expert advice: don't shun the sunscreen

After this endless winter, spring is finally starting to show its face. Which means summer isn't far behind. As the weather warms up, don't leave home without your SPF.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70 percent of adults do not apply sunscreen regularly and more than one-third of the U.S. population reported experiencing sunburn in the previous year. These are alarming statistics, especially since melanoma and sun-induced skin cancers are increasing each year. Here, Dr. Ranella Hirsch, noted Boston dermatologist, explains how to properly apply sunscreen so your skin is protected from the sun’s harmful UV rays.

Q: When should you use sunscreen?

Dr. Hirsch: The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that a broad-spectrum water-resistant sunscreen of at least SPF 30 be used year round.

Q: Where should you apply sunscreen?

Dr. Hirsch: Sunscreen should be applied to any exposed skin. This includes, minimally, the face, décolleté, and backs of hands and forearms, but should be adapted for an individual’s weather and clothing.

Q: If you’re using a sunscreen on your face, what should the order be (if you’re also using makeup etc.?)

Dr. Hirsch: Always apply sunscreen first.

Q: When should you apply sunscreen?

Dr. Hirsch: Always apply at least 30 minutes before going outdoors.

Q: How much sunscreen needs to be applied to the face and body and how often should you reapply?

Dr. Hirsch: One ounce, or the amount needed to fill a shot glass, is considered to be an ample amount to protect exposed skin. Sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours and more frequently if you are sweating or swimming.

Protect Your Skin: Vichy Capital Soleil Soft Sheer Sunscreen Lotion provides water-resistant broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection in a lightweight, non-greasy formula. The sunscreen contains a unique combination of effective UV filters with Vitamin E and White Grape Polyphenol, powerful antioxidants to protect skin at the cellular level.

Vichy Capital Soleil Soft Sheer Sunscreen Lotion is available in SPF 30 ($27.50, 5 fl. oz.) and SPF 60($29.50, 5 fl. oz.) and is sold at select CVS/pharmacy, Duane Reade and Walgreens stores, and sold online at www.vichyusa.com.

behind the scenes and backstage...to over-the-counter

by Susan Redstone

as seen on Fox 4 Good Day Dallas

Bombarded with beauty items? Ever wonder which are the best and which are a 'bust' ? As seen on FOX 4 Good Day Dallas Today, we'll show a group used regularly in professional situations like behind the scenes at New York Fashion Week, on celebrities or at awards shows. They're used by professionals in the business of pushing the boundaries of beautiful. Here, how you use them and get them and why you would want to:

1. Miracle Skin Transformer SPF 20 -- Kelly Osbourne is a fan, used backstage at Erin Featherson's 2010 Fall Fashion Show.

3 in 1 Protects/hydrates/moisturazies -- with Naturally derived silicones made from sand, velvety, smoothes out pores, gives tinted coverage.

$48 at www.beauty.com or www.miracleskintransformer.com

2. "The Falsies" Mascara by Volum' Expresss from Maybelline New York --used at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week

Exclusive spoon-shaped brush which supersizes lashes, with a stem wand which cups and fans out lashes. Comes in washable and waterproof shades. The largest mascara launch in the past 5 years!

$7.77 at mass retailers.

3. NEW Garnier Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Eye Roller-- used on GARNIER hair shoots to combat the signs of aging!

Garnier’s exclusive Pro-Retinol from Nature formula with a targeted massaging roller to effectively – yet gently – help smooth crow’s feet and wrinkles around the eye area. Skin feels smoother and firmer

instantly. After four weeks, crow’s feet and fine lines are visibly reduced. With continued use: wrinkles and crow’s feet are reduced by an average of 30%; skin around the eye feels firmer.

$14.99, at mass market retailers

4. Kiss 100 Full Cover Nails -- used on Katy Perry and Rhianna at MTV Video Music Awards 2010

Great neutral base, you can add polish, or a custom design. Professionals are using these as a canvas to start unique one-off nail designs $4.79 at Walgreens and Walmart and

Kiss Premium Eyelashes with Application Strings --used on models at ODD MOLLY Fall 2011 Fashion Show NY Fashion Week

Patent pending 'strings' for perfect positioning!

