1. Start with Laura Mercier Foundation Primer – Oil Free and apply all over face. Primer fills in lines and adds texture to the face while keeping makeup on longer.

2. Apply Colorescience Sunforgettable SPF 30 (select color), all over face. You can reapply throughout the day for maximum coverage.

3. Add Eminence Organic Skincare. No. 5 Cinnamon Bronzer SPF 30
even skin tone and highlight face.

4.Now you can apply eye makeup and Colorescience – Blushers.

5. Apply Model In A Bottle Make Up Setting Spray Matte Finish ( Sensitive Skin Formula ) 60ml/2oz to face for a fresh look.

Indexed by problem and solution, Fast Beauty: 1,000 Quick Fixes is indispensable, filled with the kinds of advice, ideas, and help that sell millions of women’s magazines a month. Spa tips. Anti-stress tips. The “20-second face,” “the two-minute face,” the “five-minute face.” Innovative remedies: Rub olive oil into dry cuticles to soften them; use honey to get rid of a pimple overnight; to tighten the face temporarily, apply tomato juice (preferably fresh-squeezed) for ten minutes, and for the reverse—if your face is tight from too much sun—apply plain yogurt to the skin and leave on for ten minutes. A full chapter shows how to solve beauty pitfalls caused by hormones at all stages of life; another deals with various problems caused by working out. And for every busy businesswoman, it tells what quick fix to use when heading into an important meeting straight off the red-eye—or heading straight from the office out on a blind date.

About the Author
Rona Berg is the former beauty editor for the New York Times Magazine. She was Editorial Director of Elle magazine and writes for numerous national publications, including Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Mirabella, Self, and Mademoiselle. Ms. Berg lives in New York City.

LOWER BODY

Problem: small butt
If you weren’t blessed with a gravity -defying derriere like Kim Kardashian, try Brazilian Stretch Jean with Built in Butt Lift Enhancement. Butt Panty Shaper Enhancer Padded Panties are no more out of the ordinary than push-up bras, but are simply not as common. Butt enhancement boxers for men are also a growing trend, so no “false advertisement” speech, guys!

Problem: big legs
If you are insecure about your legs, there are three ways you can make them appear smaller. If you love wearing pants, choose boot-cut or straight leg styles in a dark shade or mono-tone wash. Dark opaque tights are a great option under dresses and skirts. Lastly, shop for skirts and dresses with an a-line cut.  You may also wear long line Spanx

Problem: thin legs
Women who dislike their thin legs are in luck this fall. Printed pants have made their way from the runway to retailers. Try bold animal prints, day-glo skinnies or hot pink Betsey Johson tights; they all give the appearance of fuller legs.

Problem: big arms

If you are insecure about your arms, an instant fix is to invest in boleros. A bolero is a small cropped jacket or cardigan which specifically covers the arms and shoulders. Boleros are available in multiple fabrics and styles, ranging from formal cover-ups to everyday casual wear. If you are looking for a solution that will tone your arms over time, invest in Valeo HW5 5-Pound Neoprene Hand Weights and do lifts at least three times a week. Try toning while watching an episode or two of your favorite television show.

Problem: straight hips

If you want to give the illusion of a curvier silhouette, try high-waist skirts with tiers. Look for a skirt that comes up high, fits tighter around the waist and poufs out at the hip. Instant curvature!

Problem: muffin top
The muffin top has one main cause: wearing bottoms that are too small. Chances are, if you are reading this portion, you want to get rid of muffin tops that your existing clothing causes. Your solution lies in flesh-colored cycling shorts or fitted under-skirts called Spanx these are great body shapers.

Ms. Kiederer Cucullo sat down with The Ledger last week to talk about the inspiration for the book and why she and her journalist friend decided to write it.
Filling a need

“I was in the beauty industry for 23 years, serving as an executive for Clinique from 1985 to 1998,” Ms. Kiederer Cucullo said. “I met Marybeth in 1995 and hired her to work for Clinique. We became friends and stayed in touch after she left. She came down with breast cancer in 1999 and, after she completed her therapy, asked me to meet her to discuss an idea for a project.”

