Milkmaid Braids And Plaiting 2009 Spring Hair Trend

We love this look:

Milkmaid braids. And this is the hottest 2009 Spring hair trend! Bohemian beauties like Nicole Richie wear this style so well. It looks effortless and polished

Lovely Sienna Miller (shown below) was the first red carpet beauty to rock the milkmaid braid in 2007, and got criticized for her 'unfinished hair-do.'

Well, braiding and plaiting are all the rage this Spring, so find a friend to help you get the perfect look. And the top stylists say that all kinds of braids are hot. Thin. Thick. French braids.

We used to french braid our cousin's long blond hair years ago, and she looked so neat, fresh, and elegant.

The key to a good braid equals: long hair or a well-matching extension, or hair piece.

Stylists say that braids look good on most women. We tend to believe the milkmaid braid, however, really looks spectacular on blondes. For some reason, it seems to go best with flaxen-hair women. That's not to say that redheads or brunettes can't wear them, because Hollywood hotties are everywhere sporting braids.....Rachel Bilson. Jennifer Aniston. Molly Sims. Lauren Conrad.

It's an easy hair trend to achieve with a little practice, and it goes dressed up or dressed down. And now braids are elegant enough for the red carpet.

Stem Cells To Build Bigger Breasts In UK Women

We didn't think this would happen so soon in the world of beauty and medical science?!

The Brits are keeping 'abreast' of this amazing and potentially controversial new development.

This tidbit in the Timesonline:

"A STEM cell therapy offering “natural” breast enlargement is to be made available to British women for the first time.

The treatment could boost cup size while reducing stomach fat. It involves extracting stem cells from spare fat on the stomach or thighs and growing them in a woman’s breasts. An increase of one cup size is likely, with the potential for larger gains as the technique improves."

What we like, is the trial underway at the moment, for British women who have had cancerous lumps removed. Stem cells are being used to 'build' or repair their breasts.

Interestingly enough, however, don't expect the new stem cell breasts to have the look of breast implants. In other words, this new stem cell therapy is able to restore volume to the breasts, but not firmness or uplift. Even so, it is still a groundbreaking procedure.

The Times article goes on to say this from Professor Kefah Mokbel, a consultant breast surgeon at the Princess Grace Hospital in London:

“This is a very exciting advance in breast surgery,” said Mokbel. “They [breasts treated with stem cells] feel more natural because this tissue has the same softness as the rest of the breast.” He said the treatment offered the potential of considerable improvement on implants: “Implants are a foreign body. They are associated with long-term complications and require replacement. They can also leak and cause scarring.”

The new stem cell procedure will later be offered to healthy UK women for cosmetic enhancement, and that is where the controversy could get deeper.

To read the full Times article, visit: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article5993187.ece

Avoid Makeup Meltdown With L'Oreal Infallible Collection

You've heard of makeup meltdown.

We've all been there.

You apply your makeup. Then go. A few hours later, well, your face doesn't look as fresh anymore.

Maybe your eyeliner has headed south. Or possibly your undereye concealer has settled into some dry, fine lines. Or your foundation has sunk into your pores, exposing the little things you didn't want people to see.

Makeup meltdown occurs to the best of us---even beautiful celebrities. Our skin's natural oils are the major culprit here. Then again, the elements can ruin a fresh face--like wind, heat and humidity, cold, dry air.

L'Oreal has a makeup collection they swear "puts an end to makeup meltdown."

And the newest addition to their collection is the Infallible Never Fail Powder ($14.29, drugstores). For 16 hours of matte perfection.

L'Oreal's Infallible Never Fail Makeup Collection features advanced makeup with highly-resistant pigments, bold liners, hydrating lipcolors and shining glosses. Formulated to stand up to all-day activity.

The beauty of the new Infallible Never Fail Powder is its lightweight feel and texture on the skin. With an SPF of 20 and available in 6 shades, this little compact is worth checking out.