$3.99 Walmart, Walgreens, CVS

5. ESSIE 'French Affair' spring collection -- inspired by Runway shows that took inspiration from 1960's French glamour, chanelling Brigitte Bardot

Clean, bright but Opaque pastels -- with a French flavor! 6 great named shades, like Coat Azure, Sand Tropez, French Affair

$8 at nail salons or retailers

6. PRIMERS -- the best of the backstage helpers!

Emergin C -- Red Carpet Primer $42 at www.emerginc.com (% proceeds go to Global Gifting - to help Tsunami victims)

Napoloen Perdis -- Auto Pilot pre-foundation primer $39 from celeb make up artist at Dillards and Ulta

Laura Mercier --Foundation primer $30 at www.lauramercier.com or www.barneys.com

Stila --One Step brightening serum (pre-primer) $36, Victoria Beckham's makeup artist is a fan

Urban Decay -- Eyeshadow Primer Potion $18 at Sephora, Ulta, Macy's

Skinceuticals -- pre-primer CE Ferulic $135 at www.skinceuticals.com

go for the glo

Making the transition from winter to spring makeup can be daunting. You don't want to lighten up right away--you need to erase the dull, dreary look of the colder season before exposing yourself. GloMinerals has the answers with some pretty cool new products.

For your face: GloFinishing Powder absorbs excess oil in your skin. The coverage is long lasting making it the perfect product to carry around if touch ups are needed. The minerals applied to the powder leave your skin smooth and silky rather than giving you a matted, course texture. I love the texture and the way the product easily absorbs into my skin.

For skin discolorations: The Camouflage Kit allows you to hide the blemishes, scars and redness. The quad is created with four key colors that camouflage unflattering color tones on the face. Yellow conceals mild redness, dark spots and bruises, mint conceals redness and lavender can be used on dark circles around the eyes. Neutral targets minor acne, under-eye circles and general imperfections. The yellow and neutral shades worked wonders on my under-eye circles (a miracle in fact!) and the mint hid a blemish I'd been trying to cover for the past week with no luck.

For your skin: Illuminating Tint a sheer, light-reflecting formula that visually smooths the appearance of fine lines and illuminates skin tones creating a healthy, luminous glow. Who doesn't need this product? It smooths evenly over skin and erases signs of years past. And the glow? I guess that's where the brand gets its name from...

For your lips: GloGloss in Nude is the perfect finishing touch to complete the barely there look that ruled the runways for spring. Less is always more and by using this particular shade your lips will pop without the use of bold tones. The must-have accessory for a day in the urban jungle or an afternoon at the beach.

Go to www.glominerals.com for more info.

skin vs. the sun

If you're like me, you want that golden glow you can get from the sun without the ugly aging effects. So whether you're running around town doing errands, heading to a meeting or hanging with friends, don't leave home without CellCeuticals^® Photo Defense™ ($40). It gives your skin a healthy glow with it’s ultra-light hydrating formula, while protecting it from the sun.

CellCeuticals^® PhotoDefense Extreme UVA & UVB Protection SPF 55+ is a powerful treatment that provides extreme anti-aging protection against daily UVA and UVB sun exposure and oxidative stress. Fortified with vitamin D and powerful anti-oxidants, it helps to strengthen the skin’s natural defenses and is sure to give you a softer, younger looking skin.

Apparently, Kim Kardashian is a fan. But that's not enough reason for me to indulge. I love the way it feels on my skin. It also helps that in the war between my skin and the sun, it's on my skin's side.

For this and other innovative skin care products from Cellceutical, go to www.cellceuticalskincare.com.

smooth move

Nobody enjoys it: exposing ourselves in the back rooms of tiny salons and letting strangers pour hot wax on our bodies and rip our hair out. In fact, when you think of it that way, it sounds like some ancient torture method. Uni K Wax centers (pronounced "UN EEH KAY") set out to change the experience--and they did. Uni K offers clean modern, facilities, expertly trained professionals and a world-renowned wax formula that makes the experience virtually pain free. Of course, I didn't believe any of this till I tried it.

It had been a while--given the birth of two kids and all--that I actually had time to take care of myself and treat myself to such a luxury. But when my friend returned from visits back home to Florida, where Uni K Wax Centers are almost as popular as Duane Reade drug stores and Chase banks in Manhattan, and continuously raved about them, I had to give it a try. Of course, it didn't hurt that magazines like Allure, InStyle, Time Out and Ocean Drive were equally big fans.

