This is dedicated to the Diva I looooove....

Have you ever loved a Diva? Wait. Let me rephrase that : Have you ever been a Diva's slave? Sometimes they're one in the same. Oooooooh how they love to torture their minions. "French Press my coffee! I want Peanut Butter with PALM OIL DAMN IT!!!!! Is this water Evian? IT BETTER BE EVIAN IF YOU WANT TO LIVE THROUGH THE DAY!!!!!" Ahhh yes. Those were the days. And I'll tell you one thing : there ain't no way in hell I'm ever gonna let anyone tell me that I haven't paid my dues! Oh I've paid! Many, many, many times! But the trauma is another story. 

Diva's can be very useful, even beneficial creatures to have around. Scourge at the hand of the beast can make you strong, thick skinned and agile for any task or inanimate object that might come hurling towards your head. And they usually have exquisite taste in all arenas : clothes, shoes, beauty, food, wine, etc.. Which means that one of their greatest gifts to you will be exposure. I'll tell you, I never cared about Truffle Oil or Pink Himalayan Salt until I worked for a Diva. But while I did, I ate at the best restaurants, drank superb red wine and sampled some of the best beauty products I've ever used. Which makes me very proud to induct our first Diva Select product! Diva Select will be a new section of Beautility! Focusing on products, life beauty and the general fabulousness that I've garnered from my own relationship with a very classy lady. Enjoy and remember : whats good enough for a Diva is even better for us!

Product

If you work hard enough, a Diva may learn to trust you. And if she trusts you, she just might hand over the keyes to her palace....for you to house sit of course. It was while my Diva was away that I lived in the lap of her luxurious and sometimes scary-at-night mansion in Topanga Canyon. Equally stunning to the views of lush green hills, mountains, and morning deer....was her bathroom! Two Sinks, a jacuzzi tub and closet to die in! And the perfect shower : a glass box, large shower head, vintage fixtures, and a shower seat to boot. "I could live in here!" I squealed out loud to myself. And of course the piece de resistance! A BEVY of products! Shampoos, oils, candles, scrubs, cleansers and more! There was only one thing to think, "JACKPOT!!" 

 So the product that impressed me the most, on this trip, was Jason Naturals Satin Body Wash in Chamomile and Rose. That's right. Diva's have not one but several choices when it comes to body wash. And these are delectable, down to the last drop. They smell absolutely wonderful and contain natural Rosewater and Calendula extract. Vitamins B5 and E nourish and revitalize your skin while gentle botanical surfactants clean the skin without over drying. They are mineral oil, petrolatum and Lanolin free. They also DO NOT contain animal products or participate in using animals for testing. Each wash comes in large, recyclable 30 oz. bottles with a pump and in a variety of scents. Herbal, apricot, lavendar, tea tree, mango and cranberry!

Even better, they are free of Parabens, Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfates or Phthalates. Why should you care about this? Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfates or SLS, is a cheap chemical surfactant. You will find it in shampoos, bubble bath and other soaps or products that are supposed to "lather up." It is used in lower concentrations in many cleansing products to strip oils of the skin and leave you feeling clean. Its also used (in high concentrations) in car garages, car wash systems and other industrial agents to dissolve grease on car engines and as a powerful wetting/foaming agent. And of course there is major controversy as to whether or not its hurting you.

Well studies have shown the following : 

Studies on SLS have shown that:" (Judi Vance, Beauty To Die For, Promotion Publishing, 1998)

1. "Shampoos with SLS could retard healing and keep children's eyes from developing properly. Children under six years old are especially vulnerable to improper eye development. (Summary of Report of Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc. conference."
2. "Sodium Lauryl Sulphate can cause cataracts in adults and delays the healing of wounds in the surface of the cornea."
3. "Sodium Lauryl Sulphate has a low molecular weight and so is easily absorbed by the body. It builds up in the heart, liver and brain and can cause major problems in these areas."
4. "Sodium Lauryl Sulphate causes skin to flake and to separate and causes roughness on the skin."
5. "Sodium Lauryl Sulphate causes dysfunction of the biological systems of the skin."
6. "Sodium Lauryl Sulphate is such a caustic cleanser that it actually corrodes the hair follicle and impairs the ability to grow hair."
7. "Sodium Lauryl Sulphate is routinely used in clinical studies deliberately to irritate the skin so that the effects of other substances can be tested." (Study cited by the Wall St Journal, 1st November 1998)
   
   
   
   

And you know my philosophy on these types of queries : I'm not going to wait another five, ten or twenty years to find out that what I've been using really is causing cancer, or drying out my skin and hair follicles. If you can find a more natural solution to getting clean and pretty, go for it. 

