The Return of Pretty....And The Big LIE!!*

So where have I been? well my beauty brethren I have been on a self imposed pretty hiatus. First a little writers block turns into a whirl of wondering and a much needed break from the beauty biz. Sometimes the business of beauty can be pretty ugly, and who has time for that?
Well like Jack yelling "Here's Johnny" as he smashed down the door with his axe to celebrate his return, ( of course I am using tweezers to get through my door, which takes a bit longer, but also means if you get a splinter it's a quick fix) I'm back my Beauties!!
With all the inane beauty'isms being whipped around, I thought a little bit of freshified pretty air was what was required- a dose of Jodyism's like cool water on a parched summer day was welcome.
So what first to chat about?
Well there is a few things that come to mind but I decided I wanted to focus on the Big Lie. You know, the one where you look at all of the beautiful pictures in magazines, the stunning covers of supermodels and Hollywood royalty and sigh in sadness and feel a dose of self hatred, cause you, a normal woman, can never, will never look like that. Well heres the thing- neither do they. Its the BIG LIE.
It's all illusion and make believe. A fairy tale of pretty marketed to make you purchase. There is a reason why makeup and skin creams are called Hope In Jar-the beauty belief is with this purchase, this lipstick, this shadow, this blush - well you can be just like those cover girls.
You can be Angelina, a Global Goddess off saving the world with pseudo hubby Brad by her side and her exotic Benetton brood trailing behind. Or Jennifer; sad, single, always searching for love, Jennifer (who by the way, when she shows up on the cover of magazines, sells more newsstand copies then any other Hollywood actress- single and sad is a big money maker) the golden LA girl with the broken heart and shiny hair always looking for true love, especially when there is a new movie to promote. Oh hi ya Vince, John and Gerard. Or Demi, with the disappearing/non existent hip bones or Madonna, 50 and fabulous and giving the middle finger to all those who want her to act her age and put away her rock hard abs and candy dish. How do they seemingly defy gravity and nature? Its all a Big Lie.
Even the ladies who trumpet loudly for real women everywhere like singer Kelly Clarkson on an issue of Shape and Tina Fey on the newest Vogue are not immune to the Big Lie either. Real beauty with a healthy dose of enhancement is like a spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down, making their pretty more palatable and purchasable.
Good Dr's and needles and designer genes, for sure they all play a part in the maintenance of perfection, but more importantly is the art of the retouch. The magicians of photoshop wield their wands like modern day Michelangelos sculpting with digital bits and bites.
Even the genetic lottery winners, the gorgeous girls better known as models, all pretty super, with their doe eyes, plush cushiony mouths and flawless skin, the ones who traipse hungrily down the world's runways wearing size zero sample sizes know its all illusion and play. A pretty party of make believe with hair, makeup, lighting and photo shop. Need longer lashes, a thinner nose, less wrinkles, a fuller mouth, more curves or less? No problem- a little computer magic is better then looking at life through a vaseline smeared lenses. Less sticky.
The Big Lie requires you to believe that this Holy Grail, the pinnacle of pretty, truly exists in the realm of mankind and not just inside your computers hard drive. These pictures I posted will show you what a little bit of digital paint can do for a picture. When you realize all images that appear in fashion/beauty magazines have been retouched, digitally enhanced and improved, you start to appreciate them for fantasy and for pleasure and start cutting ourself some serious slack. Simple escapism instead of self hating requires taking your critical eye and turning it outward. What you see on the page is a fantasy as opposed to what stares nakedly back at you from your mirror. Stop comparing and criticizing and just start celebrating. You.
A daily dose of self love is the Power of Pretty in all its radiant glory and no computer is required. Pretty powerful I think.

*click on a few pictures to make them expand and see the true art of the retoucher

MY FAVORITE THINGS

Exfoliated bodies and lightly made up complexions
Bright Glowing faces and the Vogue beauty sections
Brown rimmed eyes with lip colors that sing
These are a few of my Favorite Things

Bright Colored blushes and foundations that blend
Q-tips and primers and mascara that bend
Smokey Yves Rocher eyes that sparkle like diamond rings
These are a few of my Favorite Things

Women in short dresses with legs like smooth satin sashes
Lightly powdered noses and fabulous false eyelashes
A Silver white eye you can wear into Spring
These are a few of my Favorite things

When the cold bites
When the wind stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply reach for my favorite beauty things
And then I don't feel so bad.


Glycolic acids that give you great skin
Botanical Beauty that glows from within
Vaseline Cocoa Butter that makes my skin feel like a King
These are a few of my Favorite Things

Dove Real Beauty Bar so soft to the caress
A deodorant that leaves no marks on the little black dress
These are the reasons I blog and walk with a Spring
I am giving away some of my Favorite Things!

