DivaDebbi turns 7!!!

I admit that I am always tickled when I hear that my men friends read DivaDebbi.  Peter Sachse, Macy's Chief for Innovation and Business Devlopment, is a regular, and I am deeply flattered that he finds it relevant.

Two of my friends at Equinox, John and is always trend savvy, stylish son Jack, were asking me just the other day, about my blog and how long I have been writing it....It dawned on my that I probably just hit my 7 year anniversary. Looking back through the archives (available on my front page, by month),  I started writing DivaDebbi in March 9th of 2007.

I'm probably only a hair more tech adept, but along the way, I have met fantastic people, including some powerhouse beauty and fashion bloggers, heard from readers all over the world, created new relationships with many PR, media and marketing partners, earned two Brand Ambassadorship's (RoC and La Peau Skincare), penned a fashion column for a year for WAG Magazine, attended fabulous events, stretched my brain muscles, slathered my face and body with every conceivable lotion and potion and caused my UPS delivery guy a aches and strains along the way.

Its all good and I am ever appreciative of all my loyal readers and partnerships If you will continue to read, I will continue to write.

I thought it would be fun to share my very first blog with you.  As friends have always told me, they "hear my voice" in my writing.  It was interesting for me to reflect on this post and experience the very same thing!

You're the best!

xox and my thanks,

DD

Just Getting Started....

O.K., I have no idea what I am doing yet, not even sure how I will find my own blog again, but gotta give this a whirl...I have been consistently obsessed with all things beauty and fashion related for the last 30 years or so. Happily I have dear friends who can attest to it and fabulous new friends and clients over the years who have all been on the receiving end of my blast emails about my latest discovery that must be purchased pronto. If you will read, I will write...

My first wrinkle creme was Dorothy Grey Night Creme. It came in a lavender jar and I purchased it at age 12. I think even then, it was marketed towards mature skin, but in the spirit of sooner than later, I slathered.

I googled Dorothy Grey and would you believe there are still some 5000 products out there??? I imagine they all have an inch or two of dust on them...scary.

I soon graduated onto pilfering my sister's Clinique 3 Step System nightly (which she will learn about first right here)....ooohhh that fabulous cucumber colored sliding soap dish....As I contemplated taking this on, I mentally went way back and remembered many of my early obsessions...

Yardley Lipsticks, in those adorable orange and pink striped tubes with black scrolls ( I actually found one on ebay)!, Love's Baby Soft and Fresh Lemon Perfumes, Misty Mocha and Misty Lilac Revlon nail polish, Karen Graham of Estee Lauder ad fame, Psssst dry shampoo, Sun In Highlighting spray, Calgon take me away....

So, if any of this rings a bell, I am the girl who thankfully gave up suntanning with Reynolds wrapped double album covers long before I hit my 20's and has learned a thing or two along the way.  I will share all that I try and scour reading, with you, my readers.

My business is fashion, so if you think I will resist writing about Stars on the Red Carpet, I couldn't possibly, not. I am nearly in hives waiting in anticipation of Stars who blow it, despite having the best designer offerings and stylists at their disposal...think Tilda Swinton accepting this year's Academy Award in a Hefty trash bag....

Tilda Swinton

So, I hope you will check in and if you like my blog, share it, put me in your favorites (I would, if I knew how)...

Dish with the Diva anytime....what were some of your earliest, fondest beauty memories and products???

xox,
DD

1,000,000 Pageviews and a Giveaway for my Lovely Readers

DivaDebbi cracks one million pageviews!

Yay!  This week my blog DivaDebbi reached an exciting milestone; my pageviews exceeded 1,000,000!  Needless to say, I couldn't have gotten there without my loyal readers and subscribers. I so appreciate your loyalty and support, though truly, I wish I had a nickle for everyone one of you who told me they ran out and purchased a product based on my recommendation :0...Seriously, nothing makes me happier. I hope I've steered you from some duds along the way, as well.

While I still purchase a ton of product on my own, I am also indebted to my P.R. friends at Rpr Marketing, Kaplow, Tractenberg, Melissa Kelz, DKC, Red Letter, Konnector, 5W, Woods & Co., Creative Media Marketing, and Kip Morrison & Associates for all their hard work and generous offers to sample.

As a Brand Ambassader for RoC Skincare, they generously sample me a lot of product. Though specifically designed and recommended for the face, they will probably fire me for saying I have used many of their products on my body.  They are gently formulated and IMO a 'lil Retinol is a good thing for areas like the hands and decollete.

As a thank you, I am going to do a giveaway from my personal stash.  I emailed RoC today and told them I'm going to do this...fingers crossed they will pitch in some additional products so we can have two winners!

DivaDebbi Turns 6!

