Bella Brows

I'm running late for my flight and as I'm going through security, my bag is searched because it contains scissors. I could miss my flight, but these are not just any scissors, these are my Anastasia scissors and I cannot live without them! At that moment I realized how hard it would be for me to go on vacation without my Anastasia scissors and tweezers. I totally take both of these products for granted as they have been part of my beauty ritual for years now, and I am on my way to Italy to do makeup for a beautiful bride whose makeup needs to be perfect. Brows are very important to me. They frame the eyes, and even if you have the most amazing makeup application in the world, if your eyebrows are not done, your makeup will not complete. The Anastasia tweezers are hands-down the best tweezers ever. I love them, they pluck the shortest of hair with ease and won't break hairs as many tweezers do. But, to make the brows perfect, trimming them is essential and I have never found a pair of scissors that trims the brows as well as the Anastasia scissors. Not only that, but as soon as I see a few split ends I know I can just trim them away with these amazing scissors. I use the scissors to shape false lashes, whether it is for trimming the strip, shaping the ends or thinning out a pair of heavy lashes for a more natural look, and the tweezers grip the strips and individuals really well, so I always know I can count on my Anastasia scissors and tweezers for perfect lashes too. I ended up making my flight and my scissors and tweezers made it to Italy too, the wedding and the bride were as the Italians say, bellisimo!

Anastasia Scissors
$22.50
www.anastasia.net



Anastasia Precision Tweezers
$28
www.anastasia.net




Ciao Bella!

~Tif

Loving the "W"

After meeting with the great folks over at channel 12 news in Phoenix, (we did 4 cities in 4 days...damn!) Lopez and I sat court side at the Suns vs Heat game. And when I say court side, I mean no one in front of us but the players on the court. Wow! What a great game! Never sat court side at a basketball game, literally I was within a few feet of the players. Really cool. After the game we ended up at our hotel, the "W". I have to say, I love staying there. Not only is the bar always fun, the restaurants and staff are great too. I tend to drink heavily when I'm there, but hey, its the "W". It might be my favorite chain hotel, over any of the high-end places. (I thought it was your favorite because it was the location of our first kiss?!?!) And the truth of the matter, if it wasn't for Extra picking up the tab, doubtful Gapie and I would be shacking up in high-end places like this. Motel 6, here we come!(Lol) But since it's work, and I do have to travel so much, I'm happy we stay in such a nice and cool place. With that said, the "W" is associated with the Bliss spa. Therefore Bliss supplies all "W" hotels with product. Bliss products are some of the best skin care products on the market today! And are very affordable.



I love the sent and feel of their lemon + sage "Soapy Sap" as well as their "Supershine" shampoo with wheat protein and anti-static actives. Not that I have tons of hair that needs to be moisturized with a silky like finish (those days from the early 90's are long gone).

Tif's Take:
For those of us who have never stayed at the W hotel, we can bring the coveted W Hotel bliss kit to our homes and pretend to be on a fabulous vacation...

Bliss Sinkside Six-Pack, $25 (blissworld.com or Sephora)



My all time favorite is their "fabulous foaming face wash".



Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash, $9 for travel size, $22 for 6.6 fl. oz
But, Sephora has a limited edition supersize 15.5 fl oz for $34!!!



Its leaves my face feeling clean and hydrated, awww. The scent is fantastic! Reminds me of bubble gum a bit, who doesn't like bubble gum? Rose hips, chamomile and passion flower(copying right of the back of the bottle)leaves the skin looking beautiful. Doesn't everyone want a clean, and fresh smelling face. I would stay at the ""W" just for the fact that I'd know I'd have Bliss product in the shower everyday. On a nostalgic note, Gapie, when we first started dating, use to use the foaming face wash. During that period of my wild days, I preferred good old bar soap, or what ever was conveniently given to me at MAC where I was employed. No, can't say I was about skincare back then, bar soap and water. She showed me the way, thanks Gapie. Love ya kid, now go wash your hair! Til next time, I have to tell you guys about Vegas and the fantastic lip balm I'm crazy about!

Best,

Rod

Pretty in Portland

Last we spoke, I was in flight with Lopez to Portland for a meeting with the EXTRA affiliate station KOIN. I have to say, the staff at KOIN were some of the nicest people I've met on our travels, as well as the people of Portland. I had the chance to talk with a few of them about the blog and they all seemed to love it! Thanks for the support Portland! Not only was that great, but the EP of the station asked if I would be willing to come back to the station and do a segment on beauty for their "keep it local" show. Great news!!! Hopefully I'll be back in Portland soon, with Gapie of course, to do a beauty segment! Now, with that said, what would be a good look to focus on? Portland seemed to be a very down-home type of feel, so a dramatic, heavy makeup look I think would be out.

