Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I had the pleasure of taking my 9-year-old daughter to see Tangled, Disney’s newest animated fairy tale. Generally speaking, I’m a tough sell on animated films, and even more so if they’re aimed at kids, but I found this one incredibly delightful. I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed it.

What also surprised me was the anti-aging theme, which ended up being the premise for the film’s entire plot. In this variation on the famous Brothers Grimm fairy tale, the old witch who steals Rapunzel from her crib does so not because she wants a daughter, but because Rapunzel’s long enchanted hair acts as an instant beauty treatment! Of course, as I watched Rapunzel’s hair do its magic on the screen, I couldn’t help but think of all the miracle ingredients and outrageous claims The Cosmetics Cop Team encounters daily. The witch’s wrinkles disappeared instantly, not a far cry from the promises made for numerous skin-care products that promise the same kind of impossible, miraculous anti-aging transformation.

The oddest thing to me? I’m not sure why this beauty aspect of the film surprised me, but it did. After all, many fairy tales use the quest for endless youth as the villain’s motivation. There are lots of examples:

• The evil stepmother in Snow White, whose vanity consumes her to murderous ends.
• Sleeping Beauty’s Aurora contends with the jealous and over-the-hill Maleficent.
• And then there’s Cinderella, in which the less-attractive stepsisters and stepmother scheme to enslave the beautiful girl.

More recently, Neil Gaiman’s novella-turned-film Stardust featured the wicked Lamia (played by Michelle Pfeiffer), who needed to eat the heart of a fallen star, Yvaine (Claire Danes), to restore her youth and beauty. (I’m guessing that “Heart of a Fallen Star” is one miracle ingredient The Cosmetics Cop Team is not likely to stumble across in anti-aging products! But who knows? After all, this is the cosmetics industry!)

It’s always bothered me that the women in fairy tales either are young and beautiful or are conniving (and even trying to kill!) to become young and beautiful. Considering that Stardust and Tangled are recent releases, the quest for eternal youth is a narrative trend that doesn’t seem to be changing.

I hope that other parents use these stories like I did, as an opportunity to start a conversation about real beauty with their kids, because, fairy tale or not, cinema has a long history of portraying the villain as less attractive than the hero. As we all know, in reality, lots of villains are very good looking (charming, even), and many heroes don’t meet the traditional standards of beauty. In a world teeming with false advertising of all kinds, you should remind your children that outside appearance is not necessarily a direct reflection of what’s on the inside—even if you’re a Disney princess.

Punctuality is a virtue, but it’s also an absolute expectation in the professional world. No matter how beautiful your makeup looks or how stylishly your outfit is put together, it’s really all for naught if you arrive to work late!

To that end, streamlining my morning routine has become an obsession. (No surprise to me—my family has always joked that I am “The Efficiency Expert.” And it’s true: If there seems to be a faster, better, or more convenient way to get something done, then I’ve probably tried it.) My years spent as a busy working mother and grad student have yielded some tried-and-true tricks that I rely on every day to make sure I look great and still arrive on time, wherever I’m headed.

I hope that one or more of these tips will help you, too!

• Pick out your entire outfit the night before. This means assembling your entire ensemble: coat, earrings, socks—everything! Don’t let your morning get hijacked as you scramble to pick out the perfect necklace. You can do all of this the night before, and you’ll undoubtedly look more put together the next day. My kids love to help me pick out my clothes, and it sets a good example for them as they learn to dress for themselves and develop their own sense of style!

• Do your non-essential or pampering skin-care treatments at night. Adding extra products to your morning routine means extra time spent waiting for them to absorb. Cleansing, toning, and a liberal application of broad-spectrum SPF 15 or higher sunscreen really is all you need in the morning. Unless I’m treating a breakout, I exfoliate before I go to bed—and wake up with glowing skin! I also use my evenings to touch up my nails, tweeze my brows, and tend to any other beauty details that will slow everything down in the AM.

• Keep a clock in your bathroom, but not your cell phone! Not only is the moisture in the bathroom damaging to your phone (and can activate your phone’s moisture indicator, which voids the warranty), but you can easily get sidetracked by texting or emailing while you should be getting ready. Put your phone in your briefcase or purse—and leave it there!

