Here is a great shot by Vino Darius Calloway, taken on June 24th, 2016 on the Bonneville Salt Flats…I am SO blessed to be able to shoot with great photographers who also happen to be wonderful people!
Tag Skin
Pretty In Pink
Ordinarily I don’t like pink at all, but this bikini by Katrinas.com just popped on my skin. This beautiful image was shot by the talented Chaz of Chaz Photographics.
For more great designs by Katrina, check out her website at: http://katrinas.com/
A Bit Of Sun Exposure Is Vital For Optimal Health
I am copying and pasting a portion of a fascinating article I stumbled upon which echoes my sentiments regarding sun exposure. I will preface this by stating that I am NOT advocating tobacco usage, nor am I advocating excessive sun exposure. However, I strongly believe that a few short minutes of sunlight, perhaps while drinking your morning coffee, can be a great way to ensure that you get vitamin D exposure. Once you have finished your coffee, you can slather on sunscreen and go about your day.
You can see the original full post by clicking on the link below.
Avoiding Sun as Dangerous as Smoking
Marcia Frellick
March 23, 2016
Nonsmokers who stayed out of the sun had a life expectancy similar to smokers who soaked up the most rays, according to researchers who studied nearly 30,000 Swedish women over 20 years.
This indicates that avoiding the sun “is a risk factor for death of a similar magnitude as smoking,” write the authors of the article, published March 21 in the Journal of Internal Medicine. Compared with those with the highest sun exposure, life expectancy for those who avoided sun dropped by 0.6 to 2.1 years.
Pelle Lindqvist, MD, of Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge, Sweden, and colleagues found that women who seek out the sun were generally at lower risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and noncancer/non-CVD diseases such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and pulmonary diseases, than those who avoided sun exposure.
Age and Smoking Habits
The researchers studied sun exposure as a risk factor for all-cause mortality for 29,518 women with no history of malignancy in a prospective 20-year follow-up of the Melanoma in Southern Sweden cohort.
The women were recruited from 1990 to 1992 when they were 25 to 64 years old. Detailed information was available at baseline on sun-exposure habits and potential confounders such as marital status, education level, smoking, alcohol consumption, and number of births.
When smoking was factored in, even smokers at approximately 60 years of age with the most active sun-exposure habits had a 2-year longer life expectancy during the study period compared with smokers who avoided sun exposure, the researchers note.
The authors do, however, acknowledge some major limitations. Among them, it was impossible to differentiate between active sun-exposure habits and a healthy lifestyle, and they did not have access to exercise data.
Role of Vitamin D Still in Question
The results add to the longstanding debate on the role of vitamin D in health and the amount of it people need, but this study doesn’t resolve the question. Whether the positive effect of sun exposure demonstrated in this observational study is mediated by vitamin D, another mechanism related to ultraviolet radiation, or by unmeasured bias cannot be determined. Therefore, additional research is warranted. From Irish studies we know that vitamin D deficiency makes melanomas more malignant," Dr Lindqvist said.
Melanomas of [those not exposed] to the sun had a worse prognosis.
J Intern Med. Published online March 16, 2016. Article
Freckles
Ephelides, more commonly known as freckles, are clumps of melanine containing cells which are more commonly seen on individuals with fair skin. The stereotypical freckle-faced person is red-headed, with fair skin and blue or green eyes. Freckles can be cute, and sometimes they can even look sexy.
Some people celebrate freckles so much that they make sure to keep them visible, while others are annoyed by them and want to get rid of them. My mother held the opinion that freckles were ugly, and went so far as to refer to my freckles as “fly shit”. You can imagine how hearing such terminology made me feel as a child, especially when my classmates were told that their freckles were “angel’s kisses”. Why were my freckles compared to insect excrement? Thankfully, I got over my horror of having fly doo-doo on my face, and I make no effort to hid them, though they have faded over the years as a result of my avoidance of the sun.
Though I don’t fight what nature gave me, I know many people who can’t stand their freckles, and who undergo chemical peels and light-based treatments to rid themselves of the stubborn brown speckling. So when I heard that there was a recent trend in which women were creating freckles with makeup, I was pretty astonished.
Check out this YouTube video from Mykie of Glam & Gore, in which she demonstrates how to create a freckled look:
As a physician who has worked in cosmetic dermatology, I have been keenly interested in any technology or topical agent which can deliver the spot-lightening results which people around the world seek. So I just cannot understand why anyone would be interested in such a bizarre makeup trend.
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, also known as OCC, is a cruelty-free and 100% vegan makeup line which has won great favor with makeup artists. The key feature in this line of cosmetics is the intensity of pigments used, but it hasn’t quite blown up on the mainstream makeup scene, which makes this company a relatively hidden gem. The most popular product in their line is Lip Tar, which comes in a myriad of brilliant and distinctive shades.
