Field Test - La Prairie Cellular Power Infusion and White Caviar (Part IV - Day 8 Update)

I’ve been using La Prairie’s Cellular Power Infusion and the White Caviar System consistently morning and night for 7 days so far. Here are updated pictures so you can see the progress.

Day 1 (left) Day 8 (right)

Day 8 - Right side of face, Day 8 - Left side of face

Day 1 (Left), Day 8 (Right)

It’s already making a difference. My face is softer, smoother, the “thinking” lines in my forehead and brow are softening, the under-eye darkness is lighter, and my skin-tone is more even.

On Day 6, I realized that I consistently missed applying the products to the apples of my cheeks...I could tell because the skin-tone on rest of my cheeks was evening out, but the apples were still spotty. That morning I changed the way I applied the products to I get even application across my whole face. I also got very consistent about applying sunscreen every morning to minimize creating any new dark spots.

At the beginning of this test, I used concealer under my eyes, under my nose, on the spots on my cheeks and around the sides of my mouth. Now, I don’t need concealer anywhere on the right side of my face (only under the eye)!

Here is a little video with the results and what I’ve learned so far.



My dream is to be able to skip concealer AND foundation all together. I’m definitely headed in that direction. Will check back in another week with the next update!

Additional updates:
Day 10: the gentle sloughing ended today. My face is still soft, smooth and dewy. I'm not seeing a significant daily lightening of the dark spots as I had up to this point. I guess the spots that are left are deeper in the skin and will take more time to fade.
Day 12: The first vial of Cellular Power Infusion lasted until today. The instructions estimate it will last 7-10 days, but it lasted 12 days.

Here are links to the rest of the series:

Part I - The Products
Part II - The Canvas
Part III – First Week of The Test
Part V – Day 38 Update
Part VI - Week 13

Thank you Kevin Hong for shooting my homemade video!

Tie One On

Yes, women can wear ties too! Here's a cool way for women (and men) to wear a tie. Flip it "ascot style" and secure it with a tie tack/pin or broach.

Here's how Jennifer Dean (President & CEO of Dean's Professional Services) wore it today when she spoke to BPW's monthly networking meeting. She paired the tie with a matching button-down shirt and fitted feminine linnen suit...so chic! Thanks for the creative idea Jennifer! (P.S. Jennifer mentioned that someday she might start a company offering ties and french cuff shirts for women).



For other creative ways to wear a tie, check out this video from Rebecca Spera with Mirror/Mirror.



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Field Test - La Prairie Cellular Power Infusion and White Caviar (Part III - Test Day 1)

This is Part III Of The Field Test Series.

Day 1 of my field test is here! I opened up all the packages and gave the products a try. They look, feel and smell so luxurious! Here is a video of my first experience of the products. I’ll be using them morning and night for the next 30 days. I’ll check back in a week with an update on the progress to see if/how it’s all working.



Update (May 19): I didn't expect to see any results yet, but I'm already noticing a change, so here's an update.

Day 1 (May 18): after the second application in the evening, my skin already felt softer.
Day 2 (May 19): a couple hours after the evening application, I noticed a very thin layer of skin began sloughing off when I rubbed the skin on my face. There is no discomfort, redness, or freaky face...just softer, smoother skin.
Day 5 (May 22): Husband says, "Your face is lighter." Translation: "The scars are lighter and your skin-tone is more even." :D I've noticed that the surface scars around my mouth and lower cheeks are getting lighter.
Day 6 (May 23): I realized that I consistently miss applying the products to the apples of my cheeks...I can tell because the skin-tone rest of my cheeks is evening out. This morning I changed the way I apply the products to I get even application across my whole face. I'm stunned by how well this stuff is working! I never expected to see results this fast and can't wait to take pics on Wednesday for show you the progress.

