Murad’s double punch

October 15, 2012

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I generally chalk up being told my skin is "good" to genetics.  My grandmother turned 100 a week ago this Sunday (yes 100!) and her skin is still porcelain white.  I would be lying if I said I totally abandoned a skincare regimen however.  I have tried and tried it all!  As a result of my research: the basics work best for me: cleanse, protect (spf), treat (as needed), and moisturize. 
Upon receiving my Murad samples I had some initial anxiety related to the cleanser – anything with the label AHA/BHA screams "ABRASIVE!!" and tends to leave my skin irritated and closer to rose than peaches and cream.  But, after using these products that fear slipped away. 
My recipe consited of:
Cleanser: AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser – $35

http://www.murad.com/aha-bha-exfoliating-cleanser

SPF Day Cream: Perfecting Day Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 30  – $47 

http://www.murad.com/perfecting-day-cream

Infused with Salicylic, Lactic and Glycolic Acids the Cleanser: AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser helps to brighten, clarify and improve cell-turnover by dissolving dead skin cell buildup. The package recommended I use this bad boy 2-3 times a week.  I want to cheat and use it daily!  Alas, I will maintain some shred of self control :) 

Next up:  Murad's Perfecting Day Cream Spf 30.  This moisturizer provides hydration and an spf of 30 to fight against free radical damage.  Additionally, essentially fatty acids in the cream provide hydration and soy flour increases skin's elasticity.  This cream went on like butter!  Usually moisturizers sink in leaving a bit of a residue (ie. oil slick) afterwards.  After using this cream my skin felt supple, clean and smooth and a great base to apply before my sheer foundation.
xo Lacee

Tofu Tiramisu from Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos

October 11, 2012

I’ve always loved Debi Mazar but I had no idea she had a cooking show!!

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So, in anticipation of Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos’ debut of the third season of Exrta Virgin (on Cooking Channel November 7, 2012), the duo is sharing their newest recipes – including a delectable Tofu Gnocchi and irresistible Tofu Tiramisu – which incorporates their Tuscan inspired cooking style into healthy recipes using House Foods tofu.

The celebrity duo says, “House Foods Tofu works really well with the Tuscan cooking style that incorporates a very simple list of ingredients and flavors. Our craft is to enhance the taste of the food by making the most of a small number of this small number of fresh ingredients. House Foods Tofu and Tofu Shirataki have allowed us to bring life to old recipes and create new ones. They are always true to my style but with a new twist.”

Tofu Tiramisu
Created by Debi Mazar & Gabriele Corcos, stars of Cooking Channel’s show Extra Virgin
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups brewed coffee
1 (14 ounce) package House Foods Organic or Premium Tofu Medium Firm
1 cups sugar plus 3 tablespoons, divided
5 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
14 ounces hard lady fingers
2 tablespoons cocoa
Shaved dark chocolate, for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
Add 3 tablespoons sugar into hot coffee and stir until sugar dissolves. Let cool.
Drain and add Tofu Firm to a food processor; blend until completely smooth (about 1 minute).
Add egg yolks and 1-cup sugar in a bowl and whisk until fluffy and light yellow in color. Whisk in the tofu until smooth and well incorporated.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt with an electric hand mixer until they reach medium stiff peaks. Fold into the tofu mixture.
Dip the ladyfingers into the hot coffee and lay them into a single layer in a 9×13 glass-baking tray. Make sure you don’t completely soak the cookies, as you want to retain some crunch. Spread a layer of the tofu on top, and dust lightly with cocoa powder. Repeat layering with cookies, tofu, and cocoa powder. Garnish the top of the cake with shaved dark chocolate. Cover with plastic wrap and let refrigerate for 3 hours so the flavors can marry.
Serves 8

Beautiful Breasts after Mastectomy. One-stage Breast Reconstruction Technique Provides Mastectomy Patients with Immediate, Natural Results. A new, innovative one-stage breast reconstruction procedure.

October 4, 2012

If you’ve had breast cancer in your life in any way, you know about the trauma of reconstruction., one of the most debilitating parts of recovery for a million reasons.  Recently named one of Dr. Drew’s Lifechangers, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Lisa Cassileth is able to reconstruct the breasts at the same time which eliminates the risks of multiple surgeries and, more importantly, helps minimize the sense of loss. As seen on “Dr. Drew’s Lifechangers”, this procedure allows one’s breasts to be reconstructed at the time of mastectomy in one single surgery. 

