Black Friday Beauty Shopping: Deals At Your Fingertips!

We understand.....you can't get out and brave the crowds on Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. Too many things going on inside the house...the in-laws are still here...traffic is jammed for miles.....the baby's collicky.....little gas in the car, no time....,etc.

Now you can pick up beauty deals right at your fingertips. Here are some super online beauty things that would make great stocking stuffers.

And don't forget: Cyber Monday, the biggest shopping day of the year online, gets underway next Monday, November 30th.

Until then, let's get down to some beauty business on this Black Friday 2009:

Philosophy Cosmetics Black Friday Deals. Up to 40% off selected products + Free Shipping at Philosophy. You know the brand and the wonderful skin care and body products. Always a crowd pleaser.

Victoria's Secret Black Friday Deals. Receive a FREE runway tote packed with goodies with any purchase over $60. Enter VSFRIDAY at Victoria's Secret checkout. Big VS red tote with parfum, splash, and cherry bomb lip gloss! The undies and clothes are sexy, and so is this tote.

ShoeSteal Black Friday Deals. You can't beat this---25% off any purchase. Just type in code Turkey25 at ShoeSteal website. Brands like Kenneth Cole, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, BrunoMagli, and more.

Platinum Skin Care Black Friday Deals. We adore this site for all its effective chemical peels, emu oil, glycolic cleansers, and many other face-saving products. Save $5 off any order of $50 or more with code: SAVE5. Or save $10 of any order of $100 or more by using code: SAVE10 at Platinum Skin Care.

e.l.f. Cosmetics. Let's be honest here. You already save by shopping at e.l.f. But the makeup elves there are being super generous. Here's just one of their Deals: Receive 25% off e.l.f. mineral makeup by entering the code NATURE at e.l.f. checkout.

Body Shop. Who can resist the aroma of this place? The products are so luscious. And so is the shipping-- $2 flat rate shipping on all orders placed today through Sunday, Nov. 29th. There are many Buy 1, Get 1 Free deals going on there, too. And don't forget Cyber Monday with 20% off all orders and a choice of a free product at Body Shop.

Happy shopping....right at your nimble fingertips!!

Roast Turkey Still Great Holiday Diet Choice

Turkey is actually an excellent dietary choice----good protein with very little fat. And if roasted, low in sodium.

And by the way, turkey contains more protein than the same size serving of chicken or beefsteak.

So, you want the breakdown, here we go. We got this information from dietbites.com:

Roasted Turkey - 6 Ounces Dark + White Meat, Untrimmed450 Calories
Roasted Turkey - 3 Ounces White Meat - Trimmed (no skin, no fat). White meat contains a little less calories than dark. Add 30 more calories if you prefer dark meat.130 Calories

1 Cup of homemade stuffing400 Calories
1/2 Cup of boxed stuffing prepared with no calorie refrigerated butter spray.
110 Calories
1 Cup of Giblet Gravy300 Calories
1/3 Cup of Giblet Gravy100 Calories

1 Cup of Mashed Potatoes350 Calories
1/2 Cup of Mashed Potatoes prepared with skimmed milk, no calorie refrigerated butter spray100

CaloriesStuffed Celery - 1 stick100 Calories
1 Stick of stuffed celery prepared with reduced fat cream cheese.40 Calories
2 Sweet Pickles, 10 Black/Green Olives125 Calories
2 Black Olives, 2 Green Olives25 Calories

1 Cup of Candied Sweet Potatoes400 Calories
1/2 Baked Sweet Potato w/ small pat of butter, dash of cinnamon, a couple of packs of no calorie sweetener.

100 Calories1/2 Cup of Cranberry Sauce200 Calories
1/6 Can of Cranberry Sauce - Jelled or Whole Cranberries100 Calories
2 Rolls With Butter300 Calories
1 Roll With 1/2 Pat of Butter125 Calories

1 Cup of English Peas with Butter150 Calories

2 Glasses Sweetened Tea, Wine, Punch or Cider300 Calories

1 Slice of Pumpkin Pie With Topping450 Calories
1 Slice of Pecan Pie650 Calories
1 Cup of Fruit Salad100 Calories
1 Cup of Egg Nog400 Calories

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

How To Keep Beautiful Eyebrows In Place With Just One Product

We all know that beautiful eyebrows create a perfect frame for the eyes. But not all of us were born with thick, wonderfully arched or shaped brows.

For most of us, we want to stick our eyebrows in place. In other words, we want to keep the arch and keep the little brow hairs brushed up. But we don't want to accomplish that with a sticky, goey, visible mess.