Here are links to the rest of the series

Here are links to the rest of the series:
Part I - The Products
Part II - The Canvas
Part IV – Day 8 Update
Part V – Day 38 Update
Part VI - Week 13

Field Test - La Prairie Cellular Power Infusion and White Caviar (Part II - The Canvas)

This is Part II in the Field Test series, trying out La Prairie's Cellular Power Infusion and White Caviar. Links to the other parts of the series are at the bottom of this post.

Here is my face at the beginning of the field test – the baseline"BEFORE" pictures (5/17/11). This goes without saying...but just for the record, the pictures haven't been touched, retouched, photoshopped..etc. This is me in my raw, natural state.

What do I like about my face? Hmmm, I haven't asked that question in a while. I like
· Base color of my skin,
· Soft, healthy lips and
· Pudgy little nose.

What do I wish were different?
· More even skin tone – I want to erase the scarring and hyper-pigmentation on my face (especially on cheeks, upper lip, chin and temples) and lighten my under-eye area.
· Reduce fine lines and wrinkles – I want to unfurrow my brow, smooth the under eye area, and bring back the glow to the skin all over my face.

The products arrive today...I can’t wait to get started!

Here are links to the rest of the series:

Part I - The Products
Part II - The Canvas
Part III – First Week of The Test
Part IV – Day 8 Update
Part V – Day 38 Update
Part VI - Week 13

Field Test - La Prairie Cellular Power Infusion and White Caviar (Part 1 - The Products)

There are lots of ways to fight the signs of aging. Medical spa treatments use lasers, peels, and medicines to remove dark spots and wrinkles. These treatments can be expensive ($250-$500+ per office visit); involve down time (time for the skin on your face to recover from the treatment); some ingredients, such as hydroquinone, used in the treatments are harsh or have scary side effects; and often a series of treatments is needed to get the desired results.

I’ve been on the hunt for home treatments that provide professional results. Almost every cosmetic line in boutiques, department stores, and drug stores claims to have products that reduce wrinkles and fade dark spots. Most over-the-counter home treatments promise significant results, but often don’t deliver. In my experience, they work best for preventative maintenance, but don’t significantly transform or restore the skin.

These are the best I've found so far in my quest, and reKinerase PhotoFacials Sun Damage Reversal System does a good job reducing wrinkles and fine lines and restoring glowing skin. Mary Kay’s Timewise Even Complexion Essence does a good job lightening age spots without harsh ingredients. Note, dark spots are tricky and hard to fade because they begin deep in the skin layers. Fading them takes time (about 8 weeks) and takes committed daily application.

The “word on the street” is that the most effective over the counter treatments for wrinkles and age spots come from La Prairie. La Prairie Cellular Power Infusion reverses fine lines and wrinkles and White Caviar fades dark spots. Yeow! They are pricey!! But if they work, the price of a full treatment is about the same as one office visit for a medispa treatment, so it may be worth the price tag. That's what I plan to find out.

La Prairie has generously offered samples of these two treatments for me to try. So, I’ll be testing them out to see how they work and posting before and after pictures along the way, so you can come along for the ride. My field test begins next week (May 18).

Here’s what I’ll be using:

La Prairie Cellular Power Infusion

La Prairie White Caviar (Illuminating Serum, Illuminating Cream, and Illuminating Eye Serum)

I’d love to hear if you’ve used them and about your experiences with them and other anti-aging products you’ve tried.

Here are links to the rest of the series:

Part I - The Products
Part II - The Canvas
Part III – First Week of The Test
Part IV – Day 8 Update
Part V – Day 38 Update
Part VI - Week 13

Decoding The Dress - What Kate Middleton's Dress "Says"

Every outfit we wear evokes an emotional reaction and conveys a message that sets the tone for our communication and actions.

Catherine Middleton’s wedding dress is more than a pretty gown to get married in. The wedding is a union and beginning for the individuals and also the formal start of their official royal positions. This wedding dress sets the tone for The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s royal roles and future rein.

The underlying message of any outfit can be "decoded" by analyzing the elements - style, color, and fabric.