Years back I worked for Bobby Brown on the heels of a long run with MAC, so soft, subtle beauty is something that I can do and handle...however, Gapie, and not just saying it cause she my wife, but is by far the best "clean and polished" makeup artist I've ever met (awww, thanks Gapie!). So, more then likely she'll have a big say. With that said, Laura Mercia is one of the cleanest and nicest foundations on the market today. It goes on smooth and looks fantastic on, even after sitting for some time. I personally recommend the tinted moisturizer as a everyday base.

Laura Mercier Moisturizing Foundation, $42 (also comes in oil-free)



Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, $42 (also comes in oil-free)




Tif's Take:
I have to agree with you on the Laura Mercier Tinted moisturizer, I love the oil-free, it has an spf 20 and gives great coverage. I like to apply it with a damp sponge so it doesn't absorb my precious product and applies it flawlessly. You can even take a lil' dab on your ring finger and pat it under the eye or on a small blemish for more coverage.

As for eye shadow, MAC pure pigment in "Naked" is gorgeous on the
eyes. Its light enough so it opens the eyes, but close enough to most skin tone
that blends well and looks even and polished. It has a small about of frost to
it, but not enough to really notice. Most people love it on the eyes and as a
high lighter on the cheek bone and inter cover of the eye.



Tif's Take:
MAC Nude Pigment is something that is ALWAYS in my makeup bag, I love this color! Also, if you are doing an all matte shadow on the eye and want to give a little twinkle to your lid, this color is sheer enough to layer on top as well.

A little liner and some mascara and you are good to go, that is for a real clean and fresh look...In Phoenix now, was in Vegas last night...that's a whole other story.
Saw some good makeup though, more evening looks that I tend to focus on. Its
funny when women find out I'm a makeup artist, some either shy away, or ask for
tips. Got some good tips on that as well. For know, its off to a Sun's game then
back to Gapie in the a.m. Miss you Gapie...til next time, and of course as all
ways, Gapie will do all corrections and elaborate on products mentioned as well
as her wonderful insight.

Best,

Rod

Off to the northwest...

As some of you my know, I (Rod) have to travel often. Flying from city to city, (missing my Gapie of course) I often feel like all the moisture is being sucked out of me on these long flights. Along with my new found phobia of germs, thanks to the mass amount of info that my beautiful wife has since warned me about...thanks Gapie, I often try not to let it bother me, however it has since stuck in my head, so I make every effort, when I do remember, to take the right precautions. Here is an all natural hand sanitizer that Gapie picked up for me for my trip.



Lopez and I are on a 4 city tour in 1 week. Portland, Sacremento, Vegas and finally Arizona. In case you didn't know, I work with my friend Mario Lopez doing his makeup. No, not name dropping, just fyi 'cause I know he'll be with me all week and he too follows the blog as well and likes most of the product we talk about. So, getting back to the hand sanitizer, its called "Clean Well" all-natural hand sanitizer. Its a spray and smells more minty then anything. I like the way it make my hands feel, clean and refreshed. Gapie will give you the low-down on the product in her next.

Tif's Take:
About 5 years ago, my good friend Irina went to a natural foods expo and came back with a bottle of this "Clean Well" hand sanitizer which she was kind enough to give to me, and I was immediately obsessed! I shopped all of LA looking for it when I ran out as it was extremely hard to find, but now I have seen it at the Vitamin Shoppe, Whole Foods Market and Target, which makes me so happy! It is everything I want in a hand sanitizer, first, it does not contain any crazy toxic chemicals such as triclosan and is safe to use on children, second, it is alcohol free, so it does not dry out your hands, third, it is able to kill 99.9% of germs! Instead of alcohol and triclosan , Clean Well uses Thyme oil, which is a natural antiseptic, along with other essential oils and aloe to moisturize your hands. The only drawback is the minty-herbal-citrus scent is not liked by everyone, but it sure beats the artificial "clean-powder-chemical-alcohol" scent of most others. So you might think something this good is going to be expensive, but it is not! A 1 oz bottle, which gives you 250 sprays, is between $3 and $4 depending on where you get it and can even be purchased online in bulk-once you too become obsessed! You should also check out Clean Well's hand sanitizing wipes and their other products too. It is definitely my favorite hand sanitizer on the market and I love that it it is good for you and the enviornment, usually I have several picks to get the job done, but in this category, this is my one and only.

