Super Lash Stylists

Each month the team at Xtreme Lashes will nominate a top stylist who will be given the title of Stylist of the Month. Their profile and story will be featured on the Xtreme Lashes website and social media pages – recognising their talent.

“This sought after position becomes a perfect promotional opportunity for our clients. They love being in the Xtreme Spotlight for a month,” said Louise Weston, marketing and creative director of Xtreme Lashes.

The chosen lash stylist must fit these criteria: they are certified, use the correct application techniques and offer up-to-date products and supplies to their customers.

The winning stylist from each month will receive a dedicated listing on the ‘Find a Lash Stylist’ page on the Xtreme Lashes website, helping to promote their business. Their listing will include everything from a list of services, accompanying images and a Google map to pinpoint their location.

The ‘Find a Lash Stylist’ page receives 3000 hits per month and features an email enquiry form via the main website – perfect for those who do not have their own website.

On top of all this the Stylist of the Month will also complete a questionnaire that sits on the Xtreme Lashes blog (you can check out some past winners here). “These blog posts are tweeted and shared on Facebook as well. We see it as a valuable advertising opportunity for our stylists to create a name for themselves in the industry,” said Louise.

This program began in August 2012 and is still going strong. Over the past year it has encouraged other lash stylists to complete the formal certification process. “We have had clients complete our certification process in order to compete for the title,” Louise said.

Get glowing on a beauty detox

Kick-start the New Year with a face and body overhaul. Lisa Haynes reveals how to look and feel tip-top for 2014

If December is all about over-indulgence, January is payback time with some deep cleansing – inside and out.

Put some sparkle back in your step with a beauty detox. Go au naturel and blitz your body with potions to make you feel wholesome again.

“The buzzwords for gorgeous skin are hydrate, nourish, sleep, repair and detoxify,” says make-up artist Jemma Kidd.

Time to glow on a beauty detox…

INNER BEAUTY

Give your complexion some New Year radiance by ditching the sugar and alcohol and going to town on raw foods and water.

“Like a mirror, our outer skin reflects the state of our inner skin – the gut lining,” Kidd explains.

“If it’s functioning properly, our skin will be balanced and healthy, which is why we talk about beauty coming from the inside.”

Green vegetable juices will give your body a powerful shot of minerals and energy in a few glugs. Avoid adding fruits and vegetables that are naturally high in sugar, like bananas.

Some essential skin-boosting compounds, like antioxidants, can be difficult to absorb through diet alone, which is where beauty supplements come in. Try Functionalab for pills with beauty-boosting objectives for face and body.

BODY BLITZ

Alcohol and too many festive seconds can leave your system feeling sluggish and your body looking bumpier than Santa’s present sack.

The trick to flushing out toxins is stimulating blood circulation, drinking plenty of water and sticking to a daily regime.

“My top tip to start your New Year skincare regime is daily dry body brushing,” advises Jo Parker, spa director at Champneys. “It’s a great way to stimulate circulation, improve skin texture and banish cellulite.”

Use a body brush daily on dry skin before your morning shower, starting at the ankles in upwards movements towards the heart.

Look for products with energising ingredients that will kick-start your circulation, like seaweed extract and caffeine, to make your skin look instantly more toned.

FACE REFRESH

Take a breather from your cosmetics bag and give your complexion a detox by going au naturel for a few days over the festive break.

“When you are planning to detox your skin, you must begin by resting it,” says skin therapist, Nataliya Robinson.

“We are all guilty of overusing skin care products, including make-up, which is full of chemicals and irritants.”

Even minus make-up, the daily grind can cause a build-up of pollution and bacteria so seek out a killer clarifying cleanser that purifies the skin and gently exfoliates.

Robinson recommends going back to basics: “To truly detox the skin, put away all of your commercial creams and serums and turn toward organic natural ingredients such as banana, avocado and yoghurt for a weekend, or longer if you can.”

DETOX FACE MASK

For a quick detoxifying treatment, try Nataliya Robinson’s recipe for a banana face mask that’s suitable for all skin types. Use once a week to help nourish the skin naturally.

:: 1 ripe mashed banana

:: 1tsp of honey or maple syrup

:: 10 drops of lemon juice

METHOD: Mix thoroughly. Apply this to clean skin and allow to set for 10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly.

Beauty to die for: health hazards of cosmetics and skin care products revealed

Your medicine cabinet is one of the most dangerous areas of your house, and not for the reasons you may think. Lurking just behind your bathroom mirror, where all of your favorite beauty products are housed, is a virtual toxic nightmare. The growing list of synthetic ingredients manufacturers add to their products is turning the most innocent-looking shampoos and moisturizers into cocktails of toxins that could cause cancer or reproductive damage over years of sustained use. Modern cosmetics contain a host of dangerous ingredients, which would be more at home in a test tube than in our bodies.

Like most people, you probably assume that the ingredients found in beauty products have been thoroughly tested for safety well before they land on your grocery store’s shelves. After all, the government has regulations in place for the water we drink, the food we eat and the air we breathe. One would assume that the FDA would also be overseeing the cosmetic industry to ensure the health and safety of consumers. Unfortunately, the FDA has little power when it comes to regulating the ingredients found in your beauty products. In fact, the only people ensuring the safety of personal care products are the very people who govern the industry: The Cosmetic Toiletry and Fragrance Association (CTFA). Scientists paid by the CTFA make up the Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel (CIR) and are charged with regulating the safety of the industry’s products.

In 2004, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) released the findings of a study it conducted regarding the safety of beauty care products. Comparing approximately 10,000 ingredients found in 7,500 different products against lists of known and suspected chemical health hazards, the research revealed that the CIR was falling tragically short of ensuring consumer safety.

Of the 7,500 products tested by the EWG, a mere 28 had been evaluated for safety by the CIR. The EWG found that one in every 120 products analyzed contained ingredients certified by the government as known or probable carcinogens and that nearly one-third of the products contained ingredients classified as possible carcinogens. Astoundingly, 54 products even violated recommendations for safe use that the CIR had put in place, yet these products are still available for sale today.

Of the products tested, the worst offenders were those containing the cancer-causing ingredients coal tar, alpha hydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acids, and those containing the hormone-disrupting ingredient, phthalate.

Coal Tar
Seventy-one hair dye products evaluated were found to contain ingredients derived from coal tar (listed as FD&C or D&C on ingredients labels). Several studies have linked long-time hair dye use to bladder cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

A research study conducted in 2001 by the USC School of Medicine found that women using permanent hair dye at least once a month more than doubled their risk of bladder cancer. The study estimates that “19 percent of bladder cancer in women in Los Angeles, California, may be attributed to permanent hair dye use.”

A link between hair dye and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was established in 1992 when a study conducted by the National Cancer Institute found that 20 percent of all cases of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma may be linked to hair dye use.

While the FDA has not stepped in to prevent the use of coal tar in beauty products, it does advise consumers that reducing hair dye use will possibly reduce the risk of cancer.

Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA) & Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHA)
Alpha Hydroxy Acids and Beta Hydroxy Acids are commonly used in products advertised to remove wrinkles, blemishes, blotches and acne scars. With consumer complaints of burning, swelling and pain associated with AHA and BHA flooding into the FDA, the regulatory body began conducting its own research about 15 years ago. The findings linked the use of AHA and BHA with a doubling of UV-induced skin damage and a potential increased risk of skin cancer.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, skin cancer has reached “epidemic proportions,” with 1 million new cases occurring each year and one person dying every hour from the disease. The agency estimates that, at the current rate, one in five people will develop skin cancer over their lifetime.

The FDA’s study findings were presented to the CIR, but the panel approved the continued use of AHA and BHA “in spite of serious safety questions submitted by a consumer group and a major manufacturer,” according to an FDA spokesperson.

Even though one out of every 17 products analyzed by the EWG study contained either AHA or BHA (with nearly 10 percent being moisturizers and 6 percent sunscreens), the most that the FDA could do was suggest that products containing the ingredients carry a warning to use sunscreen and to limit sun exposure while using the product. A puzzling solution, since some of the products containing the dangerous ingredient are designed specifically for use in the sun.

Phthalates
Phthalates are industrial plasticizers widely used in personal care products to moisturize and soften skin, impart flexibility to nail polish after it dries and enhance the fragrances used in most products. Studies indicate that phthalates cause a wide range of birth defects and lifelong reproductive impairments, targeting every organ in the male reproductive system and causing problems ranging from low sperm count to serious genital deformities that can lead to an increased risk of cancer.

