Karen

Backed by Clinical Research, Electrifying New Anti-Aging Product Hits the Market Today

September 9th, 2009 by Karen 26 Comments

The Slendertone Face

It’s called the Slendertone Face, and there’s a waiting list thousands of ladies long at Harrods in the UK today, despite the whopping Â£300 (about $500) price.

The headset device, compared to a natural facelift, uses electronic muscle stimulation to strengthen facial muscles. Clinical trials showed that regular use reversed some of the muscle weakening that comes with age.

“It’s very gentle and doesn’t hurt at all,” says Dr. Trish Smith, cardiologist and chief executive of Slendertone, “As it’s hands-free, you can wear it while you’re cooking or ironing.” Electronic panels sit directly over the cranial nerve (scary!), just in front of the ear from where all the facial nerves branch out, so the pulses gently stimulate every muscle in the face. source

Video interview with the developer of the Slendertone Face…

The trials, overseen by Dr. Michael Hennessy, head of neurology at the University of Galway, suggested that using Slendertone Face for 20 minutes five times a week for 12 weeks increases the volume of facial muscles by up to 46%, with the average improvement being 18.6%.

Not bad at all.

Electronic facial muscle stimulators manufactured by other companies have been used in salons for years — the CACI Non-Surgical Face Lift is one of them — but the Slendertone was the device examined in the latest trial.

What do you think, ladies? Electrifying new development or future class-action lawsuit?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Two Ways to Win $75 in Olay Regenerist and Pantene Full and Thick Goodies

September 8th, 2009 by Karen 188 Comments

The giveaway is now closed to new entries, and the winners are being contacted. 🙂 Good luck!

olay-regenerist-giveaway

Can you believe it’s already Tuesday night? What was the highlight of your day? Mine was having lunch in the city with my friend Janice, an awesome national makeup artist for NARS. She shared some application tips for products in their permanent collection. I’m definitely gonna talk about them, but I still have some accompanying pictures to prep.

In the meantime, how about a giveaway to celebrate the fact that we’re already almost half way to Friday? 🙂

The prize

One lucky lady will take home $75 in drugstore skin and hair care goodies from Olay and Pantene:

pantene-full-and-thick

How to enter…

Entering is easy. There are two different ways, and you can do both of them for two chances to win.

First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post — a comment describing one of your favorite drugstore products. 🙂

I’m a huge fan of Olay Complete SPF 30 Daily Moisturizer. Been using it for years. It moisturizes and keeps the sunburns at bay without breaking me out.

Second, enter by following me on Twitter and retweeting (RT) the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to Win $75 in Olay Regenerist and Pantene Full & Thick Drugstore Goodies http://bit.ly/3OHkz9

Recap…

Enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, and don’t forget to use a valid email address so I can reach you if you win.
Follow me on Twitter and retweet the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to Win $75 in Olay Regenerist and Pantene Full & Thick Drugstore Goodies http://bit.ly/3OHkz9

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 p.m. PST on Thursday, September 10.

Onnea!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The giveaway is now closed to new entries, and the winners are being contacted. 🙂 Good luck!

Have You Had Any Problems Accessing the Blog?

September 8th, 2009 by Karen 39 Comments

Have you had any problems accessing the blog?

Hi, ladies. Have you noticed any problems lately accessing MBB? Any weird errors or hangups? The past couple of days have been filled with technical challenges for me. Day before yesterday I attempted to upgrade the software I use, which is called WordPress, because of this warning about a new worm, which is like a virus that in this case infects blogs.

I thought things went well, but now I’m not so sure. A couple of you have emailed or commented to report glitches.

If you’re getting page errors or other weirdness when you visit, would you mind leaving a comment or sending me a note to let me know? Any details would help, like the type of web browser you’re using (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc.), a description of the error, and approximately when the glitch occurred.

It’s either due to the WordPress upgrade, a new caching plugin I installed (to speed things up) or Godaddy (the company that hosts the blog, like its landlord). If I can figure out what’s causing the problems, maybe I can undo the change.

Thanks a lot for your help.

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Lovely Luxuries: Bliss Ingrown Eliminating Pads

September 8th, 2009 by Karen 19 Comments

bliss-ingrown-eliminating-pads

Grab your favorite razor, girls, and skip with me down to the land of smooth, bump-free skin. Say hola to Bliss Ingrown Eliminating Pads ($38 for 50 pads).

