95 and Alive!

Hello Gorgeous People -

Today's blog is brought to you care of Hackensack Hospital. My sweet (and very sassy) 95 1/2-year-old grandmother fell and broke her hip (which SUCKS), and I've been by her side 'round the clock. When I got there before 8 am yesterday, she asked me if I would wash her face and put on her moisturizer. (Priorities, duh.) Then, before she went into surgery around 5pm, she told me that she wanted me to touch up her makeup. And by touch up, I mean apply a full face. Foundation, eyeshadow, blush, lipstick (2 shades), mascara...all proof that if you look good, you feel good. (And of course, I documented it all - and even have a little interview to boot!) Want to look absolutely phenomenal when you're 95? Heed her advice!

(She's a riot, btw. This vid was taken just days before my sister's wedding!)

Gram also says that good skin is largely due to your genetic makeup, and that her mother never wore makeup and most likely used olive oil as a moisturizer. For skincare, she recommends Aquaphor, although right now she's using Lancome.

Her advice to a younger generation? Cleanse your face and wear makeup when out in the sun!

Here's a shot of my grandmother just a few weeks ago with my sister and her new hubby:

And, lastly, here are a few shots of her getting ready for her closeup! 

 All in all, she's healthy, she's gorgeous and she's back to bossing everybody around! Lots of love from Room 4212 - North!

Fake it 'til You Make it

Real-life scenario: You've got a nasty pimple. You've picked at it, it's oozing, and impossible to cover up. You contemplate canceling your date because you don't want him seeing your bad skin. What's a diva to do? 

Don't despair!

Fake it.

Yup, you heard me. Fake a flawless face.

Girl! Dry that shit up, throw on some makeup (or, if you're really ballsy, don't), and GO ON THAT DATE. If he doesn't like you because you've got some hormones, then he can go canoodle himself. Seriously. 

For those of you who do want to conceal: Dab on some treatment with a Q-tip (a la Mario Badescu, Kate Somerville, Sonia Dakar - these may sting), and busy yourself with other things. Pick out a hot outfit. Watch the Olympics. Style your hair.

Then, once the zit is DRY - use Sephora's concealer brush (it's amazing) and a good concealer. I like the Hourglass one because it doesn't make me break out, it's creamy (so none of that crusty shit), and it COVERS. Another great one is from my buddy Erin's line. Dust some loose powder (like MUFE's or Tarte's) over it and LEAVE IT ALONE. 

I'd like to thank my buddy, Stacey Menzer, new Business Manager of Benefit Cosmetics (follow her on twitter #StayGlamForever), for the following tip she gave me when I, too, was fighting the uphill battle for clear skin. I paraphrase here: Dab a little concealer over it, and call it a day. Stop trying to cover it up. The more you cover it up, the more it looks like you've got something to hide. (She compared it to cleavage, which I can't quite remember, but it was awesome advice nonetheless. Stop fussing with it!)

If you still need some other ways to detract attention from the offender(s) - why not try...


Wearing big jewelry - It's a good thing that statement necklaces are so in!

Rocking a smokey eye - Always in fashion!

This is me! I had a little mishap on my chin a few days back that I'm still trying to camouflage, so I did a dramatic eye to make sure everyone looked where I wanted them to :)

Zoomed in...why do my eyes look crossed?

..or sporting a dramatic lip?

My advice to you? The best concealer for acne is CONFIDENCE. Dab on a little bit of concealer and setting powder, and rock the fresh, flawless face that is you. 

(Pardon the intense amount of bronzer and fake lashes)

Don't worry about it - don't even think about it, and enjoy your night! (There's always liquid courage!)

If you have mega trouble with the clear skin situation - check out this girl. Great inspiration for faking a flawless face :) I'll have my own tutorials up and running within the next couple of blog posts, but for now, enjoy:

Stay gorgeous!

xoxo 

Baby Got Bacne

So it's hot as balls out, and I'm sweating a whole lot. I also really dig hot yoga and spend a good amount of time sweating inside the studio, but I don't dig walking through the humidity of New York and that ever-prominent stench of urine that emanates from the streets once it hits 80 degrees.

Another thing that I really don't dig is the amount of bacne popping up everywhere now that everyone's sweating and simultaneously sporting spaghetti straps or strapless dresses to celebrate the summer. I still have my collection of high-backed tank tops (thank you, American Apparel) from a few years ago when I, too, suffered from a constellation of zits on my back. 

So what do I use to keep my bacne at bay??

Most days, I use a natural, gentle body wash, like this one from Desert Essence. Yummy, delish!

When my bod needs a little extra lovin', I reach for...

Collective Wellbeing Charcoal Body Wash - 11.5 ounces for $15. Sulfate free! Aloe Vera, Jojoba Oil (some acneic clients react to this - use with caution), Charcoal Powder, Tea Tree Oil. Detoxifying, Purifying. Also makes an awesome shaving cream!

