Monthly Archives : August 2014

Hold Onto Your Summer Glow

The end of August traditionally leaves us longing to hold onto the healthy glow that we have cultivated all season long. Do not pine away as your tan fades, give it a little boost with Institut Esthederm Sun Sheen Light Self-tanning Face Cream and Sun Sheen Light Self-tanning Body Lotion. These products can be used 3-4 times per week to stretch the life of your tan. They never turn orange or streaky and layer gradually to produce natural results. Your skin can stay party-ready all year round.

And Now…Back to School

Now that we have addressed the fears surrounding the possible disappearance of your seasonal lustre, let’s focus on getting the kids ship shape for September. Around this time of year, many of my clients bring in their children, as young as ages 12-21, for a back to school facial.

Some of the younger adolescence I see have been at sleepaway camp and may have returned with a bit of pre-teen breakouts, while most teenagers have post-summer skin irritation due to sun exposure.

Whether going back to school or off to university, it is a good time to start kids off with a simple custom regimen that will empower them to easily take care of their skin all year round.

Customize with Travel Beauty

What I find unique about Travel Beauty is that one can tailor his or her own regimen and create a custom kit of products. Travel Beauty’s Concierge Service is always on call and reachable by phone or email to help create a skin care routine that is perfect for you. You can call them at 888-717-8790 or email them at concierge@travelbeauty.com. Let them know your and your child’s skin type, and they will help you create an effective skin care practice that will deliver the best results.

Back To School Skin Care Regimen

In the meantime, here are some easy steps that are sure to work for ALL:

Step One: Cleanse

B. Kamins Laboratories makes a gentle Vegetable Cleanser that is specially formulated for sensitive skin. It is well suited for everyone and gently removes dead skin and impurities.

For those in their late teens who wear makeup and/or are willing to take an extra step, I also suggest a post cleansing toner. Lavido Hydrating Facial Toner is organic and gentle enough to use without fear of throwing off their pH balance.

Step Two: Moisturize

B. Kamins Laboratories makes a wonderful BB Cream which contains a light moisturizer, vitamins and a hint of color and sparkle. Teens and tweens seem to be wearing makeup younger and younger these days and this will give them the glow they need for every day.

Another good moisturizing alternative is Alchimie Forever Daily Defense Cream SPF 23. All natural, dermatologist-tested and vegan, this moisturizer is gentle and has a light SPF, which is beneficial all year long.

For young men that are about to start shaving or are already doing so, Elemis S.O.S. Survival Cream is an ideal moisturizer and/or aftershave. It fights razor burn and irritation like a charm.

Step Three: At Home Mini Facial

For those that will take the extra step, applying a mask once a week will do wonders. It is akin to an at home mini facial that will keep their skin clear all year long:

•   Elemis Herbal Lavender Repair Mask: For normal to oily skin. Great for healing blemishes and clearing up breakouts.

•   Juvena Specialist Moisture Plus Gel Mask: A rehydrating mask for sensitive, dry or reactive skin.

Some Useful Extras

For teens that find themselves with blemishes, B. Kamins Laboratories Blemish Gel 5% is the perfect spot treatment to dab on to affected areas. It delivers the right amount of medicine in a lower dose than other over the counter treatments and will not irritate or overdry skin.

B. Kamins SPF 20 Lip Balm is a no brainer. With the change of season and school stress, everyone can use a new lip balm to kick off the school year with a stunning smile!

All of these products will take you and your teens through fall and into winter.

By the end of summer, your skin may be tanned, but the rest of you could probably use a total beauty overhaul. Now that the kids are back in school, you may just get enough time to yourself for a spa day…the next best thing to a beach day. Don’t know where to start? We’ve got some suggestions (of course).

Hair and Scalp Care

During summer, we all want to suck the marrow out of the sunlight hours. If you have kids, bedtime might have become a bit lax in favor of fireworks and franks. If you’ve been sleeping less and not eating as healthfully as you usually do, your hair and scalp may pay the price. If sunburned skin isn’t the only thing you’re shedding, we highly recommend a visit to Philip Kingsley’s NYC Clinic. Whether you need a deep moisturizing treatment or a complete hair and scalp overhaul, book an appointment with Elizabeth and team to get your scalp and strands back in shape.

Also, pick up an Elasticizer. Used 1 – 2 times per week, this award-winning hair and scalp mask is akin to an at-home hair moisturizing treatment. Explore Kingsley’s other award winning hair care products.

