Choosing gifts for the important people in your life is difficult enough as is, but when you add makeup, skin-care, and hairstyling products to the list and you’re setting yourself up for mission impossible. The way cosmetics counters are set up complicates matters even more, given the often-overwhelming number and variety of products and the consultants, who will say anything to get you to buy from their line. So, how do you know which products really work and also look and feel good? The Cosmetics Cop Team is here to help!

Out of the thousands of products we use and review each year, these standout favorites are bound to be a hit, whether you’re treating a loved one or yourself. Best of all, you don’t even have to leave your couch to find them!

Paula’s Perfect Presents:

• Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid ($18.95). I use it every evening and wake up with the smoothest skin imaginable. This never fails to amaze me, and I’ve been using it for years.
• Paula’s Choice Pure Mineral Sunscreen SPF 15 ($15.95). I use this every day on my hands and chest. The result: no brown spots … and it holds up beautifully, even after washing my hands.
• Paula’s Choice Moisture Boost Hydrating Treatment Cream ($18.95). This is the perfect moisturizer for my eye area!

Nathan’s Not on the Naughty List Products:

• Paula’s Choice RESIST Advanced Replenishing Toner Skin Remodeling Complex ($18.95). Innovation was the word for 2010 at Paula’s Choice, and instead of raving once more about our 2% BHA Liquid, I cannot deny (resist?) that the unique and complex formula in this newest addition to the RESIST collection is my new favorite body moisturizer! I have never been a fan of lotions for the body, so the Skin Recovery Toner was the perfect substitute … until now! With incredible benefits, the unparalleled array of antioxidants and cell-communicating ingredients in the RESIST Advanced Replenishing Toner soothed my winter dry skin, without the “lotion feel.” (Bonus: It takes only about 15 seconds to apply!)
• Clarisonic Classic Sonic Skin Cleansing System ($195). This was a gift from a friend—and it has been a fantastic alternative to the washcloth! I’ve dealt with ingrown hairs from shaving (endlessly, it seems), but after a few weeks of daily use, the Clarisonic, along with my  CLEAR Normalizing Cleanser, has made for the perfect shave and is a splurge-worthy gift!

Desiree’s Dream Gifts:

• Paula’s Choice RESIST Weekly Resurfacing Treatment with 10% Alpha Hydroxy Acid ($26.95). Even though I already use a BHA exfoliant that I love, I decided to give the Weekly Resurfacing Treatment a try after hearing all the rave reviews from customers. To my delight, I really did wake up with glowing, radiant skin the next morning. After using Paula’s Choice products for over a year now, I didn’t think my skin could get any better, but with the help of this product, it did!
• Too Faced Naked Eye Kit ($35). I fell in love with this eyeshadow palette the instant I laid eyes on it. There are nine gorgeous shades, including gray, beige, black, brown, and light pink, in either soft matte or shimmer finishes. It’s rare to find an eyeshadow set in which all the colors are beautiful and usable, but this kit nails it, offering endless combinations for subtle or sexy eyes!

Daynah’s Decadent Delights:

• Paula’s Choice Beautiful Body Butter ($16.95). This decadent hydrating cream is a staple in my life (especially in winter), and it makes an excellent gift because it’s so versatile and luxurious! You can use it on dry elbows, heels, or all over your hands. (I keep some right at my desk!) The texture is rich, but it absorbs so well you’re never left feeling greasy. The packaging is unisex, and an added bonus is the delicious chocolaty cocoa butter scent—and zero calories!
• Chanel Rouge Coco Hydrating Creme Lip Colour ($30). Very few shoppers are going to drop $30 on a lipstick, but that’s the joy of gift-giving, getting to spoil your loved ones (or yourself, we won’t tell!). I consider this lipstick a worthy splurge for any lady on my list—it’s absolutely divine! I can’t get enough of its creamy texture, incredible stain (which means it has staying power), and the gorgeous, sleek Chanel packaging. Lipstick may seem tricky for gifting, but the now-famous Mademoiselle shade is amazingly universally flattering (a blend of mauve, pink, and peach), and it will work on most fair to medium skin tones. In fact, it’s such a hit that Chanel counters all over the country sold out of the shade the first day it was on the market!

