When I was a child, I loved nothing more than watching Mami apply her makeup in the bathroom every morning before heading off to work—the most glamorous civil servant in Havana, Cuba—and then again every Friday and Saturday night to go out with my tall, dark, and handsome Papi. It could’ve been a simple movie date, but they made such a beautiful, charismatic couple, always dressed to kill, that to me they were movie stars. Especially Mami, whose blood-red lips, finger- and toenails, her bare creamy shoulders redolent of Chanel N°5, and ever-present stilettos made her seem as nonchalant in her beauty as Cary Grant was in a tux.

Perched on the cool toilet seat in a cotton tank and underwear, with Mami’s silken black heels dangling from my bare feet, I’d observe this larger-than-life creature (who was in reality all of 5’2”) transform from really pretty everyday Mami to break-out- the-Champagne tropical Hollywood bombshell Mami. Caramel sunlight poured in through the windows, illuminating her green eyes. I was mesmerized. It was positively magical, as if she’d just performed some mysterious, impressive trick, like pulling a white bunny out of a black top hat. Mira lo que puedo hacer. Look what I can do. Once she’d put the finishing touches on her lipstick and donned her dress, I’d surrender the shoes, into which she’d slide her slender feet. She’d step back from the mirror to better take her whole self. She was a vision, we both agreed. I’d stand up on the toilet and tearfully burst into applause.

“Never leave the house without lipstick,” she’d say. “You never know what the day will bring.”

It was unusual in those days—the early ’60s—for married women of means to have “real” jobs besides full-time housewife and mother. Mami’s girlfriends even offered to pay her salary if she’d quit working so she could play canasta with them all day. She never took them up on it because she enjoyed working. Why settle for being a domestic goddess when you could be a goddess-goddess? And one with a masters in social work, to boot.

One day Fidel Castro’s guerrillas appeared at our house and seized it, along with my father’s medical clinic and the family’s bank accounts. Suddenly, we became indigent refugees living hand-to-mouth in America, eating boiled eggs and pasta with butter because they were cheap and nutritious. Mami wore the same outfit to every job interview she had—pearls, a sleeveless black sheath dress, and black high heels—plus perfect hair and makeup, por supuesto. A Latina goddess never allows distress to mess with her style. Mami got work. Papi got work. Washington, D.C., became our adopted home.

Some 40 years later, Mami still gets up every morning, turns into a movie star in her bathroom, and goes to work as Senior Advisor on Special Populations for the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health. She doesn’t need to, she wants to. Me, I became a journalist and author. My boyfriend says I’m the only writer he knows who works from home and puts on red lipstick every morning even if the rest of me is in a cotton tank, underwear, and bare feet. I’d feel naked without it. After all, you never know what the day will bring—inside or out.

Gigi Anders is Mamiverse’s Beauty Editor and the author of Jubana! (Rayo/HarperCollins, 2005) and Little Pink Raincoat (Rayo/HarperCollins, 2007).

“I’m surrounded by a lot of estrogen right now,” says Rene Alegria. “And that’s a good thing.”

Indeed. The 36-year-old former publisher and literary agent has just launched Mamiverse.com, an English-language website geared toward acculturated, U.S.-born Latina mothers and daughters. Hatched from Alegria’s New York City apartment, Mamiverse covers all aspects of mamihood, from the poignant – CNN senior producer Rose Arce’s essay on being mistaken for her daughter’s nanny – to the playful – “astro Mami” daily horoscopes. Most of the contributors are Hispanic moms who are also journalists, writers, and artists.

They weren’t hard for Alegria to find; he had a wide professional network of authors to tap thanks to his stint from 2000 to 2009 as founder and publisher of Rayo, a HarperCollins imprint whose English- and Spanish-language titles reflected the diverse Latino experience. When he left Rayo, Alegria became a full-time agent to some of his own authors, including Project Runway judge and Marie Claire fashion director Nina Garcia. It was, in part, Garcia’s second pregnancy in the fall of 2010 that got Alegria thinking about The Next Big Idea.

“Nina’s an amazing mom who has an amazing career, too,” Alegria says. “I marveled at that. So many of the people I know, respect, and adore are Latina moms,” including his own mom, who “has a very strong point of view and is quite a character.”

A Mexican-American native of Tucson, Arizona, Alegria was equally inspired, and troubled, by last year’s Senate Bill 1070. His home state’s controversial immigration law, the nation’s toughest, makes not carrying immigration papers a crime and gives police power to detain anyone suspected of being here illegally.

“I was so disappointed with that state legislature,” Alegria says. “As the bill was signed into law, all these journalists descended on Phoenix. I thought, ‘How can I help my community?’ Something had to be done.”

Alegria checked the 2010 census. It confirmed what he already surmised: In the past decade, the Hispanic population jumped by 43 percent, accounting for more than half of America’s total population growth. The 90s immigration wave had turned into a native-born, second generation community that’s more assimilated, yet still self-defined as Latino. Further research showed that English is the language of choice for 82 percent of Latina moms, 85 percent prefer their online content in English, and there was nothing culturally specific out there on the Internet for them.

“Bloggers, sure, but no real hub or portal that would bring everyone together,” Alegria says. “Without having an online presence, there’s no expression of Latina moms’ lives anywhere. That had to change.”

The numbers were there to support Alegria’s Next Big Idea, a new, very focused venture – Target is Mamiverse’s exclusive retail advertiser – that hopes to unite Latinas in a novel way; provide solid, intelligent, empowering information to help them solve problems; raise their families; connect with and learn from one another; and accentuate the positive.

