There isn’t much that can top a red lip in terms of sex appeal, but it’s always such a pain to keep up with throughout the night. Long-wear lipstick gets too dry, gloss bleeds everywhere, and lipstick fades away – so what’s a girl to do? Follow these four simple steps and the perfect red pout can be yours!

1)     In order to prevent bleeding and fading around the center of lips, apply a lip liner in a shade similar to your lipstick. We like Paula Dorf’s Lip Liner in Sultry. Make sure to fill in the entire lip, not just the perimeter.

2)     Using a brush, such as the Eye/Lip Brush from Youngblood, carefully apply a base layer of lipstick. Chanel’s Rouge Coco Hydrating Creme Lip Colour in Gabrielle is a gorgeous classic red.

3)     Very gently apply a layer of a translucent powder. This works really well if you lightly place a tissue over your lips and then tap the powder on, creating a sheet of protection.

4)     For the final step, apply another coat of Chanel’s Rouge Coco Hydrating Creme Lip Colour in Gabrielle using the Eye/Lip Brush from Youngblood.

By filling the entire lip in with liner, the first layer of lipstick has something to hold onto, the powder seals it in, and you’re left with the perfect red pout that lasts all night!

With the film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, hitting theatres next week, we thought we’d help put you in the spirit by showcasing some of the 1920s most celebrated scents. Here are some scents as well loved as Fitzgerald’s most famous novel, and so glamorous, even Daisy Buchanan would wear them.

Chanel No. 5 (1921) – The first perfume created by Parisian designer, Coco Chanel, Chanel No. 5 has remained a bestselling fragrance over 90 years after its debut.  The perfume’s top notes include aldehydes, bergamot, lemon, neroli and ylang-ylang, while the middle notes include jasmine, rose and lily of the valley.  When combined with the base notes of vetiver, sandalwood, vanilla, amber and patchouli, Chanel No. 5 takes on a feminine, yet powerful scent that has made it an enduring classic. 

Caron’s Nuit De Noel (1922) For a more exotic fragrance, try Nuit de Noel by Caron.  The top notes include ylang-ylang, rose and jasmine, while the middle and bottom notes include sandalwood, oak moss, musk and amber.  Inspired by the roaring twenties, Nuit de Noel has a woodsy scent that evokes the magic of Christmas.    

Guerlain’s Shalimar (1925) Said to be the world’s first oriental fragrance, Shalimar was inspired by the love story between Emperor of Mughali, Shah Jahan, and his Empress, Mumtaz Mahal (for whom Jahan had the Taj Mahal constructed). Shalimar’s warm scent, sometimes compared to that of lemon cookies, is derived from its combination of bergamot, lemon, jasmine, rose, iris, incense, opopanax, tonka beam and vanilla.

One spritz of any of these classic scents, and you’re ready for a night out as extravagant as the parties Gatsby so often threw.

It’s me, detective David, at it yet again. This time I am busting some of the myths about acne. I have a lot to say in this 2 part series, so let’s just get right down to shining the light of truth (and science!) on some of the most commonly, and wrongly, held beliefs about acne.

1.       Acne is a teenage problem, it will go away once puberty is over: All I can say about this one is a resounding “OH, I WISH”. No, acne is not a problem that just poofs itself away after your awkward teenaged phase is over. As many as half of all adults suffer from acne.

2.       One pimple is the same as any other: Once again, nope! Acne is a condition that can be caused by any number of things. One of the most common culprits with adult acne is skin irritation caused by makeup and skincare products. Yes, you read that right - the products you use to clear your skin, may actually be what is causing your outbreaks! Even your makeup remover can be working against you, as many of them are based on harsh ingredients that irritate the skin or can even clog pores. Hormones can also cause your skin to overreact. This means women who are pregnant, going through menopause, eating hormone heavy foods (like many dairy products) or other dietary issues, and on birth control or other medications are all prone to outbreaks. Some people may suffer from a condition called cystic acne where the breakouts happen in deeper tissues and can become large patches of red inflamed skin measuring several centimeters across; sufferers may also develop cysts (fluid filled sacs) under their skin. This type of acne can be quite painful. Stress may cause your oil glands to go a little bit nuts and cue the breakouts. Finally we have sweat and dirt as one of the usual suspects. Those of you who work more physically demanding jobs, workout often, etc. may find that you breakout in areas where you sweat a lot or where the sweat pools. This may lead to acne, back-cne, bust-cne, butt-cne and pretty mush any other “-cne” you can think of. All of these types of acne should be treated in different ways.

3.       Blackheads are dirt trapped in your pores: Not exactly. Blackheads are actually oil and dead skin cells trapped in your pores. Once the pore is clogged and the duct is blocked the dead cells begin to fester with bacteria (sorry, science can be gross) and turn dark brown to black once they are exposed to air.

4.       Blackheads are step 1 in your breakouts: This one actually has some truth to it. Most “regular” breakouts do indeed begin with blackheads. Once the wonderfully delicious sounding process from #3 is complete a blackhead may turn into a red pimple if it is left untreated. That happens when a blackhead becomes inflamed and will spread across the face or body if they are touched or picked at with dirty hands or tools. If a red pimple becomes infected it will develop a pustule and become a whitehead. Whiteheads are the types of pimples that can leave scars and pits in the skin when they are broken.

5.       “Don’t eat that chocolate! It will make you break out!”:  Not exactly (I hear a sigh of relief from the audience) chocolate doesn’t cause acne – but the sugar in the chocolate bars can create havoc. Also, studies have shown that dairy products can cause already-existing acne to flare up. This myth may have come from the basic idea that unhealthy imbalanced diets can lead to skin problems, which is true. If you are going to indulge in chocolate, I suggest dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa and looking for candy bars made with Stevia or other sugar alternatives.

Now you know the truth about 5 very common acne myths. To learn more about adult acne, checkout the segment from my radio show – ‘Beauty Inside Out’ with my guest Dr. Sellman – and stay tuned for part 2 of my acne myth-busting series, where we will do a bit more busting and talk about treatment.