PopSugar

Want To Look Like Madonna, or at Least Have Skin Like Her?

BellaSugarUK — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:10:00 -0800

Just like our bodies need oxygen to be healthy, our skin does too. Enter Michelle Peck, facialist to Madonna, Gwyneth, Jennifer Lopez, Molly Sims, Justin Timberlake and Eva Longoria (just to drop a few names). She started off as a masseuse, however, her career really began to take off when she connected with skincare brand Intraceuticals and began putting her own healing touch on their oxygen treatment called Intraceuticals Infusion.

Those who have experienced Michelle's work, just can't stay away, and I can understand why. After speaking with her at length, not only did I find her to be open, kind and warm, but she is also overflowing with depth, compassion and perspective. Her time spent with famous faces (ehem, she's been on two world tours with Madonna where she gave her a treatment before every single show) has not jaded her one bit. In fact, she is more concerned with the Earth, the human spirit and her charity of choice, Raising Malawi, than with outer beauty.

To learn about the technology behind Intraceuticals treatments, where you can get them in the UK, plus for more about my exclusive interview with Michelle, just read more.

Intraceuticals came to the US about six years ago from Australia and is now available in over 35 countries. Michelle decided to come on board with them and eventually become their spokesperson because she saw something unique in their technology. Never before has there been a brand that combines 95% hyaluronic acid (the connective tissue that keeps skin lubricated and cushioned aka, young looking) mixed with hyperbaric pressure (oxygen under pressure) and 5% of vitamins A, C, E, aloe vera and green tea extract.

Keep in mind that plumping products/treatments like restylane and juvederm are forms of hyaluronic acid, but, you need to inject them into the skin because of the large-sized molecules. However, combined with the hyperbaric pressure, the Intraceuticals molecules are small enough to be driven into the skin with a machine that looks like an airbrush gun.

The entire treatment takes about an hour and are recommended to be done in a series of six every seven to ten days. After that, monthly maintenance is suggested. Sessions with Michelle are £325 each, but can go as low as £150 with other estheticians. Celebrities are so passionate about these treatments because there's no redness afterward, so you can put makeup on within 15 minutes. The end results are instant, but long term results are even better as it helps to minimize pores, tighten, firm, and hydrates the skin at the deepest level. Hey, if Madonna has been a fan for over four and a half years, there must be something to this! And if you want what Madge is having, ask for the Rejuvenation Treatment.

You must travel so much for work, how do you keep your skin looking good? I love serums because they penetrate deeper into my skin than creams.
What's your advice for keeping your skin young and healty? I'm big on staying out of the sun. Some of the most damaged skin I've seen in the world is sun damaged skin. I also use my treatment on the hands, necks and chest.
What's your favourite product? The Opulence Line Wand is great for under eye circles, and the Clarity Line Wand helps dry out blemishes really well.
What other skin care products does Madonna use? Atoxlelene Wand, Eye Gel and Blue Hydration Gel (which is rich in hyaluronic acid). The products support the treatments, but they aren't meant to replace your favourite product line. You can use whatever products you like in addition to ours.
What's your philosophy on beauty? Beauty truly comes from within. I'm very involved in Madonna's charity, Raising Malawi and have been to Malawi often. I find that helping others brings you personal happiness and inner beauty.

Where To Find Intraceuticals Treatments in London:
Although it's not the same as meeting Michelle in person, you can get Intraceuticals treatments at Beauty Works West, Fabiola Face Spa (on the King's Road), The Chelsea Day Spa.

Simply click here for other locations in the UK, and, check out these more budget friendly places for oxygen facials.

View 8 Photos ›

2012: Apocalyptic Good Times

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:30:00 -0800

In terms of end-of-the-world movies, 2012 packs it all - a love story, teary family moments, action-packed adventure, over-the-top-CGI, and a ton of recycled film cliches - in a two and a half hour package. That's lengthy by today's standards, but I wasn't bored for a minute. This is pure escapist entertainment.

The film opens in 2009 as a scientist in India and his American associate Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) discover that the Earth's core is overheating. His forecast: Tectonic plates will shift, thereby causing a worldwide catastrophe that will wipe out the human race.

Dun, dun, dun! (Doesn't take long to pull you in, does it?) To hear my full assessment, read more.

