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?

“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.

The years of negative experiences I’d had with exfoliation were written all over my face: dry skin, acne, blackheads, and overall dullness. What I didn’t know was that exfoliation didn’t have to hurt, and that a well formulated exfoliant could very well be the answer to solving the majority of my skin problems. It only took a few minutes of reading the dozens upon dozens of customer testimonials raving about Paula’s Choice 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid Liquid for me to decide to give it a try. Anything was better than that awful scrub!

When I started using a beta hydroxy acid (BHA) exfoliant, I was sure I was doing it all wrong. It all seemed too easy! At night after using a gentle cleanser, I applied a small amount to my face with a cotton ball and that was it. I couldn’t believe it. Nothing burned, and there was no grit—how could this product actually be working without me having to scrub? Skeptical, I went to bed thinking I’d missed something, but when I woke up, my face had an unmistakable glow. Looking in the mirror, I didn’t care how it worked—I was just overjoyed that it did!

As a member of The Cosmetics Cop Team, I now understand the science. Exfoliants that aren’t scrubs usually contain beta hydroxy acid (BHA) or alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), both of which encourage cell turnover without the risk of tearing skin. At this point, it’s impossible for me to go back to my old ways, and my husband’s tub of St. Ives is long gone! I also now know that it’s very difficult to find products that are carefully formulated to actually work like Paula’s exfoliants do. Doing research for Beautypedia, I see promising product after promising product come through our offices, only to discover that the pH is too high to permit exfoliation or that it contains some deal-breaking irritant that will cause more harm than good for your skin. Paula’s Choice customers were right all along: Paula’s exfoliants truly stand alone!

A few months ago, I blogged about the one product I really can’t go without: Paula’s Choice 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid Liquid. And, yes, this is yet another blog singing its praises. I guess even I’m one of those crazed fans, but I can’t help it. I credit that one product with breaking my acne and blackhead cycle, staving off fine lines and wrinkles (even as I turn 34 next month), and giving me the skin I always hoped I could have. My only regret now is that I didn’t start exfoliating the right way sooner!

Adding a BHA exfoliant to my daily skin-care routine was one of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made—period. What about your experiences with exfoliants? Did you notice an about-face after switching from scrubs to an AHA or BHA product? How has your skin changed since you began using an exfoliant?

“Clarins’ counter, how many I help you?”

     “Hello!” I greeted her warmly. “Can you tell me what are the active sunscreen ingredients in the Bright Plus HP Hydrating Day Lotion SPF 20?”

“Let me look,” she said, as she shuffled around. “Ah yes, here it is. It’s SPF 20.”

     “Yes, but what are the active sunscreen ingredients in it?”

“It has SPF 20 sun protection.”

     “I understand what the SPF is because it’s in the product name. I want to know which active sunscreen ingredients are in the product to make the SPF 20.”

“Umm. Please hold.”

     I could hear her muffle the receiver with her hand, some indistinct talking, and then a new, French-accented voice came on the line.

“How may I help you?”

     “Hi, I’m curious about the sunscreens in the Hydrating Day Lotion SPF 20. Can you tell me what they are?”

“Yes, they are SPF 20.”

     I tried not to audibly sigh, but my patience was waning. “I am aware of the SPF because it’s in the product name, what I want to know is what are the active ingredients—the ones listed on the side of the box?”

“Oh yes, I see…” and then she began to rattle them off.

     As I wrote them down, I asked, “What are the percentages of those ingredients?”

“They are …” and she began to rattle those off, too. Then, suddenly, she stopped before the last sunscreen amount and said, “From there, you can do the math.”

     “Pardon me?” I stopped short, legitimately not understanding her statement.

“The math—you can do the math. So it adds up to 20, because, like I said, the SPF is 20.”

At that point, I think I was stunned into silence, because this is absolutely not how SPF works—and anyone selling skin care should know this!