Facials & Skin Care

If you have let your skin care routine slide a bit over the summer, now is the perfect time to get back into the groove. Make an appointment at Yasmine Djerradine Institut de Beauté on the Upper East Side. If you live anywhere in the New York Tri-state area, it is absolutely worth the trip. If you can’t get in to see Yasmine, we recommend Lily or Karen. A remodeling facial or power peel are the perfect treatments to wake up the face and slough off the skin that has likely had its share of elemental damage from the rays of the sun. Also, recommit to a regular routine of cleansing, moisturizing and applying an under eye cream and/or serum morning and night. It’s never too late to turn back the hands of time.

Brows And ‘Stache

While you are at Yasmine Djerradine Spa, make sure that you maximize your time by minimizing your facial hair. Your eyebrows really do frame your face and don’t worry, waxing your lip will not strip the elasticity from the skin around it. Word to the wise: you are not fooling anyone by dying your mustache blond. The hair will still be there, it will just be blonde and everyone will talk about you behind your back (Well, we certainly will).

Makeup Lesson

Once a year, its worth it to have your makeup done professionally. Even if you have your routine down pat, you can learn a new trick or two that can kick your look up a notch! For those of us in the New York Tri-state area who can’t get to LA or Scottsdale to see M.B. York, stop in to see Kaoru at Salon Ishi. She will not only do a flawless application for you, but also show you how to create the look yourself and make a list of exactly what she used so that you can recreate the look at home.

Nail Care

There is only one place in NYC that Travel Beauty entrusts with our fingers and *especially* our toes: Celina Nails. Located on the Upper West Side, this mani mecca is the cure for the common pedicure. Celina’s team of Eastern European Pedi Professionals painstakingly care for your feet with surgical precision. A few flicks of their files and these ladies could turn Frodo into foot fetishist fodder. (By the way, if your soles really do look straight out of the Shire after a summer in the sand, you can request the private room on the second floor.)

Visit our RGB Cosmetics collection of five-free nail polishes to see the colors that we are loving now.

Don’t Let Go of Your Summer Glow

Prolong your sun-kissed look with a sunless tanning session at Euphoria Spa in Tribeca. Consistently awarded in Allure’s Best of Beauty, the tans here are always impeccably done. In a few minutes flat you’ll have a natural bronzy glow that we promise will have you add an extra sway to your step. Can’t get to the spa? Try our self-tanning products.

“Bach” To School

We know back to school time isn’t all makeup and manicures. Stress is inevitable in September. The multiple runs to Staples alone are enough to make anyone consider homeschooling! When it all seems too much, be sure to have some Bach’s Rescue Remedy on hand…and/or in purse! Just a few sprays will help you stay cool calm and collected, no matter how many backpacks your daughter says she hates until she deems one “tolerable”.

From our first visit to Lavido’s breathtaking organic farm located in the heart of the Galilee, we knew that this brand was something very special. Lavido products combine the energy and vitality of the best organic, raw, plant-based ingredients with the invigorating benefits of volcanic thermal springs and purified waters from the Sea of Galilee.

Though the entire Lavido collection is wonderful, we wanted to highlight some of the unique, must-have products we especially love from this line.

A Serious Anti-aging Moisturizer

One of the active ingredients in the Age Away Hydrating Cream is organic, cold-pressed evening primrose oil, which gives the cream a yellow hue…not to mention many skin-saving benefits! Evening primrose oil contains a natural antioxidant that helps reduce wrinkles and fine lines. Thanks to another ingredient, attar of rose, it smells wonderful, too. This stuff works miracles: You can feel it hydrating and plumping up your skin almost instantly, yet it has a surprisingly light feeling on the skin.

Master Anti-aging Face Oils

The Replenishing Facial Serum is not really a serum, but a luxurious oil blend, including organic pomegranate seed oil, distilled lemon myrtle oil and cold pressed mandarin oil. The oil extracted from the fruits’ seeds contain high concentrations of fatty acids that prevent premature aging and appearance of wrinkles. It also has healing properties that even out skin tone and texture and boost skin’s natural luster and vitality. A little of this serum goes a long way; two pumps is really all you need. Replenishing Facial Serum is ideal for dry and/or mature skin, and is fabulous for use as a night treatment, especially as the weather gets colder. Want something a little lighter? Check out Lavido’s Invigorating Facial Serum!

Anti-aging Eye Cream

Hyaluronic Acid Alert Eye Cream is like bright eyes in a bottle. Formulated with plant-based hyaluronic acid, cold-pressed avocado oil, organic pomegranate seed oil and citrus extracts, it absorbs right into the skin and immediately hydrates, de-puffs and brightens the eye area. It is also clinically proven to significantly improve skin texture, firmness and elasticity.

