Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog

I will have to make this post short and sweet. I made it to New York for Fashion Week after a eleven-hour day that should have been a four-hour day. The snow in the Midwest paralyzed the airlines. My luggage had a longer trip than I had -- a 19-hour day. It arrived at my room in the wee hours of the morning. I will leave you with a few observations made during that cathartic period, and then I have to get back to my job at hand: Fashion Week.

• Why can't my home have a Sani-Fresh toilet like the ones in O'Hare Airport that cleans and replaces the seat cover after each use?
• Be careful after exiting restrooms. I thought everybody was looking at me because I looked so put together. Just the opposite. My belt was unbuckled and followed me through the airport like a well behaved puppy. Do you know that not one person mentioned it?
• After the long day, the New York yellow taxi cabs and drivers in the queue at the airport looked like cloning gone wrong or an episode from The Twilight Zone.
• Although I have been to New York many times, it takes my breath away when I see the city and its icons from the air. I am very thankful for all of our personal freedoms.
• To answer a newfound friend from the airport, "Yes, I am a blogger, but this is not your Sex In The City weekend. It is more like a Menopause in the City weekend."
• Lastly, I apologize to my United Airlines seatmate for inadvertently misting him with my Claudalie Beauty Elixir. I bet his face was as hydrated as mine upon exiting the plane. Maybe he should thank me.

Beauty Elixir Trio ($45 Value) at Sephora.

"What it is: Caudalie Beauty Elixir is an 'elixir of youth' spray toner for beautifully radiant skin.What it is formulated to do:For those with dull and tired complexions in need of an instant burst of radiance and renewal, Beauty Elixir is your skincare remedy. Beauty Elixir is both a toner and a serum mist of essential oils and plant active ingredients that also smoothes features and tightens pores. Spray at any time of the day to refresh, energize, and awaken your skin to a new glow from within. Beauty Elixir is also superb for setting makeup.What else you need to know:Each bottle is etched with exquisite designs by Bénédicte de Lescure, a young Parisian artist awarded the acclaimed Young Hope Prize for Most Promising Creative Talent. Her designs capture all the magic of the grape intrinsic to Caudalie and this unique formula that provides a year round glowing complexion fit for a queen. Set in a chic, artfully-designed box, this set is a must have for the Beauty Elixir aficionado or for those introducing themselves to this worldwide cult-favorite.This Sephora-exclusive set includes three 1 oz limited-edition travel size Beauty Elixirs. "

Yikes! The spell checker and image insert is not working this a.m. Forgive me for any errors. If you see any, please email me.

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When I was a young girl, I loved flying on airplanes. In the summer, my parents would pick a stewardess for me like picking your beloved on eHarmony dot com, and then they would ship me off to various relatives. Although I thought I was the one getting the vacation, Mom and Dad were probably getting a well-planned vacation, too (smoochie, smoochie).

I would sit up front with the stewardess (the name "stewardess" even dates me) with the airline's flight wings attached to my Sunday best. Oh, those were the days. Now flying has become such a challenge. As a result of long check-in lines, cancelled flights, vacationing on the tarmac, the orange warning from Homeland Security that your safety and blood pressure has now been heightened, the once youthful dew on my face has been replaced by anxiety and dry skin.

According to Chanel's research lab, (the World Congress of Dermatology in Paris, the Epidermal and Sensory Research and Investigation Centre), in-flight humidity was only 8 percent on average (20 percent is considered comfortable). As a result, moisture in women's cheeks dropped by 20 percent and in their foreheads by 15 percent. (And here I thought all along that my cheek and forehead droop was a result of anti-gravitational pull.)

"Extreme temperature fluctuations and those tiny fans blowing on you can dry skin out," says Doris J. Day, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at New York University Medical Center. "And both the environmental and psychological stress of flying cause the release of hormones, so skin may be oilier in places that are usually oily and drier in places that are dry."

To counteract the in-flight condition wreaking havoc on your skin, try these tips:

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• Caudalie Beauty Elixir ($18 at Sephora) contains rosemary and essential oils, plus a minty scent that gives your mood a lift.
• Kinerase Hydrating Antioxidant Mist ($35 from Sephora) protects and rejuvenates skin.
• For mid-flight dry and grimy skin, try Dove Essential Nutrients Clarifying Toner ($9.44 from Med Shop Express). A lightweight choice with vitamin E as well as fatty acids that occur naturally in skin and keep it from drying out.
• For oily skin, try Clarins alcohol free toning lotion ($19 from Fragrance.net), which has a clean, fresh scent and is made with witch hazel plus gentle aloe and chamomile extract.
• My fave travel companion is Neutrogena Hydrating Facial Cloth Mask ($8.99 from Fragrancenet.com). Blanket a cloth over your face for 15 minutes. This freaks The Hubster out because my primary purpose is to keep all those germs from seven seats in front of me and seven seats behind me from reaching the cilia in my nose.

You may not make it to your destination on time, but when you arrive, your skin will look REALLY GOOD!

Safe traveling...

Images: Sephora

Sources: Prevention

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