I also love "Billy Jealousy" "Golden Gloves", $28.



Its a rich and creamy hand cream that locks in moisture...Also has a really cool name, the Golden Glove title, being a huge boxing fan, I gotta like that! Joking aside, I do really like the product to travel with because it get so dry in planes and in this cold weather. I'll leave you with that for now, later we'll get into maybe some face stuff, or what ever anyone would like to ask about. Right now I'm flying over Bakersfield, Lopez is crashed out next to me steeling the arm rest, small plane, rat bastard! Miss you Gapie, I'll send you this blog so you can correct all my gramer (grammar, not gramer, this is why he needs me lol), misspellings and punctuations. Til later.
Best
Rod

chemical exfoliation

Mr. Rinks and I had such a lovely day yesterday shopping at Williams Sonoma with our gift cards-thanks to all who gave them to us! :) We purchased our first two pieces of Le Creuset cookware! Last night I reheated some spaghetti and meatballs in one of the pans and I could not believe how fast they heat food! Maybe I won't be complaining about always cooking now that we have our amazing new pans!

As promised, here are some recommendations for chemical exfoliants. Recall that exfoliation is not only important to help reveal newer, brighter skin, but it excellent for men prior to shaving to expose the hair follicle and to prevent breakouts. Chemical exfoliants usually contain glycolic acid, salicylic acid or fruit enzymes. Glycolic acid, an alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA), is particullarly useful to anyone who wants to exfoliate and also get rid of a few of those pesky fine lines, while reducing the occurrence of ingrown hairs and acne. When glycolic acid is applied to the skin topically, it basically dissolves away the outermost layer of skin, leaving skin smoother and brighter. Sugar contains glycolic acid and milk contains lactic acid which is another great AHA. Well enough of the technical stuff, here are our favorites:

DDF-Doctor's Dermatological Formula- Glycolic Exfoliating Wash 5%, $35



DERMAdoctor's Wrinkle REVENGE 1, $24, 2, $25 or 3, $26

Wrinkle REVENGE 1, 3, and 3 have a 12%, 15% and 20% buffered glycolic acid respectively





Rodney loves Anthony Logistics for Men Glycolic Facial Cleanser, which I must admit I have used quite a few times myself.



Salicylic acid (aka aspirin) is a beta-hydroxy acid from willow bark. Not only can this beautiful molecule relieve headaches and back pain, but it can slough off your outermost layer of skin cells, penetrate into your less than perfect pores and get rid of dirt and bacteria, which now makes your pores appear smaller all while banishing blemishes.

DDF has a great Salicylic Wash 2%, $35



Billy Jealousy, a men's skincare line, makes a face wash called Bar None, $18 which Rod and I both love.



Next blog will be about exfoliating cleansers that are a combination of some of the ingredients we have mentioned. Well, got to go as my house looks like an episode of the TLC show "Hoarders" with Christmas stuff everywhere and my husband is so eager to get this over with as our vacation ends today. :(

Have a beautiful day

-Tif

after a long delay...

Happy New Year all!!! We are looking forward to a wonderful 2010, Gapie (that's Tif's nickname) and I are starting a web channel on YouTube and are going to start showing makeup and skin care tutorials. After watching some the other night... I think we can do a really good one. It'll be very informative and a lot of fun. We want to cover all bases of not only makeup, but skin care as well. You'd be surprised at how many people do not know how to put on eye cream or moisturizer. This will also be very cool for all the men who never used these types of products and are to embarrassed to ask. This way they can watch and learn from the convenience of their living room and not worry about what other might think of them...silly when you think of the fact that they are just simply helping themselves not to get skin cancer or damage to their face. Is that something to be embarrassed about? Not to say that I'm the poster boy for men's skincare or health for that matter, cause I'm not, but I can't imagine if I didn't use these products or if I didn't exercise...I'd look 50 and be as big as a house! Going to hand the computer over to Gapie now so she can try and correct my work (she thinks she's a teacher already) and then she can write a little herself. Also, watched the movie "Julie and Julia" last night with Gapie...Is a blog or twitter really that narcissistic? Also, real quick, favorite new product right now for men, "Billy Jealousy" White Knight facial cleanser, $20. Made with Papaya extract and Rosemary leaf. Normal to dry skin, perfect for the cold, crisp winter weather here in LA.



