. Not that I know what racoon urine smells like exactly, but if I did, I am sure it would be in the category in line with this product. Unfortunately, I can’t really give it much more of a review than that because I simply cannot stomach the stench, so who knows if it works or not. At a price point of $135, it really is a shame that it smells so horrific!

Technorati Tags antioxidant serum, crows-feet, dark eye circles, eye treatments, skinceuticals

Holy bat-cow batman, I seriously hate Bare Mineral’s Rare Minerals night treatment. I decided to give it more of a test run the first time around, and silly me, I ended up with red, flaky skin AND 3 BLACKHEADS. OMG. I am 37 years old, and have never had a blackhead before, so you can just imagine my pissivity. At first, I thought that it was the Diorshow mascara that was flaking off, but when I tried to rub it off, I noticed that they weren’t going anywhere.

So I rubbed harder, and realized that it wasn’t really mascara. I dug up my super-zoom eyebrow plucking mirror and saw that it was actually something stuck under my skin. I did a google search and low-and-behold, I’ve got exactly 7 blackheads. I am beyond upset, and feel that Leslie Blodgett herself should refund my money, PLUS get me a series of trips to a skincare specialist that I am going to have to invest in now to make this very terrible wrong go right. UUUuugggh.!!! I’m too upset to keep writing. I think I’ll go stare into my magnifying mirror for a while more.

Technorati Tags bare escentuals cleanser, blackhead, Blackheads, Diorshow, leslie blodgett, mascara, mineral, night treatments, qvc, rare-minerals, Skin, treatment

Ok so I’ve started day 3 of my laser hair removal research, and have found this news clip via youtube which does an ‘undercover’ type expose on American Laser Center, and the 20 out of 75 THOUSAND treatments it has done in the US. It points out that dark spots or pigmentation are indeed a possibility and that at the time of treatment, clients sign a consent form acknowledging this. I’m thinking that perhaps the people who are going through the process aren’t made aware of this or perhaps simply didn’t do their research and are just sold on the immediate effects. Another issue is that the American Laser Centers actually do not have an actual doctor on location (they are remotely available via telephone) so the safety concerns are also an issue. Anyway, watch for yourself, then feel free to discuss

Technorati Tags american laser center, kim kardashian hair removal, laser hair removal

From Vogue UK:

01 July 2008, 11:22AM

NOW he’s staking his place with the fashion set, producer Pharrell Williams is smartening up his act - and the first thing to go will be his extensive tattoo collection.

The N.E.R.D. frontman - who last month played an exclusive set at Harvey Nichols to launch his latest collections - has revealed that he is trying a revolutionary new removal procedure, which involves applying new skin over old body art.

“It’s basically like getting a skin graft, but you’re not taking skin from your ass or your legs. These guys actually grow the skin for you,” he explains. “First you have to give them a sample of your skin, which they then replicate. Once that’s been done, they sew it on - and it’s seamless.”

As for the cost… That’s irrelevant, he adds.
_____ end article _____

My comment you ask?? I’m having flashbacks of Silence of the Lambs!

Technorati Tags pharrell skin graft, pharrell williams tattoo removal, tattoo removal

Just a friendly reminder that July 1st brings about a new law to all you drivers and cell phone talkers that you must be hands-free on the road. On that note, I’d like to mention that most of the times, people don’t pay enough attention to how important lovely hands are, and that they need just as much attention as your face! Remember when Nicole Richie was struggling with zombie hands? That’s super not-cute.

Anyway, there are a bunch of ways to keep your hands looking youthful. Here is a quick list of mine:

* Lotion them up every time you wash your hands. If you’re like me, you are washing your hands many times per day…which isn’t a good thing, can cause extra drying. Keep a bottle of lotion next to your hand-soap for quick moisturizing.

* Put some extra-moisturizing stuff on them at night as part of your night-time beauty regimen. I like Burt’s Bee’s Hand Salve.

* Keep your cuticles moisturized. Crusty cuticles aren’t fly. I swear by Burt’s Bee’s Lemon Cuticle Cream. It’s cheap and will keep your nails looking neat.

* DO NOT EVER WALK OUT OF THE HOUSE WITH CHIPPED NAIL POLISH. Ok, so this totally doesn’t have anything to do with keeping your hands youthful, but it’s just so f’in gross to walk around with chipped fingernail polish. If you are in dire need of a mani and out of time, take your polish off, scrub up your natural nails and oil up your cuticles. TRUST me, it’s better than walking around with crusty nail polish. ew.