Murad Body Wash - 8.5 oz for $39 - Paraben free! Date Seed Powder, Green Tea and Licorice Root, Salicylic Acid, and Zinc. Clarifying, calming, restorative, preventative.

Kate Somerville Exfolikate - She's got several different kinds. Since I've got rosacea, I'm a big fan of the Gentle formula ($65 for 2oz). Microbeads and Fruit Enzymes, Vitamin A, Natural Lemon, Orange, Sage and Sweet Almond Extracts, Vitamin E and Aloe Vera. I use this once or twice a week on my face and, while I'm waiting for the enzymes to work their magic, I slather some onto my chest and back. You don't feel the tingling (or burning, as I had with the original formula) as much with this sensitive product, but I definitely notice that exfoliating the chest and back makes a huge difference for clarity and regeneration! 

Want the Whole Foods version? Try Suki's Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser - $32.95 for 4oz. Not for cystic acne or rosacea, but natural sugar and lemongrass extract for a clean sweep. Smells heavenly!


For severe cases, my boys Dr. Dennis Gross and Dr. Austin both launched their famous pads for the bod! Check out Dr. Gross' Alpha Beta Daily Body Peel ($78 for 30 pads) - uses Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acids to promote skin health and radiance, and Cane and Austin Retexturizing Body Pads. ($70 for 60 pads) - Glycolic, Witch Hazel and Vitamin E. Strong but effective! 


Finally, make sure your body cream isn't breaking you out. I love a good body oil and body butter, but I only use those on my arms and legs. For the rest of my epidermis, I've had a lot of success with Kiss My Face's Vitamin A&E Body Moisturizer ($12 for 16 oz.)

Auri's tips for saying bye-bye to bacne:
- After sweating, shower as soon as humanly possible! 
- If out in the streets a lot, try to stay fresh! I like Caudalie's Beauty Elixir - antimicrobial and aromatherapeutic.
- I've been following a college roommate's advice ever since she gave it to me: Make sure you wash your body last - rinsing off any residual shampoo and conditioner from your body. 
- Remember to exfoliate!
- For my sensitive peeps, see if the material of your clothing makes a difference. I notice that wearing 100% cotton helps - sometimes synthetic fibers can trap moisture (and thusly bacteria.) Also, check your laundry detergent: it may be irritating your skin!
- And, with caution, allow yourself a little Vitamin D (and some fun in the sun!)

Stay clear and stay dry!
xoxo

Shit That Works

Now, I'm a stickler for ingredients. But, if something works, you may be willing to make the sacrifice that every ingredient may not be 100% organic, preservative-free, or vegan. While we make strides to be healthier, better and overall much more conscious of what we put in/on our bodies, I like to think of it like First Lady Michelle Obama's fight against obesity. She plants gardens of vegetables, encourages kids to eat right, but admits that even kids sometimes need to eat like...well, kids. Meaning a) you have to live your life and b) if it's WORKING for you, stop worrying about it. I tell ALL of my clients - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. 

This is my list of what I like to call...SHIT THAT WORKS. 


For some reason, these products work for me, and because I'm nice (and I want them to never go out of business), I'm going to share them with you :) Happy reading!

ACZONE - There are two awesome dermatologists that you should know the names of: If you're in NJ, Dr. Eric Siegel of Millburn LaserCenter, and, if you're in the city, Dr. Channing Barnett of Barnett Dermatology. Dr. Siegel gave me a year-long Rx of Aczone, which is awesome for us gals with acne AND rosacea..(i.e. super sexy)...and also gave me a REALITY check. He told me no more picking which was some of the BEST advice I've ever gotten***. Dr. Siegel also told me to stop hot yoga cold turkey. He says it's a breeding ground for bacteria...which is probably true...but I honestly think that I'd rather have a few zits and have my zen than be a crazy biznitch with perfect pores. Can I get an A-men?

***FYI, if you pick, I totally don't judge you. I say if you MUST pick, do it gently with your finger pads, not your nails, and sanitize immediately once it pops with a toner (some like Proactiv, but nothing else from the line) or Lavender Witch Hazel (my personal choice), otherwise the infection will spread. If it doesn't pop, GIVE UP and STOP SQUEEZING. But best of all, just stop picking altogether and reward yourself for your awesome non-picking habits.

Now, onto the goods: I'm straight-up allergic to Retin A. If it works for you, I am so jealous. But you're gonna have super sensitive, super RED skin for a LONG ASS time. That shit dried my skin out so badly, I was scratching at it for a week after BOTH times I quit! I thought it was worth going through an allergic reaction (twice) just to have clear skin. Oy, desperation. Make sure you're balancing your treatments with something soothing. Some dermatologists forget to tell you that. Try aloe vera, honey, a gentle moisturizer with milk or yoghurt in it (great for antiaging and very soothing), or, if you're an oily girl that digs an oil, Ren's Omega 3 Night Serum ROCKS (and others recommend Rodin's Olio Lusso.)