“I’m happy to say I’m making my mom proud with Mamiverse,” Alegria says. “It’s very validating. Everything has come together in a beautiful way. It’s exciting to be looking to the future with technology and young Latinas who represent. It’s limitless.”

Gigi Anders is the author of “Jubana!” (HarperCollins, 2005) and “Little Pink Raincoat” (HarperCollins, 2007). She’s working on her third book.

After matzo, gefilte fish, and matzo ball soup, nothing says Passover to me more than white rice with black beans, fried plantains, and flan. This is because I am a Jubana, a Cuban-born Jew. My parents are both Jubanos, too.

After Castro’s revolution, in the ’60s, we emigrated to Washington, D.C. to begin a new life. What comforted me was that we were together; everything else was a shock: The snowy November weather, the separation from our friends and the rest of our family, the fact that nobody but us spoke Spanish. Also, we’d become indigent. Castro had confiscated our Havana house, everything in the house, my father’s business, and my family’s bank accounts.

As winter gave way to spring and our first American Passover approached, my Reform Jewish mother was determined to see our native traditions through. Being new refugees in this country, the ancient holiday commemorating the exodus from slavery in Egypt to freedom in Israel was different than our previous ones at home, and therefore more poignant.

There, in Cuba, a Seder without black beans just wasn’t a Seder. (Actually, any dinner without our favorite legume would’ve been unthinkable.) Here, in the United States, finding the more typical Passover fare at the local Safeway for the Seder plate was easy – horseradish (symbolizing the sharp bitterness of Jews’ experience as slaves in Egypt), parsley (dipped in salt water, it represents tears shed over the pain of bondage), haroseth (evoking the mortar used by Jewish slaves to build Egyptian storehouses, it’s a mixture of apples, nuts, wine, cinnamon, and honey), matzo (what happens to bread when you flee Egypt in a hurry and can’t wait for it to rise), a shank bone (for the sacrificial lamb offered in thanks to God at the Holy Temple in Jerusalem), and a hard-boiled egg (a emblem of immortality, and sometimes mourning, as it’s given at funerals).

But what about the other musts for our Passover table? Whither our beloved frijoles negros (black beans), platanítos maduros (ripe plantains), and Naranja Agria (sour orange mojito for marinating the chicken)? My mom asked some of the neighbors in our Southwest, D.C., apartment building if they knew of a bodega where she could find these basic things. The collective response: “Whuuut?”

“We are going to cruise aroun’ and find dees stuff on our own,” Mami told me. “God ees Cuban too, and God wants us to have eet.”

We borrowed a friend’s car and drove to the Adams Morgan neighborhood in Northwest, where Mami’d heard Latinos lived. Sure enough, there was a Hispanic bodega, on Columbia Road and 18th Street. I was just a tiny kid at the time but I can still recall how intense it was to walk into that packed little store and suddenly smell home: the oozing ripeness of sweet papayas, mangoes, guavas, sugar cane, avocados, pineapples, coconuts . . . It was overwhelming and deep. For the first time in five months, since we’d reluctantly fled our homeland, everything made sense. It was like the miracle of the exodus in the Bible. Bags upon bags of black beans, bushels of green and yellow and black plantains, an entire shelf full of bottles of Naranja Agria. Caramba!

“Ees all about perseestance,” Mami said, placing three plastic bags of black beans, five black plantains (the black ones are ripe for frying), a bottle of Naranja Agria, and a coconut into our cart. “That’s our past heestory and that’s our current reality. There weel be black beans for Passover. And platanítos. And big fat flan. A coconut flan.”

“We can have a flan, too?” I cried.

“We can have whatever we want,” she said. “Passover’s about leeberation. And guess what? Flan ees perfect. No flour.”

Gigi Anders is the author of “Jubana!” (HarperCollins, 2005) and “Little Pink Raincoat” (HarperCollins, 2007). She’s working on her third book.

In the summer, Fidel Castro denounced the Iranian president’s denials of the Holocaust, noting that no one “has been slandered more than the Jews.”

On Sunday, his brother, Raúl — who replaced Fidel as president of Cuba in 2006 – stopped by Havana’s Shalom synagogue and took part in a Hanukkah celebration, donning a yarmulke and lighting the first candle of the menorah.

Experts on Cuba believe the recent, successive overtures signal a desire by the Castro government to improve relations with Israel and enlist its help in bolstering Cuba’s ailing economy.

Though Cuba long has had icy relations with Israel – which routinely votes with the United States opposing the annual United Nations resolution calling for the lifting of the U.S.-Cuba economic embargo – the small Jewish community on the island has not experienced hostility by the regime, experts say.

“Cuba [under the Castro brothers] has had excellent relations with the Jewish community,” said Wayne Smith, the former chief of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana and a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy’s Cuba program. “They’re taking what has been their position with the Jewish community to a new level, going a little further, wearing a yarmulke.”

Smith noted that Cuba is in the midst of economic uncertainty as it braces for the laying off of 500,000 state workers, and the decision by the Castro government to encourage the creation of private businesses.

“It makes sense for Cuba to reach out to Israel and the Jewish community,” Smith said.
“Raul has always been more pragmatic [than Fidel],” he said.

Besides, Smith said, “They’ve been reaching out to the Catholic church, why not reach out to the Jewish community?”

Cuba’s Jewish population is estimated at about 1,500.

Mayra Levy, the director of the Centro Sefaradi de la Habana, said she was shocked to see Raul Castro walk into the Hanukkah gathering at the synagogue where she was a guest.

“What a surprise it was,” she said. “It was not expected.”

