Do We All Really Need To Wear Makeup Every Day?

Please, dear Secretary of State, forgive us. We are not trying to make you the poster child for the harsh, cold results of NOT wearing makeup.

Yes, this is Hillary Clinton looking au naturale, with just a smidgen of berry lip gloss on during a recent working trip to India and Bangladesh. The naked face photos went viral.

In her defense, she is 64-years-old. And certainly, any woman at that age would have more wrinkles and/or sagging than a 24-year-old.

The good news----Hillary Clinton has nice volume and fullness in her face and thick eyebrows. That's a plus in our book.

And this how the Secretary of State rsponded to CNN:

"I feel so relieved to be at the stage I'm at in my life right now. Because you know if I want to wear my glasses I'm wearing my glasses. If I want to wear my hair back I'm pulling my hair back. You know at some point it's just not something that deserves a lot of time and attention. And if others want to worry about it, I let them do the worrying for a change."

Gotta love this woman! But, sorry, we think the makeup is essential. No, Mrs. Clinton doesn't have to plaster it on, BUT, she needs the basics. She has an extremely important public government position, so all eyes are upon her.

We've all heard, 'Less is more,' when it comes to makeup for older women.

Legendary makeup artist Sandy Linter says otherwise:

"No, that translates into using nothing. I see a lot of older women in their 50s, 60s and 70s with no makeup on. That just makes you look old and washed out".

Here's some makeup advice for women OVER 50 from Sandy:

1. DO Go For The Glow!!!
Sandy says that a deeper foundation color and blush "warm up the skin and make you look younger."

2. DO Wear Natural Eye Makeup
Sandy advises that you keep eyes fresh-looking with brown eyeliner, instead of black, And don't overdose on the mascara. Don't go more than one or two coats.

3. DON'T Stop Wearing Makeup
Sandy says we all could benefit by putting on a little glamour. "A lot of women have it drilled into them, that less is more, but no! You still need makeup, just with a lighter touch."

4. DON'T Powder Your Cheeks
Sandy says you don't need to go there, or it can look weird. "It makes you look like you're wearing a mask."

Now, if only the Secretary of State could have a traveling makeup artist like Sandy Linter, then we wouldn't be having this cosmetics conversation.

Long Party Night For Rihanna: Benefit Lemon-Aid Can Hide Tired Eyes

Rihanna looked super-glam in her sleek floor-length crocodile Tom Ford gown with sexy back slit at the recent Met Ball. And she must have had a really fun time because her long evening landed her in the hospital Monday night with exhaustion!

Check out her Twitter photos. Those are legit pics and those were Rihanna's long fingernails that night. And that is obviously the singer's arm hooked up to an IV for fluids.

Sources claim it's exhaustion and/or the flu. It seems like the Barbadian beauty is out and about everywhere these days.

The good news----Rihanna is going to be just fine.

In the meantime, maybe the superstar could have put on a little of this wonderful beauty aid by the folks at Benefit Cosmetics:

Lemon-Aid ($20, at Sephora).

In plain and simple beauty terms, Lemon-Aid is an eyelid primer. And yes, it's really yellow---nothing garish or wild, just a clever trick to make you look rested and alert.

"Benefit Lemon-Aid is a miracle-working soft-yellow correcting cream that instantly hides redness and discoloration on your eyelids."

And it's a quick, fixer-upper----Just pat a little on your eyelids with your fingertip and blend. You can wear it alone or UNDER your makeup. Ladies, this stuff really works. Don't be afraid of the yellowness----the corrective color is there for a reason.

Look at it this way, we found 934 customer reviews of Benefit's Lemon-Aid and the score at the moment is 4.2 stars out of 5 stars. Go read the reviews for yourself.

If you've had a long night of partying and you need a beauty eye boost, give this a whirl. You'll be bright-eyed and dynamite in sheer seconds. Rihanna could have put a little on after the Met Ball....Just sayin'.

Maria Menounos And Her Rock-Hard Abs: Flattest Tummy In Hollywood

Popular entertainment reporter Maria Menounos is a dancing sensation and could be on her way to the finals with partner Derek Hough on DWTS! At least we hope so.

The girl looks amazing.....not that she's ever looked less than that. But even more so, since those multi-hour days of dance practice and careful dieting, Maria remains curvy and toned. And we would bet that she has THE flattest abs on the DWTS set.

Have you seen Maria's belly?

Incredible!

So, how does the brunette Mediterranean beauty get such FAB Abs?!

