New Casio Camera Automatically Airbrushes Photos And Makes You Picture Perfect

Picture perfect. That's how we all like to look when a photo is snapped.....vibrant, bright-eyed, with smooth young skin and just the right amount of makeup on.

And now there is a new camera, with a built-in automatic 'makeup-mode' feature. It's called the Casio Exilim Ex-S12 ($229). And this slim,lightweight, handbag-friendly digital camera is all the rage with the Brits. There are 12 levels in the makeup-mode, so your appearance can be changed a little, or a lot.

Take a look at the 'before' photo(bottom) and the 'after' photo(top). Can you see a difference? We sure can. The top pic definitely looks better and has an airbrushed quality to it. This is what the subject in these photos says:

Jackie, 47, a radiographer: 'It made my skin smoother and it makes me look as if I’m wearing heavy eye make-up. I look like I’ve got eyeliner on in the second picture. I’m impressed, though I’m not sure I’d invest in something like this.'

Airbrushing or the trendier word of 'photoshopping' is a technique most photographers use when shooting models for ads and so forth. Air brushing is an editing technique in which an image is retouched and then smoothed over to improve picture quality.

How does the Casio Exilim EX-S12 work? The Casio people explain it better than we could:

"In addition to recognizing faces and adjusting focus and exposure accordingly, these cameras can make adjustments to smooth skin in images and soften facial shadows caused by sunlight, creating beautiful photographs of people's faces. The photographer can choose from one of twelve levels of skin beauty using different strengths of image processing, and can shoot after viewing the results in the LCD monitor."

There's even a smile-detection feature on this digitial camera. So you can be sure that everyone in the frame is happy and showing teeth when the picture is taken.

Is there something wrong with society, when we need to buy a camera that makes us, and every picture perfect? Well, maybe so, but we aren't here to judge. We think it's a pretty cool invention.

You could have a lot of fun with this new Casio. No more blurred shots. No more shots of Uncle Joe moving at the wrong time and spoiling the photo. This camera can correct the mistakes before they happen, because it recognizes individual faces and group shots and automatically applies the best of 41 different pre-settings. There is also an auto-shutter function which determines the perfect and precise moment to snap a photo, delaying the shot until the photographer's hand is still, or 'Uncle Joe' being pictured, stops moving, ha ha.

We know that some of you could really use the Casio Exilim Ex-S12 tonight at your New Year's Eve celebrations. Forget the smeared eyeliner and glazed appearance. This little camera won't tell! You will be airbrushed to perfection.

How To Hide Hangover From New Year's Eve With Quick Makeup Fixes

Too much New Year's Eve merry-making? Got to be in the public eye the next day?

Hmmm. We can help you hide a hangover with some quick makeup fixes!

Lesson number one: It's all in the eyes. That's the first place people can detect a party girl's been out all night. And then some, ha! But we've got some sensible tips below, to get you looking half awake even when you feel like death has arrived several hours ago. And the best part, you can find these at your local drugstore. So be smart, ladies, and shop ahead!

1. Eyes get very dry from too much alcohol. That's called dehydration. You need drops. We recommend Visine Tears Lubricant Eye Drops ($9.99, drugstores). Instantly get dry eye relief in a natural tears formula. These drops refresh tired eyes and provide coolness and comfort.

2. Restore dry, lackluster skin. And with a facial mask, you can brighten up your appearance in 10 short minutes. We suggest Freeman Good Stuff Organics Revitalizing Facial Mask, Pumkin Enzymes & Vitamin C 6 fl oz ($8.99, drugstores). You've heard us talk before about the wonderful skin benefits of pumpkin. This is a soothing mask in a blend of organic Pumpkin enzymes that dissolve dead skin cells, Vitamin C to smooth, restore and brighten skin tone, organic Chamomile, organic Apple Extract and Fair Trade Cocoa Butter for the ultimate brightening and restoring experience.

3. Dark circles like to migrate under the eyes frequently, and when you've been partying, the shadows look stronger. So a good underye concealer is essential. Try Almay Line Smoothing Concealer Makeup ($9.99, drugstores). It's a liquid concealer that comes in a tube with a little wand applicator. It glides on easily and will cover up any tired set of eyes. The formula is infused with replenishing hydrators and refreshing cucumber. And it's hypoallergenic. Get concealer in a shade lighter than your complexion.