Asked about Fidel Castro’s denunciation of the Iranian president’s denial of the Holocaust, Levy said: “It hurt to hear that denial, the Jewish population suffered so much. Then for my country to defend the Jews was very welcome.”

Some Cuban-American Jews expressed skepticism about Castro’s visit to the synagogue.

A particularly prickly issue among many in the Jewish community is the detention of an American Jewish subcontractor, Alan Gross, who according to the U.S. government traveled to Cuba under the USAID program to bring communications equipment to the Jewish community there.

Gross has been accused by Cuban authorities of spying, but they have not officially charged him.

Gigi Anders, author of “Jubana,” a memoir about growing up Cuban and Jewish, said of Castro’s visit: “It’s hard not to be cynical.”

“I don’t think it’s a sign that anything is going to change politically,” Anders said.

She said Cuba’s treatment of Jews in recent decades has been one of tolerance and indifference, not warmth and true acceptance.

“Cuba is officially an atheist state,” Anders said. “A lot of American Jews who have gone to Cuba come back amazed by how little Jews there understand about their faith.”

“At this point, Castro is looking for any friends,” she said. “Raúl is still, in my opinion, part of that whole [tyrannical] dynasty. This visit to the synagogue, these are just little moments that don’t accrue into anything.”

by Gigi Anders

Patrick is 71. He looks 61. Back in February, the retired Alexandria mathematician (who, like most patients interviewed, did not want his last name used) had a face and neck lift and had fat grafted into his cheeks, which were sunken in.

“I’d thought about having surgery for a while,” he says. “Then I retired and had the time to do it.”

Due to age and long-term sun exposure, Patrick had deep nasolabial folds (from the nose to the outer corners of the mouth), radial lip lines (wrinkles perpendicular to the lips), and labiomental folds (“marionette” lines from the lower lip to the chin). For all of those, plastic and reconstructive surgeon Roger J. Oldham injected him with Juvéderm, a temporary filler gel, to enhance and complement the surgery.

Now, seven months later, Patrick is back at Oldham’s Bethesda office for a Juvéderm booster, a quickie noontime touch-up. Oldham injects two syringes’ worth into Patrick’s facial imperfections, massaging the areas to prevent lumps.

Is it painful?

“Nah,” Patrick says. “I’m tough.”

A minute later, Patrick’s face is back to smooth perfection—for $1,170.

“My macho buddies would never let me hear the end of it if they knew I was having this,” he says, holding a baby ice pack on the slightly reddened spots. “It’s my secret fountain of youth.”

A big reason for the growing popularity of so-called minimally invasive nonsurgical cosmetic procedures—a.k.a. lunchtime treatments—is the downtime. There isn’t any. You can zap that wrinkle, kill unwanted hairs, erase broken capillaries, and presto: You look younger or better, and no one’s the wiser.

“People are busier now,” Oldham says. “They’re looking for maximal improvement with the least possible downtime so it doesn’t interfere with their demanding lives and work schedules.”

I spent an afternoon at Dr. Oldham’s office, observing and speaking with patients undergoing minimally invasive lunchtime procedures—people such as Ellen, a 55-year-old African-American media sales rep who works in DC. Except for moderately deep nasolabial and labiomental folds, her complexion is flawless.

“You don’t see fine lines as readily in people of color,” says Oldham. “More pigmentation protects you from harmful ultraviolet rays.”

The best way to have great skin besides avoiding the sun, Oldham says, is not to smoke—it interferes with blood supply to the skin—and to choose your parents wisely. Genes are a major factor.

“As you get older, you’re more critical and harder on yourself,” says Ellen, a lunchtime “virgin” who has regular facials and microdermabrasion with Oldham’s aesthetician, Lili. “Lili convinced me to try Juvéderm.”

Juvéderm works on wrinkles and folds. Unlike Botox—which blocks a chemical transmission across the nerve receptors to relax the muscle and smooth the overlying wrinkles—Juvéderm is made from hyaluronic acid, a natural complex sugar that adds volume and hydration. It raises depressed skin back up to the surface.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, hyaluronic acids were the nation’s fifth-most performed lunchtime procedure last year. The other top four were Botox, chemical peels, laser hair removal, and microdermabrasion. All told, there were 9.1 million such procedures, up by 8 percent from 2005.

Ellen applied a topical anesthetic an hour before her appointment to stay comfortable. As Oldham injects the medication, Ellen keeps her eyes closed.

Does the needle hurt?

“It’s like a little pinch,” she says.

Though the anesthetic guards against the pain of a pinprick, patients still feel the medication as it goes in. Oldham massages Ellen’s disappearing folds to help smooth everything out.

Two minutes later, there’s a trace of redness from the needle, and she may be sore for about an hour, but otherwise Ellen is folds-free and good to go with her baby ice pack. Oldham hands her a mirror.

“Oh, wow,” she says. “Looks so good! Thank you.”

At $650, the results will last 6 to 12 months.

Most lunchtime procedures are temporary. The idea is to delay having a facelift, which fixes what injectables and lasers can’t—sagging skin and too much fat.

As with most cosmetic procedures, insurance does not cover these treatments and, while rare, there are potential complications.

Michael Olding, chief of plastic surgery at George Washington University Medical Center, says the most significant risks he’s seen with injectable fillers like Juvéderm are inflammation, swelling, bruising, and prolonged redness—all of which resolved themselves over time because the product is reabsorbed, not permanent. He says he’s never seen a patient have an allergic reaction to Botox.

Another risk, Olding says, comes when nonphysicians perform the procedures.

