Category Archives: GROOM

Beat the dry LA heat with one of these awesome Honeywell Humidifiers!

January 17, 2014

Winter’s cold, dry air is about to wreak havoc on your skin. Especially in LA.  My kids wake up complaining they can’t breathe.  I put the heat on because it’s freezing which only makes it drier. During the winter, humidity levels can drop as low as 10%. That’s drier than the Sahara Desert.

I am way into humidifiers and I usually purchase a new one every couple of years to try something different. I’ve been looking into these from Honeywell, my go-to brand.

So, rather than piling on the moisturizer, adding moisture to the air helps relieve cracked, scaly alligator skin. In fact, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends running a humidifier to prevent chapped lips.  My kids also love love love one in their room.

 

http://www.honeywellcomfort.com/

Image001 Designer Series Filter Free Cool Moisture Humidifier (HUT-300)

The Honeywell Designer Series Filter Free Cool Mist Humidifier provides soothing moisture to help temporarily relieve dry air discomfort in a sleek, modern design that brings comfort and style to any room in the house. The HUT-300 quietly provides a continuous stream of soothing moisture you can see and feel and fits seamlessly with any décor.  MSRP $69.99

Image002

 

Filter Free Warm Mist Humidifier (HWM-340)

The new Easy-to-Care Filter Free Warm Mist Humidifier provides warm, soothing moisture in less than one minute. The unique top fill design and filter-less system makes it easier than ever to temporarily relieve dry air discomforts. This model has an added benefit of releasing moisture that is up to 95 percent bacteria-free.  MSRP $44.99

 

  Image003 Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier (HUT-150)

The Honeywell Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier provides soothing moisture to help temporarily relieve dry air discomfort in a streamlined, aerodynamic model that is ideal for use on a bedside table or office desk. Incredibly quiet when in use and filter-free, this model fits seamlessly into any environment to provide soothing dry air relief for better home comfort.  MSRP $39.99

Hardest REHAB ever: Brow Rehab with Kristie Streicher and The Feathered Brow

January 15, 2014

feathered_brow Kristie_Streicher

 

I failed brown rehab.

This blog post has literally taken me MONTHS to write. Why?  Because going 8 weeks without TOUCHING my brows is nearly impossible. Yup, those were my only simple directions after the phenomenal Kristie Streicher and her brow loving hands got one look at me.

They’re too thin.  They need to be softer.  More, well…feathery!

She cleaned them up with a tweezer ( no wax!) and told me one thing, no-touchy.  Truth be told, I have done a decent job of not touching the giant gaps that need to be filled.  But I have touched a few baby hairs that I thought would make no big diff when I went in for my FIRST 8 week follow up.

Nope. I failed.  I wasn’t supposed to touch anything.  Why? Because hair grows in cycles (please read more below) and we need to train these pups to all be on the same rhythm.  That way they are filling out in unison, which in turn, makes it easier on us, because we don’t have to tweeze every day to stay on top of individual growth cycles.

Kristie lightened them a touchwith a vegetable based dye (my most favorite beauty trick ever, besides eyelash extensions) and begged me not to touch a thing.  Even the unibrow dudes?  Yup, even those guys.  She wanted them to grown in a bit and give my brow a softer, more youthful vibe. Once again: the feathered brow, people!

Ok, I don’t know what month of rehab I am in. I’m honestly scared to go back.  I’ve been, well, touching them.  Kristie is so strikingly gorgoeus and smart you just want to be perfect for her and do what she says.  Why am I such a rebel?

Ok, deep breath, it’s not drugs I’m kicking, it’s tweezing. Reframe.

Then again, to be honest, we all know how soothing tweezing can be. I can get into a drug-like trance, right? Do I need therapy? (more?)  Probably.

If you are victim of over-plucking, or if your brows need work and they probably do, you just don’t know it, see Kristie.  You might not need rehab like me, then again, you’re lucky if you do.  So far I will confess to growing some serious teenage brows and now when I look at my girlfriends they all look over-tweezed and well…it makes you look old.  (Sorry!)before-after-brows-bw4

 

 

Here is her interview with GOOP about Brows!

Q:What’s the ideal brow shape? Is it different for different people? How can we achieve it?

A:The Feathered Brow technique I created looks great on every face. It is simply your own natural eyebrow shape with just a few carefully selected hairs removed. Women can achieve this look at home by first letting their eyebrows grow out for 3-4 months in order to see their natural shape and arch. Then only tweeze the few hairs it takes to open up the outer arch of the brow.

 kristie_streicher2 feathered-brow-3

The perfect feathered brow.

