This Dating Site Called Freckles "Imperfections," and People Are Not Having It

This Dating Site Called Freckles "Imperfections," and People Are Not Having It

When I was a little kid, I used to hate my freckles. I hated that they would pop up uncontrollably whenever I went outside, no matter how much sunscreen I used, but mostly, I hated that they made me look different than the other kids in my class. Now that I'm a grown-up, I actually love my freckles and try not to hide them with makeup—but apparently, not everyone agrees with my love for my spots.

The Guardian reports that Match.com has released an ad in the London Underground that features a woman with red hair, hazel eyes, and a face full of freckles, with the text, "If you don't like your imperfections, someone else will." The ad is part of their campaign surrounding #LoveYourImperfections, which ostensibly aims at getting people to feel good about themselves. But that is not how it went over with the London public. Here's how they reacted

The U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority has received around "half a dozen" complaints about the ads, with people calling them "bullying" and cruel, but the group hasn't launched an investigation yet. Match.com responded with the following statement:

    We have taken note of the response about our advert concerning freckles. Following this feedback, we are in discussions with our relevant partners about removing these posters as soon as possible. We believe freckles are beautiful. The intention of our "Love Your Imperfections" campaign is to focus on the quirks and idiosyncrasies that people wrongly perceive to be imperfections—this can include freckles, a feature that is sometimes seen as an imperfection by people who have them. We're sorry if this ad has been interpreted in a different way and we apologize for any offense caused, this was not our intention. Our overall campaign is all about celebrating perceived physical and behavioral imperfections, from having freckles to being chubby, messy or clumsy. The adverts are designed to encourage everyone to be proud of their individuality, as the features that make us unique are often the ones that make us most attractive.

The bottom line is this:  Freckles, "chubbiness," and a tendency to leave socks all over the house are what make you awesome, not what make you "imperfect." There's no such thing as perfect, anyway, no matter what a subway ad might imply.

source by : http://www.womansday.com/style/beauty/a54527/match-ad-freckles-imperfections/

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What Happened When 1 Woman Had Her Makeup Done at 5 Different Makeup Counters

What Happened When 1 Woman Had Her Makeup Done at 5 Different Makeup Counters

Being a woman of color has its share of problems, and for BuzzFeed staffer Nina Mohan, one of those includes makeup. She calls herself "woefully makeup stupid," but beyond that, being a woman of color often means getting "pigeonholed" into using certain colors, like purple and gold, or having to mix foundation colors to get the right match.

Mohan wanted to see how professional makeup artists would do giving her a "glam," "bold," "evening" makeover, so she went to five different makeup counters and documented the process.

Here's what she looks like with no makeup on, for reference:

Here's a makeup look she didn't like so much (MAC):

While Nina liked the silvery shadow the makeup artist used on her eyes, she wasn't really feeling the foundation. "The contour makes me look like I fell face-first into a pile of powdered sugar," she writes, saying that the makeup artist didn't swatch test on her skin before applying the product.

On the flip side, at Sephora, she got a makeup look she loved so much that she wanted to keep it forever. "I felt so glam and vampy and I had a really hard time wiping it off later," she writes. "It felt like I was taking off my best self."

After going to Sephora, MAC, Bobbi Brown, Benefit, and NARS, she came away with some learnings: Swatch test, say no if you don't like something, and you can do a strong lip with a bold eye. To see the rest of Nina's makeover looks, head over to BuzzFeed.

source by : http://www.womansday.com/style/beauty/a54523/how-good-are-makeup-counters/

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The 19 Best Drugstore Products You're Not Using

The 19 Best Drugstore Products You're Not Using

If you roam the drugstore makeup and hair aisles with no idea of what works and need a little direction, this list of tried and true products will help make your shopping experience (and getting ready!) a little easier. Oh, and this beauty loot won't break the bank, so you can still keep up your shoe collection!
Daily Facial Moisturizer, CETAPHIL, $14

This sunscreen doubles as your moisturizer, protecting and hydrating your skin, without leaving any white residue behind. Instead, it leaves your skin with a gorgeous, dewy glow.

