Facelifts Online - See A New You In Just Seconds

Ever wonder what you would look like with a brow lift, or a cheek lift, or a lip augmentation? A website called Lift Magic allows you to upload your photo and then see yourself after simulated facial plastic surgery.

Once you have chosen what you want from the menu of procedures, you hit the 'show me' button to see an image of your surgically enhanced face.   It virtually takes seconds. Then you can scroll between the before and after pictures to see the difference.   

This site is definitely pretty cool. Go try it for yourself.  It's easy and a lot of  fun to see a new you in just seconds.  Just click here.

Cleavage Without Creases

Let's admit it cougars, we all love to expose a little bit of clevage when it's appropriate.  It's fun and it makes us feel flirty and sexy. But, here's the thing.  Sleeping on our side squishes our breasts together and that creates creases. As our skin's elasticity starts to break down, the bounce back factor just ain't what it used to be.

Here's what one woman did to help solve the problem. One night  she came up with the idea of getting one of her t-back fitness bras and putting it on backwards (t in the front cups in the back).  What this did was to compress the area between her breasts and keep them apart.  And guess what, she said it worked!  She woke up the next morning with hardly any creases.

Making your own device can be cheaper but there is a product you can buy called ChestSavers. It separates the breasts, just like the homemade version but, it also creates a suction across the chest, smoothing out the entire area.  The company says "it  promotes deep penetration of moisturizers  resulting in a smoother, younger looking chest and neck."

If any of you cougars have tried anything like this, let us know if it really works. 

Flip Flops And Other Hazards For Your Feet

Summer is here and that means it's time to show off your tootsies. But before you start in with the weekly  pedicures or start running barefoot through the park, here's some common myths that could actually harm your feet.

Myth: Flats, flip-flops and even going barefoot are perfectly fine for your feet.

Fact: Flip flops do not provide any support and can lead to ankle sprains and tendonitis. Flats can be painful to your feet by causing severe heel pain and blisters. Walking barefoot can lead to foot problems such as cuts, abrasions, bruises and puncture wounds.

Diagnosis: Wear flip-lops or flats, but only for a few hours at a time.  If you wear them longer, stretch your Achilles tendon afterward. As for walking barefoot - only at home - but still be careful of small objects that could be caught in your carpet.

Myth: You don't need to put sunscreen on your feet.

Fact:  Forgetting to apply sunscreen to your feet can increase the risk of skin cancer.  Too often African and Asian American women don't believe this is necessary because of their darker skin tone.

Diagnosis: No matter what your race or ethnicity, the legs and feet are not immune to the sun's effects  So be sure to use suncreen with an SPF of at least 30 with both UVB and UVA protection, and re-apply every few hours.

Myth: All pedicure salons use sterile instruments, so they are safe.

Fact: Unfortunately, this is not always the case. To be safe, it's best to invest in your own nail files, clippers and cuticle sticks.  If you choose to use shop instruments, make sure they are well sterilized after each use.

Myth: Soaking your feet in the motorized tub at a nail salon is perfectly fine, because they scrub them out after each use.

Fact: Often the antiseptic that is put in the water between clients doesn't catch all the germs. Bacteria and fungus can get caught in the filter of the motorized tub and still cause a problem.

Diagnosis:  It would be safer to ask the technician if they have a clean bowl or basin to use instead, with individual liners for even greater protection.

This summer take care of your feet.  We all know how painful it is when you don't.  

Kim Cattrall aka Real Cougar In A New HBO Series

For all you Kim Cattrall fans (and I'm one of them), she has just signed on for a new sexy HBO series.  

This time she's leaving her Sex and the City girlfriends behind as she takes on the role of a middle-aged wife and mother in living in New York.   In the show her character is rediscovering her sexuality and beginning to question her place in the world and the choices she has made.  This very minute how many millions of women are asking themselves those very same questions? Sounds to me like HBO is right on the money.

The new series is called "Sensitive Skin" and it's a remake of a British show. Being the smart cougar that she is, Cattrall insisted on an HBO development deal as part of her overall compensation package for agreeing to star in the ‘Sex and the City.  

Will Kim make a big splash without the magnetic star power of  Sarah Jessica?  My money is on Kim.

By the way, Kim paid a visit to my to my hair salon last Tuesday to have her blond tresses touched up. Everybody was raving about how beautiful she was.  Fifty something looks pretty darn good to me.  Don't you agree?

Collagen Regeneration Key To Maintaining Youthful Skin

Fine wrinkles, deep creases, saggy areas around the mouth and neck, is there anything we can do to fight back?  Of course there is. A team of scientists at the University of Michigan show there are some existing treatments that effectively counteract the structural breakdown inside our skin so it's possible to stimulate the growth of new, youthful collagen.

After a decade of studying, here's what they found. There are three types of available skin treatments that are effective in stimulating new collagen:  topical reinoic acid - carbon dioxide laster resurfacing - injections of cross-linked hyaluronc acid.

A 2007 study looked at Restylane, marketed as a dermal filler, and found that injections of the product caused fibroblasts to stretch, promoting new collagen, and also limited the breakdown of collagen. Fibroblast cells are the key producers of collagen.  If you make more collagen go in, it provides an environment in which fibroblasts recover and make more collagen.

Topical lotitions containing retinol, a form of Vitamin A found in many skin-care products were tested and apparently they significantly reduced wrinkles and skin roughness  by promoting new collagen.

