GGF - Red Door Style

We recently received an invite to attend an upcoming event at the newly remodeled Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa - Chevy Chase, MD and couldn't wait to share the news with you! Three words: Beauty, Fun, & Swag...need we say more!?



Event Details

Red Door Beauty Bash (click here for details and to purchase tickets)
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Elizabeth Arden Red Door
6-8pm
Tickets: $25 in advance (Swag Bag included)

The Washington Event Professionals (WEP) Meetup and Red Door Spa invite you to experience the luxury of Elizabeth Arden at their newly remodeled Chevy Chase location. Tour the facility, experience a sampling of Red Door’s Spa Services, enjoy food and beverages, watch hairstyling demonstrations, and- once you’re all dolled up- have your photo taken by professional photographer, McArthur Newell. Your image will be available for download following the event.
Complimentary services: Eye Treatments Makeup application Polish changes

Watch hairstyling demo's by Red Door's talented salon staff and enter for a chance to win a FREE Red Door Treatment! Purchase tickets in advance to get a fabulous FREE SWAG bag!

Sweet and Savory Buffet & Juice Bar courtesy of Ridgewells Catering Wine and Champagne provided by ACE Beverage Photography by McArthur Newell, II of BoldLifestyle Photography

Cupboard Rx

The quest for perfect radiant skin is never ending. Sometimes, a budget just doesn't permit a package of facials or treatments to remedy the situation, so hitting up your cupboard can provide some equally effective solutions that won't bust your budget and will nourish your skin:

Crusty 'Bows: We all have a tendency to lean on our elbows without realizing it, only to discover (usually when getting ready for a date or big event) that they look as if they have been belly crawling across a battlefield. Don't worry, lemon juice and baking soda well get those 'bows back on track. Mix baking soda and lemon juice to create a paste. Rub the paste into your elbows for a "soothing, smoothing, and exfoliating treatment". Let the paste sit for about 10 minutes then rinse. After rinsing, be sure to moisturize - we prefer either Jojoba Oil or Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula. The citric acid in lemon juice acts as a safe and effective skin-lightener and skin smoother. The baking soda acts as a gentle exfoliant. Cocoa Butter also helps lighten the discoloration all that mindless leaning left behind.

Overnight Zit Zapper: How many times has a blemish popped up just as you used the last of your blemish gel? Don't worry, dab a little traditional white toothpaste (non-whitening) "... on the offending spot, and it should be dried up by morning. The toothpaste dehydrates the pimple and absorbs the oil. This remedy works best on pimples that have come to a head. Caution: This remedy may be irritating to sensitive skin."

Image Courtesy of Free-Photo-Gallery.Org

Crusty Lips: Sun exposure can be just as harsh on lips as cold windy days. Stop chewing off that chapped, flaky skin and give lips some lovin' with a homemade lip scrub. Simply wet your index finger with water, dip it into sugar, and rub against your lips. For a moisturizing scrub, wet your finger with milk instead of water. Rinse, blot dry, and apply petroleum jelly or your "fave" lip balm (ours is Smith's Rosebud Salve). Repeat as necessary each day. For "wrinkly" lips, put a brewed caffeinated tea bag between your pouters. The caffeine helps reduce the appearance of "lip wrinkles". As with the lip scrub, be sure to moisturize after rinsing!


Credits: Readers Digest.com.

Tea To The Rescue

While we love a good cup of tea, we also love to use it for quick beauty fixes. Below are our fave uses for tea:



"Puffy Party Eyes" - Tired puffy eyes got you "feeling" that late night? Send those "bags" packing by brewing some caffeinated tea! Brew 2 tea bags (preferably black tea - gives more "pow" than grocery store green tea) for approximately 5 minutes and let them cool (or at least get warm to touch). Squeeze out excess water and apply them to your eyes while warm for a soothing warmth effect. For a "cool and refreshing" treat, put the tea bags in the fridge or freezer for 10-15 minutes before applying to your tired eyes. Cool or warm, apply the moist tea bags to tired puffy eyes for about 15 minutes (flip them over midway through the 15 minutes if you like). Your eyes will thank you by looking good as new. The trick? Caffeine helps naturally reduce puffiness and tighten delicate under eye skin.

