I was dazzled by the jewels, the exotic skins; the feminine simplicity channeled into fine details and a craftsmanship only money can buy as defined by one name: CHANEL. When the M.I.S.S. Crew ladies and I visited Chanel Ultra-Luxe Boutique at The Encore in Las Vegas back in February, I found myself in complete and total awe of every single item I laid my eyes upon, including Chanel’s line of skincare products, of which we kindly received a sampling of. Now, if there is ANYTHING you should spend your money on cosmetically in this economy, it should be on your skin, and flawless skin by Chanel is the ultimate luxury. But let’s face it, most of us aren’t quite yet in the Chanel tax bracket, so to not break the bank, this week’s picks will also include additional price points, since beauty is attainable at all income levels. And the secret to young looking, beautiful skin is keeping it smooth and hydrated from the inside and out, which means drinking plenty of water (8-10 glasses per day), getting at least eight hours of sleep a night, protecting it from the sun (use at least an SPF 25 and wear a hat), and most importantly, using a good moisturizer. Additionally, women 25 and older will want to invest in a face cream, which is the focus of this week’s picks: Crème de la Crème - Face Cream Gets Grown and Sexy.

PICK #1: Chanel’s Sublimage Essential Regenerating Cream – Universal Texture

This cream screams old world LUXURY. Heavily scented, and extremely moisturizing, it’s a face cream I imagine great divas like Marie Callas would have used after one of her magnificent shows – dabbing it on her face while draped in a silk dressing gown in her flowered filled dressing room. The cream is infused with Planifolia PFA (a plant from Madagascar) to nourish and protect the skin. Works best on very dry skin.

REVIEW:
Cost: $375 for 1.7. oz - ($220.59 per oz.)
Value: Moderate
Accessibility: Moderate
Where to Buy: Chanel.com

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This week’s RECESSION BUSTER TIP is a D.I.Y. face/body scrub made from nuts and honey, which a great alternative to manufactured, chemically processed skin scrubs, and is also an INEXPENSIVE and TOTALLY NATURAL way to cleanse and exfoliate the skin.

What You Will Need:
1/8 cup Uncooked Almonds or Apricot Seeds
2 Tablespoons Honey
Yields: 15 Face Applications or 3 Body Applications

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This week’s pick, the ZENO Mini, was a Christmas gift from my homegirl Jen, who is an electrical engineer, and who always has my back and my face too apparently in mind. The ZENO is a very cute zit zapping device that bears an uncanny resemblance to EVE from Pixar’s WALL-E, and like EVE, obliterates waste that doesn’t belong, which in this case is harmful bacteria on the surface of the skin. The ZENO uses thermal acne blemish therapy, or controlled heat, to kill the acne causing bacteria, which in turn dramatically speeds up the healing process of blemishes.

Basically you hold the tip of the ZENO, which gets very hot, (though not painfully hot), on top of the pimple for 2 ½ minutes, during which you will hear a succession of 5 beeps (beeps every 30 seconds). You apply the ZENO to the pimple 2-3 times daily or as needed. Since Christmas, I’ve used it on about 7 pimples and 4 ingrown hairs, and they have healed considerably faster than their normal timing - most of mine have completely disappeared after two applications.

The ZENO works extremely well on those large, deep rooted, painful pimples that usually seem to take forever to heal, and is great for anyone who wants to use an alternative method to treat acne besides harsh medications like Accutane, Retin-A, Benzamycin, and over the counter drying creams having little or no effect. Requires 2 AAA batteries and a replacement tip every 45 uses ($18.99).

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Treat yourself this Valentine’s Day to uber soft touchable skin; to a facial. I know what you’re thinking, “but it’s a recession, and I’m a broke ass __.” Well, if you can afford $2.50, and believe me, this $2.50 will S-T-R-E-T-C-H, then definitely scroll down to the next portion of this week’s beauty tip, which is also a RECESSION BUSTER TIP, by the way.