Ms. Kiederer Cucullo said the project was a book.

“Marybeth had vowed if she survived she would write a book especially for cancer patients, giving women much-needed advice on hair, skin care, makeup, fashion, nutrition, body care, and spirituality,” she said. “We agreed to go ahead and wanted to make sure it was not just another ‘survivor’ book, but something that filled a real, practical need, based on advice from beauty industry and other experts.”

Ms. Kiederer Cucullo said she had an extra interest in the book because of a cousin and a friend diagnosed with advanced stages of cancer.

The pair got going on the project, with Ms. Kiederer Cucullo using her wealth of contacts in the beauty industry to garner expert advice.

“There was nothing else like our book out there,” Ms. Kiederer Cucullo said.

“Patients might find bits and pieces of information, but there was not one single source of professional beauty advice and guidance,” she said. “Each year, 650,000 women undergo chemotherapy in the United States. Once treatment begins, every one of them will face at least some appearance altering side effects.”

Practical advice

Ms. Kiederer Cucullo said hair loss is the number one issue for female chemotherapy patients. “For example, Marybeth is a beautiful ‘black Irish’ woman with dark hair and blue eyes. She told me she was totally devastated to find her hair, eyelashes and eyebrows lying on the pillow every morning. She said she looked, and felt, awful.”

To answer the need for information about what to do when you lose all your hair, the second chapter of the book, entitled The Mane Event, provides a wealth of information on everything from choosing a wig, hats, scarves., scalp care, and transitioning back from baldness.

Other chapters address skin care, makeup, choosing stylish and comfortable clothing; dealing with the physical side effects of chemotherapy, good nutrition, intimacy issues, and a final chapter on faith and spirituality that covers things like sustaining positive energy and overcoming fear.

Throughout, the book features tips from top stylists and designers like Oribe and Betsey Johnson, dermatologist Dr. Howard Murad, and other specialists, many with well-known clients in the entertainment industry.

“The book also includes resource lists and real-life stories from brave, beautiful women who’ve ‘been there’,” Ms. Kiederer Cucullo said. “Our goal is to help women face the mirror and the world with courage and confidence.”

Ms. Kiederer Cucullo says the book does not mention any company or brand names, but instead sticks to categories. “We didn’t want this to be an industry commercial,” she said. “The experts we consulted were all very pleased to contribute and took a strong personal interest in the project.”
Positive response

Ms. Kiederer Cucullo said that response to the book has been extremely positive.

“It was published by Kensington Publishing/Citadel Press and has been available since Sept. 1 at bookstores,” she said. “We also have an interactive Web site, www.beautypearlsforchemogirls.com., where women can get additional information from experts and, if they choose, share their experiences.”

Visitors to the site may also view the book by chapter and download just the sections that interest them.

Now that the book is completed, Ms. Kiederer Cucullo is focusing on the strategic marketing and Web-development firm, ChalkDust Consulting, she founded after leaving Clinique.

Ms. Kiederer Cucullo has lived in the Twin Lakes section of South Salem for the past 12 years. A native of Mount Vernon, she and her husband, Bob Cucullo, have three daughters, 17-year old Mika, 16-year-old Natasha, and 11-year-old Katarina. All attend John Jay schools.

“I have always been entrepreneurial in spirit and am glad I made the decision to found my own company so that I could spend more time with my husband and children,” she said. “Although some of my friends and colleagues disagreed, it was the right choice for me and I am very happy with it.”

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Makes 1 application

2 tablespoons real mayonnaise
1 teaspoon baby oil

• Combine both ingredients.
• Smooth onto face, neck, rough elbows and knees or anywhere else you feel might benefit from it.
• Leave for 20 minutes.

Natural Beauty Products

Walk into a drugstore these days and you’d think every shampoo and body wash on shelves was plucked directly from the lushest patch of nature the world’s ever seen. Sure they’ve got a little ylang ylang or aloe extract somewhere in there, but otherwise, their ingredients read like an advanced chemistry student’s shopping list.

