WHEN IT COMES to good grooming, guys usually catch a break. Forget to shave? A five o-clock shadow passes for scruffily sexy. (Not so much on a woman's legs.) Six months between haircuts? Shaggy hair equals surfer cool. Calloused hands? That';s a sign of a hard-working dude. But in an era of metrosexuals and a manly yet manicured president, those excuses start to fall flat. And, truthfully, there's no good way to justify those long yellow toenails hanging out of your flip-flops, Howard Hughes Jr.
A cabinet full of facial products isn't a stretch for a guy with a longtime subscription to Details mag. But can your average, Capitals-loving dad embrace the pore-cleansing mud mask? This reporter was slathered, scrubbed and softened by a bunch of treatments to see whether he could still feel like a man — even when sporting a good mani/pedi.
WE HAVE COCO CHANEL to thank — or blame — for the buzz about bronzing. Alabaster skin was the norm until the influential Parisian designer returned from a Mediterranean vacation in the 1920s with a golden glow, single-handedly turning the tan into a fashion craze on par with her quilted purses. We'd like to think that if Mademoiselle C were alive today, she'd turn her nose up at the thought of exposing her precious epidermis to the wrinkle-causing, cancer-spawning sun (or its not-any-better-no-matter-how-much-you-kid-yourself cousin, the tanning bed) and get her brown in a newfangled way — by bottle, booth or airbrush. A trio of staffers gave their hides to the latest fake-bake techniques and came back in a range of easy-to-get, natural-looking hues (well, mostly). Even picky Coco might be fooled. B.L.
BOTTLE BRONZED
» What it is: Bronze Goddess at-home self-tanner set ($22.50-$28.50).
» How it works: Slather on the lotion, which is loaded with dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a sugar-derived, FDA-approved chemical that reacts with amino acids to darken skin.
» On your mark, get set: As a pigment-challenged American, our unable-to-suntan tester was persecuted throughout childhood, accused of being an albino, a ghost and glow-in-the-dark. In an attempt to find a less shockingly pale hue, she turned to DIY products. Of course, the risks of self-tanners are well-known (and well-documented by Lindsay Lohan's paparazzi photos): streaks, splotches and extra-dark knees, elbows and feet (the skin is dryer in those spots and thus absorbs more product). Be sure to spread on the stuff as evenly as possible, working it into the skin like lotion. Hit joints and feet last with a lighter amount. Then (and we can't stress this enough), wash those hands. Our tester ended up with dark blobs of color at the bases of her fingers, giving the threatening appearance of brass knuckles.
» Tan marks: It takes a few applications to get a deep (but, thankfully, non-orange) tan. But if you're going to commit, you need to bronze your face and neck, too, or you'll look like a bobblehead someone got tired of painting. Also, unless you have a devoted partner, child or servant who's willing to rub your hard-to-reach places, at-home tanner is not the best for all-over bronzing. It's more about dulling the radioactive glare of snow-white limbs.
» High marks: We like the tinted formula best — it lets you see which areas have been covered and it offers some instant gratification. It also instantly colors sheets and towels, however.
» Low marks: The infamous metallic smell. The Estee Lauder line includes a perfume, perhaps meant to nullify the stench, but nothing worked other than time. And, make a mistake? Not even those "self-tan remover" products can fix it until it fades.
» Tip: The key to any good faux tan: exfoliation. Be sure to slough skin with a scrub (like Bliss' Hot Salt option, $36) before applying bronzer. — H.J.M.
Continue Reading "Best in Glow: The Right Tools to a Perfect Tan" »
WHEN YOU SIGN up for a facial at Takoma Park spa the Still Point (7009 Carroll Ave.; 301-920-0801), your skin might be exfoliated with fruit enzymes or hydrated with honey. "We're incorporating local farmers market foods into treatments," says aesthetician Sara Damelio. "We treat the skin as you would your body. What you put on your face goes into your bloodstream, just like what you eat."
In these days of hormones in beer and salmonella in peanut butter, it makes sense that we should carefully consider the things that go into our face creams and shampoos. Labels now reveal ingredients from the new to the natural to the bizarre, such as algae concentrate or diatomaceous earth.
It seems like using such exotic potions requires a Ph.D. in chemistry. But in the spirit of exploration (and beautification), we tested products that contain some of these "What-the-heck-is-that?" ingredients. We discovered what these odd components were and why you might want to pat some cream with L-malic acid under your eyes or treat your locks with a bit of cassia.
1. CASSIA
» What is it? An herbaceous plant originally native to India used by a variety of cultures as everything from an expectorant to a ringworm treatment
» Where is it? In Pantene's new Pro-V Nature Fusion Collection ($3.99 to $5.99, drugstores and grocery stores).
