Happy Sunday, ladies! I hope yours got off to a good start. Today is Father’s Day here in the States, and what better way to celebrate than with a post highlighting something dads often preach: fiscal responsibility.

Here are 21 more drugstore beauty tips to help keep that budget on track.

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1. Crest Advanced Seal Strips: A good pros/cons review with a glowing endorsement of the product from a top beauty blogger.



2. Dove Beauty Bar: A drugstore beauty staple for generations, it’s always there in a pinch.



3. Nadinola Cocoa Butter Cream: It’s hard to believe, but this highly-rated moisturizer often sells for under $1!



4. Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse Foundation: Some beauty tips actually warn AGAINST a product, like this one does for a popular drugstore foundation.



5. Sally Hansen No Chip Polish: I love chips, but not on my nails. In this post Blogger Vanessa gives a glowing 5/5 review to a can’t-miss $4 nail polish.



6. Biore Skin Preservation Line: Here’s a look at a drugstore skin care line for women 25-35, with skin that’s out of the “acne/breakout” phase but not yet ready for wrinkle fighters or thicker night creams/moisturizers.



Continue Reading…

The cosmetics industry calls it “trading down,” but most women call it common sense. The economy is prompting women to look more closely at budget alternatives to many of their favorite department store products.

Here’s a quick look at 21 budget beauty resources to help us save some scratch without having to sacrifice too much on quality.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like…

• 21 Skin Care Tips
• 21 Makeup Tutorials
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• 101 Hairstyle Tutorials
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1. Beauty on a Budget: Advice from a Stylist: From the Fashion & Style pages of The New York Times, makeup artist Ann Orcutt shows how to “trade down” from department store makeup and drugstore without sacrificing on quality.



2. What’s Your Favorite Drugstore Skin Care Buy? Don’t miss the comments on this Glamour mag post with suggestions on top drugstore skin care buys.



3. 8 Eyeshadows Under $10: Glamour’s Beth Shapouri links to a gallery of 8 pretty eyeshadow palettes and quads worth checking out.



4. Boots Amazon Forest Brazil Nut and Vanilla Selection: I love Brazil nuts. If you do, too, then check out the Boots aisle at your local Target.



5. Kiss Manicure Salon Kit: Here’s a fantastic $10 kit with eight items for manicures on the go.



6. Sally Hansen Miracle Cure: Where the heck has Sally’s Miracle Cure been all my life? I have GOT to get myself a bottle of this stuff.



Continue Reading…

Dr. Robert Rey, celebrity plastic surgeon and star of E! television’s Dr. 90210, was on hand at the Nordstrom Summer Trend Show in San Francisco this morning to talk about Sensual Solutions, his new line of 13 anti-aging skin care products for face and body (exclusive to Nordstrom).

I stole a few minutes of the handsome doctor’s time to talk about Sensual Solutions, plastic surgery and overall skin care and health.

1. Be religious about sun protection

“Aging today is a choice,” says Dr. Rey. By focussing on preventative measures, like wearing sunscreen, “You’ll age only if you want to…”

2. Support “the girls” at all times, even while you sleep

To keep breasts from sagging, the doctor suggests wearing a bra while you sleep. “At night… your breasts are falling into your armpit, which pulls at the ligaments and causes sagging.”

3. Consider plastic surgery as a last resort

Dr. Rey calls his Sensual Solutions line “plastic surgery in a bottle.” He designed it for women looking for a non-surgical approach to anti-aging. All 13 products contain an anti-aging complex called AActive6-Exotics, a combination of compounds from the jungles of Brazil (Dr. Rey is Brazilian) and anti-aging ingredients from Western medicine.

A few of his favorites from the line?

• Eye Promise ($85): With a hectic schedule — long hours in the operating room and frequent cross-country flights — Dr. Rey depends on his Eye Promise cream to decrease puffiness on the skin around his eyes and reduce the appearance of dark circles.
• From Your Lips ($40): A plumping gloss to firm, to increase volume and to smooth creases and lines on lips while simultaneously delivering a glossy, natural tint.

  When we first sat down to talk, Dr. Rey reached across the space between us and applied From Your Lips on my pucker. Within about 10 minutes my lips looked and felt noticeably bigger, with a color a few shades darker than usual (but still my natural tone).

• Inhibitox ($150): The doc developed Inhibitox — what he calls “Botox in a bottle” — after growing tired of administering Botox (!) on himself before television appearances. The penetrating cream gets deep into the skin to relax the underlying muscles.

