Milk Of Magnesia: Good Back To School Remedy For Acne And Break-Outs

August already.

Oh yeah.....Summer is almost over, which brings us to high school + college
Nothing seems worse than a face full of acne or break-outs when you're just beginning your new semester.. And stress can launch a barrage of pimples.

What's a girl to do?

Well, some of you already apply an acne prescription cream and are having good results. But for those of you who keep breaking out, you might want to give this bizarre acne treatment a try.

So.....get out a bottle of MoM, otherwise known as Milk of Magnesia. The chalky-looking white liquid in the familiar blue bottle?

That's the one!

Nope....not gonna drink it to zap zits. Instead, you will apply the Milk of Magnesia on your acne or break-outs as a topical acne treatment.

As most of us know, MoM has been used to take care of occasional constipation. How some folks got the idea of applying it on to pimples is a mystery, but there is REAL science behind it.

We found that out in the PalmBeachPost.com. Joe & Terry Graedon of the People's Pharmacy brought forth this little skin care nugget:

"A letter in the Archives of Dermatology (January 1975) suggested that topical application of milk of magnesia nightly could help reduce redness and inflammation associated with acne. Other readers also have shared their success with this remedy."

It's cheap, too. A big, 12 oz. bottle of MoM for just $6.49

at your neighborhood CVS.

Others have found that MoM is also helpful at treating rosacea, seborrhea, and other tough-to-tackle skin conditions.

Sometimes, home remedies can really make a difference.

Botox Injections To Fix A Gummy Smile? Have We Gone Too Far?

It seems like America's favorite cosmetic injectable is being injected all over the face + body these days.

We just read about botox now being injected to "fix" a gummy smile.

Yes...for real!

How could this work? Wouldn't it feel weird not to fully open one's mouth?

According to the experts, Botox when injected precisely + carefully, can bring down the upper lip and "hide" a gummy smile. Botox does the job by paralyzing the hyperactive muscles in the upper lip, thereby reducing the elevation.

If lowered too much however, you might have trouble playing a wind instrument or even singing, say some plastic surgeons. And yet, there are patients who love the results and a smile that shows LESS of the upper gum line. The treatment would last between 3 - 6 months.

Most women + men get Botox injections to temporarily smooth away wrinkles + fine lines. The best advice is to go to a qualified plastic surgeon or dermatologist. Cosmetic dentists are now specializing in the Botox for gummy smiles, but we are not sure how qualified dentists would be in the Botox arena.

We found these Before + After Botox shots for a gummy smile:

We think the procedure delivers nice, natural-looking results. But there are some plastic surgeons who don't think these injections are the proper way to solve the issue, and caution against injecting Botox in the gum region.

What do you think?

To learn more about Botox injections for gummy smiles, read this.

You Can Look Cool In A Baseball Cap Just Like The Supermodels Wear

Bad hair day?

Out late partying?

Don't want to be noticed or recognized?

Walking in the pouring rain?

Then do what the supermodels do and get that baseball cap on!

We recently spotted 2 Victoria Secret's angels both in baseball caps---Adriana Lima wearing her W.T.F. cap backwards during a night out in NYC. And Alessandra Ambrosio showing off her L.A. Dodgers baseball cap at LAX with suitcases in hand.

Buy a baseball cap at mlb.

Or how 'bout a Kenzo tiger print baseball cap at barneys.

The baseball cap is a classic, won't ever go out of style, and perfect for those casual moments.

Want The Perfect Brow? Then Look At The Models And Stop Plucking!

Brows.

We've written ad nasuem on this beauty topic, and we're NOT done yet.

We were ready to trim our own brows this morning, and then we stopped our brow-challenged self.

Stop plucking! And trimming!

A famous makeup artist by the name of Sandy Linter told us a couple of times during interviews, that if you want to know the correct brow shape and size, then look at the faces of the models on the runway or in magazines. And by the way, here are a few models from the Fall 2014 runways.

As is quite telling, full brows are STILL where it's at!

Model at Diane Von Furstenberg, Fall 2014

Model Karlie Kloss at Jason Wu, Fall 2014

Model at Stella McCartney, Fall 2014

Do Not look to Hollywood for the L.A. brow Sandy said, because that trend features a very thin, highly arched brow that looks AGING on women.

