How To Use A Lash Comb For Perfect Luscious Lashes

Trying to make big, wide, sexy eyes?

Remember these 3 tools: a decent eyelash curler, some nice black mascara, and an eyelash comb. Don't try to skip the comb.

I admit, I have usually used a straight pin to carefully comb through my lashes. My friend, Patty, once told me that all fashionable Parisian women used straight pins to separate their lashes. She gave me that beauty tip back in college, and I never questioned her. Is it true? Who knows. But I have met a number of makeup junkies who also use straight pins to separate their lashes. They have become frustrated with lash combs that have broken teeth or clumpy old mascara residue caked on them.

Let's be honest here, using a straight pin to comb through your eyelashes works well. However, it can become a dangerous tool in an unsteady or clumsy hand. A few years ago, I was getting ready to head out to a Super Bowl party with my friends at a bar. I was hurrying, trying to separate my lashes, when I missed with the pin and scraped across my cornea and iris. The pain was immense. I panicked. I had trouble seeing. I rushed to an eye doctor who examined me, and told me I would be just fine in a couple of days. He chuckled when I told him how the accident occurred. My friends didn't believe my eyelash mishap. They couldn't stop laughing.

There is an easier and safer way to separate your lashes. You should use a lash comb. The key point to remember here, are the type of teeth featured on your comb. The plastic comb with the plastic teeth break easier and are tougher to clean.

Instead, look for eyelash combs that have gold-plated or silver plated metal teeth. For some strange reason, the metal teeth give superior separation. Separated lashes look longer, fuller, more natural, and widen the eye. Just clean the lash comb with alcohol on a cotton ball or tissue after each use.

And a lash comb is quite simple to use, except, you can jab yourself in the eye, so only use with complete attention. First, curl your lashes with an eyelash curler. Second, begin applying thin coats of mascara at a time. Then, take your eyelash comb and start separating, or combing through your wet lashes. Comb from the roots upward, immediately after applying each coat. You will like the results---long, thick, more uniform lashes. No clumps or 'spider-looking' lashes.

Here are 2 excellent eyelash combs we adore:

1. Perfect Lashcomb ($17.95, http://www.perfectlash.comb/. will be selling retail soon.) The beauty of this lash comb is its curved design with rounded sides (see photo of purple Perfect Lashcomb). This comb has gold-plated or silver-plated teeth. The layered teeth glide easily through your lashes, separating them perfectly.

2. Tweezerman Folding Eyelash Comb ($6.99, drug stores and http://www.sephora.com/). This beauty gadget also separates lashes with great success. It, too, features gold-plated metal teeth for quick and easy lash combing. You end up with long, natural lashes. Very convenient too, as it folds up neatly (see bottom photo).

Drink Your Vitamins And Stay Healthy

You've seen all the colorful bottles and waters. Designer water drinks are very popular these days. But is it possible to drink your vitamins, and actually get something nutritious out of it? Can you stay healthy by blending a powder with water or buying a vitamin-infused bottle of water?

According to many nutritionists, yes, you can pick up valuable vitamins and minerals, depending on what kind of drink you ingest.

Doctors will tell you, that nothing compares with eating loads of fruits and vegetables. But you can try drinking your vitamins, and actually benefit. And for those women out there who are vegetarians, women who are sucking soda all day, dieting women, teenagers, and older women, it couldn't hurt to drink your vitamins.

Vitamin waters are marketed attractively. The bottles and the water beverages in them, all look colorful and make you want to grab them off the grocery shelves. But these waters are not perfect. Some contain sugar, fats, or sodium. And some even have high calories.

Body bulders will tell you that whey protein powder supplements are more effective for the body than a vitamin water. And they might have something there, because women, especially, do not get enough protein in their diets.

William Evans, director of Nutrition, Metabolism, and Exercise Laboratory at the Donald W. Reynolds Center on Aging at the University of Arkansas explains why:

"Roughly 25 percent of adults over age 20, and 40 percent of those age 70 and up, fall below it, according to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) statistics, let alone eat enough to protect bones or muscle. And thin women, dieting women and elderly women--who are especially vulnerable to the ravages of bone and muscle loss--are notoriously low on protein. "Losing muscle causes older people to become weak and frail," says Evans..

Why do bodybuilders swear by whey protein?

1. Whey protein supplies the body with many amino acids. And these are essential for good health.

2. Whey protein has in it, a number of similar ingredients found in mother's milk. Whey is an important ingredient in baby formulas.

3. Whey protein is used by athletes to repair and build muscles after a strenuous workout.

Here are 4 Vitamin Drinks to try:

Optimum Nutrition Instantized 100% Whey Dietary Supplement. ($30, 80 servings, at health & nutrition stores). Just mix with water. 24 grams Protein per serving, 2 grams Carbohydrates, 160 mg. Calcium, 160 mg. Potassium. Only 110 Calories and only 1 gram total Fat.

N.V. Perricone, M.D. Super Berry Powder with Acai. ($60 for 30 servings). One scoop mixed with water delivers super anti-oxidant protection and essential amino and fatty acids. Full of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries and acai (the high energy berry from the Amazon).

