Give the gift that keeps on giving!

Your mom deserves the best so why not splurge on our incredible anti-aging skincare products?

Our CLEANSING CLEAR GEL is a dual-purpose makeup remover and facial cleanser that keeps your skin refreshed and hydrated – perfect for your mom’s beauty sleep!

For the ultimate moisturizer for both daytime and night-time use, what about our luxurious CREME a-VC, voted the Beauty Blogger Best of 2010 Skincare? A rich blend of esthetic elements including alpha-arbutin and stable Vitamin C derivatives. Enhanced by highly refined vitamins, this cream yields superior moisturizing results.

Or what about our adorable MLC TRAVEL KIT for jet-setting moms who love to look fabulous but don’t like bringing bulky skincare products? Suitable for all skin types, our travel kit includes our Cleansing Clear Gel, Washing Foam, Moistraiser α-VC, Crème α-VC, and Restoration Clear Gel.

So what are you waiting for? Hurry and order your gifts now to make it in time for Mother’s Day on Sunday!

Click here to start shopping

Look at the camera, turn your face left, and say cheese!

A new study by Wake Forest University psychology professor Dr. James Schirillo and co-author Kelsey Blackburn, stated that we humans prefer looking at the left side of a face, finding it more pleasant.

Researchers also noted that when rating the cheeks, test subjects had larger pupil sizes when looking at the left cheek compared to the right. A growing pupil signifies looking at a positive image.

“Our results suggest that posers’ left cheeks tend to exhibit a greater intensity of emotion, which observers find more aesthetically pleasing,” said the researchers in a statement. They added that this finding lends credence to the idea that the right side of the brain controls emotion, giving the left side of the face (which is also controlled by the right hemisphere of the brain) a bit more to work with.

The next time you’re at a museum, check out the historical portraits section – most portraits depict a person’s left side!

 Earth Day is this coming Sunday and we LOVE the practical advice from realbeauty.com on useful ways to re-use your beauty products!

Here’s our FAVORITE WAYS TO RE-USE YOUR BEAUTY PRODUCTS:

1. EMPTY MAKEUP PALETTES: Instead of throwing away empty makeup containers i.e. eyeshadow palettes, blush compacts, etc., hold onto them since they’re perfect containers for storing broken chunks of blush, powder foundations, bronzers,  eyeshadows, and lipsticks. It’s also perfect for traveling since you can just fill it up with pieces of all your favorite makeup, which will reduce all your makeup clutter!

2. EMPTY CONTACT LENS CASES: These are great to use as storage when traveling since it can hold small objects like false eyelashes, vitamins, earrings, etc. You can also use it to store leftover pieces of makeup like lipstick, foundation, eyeshadow, etc.

3. OLD TOOTHBRUSHES/BODY SPONGES/LOOFAHS: Before you throw away your old toothbrushes, body sponge or loofah, use it as a cleaning tool around the house! The rough texture is great for scrubbing kitchen counters or microwave or oven interiors.

4. OLD PERFUME BOTTLES: If you have leftover or expired perfume (the shelf-life of most fragrances is around a year), leave them with their caps off in the bathroom and TA-DA, instant room deodorizers!

5. EMPTY DEODORANT: If you’re finished with your roller-ball deodorant, clean it and refill with olive oil for a simple, muscle massager!

6. SMALL EYESHADOW OR BLUSH BRUSHES: Since it’s always better to use actual makeup brushes for applying eyeshadow and blush, there is no need to use those teeny tiny sponge ones that comes with your eyeshadow and blush. These small brushes are great for arts & crafts projects which requires the application of glue, glitter, sequins or other small objects.

Please think about these useful ways to re-use your beauty/skincare items not just on Earth Day but for every day!

We recently checked Marukai out again and here’s some more interesting Japanese beauty goods!

PILL MASKS WITH CONTAINER

You’ll find beauty “pill” masks all over Japan and other countries in Asia like Taiwan and Korea. These beauty masks expand once they’re dipped in a container filled with Toner. This Marukai one already comes with a small container so all you have to do is pour your favorite skin toner inside, dip one of the “pill” masks, and then spread it on your face for the ultimate moisturizing results.

