If you think you might like to give blogging a try, have a bug for writing/photography or just want to get your name or website out there in front of more people, drop me a line. I’m always looking for guest product reviews, makeup looks, tutorials, videos and tips.

Like these…

Here are just a handful of recent guest posts. If you’re interested, send me a quick note with an overview of your idea.

• 5 Japanese Brands You Should Try
• 5 All-Star Face Primers!
• Designer Impostor: A High Fashion Look from the Marc Jacobs Runway
• Benefit Posietint Lip and Cheek Stain: Gorgeous Yet Understated
• Stef Goes Cuckoo for Coral!
• Two Top Drugstore Gems: Good for Baby, Good for Mommy
• Lovin’ LUSH Massage Bars

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Angelenos, are you in the mood for makeup? If you are, you’re *so* in luck.

This weekend’s International Makeup Artist Trade Show (6/20-21) in Pasadena, California is the only show of its kind in the world. Thousands of makeup artists, manufacturers and makeup addicts will convene for the cosmetic world’s biggest brouhaha to discuss, display, discover and collect the best the makeup industry has to offer.

Want to hear how Hollywood made Benjamin’s button? — Attend Greg Cannom’s talk on Sunday at 3:30pm. He won this year’s Oscar for Achievement in Makeup for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Interested in Vulcan eyebrows and ears? — Take notes while members of the new Star Trek movie makeup team break things down Sunday morning at 10:30.

That’s not all!

Learn avant-garde makeup with Nolan Robert, winner of Lifetime TV’s Blush; compete for prizes in beauty student competitions; take a close look at beauty macro photography makeup; get answers to your questions about silicone; learn how to airbrush like a pro and SO MUCH MORE.

Advance tickets are available through today (6/18) at www.makeupartistshow.com. It’s $65 for both days or $35 for either. Tickets can also be purchased at the door on either day for an extra $5.

And the show’s 100% open to the public, meaning that you don’t have to be a makeup artist to attend (check out this video overview of the show).

The event’s being held at the Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena, CA.

I wish I could go!!!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Photo: Copyright 2009 Paramount Pictures Corp. All Rights Reserved. Star Trek & Related Marks & Logos are Trademarks of CBS Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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

I’m not sure who coined the phrase, but an economic indicator known as the Lipstick Index has long held that purchases of color cosmetics were inversely correlated to economic health, and that in bad economic times, women skipped big-ticket luxuries in favor of little treats like lipsticks and gloss.

Well, chalk this up as another example of just how bad the global recession is, but the Lipstick Index no longer applies.

In both 2007 and 2008, sales of premium color cosmetics were down in all major markets worldwide, with the exception of Latin America, where overall makeup and beauty sales have done all right. Moreover, the global rate of decline doubled between 2007 and 2008 (from 2-4%).
source

What’s it mean?

Probably that this particular recession, now in its 19th month, is worse than the average downturn, something most people already knew. Since 1854, the US has gone through 32 cycles of economic expansion and contraction, with each period of contraction lasting an average of 17 months. And that’s including the 10-12 years of the Great Depression, which kinda throws the whole curve out of whack.
source

It may also mean more unemployment (and the anxiety that comes with uncertainty in the job market), as businesses continue cutting costs by laying off more workers; more consolidation among companies in the beauty industry; and, hopefully, lower prices.

Do you think makeup and beauty prices are falling? I tried to think of some big lines that have dropped their prices lately and couldn’t come up with a single one.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Just a reminder, but MAC is holding a much-needed Friends & Family Sale June 16-18. It’s online only, and the coupon code is SUMO, which is good for 25% off purchases made through maccosmetics.com (valid in the US and Canada).

43%
Consensus: Bronzed beauties may find more to like in Naked Honey than lighter-skinned lovelies. Don’t miss the Skin Salve or Buckwheat Eyeshadows, though; they’re getting rave reviews!

“The color palette features warm and shimmery brown, copper, pink and gold shades that should look gorgeous on warm skin tones and tans. There’s nothing here too out there or arty, nor are the colors apt to induce naps. They’re straight-up pretty (but wearable) products, and I’m a big fan.”

Full Review | Makeupandbeautyblog.com

“Anyone who expected very honeyish scents will be a bit dismayed, as most of the scented products are more floral/spicy and less honey. The skin salve is the most honey scented product, but it is still quite floral-honey. I liked several items, but I felt like you could miss this launch and not live to regret it.”

Full Review | Temptalia.com

“Over all this launch was not my favourite. Although it did have some winners. If you want to save your money for the next few MAC launches you won’t miss much here. I like the shadows and glosses along with the highlighters, but as far as ‘NEED -MUST- HAVES’ there are only a few…”

Full Review | Pursebuzz.com

“I’ve got to tell you, this is undoubtedly the freshest, most exciting collection MAC’s come up with in a looong time. Along with Buzz Lipglass, I’m also kind of addicted to Naked Honey Body Wash ($19.50).”

Full Review | Tiawilliams.net

“I dont think I have been excited about The Naked Honey collection since I saw it on Specktra. The shadows in the collection felt like repeats of ones I already have.”

Full Review | Themakeupsnob.com

“…if you’ll excuse the pun, I’ve succumbed to all the buzz. The collection is half-makeup, half-body-stuff, and though the makeup portion is small compared to other releases, I think MAC did well with what they created.”

Full Review | Karlasugar.blogspot.com

“…there was nothing that stood out enough for me to peel off some greenbacks. I have so many similar colors already that I can’t justify buying anything from NH. I have been lusting over Pollinator e/s for months but it is so much lighter than I thought.”

Full Review | Butterfly08, Longhaircareforum.com

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I’d like to update this post with as many Naked Honey collection reviews as possible. Let me know if you find any more or if you’ve done one yourself, and I’ll update the score up at the top.