* Do a hot-towel treatment at least 2 times per month. Put a bunch of vaseline, hand salve, or whatever deep hand cream conditioning treatment on your mitts, then wrap them up in wet, hot towels to let the stuff soak. Do this at least 1x per month.

* Buy some cheap oil/sugar scrub stuff at your local drug store, or indulge in the $$ ones, but sugar scrubs are great for hands! Your skin will feel velvety smooth afterwards. I do mine at least 1 time per week to keep them at peak performance

And there you have it. No more excuses to walk around with man-hands. You heard it here. Word up.

Technorati Tags burt' s bees hand salve, cuticle cream, hand treatment, man-hands, sugar-scrubs, zombie hands

So I recently went in to Dr. Marks for a consultation about Laser Hair Removal, and left thinking that it was a bit too expensive at the moment for what I’m wanting to get done - My face, which was quoted at approx. 150 PER SESSION and needing 6 sessions, with a price break at 5 sessions, which ended up coming to like around $850 bucks, I was warned also that during the summer months, that the laser actually leaves your skin in a fragile/exposed state for discolorations due to the sun. That’s two strikes. THEN I caught a clip of Kimora Lee going for Laser treatment and complaining of the pain (and she had a camera in there so you know she was trying to look cute while in pain)…so I’m thinking that is 3 strikes.

Then Brianette sent me this flyer:

And I would be lyin’ if I didn’t say that it didn’t catch my attention…say word? I could maybe tolerate a few painful sessions and keep the cost under a C-note to rid of my waxable mustache (say it isn’t so!) …you know? Plus Staci said it doesn’t hurt…

I’ll keep you all posted on what I decide…I might just give them a call after the July 4th holiday and see what google says about the skin pigmentation issue. Oh yea, and I will just pretend that I never saw the Kimora Lee clip where she said it hurt.

Technorati Tags consultation, dark spots, didn, Dr.-Marks, hair, hair-removal, Kimora, kimora lee simmons getting laser, Laser, laser hair removal, Lee, pain, PER SESSION, Removal, Skin, Staci, summer, sunspots, upper lip

In case you haven’t heard, West Coast Choppers owner/creator Jesse James is the new face of Kiehl’s. Oo I can’t wait for the campaign to start…it should be better than Becks! I’d much rather see a man’s facial expression than in his digitally enhanced tighty-whities…but that’s just me, and I’m a girl

Anyway, I’ve not had any response for the Kiehl’s men’s line, but I do have a couple of sister in laws that are fans of the lip gloss, and I have the drying mask from the skincare line, and it’s pretty nice, pretty reasonable, and available at your local Nordstrom’s.

Here’s the youtube video for Jesse James in Vanity Fair.

Update**  The Jesse James items are packaged as “The Dopp Kit” the kit contains Facial Fuel Energizing Face Wash, “White Eagle” Ultimate Brushless Shave Cream, Ultimate Man Body Scrub Soap, Facial Fuel Energizing Moisture Treatment and a deluxe sample of Ultimate Strength Hand Salve. It all comes in a leather man-bag with a vintage bike inspired graphic on the front, so you won’t feel so girlie…LOL! The kit runs around $66 bucks at your local Kiehl’s store, or Kiehl’s online.

Technorati Tags Becks, campaign, case, Choppers, creator, expression, face, haven, Jesse James, Kiehl, kinda, line, Man, owner, spa, wait, West Coast

Ok, so I finally got around to getting a few good uses of the new MAC Volcanic Ash exfoliator stuff, and although I probably won’t run back and get it (since it’s available for a limited time only) I WILL give it a good review, because it cleaned the hell out of my face, shoulders, neck and anywhere else that I put it on.

It was a bit too much for my face, but as a body exfoliator, it pretty much owns over any other scrub I have used - and is almost as good as a trip to the Korean style day spa, minus the buckets of water being splashed on you during the rinse cycle. One word of caution - be sure you have LOTS of moisturizing agents because this stuff will wipe out any and everything from your face. I have pretty balanced skin, so I can’t say if it works well for either oily prone or extra dry prone skin, but it will give you a blank canvas to start all over with.