While the EWG only found four products with phthalate listed as an ingredient (all nail care products), there is no telling how many products actually contain it. The industry is not required to list fragrance ingredients or “trade secret” ingredients on products, and phthalates often fall into one of those two categories.

In September 2004, the European Union implemented a ban on all beauty products containing phthalates. California Assemblywoman Judy Chu has proposed a similar bill (AB 908) to be voted on later this year that would implement the same ban in the United States. Opponents of the bill, mainly the CTFA, argue that changing labeling processes would present a huge economic burden and could infringe on trade secrets. A similar bill failed just last year.

Why your manicure could ruin your nails for life: Horror stories range from weeping sores and bleeding nail beds to skin cancer

There’s now barely a High Street that doesn’t have at least one nail bar. Last year, one in six new beauty start-up companies in the UK were nail salons and, with the average regular manicure costing around £20, it’s big business.

But more aggressive styles of nail treatment – a long way from the old-fashioned, straightforward file and polish – are leaving women vulnerable to infections, rashes and even skin cancer.

Poor regulation of the nail industry is heightening the problem.

Currently, there is no legal requirement to be licensed as a manicurist and no qualifications are needed. Anyone at all can pick up a nail file and start advertising for clients.

It’s a worryingly lax state of affairs – particularly if Antonia’s experience is anything to go by.

She first started going to a nail bar near her home a few years ago, popping in every couple of weeks.

Her problems began when she was persuaded by her manicurist that her nails would  look better for longer if she tried acrylic tips.

‘The first time I had them done, I was really pleased,’ she says.

‘They looked really natural and I didn’t need to polish them in between manicures. Even the tips, which usually take a bashing because I use the computer a lot, weren’t chipped.’

But when Antonia returned to the salon to have them replaced, it was a different story.

But it’s not just acrylics that are causing problems. Gel manicures – which involve a coloured gel being applied to the nails, hardened under a UV light and then removed with acetone weeks later – are also hugely popular, but could be posing a serious risk to women’s health.

While the trade in gel manicures is booming – because they last up to two weeks without chipping they are beloved of harried mothers and  busy professionals alike – dermatologists are worried that the use of UV light could be raising the risk of skin cancer.

A study in 2009 found two middle-aged women with no family history of skin cancer, and only moderate exposure to sunlight, developed tumours on their hands following exposure to UV nail lights.

‘I would strongly suggest that women limit having this treatment to once or twice a year,’ says Dr Lowe.
Nail horror: Rebecca Mills had her gel nails removed in a dangerous way by a newly qualified and uninsured beautician

Nail horror: Rebecca Mills had her gel nails removed in a dangerous way by a newly qualified and uninsured beautician

But there are plenty of women out there – such as Karen Berman, 61  – who have gel manicures far more regularly.

‘I’m a bit of a beauty junkie and I try everything,’ says Karen, managing director of a London consultancy firm. ‘So when I was told about these two-week manicures a few years ago, I was excited to try them.’

‘I didn’t even think about what I might be doing to my nails and kept going back every few weeks to have the polish scraped off and re-done.’

But six months in, Karen’s natural nails looked awful. ‘It looked as though they had been eaten away at the sides. I was so shocked, I stopped the gel manicures and didn’t put anything on them at all for two months because they were so damaged.’

Thanks to months of careful attention and application of nail oils, her nails are now re-growing, but Karen worries that the chemicals and UV exposure involved could cause her problems in the long term.

And while gel manicures may be problematic in many ways, in the hands of an inexperienced practitioner, the issues are magnified horribly.

Accounts assistant Rebecca Mills, 26, found this out to her cost in July when she had her gel nails removed by a newly qualified – and, as she would later find out, uninsured – beautician. The separated mother of two, who lives with her daughters in Blackburn, watched in horror as her nails were filed right down to the nail bed.

‘By the time I realised what was going on, the damage had been done. That night, my fingers were throbbing so much, I had to take painkillers.

‘Now, I realise the girl had never removed gel nails before. So she just filed and filed away at the surface of my nail until most of it was gone.