• Brush your teeth in the shower. You’re already there, so why not? Instead of wasting water while I let the conditioner sit on my hair, I brush my teeth. But, always remember to cleanse your face right after you brush so there’s no risk of skin irritation from toothpaste residue (I learned this the hard way). I usually wash my face while I’m rinsing the conditioner out of my hair—talk about multi-tasking!

• Choose multi-tasking products. Using a well-formulated tinted moisturizer with sunscreen can save you so much time and money! You’ll get coverage, hydration, and sun protection, all in one. Paula’s Choice Barely There Sheer Matte Tint SPF 20 and Laura Mercier’s Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 are two of my favorites. (Browse Beautypedia.com to discover your own.)

• Don’t experiment with a new makeup look or new products. Save that fun for the weekend. Adding a new makeup look can take time—and what if it doesn’t look good? You’ll have to start all over….

• Keep your makeup routine simple. This one speaks for itself—but if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that staying on schedule means keeping it simple!

Do you have any of your own time-saving beauty tips? I’d love to hear any clever ways that you’ve learned to save yourself time in the morning!

As part of The Cosmetics Cop Team, I constantly browse medical journals, read study summaries, and look for the latest in peer-reviewed (meaning legitimate) skin-care research. Hype-driven product marketing often relies on biased in-house studies, which can appear very persuasive, but Paula and the Cosmetics Cop Team rely only on published, third-party research to substantiate our reviews and the research we cite for all Paula’s Choice products. I take this part of my job very seriously, and given my background in academia, I also quite enjoy it.

My favorite part of this work, however, is coming across bizarre studies that I can’t believe anyone ever took the time to dream up. Every time I think I’ve seen the strangest one, I encounter another that’s even stranger, or perhaps one that just doesn’t seem to have any purpose whatsoever. Some sound more like elementary school science fair entries than medical studies. Either way, for your amusement, I share with you some of the sillier studies I’ve found recently.

• Pop your pimples while you ovulate. This study (from a group that must have little else to do) measured the size of facial pores during ovulation. They asserted that if you time the extraction of your premenstrual acne comedones with ovulation, at which time your pores are slightly larger, you will increase “facial attractiveness, well-being, social function and thereby decrease psychological stress.” They want you to actually time ovulation? Really? Well, that never worked for birth control, and it sure doesn’t work for acne!

• Expression lines predetermine wrinkles. It’s tempting to file this one under “Duh.” This 8-year study found that, all else being equal, “the pattern of expression lines predicts the pattern of future persistent wrinkles.” So, the smile lines and crow’s-feet that appear when your face is animated is essentially a wrinkle blueprint…. And that took them 8 years to determine?! They could have called us (or a lot of other folks) for the answer and saved lab time for something meaningful.

• Young women are better at guessing age. 20 men and 28 women, ages 22 to 64, were asked to guess the age of Caucasian women after viewing a series of nearly 200 different facial photographs. The study concluded that the women under 35 guessed the ages most accurately. Well, we can all sleep better now knowing that! Can you imagine anything more useless to study?

• Men have larger pores. This study assessed the relationship between sebum production and pore size. It turns out that the more oil you produce, the larger your pore gets, sort of like the more calories you store, the more you weigh. But, this study made an additional conclusion: being male is associated with larger pores, which is like saying that being male is associated with larger feet. On average, men are larger than women, pores and all!

As easy as it is to poke fun at some of this research, I know that for every needless study conducted to confirm common sense, there are dozens more that are making huge strides in the science of aging and skin care. Thanks to universities and medical labs all over the world, Paula and The Cosmetics Cop Team have the facts we need to formulate state-of-the-art Paula’s Choice skin-care products and to educate consumers about the products they use (or are thinking of using) on Beautypedia. Now that’s real progress!

Before the fall weather took hold of Seattle, I decided to hit my favorite flea market to get one last fix of vintage oddities at bargain prices. Looking through the hodgepodge of goods, I came across an antique Revlon rouge compact that I estimated to be from the late ’40s or early ’50s. It was beautiful: made of a heavy gold metal, the round compact had an art-deco design and Revlon inscribed across it—a far cry from the plastic Revlon compacts in drugstores today! I couldn’t control the urge to open it, and to my surprise the product housed inside was still in great condition. The compact held a bright cream blush called Clear Red, as well as a tiny, tattered puff applicator. I smeared a little bit of the blush on the back of my hand, and even more surprisingly, the blue-based red hue transferred and blended well!

Perhaps it’s because I’m surrounded by makeup at work, but these pigments had me enchanted—they were so distinctively retro and unlike anything I see in stores today. And there’s a good reason for that: Cosmetic regulations in the ’70s delisted certain red dyes that had the most amazing depth of color, staying power, and creamy lush consistency. Regrettably, more recently developed cosmetic color additives just haven’t come close to the classic shades that came before. Nevertheless, what I find compelling about vintage makeup is how it utilizes a handful of products in rich but basic shades to create nearly universally, timeless, and flattering looks. To me, it really proves that the classics are always beautiful.

Now with the proliferation of period TV like Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire, and the ever-expanding list of celebrities like Gwen Stefani, Katy Perry, and Dita von Teese who don retro-inspired fashion, my preoccupation with vintage makeup has officially eclipsed my interest in chasing the latest trends. I’m now turning to the stunning looks of the past for beauty inspiration. I’m fortunate to have a face and personality that can pull off retro styles—I have big eyes, pale skin, round cheeks and a strong cupid’s bow mouth—and perhaps a soul that’s a bit on the sentimental side.

That said, I still keep my more stylized makeup designs mostly confined to evenings and weekends. Instead, for daytime I try to incorporate a subtle element or two of retro-ness, without it looking like I’m headed to a costume party. To that end, I’m always on the lookout for makeup that will translate as vintage—because I’m not putting a 60-year old, unregulated cosmetic on my face, no matter how much I love the shade! Here are some of my favorites:

• Tarte Cheek Stain in “Blissful” ($30)—A gorgeous apricot blush that isn’t too heavy when paired with a dark, winged lashline.
• Stila Eyeshadow Pan in “Kitten” ($18)—A versatile ivory/beige shimmer.
• Cover Girl Outlast Lip Stain in “Plum Pout” ($5.99)—This is not plum on me at all, rather a bright, true red that dries matte and lasts for hours.
• Paula’s Choice Healthy Finish Pressed Powder SPF 15 ($14.95)—If you want to go retro, you have to go matte! This powder has added broad-spectrum SPF and not a fleck of shimmer.
• Prestige Liquid Eyeliner in Black ($9.99)—I adore the old-school inkwell packaging, and it dries matte and doesn’t budge.
• Paula’s Choice BROWlistic ($9.95)—Vintage-inspired ladies have gorgeous full brows! This baby helps me fill in sparse spots without looking drawn-on.

If you love these vintage-inspired looks as much as I do, share with me your favorite styles or products!

I was delightfully overwhelmed by the supportive comments (both here and on our Facebook page) over my original blog post about my hairstylist Brad’s unexpected departure from my life (he moved to Arizona). Turns out that lots of you can relate to the sadness that comes with losing your beloved hairdresser as well as the anxiety of finding a new one! More than one commenter admitted to flying to the city where their favorite hairdresser works—I understand the motivation for that, but I’m afraid bi-monthly travel to Phoenix is beyond my logistical and financial possibilities! It was time to find someone here in Seattle.

The great news is that I indeed found someone new, Betsy, and she’s definitely not crazy! I gave her a try on the recommendation of a colleague here at Paula’s Choice, and I’m so glad I took a chance. She owns her own salon/record shop/vintage store called Radar Hair & Records, and everything from the kitschy-industrial décor to her two dogs nuzzling my feet made me feel right at home. The best part is the adorable cut she gave me! I brought in lots of pictures of cuts I liked to show her, but kept an open mind, and I was rewarded with an extremely positive experience.

Another unexpected outcome was her recommending a truly innovative hair-styling product—and I really thought I had seen it all! I told her that I wanted my cut to be easy to style, without requiring a lot of product. Not only do I need my beauty routine to be simple, but I feel like I’m on the wrong side of 30 to look like I have a bunch of goop in my hair all the time. However, with my fine hair and a short, pixie-esque cut, going without styling product means that my hair can easily look flat, boyish and boring.

Betsy’s solution? She recommended I try Schwarzkopf’s Osis Dust-It Mattifying Powder, an absorbent powder styling product that you shake right into your hair. (Warning: A little of this stuff goes a long way!) I was immediately impressed with the volume and hold Dust-It gave me, without any stickiness or greasiness. Even better—it lasted all day and looked great. The only downside was the steep price ($23!), but I’ve since found it at Amazon for only $9! If anyone with funky, fun short hair is looking for serious volume and texture, this is a product to try! Anyone using Aveda’s Pure Abundance Hair Potion, which is also pricey, should check out Dust-It to compare!

So it seems my brief hair drama-trauma is over and I am once again a happy, well-coiffed woman! Now if only I can keep Betsy from finding out that it rains much less often in Arizona…

Last week, I took notice of this article featured in The New York Times’ Skin Deep section. In it, a profile of Dr. Perricone’s new “Super” line (due in late October in Sephora stores) revealed that the 25- to 30-year-old anti-wrinkle market is a sales juggernaut just waiting to take off. With products that have cutesy names and iPod-like packaging, the idea is to speak directly to young women who deeply fear the sudden onset of aging. “Thirty is not baby-faced,” Andrea Lavinthal, a beauty editor at realbeauty.com said, “I feel like I am on a landslide to 40.”

Wait—what?

This article—and Perricone’s marketing angle—had me incensed. This is straight-up fear-mongering at its most basic and transparent. When did 30 become old? Nobody should be afraid of their 30-year-old skin, or that they will suddenly get old “overnight,” a complaint that Dr. Perricone reported straight from his patients. His unprofessional polling technique notwithstanding, his warnings are nothing more than scare tactics disguised as marketing—people don’t wake up older out of the blue! The irony here is that a recent beauty survey I read indicated that most women feel they’re at their most beautiful in their 30s, but that survey doesn’t seem to have been taken into consideration by anyone’s marketing team.

Let’s get back to reality: The signs of aging accumulate over time, and the best thing that women of any age can do to avoid accelerated aging is to exfoliate regularly, never get a tan, apply sunscreen 365 days a year, and use products loaded with antioxidants and cell communicating ingredients (of which you’ll find many at PaulasChoice.com and Beautypedia.com). Speaking of sunscreen, it stands to reason given abundant research that the single most powerful anti-aging product anyone of any age could be using to prevent “aging” is a well formulated sunscreen. A quick call to Perricone’s customer service number confirmed that not one of the 13 new anti-aging products include sun protection. This glaring omission alone doesn’t bode well for this new “Super” line, but we’ll know for sure once The Cosmetics Cop Team reviews these products next month.

A small, healthy debate ignited between some of the members of The Cosmetics Cop Team over these products and their marketing angle. Is Perricone speaking to a real fear that women in this age range have, or is it a fear that’s perpetuated by the industry itself, by continually exposing women to ever-younger (and ever-photo retouched) images of beauty? Are these products fueled by legitimate demand from women who want to stop wrinkles before they start, or is the beauty industry manufacturing a need, and expensive boutique products to conveniently swoop in and meet it?

I suspect that it’s a chicken-or-the-egg type of situation, and I’m skeptical if anyone can say for sure which came first. The relationship between 20-somethings and anti-aging appears somewhat symbiotic: young women have this fear and the industry fans the flame.

Readers, what do you think?

Ever since I can remember, I’ve always had hair drama. I’m the type of person who regularly leaves the hair salon in tears, either over my hair or over the bill. So I couldn’t believe my luck when I finally found a talented, friendly, affordable, and conveniently-located hairstylist last year. This had truly never happened to me before, and it was nothing short of life-changing. But unfortunately it was far too good to last because Brad, my new stylist, moved out on me.

Just my luck, Brad told me last month over text message that he was relocating from Seattle to Phoenix on short notice. I fell into a deep funk. I had been so spoiled by his talent, his prices, his company, and his location that I was downright despondent thinking of what I was going to do without him.

Returning to my former hairdresser, Joan, was not an option. She was always teetering on the edge of sanity. After a year of strange encounters (as well as questionable haircuts) at her downtown ultra-hip salon, the last straw was when she sent me a Facebook message in the middle of the night seeking my advice because she was frightened by her roommate’s cat, who was stalking her outside her bedroom door. I never made another appointment with Joan.

The thing about new hairstylists is that there’s always a learning curve. Even with Brad I didn’t love my first haircut—it took a few times in his chair before we hit our stride. Perhaps I was naïve to think that Brad would always be there for me, because I just can’t imagine putting myself out there like that again, only to have a new stylist leave me unexpectedly. It makes me wonder: Do most people have such a strong bond with their hairstylists? Because I feel like I’ll never find another Brad.

Of course I’m being melodramatic about all of this—it’s only hair, right? But there’s no substitute for the exhilaration I feel when I get a good haircut and the right color. It lifts my confidence and gets me back in touch with my identity (as the ever-wise Brad used to say). It can take years off your look, play up your best features, and give others a sense of your personal style. So why are there so few whose stylists who consistently get it right? Is it just me and my finicky tresses?

I’d love to hear your hairstylist stories or how you’ve vetted and broken in new hairstylists. I’m coming to the end of the mourning period for Brad (and my cut’s getting shaggy), so I think I’m finally ready to sit in someone else’s chair. As long as it’s not Joan’s!

From True Blood to Twilight, one thing is crystal clear: Pale skin is in. Faster than you can say “fake & bake” ladies are trading in self-tanner and super-sparkly bronzers for SPF 50 and porcelain powders. Frankly, I can’t think of a single beauty trend that could be better news for skin. It’s about time, don’t you think?

Long associated with gothic eccentricity or poor health, not since Jean Harlow and Marilyn Monroe has pale looked so glamorous. The vampires of True Blood (while they may be technically undead) are virile, vivacious, and simply stunning to look at. Evan Rachel Wood’s character, the vintage-chic vampire Queen Sophie-Anne of Louisiana, has the Internet lit up with makeup bloggers seeking to emulate her look—best described as equal parts ‘40s pin-up girl and Marie Antoinette.  

I also think the annoying, haggard-looking young ladies from MTV’s Jersey Shore are also to thank for this trend towards paler skin. While I’m sure that Snooki is a perfectly lovely person (public antics notwithstanding), her ever-tanned complexion resembles an over-cooked sweet potato—and she’s all of 22! If there were ever a cautionary tale about the accelerated aging effect of tanning, Snooki’s face is it.  

Whether you choose to embrace your own natural fair complexion or if you opt to enhance the paleness of your skin with makeup, here are a few tricks to keep your skin looking beautifully pale, rather than sickly pallid:

• Switch from black mascara to a brown/black shade—it’s a professional trick that makes pale skin look natural instead of stark.
• Stick with peach, coral, or apricot blush which are universally flattering to nearly any undertone, and will keep your blush from looking clownish. Soft application on the apple of your cheeks is enough to give skin a healthy glow. We list today’s best blushes on Beautypedia.com.
• Paler skin can be tricky to match with foundation. Consider using a tinted moisturizer instead, which can be sheered out and blended to match lighter skin tones more easily. Use a concealer on areas that need extra coverage. M.A.C. offers beautiful shades for pale skin.

Some of my favorite pale-skinned celebrities are Cate Blanchett, Zooey Deschanel and Daniel Radcliffe. Which celebrities have you swooning over their fair skin?

Those of you who still have the freedom to make plans on Sunday nights might not know that there’s a full-blown beauty/gender debate unfolding on the fourth season of AMC’s stellar show Mad Men. The television series is set in the ‘60s and centers on the forward-thinking Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce advertising agency. Recently, they landed a big account with Pond’s Cold Cream. While brainstorming for the Pond’s campaign, the marketing team was at a stalemate: Freddy, the sexist but harmless fuddy-duddy, says that if they market Pond’s as a means for women to land a husband, it’ll sell. Peggy, the young proto-feminist copywriter, insists that focusing on Pond’s as part of a woman’s beauty ritual will speak to women who wish to indulge themselves in front of the mirror.

