Back to Basics: Salma Hayek Blush Peony Nail Lacquer

Salma Hayek Blush Peony Nail Lacquer
$5.99 Exclusively at CVS

When I was kid, I bit my nails. It drove my Mother batty.  She begged, pleaded and bribed.  The latter, naturally was the ticket to my giving up my first vice. When they did grow I was blessed with nails that grew quickly and were hard as granite.

Mostly, they are still, but they are always at their best when I faithfully use Nailtiques #2 as a base coat and several times a week as a top coat.

I once dabbled with a "permanent French manicure", a look I loved, but  that ultimately left my nails as thin as rice paper. Gel Manicures also left my nails weaker, so I've stuck with a traditional once a week manicure, which sadly, begins looking tattered by day three.

Not pretty.

East Hampton

East Hampton by divadebbi featuring an orchid flower arrangement

Carven white long sleeve cardigan / Au Jour Le Jour shorts / Laced shoes, $71 / Hermès real leather bag / Yves Saint Laurent matte blush / Bond No 9 edp perfume, $240 / Philosophy facial cleanser / Pier 1 Imports orchid flower arrangement

Minimal/Miniature

Minimal/Miniature by divadebbi featuring floral decor

MSGM white dress / Christian Louboutin black pumps, $720 / SERPUI MARIE white purse / Anastasia Beverly Hills eyeshadow / Yves Saint Laurent mascara / Yves Saint Laurent lipstick / Floral decor

Fashion Flash Monday

This week, Pamela from Over 50 Feeling 40 is hosting Fashion Flash for our wonderful group of bloggers. As always, we like to present the best of beauty, fashion, health and lifestyle to our conglomerate of lovely readers.  Please click here to read more.




Here's a peek at what we are blogging about this week (courtesy of my friend Kari at Fab Over Forty):

Women over 40 on You Tube

Stem cell skincare products

Looking chic at the beach

Exercises for arthritis

A fabulous GWP

A great summer pasta recipe

Quick hot flash relief

Riding the waves

Curvy is sexy

Glycolic acid for skincare

Enjoy!!!


xox,
DD

MitoQ Power Antioxidant Rejuvenation Serum

MitoQ Power Antioxidant Rejuvenation Serum
$119 for a 2 mos. supply

I will freely admit to be a serum addict.  When I first started using them 7 years ago, at the behest of Dr. Denese a Hungarian Dermatologist who believes in their power to harness moisture and make everything that goes on top of them more efficacious.

Back in the day, serums were hard to come by, (she of course made one as part of her skincare line).  Now they are a dime a dozen and I have a couple of faves.

When I received information about  Doctor developed, patented MitoQ Power Antioxidant Rejuvenation's Serum, I was intrigued by the description:

MitoQ® protects cells from the increasing oxidative stress associated with age and returns skin cells to optimal function. MitoQ® supports youthful collagen and elastin production - the key building blocks of healthy skin.

The result: MitoQ® Anti-aging Serum is an effective anti-wrinkle product that reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, skin becomes denser, firmer and age spots fade.

MitoQ® Anti-aging Serum has been formulated in a hypoallergenic fragrance free base designed to fit in with your regular beauty regimen.

Simply apply two to three pumps to your face, neck and décolletage morning and night after cleansing for younger looking skin in as few as 6 weeks.

MitoQ® Anti-aging Serum makes a perfect night cream and combines well with sunscreens and moisturizers for all day skin repair and protection.

One bottle of MitoQ® lasts between 8 and 10 weeks and results improve with continued use.

I was immediately seduced by the sleek packaging when it arrived as well as the full size of the product. It is blissfully, scentless and has a light, creamy gel like consistency that melts into my skin.  It is encouraged to be used on it's own as a night cream, but I still find myself layering it under mine. I appreciate that MitoQ smartly also recommends that it be used on the neck, decolletage and back of the hands.

The Flush of Youth: Trish McEvoy Liquid Face Color

Trish McEvoy Liquid Face Color
$32

I popped into Blue Mercury in Rye the other day...I was hoping to see their masseuse Kami Ritt, to congratulate her on winning, "Best Deep Tissue Massage" by Westchester Magazine.  She is a wonder and nicely had emailed me to thank me, attributing my glowing blog about her skills to a slew of loyal clients.

Well done Kami! (914-921-1600)

I like Blue Mercury. It is an oasis of calm next to Sephora and I do like their well curated makeup and skincare selection.  I was  immediately drawn to Trish McEvoy's Liquid Face Color Pen.  Available in only one shade of gorgeous, peachy rose, I was hoping it would look just as pretty on my cheeks.

