Archive for March, 2008

A Good Anti Aging Skin Care Product is Easy to Pick When You Know What to Look For

March 23rd, 2008 -- Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Just imagine if you could confidently pick your way through the heaps of anti aging skin care products store assistants push at you, and the screaming intimidating billboards, and seductive untruthful glossy magazine covers, and find an anti aging skin care treatment that actually works, day after day. And is modestly priced.

Wouldn’t that be something?

There are several reasons it’s so hard to find the right anti aging skin care product.

Sheer volume is one. There are a staggering 11 billion personal care products sold in this country each year. How can you possibly find the good ones without some specialized help?

And another reason is the lies and hype of smartly dressed store assistants. How do you know if they are telling you the truth?

Finally, there is the plain greed of store owners and product manufacturers. There are $1.6 billion worth of skin care products sold here each year. And, unfortunately, because there is money to be made there are many unscrupulous peddlers who will offer fake anti aging skin care treatment.

On the other hand there are some truly stunning, effective products out there that will help you look younger and more vibrant.

You can easily tell the fake ones by opening the top and smelling them.

If they have a strong, deliberate fragrance put them back on the shelf. Many anti aging skin care cream products have a “nice” smell added in the factory. The chemicals that make this trick work have toxins. And these will get in through the pores of your skin into your bloodstream. Avoid that, even if the product is cheap and smells heavenly.

A good perfume or body spray will give you a fragrance. And it only needs to be spotted in one or two small areas of your skin. The anti aging skin care product that smells strongly has to be rubbed and massaged across large areas of your body. The dangers and risks associated with that are high.

Another thing to look for is the word “collagen” on the product label.

If an anti aging skin care product includes this compound, refuse to use it. Manufacturers are trying to trick you when they include collagen in their products and promote it as a natural, young-skin enhancer. It’s not.

OK. It is true that your skin ages, sags and wrinkles because the natural collagen in the skin breaks down as it gets older. And it’s logical to assume that if you rub some in, this will compensate for the loss of natural collagen. But actually, the molecules are too big to enter your skin when simply rubbed across the surface. The only way you can replenish collagen is to use compounds that will stimulate your own body to produce more collagen in its own way and time.

So, there’s two things to watch for, as you select an anti aging skin care treatment.

Price is another thing to look at. You want a good product, but at a good price.

The people who make anti aging skin care products know they are selling into an emotionally charged market. They deliberately play with what you feel about your looks. So expensive marketing is one of their biggest sales tactics. They put more money and emphasis on this than on the research needed to make quality products that work.

That’s why you see glamorous models and celebrities promoting these products. Beauty sells. It’s why skin care products come in elegant glass containers or stylish tubes. Appealing design sells. That’s why they spend thousands of dollars for full page ads in glossy fashion magazines or on television. Constant, manipulative branding sells.

This costs huge amounts of money.

Take the many models and celebrities who endorse an anti aging skin care product. Elle Macpherson is the latest face of Revlon, joining Halle Berry, Jessica Alba and Beau Garrett as glamorous stars sponsored by the cosmetic giant. How much is Revlon paying them? At Chanel, Nicole Kidman is the face of No. 5. Keira Knightley promotes Coco Mademoiselle. Claudia Schiffer, Jane Fonda, Pierce Brosnan, Penelope Cruz and others endorse L’Oreal.

These companies pay millions of dollars for these celebrity endorsements. And they have to include that in the price of their products.

This is one reason I go to the smaller, quality manufacturers when I recommend a vanity item … like an anti aging skin care product. Because these smaller companies can keep their costs down and have more of their profits available for extra research and development.

So there you have it. Look for an anti aging skin care product that deliberately leaves out fragrance, contains compounds that will encourage your body to naturally replenish the collagen in your skin, and is made by a small company with high standards, a development program and without a celebrity on the marketing payroll.

This is how you can take best care of your skin.

William Leonard is writing extensively on skin care and skin care products from his website elegant-skincare.com Click there now and read more about skin care and see his recommendations for an anti aging skin care product

Men’s Fashion - Retro Style Is Still Hot

March 19th, 2008 -- Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Whether it is brand spanking new or crumpled up in the back of your dad’s closet, retro fashion is still hot. Here are some tips on what to get if you want to look like a classic hipster:

1. The Old Bowling Shirt - Did this one ever really go out of style? Well, yes, but only for a little while. The classic bowling shirt is a rare retro find that will have you looking for a strike in no time. Look for bowling shirts with team names still embroidered on them or classic designs on the back.

2. Funky Shoes - Retro shoes that look like they were stolen off of a bandleader’s feet are still very hot. Look for classic saddle shoes or spectators. The best material is of course alligator if you really want that retro feel. When worse comes to worse, an old pair of bowling shoes will still work.

3. Ringneck Tees - These are still old standards in any retro closet. Ringneck tees, whether they are long sleeve or short, are a quick way to feel retro the minute you slip them on. Look for tees with a little wear on them if you are going for that true vintage look.

4. The Hawaiian Shirt - If you’re looking for an old Hawaiian shirt, remember, louder is better. Look for bright and bold prints that scream “I’m retro!” You can really have a lot of fun with these.

5. Chains and Jewelry - This was the era of the fraternity pins, class rings and awesome chains. Look for unique pieces of jewelry that will complete your whole retro look.

6. Classic Denim - Jeans were just starting to take off during this period and they were made so well, chances are they’ll still be good for plenty of years to come. The designs of this time period were simple, but the workmanship and pocket details will still stand the test of time.

7. Wide Ties - The 50’s were the era of the really wide tie. Look for some classic models with 50’s prints but don’t go overboard. If you don’t want to go quite that retro, skinny ties were all the rage in the 60’s and may work better with modern shirts.

8. Work Shirts - Even if your name isn’t Bob and you never worked at a gas station, these work shirts can go to work for you. Nothing says retro quite like someone else’s old work shirt.

9. Old Forgotten Brands - The best shirts are the ones that advertise for company’s that have long been extinct. Look for strange shirts with even stranger slogans on them. This will give you a truly retro look and feel. Classic tshirts for retro brands are still very hip. Look for an old Coca-Cola tee or even shirts for bands back in the day. The crazier the better with these shirts.

10. Don’t forget your hair - If you really want to go retro, don’t forget to include your head. Study classic styles from the 50’s and go to an old fashioned barber. You’ll look like you just stepped out of a time capsule.

Find Retro clothing & accessories at:

http://stores.ebay.com/RnBstyles-Store_

http://RnBstyles.com

Denim Jeans, Their Progress Through Fashion - Still Making History

March 9th, 2008 -- Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Denim jeans and attire have been associated with heavy industry to high fashion and become one of the most versatile and enduring clothing styles in fashion history. Hollywood stars like Katherine Hepburn aided denim’s progress through fashion in the 70’s. And now Savile Row tailors champion its continuing success, as they cut denim suits for some of the most famous names in the world. But what of its origins, Denim and Jeans have travelled the world.

Captured in denim the Americans invented, commercialised, stylised, or popularised, in a word, Levis, American Wild West culture. But the fabric was adopted from another continent by early Americans who created functional hard wearing work gear. At the same time they introduced a style without the aid of catwalks and drop dead handsome models.

Mr Jacob Davis a tailor from Reno Nevada decided to put copper rivets on the corners of his denim trouser pockets to prevent them from ripping. Unable to cover the cost of patenting the idea he sought help from prosperous clothing distributor Mr Levi Strauss. Mr Strauss added his own style by putting the garment label on the outside rather than on the inside. Thus a new style was born.

Denim (derived from De-Nimes in France) had already been styled into bell bottom trousers and worn by Italian sailors from Genoa and given the name Geans (Jeans). These trousers had very practical applications. If a sailor went overboard he could easily slip off his trousers without his feet getting caught and thus stand a better chance of staying afloat.

The style has gone from De-Nimes, to Denim, from Genoa to Jeans, from France to America and travelled the world. Style knows no cultural or geographic boundaries. Experience the history.

Now here are a couple of style tips. With this in mind you could chose a denim shirt by King Gee (Australia), floral designer silk tie by Timothy Everest (Savile Row London), a pair of grey flannel trousers by Jaeger (England), for the feet, a pair of blue and white Converse All Stars (America), dark lightweight Harris Tweed jacket (England) and a leather belt by RM Williams (Australia) this is the gear you need for working at the coalface, functionality rules the way. It’s referred to as the lean-clean style, it’s casual by framework, loose and comfortable, but formalised enough with the introduction of neckwear. So you can get into action, throw off the jacket, roll the sleeves up, loosen the tie and get it done.

Once last thing, why not try a pair of Swarovski Crystal designer cufflinks, just to reflect your mood and to complement your tie.

Did you know?

Robert Redford stars in the definitive film of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald was a dedicated customer of Jermyn Street bespoke shirt maker Turnbull & Asser. The shirts that reduce The Great Gatsby’s socialite heroine Daisy (Mia Farrow) to tears with their beauty in the film all bear the Turnbull & Asser bespoke label.

In1969,Nutters of Savile Row opens on Valentine’s Day and unleashes the Tommy Nutter/Edward Sexton style on swinging London. Backed by Cilla Black and The Beatles’ record company Apple’s executive Peter Brown, Nutters of Savile Row dresses the entire social spectrum from the Duke of Bedford and Lord Montagu to Mick and Bianca Jagger and The Beatles. Nutters is the first shop on Savile Row to pioneer ‘open windows’ and wild displays executed by Simon Doonan.

In 1975, Maverick screen actress Katherine Hepburn, whose long-term lover Spencer Tracey was a customer of Huntsman, takes the extraordinary step of ordering bespoke denim jeans from her late lover’s Savile Row tailor. Hepburn’s commission foreshadows bespoke denim collections launched in 2006 by Timothy Everest and Evisu.

It’s all about style, Vivienne Westwood knows

If you would like to learn some interesting historic anecdotes about the evolution of style and fashion follow this link http://patrickmcmurraysfashionaccessories.blogspot.com if you would like to see some stunning silk ties, cufflinks, belts and wallets, follow this link http://www.patrickmcmurray.com