It’s hard to believe how fast time flies, but ’round these parts Labor Day means we’ve reached the unofficial end of summer, and THAT means ye olde swimsuit will soon be retired. 🙁

Of course, just because the two-piece goes into hibernation for a while doesn’t mean I won’t want to shave and/or wax.

That’s where Bliss Ingrown Eliminating Pads come into play. They help treat and prevent the ingrown hairs and razor bumps that can result from shaving and waxing.

Ingrown hairs begone!

The geniuses at Bliss soak these disposable round pads (they’re about the size of my palm) with exfoliating salicylic and glycolic acids and pack them with oat extract, witch hazel and lavender oil to soothe freshly groomed parts.
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Eva Mendes: Her Best Hair?

September 8th, 2009 by Karen 19 Comments

Eva Mendes: Her Best Hair?

If you’ve ever seen the 1998 direct-to-video classic smash hit Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror, you may have shouted at the TV, “Great Caesar’s ghost! That’s Eva Mendes!”

Born in Miami, Florida to Cuban parents on March 5, 1974, Eva was raised in Los Angeles by her mother after her parents divorced. One day, around the time she was in college unhappily studying marketing, she caught the eye of an agent who convinced her to pursue a career in acting.

From there it was on to music videos like Will Smith’s Miami, the Pet Shop Boys’ That’s the Way Life Is and Aerosmith’s Hole in My Soul, until her big-screen big break in 2001’s Training Day, with Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, which led to appearances in Hitch, We Own the Night and The Spirit. source

As for her look, I love what she does with her hair. She isn’t afraid to add volume, and she doesn’t shy away from sexy styles.

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

How to Treat Post-Acne Scarring?

September 7th, 2009 by Karen 54 Comments

clinique even better

Earlier this summer I broke out somethin’ fierce. Eventually my skin cleared up, but many of the pimples left discolored post-acne scars, boo!

Then I got this email from reader Katie:

“Hey Karen,

I was wondering if you’ve tried any products to reduce or get rid of existing acne scars. I have a couple of acne scars that still look like pimples, and I would really like to reduce the look of them… Could you help a girl out???!

-Katie W.”

Hi Katie,

It’s kind of a cruel joke, isn’t it? Mother Nature, not content to merely dish out the pimples, follows suit by leaving behind a discolored mark or divot that can linger for months or even years. Talk about unwanted reminders!

Depending on your skin color and the severity of your scarring, the discolorations, called Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH), can be pink, red, purple, brown or black, and can take anywhere from three to 24 months to disappear.

PIH is a common occurrence among acne sufferers, but there are a slew of over-the-counter treatments on the market to help.

Many times they’re referred to as “brightening” or “skin tone correcting products” that very often contain AHAs, BHAs, retinoids or hydroquinone.

Clinique Even Better To diminish the appearance of my summer breakout scars, I’ve been using a product with AHA (salicylic acid) from Clinique called Even Better Skin Tone Corrector ($40), an unscented, invisible serum.

I’ve been using it for about six weeks now, twice a day, applying after toning and moisturizing but before sunscreen.

Clinique claims Even Better works to correct uneven skin tone by removing dark patches, age spots and the darkening often caused by breakouts.

The product’s been out for about a year now, but I didn’t think to try it until my skin trubs this summer.

Whenever I get a pimple, I’m pretty much guaranteed a lingering dark spot on my skin. They usually take from two to three months to fade, but Clinique Even Better, applied twice per day, seems to cut that down by half.

It’s now a permanent member of my skin care arsenal. 🙂 Straight up, this stuff WORKS!

OF NOTE: Salicylic acid has been shown to help diminish the appearance of minor acne scarring, but it can also make skin more sensitive to sunlight and the dark spots common to it (photo aging). If you decide to give Even Better a try, sunscreen is an absolute must (I like Shiseido 55+).

If your scars are more along the lines of deeper skin indentations or pockmarks, you might want to ask your dermatologist about some of these treatments:

Resurfacing the upper layers of the skin with dermabrasion or lasers
Raising the surface of the skin and creating a smoother look with injectable dermal fillers
Surgical treatments like punch excision, which fuses the edges of a scar together

For more information on acne scars and PIH, check out this page on About.com or this page.

Chicas, I’m putting this out there to you. Do you have any suggestions or product recommendations for our girl Katie? Have you ever dealt with acne scarring or hyperpigmentation?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen