The Two Best Things You Must Do To Maintain Great Skin

We all want smoother, younger-looking skin, and these days we have a lot of beauty options. Skin care technology has come a long way. From lasers to dermal fillers, there are quick fixes that don't require plastic surgery.

That also means skin care products have evolved quite nicely just in the past 10 years. And that's what we are looking at today.

Here's some smart skin care advice from dermatologist Dr. Brandith Irwin of SkinTour.com.

To maintain GREAT skin, you MUST use these 2 products NOW + ALWAYS:

1. - A potent UVA blocking (they all block UVB) sunscreen.

Dr. Irwin's advice---

• For daily wear if you are mostly inside, a facial moisturizer or sunscreen with SPF 30 is ideal and easy to use.
• For days spent outdoors, a higher SPF with is recommended with "broad-spectrum" (better UVA) protection. Look for sunscreens zinc oxide or titanium (5% or greater). Or for sunscreens with Mexoryl 3% or "stabilized" Parsol/avobenzone. These all give excellent UVA and UVB protection. 

Elta MD UV Daily SPF 40 Pump($25).

2. - A Retinoid (Vit A cousin cream).

"Retinoids are repair creams that have 20 years of science and experience behind them. They build collagen and normalize sun damaged keratinocytes (skin cells) and help to prevent precancerous growths and skin cancers if used regularly."

Your derm can give you a prescription, but if you prefer over-the-counter, here's one to try.

Skin Medica Retinol Complex .25($57).

Hada Labo: Lovely Liquid Moisturizers From Asia

This is BIG beauty news! And it's becoming popular here in the U.S..

Hada Labo skin care products are already HUGE across Asia. Imagine this:

"One sold every 2 seconds in Japan."

So---what's in these liquid moisturizers?

According to HadaLaboTokyo.com, it's all about the SUPER hyaluronic acid formula:

We all know about hyaluronic acid. It is present in lots of dermal fillers---like Juvederm, Perlane, Restylane, Voluma, etc.

When we are young, our skin has generous amounts of hyaluronic acid, because our bodies naturally produce it. That means our complexions are moist, plump + smooth. As we age, the production of this hydrating substance drops off. Our skin becomes drier, less elastic + flatter.

Hada Labo is boasting Super Hyaluronic Acid™---a unique blend of 3 types of Hyaluronic Acid that provides deeper and multi-layer hydration, increasing skin’s levels of moisture dramatically.

Hada Labo Replenishing Hydrator is one of the most popular products. And it's cheap, too. Just $18, at ULTA.
Customer reviews give it a 4.3* out of 5*.

Magical Mario Dedivanovic: Behind The Makeup For Kim Kardashian's 2nd + Now 3rd Wedding

He appears to be new bride Kim Kardashian's favorite makeup artist, because Mario Dedivanovic has created the makeup for Kim's 2nd + now 3rd weddings.

And we can see why.

Kim was glowing for her romantic trip down the aisle to Kanye West in Italy.

Although we don't have any big close-ups in COLOR of the striking reality TV star, we DO have a lovely shot in black + white.....plus the brand of products Mario used to create Kim's wedding look.
Mario gave out his beauty tips for Kim's big day. Here's the makeup rundown:--- 

L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lipstick in Nude Ballet. And ONLY $9!!!
Kardashian Beauty Individual Lashes, Urban Decay Ink for Eyes eyeliner in Perversion, and the soon-to-be-released Urban Decay Perversion Mascara.

Now let's take a walk down memory lane. Kim Kardashian's 2nd marriage was to NBA star Kris Humphries back in Aug. 2011.



Which wedding look do you prefer?

 Both makeup faces are quite pretty, which just goes to show ladies, if you can afford an amazing pro makeup artist like Mario Dedivanovic on your special wedding day, please do so!

The Anatomy Of Grey: Should We All Let It Go Like Jamie Lee Curtis?!

Going grey, gray or silver can be a very sensitive topic, especially for women.

Many of us turn grey in our 20's (that would be us...sigh). Many of us then quickly dash to the nearest salon to cover up each nasty reminder. Some of us do-it-yourself at home trying to conceal the grey with endless boxes of L'Oreal......"Because we're worth it."

What's the big deal about turning grey?

To most of us at least in our society, getting silver strands means we are getting OLD, and no one, man or woman, wants to go there early, especially women, since we are judged so unfairly about our looks.

So, that is why a lot of people COLOR their hair----to HIDE the greys, grays.

But NOT Jamie Lee Curtis.

The 55-year-old actress is extremely alright with her NATURAL full head of silver strands, and she's workin' it.

At 55, does Jamie Lee look somewhat older with her grey locks?

YES. Just our humble opinion. We think Jamie Lee should COLOR her greys, grays and appear even more youthful.

We think she looks lovely, but, er......older.

Sorry, we said it. Forgive us. We think 55 is still a young age to fight natural aging and yeah, the law of gravity.

Marie Claire magazine interviewed Jamie Lee 7 years ago about her grey locks:

MC: Have you changed your routine?
JLC: My stylist, Sean James, keeps my cut edgy and contemporary — otherwise I can go Bea Arthur very quickly. And I love Phyto Phytargent shampoo. It's the color of balsamic vinegar, but it adds the most incredible shine to my silver hair.

