Paula Patton's Beautiful Skin Secret: Very Earthy, Indeed!

38-year-old Paula Patton is gorgeous!

And we are sad about recent news that she and Robin Thicke are splitting up.

That one caught us off-guard. We think that maybe Mr. Thicke thinks he is all that + a bag of chips since that summer mega-hit, "Blurred Lines."

Well, today we are paying attention to beautiful Paula Patton and her exquisite skin.

We read somewhere that she swears by clay masks. We can't even see any pores, so she must be doing something right.

She didn't name any clay mask brands but there are plenty of great facial masks out there.

Why put on a clay mask and what kind would be best?

Think, GREEN!

We found this beauty info from wellsphere.com.

Green Clay
The most absorbing of the Clays, Green Clay is generally used as a Face Mask for tissue repair, drawing toxins from the skin and to normalise excessive secretions of oil or sweat. Applied as a Face or Body Mask, facial clay masks cleanse, exfoliate, smoothe and soften the skin. Green clay is especially good at drawing toxins out.

We happen to like Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay.  We found a big 1 lb. tub at Vitacost.com for just $4.99.

This powerful green clay is known around the globe for its superior deep pore cleansing. And even more impressive is Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay's extraction location: from Death Valley, California, where it is sun- dried for up to six months in temperatures that sometimes reach 134 degrees.

So, if you're looking to create a more smoother, healthier complexion, reach for a clay mask, and make it GREEN.

Nivea Creme: Oldie But Goody And Kate Winslet Uses It

For many of us, this royal blue tub has been a staple in our beauty cabinets. Even British beauty, actress Kate Winslet is a fan.

Nivea Creme has been around for a very long time. And a lot of grandmothers + great-grandmothers claim it has kept them youthful + wrinkle-free.

We love the rich, hydrating cream of Nivea. We applied some to our feet , hands + elbows just 15 minutes ago. Plus, we adore the citrus/floral scent, too.

Nivea Creme leaves your skin soft, supple and with a lovely sheen. Great during these cruel winter months.

About 5 years ago there was a rumor floating around that the inexpensive tub of Nivea Creme was just as SUPERB, if not BETTER than that expensive gold standard, Creme de la Mer.

Women were also raving about the Nivea Creme from Germany as the preferred Nivea.

And women were actually doing their own testing of both skin care creams on each side of their faces.

Supposedly the Nivea we all find at our drugstores here is from Mexico and contains petrolatum which can cause irritation. We have never noticed that problem.

Both creams DO share similar ingredients, but La Mer does contain the famous, talked-about seaweed extract. Hmmmm. Well, who really knows?

We have used Nivea Creme on our neck, too, and decollete, but we have very oily skin, so we cannot use it on our face. If we had a dry complexion we would DEFINITELY try the Nivea.

We have not tried Creme de la Mer, so we could not comment on the similar or dissimilar aspects of the 2 skin care creams.

We found a 6.8 oz. tub of Nivea Creme for $5.95  at soap.com.

Do you have a tub of Nivea Creme sitting in your beauty cabinet?

Celeb Makeup Artist Troy Surratt: His Best Mascara Beauty Tips For Thick , Perfect Lashes!

Celebrity makeup artist Troy Surratt must be very good at what he does. Just ask gorgeous Charlize Theron, Adriana Lima + Kristin Davis about him. Those are the kinds of famous faces he works on.

That's why when the makeup pros dish about their own beauty tips, we become all ears. And today, the subject is mascara, and how to get those thick, perfect lashes!

Troy Surratt recently spoke to beauty magazine Allure and gave out his best mascara beauty tips:

Begin with CLEAN Lashes.
NEVER sleep in old makeup. Remove it pronto!

"Residual oils at the roots can cause makeup breakup," Troy says. "You'll wind up with soot around your eyes."

His choice--Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes ($4.99, at Target). Good, because these wipes, "don't irritate delicate eye skin."

Curl Lashes to give them a Lift.
A curling wand is key, because it goes above the natural slope of the eye to open the lashes up.

Troy says this: "Just by using an eyelash curler to change that angle(slope) lashes can automatically look 2-3 times longer. Curling them also minimizes the shadows they cast over the eyes, so the eyes look larger and brighter,"

Three or More Coats is Just Over-Kill.
Pros like Troy advise putting on 2 coats of mascara to  frame the eyes beautifully, but applying 3 or more coats is TOO much.

Well, if a pro makeup artist is applying it, then he or she can go for 3 or more coats, but things can get gloppy when you're alone trying to layer it all perfectly.

Thanks, Troy Surratt!

