Friday, April 7, 2017

Get Your Eye Cream to Do Double Duty


We all know that eye cream is essential for keeping the delicate skin around under our eyes looking fresh and youthful. But did you know that eye cream is also a total multi-tasker? It’s true: you can use this daily skin care staple in multiple ways that far exceed the bounds of it’s normal purpose. And because we are nothing if not thorough in our quest for product excellence, we asked the experts for their tips on the best uncommon uses for eye creams.

“I love having products around that work double-duty, and eye cream has a wide array of uses that will help moisturize, replenish and even rejuvenate your skin,” says Dr. Jill Waibel, owner of the Miami Dermatology and Laser Institute.

And she’s not the only one: Makeup artist Tomy Rivero agrees. For optimal double-duty use, he suggests being aware of the formula: “Some are made to plump and smooth the skin in preparation for concealer, however ones with alcohol and caffeine ingredients are used to drain and tighten the eye area. This is the opposite of why you would want to use you eye cream anywhere else in the face,” he says. “Look for products with the words ‘hydrating, plumping, and smoothing’ for best results.”

Once you have the right product in hand, Beauty Wonkette suggests five new uses for your eye cream you can start using right now.

 1. To smooth the lines between your eyebrows
While you’re using eye cream under your eyes, also pad some of the leftover product to smooth out fine lines between your brows, Rivero suggests. Bye bye to those angry-looking 11s between our brows!

 2. To adjust your concealer’s texture
“I love mixing in a bit of eye cream with cream concealers,” Rivero says. “It makes the product creamier and smoother.” Adding in some eye cream can also help cut down on creasing and can prolong wear, he adds, something that’s totally crucial in summer.

 3. To smooth your cuticles
Eye cream on our hands? That’s right! Waibel notes that the extra-hydrating properties of eye cream can be a “a great way to moisturize the cuticle area when the cuticles are dry or damaged.” Next time you’re tempted to pick at that hangnail, reach for the eye cream instead—your hands will really thank you!

 4. To hydrate your lip line. 
Whether it’s from drying products or too much fun in the sun, if your lip line is super dry, Rivero says to mask it with your favorite hydrating eye cream. “It will work better and faster than a waxy Chapstick and infuses time released hydration,” he explains. Goodbye dry skin; hello perfect lip liner!

 5. To create an instant glow.
“If you feel like your foundation is not looking as radiant as it could and you want a pick-me-up, dab a very thin layer of your eye cream overtop your foundation, concealer and powder,” suggests Rivero. Not only does this give your skin a healthy glow, it also adds moisture to the places that you need it most. “Place it on the center of your forehead, along the highest point of your cheeks by your temples, and a light touch on your chin for an instant refresher to your makeup.” This will give your skin an instantly fresh-faced sheen—without too much shine.

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Naked Burpees !!! Now ClassPass Lets You Watch Classes Instead of Going to Them

ClassPass has a new offering to placate the many people upset by its recent pricing and membership-plan changes: Video workouts. You can get your Jane Fonda on via the app and website, which has been updated to include Video on Demand, a library of over 100 video workouts. All ClassPass users can access 5 to 30-minute videos from popular YouTube instructors like Cassey Ho of Blogilates to teachers from local workout studios such as PatriciaFit and Laughing Lotus Yoga. The library will be be continually updated to include new content.
ClassPass Founder and Executive Chairman Payal Kadakia said of the new offering, “Video on Demand is the first of many digital products we’ll be debuting, all designed to keep our members moving while also giving our partners another powerful way to engage with our members.” It’s not the same as the unlimited plan, but at least now you don’t even have to wear pants if you want to do burpees.

Living Proof's Full Volume Blast for that Just F*cked Look

On the subject of hair, Beauty Wonkette insists that size matters. Everyone wants big hair these days — not ‘80s big, but big, no less — hair that’s slightly messy, marginally textured, and very thick - the way your hair looks after a particularly athletic romp in the hay. Extensions help with this, but they’re expensive, and reallty not good for your hair. Volumizing formulas posit themselves as a quick fix, but they’re mostly terrible. Here, however, is something that Beauty Wonkette promises to do the job: Living Proof’s Full Dry Volume Blast spray.

The spray is the latest innovation from the brand backed by Jennifer Aniston. Not quite a texture spray, and only vaguely reminiscent of a dry shampoo, Full Dry Volume Blast sits in a category of its own. Say you’re on the second or third day of your blowout and your hair is beginning to look a bit limp. Spray Full Dry Volume Blast from root to ends in two- to three-inch sections in your hair. Tousle your hair with your fingers for a lift and to define piece-y waves. Unlike most texture sprays, Full Dry Volume Blast doesn’t leave a sticky or chalky residue behind. Hair feels light, like it’s just been washed, but not stiff and dry. Results appear to last for about a day, and not much longer.

The MIT nerds at Living Proof always have a very scientific explanation for their products, and Full Dry Volume Blast is no exception. Scientists at the brand developed a patent-pending formula that includes something called Expandable, Textured Aero-Spheres, or ETAS. The molecular ETAS mushroom in size when spritzed on hair, which in turn creates volume. And since these “spheres” are filled with air, the volume never weighs hair down. The result is hair that appears lifted without sacrificing touchability. It’s the best midweek pick-me-up for your hair, especially if it’s a sad, flat affair.

Living Proof Full Dry Volume Blast, $29 at Sephora.

LEGENDARY! The best dupe for SkinMedica's recently discontinued TNS Advanced+ Serum

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