Lancome Booster XL Lash Primer

Lancome Cils Booster XL Lash Primer
$24.50

Good friends know I'm all ears when it comes to a beauty product recommendation.  If they love it, I often will and if I can see the results of what they are raving about, I will often make a purchase pit stop that day.

Such was the case after seeing my friend Suzanne's drool worth lashes the other day.  Suzanne had great success with Grande Lashe MD Lash Enhancing Serum and her lashes are so long, she is often asked if they are extensions. (Naturally, I tried it as well.  While I did have success growing longer lashes, like many products I have used and blogged about, it eventually caused intolerable eye irritation.)

Improbably, her lashes looked even longer. She told me what a difference she found  made and suggested I try it.

DivaDebbi's First Template!

DivaDebbi's First Template! by divadebbi featured in selena gomez style

Valentino butterfly print dress, $3,560 / Christian Louboutin black heel shoes / Asprey bright handbag, $2,820 / Hermès hardware jewelry / Korres lip treatment, $14 / Chloé fragrance, $79 / 

As a Polyvore member, we are able to create "templates".  You can style the template in any way your heart desires and those elements are permanent. The fun aspect is using different fashion looks in the photos, ready-to-wear and accessories, to create completely different looking sets, based on your mood.

When I first made this template 8 months ago, I assumed it was just for my personal use, so that on days that I'm time pressed but have the urge to "Poly", I could still quickly create a set.

What I didn't realize was that DivaDebbi's First Template was also available for any other Polyvore member to style at their whim.  Ohhhhhhhh....

I got used to it...eventually and to date, nearly 1000 people have used my template to create "their"  own set. 

Share and share alike...

xox,
DD

Fashion Flash Monday

This week, Second Lives Club is hosting Fashion Flash.  We always do our best to provide you with interesting and informative posts on beauty, fashion, health and lifestyle for women over 40.  I particularly gravitated to Kari of Fab Over Forty's fantastic roundup of her favorite offerings from Nordstrom's Beauty Week...gorgeous product abounds at great savings.

If you missed my earlier blog on my latest obsession, the E! channels Botched, be sure to catch it and everyone else in our fab groups post right here.

If I'm bleary eyed, it's because I stayed up from Midnight to 1:00am watching the 4th installment.

Enjoy!!!

xox,
DD

Simply Chic

Simply Chic by divadebbi featuring white centerpieces

Kenzo slit dress / SWEAR oxford lace up shoes / Yves Saint Laurent calf hair purse / Alexander McQueen tortoise shell sunglasses / Bobbi Brown Cosmetics sparkle eye shadow, $82 / Beauty product / Modern home furniture / Pier 1 Imports white centerpiece

Botched; My New Addiction

Botched on the E! Channel...I dare you to watch to just one
Sunday 10 p.m.

The other day I was having lunch with one of my favorite clients and friends Susan. She and her adorable daughter Stephanie both shop with me, (though just to be clear, Stephanie shops mainly in Susan's closet.)

Fans of my blog, they both wanted to know if I have been watching "Botched" because they can't stop and imagined it would be right up my alley. Spot on Girls, I was always a fan of Extreme Makeover and The Swan and bemoaned their demise, but wait...what???  It's already airing?

I remembered an email I received from a casting producer a few weeks back. Sarah was telling me about Botched a  E! T.V. show for people who have had awful plastic surgery or who are obsessed with perfection...oooohhh goodie!!! She wanted to know if I knew anyone who might want to be considered to have their botched plastic surgery corrected on the show by renown Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeons Dr. Terry Dubrow and Dr. Paul Nassif.

Fortunately, I didn't, but I assured her I would no doubt be a rabid fan.  What I didn't catch in my usual multi-tasking mode, was that Botched is already airing and they were casting for season 2.  Naturally I considered driving home immediately to watch them all on demand...

Nexxus Youth Renewal Exlir

$17.99

An extraordinary thing happened the other night;  I washed my own hair, (which is getting rarer these days as my addiction to my stylist Lucas Magnum continues to evolve.)  When I looked under my sink, through dozens of hair care products, I literally did not have a single item left to combat  frizz.

Quell horreur! 

What to do? considering we were in the midst of some very humid weather. Everything else in the my arsenal was meant to repair or amp up the volume.  All I had to rely on were my biceps.