Cleansing Micellar Water, SIMPLE, $7

If you often skip washing your face before you go to sleep, stop what you're doing, pick up this formula at the store, and stash it next to your bed with some cotton balls. It's a makeup remover, cleanser, and hydrator all in one, so you can literally wash your face (no rinsing required!) while you're tucked in watching The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.

source by : http://www.womansday.com/style/beauty/a54537/drugstores-products-worth-using/

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7 Scary Facts About Your Makeup

7 Scary Facts About Your Makeup

These are all the frightening, but need-to-know facts about beauty and makeup products made in the United States:

1. We don't have any real federal regulations on makeup in the United States.
The United States Food & Drug Administration isn't testing cosmetic ingredients because, well, they're not food or drugs. Which means things banned elsewhere (think parabens, which are linked to breast cancer; ethylene oxide, which is a known carcinogen; and octinoxate) are totally A-OK here. In fact, pretty much any chemical can be used as an ingredient.

The FDA does monitor cosmetics under the FD&C Act, which basically says as long as they aren't "adulterated" or "misbranded," they're cool to go on the market (so no poisons, phew). To put it frankly: In Europe there are 1,373 banned cosmetic chemicals. In the U.S.? Eight.

2. Companies don't have to test their products.
Well, not in any way that has to be demonstrated. Like we said, the FDA doesn't have legal authority to approve cosmetics. However, companies are "legally responsible" to ensure their product is safe. The way they can prove cosmetics safety? By saying ingredients are legit and comparing it to other similar product formulations. As long as that's done, it's fine to hit the shelf. In fact, this is a real sentence on the FDA website: "If a manufacturer does not have the technical expertise to determine the best way to ensure that a product is protected from contamination, the company may want to work with a consultant." May want to work with a consultant. They can't legally tell them to, because they don't have any authority over these companies.

3. Eighty percent of ingredients used in personal care products have never been tested for safety.
Wait, what?!

4. Fragrance can mean pretty much anything.
It can mean anything from a couple of natural oils to a straight-up chemical lab. But it doesn't matter. Fragrance is fragrance is fragrance in the beauty industry, and it'll be labeled as such. Think of the term as a catch-all.

5. Organic probably doesn't mean what you think it means.
There's no true, standard definition for what can be labeled "natural" or "organic," meaning as long as it's not "misleading" in the FDA's eyes, it's passable. There are certain programs—like the "USDA Organic" logo—that work to certify bath and beauty products, but definitions vary from program to program and basically, it's all a little confusing. That body wash with cucumber extract made up of 97 percent of chemicals? That can be classified organic.

6. "Cruelty-free" and "not tested on animals"?
There are no legal definitions for these terms. None.

7. The average woman uses 13 products per day with 515 ingredients. Please excuse us, we'll be scrubbing our face.

source by : http://www.womansday.com/style/beauty/a54538/scary-facts-about-makeup/

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Should You Be Shaving Your Face?

Should You Be Shaving Your Face?

Face shaving. The thing men have been doing forever. Except: The practice has apparently been used behind closed bathroom doors by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe to create a smoother, more glowing complexion. And with notable makeup artists now revealing their shaving habits, we have to ask: Um, what? Is this something we should...actually consider?

We talked with Dr. Debbie Palmer, board-certified dermatologist and co-founder and Medical Director of Dermatology Associates of New York, to get the scoop on everything you ever needed to know about putting a razor to your face.
What's this all about?

"Women performing at-home face-shaving has been getting some recent attention, but it's something that has been done for years," says Dr. Palmer. "Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn are even rumored to have done it. It's a less intense form of dermaplaning, a cosmetic procedure performed by an aesthetician, dermatologist, or cosmetic surgeon, in which an instrument similar to a scalpel is used to shave the face. The procedure exfoliates the skin, removing dead skin cells, and in the process also removes fine vellus hair. My patients feel it gives them a smoother finish for makeup."
Will it make hair grow back like stubble?

"There is a myth that shaving facial hair will cause it to grow back coarser or darker. This myth is not correct. Your hair will grow back the same way."
What are the pros?

Aside from less facial hair, Dr. Palmer says you'll see:

• Smoother, exfoliated facial skin

• Increased skin cell turnover

• Easier makeup application

• Increased skin penetration and effectiveness of facial rejuvenation skin care products
And the cons?

