It's A Miss With Neutrogena's New Spray Sunblock

I'm a loyal fan of Neutrogena's Ultra-Sheer, Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 30. I slather it on everyday and could barely contain myself when I discovered that the company launched its Fresh Cooling Body Mist Sunblock SPF 45 with helioplex. Helioplex, along with its counterpart mexoryl, is one of the strongest UVA (the nasty ray that's responsible for lines, wrinkles and discoloration) filters on the market. However, I've got to be honest here and say that I'm pretty disappointed with this product. Due to its high alcohol content, the formula tends to dry out my skin and has a rather unpleasant fragrance. Sprays are definitely a lot more convenient and easier to apply on the arms, legs and back, but turn the bottles around on most of these formulas and you'll see that the very first ingredient is alcohol. What does everyone think of these new SPF sprays that are invading the industry?

Your Ticket to Shine-Free Skin

Plagued with oily skin? Factors such as genetics, hormonal changes and sweltering summer heat all contribute to excessive oil production, causing breakouts and unwanted shine. Instead of caking on heavy powders that can clog pores and lead to breakouts, invest in some blotting papers. Boscia's Green Tea Blotting Linens are perfect for instant oil and shine absorption, without smudging makeup. The sheets are made from 100% Abaca Leaf fiber and infused with Green Tea, a potent antioxidant that protects skin from free radical damage. Don't let oily skin get you down; the upside to having an oilier complexion is that fine lines and wrinkles take a lot longer to develop.

Beauty For Our Babies

Beauty products aren't just for people; our beloved pets deserve the best products on the market too. Individuals, myself included, are increasingly spoiling their animals with fancy treats, ridiculously adorable outfits and doggy daycare services. Thank goodness the clever folks at Kiehl's caught on to this trend and created a whole line of products for our best friends. I've been bathing Makena, my Boston Terrier of twelve years, with the new Kiehl's Cuddly-Coat Grooming Shampoo and Conditioning Rinse every week. The lavender-scented formulas are enriched with Chamomile Flower Extract and Palm Kernel to thoroughly cleanse and soften fur. Her coat hasn't been cleaner or shinier. Here's a photo of Makena taking her weekly bath...isn't she the cutest little creature ever?

Drumroll Please...

Exciting news in the beauty world of late! Clairol is now selling their cult-favorite Nice'N Easy Colorseal Conditioning Gloss separately. This conditioner works wonders for hair by sealing in color and adding a ton of shine. You don't have to color your hair with Nice'N Easy, nor do you have to color your hair at all, to be utterly consumed with this product (this comes as great news for those of us who would buy the Nice'N Easy coloring kits just to get our perfectly manicured hands on the conditioner). It's like lip gloss for your locks!

Meet the Magical Pen

Charles Revson revolutionized the world of beauty with one secret weapon: advertising. His "Cherries in the Snow" and "Fire and Ice" campaigns catapulted the company into enormous success with the help of his muse, Dorian Leigh. With my vintage ads of Fire and Ice, Moondrops and Fatal Apple, (what would the world do without Ebay?!) I'll always have a soft spot for the glamour and classic aesthetic Revlon was founded on.

While perusing through the drugstore aisles of mascara, nail polish and hair color the other day, I came across Revlon's new Makeup Eraser Pen for lips and eyes. The portable pen has a soft antibacterial tip that is packed with botanicals, such as vitamin e and aloe, and powerful makeup removing ingredients that instantly erase mistakes, smudges and smears. This is also a must-have for us gals that always sport a bright red/berry lip color! I've now got one in my makeup bag and am going to get a second today for my at-home makeup box. Now if only there was a magical wand that could erase the calories from hot-fudge brownie sundaes, life would be perfect!

The Beautiful People II: Ojon's Conditioner and Restorative Treatment

As promised, here's a followup review on Ojon's Ultra Hydrating Conditioner and Restorative Hair Treatment. Being thoroughly impressed with the shampoo, I had to get my hands on the daily conditioner and mask. I must say, I'm just as pleased with both of these products. The Ultra Hydrating Conditioner is a rich, buttery formula that contains 100% pure Ojon oil to moisturize and soften dry, chemically-treated hair. The yummy smelling conditioner also makes for a great detangler and will not weigh hair down. Ojon's Restorative Hair Treatment is an oil-based mask that is used before shampooing. The treatment is almost like a balm that requires you to rub it between your palms (which then turns the product into an oil) before applying. Leave on for about twenty minutes or longer and shampoo out. The instructions also encourage using the balm/oil as a cuticle moisturizer and leave-in conditioner.

I Didn't Know You Had Freckles On Your Nose!

One of the first indicators that I was not born with flawless skin was an incident that happened on the little-yellow-school-bus many years ago. One of my best friends and I were sitting on our afternoon ride home from school when she blurted, "I didn't know you had so many freckles on your nose!" You see, I didn't have any freckles...I was cursed with blackheads. Nothing suited me more than to crawl under my seat, leaving my plagued skin and I alone in a dark, isolated cave. Thanks to progressive technology and advanced research, any skin problem has its solution. Have some hyperpigmentation? Laser treatments, peels and dermatologist- performed microdermabrasion can fix that in no time. Frown lines won't go away? Botox injections can fill in those wrinkles asap. Always remember this and never fret about your skin...there's always something out in the vast universe that can fix it!

After getting over some embarrassment, I mustered up the courage to get off the bus, walk home and figure out what the next step was to clear my complexion. All throughout high school, I turned to Biore's Deep Cleansing Pore Strips to remove blackheads and clean out my pores. For four years, these strips did the job and never again did someone ask if I had freckles (I still feel so embarrassed recalling the situation!). However, once I moved to Manhattan and started college, I found that deep-cleansing masks worked more efficiently and weren't as abrasive as the skin-ripping pore strips. I haven't found a better one than Kiehl's Rare-Earth Facial Cleansing Masque. This morning I used a Biore pore strip (after having not used any for about three years) on my nose and used two of their face strips on my chin and forehead. I followed each instruction step-by-step and allowed the strips to dry for about ten minutes. When the time came to remove them, I started pulling the strips and experienced quite a bit of pain. My face was beet-red and looked super-irritated. I can't imagine this as being healthy or good to do to my skin! Perhaps the most unfortunate part was excitedly looking at the strips and seeing nothing on them knowing full well that blackheads could have been pulled. Perhaps Biore changed their original formula for the strips? I don't remember them being so ineffective. What are your experiences with these pore strips?