Well, you're not going to believe this, but her secret allegedly involves a few punches. Read on.....

Maria Menounos says it all started in a village in Greece where her dad grew up. Mr. Menounos would have people throw rocks at his stomach to keep his abs tight.

"People would come, and it would almost be like a circus act. Everybody would huddle around him," Maria once said to Shape Magazine. "Of course, being a crazy Greek daughter interpreted it differently. I was like, I don’t want people to throw rocks at me! How about people punch me? So I’ve had many people punch me in the stomach over the years." And this she claims, is her beauty secret to keeping her abs rock-hard.

"I’d rather have people punch me than do sit ups. Sitting there, just squeezing your abs and bracing yourself for the punch—that is an ab workout." she adds. "Houdini died like that apparently. My family gets very upset when I do that so I do it less and less these days."

Is she for real?? We like to think that a sound diet and challenging work-out regimen along with some good DNA, has enabled the personable celebrity to keep a super flat tummy at age 33.

In case you aren't buying Maria Menounos' secret fab ab tip, we did find a great quick ab exercise you can do, courtesy of personal trainer Nick Tumminello. No crunching involved:

Combination Swiss Pike and Roll-Out.

Vogue Mag Says Yes To 'Fatter' Fashion Models?!

Fashion models who DON'T look like they are all starving 14-year-olds?!

Well, ladies, DON'T get too excited yet, but maybe change IS on the way?

Let us applaud the 'bible' of the fashion industry and it's recent statement that Vogue magazine will now ban models either under the age of 16 or suffering from an eating disorder from appearing in 19 international editions of Vogue. And that includes Anna Wintour’s U.S Vogue mag).

The announcement also mentions this:

"We will be ambassadors for the message of a healthy body image," and, "We will work with models who, in our view, are healthy and help to promote a healthy body image."

Okay then.....What is U.S. Vogue's physical ideal?

Excellent question. Please stay tuned, because what may be your vision of a healthy body might not be that of the magazine's model standards.

Frankly, we miss the days of the real supermodels. You know who we're talking about----Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, and Linda Evangelista, who wouldn't roll out of bed for less than $10,000 a day, etc. Those fashion icons were healthy-skinny and somewhat curvy girls. None of them were size zeroes---mainly 4's and 6's, and maybe a few were size 2's. But no one had ever accused Cindy or the other supermodels of being anorexic. Those models brought sexy back to the cat-walk.

Let's face it....professional models are very tall and very thin, and that's just how the modeling industry is set up. Clothes just look better on that kind of body. We all get that. But it would be so refreshing to return to the supermodel physique.

Cindy Crawford spoke to Parade magazine in 2011 about model sizing:

The modeling industry has changed since Cindy’s reign.
"I do feel like an outsider now, but I just saw the CoverGirl commercial with Taylor Swift and I thought, 'Wow, it is so hard for models to get a job these days.' You have to sing and act, too. There doesn’t seem to be as much work specifically just for models. And I also think when I was modeling, size 6 was a normal size and now it’s like 2 or 0."

We will surely be checking out the pages of Vogue in the coming months just to see exactly how models have changed and what 'healthy' looks like.

Lindsay Lohan Looking Lovely: Alleged Cosmetic Filler Finally Settled

The proof is in the pudding as the old saying goes. So, let's closely examine the photos we have of actress Lindsay Lohan to see if cosmetic filler were actually used to enhance her great bone structure.

Look at the 3rd bottom pic. There's Lindsay back in March of 2011, 1 year ago. Now, fix your eyes on the middle photo #2. There she is this past March 2012.

As we recall, the 25-year-old star was being tormented by the media for suddenly looking like a cabbage patch doll with her very swollen cheeks and rounder, pillow-like face.

Tabloid reports were accusing the embattled actress of overdoing the plastic surgery or becoming bloated from too much partying, etc.

The smart money was on the assumption that Lindsay had merely gotten cosmetic filler like Restylane, Juvederm, or Perlane, all designed to add major volume to the face.

Now, take a look at the top pic of Lindsay Lohan, just 8 days ago at the D.C. Correspondents' Dinner(April 28). She looks stunning! The alleged fillers have finally settled.

We cannot prove the actress did indeed receive cosmetic filler, but it seems the only intelligent reason for the dramatic changes.

Fillers like Restylane or Juvederm can cause swelling, bruising, and redness for a few weeks before 'settling' into the skin layers.