Dr. Brandt Anti-Oxidant Water Booster in Blueberry. ($35 for 60 servings). Just mix one-dropper full into a cup of water. Contains 90% Polyphenols, the anti-oxidant found in green tea.

Special K Protein Water (K20). ($1.50 a bottle). Dieters have fallen in love with K20. It tastes good and is filling, and many prefer it to a soda. You get 5 grams Protein and 8 grams Sugar in a 16 0z. serving.

Dress Up Your Hair With Beautiful Accessories

How stunning are these hair accessories by Alex and Ani?!

Hair accessories are back in style for 2008. From colorful, jeweled barrettes to pretty combs and headbands, why not dress up your hair and have some fun!

You don't have to have long hair to show off a lovely hair comb. Any style will do. And if you hate your haircut, your bangs are too short, for instance, just clip a cute barrette to pin them back, or smooth them away with a leather headband.

Actress Charlize Theron wore a beautiful hair comb with her dazzling yellow Christian Dior gown at the Golden Globes Awards. If the hair accessory is very fancy, then save it for a red carpet-like evening event. Or if you want to make your hair THE fashion statement to your wardrobe ensemble, then go for it.

And Charlize is not alone. Other glamorous celebrities like Kristen Bell, Amanda Peet, Milla Jovovich, and Eva Longoria Parker, all love to wear hair accessories.

Alex and Ani designs gorgeous hair accessories, as you can see from the photos.

Bottom photo: Alex and Ani Vintage Cameo Mini Comb with Crystal Accents ($18.00)

Top photo: Alex and Ani Rhinestone Hair Clip ($38.00)

For more information, call 800-725-7822.

ULTA Beauty Stores Equal Makeup Heaven

If you're one of the lucky ones to have an ULTA beauty store in your state, then you know how spectacular this place is. A salon, department store, and drug store all under one roof. And if you don't reside in one of the 26 states where more than 250 ULTA stores are located nationwide, then you can visit http://www.ulta.com/. Trust us, you won't be disappointed.

Yes, you are in makeup heaven inside ULTA. You name it, you can hunt it down---makeup, skin care, fragrance, bath & body, hair care, tools, accessories, and a men's section. Big brand names like Clinique, Caswell-Massey, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Carolina Herrera, Cover Girl, Biore. The list never seems to end.

ULTA beauty also has its own line of beauty treats with very reasonable prices, too. And the quality of their makeup alone, is top notch.

What we really love about the Ulta beauty buying experience, are the discounts and special purchasing incentives. For example, check out this month's In Style Makeover Special Issue Fall 2008. Inside, you will find a purple coupon for Ulta beauty stores featuring a $5.00 discount with a minimum purchase of $10.00. Just apply the code when you shop online.

And at their website, there is currently a promotion going on for FREE shipping on purchases of $25.00 or more. And that's not all. There are a number of great specials--Buy 1 and Get 1 FREE L'Oreal Revitalift Daily Moisturizing Cream with SPF15. Or how about this---Buy 1 , Get 1 50% off on LaCoupe Hair care. Be sure to check back often, there is always a freebie at ULTA.

An ULTA beauty store offers you something, you can't always find at your local drugstore. Variety and volume. How frustrating is it, to head to your store and not be able to find any more Maybelline Mascara in Very Black, for instance. At ULTA, the choices are many, and the brands are by the hundreds.

If you adore makeup, skin care, hair care, and more, this is THE place to discover the latest trends and biggest sellers. From head to toe, and in between, ULTA is a beauty nation of its own.

How To Fake A French Manicure

You've got to admit, there's nothing prettier than a French manicure. And we're going to show you how to quickly and beautifully fake the perfect French manicure.

French manicures are designed to resemble a natural nail, and are recognized by natural pink base nails with white tips. The tips of the nail are painted white while the rest of the nail is polished in a pink or nude shade.

According to research, French manicures may have come about in 18th-century Paris and were popular in the 1920s and 1930s. And French manicures are timeless---they always look right in any fashion decade.

We love the French manicure because it sports a clean and natural look. It's simple and classic. And even though your nails might not be in perfect condition, we have a few tips on how to improve the health of your nails BEFORE you fake a French manicure.

Whiter Nails. Yellow nails develop when dark polishes are put on, over and over again. Smokers tend to have yellow nails. Certain nail polish removers can cause discoloration, too. For whiter nails, try rubbing a lemon wedge across your nails and underneath the nails. Or you can try this tip: Soak hands in warm water for about 3 to 5 minutes. Toss in a couple of Alka-Seltzer tablets. Soak until the fizzing stops.

Stronger Nails. Hate nails that dry out and split or break off easily? Trying soaking hands in warm olive oil for a few minutes a couple of times a week. This really helps the entire nail bed. In a few weeks, you will notice a difference in the health of your nails.

To Fake a French Manicure. You will need just 2 beauty items:

Malava Cuticle Oil. ($9.99, www.folica.com). Massage a little cuticle oil onto the nail beds. It softens up the skin, and will give you a prettier nail contour in time.