DivaDebbi Turns 6! by divadebbi 

It occurred to me that I just had an Anniversary---DivaDebbi turned 6 years old this month.  I thought it would be fun to re-read my very first blog.  The sentiment of why I created it still rings true to my ears. During this time, some wonderful things have happened:

• My blog has had close to 1,000,000 page views from seven continents 
• DivaDebbi is published by two giant media companies Glam Media and TotalBeauty
• I have reviewed hundreds of skincare and makeup products and have developed great working relationships with many beauty and PR firms.
• I've and written dozens of DivaDebbi Red Carpet Report Cards, critiquing my flips and flops with a dash of snark as well as covering Fashion Week and reviewing shows
• I became a contributing fashion editor for WAG Magazine and Women's Voices for Change.
• I was asked to be a Brand Ambassador for La Peau Skincare and RoC Skincare, who I represent proudly.
•  I was invited to join Fashion Flash, a group of top bloggers who post together weekly to help share our combined monthly page views by 700,000 readers.
• Since joining Polyvore 18 months ago, I have the opportunity to share my fantasy closet with my blog readers and have posted hundreds of fashion sets. I have nearly 11,000 followers and my sets have been viewed over 4 million times. I hope you enjoy them.
• Nearly every day, I share my blog with over 1000 blog subscribers and FaceBook and Twitter users

I'm so appreciative of all your support, friendship, comments, emails and for sharing me with your family and friends. For those who would like to read it, my very first blog is below.

As I said then, I will say again now.  If you will read, I will write.

Happily...

xox,

DD

March 9, 2008

Just Getting Started....

O.K., I have no idea what I am doing yet, not even sure how I will find my own blog again, but gotta give this a whirl...I have been consistently obsessed with all things beauty and fashion related for the last 30 years or so. Happily I have dear friends who can attest to it and fabulous new friends and clients over the years who have all been on the receiving end of my blast emails about my latest discovery that must be purchased pronto. If you will read, I will write...

My first wrinkle creme was Dorothy Grey Night Creme. It came in a lavender jar and I purchased it at age 12. I think even then, it was marketed towards mature skin, but in the spirit of sooner than later, I slathered.

I googled Dorothy Grey and would you believe there are still some 5000 products out there??? I imagine they all have an inch or two of dust on them...scary.

I soon graduated onto pilfering my sister's Clinique 3 Step System nightly (which she will learn about first right here)....ooohhh that fabulous cucumber colored sliding soap dish....As I contemplated taking this on, I mentally went way back and remembered many of my early obsessions...

Yardley Lipsticks, in those adorable orange and pink striped tubes with black scrolls ( I actually found one on ebay)!, Love's Baby Soft and Fresh Lemon Perfumes, Misty Mocha and Misty Lilac Revlon nail polish, Karen Graham of Estee Lauder ad fame, Psssst dry shampoo, Sun In Highlighting spray, Calgon take me away....

So, if any of this rings a bell, I am the girl who thankfully gave up suntanning with Reynolds wrapped double album covers long before I hit my 20's and has learned a thing or two along the way.  I will share all that I try and scour reading, with you, my readers.

My business is fashion, so if you think I will resist writing about Stars on the Red Carpet, I couldn't possibly, not. I am nearly in hives waiting in anticipation of Stars who blow it, despite having the best designer offerings and stylists at their disposal...think Tilda Swinton accepting this year's Academy Award in a Hefty trash bag....

So, I hope you will check in and if you like my blog, share it, put me in your favorites (I would, if I knew how)...

Dish with the Diva anytime....what were some of your earliest, fondest beauty memories and products???

xox,
DD

Retinol: An Interview with Dr. Erin Gilbert

Dr. Erin Gilbert

Dr. Erin Gilbert is a specialist in skin cancer prevention & treatment, cosmetic dermatology and laser surgery. She is New York based and serves as Assistant Professor of Dermatology  Suny Downstate, Director of Resident Education in Cosmetic Dermatology.  Dr. Gilbert is also the Chief of Dermatology at Woodhull Medical Center. She has appeared on the Dr. Oz show and also works closely with the team at RoC skincare.

As one of their Brand Ambassador's, I  was thrilled when they asked me if there was anything I would like the opportunity to interview Dr. Gilbert about. The topic that immediately came to mind was how best to manage Retinol during the summer months. (After Googling her gorgeous picture, I will admit that I think I would do anything she advised.)

Here are her informative answers to making healthy choices for your summer and year round skincare routine:

DD:  We now know that Retinols are one of the most effective anti-aging ingredients, but they can make us photosensitive. What do you recommend for a day cream with SPF year round?

Dr. Gilbert: Some retinol-containing moisturizers actually contain sunscreens, like RoC's Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30. I also like Elta MD UV Clear SPF 46 , La Roche Posay Anthelios ultra light suncreen fluid SPF 60 and Skinceuticals Physical Fusion SPF 50. They protect against damaging UVA and UVB rays.

DD:  Even those of us who avoid the sun can't help but have increased exposure in the summer months. Do you recommend using less Retinol, skipping days or using higher SPF?

Dr. Gilbert:  There are several ways to approach retinol use in the summer. One is to alternate days. I often tell my patients to use their retinol three days a week if they are finding that they are getting too much redness and photosensitivity. This is just as effective as using a retinol daily. Another method is to use what is called "short contact therapy." This is a tried and true method for people with sensitive skin. You apply a pearl sized amount of your retinol to the face avoiding the eyes, then rinse it off after 15-20 minutes and apply your moisturizer or sunscreen. This provides the benefit of the cellular effects without the irritation and photosensitivity. The most important thing when using a retinol is consistency. If you stop using your retinol all together you will see that your skin texture returns to baseline and my patients often experience breakouts as well, particularly during the muggy summer months.