Because I used a really good conditioner, (the one that comes with Garnier's Olia Hair Color is amazing...Yes.  I buy it just for the conditioner), my hair came out better than expected. Now that I had refreshed my memory about what was in my inventory, I decided to retry Nexxus Youth Renewal Elixir, a leave-in product that was launched as part of a system to rebuild and strengthen aging hair. I love the effect of face serums, so creating one specifically for hair sounded good to me.

In  addition, the complete  line is intended to, "combat 8 visible signs of aging hair; volume loss, breakage, less shine, roughness, dryness, brittleness, unruliness and loss of vibrancy. Seriously??? Weren't the last 5 signs a wee redundant?

Lash Em 6 Week Update

Lash Em Lash and Brow Enhancing Serum
$70

My lashes after 6 weeks of using Lash em Lash and Brow Enhancing Serum

Oh, I am a happy camper...I have finally found the ONE eyelash enhancing serum that does not make me look and feel like I have Drano in my eyes. Another plus??? My lashes are longer.

When I first tried Lash Em at the end of May, I described the full litany of my lash history, which includes no less than 6 lash products over the last 6 years. Most of them worked, some spectacularly so, but at some point, I inevitably had to choose between pain and peacock lashes.

Fashion Flash Monday

This week, my dear friend, the ageless beauty Jackie Silver of Aging Backwards is hosting Fashion Flash.

Please click here to see what our talented group of bloggers are posting about this week.

Some of the  topics are:

• Our favorite eyeliners...or not
• The benefits of water ballet
• Must have additions to your summer wardrobe
• Reuniting with old friends
• Finding your true colors; a guarantee to look prettier every day
• How to make wise sale summer purchases

Enjoy!!!

xox,

DD

Burt's Bees Baby Bee: For Baby and You

Burt's Bees Nourishing Baby Oil
4 oz. $9.00

What a sweet oil Baby Bee is! Yes, this lovely oil, enriched with Grape Seed and Apricot Oils, vitamins and antioxidants was created for use on babies skin, but who says you can't double dip?

Day and Night

Day and Night by divadebbi featured in olivia palermo fashion

Etro silk dress / Charlotte Olympia suede pumps / Charlotte olympia purse / Kimberly McDonald 18k white gold earrings / Nest Fragrances fragrance / Pier 1 Imports floral centerpiece / BULB floral decor / Butterfly dinnerware, $11

One to Skip: Benefit's They're Real Push Up Liner

Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner
$24

I can't remember this much hype about an arrival, since the Royal baby...Based on the overwhelming success of their best selling They're Real Mascara, (a product I have had an on again, off again love affair with, mostly off, since I love the look but loathe trying to remove it) there was a pent up demand for They're Real Push Up Liner even before it hit the shelves.

Naturally I was curious...I love gels but I hate the pots that contain them and always having to track down the right brush to apply them with. The payoff is that they tend to be long wearing, but even on the best day, they still require a dexterous hand to apply it well.

They're Real Push Up Liner sounded like it would be a fantastic compromise. The unique soft "Accuflex" tip is, "custom-angled to draw a matte black, easy line. The flat, wide guard, gently pushes lashes aside to get close to the lash line."

Gimme...

The Goddess

The Goddess by divadebbi featuring purple home decor

Rag Bone blazer, $570 / Banana Republic ankle pants / Alexander McQueen black sandals / Emporio Armani leather handbag / Linda Farrow sunglasses / Bare Escentuals matte eyeshadow / Givenchy mascara / Purple home decor

2014 Trends in Plastic Surgery

Dr's from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 
(AAFRPS)  addressed the Media on Trends in Plastic Surgery

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.  The esteemed doctors who make up its members, celebrated this milestone at a 5 day International symposium in New York at the Marriot Marquis. I took a good look at who was attending and speaking and I can attest, they were some of the most revered surgeons in the world.

I was honored to be asked by my friends at Melissa Kelz Public Relations, (who represent AAFRPS,) to attend a breakfast to update the media on the latest trends in plastic surgery. The doctors also took plenty of time to answer our questions with candor...and we had plenty of them!

The most interesting tidbits for me, was learning that social media and the "Selfies" trend has translated into patients wanting to address their perceived flaws and that the biggest rise in patients is in the under 30 set.

What a world!!!

There was a lot of information presented and I was delighted that my friend Patty Matthews from Melissa Kelz PR summarized it beautifully, saving me hours of toil.  Below are the salient points, I found it all fascinating!