Traditional breast reconstruction can be painful and disfiguring.  Dr. Lisa Cassileth made it her mission to create an improved method with superior, beautiful results.  With her innovative technique (published in the August 2012 Annals of Plastic Surgery), breasts can be reconstructed at the time of mastectomy in one single surgery, allowing women to awaken from mastectomy surgery with intact breasts.  

“It is rewarding to provide a new option for breast cancer patients.  One-stage reconstruction eliminates the risks of multiple surgeries and, more importantly, helps minimize the sense of loss during a trying time.” – Dr. Lisa Cassileth

Why the Technique is Different:

The Current Standard of Care – Two Surgeries

Traditionally, breast reconstruction with implants requires two surgeries: during the first surgery, a mastectomy is performed, and a tissue expander is inserted. Over several months, patients have weekly, painful injections to inflate the expander and stretch the chest muscle. In the second surgery, the breast implant is inserted. Patients are often left with disfigured breasts and large, ugly scars. However, if you’re looking to get Breast Reconstruction in Philadelphia then you’re in safe hands.

Dr. Cassileth’s Innovative Procedure – One Surgery

The mastectomy is performed through a small incision (rather than the traditional, long cut across the chest). Using a collagen matrix, Dr. Cassileth then designs and constructs an Internal Bra that will hold and support the breast implant.

Dr. Cassileth’s uniquely designed, hand-tailored Internal Bra enables her to place the implant and create the perfect breast shape and size, all in one surgery. Patients wake up from surgery with beautiful, new breasts. This technique lowers overall risk, decreases cost, and minimizes discomfort.

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Lisa B. Cassileth, MD, FACS ? Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon 

Dr. Lisa Cassileth is a board-certified, Ivy-League-trained plastic and reconstructive surgeon with offices in Beverly Hills.  She specializes in breast surgeries.  She is on the teaching staff at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center, she helps breast cancer survivors recover their bodies and their confidence, and provides critical surgical care to victims of trauma.

Dr. Cassileth offers a wide range of plastic surgery procedures to enhance and refine the face, breasts and body. She performs leading-edge techniques that achieve exceptionally beautiful resu

www.drcassileth.com. 


   

N E W Y O R K F A S H I O N W E E K T R E N D A L E R T

October 1, 2012

THE ACCESSORY OF THE SEASON

The brow-centric trend manifested itself in two distinct ways this season – brows either dominated the face with strong color or they took on an editorial edge with a faint whisper of white blonde. “The brow bottom line: it's all or nothing this season. Eyebrows were either in full force or completely stripped to minimum impact. In both instances, the eyes were dramatically enhanced,” says Healy.

Brow guru to the stars Joey Healy recaps the hottest brow trends accessory sashaying down the Spring 2013 runways – not shoes, bags or jewelry – but eyebrows! From the rich bold brows seen at Marc Jacobs to the daring bleached arches at Alexander Wang, eyebrows took center stage at Spring 2013 Mercedes- Benz Fashion Week in New York City. 

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About Joey Healy: A triple threat in the beauty industry, Joey Healy is a prominent eyebrow stylist, professional makeup artist and licensed esthetician. With his skill and unique approach for creating the ideal arch, Joey launched his mobile eyebrow styling division in late 2009 and The Joey Healy Eyebrow Collection in 2011. Utilizing his talents, Joey has become a favorite amongst celebrities including Kyra Sedgwick, Aviva Drescher and Carole Radziwill of The Real Housewives of New York, Andy Cohen of Watch What Happens Live, Sean Young of Blade Runner and many more.

www.joeyhealy.com

GET THE LOOK!  LIGHTENING: 

The interpretation: Healy says, leave the white blonde eyebrows to the models! The look is best translated with a brow tone that is 3 shades lighter than your own. A fully bleached brow has virtually no presence on the face and will dramatically de-emphasize your bone structure. The result can be quite alien looking and will give you the appearance of a large forehead. The intention here is to simply play the brow down to make the eyes more prominent.

The method: Lightening one's brows is best achieved with the aid of a professional. A simple, odorless bleach paste obtained by beauty pros is ideal to soften the look of a brow that is too severe in darkness for one's face. Leaving the paste on anywhere from 1-5 minutes is generally enough to "knock-out" that harsh edge and restore softness to the brow. “I rarely use bleach to take eyebrows all the way to blonde. 99 times out of 100, the idea is just the tone them somewhere in the chocolate range. Be warned, leaving bleach on for too long will cause eyebrows to turn orange! One must stop before this stage, or leave the bleach on longer to go past orange to blonde,” says Healy.