And Sandy makes sense.

Let's take Pam Anderson. The Baywatch beauty had women reaching for their tweezers + scissors to copy that L.A. brow, back in the 90's.

And Pam is still rockin' the barely there, penciled in brow. When you wax or remove that much brow, it's HARD to grow it back:

Even Gwen Stefani had barely there, very thin brows back in her amazing "No Doubt" days. Today, Gwen's brows are fuller.

And then there was glam Jennifer Lopez. Look at her Before brows and After brows.

And if you need a little help, visit Sephora. They offer a nice range of brow makeup essentials.

Makeup Contouring Kits All The Rage: Not Worth The Time!

A sculpted face of stunning bone structure.

We all desire that look. Celebrities like Jennifer Lopez + Kim Kardashian seem to have some of the nicest, contoured made up faces in the biz.

Both ladies own high, razor-sharp cheekbones for one, but did you know that both Jennifer + Kim also have access to the BEST pro makeup artists
around?

Heck, yeah. And trust us, when you see both women on the red carpet or other major events in public, or even for most of Kim's hundreds + hundreds of selfies, there is a makeup artist nearby doing ALL the contouring.

Today, drugstores and high-end department stores and makeup boutiques are all selling makeup contouring kits.

We say, "Don't waste your money or time!"

These kits are fun to play with, and might be handy on a big night out, but for every day life, you DON'T need a contoured face of artfully applied special makeup.

Why?

Because doing contoured makeup is NOT easy. Pin-point accuracy is involved, and you must Blend, Blend. Blend. If you don't, then you might have a tell-tale white stripe going down your nose or muddy-looking bronzer across your jawline, and so forth.

Leave makeup contouring for the pros.

Or, ignore us and check out lots of YouTube demos on how to contour.

We like this one by Carli Bybel. She's amazing at it BUT---it takes several products to contour and a lot of time---at least 10 minutes.

So, ladies---do you own a makeup contouring kit?

Fall 2014 Means Going Nude----Well, Nude Lips, That Is

Nude lips.

Wish we really liked this more natural-looking color.

Let's face it---reality TV and selfie star Kim Kardashian has ALWAYS rocked the perfect nude lips. (In fact, Kim wrote about nude lips in her blog back in May).

But for many of us, nude lipstick equals pale and deathly-looking.

We believe that if you have BIG, voluptuous lips by birth or by the sting of a cosmetic needle, then nude lips look better on you for some reason.

Here's the beauty trend alert!!!

For fall, neutral tones are THE lip shade of choice, according to Harper's Bazaar mag-June/July issue.

So, how do we find the BEST nude lip colors for our personal skin tone?

Celebrity makeup artist Pat McGrath tells Harper's "Beauty Bazaar" how to do this right:

Fair skin......Try pink-based colors.
Darker complexions........Try caramel shades with a hint of bronze.
And top off nude lips with a high-shine finish.

Hmmm. We are in between......with a light olive complexion. Now where do we go?

Guess we all have to try a few shades before settling on the perfect nude lips.

Pat McGrath gave a list of nudes to choose from:

1. Estee Lauder, Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick in Impulsive ($30).

2. Aerin Rose Lip Balm Lipstick in Cabana ($30).

3. Flower Beauty Kiss Stick High-Shine Lips Color in Apricot Blossom ($6.98).

4. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Brazilian Tan ($7.99).

The Center Part Hair Trend: Smooth, Sleek And Simple

Take a look at Prabal Gurung's beautiful pieces for Fall 2014 + Winter 2015.

Quite stunning. Now----observe the hairstyles on each runway model.

Hmmm. Can you recognize the hair trend?

We can definitely see it.

It's the center part hair trend. And in this case----smooth-sleek-simple.

So, how can you get the look?

It helps to have long, straight hair to begin with, but if you can part your hair in the center, well, then you can achieve this.

Paul Hanlon, the famous stylist who created the crisp, fresh dos for Prabal Gurung at NYC fashion week, tells Harper Bazaar mag's June/July issue he used 2 beauty items to get the classic look:

1. A flat iron to smooth the models' locks..
2. A high-shine, flat iron spray to keep it all in place + to amp up the gloss factor.

Try this one by Tresemme---7 Day Keratin Smooth Shine Spray ($5.49, at ULTA).