The Ultimate Beauty Defender

Now that spring is here, it's time to get your beauty routine ready for the rays, and I've found the "Holy Grail" of sunscreens... Yes, there are numerous great sun blockers available at just about every price point, but there are few that have truly made me want to continuously slather this stuff on my face throughout the day (and everyone needs to apply sunscreen a few times a day if they plan on spending hours outside).

What is this addictive sunscreen? Well, it's a magical French concoction from the amazing La Roche-Posay line, and is available around the world in drugstores and online.

What makes it my new favorite sunscreen? Doesn't smell like sunscreen. Feels like a velvet souffle and makes my skin silky smooth. Blurs the blotches. Repels the rays. Doesn't make me look like a ghost or that I just sneezed into a pot of powder. And most importantly, it doesn't break me out!

What is this incredible product? It's called Anthelios 50, Anti-Aging Primer with Sunscreen, but for those who are not concerned with fine lines and wrinkles, I would rename it the Beauty Defender - hindering the daily onslaught of UV rays, heat-inducing oil slicks, pollution, and gigantic pores.

Get it while you can since it seems to be flying off the shelves at my local CVS as well as at big online retailers like Drugstore.com!

Plastic Surgery Central: Gangnam, Seoul

Photo: CC/InsightWAVE

This article came out a few weeks ago, and it is absolutely fascinating!

Did you know that the Gangnam district of Seoul is not only a shopping and fashion mecca in Asia, but also the place for plastic surgery? According to the Global Post article, there are at least 400 plastic surgery hospitals in Gangnam! 400 in one section of a city!!! Needless to say, Gangnam is the new medical tourism hot spot in Asia, but I still think that if you are desperate to get a surgery deal and then heal, Thailand sounds more enticing (Thais are very good at plastic surgery and their beaches and hospitality are lengendary).

Anyhow, the story quotes one university student saying people who don't get cosmetic surgery are considered weird. Weird to be normal... Good title for a story, but it's not a story, it is the truth for the beauty obsessed in South Korea.

My favorite part of the article is the section on the plastic surgery stigma and how older Korean men are not fans of the cosmetic surgery craze:

"South Korean men — especially older ones — revile the idea of dating or marrying a "sung-gui," slang for “plastic surgery monster.” The lewd term refers to a person who has lost natural beauty to inappropriate botox injections and surgical treatments, giving off a fake and sometimes bloated appearance."
-Global Post

Here is a plastic surgery hospital in Gangnam that has an English language website. I have to admit I am just in awe of what they can do to a face! They have several pages to view their work (Real Story, Before and After, and Becoming Cinderella). Here is the link to "Becoming Cinderella" which has videos of the process:

BK Plastic Surgery Hospital "Becoming Cinderella" (BK stands for Beauty Korea)

A New Beauty Blog

I admit that I have always been a bit crazy for cosmetics, and am constantly searching for the latest and greatest. Sometimes my beauty hunts have been very fatiguing and overwhelming...

So to cut down on my runaround time, I've turned to beauty blogs, which have definitely been helpful but not always very efficient . Since I have yet to find the perfect beauty blog for me - meaning that it's clean, clear and concise, I've decided to create my own. I don't have cute or how-to videos, color swatches on skin, cute images or smatterings of DIY tips. However, I do cover the latest beauty buzz, product launches and how well these products work on me... So, if you're interested in beauty products and looking for less clutter and more content, please check out www.pinchyourcheeks.com

Here is a picture of Paris' famed Galeries Lafayette department store's beauty section, which I enjoyed earlier this year (though I was spent after a few hours of smelling, testing and browsing).