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We routinely receive emails (lots of emails) from new and longtime readers asking us to review a specific brand or product. It never ceases to amaze us how many brands are out there that we’ve yet to review—given the millions of products available, you’d think no one in the world would have a single skin-care complaint!

Lately I’ve received a series of emails from readers that leave me shaking my head at the audacity some of these cosmetic companies have. These women who write to us have the best intentions of finding products that work for them, but they’re increasingly up against some of the most ridiculous claims and prices we’ve ever seen. I wasn’t a bit surprised when I explored some of the products these women were intensely curious about…and found out that they were terrible in most respects. Good thing they checked with us first, but imagine all of those who don’t and wind up financially and emotionally down when the wow-factor claims don’t show up in the mirror. One more reason why, as Paula states, “You need a Cosmetics Cop!”

 But back to these emails I field daily…the more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t put my finger on why even well-informed, Paula-educated consumers still get curious about products with miraculous claims and stratospheric prices. For example, one of the messages asked about a serum with placental enzymes that cost $200 for an ounce. Not only was the price outrageous, but the formula, quite frankly, sucked. Alcohol was a major ingredient, and it contained irritating plant extracts, too. Of course, placental enzymes (which come from animals, not people) have no effect on skin, but that’s fodder for another blog. This woman must’ve felt that the price and claims added up to something special, because she honestly wanted to know if this serum was worth abandoning the one she normally uses from Paula’s Choice. That’s a hard question for me because after reviewing thousands of products, I know the value of our formulations but at the very least if a woman is going to make a change it should be for the better, not for worse. 

I know women are always looking for the best products. They always want to know if some secret ingredient or formula really exists. The perpetual lure of advertising and dollar signs makes us second-guess ourselves. Is the grass really greener if only we spend a lot more money? With so many products vying for our attention, it’s easy to let our hopeful human nature to take over regardless of how much it costs. That’s not the most rational or pragmatic approach, but in the midst of seeing things we don’t like about our appearance (wrinkles, sagging skin, discolorations) who isn’t tempted to ignore reality and wish for the fantasy? I imagine many women, despite being consistently disappointed by products that don’t work as claimed, remain hopeful because of the boost they get from feeling as if they are doing something to address their appearance. It may not be the best thing and it may cost much more than it realistically should, but simply making the effort and refusing to give up has to count for something, right?

What do you think? Are my theories spot-on or did I completely miss the mark? As cosmetics consumers, how vulnerable are all of us to fantastic claims coupled with jaw-dropping prices?

Inorder to compose the summaries of the brands Paula reviews, we have to gather information about the company history and background in order to put the brand’s products into context for Paula and, of course, for the benefit of Beautypedia subscribers. While compiling information for Sally Hansen, I encountered another positively baffling encounter with a customer service rep, which just might be the kookiest yet!

I thoroughly searched Sally Hansen’s website and that of their parent company Coty, Inc. to find some information about the brand—for instance, who is Sally Hansen? Why is she so focused on nail care? How did the company come to be a drugstore mainstay?—and was coming up with zilch. I couldn’t find any information, not even when it was founded and by whom—basic stuff that almost all cosmetic brands put on their websites. Even a search on Wikipedia and Google yielded no results. So I opted to call Sally Hansen’s customer service, explaining that I was doing some research on the brand and wanted to know some background history. Here’s how that conversation transpired:

Me: Hi! I’m doing some research and I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about the Sally Hansen brand. Who is Sally Hansen? How did the company originate? Or can you put me in touch with someone who might know?

SH: Sure! I can direct you to our website. All that information is available on SallyHansen.com.

Me: Actually, I started there, and there’s no “About Us” info on your site at all. Or if it is there, I’m just not seeing it.

SH: Then it should be on Coty.com.

Me: I tried there too, but Sally Hansen isn’t even listed as one of Coty’s affiliate brands. That’s why I thought I’d give you a call.

SH: Well, I guess that site hasn’t been updated in awhile! Can you please hold?

*TEN MINUTES PASS*

SH: Sorry for the long delay. I can tell you that Sally Hansen wasn’t actually a real person, and all the other company history information we have is available at SallyHansen.com.

Me: Okay, that’s helpful. But I’m just not seeing where that information is on your site. Can you tell me the tab you clicked on or the URL of what you’re looking at?

SH: Did you click on Contact Us or Customer Service?

Me: Yes, I’m looking at that page now.

SH: All the company information is listed there.

