Latina Beauty

Seems like these days Sofia Vergara is all over the place.  Last week, she partnered with one of my clientes, Suave, to treat New Yorkers to a surprise “hairography” flash mob dance performance to showcase beautiful pelo and the quality of Suave Professionals products.  In addition to the performance, Suave also made a $10,000 donation to The Women’s Funding Network, a coalition of foundations around the world that contribute to women’s and girls’ organizations dealing with social justice, global security, financial power and women’s health.

¿Porque? The brand wanted to use the performance to bring to life the results of the new “Suave Stylists Surprised Survey” where 1,000 salon stylists tested a “misterioso” product and share their feedback.

¿El resultado? After trying Suave Professionals shampoo and conditioner, 70 percent of the stylists said the products work as well as or better than what they use in the salon.  Here are other pelo-raising stats from the survey:

• After trying the “misterioso” hair care products, the vast majority (92 percent) of hairstylists were satisfied with the shampoo and conditioner they tried.
• Two in three stylists said the products’ overall quality was excelente or muy bueno.
• A testament to product satisfaction, 77 percent of stylists said they would likely use the products on themselves or recommend the products to someone, and seven in 10 would likely use the product with customers at their salon.
• Overall, 62 percent said they would likely consider selling Suave Professionals at their salon.

Check out the video of the flash mob in Times Square here…¡que movida!

Did you know that now you can keep track of questionable moles on la piel digitally via mole mapping?  ¡Asi es! Originated in New Zealand, mole mapping can help chicas who are at high risk of developing skin cancer by taking photos of the skin surface to track new lesions or changes in existing ones over a period of time.

A photographer at your doctor’s office takes numerous photos of your entire body and close-ups of abnormal moles. These photos are kept in the patient’s file for reference at each visit.  Some doctors even use computer programs that allow you to zoom in and out of the full body photography to get closer looks than print photography will allow.

Keep colored melenas healthy by making drastic changes over several days or weeks.  This gives your pelo a break between chemical processes to improve its condition and elasticity.

Si te pintas el pelo, haz cambios dramaticos en el color gradualmente por días o semanas para mantener la melena saludable.  Esto ayuda al cabello a descansar de los productos químicos y ayuda a  mejorar la condición y la elasticidad del pelo.

Did you like Debi Nova’s melena during her Dancing with the Stars performance?   Stylist Christian Marc gives us the scoop on how he got this Costa Rican belleza’s melena to look espectacular.

• Marc started off by cutting her pelo, giving it lots of layers on top to add fullness.
• To get her full bodied pelo, Marc used René Furterer VOLUMEA Foam to add volume and quickly dried it.
• To get the waves, he used two different sized curling irons—a large barreled one for the top and a medium barreled one for the bottom. This makes it look more natural.  He sprayed each section with René Furterer finishing spray instant hold to give the shape extra support.
  
• Once the rizos were complete, he used a big Mason Pearson paddle brush to gently brush out the rizos and then combined Bumble & Bumble Curl Conscious with Kerastase Lait Nutri-Sculpt to make el pelo smooth and polished.
  
• To finish the look, he spritzed a little more of the René Furterer finishing spray instant hold y lista!

Personally, I like to use toners to at night to remove any last traces of dirt and makeup and in the morning to refresh la piel and wake it up.  In the warmer months, you can also put the toner in the fridge and use it to cool la piel.  The best way to apply is by soaking two fluffy cotton pads and press against la piel from the nose to the temples.

Here are some of my favorite toners…

Lumene Radiant Touch With Arctic Cloudberry is a moisturizing toner that’s ideal for normal skin. This alcohol-free toner from Finland brightens, moisturizes and refeshes la piel.  It contains cloudberry seed oil and bio-minerals that help to keep la piel’s moisture balance and restore its natural freshness and translucence.  You can find it at drugstores nationwide.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Astringent Lotion Micro-Exfoliant is excellent for acne-prone piel and for those chicas looking to minimize the appearance of pore size.  It combines lipohydroxy acid with capryloyl salicylic acid to unblock and tighten pores.  It sells for $19.95 at online beauty stores and here.

