Weddingbee Blog

I need to be under strict supervision whenever I enter a shopping area. After buying a long-sleeve shirt for my trip to Chicago this weekend, I decided to cut through Bloomingdale’s today on the way back to my car. I tried my darndest to make it through the cosmetics area unscathed, but alas, I wandered over to the skincare section to examine some products. (You see, my face has been the victim of stress and abuse lately, and it’s definitely looking worse for wear.)

It was then that my friendly nature worked against my bank account. I started up a conversation with the Rodan + Fields gals, and before I knew it, I was on my way out the door with this:

Created by the makers of PROACTIV, they have four kits available to treat different skin needs: UNBLEMISH (my choice), ANTI-AGE, REVERSE, REGIMIN-PLUS and SOOTHE. According to my new friends, PROACTIV was made for oily skin, and mine is far from oily. I bought the travel size 3-piece kit ($45) from them and they gave me a free terrycloth travel case and 2 samples of their microdermabrasion paste and an anti-aging face cream.

What really sold me though? The money-back guarantee and Allure rating! I’ll let you know how it goes in the next month!

Has anyone else ever tried the Rodan and Fields line?

Question: What does a bridezilla-in-training look like?

.

.

.

.

.

Answer:

Read more…

I’ve never had a skin regime in my life. In fact, the truth is, I practice “gift bag skincare.” This means that I basically just use whatever products I get from give-away gift bags from different events I attend. I would not necessarily recommend this plan of action, but a girl does what she can. However, with one month left until the big day, I decided it was time to get serious.

So, I scheduled a 90 minute facial for myself at the Aveda Institute on Spring Street, and man was it a little slice of heaven. Since the Aveda Institute is their teaching school, I was a smidge worried about having a student cleanse my pores and pop my pimples, but as it turns out there was not a thing to worry about. In an hour and a half, I had a footbath, a tourmaline mask, all sorts of cleansing, extractions, hot towels, a foot and leg massage and a neck and back massage. In truth, I found that my student was even more conscientious about doing a good job than a normal facialist might be. Best of all, the whole shebang was only $55! I was so relaxed and rejuvenated by the time I left, I scheduled 3 more facials for the upcoming weeks.

Best of all, when I got back to my apartment my doorman Elliot said “huh…you’re kind of glowy today.”

The only downside is that the treatment “rooms” are these spaces separated by curtains. They offer privacy, but you occasionally hear other people chatting. I was still totally able to relax, but if you are looking for a lush, luxurious spa setting, this might not be for you.

I just scheduled my facial for October 14. Yay!

For my birthday this year, my girls got me a $300 gift certificate to Bliss Spa. I’ve been saving it until now because I really wanted to get a high quality facial right before the wedding. They recommend that you get your facials done at least two weeks before the wedding date, but I’m getting mine done way before then - just in case I have a bad reaction.

Bliss has a great customer service sector. The employees not only take appointments for all NYC locations, but also recommend certain treatments based on your skin type and what you want to accomplish. My person recommended that I get the Steep Facial.

steep clean¢â‚¬Å¾¢- $280
The ultimate in deep-cleansing, Steep Clean combines microdermabrasion with an oxygen wrap, 30-45 minutes of deep pore purging, massage, an arnica based calming mask, and a targeted Task Mask to keep breakouts at bay. Recommended twice yearly, or more often for ‘problem’ skin types. The faint of pore need not apply. 105 min.

I’m uber excited now. I love facials!! But in case the steep clean is not recommended for my skin type, I will be getting the Fully-Loaded Facial.

fully loaded facial¢â‚¬Å¾¢ - $195
Goes from The neck up… and Then totally over The top! This luxury facial includes deep cleansing, a fruit acid wash, an oxygen wrap, extractions, activating massage with essential oil balm, and age-fighting collagen ampoule, skin-type specific seaweed mask, head, neck, shoulder, arm, and foot massage, a hydrating Hair Dew treatment, and to finish, an O2 blast. 100 min.

Oh, October 14th. Why are you so far away~~?

Continuing our series on beauty products, let’s explore acne treatments today. I’m obsessed with clear skin and went to pretty extreme levels to ensure that I wouldn’t have any unexpected pimple surprises on my wedding day.