Technorati Tags exfoliation, MAC volcanic ash exfoliator, MAC-makeup, scrubs

Alright…this one is for all the fellas out there!

Nothing is more sexy than your dude having dope skin and has enough sense than just thinking soap and water will do the trick. That’s all fine and dandy when you’re young but just like us gals, age will eventually catch up and if you didn’t take the proper precautions in the beginning, the bar soap will no longer cut it and then it’ll be too late. You wouldn’t want your women to age prematurely would you? And no, I’m not saying I want my dude in front of the mirror longer than I, ugh…that is another topic we will discuss in the near future because that is not the biz! I’m just saying that it’s cool if they’re confident and want to look good. A guy that takes care of himself and gives a damn about what he looks like is super dope sexy! Don’t you agree ladies? Us ladies take the time to keep ourselves up and look good, so our dudes should do the same. There’s nothing more gratifying than walking around side by side thinking you look good and also knowing that your dude looks just as good or even better! That’s what’s up :)! Soooo….with that said, fortunately there are a lot of products out there geared for men only without all the fussy packaging. These products pack the same punch as all the millions of women products out there, but are specifically for men and their needs. The basic men skin care line includes a cleanser, exfoliant, a shave prep, shaving cream, and a moisturizer. Of course different lines carry different items but that is the gist of what a guy should use daily. Here is a list of the top 5 men’s product lines from all different price ranges that I love and recommend you guys give a try. Ladies, if your guys need a little nudge in this department I suggest you treat your dude to any of these products and I guarantee they’ll use it if its within their reach!

Anthony Logistics for Men - A Clean Start Kit (also available at Nordstroms)

Lab Series For Men (also available at Nordstroms)

Dermalogica - Skin Kit For Men

Zirh Mens Skincare

Neutrogena Men

Come on guys…try any of these. You can hold me accountable if you don’t love it. Holla!
Chas

Technorati Tags men, products, shave, Skin

I was searching for some skincare issues regarding my newly acquired pores, which I am going to blame Bare Escentuals for until I know what actually caused them, and found Skincare Expert who has quick and easy info on tons of different skincare issues. I got caught up reading the tanning myth or mayhem article and didn’t find any info on Bare Escentuals, so until then, I am still blaming them for my enlarged pores.

Technorati Tags bare-escentuals, enlarged pores, mineral makeup, skincare

Its about that time! I know I usually post fun makeup tips and products…but its time for me to get Mama on you and bust out my esthetician coat for this. SUNSCREEN. Ladies and Gents! I cannot stress how very important it is that you do not step foot outside of your house without applying the proper amount and coverage. The sun is the number 1 cause of aging…especially in the more sunny parts of the world. Here in Cali we should be stocking up on it like we buy cases of water, heck…we should BE buying stock in sunscreen (but thats a whole other show, lol). Doesn’t matter if you bronze up like a shiny penny or bake up like a lobster at Lobsterfest at Red Lobster, everyone needs to wear it. Age and race unimportant, the sun doesn’t discriminate and its rays will take a serious toll on your skin. Im not saying you should hide out like a hermit just make sure that the sunscreen you applied will suffice. Your face and your decolletage are the first to show signs of aging due to the sun…and for women, that is deadly, lol. There are many good products out there from all different price points, I’ll share two. I also recommend that you get a seperate sunscreen that is specifically for your face, but if your are in a bind and are going to be in the sun by all means put whatever sunscreen you have on deck on your face. The first one I will share that I absolutely LOVE is the Super Sensitive Faceblock spf30 by Dermalogica. Its super light weight and doesnt have that greasy feeling that most sunscreens give (a plus when you’re hot and sweaty). That one is a bit on the pricey side, so another one that I also love that you can get anywhere is by good ole Neutrogena. For just about 11 bucks you can get the Neutrogena Ultra-sheer Dry Touch SPF85 sunscreen. Super high five for the spf 85! This too is super light weight and feels great on your skin. TIP: after daily routine put sunscreen on face right before primer…the primer will help seal the sunscreen in longer. Remember, just because you cant see the sun doesnt mean it wont harm you still…slather it on! Other than that have a fun summer…alot of good products out to celebrate, stay tuned!

happy bronzing - Chastity

Technorati Tags dermalogica, neutrogena, product, review, summer, sunscreen