The biggest mistake women make is not finding their own natural arch. Often, the arch is placed too close to the inner part of brow, and arches up in the middle of the brow leaving one looking surprised. Eyebrows that are too long and come too far down can make eyes look droopy. If you try to arch your eyebrows too high above the bone, it will look unnatural. You should tweeze little or no hair from the ends of the brows, and you always want to make sure the brows are trailing off in an upward and outward direction, and never downward.

To find your natural arch – draw an invisible line from the corner of the nose straight up towards the forehead (a). This is where the eyebrows should start. The arch should fall just outside the pupil if you’re holding the pencil at a diagonal from the outer corner of the nostril(b). The eyebrow should extend and then end in a straight line from outer nostril to the end of the eye (c).brow-graphic2

Q: What to do if you’ve over plucked?

A: Most people over-tweeze or are just tweezing too often. More than anything, people want thicker brows, but they are under the impression that they cannot grow them. Pulling out a few hairs everyday can profoundly affect how the rest of the brow grows. I have developed what I call Brow Rehab. Clients surrender their brows to my management to allow them to grow out.

The first 2-3 months of putting the tweezers down are the hardest, but by then brows become trained and the growth cycle synchronized. And any hair removal occurs all at once, rather than every few days or weeks. Your brows become only as high maintenance as you train them to be.

 

Q: When to tint and why…

A: Using vegetable dyes to lighten or richen/darken the eyebrows is the best way to soften or add fullness and definition to a light or sparse-looking eyebrow. Most clients color their hair, so why not color the eyebrows to match? The look is very natural and slowly fades out after 3-4 weeks without leaving a line of demarcation or roots.

Q: Pluck or Wax?

A: I prefer tweezing because it is the most precise and the least irritating form of epilation. I have always preferred and only ever tweezed. I believe it is the only way to achieve the softly diffused “feathered” look. Waxing the skin around the eye area over time can cause diminished elasticity in the skin, and may lead to premature sagging. Waxing can also cause skin irritation or breakouts. 

 tweeze

 

 

LOS ANGELES
KRISTIE STREICHER BEAUTY BAR 

AT WARREN-TRICOMI

8327 MELROSE AVE.

LOS ANGELES, CA

+1 323 651 4545

 

NEW YORK
KRISTIE STREICHER BEAUTY BAR 
AT WARREN-TRICOMI FLATIRON
125 5TH AVENUE, 2ND FLOOR
NEW YORK, NY 10003
+1 212 262 8899 
*EXT 3 FOR DOWNTOWN LOCATION

 

Kristie Streicher Beauty Bar is a beauty haven offering eyebrow shaping, lash enhancements, and a full range of makeup services and products. Kristie is one of the most sought after Eyebrow Specialists and Makeup Artists in the county, working in New York and Los Angeles for celebrities, actors, models, top fashion designers, and photographers. She is a leading beauty industry insider who has been requested by many to create beauty looks for editorial photo shoots, runways, and red carpet events. Discover Kristie’s hand blended line of exclusive products including her Aforé Oil and Après Calming Cream, along with a personally curated selection of cosmetics including Stila, Kimiko, Blinc Cosmetics, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, and La Rocca.

EYEBROW SHAPE

Kristie Streicher is known for creating the perfect “Feathered Brow” shape. Her philosophy is simple: always work with the natural shape of the eyebrow, rendering beautiful, long, and full brows. A custom blended vegetable tint is first used to fill in sparse areas, which simultaneously adds shine and color to the brow. Kristie’s famous Afore Oil is then used to soften skin and hair follicles, making tweezing virtually painless and helping to prevent redness and irritation. Après cream is then used following tweezing to calm and soothe the skin. Both signature products are available for purchase at the Beauty Bar and online. *For more information, visit our page dedicated to the Feathered Brow.

By Kristie Streicher – Starting at $150
By Senior Specialist – $85

 

LASH TINT

A custom blended vegetable dye to darken lashes. For those who work out or simply want to save time, it provides beautiful darker lashes without mascara. Tint can last anywhere from 3-5 weeks.

$35 – $50

BROW TINT

A custom blended vegetable dye that can color and highlight, soften, or simply add warmth and dimension to brows. Tint can last anywhere from 3-5 weeks.

$50 – $75

 

BROW REHAB
If you have always wanted a more natural looking, full eyebrow, then Brow Rehab is the answer. It’s a process that can require 3-12 months to complete. We begin by showing you what your eyebrow potential can be during the “grow out” phase of the process. There are various phases of hair growth that you will learn, each of which takes time and patience. Frequently, before and after photos are taken to document the process. Appointments are scheduled every 4-6 weeks with NO tweezing, waxing, or trimming between visits. That can be quite challenging for some, but committing to the “Brow Rehab” process will allow the greatest growth potential for your eyebrow and will help to coordinate the growth phase, ultimately allowing all the eyebrow hairs to grow simultaneously every 4-6 weeks. This is the secret to a natural looking brow.
$50 – $150 

 

New Non-Toxic Nail Salon Now Open in LA : POLISHBAR!