“Some people see this as an extension of spa things,” he says. “I don’t advocate that. It opens it up to abuses by people who don’t know what they’re doing. You want to go to a reputable plastic surgeon who’s board-certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties. That’s the gold standard.”

Back at Oldham’s office, Nancy, a 68-year-old Silver Spring photographer, is about to get her thin lips augmented and her moderately severe crow’s-feet Botoxed. Like many women of a certain age, she’s a fan of Botox.

So is Potomac plastic surgeon Diane Colgan, whose nurse injects her with it because she has a tough time injecting herself.

“Botox is the middle-aged woman’s cocaine,” Colgan says. “None of us can live without it. The downside is that it’s short-term and cost is an issue. The upside is that it’s a quick fix that improves your appearance and if you don’t like it, it’ll go away.”

“We all have our priorities,” Nancy says. “We spend our money on things we don’t need, and I’ve decided to focus on this to treat myself. If I look good, I feel good.”

“Many people in the DC area make their living in the public eye,” Oldham says. “They’re more apt to be concerned about their appearance because it’s financially advantageous to look their best.”

Oldham uses a total of eight injections for both sides of Nancy’s crow’s-feet ($520). Shortly, they’ll be history. Next, she gets a needle into her lips. The lips and the area around the nose are the two most sensitive parts of the face, and the procedure requires two anesthetics: a topical so the patient won’t feel the needle and a shot of Xylocaine, a local anesthetic, in the little crease inside the mouth between the gums and lips.

Oldham proceeds slowly, injecting Juvéderm drop by drop first into Nancy’s upper then lower lip. She can’t feel a thing. Oldham likens this calibrated approach to a haircut—better to cut less than too much. You can always cut more if necessary.

Nancy’s lips bloom like tiny flowers in slow motion. It’s magical. And at $760 for the first lip and $380 for the second, it should be. She regards herself in a mirror and nods happily.

Oldham’s aesthetic sense is proportional and natural. Must be his Indiana roots and Midwestern values. Ask him for big fat Angelina Jolie lips and he’ll turn you down.

“God gave Angelina her lips, and they always look consistent,” he says. “But I don’t want my patients looking like abuse victims. I want results that appear in nature.”

Isn’t having wrinkles natural?

“It’s also natural not to have them,” he says. “Very few patients want over-the-top, dramatic results. That’s not realistic or attractive. Most people are reasonable and want a good correction to look youthful and their best.”

“There’s no reason to be bad-looking today,” says Lili, Oldham’s aesthetician, who also works at Roxsan Day Spa in White Flint Mall. “Men and women are more aware of how to take care of skin, look good, and be healthier. I have a lot of tools that can help.”

Shelley Zweig is a 42-year-old North Potomac mother of three having today’s longest lunchtime procedure: microdermabrasion ($150 for one treatment, $750 for six) and a chemical peel ($125 for one, $625 for six). Zweig has had a consultation with Oldham to evaluate her skin, which has lentigo, small brown spots similar to freckles.

“I’m a sun addict,” Zweig admits.

“Time to stop,” says Lili. “The skin never forgets or forgives sun damage.”

Microdermabrasion is a concentrated exfoliation using a double wand: One shoots tiny crystals that remove the dead top layer of skin; the other simultaneously sucks everything away like a vacuum to uncover a more vibrant complexion. Chemical peels—whose strengths vary, as with microdermabrasion—treat texture, pigment, wrinkles, and very fine lines. Coupled with microdermabrasion, it’s a one-two punch for troubled skin.

Lili has prepped Zweig with a cleanser and a toner followed by a gentle blow-dry with a small manual fan.

“The skin must be very clean and dry before you start or the crystals won’t work properly,” she says, drawing the wand across Zweig’s tawny face, neck, and upper chest.

“I love this,” says Zweig. “It makes my skin glow. I feel so refreshed afterward. I can get up and go about my business.”

On an episode of Sex and the City, the character Samantha had a chemical peel. Afterward, her face resembled a burned lobster. When the procedure is performed properly, you’re not supposed to look that way. Flushed, yes. Charred shellfish, no.

“It’s very important to watch for redness,” says Lili, brushing excess dry skin from Zweig’s face. Lili wipes off the rest with water and dries the skin again with the fan. Zweig’s cheek feels like a baby’s.

Now for the glycolic acid. Lili pours some on a cotton pad and swipes it across Zweig’s skin.

How does it feel?

“Tingly,” Zweig says. “Nice.”

Her skin looks luminous. Within minutes, part of her forehead begins peeling lightly.

“She’ll be flakier in a couple of days,” says Lili. To help disguise that, Oldham’s patients can use PCA Skin pHaze 17 ReBalance, a moisturizer that repairs reddened, irritated, or traumatized skin.

“Shelley,” Lili adds, “make sure you wear sunscreen!”

In the laser room, Alexandria clinical social worker Linda, 62, is wearing goggles. So is Oldham. Oldham rents lasers because the technology changes frequently and lasers are expensive to buy and maintain. A typical one costs $85,000 to $110,000; high-end ones are $125,000—which may explain why these procedures are costly.

Linda is having the broken capillaries around her nose and upper cheeks photocoagulated, or obliterated through heat. It will cost between $495 and $915 depending on the number of capillaries treated. Oldham holds a wand emitting a green light whose target is anything red.

“It feels like a fine needle poking,” Linda says.

Oldham traces each blood vessel. Each vanishes for good. Patients prone to getting broken capillaries may get new ones, requiring further treatment.

Hair removal is the number-one laser treatment, and it too requires multiple sessions four to six weeks apart. Patients get a permanent reduction, but they still need touchups because the laser can target only active follicles.