Clarins Lotion Tonique is ideal for combination or oily skin.  This alcohol-free toner keeps la piel’s pH and moisture levels even, leaving it refreshed.  It contains bio-ecolia to preserve the natural balance, witch hazel to purify and refresh and aloe to soften and moisturize.  It sells for $20 at fine department stores and here.

Got sensitive piel that burns and turns beet roja anytime you try regular beauty products?  Next time try fragrance-free products.  Note, if the product says “unscented”, it doesn’t mean “fragrance-free”.  Also choose mineral sunscreen since chemical types tend to irritate piel delicada.  Lastly, if you’re going to exfoliate, go for a mild type or do a peel with lactic acid.

¿Tienes piel sensitiva que se pone roja como tomate y arde cada vez que te pones algun producto en la cara?  Pues busca products que esten  libres de fragrancias y que diga en el paquete “fragrance-free”.  Ojo, solo porque un producto este sin fragrancia  (“unscented”) no quiere decir que este libre de fragrancia.  A la hora de escoger un protector solar, busca uno que sea mineral y no químico ya que estos irritan la piel.  Por último, si vas a exfoliar la piel, busca un exfoliador que sea leve o mejor, haste un peel con ácido láctico.

Looking for some interesting belleza reads?  Take a look at some of my favorito posts for the week.

• Style Bell Blog tells blogbellezas about this year’s Primavera hair trends–80’s Madonna’s big bows are back.  Check it out here.
• Traveling soon? The Makeup Girl tells blogbellezas what belleza must-haves to pack.  Check it out here.
• Ask Me Whats shows blogbellezas how to create traffic-stopping uñas for the Primavera.  Check it out here.
• Glam Blush tells blogbellezas how to nail the fresh-faced cara.  Check it out here.
• Bella Sugar tells blogbellezas with medium skin tones how to choose a bronzer.  Check it out here.

This temporada, don’t get caught without sunscreen!  Keep sunscreen in your car, the office and your purse and reapply every two hours if you’re outdoors.  During the warmer months you can even switch your body lotion for sunscreen and apply everywhere–including the tops of my feet, the crooks of my arms, the back of my hands and especially around and behind my ears!

¡Esta temporada, no te olvides de ponerte el protector solar antes de salir de la casa!  Puedes mantener el protector solar en la guantera del carro, tu cartera y la oficina y aplicarla cada dos horas si pasas mucho tiempo afuera.  Durante los meses mas cálidos, puedes también cambiar tu crema para el cuerpo  por protector solar y aplicarlo por todos lados–en los pies, la manos e inclusive encima y detras de las orejas.

Earth Day inspiring you to do something positive for our Madre Tierra?  Take a look at some of the belleza deals currently available, which can help you help la Madre Tierra…and stay bella.

• Fresh: The store is partnering with Food & Wine to support its Grow for Food campaign, which benefits the Wholesome Wave Foundation.  Fresh is donating 10 percent of the day’s proceeds to WWF, which brings sustainable food to communities that would otherwise not have access to them.  Click here to find a Fresh store near you.
• Jurlique: Purchase a Best Sellers Bundle through the end of the month and not only will you receive a 25 percent discount on favorites such as Herbal Recovery Gel, Balancing Day Care Cream, Rosewater Balancing Mist and Lavendar Hand Cream.  The company will also donate a portion of the sales to help support local botanical gardens in select cities.
• Origins: Plant an Origins virtual tree on your Facebook profile, get 10 friends to fan Origins and the company will plant a real tree on your behalf.  Plus, the first 1,000 people to complete their tree will receive a free 2-week supply of A Perfect World™ cleanser sent right to your door.  For more details click here.
• Kiehl’s: To promote awareness for the Rainforest Alliance, Kiehl’s has teamed up with musician Pharrell Williams, artist Jeff Koons, pro-surfer Malia Jones, and actress Julianne Moore to create a limited edition Acai Damage-Protecting Toning Mist. This 100 percent organic toning mist helps to rejuvenate and refresh skin after cleansing.  100 percent of the proceeds will benefit the organization, which works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land use practices, business practices, and consumer behavior.  To purchase click here.
• Walgreens: From April 22-25, Walgreens will donate 30 percent of the sales from products from its Earth Day store to the World Wildlife Fund.  To learn more about this wonderful organization, which works to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth and the health of ecological systems, click here.