Check them out at:
OCCMakeup.com
Taking Youth For Granted – Part 2
Though there are plenty of young people who are fitness-conscious and practice healthy eating habits, there are also many who tempt fate by eating poorly, avoiding exercise and physcial activity, and who party every weekend. When I am at fitness events, I tend to see the fit people, but as a doctor, I see the individuals who don’t know how to take care of their bodies. As an example, I remember seeing one patient who, at the age of 20, was disgusted with herself, and who begged me to give her some advice on how to get in shape quickly and easily. She was about 20 pounds overweight, and it was obvious that she didn’t exercise at all. Her skin was dull and peppered with acne, and her eyes were bloodshot.
I was in the midst of giving the patient general recommendations on eating healthy and getting regular exercise, when she interrupted me. “Ummm, excuse me doc, but I’m not gonna stop eating at Burger King! It’s my daily stop for dinner, and it’s right by my work, so I can just pick it up and eat it in the car before I get home.” I was so stunned that I had to clarify the frequency of her visits with her to make sure I heard her right. Yes, she would visit the Burger King drive-thru every single night after she finished work, and would wolf down a burger in the car because she was always famished from not eating all day. Then she would go home and eat chips while sitting in front of the television. When I told her how unhealthy her eating habits were, she stated, “I don’t see what the big deal is anyway. I mean, I hate vegetables and all that healthy crap other people eat. Besides, I’m young, so it doesn’t even matter!”
That patient wasn’t the only one I have seen who refused to eat right and exercise, but she was particularly stubborn and set in her ways. She walked into that office not wanting me to truly help her, but instead wanted me to give her a prescription for a diet pill so that she could slim down for bikini season. I shook my head and told her that I don’t believe in them, and that I would not give her a prescription, whereupon she hopped off the examination table and said, “Whatever. I thought you were supposed to help people with weight loss shit, but I guess not. See ya.”
When I see young people eating all kinds of crap on a consistent basis, it saddens me, because I know that poor eating habits will have consequences on their health. Nine times out of ten, those same people will hit the clubs on the weekends and go on drinking binges. Some of them don’t even wait until the weekend to get their party on. I can guarantee that people who adopt atrocious habits like these will show signs of age much faster, and will put themselves at a much greater risk for developing diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and cancer. Though they may think that their youthfulness protects them, they usually will get a wicked surprise down the line when disease processes begin to rear their ugly heads.
If you want to optimize your health for the long term, make sure to consume healthy food options the majority of the time, limit alcohol consumption, don’t smoke, and get plenty of regular exercise. Those measures can serve as the best insurance policy for wellness as you get older.
Contouring
Instagrammers who are into the concept of applying face makeup in a manner similar to warpaint, then blending it in like mad to create a “flawless, airbrushed finish” have been littering the site with countless images of the process. It is now commonplace to see a “before” image juxtaposed with a “during” image in which the subject is covered in a pattern created with highlighter, foundation, and contour shade, and the “after” image. Major makeup lines have launched contour and highlight kits in answer to this makeup trend. Now Kim Kardashian wannabes can use these kits to create an overly “done” look which can transform a person’s face, often to the point of making the person unrecognizable.
While I understand that contouring and highlighting can do wonders for uneven skin tone, uneven texture, dark eye circles, wide noses and indistinct jawlines, I have a couple of problems with the current trend. First off, I see no reason to go through so much contouring and transforming for a daily look. Photo shoots and special events, yes. Going to the grocery store, uh, no. The second issue I have with the contouring trend is that suddenly, every woman thinks she is a makeup artist. Though makeup companies have taken the fuss out of purchasing everything a la carte, using one of the contouring kits requires some skill, especially if a woman wants to do corrective makeup. I have seen women who are relatively clueless about BLENDING. Another thing I have seen is women who pick the wrong foundation shade, which makes the contouring and highlighter look garish. Even men have jumped in on the contouring frenzy (admittedly, most of them are makeup artists), and have developed a regular habit of posting contouring videos featuring themselves as the models.
I don’t have a problem with people wanting to improve their personal appearance so that they can look their best, but I honestly think that the makeup frenzy which has become so popular is getting out of hand. Slap a bunch of contour onto a face to create angles which aren’t there, use brow stencils to draw in brow shapes, apply false lashes, draw in a false lip line to create the illusion of fuller lips, and voila! You no longer have to look like yourself, especially if you have jumped on the injectable filler bandwagon and don’t know when to stop filling your cheeks or lips. Allow your natural features and your true beauty to show a little.
Brows Are In
Suddenly, eyebrows are in, and in a big way.
Those of you who are old enough to remember the caterpillars which framed the eyes of Brooke Shields and Margeaux Hemingway might be cringing at the new trend in brows which Kim Kardashian, Ariana Grande and Cara Delevingne have popularized, better known as #EyebrowsOnFleek. What is fleek? Flawless, perfect. So if you have any interest in new makeup trends, you had better make sure those brows are meticulously groomed and filled in.
Similar to the trend in the early 1980’s, today’s brows are full and thick, but an obsession with drawing in a false silhouette to “shape” the brow has dominated the makeup world. The problem I have with this trend is that it creates a false brow line, rather than accentuating a natural arch. Take a look at this transformation, and you will see what I am talking about.
Women these days are encouraged to keep tweezing to a minimum, and let it all grow out, which means that those who have anemic, pencil-thin brows will be forced to use eyebrow waxes, stencils, permanent tattooing, and even faux brows to create the illusion of much fuller brows. Faux brows? Oh yes. There’s something called lace front brows, which are fantastic for people who have gone through chemotherapy or alopecia.
As for me, I plan to work with what Mother Nature gave me. Though I have a sparse area on my left brow, it can easily be filled in with a bit of brow pencil or brow wax. I accentuate my natural arch, and only make my brows look thicker if I have full makeup on with a dark smoky eye. After seeing too many young women with shaped brows which make them look like clowns, I prefer to avoid jumping on the brows-on-fleek bandwagon. It seems to be a trend best suited for the young crowd anyway.
Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh
I first got a whiff of this amazing fragrance last summer, and was immediately intrigued. It was flirty, spring-summery, delicate, floral and sweet, yet not overly floral and not cloyingly sweet. It was the perfect balance of feminine, fresh, and seductive.
Every time I sampled it on my wrist, I fell more in love with its light, fun, happy vibe. So I put it on my Christmas wishlist.
I was blessed with a large bottle at Christmas (thank you Ian Lauer!), and I have worn it every day since. It is my signature scent now. I swear that I cannot walk out the door (except when I am headed to the gym) without spritzing Daisy Eau So Fresh on my skin. It doesn’t last too long, but I love the way it fades on me. It’s absolutely perfect and draws me in every time I wear it. It’s like instant happiness in a bottle!
Here is the official description of Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh:
Exhilarating. Bubbly. Playful. Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Eau de Toilette is a reinterpretation of Daisy: More fruity, more bubbly, more fun! A floral fruity fragrance, it transports you to a place that is exhilarating, happy, and funny.
Topnotes: Natural Raspberry, Grapefruit, Pear
Midnotes: Violet, Wild Rose, Apple Blossom
Basenotes: Musks, Cedarwood, Plum
Don’t Sleep In Your Makeup!
There are enough women out there who are in the habit of sleeping with their makeup on that I thought this would be a great topic to tackle in my blog. The three most common reasons why women sleep in their makeup are 1) they don’t want their bedmates to know what they really look like (listen, if you’re that concerned, the object of your love/lust is probably too shallow to be a good catch anyway), 2) they are too lazy to take a few minutes to remove their makeup, or 3) they are too drunk to perform a makeup removal ritual. I am not going to say that I have never fallen asleep with my makeup on, but it is exceedingly rare. I am so fastidious about removing makeup that I do a thorough face cleansing immediately after photo shoots and events, because I can’t stand the feeling of full makeup on my face. I honestly don’t know how many women wear full makeup every single day, and I especially cannot understand how some of them will sleep in those layers of gunk!
I cringe every time I hear a woman say that she frequently sleeps in her makeup, because I immediately think about how her skin is unable to breathe and heal because of all the pollutants, germs and oils which bake into it while she sleeps. Makeup is like a mask, and when it sits on top of the skin at night when you are sleeping, it prevents the cells in the skin from performing their restorative processes. Harmful chemicals from the environment cause free radical formation which goes unchecked when the skin is not cleansed, so the result is dull, prematurely aged skin.
Another reason why sleeping in makeup is unhealthy is that it clogs pores. As if that wasn’t enough, all that caked-on makeup serves as a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. I can always tell when women sleep in their makeup, because their skin has a congested, dull appearance, and acne breakouts are common. Even on the nights when a woman who habitually sleeps in her makeup decides to cleanse her skin, she is re-exposing herself to the bacteria, pollution, and oils which were left on the pillowcase along with the makeup from the evenings when she was too lazy to remove her makeup. In addition, sleeping with full makeup is a sure way to stain pillowcases.
I have actually heard women say that as long as they remove their face makeup, there shouldn’t be any hygienic issues with leaving eye makeup wrong. They couldn’t be more wrong. Eye shadows commonly have highly irritating substances like bismuth in them, and leaving them in contact with the delicate skin of the eyelids can invite eyelid inflammation, aka blepharitis, which is NOT fun at all. In addition, mascara, eye shadow and eyeliner can transfer onto the pillow, then get into your eyes, causing corneal irritation or infection.
Another reason why sleeping in eye makeup is a bad idea is that most mascara formulas dry out the eyelashes, and when left on for prolonged periods of time, can cause them to become extremely brittle. Lashes are more prone to breakage when they are dry. Also, for those of you who dare to sleep in false eyelashes at night, be aware that lash adhesives also tend to be very drying and irritating to the lash line, and can even inhibit lash growth if kept on the lash margin for too long.
Though the best way to cleanse your skin at night is to use a gentle yet thorough cleanser and a motorized brush (Clarisonic makes great brushes, but there are decent drugstore brands too), you should at the very least use a makeup remover towelette. If you are truly lazy, keep the towelettes by your bed so that you can easily grab them and wipe your face and eyes before hitting dreamland.
dr. stacey naito's blog 