Truth is, the beauty industry is a bit of a Wild West with no sheriff in sight. Anyone can call a product natural even if a tube of lipstick is 100% synthetic. That means lotions and potions packaged with pretty green leaves on the front and the word “nature” or “herbal” in their name can and, unfortunately, often do contribute to your daily chemical bath. The average woman slathers over 125 chemicals onto her scalp, body, face and lips each day (next time you’re getting ready in the morning scan ingredient lists and do your own count!).

That wouldn’t be such a big deal if they were all cleared by health officials, but only 11% of the 10,500 chemical ingredients that go into personal care products are actually tested for safety.

Here are some quick tips for picking out the greenest goods for your body:

* Put on your reading glasses: Start flipping products over and reading those tiny ingredient lists. Making sense of what’s on there shouldn’t feel like you’re trying to decode Sanskrit! Reach for beauty products with pronounceable ingredients (you can generally spot chemical names pretty easily though some natural ingredients might be written in Latin).

* Crack the certified organic code: Not all organic products are created equal. You’ll find the USDA organic seal on goods that are at least 95% certified organic (the purest of the pure). If a product is 70-94% organic it will say “made with organic ingredients.” And the rest? Well, keep in mind that plenty of beauty blends advertise two or three certified organic ingredients while the rest of their contents are totally synthetic.

* Look for the Natural Seal of approval: The Natural Products Association recently kicked off a new certification system for beauty products that are at least 95% natural. The seal doesn’t signal the ingredients are in any way organic (i.e. farmed without pesticides), but it does tell you that a lip balm, eye shadow or foot cream is largely plant- or mineral-based.

* Know your Score: Punch any product name into Environmental Working Group’s ranking of tens of thousands of personal care products and you’ll see just how it ranks on the group’s safety scale. These guys cover everything from mascara to your man’s after shave and cross check the ingredients against toxicity databases. At the click of a mouse, you’ll get a good sense of which beauty concoctions are truly clean and green so you can start lathering up peacefully.

Bottom line, don’t sink your dollar into just any products labeled “natural” or “organic” (even many health store brands aren’t as pure as you’d think!). Ecoholic: Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products & Services takes the guesswork out of shopping by filling you in on all the purest and best performing eco beauty products on the market — brand by brand.

Adria Vasil is the author of Ecoholic: Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products, and Services. She is a best-selling author and journalist for Canada’s NOW, where she has been writing the “Ecoholic” column for five years. She lives in Toronto. For more information please visit www.ecoholicnation.com.

Contributed by Adria Vasil, author of Ecoholic

Ruth Minoletti is a sixtysomething skincare therapist with clients up to the age of 84. Here she offers her expert advice for caring for older skin

Keep a diligent cleansing routine

This is still the foundation of good skincare practices. Over-65s also need to use a richer, more lipid cleanser (it should feel quite oily and ’rounded’ when you rub it between your finger and thumb). Continue using a toner which, while removing all traces of the cleanser, is still very gentle on the skin.

Protect your skin from ultraviolet light

Much of our ageing comes from light damage – turn your arm over and look at the difference between that and the more exposed, upper arm. I particularly like the SPF formulas containing the mineral reflectors titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, but a new ‘active’ in sun protection comes from the neutralising action of fernblock (polypodium leucomotos, a South American fern).

Focus on your eyelashes

Just like the hair on our heads, our eyelashes and eyebrows lose color and thickness. Besides having them dyed, which lends definition to the face, I also love using an eyelash-growing cream. I’ve been using it for decades, but I don’t think it is ever too late to start. Use it only in the mornings if you find that using it at night makes your eyes puffy.  *RevitaLash – Eyelash Conditioner * New Eye Safe formula!!!

Have regular facials

There is nothing quite as good as a well-performed facial massage to stimulate circulation and tone up the muscles. A good therapist should also be able to work the lymphatic system. If you can’t afford to have a facial regularly, give yourself a mini facial when applying your night creams, with some gentle pinching and tapping movements.

Use cosmeceutical ranges

Quite often cosmetic products contain the right active ingredients but not in sufficient dosages. If you try something and it does not deliver the anticipated results, it might be because it is either not in sufficiently high levels to produce results or is not formulated for effective penetration.