Here's Gapie...

Happy New Year! Yes, Rodney, this cold, crisp, LA weather can do a number on your skin! Can you believe we watched it snow twice last night in LA! Well, faux snow at the Grove. If you live somewhere with real snow or just have dry winter skin, you should try to exfoliate off some of that dead, dull, flaky skin by manual or chemical exfoliation. Manual exfoliation involves scrubbing, it is great for anyone who does not have cystic or active acne or super sensitive skin. I love the Clarisonic Skincare Brush, $149-$250, which gives a deep clean and a great daily exfoliation. It removes makeup, pollution and reveals fresh, clean skin with less visible pores and fine lines.



If you want a really deep manual exfoliation scrub, I can't say better things about Dr. Brandt's Microdermabrasion Exfoliating Cream, $75. This should be used once or twice a week maximum as it is such an effective exfoliant. Skin will be brighter and smoother after just two uses! I like to use this in the shower on skin that is already cleansed and damp for best results, and after I am done scrubbing for a minute in circular motions I leave it on as a mask so the active ingredients can work on my skin while I finish my shower.



If your skin is on the sensitive side and still want the invigorating experience of a scrub without the redness and irritation sensitive skin types sometimes get from most scrubs, try Caudalie's Gentle Buffing Cream, $35. This product is amazing, it is gentle but effective. Use on cleansed skin in circular motions for about a minute once or twice a week.



If you decide to go with another manual exfoliant, be sure that it has round beads or very, very, finely milled particles, not chunky crushed shells or nuts that are sharp and could cause microscopic tears in your delicate skin that will lead to macroscopic issues. Always use gentle pressure and circular motions when exfoliating your face, remember you are just trying to remove the dull skin, not sand off all your skin! If you are pregnant or nursing remember to check the ingredients for retinoids or beta hydroxy acids which may not be safe to use during these times. Well, now I have to go make lunch...New Year's Resolution: Why do I always have to cook? Gapie ("Agape" in Greek mean "LOVE", therefore we call one another "Gapie" for short. Tif is Greek if you were wondering-Rod) needs to show interest in the kitchen or he will starve! But for now, I need to tend to my husband that I love so dearly and make him lunch. Until next time, best and happy new years! Check back for our favorite chemical exfoliants next blog.


...."Scrubbing away the dead skin of 2009 to reveal a brighter, new you in 2010!" -Tif...
She's really trying guys. Be nice! Love you Gapie!

~Rinks Beauty

Our first blog, first year anniversary today!!

After a beautiful weekend in Solvang, Mrs. Rinks and I are happy to be home. This trip was to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary...and we most certainly did! I drank far to much, as for Mrs. Rinks, the smart one, drank just enough not to feel the effects the following day. The small Danish town is one of our favorite quick get away places to go, not to mention all the great tasting rooms in town that are with in walking distance. In terms of beauty, there was an awful lot of pretty girls in such a small town with great skin (none as beautiful and with as great as skin as my gorgeous wife of course). Could it be due to the vineyards, grapeseed oils and all the antioxidants? One of my favorite skincare lines is a company out of France named "Caudalie" which is made mostly from grapes and is produced on a vineyard. That got me thinking, could there be a "Caudalie" type plant just north of Santa Barbara in the near future? If it can be made and produced on a vineyard in France, why not here on a vineyard in Solvang?

Aww, isn't he sweet, I knew I kept him around for a reason! As you may or may not know, antioxidants protect your skin cells from oxidation which causes skin damage and premature aging. Antioxidants can be applied topically or you can sip on your favorite Pinot and reap the rewards of it's anti-aging properties, provided you drink in moderation...unlike my husband who drank four bottles of Pinot on Friday night! A dash of grapeseed oil on your salad or a cup of grape juice in the morning will also do the body good as well as your skin. We love the Rosemary Grapeseed Oil from Presidio Vineyard & Winery as well as their wines and grape juice. Antioxidants will also protect you from cellular damage due to the sun's harmful rays, so when used in conjunction with a good sunscreen, SPF 15 or above, you can feel a little better about avoiding those pesky little brown spots and wrinkles that appear after too much fun in the sun. If you want to keep your skin plump as a grape rather than wrinkled as a raisin, be sure to include antioxidants in your diet and on your skin!