Lunchtime treatments are a small part of Oldham’s practice (facial and breast surgery and body contouring are his focus); nevertheless, they’re a growing trend.

Miriam, a brunette 56-year-old Potomac homemaker, is on her third treatment. “You should have seen my face and the back of my neck before,” she says. “I used to have to shave every day.”

There’s a squeak and a thump with each section of downy hair on Miriam’s jaw line and neck that Oldham blows up with the wand. There’s an initial burn—hence the smell of burning hair—and a quick cooling. The laser explodes the hair away, damaging the root and disabling it from producing new hair. Prices range from $275 (one treatment for the upper lip) to $4,300 (four treatments for a full back).

Miriam strokes her hairless face.

“Thanks,” she says. “Feels good.”

by Gigi Anders

Never let ’em see you sweat. And never let ’em see you burn.

In summer, your face faces two challenges: looking shine-free and polished in the heat and getting protection from the sun.

Terrific new and cult-favorite products can keep you beautiful—and safe—until Labor Day and beyond. We consulted dermatologists and beauty experts and tested hundreds of cleansers, exfoliators, serums, moisturizers, masks, sunscreens, self-tanners, and makeup—so you don’t have to.

Here our top tips and picks.

Five Great Cleansers

Summer’s humidity makes complexions grimier than at any other time of year. Start by washing your face with lukewarm water twice a day with a mild but thorough cleanser such as Philosophy Purity Made Simple High-Foaming Daily Cleanser ($21.50 to $34.50 at Nordstrom); it’s light and smells, as the name implies, pure. Prefer a bar? We loved Cor Silver Soap ($14 to $125 at corsilver.com), which is mild and lathers nicely.

Sunny Walia, assistant professor of dermatology at George Washington University, recommends Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser ($8 to $11.50 at drugstores) and Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash (about $6.50 at drugstores) for drier skin; she uses Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser (about $7.50 at drugstores) for her own oily skin. “Olay and Neutrogena have nice ones, too,” she says.

Seven Excellent Exfoliators

Dermatologists recommend exfoliation, particularly in summer when oil production and skin-cell turnover is greater.

There are two ways to exfoliate: mechanically, with a grainy scrub you massage on and rinse off, and chemically, with microdermabrasion or a chemical peel. The goal is to rejuvenate skin, improve its texture, and prep it to take in moisturizers, self-tanners, and other products better. Remember to treat your neck and upper chest—and hands.

“People forget about their hands all the time,” says DC dermatologist Tina Alster.

Alster uses Gerber baby washcloths, available at Wal-Mart and Kmart ($4 for 12), and a Clarisonic skin-care brush ($195 at Nordstrom) to exfoliate. “They’re both great,” she says. “The Clarisonic comes with body brush attachments, too.”

Bethesda dermatologist David Green, a big exfoliation fan, uses Buf-Puf facial sponges (around $5 at drugstores). “Do they provide long-term improvement like chemical peels do?” he says. “Yes.”

We tested and loved the gel-like Boscia Smoothing Facial Polish ($25 at Sephora); Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser, which does double duty ($35 at Nordstrom); and Clinique Pore Minimizer Thermal-Active Skin Refiner ($28.50 at Macy’s), which opens and then shrinks pores.

For lips—they need gentle exfoliation, too—we liked Philosophy Kiss Me Exfoliating Lip Scrub ($15 at Nordstrom).

How often should you exfoliate?

“You can overdo it,” says Walia. “I’m very oily, so I do it three times a week. If you’re very dry, I recommend once a week using my homemade remedy: cornmeal and honey.”

Protecting Your Peepers

In summer you’ll want an eye cream with sunscreen. We liked Prescriptives Anti-Age Advanced Protection Eye Cream SPF 25 ($48 at Nordstrom) and Clarins Sun Wrinkle Control Eye Contour Care Ultra Protection 30 SPF ($28 at Nordstrom), the only eye cream we found with a whopping 30 SPF that also feels and smells good. Alster suggests using eye cream morning and night—many think it’s only for bedtime, but she says it’s not.

Consider sunglasses with polarized lenses, which not only protect corneas but reduce glare and squinting, helping to prevent crow’s-feet. Our favorites were the black/red/gray Oakley polarized “Dangerous” shades ($215 at oakley.com or by special order at Voorthuis Opticians), which also look chic. But, says Alster, “many others, including cheapos from Target, have polarized lenses.”

Serums for Sun Damage

After cleansing, Walia applies SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF ($150 at skinceuticals.com) to her face, neck, and chest. The antioxidant serum with vitamin C corrects and prevents sun damage and hydrates the skin. “I love it because there’s medical research behind it,” she says.

We loved two others that claim to prevent or repair sun damage: Cor Silver Wrinkle Serum ($120 at corsilver.com) and the newly formulated Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex ($47.50 to $74.50 at Macy’s).

Yes, Still Moisturize

Sure, the moisture in skin rises in the summer and faces get oilier with humidity, but the biggest mistake people make, experts say, is skipping moisturizing.

“It’s important to hydrate your face,” Walia says. “I like products that are light and fast-absorbing, like gels.” For dry skin, she recommends SkinCeuticals HB5 Gel ($65 at skinceuticals.com).

“You have to properly prep skin to hold makeup all day,” says DC makeup artist Victoria Stiles, who loves Sisley Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 30 ($155 at Neiman Marcus). “If you use the right products, like oil-control moisturizers,” Stiles says, “you won’t become oily throughout the day.”