Me: But there’s nothing there.

SH: Well, then, I’m told that’s all the information we have.

Me: So all the information you have is no information?

SH: Yes, all the information we have is listed there.

Me: But have you looked at the page? There’s nothing there. It’s only the customer service phone number and an email address.

SH: Well, you should send your inquiry via email and someone can get back to you.

Me: Great! Which department receives those emails?

SH: This department. Customer Service.

Me: But aren’t I talking to you now? How would emailing you help?

*EXTREMELY AWKWARD SILENCE*

Me: Thank you for your time.

*CLICK*

So, dear readers, after all that, all I know for sure is that Sally Hansen wasn’t actually a real person. Whether or not that accounts for the company’s gaps in their employees’ logic and the staggering lack of background information they give their customers, I can’t say. But in my experience this kind of doublespeak and nonsense at the customer service level doesn’t bode well for how their products will stand up to Paula’s scrutiny. Either way, look for those reviews on Beautypedia soon!

I was sitting on an airplane (once again) when the woman next to me asked what I do for a living. Somewhat evasively I told her I owned an Internet company. I rarely start off saying I own a cosmetics company because inevitably the questions that follow leave me feeling awkward and sounding juvenile. It’s not that I’m not proud of what I do; rather, I don’t know how to succinctly, logically, or with any panache explain what Paula’s Choice products are all about. That could be about to change with your help, so please read on!

It’s silly for me to not just say from the get-go that I own a cosmetics company because, as usual, this woman asked, “What kind of Internet company do you own?” I gulped and responded that I own a cosmetics company. She said, “Oh really, what kind of cosmetics?” I said, “A skin-care and makeup company.” She asked, “Whose products do you sell?” I answered, “I sell my own products, the formulas I developed.” Then, in understandably typical fashion she asked, “What kind of products are they?”, and that’s when I get stumped.

When a woman asks me what makes Paula’s Choice special or what kind of products I sell I know what she really wants me to say. I’m supposed to respond by saying my products are all natural, or organic, or herbal, or plant-based, or contain essential oils, or contain vitamins, or some miracle ingredient from some exotic locale that only I know about, and of course the products get rid of wrinkles, stop aging, work like Botox, or cure blackheads, or oily skin and on and on. Of course, I can’t say any of that. Aside from being completely useless, simplified, inane descriptions, none of those tidbits other cosmetic companies spew like a bad case of food poisoning have any basis in creating a superior or even decent skin-care routine.

So because I can’t use the same misleading information every woman is waiting to hear, I just sit there and say something like, “Well, they’re my formulations based on what the research says is good for skin.” That goes over like a lead balloon. Even I think it sounds dull and uninteresting.

Then it dawned on me in a recent meeting with my customer service team that no one in my company, not even me, can explain or has a concise understanding of what makes Paula’s Choice products unique, and they are absolutely unique. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I realized they’re unparalleled in the world of skin care. I can say that confidently because I’ve reviewed thousands upon thousands of products, more than enough to know what’s brilliant and what’s terrible for skin. During that meeting the most outstanding thing happened: I finally grasped how to view and relate what my products are all about. Here it is:

Paula’s Choice is a range of skin-care products that work together synergistically in comprehensive skin-care systems to address a wide range of concerns including wrinkles, acne, oily skin, dry skin, rosacea, and sensitive skin. All of our formulations are state-of-the-art, based on published scientific research, designed to give skin exactly what it needs to be as beautiful and healthy as it can be.

Does that make sense? What do you think? If you were sitting next to me on a plane and I explained my products in this manner, would that make sense to you?

Let me know, I really want to grasp this. It’s about time, don’t you think?

Right around this time of year, reporters start asking me what is the “next big thing” launching in the cosmetics world or what the upcoming trends are. The question in and of itself is frustrating because by now you would think reporters, of all people, would know that the cosmetics industry creates lots of “next big things” to provide press releases to the media so they will write about their products. It all sounds exciting and new (especially if the product contains a rare plant from some remote part of the world) but almost always the information is contrived or without any validity. Of course, after a few months the “next big thing” eventually fades into oblivion making room for the newer “next big thing”, and the cycle goes on and on.

There can only be so many big things, but we seem to have an insatiable appetite for something new when it comes to beauty products. Overblown claims and faux science is almost always what the next big thing ends up being; a big deal over nothing.

