My Disclosure Plan

So, you may have heard that today the FTC came out with new regulations regarding endorsements. They've been rumored to be in the works for awhile now, and I've been debating about what I would do for disclosure. Honestly, I've been thinking about this for even longer than that, given previous drama about bloggers receiving free products.

What I've decided to do is create little buttons for the bottom of each post that disclose my relationship for that particular post. Nothing fancy, just text that matches the site. If you click the button, it will bring you back to this post, explaining more in detail what my exact relationship is for that post. See? Not fancy, fairly direct. It will be at the bottom of every post, so easy to find.

Neutrogena's Rapid Clear Cleanser

During my recent cross country move I was having some skin issues. I'm not sure if it was just sitting in the car for three days on end, washing my face in a different Holiday Inn everynight, but by the end of our drive my skin was a disaster. I was oily, had dry flaky patches and my face had more clogged pores than I've had at any time since high school. I was running out of face wash as well, so I decided that it was time for a shakeup. I decided I would address the clogged pores with my cleanser and concentrate on increasing my exfoliation to help with the flakes.

Anyways, I hightailed it to the Meijer beauty section once I arrived here in the midwest. (Meijer is like a Super Walmart, but owned by a family in Grand Rapids Michigan. They're open 24/7 except Christmas and they sell everything. I missed them in California!) After perusing the options, I settled on this cleanser from Neutrogena. I love the brand and the idea of an oil control cleanser (without the added acne fighters that dry me out) was perfect.

Overall I really loved this cleanser. Honestly, it does smell just a bit medicinal. It's pretty thick and creates a nice lather. It is perfect for pairing with my Clarisonic since the cleanser stays put on the bristles and doesn't wash away too easily. The cleanser overall does a great job, cleaning away makeup quickly and easily (though keep it away from your eyes, it will sting and it doesn't really remove mascara). The cleanser didn't overly dry my skin and I had no irritation. Within just a day or two my skin was looking better and my pores were clearer.

This is definitely a cleanser I would buy again!

Neutrogena's Rapid Clear Cleanser

How to Get the Most Out of The Skincare Products You're Using

How do you know if you're applying all of those serums, gels and lotions in the right order? Because putting them on incorrectly could mean poor absorption of that expensive serum, which just means money down the drain. Honestly, this is something that even doctors get confused about.

Skincare products are different than the drugs that I prescribe my patients every day. Typically I am dealing with only 2 different routes of delivery- Oral vs Intravenous. So, I usually only have to think about how well the stomach/intestine will absorb something.

However, skincare (and topical drugs for the skin) have many different formulations. Serums, gels, lotions.... they all absorb into the skin differently in terms of depth and time period. In fact, it is the formulation (or as Dr. Schultz calls it, the vehicle) that is much more important than even the percent active ingredient.

Dr. Schultz's newest video over on DermTV is a great explanation of this problem. I hope it helps relieve some confusion!

DermTV: What Order to Apply your Skincare

My Favorite Eye Palettes for Fall 2009

I am a big sucker for eye shadow palettes. I need to buy at least two or three every season. It's a sickness and has caused me to have lack of storage space. This fall two of the best palettes out there are from the same company, Tarte. I love Tarte's shadows! They are well pigmented, easy to blend and the eye shadows last forever.


Femme Fatale Palette

Hair Worthy of Prime Time: Quick Tips to Get it Yourself!

I get a lot of e-mails with info on how to achieve a certain look around award show season. I tend to pick the cream of the crop for posting, though I honestly feel a bit strange about that. Sure Heidi Klum looked gorgeous in her dress, or Angelina's cat eye was amazing. But frequently those looks aren't really workable for "everyday." And I want more everyday looks.

So, I was pretty excited when I received information from Aussie about how to achieve the looks we see on our favorite prime time shows. These looks are workable for every day, aren't very detailed and just should help you with your own look.

Read on for more!