Gwen Stefani Rocks Pink Skinny Jeans---You Can, Too!

Colored jeans have been a HOT trend for some time now. And celebrities have been out and about slipping into pairs of bright-colored denim.

Last month, it was Fergie photographed in red jeans at LAX. And today, we've found the very stylish Gwen Stefani rockin' a pair of bubble gum pink skinny jeans.

Not an easy shade to pull off, but the sexy, svelte singer makes it look simple by keeping the entire thing, well, simple.

Gwen paired her hot pink jeans with a basic black tank, matching booties, and a wide, gold cuff. She looks amazing!

And you can wear this, too. Yes, ladies, you CAN put on a pair of pink skinny jeans and do it on a budget. Why spend hundreds, when you can copy the look for so much less!

The Almost Famous brand has a great pair of Tiffany Pink Skinny Jeans (reg. $29.95, on SALE for $19.99, Buy 1, Get 1 50% off at Zumiez). Just as cute as Gwen's---bright pink, stretch cotton, low rise, and ultra skinny! Plus, we found sizes 1-13 available.

Will you dare to rock this trend?!

Touch Of Turmeric Powder: Thandie Newton's Best Beauty Tip

We've been writing about the benefits of adding a little turmeric powder to your diet for quite some time now.

If you love Indian and South Asian food, then you know the distinctive aroma and taste of powerful yellow-orange turmeric powder. In India culture, this colorful spice has been used for many, many generations, as a wonderful food enhancer, but also as a healing agent.

And now, too, as a skin rejuvenator. Maybe that's why gorgeous actress Thandie Newton tells People magazine that the bright-colored spice is "My Best Beauty Secret."

"Turmeric! I mix a few grains in my moisturizer," Thandie says. "It gives you such a lovely, sun-kissed glow. It's also anti-inflammatory, so it's a real tonic for the skin."

You're a smart gal, Thandie. Ayurvedic healers consider turmeric to be a varnya herb, which means, enhances your complexion. Its strong anti-bacterial properties fight pimples and breakouts.



Thandie is the new face of Olay Total Effects. And at age 39 and a mom of 2 little girls, we think the award-winning actress is a great representative for the famous Olay company.

Thandie's beauty recipe equals Olay Total Effects Fragrance-Free UV Moisturizer ($22.99, at drugstores) and turmeric:

"It was a complete accident that I spilled some and rubbed it in on my hands. I looked down and thought, how pretty!"

Just be careful when handling turmeric powder around your favorite clothing. It can yellow-stain fabric, and we have found it's tough to remove.

On another note....Dr. Andrew Weil talked about the powerful, anti-cancer benefits of turmeric powder in an article at his website back in 2003:

"Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is the yellow spice most familiar in Indian cooking and American-prepared mustard. Not only do I think that it is safe to take after breast cancer treatment, I think it would be helpful. The reason is that turmeric affects hormones that promote inflammation and cell proliferation, processes that seem to underlie most cancers.

"Turmeric is being studied widely for its powerful anti-cancer effects. However, women being treated for breast cancer may be advised to avoid it during chemotherapy because of evidence from laboratory and animal studies suggesting that it may inhibit the action of certain chemotherapy drugs.

"I often recommend New Chapter's Turmericforce; take one capsule twice a day."

Pretty amazing stuff from this pungent spice!

You'd Be A Fool Not To Try Yu-Be Skin Care Products

We LOVE skin care creams and serums. We also love learning about the science of beauty.

That's why we are happy to write today about the popular Japanese skin care line called Yu-Be. Pronounced as YOO-BEE.

Everyone's been talking about Yu-Be....from Newsweek to InStyle to Elle, and beyond.

But Yu-Be has been around for 55 years now. Just ask most folks in Japan, and you would find that Yu-Be products are a skin care staple in most homes there.

In fact, the #1 Selling Medicated Vitamin-Enriched Cream on the Market is Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream ($25, at Yu_be.com). Japanese pharmacist Yoshikiyo Nowatari developed the glycerin-based moisturizer in 1957. It features a high glycerin content along with vitamins B2, C, E, and camphor. The cream has a super absorbancy level, making it very effective for rough, dry skin.