» Why's it there? To give you a model-worthy mane. "If your hair is full of cracks and crevices, it will have a dull appearance," says Jeni Thomas, senior scientist for Pantene. Cassia protects tresses when wet and helps them absorb conditioners when dry. This equals a shinier, softer crowning glory.
» Our take: We're sold. It made our hair uncommonly smooth and well-behaved.
Continue Reading "Face Oddities: Wild Ingredients for Skin and Hair" »
MAKEUP MAVEN BOBBI BROWN has built an A-list following: Jennifer Aniston, Sienna Miller, Barack Obama. (Yep, he wears Brown's cosmetics for TV appearances.) She won't say whether she's beautifying any big names for the balls (in the past, she's done both Michelle O. and Jill Biden), but she shared some party prep makeup advice that anyone can use.
» EXPRESS: You'll be in D.C. for the inauguration and parties. Any tips for black tie-worthy makeup?
» BROWN: You definitely don't need to go out and buy a whole new makeup set. Look at what you already have and add a little shimmer or some sparkle. A few easy things can turn your everyday makeup into a special evening look.
Continue Reading "Beauty Bigwig & Makeup Maven: Bobbi Brown" »
YU-BE MOISTURIZING SKIN CREAM ($15-$24, Sephora) was invented in 1957 by a Japanese pharmacist and, we are told, is huge in its home country. Despite the suspiciously unsophisticated packaging, we found within it a product that would cost upward of $50 if it came from Lancome or Clinique.
It's pretty magical, Yu-Be. We slathered some of the camphor-smelling stuff on our heels, and cracked, dead skin was transformed into a tough, but no longer hideous, surface. The lip balm ($5) did the same for cracked and peeling kissers.
SURELY, THERE ARE crazy folks out there, desperate and pale, willing to blast themselves in the face with brown spray paint for a tan. And for them, Dior's Bronze Sun Powder Spray ($60, Sephora) may be perfect.
While we appreciate the staying power and matte texture of the formula, we just couldn't get a handle on the application, since the natural reaction to aerosol assault is to close one's eyes. We did manage to create a sun-kissed forehead but also ended up with a sun-kissed hairline and bathroom walls. Maybe our trigger finger needs work. But for now, we'll stick with lotions for our fake-bake needs.
Written by Express contributor Erin Clements Rushing
THERE'S SOMETHING SCARY about rubbing what amounts to dirt onto yourself and then watching it pour off your body in inky-black streams. It took one heck of a lot of swishing with feet to get one application of MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator ($19, MAC stores) down the shower drain; some drops magically made it onto the floor and sink, too.
Your bath will look as if it were attacked by a giant squid, no question. As a skin-sloughing experience, it ranks highly; the abrasives are volcanic ash (gentle) and "sugar crystals from the islands of Vanuatu" (rougher).
ANTI-AGING PRODUCTS have been cashing in on "Eastern wisdom" since time immemorial. Guess what. You're still going to get old, no matter how Eastern your skin care routine. Also, mortality is inevitable.
Now that you're thoroughly depressed, let's talk about Wei East Golden Root Renewal ($50, Weieast.com), an eye-dropper filled with sticky stuff that you place on a pad and put on your face. We noticed no changes in skin tone, color or wrinkliness after a few uses. Of course, we are 21. Caution: Wei East will not and does not claim to alleviate your depression about getting older. Sorry.
THE PRESS RELEASE for Olay Total Effects Plus Touch of Foundation ( $19, drugstores) calls it a "hardworking product," bringing to mind corgis herding sheep or sweat-drenched men laboring over railroad ties. Or first-year associates at law firms, a more apt analogy for D.C.
It does promise to be a lot: line minimizer, exfoliator, pore refiner, free-radical fighter. We can't testify to all of these qualities, but it's a good light foundation that kept grease away and evened out rough patches.
DEAR ARCTIC BRIGHTENING SERUM: Iceland is undisputedly the coolest place there is. Iceland has Bjork, for goodness' sake; geothermal energy; a high rate of both literacy and people who believe in elves; and a phone book arranged alphabetically by first name. So, when we found you, Skyn Iceland's Arctic Brightening Serum ($65, Sephora.com), we knew this was it.
You promised to keep our skin luminous despite unhealthy urban living. We used you religiously, and still our skin is no brighter. Arctic Serum, you are a sham. We hoped you would at least make us want to put on a swan costume or join a crazy band or something, but no. Please stop calling. It's over. We'll always have Reykjavik.
Addison Road