Off The Shoulder Top: Hot Fashion Budget Tip Of The Day

Is it just us, or do off-the-shoulder tops seem to be a hot trend for Fall 2011?!

Flip through some of your favorite catalogues or pop into some of your preferred boutiques, and you will notice off-the-shoulder tees, sweaters and more, in some yummy autumn shades, like eggplant, rust, and olive.

Do we dare to compare?

Yes. We're all in the hunt for a great bargain these days. Let's take a look at our Hot Fashion Budget Tip of the Day:

Two gorgeous off-the-shoulder tops by Victoria's Secret and Body Central, with two different price tags. The VS top will run you $39.50. The Body Central Top will cost you $19.80. According to our math, the cheaper off-the-shoulder top saves you $19.70. So, you could practically buy 2 for the price of 1, at Body Central.

Don't get us wrong----We adore Victoria's Secret. But sometimes, it's more fun to save $$$ and get a pretty duplicate for less.

You be the judge. Take a look at both off-the-shoulder tops, and decide if there's a huge difference in style and quality. We think both are beautiful in a stretchy, flattering fabric.

BodyCentral
VictoriasSecret

Lindsay Lohan's 'Lost' Porcelain Veneers: Where Did Celebrity Smile Go?

Porcelain veneers. Many beautiful celebrities in Hollywood have them. And these perfect fake teeth can cost up to $2,000 and more, for just one veneer.

Now, let's take a look at actress Lindsay Lohan in the top, double-shot photo. The pic was snapped a couple of nights ago, as the troubled 25-year-old walked a red carpet event in L.A..

Ever since a much less-than-perfect smile emerged from Lindsay Lohan's mouth Tuesday evening, the ugly chatter has not ceased. And this poor young woman cannot get a break.

Lots of cruel internet gossip is calling LiLo's smile a 'rotting mouth,' 'meth mouth,', and worse.

But we see it more like this: Lindsay's perfect porcelain veneers are missing, and what you see are her real teeth---stained, a bit yellow, and not perfect like her smile was in the photo below of the younger actress in 2005. She was 19 in that pic. And study her smile there---Lindsay's super white teeth appear to be those of porcelain veneers.

So, where have LiLo's porcelain veneers gone? Who knows. She's probably having them re-done. But in the meantime, maybe she should have skipped the unforgiving flash bulbs of the red carpet until she got back her beautiful smile.

We believe the top photo shows Lindsay Lohan with teeth that have been prepared previously for veneers, because the cosmetic dentist removes only about 1/2 millimeter of enamel from the surface of each tooth before placing the veneer over the natural tooth.

We did a little research on porcelain veneers, and can see why Hollywood is hot for this perfect, dazzling smile:

Natural-looking results
Made from extremely durable material
Minimally-invasive procedure
Resistant to staining
Correct multiple flaws
Long-lasting solution - 10 to 15 years
Restore strength and functionality to the teeth
Customized for your individual smile
Relatively quick process - one to two appointments
Restore your confidence, smile proudly.

We found our veneer information here.

Palladium Instead Of Platinum? Celebrities Are Wearing It

Palladium is as beautiful as platinum, and almost half the price of gold!

That's what the Palladium Alliance International industry is saying, in a new, mega-million ad campaign featuring celebrities like Kelly Osbourne, Pam Anderson, and Rose McGowan in a clever tagline, I'm So Over Heavy Metal."

Would you wear the newest thing in bling? Palladium instead of pricier platinum?

Palladium is a member of the platinum family, but lighter in weight, very durable, and a naturally white precious metal. And metal experts say you can't tell the difference between the two. Plus, if you have sensitive skin, palladium is hypo-allergenic.

In this up & down economy, it might be wise to take a closer look at palladium, and make your dream of owning some elegant jewelry pieces a reality, by not blowing your budget.

We found some Wall Street stats for yesterday, October 12th:

Platinum closed up $36.00 at $1552.00 an ounce.
Palladium closed up $6.00 at $610.00 an ounce.

To learn more about the new thing in bling, visit:

ImSoOverHeavyMetal.com
PalladiumJewelry.org

Makeup Artist Mario Uses Inexpensive Liquid Eyeliner For Kim's Wedding Day Glamour

Although Kim Kardashian's wedding took place 6 weeks ago, people are still raving about her 3 gorgeous gowns and the stunning makeup applied by her personal cosmetics pro, Mario Dedivanovic.

And we all got to witness the extravagant nuptials of Kim and Kris in a special E-channel broadcast on Monday night. Lots of people were complaining that the 2-night, 4-hour wedding reality show only gave fans about a 30-minute glimpse into the gala celebrity event itself. That was disappointing, but looking at Kim K's makeup up close, was worth the long wait.

Her makeup man, Mario, did an incredible job transforming the dark-haired beauty into a Cleopatra-esque bride. And her artist generously gave out all the makeup details at his website. Most of the cosmetics he used were high end, like Lancome, Dior, and La Mer. But Mario Dedivanovic did go 'cheap' on Kim's eyeliner, and you can try this beauty tip, too:

"I lined her eyes (top lid only) using Cover Girl Line Exact Liquid Liner in Very Black," Mario says. "Start out with a thin line at the inner corner and gradually thicken the line as you go towards the outer corners. Wing the liner up and out."

Amazing! Kim K's cat-eye signature look always comes out perfect and polished, and we can't believe that one could get the same, high glam effect, using a $5.59 drugstore find, but there's the proof.

We like the concept of the CG Line Exact Liquid Liner because it is similar to a sharp-pointed felt pen and glides over the eyelid smoothly. The only downside to the CG liner pen, was its stingy amount. We ran out of liner within a week or so.