Alster uses Journée Bio-restorative Day Cream With PSP, SPF 30+ ($75 to $120), which is sold through doctors. We tried some and also found it fabulous.

SPF can change the feel and smell of products—the higher the SPF, the thicker and stickier they tend to be—but the best new formulations are light: Bliss Best of Skintentions Daily Moisturizer SPF 15 ($35 at blissworld.com); Boscia Illuminating UVA/UVB SPF 30 ($30 at bosciaskincare.com), which made our skin luminous; and an Alster favorite that does double duty, Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 ($42 at Neiman Marcus). Walia likes Neutrogena’s Helioplex line (around $7 to around $19 at drugstores); the active ingredients don’t break down as quickly, so you can go up to four hours without reapplying at the pool or beach.

“There is no difference in the efficacy of SPF in a moisturizer versus a sunscreen,” Alster says. “It can be in either order, but I prefer patients to layer SPF over moisturizer.”

Many good moisturizers don’t contain SPF, so if you use them for daytime, plan on layering. We tried Cor Silver Anytime Moisturiser ($115 at corsilver.com), which feels light and lovely, and the amazing Thinny Thin Chin Neck Firming Cream by Bliss ($48 at blissworld.com), which smoothes skin from chest to chin.

Masks Matter

Weekly masks help clean pores, exfoliate, and balance and refine skin.

“I like clay masks for oily skin,” says Walia, who uses SkinCeuticals Clarifying Clay Masque ($42 at skinceuticals.com), “and vitamin C masks for dry or combination skin. Vitamin C attracts water to skin, so it’s a good hydrating agent.” If your skin is normal or dry, ask your dermatologist—which is the only way you can get it—about SkinCeuticals Vitamin C Firming Masque, a Walia pick that hydrates and soothes sensitive skin and minimizes redness.

Feeling more shiny than dry, we went for Bliss Steep Clean Professional-Strength Facial Mask for All Skin Types ($54 at Nordstrom), Boscia Clarifying Detox Mask ($25 at Sephora), and Clarins Pure and Radiant Mask With Pink Clay ($28.50 at Nordstrom).

Sunscreen, Sunscreen

Broad and spectrum. They’re the two most important words to look for in sunscreen. Broad spectrum means you’re covered for both ultraviolet A and B rays.

Dermatologists were once more concerned with UVB rays, the chief sunburn culprits. But, says Alster: “we’ve learned that UVA is just as damaging or more so, because the rays penetrate deeper into the skin and are primarily responsible for aging and loss of elasticity.”

Remember it this way: UVA is aging, UVB is burning. You can get both in the shade or on an overcast day, and even underwater, where rays intensify.

“UV rays bounce off the air and onto you even if you are in the shade,” says Walia.

Nor are you immune as a person of color. “We may not burn and blister as easily,” says Walia, who is of Indian descent, “but we’re not necessarily protected.”

Says Alster: “Pigment-producing cells produce more pigment in people of color, so you can tolerate more exposure without burning—but not without aging. And you can get skin cancer.”

According to the American Cancer Society, there are more new cases of skin cancer annually than breast, prostate, lung, and colon cancers combined. The American Academy of Dermatology says one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in his or her lifetime; fair-skinned people who sunburn easily are at particularly high risk.

“Unless you spend your life in a cave,” says Green, “you need the highest SPF you can get.” He recommends SolBar Zinc SPF 38 by Person & Covey ($12 at personandcovey.com) and SkinMedica Environmental Defense Sunscreen SPF 30+ ($40 at skinmedica.com).

Pay particular attention to the left side of your face and shoulders, Green says: “I see a lot of cosmetic problems there from people driving. Glass doesn’t screen UVA.”

Lips and Hands Can Burn

Walia says skin cancer is rampant on and around the lips: “So use a medicated lip balm with SPF.”

We recommend Kiehl’s Lip Balm SPF 15 ($9.50 at kiehls.com) and Jo Malone Vitamin E Lip Conditioner SPF 15 ($20 at Nordstrom). Stiles likes Elizabeth Arden 8-Hour Cream Lip Protectant Stick SPF 15 ($17 at Macy’s).

For hands we liked Boscia Daily Hand Revival Therapy SPF 15 ($16 at bosciaskincare.com), Clarins Age-Control Hand Lotion SPF 15 ($30 at Nordstrom), and Prescriptives Intensive Rebuilding Hand Treatment SPF 15 ($38 at Nordstrom).

Best Bronzers and Tanners

The latest self-tanners develop gradually, smell nice, and give subtle, credible color.

We loved Clarins Radiance-Plus Self Tanning Cream-Gel ($52 at Nordstrom) and Jergens Natural Glow Healthy Complexion Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 20 (around $8.50 at drugstores).

Or consider bronzers. We found fabulous powder bronzers you can sweep on and wash right off. Victoria Stiles recommends applying them wherever the sun would naturally hit your face—forehead, nose, cheeks, chin. She likes MAC Bronzing Powder ($21 at Macy’s), with a bit of shimmer. We also like two by Bobbi Brown: Illuminating Bronzing Powder ($33 at Nordstrom) and Shimmer Brick for Body ($75 at Nordstrom).

Oil-Free, Even in the Heat

Whether or not you wear foundation, try a foundation primer over moisturizer. “It helps absorb excess oils and keeps skin matte but still luminous,” says Stiles, who uses Liquid Powder Shine Eliminator by Natural Born Cosmetics ($16.50 at paintandpowderstore.com).

We were equally impressed by the three Smashbox Photo Finish primers, all at Nordstrom: the original Foundation Primer ($36), oil-free Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light ($36), and moisturizing Photo Finish SPF 15 With Dermaxyl ($42).