The real action goes down three years later in 2012 when, according to the Mayan calendar, the Earth will reach its end. The entire So-Cal coast starts crumbling, so our hero Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) and his family begin a journey to China where the governments around the world have supposedly assembled spaceships to carry select humans to safety.

What? You expected this to be plausible?

Of course not, but the film does include tons of cool CGI - volcanos, snow storms, giant tsunamis. It's like every disaster movie you've ever watched combined. (That should come as no surprise seeing as how the director is Roland Emmerich who created The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day, and Godzilla.)

As for the characters, we've seen them all stereotyped in other films before, but they're still enjoyable here. (Even though I admittedly winced over a Russian family complete with a fur coat, tiny dog, and an employee named Sasha.) This is thanks to the actors who play their parts with believability, even when the scenes feel ridiculous. Ejiofor portrays a great bleeding heart swept up in a governmental plan that's looking out for No. 1, and Cusack pulls off his father role without being over-the-top or sappy. Also, watch for Woody Harrelson as a nutty conspiracy theorist living in Yellowstone National Park.

2012 is purely meant to be fun, and it succeeds. There's a constant barrage of cliff-hanger moments that never let up, and though you pretty much know where things are headed, it's easy to get sucked in.

(Don't forget that if you see a movie that you'd like to review, you can post your write-up in the Movie Review Group in Community - I may even post it here on the site!)

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

The World Celebrates Earth Day!

TresSugar — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:00:00 -0700

Happy Earth Day everyone! The world's been busy appreciating the environment today. Michelle and Barack Obama planted trees with a little help from Bill Clinton. The famous ball in Times Square, NYC was refitted with energy-efficient LED lights and rebranded the Earth Ball. In the Philippines, environmental activists rallied against reopening a nuclear power plant. And over in Indonesia, the US ambassador went underwater to feed sharks with the hope of calling attention to Indonesia's rich underwater biodiversity.

Over one billion people were expected to celebrate the environment today. Take a look at the festivities and demonstrations. Source

View Slideshow ›

P.L.O.W. - Earth Day

FitSugar — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 03:30:00 -0700

Since today (April 22) is Earth Day, I thought I should celebrate with some sweet songs about nature, Mother Earth, and all her creatures.

These tunes would be great for a nice peppy walk in the park or a hike in the woods. Get out and enjoy nature this weekend. Take in the fresh air and the gorgeous scenery of our amazing Earth.

Fit's Tips: If you live in NYC, SF, or Chicago, walk, cycle, take public transit or car pool to the Green Apple Music & Arts Festival. This is the largest celebration of Earth Day and they are committed to raising environmental awareness by combining live musical performances from diverse genres, with educational outreach and cultural events suitable for all audiences.

I added a Dave Matthews Song to this playlist not only because he's playing in NYC for this festival, but he also teamed up with Ben & Jerry's and SaveOurEnvironment.org to support global warming initiatives.

To hear my Earth Day playlist, just press the green arrow after you read more

PLOW Total: 43:49

Valentine's Day - Give Organic Flowers

FitSugar — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 14:00:00 -0800

Giving flowers has become such a tradition for Valentine's Day, but just because you may be single, doesn't mean you can't take part in the fun.

I always send my best friend flowers on Valentine's Day, because let's face it, your best friend is always there for you and you do love her - isn't that what it's all about?

You can also buy yourself flowers too, but you may want to think about buying organic bouquets. Why buy Organic Flowers?

Whenever you touch or inhale the scent of your non-organic flowers, you are likely touching or inhaling poisonous chemicals. When you buy organic flowers, you won't have to worry about toxic chemicals on your flower bouquets.
Through evaporation, toxic pesticides and fertilizers that are sprayed on flower farms end up in the atmosphere. They then travel to other global areas to fall as rain or snow.
Organic flowers, according to many people, last longer than non-organic ones.

Want to hear the other reasons and find out how you can send organic flowers? Then read more

According to an article on newdream.org, studies have shown that 50% of workers in the Costa Rica flower industry have symptoms of pesticide poisoning. Areas surrounding flower farms there have higher miscarriage and birth defect rates than do other areas.
Buying organic flowers helps support local organic farming communities and organizations, which often have charitable, philanthropic motives for selling their flowers.
The toxic chemicals used on flower farms poison groundwater and the soil. These chemicals also become part of the food chain, as animals such as birds will eat the sprayed plants. In the course of their seasonal migrations, these birds will spread these chemicals globally.