So in the spirit of warning you about the next big things you will start hearing about in the media here are few of the things you may encounter:

More and more organic products will be launched—especially ones designed to feel like you are mixing the product up in your own kitchen. There will be kits you put together like a fresh salad every day.

Because of some minor research showing that aroma not only effects mood, sexuality, and even eating behavior, you will see products with a variety of new products both skin care and “perfume” making claims about enhancing and influencing behavior.

Makeup is a spontaneous purchase most women find fun so products that duplicate that expectation (like the vibrating mascaras, eyebrow makeover kits, false eyelashes studded with rhinestones) and similar impulse buy items will be on the shelves. Look for products that have interesting layers of sparkles that cling better to skin without flaking on clothes and mascaras that do the same.

The economy is still suffering so the “Beauty on a Budget” concept will continue. Companies will be launching more products at lower price points but with the same exaggerated claims as the more expensive products they sell. Makeup kits that put together an entire outfit for the face in convenient packaging will also be available at really good price points.

Organic and natural products with heart-tugging stories will pour onto the market. Mother’s making products for their daughters, daughters making products for their mother, survivors of cancer making products for others with their health concern, etc. Don’t count on those lines providing anything new in terms of formulary, this is all about marketing a really good story and making healthy consumers afraid of benign ingredients while promoting questionable natural ones.

In terms of ingredients, because of the research showing that diet (antioxidants, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids) can improve skin texture, collagen production, and encourage more normal cell development, products claiming to mimic a healthy diet will be launched (and if they are well formulated will be good for skin, but regrettably claims in the cosmetics industry rarely match claims).

You’ll see all of this and more as you venture out to shop for cosmetics in 2010. What you can count on as always is there will still be plenty of poor products, plenty of fantasy claims to endure and overcome, and plenty of opportunities become an even savvier cosmetics consumer—one who can separate hype from fact and is all the more beautiful because of it!

With New Year’s eve soirées just around the corner, I’ve decided to reveal my secret weapon for quick glamour: false eyelashes (well they aren’t all that secret, they are false lashes after all, but they are glamourous). I naturally have stick-straight, medium-length, blonde lashes, and although I have found some great mascaras to enhance them, nothing can do it like a pair of well-done false eyelashes (then again, I haven’t tried Latisse yet). I’ll never forget the first time I wore them around my husband (who was just my boyfriend at the time)- he couldn’t pinpoint what I had done different but he kept complimenting me, telling me how gorgeous I looked. From that moment on I was hooked! I’ve worn them on my wedding day, to holiday parties and girls night out extravaganzas, and even on a Valentine’s Day or two. While false lashes are not for everyone and the glue along the lash line is something Paula doesn’t like (at least not on a regular basis), when done right the payoff can be fantastic. Of course, when done wrong you can be left looking like a mannequin. Allow me to spare you the false lash fiascos I have encountered by highlighting the tips and techniques I’ve mastered along the way.

Selecting the Right Pair
The point of wearing false lashes is to enhance what you naturally have, but there is a fine line to walk when determining how thick and long to go. It’s one thing if you are wearing a costume or going into theatrics, but if you want your faux lashes to look realistic avoid sets that are overly thick, strange-colored, or too long because they will just end up looking obviously fake or overpowering.

As with all cosmetics, when shopping for false eyelashes, spending more doesn’t necessarily equate to better a product. I’ve experimented with several brands and variations of lashes, and I always revert back to my personal favorite, Ardell Accents Lashes #305, which can be found in drugstores and run you about $3.50. Ardell’s eyelash adhesives also work quite well. Ardell Accents Lashes are great for beginners because they only cover your outer lash line, making them much easier to apply. If you do choose to go the more expensive route, self-proclaimed false eyelash experts Shu Uemura have an extraordinary selection of lashes and their boutiques offer “eyelash bars” where consultants will work with you to tailor a pair that suits your preferences.

Application Process
I find it best to apply my eyeliner, eyeshadow and mascara first. You may have to re-touch up your makeup once you’re done, but applying the eyeliner first will fill in any gaps you may have if you don’t get the false lashes exactly on your lash line. You’ll also avoid getting loose powder on your false lashes if you apply your eye makeup first; getting eyeshadow off your false lashes is no easy task.

Next, remove the false lashes from the packaging and bend and flex the lash strip band. This will provide more flexibility when applying them to the curvature of your lash line and will result in a more natural look. Practice placing the false lashes as close to your lash line as possible and experiment to see what looks best. You may need to trim the lash strip to fit your eye.

