If there is one thing that everyone in Southern California wants, it is to look naturally beautiful. LA is the land of effortless beauty. Our scene is sitting around poolside with a Mojito and perfect, glowing skin. As a beauty expert in Southern California, I am constantly asked how to look naturally beautiful.
Here are a few easy steps to help you achieve natural-looking beauty:
1. Do your part. Give nature a little help and use a great mask. Currently, I can’t get enough of REN Glycolactic Skin Renewal Peel Mask. I apply this gel-like organic goo to my face, and 10 minutes later I have softer, clearer skin with a J. Lo glow!
2. Use a tinted moisturizer with an SPF 15 or higher, Stila makes a great one. Skin will look moist and even, and you’ll be protecting it from skin’s arch enemy, sun.
3. Use a little concealer under the eye and around the nose or anywhere you may need a little more coverage (Smashbox Camera Ready Concealer is great for on-the-go touch ups).
4. After that, all you need is a bronzer, Orlane’s is to die for and you can even use it on the body, lightly dusted on the high points of your face (think of where the sun hits your skin naturally such as the cheekbones and nose) and then a light coat of mascara.
5. Add a nude lip gloss and Ta Da! You are beautiful. Naturally.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
New Facial Filler to Debut
Fillers have greatly improved over the years. Going from basic collagen to multi-tasking fillers that restore volume and stimulate one’s own collagen production and fillers mixed with lidocaine that make the treatment as painless as possible, consumers in the know are always looking out for the next great thing. Yet another filler to treat facial volume loss is on the horizon. How is this one different? It’s thicker.
The Chemistry of Mascara
I have some vague recollection of first learning about chemical bonds and hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity of molecules sometime in high school. Important chemistry concepts indeed. My curiosity about mascara (which is one of two MUST HAVES for me in the make-up department, the other is more crucial: under eye concealer) and especially my new affection for L'Oreal's Beauty Tubes Extend Lash provoked me to make a demonstration video about three different types of mascara: water soluble, water proof and the new Beauty Tubes. It's sort of long, but it is a real time demo/discussion. I wish I could say I was a polymer chemist, but I'm not...I know just enough to be dangerous!
Without turning this into a full-fledged chemistry tutorial, I will quickly quickly discuss various type of chemical bonds as this plays a part in how the various mascaras work. We can divide chemical bonding into two types: covalent and non-covalent. Non-covalent then can be further subdivided into three different types: ionic, hydrogen and van der Waals. Overall, covalent is a very strong type of bond formed primarily by sharing electrons (there can be single or double bonds, but we won't worry about that here).
Before we go onto weaker types of bonding, let's quickly talk about polar vs. non-polar molecules: In a polar covalent bond, electrons are shared unequally, usually between two different atoms such as -O-H (oxygen and hydrogen) and -N-H (nitrogen and hydrogen) resulting inpartial negative charge on one side of the molecule and a partial positve charge on the other. We most certainly see this in water, and this sets up an opportunity for spontaneous electrical attraction and bonding.
On the other hand, the bond between carbon and hydrogen -C-H has the electrons attracted more equally by both atoms and is fairly non-polar. We will see the importance of carbon-hydrogen bonding in the formation of oils, waxes, lipids and plastics in a bit.
Above is an image from Essential Cell Biology by Alberts, et al about Water as a solvent. When a substance dissolves in a liquid, the mixture is termed a solution. The sugar in this image is the solute and the liquid that does the dissolving is the solvent.
For our discussion of mascara, we will focus on non-polar covalent bonding and the weaker hydrogen bonding.
Water is held together by hydrogen bonds. In each molecule of water, the two H atoms are linked to the O atom by covalent bonds. Again, without all the details, water is highly polar because of the imbalance of electrons between the O and the Hs. Two water molecules, when in close proximity to each other can establish a weak bond called a hydrogen bond. These can be broken by random thermal motions and each bond lasts only a short time.
