I got a haircut. Just for kicks, I went even shorter than last time. Yes, I am totally in the throes of curly pixie fever.
My beloved husband came home from work. I hid around the corner. "It's way shorter," I warned. "Be prepared."
He looked at my 'do, hugged me, then declared, "It's cute... Harpo." He then shared a good laugh with himself over his witty quip.
Why I oughta.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GArbUV_yv2k
DJB shaved Meghan's head today. Meghan returns to Austin tomorrow. Cali turns 40 tomorrow... in Austin. Meghan is his present. Bon voyage, Meghan. Thanks for holding down the fort.
Somebody here looks like Jeremy Piven, and it isn't Meghan. Just sayin'.
As promised in the new Fabü, here are the action shots from my 40th birthday visit with Dr. Dean Bair at Bair Medical Spa.
Dr. Bair used injectables (such as Botox) and fillers (like Juvederm) with a very subtle hand, which granted a refreshed, more youthful appearance. Results last anywhere from three months to over a year, depending on the product used. Prices vary, but are widely affordable.
I highly recommend fillers and injectables for anyone who wants to soften wrinkles, creases and fine lines, augment the lips, enhance shallow contours or improve the appearance of recessed scars.
Bottom line: If you want to get rid of your wrinkles and/or freshen your look, but aren't ready for surgery, this is the treatment for you. It's nearly pain-free (and if I say it is, it IS --- I'm a huge wimp) and has zero down time. Stop hesitating and just DO IT. You'll be so glad you did.
Thanks to Dr. Dean Bair and the friendly, helpful staff at Bair Medical Spa. Thanks to you, forty is, indeed, fabulous!
Treatment photos by Kim BarelaNow THIS is what I'm talkin' about. Slap on, ladies! http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5aSBsWwJ50E#!
Stacie and I visited esthetician extraordinaire Anna Leah Cunico at Fusion Hair and Skin. Anna is the queen of brows, lashes, facials and waxing. She's also hilarious. Thanks, Anna!
We're now heading to breakfast. It's Stacie's first Frontier restaurant experience. Then, it's off to Naman Studios for a Fabü photo shoot. Shortly thereafter, sister Kelly arrives. After that, it's sheer debauchery, dahling.
Microneedle beauty therapy, anyone? It's all the rage in Hong Kong, dahling.
First, the face is covered with topical anesthetic, then massaged with a needle-studded roller. Ow.
Fans of the treatment claim that the roller-induced microscopic punctures in the skin stimulates collagen production, enhances skin-care product absorption, and battles acne, scarring, wrinkles and cellulite.
The Hong Kong Consumer Council, however, says there is no scientific evidence to support any of those claims. What's more, they say if the microneedle roller---sometimes called a dermaroller in the U.S.---is improperly sterilized, it exposes users to a high risk of infection of bacteria, fungi and viruses on the needles, including HIV and hepatitis.
I think I'll have to give this treatment a thumbs-down for obvious reasons.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpaINkA7pb8]
Hunty, I have been in the salon chairs (plural intended) alllll the live long day!
Sorry, won't post pics 'til the moment is right. Sue me.
Oooo-weee! A woman's work is nevah done!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwStcdyERCg]
This takes drop-dead gorgeous to a whole new level...
Cult british beauty brand Illamasqua (whose co-managing director is Agent Provocateur founder Joe Corre, the son of fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood and Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren) has teamed up with London funeral directors Leverton & Sons to offer professional makeovers to those who wish to make a statement after they're gone.
I'll just let the press release do the talking.
Illamasqua and family funeral directors of 220 years, Leverton & Sons, have collabortated to launch an innovative service bringing ritual beauty to the final act for those who love to self-express.
Offering professional funeral make-up transformations applied by a specially trained Illamasqua make-up artist, the Final Act of Self-Expression encourages people for whom making-up is an intimate part of their identity to plan their final transformation - one that pays tribute to who they were in life and how they want to enter the afterlife.
Here's the catch: you've gotta be across the pond to look this dead sexy. The service is available in the London area only starting this month.
There's a fab little place in the Indianapolis suburb of Greenwood called Foot Fitness. It's a little slice of heaven in the form of a cool, dimly-lit single room chock full o' Vietnamese masseuses.
The treatment begins with a foot soak. While soaking, your hands and arms are massaged. Next, your feet are dried with a fluffy towel, then you receive a vigorous leg massage and foot acupressure/reflexology treatment. Your chair is then fully reclined, and it's time for the... ahhhhh... scalp massage. Then you flip over and enjoy a vigorous neck, shoulder and back massage. And by vigorous, I mean not for wimps; these dudes put the pressure on ---- in a good way. However, if you prefer a light touch, go somewhere else, tenderoni; Foot Fitness is not for sissies.
The hour-long treatment runs... get ready to fall over... $25. Yep. Not a typo. Twenny-fi dolla, my friends. How's THAT for fabulous?
