A contact wearer for over 10 years, I have grown accustomed to inserting the lenses each morning so that I can carry out a basic function that many take for granted — seeing! Okay, I can see without contacts, I just can’t see what I’m seeing. Haha, you with me?

For many years now, I have been a faithful ACUVUE customer. It’s the only brand I’ve trusted my eyes to. I love that their contacts have a little “123” inscribed on each lens. This prevents me from inserting my contacts inside out, a potentially painful action if you haven’t experienced it. More »

If there were ever a support group for bad hair, my intro would go something like this, “My name is Jennifer and I am super lazy when it comes to my hair.” Then I would ask for an electric shaver to buzz it all off. Too drastic? Possibly, but allow me to explain.

While I have often received many compliments on my hair for it’s length, shine, and occasional volume, I went many years without actually doing anything to emphasis it’s natural beauty. I did dye it once and got it permed many years ago, but other than that, it’s all real. However, my biggest issue has been that it’s super straight. Not even a slight hint of a wave. I’ve tried different curling irons and rollers, yet have never been able to attain a great hairdo without tons of hairspray. And I hate using hair product, I like running my fingers through my hair and not getting stuck half way. More »

I have always had bothersome blemishes; although it has improved over the years, there were many trips to the dermatologist back in the day.

I know it is “darkest before the dawn,” but I hate that when I try to adopt a skin care routine, the problem increases. Honestly, it makes me want to avoid washing my face altogether. To tell you the truth, I usually just remove my makeup and call it a night.

BUT, as a beauty editor, I am constantly receiving and trying out new products. Most of the time I do so apprehensively because I know that these tests will result in breakouts. However, I feel it my duty to give a fair review of the item in question so that readers can forgo buying products that don’t live up to their promises. More »

As I brush my hair after I shower, I notice that a lot of it ends up on my brush. This has been happening for quite some time but I’ve never really thought too much of it. I come from a family with full heads of hair so going bald isn’t something I fear. However, I do fear the day that I see a gray hair. My mom has been dying her hair since she was very young, and while her brothers and sisters have lush mounds of hair, they’re all salt and peppered!

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Some of you may have heard of the “lemonade diet” in the past. However, it’s not meant for weight loss, but as a form of detoxifying the body. This diet aims to cleanse the intestinal walls and colon, rebooting metabolism, and riding the body of toxins. For 10 days, about a gallon of this lemonade is to be taken throughout the day while fasting. Water, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, organic maple syrup, and cayenne pepper make up this lemonade. It is also accompanied by a salt-water flush in order to help rid the body of toxins.

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No, the woman in the picture with me is not my sister, she’s my mother. And no, she hasn’t had any work done, she just ages really well. It’s because of her nearly flawless skin that I’ve never been afraid of growing older or getting wrinkles. Until a few months ago, I didn’t even know about all the various procedures that are available to those that do fear fine lines and wrinkles.

(Myself with my mom, the reason I don’t fear aging.)

With the media focusing on maintaining a youthful appearance, it’s no wonder that non-invasive procedures for the face are becoming more and more readily available. It’s also not shocking to see many women in their late 20s and early 30s lining up for Botox or lip-plumping injections. The younger you start, the longer you’ll be able to say “I’m really only 31,” when in fact you are 40. Every woman is looking for her fountain of youth. More »

June 1st marked the day that Beauty Chat turned a year old [proud teardrop].

You see, this blog originally developed as a social networking project between me and Randy. Our goal at that time was to reach out to the beauty and plastic surgery communities, with our original “Look good, feel good, and speak on it!” philosophy. Turns out this idea not only paved the personality of Beauty Chat; we learned that there are a lot of others out there who feel the same way. You know, the non-judgmental chatterboxes (like us) who love talking about the latest this and that.

Turns out, there are TONS of you – our local, national, and international friends – who have subscribed to Beauty Chat and even have a favorite “Beauty Chatter.” I mean, with 10 writers on staff, including myself, a very productive project editor (Denice) and an eye-for-detail managing editor (Leeann), a fabulous in-house designer (Khevna), and a righteous programmer ( Randy), it only makes sense that you would connect with someone who is just as opinionated as you are!

Really, when it comes down to it, the team that makes up Beauty Chat is, like, the coolest group you could ever meet. (Sorta kidding, but not really.) More »

Just a quick post to share a little more from the Total Beauty Blog Summit.

(Denice and Leeann enjoying the VIP party)

It was such an honor to be amongst amazing beauty bloggers – Leeann and I met some fabulous ladies, and learned a lot from them. So of course, the most fun was getting to chat with our new blogging friends, such as:

Jennifer from Beauty in Real Life
Delphine from Steeping Beauty
Tia from Shake Your Beauty
Alison from the Advice Sisters
Kia from Yummy 411
Erika from Makeup Bag
Cailin from The Beauty Bunny
(just to name a few!) More »

We’ve all heard that “cleanliness is next to godliness.” Well, in my beauty-conscious mind, so is good skincare. I have admittedly battled that frustrating thing called acne, which actually isn’t just “frustrating” – it can feel more like utter torture.

For me, I had the clear, porcelain-like skin in high school, wearing anything so much as face powder. Those were so the days. But then came college. While discovering eyebrow threading and chic fashion styles, pimples were actively finding me! Fun times? Guess again…

Much like my neurotic hunt for curly hair products, my search for good skincare remedies have not gone unwarranted, especially if Dr. Susan Evans has anything to do with it.

Located in Beverly Hills of Southern California, Dr. Evans is known as a premier dermatologist who is simply “good at what [she] does” (you might recognize her from Dr. 90210 on E!) More »

PlasticSurgery.com’s “Biggest Loser” challenge has come to an end. And today, I am disappointed to announce that I did not win! But I AM down 9.5 pounds (still not enough to take the lead and win the grand prize though). Congratulations to Beauty Chatter Denice with 17 pounds shed, and PS.com’s Creative Manager (Dan) losing 10.

Everyone told me getting the weight off was going to be more of a challenge this time around (my second pregnancy), but I did not expect it to be this hard. I am 3 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight, but my body shape is completely gone.

I have been using Weight Watchers instead of The Daily Plate to stick to my diet. It is a little easier because I don’t have to think about how much fat and protein I am getting – Weight Watchers does it for me. It seems to be working because 3 of the 9 pounds were lost this week.

That said, however, I have not incorporated exercise into my weight loss plan as I had hoped to do. But now, with the sun staying out a bit later, I intend to bring it on!

Just 22 more pounds to go… I am determined to stay focused! (This is me, feeling “pretty in pink!’)