Molecules such as alcohols or urea (see above image) that contain polar bonds and can form hydrogen bonds mix well with water. (molecules that carry positive or negative charges-ions-also dissolve readily in water). These molecules are termed hydrophilic, meaning that they are "water-loving"
Hydrophobic molecules are generally uncharged, form few hydrogen bonds and do not dissolve in water. In these molecules, the H atoms are covalently linked to C atoms by nonpolar bonds.
Let's look at a few molecules from the water soluble (hydrophilic) mascara: (water, glyceryl stearate, ammonium acrylates copolymer, polyvinyl alchohol, alcohol)
The fact that the first molecule listed on the ingredients is water gives a clue that the next items are water soluble. The ammonium (contains Nitrogen) indicates that we have a molecule with a potential to be hydrophilic because it will most likely be in a polar molecule. Alcohol has the ability to dissolve both polar and non polar substances--a very good solvent. Polyvinyl alchohol has many purposes, one being that it is a good adhesive to the lash.
And from the waterproof (hydrophobic) mascara (petrolum distillate, polyethylene, caranuba wax, pentaerythrityl hydrogenated rosinate, tall oil glycerides)
If you see the word wax, or oil or fat, then you know you are dealing with hydrophobic molecules (all cell membranes have a long hydrophobic portion). These all are long hydrocarbons and must be dissolved in an oily substance (petroleum distillate) to be able to be in liquid/gel form in order to be applied to the lashes. The only way to dissolve these from the eyes is an oily make-up remover or a harsher solvent that can break the covalent bonds. We follow the rule "like dissolves like".
When looking at the formulation list for the Beauty tubes, I sense a more sophisticated polymerization (forming of long chains of molecules from smaller parts) and plasticizing process occuring there. This doesn't surprise me as I've never had flaking or smudging at all. The point of weak bonding is clearly between the polymerized mascara and the lash, hence when water is added, any bonding breaks at that point and the mascara comes off in a tube or string. I was looking at the list of step one and saw several waxes that melt easily in the presence of warm water. I can see this being able to support hydrophobic, non-polar polymers of the actual mascara, but allowing the interface to be weak enough to not require a solvent to remove, and warm water being sufficient to loosen the formed polymer.
Why Hair Turns Gray!
From FASEB Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology: H2O2-mediated oxidative stress affects human hair color by blunting methionine sulfoxide repair.
Gray hair, according to new findings, is caused by a massive build up of hydrogen peroxide due to wear and tear on hair follicles. The peroxide winds up blocking the normal synthesis of melanin, your hair's natural pigment.
All hair cells make a tiny bit of hydrogen peroxide, but as you age, the amount increases. Essentially, you bleach our hair pigment from within, and your hair turns gray and then white.
Researchers made this discovery by examining cell cultures of human hair follicles. They found that the build up of hydrogen peroxide was caused by a reduction of an enzyme that breaks up hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.
They also discovered that hair follicles could not repair the damage caused by the hydrogen peroxide because of low levels of the enzymes MSR A and B, which normally serve this function. The high levels of hydrogen peroxide and low levels of these enzymes also disrupt the formation of tyrosinase, another enzyme that leads to the production of melanin in hair follicles.
Gray hair, according to new findings, is caused by a massive build up of hydrogen peroxide due to wear and tear on hair follicles. The peroxide winds up blocking the normal synthesis of melanin, your hair's natural pigment.
All hair cells make a tiny bit of hydrogen peroxide, but as you age, the amount increases. Essentially, you bleach our hair pigment from within, and your hair turns gray and then white.
Researchers made this discovery by examining cell cultures of human hair follicles. They found that the build up of hydrogen peroxide was caused by a reduction of an enzyme that breaks up hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.
They also discovered that hair follicles could not repair the damage caused by the hydrogen peroxide because of low levels of the enzymes MSR A and B, which normally serve this function. The high levels of hydrogen peroxide and low levels of these enzymes also disrupt the formation of tyrosinase, another enzyme that leads to the production of melanin in hair follicles.
