Having once been employed "Sephora-adjacent," I spent almost every lunch hour smudging, applying, testing, and sniffing my way to beauty heaven. In my younger years, I broke beauty rules with abandon: avoided sleep, smoked, drank, and wore tons of makeup (to bed!) without a care. I'm now in that precarious position of aging skin - a hormonal roller-coaster that brings three unwelcome guests: wrinkles and zits, with the odd allergic reaction. Like Ebenezer Scrooge, I'd rather stay in bed and ignore these loathsome entities, but that's not practical. My dermatologist treats more women in their thirties than teenagers and it makes sense - no one wants either one of those problems, and if you get them, you want them gone fast. Finding products that serve all of these problems isn't that simple. more ›

Problem #1: Home sick with the flu. Problem #2: Unemployed (not necessarily a problem per se - I rather enjoy it, but the check hasn't arrived.) Hence Problem #3: My gym's spa is under construction, with the steam room out of order and the sauna marred by jackhammers and the workmen's radio. Bringing the vaporizer into the bathroom and turning on a hot shower doesn't have the same effect. Where can I go to get this cold up and out of my chest, where it's currently residing, making me sound like Froggy in "The Little Rascals"? more ›

When I was given the opportunity to review POLA Kirei, the new Japanese skin care salon in Beverly Hills with a facial, I jumped at the chance. Every year I promise myself that when my tax return arrives in the mail, I’m going to treat myself to a massage and facial, yet somehow that money disappears somewhere around the Beverly Center, The Grove and various happy hour deals. more ›