MAC Launches Blackest Mascara Ever: Opulash Optimum For Fall

Black mascara.

We've mentioned this several times before, here at BeautyTipToday, that we CANNOT live without it. And the blacker the mascara, the better. So, that's why we are very curious about MAC's new Opulash Optimum Black Mascara ($15, at fine dept. stores by August 25th). We found some already, here at Nordstrom.com.

MAC's Opulash Optimum Black Mascara promises to deliver a saturated, volumizing blackest formula to add more drama and thickness and curl to your lashes. Check out the ad photo above.

Kim Kardashian would probably love the new Opulash Optimum because she likes to 'over-dose' on mascara, too. Kim K never met a layer of mascara she didn't like, and we can say the same about Kourtney, Khloe, and Mama Kris. And Kim K is already a huge fan of MAC's Zoom Mascara.

Sure, if you were born with dark brown eyes, you can handle the blackest, thickest mascara around. The two go hand-in-hand.

Mascara is one beauty item every girl needs. And MAC never disappoints. We're sure you will get 'optimum'results with new Opulash Optimum.

New Zytaze Botox Booster: Supplement Keeps You Wrinkle-Free Longer

5 days....10 supplements, equals longer-lasting Botox results.

This one has piqued our interest. We just noticed the ad in a magazine last evening. And we came away scratching our head. What will beauty science think of next?!

Prescription Zytaze is being called the new BFF of Botox cosmetic. It's actually a new medical food or supplement that makes your Botox results last longer.....up to 1 month longer! Talk about a Botox booster.

All you do is take Zytaze for 5 days (10 capsules) BEFORE your next Botox injections.

So does it REALLY work? And what's in Zytaze?

Zytaze is made up of the supplement zinc, along with enzyme phytase. The pills provide nutritional support to enhance the effectiveness of Botox injections for the treatment of facial cosmetic procedures, blepharospasm, and hemifacial spasm.

Without such a booster, Botox, in general, lasts between 3 and 4 months, at which time, the muscles in that area of the face start moving again, signaling time for the next treatment. And if you love to work-out, well, that can rob you of your Botox results, too.

California plastic surgeon, Lavinia Chong explains:
"It also depends on how much you exercise. I have extremely fit patients who are "gym rats", doing hard cardio 5-6x/week. They uniformly report that the longevity of Botox is lower."

Wow! We were not aware of such an exercise/Botox link.

Our advice? Speak with your dermatologist. He or she can best determine if Zytaze is worth taking, and if it actually makes a difference in Botox longevity. We will be waiting on more studies about the new medical food enhancer.

By the way, a prescription for Zytaze costs $60.

Visit Zytaze.com for more details.....Or call 800-233-5469.

Got Sunscreen? Duh! Don't Forget To Slap Some On

Take a good look at your face, and now, at your wrinkles.....Maybe, you don't have any. Great for you. Continue your excellent anti-aging routine.

But for those of us who do have wrinkles, we are asking you, is there one side of your precious face that appears more wrinkled than the other?

Let's explore exactly why.....

Whatever you do, just play safe under the sun. And even if you're in the car driving, you still need to wear sunscreen. Facial skin cancers develop more on the left side due to frequent driving, say researchers at St. Louis University.

"We tend to see more skin cancer on the left side of the face---drivers need to be aware of the amount of sun exposure they receive behind the wheel," cautions Dr. Scott Fosko.

So that means, no more covertibles? And no more car sun roofs?

Don't laugh....we DO have a sun roof, but refuse to open it up, because we are afraid to really let the sun shine upon us while driving, and destroy our skin even further. As far as the left driver's window, well, what can we do? We can't draw a curtain across that.

Maybe that sounds super silly to you, but the sun's powerful UVB/UVA rays do a number on the epidermis. And it will catch up to you. Just wait until you get into your 30s and beyond. Sun damage DOES occur, even when the sunscreen is applied.

Sunscreen isn't perfect....but essential on a daily basis.

If you're tired of applying heavy creams and oils to your skin, why not try the powder sunscreen that celebrities are hooked on?

Colorscience is proud of their mineral-based powder sunscreen called, Sunforgettable. Cute name.

Sunforgettable is a really unique beauty product. The ingredients contain immediate 8 hour, waterproof protection. And it's a powder base. No more greasies.

And it comes in 3 shades: Perfectly Clear. All Clear. Almost Clear. Application is easy, too. You can put it on with a brush applicator, a roll-on, or a shaker.

We found some Sunforgettable here at SkinCareRX.com for $49.50.

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.