The Marc Lièvremont effect

Freddie Mercury

Marc Lièvremont

For anyone who did not follow the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, Marc Lièvremont is the coach of the French squad.

Since this world cup, we have noticed in France the launch of a new trend for men...the mustache. Yes, unfortunately, the mustache is back in France. I find Marc Lièvremont handsome. He has a nice face and a pretty nice body thanks to his career in rugby as a professional player. But, please, this moustache is a fashion faux-pas. Even the French squad made fun of him at one of their daily meetings by comparing him to the late Freddie Mercury.

So, please, Marc, do to all women a favor. Tell men this mustache was just a joke and that there is nothing uglier for a man than a mustache.

Brides pressured to lose weight before the big day pile the weight back a few months later

A surprising yet quite interesting study revealed by the Sydney Morning Herald showed that most of the brides want to shed an average of 9 kgs before the big day. Every woman want to look her best when walking down the aisle. The idea of having hundreds of pictures of you taken when you are not looking your best is quite frightening. Pressure is high on the shoulders of the brides. Family members, grooms themselves, wedding magazines and dressmakers, etc tend to encourage the weight loss. Problem is the higher the pressure, the more likely the weight loss will only be temporary.

Dr Ivanka Prichard from Flinders University in South Australia followed 350 brides before and six months after their wedding. Half of those brides wanted to shed an average of 9 kilos. On the big day, half of them had lost weight but the majority had only lost between 1 and 2 kgs. The women who had the greatest pressure to lose weight prior to their wedding are the ones who generally gained the most a few months later. The reason for this is quite simple. Prior to their wedding they drastically changed their lifestyle by exercising more, eating less and watching more what they ate. The problem is that those changes were so drastic and not realistic with what a healthy diet should be that as soon as the wedding was over, those women were back to their usual lifestyle. This is what we called yo-yo dieting. Those women gained an average of 2.14 kgs six months after their wedding.

A study is underway to follow men before and after their wedding.

Stay Hairy, Stay Healthy

Have you heard about that law that New Jersey wants to pass? The State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling is considering banning bikini wax after two women got hospitalized for infections.
In theory, the Brazilian wax or bare-it-all wax has never been allowed. Only neck, abdomen, legs and arms are permitted. But, bikini wax generates a lot of money with a procedure going from $50 to $60 and millions of American women -and men- get bikini waxed. Beauty salons are,therefore, not willing to see their revenue fade away.
What may cause an infection is the hot wax that can irritate or tear the delicate skin in that area and result in infection and in-grown hairs and rashes. But, banning Brazilian wax would only encourage people to cross the state border and get the procedure in another state. Regular bikini wax would still be permitted though.

Look 10 years younger in just 40 seconds! I found the Fountain of Youth!

When we hit the big 3-0, there are two ways of reacting. Either you try to comfort yourself by thinking of what older people always tell you such as the fact that turning 30 is a great experience. You feel better in your shoes than when you were 20. You have gained enough maturity and experience to fully enjoy life. Bla bla bla bla....or, the second reaction can be: It is so obvious I am older now. Before (when I was 18 to 29), I could party all night long, get back home & shower quickly and be just in time at work and be efficient all day. Now even RedBull Diet seems to have no effect on me. I am old. My body needs more time and sleep to recover. Jet lags have become something (much) harder to deal with. And, let us not speak about those ugly wrinkles appearing around my eyes whenever I laugh.

Fighting the aging signs might be a lost battle but we all want to get involved in that battle. We are ready to try every single new beauty cream on the market. To the cheapest to the most expensive ones. To the more natural ones to the weirdest ones (snake venom and placenta proteins are some of them).

There are mainly two problems that women face using those miracle beauty creams. 1) they want to see obvious change over the night aka look like they are 20 when they are 35. 2) Those creams might be effective but only in the long run which means "be ready to spend a lot" and as soon as you stop using them, you lose all the benefits you might have gained.

