I’m pleased to announce that The Beauty Geek blog has been accepted into the Paula’s Choice family.

You may be familiar with Paula Begoun’s book Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, now in its 7th edition. Paula’s Choice are the skincare and cosmetic products that she personally recommends. The site is user-friendly, allowing you to browse products by skin type/concern and by product category. You can also subscribe to the Beautypedia to stay up-to-date on beauty products and news.

I’ve added a link to the Go Shopping list on the right!

If you’re under a dermatologist’s care for a skin condition such as psoriasis, keratosis pilaris, or rosacea, ask your doctor about products available through DERMAdoctor.com. You’ll find physician recommended skincare for many conditions at DERMAdoctor.com. If nothing else, visit the site to read the informative articles that you can use when discussing treatment options with your physician.

Many women develop a shiny nose, chin or forehead during the day which creates the temptation to powder our noses. As your personal Beauty Geek, I encourage you to skip the powder and buy some blotting papers. Powder can build up, get cakey and even clog pores over the course of a long day at the office. Blotting papers, on the other hand, absorb the excess oil, leaving your makeup intact. Some papers do come with a built-in powder, so be careful as those are not the best ones to use. Here are three that I have used and recommend.

Noevir Blotting Papers are made from an ultra-fine, handmade Japanese paper that is silky-soft to the touch and instantly absorbs excess oil. They come in an easy-to-dispense, durable plastic envelope of 100 sheets for $3.

Too Faced Refresh Oil Blotting Papers come in a attractive, slim box of 100 sheets for $12.

Philosophy the Supernatural Blotting Papers also come in a slim box of 100 sheets and cost $10.

I recently read fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi’s How to Have Style and was pleased to find that he included a wide range of ages and body styles for the women he uses as examples. He even had a middle-aged tall gal (6′ 1″) who wasn’t stick thin, which thrilled me since I fall in that category.

One of the most useful pieces of advice in this book is to create an “inspiration board” and to use that to develop one’s own personal style. Basically, you collect pictures, magazine clippings, color swatches and anything else that speaks to you and represents who you are at your core. Place all of these items on a corkboard and you’ve got the inspiration needed to develop your style. I’ve been doing this for years and have a notebook full of magazine clippings I’ve collected. I’ve noticed that, even though fashion trends change over time, there is a consistency in what I’m drawn to. Mizrahi goes step-by-step through each woman’s transformation based on the images, colors, people, etc. that inspire her.

Other useful features of the book include:

• Hair and makeup tips
• A willingness to work with the lifestyle of the woman
• A recognition of the beauty of each woman regardless of age or body shape
• Photos of age-appropriate and lifestyle-appropriate clothes for each woman

I recommend checking this book out of your local library and, if you find it helpful, purchasing a copy. Unlike many style books, this one is broad enough to have some lasting power even when the fashion winds change directions.

Here’s another article, a slight variation of the first, detailing my top 10 Beauty Tips for Valentines Day:

Valentine’s Day – Top 10 Beauty Tips

If you want year-round beauty tips, don’t forget to request your copy of The Beauty Geek’s Top 10 Beauty Tips!

Here are the products I recommend to get yourself looking irresistible for Valentine’s Day!

1. Exofoliate the day before with the Quick Recovery Mask
2. Take a long soaking bath with Herbal Bath Salts
3. Moisturize the body with the Tokara Body Lotion
4. Depending on your skin type, cleanse, tone and moisturize your face with the 99 Line (normal to oily) or the 505 Line (dry or mature skin)
5. Use the Sparkle Face Color to create a glowing complexion
6. Polish the cheeks with N5 Cheek Color
7. Create a smoky eye with N5 Stylish Eye Color CT (C0-7), Nuance Eyeliner in Silver, and N5 Nuance Mascara in Ocean Indigo
8. Finish by applying N5 Lip Gloss Duo CT (BE-1) to the lips

If you order before Monday, February 9, and select 3-day delivery, you’ll have everything you need on hand before the big day..

Want more Valentine’s Date Beauty Tips? Read my article at Associated Content!