Lavido Utilizes Plant-based Ingredients

We love Lavido’s unique plant-based formulations. Here are just a few of the ingredients used in Lavido products:

Pumpkin Seed

This cold-pressed oil is steeped in zinc and vitamin E, a super antioxidant, which combine to improve skin tone, rejuvenate the skin, and defy the aging process.

Rose Hips

Two types of rose hip are used in some of our favorite Lavido products. One is the food-grade extract in Alert Eye Cream, which provides an abundance of vitamin C. The other is infused oil, which is used in the Invigorating Facial Serum to calm, cool and soothe puffy skin.

Organic Bulgarian Lavender

Pure concentrations of lavender oil extract contain disinfecting properties that aid in the healing of scars and dark spots as well as the reduction of redness and irritation. And of course, there’s lavender’s legendary aromatherapeutic benefits.

Carrot

A root vegetable with ample benefits for the skin and hair, carrot is rich in beta carotene, vitamins A and C, minerals and antioxidants that combine to cleanse, brighten, and tone the skin, while helping to defy the aging process.

What is a SELFIE?

This word, first used in an Australian internet forum on September 13, 2002, is used to describe an often unflattering photograph, typically taken by the subject either with a camera held at arm’s length or in a mirror, and often shared on social media. It was the Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year in 2013, and was added to Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary’s 11th edition.

Selfies Driving Increased Plastic Surgery

Believe it or not, according to a new study by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), the rise of the selfie is having a huge impact on the facial plastic surgery industry. The study showed that one in three facial plastic surgeons surveyed saw an increase in requests for procedures as a direct result of patients being more self-aware of their appearance in social media selfies. In 2013, more than half of surveyed facial plastic surgeons (58 percent) saw an increase in cosmetic surgery or injectables in those under the age of 30, and this may be due in part to social media.

Is Social Media Making Us More Self-Conscious?

Many social media platforms, including Instagram, GroupMe, Snapchat and the iPhone app Selfie.im, are image-based. Our presence on these platforms forces us to see our own image repeatedly, and to look at our image with a more self-critical eye than ever before. Gone are the days of a morning farewell to ourselves in the mirror and a quick passing glance at our reflection in the Bergdorf Goodman window during the day. We are now forced to gaze at, and compare, our self-selfies and the selfies of others on a constant basis. We are more aware than ever that our photos are often the only first impressions available to prospective friends, colleagues, romantic interests and employers, and we want to put our best selfie-face forward.

In the article “Why Selfies Sometimes Look Weird to Their Subjects”, Nolan Feeney points out how the selfie can be a set up for disappointment.

Our Mirror Image Has Turned On Us

Whether or not a selfie is reversed after being shot is a major factor in how we perceive our photo. If you’ve used multiple mobile apps to take pictures of yourself, you’ve probably noticed that some, like Snapchat, show you the view of yourself that you would see in a mirror, and that others, like GroupMe, flip the image horizontally and save your selfie the way others would see you. We are used to seeing our image in the mirror, and we’ve grown accustomed to our mirror faces, and familiarity breeds liking. When our mirror image is flipped (this is what others see), it often looks strange and less attractive to us.

Our Faces Are Not Symmetrical Works of Art

Part of that is because everyone’s face is asymmetric. As photographer Julian Wolkenstein illustrates with his portraits, which duplicate each side of a face to create strikingly different versions of the same person, everyone’s left and right side is different.

Close Proximity Breeds Distortion

The close proximity of our faces to our smartphone lenses makes matters worse. Selfies exaggerate certain features, such as the nose. The parts of your face that are closer to the camera seem larger than other features in comparison to non-selfie photographs, where the distance from the camera to your face is longer and has more of a flattening effect on your face. Some people describe this as the “fisheye effect” of smartphone lenses. Bottom line? You don’t really look like that!

Do It for You, Not Your Selfie

I often have patients ask me, “What do I need?” with reference to Botox, facial fillers or plastic surgery. As I tell all my patients, you are the judge and jury as to what you “need” (and by “need” I mean “want”) in terms of cosmetic surgery. If you do decide to take the plunge, make sure to select a board-certified surgeon who specializes in plastic surgery of the face, head and neck, and make sure you’re doing it for yourself, and not just for your selfie.

The summer may be all about the perfect beach getaway for you, and we are certainly with you on that! But maybe you’re looking for something a little different, and/or want to plan ahead for the perfect place to enjoy the fall foliage? If so, get in your car and take a drive to Sullivan County, NY – just two hours from New York City. Gorgeous mountains, picturesque lakes, lush forest and The Delaware River are all right there for your enjoyment.

