3 Pieces of Skincare Advice from Madonna's Dermatologist, Dr. Brandt

When I landed my first job as the Beauty Assistant at Cosmopolitan, my first breakfast meeting was with Dr. Brandt, Madonna's derm.  Intimidated as all hell, I sat with him at the Four Seasons over berries and coffee and picked his brain about acne.  Last week I had the opportunity to learn about two new skincare lines he's coming out with this fall and wasn't the least bit shy grab him for a quick one-on-one. 1. When it comes to correcting pigmentation, timing is everything 

"Patients are coming to me wanting to get rid of their pigmentation.  Truth is, you can't do anything now if you're going to keep going to the beach. You need to wait until the summers over.  Then we can do lasers and retinol.  Otherwise, it's a waste of money."

2. SPF alone isn't enough protection in the summer

"If you're going to the beach for eight hours and reapplying your SPF, you're still going to get color.  Color is damage.  SPF only protects you about 97 percent.  Plus, the heat alone can give you color. Wear UPF clothing and hats and limit your time outdoors.  I don't want to ruin your life, but you have to really balance it out."

3. You're not applying enough sunscreen

"Most people apply about 1/4 the amount of SPF they need.  You need one teaspoon for your face, one teaspoon for each arm and about two teaspoons each leg.  Make sure to reapply it on your face because you always miss areas."

Madonna's Makeup Artist Explains How to Achieve Her Iconic Red Lip Look

Madonna appeared on Ellen yesterday I was amazed not only by her perfect skin, (which she credits dermatologist, Dr. Brandt for), but also by classic red lip that she wore again last night to the premiere of her MDNA Tour documentary in NYC.  I got the scoop on her lip look from her makeup artist, Sammy H. Mourabit, who took inspiration from Marlene Deitrich’s iconic 1930’s look from the movie “Morocco.”

First, Sammy contoured Madonna's lips into a heart shape reminiscent of the 30’s style with Votre Vu's Drawmatic Lip Liner in Naked (coming out in September).

Then, he used two shades of lipstick, specifically Votre Vu's French Kiss Moisture Riche Lipstick in Margaux and Annette (coming out in September) to create a luminous and voluptuous effect.

He applied the darker tone, Margaux, to the outer lines of the lip and the lighter tone, Annette, to the inner lip.  This creates an illusion of a full, dimensional lip look.  You can do this with any color.  Not just red.

Lori Goldstein Launches Logo on QVC

This week I had the pleasure of attending an event at Lori Goldstein's Manhattan apartment, one of the most sought after stylists in the industry, to showcase her new clothing line, Logo, on QVC.

Being a freelance journalist and blogger I attend anywhere from five to ten events per week, but this event was different... it was special.  We each got to bring an item of clothing that we loved, but never wear and Lori styled it for us with something new from her collection.  I sat there amazed at the art and in awe of some of the pieces she was working with.  (Check out the pics here).

Lori's styled celebrities like Madonna and Angelina Jolie and outfitted models for Italian Vogue, but confessed she loves styling regular people (like me) who love fashion.  Her words of advice, there are no rules in fashion.  I'm now inspired to put a pair of scissors to half of my wardrobe.

She's excited to be able to bring fashion to the masses with QVC in creating Logo, where nothing retails for over $100.  The pieces are meant to be layered and comfortable.  She'll be on QVC today from 3-4 pm so watch her show or check out her  line here.  I'm in love.

Jesus Luz's Risque Photo Shoot

Ladies, please, do yourself a favor and look at the photos of Jesus Luz.  Never in my life have I ever seen something more beautiful, but I'm going to bring up a question: Is Mr. Luz showing a little too much?

Photographed for Interview magazine Madonna's boy toy almost let it all hang out.  His pubic hair?  Really?  The 23 year-old Brazilian refused to speak about his relationship with Madonna during the interview, but was shameless when it came to showing off his hot bod.

What do you think?  Post a comment below and let me know if you think he showed too much or not enough!