According to the Yu-Be website history page--- "Generations of familes have used the concentrated formula on all types of dry skin - from split cuticles and cracked heels to diaper rash - even frostbite - and to this day refuse to use anything else."

Here in the U.S., the Yu-Be skin care line is distributed by JMax Intl. of Los Angeles.

The company was kind to send us the famous Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream, Foaming Skin Polish, Moisturizing Body Lotion, and Lip Therapy balm stick. We have been sampling all of them, and we like what we see!

When we noted that camphor was present in the Yu-Be skin care line we were a bit hesitant about the scent. The beauty of the Yu-Be formula is the quick absorption. And yes---the camphor scent disappears very fast.

We have been using the popular Moisturizing Skin Cream under our eyes, and we LOVE it. It serves as an excellent eye cream. It really softens and nourishes the thin skin and actually diminishes the look of fine lines and wrinkles of the eye area. No kidding! We really didn't expect it to work that well.

The Foaming Skin Polish ($18, at Yu-Be.com) is another great product from the Yu-Be line, formulated with rice bran, bamboo, ginger root, ginseng and green tea to exfoliate rough, dry skin cells and give you back smoother, healthier skin. A gentle yet effective scrubber.

To try the Yu-Be skin care collection, check out their FREE samples with just $4.95 shipping here.

Kate Gets Duchess Beauty Glow From Bee Venom Facials?

The royal buzz these days?

That pretty Duchess Kate looks especially beautiful because of bee venom facials.

If this is the case, then watch the sale of bee venom masks skyrocket into the stratosphere. As we have all come to learn, anything the future queen of England touches, turns to gold. Women around the globe want to dress like Kate, smell like Kate, have perfect hair like Kate, and yes, even look like the lovely Kate.

So, why bee venom beauty products?

If you believe the hype...."This cream is said to work by gently stinging the skin, leaving a tingling sensation and causing the body to direct blood flow to the area. It claims to stimulate the production of collagen and elastin, which reduce wrinkles by relaxing and strengthening the muscles."

Says who?

The makers of Royal Nectar Bee Venom Cream ($69.90), the SAME brand that Camilla (Duchess of Cornwall + Prince William's step-mom) turned Kate on to. Rumors say that Kate began dipping into the bee venom beauty hive several weeks BEFORE the royal wedding. And to note, her complexion looked exquisite on her big day.

Don't laugh....we are intrigued by any skin care treatment that stimulates collagen/elastin production.

"Apply Royal Nectar daily as part of your skin care routine. Leave on for 20 minutes, then wash off.

"Use from twice a week to twice a day (personal preference). Spread sparingly on clean skin, do not rub in and be careful to avoid the eye area."

HealthyOnLine which sells the Royal Nectar Bee Venom Cream explains the fascinating process in how the bee venom is extracted. So bizarre! Read on:

"To extract the venom, a pane of glass is placed alongside the hive and a small electrical current is run through it, which encourages the insects to sting the surface. Tiny quantities of the venom are then collected and sent to Britain. It costs £27,000 ($55,200) an ounce but the venom is diluted, to make it less painful to apply, to just 1 per cent of the mask. A 50ml jar costs £55 ($112). (This is the UK Price. It is only $69.90 from healthyonline, even less than sold by the manufacturer! )

"The cream is also mixed with New Zealand Manuka honey, shea butter and rose and lavender oils. Used twice a day for 20 minutes, the bee treatment can apparently knock up to 10 years off facial appearance."

Hey, bee venom is being called, the new 'alternative to Botox.' We cannot prove that Kate has ever tried the product, but people in-the-know, claim it is TRUE.

Just a little note---if you are allergic to bees, please DON'T use this!

We would like to try this stuff if we could get a freebie.

Will You Lock Lips With This Pop Art Jewelry Trend?

You're either going to love this or hate it, but you have to admit----jewelry in the form of a pair of lips is quite unique.

We're still on the fence about it, but we have been seeing lots of lips cuff bracelets from the Brooklyn-based St. Kilda shop. And the inspiration supposedly comes from the famous surrealistic painting of lips in the sky, Les Amoureux by Man Ray.

These Nora Kogan jewelry pieces include enameled lips in a rainbow of bold colors. Each cuff costs $325. Check them all out here at StKildaJewelry.