Street Style: Paris Couture Fashion Week

Street Style: Paris Couture Fashion Week by divadebbi featuring a red cherry tree

High waisted cut off / Vero Moda white jacket, $68 / Tara Starlet skirt, $77 / Valentino patent leather shoes / Laura Geller lip gloss / Red cherry tree

Fashion Flash Monday

Fashion Flash is up! Deb our group founder and creator of the No Nonsense Beauty Blog  was nice enough to toil and host this weekend, while everyone else enjoyed the Holiday.

I hope yours was full of sun, fireworks, barbecues, family and friends.  Mine was...

Click here to see what our powerhouse group of bloggers were up to this week.

xox,
DD

Tay: Look For Less

Tay: Look For Less by divadebbi featuring oriental home decor

Leutton Postle metallic top, $680 / Flare skirt / Santoni red high heel sandals / Ivanka Trump handbag / Cat eye eyeglass / Mac cosmetics lipstick /


I admit to being a fan of Taylor Swift's 'Street Style', though I do think she is very image/paparazzi conscious.  Somehow I doubt we will ever catch her rolling into Starbucks in  in rolled up sweatpants and a crop top, (you wouldn't catch me dead looking like that either, come to think of it.)

Here, nothing quite "matches"; mint skirt, lemon and white check sweater, cayenne colored sandals that look straight out of a Naturalizers catalog, cat eye glasses, a taupe handle top bag and her signature red lip...yet somehow I don't hate it.

Maybe it's her penchant for  a retro ladylike that I find refreshing, but here and most days, in my book, Taylor can do no wrong...

xox,
DD

Dedra Whitt Beauty

Dedra Whitt and former RHOBH Camille Grammer

In my next very rich life, one of my first indulgences would be a Personal Chef.  I'm not that much of a foodie; all I would require would be 3 small perfect meals, a la Ina Garten daily. Shopping, prepping, cooking and cleaning up has never been my forte.

The other thing that would be absolutely great, would be to have a best friend who was a makeup artist. When Camille Grammer was on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills a few seasons back, we also saw quite a bit of her side kick "DD" aka Dedra Whitt, her longstanding makeup artist. Was I a little bitter that Camille always looked flawless???

Maybe just a bit...

When I received a reach out about Dedra Beauty with an offer to try her smudge pencil, I responded yes, more out of curiosity than anything else.

 Dedra Smudge Pencil
3 shades $19.50

I received not one, but two pencils in Baroque (a rich cafe brown) and Smoke (a gorgeous grey tinged with a bit of green).  How fabulous!  Even lovelier, was the hand written note from Dedra...impressive, to say the least.

Happy Fourth!!!

Happy Fourth!!! by divadebbi 

Wishing all my family, friends and readers a glorious and safe Fourth of July. God Bless America. Much gratitude to the men and women who serve and protect, then, now and always.


 Be kind y'all...

xox,

DD

La Femme

La Femme by divadebbi featuring a silk floral

Dolce Gabbana floral dress / Carven checkered slip on shoes, $325 / Anya hindmarch handbag / Linda farrow eyewear / Bandana bow headband / Benefit face powder / Josie Maran beauty product / John Richard asian inspired home decor / Sia silk floral, $4.27

Altchek MD Glycolic Renewal Pads

Dr. Altchek Glycolic Renewal Pads
$19.99/ 36 count
 Exclusively at Ulta Stores

Here's something to get excited about; famed NYC Dermatologist Dr. Douglas Altchek has created an 8 piece skincare collection exclusively for Ulta.  In addition to his highly regarded private practice, Dr Altchek is also a Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Mt. Sanai School of Medicine. Some serious brainpower went into devising these products, all with the intent of living up to Dr. Altchek's mantra to, "prevent and correct" skin concerns.

Me likey...What else do I like?  That the entire collection is under $30.  It seems to me that efficacious, Dr. designed skincare of the Murad, Brandt, Grossman, Perricone variety is sorely amiss in this price category, no???

Welcome Dr. Altchek!

City Lips Advanced Treatment

City Lips Gloss and Treatment
$40

Who doesn't want fuller lips? Full, soft lips look youthful and lips do thin as we age. We have all seen over injected lips, that look unnatural and borderline ridiculous.

Not pretty...

Not fooling anyone either...

When I was offered the opportunity to try City Lips advance treatment, I figured I had nothing to lose and hopefully something to gain.

City Lips is not just a gloss, but a treatment that instantly adds oomph, with its Hyaluronic Acid and collagen peptide formula. With daily use, lips  can look noticeably fuller after just 30 days and lip lines may diminish.