When you're over the endless Holiday cheer
When your Visa statement fills you with fear
When you're feeling sad
It's time to win a beauty basket worth lots of bling
The Power of Pretty 'gifts' you some Favorite Things
And then you will feel so Glad*





I have a Beauty basket to give away exclusively to listeners of Proud FM's Shaun Proulx Show and readers of his blog HIMBO. Entering to win is simple- Just become a follower of my Blog on the right hand side-

http://thepowerofpretty.blogspot.com- by clicking on the follow this blog/subscribe button on the right hand side. Simple as that. I will pick a winner out of all the entries and tell you how to contact me.

I also have another Beauty basket to giveaway and that is for the person who sends me the highest number of people who become followers/subscribers. Just tell them to add a comment and tell me they were sent by you. individual items may vary but it will be a good Win! A really good WIN. A empty out the tickle trunk kind of win.
Painless and Pretty- My favorite kind of Beauty Duty!

*Apologies to Julie Andrews, Rogers and Hammerstein and anyone else traipsing around the Alps.

Get Your Glow On

Winter comes to town and brings with it the tragic combo of dull and dry. The flakey dance where your skin utters a silent sigh and wants to hibernate until spring. Winter weather sure puts the chill on pretty.
Well, I have a new beauty duty, a must have great enough to make you brave the snow and sleet. DermaGlows' Radiance Glycolic Gentle Peel Solution gives your skin back its gorgeous glisten. Skin that looks like it's lit from within and is silky soft to the touch. I am gushing, in an oh so makeup man way, but I am loving this stuff.
It is gentle enough to use everyday and is as simple as saturating a cotton ball or pad and sweeping it across your cleansed skin. There is no need to rinse off afterwards and you can immediately put on your moisturizer. It has been clinically proven to improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, sun damaged skin and age spots. It makes your skin look and feel as if you have splurged and hit the medi -spa for a little high tech beauty maintenance.
Now there's no need to forgo the mortgage payment for a daily dose of pretty and while I have not filled my bathtub and splashed around hoping to emerge with the sparkling vampire visage of a tween Twilight cast member, I must confess I have found myself having a couple of narcissus mirror moments, thinking what is reflected back is looking pretty great for 37ish (again.)
DermaGlows Radiance Glycolic Gentle Peel Solution, like all their skin care products, is Dermatologist tested. It is non drying, non irritating has a 10% glycolic acid and is packed with other AHAs* and sodium hyaluronate*. The full sized bottle I have also comes with a bonus of Glycolic Smoothing Moisturizer inside the box. While I bundle up to tackle the wild of winter head on, I will be doing it with an enviable polished complexion, that has me gleaming and glowing and believing in The Power Of Pretty.



FYI- A little beauty lesson-

*AHA's are Alpha Hydroxy Acids which are fruit acids derived from natural sources such as citrus fruits, milk and sugar. The family of AHAs includes glycolic acid, lactic acid, mandelic acid and tartaric acid. They are capable of softening fine lines and surface wrinkles, improving both the skin texture and tone whilst opening and cleanseing pores. They also stimulate blood supply, increase collagen and generally improve skin conditions.

*Sodium Hyaluronate is thought to play an important role in modulating the interactions between adjacent tissues by acting as a lubricant. Sodium Hyluronate is distributed widely in your skin's extracellular matrix and is believed to promote tissue repair.

The Power Of Pretty and The Reup On The Prenup

The painstakingly careful image construct of good guy, family man Tiger Woods has just imploded with rocking reverberations. Like a birthday party pinata meeting stick wielding sugar starved preshoolers, the pro golfing kitty cat, known for his pars and birdies, is now using a few of his privileged nine lives trying to contain a worldwide media melt. From professional sports pundits and gleeful gossips, to the nail gnawing of his anxiety ridden inner circle reaching for their super sized ativan armor, the Tiger saga is splayed large as we find out this tour de force golfing feline is one dirty dog.

As the assorted cocktail waitresses, reality star wannabes and pseudo models dust off their knees and crawl out into the harsh glare of the media spotlight, with hands held high, they are looking for a pay day. With a smile on their faces, TMZ stars gleaming in their eyes and extra zeros landing in their bank accounts, these women are high priced call girl celebutantes. They are sharing their saved voice messages and intimate sex texts amidst all the electronic froth and chum of a Tiger Tsunami.
So now word is Mrs Tiger Woods, his beatific blonde Scandinavian born beauty, his smiling supportive spouse and mother of his children, is playing hardball. As Tiger makes public and private amends for tripping over his pieces of tail and atone for his trashy tabloid transgressions, word is Elin Woods is reopening her prenup and looking to get some serious green.