Bryan’s Buzz-Worthy Favorites:

• Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Moisture Gel ($18.95). It’s not an easy task picking my favorite Paula’s Choice product, but this one is my go-to. A “never-fail” option for handling minor dryness, it keeps my skin smooth (never oily,) especially after shaving. I use it every day, and during the winter months, I follow with one of our more emollient moisturizers for my eye area, which is drier than the rest of my face.
• Bumble and bumble Sumowax ($25). I discovered this styling wax back when Paula and I were working on the last edition of “Don’t Go Shopping for Hair-Care Products Without Me,” in 2004. Needing a wax for the way my hair was cut at the time, I figured, “Why not?” Almost seven years later, I am never without this product. It’s expensive, yes, but a little goes a long way; I can make a jar last almost a year. And it works so well for finishing my hairstyle that the expense is worth it. I also love Bumble’s Styling Spray; it works great for normal to fine hair that needs light hold and body without stickiness.

Happy holiday shopping, and don’t forget to check out Beautypedia.com for more product recommendations from The Cosmetics Cop Team!

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!

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!

Women worry about and spend a great deal of time and money to look and feel beautiful. Whether it is their makeup, skin care, hair care (cutting, dyeing, styling), shaving, dry lips, buying the right fragrance, getting manicures and pedicures, dark circles under the eyes, clothing, weight loss, and on and on, we want to be attractive—and we pay attention to lots of details to achieve this goal.

Yet, despite this endless effort (any rational person has to admit that it’s exhausting) there are details we ignore, can’t see objectively, or didn’t know anything about (I mean, there is only so much time in a day, week, month, or year, right?).

It isn’t my intent to make your life more complicated. My hope is that these recommendations may actually make your beauty quest easier. I’m curious to hear what you think (I love your feedback!).

1. Stop touching your face when you have makeup on! Rubbing your eyes, resting your face on your hand, or holding your cell phone against your cheek causes you to slowly but surely wipe away the makeup you put on in the morning. Ask your friends or coworkers to point out when you do this because you probably don’t even know you’re doing it.
2. Don’t leave the house with chipped nail polish. Putting on a great outfit, stunning shoes, and doing your hair and makeup is all for naught if you ignore your peeling, cracked nail polish. Even with everything else in place, the shoddy manicure takes focus. It is especially detracting at your job.
3. Don’t wear clothes that don’t fit. This sounds simple, but it isn’t as easy as you might think. Women feel pressure not to repeat outfits within the same week, for some not even in the same month. When there’s nothing else to wear we go to the parts of our closet we shouldn’t. So if you can’t button a jacket or blouse, if your pants are too tight (you can see your panty line or way too much body detail), sleeves are too long, skirts are way too tight or short for your body type, or your pants are so long they drag on the floor and have frayed,  don’t wear them. Oh, and about those shoes with worn-down heels and torn leather—those need to be tossed out!
4. Don’t wear fake nails. I know, I know, those of you who are attached to your fake nails as much as they are attached to you aren’t going to take my strong recommendation to give this one up. Nonetheless, even if there weren’t issues of infection, damaged nail plates, and fumes when you’re getting them done, they are expensive and almost always distracting. Fake nails add nothing to your overall appearance. I mean really, isn’t it rare to see a set of fake nails that don’t look fake? Having long nails might be enviable, but if you don’t have nails that grow naturally long on their own, it doesn’t add to your appearance to stick acrylics on.
5. Don’t overdo mascara! I’m guilty of this one, too. No matter how hard I try to stop, I keep piling the stuff on. I do love the way my eyes look with long, thick lashes and it takes a lot of mascara to achieve this. But I also know that the way I do it doesn’t look anything like “real” long lashes. Too much mascara is distracting and the more you wear the more likely even the best mascara is going to flake during the day. Isn’t that a pretty picture? I’ll try again today to cut back, but just like for some of you, this isn’t going to be easy.

OK, one more “don’t” that will help a lot, and I’ve blogged about this issue in the past: Don’t fall asleep for the night with your makeup on! Being sure to cleanse your face before going to bed will help you avoid a litany of unattractive skin and eye-area problems and help you spend less time getting ready in the morning (because you’re not trying to fix all of the side effects evident from sleeping with your makeup on).

Ever since I first started working on the Don’t Go… books with Paula, we have had a fondness for doing our hands-on research in the beautiful city of Vancouver, British Columbia. Not only is this major city a relatively short drive from Seattle, but time and again it has proven to be a very friendly, helpful city for The Cosmetics Cop Team to work in.