Christie Brinkley Amazes At 60: Push-Ups, Peanut Butter + Fuji Apples

Christie Brinkley can't wipe that huge smile off her face these days.

And who would blame her? When you've turned 60 and defy gravity, and all those nasty things that come with natural aging,  well, then she has a right to show off and grin.

Yeah, she's been playing coy with the camera + striking pose after pose, but wouldn't we all?

So, what is Christie Brinkley's beauty secret?

To top it all, it is merely great DNA. She is just super good-looking with excellent facial symmetry.

The rest of it?

Christie leads a clean, active lifestyle.

Plus....there are the push-ups, peanut butter and Fuji apples.

Those are key.

The beautiful blonde and mom-of-3 keeps fit the old-fashioned way:

"I try to get in 100 push-ups every day," said Christie. "It's really easy. I keep a rolled up yoga mat under my bed. I'll do 30 push-ups before I get in the shower. Then I do another 20 before I dry my hair, and now I've done 50. After I dry my hair, I'll come back and I'll do more."

The vegetarian beauty also LOVES to snack on Fuji apples with peanut butter.

Here's the iconic model about a month ago. Watch it here on YouTube.

Sigh....If only it were that easy.....

Big, Full Brows: Hot Trend Continues For Spring 2014

Got big, beautiful brows like model Cara Delevingne?

If you do, you are a lucky gal, because big, full brows are STILL the hot trend going into Spring 2014.

Don't be too sad if you lack those brows. Most of us cannot grow Cara brows no matter how hard we try.

BUT--- we CAN all stop plucking + waxing like crazy. Let the hairs grow back in naturally. 

Do NOT groom so much!

We like applying cold-pressed CASTOR OIL on our brows at night. It is supposed to keep the hairs healthy, full and supposedly grow quicker.

We think it does help.

Meantime, there are tons of beauty brow helpers on the market. Yes, you can grow your own through artfully done makeup.

Here's one from Benefit Cosmetics--Gimme Brow ($22, at benefitcosmetics.com).  We like this because the formula is a brush-on fiber gel. It's also tinted + water-resistant.  It helps thin brows look naturally fuller by sticking to the hairs and bulking them up.

Gimme Brow comes in 2 shades:
light medium and
medium deep.

Going For The Beauty Gold.....And We're Not Talking About The Olympics!

We are rather intrigued by this beauty trend for Spring 2014.

Think GOLD....gilded gold

How pretty!

Now we all know that EVERYTHING you see on the runway is NOT meant for an every day look. Some creative expressions are just that---for the drama.

Well, we're not sure if this will hit the red carpet, but it would be cool to see a glam Oscar nominee ALREADY wearing the gold.

Take a peek at DIOR backstage. Talk about GOLD fever. We LOVE this look on brows, especially when the rest of the face has on minimal makeup. It's a regal look, something Cleopatra could have pulled off.

So in every day appearances where does gold makeup fit it?

Can we even attempt to put some on?

 Yes...There are some lovely metallic eye makeups out there.

For instance, try this gold gel eye shadow/eyeliner:

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre- Apparence No. 817 ($39).

Jason Wu also showed off the striking gold look  on lids at his spring show.

Ladies....Will you go for the beauty GOLD this Spring?

Yes--Rihanna Likes To Wear Fake Jewelry From Claire's...And Fake Hair!

It's all fake!"

If you believe her and we do, then Rihanna wears CHEAP, FAUX baubles.

Keepin' it real. We love that about the very talented, very wealthy young star.

The beautiful singer revealed all of this in Vogue magazine's March issue, where Rihanna graces the cover. Look for the mag on newsstands Feb.25th! 

Here's an excerpt from Vogue:

"My jewelry’s all fake — from Claire’s. Or I get it from my mom’s boutique in Barbados. Her shop’s called FAB-U-LUS," she tells Plum Sykes while the two go shopping around London. 

And she’s candid about her ever-changing hair. "It’s not my hair, but the girl who donated it, she’s the bomb," she says. "I have two main hair people I work with. They’re always with me. I’m like, ‘I’m bored! I wanna change my hair!’ That’s the good thing about a weave. You can do whatever with it.

If you've never shopped at Claire's for faux baubles, then you're missing out on Rihanna's treasure chest. There's lots to choose from.

Rihanna has also been photographed plenty of times with expensive REAL jewelry on, but maybe that is reserved for those red carpet moments.

Yves St. Laurent  tassel necklaces

Neil Lane diamond, platinum necklace--Grammys

Neil Lane diamond bracelet--Grammys

Hey....It's okay to mix the real + fake stuff together, Rihanna!

It's all good!