These dermal fillers with their smooth, gel-like consistencies are injected into the deeper layers of the skin beneath the fold/crease. The result---instant volume and smooth lines. There is no "down time" and the filler lasts about 9 months. And results can be quite amazing, depending on the skill of the pro injecting the filler and 'designing' beautiful facial contours.

The only real tell-tale sign of any cosmetic work appears to be with the celebrity's fuller lips as you can see in bold red gloss.

We think that Lindsay Lohan looks great with her back-to-natural auburn hair and her back-to-normal-sized facial proportions.

Would you agree?

Vanessa Williams Believes In Microcurrent Facials For Ageless Beauty

Vanessa Williams, a guest on E'!s 'Fashion Police last evening, dished to host Joan Rivers about the cosmetic enhancements she enjoys using to stay ageless.

One of these beauty weapons is Botox, which we've heard Vanessa mention several times before. The other is microcurrent facials.

Now, we were intrigued.

At age 49, we think the talented singer/actress looks fab! So, let's examine the microcurrent facial, a non-invasive procedure that Vanessa swears by to tighten up facial skin, rather than heading in for a surgical facelift.

Firming the facial contour. That's what microcurrent technology aims for as the wand hooked up to this beauty machine glides over the face to strengthen tired, aging facial muscles. A painless, safe impulse or zap is sent through the wand, revving up circulation and stimulating collagen/elastin production.

Results are instant at about $120 per treatment. And the more sessions you attend, the better results you can achieve.

Many celebrities opt for the microcurrent facial BEFORE a red carpet event, because they look refreshed, skin is plumped up and pores look invisible.

So, is this trendy facial as good as a real facelift?

Most plastic surgeons would say, of course NOT. And here's why, according to the experts who weighed in on microcurrent technology at RealSelf.com:

"Unfortunately, as in most advertising, the hype does not live up to the reality. Microcurrent has been tested and shown to help with wound healing but there is nothing in the medical literature about microcurrent reversing the signs of aging."--D.J. Verret, MD
Dallas Facial Plastic Surgeon

"Microcurrent treatments will not yield results simular to that of a facelift because the energy applied will not result in elevation of the structural components of the face - namely fascia, muscles and fat. Only the very superficial layer of skin and dermis would have any response to microcurrent and I suspect that would be modest at best."--
Douglas Stevens, MD
Fort Myers Facial Plastic Surgeon

"A facelift is the procedure of choice to make permanent and extensive changes in the face for rejuvenation. Microcurrent therapy has some benefits, however modest. It can improve skin tone and slightly change the shape of the structures. It can easily be oversold. Buyer beware. All the best, Tal Raine MD FACS."--
Chicago Plastic Surgeon.

We can say that Vanessa Williams looks naturally beautiful. In other words, her face does NOT look tightly pulled back and artifical, so it's possible that she is happy with what plastic surgeons would call 'modest' results.

What do you think?

Kelly Osbourne: The Color Purple. Great Movie Not The Hair?

Let us first state that we are a Kelly Osbourne fan!

From the soft, playful British accent to the extreme love of all things fashion and beauty to the amazing collection of shoes, she is a breath of fresh air.

And now, er, Kelly's hair. Back in January, we noticed the dyed grey locks the daughter of rock legend Ozzie was sporting. Then slowly, those tresses turned lilac/lavender/purple!

The Fashion Police star showed up Monday evening rockin' the striking hair color at E'!s Upfront Party in New York City. That, along with purple lip color, a pretty tartan plaid frock, and a pair of sky-high pink open-toe pumps.

It isn't easy getting away with purple hair color or lips in the same shade.

So, we have to ask....Can Kelly Osbourne Rock the Color Purple?!

Well, yes. She looks quite lovely here in the photos. And because she is UNDER age 30, we give her a free pass. When you're in your 20s, it's okay to play around with the wilder shades of makeup and hair color.

Kelly said this about her grey-to-purple locks back in February:

"To me, I'm 27, I've got three years left, the way I look at it, to have fun with it, because once you're 30, you look like a right idiot walking around with like rainbow, bright color hair and all different things like that.

"I don't exactly come from the most normal family. I don't get why anyone expects anything different from me.

"So I think, for me, I'm just having fun with it as much as I can until it's not appropriate anymore."

We also read recently somewhere, that Kelly said she wanted to give her over-processed blonde hair a rest, and that is why she had turned to a softer, less damaging hair dye process, a la purple.

Want to copy Kelly's purple look?

Try Mac's Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Asian Lavender ($14.50, at Macy's). As for the hair, please visit a professional. And get ready to be noticed!