Style - The dress is modest, reserved, elegant, and retro in style. It reflects the fashion of the 1940s - 1950s, and also speaks to the values of that time. This also happens to be the period of Queen Elizabeth’s wedding. It’s the counter to Princess Diana’s elaborate, showy, complicated gown of the 1980s.

Catherine’s dress showed respect for tradition. Catherine’s veil covered her face and reinforced the traditional message. The whole look signaled the couple’s embrace of a simpler time, a time when royalty behaved like the Queen - regally, honorably and respectfully in public. It says we are not going to continue the public display of dirty laundry of Charles, Diana, Camilla and Sarah Ferguson.


Color – Catherine chose the color ivory for her dress. Ivory is classic, aged, soft and warm. It doesn’t scream for attention the way white does. William and Catherine plan to live outside the spotlight. At 28, Catherine is older than past royal brides and has had more time to come to terms with the expectations and restrictions of her new role. Ivory expresses Catherine’s maturity, respect for tradition, and preference to be in the background.


Fabric – The fabrics used in the wedding gown were classic wedding fabrics – silk satin, French and English lace, and silk tulle. The intricate lace veil was hand-crafted at London’s Royal School of Needlework and much of the lace on the gown was made in Derbyshire. The fabrics reinforce the traditional message and also demonstrate a respect and appreciation for traditional English crafts.

Every element of the wedding look reinforces the message of traditional, reserved royalty. Catherine Middleton’s wedding dress says “I respect tradition, my country, and my royal duties.”

If you liked this post, you might like tese too. For more outfits decoded, click these links.

Michelle Obama – Decoding The Inauguration Look
Michelle Obama – It’s Not Really About The Shorts
Jennifer Lopez – How Image Gets In The Way
What Is Ines Sainz Asking For?

For info about decoding color, click here.

The Evolution Of Mineral Foundation

Mineral foundations have become a staple in many women’s makeup bags.
They love this new generation of foundations because the makeup is lightweight, provides good coverage for spots and other imperfections, and is all natural. The down side – many mineral makeups are messy powders that have to be custom color blended for every application.

Advanced Mineral Makeup’s new liquid mineral makeup is the best of both worlds. It’s super lightweight, looks very natural – like your skin, but better, and is easily applied with fingers or a foundation brush. The best thing? The shades match real women’s skin tones (many foundation companies are still using a warm/neutral/cool system that makes foundation matching a real challenge). This foundation comes in 7 easy-to-match shades ranging from fair to medium…think Nicole Kidman to Angela Bassett. Fingers crossed that they will add darker shades so everyone can wear it.



Here are a few more high lights:
· The makeup is all pigment, so a little goes a long. Apply over your moisturizer before it dries so the foundation goes on and blends smoothly.
· It won’t settle in creases and it contains antioxidants, botanicals and anti-aging ingredients, so it gives you a more youthful appearance.
· Anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory
· Contains no perfumes, FD&C dyes, binders, talc, or parabens
· Oil-free and non-comedogenic

Thank you so much Stacey Adair for introducing me to the makeup and sending the sample to try! I fell in love with it and it’s become my secret for looking good on “no makeup” days.

In Houston, Advanced Mineral Makeup’s liquid foundation is available at Soteria Skin and Spiegel Spa. For more info about the makeup, visit www.AdvancedMineralMakeup.com or contact Stacey Adair at www.SkinWisePlus.com.

Professional Twist On A Strapless Dress

Runways and stores are full of strapless dress this season. Lots of women are hesitant to wear them for fear of falling out or appearing unprofessional. Here's an all-business twist to solve both challenges...Joy Sewing (Fashion and Beauty Editor at the Houston Chronicle) was spotted this morning wearing her brilliant combination of white button-down blouse under a tailored strapless dress.

She couldn't be more chic and professional. This combination is so going in my arsenal of creative fashion fixes! Thanks Joy, for a great idea!