We were baffled. Where did the product go?

To see more of Kim Kardashian's step-by-step glam wedding makeup, check out Mario Dedivanovic's website here.

How To Get Soft Kissable Lips And Support Breast Cancer

If you tend to ignore your lips in your daily beauty routine, and just slap some lip balm on, well, you're NOT doing enough.

Lips need TLC, and here is why:

Lips are thinner in skin structure, very sensitive, and lack protective oil glands.
Lips also don't have enough melanin to protect us from the searing heat. Melanin is the natural skin pigment that filters out the strong and damaging UV rays.

Yes, lip balm is necessary and a good start. But there is more you can do to keep your lips soft and kissable. And we have found you a super lip scrub treatment with 20% of its proceeds going to the V Foundation for Breast Cancer Awareness through the month of October.

But first, let's get to some Soft, Kissable Lips basics:

1. A toothbrush. You need one one of these as your key instrument for lip maintenance. No. We're not kidding. You must exfoliate as part of your daily and nightly routine. For instance, after brushing your teeth, take your wet toothbrush and gently brush your lips in a circular motion for several seconds. This brushing will loosen dead, chapped skin and give you smoother, softer lips..

2. Lip Treatment. And here is where our special lip scrub exfoliator takes the TLC one step further. We adore Sara Happ's Limited Edition Sparkling Pink Grapefruit Lip Scrub ($24, at b.glowing.com). And as we mentioned above, whenever you buy this yummy pink grapefruit lip scrub, you are helping fight the war on breast cancer.

You can find Sara Happ beauty products online and at many beauty stores and boutiques.

And this lip scrub is simple to use. Massage a generous amount over your lips with a firm, circular motion. You can even use the toothbrush to massage rather than your fingers. Then wipe away with a tissue. Say bye-bye dry, flaky skin and hello to the softest, most kissable lips around.

And now, go ahead and put your lip balm on.

How To Deal With Large Pores And Conceal Them

We have oily skin and unfortunately, large pores. And the two, usually go hand-in-hand.

What can you do about large pores?

You can effectively 'shrink' them through several beauty routines, but you CANNOT reduce large pores PERMANENTLY.

Genetics and the aging process have plenty to do with the size of your pores.

It's frustrating, indeed. We have seen some women with great skin who seemingly have NO pores. We want those tiny pores. But since our DNA didn't bless us in that department, we will show you how to fake smaller-looking pores.

1. Cleansing routine. When pores get clogged with oil and debris, pores are more noticable. You need to wash your face with a cleanser that goes deep. Try a glycolic acid or salicylic acid cleanser.

2. Skin care nightly routine. Try a retinol serum or its stronger prescription cousin Retin-A, before going to bed. The Vitamin A derivative tones down the greasiness and lifts the dirt from pores, while boosting collagen and elastin production. You get back healthier skin with less prominent pores.

3. Exfoliation routine. Chemical peels and microdermabrasion facials are excellent at shrinking the appearance of pore size. Your skin takes on a rosy glow as layers and layers of dead skin cells are removed through these treatments.

4. Primer/Corrector routine. Put a primer on BEFORE you apply foundation, and watch pores disappear. A primer evens out your complexion by providing a smooth layer for foundation to sit upon.

We also like Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Instant Perfector ($18, at beauty stores like Nordstrom's. This is a super corrector because it shrinks pores all day long and makes your complexion look flawless. You can wear it alone or even OVER your foundation as a finish.

Don't give up on makeup because you have large pores. Cosmetics like primer, corrector and foundation can conceal them effectively.

Mother And Grandmother Know Best: 3 Celebrity Natural Beauty Treatments That Work

"Mother knows best."

You've heard that one before, and most of the time, Mother IS right. And how about Grandmother?

When it comes to beauty, some of the best anti-aging secrets are passed down from generation to generation.

Today, we are looking at 3 celebrities with favorite natural beauty recipes they swear by. Let's take a look:


1. Padma Lakshmi, the India-born beauty and host of Bravo TV's 'Top Chef,' shares a great hair treatment she's passing along from her family.

To get glossy, healthy hair like Padma, pick up a bottle of this:

Jojoba Oil (Desert Essence JoJoba Oil, $14.99, at Desert Essence). This is the organic brand Padma uses.

"To fight flakes, I microwave a cup of this and massage it into my scalp. My grandmother used to do it on the stove," Padma explains.

2. Queen Latifah, the actress and Cover Girl model, maintains smooth, glowing skin with a familiar yellow box:

Baking Soda. It's a cheap, radiance booster. "Mix baking soda with water and use it on your face as an exfoliater. My grandmother gave me that tip," she says.

Queen Latifah is right. Baking soda is super at sloughing off dead skin cells and taming blackheads. Just make a gooey paste of it and apply to face in circular motion, and rinse off. Protects against pimples.

3. Liv Tyler, actress and new U.K. Pantene model, heads right to an old family favorite to keep her complexion clear and taut. The 34-year-old beauty sets her makeup with a quick spritz of rose water. Smart girl, because the mist has a firming effect on skin.

We spoke with a rose water expert and learned that Liv Tyler knows what she's doing:

"Rose water is very rich in flavonoids and vitamins, including A, C, D, E andB3," Dana Vasileva explains. "Rose water has anti-viral, antiseptic and disinfectant properties. It maintains the pH balance, and stimulates regeneration processes of the skin. It helps reduce wrinkles, fine lines and skin inflammation. It also has a calming effect on acne and sunburns. One bottle, all skin types, all ages."

3 wonderful natural beauty treatments. Thank you, Padma, Queen Latifah, and Liv!