What is the going rate for an angry woman scorned you ask? Some media reports suggest an immediate five million US is being placed in her solo controlled bank account along with a reup on the prenup of upwards of $80 million. A serious cash infusion from her previous prenup, this one is rewritten so she will stick around for two more years, hand holding hubby and playing media nice, the dutiful wife standing by her man during his very public mea culpa. Her hubby, the player, out there swinging like he is single, earned over an estimated $100 million last year in endorsement deals alone. Dwarfing his actual golf winnings which added another $11 million to the Tiger kitty. Earning over $112 for the year. Serious bucks are required to ensure she will hold off on screaming fore and kick his cheating ass to the curb.

Is that enough for Elin? Should she stay? Save a marriage and endure the public pity party or cut her losses and walk away? Walk away with her two children, a toddler and an infant, a broken marriage and a broken heart? Or swallow the bitter betrayal resign the contract and stay? Should she stick around and make her dutiful Oprah appearance on Tiger's upcoming apology tour or end it now?

As the fabricated facade of another fairy tale marriage evaporates into ether it is evident from the many published pictures of happier times, Elin Woods is very pretty. And I think pretty smart. Right now he needs her, the declawed adulterous athlete, he needs his pretty wife by his side, to get him out of the rough he's landed them all in. He needs her help to repair his tattered and torn public image, to save his family, his brand and his 100 million yearly take in endorsement deals. She now has the power to decide when and if to end it. More importantly, on her terms. To walk away or to stay. The pretty blonde, stay at home dutiful wife, is the one with the driver firmly in hand. It's impressive to watch the Power of Pretty at play, as Elin Woods proves with the art of renegotiation she is a master in her own right.

Pucker Up! A lipgloss that prevents date rape

A new makeup line out of the UK has debuted a weapon for your beauty arsenal that may just save your life, keeping you beautiful and in control. Imagine you are out partying with your girlfriends, shaking it on the dance floor leaving your beverage unattended for even just a moment and your girl power spidey sense is tingling. Your female intuition tells you that something just doesn't feel right. 2LoveMyLips lip gloss comes in 5 sizzling shades and helps to promise peace of mind along with a pretty perfect pout.
Each tube of gloss comes with two paper test strips that indicate if your drink has been tampered with before you take a sip with that straw. The test strips use a drop of your beverage on the end and changes color to a deep blue if your cocktail has been spiked with an illicit drug such as ketamine or GHB. It may alert you to other drugs but unfortunately doesn't work on rohypnol . These chemicals have been used as date rape drugs if given in high enough doses to unsuspecting victims. If for whatever reason you feel suspicious about your drink, a quick test makes sure the party stays fun and celebratory and your memories of the evening don't fade to blackout.
The gloss is sold online and with plans to sell at bars and clubs via vending machines and is on its way to North America. 2LoveMyLips isn't another beauty accessory but wants to be your social necessity. http://www.2lovemylips.co.uk/

Cosmetiholic- Makeup Artist Mondays

This was posted yesterday on Cosmetiholic in the US. For a longer version see below-

http://cosmetiholic.com/2009/11/14/makeup-artist-monday-jody-daye.aspx

Interview I did with Cosmeticholic for Makeup Artist Mondays

I just did an interview with Cosmeticholic web site @ http://www.cosmetiholic.com/ where she focused on four specific questions and also some products I like and why. Below are my answers. I am reposting two of my Cargo Face Charts I did for my recent personal appearance- see below- it shows what I am explaining with how to apply bronzers. I also posted a still from a video shoot I did called "Love is Gone" by Dave Armstrong featuring H. Boogie to show how to wear shimmer on your face- eyes, lips and cheeks. As one of my all time favorite quotes, from a movie so bad its painfully and deliciously good says,
"NEVER LET THE GLITTER OVERWHELM THE ARTIST."

Topic: Wake up winter skin

1. In the winter, skin often looks pale and dry. What makeup and skincare products can combat this?
2. Can you wear bronzer in the winter? Tips/tricks
3. What are your tips for disguising tired eyes?
4. How do you apply shimmer in the winter?


1.In winter skin can go through a bit of a beating and look really dry, dehydrated and pale. Especially with cold weather blowing in and bringing wind, snow and freezing temperatures and buildings heating systems turning on their radiators and other indoor radiant dry heat. These factors can really play havoc with your skin and turn your complexion into looking like parchment paper fairly quickly.

There are ways to combat this effectively by changing up your beauty regimen and tweaking a few of your normal routines. I really recommend keeping your skin as hydrated as possible- if possible get a humidifier for your home or office and make sure you are drinking lots of water. This is also the time for most women to put away the light weight summer moisturizer and add a serum loaded with essential skin nutrients. A favorite serum loaded with nutrients and not greasy is Time Arrest Face Fluid by Dr. Brandt teamed with a more emollient moisturizer that has Hyaluronic Acid in it. Hyaluronic Acid or HA is a natural molecule found in plants that are rich in starch and is known to hold lots of water and moisturize the skin from the outside in. Quite a few moisturizers from different brands with varying price points have HA in them and I have tried numerous ones with no clear winner depending on your preferences. The most important thing is to keep your skin moisturized and hydrated. Also make sure the lips and eye area are well moisturized also. Dermaglow makes a great product for the eye area called Triple Action Eye Lift that comes as a nifty roller packed with sodium hyaluronate, which also holds moisture and escin, which is a natural extract derived from the horse chestnut tree and promotes collagen production.