January 14, 2014

PolishBar

With increasing fear of the toxicity that accompanies nail salons, consumers have been left to take matters into their own hands, literally. But with the opening of POLISHBAR in Los Angeles, beauty warrior Christine Rhoades lays these fears to rest by providing a safer, salon experience, just in time for the New Year.

Rhoades is a frequent salon visitor who decided to look into the products being used on her hands and feet. She was shocked to learn about the toxic chemicals often found in polishes, lotions, and other beauty care products, which can cause illness. “The idea for POLISHBAR came to me when I couldn’t ignore the chemicals I was exposing myself to or the fumes that I was inhaling, but wasn’t ready to give up my weekly mani/pedi routine,” Rhoades said. “I wanted to create a space, where consumers can get polished without worry.”

After months of researching the safest products, Rhoades has designed POLISHBAR with the customer in mind. It utilizes the safest products and brands, from non-toxic lotion, 5 free polish, and soy based nail polish remover, down to towels washed in Honest Co. detergent. POLISHBAR also offers a relaxed, low-odor, and clean (POLISHBAR sterilizes all tools in an autoclave) experience; pull a seat up to the bar, grab a complimentary organic wine, and prepare to be polished!

About POLISHBAR

POLISHBAR is a Los Angeles-based nail salon that specializes in providing eco-friendly, clean, and worry free services at affordable prices. POLISHBAR is the brainchild of Christine Rhoades, a salon devotee who looks to take the toxins out of getting polished, one manicure and pedicure at a time. To make an appointment visit www.thepolishbar.com

 

Photo Revelation and a few other Sciton lasers with Launa Stone RN at Calabasas Med Spa

January 4, 2014

Sciton, a leading manufacturer of high-quality medical laser and light systems has three new breakthrough technologies, reversing the aging process, erasing skin abnormalities and forever ridding the body of unwanted hair that are ever present concerns in today’s society.

And YAY, there are all available at the fantastically impressive Calabasas Med Spa.(http://calabasasmedspacom/contact.php).  

  

  • Forever Young BBL TM- Described by Stanford University as a true “Fountain of Youth.” The treatment uses BroadBand Light™ flash lamp technology to not only improve the appearance of skin and pigmentation, but also to restore gene expression patterns of aged human skin to resemble young skin. The revolutionary non-invasive treatment results in patients appearing younger than their actual age – supported by DNA evidence!  A 10 year long Stanford study with Dr. Bitter, Jr., shows that in an 11 year time frame, people actually appeared to negatively age by one year with regular quarterly light treatments.

 

  • The Forever Bare BBL TM treatment is the latest innovation in fast, effective laser hair removal, and is just being announced to the public this month. The procedure uses BroadBand Light™ technology and treats with continuous movement and multiple lower fluency pulses at a high repetition rate. This advanced method greatly minimizes the likelihood of missed areas that occur with other traditional hair removal devices, with far less discomfort. 

 

  • The brand new CelluSmooth procedure is a minimally invasive, fast and safe treatment. Introduced this last March and just now available at select medical practices, the protocol was developed in conjunction with a panel of remarkable plastic surgeons and cosmetic physicians. CelluSmooth is the answer to ridding the body of unwanted lumps, bumps and dimples to achieve a smoother appearance in troublesome areas such as the thighs, stomach and buttocks.  In a single simple procedure, CelluSmooth treats the source of lumpy, dimpled skin with three safe and effective steps:  1). Severing the bands that pull on the skin creating the dimples and valleys, 2) Melting the excess pockets of fat that form bulging areas, and 3) smoothing and firming the skin with the laser.

 

Because I have darker skin I am currently doing a series of the Photo Revelations and I am LOVING IT.

Photo Revelation uses 1064 nm wavelength in a painting technique to heat the dermis to help build collagen, treats large pores and diffuses redness especially on darker skin types where BBL is less than ideal.

Launa Stone is incredible. She is the REAL DEAL.  

LAUNA STONE, RN

Launa Stone RN, has been skin icon to celebrities, business women, and housewives for over 20 years. She has appeared on several television programs and has been featured in numerous magazine articles.

Launa Stone has been a practicing registered nurse for almost 20 years. After working in Critical Care, Launa began her career in plastic surgical nursing and skin care in 1989. She has worked with some of the country's most prominent plastic and reconstructive surgeons. The need for the plastic surgery patients to "preserve their results" and expand their knowledge of skin care treatments and products in order to not only maintain, but improve their skin, was of vast interest to Launa.