If you want to try this out, try our MLC  Skin Lotion S Toner and you’ll receive 20 FREE masks!

“COOL’ SHEET CHEST

 Summers in Japan last from June to September and bring a mixture of high temperatures and high relative humidity. You’ll find all kinds of “cooling” products like sprays, gels, and sheets like this one below found @ Marukai.

How do these work?

You apply these “cool sheets” on your body with the help of a gentle, adhesive backing. Once applied to the skin, the cooling gel immediately provides cooling relief from anywhere from 8-10 hours! And the best part is that it’s disposable so it’s totally convenient!

DUST REMOVING ADHESIVE SHEETS

Ever tote around a lint-roller in your purse? Not only is it bulky but it’s not exactly appropriate to use in public.

Well, here’s the solution….portable, disposable lint removal sheets!

These individual, disposable, sheets are so cute with the pink & white polka dot design and so easy to use since it comes with a handle on the back.

The next time you’re in LA, check out Marukai 98 stores and we promise you, you’ll have a blast checking out all the interesting Japanese beauty products you won’t find anyplace else!

Click here to find out more information about Marukai locations

In an age where physical appearances is even more important, how we look has become an obsession thanks to Facebook and Twitter.

InStyle magazine asked Four Square to conduct a  survey on which city is most Beauty-Obsessed. Using the data from its 15 million users, Four Square found out which cities users were checking into most for beauty stores like Ulta, Sephora, and more.

The #1 most Beauty-Obsessed City…drumroll please….FRESNO, CA.

Here’s the rest of the Top 10 Most Beauty-Obsessed Cities:

1. Fresno, CA
2. Lubbock, TX
3. Tulsa, OK
4. Champaign, IL
5. Las Vegas, NV
6. Atlantic City, NJ
7. San Francisco, CA
8. New York, NY
9. Houston, TX
10. Pensacola, FL

Do you live in one of these cities and if so, do you agree?

Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets!

Earlier this year, Brazil made cosmetic surgery—including breast implants, liposuction, and tummy tucks—deductible from income taxes. The deductions are retroactive to procedures performed as far back as 2004!

Brazilian officials apparently did the math and now believe the increase in income for medical personnel will more than compensate for the projected loss of revenue. “We concluded that cosmetic surgeries are also about health, physical and mental, and should be included in the list of deductible expenses,” Brazil’s tax boss, Joaquim Adir,told Bloomberg.

The U.S. government recently considered the idea of a 5 percent levy on cosmetic procedures—the “Bo-tax,” as it was nicknamed—but dropped the notion in favor of a tanning-bed tax. Nevertheless, Connecticut charges a 6.35 percent premium on plastic surgery, and Washington state and California are considering getting in on the tax act, too.

Those states should think twice, says Gary Smotrich, a past president of the New Jersey Society of Plastic Surgeons. His state, which currently levies a tax, will begin gradually phasing it out this year, after watching patients go to tax-free New York and Pennsylvania instead. The losers, says Smotrich, are not the much-talked about 1 percent, but “the middle-class women who are the majority of patients for these procedures.”

With just 1 week left before U.S. tax returns are due, it really makes you think twice  about that girl from Ipanema!

Ladies, tt’s that time of the year again…SPA WEEK is back!

Launched in 2004, Spa Week is a nationwide event that is available in the following markets: Arizona, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Connecticut, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Florida, Houston, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Nashville, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Toronto, Canada.

This bi-annual event held every Spring and Fall for 1 week, offers listed treatments ranging from massages, facials, body scrubs, mani-pedis, and more all for just $50 each!

This year’s Spa Week is from April 16-April 22 and Spa Week appointments book up very quickly so book your service now – you deserve it!

To see participating salons, visit: http://www.spaweek.com/

A new study conducted by the American Academy of Dermatology revealed that adult-onset acne is on the rise among grown women. A 2011 clinical study found that 45 percent of women in their 20s had acne, and 26 percent of 30-somethings had acne. Compared with men in the same age groups, women were disproportionately dealing with acne.

So why are grown women more prone to pimples? A variety of factors are to blame, but it’s mostly our surge of hormones. Both men and women have androgens, hormones that can cause oil glands to produce too much sebum. In addition, fluctuating androgen levels can cause skin cells to become sticky, leading to clogged pores. Acne is less common as women age, but some women experience it into their 40s and 50s.