As far as Phthalates are concerned: 

taken from : http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/newscience/oncompounds/phthalates/phthalates.htm

"Intentional uses of phthalates include softeners of plastics, oily substances in perfumes, additives to hairsprays, lubricants and wood finishers. That new car smell, which becomes especially pungent after the car has been sitting in the sun for a few hours, is partly the pungent odor of phthalates volatilizing from a hot plastic dashboard. In the evening's cool they then condense out of the inside air of the car to form an oily coating on the inside of the windshield...."   

yeeeeah think about pouring THAT all over your body and you do the math. For me--not happening. 

One last note : if you scan the ingredients, do not be alarmed when you see Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate. It is a natural organic salt that increases foaming capacity and helps to form emulsions by reducing surface tension of the substances absorbed by or used on skin. In 2004 it was assessed for a second time by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) and found to be a safe cosmetic ingredient.  

I purchase my Jason products from Whole Foods Market. I believe you can also find it at Gelson's. Usual retail price is $13.99

why you so obsessed wit me? boy I wanna know!

ok. still pretty obsessed with the Sally Hansen Nail Strips. Run--no wait!! DON'T buy them if you live in Los Angeles....at least not until I find the ones I want. I've been to 3 CVS's this week and they're all sold out!!

AVO-NO WAY JOSE!

So in my loot of Christmas goodies last December, my mom happened to give me a travel size bottle of a new line of moisturizers from O. P. I . Great! I needed a little something for my granny hands and it fit perfectly in my purse. Ever have that? Suddenly you look down and notice that due to neglect or (in my case) neurotically incessant hand washing--- your skin looks about ninety. Amidst the scales and cracking flesh, suddenly my mesh ring doesn't look so Tiffany's. So you can imagine my elation at a lotion that not only smells great but soaks completely into my skin...and works! My skin instantly feels renewed and soft. Not sort of soft and still a little dry-over-the-knuckles because its gonna take a month of concentrated attention to even begin to heal the pain. I'm talking instantly soft, instant gratification---immediate difference! Of course after lathering it on eight times, I turn the bottle over to inspect the ingredient list. 

First off I have to say I'm totally disappointed. O. P . I ' s  AVOJUICE skin quenchers is a fabulous collection of moisturizing jems---except for one thing. They contain parabens! And what are parabens anyway? Most of us have heard a little about them and know they're supposed to be bad...right? right? I mean bad enough to keep me from using this delectable elixir from the Avocado gods?  >>>le sigh<<< Bad enough for me---yes. For you? who knows? 

Parabens are synthetic preservatives found in some cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. They are widely used for their bactericidal and fungicidal properties. Parabens can be found in everything from deodorant (which is applied very close to the breast), shampoos, and makeup to personal lubricants, gels, moisturizers and lip balm. Here's where the controversy comes in : they have been found---in low concentrations-- in breast cancer tumors. Parabens have also displayed the ability to mimic estrogen, a hormone known to play a role in the development of breast cancer. While no direct evidence has been found to casually link the two, several cosmetic companies and consumers are steering away from the use of parabens altogether. Thus we have my fate : a life without the heavenly softness of AVOJUICE skin quenchers. Due to a long history of Ovarian and Breast Cancer in my family, I'm opting to stay away from anything that might welcome cancerous tumors into my life or boobies. Prevention to SAVE THE TATAS! If you wish to start scanning your future purchases to avoid the use of parabens, start looking for these terms in the ingredients list : Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, and Butylparaben. 

Below is a screen capture taken from the Wikipedia definition of Paraben. It contains a small blurb on the subject of the possible links between parabens and breast cancer. Its informative and good to stay in the know!

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Manicure Monday : STRIP IT!!

When I was little, like most pint sized girls, I wanted to be a "big girl." This meant wearing dangly earrings--out of the house, carrying a purse, collecting as many Avon lipstick samples as I could find in grandma's room, and putting on eyeshadow with my index finger. But no such item was quite as coveted as having long nails. I yearned for it. The desire to outstretch my arm and fan my fingers to see long, red, gleaming oval tips (it was the 80's) was insatiable. To me it symbolized the utmost in sophistication, glamour and "big girl-ness." I begged for Lee Press-On Nails, but they were to big for my little fingers. So my Mother, always creative, used scotch tape to make fake stick on nails. She would cut the edges into perfect ovals and I'd run all over the apartment picking things up and putting them down, admiring my fingers at every turn. Since they were pretty fragile I could really only get one use out of them. But try telling that to an obsessed 6 year old. Every night we'd stick them onto the refrigerator door to use again "tomorrow." And of course the next day mom would cut me a new pair. Eventually the fridge was covered in scotch tape.