To keep eye shadow in place, we liked Chanel’s Professional Eye Shadow Base ($32) and Trish McEvoy Eye Base Essentials ($24), both at Nordstrom. Stiles uses Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Ultra-Sheer Nude ($17 at Sephora).

Lay on Foundation—Lightly

TV’s switch to high definition has changed foundation and loose powder. But you don’t have to be in front of a camera to achieve what Stiles calls a “flawless” complexion. She uses two Make Up For Ever products: HD Invisible Cover Foundation ($40), a sheer formula with good coverage that comes in 25 shades, and HD Microfinish Powder ($30), which looks ice-white yet is colorless on every skin.

“It’s the go-to powder in the industry right now,” Stiles says. “There’s nothing like it.” Both products, available at Erwin Gomez Salon & Spa in Georgetown, are lightweight and perfect for summer.

For concealer, Stiles says Keromask Concealer and Camouflage Cream ($36 at paintandpowderstore.com) is the best.

Blot Out Shine

Blotting papers are a summer godsend because they remove shine without making makeup heavier. Stiles uses Nurturing Force Continuous Roll Blotting Papers ($14 at paintandpowderstore.com). We like Boscia Fresh Blotting Linens ($10 for 100 sheets at bosciaskincare.com), which come in seven scents including peppermint and orange.

If you prefer pressed powder, Stiles recommends Natural Born Cosmetics Oil Control Blotting Powder Compact ($9.95 at paintandpowderstore.com), which looks white in the container but is translucent and provides a matte finish.

Stiles isn’t a fan of mineral powder; she won’t use it on her summer brides because she says it can look chalky in photographs.

The Eyes Have It

To keep eyeliner from moving in humidity, Stiles loves MAC Liquidlast Liner in the color Point Black ($16.50 at Bloomingdale’s): “This does not budge. You have to use a cold cream at night to break it down.”

If you prefer an eye pencil, Stiles suggests Aqua Eyes by Make Up For Ever in Matte Black($17 at Erwin Gomez Salon & Spa): “It stays put all day, even underwater.” We loved Lancôme Le Stylo Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner in the color Minuit ($23.50 at sephora.com) and Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof in Marine ($28 at Nordstrom).

For a fun palette of 40 pretty summer eye shadows, Stiles suggests Yaby World of Pearl Paints ($136 at yabycosmetics.com). We loved Laura Mercier crease-proof Metallic and Satinée Crème Eye Colours, respectively in Platinum and Peach Organza; they feel creamy in the tube, and they dry like sheer powder ($22 at Neiman Marcus).

If you’re going swimming or to the beach, Stiles says, wear waterproof mascara; use water-resistant for every day. Her faves are Max Factor 2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumper Mascara in the color Extreme Blackout (around $11 at drugstores) and Chanel Inimitable Multi-Dimensionnel Mascara in Noir ($30 at Nordstrom).

We had fun with Lancôme Ôscillation Water-Resistant Mascara ($34 at Bloomingdale’s); a vibrating wand “oscillates” 7,000 times a minute. It was weird. In a good way.

We also loved Bobbi Brown Perfectly Defined Mascara in black ($22 at Nordstrom), Lancôme Définicils High Definition Mascara in navy ($24 at Bloomingdale’s), and Chanel Exceptionnel Intense Volume and Curl Mascara in Smoky Marine ($30 at Nordstrom).

As for removing waterproof mascara, Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover for Lids, Lashes & Lips does the job ($17.50 at Macy’s).

Best Reasons to Blush

If you have enough color in your face in the summer, a little powder bronzer may be all the makeup you need. Or you can apply matte blush to the apple of the cheeks for a pop of color. “MAC powder blushes are so long-lasting,” making them great for summer, says Stiles. She recommends Pinch O’ Peach for fair and medium skin tones and Loverush, a plummy burgundy, for darker skin ($18 at Bloomingdale’s).

For the best results, blush should come after foundation and loose powder. “Without powder on first, blush will create a slick spot,” Stiles says.

We found that Benefit’s High Beam, a pink pearly highlighter, and Moon Beam, the golden version, gave a grease-free glow (both $24 at Sephora).

Love Your Lips

Stiles loves Max Factor Vivid Impact Lipcolor in Sex Kitten (around $9 at drugstores): “This coral color is absolutely perfect for summer.”

For a sheer look with SPF, we liked Chanel’s peachy Aqualumière Sheer Colour Lipshine SPF 15 in Jamaica ($28.50 at Nordstrom).

We fell for three lip glosses: Clinique Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 in Guava Gold ($14 at Saks Fifth Avenue), a soft peach with tiny golden particles; Lip Balm SPF 15 in Hue 30G by Kiehl’s ($9.50 at kiehls.com), a light golden peach; and Lorac Lip Polish in Sizzle ($17.50 at loraccosmetics.com), which works with every skin tone and isn’t sticky.

For those who prefer a lip pencil, Stiles recommends Aqua Lip by Make Up For Ever ($17 at Erwin Gomez Salon & Spa), which is waterproof yet soft enough to glide across the lips. We tried and loved 03-C, a pinky neutral beige, and 18-C, a coral orange. Both stayed on long past lunch.

Hair Today? Gone Today: We Put the Bliss Epilator to the Test

My friend Elizabeth swears by her epilator. When she first mentioned it, I thought she was referring to a kitchen appliance.

“An ep-i-la-tor,” she said, as if by repeating the word slowly I would grasp its definition. “You know, the electric thing you use to remove hair from your bikini line?”