And also give your lips a treat with the Infallible Never Fail LipGloss ($9.99). For 6 hours of lasting color. The gloss is easy to use with its cute heart-shaped wand. The consistency is not heavy and gooey, thank goodness. And it comes in 16 luscious shades.

Cate Blanchett Keeping Skin Luminous With SK-II

Cate Blanchett, Academy Award-winning actress, is said to have beautiful and luminous skin. And we believe what folks are saying.

Just look at the photo, taken a few months ago. You can always get a pretty good idea of how well someone is aging, by looking closely at them out in the sunlight. The sun has a blunt way of showing all our nooks and crannies, or fine lines and wrinkles.

Cate Blanchett turns 40 this May, and we have to admit, the woman looks darn good, even in the harsh rays of the sun.

What is Cate's beauty secret?

SK-II Skin care.

With Pitera. It is the signature ingredient in all SK-II products, and is 'the secret key' to beautiful skin.

Pitera, what you ask?

It's a very interesting story. According to their website, Pitera, was discovered purely by chance.

About thirty years ago, a scientist noticed that the hands of older workers at a Japanese saké brewery looked beautiful and young.

The workers were handling the fermenting sake.

For five years, scientists did research on over 300 types of yeast, to refine the precise conditions for fermentation. This all resulted in Pitera.

Derived from a unique yeast's fermentation, Pitera is a blend of vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and organic acids that work together to allow the skin's natural surface rejuvenation process to function at its prime, enhancing the renewal of the skin's outer layer. Continued usage of Pitera leads to clearer looking, smoother skin.

Cate Blanchett has supposedly been using SK-II Skin care products for 7 years now, and swears by their effectiveness. In fact, Cate is now the global spokesperson for the SK-II line.

'Throughout my career, I have only accepted roles that I am passionate about, and my partnership with SK-II is no different. I truly believe I already played this role as an ambassador long before SK-II caught up with me,' Cate Blanchett said.

You can see her face in all the current advertisements for SK-II. The skin care treatments can be found at Bloomingdale's and Saks Fifth Avenue stores.

For more information, visit http://www.sk2.com/.

Kim Kardashian Says Photoshopping Common In Hollywood

Hollywood hottie Kim Kardashian is right:

"How many people do you think are photoshopped? It happens all the time!" she writes, later adding, "I'm proud of my body and my curves and this picture coming out is probably helpful for everyone to see that just because I am on the cover of a magazine doesn't mean I'm perfect."

That's what Kim wrote on her blog yesterday, after 'before and after' photos from a spread for Complex magazine got out over the internet. Pics that show the curvy beauty 'before' with cellulite, and 'after' with none. That's called photoshopping, and Kim Kardashian is correct. Photoshopping is done all the time on many beautiful and not-so-beautiful celebrities.
http://kimkardashian.celebuzz.com/2009/03/yes-i-am-complex.php

Meantime, we admire Kim K's honesty. She even admits to having a little dimpled fat:

"So what: I have a little cellulite. What curvy girl doesn't!?"

And lovely Kim K is not alone. Yesterday, in our BeautyTipToday article about Cindy Crawford, the iconic model also admitted to some dimpled fat:

CINDY CRAWFORD: I think I look pretty good for 43. But I don't look the way I did when I was 23. So if Star magazine or whatever wants to print a picture of me on the beach from the back, at the worst possible angle, and say that I have cellulite, I'm like, Guess what? I do, and I never said I didn't. I've had two kids, and I'm 43, so leave me alone.

Come on, vicious people, stop picking on women's bodies, and pointing out every little, tiny, human flaw.

Attacking women and then calling them fat, is really disturbing. Kim Kardashian is curvy. And the clothing she sells from her closet on Ebay, are all listed at size 2 or 4. So to call her zaftig is really stretching it.

Even Katie Couric was photoshopped in her picture for the evening news when she first got the job. The photos had slenderized her waist, making her appear much slimmer. And Katie is quite petite to begin with.