In 1996, when Botox™ was introduced for cosmetic purposes, she began performing Collagen & Botox™ injections. Launa is now a well known Registered Nurse at the forefront of non-invasive medical and aesthetic technology and is also considered one of the pioneers in the field of Laser Hair Removal.

In 1997, while working at UCLA with various lasers for hair removal, she conducted side by side comparisons in consultation with researchers and manufacturers. She also participated in a study for the FDA which led to the approval of the Diode Laser, the newest technology for permanent hair removal.

Launa is involved in training other doctors and nurses in the use of the Diode Laser, sharing her techniques in this rapidly progressing field. She has performed over 50,000 treatments and is considered an expert in this field, and one of the most experienced in the United States. She has authored several articles and has been recognized in magazines, including L.A. Magazine, for her expertise in laser hair removal. Launa has relocated her practice to Calabasas and is still performing the most effective, least invasive and innovative treatments, usually resulting in no downtime.

 

Launa Stone, RN

Calabasas Med Spa

"For A More Youthful You"

23659 Calabasas Rd

Calabasas, CA 91302

http://calabasasmedspacom/contact.php

 

 

 

Mark Moon: the Blood Type Diet and maximizing your workout

December 20, 2013

 

NO MORE CHICKEN FOR YOU, YOU'RE A B+ BLOOD TYPE!

TOO MUCH CARDIO WILL MAKE YOU FAT! 

…just two of the mind blowing tips Mark unloaded upon me last week when we chatted workouts, women in their 40's, The Blood Type Diet (for ultimate functioning of immune system and digestion) and more.

I trained with him a couple of weeks ago and in less than an hour my workout far surpassed my daily 60-mins-plus cardio-elliptical-pallooza.  Seven days a week of cardio and I have gained ten pounds this past year. HELP.

Mark had me rocking quick bursts with heavy weights, a simple, manageable routine that mixed kettle bells/dead lifts/cardio/squats/cardio (etc) setting my metabolism on fire, pushing me to fatigue in every short set and sending me on my way, into an all day burning zone situtaion! 

In short, ladies, we need to be lifting weights (substantial, not just the super light high rep thing that's so popular), doing shorter bursts of intense reps to fatigue and mixing the weight training with cardio – in a rapid circuit training way.  Firing up your muscles and metabolism this way creates a furnace, so to speak, so you are burning calories post workout.  Those mega-endurance cardio sessions are a waste of time without the resistance weight training.  We need bone-density-building weighted resistance to create muscle to burn burn burn – otherwise you'll end up like me: wasting over an hour a day on cardio, stuck in the same place, body unchanged and fat.

Who is Mark Moon?

He's one of today's leading fitness and wellness expert, as well as one of the most influential experts on The Blood Type Diet.

With over 15 years experience as a master group fitness trainer, Mark has taught thousands of classes all over the world and shared his knowledge and expertise with hundreds of instructors in the fitness industry. 

Mark's experience of current industry trends from across the globe has allowed him to develop a complete range of health and fitness programs that incorporate cutting-edge training techniques. Mark’s unique motivating style ensures people achieve all their health and fitness goals.

His first, US-based, four-disc DVD series, Get Fit Fast: The Complete Workout System, is inspired by his online wellness program.

Now available for online purchase, these workouts are designed to improve strength, cardio, recovery and flexibility combining his most effective exercises and routines complete workouts broken down into four DVD programs. 

 

For more information about Mark Moon, please visit www.markmoonfitnessusa.com.

 

PREVIEW THE GET FIT FAST WORKOUTS

Blast away body fat and achieve your fitness goals fast! These convenient easy-to-follow workouts target every muscle group to transform your body and sculpt the perfect physique.

STRENGTH™

Build lean muscle to increase your metabolism and create the perfect physique with this full body workout that is perfect for both men and women.

Transform the way you look and feel with my cutting-edge program designed to target every muscle of your body. Strength training is essential to maintain excellent bone density, great posture and lean muscle that helps keep your body looking young and more active for longer. The strength workout is designed to be suitable for anyone looking to get fit and should take up the majority of your exercise schedule.

WORKOUT ANYWHERE ANYTIME

Get instant online access to my digital workouts, healthy eating guide and workout planners for download. Use your smartphone, tablet, laptop or TV as your very own fitness trainer 24/7 and exercise at home, the gym, or away on travel!

THE GET FIT FAST PROGRAMS INCLUDE

  • DIGITAL
    WORKOUTS
  • EXERCISE
    PLANNER
  • EXERCISE
    NOTES
  • HEALTHY FOOD
    GUIDE
  • MOTIVATION
    & SUPPORT