By “work,” I mean we literally hit the streets, notes in hand, ready to visit drugstores, department stores, and specialty shops to personally look at dozens upon dozens of skin-care and makeup products. As you might imagine, this process requires lots of preparedness and concentration, not to mention a comfortable pair of walking shoes!

A co-worker and I recently did some research in Vancouver and it went beautifully! Not once were we asked to leave a store (yes that actually happens to us) or suspiciously questioned as to what we were doing, or even eyed with nervous apprehension. It seemed the salespeople simply viewed us as conscientious consumers with a rather intense curiosity about cosmetics—and that’s just fine with us!

What really struck me during this last trip was how different it can be doing such research in Vancouver vs. Seattle and environs. When we’re out doing our work in the U.S. we’re almost always on guard, ready to explain why we’re taking notes, why we need to see every shade of foundation (not just those the salesperson thinks will match our skin), and why we need the complete ingredient list rather than just the buzz-worthy ingredients the cosmetics industry loves to emphasize. We were careful in Vancouver, too, but found that for the most part, the salespeople weren’t all that concerned with what we were doing (and when they approached us they were always polite as opposed to the terse “What are you doing?” we normally get). 

I don’t know why this is, but we really appreciated just being able to go about doing our research without being questioned or treated like we’re up to no good. It’s amazing how often we’re either viewed as shoplifters or, more often, as employees from another store, there to check out the prices at a local competitor (I’ve been accused of this at Walgreens and Wal-Mart, and have had my notes scrutinized by management at Wal-Mart, not to mention questioned by security at Sephora stores) despite the fact the information we are gathering is mandated by the FDA to be available to the public.

The department stores can be the worst. Salespeople are often rude, they tend to hover, or they protect their products as if we were going to steal something. We gladly go through these experiences for you and have for years (even Paula has been thrown out of stores for writing down ingredients lists), because our goal is to do what it takes to get you the facts about the products you are buying. We truly want to help you spend your cosmetics dollars wisely, because wasting money is never pretty.

Of course, we’ve had lots of pleasant experience doing cosmetics research in the States. I can think of several salespeople who’ve been exceptionally helpful and who’ve willingly provided the information we need. These encounters are always appreciated. But I do need to send a great big “thank you” to the city of Vancouver for being such a great overall place for The Cosmetics Cop Team to do the work that so many consumers rely on to make informed decisions about what they buy. Until next time, Vancouver, THANK YOU!

Paula’s Choice is thrilled to welcome Paula’s Choice Thailand as the official Distributor for our products in Thailand.

From the beginning my goal has been to help women find products that will give them the skin they’ve always wanted. Over the years, I have watched my passion of providing brilliant skin care products for every concern grow from being just distributed in the United States, into Paula’s Choice products being distributed in 42 countries around the world. Adding Thailand to the Paula’s Choice family is a dream come true!

Visit the official Paula’s Choice Thailand website here!

Warmest regards,

Paula Begoun

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?

I don’t know what’s going on with my skin and hair lately, but I am blaming the weather!  Seattle has had an unusual summer; the truly hot, “yes, it’s definitely summer” days were few and far between, and lately we’ve been in full-on fall chill mode. Just this week the rain began, the temperature dropped and stayed down, and the clouds rolled in. Even the trees around our office are shedding their green leaves and showing early signs of changing color.

Although my skin and hair typically aren’t noticeably affected by local weather changes, this year is a completely different story. My face is super oily in the t-zone and uncomfortably dry on the cheeks. Shaving is starting to hurt. And my hair? Despite using the same tried-and-true products, it suddenly has a mind of its own. It’s like I have a rebellious teen living on my scalp, and he’s not listening to my pleas to stop acting so crazy and start making sense.

Here’s the kicker: I am at a bit of a loss as to what to do! Despite all I have learned and continue to learn about cosmetic product formulations, these surprising changes have really thrown me for a loop. Do I switch hair-care products? Blow-dry less often? Get a haircut? And for my skin, its extreme combination state means I need two completely different sets of products—not cool for someone who’s on the low side of being high maintenance! I’m tempted to just hide out until things balance out, but I know that’s not realistic (though I could catch up on a lot of movies I’ve been meaning to watch).

