Myth #1: Cocoa Butter Eliminates Stretch Marks

Sadly, especially for me, this isn’t true. I’ve always believed this myth – my mom sweared by Palmers Cocoa Butter all throughout her pregnancy, and was left with NONE! Lucky for her, but not for most. Stretch marks occur when skin expands quickly (as in during pregnancy or when you lose/gain weigh in a short period of time), breaking the collagen and elastin fibers that normally support it. Ever so lovely stretch marks are formed below the top layer of skin, where the cocoa butter unfortunately can’t reach. Since there’s no real “cure” for treating or preventing, we can only make them look less apparent…

To do just that, give Prtty Peaushun’s Skin Tight Body Lotion a try! With blend of natural plant extracts, the lotion helps lift, firm, tighten, and diminish the appearance of cellulite, stretch marks, and varicose veins!

Myth # 2: When It Comes to Makeup, You’re Either a “Warm” or a “Cool”

Ha! As a professional makeup artist who works quite a bit in retail, I hear this way too often that not. My answer is always the same – rules like that don’t apply anymore. In fact, there are no rules. Anyone can wear anything, as long as they apply it correctly. Some colors may look better on someone than others, but how will you know if you don’t even try because of the “myth” that you’re labeled in a hue?

To start discovering colors that you may have avoided before, play around with Smashbox’s Softbox Shadow Pallette.  It is filled with 9 different colors (both “warm” and “cool”), and you might be pleasantly surprised to see which becomes your new fave.

Myth #3: Preperation H can help heal puffy eyes

I’ve always thought it was kind of gross… but it really is a secret of makeup artists everywhere. This just may be one of the oldest myths out there with a lot “word of mouth” evidence to back it up, but no clinical studies have ever been done to prove it. In fact, since the product was reformulated in 1994, one of the product’s ingredients (a yeast derivative that is said to reduce puffiness), is no longer found in the version that’s available in the US. The other “active in ingredient” that is used to reduce inflammation is “phenylephrine”, which temporarily constricts blood vessels in places we best not mention. Using such a product that was never meant for your face, (especially the delicate eye area) can actually cause irritation leading to more inflammation and dryness.  Technology in skin care has evolved so much over the past decade that there are definitely some great products out there  that are specifically formulated to address these issues.  One of my favorites is the Pevonia C Evolution Eye Gel, containing Vitamin C, Hyaluronic Acid and Ginkgo Biloba.

Myth# 4: Apply Toothpaste to Treat a Pimple

Myth #5: Brushing Your Hair Repeatedly Will Make it Shiny

Really? Do we honestly have time these days to be counting our brush strokes? Unless you have a serious case of OCD, there is no need to get crazy with our hair brushing. Sometimes I don’t brush my hair all day until I take a shower at night to eliminate the knots from my ultra-fine tresses. Over-brushing can actually cause MORE damage to hair. You can create breakage and over oiliness by distributing the natural oils from the scalp down the hair shafts, therefor creating more. More significantly, light brushing removes impurities and stimulates blood flow to the scalp, which nourishes hair follicles and keeps them healthy.

If you’re looking for more shine to your tresses, perhaps you give MoroccanOil’s Gold Glimmer Spray a whirl. It gives hair a long-lasting shine while protecting it from free radicals and UV light. Avoid overuse! Apply lightly after shampooing, conditioning, and drying. Love!