Upon entering the salon in Murray Hill, I was presented a waxing menu. My first thought was the same one I had when I was 12 and walked into Baskin-Robbins for the first time: Who ever thought there could be so many options? First, I had to decide whether to subject my eye brows, upper lip, underarms, bikini line or full body to the process. I decided to go for my eyebrows and bikini line but then there were even more decisions to make: 1/2 bikini, full bikini, Brazilian bikini? And whose eyebrows to emulate? Julia Roberts? Salma Hayek? Julianne Moore? I decided to leave the specifics to the esthetician and bravely awaited my turn.

As an added bonus, the owner, Ozzie, came out to greet me and gave me a tour of the center's laboratory. He gave me a behind-the-scenes look at how they mix the all-natural, green wax (made from the resin of a unique aromatic pine tree, beeswax, aloe vera and other natural ingredients) and showed me how, when you pull it off the skin, it literally stretches with your skin, pulling the hair with it for a less painful effect. Ideal for the most sensitive skin because it's applied at body temperature, he said it took years for them to perfect the consistency and elasticity of the wax and they pride themselves on that today. The wax not only removes hair from the root for long-lasting hair removal, it also exfoliates and softens leaving skin as smooth as silk. He then handed me off to the technician who led me to one of maybe 30 makeshift rooms in the huge space.

She was friendly and attentive but also speedy and got right down to business (I mean, who needs to spend more time than necessary with their waxer?) She shaped my brows and bikini line, and added an upper lip fix, in no time. I was amazed at how comfortable it felt and how painless the process was. After the fact, I was not only hair free but my skin felt soft, smooth and clean.

As spring is here (barely!) and summer is fast approaching, this is the perfect time to try the Uni K Wax experience. You'll feel better about baring your skin. The best part: The services are remarkably affordable so there's no reason not to indulge.

Uni K Wax centers originated in South Beach, Florida in 1993 and revolutionized the world of waxing as the first and only waxing Center with the best face and full body hair removal services for men and women. It was there that the Brazilian Bikini wax was born to accommodate the fashionable “string” bikini when everyone else just offered the bikini line wax. The Brazilian Bikini is now a popular service world-wide and is perfected at the Centers.

To learn more about Uni K Wax centers, go to unikwax.com, where you can also check out the company's face and body skincare collection created with the freshest natural and botanical ingredients to keep your skin in top condition in between waxing services. Products include Citrus Body Polish & Glo, Body Perfect Dry Oil Spray with orchid flower, Hand & Foot Glo, Ultimate Balm with green tea and cucumber and Sun-Pro for Face with SPF 30.

beauty 'round the clock

Expertly-picked color combinations in one adorable clockpot... Hissyfit just cut my primping time in half and found a convenient way for me to tote by favorite shades 'round the clock.

The Hissyfit Clockpots come in a range of shades and formulas for eyes, cheeks and face. Just open the top of the "pot" and choose the color combination that works for whatever time of day you are prepping for. The gorgeous hues are designed to flatter any skin tone and are easy to apply.

Face Clockpot features Hissyfit Saving Face Foundation and Highlight plus four powders so you can highlight, contour and glow all over for a flawless finish. Eye Clockpot offers a velvety primer and four eye-shadow trios to take you from work to play. And Cheek Clockpot comes with a soft sponge and four color duos to give you a subtle blush, rosy flush, bronzed hue or bold effect.

Go to www.hissyfit.com to learn about more products that will simplify your life.

craving conditioner

Welcome to spring (we thought!) Between the cold air and dry heat, my hair's been having its ups and downs...or rather, more downs than ups. It's been craving moisture lately so you can imagine my panic when I reached for the conditioner in the shower and picked up a bottle of shampoo. Then another bottle of shampoo. Then another bottle of shampoo. They were all bottles of shampoo! No conditioner in sight.

Just as I was about to call out to my husband and ask him to rummage through the beauty stash in search of conditioner, I saw it: A silvery marine blue tub of product nestled in the shower rack between the shaving cream and the loofah. I picked it up and--yes!--it was conditioner. After unscrewing the top, I scooped a goop and smoothed it through my hair, dispersing it throughout. It felt soft and creamy and my hair seemed to drink it up. After rinsing, my hair felt smooth and sleek again. And it even looked smooth and sleek after blow drying.

Redken Nature's Rescue Cooling Deep Conditioner is ultra moisturizing and helps re-balance hair while cooling and soothing the scalp. What it's made of: A Sea Algae Hydracomplex, complete with sea algae to protect, soy protein to replenish, aloe vera to moisturize and oceanic calone for fragrance. Use daily after shampooing or after using Refining Sea Polish.

For more info, go to www.redken.com.