Why Hair Volume and Shine are Mutually Exclusive
You've all seen close up images of human hair (usually taken with a scanning electron microscope). If you recall, hair is made of layers of scales of keratin, much like a stack of paper cups. If those scales lie flat, the hair is smooth and reflects light, thus looking shiny.
If the scales separate from each other, the hair will look less shiny but will have more volume as the scales between individual hairs will push each other away.
Since we rarely want flat or dull hair, we need to make some compromises between volume and shine.
Shine products, however, are great! They can allow some of the scales to separate and fill in leaving the hairs somewhat thicker but also smooth and shiny.
If the scales separate from each other, the hair will look less shiny but will have more volume as the scales between individual hairs will push each other away.
Since we rarely want flat or dull hair, we need to make some compromises between volume and shine.
Shine products, however, are great! They can allow some of the scales to separate and fill in leaving the hairs somewhat thicker but also smooth and shiny.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Hot Trends for Fall 2010
Beauty bloggers across the Internet have been busy for months predicting what hot new trends will be hitting salons and runways this fall. Here are just a few of the upcoming trends that have been burning up their blogs.
What’s Hot In…
HAIR
Knots and buns are some of the most popular hairstyles for fall 2010. From gravity-defying severe top knots to loose and casual buns, these hairstyles have hundreds of different variations and can go from everyday casual to a glamorous night out.
•For a messy top knot, volume is key. Back comb and apply hair spray generously to create texture. fasten it into a high ponytail. Then, sweep it around and fasten with bobby pins. Hair should appear loose and resemble a birds nest.
•To achieve a sleek and sexy top knot, neatly brush hair up, slicking it with gel. Twist the hair into a tight knot and secure with bobby pins.
•For a look that’s a bit more refined than a messy top knot but not quite as severe as the sleek knot, try a textured look. Instead of volumizing all the hair, gather many small hair sections at the top of the head to create an appearance of a textured top knot.
An update on the classic bed head look: Long hair with matte waves is a slightly more refined option this fall. The key to achieving the non-glossy look? Liberal use of hair powder at the roots and ends.
- Prep hair with a styling spray, spray on roots and comb through hair.
- Part hair down the center.
- Blow dry hair, scrunching hair as you go. For curly hair, dry straight with a paddle brush.
- When hair is about 90 percent dry, separate hair to create two pigtails. Secure pigtails with pony tail holders.
- Take one side and twist hair in one direction; hair will naturally twist itself into a bun. Secure at ear level with bobby pins. Repeat on other side.
- Blast buns and whole head with dryer until hair seems dry.
- Leave hair in buns for 10-20 minutes to set. Take hair out of buns and finger-comb waves. Apply hair powder to roots and ends and run your hands through to evenly distribute.
- Spritz hairspray to hold waves in place.
NAILSOPI’s new Swiss collection has been getting some major attention lately. The new color line features deep shades of rich color as this season’s new basics. From dark green to glowing red, to metallic shades of pewter and gold to jewel-toned blues, it’s a great collection to complement any fall wardrobe.
MAKEUPDramatic, winged eyeliner is big this season, with generous swoops going well past the eyes, but the twist this fall is that many palettes are embracing colors along with the standard black: brilliant blues, royal purples and even berry reds. A clean, matte face with natural lips is the best compliment to this striking look.
Bright eye shadows are the latest thing to hit the runways. With many fall 2010 makeup collections featuring vivid purples, turquoises, yellows, greens, pinks and teals, they’re sure to be a huge hit with anyone looking for a creative new look. Use several colors together for a fun twist. Pair them with a deep pink or coral lip to complete the look.
Give lips a punch of fall color with hot colors like plum and ruby. These deep purples and bold reds make quite the statement. Make sure lips are exfoliated and moisturized to prevent the color from flaking or looking dried out. Combine with soft gold eye shadows and a natural face. For something a bit more glamorous and black tie, pair with smoldering eyes.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The Psychology and Biology of Beauty
In ancient Greece, Helen of Troy, the instigator of the Trojan War, was the paragon of beauty, exuding a physical beauty.