Never one to back down from a challenge, what I’m going to attempt to improve matters is the following:

• Get a haircut (somehow that always makes a positive difference) or learn to love hats.
• Switch to a conditioning shampoo and start using Paula’s Choice Smooth Finish Conditioner daily (I can be lazy about conditioner).
• Use fewer styling products (because adding more certainly isn’t helping matters).
• Keep using my Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing products in my oily areas, and add the Skin Balancing Carbon Mask to my routine (that excess oil needs to be off my nose, thank you very much).
• Begin using select Paula’s Choice Moisture Boost products to combat the dryness, especially after shaving. The Moisture Boost Hydrating Treatment Cream is my go-to favorite for stubborn dry patches.
• Exfoliate more often. I typically only do this two or three time per week (at night), and my skin is telling me loud and clear that more often will be better. My go-to exfoliants? I have two favorites: Paula’s Choice 1% BHA Lotion and our CLEAR Targeted Acne Relief Exfoliating Toner. Alternating between them should help improve my skin issues all over—I hope!
• Lastly, I’m going to check the relative humidity in my home. It may be lower than I think, and if so, it’s time to pull out the humidifier!

What about you? What do you do when your skin or hair freaks out for no apparent reason, save for the weather? I’d love to hear what has worked and what hasn’t!

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?

After years of writing books that were actually too cumbersome to tote to the cosmetics counters (though many of you did just that), I am thrilled to announce that we are now completely mobile—and taking our reviews with you won’t be any heavier than your smart phone!  My Cosmetics Cop Team’s reviews of over 45,000 skin-care, makeup, and select hair-care products are now available on the Beautypedia Mobile platform! That means anyone with an iPhone or an Android-equipped smart phone can access our unique, world-renowned database anywhere they take their phone.

Now we can really be with you at the cosmetics counters or salon, spa, drugstore, in-home demonstration, when you are reading a fashion magazine, and when you are watching an infomercial! Regardless of your budget, wasting money is not pretty!

And you do need me and my Cosmetics Cop Team! The cosmetics industry is so universally crazy that women from countries all around the world including Korea, Russia, France, Australia, Thailand, Italy, Singapore, Mexico, Israel, Indonesia, Vietnam, and China use our reviews to save their skin and save their money. 

All around the world, regardless of the beauty culture, women always ask me the exact same questions: what products really work for acne, wrinkles, sensitive skin, rosacea, dry skin, oily skin, blackheads, brown discolorations, scars, dark circles, cellulite, and on and on. My team and I have the answers, and it’s all there for you to access on your smart phone!

Everyone has wasted hundreds of dollars on products with claims that lied about what they can do. Our extensive research, relying on published information and our scrupulous analysis protocols is the only way you can shop safely knowing you are getting the absolute best products available for your skin and hair type.   

My team and I have written 18 books on skin care, makeup, and hair care, and each one has gotten bigger and bigger as more and more brands have hit the market. The most recent edition of Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me is over 1,000 pages. I know, I know, there is no way you could take that with you, but without the one-of-a-kind information we provide in hand when you were shopping, how could you know what you were really buying and how it compared to thousands of other products making the same claims? You couldn’t, and that is not a good situation for your skin, hair, or budget.

That dilemma is over now as long as you have an iPhone or an Android-equipped phone. My tech team has designed an easy-to-use site that allows anyone to quickly access the Cosmetics Cop Team’s reviews, even when you’re standing in the drugstore or department store wondering which mascara or anti-wrinkle cream is the best.

Are you looking at a new product being promoted at the cosmetic counters? Sign in to Beautypedia Mobile and see what the Cosmetics Cop Team has to say about it before you spend your money and risk disappointment! This is truly smart, portable cosmetics shopping at its best!

If you’re already a Beautypedia subscriber and have created a My Faves list, all of those products will be accessible once you sign in from your smart phone. You can also add and edit the My Faves list anytime, anywhere, right from your smart phone! How cool is that? You can even email the Cosmetics Cop Team from your phone, alerting us about any product on Beautypedia Mobile.

My Cosmetics Cop Team and I know you will find Beautypedia Mobile to be one of the best parts of owning a smart phone. We designed it with you in mind, and its creation was a direct result of subscriber feedback asking for this service.

As always, we welcome your feedback and thank you for relying on us to keep you beautifully informed as you navigate the tricky, often deceptive world of cosmetics!