The lips jewelry trend is both modern and edgy and makes for quite a striking accessories statement.

What do you think?

Smiling Celebrities Have Worn Them---Would You Invisalign?

Is it just us, or have you, too, noticed a lot of adults suddenly getting 'invisible' braces?!

Most of the time, you can't even see the braces, and that's the beauty of Invisalign. Many smiling celebrities have hit the red carpet wearing these clear plastic aligners to straighten their pearly whites---people like: Katherine Heigl, Justin Beiber, Elin Woods, Zac Efron, and Tom Cruise.

The plastic braces are worn 24/7, except at mealtimes. Full treatment takes about 1 year, with office visits every 6 weeks or so.

The cost of Invisalign kind of blew us away-----From $3,500 - $8,000. Wow! We were not expecting such a steep price. Then again, we've had root canals that resulted in a couple of thousand dollars each, when all was said and done. Yeah, dental work isn't cheap.

So, metal braces versus clear, plastic ones. Look at the photo depicting both. It's a no-brainer, cosmetically-speaking. Who wouldn't want an almost invisible dental makeover?

Would you Invisalign? And is this clear plastic system just as effective as wearing a set of unattractive, old-fashioned metal braces?

From the results we've seen of relatives and friends wearing Invisalign, this is a brilliant concept. Their teeth look amazing. But Invisalign does have its critics. Read on from Boston orthodontist Mouhab Rizkallah, DDS:

1. Invisalign cannot predictably control any changes in back tooth bite relationships. In fact, it can really cause back tooth bite problems if you try to move the back teeth and fall short of your goals. Braces can control back tooth bite relationships readily.

2. Invisalign cannot predictably rotate cylindrical teeth (such as canines and premolars) because it lacks predictable "friction grip", but invisalign can readily rotate angular teeth, such as incisors, because this does not require grip....it only requires point force at a distance away from the center of the tooth. Example: USING 1 finger from EACH hand, try to turn a drinking glass that is cylindrical versus one that has 4 sides. With the cylindrical glass, you will need to try to squeeze your fingers toward each other (producing friction grip) to rotate the cylindrical glass. With the 4 sided glass, you only need to apply forces in opposite directions at the square corners of the glass....no friction grip needed. That is why Invisalign cannot rotate cylindrical objects predictably. Braces, on the other hand, are glued to teeth, and therefore have absolute friction, and can thereby rotate any tooth. Voila!

3. Invisalign cannot predictably accomplish uprighting root movements: I don't know how to effectively communicate that in text. It would require a picture. Braces accomplish this readily.

4. Invisalign cannot predictably accomplish vertical movements, as the aligner is designed to release in the vertical plane of space. Braces accomplish this readily.

Bottom Line: I love invisalign for patients that do not need Bite correction, rotation of cylindrical teeth, root uprighting, or vertical tooth movements.

Well, we would still LOVE to Invisalign for absolutely perfectly straight teeth. We would do it, if our smile doesn't require all that other stuff.
How about you?

All Thumbs Applying Foundation? Try Romi Beauty Gadget For Perfection

In our humble opinion, foundation or base is a daily makeup essential. It evens out skin tone, hides minor imperfections, protects the skin, and lets you look alive.


But applying foundation seamlessly is a challenge for most of us. We use our fingers to first blend our liquid base onto our face. Then we quickly use a makeup sponge to 'pat it in.'

Perfect?

Certainly not, but, we do the best we can.

Now there's Digital Foundation by Roma Beauty ($109.95, at haantherapeutics).

The cute, little battery-operated beauty gadget helps you master the art of the seamless foundation finish by imitating the stippling technique of quick, short pats that makeup artists use to achieve that flawless appearance.

Romi Beauty Digital Foundation features a vibrating sponge pad that dispenses foundation at a stippling rate of 5,000 times per minute. You don't have to use your fingers or a brush or a sponge to blend it in. The beauty machine does all the work, and quite beautifully.

You can select from 1 of 3 foundation shades to get that airbrushed finish.

Spending more than $100 for a beauty gadget might sound a bit silly, but the Romi Beauty device is a well-made makeup aid that saves you time and money in the long run.