And here I am today, twenty-five years later and I'm still sticking things onto my nails. Which brings us to this weeks product, Sally Hansen's Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips. Inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Bneato, I decided to give these fun, flirty strips a try. Now these have been in the stores for a little while and initially I just sort of glanced over and dismissed them. I'd felt the pictures looked to graphic-y and was skeptical about their ability to "stick on" effectively to your nail. But low and behold I've been proven wrong by a fellow blogger. Basically, they're exactly what they claim--nail polish strips that you press onto your nails. Each strip feels very similar to paint that's dried on skin and been peeled off. Sort of like dried acrylic paint or very thin vinyl. They even smell like nail polish but not in an overwhelming way. They come in a variety of cool graphics, colors, and shimmery glitters. Each box contains 16 nail polish strips, a small file, cuticle stick and direction sheet. Use regular nail polish remover to dissolve each strip once worn.

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CONSENSUS

Let's start with the cons : the price/one-time wear, application. 

The strips retail for $10 bucks a box. Considering the long lasting wear ability, cute little file/cuticle stick and coolness factor, ten dollars should be reasonable. BUT! Technically the box only comes with 16 strips, enough for one application. Now for those who are not savvy, thrifty, or don't want to fuss with it ---this can be a bad thing. For ten dollars you should be able to get more than just one use out of the product. Being the Recessionista that I am, I decided to use each strip twice. Once I'd applied one end to a nail, I carefully ripped the second half and applied its other edge to a different nail. So I was able to get more use out of the product than the directions listed. All it takes is a little time and patience. 

Again for those who don't want to fuss with it, application might be an issue. I found it to be really easy, and honestly don't see why anyone else wouldn't feel the same. You start with clean/dry nails, find the strip that best fits, press, give it a slight stretch and press some more. Pull the remaining tab off and file the edge for a clean look. That's about it. But I have read some reviews from people who found it very difficult to apply and were unsuccessful in getting the strips to stay on the nail? I did not experience this so I feel if the desire is there it probably won't be that difficult. 

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Pros! This product is pure fun. Cool graphics, neon colors and glitters all to fit any funky mood. I love that there's no drying time! You can press and go in literally the same amount of time it takes to paint your nails. The first two you try might be a little awkward but stick with it, application does get easier. And as you can see with my shorties, they look good on nails of any length.  I would recommend covering them with a top coat for long lasting wear. 

*find them at CVS, Walgreens or any other drug store. I had no luck at Target. 

Trending : Teenage Dreams...Shattered

Normally I wouldn't post a product without trying it myself first---BUT! I'm having trouble actually finding this hot new item, hence the urgency in this weeks trend report. Our friends over at O.P.I Nail Lacquer have teamed up with pop princess Katy Perry, to name a few new colors and launch their newest trend in nail art : Black Shatter Nail Lacquer. The trick to this rockin new coat? When applied over any dry nail color, it splits and separates, resulting in a crackled/shattered paint look. 

The Katy Perry colors are pretty cool and cued from her latest album, Teenage Dream. Listed from left to right (above) Last Friday Night, Not Like the Movies, The One That Got Away, Teenage Dream. The most noteworthy and aptly paired with Black Shatter is Not Like the Movies. It's a smooth gunmetal shade with an iridescent cast of purple or green depending on the light. I'm a little disappointed they didn't come up with a cool color for her single, Firework. But seeing how O.P.I released an entire line of  encrusted, show stopping shades for the movie, Burlesque, I'm sure glitter was the last thing on their minds. Visit the O.P.I  website to create your own hand and model any color in their library. 

CONSENSUS

Personally, I'm all over it. It's a fun way to showcase crazy colors you might not wear everyday and it adds an edgy touch of black to your look. I've been told the product can dry out quickly so it's important to keep the wand twisted tight. Also, the thinner the coat - the more detailed the crackle effect will look. Like big chunks? Than lather it on! Again I wouldn't normally recommend a product that I haven't road tested BUT! We're talking about O.P.I here people. You will not find a better nail lacquer on the face of this planet. I've worked in salons, I've tried them all. Truly, the only high quality nail polish to trust is O.P.I. It retails anywhere from $7.50 - $10 bucks, depending on the outlet.

 A beauty fortune : I predict this product will be fairly BIG. Perhaps mostly amongst Twilight reading tweens and Rihanna...and me! But give it about a month or two and you're sure to see Revlon or Sally Hansen jumping on the Shatter bandwagon. Fooled be not! Comrades in Beauty! O.P.I is the only way to go.

  *Trade Secret : If you have a friend or family member currently working in the hair industry, hit them up! Licensed Cosmetologists get products like shampoo, waxing items, nail care etc. at cost from stores like Cosmo Prof or Maly's. At cost, meaning sold under the recommended retail price. So they might be able to score you a bottle of O.P.I for $5 bucks...if you provide the cash and maybe take their hot ass to lunch!