"Country Fried Skin" - Sun or razor burn got you feeling as if you were attacked by Killer Bees? Apply cool tea bags (following the steps above) to the affected area for instant relief. While the redness will remain, the sting will be gone in minutes. For larger surfaces, draw a warm bath, adding several tea bags in the process, then get in and soak once the bags have steeped for 5 minutes or so. Tea tannins double as minor burn soothers.

"Stinky Feet" - Have your tootsies turned stinky? Fight back by soaking your feet, at least once a week, in black or green tea (again, we prefer black tea because the average green tea is too weak to make an impact). Tannic acid found in tea acts as a natural odor neutralizer.

In addition to providing the above beauty remedies, tea is great for skin because it is full of "... antioxidants, vitamins E and C and help to fight free radicals that cause pre-mature aging."

Credits: Care2.com and Reader's Digest.com

Zap That Zit

Let's face it, "zits happen" despite our best efforts to prevent them. We have tried several "zit zappers" over the years, and love the following products because they consistently delivered fast results:



Neutrogena Rapid Clear 2-in-1 Fight & Fade Gel is absolutely heaven-sent. It packs a powerful "1-2" punch on blemishes and scars because of the Salicylic and Glycolic Acids it contains. As promised, our blemishes were zapped within roughly 8 hours of applying this product (thanks to the Salicylic Acid). Our scars and hyper-pigmentation from previous blemish battles were noticeably faded within our first 4 weeks of consistent use (thanks to the Glycolic Acid). Overall, we saw our best results when applied at night as part of our nightly skincare routine. If you choose to apply it during the day, be sure to use a moisturizer with SPF to prevent any additional hypo or hyper-pigmentation (depending on your skin tone).



Origins Spot Remover® is tiny (packaging wise) but powerful. While it does not help fade scars, this product contains Salicylic Acid, which aggressively attacks blemishes "...to speed healing and reduce redness". We noticed that Origins reformulated this product to include Oregano and Clove Buds to provide a more gentle method of zapping blemishes. The original formula sometimes caused a burning sensation, especially on popped or open pimples and/or over drying/flaking because of the 10% Salicylic Acid. This new formula "...won't provoke tender skin or cause additional sensitivity."

For those who are cringing at the thought of putting an "acid" on your face, relax - Salicylic Acid and Glycolic Acid are the "good acids" for attacking blemishes, especially for skin of color.

While both products are not large in size (especially true of the Origins Spot Remover®), a little does go a long way. Additionally, we would like to note that these products are designed to be "spot" treatments, and not masks or all over treatments (especially true for the Neutrogena Rapid Clear 2-in-1 Fight & Fade Gel because of the Glycolic Acid).

Credits: Neutrogena Corporation; Origins Natural Resources, Inc.

The 10 Minute Face

Contrary to what some may believe, it is possible to "Give Good Face" in just 10 minutes! Some of you recently requested quick and easy ways to add make-up to your daily routine. Below are 6 steps we call "The 10 Minute Face" - a daily make-up routine that even a beauty novice can expertly execute:

1) Cleanse, Tone, and Moisturize your face - toning and moisturizing are key because toning helps reduce rednesss and remove excess oil/dirt that your cleanser may not have removed; moisturizing is key for hydrating and protecting your skin (via SPF) and helping you achieve a youthful look.

2) Skip or Apply a tinted moisturizer, sheer foundation, or powder to your face.

3) Apply mascara - feel free to curl lashes first if necessary.

4) Apply eyeshadow - we recommend soft neutral shades; lightly sweep some under you lower lash line for added "pop" using a small eyeshadow brush or sponge applicator.

5) Apply blush - lightly sweep blush on cheeks, temples, and chin. Adding a touch to the temples and chin helps give warmth to the face.

6) Apply lipstick, lip pencil, and/or lip gloss - turn your lip pencil into a long-lasting lipstick by coloring the upper and lower lips; apply gloss to add a bit of shine.

That's it! You are ready for the world.

Beauty Beauty Everywhere

Hi Everyone -

We are back - we had to be away unexpectedly. In our travels, we came across a beauty wonderland in the most unlikeliest of places - CVS/pharmacy. Move over Sephora and Ulta, Beauty 360 is coming for you.

Packed with "...an edited selection of prestige and niche cosmetics, skincare and fragrance brands in a friendly environment that is simultaneously upscale and accessible." Since each store is staffed with licensed professionals, you can can also get "a unique suite of brand-specific signature services including mini-manicures, express facials, hand massages and make-up application."