‘She then put acrylic false nails on top and I could see there was blood pooling underneath.’

The false nails began to drop off after a couple of days, ripping even more of Rebecca’s nails away.

By now three of her fingers had virtually no nails left whatsoever.

Removing the acrylic coating was to prove much harder than applying it. As she quickly discovered, it could only be removed by sanding it off her nails.

‘They said they needed to file the surface of my nails down so the new acrylics would go on better. But they filed so aggressively that my nail bed started to bleed through my nail.

‘I also noticed the manicurist didn’t throw away the file, which didn’t seem at all hygienic.’

Yet Antonia wanted that glossy nail look to last – and so she persisted with the treatment for several more visits. Eventually, unable to take the agony of the filing any more, Antonia decided to go au naturel.

But when they were removed for good, she discovered that the nails left under the acrylic coating were paper thin, painful and sensitive.

‘Three days later, every single one of my natural nails had broken back to the quick.’

Dermatologist Dr Nick Lowe, president of the British Cosmetic Dermatology Group, warns of the dangers of this sort of aggressive nail treatment.

‘Vigorous scraping and filing can lead to permanent damage where the nail lifts from the nail bed,’ he says.

‘There is also risk of infection if manicure instruments are not sterilised properly. Fungal infections, bacteria and viruses such as herpes can all be passed on.’

He advises that those who like a professional manicure should take their own tools to the salon to reduce the risk of infection.

Some nail varnishes and hardeners also contain ingredients such as formaldehyde, which can trigger an allergic reaction.

‘The nail is an extension of your skin. It is grown from skin cells and it’s porous. If the nail or nail bed becomes damaged, it can take a long time to repair,’ says Dr Lowe.

Trending: Nail Art Nights at the Museum

We all know about the nail art craze—but nail art in museums? It’s the latest trend, with fingers pointed toward galleries all over the country. Just a few weeks ago, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago wrapped Imperial Nail Salon, an installation and interactive exhibit by local artist Dzine. Paying tribute to his mother, who operated a nail salon in the family’s home, Dzine transformed one of the galleries into a living replica of it. Two nail artists posted up in the space to create exclusive designs for visitors. Although initially only one such interactive event was planned, the demand was so intense, that the museum kept adding dates.

MoMA PS1 in New York ran a similar show earlier this year, Vanity Projects, a pop-up nail salon held on Saturdays, during which famed artists such as Regina Rodriguez and Fleury Rose Waldau gave manis for $50 a pop. The founder of the series, Rita de Alencar Pinto, has since launched her own salon in Chinatown (complete with looping art films, art-inspired coffee table books, and a visiting nail artist-in-residence program) where patrons can continue to get a variety of stunning designs, including full recreations of everything from Picasso to Magritte on their nail beds.

The trend of actually doing nail art in a museum setting follows carefully curated exhibits about nail art that have been popular over the past couple of years: an exhibit called Nailed at the Subliminal Projects gallery in Los Angeles last fall, and the exhibition Nailphilia, at DegreeArt.com’s Execution Room in London in 2011. These thoughtful shows have helped to elevate nail art’s status as a legitimate art form beyond Beautylish readers and Beyonce (although Bey’s gold claws from the “Run the World” video were on display in Nailphilia). Some displays at the Nailphilia show were downright conceptual. According to a description of the show in The Guardian, nail artist Sophie Harris-Greenslade recreated the texture of a painting by young British artist Sophie Derrick on the nails of a rubber hand, using cement from her grandfather’s shed. “The exhibition highlights how nail art has infiltrated the higher echelons of pop culture,” writes Guardian reporter Rosie Swash.

However you describe the phenomenon, it’s now official: nail art can be high art.

Universal beauty: How Kate Moss is still queen of the fashion world

London (CNN) — Last night Britain’s fashion elite gathered at the London Coliseum for the 2013 British Fashion Awards. Nominees for the prestigious industry awards included models Cara Delevingne and Edie Campbell, and designers Anya Hindmarch and Sarah Burton.

Trends may come and go, but even among this fashion-conscious crowd there was one certainty: all eyes would be on Kate Moss.