Sure, we've heard that regular hairspray will keep our brows in place. Hmmm. Tried that, it doesn't really work. Then we learned that the legend herself, Sophia Loren, BeautyTipToday's cover girl, supposedly used some kind of special, secret adhesive to keep her brows perfectly arched and in place. Just look at our cover shot of the movie star. She has incredible eyebrows, with of course, incredible bone structure. But Sophia has never revealed her eyebrow tips, unfortunately.

Then there is moustache wax. Try it in clear. It's an old Hollywood beauty tip and it does keep eyebrows in place for most of the day. But it feels kind of sticky and stiff and can leave a glue-like look to the brows, if you go overboard in applying it.

Your best bet are clear eyebrow gels. You will get the most natural look from a gel. It's quick and simple to apply, because it comes in a mascara tube with a spiral mascara wand. And the gel also gives the illusion of thicker, more polished brows.

You want a brow gel that delivers. And we've found two that really keep eyebrows in place all day long:

1. Dior Brow Gel ($17.50, at sephora.com and fine dept. stores). This product delivers! It's water-proof, clear, and can be used right after brow pencil. Brows look perfectly groomed. No flaky, stiff appearance. And it lasts and lasts.

2. M.A.C. Brow Set ($28, at maccosmetics.com). Another clear eyebrow gel that really works, and keeps brows in place all day. For a nice, natural look, you can stroke over brow pencil. This MAC gives brows shine and slicks them into place.

By the way, you don't have to use a brow pencil. We find the clear brow gel gives a healthy, thicker, more groomed look to the eyebrows, all on its own.

Laser Resurfacing Best Way To Go For Aging Skin Around Eyes

We were intrigued by a recent article in the NY Times Fashion & Style section that says, when it comes to treating aging skin around the eyes, your best bet is laser resurfacing. It's even better than surgery.

Dr. Michael McGuire, a Los Angeles plastic surgeon and president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons told the NY Times this: “If the skin is mildly wrinkled and/or pigmented, the laser can be a good option,” he said, adding that he frequently gives laser treatments to patients in their 40s to defer face-lifts.

Laser resurfacing sounds simple enough. An intense beam of light treats the damaged surface of the skin. And then younger skin grows in its place.

But what we have heard, is that laser resurfacing is no 'walk in the park.' It's painful and you certainly need some down time, at least a week or two. We have had acquaintances tell us that this procedure felt like big, thick elastics being snapped across their face. Another told us, her face felt like raw meat directly afterwards. And these women both say they couldn't be seen out in public for about a week following the treatment.

Despite some of the nightmares about laser resurfacing, most patients feel the pain is very much worth it in the long run. Laser resurfacing can zap wrinkles, acne scars, facial lines, age spots, sun damage, and more.

The question looms. Do you treat the entire facial surface or just zero in on selected areas?

The NY Times article had some answers:

"The debate surrounding laser treatments is whether to go fractional or cover the entire surface of the treated area. Fractional lasers, like the Fraxel, burn tiny holes into the skin to stimulate collagen production. Because much of the skin remains untouched, recuperation time is minimal, but multiple treatments are necessary.

Regular laser resurfacing, on the other hand, destroys entire outer skin layers in the targeted area and requires at least a week of recovery. But it is a single treatment and produces arguably more dramatic results."

Dr. McGuire suggests treating the entire skin surface for the most benefits. "Any laser treatment that leaves some skin ‘islands’ will be less effective at achieving skin tightening and pigmentation removal simply because the entire surface is not treated.".

The average cost of laser resurfacing is about $2,500. And many patients report seeing immediate results after the uncomfortable downtime of red, puffy, and sometimes crusty skin.
And although laser resurfacing can last for years, wrinkles and expression lines eventually pop up again as skin ages. Repeat procedures may be necessary. Ouch.

Dr. Murad and Good Housekeeeping Say T-Zone Gel Best Pore Minimizer

Pores. If you've got big ones, or plus-size pores, as Dr. Murad calls them, you are not alone. And generally speaking, big pores equal oily skin.

The celebrity skin doctor is proud of his newest complexion product:
T-Zone Pore Refining Gel ($40).

And the pore shrinker has received the Good Housekeeping seal of approval. The G.H. Research Institute put six pore-minimizing products to the test and Murad’s T–ZonePore Refining Gel came out on top—“the only product that reduced pore size.”

