Fish pedicures are popular in places such as Turkey and Thailand. But the $45 fashion fad seems to be swimming upstream in the United States. Over a dozen states have targeted the practice where scores of toothless minature carp buff up the feet by having a little feast. Proponents say it’s much better for getting rid of dead skin than the tradional scrubs. However, health officals fear the fish could spread infection through open wounds and are shutting down spas that offer the service in certain states. So for now it appears this imported beauty procedure will be sleeping with the fishes.
FISH PEDICURES GET THE HOOK
March 10th, 2010SWAG ALERT: MILANI LIPSTICK
March 9th, 2010
Whether the red carpet or the runway it’s all about bright lips. So the cosmetic company, Milani is giving away twenty lipsticks this afternoon. The first to email info@beautyundercover.com will win the lipstick. You get to pick the color by clicking on to this Milani link. Simply look at the color chart and let us know what color you’d like. Don’t forget to put your address and remember you must be a subscriber to win.
BRIGHT LIPS, BIG CITY
March 9th, 2010
Bright lips are all the rage on the runway and in Hollywood. But it isn’t just about red lips, fuchsia is also popping up all over. While many actresses (on the red carpet) were sporting bright colors by Chanel, Dior or Nars we found a way to get the look for less. Rather than pay close to $30 for a tube of lipstick, Milani has brilliant colors for under $5. Bonfire is a vibrant red, while Tiki-Tiki Pink is perfection. We even asked the people from Milani to do a swag alert with us and the winner can pick the color. We will post the alert (without a blast) between noon and 3pm today.
IS YOUR MAKEUP DATED?
March 8th, 2010
How quickly do you replace your mascara? Some say it must be done every six months. Hollywood makeup artist, Rachel Goodwin tosses it after just 6 weeks! “That’s one reason to buy inexpensive mascara,” says the makeup artist to actresses such as Penelope Cruz and January Jones. “Otherwise it can gather bacteria.” But these expiration dates apply to other makeup as well.
The Daily Mail recently did a story about how long you should keep everything from eye shadow to blush. Over time bacteria can get on the face and cause irritation or infection. But according to research many women carry makeup (that in some cases) is 15 years out of date. Below is a list of how long you should keep the following makeup around.
Lipstick – Up to two years tops!
Mascara - 4 to 6 months
Eyeliner – 18 months
Blush – 18-24 months
Perfume – 36 months
Brushes also need to be washed regularly. For more on this story click on this link.
SWAG ALERT:LIBBY PATTERSON ORGANIC PERFUME
March 7th, 2010
In honor of the Oscars we are giving away a special perfume called, Red Carpet. After you have the dress, shoes, makeup and hair it needs to be topped off with a special scent. Libby Patterson is a perfume couturier in Northern California who has dubbed one of her signatures scents, Red Carpet. She designs scents around the person (and occassion) in the same way dressmakers put together gowns for certain women for a particular event.
Today we are giving away five bottles of Libby’s (hand blended) Red Carpet Parfum. It’s all organic and smells divine! Be one of the first to email info@beautyundercover.com to win. Please include your address!
SWAG ALERT: WATCH IT!
March 6th, 2010
We all know it isn’t terribly attractive to be late. At Beauty Undercover one of us is always on time, and the other, always late. But we both agree being late isn’t pretty! So today, in an effort to be on time, we are giving away these very cool watches from Deuce — a very fashionable watch that combines health, fashion sport and fun into one design. We saw them at Melanie Segal’s Platinum swag suite, and it was love at first sight. They come in a variety of colors: white, black, red, purple, green and blue. Ten lucky winners will get the Deuce watch and you can pick the color and size. Simply be one of the first ten to email info@beautyundercover.com with your mailing address. As always, you must be a subscriber!
MADONNA’S MAKEUP ARTIST SPILLS IT!
March 5th, 2010
Gina Brooke is famous for making up the bold and the beautiful. She is one of Hollywood’s hottest makeup artists with clients such as Madonna, Gisele and Gwen Stefani. She shared with Beauty Undercover some of her favorite beauty lines and must-have items. “I think every cosmetic company has something to offer,” she told us. “I actually love indie brands.” So do we!
In honor of the Oscars we decided to have Gina do the best in beauty:
Best Drugstore brand: Lumene products
Best indie brand: HourGlass cosmetics
Best foreign line: Dibi skincare which is from Europe- it is sold in America (but tough to find).
Best Moisturizer Up in the Air: Shu Uemura cleansing beauty oil premium a/i (Great to keep the skin moist when on a plane.)
Must-haves in every makeup bag: Concealer, a Shu Uemura Eye lash curler, Hourglass veil foundation and a the perfect red lipstick.
COMING TO AMERICA?
March 4th, 2010
They are literally the hottest hair devices to hit bathrooms and bars in the UK. What may have seemed like a harebrained idea paid off for a vending machine company and GHD, a beauty line, that sells premium flat irons and stylers. Together they invented something called, The Straightening Up vending machine. These vending machines have a waiting line in bathrooms and bars all over London. Women having a bad hair day can get a quick fix by putting some change in a coin operated machine. Obviously this isn’t your typical soda or candy dispenser. It works quite simply: $1.80 buys you 90 seconds of hair straightening time — the perfect amount of time to combat humidity and the frizzy aftermath. Unfortunately there isn’t an exact date of when this import might hit the States. We just hope by the time it gets here the machine will take credit cards as well as change like the newly installed meters across Los Angeles.
RED CARPET DRESS REHEARSAL
March 3rd, 2010
Call it the cosmetic dress rehearsal — a procedure where a physician shoots saline solution into a patient’s face rather than a real filler. According to Dr. Simon Ourian of Epione in Beverly Hills, during Awards Season, patients come in a few weeks before the Golden Globes or Oscars to preview how it might look and photograph.
Rather than putting in Restalyne or Juviderm (which would last several month), Dr. Simon Ourian injects the saline solution (which is absorbed within an hour) into one side of a patients face. In the video below the patient was able to compare the before and after.
SWAG ALERT: ENESSA FACIAL NOURSIHMENT-GERANIUM
March 2nd, 2010
For our second swag alert of the day… Michelle Ornstein, of Enessa Organic Skincare, is offering five lucky subscribers full-sized bottles of her new Enessa Facial Nourishment-Geranium (retail price is $44.95). A favorite indie product among Hollywood women such as Cher, Carmen Electra, Jamie Pressley, and Sienna Guillory, Enessa Facial Nourishment-Geranium uses certified organic golden jojoba, geranium, rosewood, lavender and other essential oils (and no preservatives!) to soothe and moisturize skin.As always, please respond to info@beautyundercover.com with your address and, of course, you must be a subscriber!