The British Fashion Council honored the 39-year-old model with a Special Recognition Award for her 25 years in the industry.
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During her glittering career she has appeared on 34 covers of British Vogue. She’s fronted campaigns for Burberry and Chanel. And she’s remained one of the world’s best-paid models, even as twenty-somethings like Hilary Rhoda, Lara Stone and Joan Smalls have stomped onto the catwalk.

Despite all of those achievements, Moss seemed starstruck as she accepted her trophy from Marc Jacobs. “Oh my god. It’s so weird, very very surreal,” she said on stage. “Thank you everyone who has worked with and kept booking me. I am really very grateful.”

Born to a barmaid and a travel agent in Croydon, south London, modeling was not an obvious career move. But in 1988 Sarah Doukas, the founder of Storm Model Management, spotted Moss at New York’s JFK Airport, where Moss was catching a connecting flight home after a family holiday to the Bahamas.

Campbell and Cindy Crawford, two of the leggy Glamazons who dominated the runways at the time.

David Ross, a London based portrait artist, shot the first professional pictures of Moss later that year. He remembers that she offered something fresh and approachable, underlined by a quiet strength. “She just had a certain edge in her natural expression and there was a look in her eye in her very first pictures that we are still familiar with today,” he says.

Modeling came easy to her, and Ross was able to capture a surprisingly large range of expressions for a model so young. She seemed unaware, or at least unmoved, by her prowess, and she lacked the diva qualities so common in aspiring models.

“She wasn’t like other girls doing the big ‘I AM’,” Ross says. “She was young, but she had the perfect balance of being cool and collected and warm towards everyone at the same time, which made her very attractive to work with.”
“Kate has a unique beauty that is totally democratic and has a universal appeal
David Bailey, photographer

Two years later British photographer Corinne Day shot black-and-white images of Moss for Face magazine. The fashion press went wild and Moss became the poster child of the grunge aesthetic. After years of casting glamor girls on the runway, designers gravitated to Moss’ ‘anti-model’ look.

In subsequent years Moss walked the line between haute and mainstream, appearing in campaigns for a diverse roster of brands including Bulgari, Dolce&Gabbana, Longchamp, and Versace, but also Virgin Mobile and Nikon cameras. In 2003, she even portrayed a pole dancer in the White Stripes’ music video “I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself.”

For reasons photographers, fashionistas and editors do not fully understand, Moss’s look translates across all demographics, from the luxury consumer to the high-street shopper. Legendary photographer David Bailey has taken some of the most iconic shots of Moss. As he tells CNN: “Kate has a unique beauty that is totally democratic and has a universal appeal.”

That makes her highly bankable. Brands eventually encouraged Moss to leverage her fashion credentials in new areas, and she moved from catwalk to the design chair.

When she designed a collection for Topshop in 2007, the entire range sold out on the first day. She went on to design 14 more collections for the store.

Last July, Moss’s range of “fashion tech” accessories for mobile phones became the fastest-ever selling accessory at Carphone Warehouse, a British high street retailer.

Moss’s journey from Croydon to the runways of Paris and Milan has not always been easy. High-profile romances—to Johnny Depp, Jefferson Hack and Pete Doherty—fizzled. In 2005, she lost lucrative contracts with Burberry, Chanel and H&M after British tabloids reported allegations of drug abuse. That fall she voluntarily entered a rehabilitation clinic in Arizona.

Her travails were high-profile, but so was her recovery. Within a year Moss had clawed her way back to the top of the industry, securing a raft of lucrative campaigns.

Her difficulties seemed to endear her to the public even more. After rehab she went on to climb the Forbes magazine list of the world’s highest paid models. In an industry defined by physical perfection, vulnerability has its appeal.

Alexandra Shulman, the editor of British Vogue, views Moss’s success in more straightforward terms.

“Kate has had such a long and successful career as a model because she is sensationally good at it,” she says. “She understands what it means to model and I think she enjoys the skill she has in this role. I know all my fashion editors and photographers love working with her because of this and also because it’s nearly impossible to take a bad picture of her.”

In September, Christie’s auctioned a series of art works inspired by Kate Moss for more than $2.6 million. A three-foot-high glass figurine of Moss sold for $214,000.

Some might say she is being consigned to history. A more generous interpretation is that collectors understand that her value will continue to soar.