Q: Will you ever go back?
A: Never! To be the only person with my particular color hair is thrilling. It shines more now than it ever did. I love the idea that every year for the rest of my life, my hair will change color naturally. And I found out I've got great natural highlights.

Phyto Phytargent Shampoo, at drugstore.com ($19)

Should Jamie Lee Curtis COLOR her hair, again?

Or leave it all NATURALLY grey?

Can't Live Without Mascara? Then Why Do Formulas Suddenly Dry Out Quickly?

We've admitted this before.....We are a mascara freak. We LOVE mascara and CAN'T live without it.

But we have noticed over the years + years we have been adorning our lashes with mascara, that a single tube doesn't seem to last long anymore.

Are we alone in this thought?

What's going on?

Apparently, they don't make mascara like they used to?

The formulas all seem to DRY OUT within a month.
At the moment, we have 4 mascaras in our makeup stash.

Yes...they are all drugstore brand, and no....We are not ashamed of using cheaper end mascara for the most part:

1. Dried out Maybelline Great Lash.
2. Dried out L'Oreal Voluminous.
3. Dried out L'Oreal Voluminous.
4 New Wet 'n Wild.

We have enjoyed Dior, Lancome and other pricier mascaras, but still end up with minimal product from a single tube.

Makeup experts advise us to TOSS OUT mascara after 2-3 months anyway, no matter how cheap or expensive the label is.

Remember...There's bacteria being passed back + forth to the tube. And whatever bacteria is being collected, is now thriving in the tube. So---to avoid infections like pink eye and so forth...just SPLURGE on new mascara EVERY 2-3 months.

In our case...maybe EVERY month now we will buy a new tube.

There is a way to REVIVE dried out mascara. We've seen the demos on YouTube. You add a couple of drops of contact lens solution to your tube of mascara. Shake it around. Then add a couple of drops of 100% glycerin to the tube. Shake it up---and mascara is like new, again.

Check out the video here.

Statement Necklaces Still Hot For Summer: But Sometimes Simple Is Better!

Statement necklaces seem to be EVERYWHERE these days. And some of these ornate pieces are a bit much. TOO excessive. Over-the-top. Too clunky, even.

 So, today we are looking at a simple necklace.

We're talking minimalism at its best and least expensive.

We found this elegant, simple beauty at Lulus.com. The price is simple, too. Insanely simple.

ONLY $10!!

The Beat Drop Gold Necklace features a thin gold chain + chevron accent shaping a Y-necklace. It's got a  drop chain above a dainty bar charm. The drop chain measures 9". Charm measures 1.25" talll. Necklace measures 18" around + 3" extender chain. Lobster clasp closure.

We like this minimal necklace look.

Would you wear this?

Consumer Reports Names The BEST + WORST Sunscreen For 2014!

Consumer Reports is a highly respected publication---one that tests the good, the bad + the ugly when it comes expert, unbiased ratings of more than 5,000 products.

And when it comes to sunscreen, Consumer Reports  does all the heavy digging.

So here we go!!

Consumer Reports' TOP SUNSCREENS for 2014:

• Banana Boat's Ultra Defense Max Skin Protect SPF 110 spray, at $1.75 an ounce. 
Walgreens ($10.49).
• BullFrog Water Armor Sport InstaCool SPF 50+ spray, at $1.67 an ounce. This was one of the two screens that lived up to its SPF claim.
• Coppertone Water Babies SPF 50, at $1.38 an ounce.
• Neutrogena Ultimate Sport SPF 70+ lotion, at $2.75 an ounce.
• Target's Up & Up Spray Sport SPF 50 spray, at $0.80 an ounce. 
• Walgreens' Well Sport SPF 50 spray, at $1.58 an ounce
• Walmart's Equate Ultra Protection SPF 50, at $0.56 an ounce.

Consumer Reports' WORST SUNSCREENS for 2014:

These 13 did not earn recommended ratings:

• Alba Botanica Very Emollient Sport SPF 45, at $2.75 an ounce.
• Banana Boat Kids SPF 50, at $1.25 an ounce.
• Banana Boat Sport Performance CoolZone SPF 30 spray, at $1.42 an ounce.
• Beyond Coastal Natural SPF 30, at $4 an ounce.
• California Baby Super Sensitive SPF 30+, at $6.90 an ounce.
• Coppertone Sensitive Skin SPF 50, at $1.67 an ounce. This sunscreen lived up to its SPF claim, but only earned a “fair” rating for UVA protection.  
• Coppertone Sport High Performance SPF 30 spray, at $1.67 an ounce.
• Coppertone Water Babies Pure & Simple SPF 50, at $1.31 an ounce.
• CVS Sheer Mist SPF 30 spray, at $1.80 an ounce.
• Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist SPF 30 spray, at $1.90 an ounce.
• No-Ad Sport SPF 50, at $0.63 an ounce.
• Target's Up & Up Kids SPF 50, at $0.64 an ounce.
• Walgreens' Well Baby SPF 50, at $0.80 an ounce.