Look out for active ingredients

Keep an eye out for products containing one or more of the following ‘actives’. Over the years, I feel that they have proved their worth:

• Vitamins A, C ,E
• Beta Carotene
• B5
• Niacinamide (B3)
• Pycnogenol
• Co-enzyme Q10
• Palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 (Matryxl)
• Alpha lipoic acid
• Copper Peptides
• Idebenone
• DMAE
• Carnosine
• Magnesium
• Green tea
• Beta-glucan
• Hyaluronic acid

Try new things

I have deliberately left out some of the newer antioxidants, lighteners and brighteners, and powerful repair enzymes, as they are currently found in too few products. However, if you like to use cutting-edge products with exciting new ingredients, you will find quite a few of them in the Skinesis and Environ ranges.

Consider collagen induction therapy

I am pretty amazed by the results of ‘skin needling’ or collagen induction therapy (CIT). This professionally performed treatment creates multiple piercing of the skin under a local anesthetic. The response in the skin to this ‘wounding’ is to produce collagen and elastin fibres over an eight- to 16-week period, lending more support and elasticity to the skin and making it appear smoother.

Take essential fatty acids daily

‘Good fats’ protect the lipid parts of your body. I like Udo’s Choice Oil Blend 32-Ounces , which plant-derived, and Nature’s Plus – Ultra Omega 3/6/9 1200Mg Softgels 120 , made from borage, fish and flax. Both are available from healthfood shops and must be kept in the fridge.

Eat and drink healthily

Drink at least four glasses of water a day, plus antioxidant-rich green, rooibos, white or honeybush tea. Avoid trans fats by avoiding processed foods – go back to cooking and baking from scratch. Do eat nuts, seeds, fruit and vegetables. If you can no longer chew nuts, you can eat ground nut and seed mixes sprinkled on to porridge. For breakfast, I love a dollop of yoghurt, a bit of muesli, nuts and seeds, fresh berries, a drizzle of Udo’s oil, a light sprinkling of cinnamon and a little honey. Delicious!

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Anti-aging creams with synthetic snake venom

Skin-care companies such as Sonya Dakar, Syence, Borba and Planet Skincare are making lotions that contain a synthetic venom called Syn-ake. They say the products smooth wrinkles by relaxing facial muscles.

Maybe we can blame snakes for our wrinkles. After all, as the story goes, it was a snake that tempted Eve, getting her expelled from Eden and doomed to a mortal life filled with fine lines and wrinkles. So isn’t it about time that the slithering serpent made amends? More than a half-dozen skin-care companies think so, incorporating a synthetic venom into their formulations to help diminish signs of aging.

The products sprang from an “aha!” connection: When poisonous snakes strike, they paralyze their prey by injecting them with a toxin through hollow fangs. And if snake venom can paralyze muscles, couldn’t a targeted version work like a topical Botox?

Enter SYN®-AKE Active Pure Peptide, a compound developed by Swiss pharmaceutical company Pentapharm, to mimic a protein found in the venom of the temple viper.

“I wanted to develop a Botox alternative for my clients who complained of side effects or wanted to avoid the injections all together,” says Sonya Dakar, co-founder of Sonya Dakar Skincare, who incorporated Syn-ake into her UltraLuxe-9 cream. According to Phentapharm, the ingredient works as a neuromuscular block, preventing sodium ion uptake in the muscle and keeping it in a relaxed state. Relaxing the facial muscles can help prevent deeper expression lines, while smoothing skin in the process, says Sean Campbell, director of Syence Skin Care, which produces Syence Servital Active Anti-Aging Tissue Defense.

Pentapharm measured the smoothing effect of a Syn-ake-infused cream compared with a placebo in a 28-day trial. According to the company, 67% of the participants using the cream reported a decrease in muscle contraction, and wrinkle size was reduced by 52%. Borba, which incorporates Syn-ake into its Advanced Aging Reverse & Tone Serum, did its own blind consumer testing study. “Seventy-nine percent of women reported they could feel the product working, tightening and firming the skin,” says the company’s founder, Scott-Vincent Borba.