But why did the Greek men find Helen, and other beautiful women, so intoxicating?
In an attempt to answer this question, the philosophers of the day devoted a great deal of time to this conundrum.
Plato wrote of so-called "golden proportions," in which, amongst other things, the width of an ideal face would be two-thirds its length, while a nose would be no longer than the distance between the eyes. Plato's golden proportions, however, haven't quite held up to the rigors of modern psychological and biological research -- though there is credence in the ancient Greeks' attempts to determine a fundamental symmetry that humans find attractive.
Symmetry is attractive to the human eye
Today, this symmetry has been scientifically proven to be inherently attractive to the human eye. It has been defined not with proportions, but rather with similarity between the left and right sides of the face Thus, the Greeks were only partially correct. By applying the stringent conditions of the scientific method, researchers now believe symmetry is the answer the Greeks were looking for.
Victor Johnston of New Mexico State University, for example, utilizes a program called FacePrints, which shows viewers facial images of variable attractiveness. The viewers then rate the pictures on a beauty scale from one to nine. In what is akin to digital Darwinism, the pictures with the best ratings are merged together, while the less attractive photos are weeded out. Each trial ends when a viewer deems the composite a 10. All the perfect 10s are super-symmetric.
Scientists say that the preference for symmetry is a highly evolved trait seen in many different animals. Female swallows, for example, prefer males with longer and more symmetric tails, while female zebra finches mate with males with symmetrically colored leg bands.
According to a University of Louisville study, when shown pictures of different individuals, Asians, Latinos, and whites from 13 different countries all had the same general preferences when rating others as attractive -- that is those that are the most symmetric.
Beauty beyond symmetry
However, John Manning of the University of Liverpool in England cautions against over-generalization, especially by Western scientists. "Darwin thought that there were few universals of physical beauty because there was much variance in appearance and preference across human groups," Manning explained in email interview. For example, Chinese men used to prefer women with small feet. In Shakespearean England, ankles were the rage. In some African tribal cultures, men like women who insert large discs in their lips.Indeed, "we need more cross-cultural studies to show that what is true in Westernized societies is also true in traditional groups," Manning said his 1999 article.
Aside from symmetry, males in Western cultures generally prefer females with a small jaw, a small nose, large eyes, and defined cheekbones - features often described as "baby faced", that resemble an infant's. Females, however, have a preference for males who look more mature -- generally heart-shaped, small-chinned faces with full lips and fair skin. But during menstruation, females prefer a soft-featured male to a masculine one. Indeed, researchers found that female perceptions of beauty actually change throughout the month.
When viewing profiles, both males and females prefer a face in which the forehead and jaw are in vertical alignment. Altogether, the preference for youthful and even infant-like, features, especially by menstruating women, suggest people with these features have more long-term potential as mates as well as an increased level of reproductive fitness.
Scientists have also found that the body's proportions play an important role in perceptions of beauty as well. In general, men have a preference for women with low waist-to-hip ratios (WHRs), that is, more adipose is deposited on the hips and buttocks than on the waist. Research shows that women with high WHRs (whose bodies are more tube-shaped) are more likely to suffer from health maladies, including infertility and diabetes. However, as is often the case, there are exceptions to the rule.
Psychologists at Newcastle University in England have shown that an indigenous people located in southeast Peru, who have had little contact with the Western world, actually have a preference for high WHRs. These psychologists assert that a general preference for low WHRs is a byproduct of Western culture.
Whatever the reason, the notion that attractiveness correlates with success still rings true. Yet beauty is not always advantageous, for beautiful people, particularly attractive women, tend to be perceived as more materialistic, snobbish, and vain.
For better or worse, the bottom line is that research shows beauty matters; it pervades society and affects how we choose loved ones. Thus, striving to appear attractive may not be such a vain endeavor after all. This isn't to say plastic surgery is necessarily the answer. Instead, lead a healthy lifestyle that will in turn make you a happier person.