4. And you know the feeling of dry lips and dry throat after having a few too many drinks. Water is the best beverage to sip after a hangover and to restore hydration. If your tummy's a bit queasy still, try a can of Coke. Some folks say it works wonders.
And to bring back your soft, kissable lips, you should moisturize! Try Burt's Bees Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil($2.99, drugstores). This one's a beauty. A hydrating lip balm infused with the antioxidant goodness of Pomegranate oil. Replenishes moisture and restores texture to reveal smooth, healthy, supple lips! 99.6% Natural. The good news....it gives lips the tiniest bit of sheer red color, too!

In advance, we wish you all a safe, happy, and healthy 2010!!

New Chili Pepper Diet Pill Burns Away Fat Fast For 2010

Burning away fat. Even celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Brad Pitt, and Britney Spears want to drop a few pounds every so often. And if you believe the rumors, these three have been popping a new chili pepper diet pill called Capsiplex.

According to our research, this new fat buster pill Capsiplex guarantees to burn up to as many calories as a 25-minute jog. This little diet pill contains extracts from pepper plants that may help to reduce appetite and increase metabolism. And don't worry about the spicyness---there will be no upset stomach while taking Capsiplex. The pill people have put a protective coating on the ingredients.

Many of you might be sitting there laughing at the idea of a red hot chili pepper pill able to perform such amazing dietary feats. But there is truth to the value of spicy foods boosting your metabolism. And we found this dietary nugget at women.web.md

"Spicy foods contain chemical compounds that kick the metabolism into high gear. Eating a tablespoon of chopped red or green chili pepper can temporarily boost your metabolic rate by 23 percent. Some studies suggest the effect only lasts about half an hour, but if you eat spicy foods often, the benefits may add up. For a quick boost, spice up pasta dishes, chili, and stews with red-pepper flakes."

And by the way, this new diet pill also contains a dose of hot cayenne pepper.

More research is being done, and the chili pepper diet pill is being put to the test. In fact trials have been done at the University of Oklahoma. And the results are significant. Capsiplex was able to burn as many calories as 80 minutes of walking or a 25-minute jog. But please note that their idea of an 80-minute walk to burn 278 calories was based on a turtle's slow pace of 30 minutes per mile (the average person walks a mile in 15 to 20 minutes).

Capsiplex is not FDA approved, but it just became available to consumers yesterday. And for most folks wanting to keep their 2010 New Year resolution of burning away fat, this little diet pill couldn't have been introduced at a better time. But as we always say, proceed with caution and tell your physician about your idea of weight loss in a pill.

Here's how Capsiplex works, according to their website:

1. You take Capsiplex once a day 30-60 minutes before excercise with a glass of water.

2. If you have more than 14 lbs. to lose, you can expect to lose up to 6 lbs. in the first week, reducing to 2-3 lbs. a week thereafter.

3. There is no need to deprive yourself of anything as long as you are sensible and eat in moderation, the less food you consume the more weight you will lose but there is no need to starve yourself. You will feel satisfied with a small portion of food.

One bottle, a 1-month supply of Capsiplex costs $47.82.

Happy New Year, and let the burn begin!!!

Tanning Salons Turn Pale Over 10% Tax And Bo-Tax Smoothed Away

Tanning tax versus Botox tax.

In the end, it shapes up like this for the Senate's sweeping health care reform bill that was passed on Christmas Eve:

Americans would continue to get cosmetic procedures like Botox and plastic surgery tax-free. Remember there was a proposed 5% Bo-Tax just a few weeks ago? Well, that was axed in the final stretch of the health care debate, but instead, tanning salons were thrown under the bus with a 10% tax on indoor tanning.

Tanning salons, all 20,000 of them located across the United States, are fuming, and rightly so. The tax would be a financial hardship on such a tiny industry. As Dan Humiston of the Indoor Tanning Association remarked, "We don't have the war chest...the medical industry has. We're somebody who won't fight back because we're too small."

And the business owner was correct, because the Allergan makers of Botox and the American Medical Association made a huge and successful $1 million lobbying effort in recent weeks, to have the Bo-Tax smoothed away, like Botox does instantly to wrinkles. And in its place, burned the tanning industry hard in the behind.

The tanning tax would start in July. And estimates show that such a tax would raise some $2.7 billion over 10 years.

Why would Botox, cosmetic and plastic surgery, and tanning salons even be considered taxable? And why include these mainly female procedures in a health care bill? The way we understand it, to help lawmakers look for ways to pay for expanding coverage.

But Allergan spokeswoman Caroline Van Hove says the Bo-Tax was discriminatory against women and that it really had zero to do with health care reform and costs:

"These are elective procedures that middle-class women are paying for out of their own pockets."

And why pick on the tiny tanning salons? Senate Democrats tried to justify the tax by claiming studies link tanning bed use to skin cancer and other health risks.

So, if you want to get your golden glow on, it looks like it will cost you a little more. Meantime, the Senate health care package now moves into the next phase of the complicated process. The legislation must be reconciled with a separate House measure approved last month. And the big difference between the two bills is funding.

Happy New Year, Botox! You just escaped a couple of hard, painful jabs right between the eyes, so to speak.

How To Get Beautiful Brush Out Curls Like Blake Lively

If you want to strike the right cord on New Year's Eve, then you need beautiful brush-out curls in 2010.

Actress Blake Lively is working the sexy, touseled trend quite nicely with perfectly shaped curls and waves. And talk about shine and volume!

Charles Baker Strahan, Celebrity Stylist for Herbal Essences explains. “I consider tousles to be the update to beachy waves– touchable and fully of body, without being crunchy or stiff. “I love to create tousled styles, as the look is meant to be customized to each woman’s hair type and mood.”

We can get you there in a few easy steps:

1. You will need to have at least shoulder-length hair. If you don't, you could always pick up some clip-on hair extensions. Stylist Ken Paves and Jessica Simpson have created some gorgeous extensions that are basically goof-proof. Just clip in and go!

2. You will want to 'build' some major hair volume. And trust us, there are tons of products out there designed to give you big hair. After washing hair, spritz on a volumizer like Herbal Essences new Tousel Me Softly Spray Gel onto damp hair. Blow-dry.

3. To achieve a rockin' set of sexy, brush-out curls and touseled waves, you will need a set of hot rollers. But not just any kind. You want rollers that give you unstoppable memory. Curls that bounce or spiral. And you've got to go to a classic: The Caruso Professional Steam Hairsetter with 36 Rollers ($46.99). Professional stylists have been using the Caruso hairsetter for years. We just saw one behind the scenes at the famous Victoria's Secret runway fashion show a few weeks ago. So that's how the models were getting those beautiful Gisele Bundchen curls! And this one is quick. The steam unit heats up quickly--20 seconds and it's pumping out steam for over 30 minutes on a full tank. Curls are formed in mere seconds. Brush-out curls that last, and you're good to go!

4. The last step comes down to this: To add even more volume and staying power with lots of shine, you will need to apply a hairspray like Bumble and Bumble Thickening Hairspray.

We found several Caruso hairsetters at Amazon.com. And the customer reviews tell the story. These hairsetters do an amazing job!

All My Children Star Greenlee Loves Lip Gloss By Ayur-Medic

We are certainly thrilled she is back on legendary soap favorite All My Children. Rebecca Budig who played the character of Greenlee Smythe, is coming back to, er, life, as many great actors do. All My Children has just moved base to Los Angeles, where Rebecca Budig resides, so the actress with the dynamite smile is ready to reprise her role.

Speaking of L.A., there is a skin care line located there, that has Rebecca boasting about a favorite lip gloss . The company is called Ayur-Medic. And one of the founders is none other than celebrated plastic surgeon Dr. Raj Kanodia of the popular “E” Entertainment T.V. series, DR.90210. He along with another well-respected dermatologist Ezra Krest created the Ayur-Medic line.