Women spend, on average, $ 37.457 on wrinkle-reducing treatments over their lifetime (source: Daily Mail 10.10.11). Wow! That makes a lot! Multiply this number by the number of women around the world who are 30+, I understand why the cosmetics industry is doing so well.

Recently, a new miracle product has entered the market. Its name is Nanoblur. Since it has been released, it has been number 1 of the sales charts in 22 countries!

A few quick facts on this cream that are given on the website:

- Works in 40 seconds

- Reduces signs of age by up to 10 years

- Non-oily, fragrance free

- Suitable for all skin types

All that for only $19. It might be worth it to give it a try and judge by ourselves.

I have not tried the cream yet. I will should the opportunity arise.

Here is the link to the website if you want to know more about it: http://www.indeedlabs.com/nanoblur/

My hair routine to get beautiful hair

If like me, you color/bleach your hair, you have to take really good care of your hair. Choosing the right product is not easy. On my side, I chose 2 products that I would absolutely take with me on a desert island.

Kerastase Nutritive Masquintense This product has been recommended to me by every single hairdresser in Paris. This is considered as la crème de la crème. Kerastase is the professional line by L'Oreal. Regular price is 36 Euros but I get it at 24. I use it after every single shampoo. You apply it for 5 minutes before removing it. On my side, I apply it for at least an hour. Sometimes, I apply it all night long and remove it the following morning. The longer, the better.

Osis + Flatliner I use it to protect my hair from the heat. This way you can every day use your hairdryer or hairstraightener without fearing to ruin your hair. Osis is the professional line by Schwarzkopf. I do not know the price for this product. I get it at 9.60 Euros.

Key words: hair routine Kerastase L'Oreal Osis + Schwarzkopf

Do your skin a favor, get an appointment with Joelle Ciocco

At the beginning of the summer, I had my first appointment with Loubna at the Joelle Ciocco Institute in Paris. Probably the best investment I made for my skin.

First, let me explain to you who Joelle Ciocco is. Joelle Ciocco is a French woman who has been working as an epidermologist for 30 years now. An epidermologist adapts and keeps the cutaneous Biodiversity balanced; The Epidermologist personalizes and reinforces a “High and Smart Cosmetology” shield. She developed her own line of cosmetics and you are not allowed to buy any product of her line. She gives you a prescription.

Her clients are celebs from all around the world. In the sitting room, you can be seated next to Marc Jacobs, Vuitton designer, Franca Sozzani, the Vogue Italy Editor-in-Chief, and many, many other famous names from the fashion industry. You can also find yourself sitting next to actors, TV celebs, tycoons, etc. The sitting room in itself is amazing!

You can choose to have an appointment with Joelle Ciocco herself or her assistants. Her assistants also take car of celebs. They are not second-zone epidermologists. On my side, I decided to trust Loubna. She has done an amazing job with my skin. Putting your skin in the hands of the Joelle Ciocco Institute is a bit more pricey than going to a dermatologist or a beauty institute but results are so amazing that this is totally worth it.

I frequently go to the Joelle Ciocco Institute because my skin which was oily had started to turn dry for months and there was noone able to give me back a soft skin. Loubna taught me a new way of taking care of my skin in the morning and at night and results have been visible just after a few days.

Here is the way I take care of my skin, even though this is a very personal protocol, I think this might be of some interest for you:

Morning protocol:

La Roche -Posay Eau Thermale

L'Eau Démaquillante Uriage

Sodium Bicarbonate

Granions de Manganèse

Granions de Soufre

Night protocol:

La Roche -Posay Eau Thermale

Secret Clear by Joelle Ciocco or Eucerin Dermo-Purifier

L'Eau Démaquillante Uriage

Sodium Bicarbonate

Granions de Cuivre

Granions de Soufre

Joelle Ciocco

8 place de la Madeleine

75008 Paris

Phone: + 33 (0) 1 42 60 58 80

key words: skin cosmetics beauty dermatologist doctor Joelle Ciocco Marc Jacobs Vogue Italy La Roche Posay Uriage Secret Clear