Watching the Oscars Sunday was so much fun! I was so busy deciding which stars had the best makeup that I barely paid attention to which movies took home the awards. I’m talking glamorous makeup, not Star Trek makeup. One of my faves was actually Helen Mirren, nominated for best actress in a leading role for her work in The Last Station. She had flawless-looking skin, long lashes, and pretty pastel eye shadow, lips, and cheeks to compliment her lavender dress.

We are so excited that our two new product lines are both in the running for the highly respected CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) Beauty Award! That means that 4,000 beauty industry executives, including manufactures, suppliers, retailers and media get a chance to try hundreds of products, including our breakthrough innovations, and vote on their favorites in each category.

We are keeping our fingers crossed that Timeless Secret and Derm Exclusive will rise to the top as winners of this prestigious award!

I’m bursting with excitement to let you in on the breakthrough we’ve discovered. Just as we search far and wide for the ideal man partner who can meet our every need, we are always on the lookout as well for skincare that meets our requirements. We sought and successfully found anti-aging skincare that truly fulfills our desire for younger-looking skin.

After months of clinical testing and tracking user group results, we can finally reveal the amazing anti-aging skincare line we’ve been nurturing. It’s called Derm Exclusive and it’s instantly smoothing wrinkles, one woman at a time.

Every year, whether we welcome it or not, the big “V” day comes around. The first thing I think of is getting pretty, although my husband just limited my manicure allotment to once every other month. But even so, I plan to doll it up to be a beauty treat! Here’s my routine:

- Mani/Pedi must
I get it done at a salon when I can, or I skip on the French tips to save a few bucks. If you can’t afford to splurge, just pick up a couple of items from the drugstore (like a cuticle cutter and a four-sided buffing nail file), and do it yourself!

- Victoria’s Secret, Frederick’s, or bust
Every time I walk into Victoria’s Secret I tend to gravitate toward the oh-so-soft and comfy pajamas, but not for Valentine’s Day!  It’s time for the perfect push-up bra I saw on the cover of the catalog, since I’m determined to look like the women in the catalog for a night (minus the wind blowing my hair indoors). Even if you don’t have a Valentine’s date, doesn’t it just feel good to know you’re wearing something sexy under your regular clothes?

If I could, I would bathe in the Timeless Secret products, especially the Accelerating Booster. But it’s important for me to also get feedback on what the customers think about the products and how they use them. We strive to make sure our beauty product development and marketing teams are up close and personal with our customers to truly understand their likes and dislikes, find out what works vs. what doesn’t work, and clear up any confusion about the products.

From decision-making help to pure entertainment, iPhone beauty applications are popping up faster than you can download them.

Some of the earliest applications gave you the opportunity to perform simple tasks, such as replicating the looks of famous faces like Angelina Jolie. But now there are a variety of beauty-related applications that enable you to do anything from locating nearby beauty services to seeing what you might look like after plastic surgery. You can even access tips and tutorials so you know what to buy when you’re standing in a Sephora store.

We all long for longer lashes.  But what lengths will we go to get them, and what are we willing to risk?

Latisse, a prescription treatment meant to grow longer, fuller, darker lashes, was actually released in 2001 as a Glaucoma medication called Lumagen.  The side effects of Lumagen were longer lashes.

Besides costing over $100 a month and about $300 before full results can be realized, Latisse also needs to be used continuously to maintain results - which gets expensive!

Now for the not-so-luxurious side effects…

Fads come and go.  But trends reflect a true shift in value.  It’s 2010.  These days, you may value time more than material things, want proof that something works, and long to treat yourself with affordable luxury.  These are some of the trends emerging in the market this year, and just what we provide for you at Breakthrough in Beauty.

Kate Gosselin, former star of reality show Jon & Kate Plus 8, seemed to go from mommy to model in a day with the help of some fabulous hair extensions from celebrity hairstylist Ted Gibson.  Yes, it took 20 hours - but look at what a difference it made in her new glamorous look!  At 34, taking care of 8 kids, she deserves to do something that makes her look and feel beautiful.

Eye creams can be expensive, often costing more than face creams - even though they come in smaller containers.  But, is it necessary that we treat the skin around our eyes with products made especially for the eyes?

The answer is not always.  The reason to use an eye cream as opposed to using your daily face cream is that most eye creams are formulated for sensitive skin and lack harsh ingredients such as formaldehyde and fragrance that can irritate the eyes and skin around the eyes.  Plus, eye creams contain special ingredients to address puffiness and under eye dark circles.  These special ingredients are what make the product expensive, even in small doses.  Some eye creams promote collagen growth, which helps improve the appearance of sagging skin.

Think you don’t have to wear sunscreen in the winter?  Check out these sunscreen myths and learn why it’s just as important to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays in winter as in summer, whether it’s cloudy or sunny.

It’s a new year.  Out with the old and in with the new - even beauty products.  It’s time to take a look through your bathroom cabinets and finally toss out those expired products that have been sitting around for years.  There aren’t any hard-and-fast rules for exactly when to throw out old makeup or skincare products, but we’d like to share some general guidelines and helpful tips for you to keep in mind.

The start of the New Year is a wonderful time to take stock of our past and establish resolutions to improve the year to come.  At Breakthrough in Beauty, we have resolutions as a team, as well as our own personal beauty resolutions to live beautifully ever after.

At Breakthrough in Beauty we resolve to help women cut through the confusion of finding innovative beauty products that actually work.  Women want to be beautiful - with less fuss, fewer frills, and products that really work.  Our expert team of leading dermatologists, cosmetic chemists and scientists, and beauty consumer experts rigorously researches and evaluates thousands of products - so you don’t have to.  We conduct comprehensive consumer use tests and independent clinical trials to ensure products are safe and effective before granting our seal of approval and recommending them to you.

What’s going on behind the scenes, you ask?  Exciting stuff!

We’d like to give you a sneak peak at the results of the new skincare line we’re testing.  The women who are participating in our user group clinical trials for our new anti-aging skincare discovery have just reached their 30-day mark.  This week, they came into the office for their 30-day follow-up so we could evaluate their results and take their “after” pictures.  Their results were truly amazing, and they were just raving about the products.

It’s time for many of us to travel home for the holidays to see family, friends, and maybe even people we haven’t seen since high school.  We’ve got to look gorgeous.  It helps to have products that make us look younger, rested, and glowing - even when we’re tired and our skin is dehydrated after a long day of airplane travel.  It’s even better if the products travel well. 

We discovered a fabulous portable mini-kit from Benefit Cosmetics called “Realness of Concealness”.  It contains their top concealers and enhancers in a convenient kit small enough to pass through airport security, yet fully able to help you look your best when you get to your destination.  Here’s a peek into what’s included in the kit and why we love it.