News Taffy

In my last blog post, I shared with you one of my favorite facials and the amazing aesthetician who gives me one when I am in Jonesboro.  Jay Burns at the Jagged Edge has her version of the Triple Crown Facial that Joanna Vargas gives some of Hollywood’s leading actresses and actors before a red carpet appearance.  Last night I had the pleasure of meeting Vargas at the James Corbett Salon in Manhattan.  Vargas was part of a Night for Green Beauty that featured several amazing natural products, their creators and uber talented celebrity make-up artist, Katey Denno. 

I told Vargas about my recent visit to her salon and how impressed I was with the results.  If you can’t make it to NYC or even visit Jay, I have some tips from Vargas to help you freshen up your skin now that summer is in the books.

1. Treat yourself to a yogurt and honey mask to hydrate your skin.  If you are like me, you probably spent a lot of time outdoors over the last few months.  In spite of all of the sunscreen and hat wearing, our skin still ends up rather parched!  Add in numerous trips at 30 thousand feet and you start to look like a reptile or at least feel like one.

2. Add crushed strawberries to the mask to tighten the skin. 

3. Mix all of the above for a great snack - Ok, this is my tip!  But seriously with all of these natural ingredients you could literally eat your facial treatment.  Toss in some flax seeds while you are at it. Or even some granola. Yummy!

4. LED light - this is a key step in the Triple Crown facial and IT WORKS! I have the Nu-Face device which now comes with an LED attachment that I’m going to invest in very soon. 

During our conversation, Vargas mentioned natural ingredients numerous times.  She has her own line of products that you can check out on her website.  I have not used any of them so I can’t offer any feedback on their effectiveness. www.joannavargas.com

Katey Denno was showcasing lip treatments for the evening.  She has worked her magic on several leading ladies including Gwyneth Paltrow, Olivia Wilde, Christy Turlington, Amanda Seyfried and Isla Fisher.  Katey is a huge advocate of using as many natural and organic products as you can on your skin.  She has taught me - a former Southern pageant girl, baton twirler and tv news anchor make-up junkie - a lot about the products I use every day and all of the toxic chemicals that are in them. I was disgusted and totally freaked out at the same time after I realized what I was putting on my face and ultimately absorbing into my body! I can’t even really think about all of the Aqua Net hairspray that I used back in the day.  You wanna talk about toxic?  I’m not sure why or how I didn’t develop lung disease from using so much hair spray.

Katey tweaked my lip color and I ended up with a mix of two colors - as any real artist would use, right?  I’m now the proud owner of Ilia Neon Angel and Arabian Knights. 

www.iliabeauty.com Katey has a blog that is full of great information about products and  tips on how to achieve the perfect look with your make-up.  She shares her photos of her a-list clients and the how-to’s of getting the same look for yourself.

I asked Katey what her recommendations are for skin care and make-up as we move into the cooler fall season. Here they are.

1. A heavier moisturizer as the temperatures drop.  This may be a little later for my Arkansas readers considering it stays warm and humid for a while down south.

2. Mulberry colors for the eye.  This is one of my favorites for fall. It really makes hazel eyes pop.

3. Use a brow pencil, if you aren’t already doing so.  Defining the brows can make a HUGE difference. Start out with a light hand and add more color as you go if you are trying this for the first time. 

4. Deeper reds or burnt orange for the lips.  I like the texture and wearability of the Ilia lip colors I bought.  Considering that we actually ingest most of the lip products we use, it’s a safe bet to go natural and organic. Burt’s Bees make great natural lip colors too.  And they are really affordable.

5. Mascara, mascara, mascara - She is a huge fan of Cover Girl Last Blast even though it is not natural or organic.  This is one area where according to her the natural/organic products fall short.

I’ll be blogging over the next few days about the other fantastic products I discovered last night. I can’t wait to share them with you. Like the lawyer-turned-entrepreneur from St. Simon, Georgia with an incredible skin care line. I”ll introduce you to One Love Organics soon.  I’m always happy to hear a familiar accent in the heart of Manhattan, y’all!

Keep up with DJ on twitter @mrsdjduckworth.  Find her on Facebook at DJ Cunningham Duckworth. She shares her funny, whacked out and sometimes silly photos on Instagram, too.  She is a contributing writer for New York Family Magazine and blogs at www.feastitforward. com Read more at www.iamdjduckworth.com

DJ lives in Manhattan with her two boys and the world’s most amazing wiener dog Leo - woof, woof!