On a clean face mix a bit of liquid/cream foundation with your chosen moisturizer to make it really sheer and hydrating. This helps melt into the skin and give a nice overall coverage without looking cakey or too heavy. For a healthy looking radiance use a small bit of product like Strobe Cream"or Smash Box's Luminizer added into the moisturizer/foundation combo, giving your skin a beautiful all over natural glow. For longer wearability I am loving Dior's Skinflash Primer- Radiance Boosting Makeup Primer under makeup for it's light reflective qualities and anti fatigue photo-smart pigments. Just worn bare on skin makes a huge difference in pretty and makes skipping heavy foundations and powders so much easier.

I recommend you work with lots of creams/liquid bronzers like one of my favorites, CARGO's Multimix Bronzer,apply with a foundation brush across the forehead, nose, chin and cheek bones. Use a pop of pink or a coral shade blush on the apples of your cheeks to wake up a tired or dull complexion. NAR's, creamy Orgasm and its peachy/pink with small golden flecks is a perfect compliment to most women's skin tones and really makes a complexion look fresh and alive. A swirl on the apples rounding upwards is one of the fastest way to put life back into tired, dull looking skin and its' creamy consistency can be used on eye lids and lips also for a quick all over face pick me up.

For most women, in the dry winter especially, stay away from powders. Except if needed in the T zone if it is oily and use only a light dusting on a large powder brush. If needed elsewhere, dust all over to set the makeup, as too much powder really dries and dulls out the healthy luster or natural sheen of the skin. Another product I really like is CARGO's Liquid Powder that goes on wet but dries quickly to a lightweight powdery consistency and has small light reflective qualities that don't flatten or dull down the look of the complexion and imparts a healthy looking halation or glow.

2. Of course you can wear bronzer in the winter. I suggest you stay away from anything that is too orangey or too dark since when your skin naturally gets paler in the winter months you need to adjust and you may want to use a lighter shade of your favorite bronzer. As mentioned earlier creams and liquids give a really natural healthy glow by tinting the skin where the sun would hit you. If you are want to amp up the look for evening or go for the chiseled cheek that was all the rage on the runways this season, stay away from shimmery bronzers underneath the cheek bone and make sure, if you are using a bronzing powder, that you first set your face with a light dusting of translucent powder so the bronzer will blend easily and not get stuck or look muddy. After you bronze, play up the just back from the beach vibe with a pop of color on the apples of your cheeks- CARGO's blu ray Bronzer powder is great and blends like a dream topped with their Shimmery Beach Blush or my new favorite, blu ray Blush/Highlighter. NARS's Malibu is another great cheek shade and you can use the same sun kissed shade in a gloss or sheer lipstick on your lips like two of my favorites, Du Wop's Venom Glosses in Lantana or Coral Tree.

3. Tired looking eyes can easily be taken care of in the winter. Stay away from packing any powders and heavy liners under your eyes is a great way to start them from looking tired. For day time, line the top of the eyelashes against the lash line with either a pencil or liquid depending on the look you want but stay away from the underneath, as if you are like most women this area breaks down easily and faster. Curl the lashes and only apply mascara on the top only. A great trick is after you are done applying your eye makeup, take a q-tip dipped in moisturizer and roll it under your eye, this picks up any flecks of shadow that may have fallen and would muddy or discolor your under eye area. Now when that is all clean put on a light reflective concealer and my favorite is Yves St Laurent's Touche Eclat. Pay special attention to the dark inner area of your eye against your nose and not just under the eye. Follow this with a beauty bag must have by CARGO called EyeLighter on the inner corner near your tear duct to brighten up the entire area and mimic a young fresh eye.

4. Shimmer can be applied in a variety of ways in the winter according to what type of look you are trying to achieve. If wearing it on the cheeks it should be the highest part of the cheek bone and on the outside corner of the eye. It should not be worn if skin is dry or flaky as the shimmer will accentuate this. Also stay away from shimmer all over the eyelids into the crease if they are crepey, as this will accentuate the wrinkles in the skin. You can still do shimmer under the eyebrow, the inner corner of the eye and on the lid if paired with matte eye liners and shadows that give the eye depth. Also the icy eye is a strong look for Holiday and is easy to do with a shimmery shadow paired with lots of mascara and making the rest of the face matte and hydrated.