A second alternative to using bleach is to experiment with makeup. This is a good option if you are afraid of commitment! There are 2 ways to achieve this:

1.  Colored mascaras are ideal for this task because they individually coat each brow hair (not JUST filling in the space in between). Play with an assortment of light brown mascaras to find the one that suits you best, make sure that they are not only waterproof, but have a non-crunchy in finish! Using very little product, lightly brush the color through the brow; this is best done with a disposable mascara wand – most built-in mascara applicators are made to work their magic on lashes, not eyebrows. One coat will do! Let dry and enjoy your new lightened brow hair. 

2.  Another option is to use a very small amount of concealer that matches your skin tone and massage it onto a disposable mascara wand. Gently sweep the wand through the brow making sure to get from root to tip. No clumps allowed! Next, use a soft taupe waterproof pencil (like the Joey Healy Brow Architect Stylo in WICKER – $25, www.joeyhealy.com) and lightly bring a bit of color back into the brow with short feathery strokes. Be sure to opt for a pencil, never a powder. To ensure your lighter brow lasts all day, set into place with a light application of a non-crunchy clear brow gel (like Joey Healy Brow Structure Clear Set – $25, www.joeyhealy.com

The Joey Healy Collection Brow Architect Stylo in Wicker | The Joey Healy Collection Brow Structure Clear Set

Voila!  Perfectly lightened eyebrows!

 

GET THE LOOK! BOLD:


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The interpretation: The idea here is to emphasize your natural brow color without having them overtaking your face. The best way to achieve this look is to opt for one shade darker than your actual eyebrow tone and carefully blend through, says Healy. The goal is to make them striking while creating flattering enhancements to your basic bone structure. Over darkening your brows not only looks unnatural, but will distract from your other features in an aggressive manner.

The method: To indulge in this bold runway trend, one must start with a good foundation. Patiently allow your eyebrows to grow out for a full 3 weeks and book one professional shaping session with an expert who will give you a well-groomed shape to work from. After having grown those bad boys out to their maximum, now it's time to sharpen them up for definition. Healy adds, accenting the brows with color will allow you to highlight key points in your shape and give the brow a polished look. With shaping you can only remove hair, but when one embraces “the fill” you can really start to redesign your shape. Choose a pencil (like Joey Healy Brow Architect Stylo – $25, www.joeyhealy.com) if you need to sharpen up an arch, extend out a tail or cover an obvious gap/scar. Go with a powder (like Joey Healy Luxe Brow Powder – $28, www.joeyhealy.com) to give more uniform density to an already well-shaped brow that feels sparse. “Pencils can be considered more corrective while powders ‘turn up the volume’ on your shape. With that said, women sometimes have a strong preference toward one or the other based on what they personally find easiest to use. In my opinion, working with a powder is easier for a novice because, with a light hand, you can gradually build up the color, “ says Healy.

Whichever brow color you chose, make sure you always use waterproof brow products to ensure everything stays in place throughout the day (both my pencils and powders are waterproof).

To apply, always start with a small amount of product then build intensity. Never overdraw your shape, just emphasize key points in the brow by making the most of what you have. For powders use a stiff, angled brush for control (like Joey Healy’s Duo Brow Brush – $28, www.joeyhealy.com). Brushing through the brow several times at the end of a fill creates a more effortless looking result. To finish always set with a non-crunchy clear gel for hold (like Joey Healy’s Brow Structure Clear Set – $25, www.joeyhealy.com). This will help to groom unruly brows into submission if they attempt to make a run for it in different directions! Avoid using dense wax-based setting products which are difficult to apply, melt easily and give eyebrow hair a stuck together look.

If your sparse brows are not quite cutting it for this bold trend, kick them into high gear and get them as thick as possible! In terms of a brow growth product, the Joey Healy Brow Renovation Serum ($125 - www.joeyhealy.com) is the cure for those with over plucked, thinly waxed or just plain sparse eyebrows. This paraben-free formula will help to stimulate growth and thicken the hair follicles of your eyebrows when used twice daily for six weeks then nightly thereafter. A genius cocktail of glycosaminoglycans, pentapeptides and hyaluronic acid are the key to this product’s success, containing a nutrient blend of properties that get eyebrows back on the road to a lush recovery. 

Voila!  Perfectly emboldened eyebrows!

The Joey Healy Eyebrow Collection Brow Architect Stylo | The Joey Healy Eyebrow Collection Luxe Brow Powder | The Joey Healy Eyebrow Collection Duo Brow Brush

The Joey Healy Eyebrow Collection Brow Renovation Serum | The Joey Healy Eyebrow Collection Brow Structure Clear Set