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.

The holidays are finally here.  After our last meeting, our team here at Breakthrough in Beauty indulged in a little chat about our holiday gift-giving experiences.  Since we’ve let you in on our favorite holiday shopping tips, I thought it would be fun to share some of our personal gift-giving experiences with you as well, so you can get to know us a little better.  And maybe you’ll get some gift-giving ideas of your own.

I once heard the oh-so-true saying that “brows should be siblings, not twins”.  Tweezing your eyebrows so that they line up perfectly can be agonizing.  And getting them professionally tweezed, waxed, or threaded each time can get expensive.  Instead, try mastering the steps below to get your brows in shape.

I’m 90% done with Christmas shopping and I haven’t bought a single thing in a store.  I’ve saved a ton of money shopping online!  I’d love to pass along some of my tips to help you save your hard-earned cash and still score fabulous gifts.

Let’s face it.  Most mornings, there’s not time to take the extra steps to prep our skin properly for flawless makeup application.  Sometimes, I find myself subtracting minutes from my morning beauty routine depending on how many times I’ve hit the snooze button on my alarm.  However, taking the extra time to prime your skin for makeup when getting dolled up for special occasions, weekends, or holidays, can really make a difference in creating a seamless look.  Here are some ways to prime your skin for ideal makeup application:

Winter is fast approaching, and as it starts to get colder outside, our skin tends to become drier.  You may not realize that certain things we do contribute to our dry skin.  For example, I happen to love blasting the hot water in the shower so I defrost like a snowwoman in the morning, and I love leaving the space heater on all day to stay cozy.  However, both of these suck the moisture from skin and leave it itchy and dry.

Here are some tips to keep your skin hydrated and protected even in cold weather.

I’ve always loved mineral makeup because it’s so easy to apply and doesn’t clog my pores like some liquid foundations.  But it never seemed to spread smoothly on my uneven, large-pored skin, and sometimes the powder seemed to just blow away.  Also, the matte finish made my skin look a bit unhealthy.  If you have experienced any of these issues, try my tips to get a great look every time with mineral foundation:

Okay, so reading the full ingredient lists on the back of products isn’t the most fun thing to do while standing in the drugstore aisle.  But sometimes what’s not in your skincare products is as important as what is in them.  Many items, including makeup, moisturizers, hair care, and even shaving products can contain parabens.

Parabens are the most widely used preservatives in cosmetics.  Companies use them to prevent bacterial and fungal contamination in their products.  The most common parabens are methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben.