Hey, U.K.: Why Just Give The Beauty Brush-Off To Julia Roberts And Christy Turlington?

We don't know whether to applaud or scold the U.K. for banning makeup ads there, featuring actress Julia Roberts and model Christy Turlington.

A British watchdog group, the Advertising Standards Authority, claims that L'Oreal cosmetics giant went TOO far in air-brushing the images of both Julia and Christy in their respective ad campaigns for Lancome and Maybelline. L'Oreal owns both brands.

This statement came after from Jo Swinson, British politician:

"Pictures of flawless skin and super-slim bodies are all around but they don't reflect reality. Excessive airbrushing and digital manipulation techniques have become the norm but both Christy Turlington and Julia Roberts are naturally beautiful women who don't need retouching to look great. This ban sends a powerful message to advertisers - let's get back to reality."

Okay, very fair statement, but let's also get REAL about the whole advertising industry......Face it, people....just about everything under the sun gets air-brushing. Suddenly, dark undereye circles disappear, along with moles, wrinkles, uneven skintone, uneven hairlines, and even pores. And don't even get us started about body air-brushing. Suddenly,this actress has longer, slimmer legs, and so forth.

But why just pick on poor Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington?!

Attack the entire modeling/advertising business. You can't tell us for certain, who has been air-brushed and who has not, and to what extent the air-brushing has gone on. It ain't just Julia and Christy being digitally enhanced. Both gorgeous celebrities are over 40-years-old, and yet, young models are also air-brushed to impossible perfection.

By now, most of us recognize that the glossy, beautiful ads in magazines and on billboards have been altered in some way. And most of us have come to realize, that even great-looking famous people are not perfect. But we have also become a youth-obsessed culture who now expects forehead wrinkles to be zapped by Botox, or a sagging bosom to be lifted by breast enhancement surgery, and so on.

We expect our favorite celebrities to appear flawless. It's a shame, and it will take more than a few outcries by a group in the U.K. to try and reverse the beauty standards we have created in the 21st Century.

The real shame is for our young daughters who are growing up these days around such impossible beauty expectations.

Would You Rub On Snail Slime To Look Younger? New Beauty Trend Slowly Making Way To U.S.

Hey, we're all for the magic cream that stops the signs of aging. Of course, we ALL want to look younger as the years rush by.

But really now----Snail slime for the skin?!

Would you go there, ladies? Would you rub the sticky slime of a snail all over your face and neck? What about the 'ick' factor?

Well, we would do it in a minute, IF, the slime could REALLY halt wrinkles, acne, and heal scars, like the research allegedly claims.

Let's take a further look. By the way, we stumbled upon this in the British media. It's already being sold there in the U.K.. And it's big in Chile for this reason. Chilean snail farmers noticed their skin was becoming more and more supple and healing quickly and with no scars when they handled snails for the French food market. Those same clever farmers decided to launch a Chilean snail slime product, called Elicina, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary.

So, what is so chic and scientifcally wonderful about snail slime?

According to the research, snail slime is a "complex mix of proteins, glycolic acids and elastin that nature has developed as a way to protect snail skin from damage, infection and UV rays".

Okay, now we are intrigued. Whether beauty scientists are able to extract enough of this magic slime to do human faces any rejuvenating good, remains to be seen, however.

Want to try a jar of Elicina?

We found some at Amazon.com. And at a great deal, too: Buy 2 jars for $43.15. Read the reviews. Most of them are very positive.

This has to be one of the most bizarre beauty trends to gain popularity. And if it works, then all the better. Sometimes nature has amazing gifts to share. Whether snail slime is one of them, it's fine by us.

Zout To The Rescue For Your Favorite Fashions

Our beauty tip today has nothing to do with makeup, skin care, or hair....well, maybe indirectly so.

We LOVE this stain remover for your favorite fashions. It's called Zout Laundry Stain Remover ($4.79, at drug and grocery stores) and it REALLY works!! And, yes, it does remove stains that come from makeup and skin care and hair products, too. It's pretty remarkable. Forget Oxy Clean. It is NO match for Zout.

We use Zout on our fine washables, and so far, it has not destroyed any fabric we have. Plus....it has a money back guarantee. Gotta love that!

The label on the red spray bottle says that Zout has 3 enzymes to break up starch, protein and oily stains. Take that---white blouse with the smudged rose lipstick stain! Or that red spaghetti sauce stain on our jeans! Even that nasty iron scorch mark on our ivory top!

And it's simple to use:
Just spray the stain and rub in the Zout foam. Allow the stain remover to work for about 5 minutes, and then launder as usual. Stain---Be Gone! And by golly.....it's gone! Trust us. We have a stash of Zout in our laundry room at all times.

And Zout Stain Remover is safe on all colorfast washables and works in all temperatures. It can be used with other laundry additives.

No Chlorine Bleach. No Phosphates. No Biodegradable Surfactants.

Let's be honest---stains do happen, and usually to our favorite fashions. So, it's nice to know that there is a product that really says what it does, and that is.....to get the stain out.

Zout even has a website to help you out with MORE stain removal tips. Click here.

Rub This Onto Your Scalp And Watch Your Hair Grow Faster

Coconut milk.

It's not just found in the pina colada you're sipping on a hot summer day or the yummy thai cuisine you're enjoying.

Coconut milk is much more than an exotic dairy drink you bought in a can all those years. Visit your grocery aisle these days, and you will see coconut milk available in cartons or bottles, and blended into ice creams and yogurts, and so forth.

But our beauty tip today is looking at coconut milk in a whole new way---as something healthy, hair can drink in.

We found this beauty nugget in the August issue of Glamour magazine, and it comes from a well-respected Indian ayurvedic skin care expert. No, we haven't tried it yet, but it sounds promising:

"Coconut milk helps the hair grow long and thick," says Pratima Raichur. "Rub it onto the scalp, leave it on for an hour or so, then wash it out.".

Who doesn't want long, thick, glossy, healthy locks that don't take forever to grow?! Plus, we bet your hair smells divine, following the rinse out.

Pratima does not say how often we should use the coconut milk hair treatment, but once or twice a week sounds good. And we would advise using the treatments for at least a month or two, to note any difference in the hair texture, and the way it's growing.

The way we see it......massaging a little coconut milk on the scalp cannot harm you. It's a safe, natural way to try and grow healthy hair fast. And trimming off the split ends every 6 weeks should also be part of your hair routine.

Excited About Exilis: New Laser Skin Firming Treatment

If you're looking to firm up your facial skin, improve texture, and build collagen, then it's time to get excited about Exilis. This brand new FDA-approved laser device is 'ready to roll' for you!

The Exilis laser wand is about the same size of a pen, and it ROLL-LLLLLS along your face, tightening the skin by using radio frequency to heat the underlying tissue.

And once again, it is a great NON-SURGICAL cosmetic procedure. NO down-time. NO scalpel. And a little Exilis goes a long way, lasting for up to 2 years. The cost? About $350 per session. And typically, 4 treatments are recommended.

Hey, sometimes that expensive nightcream just isn't doing enough for you, and that's when cosmetic laser in-office procedures can significantly change your appearance. Of course, plastic surgeons are quick to point out that non-surgical will not be as great as surgical, such as a facelift, but---cosmetic laser work can result in a healthy, natural, and youthful look. Check out the BEFORE and AFTER of this Exilis patient.

A lot of women are really excited about Exilis. And by the way, Exilis CAN also perform body contouring via fat volume reduction. So, it's quite a versatile, new laser weapon in the war on wrinkles AND fat. Just read what one skin expert says about it:

"The Exilis treatment’s powerful capability make it the “Ferrari” of non-invasive aesthetic procedures.", raves Dr. Robert Weiss, Associate Professor of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Hunt Valley, MD.

To learn more about Exilis and what the new laser dvice can do for you, visit the Exilis website.

How To Go Lighter And Blonder From A Box: Copy Gwyneth's 10B

Remember this:
10B.

That's right. This is the buttery, light beige blonde shade that is a close copy to Gwyneth Paltrow's. At least, that is what the experts at John Frieda tell us.

Let's face it....when summer is upon us, ask any blonde-haired girl if she would like to go lighter, brighter, and BLONDER, and it's a no-brainer. Of course she would!

And if you are blonde already, then you can up the color ante, and kick your luminosity up a few luscious shades. And you CAN do this out of a box.

Try John Frieda's Precision Foam Colour ($12.99, at drugstores). There are 8 wonderful shades of blonde at-home hair color for you to get busy with. And the 10B box is called, Sheer Blonde Extra Light Beige Blonde, based on the formula used on Gwyneth Paltrow, who is a loyal hair color customer at the John Frieda salon.

And Gwyneth's hair always looks so healthy with an expensive-looking shade of blonde.

Precision Foam Colour is new in a no-drip easy to apply foam formula. It's designed to cover strands perfectly, resulting in tonal richness. And John Frieda enjoys an excellent reputation in the very competitive hair beauty business, so we would trust him on this at-home box of color.

Hey,we love this Gwyneth Paltrow shade of blonde. In fact, we are a bit jealous. But our hair is about one shade lighter than the Kardashian sisters, so we can't go there. It would be too lengthy a process.

To learn more about Gwyneth's 10B shade, visit John Frieda.

How To Make Flirty Mila Kunis Eyes: Think 'Liquid Purple'

While everyone was oooo-ing and ahhhh-ing over Natalie Portman during last February's Academy Awards show, we were shocked that gorgeous Mila Kunis, her co-star in Black Swan, was not getting her due attention.

The girl is stunning. Mila Kunis's eyes, alone, are quite something to behold. Big, wide-set, almond-shaped eyes, with of course, the perfect set of brows.

So, how can we make flirty Mila Kunis eyes?

With tons of shadow, liquid liner, and mascara. And one of these is the key to the 27-year-old beauty's elegant eyes. Think PURPLE. Yes, purple. It's a hot makeup trend for summer 2011.

And if you're not able to create as smoky an eye as Mila's signature look, you can still get a sexy gaze with just a hint of the shade.

We like Make Up for Ever Aqua Liner in Iridescent Electric Purple ($23, at Sephora). This is new, highly pigmented stuff.

This is a super liquid liner, ladies. It's smudge-proof, water-proof, and it's got a cool applicator---it's a foam-tip applicator, designed to resemble a makeup brush handle for the most accurate application.

And the purple liquid is amazing! If you're shy, just paint the liquid liner across your upper lash line, or you can apply it OVER your black liner. Add lots of mascara, and you're ready to go!