Why I Hate Foundation

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First off, I want to apologize in advance to every woman who wears foundation or BB cream on a daily basis. I definitely don’t mean any disrespect to anyone, especially to women who experience a big boost in self-confidence when they cover birthmarks, scars, or other blemishes with makeup. However, I honestly don’t like foundation at all. I dislike it so much that I never wear it in my regular daily life. Here are the only instances in which I will wear BB cream or foundation:

1. Photo shoots
2. Public appearances
3. Auditions
4. Video or TV shoots
5. Formal affairs

I can’t stand the feel of anything cakey or heavy on my skin, and that is why I only use translucent powder on my skin on a daily basis. I know that I am very fortunate to have good skin, with no unsightly breakouts or other blemishes (though the freckles on my cheeks have always driven me nuts ever since I had them as a young child), so I can get away with avoiding foundation. Could my skin look smoother if I used foundation? Yes. But it is not worth the feeling of discomfort I get from having my skin suffocated with a liquid or cream cover. I don’t want to have to worry that part of my face might look different if a dog licks my face, or if I sweat profusely and wipe my face.

One of the most prominent memories I have of poorly applied foundation which solidified my aversion to the stuff occurred when I was in high school. One of my classmates had such a love affair with makeup, especially foundation, that she would cake it on every day before coming to school. Her foundation was so thick that it looked like she had applied it with a palette knife, yet the effect was nothing close to an exquisite oil painting, but more like a tribute to Bozo the Clown. If she scratched her cheek to calm an itch, her nails would leave deep gouges in her foundation.

To me, foundation looks like a mask, and to an extent, it is a mask. Though it creates a flawless finish (particularly if it is full coverage), it still covers up the skin’s natural beauty. I realize that a flawless finish is important on-camera, but in regular daily life, it seems a shame to suffocate the skin. Since I truly think that skin is beautiful, it bothers me that the majority of women in developed countries find it necessary to cover it up. The luminous quality of unadorned skin is lost when it is covered by even the lightest of foundation. I guess I just don’t want to look “done” in my day to day life.

I want my skin to breathe. I don’t want to have to worry about my foundation melting off my face, or about leaving makeup marks on my ivory sheets from an incomplete makeup removal. My mom always told me that eventually, I would have to start wearing foundation daily, but at this point, I have made it half a century without having to do so.

Maud’s Of Beverly Hills Lash Extensions

Mauds lashes

I was fortunate enough to have full eyelash extensions applied on January 20th, and I absolutely LOVE them! Though I have great hair and skin, my eyelashes have always been skimpy. Latisse has created some magic with my eyelashes, but I haven’t used that product in over a year, so my lashes reverted to their sad state.

When I visited Maud’s Of Beverly Hills, I was warmly greeted by the proprietor, Victoria. The salon was clean, elegant, and I felt instantly comfortable. I filled out some paperwork, sipped a lovely cup of coffee which Victoria offered to me, then was led into the treatment room, where I met the talented lash technician Jennifer. Jennifer then spent about an hour and a half applying faux mink lashes to my natural lashes. She measured my lashes, which were 9 millimeters, then stated that the usual extension length is 3 millimeters more than the client’s natural length. I explained to her that I wanted something more dramatic, so we settled on a 14 millimeter length.

It was wonderful when I saw the reveal, super lush lashes which looked like I was wearing false lashes. Lovely!

This treatment is the ultimate in lash extensions! Don’t settle for less expensive lash extensions which cause your lashes to fall out prematurely. Spend a bit more for true quality. You will love the results!

Allergan Spends $90 Million to Buy Company Developing “Topical Botox”

Botox topical

I am reposting an article from New Beauty here…the original post can be found at:

https://www.newbeauty.com/hottopic/blogpost/9124-allergan-spends-90-million-to-buy-company-developing-topical-botox/

Liz Ritter , Executive Managing Editor | January 07, 2016

Still hot off the heels of its historic merger at the end of last year with Pfizer, Allergan announced today that it will purchase Anterios, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that is developing what they refer to as “a next-generation delivery system and botulinum toxin–based prescription products.”

It all sounds very futuristic, but what makes this particularly interesting is that Allergan (which is best-known as being the maker of Botox) will now be in business with a company that has a “proprietary platform delivery technology that enables local, targeted delivery of neurotoxins through the skin without the need for injections.” In other words, something that sounds a lot like a topical type of Botox.

According to the official Allergan release, executive vice president David Nicholson said the acquisition “demonstrates our ability to apply our tremendous scientific leadership in neurotoxins to further extend our already deep neurotoxin pipeline by advancing a new delivery system and formulations that are appealing to both patients and physicians.”

“Allergan is once again showing their commitment to aesthetics by purchasing Anterios and acquiring the global rights to ANT–1207,” Montclair, NJ, dermatologist Jeanine B. Downie, MD, says. “The absolutely awesome potential of these two products is thrilling for patients that are looking for non-invasive approach is to treat their aesthetic and dermatologic conditions. An enhanced delivery system would be of great interest to physicians, as well as to the general public. I do believe these acquisitions will bring more people that are considering cosmetic procedures into their doctors’ offices for treatment.”