We’ve owned a lake house in Sullivan County for close to a decade and cannot express how much fun and enjoyment it’s brought us and our family over the years. We’ve also discovered some great area attractions that made us love the area even more. This is our round-up of favorite things to do, and is by no means exhaustive! One of the delights of the area is taking a country drive and discovering hidden treasures: antique shops, art galleries, restaurants and more can all be happened upon…not to mention wildlife! As this area of New York is right across the river from Pennsylvania, our area explorations have taken us to PA. Some of the attractions I mention are in PA, but still just a short drive from Sullivan County. And believe me, if I’ve included them, they are worth checking out!

Where To Stay

Over the years, we have seen many new businesses pop up in the area. Since we are city people at heart, we do enjoy having more of our creature comforts close at hand while we’re upstate. One such place was opened by our dear friends, but we can say, objectively, that this place rocks. Stickett Inn and Stickett Inn: The Store and Annu Juice in Barryville is a four suite bed and breakfast with a gift shop and juice bar in front. The suites are huge and incredibly chic, from the Warhol on the walls to the steam shower and deep soaking tub in the bathrooms.

If you’re coming up with a family and need a bit more space, Home Away has many beautiful homes for rent in the area. Many of the homes are on lakes and can accommodate ten or more people! If you are looking for a truly special location, perhaps to host an event, you must, MUST, check out The Floating Farmhouse…just stunning!

Where To Eat

As a New Yawker, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my favorite pizza joint in the area! Sitting right on the edge of big, beautiful Kauneonga Lake is Benji & Jakes. Though they don’t make your traditional New York style pizza pie, their creations are delicious nonetheless. They make over a dozen specialty pies, one more delicious than the next (think pesto, roasted eggplant, smoked mozzarella and more). Don’t stop at the pizza, though. The appetizers and specialty cocktails are not to be missed…nor is the homemade gelato!

Henning’s Local is a recent addition to the Sullivan County scene but has already become a favorite. Using locally grown ingredients, Henning’s offers a casual atmosphere with delicious and super-fresh comfort food. All the fish dishes are superb, and be sure to order the quinoa cake as a side. Great place for a family meal.

If you are looking for something more chic or a fine dining experience, cross the river to Milford, PA and visit Hotel Fauchere. There are two distinct dining options at the hotel, both delicious and special in their own way. Upstairs, The Delmonico Room offers fine dining, while Bar Louis is a stylish, ultra-modern environment for casual and late-night dining, live entertainment and great cocktails. Never heard of sushi pizza? Dig into some at Bar Louis!

Most Importantly: What To Do

Perhaps your entire itinerary consists of relaxing lakeside with a good book. If you’re interested in doing some sightseeing, shopping or physical activity, read on!

Outdoor Sporting

If you want some outdoor sporting, and if the weather is warm enough, spend the day rafting on The Delaware River. Kittatinny is just one of the many places from which you can rent a raft, canoe, tube or kayak to take out on the river. You can choose between a long trip or a short one (I’d stick with the short; it feels long enough). Kittatinny also offers paintball and two ziplines, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Culture & Entertainment

Did you know that Woodstock didn’t happen in Woodstock, NY? It happened in Bethel, NY…in Sullivan County! The lush, hilly grounds of Bethel Woods are still a haven for great music, festivals and there is even a Woodstock museum on site. Also of note in Bethel is Rocking Horse Ranch (literally next door to Bethel Woods) and Dancing Cat Distillery.

Shopping

There are several other towns to check out all over Sullivan County for good food and shopping. Two of my favorite:

• Narrowsburg, NY (brunch at The Heron is magnificent)
• Callicoon, NY

Spa Retreat

Last but not least, there’s the spa…and a five star one at that! The Lodge at Woodloch was created by former Canyon Ranch employees and feels every bit as luxurious. Woodloch is consistently chosen as one of the top ten spas in the world by Travel & Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler. You can, of course, choose to stay there, but day passes and à la carte services are available to non-guests as well. The facilities are top notch: imagine sitting in an outdoor hot tub as you watch deer running through the snowy forest around you. This actually happened to me. As a side note, soaking in an outdoor hot tub in the middle of winter only sounds crazy. It’s glorious! There is also an indoor pool complete with waterfall, steam room, sauna and so much more. The body treatments are where the spa really shines…spring for the scrub and wrap combination treatments. They are worth every penny.