Sally Hansen 2 in 1 Nail White Pencil ($3, drugstores). Moisten the white pencil tip and run it or apply it under the rims of the nails.

There. You have just faked a French manicure. Works every time.

How To Use Foundation Primer For A Flawless Finish

You've heard of Spackle. That stuff you use to fill in holes and cracks BEFORE you paint or paper a wall. It smoothes the surface. Period. That's exactly what a makeup primer does. And more.

Primers or foundation primers, as they are called in the beauty biz, are gaining greater popularity these days. And there are a large number of primers on store shelves to choose from. Most are colorless. But there are some that come in bronze shades for a tanned appearance. Some in green to cancel out or minimize redness. And some in lavender to balance out yellow skintones. There are other primers with moisturizers blended in them. Or some with salicylic acid to battle pimples all day long. And even a bunch with soothing anti-oxidants like grapeseed extract and peptide complexes. And so on.

The beauty of a primer is its perfection at filling in fine lines and pores for a flawless finish BEFORE foundation application. Some women like to wear primer alone, and skip the foundation. But most primer fans love to create as smooth a complexion as they can, so that the next layer, that of foundation, glides over easily.

In other words, think of these steps, as building a house. Layer upon layer. Only in this case, you end up with an almost 'air-brushed' face. The primer allows your makeup staying power. Oily faces are supposed to stay fresher longer. And if your primer doesn't contain 'built-in' dewy softeners for dry skin, then apply moisturizer before you prime.

Here are 3 foundation primers well-respected in the world of makeup:

Laura Geller Spackle Primer ($21.50, http://www.sephora.com/ and fine dept. stores) 100% oil-free. Comes in an 'airless' pump, so you get every last drop. Perfects your skin's texture. Contains soothing botanicals.

Smashbox PhotoFinish Foundation Primer-colorless ($36, http://www.sephora.com/ and fine dept. stores). Contains Vitamin C and peptides to help even skintone and encourage collagen production.

Benefit That Gal Brightening Face Primer ($28, http://www.benefitcosmetics.com/). Helps skin retain its natural moisture with sweet almond, algae extract, and soothing raspberry and chamomile.

Foundation primers seem to cost more than regular foundation makeup. At least starting in the $20 range. Think of a primer as a good beauty investment. And in case you're wondering about a separate primer for eyes, yeah, they've got that, too. It really makes eyeshadows and liners 'stay put,' and helps minimize crepey skin, which is common in wrinkles around the eyes.

Beauty Insiders Give Their Best Makeup And Hair Tips

We all love beauty tips. And when a bunch of celebrity hair and makeup insiders give us mere mortals some of their best secrets, then we want to share them with all our friends.

Our source is the new fall 2008 issue of In Style/ Makeover. This super guide gives every gal the beauty tools to transform herself into a stunning new woman. From layered celebrity hairstyles to making over your makeup bag to an interview with healthy beauty Brooke Shields, there are amazing tips that you can call your own.

And the hair and makeup pros each give some unique and useful advice:

Concealer. Makeup artist Carmindy tells women to put on the foundation BEFORE putting on the concealer. " If you put it on first and then you blend on the foundation, you're essentially erasing all your handiwork. If you layer concealer on top, it's staying where it needs to stay, and doing its job."

Flyaway Hair. Hair stylist Clyde Haygood goes to the laundry room for this trade secret. Dryer sheets. Carry them in your purse. "If frizzies threaten to ruin your look, run a sheet over your hair to subdue flyaway strands. When you need to take a model's photo fast, this trick really does work."

Pimples. We all get blemishes and we all hate how these skin eruptions ruin our lives, but esthetician to the stars, Sonya Dakar, has a natural remedy. "Mix together one packet of dry yeast with the juice of half a lemon and spread over a blemish for 5 minutes. This works wonderfully to dry it out."

Liquid Liner. Applying liquid eyeliner perfectly is extremely difficult to do. Makeup artist and Avon Global Creative Color Director, Jillian Dempsey, has a neat trick that allows you to cheat.

"To make liquid liner less intimidating to use, create a liner 'stencil' by going over the lash line with taupe pencil first. Then apply liquid liner over that."

Good Skin. Facialist Nerida Joy knows how to achieve glowing, healthy skin. Exfoliation is the key, she says. "By cleansing your face every night with a fresh washcloth---which is more sanitary than re-using a sponge--and using enzyme-based masks on a regular basis, the outer layer of dead cells is eliminated, leaving the newest, softest skin."

Better Brows. Neat and polished eyebrows bring attention to your eyes, so don't neglect your brows. Makeup artist Mally Roncal has this beauty tip using tinted gloss. "To give brows color, shine, and great hold, take a little bit of MAC Oh Baby lipgloss and comb it through the eyebrows. A word of warning: Make sure you're wearing your hair pulled back!"

In Style's special makeover issue for fall 2008, is on newsstands now. For more information, visit: http://www.instyle.com/.