As for products, I’ve personally seen Proactive and Obagi work wonders on problem skin. You can’t avoid the Proactive infomercials with celebrity spokespeople like Vanessa Williams, Jessica Simpson, P Diddy, and Lindsay Lohan. And read about the fabulous Bryanboy’s experience with Obagi here - complete with before and after pictures. But I’ve also seen that these products don’t work for everyone. It’s hard to find exactly what works for you.

When I get the occasional pimple now, I use samples of a prescription acne medicine called Duac that my dermatologist gave me. I think Mario Badescu’s Pink Drying Lotion is also good for the occasional flare-up. In a pinch, I’ve also been known to use toothpaste - it really works!

What are your best acne treatment product recommendations?

We haven’t really done too much on make-up here at weddingbee, so I thought we’d start a series on favorite beauty products. It’ll be a great way for everyone to discover new products whether you’re doing your own wedding makeup, looking for a special pre-wedding party look, or just for fun.

Since skin is the foundation, lets start with skincare. I’ve mentioned before that I usually stick to plain old Dove Sensitive Skin Soap and Complex 15 face cream because of my eczema. But I also use a face wash w/ a Buf Puf sponge (great exfoliation) and a sunscreen face lotion from a line called Longevite that my dermatologist created. These products have kept my skin clear and glowing for the past 2 years - I totally swear by them.

Which skincare lines do you swear by?

Launched in 2004, Spa Week was created by two New York women who wanted to bring spa experiences to the masses. Services that typically run $100-$200 are only $50 during Spa Week. This is the perfect opportunity to go with your bridesmaids, go with your mom, give gift cards, or just treat yourself for your pre-wedding stress.

Spa Week runs in 15 cities nationwide - from September 18-24 in cities on the West Coast, and October 16-22 in cities on the east coast. The full list of spas for the east coast won’t be available until the 18th, but be sure to book early because I know the popular ones sell out pretty fast.

(via thedailyobsession)

I have sensitive skin. Like allergic to everything sensitive skin. Like my cat scratched me in third grade and I still have the scar sensitive skin.

Naturally, my bathroom is filled with bizarre cosmetics from foreign lands, all promising to brighten/tighten/renew/repave without causing an unsightly face rash. Sometimes these things lie, and I end up looking like a leper for a few days. So, it was with great trepidation I approached the fresh facial mask bar at Lush Cosmetics.

But, I really can’t pass up anything that looks like pudding, so I ended up buying a little plastic take-out container of Cosmetic Catastrophe. It’s supposed to be deep cleaning and moisturizing and balancing all at the same time. And, it is.

Sort of a shocker. It managed to clean all my pores and still not leave me all dry and flaky. And I’m face rash free. Ooh.

Lush Cosmetics
#108 - 1293 Broadway
(at 34th St.)
212-564-9120

I went to see my dermatologist yesterday, as I’ve already mentioned, because I have eczema and an unnatural obsession with getting skin cancer. When I was washing my face yesterday morning, I noticed that I had some small pimples on my forehead - the little bumpy kind that always seem to form in clusters. I don’t break out often but when I do, they’re usually the big, fat ugly ones - not little ones like these.

My dermatologist asked if I had made any recent changes, like dairy, to my diet that might have caused the breakout. I realized that I’ve been eating a lot of cereal and yogurt lately (in my attempt to be healthy and lose weight), and they’re both not part of my regular diet. She told me that Asians are especially susceptible to breakouts when they consume dairy, and yogurt is the number one culprit. She also asked if I ate oysters, which are high in iodine, and can also cause acne. If you know me, you know that I loooooove oysters. I’ve been eating them like once a week - if they weren’t meant to be eaten, why must they taste so good?!

This all sounded vaguely familiar as I recall avoiding dairy of any kind the month before my wedding, but the oyster thing was new to me. Perhaps the dairy avoidance worked (as I was not consuming oysters in mass quantities at that time) because I did have clear skin on my wedding day. So to all brides out there - you just might want to stay away from oysters, yogurt, milk, and cheese the weeks leading up to your wedding. I mean… it can’t hurt right?

Sorry for the lack of posts in the past *gasp* hour and a half! I had a dermatologist appointment today and it ran much longer than I expected. Speaking of my dermatologist, she’s awesome. I’ve mentioned her before, and if you want amazing wedding day skin, go see her!

Dr. Karen Burke
429 E. 52nd Street (bet 1st ave and the river)
212-754-1100