Once you’ve got that down, place a thin layer of lash adhesive along the band, making sure to coat the ends. You can use a toothpick or the end of your tweezers to spread the adhesive. Allow about 15 seconds or so for the adhesive to become a bit more tacky and then apply the strip as close to your lash base as possible, going just to the outer corner without extending beyond your natural lash line. Depending on the type of adhesive you’ve selected there may be areas where you can see the glue. Don’t worry: this should dry to an unnoticeable clear state. Retouch your eye makeup if needed and voila, you are done!

Words to the Wise
Although I don’t recommend adding this step to your daily makeup routine, for special occasions it is an impressive way to enhance your features and add more pizzazz to your look. Chances are it’s going to take some trial and error so don’t wait until 10 minutes before your special event to try false lashes for the first time. The fact that it took an entire blog to explain the process may be enough to scare some of you away, but for the daring souls who want to give it try here’s to fabulous faux lashes in 2010!

I appreciate all your comments about my “How Do You Really Erase Wrinkles” blog . Thank you. They helped me frame my thoughts which were just all over the place. Mostly I just find this issue completely frustrating and I have for years.

I’ve been struggling against cosmetic advertising my entire career and I know this regulation from England is going to be completely worthless and ineffective. It can’t and won’t change a thing. It’s very much like all the other useless and meaningless cosmetic regulations Europe has been spewing about over the past several years (PAO symbols, anyone?) that hasn’t helped one consumer anywhere.

Here’s what it boils down to: every single beauty ad or infomercial we see is nothing more than mirages, but we willingly drink from the sand thinking it tastes like sweet wine. It is our own foolishness and gullibility that drives us to a trough filled with nothing more then lies and deceit. Even when we think we know better we just end up looking for a different mirage or a more enticing trough to drink from. If the lie is packaged to meet our sensibility and beliefs (think natural or organic products) then we believe it as a child believes in Santa Claus.

As maddening as our faith in cosmetic mirages is, where would we be without the smoke and mirrors the beauty industry crafts for us? Very few of us want to see the world as it really exists and most every woman wants to believe she can achieve some amount of the unachievable. Who wants that taken away?

When you think about it, we don’t even want to see ourselves as we really exist or why would we dye our hair, use nail polish, wear makeup, care about the clothes we put on, worry about breaking out, and on and on. If we can’t tolerate our own reality why would we want to see someone else’s?

Each of us, to one degree or another, has our own personal level of misrepresentation so why shouldn’t the cosmetic industry? (I certainly don’t leave the house looking like I do when I get out of bed, that’s for sure! And I wouldn’t want that flashed about on television or magazines). Most of us create a false facade of some kind and while it may not be Photoshop, it can often come damn close. (Do you want someone regulating how you show up looking on a date?)

Don’t misunderstand, I am thrilled Olay got caught. Their flagrant, gross alteration of Twiggy’s face was almost a bad joke. But what about the other countless companies that didn’t get caught who are getting away with murdering reality? Olay is hardly the only one or even the worst offender. Twiggy’s smoothed-over, digitally induced face reconstruction does not take the prize, Olay is just the company that got caught and had to deal with unfavorable publicity.

As for the claims, don’t get me started. Digitally altered pictures pale in comparison to the lies about a products potential performance when it is actually being used by consumers swayed by such duplicitous advertising.

Now that this story has made headlines and a new European regulation is most likely going to be instituted, I’ve been asking myself, what happens next? Is England or other European countries going to stop all misleading cosmetic or fashion advertising pictures? Would fashion magazines be empty? Would we go back to 16-year-old girls appearing in ads for wrinkle creams as they did in the past or would Europe make that illegal too (an age appropriate law for ads)? What amount of lighting, makeup, or skilled photography is going to be controlled? Should Twiggy have just gotten up in the morning, not brushed her teeth or hair and had her picture taken?

What about the covers of magazines? Those images sell the magazines and they are Photoshopped to the hilt. Should that be illegal as well? I can’t imagine what model or celebrity could fit the expectation of a fashion magazine cover.

One comment to my blog post about the Twiggy fiasco mentioned using some sort of disclosure on the ads but who would notice the fine print that says this is merely an enhanced picture, the real Twiggy doesn’t look anything like this? We would still want the fantasy.