Actress Salma Hayek recently revealed in the May issue of Lucky magazine that she had serious problems with acne and said:

“You want to talk about bad skin? I had acne. And this acne was so bad it sent me into severe, severe depression. Like I couldn’t leave the house. The next stage with that sort of depression is food – too little or too much. Guess what I did?… I was fat and broken out. I couldn’t leave the house and I couldn’t pay the rent!”

So what’s the good news? Acne can be treated and managed. Some solutions include:

• Always remove your makeup before going to bed
• Use a cleanser with salicylic acid
• Exfoliate after cleansing – try our amazing Marie Louise Cosmetics RCG which shows visible dirt & grime from your skin
• Apply benzoyl peroxide to your skin at night

We’re told that it’s OK (actually that it’s better) for your hair if you mix and match your shampoo and conditioner.

Well, don’t make the same mistake with your skincare products!

Using different skincare products like facial cleansers, scrubs, acne creams, face masks, and sunscreens can do more harm then good since incompatible ingredients can lead to skin irritation and breakouts.

Thanks to beautylish.com’s recent interview with Los Angeles-based dermatologist Ava Shamban, M.D., now you’ll know the Do’s & Don’ts of Mixing Skincare Products!

 1. Carefully Check Ingredient Labels: Some ingredients become less effective when layered and can even completely cancel each other out. Some examples are Copper peptides (found in anti-aging moisturizers and serums) which counteract with Vitamin C which can also be found in anti-aging products.”  “Alpha Hydroxy Acids and retinols also shouldn’t be mixed together or applied at the same time, as one degrades the other,” according to Dr. Shamban.

2. Acne Products: If you layer on high concentrations of powerful pimple fighters like glycolic acid, salicylic acid, and retinols at the same time, you may face a bigger problem than when you started. Skin can become inflamed, ruddy, dry, and acne can get worse! “The package inserts on most retinol products say not to use salicylic acid with them,” explains Dr. Shamban. “However, it all depends on your skin tolerance. Both ingredients are quite drying—try using one in the morning and another in the evening for optimal results.”

3. Do Mix Skincare with Sunscreen: “Your normal skin care regime of cleanser and moisturizer won’t interfere with the SPF effectiveness and shouldn’t irritate your skin,” says Dr. Shamban. You can even layer on an antioxidant serum to boost your UV protection.

To avoid unwanted side effects, keep your routine basic. Stick to one active ingredient in the morning and another one at night.

We’ve spoken about the importance of exfoliation in the past and it’s time for you to figure out which type you are: 1) Scared and never tried or you’re a 2) Face-scrubbing, exfoliating demon.

Here are a few things you should know BEFORE exfoliating:

• Exfoliating is NOT cleansing: Exfoliating scrubs are not a replacement for a cleanser. While they remove some oil and slough off dead skin, most formulas are not designed to remove makeup and grime, so do NOT use an exfoliator as your daily cleaner!

• Chemical or Mechanical: There are 2 types of exfoliators – chemical and mechanical. exfoliators loosen the connectors between the skin cells to allow them to wash off easily. These usually include acids such as alpha hydroxyl, beta-hydroxyl, and salicylic, or sometimes fruit enzymes such as citric acid. Mechanical exfoliators manually remove dead skin cells with an abrasive substance such as shells, salt, or sugar.

• Know your skin: If you have sensitive or dry skin, stay away from exfoliators that contain apricot pits and walnut shells since they’re too rough on your face and should only be used on rough areas of the body like your elbow and knees.

• Don’t OVEREXFOLIATE:  If your face hurts, stop exfoliating. If your skin has changed texture dramatically – for example gone from oily to very oily or normal to dry – stop using the product.

• Moisturizer & Sunscreen: Over-exfoliation can also cause severe dryness and irritation because your skin doesn’t have the time to restore it’s natural oil balance. So after exfoliating, always moisturize afterwards and don’t forget to wear sunscreen during the day since exfoliation can increase sun sensitivity by 45%.

Now go forth and fulfill your resolution to exfoliate! Your face will thank you!