What you need to know: The treatments.
Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel CHANGED MY LIFE. - It's a 2-step blend of 5 different acids that are gentle enough for sensitive skin but tough enough to slaughter your acne, tighten your pores and brighten the skin. It also exfoliates :) Make SURE if you try it a) don't use it every day, build up to it and b) wear a (preferably organic/oil-free) SPF when outside!! Also, my other acneic sisters rave about: Cane and Austin pads and Dr. Colbert's Facial Discs. As with everything, get a sample so you can try before you buy.


Erin's Faces Oil Free Night Treatment. Organic skincare at its best! Salicylic and Glycolic acids - healing (honey, arnica, vitamin e), preventative, re-texturizing and clarifying (cinnamon). Oil-free, paraben-free and easy on the wallet for the humungo jar that you get!

I'm also really into homemade remedies! These two WORK: Honey/Apple Cide Vinegar/Sugar and Honey/Lemon/Cinnamon/Nutmeg. 

The Moisturizers.
Dr. Gross Hydrapure Oil-Free Moisturizer with Chelating Complex, Maelin & Goetz's Vitamin E Moisturizer and the Oil Free Quench Serum by Kate Somerville.

The Cleansers.

Boscia's Purifying Cleanser. I use it twice a day, but in the evenings with my CLARISONIC - (I started with the Sensitive brush head, then built up to the Deep Pore. Check out my buddy Erin's blog for more deets on cleansing brushes!)

Lastly, I really need to tell you how hot I am at night when I'm skyping with my long-distance sweetheart. I shower and have frizzy hair (which he affectionately calls my "poodle hair") and spot treatment ALL over my skin. 

The Spot Treatments.
My HG for spot treatment is Tea Tree Oil (for getting inside the zit - check out the benefits here) and Dr. Dennis Gross' Correct & Perfect Spot Treatment (for drying that shit up from the outside.)

Some other popular items for spot treatment (although not by me, necessarily) are Mario Badescu's Buffering Lotion, Kate Somerville's Eradikate and Mario Badescu's Drying Lotion. I personally found these TOO drying, so I had that nasty crusty pimple thing going. I am such a sexy beast.

So, peeps, try some of this shit out! Or, better yet, do you have your own list of SHIT THAT WORKS?? Leave a comment below, let me know what you think and, most importantly, love yourself!

Ta ta for now!

Clinique, Lady.

Dear Lady-with-the-cystic-acne-and-the-bar-of-Clinique-soap-in-your-hand,

Thank you for lighting the fire under my ass to finally commit to writing my beauty blog. Listen, here's the deal. You came into the store I was working in today, and when I asked you if you needed help (which you did), you rejected my advice. Clearly, you do need help. You thought because of my near-flawless complexion I must not understand a thing about your plight. Here's where you're wrong, biznitch. I'm so unapologetically passionate about makeup, skincare and all other things VAIN because how you LOOK is the outward expression of how you FEEL. Don't give up hope! I promise you, there IS something we can do about it. But that bar of soap AIN'T the answer.

You tell me you have sensitive skin, and Clinique is GREAT for sensitive chicks? Yeah, think again.

First of all, why in the world are you using a bar of soap, which will harbor shitloads of bacteria? I don't need a medical degree or a professional opinion to tell you that. And that "sensitive skin" product you're waving at me?  Let's, in fact, look at the ingredient list, shall we?

Ingredients: Sodium Palmate/cocoate or palm kernelate, water purified, sodium cocyl isethionate, petrolatum, coconut acid, methyl gluceth-20, dimethicone, glycerin, sodium chloride, trisodium hedta, bht, titanium dioxide. HOLD UP THE PHONE. PETROLATUM??  Um, that shit is nasty. Please, for the love of all things good in this world, do you know what you are putting on your face, girl!? 
For information on the awesome, glamorous side effects of Petrolatum, click here. I don't even need to go further with that bullshit ingredient list.

In other news, the same way that you watch what you eat and read the ingredient list of your jar of peanut butter (which, IMO, should not contain anything other than peanuts and water) - read reviews. Read reviews RELIGIOUSLY and make EDUCATED decisions. NEVER be afraid to ask for a sample. Lastly, don't ignore me, then ask me what my opinion is on the product when you've already been using it for a while...and your face still looks like a pepperoni pizza. I'm sorry to be harsh, but I have BEEN there. Takes one to know one!

See a dermatologist, and don't take "Accutane" for an answer (more on that later.) Try Glycolics and Salicylics. Do your research. See an expert. Find something that WORKS!

So, my peeps, if you're an acne-prone, sensitive-skin sister like me, follow my blog. Or even if you're not and like my sassy reviews, holla at me. I'll have some more posts up in the next couple of days with some of my favorite products, life savers and awesome purchases. Until then - be GOOD to yourselves and your largest organ - your skin! Because life is too fucking short to feel anything but GORGEOUS.

Have an awesome weekend!