From my perspective, trying to regulate cosmetic advertising in this manner is just a waste of time. Cosmetic companies will simply find a way around it and the result in this regard will be a detriment to older (meaning over 40) actresses and models who will find themselves out of jobs. Trying to regulate images of beauty doesn’t get women what they need or what they want. What does? Ignoring the glossy photos and unsupported claims and learning what really works and what doesn’t when it comes to looking one’s best. That’s where I hope my work has made some small dent in the almost impenetrable shroud of lies most of the cosmetic industry feeds women month after month.

T he answer to that question certainly isn’t from any cosmetic you can buy. Skin care can do a lot, but eliminating wrinkles isn’t among the benefits of even the best skin-care routines available. What is the real answer besides cosmetic procedures? Photoshop! It will stun some women and come as no surprise to others that the cosmetic industry relies exclusively on Adobe Photoshop (or some other photo-retouching computer program) to demonstrate in ads how effective their products are. They would NEVER rely on their products to demonstrate the dramatic results they endlessly boast you will get if you use their products because they know damn well such miraculous results are impossible.

A clear example of this artifice has popped up in the U.K. and is making news headlines over there. Here’s the saga:

Remember who this is? It’s Twiggy, circa 1969, the iconic, waif model who made emaciation a fashion statement that won’t go away.

But it isn’t her body or the spidery false lashes she always wore that is getting attention today. Rather it is the false, photo-shopped pictures of her appearing in magazine ads for Olay that have appeared all over the U.K.

Here is how Twiggy really looks in person circa 2008 (the photo is from an Elle awards show):

And here is how Olay wants you to believe she looks in their 2009 ads for Definity as a result of using their Eye Illuminator product:

And as advertising would have it here is another example of Twiggy’s photo-shopped visage in 2007 (the one on the left is the picture that appeared in ads for Marks Spencer and the one on the right is the real Twiggy).

Why Did This Make Headlines?

Olay launched their Definity Eye Illuminator Eye Cream this past summer with ads in magazines showing Twiggy’s face smoothed over like spackle does over cracks in a wall. Due to new advertising regulations in the U.K. from the Advertising Standards Authority the entire ad campaign was banned as being misleading (as if the claims weren’t misleading on their own, but that’s another story) and was “socially irresponsible” and could have a “negative impact on people’s perceptions of their own body image.”

Although Olay admitted to “minor retouching” around Twiggy’s eyelid area, her before and after pictures depict what is really going on, and it is hardly minor retouching by anyone’s definition except Olay’s.

But why pick on Olay? This kind of retouching shows up on hundreds of other models in most every single ad in a magazine that exists regardless if it’s cosmetics (false eyelashes pretending to be created by mascara) or clothing, or jewelry. Women and men are doctored up to look perfect. Is there anything wrong with that?

Your Thoughts?

Before I write about my feelings concerning this new development in fashion photography I would love to hear from you. I’m curious to know what you think about all this. Please comment and then I’ll let share my thoughts.

R eaders of this blog know that I spend a lot of time in stores with sales people or on the phone talking to Customer Service representatives. And even though I regularly write about my bizarre (and sometimes infuriating) experiences out there in the beauty trenches, I still find myself amazed at the strange things—lack of knowledge, inconsistencies, rudeness—that transpire on a regular basis. In the spirit of the Best of 2009 lists peppering blogs everywhere, here’s my top 5 head-scratching moments of the year:

5. Elizabeth Arden:
When I contacted Elizabeth Arden directly to find out if their 2-in-1 Cleanser had been discontinued, they told me that it had been renamed “3-in1 Daily Cleanser Exfoliator.” I asked them if they could tell me how the formula had changed, and they said it hadn’t. “No change at all?” I asked. “None,” they confirmed. Now, I’ve double checked the math, and still don’t understand how a product can go from being 2-in-1 to 3-in-1 with out adding anything else to it! I suppose the folks at Arden simply decided they’d sell more of this cleanser if they added another benefit to the name, even though it was there all along.

4. A Downtown Seattle Luxury Spa:
While making a sunscreen purchase in a spa, I asked about their return policy, not that I intended on returning anything, but out of professional curiosity. The girl at the counter said “It shouldn’t be a problem as long as you have your receipt.” Fair enough. However, after I’d made my purchase, a manager came over and proceeded to explain that there are no returns allowed whatsoever, for any reason. When I told her that the cashier, who was still in front of us, said that it wouldn’t be a problem, the manager balked at me, saying, “Oh, come on, we aren’t Nordstrom!” The salesperson didn’t say a word. I have news for that manager, not only aren’t they Nordstrom, they are an embarrassment from start to finish.