This week’s RECESSION BUSTER TIP: Miracle Whippings – Get Sexy Smooth Skin for Valentine’s Day with this American Dressing, is simply an at home exfoliating/moisturizing facial mask using good old Kraft Miracle Whip. For years I’ve heard about this facial, but just recently tried it, and was blown away by its amazing results and sort of strange exfoliation process. The super easy HOW TO steps are as follows:

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Boots, a popular health and beauty company based in the United Kingdom, has come stateside to gain the cult status that is has in Britain. The last time I went to London I had several friends ask me to bring back Boots products, so I was happy to learn that now ladies on this side of the pond can get these great products. As one of the sponsors of NYFW, Boots had a booth at the tents where it showcased and highlighted products from it’s Protect & Perfect skincare line.

One of the things that makes Boots products great is that they are not tested on animals. Instead, all of the products are tested by the end users: 4000 women test the products to ensure quality and credibility. The products are hypo-allergenic and contain ingredients that protect your skin from damaging free radicals like the sun and pollution. The Protect & Perfect skincare also

[c]ontains lipo-peptides and white lupin extract to strengthen and protect the collagen and elastin content for firmer smoother skin[, while] Pro-retinol Vitamin A [h]elps normalise the skin’s surface by promoting cell turnover and encouraging the formation of newer cells for a smoother, more youthful appearance. . . . This innovative formula works to reduce the appearance of pores, fine lines and wrinkles, while promoting elasticity and firmness.

One year ago, a beauty survey was conducted in Britain to determine the credibility of “age defying” treatments. Boots came out in the lead and was the only formula proven to improve the signs of aging in as little at 4 weeks. Soon after the Protect & Perfect creams were sold out all over the U.K. I was lucky enough to get my own jars of the Protect & Perfect day and night creams. I’ll let you know how my skin looks in 4 weeks. In the mean time, if you want to try out for yourself you can find Boots at your local Target or online at Target.com.

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As my third decade of life approaches, I become increasingly paranoid about wrinkles and the overall condition of my skin. Each wrinkle has a name, and a date. For instance, that one on the left side of my forehead, that was from hell job x in 2001, and that one on the right side, that’s ex from hell from that same year. Now this week’s pick: Lancome’s Renergie Microlift R.A.R.E., is a product I’ve been using for a couple months now, and whose predecessor I used for years. It makes my almost thirty skin feel and look well, like forever twenty-one on some days, but more like a steady twenty-five, which is as good as it gets sans the help of a skin and head doctor.

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Whether it’s green tea ice cream, green tea mochi, or green tea proper, I LOVE green tea, and I especially love the fact it is packed with powerful antioxidants. Speaking of which, I recently read green tea’s antioxidant properties are particularly beneficial when applied topically to skin, likewise increasing its elasticity, and having antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects as well, and companies such as Topix Replenix, are including green tea in their skincare products, retailing in the $50 range. Since scientists know green tea needs a carrier in order to penetrate the outer layers of skin, I decided to do some experimenting of my own with green tea proper, and infused my face cream with it, which is how I came up with this week’s tip: D.I.Y. Green Tea Face Cream.

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When you are obsessed with beauty, you try everything; the old, the new, the odd, and when it comes to cleansing one’s face, my forays with the following: cleansing brushes, facial sponges, and exfoliating disks, have only led to a very anti-climatic sense disappointment, as I always go back my old flame: the cotton washcloth.

Now, like any business, the beauty industry is filled with massive amounts of competing products developed by marketing teams to drive sales, and increase revenue, and with so many of these types of marketing schemes running amok, the idea of using a basic, old fashioned washcloth might strike us as old fashioned and even archaic. However, as a testament to time and history, I have to say, washcloths work the best in terms of cleansing the face. They great for the skin cause they provide gentle exfoliation while removing pore clogging dirt, oil, and makeup, and of course, nowadays you can buy them organic and in bulk, and can customize them to you (monogram) or to your bathroom décor.

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Years ago, one of my best friends, an esthetician, gave me a wooden brush made with natural hair and short nubby rubber bristles. She told me to use it on my skin before I showered and that I would like it cause it would “help my poor circulation�?. I’m not at all discriminatory, especially when it comes to health and beauty alternatives, so I did what she instructed, and lo and behold, I was hooked because it feels really good. Some years later, after further research into natural beauty regimens, I realized what I was actually doing had a name for it. Turns out it is called, dry skin brushing, which has the additional health benefits of removing dead skin cells and stimulating the lymphatic system, thus flushing toxins from the body. It also makes your skin incredibly smooth and soft. And shoot, I’ve had no complaints! Anyhow, this week’s tip is how to do it.

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