• Not addressing a larger facial hair issue with your dermatologist, which could indicate a hormonal imbalance, according to Dr Palmer. (I.e. if you feel you have a change in facial hair, make sure to discuss it with your doctor.)

• Folliculitis (where your hair follicles become inflamed)

• Ingrown hairs
If you're gonna go for it, here's to get the most effective shave :

Wet your entire face first to soften the hairs, then apply a shaving cream or gel to minimize irritation. Use your razor in the direction of hair growth. Finish with a rinse and antioxidant moisturizer on your skin. "The shaving will allow for better penetration of your antioxidant and the antioxidant will help to minimize inflammation and irritation," Dr. Palmer says. She recommends Replere Protect & Rejuvenate Day Lotion to her patients. To avoid folliculitis, sanitize the razor in rubbing alcohol after each use.

source by : http://www.womansday.com/style/beauty/a54541/shaving-face-women/=

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Water, Detoxing, and Potatoes: Audrey Hepburn's Biggest Beauty Secrets

Water, Detoxing, and Potatoes: Audrey Hepburn's Biggest Beauty Secrets

Audrey Hepburn's son Luca Dotti, shared everything you ever wanted to know about the Hollywood starlet and beauty icon in an extremely intimate interview with Yahoo Health.

Dotti spoke to Yahoo Health about his new cookbook, a tribute to his mother titled Audrey at Home. Highlights from the interview include a look at Hepburn's favorite healthy foods, her enviable positive outlook on life, and her biggest beauty secret (you've heard it before, lots of water).

1. Hydration is key.

"She insisted so much on everybody … drinking a lot of water. And that really, today, is so important for the support of everything. She was really about drinking a lot of water and eating a lot of vegetables. It was a matter of how she was brought up."

2. She had a "detox" day, during which she would eat fruits, vegetables, and yogurt and guzzle water.

"She did it once a month, but usually to get over a jet lag, because you feel bloated after many hours sitting on a plane…Like a lot of people, she was coming back from trips in Africa and was exhausted—this would help with that."

3. Potatoes were her bread and butter.

"Sometimes we tend to forget, she was Dutch, so potatoes were a big, big part of her diet…[And] her father was Irish. Potatoes for her, they were a sustainable thing."

4. Her zest for life kept her young.
"She had more than a positive outlook. She was naïve in the sense that she was like a young girl. Every time that she found something new, or went to a market, or got a new recipe, she wasn't blasé. She was so excited, like a little girl. She took life by the day...she never sounded panicked by the idea of being sick. She was more worried about others, about us, about the kids…my mother, she was really interested in living the day. She was very interested in life. Even when she was in bed, she was saying oh, when I get better, we have to go to Australia. It's beautiful there."

source by : http://www.womansday.com/style/beauty/a54542/audrey-hepburns-son-spills-the-icons-biggest-beauty-secret/

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I Tried Over 50 Drugstore Mascaras and These Are the 10 Best

I Tried Over 50 Drugstore Mascaras and These Are the 10 Best

If you've ever stood staring at the wall of drugstore mascaras, paralyzed by all the options—Lengthening! Volumizing! Thickening!—and confused as to which one to buy, I'm here to help. I tried over 50 drugstore mascaras to help you find The One without breaking the bank. Here, in no particular order, are the 10 best.
1. CoverGirl Plumpify BlastPro by LashBlast Mascara, $12

The brush on this baby is a serious multitasker! It's thick, so it grabs a lot of lashes in one swoop, and it has a spiral staircase brush design that lifts and twirls your lash hairs, wrapping them in lots of formula. As promised, it definitely "plumpifies," especially since it deposited product at the base of my lashes, which gave the look that I was wearing liner on my upper inner rim.

2. Rimmel London ScandalEyes Retro Glam Mascara, $5

I'm a sucker for anything retro, so I was stoked to give this a try. The first thing I noticed was how quickly it worked: In two speedy, haphazard coats, every hair was covered, which never, ever happens for me. The brush also has a cool hourglass shape that pushed all my lashes up (like a lash curler effect), which, moving forward, will cut out one extra step for me when I get ready.

source by : http://www.womansday.com/style/beauty/a54547/10-best-drugstore-mascaras/

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