But why did the Greek men find Helen, and other beautiful women, so intoxicating?
In an attempt to answer this question, the philosophers of the day devoted a great deal of time to this conundrum.
Plato wrote of so-called "golden proportions," in which, amongst other things, the width of an ideal face would be two-thirds its length, while a nose would be no longer than the distance between the eyes. Plato's golden proportions, however, haven't quite held up to the rigors of modern psychological and biological research -- though there is credence in the ancient Greeks' attempts to determine a fundamental symmetry that humans find attractive.
Symmetry is attractive to the human eye
Today, this symmetry has been scientifically proven to be inherently attractive to the human eye. It has been defined not with proportions, but rather with similarity between the left and right sides of the face Thus, the Greeks were only partially correct. By applying the stringent conditions of the scientific method, researchers now believe symmetry is the answer the Greeks were looking for.
Victor Johnston of New Mexico State University, for example, utilizes a program called FacePrints, which shows viewers facial images of variable attractiveness. The viewers then rate the pictures on a beauty scale from one to nine. In what is akin to digital Darwinism, the pictures with the best ratings are merged together, while the less attractive photos are weeded out. Each trial ends when a viewer deems the composite a 10. All the perfect 10s are super-symmetric.
Scientists say that the preference for symmetry is a highly evolved trait seen in many different animals. Female swallows, for example, prefer males with longer and more symmetric tails, while female zebra finches mate with males with symmetrically colored leg bands.
According to a University of Louisville study, when shown pictures of different individuals, Asians, Latinos, and whites from 13 different countries all had the same general preferences when rating others as attractive -- that is those that are the most symmetric.
Beauty beyond symmetry
However, John Manning of the University of Liverpool in England cautions against over-generalization, especially by Western scientists. "Darwin thought that there were few universals of physical beauty because there was much variance in appearance and preference across human groups," Manning explained in email interview. For example, Chinese men used to prefer women with small feet. In Shakespearean England, ankles were the rage. In some African tribal cultures, men like women who insert large discs in their lips.Indeed, "we need more cross-cultural studies to show that what is true in Westernized societies is also true in traditional groups," Manning said his 1999 article.
Aside from symmetry, males in Western cultures generally prefer females with a small jaw, a small nose, large eyes, and defined cheekbones - features often described as "baby faced", that resemble an infant's. Females, however, have a preference for males who look more mature -- generally heart-shaped, small-chinned faces with full lips and fair skin. But during menstruation, females prefer a soft-featured male to a masculine one. Indeed, researchers found that female perceptions of beauty actually change throughout the month.
When viewing profiles, both males and females prefer a face in which the forehead and jaw are in vertical alignment. Altogether, the preference for youthful and even infant-like, features, especially by menstruating women, suggest people with these features have more long-term potential as mates as well as an increased level of reproductive fitness.
Scientists have also found that the body's proportions play an important role in perceptions of beauty as well. In general, men have a preference for women with low waist-to-hip ratios (WHRs), that is, more adipose is deposited on the hips and buttocks than on the waist. Research shows that women with high WHRs (whose bodies are more tube-shaped) are more likely to suffer from health maladies, including infertility and diabetes. However, as is often the case, there are exceptions to the rule.
Psychologists at Newcastle University in England have shown that an indigenous people located in southeast Peru, who have had little contact with the Western world, actually have a preference for high WHRs. These psychologists assert that a general preference for low WHRs is a byproduct of Western culture.
Whatever the reason, the notion that attractiveness correlates with success still rings true. Yet beauty is not always advantageous, for beautiful people, particularly attractive women, tend to be perceived as more materialistic, snobbish, and vain.
For better or worse, the bottom line is that research shows beauty matters; it pervades society and affects how we choose loved ones. Thus, striving to appear attractive may not be such a vain endeavor after all. This isn't to say plastic surgery is necessarily the answer. Instead, lead a healthy lifestyle that will in turn make you a happier person.
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