Of course, it’s clear that Peggy has her finger on the pulse of the women’s movement to come, but that doesn’t mean that Freddy’s take on what motivates women to purchase beauty-related products is all that archaic, even by today’s standards. Believe me, I would know. As someone whose job description means being uniquely steeped in beauty product marketing with a critical eye, I can assure you that while the goal may not be to get married, it’s definitely still important to get noticed by men. Don’t believe me? How many beauty products—makeup, skin care, hair care, fragrance—are described as flirty? Sexy? Seductive? A lot. If sex sells anyplace, it’s with beauty products, which are almost exclusively marketed to . . . straight women.

This Pond’s debate on Mad Men got me thinking about what marketing angle sparks my own interest in a beauty product. With everything that Paula has taught me about the beauty industry and as a bona-fide member of The Cosmetics Cop Team, that’s not an easy question to answer. While I can’t say that I shop Dove exclusively, their Campaign for Real Beauty ads have definitely resonated with me. And Dove’s short films like this one that critiques the power that advertising has on women from an early age is compelling. I’m well aware that there’s an inherent hypocrisy to Dove’s marketing angle (particularly the image retouching), but the campaign’s aim seemed true enough to make a lasting impression on me.

What do you think? Are beauty products still aimed at helping a woman find a man or is it about female empowerment? And, for better or worse, which products’ ad campaigns speak to you?

“You’re going to be mad when you see me,” my teenager said somewhat sheepishly. She called me on her last day on the East Coast, where she’d spent the summer competing on a swim team and volunteering at a community service camp.

“Oh really?” Thinking she’d gotten a piercing or a tattoo, I braced myself for whatever could come next. “And why’s that?”

She sighed. “My skin is out of control. I didn’t bring any of Paula’s stuff with me and now I look awful.” She went on to explain that with so many activities this summer, she’d completely neglected her skin. School would be starting soon, and I could hear the despair in her voice.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure that with Paula’s products we can get your skin back in shape in no time.” She agreed, but sounded skeptical and defeated.

When she got off the plane, I was thrilled to see her, but I could see why she was so upset about her skin: An inch-wide ring of blackheads and pimples bordered her hairline and jaw, her forehead was an oil slick of blemishes, and her cheeks and nose had layers upon layers of flaky, dry skin. Turns out that not only had she stopped using the Paula’s Choice CLEAR Anti-Acne system, but she’d also failed to wear sunscreen on her face all summer long!

I actually gasped.

No wonder her face was a mess! Having to combat acne is work enough, but giving your skin sun damage to repair on top of it? That’s definitely a losing battle. I tried not to lecture her—in fact, I didn’t need to lecture her. The evidence was right there on her face, and she knew it.

That night, like a magician with a bag of tricks, I pulled out Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Carbon Mask, Hydralight Moisture-Infusing Lotion and an entire CLEAR system: cleanser, exfoliating toner and topical benzoyl peroxide. We started with the cleanser, then applied the mask to the oily and blemished spots, let it dry, and then rinsed. She immediately felt a difference in her skin. Progress!

We then applied regular strength CLEAR Targeted Acne Relief Toner, followed by the 2.5% benzoyl peroxide Acne Fighting Treatment. (Even though her skin was in critical condition, I didn’t want to risk irritation with the extra-strength versions). After everything had dried, we applied the Hydralight Moisture-Infusing Lotion to her cheeks. She looked in the mirror and a smile broke across her face—an actual smile!

After one week of this routine (with the mask applied every other night and our Skin Balancing Daily Mattifying Lotion with SPF 15 every day) her skin is well on its way to recovery. She had to write down the exact order of her routine, but her diligence has paid off: The blemishes are receding, blackheads are going away, and her dry, flaky skin is all but gone. Her skin isn’t flawless, but it’s getting there, and the boost to her self-esteem is undeniable.

She starts high school in two weeks, and I’m so glad that her skin will be one less thing to worry about!  And, yes, I’ve already put a big bottle of SPF 15 in her backpack.