3. Ulta:
Researching some Lorac products, I asked the salesperson if she could tell me which active sunscreens Lorac uses their lipstick, since I couldn’t find it on the packaging and was concerned about broad spectrum protection. She said she didn’t have that information, but assured me that if I didn’t like the sunscreen protection, I could return it. How does that make any sense? Whether or not a lipstick includes sufficient UVA protection isn’t something that’s determined by preference! And if this salesperson had been better trained, she might have known that.

2. SK-II:
With full page ads in multiple high-distribution fashion magazines, I was eager to get a hold of SK-II’s new Skin Signature Cream, which the ads claim can be purchased at Saks, Bloomingdales and on their own website. After contacting these stores to no avail, I did a live chat with a representative at SK-II.com only to learn that they have no idea when Skin Signature Cream will be on the market. When I remarked to the Customer Service rep “I must say, it’s weird to run ads for a product that’s not available anywhere,” the rep replied, “I know!” Her candor was refreshing, but those ads continue to run, with no product launch date in site. So weird and so expensive!

1. Olay:
An attentive reader alerted us to the fact that Olay had reformulated and repackaged some products in their Regenerist line. Sure enough, I looked it up on their website and the formulas had changed. So, after purchasing the products and confirming that the new ingredients were indeed on the labels, I called Olay’s Customer Service to get more info, yet they denied that there had been any formulary change to the Regenerist line, claiming that those products hadn’t changed since 2006. When I directed the CS rep to look at her own website, she saw the different ingredient lists and said, “I have no explanation for that.” I really felt bad for the awkward spot she was in, but given Olay is owned by Procter & Gamble, a giant in the consumer products industry, there really is no excuse for them to leave their Customer Service reps in the dark about their products.

Who knows what double-talk and outright misinformation I’ll hear in 2010, but rest assured the best of them will make their way to this blog!

I recently visited my hometown to see my family before the holidays. While there, I met with a high school friend of mine that I hadn’t seen in nearly 15 years (where does the time go?). As we caught up on each other’s lives,  naturally we discussed what’s going on with several of our former classmates. I asked about our friend Joanne, as I had lost touch with her and noticed she wasn’t on Facebook (and these days, who isn’t on Facebook?). My friend paused and then revealed some sobering news: Joanne died in August 2006, at age 32, the victim of melanoma. I was stunned. Joanne was a bright, effervescent woman with a quick wit and sense of sly sarcasm that made many boring yet required high school courses much more bearable. I looked forward to seeing her in class and passing her in the hallway, where we’d often make each other laugh with just a silly glance.

As I took this news in, I realized one thing that didn’t click right away: Joanne was a sun worshipper. In fact, my friend mentioned that on sunny days, the two of them would often skip class and lay out on the beach at Lake Lansing, slathered in suntan oil. Joanne had naturally blonde hair and dark eyes, a combination that, along with her light skin tone, allowed her to tan after she became sufficiently freckled. I recalled her stating that she wanted to stay dark enough so that “all the freckles connected”. I also recalled being jealous of how dark she could get. Being lighter than her, it used to bother me that my attempts at tanning were basically useless (not to mention painful) and, as a lucky result, tanning became practice I quickly abandoned despite the pressure to not be pale.

Unfortunately, Joanne learned the hard way that keeping a tan at all costs can end up costing a person their life. Melanoma is the rarest form of skin cancer, but its numbers are on the rise, especially among young women who continue tanning (whether in the sun or, even worse, in tanning beds). The death rate for melanoma is startlingly high: 79% of those diagnosed will succumb. Melanoma is also the second most common cancer in women between the ages of 25–30, though the median age of diagnosis is 45, a time when it may be too late to stop the spread of this deadly skin disease.

Next summer, when the Seattle clouds clear and the rain dissipates, I’ll be paying extra attention to playing it safe in the sun—and thankful for the knowledge I’ve gained after working so closely with Paula on the topic of how sun exposure damages our skin.

Joanne, wherever you are, I hope you’re still making people laugh. You are missed and your untimely passing will serve as a powerful reminder to all who knew you as they consider how to protect their skin from the sun. Joanne’s family left this as her final message: “Wear your sunscreen, hats, protective clothing. DON’T DIE TO BE TAN! Stay away from tanning booths and beds! It’s not just a little spot you have removed and live on. This is a DEADLY BEAST.” I couldn’t agree more!