Just ask Topshop. In April Moss will launch her 15th line with the retailer. Don’t call it a comeback. As fans of fashion’s most enduring face already know, Moss hasn’t gone anywhere.

In 2011: Kate Moss’s wedding was ‘rock-n-roll Gatsby’

Beauty spot is now a nature reserve

A PERSHORE beauty spot can now enjoy greater benefits and protection after it was awarded the honour of Nature Reserve status.

Avon Meadows will now be known as Avon Meadows Nature Reserve after members of Wychavon District Council’s executive board committee gave the plans the green light on Tuesday night (November 26).

The decision follows consultation with Natural England who approved of the plans five years after the site was created.

Securing Nature Reserve status now means Avon Meadows, will have greater protection rights and future funding maybe easier to secure should it be needed.

The status also means the site can benefit from potential byelaws designated by the district council and it could change the way people think of the site in terms of how they use it in the future.

The newly-gained nature reserve status comes more than a year after the site was awarded £230,000 from the Heritage

Lottery Fund to undergo major improvements and revive the wetlands area making it part of the community.

Liz Etheridge, who was appointed Wetlands for All project officer to undertake the improvements at Avon Meadows earlier this year, said she was delighted with the decision.

“This is real progress for the area which has been so hard fought for and represents what can truly be achieved when a community works together,” she said.

An event to mark the beauty spot’s new status will be held next Saturday (December 7) when visitors will be able take part in the construction of an eight foot tall Willow Heron which will preside over the reserve.

“To celebrate the newly-gained status we are creating something natural and beautiful that reflects the nature of the reserve,” Liz added.

Black Friday And Cyber Monday 2013 Makeup And Beauty Deals: 36 Top Sales, Codes, And Coupons

The day after Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to begin shopping for holiday gifts, as Black Friday offers unprecedented deals on everything from clothes to electronics to makeup. Many stores accommodate excited shoppers by opening as early as 12:00 a.m. or remaining open overnight on Thanksgiving Day and beginning sale prices at midnight.

While the east coast is preparing for a snow and ice storm, many customers are still willing to camp in front of stores for hours, and even days, in order to take advantage of the unbeatable deals offered. For those who do not want to wait in line and fight the crowds for Black Friday deals, there is still Cyber Monday to consider. Market research company Forrester predicts that online shoppers will spend a record $78.7 billion this holiday season, which is 15 percent more than what was spent in 2012.

For those who want to stock up on beauty and makeup products, check out these amazing online deals, many of which begin on Black Friday and continue into early December.

In my beauty bag: Mary-Jane O’Reilly

Mary-Jane O’Reilly, 63, is one of New Zealand’s most successful professional dancers and choreographers. Co-founder of the iconic Limbs dance company, she choreographed the 1990 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony with a cast of 6,000; was director of the Tempo Dance Festival for seven years (and was recently honoured by the festival).

Mum to a grown up daughter Morgana, who is herself a successful actress, most recently Mary-Jane has been choreographer and producer for the In Flagrante contemporary cabaret group, which has performed both locally and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. We spent some time with Mary-Jane – just back from a private performance of In Flagrante in the Seychelles and preparing for two performances in Auckland – and talked beauty.

“I wear a little bit of makeup every day if I am going out – and living around here, even going up to Jervois Road is going out. I wear my glasses to hide and then I don’t have to wear anything, but if I am wearing my lenses I will wear makeup – not much at all.

In the morning I stretch – a combination of yoga and Pilates that I do to keep my body balanced (my body tells me off if I don’t do it and gives me pain). I only cleanse my face at night, with Cetaphil. I exfoliate very occasionally if somebody gives me something. And I picked up a Loofah in the Seychelles so I’ve used that on my body a few times.

I put on moisturiser first thing, and then a bit later in the morning I put on Mecca In a Good Light SPF30+ tinted moisturiser and a bit of mascara, eyeshadow and lipstick.

I have a couple of age spots so I put concealer on those. I just bought a lovely new M.A.C eyeshadow compact on my way out at Duty Free – I am always putting eyeshadow on my eye to lift my lid – and then a bit of Maybelline mascara, that’s all.