Their website describes the company's beauty philosophy:
"This revolutionary skin care line strikes the perfect balance between time-honored holistic principles and state of the art medical research to provide optimal results."

In the role of Greenlee, Rebecca Budig does a lot of kissing...heck, she's on a soap opera. And when she wants healthy, shiny lips, she reaches for Ayur-Medic Lip Enhancer ($35). It's formulated with a generous dose of Vitamin C, and it “tastes good, and gives your lips a little color,” Rebecca says.

The Ayur-Medic lip treatment has ingredients that not only moisturize lips, but also increase lip volume. The hydrating gloss enhances new cell growth for rosy, healthy lips,too.

Rebecca Budig told People magazine, that she prefers wearing lip gloss instead of lipstick, for her Greenlee kissing scenes. "I like lipgloss. But not the sticky kind. The smell good, smooth kind!”

In addition to the Ayur-Medic Lip Enhancer, Rebecca wears Kiehl's and Sephora, as her other favorites.

And if you're concerned about making lip color last, do what the actress does. Here's Greenlee's beauty tip:

She suggests using lip liner to fill in lips before applying gloss: “That way, once the gloss is gone, there is still color! And the liner tends to really stay which is why I use it all over.”

And you can tune into All My Children, weekdays, 1 PM on ABC.

Even Vogue Celebrating Return Of Curvier Model: Meet Lara Stone.

Lara Stone. She could be the new face of the modeling industry, or rather, the new body to admire and copy.

Lara Stone is a size 4. For most women around the globe, a size 4 is tiny, especially when your height is 5'10'. But in the super skinny world of modeling where the runways feature a long string of very tall size zeros, Lara is certainly a breath of fresh air. She actually has the appearance of breasts and hips.

And Vogue Magazine has taken notice, and we applaud them. We were flipping through the January issue last evening, when we saw the same photo of Lara Stone, with the caption reading: 'The Shape of the Future.'

Well, it's about time. Sure, a size 4 is still rather small, but it sure beats the emaciated look of the zeroes filing down the runways.

The Dutch model is 22, and we love how Vogue has described her striking looks: "a beguiling mixture of tough and naive---imagine Sandra Bernhard crossed with Grace Kelly."

And despite her curves, she's getting a lot of work, like ad campaigns with huge names---Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Givenchy. And Lara, who was named by her mom, a Dr. Zhivago fan, has walked the runway for just about every big designer.

Maybe the fashion heads see her as a curious oddity of sorts. She sticks out on the runway, as the current size zeroes walk along with her. And Lara feels the sting of the bias against heavier models, as she explains to Vogue:

"When you're a model, nobody calls you fat. 'What they say is curvy, but you know they mean fat."

And she recalls a recent incident where a female stylist took out a tight corset dress and told Lara to put it one for a photo shoot. She obviously couldn't fit into the dress and found the situation to be quite rude. "It's not an easy kind of rejection, because it's very personal," Lara says. "It's you, your body. You take it to heart."

It's been a tough year, once again, for the fashion industry, who have been courting the stick skinny models. Designers would argue that long, angular bodies wear clothing better. You remember the Ralph Lauren flap last October, with a print ad heavily photoshopped to create a super-slim silhouette? The model, Filippa Hamilton, eventually lost her job modeling for Lauren. Filippa was upset about the excessive photo re-touching and spoke out. She claims she was reprimanded for being 'fat.' We have learned that Filippa wears a size 4.

We can only hope that the curvier models will become more of a presence on the runways and back in the ad campaigns in the year 2010. Photographers like the famous Mario Testino appreciate the fuller figure. "I have never thought of Lara as fat," Mario explains. "It is just a matter of different shapes. It reminds me of when I started to work with Gisele(Bundchen); everyone used to think that she was too voluptous. Look at where she is now!"

Gisele, pre-baby weight, is also a size 4.

Let's face it, the modeling world will always feature super tall and super slender, young women. And yes, clothing does look its best on that type of silhouette. But when a body is so thin that bones are sticking out and gaunt faces are ruling the runways, then maybe it's time to return to some kind of normalcy. And if that means a small size 4, that's a huge turn around.