I love you, Foot Fitness. I shall return each and every time I'm in town. Promise.
Screw convenience stores! Crooks around the country are targeting a new bounty: hair extensions. Click here to read all about it.
Click here to read Daily Mail's feature on this uplifting new procedure.
Many of my fellow shine defenders are quite familiar with Boscia's signature Blotting Linens. If you forgot about 'em, now's the time to stock up, as they'll donate 10% to aid relief efforts in Japan.
Joy to the world -- no more goopy lip plumper!
Five stars to LipFusion's XL 2X Micro-Collagen + HA Contouring Lip Pencil. This tiny pencil primes, plumps, moisturizes and helps lipstick/stain/gloss stay put. Smooth, efficient and--best of all-- gunk-free.
The New York Times - In this anti-aging age, perhaps it’s unsurprising that vampires — ancient, but with forever-young skin — are a cultural obsession. Now a cosmetic treatment to fill in wrinkles or to plump up hollow cheeks is being marketed as a “vampire filler” or a “vampire face-lift.”
In fact, it’s not surgery, but an in-office procedure that entails having blood drawn from your arm, then spun in a centrifuge to separate out the platelets. They are then injected into your face, with the hope of stimulating new collagen production. Selphyl, as the system is called, arrived on the booming facial-rejuvenation market in 2009, and is now used by roughly 300 doctors nationwide in the name of beauty, said Sanjay Batra, the chief executive of Aesthetic Factors, which manufactures the Selphyl system.
Click here to read the rest of the story.
Did you know... • A slice of pizza can protect your skin from sunburn? • Green beans can boost your hair’s strength and shine? • Milk and dairy products can contribute to acne? • Almonds can ward off grays?
All true, says Dr. Jessica Wu. Her new book, Feed Your Face, features a 28-day diet plan that will help you banish blemishes, wipe out wrinkles, shed unwanted pounds, and feel better overall.
Colorado, in general, is so quaint that I want to smack every mother within its borders.
Everything is cheerful, clean and--dare I say-- selectively vigorous. I don't want to use any terms that might offend anyone, now. Especially the Colorado readers, because you're all so downright polite and non-offensive that I don't quite know what to do with myself here. This could be influenced by the fact that I came here just after returning from NYC, where its citizens are honestly pretty damn polite, as well, but we certainly can't deem them non-offensive. They don't give a hell in NYC. Colorado, yes.
That doesn't mean, however, that Coloradans are pussies. They are... vigorous... about politics. Straight up. And they can start some serious shit when they band together, which they frequently do. My goodness, I'm having a profanity attack! Let me compose myself, please...
This is Manitou Springs. So charming, I nearly exploded.
"I'm going to settle down here with a strapping, secure man and raise hippie children in a posh, Victorian house," I announced to my hosts as we cruised the coziest streets you've ever friggin' seen.
Instead, I shopped for skin care products at Salus Natural Body Care.
This is handmade lime soap. It's curing. Do not touch. Ready in a couple of weeks.
I am most excited to try this new Skin Perfecting Cleanser.
According to the company's site, it's "A perfect cleanser for achieving more perfect skin. Made with Activated Charcoal to absorb oils and natural Alpha-Hydroxy Acids that work to dissolve acne-causing bacteria, our cleanser works hard to maintain your healthy skin balance with face-firming DMAE and skin-soothing Organic Lavender & Chamomile."
We'll seeeeee.
Beautyphiles, prepare to swoon... This white behemoth is the GM Building, a 50-story, 705-foot office tower facing Fifth Avenue at 59th Street. It's one of the few Manhattan structures that occupies a full city block. Estee Lauder headquarters is located here.
There's a company store located in the depths of the building. It's a mythical place where you can find ridiculously-incredible (try up to 80% off, thankyouverymuch) deals on Estee Lauder products and their affiliates, such as Origins, MAC, Clinique, Bobbi Brown, Tom Ford, Ojon and more.
What's the catch? You have to be an employee. Sorry.
Bumble & Bumble is an Estee Lauder company, dahling.
After getting cleared by copious security, we navigated our way through the foreboding-yet-fabulous halls...
...until finally reaching the (drumroll, please) Company Store! I didn't take any pics inside the store because it seemed forbidden, but here's what it was like: Angels strummed harps and sang in perfect pitch. Gorgeous, shirtless, straight men took turns carrying my basket. Nirvana, at last!
Yeah, I know... I took it too far with the straight part. But I had you going with the harps and such, right? Riiiiiiight.
Truth: It was small and basic. Very no-nonsense. And chock full o' great products at literally unbelievable prices. I found myself living what is normally something I dream about on a very regular basis. I'm not kidding. I frequently dream that I'm walking around a beauty or apparel store with impossibly-low prices... that and another one involving a Sea World visit in which Shamu leaps out of the pool and bites me, but that's another post entirely. Anyway, here's my haul:
"Sweet dreams are made of this." ~ Annie Lennox