I sometimes have a little bit of waxing for my brows at the beauty therapist. And I always wear lipstick – I like what singer Beaver said when asked what she would take to a desert island – her lipstick! But I didn’t start wearing lipstick till about 10 or 15 years ago, either – when you are young you have luscious, juicy lips anyway.

For daytime I have a Revlon coral-y shade, and at night or if I want to be a bit ‘more’ – Revlon Raisin Rage – it’s a really nice red that isn’t too… well I can wear it and refresh it without looking like my lips are bleeding or something!

I cut my nails really short, I just think short nails are best for me. I have some lovely Moroccan rose oil that I got in Morocco just recently and I’ve been wearing that on my body.

I wash and condition my hair with whatever is at hand (it’s so easy to manage), but what is important to me is VO5 hair wax, which controls it and separates the curl – I’ve been known to stop the car and come back for it. It makes me feel fresher and keeps my hair off my face.
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I get completely bewildered reading about the new makeup offerings and I find my dancers and my daughter great sources of information. Or if I am going to be on TV I get made up sometimes – that’s a bit of a treat and I always watch closely what they are doing.

I’m sure I was right into it as a younger woman – I’ve always worn eye makeup – I guess the feeling slightly out of touch is due to lack of interest, really!

Nothing is going to stop gravity and personality making your face what it is. Sometimes I wonder about a bit of ‘work’ but then I look at those female American journalists who have Botox and their mouths are kind of frozen. Society thinks ageing is funny which is sad. Keeping your dignity as I get older is a big thing for me.”

How to Cut Ties With Your Hair Stylist: What Kate Middleton Should Have Known

Freezing wind isn’t the only thing chilling London this month—there’s also the rumor that Kate Middleton iced out her longtime hairdresser, James Pryce. His crime? Bragging about styling the Princess’s lustrous locks on Facebook and Twitter—and roiling royals in the process.

But did Middleton commit her own etiquette blunder by cutting off her stylist so abruptly? “Not if she was paying him full price,” says Michael Angelo, the founder of Manhattan’s Wonderland Beauty Parlor and the coiffeur of America’s own late royal, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. “If the Duchess is a paying client, she’s entitled to as much discretion as she wants. [Carolyn] had a stylist once who used her name in advertisements! ‘Come to Carolyn Kennedy’s salon!’ It actually said that in the ads, even after Carolyn asked nicely for him to stop. Eventually John [F. Kennedy, Jr.] had to get involved.”

But if there’s a discount involved (or if there’s no charge altogether), the rules change. “Before fashion week, we do lots of models’ hair at a discount,” explains Angelo, who has worked with Carmen Kass, Ruby Aldridge, and Twilight vampire vixen Noot Seear. “We give them the discount because we know the press that can come from a great beauty trend or a new fashion star…We love models and we love doing hair, obviously, but we can’t give discounts unless it helps our business. We have to eat.”

So how should Kate have handled her hair breakup? (And more importantly, how can you part ways with a longtime stylist without any bad feelings? “The reality is, you’re going to see this person again,” says Angelo. “On the street, in a cafe—you’re going to run into them. So the best thing to do is to be an adult and send a note. Notes are lovely and you don’t need many details. Just, ‘I’m moving uptown and I can’t make the trek anymore,’ or ‘my finances have changed’—believe me, we understand! And if you’re leaving because something was actually wrong, you can tell us in your note. We’ll appreciate it. Say, ‘This is hard, but I think you should know…’ We’ll be glad for it, and you’ll probably feel better, too.”

Plus, just like with ex-boyfriends, it’s good to leave a window of re-entry. “Some of my longest work relationships have been with clients who stepped out, then came back and said, ‘What was I thinking?’ If that happens, of course we’re not mad at you—you tried someone else and realized we were better! So you don’t need to apologize to your stylist if you leave and come back, but it’s good to acknowledge it.”

Angelo knows that from firsthand experience. “I’ve been doing Brooklyn Decker’s hair for years. But she was on a shoot with Ted Gibson. He caught her at the right moment, she’d been thinking of cutting her hair really short, and he did it right there, on the spot. So what? Look, these things happen. And sometimes, it’s good to change it up for a minute. Madonna wears Versace, and once in a while, she wears Dolce & Gabbana, too. I don’t think it’s a problem for Donatella, do you?”