But experts wonder whether the topical formulations penetrate deeply enough to effectively inhibit muscle contraction. After all, Botox is injected for a reason — to deliver the compound directly into muscle tissue.

“Is the active ingredient really absorbed into the skin like Botox?” asks dermatologist Dr. Vermén Verallo-Rowell. “The action may just be as a good moisturizer, which does soften wrinkles.”

“Skin is programmed to keep proteins out,” adds Dr. Leslie Baumann, author of “The Skin Type Solution.” And the chemical must travel through several layers of skin and subcutaneous fat to reach and penetrate the muscle.

“The smaller the molecule and the more fat-soluble, the deeper that chemical can get into the skin,” says Dr. Corey Maas, fellow of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. After evaluating Syn-ake, Maas says the molecule appears to be small enough theoretically to penetrate; however, without more studies, he says, it’s difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of the ingredient.

He also points out another dilemma for skin-care companies incorporating the synthetic venom formulation. Once a compound “goes through the skin and becomes pharmacologically active working as a drug to relax muscle, it could in theory be absorbed through the body and affect other” areas, Maas says. “It’s a Catch-22. It goes from the cosmaceutical-you-don’t-need-FDA-approval range to a range where it needs to be studied for its safety and its efficacy.”

Skin Venom’s Campbell, for his part, compares Syn-ake to retinol, the less active version of Retin-A found in many beauty products, and not regulated by the FDA.

With so many skin-care companies using Syn-ake, what sets one cream apart from another? “You can make two cakes and have the same ingredients, but it’s the way in which these ingredients are put together that makes the difference,” says Caroline Clapperton, founder of Planet Skincare. Planet Skincare’s daily moisturizer incorporates argireline and GABA to help relax muscles, antioxidants such as vitamin A and C, and retinoic acid, which speeds up cell renewal. The creamy formulation spreads easily, comes packaged with a plastic scoop and smells like roses.

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Those on the Hollywood ‘A-List’, like Eva Mendez and Eva Longoria Parker, pay $2,000 an hour for his personal touch. His name is Scott-Vincent Borba and he recently brought his natural skin care line to North Texas.

To fight the aging process, Borba’s products use anti-oxidants like acai berry, lychee fruit, pomegranate extracts, Vitamin C and other natural ingredients.

Nancy Misso came to Northpark Center to meet Borba in person and try some of his new products. “I think the natural ingredients that he uses make a lot more sense than other product lines do.”

For Misso, Borba used a BORBA CLARIFYING MICRO-DIAMOND CLEANSER
 to remove dead skin, even her tone and reduce fine lines and wrinkles. “[It's] the next generation of micro-dermabrasion,” explained Borba. “This is a diamond dermabrasion.”

A 2-step wand, designed to brighten, was used on the areas around Misso’s eyes. “This makes the eye area more wide awake and rested,” Borba said of the wand.

Finally, he applied an ‘enlightening cream’ to the contours of Misso’s face. The
BORBA HD-Illuminating Light Effects Serum 1.7oz also contains micro-diamonds to illuminate the skin. Borba said, “It puts in the diamonds and the HD sparkle into your skin so your skin looks younger, longer.”

In the end, Misso said she was thrilled with the transformation. “My face feels really good, and I definitely love all his products.”

Doctor Genevieve Wallace of North Dallas Dermatology Associates says every skin regimen should include an exfoliant. “It contains many ingredients that we are already using in our practice.”

Dr. Wallace believes that many of Borba’s products contain some beneficial ingredients. “So one of the ingredients is Vitamin C, and what Vitamin C does is it improves the collagen in the skin – helps to stabilize it.”

Despite the possible benefit of any product, Dr. Wallace is quick to point out that results won’t be the same for every client. “Many of the products that are on the market right now, there are no scientific studies to say how effective they are. So it’s up to the patient themselves to try it and see if it works for their skin.”

According to Dr. Wallace, natural products like Borba’s are comparable to synthetic alternatives. It’s just a matter of personal preference.

For Nancy Misso, the choice was obvious. “To me it’s worth it. I’d rather use good products now instead of having to do something later on to look good.”

Borba’s topical products range in price from $18 to $60 for a 90-day supply.

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