I’m not sure if alot of you are familiar with threading as a hair removal technique.  But I wanted to mention it because when I was in Esthetician school an Asian classmate turned me onto it.  It was something she had actually taught herself many years ago and after I decided to have my lip hair threaded by her I knew I would never go back to waxing my upper lip again. 

So what is threading and how does it work?  Basically the licensed esthetician or practitioner uses a good length of cotton thread and holds one end in her teeth and the other in one hand. The middle is then looped through the index and middle fingers of the free hand. The loop is the part of the thread that grabs and pulls the unwanted hairs from the skin.  Hair removal is quick and slightly stinging from the hairs being pulled out but very clean.  I had no redness or irritation that you may get from waxing. 

Recommended for upper lip and eyebrows but I’m not sure how well this would work on other parts of the body.  I would probably say to stick with waxing for legs, underarms and other larger areas. Results with threading can also last longer then waxing. 

For us girls on the go who don’t have the time to fuss or stop at home to prep before hitting happy hour try Freeze 24-7 & GO Instant Smoother and Brightner.  A compact and portable hi-tech beauty device that delivers fast results for perfect skin.  With a blend of herbal extracts, diffusers and anit-oxidants Freeze 24-7 & GO eliminates the appearance of wrinkles, plumps and brightens skin and leaves you with a renewed, flawless finish. Great for use under or over makeup. 

You love to drink their water and now you’ll love their hydrating line of skincare products.  Aquafina has introduced a line of Advanced Hydration Premium Skincare products that are guaranteed to drench thirsty skin.  With the aid of Qusomes, a patented delivery system, that allows a deeper and faster penetration of the active ingredients into your skin to help you achieve smoother, healthier and more hydrated skin everytime.

Wrinkle Shot is a long lasting way to quickly treat fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes, mouth and forehead area. A deep penetrating cream, Wrinkle Shot aides in reconstructing damaged collagen fibers in the dermis and brings elasticity and firmness back into your skin. I say give it a shot!

We all need a really good chap stick to keep our lips moist and supple and in this case a little plumper.  Devita’s Lip Volumizer I found while flipping through a Holistic catalog I recieved in the mail called Isabella. Only natural, non-toxic ingredients are put into this lip treatment.  Devita’s Lip Volumizer has also been tested to enhance lip volume by 40% after only 30 days as well as reduce furrows by up to 30%.  It does this by using an all natural peptide that stimulates collagen production by up to 350%!  Talk about having bigger, more lucious lips naturally!   I personally love it and use it about 3-4 times a day and I can see the difference. Can be worn under your lipsticks or lip glosses. 

If you suffer from constant headaches due to stress or tension you might just need Clear My Head Ache.   Made with all natural aromatherapy ingredients including a blend of peppermint and lavender, you just roll Clear My Head Ache along your forehead and feel clearer instantly!

 
Here’s a cool little gadget that could cause some major sparks. It’s a MySpace widget from Impulse. Just Stick it on your profile and passers-by can type in their profile name to see how much they spark with you. Add one to your own page by visiting and registering at ActionImpulse.com. It’s well worth the visit!

Mariah is doing a personal appearance at Macy’s in NYC which will be at Macy’s Herald Square showcasing her new fragrance, M by Mariah Carey on Tuesday October 23rd.

The first 200 customers to purchase the special M by Mariah Carey fragrance (set priced at $130) will receive a special pass to meet Mariah and get her autograph.

The first 50 customers to purchase the special VIP M by Mariah Carey fragrance (set priced at $305) will get a VIP pass that entitles them to a photo opp with Mariah, an exclusive M by Mariah Carey crystal accented tee shirt and a pure parfum.

So if you’re in the neighbourhood stop by!

Ok everyone, here it is the results of my first ever chemical peel - the Belladerma Peel.  As you can see the darker pigmented areas have lightened up alot from my earlier photo.  I didn’t expect the hyperpigmentation and melasma to completely diminish after the first treatment (that would be a miracle!) but I was very happy with the results after only 6 days and very little down time.  My pigmentation is alot more concentrated in areas rather then spread out and will take longer to lighten.  Everyone’s result will be different with a peel.

I know after a couple more treatments alot of my hyperpigmentation will be gone but with hyperpigmentation its something my skin is prone to so it will require constant attention to keep under control.  Daily sunscreen, good skincare products, hats and possibly hydroquinone application will be needed.  Overall my skin feels soft, smooth and glowing and my skin tone looks more consistent. 

We gotta love the skin we are in so we need to take care of it. I highly recommend the belladerma peel ($99 introductory price) and look forward to my next treatment with Jessica! 

So on day 3 my lower face is starting to peel off.  What you start to notice is hanging skin which is definitely not the prettiest sight. You are not supposed to pick at your skin.  You can however trim off any hanging skin with scissors.  Just be careful.  I pretty much hid out at home on the 3rd day.  It was only my mouth area mostly that was peeling at this point but it’s not something you would want to share with strangers.  My face still feels tight and is slightly red still but slowly I’m noticing the peeling areas increase to up along my nose.  Everyone’s experience with a chemical peel with differ.  I’m anxious to see the final results.  Check back later.

So as i mentioned in my last post, I was off to do a chemical peel.  As you can see by my lovely before picture I was in desperate need of doing something about my hyperpigmentation.  The dark spots on my face seemed to have come out of nowhere and overnight!  Well, maybe not overnight but it sure seemed that way.  I was searching for a good peel for months or even possibly a laser treatment and I was holding out until after summer. 

Since I’ve had pretty good skin prior to this I didn’t really bother to seek skin care help when i should have.  I thought by using topical creams and serums it would magically disappear.  But who would have thought it would have gotten this bad! As I mentioned in my last blog, my friend had this peel done and acheived wonderful, turn back the age results.  It’s the Belladerma Peel created by Dr. Bucko who is located in La Jolla, CA which is in the San Diego area and who is also regarded as one of the best plastic surgeons around. 

The Belladerma Peel is a combination of gentle acids that chemically remove the uppermost layer of your skin. By doing this peel any product you apply is more easily absorbed into the skin which allows it to penetrate deeper into the skin and treat skin problems like hyperpigmentation, acne and wrinkles.

I met with Jessica his Medical Esthetician.  A beautiful girl with gorgeous skin and very experienced.  She made me feel totally comfortable and answered all my questions as well as explained everything she was doing step by step.  I really didn’t know what to expect since this was my very first peel. Was it going to burn and hurt?  Actually it just tingled and Jessica had a fan on me the whole time so it definitely helped as a distraction.  She applied three layers and then a serum and sunscreen.  Sunscreen is a must peel or no peel and she lathered it on nice and thick… It was an SPF 30 by skinceuticals incase you are wondering.  With a peel you want to avoid the sun as much as possible and if you can’t, wear a hat and don’t forget the sunscreen!  I was good to go.  Nice and quick… I guess that’s why it’s called the lunch time peel.  I got up wondering what my skin looked like.. was it burning red or leathery brown… i really didn’t know what to expect but as I turned to the mirror I saw nothing different.  I looked the same.  She told me that wouldn’t last.  She said “The second day is when your face will darken in certain areas and it may redden and get irritated. On the third day you will start to peel and more so around the mouth area first.  Up to 7 days you will continue to peel until your new skin has surfaced.” 

She did mention however that I would need additional treatments especially since it was the first peel I ever did.  My results would not be as that of my friend who has been in to see her a few times more then me, but any result will be better then what I see now and I have rescheduled to see her again in 4 weeks.  Check back tomorrow for day 3 -peeling.