4. Do your research if you decide plastic surgery is right for you

Not all doctors who perform cosmetic procedures are plastic surgeons. Follow these tips to find a good one, and avoid someone who’s merely taken a weekend course:

• Look for a doctor trained as a general plastic and reconstructive surgeon.
• Make sure the doctor is licensed and in good standing with your state medical board (click here for a list of links to state boards).
• Listen to the buzz in your community, and chat with other women to find out which doctors they’re talking about.
• Listen to your gut. You shouldn’t have a bad feeling about your doctor. If you walk into an office and the doctor makes you feel uncomfortable or creepy, move on.
• Plastic surgeons often have books filled with before and after pictures of their work. The more documentation and pictures they can show you, the better, so look for thick books and stacks of pictures at the office.

5. Stop (or don’t start) smoking

Smoking destroys the skin, and Dr. Rey sees the evidence all the time in his medical practice. When two sisters or twins visit and one of them smokes, it only takes a second to guess which one’s the smoker.

6. Drink lots of water

Drinking water plumps the cells and flushes toxins from the body.

7. Give up caffeine

According to Dr. Rey, “It’s the number one cause of cellulite.”

8. Exercise!

It promotes mental and physical well being, and for those reasons and more, it’s a great anti-aging tool.

9. Cut back on stress

Stress is a major ager. Dr. Rey suggests daily meditation and regular exercise to keep stress under control.

10. Nourish your inner beauty

“Your spirit matters. Go to church, go to temple, whatever you do — you’ve got to do something spiritual. Or, simply help out in your community. This builds inner beauty, and beauty really starts there.”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Vacation, all I ever wanted…

Every worker bee deserves a break from time to time — a few precious days away from the daily grind.

MBB reader Rhian heads on vacay in a few weeks (lucky girl!) and could use some help figuring out how to pack her makeup.

I’m taking a week-long vacation and wonder how the heck I’m gonna keep my makeup safe — especially the MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural! I know it’s so fragile, but it’s a complete must. I’m terrified it will crack and shatter.

Also, I want to take a 15 pan palette and a few blushes, but I’m not entirely sure how to pack them securely and save space. No traincases please.

Rhian

Hi, Rhian. Where are you going on vacation? Can I stow away in your luggage?

Unfortunately, I’m the world’s *worst* packer when it comes to clothes and shoes (I bring everything but the kitchen sink), but when it comes to packing beauty products, I have a system that works pretty well for me.

When I’m checking in bags

The liquids in breakable bottles and small jars (like foundation) go into a large, clear plastic bag nestled securely (and cushioned by clothes) in the center of my check-in luggage. Sometimes I’ll even protect the bag in bubble wrap secured with extra large rubber bands. My powder products come with me in my carry-on bag.

If I’m not checking a bag

If I’m not planning to check anything in, I’ll try to find small cream versions of my must-have liquid products (less likely to spill). If there are any liquid products I can’t live without, I’ll transfer them to small plastic travel bottles (the TSA rules allow up to 3-oz in size). I get mine from REI, like these 1-oz bottles for $1.20. And I’ll store the bottles in a quart-size plastic bag which I keep in my carry-on bag.

Powder products — compacts and palettes

I *always* carry these on the plane, storing them in a slim, rectangular-shaped makeup bag like this silver Trina Turk bag from a Clinique GWP. The shape works well for travel and even fits into a standard school backpack.

Extra palette protection!

If I’m extra worried about palettes breaking in my carry on, I’ll bubble wrap each one individually, securing it with rubber bands before popping it into my makeup bag.

Ladies, how do you pack your makeup for travel? Do you have any tips for Rhian?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Today I turned 34, and I’m feeling pretty good about it.

Despite having a little more gray hair (I’m still reeling from that white hair in my eyebrow), the wrinkles around my mouth and my eyes, and that pesky chin hair that sprouts up seemingly overnight (like a mushroom! — all stiff and long!), this birthday feels good.

It’s not a milestone birthday like 16, 21 or 30, but this morning over my first cup of coffee as a 34 year old, I thought of a few reasons to relish my day.

My mom. Last weekend my mom asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday. I said “Nothing,” because “turning 34 isn’t a big deal.”

She replied, “Of course it’s a big deal. That’s the day we met!”

I’m reminded that I won’t always have her to share things like birthdays with…

I feel lucky to be alive. Earlier this year I was flipping through my hometown newspaper and stumbled upon a picture of a girl I went to high school with. It was in the obituaries. The photo was her senior class picture, and I remembered it because she’d given me the same one at the end of the year.

I dug it out and read what she’d written on the back: “It’s been great getting to know you, and I’ll see you at the reunion in 20 years.”

Every day is a gift.

Birthdays are for big dreams. When I was in my 20s, I felt like I had all the time in the world, but I don’t.

I know that most of us feel like we’re barely able to keep our head above water — I know I do — so where the heck are we supposed to find time to explore the pyramids of Egypt? I can barely find the time to clean the bathroom at home!

For now, I’m going to work under the premise that adventure won’t just come knocking at the door. You have to reach out and grab it!

How old are you turning this year? Is there something you’d really like to do for your birthday?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen