Beauty U goes on winter break tomorrow, so I’m gearing up to take the next 12 days off from blogging for Christmas, New Year’s, and the plentiful eating of real chocolate. It’s all good — we’re gearing up for advanced facials after break, and my skin needs some rebound time after a class effort to [...]
Entries from December 2009
December 22, 2009
Ingredient Watch: Parabens
My 600-hour adventure in esthetics school. Read about the project, or catch up with weeks 1-7.
I’m making vocabulary flash cards for our Chapter 11 test, and thought I’d pass along this book learning, from Milady’s Standard Fundamentals for Esthetician, Chapter 11: Product Selection and Ingredients, page 242-243:
Methyl paraben — One of the most frequently used [...]
December 21, 2009
From the department of nothing tastes as good as thin feels:*
*Except for everything, ever.
Instead of “gorging on calories” this holiday season, The Cut encourages you to “satisfy your sweet tooth in a different, fat-free way,” by purchasing Jane Iredale’s Chocoholicks lip gloss gift set for $44.
Oy.
I guess that’s a helpful diet strategy if you’re sad and hungry like Kate Moss (the pithy wordsmith/awesome role model behind the [...]
December 21, 2009
Pretty Price Check (12.21.09)
The Pretty Price Check: Your Friday (only now it’s Monday) round-up of how much we paid for beauty this (last) week.
America The Beautiful documentary-maker Darryl Roberts made CNN this weekend with his 7000-person-strong boycott of Ralph Lauren, inspired by this ridiculousness:
You can join the good fight here. Oh and speaking of Photoshop, what did [...]
December 18, 2009
Twiggy, out of fashion. (Glossed Over.)
Glossed Over: Taking a closer look at what advertisements are really selling.
Quick props to Salon’s Broadsheet for an incisive analysis of the UK’s decision to ban this heavily-airbrushed Olay eye cream ad, but not to regulate heavy photo retouching more generally.
Having worked at fashion magazines (where before/after Photoshop exercises such as this litter photo department [...]
December 17, 2009
Is it a dress code or a body code?
On Tuesday, I told you about American Apparel instructing female employees on eyebrow grooming. Now, bellasugar is reporting on two cases where elementary school children are in trouble over their hair. A Milwaukee first-grade teacher cut off one of 7-year-old LMya Cammon’s braids when the little girl wouldn’t stop twirling them in [...]
December 16, 2009
The European Facial.
My 600-hour adventure in esthetics school. Read about the project or catch up with Weeks 1-6.
We get down to business with the European Facial tonight, with everyone paired up on the spa beds while Miss Jenny perches in a director chair between us to critique our work.
The European facial is kind of the most [...]
December 15, 2009
A different kind of pageant.
Oh my goodness.
Remember how we got all worked up about beauty pageants because of the disturbing baby beauty pageant contestants with their flipper teeth and taxidermied smiles?
Then, do you remember how I followed that up with news about the Miss Trans Indian Beauty Pageant — which seems like an amazing celebration, yet still worried me [...]
December 15, 2009
Eyebrows, Made in America. (Glossed Over.)
Glossed Over: Taking a closer look at what advertisers are really selling.
I’ve tried so hard to like American Apparel, with its “Made in LA,” sweatshop-free guarantees. Lately, they’ve gotten more press for thinking neon high-waisted leggings are an important fashion statement (they are not) than their pro-worker practices. But they’re [...]
December 14, 2009
Saving my money.
The Beauty U student population remains mixed on whether we want to sign up for Scott’s Beauty Business Sense, even after Mr. G’s infomercial and Simon Scott’s six-figure promises. Of course, I’m curious about what we’ll learn in the program, and I applaud Mr. G’s attempts to upgrade his curriculum and stay cutting edge. He’s got [...]