But let's stop right there! You cannot permanently reduce pore size. What you can do, is temporarily minimize the size of your pores, by exfoliation with products that clear away oily debris and older, dead skin cells. And according to the tests that were done, Dr. Murad's T-Zone Pore Refining Gel does just that, and superbly.

And Murad's T-Zone Pore Refining Gel targets exactly where you need help the most--the t-zone. The middle of your face - the t-zone - actually contains more oil glands than other areas of the face, but the pores in this region may be more noticeable than those on your cheeks.

What's special about Murad's gel?

A bright red fruit---the pomegranate. In this case, pomegranate extract, which has been found to perform several unique features:

Stimulating skin’s collagen production.
Rebuilding skin's outer layers.
And inhibiting free radicals.
Pomegranate extract also helps to correct daily effects of oxidation and the long term effect that too much sun exposure can have on the skin.

To learn more about the Murad T-Zone Pore Refining Gel, visit Dr. Murad.

ULTA Eyeshadows: Silky Superfine And Budget-Friendly

If you love beauty and budget-friendly shopping, then you love ULTA beauty stores.

And 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! And you can always visit ULTA online.


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.

Today, we are looking at ULTA's own eyeshadows, in the single pot variety. And talk about choices---95 shades in names like Amethyst. Calla Lily. Mosaic. Ice Queen. And only $7 each. And here's the special going on right now----Buy 2, get 2 FREE! Love it.

What's so great about ULTA's eyeshadows? They are silky, superfine talc eyeshadows. The formula glides on easily and blends well to define and brighten your eyes. The ingredients are also enriched with emollients for long-lasting color that will not crease or fade.

And the little pot of shadow lasts a long time. So you save $$$ in the long run. And the customer reviews are very good for ULTA eyeshadows.

Maybe we're boring. But we love ULTA's shadow in Vogue. It's a very dark brown shadow and makes for a wonderful smoky eye.

If you haven't visited ULTA, you're really missing out. And here's another special budget-friendly incentive going on right now: Get $3.50 off any purchase of $10 or more!

Happy beauty shopping!

Shame On Nancy Pelosi: 5% Botox Tax Kind Of Sexist

Gee, Senator Nancy Pelosi, we expected better from you.

A 5% Botox tax? Or as it's being called, 'The Bo-tax.' This is being included in the Senate Health Care bill?

Yeah, ha ha. LOL.

Are you serious? Do you really think that Botox, liposuction, and other elective cosmetic procedures should be taxed? You call this health care reform?

Senate Democrats are proposing a 5% excise tax on elective cosmetic procedures. And let's not stop at Botox. Other cosmetic taxable things would include teeth whitening, breast implants, facelifts, tummy tucks, etc.

"The tax would bring in an estimated $6 billion over 10 years and wouldn't apply to cosmetic surgery meant to fix a deformity or injury." That's according to a great discussion we found on CNN's Jack Cafferty File.

But as one woman commented, "I would like to see a 5% tax on erectile dysfunction drugs, hair restoration ..." How about a special Viagra tax?

And she's right. Aren't Nancy Pelosi and company acting kind of sexist here? Why aren't men's 'things' being taxed? Most cosmetic and plastic surgery procedures are done for women, more than 80%. So, aren't women being targeted unfairly?

We suppose we should be grateful. Initially, lawmakers were trying to impose a 10% tax to help bring in more money to 'make the bill work.'

So here's the question: Should our government tax cosmetic procedures like Botox and liposuction to help pay for health care reform?

The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery has responded:

"Activating a cosmetic surgery tax is not the solution to funding a health care overhaul,” states AACS Immediate Past President Dr. Steven Hopping. “While it appears that this is currently a serious consideration, this idea concerns us.”

So what's the big deal?

The AACS says that legislators should consider some key points:

A tax on elective cosmetic procedures is an unreliable, risky revenue source that has no proven record of raising projected revenues.

--The difficulty of defining elective vs. medically-necessary cosmetic surgery. There is a blurry line between what procedures are considered medically-necessary and those that are elective.

--Retention of highly-skilled physicians is at risk. Physicians face many challenges in operating their practices on a day-to-day basis. Turning them into tax-collectors is an additional burden on these doctors.

--Cosmetic surgery is not a specialty for only the wealthy or the vain. In fact, the median income for those electing to have cosmetic surgery is dropping.

--Despite the fact that more men are seeking cosmetic procedures than ever, the largest portion of patients are still working women, who would be unfairly targeted by such taxes.

We're not sure what wil happen on Capitol Hill, but it looks like this Bo-tax could be come a reality and soon.