Is there a connection between wearing lipstick and smoking cigarettes?More than one answer is plausible but we are thinking carbon black.  Carbon Black aka: D&C Black, acetylene black, thermal black, furnace black, channel black, lamp black and Black No.2 Found in: films, inks, adhesives, paints, plastics, cosmetics. Your car tire alone may contain 4 pounds of it. But we are interested in the cosmetic angle: mascara, lipstick, rouge, nail polish, brush-on brow eyeshadow, blushers makeup and foundation.   Carbon black is a natural carbon, but when altered it is no longer natural. It is a…

White, yellow, red or black, skin is skin and needy of good nutrition. The dry, oily, aging, unevenly toned, sun damaged or clogged pores affect all of us.  Advise on how to achieve healthy skin can be baffling at times.  We are told to avoid bar soap? I believe they mean for us to avoid the old fashioned ‘lye’ based soaps from the past. Ads and info sites advise to use instead, gentle liquid cleansers’, or if selecting a bar, use one with added moisturizing cream.  Our advice: DO use real bar soaps, not the detergent bars with the ‘additives’. Lye soaps are not the enemy. They have been used…

The light warned yellow. Our traffic lanes obediently cruised to a stop and I did a double take at my neighbouring Masked Rider.  “Do we have to wear a mask while driving?” I thought.  Some people are wearing masks 8-10 hours a day. Mandatory or choice.  Mask wearing is both a new psychology and physiology. We have a recent addition to the urban dictionary: MASKNE: the skin irritation resulting from having to wear a mask for long stretches.  Sore pressure ulcers or rashes can be caused by the tightly sealed ‘small particle’ prohibitor N95. Less irritating is the ‘droplet protecting’ surgical…

The year was 2006. Arielle was only 17 when fate played its hand. She was young, spirited and full of energy. As an accomplished cross-country runner and like many dedicated athletes, Arielle experienced sore muscles after exercise. An over the counter medicine seemed like a good solution and she applied it regularly all over her legs. In addition, she used adhesive pads which, like her over the counter cream, also carried the anti-inflammatory drug, methyl salicylate. Had Arielle known the proper application, she would still be running. Instead of applying it sparingly and for no more than a…

Khaki green is an earth colour, the camouflage of the warrior. Our tooth cleanser is dressed for battle. Not the usual toothpaste bright green gel, but a dull, khaki green. Maybe not the most common colour for a tooth paste, we agree. But once you understand the goal and master the usage, the khaki takes on a new meaning. We don’t actually call it toothpaste either. We call it Tooth Cleanser, mainly because we did not want you to compare it to the standard blinding whites or neon greens or electric blues out there. When we first made the cleanser years ago, we reminded you to check your…

Back in the peak of the Black Death (1348-1350) when everyone was dying left right and centre, a quartet of thieves were captured and threatened with being burned alive for their crimes against the plaque victims. Let’s ask the thieves how they stayed safe. “Why,” implored the judge, “can you go about committing such horrific theft crimes against the ill and the dead and yet remain immune to this horrible plague? Tell me your secret and be spared the fire of death.”  The story goes that the four thieves, who were previously spice and perfume merchants, had lost their jobs due to the closure…

The two young teens closed their menus having settled on their breakfast options.   “What can I get for you this morning?” the waitress asked, pen poised. Felix looked up and grinned. “Well, I’m going to have the 3-egg option, sunny, brown toast and jam, orange juice and coffee, please.  And I think my buddy is going for the Red Dye #40. “ Both the waitress and Oscar appeared confused. Oscar shrugged and said, “Um, I ate already so I’ll just have the Kellogg’s corn flakes, but with the strawberry flavoured milk. And throw in the Yoplait yogurt on the side, please. The waitress gathered the…

Some TV ads are so irritating you just have to grab the remote and FF, skip, silence, or smash.  ‘Anti-Aging’ cream ads fall into that category for me and once viewed I do not wish to see it again. I do not believe most of what I hear and I feel sorry for those who spend money on false assurances, sometimes at a risk to our health. We buy. We try. What about our crushed morale, when success was not around the corner. Lift the crow’s feetTighten the layersShrink the bagsLighten the dark circles Promises. Promises. Promises to achieve the truly perfect solution to aging? A constant bombardment…