Other studies have shown why some laser treatments work and some less powerful ones do not. Carbon dioxide laser resurfacing is effective because it removes the aging dermis; in the three-week regrowth process, new, young collagen is produced.

As skin ages, there is increased production of the enzyme collagenase, which breaks down collagen. Then fibroblasts, the critical players in firm, healthy skin, lose their normal stretched state. When they collapse more breakdown enzymes are produced. 

Our aging skin is a bad news good news scenario. The bad news - it's a viscious cycle.  The good news -  there are treatments that can slow down the process.

Real Cougars Know The Power Of Looking Good

     Sorry all you grey haired let yourself go natural ladies I'm not in your camp.  Jamie Lee Curtis may choose the grey and wrinkled route, but not me.  The Real Cougar Woman does everything she can to look good - not to please anybody else - she does it for herself.

My book "The 12 Best Kept Secrets of The Real Cougar Women" gives women over 40 important information on how to look fabulous.  The tag line for the book is "how old did you say you are".  I chose it because that's the question I get asked all the time. 

Here's the thing most women won't tell you. Although we're smart, confident, sexy and financially independent, men are still the ones in charge.  And men want pretty women working beside them.  This I tell you from first hand experience.  I worked with men for over 20 years in Wall Street's Old Boys Club. Even though I was the best at what I did - looking good certainly didn't hurt my career.

Not one woman on the planet wants to wake up one morning and see a stranger looking back in  the mirror.  You know the scenario - feeling 30 on the inside and looking 65 on the outside. Christopher Hopkins, a Minneapolis makeover expert says:  "the first step toward change is defining who you are with adjectives -- i.e. classic, casual, romantic dramatic, alluring, innovative.  Then balance who you are through your haircut, clothes and makeup"  He asks, when did taking pride in your appearance become bad"?

A lot of women over 45 are simply paralyzed, says Chrisopher.  They think it's better to do nothing than to make an effort and fail...it's easier to pretend you don't care.

The Real Cougar Woman cares.  So, if you're feeling a little frumpy today, invest in one of the gazillion beauty books that will give you some tips.  Be the woman who's asked "how old did you say you are"?

 

Modeling Opportunities for The Real Cougar Woman

At some time in your life haven't you imagined yourself parading down a runway or posing for the cover of Vogue?  I think all young women have had that fantasy. But, as we approached our thirties those dreams got tucked away in the back of the closet.  Well, ladies today is the day to resurrect those dreams.  NOW it's your time to shine and here's why.

Advertisers are waking up to the realization that woman over forty have an amazing amount of money to spend.  And, when we buy, we like to buy from people who look like us.  Viola, models over 40 are becoming hot properties.

If you're ready to take advantage of this trend.  If you're ready to strut your stuff, this is a must read - Break Into Modeling for Under $20. It was written by Judy Goss who was a high fashion model and agent for Ford NY in their editorial/celebrity division and also an agent for NY Models in their high fashion division.  She is currently the photo shoot producer and booking editor for More Magazine.  Judy has done it all so she can help you.

Whether you are ready to pursue your dream or help a younger woman pursue hers, do yourself a big favor and read Judy's book first. It can save you a lot of money and a lot of frustration.

Here's some additional information you need to now.  Red Model Management has started a new division called the S-Class. They are looking for vibrant photogenic, elegant women between the ages of 35 and 65 and taller than 5'8".  Here's the best part:  no experience necessary.

The first open call will be in New York on April 26th at their NYC offices:  15 Broad Street, Suite 3320, 33rd floor.

If you are interested, you must make an appointment for the open call first!  Here's the number: 212-785-1999 Contact:  Christie or Kristin.

Jamie Lee Curtis 50 and Topless

Jamie Lee Curtis is at it again.  This time she's decided bare her soul – and body – to convince women that they will be their most beautiful if they take care of their bodies and age naturally. 

Jamie will turn 50 in November and decided to celebrate by posing gray-haired and topless on the May-June cover of AARP Magazine.

Remember when she appeared make-up free in More Magazine in 2002?  In that spread she wore a sports bra and briefs now she's going even further.

She says she prefers the natural look of her hair, which went gray in her mid-40s. And as sexy as she was in early films, she has more confidence than ever in her looks.

"I think I have finally found what I hope beauty is, or at least, beauty as it applies to me," says Curtis.

HotorNot - How Important Is Physical Attractiveness?

Physical attractiveness is important, at least when it comes to dating. Good looking people are not only popular targets for romantic pursuits, but also tend to flock together with others of like attractiveness. Does this mean then that more attractive versus less attractive people look through a different lens when evaluating someone elses attractiveness?

Columbia University marketing professor, Leonard Lee, and colleagues, George Loewenstein (Carnegie Mellon University), Dan Ariely (MIT) and James Hong and Jim Young (HOTorNOT.com), decided to test this theory in the realm of an online dating site. The site HOTorNOT.com allows members to rate others on their level of physical attractiveness.

Botox Users - Should You Be Afraid?

In a public alert issued Friday, the Food and Drug Administration said Botox, along with a similar drug called Myobloc, has been linked to life-threatening symptoms such as strained breathing and severe difficulty in swallowing, which can lead to a form of pneumonia. Doctors are being advised to monitor patients for such reactions while it decides whether to strengthen warnings on the drugs' labels.

Many of the most serious reactions - deaths and hospitalizations - occurred among children treated for cerebral palsy-associated limb spasticity, the agency said. The drugs are not FDA-approved for that use in children or adults.