Vitamins!

Prior to business school, I was only sick once in six years!  Then business school hit and now I get sick all the time (chalk it up to living in a dungeon-like building with the same incestuous group of students, never getting enough sleep and being stressed out 24/7).

I eat a very balanced diet 92.9% of the time but for the thousands (okay, millions) out there who love their fast food, sugary snacks, highly processed carbs and sodas, I highly recommend the following vitamin regime (and even if you are super healthy, you can never get enough vitamins):

#1: My dear friend, who just graduated from UCLA med school, recommended that all women in their 20s take Vitamin D, Calcium and Iron.

#2: For my hair and skin, I love Fish Oil.  I used to have a recurring dry skin patch that I just couldn't get rid of, no matter how many prescription creams I tried, and it cleared up as soon as I started taking fish oil (I had the recurring skin condition for about six years before that!)

#3 For my digestive health, I recommend Probiotics.  My mom's doctor recommended this brand.

#4 Multi-vitamin.  Need I say more?

#5 I throw a Green Tea vitamin in there because I need the energy, and I've read that you can lose 5 lbs/yr if you drink a cup of green tea a day (all other variables controlled for...like moving to carb heaven Midwest from salad loving West Coast).  Still TBD on whether that works.

Sun Series Part 2: Prevention

In case you've been living under a rock...

SUNSCREEN, people.  <3  Part 2: Prevention.

I love Neutrogena's Ultra Sheer Sunblock for my face, and Coopertone's Oil Free Sunscreen for my body.

Because I love a good tan, stay tuned for everything you would ever want to know about self-tanner.

Here's a fun slide show from the Mayo Clinic, just in case you need another reason to slather up.

Sun Series Part 1: Correction

All About Oils, Serums and Softeners!

As we gear up for summer, it's important to think about three things: correction, prevention and faking it (by that I mean, faking your tan).  Here is Part 1: Correction.

These light liquids - known as oils, serums and softeners- have taken over the market.  They've been some of the most ground-breaking beauty technology advancements in the last year or two.  And yes, they really do work!  I first started looking into them when I wanted something to fade my freckles and reverse sun spots from my years of worshipping the California sun.  (see below and after pics at bottom)  For ideal application, put on first (before any other creams) so that your pores can soak in the serum.  You can use morning and night, but I mostly use just at night.

I first tried Clinique's popular Even Better Clinical Spot Corrector and I didn't notice that much of a difference, to be honest.  I know Marie Claire rated it Top 25, but I wanted something stronger (I do love the advertising campaign for this, however!)  It wasn't until I went to my dermatologist about it that I was turned on to the magic of Vitamin C.

I swear by Ole Henriksen Truth Serum (can be found here at Sephora) for Vitamin C power.  You can see that almost 400 users have rated it Five Stars!  This stuff is great for lightening sun spots.  I also really love Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution (the most efficacious of major beauty brands).

For recovery, I love Lancome's new Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector, which is a general corrector that helps rejuvenate skin and can be worn both night and day.  The technology is as innovative and advanced as you can get in the beauty world.

Oils are the new thing in beauty.  I know my first reaction was to balk at putting an oil on my face but don't be scared - Europeans have been using oils forever and it's just now catching on in the states.  Think of how good fish oils and olive oil are for your skin.

If you really want to be aggressive, you can get a prescription of Hydroquinone USP, 4% (skin bleaching cream) but it can only be used one or two times a week otherwise it can make your skin peel (and your skin will burn much easier if you forget to put sunscreen on).

Finally, for general protection against the elements (anti-wrinkle and softening), I love to pat on Shiseido's Benefiance WrinkleResist 24 Balancing Softener, which was recommended to me by a Nordstrom makeup artist.  Since I'm now living in the Midwest, I need to fight off the brutal Lake Michigan winds  that make my skin much dryer.

Now for the grand reveal: 

Before was taken around 2008 when I was still worshipping the sun (i.e. no hat and only using SPF 15 on my face).  After is from just a few months ago.  Hopefully you can tell the difference, especially in my forehead!  Click to see enlarged version.