When you buy or give organic flowers, you are supporting the health of your loved one, as well as the health of the planet. Order online from Organic Bouquet (they have 5-6 ft tall red roses).

Perfect For Earth Day: The 'Round the World Tamagotchi App

GeekSugar — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 07:02:00 -0700

Remember Tamagotchi key chains? The pets that you would have to care for 24/7? Well there's a free iPhone app called Tamagotchi: 'Round the World that isn't as needy as the original Tamagotchi but it will play, eat, poop and even dance. It's actually a relaxing game with loveable characters that allows you to make the planet a cleaner and more beautiful place!

There's also a paid version with more features for $5.99.

Daily Tech: LG Debuts Its XD3 Slim Portable Hard Drive

GeekSugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:04:50 -0700

LG's new 320GB external hard drive has surfaced in Korea for about $90 - Engadget
Take a virtual trip around the world with Google's newest 5.1 version of Google Earth - Lifehacker
Check out which video games made it to store shelves this week - Green Pixels
Morgan Ritchie took tweets from the past 100 days from British actor and writer Stephen Fry's Twitter page and turned them into an illustrative masterpiece - Mashable
Wow. You can pick up a Rock Band kit and Rock Band 2 for only $79 - CrunchGear
It's giveaway and game time on GeekSugar! Be sure to log in and play our Best Video Game ever bracket! - GeekSugar

If We Can Make Sperm, What Good Are Men?

TresSugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Have you ever dreamed of a world without men? Some scientists have hoped for years that someday, somehow, they'd create sperm without the mess and fuss of sex and men. Well, that day is near.

Or here, according to one professor at the Northeast England Stem Cell Institute, who says he's doctored up the world's first embryotic sperm. Other sperm specialists (their mothers must be proud) are not so convinced test-tube sperm are up for the swim. Azim Surani, a professor at Cambridge University, said they were "sperm-like cells" and "a long way from being authentic."

So we wait and ask questions, like "what's the point?" Ideally, it would be used to treat infertile men, but you can't clone cells in 2009 and not answer questions like "Are you trying to wipe men off the face of the Earth?" The Guardian has a pair of he-said/she-said pieces musing on such a world without men. He said? You'll be bored, less productive, and too clean. And she said? We'd be peaceful, clean, and . . . bored. Glad we can agree on something!

Photo by Flickr User blmurch

Gucci Family Goes Stylishly Green

FabSugar — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:55:55 -0700

Earth Day has passed but designers are showing no signs of slowing down their eco initiatives. Next up to show its support for Mother Earth is Gucci Group, who have enlisted brands - such as Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Laurent, and Bottega Veneta - to design limited-edition, sustainable products.

This eco initiative promotes the release of the environmentally conscious film, Home, which debuts June 5 on World Environment Day. Alexander McQueen's trippy earth skull design (left) will be printed on an organic cotton scarf to be sold in stores and online starting in June. Other eco endeavors include Gucci’s Frida Giannini and Yves Saint Laurent’s Stefano Pilati who design tees; Bottega Veneta will create a tote; and Sergio Rossi will design an eco pump made out of eco-sensitive materials. Proceeds from the sale will be donated to Goodplanet.org, an environmental-protection charity.

To see eco-friendly designs from Sergio Rossi, Bottega Veneta, and Yves Saint Laurent, read more.

View 3 Photos ›

Source

Sunny Salvation For Planet Earth

Sponsor — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:00:38 -0700

SunChips® brand believes that small steps can make a big difference. They have been taking small steps to help make their snacks in a better way. On Earth Day 2008, SunChips® and PepsiCo flipped the “on” switch at the first commercialized solar field in Modesto, CA, and began to save 1.7 million pounds of CO2 per year in the process. SunChips® has already eliminated five billion square inches of packaging. Their most recent small step is to pack some snacks in bags made of 33 percent renewable materials.

And now, an Earth Day preview. On Earth Day 2010, SunChips® will introduce the world’s first fully compostable chip bag of its kind.