One important note : Black Shatter does have a matte finish, so its important to follow it up with a superb top coat. I always use, Gena's Healthy Hoof Hi-Gloss Protectant. Its a high quality top coat that will make your Mani last and last! Dishes, puppies, kids, hard core Diva Arm Waving...you name it! It's the Energizer Bunny of Top Coats and worth every penny. Its costs anywhere from $3-5 bucks. Find it at Sally's Beauty Supply or sometimes CVS might carry it. After a generous application, I've experienced that its chip proof for at least 5-7 days. This does not include chipping via neurosis.....you know who you are! 

" Winter, spring, summer or fall...all you have to do is call... "

In my still warm spirit for the holiday, I write this valentine to a good friend. 

To often, I think we discount everyday elements that contribute to the health and survival of our own personal beauty. Sometimes it isn't the perfect gloss, beefy mascara or miracle cream that makes us beautiful. Maybe a word, a good cup of tea, someone holding the door for you, gardening, cooking, or sometimes just a friend can be the very key to your glow. 

This week I took some time to spend my Tuesday at Disneyland with a close gal pal*. We toured the park, chatted while waiting in line for Pirates of the Caribbean, delighted over The Haunted Mansion and lunched over New Orleans Square. And it was half way through my first ever Monte Cristo Sandwich that I began to feel invigorated. Of course anything THAT deeply fried and lovingly spatted with powdered sugar MIGHT illicit strong feelings of any nature! But I do believe it was the quality time and sincere, gentle camaraderie that was lifting my spirit. A gesture I find myself so desperately in need of right now. Now, during this time of awkward and uncertain transition in my life, these very moments are worth their weight in gold. 

So my beauty advice for this week: never underestimate the power of friendship. The one hour chat over lattes, laughing over the phone with your mom or sister, those snarky back and forth Instant Messages about a dreaded coworker, wine glasses clinking, crafting, lunching, child monitoring---all these and more. Anything you can do with or for a friend can be the ultimate beauty boost to your soul. 

* Thanks for beautiful day Beanie! 

" I have been blind, Lady in Reeeeed...."

In honor of Valentine's Day, I implore you all to wear red lipstick. Red lips are classic beauty. They will never go out of style or be forgotten. They beg, plead and command attention. Wanna feel like the only girl in the world? sans Rhi Rhi of course! Believe me, there are a few essentials every woman should own: black heels, a damn good pair of jeans, lip gloss, mascara, diamond solitaire earrings and a tube of hot sexy red lipstick. 

And I don't want to hear the sob stories about how,"I can't wear red, there's no shade that looks good on me!" BLAH BLAH BLAH! Beauty Blasphemy!! EVERY woman on this planet can wear red, it's our god given right like batting eyelashes or nagging. And the key to your birthright : Find the shade or hue that works best for you. Trust me. It can be done.

Now there are hundreds of guides online on how to choose a red that's best for you. Some will tell you if you've got fair skin to pick a "cool" shade and darker skin = warm shade. Which is all fine and dandy if you so choose. But I'm here to offer you a short cut: Clinique's Different Lipstick in Angel Red. It is hands down, the best red lipstick on the planet. And this coming from a makeup artist that doesn't usually wear or like lipstick. Personally I'm a gloss girl but this lipstick is a divine article created by the gods. 

First, Clinique's Different Lipsticks are fabulous because they're a lot lighter in weight and texture than your average stick. Light, smooth, creamy and with just a touch of gloss for perfect sheen. It's probably the only line of lipstick I would ever dare to wear without a lip liner. And finally the true genius, it's color. Now most resources will list Angel Red as a "cool" shade. On the contrary, I have olivey-latiny-goldenish undertone skin and it looks fabulous on me. That's precisely what I love about this product. It looks great on everyone! No matter the skin color or undertone, it works. 

It also works with a variety of lip liner shades, giving it more versatility. Pair the lipstick with a brownish, brick or umber shade of liner for a warmer tone. If you're feeling cool and calculating, try using a plum, wine or cranberry liner like MAC's liner in Quartz. Feeling extra bold with a side of spicy? Pair it with my personal favorite, MAC liner in Cherry (also perfect for rockabilly chicks). It works on so many levels! And at $14.50 a pop you really shouldn't resist. 

Still don't believe me? Hustle on over to your nearest Clinique counter and ask the sales girl if they have Angel Red in stock. I guarantee one of two things will happen: either they will have one left or be completely out of stock. Happens every time. So run don't walk to your nearest Clinique counter or just bump into me. I always have a tube of hot sex in my purse.