Here Are The 2016 Liquid Sun Rayz Sponsored Athletes!

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I am BEYOND thrilled to be chosen as one of the Liquid Sun Rayz Sponsored Athletes for 2016!

This company is the very best in the industry! You can count on perfect color which is applied professionally by the NICEST people on the planet! Liquid Sun Rayz also sells an entire line of skin care products which optimize competition color and regular spray tans. They have a line of beautiful and affordable jewelry for female competitors, and they also have a Beauty Team which provides fantastic makeup application and hair styling. The people who work with Liquid Sun Rayz are like family to me, and I am honored and blessed to be affiliated with them!

Please click on the link below to see who made it into the 2016 Team. Please also LIKE the Liquid Sun Rayz page so you can get all of their updates!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.945371798872481.1073741894.157115621031440&type=3

My Hair Care Routine

Corrected Stacey bikini LHGFX

I get a lot of questions about my hair, so I am using this post to provide information about my hair and how I take care of it.

Q: Is that ALL your hair?
A: Yes, every bit of it. I have NO extensions. There was only one time I ever had extensions in my hair, and it was for a video and photo shoot I did in the summer of 2014:
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Q: Is your hair more Japanese in texture, or more Caucasian?
A: I have mutt hair, with some blonde strands, but the overall texture of my hair pulls more to my Japanese heritage, a darker brown, thick, and relatively shiny. I have very little hair loss when I brush my hair, and am very thankful for that! My hair is even thicker in my forties than it was when I was younger, a trait which I attribute to a high protein diet and biotin supplements.

Q: I see some red highlights in your hair. Are those natural?
A: I naturally have a lot of red in my hair, but I try to tone it down because when I go out in the sun too much, the natural reds in my hair begin to look very brassy. I really don’t like that look at all. When I was a kid, my hair was very red, and I almost looked like a carrot-top!

Q: Do you have grey hairs?
A: I definitely have some grey hair, and started getting them when I was 33 years old. So I have to cover them with root touch-up every couple of weeks. I am a long way from being completely grey, but I am fighting every last grey hair kicking and screaming!

Q: How often do you wash your hair?
A: I wash my hair twice a week, using shampoo and conditioner by Pureology. I towel dry my hair, then let it air dry. I spent about a year blow drying and flat ironing it because my hair suddenly got very wavy, and I really couldn’t stand it! However, the texture once again is changing, and has almost completely reverted back to its natural straight state, so I pretty much just leave it alone. Once my hair is almost completely dry, I apply about a quarter-sized dollop of hair oil to the ends and distribute.

Q: Do you use any special hair treatments?
A: If time allows, I will do a ten minute hair mask once a week or so.

My Favorite Stores For Hot Dresses

One of my favorite hot dresses is this gold bandage dress from Hot Miami Styles

One of my favorite hot dresses is this gold bandage dress from Hot Miami Styles

I love hot dresses, but I honestly can’t stand shopping. The mere thought of stepping into a mall to shop makes me cringe. Thank goodness for online shopping! There are several sites which I turn to for hot dresses, all of which have decent prices and lots of cute styles.

http://www.hotmiamistyles.com/ I love the bandage dresses from this site, and I also love two very distinctive and comfortable maxi dresses which were purchased from this site. However, I haven’t had any luck with the other maxi dresses, because they all are cut to fit someone over six feet tall! My advice to anyone who is shorter than 5’10” is to stick with the shorter dresses.

http://www.venus.com/ This is a great site for maxi dresses, and I have found also found nice dresses for work. However, this is not the site to visit if you are into the club dress or bodycon look, because their selections are a bit on the modest side.

http://tobi.com/ The clothing on this website is trendy, yet well made, and the prices are fair. Their cuts fit a willowy fashion model type very well, but often hide the hard work that a fitness gal has. That being said, I love their cut-out designs, and one of my favorite dresses is a dress which looks very modest and sedate, but features a very sexy open back.

http://www.amiclubwear.com/ and http://yandy.com/ I used to love these sites because they both have TONS of selections, and the prices are amazingly low. However, you have to dig through a lot of trashy and cheap looking designs to find the good designs. I think it’s worth it if you don’t want to spend a lot of money. If you are a fan of club dresses, you’ll enjoy these sites. I have stepped away from the club dresses, so I don’t find myself perusing these sites anymore.

http://www.zaful.com/ This site has so many selections that you could probably visit every single day and find something new that you will want to buy. The prices are unbelievable, and the quality of most of the items is quite decent. However, I would advise you to read the size charts for each item very carefully, and also read the product reviews before buying anything, because these items are shipped from overseas, and returns are difficult at best.

http://www.hellomollyfashion.com/us/ This site is based in Australia, but ships to the US and has US dollar pricing as well. The clothing is SO cute, and there is a pretty big selection. My only beef about this site is that too many of the items are pink, which I absolutely hate and refuse to wear.

http://www.fashionnova.com/ Cute stuff, big selection, and great prices. The quality is a bit cheap, and the materials used are rather flimsy, but the site is good for trendy, bodycon type, “throw away” fashion.