Photoshopping is common in the world of beauty. But then again, most of it is sheer fantasy. So why are people surprised when they see that celebrities have pimples, scars, cellulite, etc?

No one's perfect. And thank goodness, for that.

Cindy Crawford's Smart Anti-Aging Beauty Tips Revealed

There's a lot of buzz these days about 43-year-old Cindy Crawford nude in the April issue of Allure magazine.

And the famous former model is revealing some smart anti-aging beauty tips. We say 'smart,' because Cindy Crawford is. She wasn't the high school valedictorian for nothing. Beauty and brains....a lethal combination.

Cindy Crawford has always been an intelligent woman. She has admitted she was never the tiny size 2 model floating down the runways. She kept in shape, but never let the ultra-skinny model philosophy dominate her lifestyle. She has mentioned being a size 6 and at times a size 8.

In other words---healthy skinny. A model with curves. How refreshing!

The photos in the April issue of Allure are quite stunning. Cindy Crawford proves at 40-something, it ain't over yet, ladies. And she's a mom of two.

We adored reading Cindy Crawford's smart, anti-aging beauty tips. We've included part of Allure's interview:

ALLURE: How do you feel about your age, in general?

CINDY CRAWFORD: I think I look pretty good for 43. But I don't look the way I did when I was 23. So if Star magazine or whatever wants to print a picture of me on the beach from the back, at the worst possible angle, and say that I have cellulite, I'm like, Guess what? I do, and I never said I didn't. I've had two kids, and I'm 43, so leave me alone.

ALLURE: How do you take care of your skin?

CINDY CRAWFORD: I use a day cream with antioxidants and sunscreen, a night cream, and an eye cream.I do masks once a week, and I get microdermabrasion once a month. I'm pretty diligent with microdermabrasion because I've noticed a big difference in the texture of my skin from it. Basically, I take care of myself, but I don't want to be obsessive, and I don't want to not like who I am today. I'm all for fighting the good fight, but I don't care how much you work out or how much cream you put on-things change.

ALLURE: Are there any areas you take particularly good care of?

CINDY CRAWFORD: My hands and my décolleté. In L.A., there are 65-year-old women walking around in Juicy sweatpants, and from the back, you'd think they were 20. But when you see their hands or their neck, you know. When I put moisturizer on my face, I use a little extra so that I have enough to cover my hands. Most people don't start caring about the décolleté until it's too late, but I'm religious about it.

ALLURE: Do you try to keep your hair young looking?

CINDY CRAWFORD: Color is the most important factor. You can get any plastic surgery in the world, but hair color is what enables women to look younger longer. I've also become more aware of hair health. I stay away from razor cuts because they can make my hair look frizzy, and I give myself a hair treatment while I'm in my sauna to keep it conditioned.

For more on Cindy Crawford in the April anti-aging issue, check out http://www.allure.com/.

Victoria's Secret Marisa Miller Goes Natural For New Body/Bath Line

It seems like Marisa Miller is everywhere these days.

The super-slim and perfectly toned Victoria's Secret model is representing VS's new Naturally Bath & Body Collection.

Last night, Marisa Miller appeared on E's Chelsea Lately show, toting a bag of the VS goodies for Chelsea, who raved about the scent and texture of the Natural line.

100% vegan. No parabens or artifical nonsense in the product line. No animal testing.

The new Pink Body Organic and Natural Body Care Collection is priced quite reasonably, too. Prices range from $8 for a lip butter to $15 for one of the body lotions (pictured below).

You will love the clean, light scent and enjoy the nourishing and organic shea butter in the products. Choose from energizing sugar scrubs to soothing body washes.

By the way, the packaging in the new VS Naturally Body & Bath Collection is actually made from recycled materials. Way to go, Victoria's Secret!

For more information, you know where to go ladies: http://www.victoriassecret.com/.