I’d never heard of an epilator—I’m a waxing girl from way back. I’ve used the Poetic Waxing Kit from Bliss ($45 at blissworld.com) for years and love it. So I was skeptical but curious. Turns out there are a thousand epilators on the market; Internet chat rooms are abuzz with debate about which is best. To simplify my life, I decided to go with the kind Elizabeth has.

Though you can buy the Bliss/Philips Bikini Perfect Deluxe Spa Edition at-home grooming system at the Bliss Spa in downtown DC that’s scheduled to open in mid-July, I ordered mine online ($59.99). The sleek, cordless, 4½-inch, rechargeable turquoise-and-white device comes with an adapter, a cleaning brush, tubes of Lemon + Sage Body Scrub and Lemon + Sage Body Butter, ingrown-hair-eliminating peeling pads, a turquoise woven cloth bag, and six attachments: trimmer, micro-trimmer (for single hairs), adjustable comb (with five length settings, like a vacuum cleaner’s settings for carpet heights), eyebrow comb, micro-shaver, and epilator head.

I had no idea this was all so complex. All I wanted was to touch up stray hairs since my last bikini wax. But the directions were easy to follow, and I was buzzing my way toward hairlessness in minutes.

Did it hurt? Not as much as seeing myself in a bikini in a three-way mirror. The epilator grabs hair and removes it by the root, so there were some pinches here and there. It was actually kind of fun once I got the hang of it. The rotating epilator head is round and smooth so you can’t hurt yourself. No redness, irritation, or ingrown hairs afterward, either.

If you’re used to that baby-soft and totally hair-free feel that only waxing can give, the Bliss/Philips may disappoint you. It did the job and left me smooth enough, but there was a tiny bit of stubble here and there. The Grooming System isn’t a perfect substitute for waxing. It is, however, perfect for a quick touchup.

Original article can be found at Washingtonian.com.

by Gigi Anders

A stale Jujyfruit changed Carlos Carro Duplá’s love life.

The DC computer scientist was at the theater five years ago when he bit into the hard candy and cracked a tooth. The tooth, which had an aged silver filling, had been weak.

On a colleague’s recommendation, Duplá, 42, headed to Dr. Brian Gray’s office in DC’s Tenleytown neighborhood.

“Dr. Gray said, ‘We’re fixing that broken tooth with a porcelain onlay,’ ” Duplá says. “I thought that would be the end of it.”

It was only the beginning. After the onlay was placed atop the tooth—onlays go on like old-fashioned fillings but are more durable than silver and undetectable—Gray suggested a smile makeover. Duplá’s numerous silver fillings had turned black, his bite was off, and his teeth were unevenly shaped and—due to his weakness for coffee and Coca-Cola—were stained.

Gray, whose specialty is cosmetic work, suggested restoring the teeth with a combination of bonding (composite resin directly applied to the tooth); more porcelain onlays as well as porcelain crowns (also called caps, they cover the entire tooth); veneers (fine, translucent porcelain shells that wrap around the front surface of a tooth and won’t stain); bleaching; and Invisalign (invisible, plastic, removable retainers that progressively move teeth into correct alignment).

According to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD), the numbers of these procedures are growing: There was a 13-percent increase from 2005 to 2006—the most recent figures available—and a projected increase of more than 10 percent in 2007.

The most requested procedure is whitening, which has increased more than 300 percent since 1996.

Although most cosmetic dentistry is not covered by insurance, Duplá says his policy paid for part of the Invisalign. The rest came out of his pocket.

“But it beats having women tell you your teeth look horrible the first time you meet,” Duplá says. “Now dating’s better. Women say my teeth look great—normal, natural, and white.”

Although cosmetic dentistry is a real term—and there’s been lobbying to make it a specialty like endodontics (root-canal work) and periodontics (gum work)—the American Dental Association doesn’t recognize it as such. All general dentists can call themselves “cosmetic,” and most do cosmetic work. Got a brown spot on a front tooth? Your family dentist can fix that with bonding material.

Some dentists, such as Rena Vakay and Waldorf’s Bradley Olson, train to a higher degree by taking ongoing courses in aesthetic procedures. Vakay, for example, is an accredited member of the AACD, but few dentists bother with accreditation: There are only nine accredited members in all of DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Among area practitioners, accredited members include a trio in Rockville: Martin Abel, Patrick Murray, and Arthur Weiss.

Olson is an accredited fellow—the highest credential. Only four other area dentists—Sidney Markowitz in DC, Nils Olson in Frederick, H.R. Makarita in Oakton, and Ronald Jackson in Middleburg—are fellows.

To get accredited, members must pass written and clinical exams as well as oral tests before a board of examiners. The program, Olson says, “is valuable because it’s a protection for the public. We like the fact that there’s a way you can achieve a credential that says you can do the things you say you can do.” Olson says, however, that a dentist’s lack of accreditation does not mean the dentist is not as good.

Dr. Michael Pollowitz, a DC dentist who is on The Washingtonian’s list of top dentists but who has not sought accreditation, agrees. “It doesn’t mean they have better results,” he says.

As with choosing any medical practitioner, it’s a good idea to ask friends and family for referrals. If a dentist is not accredited, you might ask if he or she has taken continuing education in cosmetic procedures. Any dentist should also be able to show you photos of previous cases and offer options.

To see The Washingtonian’s most recent list of top dentists as voted by their peers, go to Washingtonian.com/dentists. The general-dentists list includes top votegetters for cosmetic work. Other specialists, such as prosthodontists, also do cosmetic procedures.

This article first appeared in the December 2008 issue of The Washingtonian. For more articles from that issue, click here.