We get questions all the time from Paula’s Choice customers and Beautypedia subscribers who are confused about how SPF works and which SPF they should use, and it’s no wonder if they’re dealing with salespeople like these at the Clarins’ counter. Here’s what you need to know:

• First, be very cautious of any information a cosmetic salesperson gives you about the products they are selling.
• When it comes to sunscreen, a product’s SPF number lets you know how long you can stay in the sun without burning while wearing that product.
• If you can stay in the sun for, say, 15 minutes before your skin starts to turn pink, then applying a sunscreen rated SPF 15 will allow you to stay in the sun 15 times longer. So, 15 (minutes) x (SPF) 15 = 225 or 3 hours and 45 minutes of sun protection.
•  It’s vital to know that the SPF rating refers only to protection from UVB radiation (the sun’s sun burning rays, not UVA, the sun’s silent, “aging” rays that cause deep cellular damage).
• There is no way to judge the UVA protection in a skin-care product with sunscreen unless you check the ingredient listing.
• Only a handful of ingredients can protect skin from the UVA spectrum, so any sunscreen, regardless of SPF must absolutely contain the UVA-protecting ingredients of either titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, avobenzone, Tinosorb, or ecamsule (Mexoryl SX).
• While the SPF is determined by the combined percentage of active sunscreens, it is not a cumulative equation. Simply adding up the percentages is not how SPF is determined!

What I would have really liked to say to the Clarins’ woman I spoke to is this: I can do math, and algebra, calculus, trig, and a bit of geometry, too, but that won’t help me know a percentage of an ingredient in any skin-care product. However, I can add up your customer service skill and skin-care knowledge and it equals absolute zero

I went to Macy’s to take a look at Dior’s new DiorSnow D-NA Reverse Night Serum, and quickly noticed that “Alcohol” was the second ingredient, right after “Water.” My expression must’ve visibly turned, because the sales lady immediately asked me what was wrong.
“It’s just too bad this has so much alcohol in it,” I said.
“Oh, honey,” she smiled, “It’s the face kind of alcohol. Nothing to worry about!”

Now, there is simply no such thing as “face” alcohol. There are, in fact, innocuous fatty alcohols (with names like cetyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol, myristyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol and so on), but when an ingredient label simply lists “Alcohol,” “Alcohol Denat.,” or “SD-Alcohol 40,” you can be sure that it’s the very bad kind! These types of alcohols are extremely detrimental to skin: drying it out, causing free-radical damage with continued use, and, for those with oily skin, triggering more oil production in the pore lining. Sure, it can temporarily de-grease skin, but the long term damage (and the triggering of more oil production) is not worth the short term benefit (check out the research here).

Not more than an hour later while at the Nordstrom’s Lancome counter, I was surprised to find myself in front of yet another cosmetic salesperson trying to convince me of the virtues of alcohol as skin care. Looking at Lancome’s Flash Bronzer Tinted Body Gel Enriched with Vitamin E, I remarked that it was a shame to see that alcohol appeared second on the ingredient list.
She was quick to clarify, “Does the label say “Alcohol” or “Alcohol Denat.?”
“Denatured Alcohol,” I said, “the bad one.”
Her tone softened, and she explained, “That kind of alcohol is used as a preservative, which is a good thing!”

Ugh. There are so many things wrong with that statement! First, alcohol denat. is grain alcohol (think gin or scotch) made undrinkable by denaturing it. Second, it is absolutely not functioning as a preservative; it’s being used to ensure that the tinted gel dries quickly so that it doesn’t make a mess when it’s applied. It has nothing whatsoever to do with good skin care! Third, were it actually a preservative, how could anyone rationally extol its place up front and personal on the ingredient list? Considering that vitamin E (this product’s alleged star ingredient) appears halfway down the list (as it happens, far below methylparaben, the product’s actual preservative), how exactly is that “a good thing”? And of course, there’s still all those other detrimental issues when alcohol is high up on an ingredient list. This is clearly a product that anyone who knows anything about skin care would gladly pass by.

Of course, I said none of this because it would’ve only gotten me kicked out. Then again, I didn’t purchase the product either—and I can only hope that said it all!

So when P&G’s well organized and professional external relations department cordially invited us to tour their innovation labs in Cincinnati, I was sent to represent Paula’s Cosmetics Cop Team. Lucky me!

I wish I could tell you everything about my trip, but to properly document the whirlwind, three-day experience would take several blog entries (however, if there’s something specific you’re curious about, let me know in the comments and I’ll let you know what happened). I will say that P&G kept me busier than I thought possible: virtually from the time I landed until it was time to board the plane back home, I was immersed in a veritable Willy Wonka’s Factory for beauty.

As I toured the facilities, each room was a new laboratory or product in development (all with code names!) to discover. Some rooms were tiny and full of microscopes and slides, while others were auditorium-sized spaces with giant mixers and drums full of products. To my delight, the chemists who oversaw my tour told me that they have well-worn copies of Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me in their offices! How cool is that?

One of the most impressive and memorable parts of the tour were P&G’s hair labs, which seemed an endless maze of zigzagged hallways filled with people busily researching, developing, and testing Procter & Gamble hair products (they own Pantene, Herbal Essences, Nice `n Easy, Frederic Fekkai, etc…). In addition to housing a full service color salon for product testing on real people, P&G also owns thousands of pounds of human hair. This hair is made into small sample sets called “switches,” used to test the efficacy of hair products.

And when I say test, I mean they literally wash, condition, dry, flat iron or curl and then style the hair switch to see how it behaves with each product. Any room I entered revealed dozens of employees, decked out in lab coats and safety glasses, working with the hair: washing, drying, styling, etc. Once they’ve styled the hair switch, they run the tests with machines to measure shine, strength, volume—just about every aspect of hair care you can imagine.

I had absolutely no idea the extent of testing P&G does before a product goes on the market. Most fascinating to me was that a lot of the product testing isn’t done for efficacy, but also for cultural and regional preference. It was explained that consumer research shows that Latin Americans, for example, prefer their shampoo not to lather for fear that it’s too drying, while North Americans prefer silkier textures and lots of lather (but not too much), so that these consumers can tell it’s “working.” None of these aesthetic aspects really affect the efficacy of a hair product; they’re all tweaked based on what consumer feedback and trends tells the company they’d prefer.

As a result of P&G’s ongoing regional market research, there are seeming endless permutations of product formulas for Procter & Gamble customers across the globe. And now that I understand how contrived the texture and consistency of products can be, it’s also made me much more aware of some hair care products with aesthetic-based claims regarding silkiness, lather and so on. Good to know!

All of this hair hub-bub leads up to P&G unveiling their massive re-launch of their Pantene hair care line. Even though I’m forbidden (until June) from sharing any of the salient details of the new Pantene products, I can say that we’ve already received all 66 products here in the offices (I know, 66 can you believe that?) and we’ll have each and every product reviewed this summer on Beautypedia!

What about the current crop of Pantene? Expect to see those gone from store shelves by the end of May. And expect to see me back in Cincinnati should P&G extend another invitation to view their remarkable facilities!

Finally, once I started washing my face, it was only sporadically—and never with a well-formulated cleanser (something I’ve learned to identify since becoming part of The Cosmetics Cop Team). Like so many young women and girls, I gravitated toward the cleansers that would tingle (because I thought that meant it was “working”) or the ones that were really strong (labeled as “deep cleaning”) and, sure enough, the breakouts persisted. Then, at around age 30, I started mixing my own facial cleansers at home with olive oil, glycerin and lavender water. Those moisturized my skin well enough, but they didn’t address my blackheads nor did they help my breakouts. And while my homemade cleanser made me feel confident that I wasn’t putting anything mysterious on my face nor was I over-spending for products—alas, my face never really felt clean.

Then, I was offered a job at Paula’s Choice, which I enthusiastically accepted. Once I started working here, I began experimenting with our line of products, which is encouraged (if not expected), and I still remember the first product I used: One Step Face Cleanser for Dry Skin. I followed the directions to the letter, and sure enough, my face felt clean, but not tight; moisturized, but not greasy. My makeup was gone, but there had been no lather and no awful burning in my eyes. It was truly the most revelatory skin-care experience I had ever had—that is, until I tried the 2% BHA liquid the following day! Suddenly things were happening on my face—and not happening on my face—like never before.

It’s been a year now, and the 2% BHA Liquid, or my “Magic Potion” as my husband and I affectionately call it, is the one Paula’s Choice product that I simply could not go without. I’ve tried all of our cleansers and moisturizers, and while I have my favorites, I could certainly substitute one for another in a pinch. That cannot be said for the 2% BHA Liquid. As an equal-to-none exfoliant, it has diminished my blackheads (chin & nose), improved the smoothness of my skin, reduced the size of my pores, evened out my skin tone, and when I put it on at night I can count on waking up with glowing skin. And breakouts are truly a thing of the past! Not only did I never really think this kind of skin was possible, but I certainly didn’t think that a single, affordably-priced product could do it all. I’ve come a long way from homemade olive oil cleansers and half-baked theories about bacteria, and my skin is all the better for it.

All of this has led me to wonder: What’s your can’t-live-without-it product? I’d love to know which ones you love from any lines—but especially ours!

It’s worth acknowledging that even on her worst day, Jessica Simpson is probably stunning, and this photo shoot, which utilizes natural light and Simpson’s best angles, is indisputably gorgeous—there’s not a bad shot in the bunch. While some blogs are magnifying the images in an effort to figure out if she’s wearing a smidge of mascara or a hint of blush, I say, who cares? That’s exactly the kind of nit-picking that got us to the point at which we demand our models strive to look freakishly perfect for fear that someone might see that they might have—gasp— flaws! Given the candor of the photos and the accompanying interviews with women of all shapes and sizes, it’s hard to dispute that Simpson’s heart is in the right place: her intentions clearly are not to mislead, they are to educate and empower.

This issue of Marie Claire coincides with the airing of Simpson’s VH-1 show “The Price of Beauty,” a series that takes Simpson around the world to discover firsthand the often archaic and unusually extreme measures women take to be considered beautiful within their own cultures. From skin lightening in Mumbai to “fattening huts” in Uganda, the lengths that women will go to in order to be beautiful may seem alarming, but no more so than Westerners’ meticulous carb counting or frequent injecting of Botox. Simpson’s series is not only a critique of the beauty industry at large, but it also shows viewers that, at least culturally-speaking, beauty is completely subjective. How refreshing is that?

As if she weren’t walking the walk enough already, Simpson’s other beauty-related endeavor is an outreach initiative called A Beautiful Me, one that has her working hands-on with grade school to college-aged students to improve their self-image and self-esteem (and, oh, how the two are always indelibly linked!). Helping young people recognize their own individual beauty gives them the tools they need to combat the thousands of images of unattainable “beauty” that we’re all confronted with on a daily basis. As we mature and grow more comfortable in our own skin, it’s easy to forget how fraught youth is with insecurities about looks—and of course, for some of us, that never goes away completely. Raising three school-aged girls, I’m witness to that struggle daily, and can see firsthand the importance of having positive role models and healthy concepts of beauty that I can show them. If only there were more of them in the mainstream!

Jessica Simpson’s newly found commitment to positive self-image is especially resonant since she’s had her own fair share of media scrutiny (her recent “Mom Jeans” photo controversy springs to mind). In an industry that’s ruled by empty promises and hypocrisy, it’s truly beautiful that Simpson is willing to embrace her inspiring philosophies on the cover of a national magazine. Given Simpson’s oft-seen past persona as a ditzy bombshell, it’s particularly exhilarating to see a woman reclaim and rewrite her own identity. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m impressed with you Jessica Simpson!

Part of my job as Beautypedia Database Coordinator at Paula’s Choice is to keep our Web site’s information as current as possible, and that means tracking the launch of all new beauty products as well as discontinuations and reformulations of existing ones. Something as innocuous as a single new shade of a foundation means that research must be done—in fact, any change to a product means that its review needs to be revisited and potentially revised. With over 300 brands represented on Beautypedia, simply saying that keeping up with the industry is “a lot of work” is somewhat of an understatement. Sometimes, my head swims just thinking about it! But thanks to our readers, my job and that of the rest of the Beautypedia team isn’t nearly as difficult as it could be.

On a regular basis, my inbox teems with your insider tips, alerts and feedback. Many of our Beautypedia subscribers have become an important part of our Cosmetics Cop Team. Fielding these emails is a part of my job I always enjoy, because I’m continually impressed at the insights, knowledge, and tenacity of our readers—and I’m grateful for their willingness to share information with us! Those of you who take the time to let us know what cosmetic counter representatives are telling you, or what you’re seeing (or not seeing) on stores shelves are helpful to us in ways that defy words.

Not surprisingly, a good number of our readers are industry insiders themselves, and they let us know what new products are in the works, or just take the time to thank us for our hard work and dedication to holding this industry accountable for the empty promises it makes to consumers. And let me tell you, those thanks fill us with a lot of pride in what we do!

The email product alerts we receive makes Beautypedia (the big, beautiful, information-laden beast that it is) a more interactive experience for us and our subscribers. What amazes me about this process is that the information you give us gets cycled through Paula and the Cosmetics Cop Team and right back to other subscribers. And often, there’s very little lag. If a reader alerts us to a reformulation, we can research it, confirm it, and have the team revise the review and rating, usually the same day. Same thing goes for discontinuations. That’s pretty cool, and it makes Beautypedia more than a Web site—it’s an active community of fellow Cosmetic Cops!

“So what’s your favorite product? You know, the one product that you couldn’t live without?”

I hesitated. Perhaps it was being put on the spot, but I honestly couldn’t think of one. I managed to evade the question long enough for her to launch into her own exaltation of mineral makeup (really?), but her question—and my lack of an answer—got me thinking.

So when I returned home I surveyed my makeup. Sure, there are several products that I love deeply: M.A.C.’s Powder Blush in Dame, Prescriptives’ MotorEyes Mascara, Paula’s Choice Constant Color Gel Eyeliner in Earthen, Cover Girl’s Sassy Mauve Outlast Lipstain. But none of these products, no matter how much I adore them, no matter how often I use them, could really be called my “you-complete-me” product. And then, I glimpsed my brushes.

As I reached for them, it hit me: I love my brushes. They are the one indispensible part of my makeup routine. It doesn’t matter how exquisite the eyeshadow, how silky the powder — without my brushes, I may as well not even bother. They’re the only aspect of my makeup that is truly irreplaceable, and that’s why I treat them with lavish care. Every Sunday night as I get ready for the week ahead, I wash my brushes and lay them out to dry for their Monday morning call. Sometimes during the week, I pat them lovingly, or brush them against my face just to feel their softness.

I have a complete (and then some) set of professional-quality brushes that I’ve pieced together over time, but within that set, there are a few that I simply cannot live without. My Trish McEvoy #32 Eyebrow Brush and #21 Large Laydown (I have big eyes that really appreciate the brush’s fullness); Paula’s Choice Eyeliner Brush (it’s tiny and perfect for subtle-lining of lower lids); and my Bare Escentuals Full Coverage Kabuki (at first this was quite bristly, but over time it’s opened up and softened remarkably). These are brushes that I absolutely rely on to make me beautiful every day, no matter what product I’m applying.

But my baby, my little sweetie of a brush has to be Trish McEvoy’s Powder Blush Brush. It’s so dense that it always picks up just enough powder, and is cut in such a way that glides right under my cheekbone. The best part – and I honestly cannot say this about any other cosmetic product – is that I literally get happier every time I reach to use it. Now out of everything that a makeup product can do for you, what could be more beautiful than that?